Sunday, January 25, 2009

To Whom It May Concern...



The person I wish to become is a standard I have set for myself,I cannot be who you want me to be and still be who I am. For I cannot be two people nor do I wish to be.


If I become who you want me to be, then I lose myself completely. And there will be nothing left of me, nothing left to love. And I want to be loved and I want to love myself - exterior and interior from head to toes. My feet, my beating heart, and the very depths of my soul.

...and I want to love it all...no matter how great or small, tiny or tall. I just need acceptance, not from you but from myself. To accept that these features were created for me and no one else.

How can I accept myself for who I am and still complete your rite of passage? Which does nothing but bruise my character and cause crucial damage to the future I dream of because you allow me to believe that if I am who I am now, that these dreams will never be...

If I am who you want me to be, all my charm, zest and zeal will be lost never to return. I can't live this life alone nor can I do it with you depriving me of the things I have earned. You are the undefeated champ, constantly knocking me to the ground and every fight I lose, ends with my voice releasing whimpering sounds...

So you've proposed a challenge now that I'm wounded, lost and don't know who to be...the me I've created and learned to love or the me that fulfills everything you taught me to be... .. .

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Toast To The President.

Here's to the end of Bushisms,
to fewer 'rumours on the internet',
to peacemakers rather than 'pacemakers'.

Here's to a White House with complete sentences,
to correct pronunciation of vocabulary,
to verb/noun agreement.

Here's to Biden not shooting someone in the face,
to no one throwing shoes at Obama,
to not 'misunderestimating.

Here's to a legitimately won election,
to eight years now over,
to Bush out of office.

Here's to young blood,
to new faces,
to enthralling speeches.

Here's to hope,
to change,
to breaking the mold.

Here's to optimism,
to Presidential eloquence,
to the tangible excitement in the air.

Here's to history in the making,
to intelligence,
to determination.

Here's to the People,
to diversity,
to monumental moments.

Here's to anticipation,
to charisma,
to four years.

Here's to the Commander in Chief,
to the leader of the nation,
to inaugurations worth celebrating.

Here's to you, Barack Obama.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Obama-nauguration


Today, Tuesday, January, 20th 2009 will be a day to be remembered for all time. Today was that day that Barack Obama took the oath of office and he did so upon the Bible that his personal political hero, Abraham Lincoln, used for his own swearing in, in 1861.

I can already tell he is going to be different, his movemen
ts, they way he speaks…he has added his own personal touches to the whole inaugural ceremony. He recruited soul singer Aretha Franklin, evangelical mega church leader Rick Warren, and a young poet to deliver the traditional inaugural poem – that touched my heart so deeply.

Even without those intimate
details, Washington’s 56th presidential inauguration wasn’t traditional: Obama is the first black president elected in the country's history! He was sworn into office one day after the whole world observed Martin Luther King Day. This is going to be BIGGER THAN EVER! I’m more than sure that it broke a lot of records indefinitely – the most costly, most security conscious and probably the most watched in US history.

I, personally, couldn’t; wait to hear him deliver the most important speech of his life. I am a MAD fan of his oratory skills; the man can write and give a damn good speech! His speech was so captivating and it definitely came from the heart. He is so endearing. It’s not even how damn handsome he is, but you can tell he has a genuinely tender soul.

Apparently, he started working on it immediately after November's election victory. Obama's address was followed by a poetry reading, a religious blessing, and the national anthem and then by lunchtime, the United States had its 44th president. A black President. “I have a dream”…continued.

I’m going to post something I wrote for school. And got a 94% on :) It’s a prose. Enjoy!


Obama Prose; Yes We Can. Yes We Did.

Sometimes a person’s life will follow the seemingly hollow declarations of our most reviled clichés, and in the process, those clichés will come to define that person in the best possible light, despite what we all believe to be the emptiness of those sentiments.

“Pursue your passion, they say, and the money will follow. Anything is possible. You only live once, so make it count.”

In truth, we often give credence to those expressions; we may even yearn to embrace them ourselves, yet something keeps us from buying into them with anything more than pocket change. Often, we we’d most like to take them to heart, we’re already strapped with the reality of load bearing responsibilities. The flip side of course, is that those who succeed. Do so in spite of those obstacles.

Desire, discipline, and perspective are the clichés that are almost always found in the lives of the successful, those are three traits that embody Barack Obama.

Obama = Change; the only thing promised in life.


-M.



Thursday, January 15, 2009

It's amazing how much power men hold in our society. They tell us how to act, dress, how much to eat and set us straight when we're not acting "lady like" enough & I wonder occasionally, if I am the definition of "beautiful". Am I too fat? I've got too much pride... My feet are too big. Will they like me if I drape myself in Hollister and act like an airhead? My head is suddenly drowned with questions and regrets. I then look myself in the mirror and I open my eyes.

Then I hear a different voice.

"Let no man determine your worth and your beauty" I'm sick and tired of men, television, magazines...just society telling me what a perfect woman is. Ha, I can't fart around a man cause its not lady like? I can't do what dudes do, cause its gonna look bad on my part? I need to be half naked to impress the men around me? I'm not rocking enough of the latest trends so I'm an odd ball? I've learned to slowly but surely stray away from the superficial and earthly shit. So to all my beautiful women and young ladies out there... hear me out. Whenever you feel as though you're inadequate or as though you need a pound of makeup to look hot or a man's compliments to make you feel good, break free from those thoughts and emotions and hold your head up high. You're worth so much more than what society deems as "beautiful" or what a man considers "sexy". Love God and love yourself before you learn to love others is all I can say.



Back to observing movements... .. .




For anyone who is actually reading this, I swore I wouldn’t get addicted to this, but the truth is, I have. There is something about writing that just makes me feel – free. Anyone who knows me knows that my place of Zen is when I have my pink earphones on and listening to some good music…that MOOD MUSIC.

But lately, writing has been that place for me. Ever since I got my new laptop, and installed the new Microsoft Word on it, I played around with it realized they had this little blog thing on it, where I could write whatever I wanted, edit it, alter it and click one button and it would automatically publish on my blog! (I love technology). So I will go ahead and tell you that I have at least 50 posts that I have saved and WANT to post, but most are too opinionated, political, biased or just wack! I write about EVERYTHING. I’m a nerd in disguise…I have a very vivid imagination and I have a hell of a lot to say, but sometimes, I choose to keep things to myself.

Today, however…I feel like venting a little. So here it goes.

Fake people come in different shapes and sizes. Friends, classmates, boyfriends, home girls, homeboys... hell even family members. Snakes and fake broads are universal. I never understood it though. Why? How do these people sit here smiling in your face with their dumb grins and forced chit chat full well knowing that they're going to run to someone else, repeat what you discussed and talk shit? What’s the point of a friendship or any relationship at that? Whoa, whoa, whoa... and you think I'm odd for keeping to myself and I'm a hater? I guess you can deem me as an OUTKAST then. 'Cause I refuse take part in your fucked up 'reindeer games'. I try my damn hardest to be nice to EVERYONE I meet; I was taught to always be nice to everyone I meet and give everyone the benefit of the doubt but YOU took advantage of that! I guess I'm somewhat in a dilemma of my own though... I was raised with the notion that you should embrace everybody and show love to even the people who look down at you. As much as it is ANNOYING like a mosquito bite that you’re dying to itch, I won’t. I’ll keep doing ME and being who I am because I’m not going to change for ANYONE.

So really what is a 'real friend'? A real friend is that person who has the balls to stand up for you when even the majority of people are against you. It’s that person who listens and tells you the truth even when it’s hard to hear. A real friend never sugar-coats anything. A real friend is not always there when you call, but seems to always be on time when you need her/him the most. A real friend is hard to find, but trust me they're there.




Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Lil Wayne - Best Rapper Alive? Maria thinks not...

Please please please before reading this, I’d like to establish that YES I DO like Lil Wayne as an artist but I DO NOT think he is the BEST RAPPER ALIVE.

So to get on with it, lol…

Is Lil Wayne the best rapper alive? If you’re asking me, the answer is no, but is my opinion going to change the number of groupies he has? The answer is certainly not. What is good for one person may be completely different for another. This is why we have opinions upon things, but to me, even our opinions follow some basic logic. If I were to ask you why you don’t like vegetables, someone would probably respond because they don’t find their taste appealing to our senses. If someone were to ask you why you don’t like skydiving, you would probably say because you see it as scary and dangerous. Basically everything follows reason to a certain extent; therefore, I can reasonably say that my opinions, to some extent, are based off logic or reason. I’d also like to state that while there is such a thing as difference of opinion, there is also a thing called general opinion. In general most people like ice cream and pizza, in general most guys find Halle Barry attractive, and in general most people want a high paying job with benefits. This is not because everyone randomly decides to like these things, for no reason, but because they fit the criteria of something they should like. For instance a high paying job gives people financial security, and Halle Barry has a symmetrical face and slim body, these are all things that general opinion says are good. So, now the question arises, why is general opinion important? Well my Torontonians, general opinions are important because we can use them as a standard to judge things. In the following paragraphs, I am going to demonstrate how Lil Wayne does not meet any of the generally accepted criteria, needed to be considered to me, “The Best Rapper Alive”. In fact he fails at most of them…LOL…don’t hate me! He’s dope yessss…but you’ll see my argument at the end and YES folks, I put A LOT of thought into this, haha.

Now…when listening to rap, what are some of the generally accepted qualities we look for in the rapper and his music? If we were to break it down, lyrics and flow would be a big part of the equation, as would the beats that are used, how relatable the rappers are, and how credible they are. If you don’t agree, consider this! -> There is a kid at your school whose dying ambition it is to be a rapper, yet his lyrics are nasty, have no meaning, and don’t rhyme. Would you consider this cat to be a talented rapper? Doubtful. If this same individual had good lyrics, but couldn’t change up their flow or much less stay on beat, would they be considered good? Again, nope! Now, what if their beats were horrible, if he was rapping about an unclear subject at length, and if you found all of his raps to be untrue? We are sure in all these cases, if you applied these standards to any aspiring rapper with no media attention, that you would deem them a bad rapper; therefore, we can say that “generally” these are things that we look for in a rapper, and the fact they fail at one or more of them imposes the fact that they are not that great, much less the best. (Wow, I almost passed out right there re-reading that sentence back to myself! LOL) Now, what if all these things applied to Lil Wayne?

I’d like to just PAUSE for a sec and let you know, NO, I am NOT jealous of Lil Wayne and NO I am NOT HATING on him either, I say this because when asked this question before and once people heard my answer they called me hater , lol. While Lil Wayne is admired by many, he does not live a lifestyle that I would wish to follow, I’d like to say I’m a fairly religious girl , I go to church every Sunday, lol... furthermore, it can’t be said that I’m a “hater”, because in my opinion, “haters” hate on multiple things, without reason. Instead my dislike for Lil Wayne being called the BEST RAPPER ALIVE comes from my belief that he is an individual who lacks rapping talent. Think about it now, if I were truly a “hater” or a jealous individual, I would hate or be jealous of virtually everyone in the music industry at the moment, as they all, to a certain extent, share many of the same qualities. So you’re probably wondering, why the hell am I taking my time to write this? Again, it will all be revealed in the end…muhahah so keep reading ...

The first thing I’d like to prove is that Lil Wayne’s rise to fame is largely due to media attention and effective use of marketing, and in no way due to genuine talent..haha! Don’t worry kiddies; I have facts to back my shit up! Lil Wayne is often hailed as a breakthrough new artist who rose to fame because of his incredible abilities and style. But that impression that Lil Wayne fans seem to have of him is false. Weeezy does not represent quality rap/hip-hop in any way, well, to me at least and the idea that his notoriety was gained through talent is wrong.

Lil Wayne, or Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., is not new to the rap scene at all. He’s been around since 1997, and until 2008 did he really, really make it big. So the idea that sheer talent quickly rocketed him to his current level of fame is obviously untrue. Lil Wayne began his career rapping with the rap group “Hot Boys”, which included extremely famous rappers such as Juvenile and B.G. There is no doubt that association with these big names must have brought him a lot of publicity. During the years before his first album, he was also featured on other albums with big name rappers, additionally adding to his name, but not necessarily his talent. Finally, in 1999 he released his first album “Tha Block is Hot” which did gain popular notice, and even got him a nomination as Best New Artist in Source magazine. BUT that album “featured significant contributions from Hot Boys”. So while this first release may seem like a proof of his greatness, Lil Wayne was yet to make an album truly solo. His next two albums, arguably his first two solo ones, were considered by many to be disappointments, and many critics claim that he was “coasting on the fame and the collective success of Hot Boys” and that he showed a “lack of coherent narratives in his verse.”…DON’T GET HEATED by that remark, I got that one straight out of SOURCE!

In 2004(with Tha Carter) he finally managed to again achieve some moderate success, with his debut, but it took FIVE years for him to make another popular album. After “Tha Carter”, from 2004-2008, Lil Wayne did nothing but make mix tapes and do singles with famous rappers, again simply widening his publicity base. He recorded singles with Chris Brown, Fat Joe, Lloyd, Rick Ross, Akon, Birdman, DJ Khaled, and Busta Ryhmes. After four years of working with a genuine crowd of famous rappers, Lil Wayne finally decided to release an album of his own. It wasn’t until 2008 with “Tha Carter III” that he became the rapper we know and love today. With his massive hit “Lollipop” Lil Wayne became one of the most famous rappers of our time, taking over our radio stations hourly. But again, remember how many people he worked with, and how much publicity he needed to make himself such a phenomenon. Does this really sound like one of the most talented rappers of our time? Or simply the most connected? Hmm…remember, it’s ALL about connections people!!

Now, to me... it seems fairly established that Lil Wayne’s connections brought him most of his fame, let us examine why he needed so much media association to become a hit. Let’s examine his songs. To examine most of his songs would be a waste of time, since only a few singles even gained popular success, so his most famous and acclaimed song, Lollipop, should be a good place to start.

The sad part about Lollipop is that most of the catchy part of the song isn’t even him, it’s some guy singing a chorus (you know it, “shawty wanna thug, bottles in tha club…”), and all the while Lil Wayne only contributes with a brilliant series of background “ya… ya… ya’s”. DON’T GET ME WRONG; the BEAT to this song is sick, HE HAS A GOOD PRODUCER, however, Lil Wayne doesn’t use the decent beat to any great effect whatsoever. Pauses or filler noise are heard throughout the song, all in an effort to sort of stay on beat. Eleven years into his rapping career and he seems to still have issues with a beat? Remember THIS is his BIG song.

Another thing, do you ever hear Lil Wayne put attitude into his rapping? Not really. I’m listening to Lollipop and Got Money now, and it sounds like all his parts have the same droning pulse which seems to entrance people. Rappers are supposed to at least sound emphatic about what they say, even if it’s really dumb, but Lil Wayne can’t seem to manage that – LOL…ohh man, I’m going to be put on the blast for this! What’s more is that he doesn’t pronounce what he is saying! It would seem like saying things at a low, stately, drone would enhance his understandability, after all, most people not understanding rap lyrics complain that “*BLANK* raps too fast for me to understand!” Strangely enough, I’ve never heard that complaint with regards to Lil Wayne. Instead, I (and I’ve heard many others agree) state that I can barely understand what he is saying because he never really pronounces anything at all. This is the age of voice synthesizers and extremely high tech equipment, and I don’t understand how he can’t at least synthesize something better than a mumble!!

Probably the biggest problem I have with the popular conception of Lil Wayne is the idea that his lyrics hold gems of genius. His fans constantly state how deep and admirable his rhymes and metaphors are, but looking at some of his song titles alone should be enough to prove how wack this idea is. The list of Lil Wayne’s “best”/ most popular rap songs off the net looks like this : Milli, Lollipop, Got Money, I'm Me, Pussy M.V.P., I Feel Like Dying, Something You Forgot, and I'm A Beast. Titles are supposed to give you the main idea of what a song is about, right? So, simply looking at these titles, what is the impression you get? Out of these eight hit songs, only two titles have anything that could possibly contain a meaningful subject in them, I Feel Like Dying, and Something You Forgot. The other SIX, are either about how rich he is (Milli, Got Money), his supposed sexual prowess (Pussy MVP, Lollipop), and how awesome he is (I’m A Beast, I’m Me). So basically, Lil Wayne’s fame is mostly built upon nothing other than him rapping about how awesome he is; deep, no? Hahah…These ideas are mainly simplistic and self absorbed, yet Lil Wayne has managed to write large majority of his songs based on them. If I went around Toronto and shouted how spectacular I was on the street, people would probably call me deranged or a narcissistic asshole, but, Lil Wayne, with his hundreds of publicity stunts, has managed to become a rap trend…focus on the word TREND.

So, the song titles are simplistic, now let’s look at the lyrics themselves, hit song “Milli” is an example. And, just so no one can say I’m drawing lyrics out of context, I’ll go through an entire section of the song.

"...They say I'm rappin like BIG jay, and Tupac, //Andre 3000 where is Erika Badu at ...
My name ain't Bic but I keep dat flame man //Who that wanna do dat boy ya knew dat u dat Swallow // And I be da shit now u got loose bowels
I don't 'O U' like two vowels //But I would like for u to pay me by the hOUr
And I'd rather be pushing flowers //Then to be in the pen sharing showers
Tony told us this world was ours //And the Bible told us every girl was sour…
Don't play in her garden ... her flower //Call me Mr. Carter or Mr. Lawn Mower
Boy I got so many bitches like I'm .. //Even Gwen Stefani sees she couldn't doubt me"

To start this verse, Lil Wayne says “I’m rapping like BIG, jay, and Tupac”, and compares himself to Andre 3000 and Erika Badu. These are all huge, respected names, so basically he is saying he is awesome at rapping. HELLO…to me, Weezy is nowhere NEAR in a same catergory as Andre 3000. Then he talks about not being a BIC(lighter) and keeping “dat flame”. A connection can sort of be seen, but its hard to see where he is going and what he is saying…OK, really…WTF is he saying? When you get down to it, these lyrics mean nothing other than “I’m so baller,” yet, Lil Wayne decides to say it in a thousand small ways. Indeed, he goes on to say “I be da sh**, now you got loose bowels”. Ok! was that necessary? LOL…Metaphors are supposed to enhance people’s understanding of what you are saying, instead of being disgusting and confusing. After that lovely line, he talks about how he doesn’t “’O U’ like two vowels [Get it? O=owe U=you, hilarious no?]” Ummm, what? We have loose bowels (because he is so awesome?) and now he doesn’t owe us money? What is he even saying? He does go on though. Next he says “But I would like for you to pay me by the hOUr” Yeah... I don’t even know what he means by that. It sounds like he wants his fan base to keep buying his album… maybe? From this Lil Wayne jumps to how he would rather be dead than in jail ("And I'd rather be pushing flowers //Then to be in the pen sharing shower). I have no idea why he decided to start talking about this mid rap. It has no context nor reason for being here, basically its just a random metaphoric thought. After that insert, Lil Wayne really starts to make sense when he talks about how the “Bible told us every girl was sour…” (Direct quote?) And he talks about not playing in her garden, which he might mow, since he is “Mr. Lawn Mower.” LMFAO…wow, I think I should start dissecting songs more often, hahaha! Maybe by every girl being sour, and not playing in her garden he is alluding to how Adam was in the Garden of Eden and ate the forbidden fruit… but that really makes no sense, because it wasn’t Eve’s garden, and there is no reference to a flower in the Adam and Eve tale. So I’ll chalk that up to another random statement that conveniently rhymes.

PLEASE…go back and re-read before you scroll down to the bottom to comment, lol…I realize I will get some really nasty replies because we got some devoted Weeezy fans, but read this with an open mind, I had fun writing this so far, lol. Even that small song excerpt became extremely unneeded and exhausting, and yet it, by far, does not display the worst of his lyrics. You can argue that song just isn’t one where he shows his genius, but after looking at many of his other famous lyrics; we can guarantee that none of them drastically outshine these. Every Lil Wayne song follows the same basic structure found in the “Milli” excerpt. They have an extremely simplistic idea, reiterated many times with a large amount of complicated and unhelpful metaphors, plus some random comments that rhyme well. That’s it…BUT…the beat is what gets that booty poppin’ right? Again…standing ovation for his producer!

Umm…I think I’m going to stop with my argument here please, be patient, I shall reveal my reasoning for writing such a note in a little bit, but I’d like to examine some FACTS together;

If one were to judge with an open and unbiased mind, they would find that Lil Wayne’s lyrics and rapping don’t speak for themselves; therefore, he relies on the fame of close associates to gain media notoriety, which is obviously the primary cause for his success today. While I don’t see Lil Wayne as THE BEST RAPPER ALIVE, I do admit that he is a good businessman, effectively using samples from hit songs, cameo appearances, and tons of self-hype to catapult himself to the top of the charts. BUT this hype is built upon a false basis, which is the foundation for his fame.

My purpose in writing this was not to “hate” but to free your mind, not just in this case but in many others, whether it be what music you listen to, what food you eat, or what political views you choose to associate yourself with. I urge you to judge things carefully, and not simply go with what the mainstream tells you. John Mayer once said, “when they own the information they can bend it all they want”, it seems that a truer statement was never spoken. Flobots say that “there is a war going on for your mind,” well it seems we’re losing. To win this war we must honestly and openly ask ourselves why we choose to have the opinions we have, and make sure when we’re buying a product, or accepting an idea we’re buying, or accepting it for the actual product or idea, and not a false idea associated with it. Of course I can’t tell you what to like or dislike, but based on fairly universal criteria, I can ask you to really evaluate what you decide is good or bad, and that includes the skill and talent of Lil Wayne as “The Best Rapper Alive”. Again, this isn't a personal attack on him as a human being; instead I simply wrote this to display my personal logic and reasons behind my opinion of Lil Wayne. Now upon reading this, decide for yourself if Lil Wayne is still the messiah to rap. The choice is up to you.

Here is a short list of rappers, in no particular order, who I deem to be worthy of listening to :) ;

Tupac, Biggie, The Roots, Lupe Fiasco, Eminem, Jay Z, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Krayzie Bone, Common, Papoose, Immortal Technique, Outkast, Swollen Members, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Dilated Peoples, Q-Tip, Black Eyed Peas, and Flobots!!

I hope I didn’t offend any die hard Lil Wayne fans, especially since the concert is this week. But as primarily mentioned, I don’t “hate” on Lil Wayne, I don’t hate on anyone, I just don’t agree with the statement that he is the “best rapper alive”. If it were up to me, I’d gladly hand that title over to Hova.

But since I KNOW there are some groupies out there, go ahead and put me on the blast, just remember to STOP and GO BACK to the beginning and thoroughly take in my paragraph on opinions!!

Now, to the FOOL who made me write this, lol…your name won’t be mentioned, he said to me that hip hop is dead…which is a statement I would have agreed it a couple months ago, but 2009 is the year I personally believe that will host the resurrection of hip hop! Why do I think so? Firstly and fore mostly go to Will’s page and peep the video! THAT IS HOMEGROWN HIP HOP!!!!!!! I cannot stress that enough, thank you so much for posting that Will, and to all the cats who took part, you revived my love affair with hip hop ♥

Secondly…look out for these albums this year from some of those big names; Mos Def – Estactic, Common – The Believer, Lupe Fiasco – LupEND, Kanye West – Good Ass Job, and my most highly anticipated, Jay-Z – Blueprint 3!!!

Again, to the Jester who told me hip hop was dead and that Weezy took over and is the best rapper alive…THANK YOU, because if you never spat those foolish words, I would have never came out to discredit Lil Wayne/Birdman Junior/The Carter/and many other aliases.


-M.

R&J Random Citation




These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which, as they kiss, consume.


Romeo & Juliette, Act II, Scene VI



Monday, January 12, 2009

Global Poverty in Haiti

So I've been wanting to write about this for some time because it is something that really means a lot to me and if something like this is going on in OUR world, I feel like it's my duty as a human being to educate others about it as well in hopes that I will inspire someone else to want to lend a helping hand.

I am so fortunate to know people that are involved with Free The Children. For those of you who don't know, Free the Children is a children's charity organization founded in 1995 by children's rights advocate Craig Kielburger. The organization builds schools in developing countries. It also provides alternative income projects as well as school and health kits to people in developing rural areas. Today, I want to talk about Haiti and let you in on some of the issues that are affecting this country.

Haiti is located next to the Dominican Republic sharing its island. Haiti is 27,750 square kilometers and its capital is Port-au-Prince. About 60% of Haiti was lust forests until 58% was cut down destroying fertile lands. Haiti's main source of income and energy is charcoal followed by mangoes and coffee. Due to loss of fertile lands and the over exploitation of the forests that original occupied Haiti it is now still in a state of poverty. Many of the Haitians are considered to be living in severe poverty with the average income ranging from $1.88 to $2.25.


Haitians are one of the largest producers of pollution nowhere near that of the United States of America however it is still largely responsible for the production of charcoal and it is its main source of energy. The charcoal industry is actually not as productive as it has previously been in recent years due to the world's combined efforts to promote a cheaper yet cleaner environment and the search and move to newer, cleaner fuels and energy sources now available.
Haiti is currently receiving foreign aid from the United States of America and from us in Canada as well and smaller contributions from European Union, Venezuela and Cuba. This income makes up about 30% to 40% of the countries budget. Haiti is in dire need of economic growth and the United States and other countries are just not providing enough to change their income levels so growth is not occurring.


Population is also causing a major problem with poverty because the more people a country has to support the less money available for each person. An example of this is a pizza for a family. If two people are there they each can receive half off the pizza however if they have 1 child then that family has to split the pizza into thirds. Then the family has another child and has to cut it into fourths and if each of these children invite a friend over then they have to cut it into sixths. Adding any more will cause problems because no one is really ever content with only one slice. Same with money if you have one dollar and break into between four people each person would only receive 25 cents. And so on until they are basically receiving nothing because it is split between such a large populations.
Haiti is currently in the traditional society of Rostow's five stages of economic development. Stage one consist of a dependency on subsistence agriculture. For the Haitians this is found in the mangoes, coffee, and coal. Haiti also shows signs of being in stage one because they show a low productivity which can be seen in recent years from the lack of exporting enough products to boost their income. They however are showing since of heading in to stage two since they do have an entrepreneurial class developing in different fields.


Most of the citizens here are Roman Catholics like many other Latin communities. This structured religion does provide a good basis for the country to expand financially. If the churches could provide information to the people about birth control to control the population and keep AIDS cases from continuing to spread. Also they could provide a way for all people to receive education.


I propose that people in Haiti be taught the importance of family control. So they understand they only get so much and that has to be shared so the less people that need the assistance the more assistance you can receive. They also should be taught about all the different diseases that could cause them to be out of work or die. This provides an adequate supply of workers at all times. This would keep HIV/AIDS to a minimum and keep dangerous viruses from spreading into the lives of people. Also if they learn about the environment they may also be able to assist the world in developing new sources of clean energy.


I understand though, that some people may argue that providing Haiti with the resources to better their country would be too expensive for the providing country however I believe that if all of the world could contribute a little then the cost would be spread around and not a burden to just one country. Some people also argue that if we do this for one country we will have to do this for all of the countries. To this argument I agree. But I suggest that we start with the bottom and work our way up? It will get easier and easier to make the world better. Again arguments will continue to arise.

"Well what about the other countries while we help one?"

"Well life isn't fair"


That is my first response
"They will just have to suffer through it until we get to them. Then again we could just provide for everyone all at once."

"Nevermind."
"That's what I thought"

Some people also disagree that we shouldn't have to help another country develop. However, if we don't help them develop there would be no one left to continue anything. I believe that poverty can be eliminated if we fix the earth back to her previous glory and she will provide for us as she always has when we respected her and protected her. Trees, Tigers, and Turtles. Haiti is in trouble and so are 50 other countries. Let's get to work!!


 

-M.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Scent of a Woman...Speech




This is probably one of my favourite scenes of all time. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, played by Al Pacino in his Oscar winning performance, gives a little talk about leadership and integrity during the end of the movie "Scent of a Woman". To keep you a little in sight here, Charlie (played by Chris O'Donnell) is about to be expelled because he is not snitching about what he saw, while the people who are quite clearly involved are being let go, primarily because they're rich. Enjoy a truly classic moment in movies.

The Challenge of Ignorance


What is the problem with the world? Is it hatred, famine, or perhaps poverty? These are all major problems, yes, but none of which is the big problem. No, there is a much worse problem. In fact, the main problem is caused by hatred, famine, and poverty. Now one may ask, what is this main problem? It is something we all have, not necessarily in the same amount, but it IS there. It can be bliss as long as you do not keep it as most do. A problem that can be solved easily, though most do not solve it. The challenge the world faces today ... is ignorance.

Everyone has ignorance. Whether it is technological ignorance or social ignorance, everyone has it and don't even try to front like you don't! This becomes a problem when no one tries to reduce ones ignorance. They begin to believe their own half assed ideas, making them more ignorant. Therefore, they lie to themselves or are lied to and the lies fill the new ignorance only to create more, newer lies until they are so ignorant they will believe any damn idiotic thing they are told.

Ignorance is bliss. When you are unaware of some aspects of life, such as war, you can live a peaceful life. However, by keeping yourself unaware you begin to think it does not exist. You become isolated in your shallow, protected, fake little world. Then it hits you; and your stuck in war, poverty, famine, or hatred; and you, who didn't think such things existed, have no way out because the only people available to help you are just as, if not more, ignorant than you.

Ignorance is curable. The vaccination for ignorance is education. However, ignorant people fear education. Education has the potential to destroy their safe little world; and they would not want that to happen. To be pulled from their delusions of life and to be brought back into reality would ruin their entire lifestyle. So they run from education; creating the clowns and bullies of everyday life; creating slaves of ignorance; the ignorance ... of the world.

In theory, ignorance is the easiest problem to solve. Change the opinions and misconceptions of the ignorant masses and ... poof ... ignorance is gone; no more war, no more poverty, no more famine. In theory, ignorance is solved easily. The trouble with ignorance is no one else's opinion can be right because they are all ignorant. So, who is right? Would the only person to be right be the one person whom is not ignorant? Moreover, if such a person exists, would the ignorant masses believe him? Of course, perhaps I am just being ignorant.
-M.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Many thought's cross my mind on a daily basis... What to do? Where to go? Who to befriend? Who to trust? Who can I trust? I guess there comes a point and time in life where you realize that you are indeed alone - to your thoughts and to make the right decisions in life.

If there were only a way to question those people in your life before they hurt you, before you befriend them. Friends that turn their back on you when you need them the most; people that hurt you, cheat, and lie to you; companies that take advantage of you and your hard work...

Obviously this is not possible and we all live life... I am sure that no matter what you do, you always run the risk of getting hurt, and if you hold back then you also run the risk of missing out on crucial loves and friendships that you may not have given a chance.

I will forever remain an optimist with a little bit of a realist in me - I would rather be hurt, than miss out on a friendship or love... I would rather work hard for my company than slack off and lose my job. I guess I am what you would call a good person, but I am starting to believe that there are very few people like me in this world. Most people will snake you if you give them the chance - most views may not be indicative of all people, but realizing how people lie about the most simple things, and take advantage of those less fortunate is a sickening thought...

I say this not to be a pessimist and not that it needs to be said, but just how I feel about people in this world. We need to stick together and help one another and yet I feel like I am one of the few people who seems to think this way.

My Resolution for this year is above all odds to remain a good person, regardless of all the negativity around me - I will chose to do the right thing, tell the truth, and love without holding back to everyone around me - No matter what, it is easier to be good than it is to be a bad.

I hope this will inspire someone and change their outlook on people - so it will eventually make the world a better place.

M.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

casual quotable.


6,470,818,675


At this moment, there are 6,470,818,675 people in the world.
Some are running scared. Some are coming home.
Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just not facing the truth.

Some are evil men at war with good & some are good struggling with evil.

6 billion people in the world. 6 billion souls

…& sometimes, all you need is one.

Sometime in your life, you will meet somebody, and know that whatever you did before, it must have been right…nothing could have been too bad or gone too far wrong because it led you to this person.

Friday, January 2, 2009



Does the current economic climate in the U.S. represent a failure of capitalism or what? Because it sure looks like the captains of industry need an infusion of capital from the big, bad government in order to survive!


Does this mean the U.S. may have to change it's subversive policies in South America now that they've got socialism brewing on Capitol Hill?


Somewhere, up there, Che Guevara is REALLY enjoying this. :)

50th Anniversary of The Cuban Revolution


I realize I’m a little late on this, 1 day to be exact, but I was busy! Lol…New Years Day and all, but it wasn’t just New Years Day yesterday! Yesterday made it HALF A CENTURY, back on January 1st of 1959 that Fidel Castro brought down the curtain on Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship.

So, cheers to the Cuban Revolution, to the brave Cuban people, and to all it’s leaders, that fought in the past, and keep fighting today for the ideals of socialism and of a justified and dignified society.