poem, written january 29, 2014

amorous, they gift a smile to each other

knowing there will never be such another

fulfilled is the needy soul's longing for devotion

loyal companion in every sentimental notion

blessings from the generous Heavens above

endless, eternal candy sweet love

enthralled, he takes her clinging hand

smoothes her hair, adoring every cherished strand

hearts confectionate, together as one

watching the setting, glimmering sun

This is not about anyone. Just wanted ta write something romantic.

music

instead of trying to find a new music pg for my bands i like, i am just going to make a list written out. i had a couple hundred on the fbook i was using before it was so messed with. i think someone erased a lot of songs from my youtube faves. i will make it alphabetical later. doing this from my fone. also, not sure of my current fave.

the gogo's, the bangles, the beach boys, ella fitzgerald, billie holiday, brick, dazz band, midnight star, shalamar, patrice rushen, zapp, evelyn king, spandeu ballet, the california ramblers, annie lennox, men without hats, bob seger, badfinger, frankie goes to hollywood, kajagoogoo, the marvelettes, the supremes, diana ross, the monkees, garth brooks, kathy matea, alan jackson, donovan, the moody blues, jimi hendrix, eric clapton, awa, fiji, j.boog, ub40, patsy cline, corona, haddaway, tom petty, lipps inc., nu shooz, kool and the gang, juliana hatfield, don henley, joe walsh, sade, brooks & dunn, willie nelson, tracy chapman, bob dylan, james iha, fergie, america, jimmy ruffin, the miracles, isley bros., gary clark jr., george michael, toto, grandfunk railroad, extreme, curtis mayfield, tlc, whitney houston, jefferson airplane,  shania twain, jodee messina, vanessa carlton, scott mckenzie, three dog night, hall and oates, ultra, free, lenny kravitz, blaque, tom jones, creedence clearwater revival, elvin bishop, aha, neil diamond, white lion, chicago, rick springfield,  seals and croft, the hollies, wang chung, gin blossoms, the cardigans, george harrison, the guess who, electric light orchestra, the mighty mighty bosstones, calvin harris, the gap band, con funk shun, lakeside, hot chocolate, teena marie, mary jane girls, donna summer, the flirts, maoli, randy travis, journey, the cars, the outfield, en vogue, gary numan, boy george, adam ant, split enz, paula abdul, john denver, jim croce, the real kids, the speedies, josh tatofi, the capris, lobo, bread, the drifters, the motels, the ronettes, debbie gibson, gerry rafferty, tonic, belinda carlisle, christine mcvie, m.f.s.b., spoonie gee, rufus, conscious roots, roy orbison, elvis presley, isley bros., gq, foghat, steely dan, trisha yearwood, reba mcentire, travis tritt, mary chapin carpenter, vince gill, dwight yoakum, george strait, clint black, lorrie morgan, eddie rabbit, marshall tucker band, blackfoot, zz top, the doobie brothers, little feat, little river band, America, beau brummels band, the doors, jimi Hendrix, love, choc. Watch band, the James gang, devo, Josie cotton, rubber rodeo, pure prairie league, new riders of the purple sage, poco, flying burrito brothers, 20/20, til Tuesday, Adam ant, flock of seagulls, after the fire, crowded house, any trouble, bad company, bob weir, the band, the bongos, the breaks, brinsley schwartz,,
canned heat, Celia and the mutations,del fuegos, cheap trick, dfx2, diamond head, dirty looks, the dream syndicate, Dwight twilley, Dwight Yoakum, eater,earth wind n fire, Elvis Costello, foghat, the fools, free, Gary numan, great bldgs, heart, herman brood and his wild romance, hurrah!, imagination, Janis Joplin,heart, Mickey jupp, the motels,lakeside, niiki and the corvettes, pat benatar,phil Seymour, the photos, the breaks, pink fairies, bubble puppy, the plimsouls, the pretenders, protex, yachts, Robert hazad, rockpile, roxy music, the shivvers, the shoes, the sneetches, split enz, subway sect, translator, the wasps, yes, Yazoo, tom petty

a prayer (written February 21st, 2014)

ethereal patchwork quilted of time 
God please bring accord to all that is 
Heaven complete the longing reservoir of my soul 
-with gratitude 

Written February 21st, 2014

a few days of God's gift of spring
defiant to the chill of winter
embellishing my thoughts with illustrious panorama
the days of snow crystals make want for new alleviation
for the world outside my window to flourish
the flux of seasons bring change to all the creatures
somewhere a bunny frolics amidst lavender blossoms
relishing in the day it was blessed with
a fish swims downstream
oblivious to any concerns

on fair trade and made in the usa buying

A few months ago, it came to my attention that some items are made with utter disregard for the workers. Child labor, unpaid wages, abusive treatment, unsturdy labor laws. This made a huge impact on my consumerism. Food, clothing, gadgets, items for the home... my buying decisions have changed majorly. I now search for fair trade items or made in the usa items. I am new to the whole fair trade thing. It has probably been but half a year, if that, since i've realized this is something I need to do. It makes things more perplexing, but the item bought is much more rewarding. Fair trade items often mention charity projects the money is going for with the workers. It is nice to do my part in the world, while also buying things I need. What's really difficult is the lack of information for buying decisions. I am very unsure of electronics. An elaborate list of questions about earphones... where did the elements for components come from? Who mined for it all? What country are they from? What is the minimum wage? What are labor laws there? I've bought Sony recently, but i've also had to buy RCA. There is little info on Sony and it's workers' rights in other countries. From the little info I could scrounge up, they sound more reputable, at least. I very much don't like buying items that i'm so unsure about, but I need them for health reasons. Otherwise, i'd likely pass them up, like I have many products. I have bought some Gypsy Rose fairtrade shirts. I plan to rearrange my wardrobe when funds allow. I have a pair of J. Crew jeans that are made in the USA. It took a while to find these. I have a couple of pairs of GAP pants. Since crackdown on their sweatshops, they were supposedly made to improve. If they have really, I don't know. These are just the only other pants I have that sounded more fairly made. I still have to wonder about these clothes. Was child labor involved? Is the company one who pays workers? Nevermind the unnatural clothing dyes and fibers- something else I have to change in my buying decisions. It has been an adventure in shopping, and it needs to be made easier for everyone. Food is somewhat easier with finding what's fair and what isn't. This should not be a problem, and people need to fix this. It takes enjoyment out of material goods to wonder if they're suitable to own or not. It needs to be made more clear. I have given away a lot of my belongings already, and clothes to thrift shops.

It is unimaginable how much more stuff the U.S. has than some other countries. The people who make some of it, for instance. How much work really went into this computer? The mining for elements. The factory exhaustion? As I look around at nearby objects, I must think of some of the people who don't have such things. People who've never known things like this library building. In America, many grow accustomed to what is had n even become ungrateful. The others involved in making products should be thought of. So often people just peruse hundreds of items at the stores, carefree. Some countries that make their items do not have all these items and stores. Many places cannot afford the items they make. It seems so surreal and unbelievable that someone in the U.S. could be so priveleged, with a brand new pair of kicks, enjoying life, while unbeknownst behind-the-scenes, a starving child in India has made the shoes. Changes have to be made. People have become more aware of this happening and are more able to educate themselves on the matter, but literature is still scarce about the working conditions for many products. This must improve.

an updated list of some free click-to-give pages n other free charity pages that I use

PublicFriendsOnly MeCustomClose FriendsFamSee all lists...Personal FriendsFamilyKnoxville, Tennessee AreaAcquaintancesGo Back

Visit these free click to donate pages:
http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/
http://www.thehungersite.com/
http://www.clicktogive.com/
http://www.freekibble.com/
http://www.freekibblekat.com/
http://www.caretoclick.com/
http://www.donate1click.com/
http://www.oneclickatatime.org/
(Some pages outdated on oneclickatatime.org)

Earn money for charity when searching the net:
http://www.goodsearch.com/
Play games, give free rice:
http://www.freerice.com/
Watch a video, give 7 days of water:
http://www.clickforyourcharity.org/

Kids On Speed: Your Child Does Not Have ADHD

(written July, 2011) 

What is A.D.H.D.? Is it a real disorder? Is it a reason for doctors to prescribe children amphetamines, such as Adderall and Ritalin? Definitely not. A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) and A.D.H.D. (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are basically the same idea. They are the categorization of symptoms, such as hyperactivity and inability to concentrate. Hyperactive is how children SHOULD be. They are children. They should be given time to go play outside. Not given amphetamines. Also known as "speed," amphetamines are drugs with high abuse potential. Many have crashed out on these drugs, unable to deal with their addictions. Adderall and Ritalin sell big on the streets. Do parents really want their kids selling their pills at school? Do their really want their kids talking on the playground about how they take speed everyday so they will "act normal"? Meth addicts use meth everyday to normalize. It is often that the type of parents who allow this are severely judgmental and austere in their opinions of their kids. To them, their kids are never smart enough in school, and they are too hyper. How do they get their kids to be quiet? They feed them speed. They agree with the idea of how it, over time, evens out the brain chemistry, so that the child will calm and focus. Antidepressants and other out-of-bounds drugs have also been prescribed to children. All of these drugs are notorious for massive side effects. Any health problem is possibly a side effect with these drugs. Only a few are explained in prescription handout information. The parent brings the child to the doctor. They read from a checklist of symptoms and place it side-by-side with patients. This can be a regular medical doctor, who cannot possibly have learned the entirety of anatomy and psychology. The parent will surely criticize the child, in order to explain their so-called problems. It is often that criticism will be part of the reason the child may act out, or be behind in school. Being slower at assignments than some of the class does absolutely not mean the child has a brain problem that requires speed. Many do not keep up with their assignments for various reasons, such as abusive homelife, boredom, not being challenged enough, and discomfort in the school environment. Also, not everyone learns information the same way. People require different approaches. It cannot be expected of a child to just pick up a book and automatically learn everything they are told to learn. Many feel that being told that they must learn something, by a certain time, is counterproductive. If the perfectionist, unsupportive parent tells the child that they have learning difficulties because of the completely imaginary A.D.H.D. disease, they may very well have a harder time learning the topic. Children need support from their parents. Instead of feeding their children speed, these parents need to find a different approach. Proper diet, taking them outside in the sunshine (instead of letting them always be on a computer, phone, or watching television) are a few things they definitely need to try. The child is not the person with the problem here. It is the parent's judgmental attitude that is a form of abuse. To them, the child is too "this" and not enough "that." The child is thought to be too hyper and not intelligent enough. I'm sure that the same parents also believe that yelling at the child to "shut up," or worse, is a quick fix. It is outrageous that this dope would be handed out to children to pacify them and "make them smarter." This does not need to be going on. Saying these children have a brain problem and feeding them addictive speed is completely not acceptable. Some pets also are given Prozac and Valium. I'm sure they are given other inane drugs as well. Do we really need the youth making meth as their school science project? Methamphetamine is made from these kinds of pills. Stop giving hard drugs to them. Little kids do not need to be on amphetamines.

two short n summery poems, written in the winter

sunflower

a heartfelt summer

peace of mind flutters by

a wild butterfly

joy radiates within

a calm breeze passes through

uniting the soul with God

-------------------------------------------------------

electric emotion

of ecstatic magnitude

glowing neon vivid

generating lightning intensity

as I walk the city street at nite

warm summer, mellow wind enlivens

mystifying moonlit sky

God has embroidered with a million stars

as I await the one who will dazzle my world

a blog written August 2011

If a man thinks a rock is "ugly" and "worthless," that does not ultimately define the rock as "ugly" and "worthless." It may to the person criticizing, but those thoughts clearly would arise from his own emotional state. Sometimes people forget this and believe the external to be exactly what their thoughts say about it. Instead of "ugly" and "worthless" being just a thought, it may become the thinker's ultimate, unwavering idea of the rock. Taking internal emotions and possibly believing them to be the external world. Instead of it being a rock to the man, with many qualities, the rock IS undeniably ugly and worthless. The man may choose to ignore it's beneficial properties. It's possible he refuses to allow his mind to be flexible, to believe it could be anything other than his own thoughts about it. The making of his own feelings to be objective for the rock, unaware that it is much more than his mind is allowing. The rock is many things. A creation of the Supreme Being, a feature of Earth, a piece of ground that people have once walked upon, and of endless value. To the man, it is only his beliefs. He may be too closed off to even think he is part of this Earth. As people, this happens sometimes. A person may be in a bad mood and allow the entire day to be saturated with the mood. They may be unable to think past the mood. The down mood seems to be the permanent moment that will not change ever again. When really, five minutes from that moment, a new, brighter mood will unfold. When one opens their self to new modes of thinking, they can invite this into their mind. Our thoughts of the outer world are intertwined reflections of our inner world. If one is open enough and has the volition to, they can learn to appreciate the beauty of the outside world. A rock may suddenly have new significance and be realized to be part of God's majestic, immense creations. If a person consciously chooses to shut their self off from being appreciative, they will also be shunning some new, incoming ideas by their decision to be critical and have a negative outlook. It is part of our soul's journey to practice gratitude. By doing so, a person strengthens their relationship with God and the Heavenly. What could possibly be more important than that? 

appearance

I wonder how much differently people who are without mirrors perceive themselves. Many develop part of their identity by what they see in the mirror. If often forms a portion of how people associate with others. It is part of the inner concept of one's self. Of course i'm definitely not saying everyone with a mirror does this, but many do. My daily life requires use of a mirror. Those without a mirror do not concern themselves with things such as pore size, i'm sure. A snot mishap? What happens there? I know I would feel lost without a mirror, as would many others. What i'm wondering is how measurably different people act about themselves without one. I have never traveled to another country. Really, I usually feel that I wouldn't want to. Many people here will have some idea of how they appear when speaking to someone. Those who've never seen themselves in a mirror must be radically different than that. No one can say what their real appearance is, as it is only individual opinion. Some things about it may be concrete fact, but it is interesting that ideas of our appearance can be so interchangeable. People should think of this before criticizing themselves so harshly. It is only a fleeting thought and does not equal utmost fact. Only God knows our real appearance. We may be blessed with some earthly ideas about it, but only God has all the angles about it. What is truly our own appearance? Only the Supreme Creator has this kind of knowledge. Something impossible for humans to fathom.

"It's okay. I'm Native American."

"It's okay. I'm Native American." My new excuse for everything. They just say stuff is their religion. At least one state in the US enables them to use peyote for religious purposes. (Something i'm definitely never doing.) What do they say if they have peyote? "It's okay. I'm Native American."?

Awkward moment? "It's okay. I'm Native American."
Messed things up with the boyfriend? "It's okay. I'm Native American."
Strange name when tryna get employed? "It's okay. I'm Native American." Totally hilarious.

I've been told for yrs. i'm an 8th Cherokee, then once was told i'm an 8th Apache... so i'm not really sure. I never really cared all that much about it, but that's a great new excuse for everything. I will hafta find out more about it eventually.

UPDATE: Okay... taken from a pg: "According to the United States Code, “The use, possession, or transportation of peyote by an Indian for bona fide traditional ceremonial purposes in connection with the practice of a traditional Indian religion is lawful, and shall not be prohibited by the United States or any State.” In other words, it is legal for Native Americans who belong to federally recognized tribes to use peyote for religious purposes."

UPDATE: 

Some page says they're also exempt from the affordable care act. Lol,

 Other than that, I haven't found any special exemptions they have. A few actual Indians, who live on reservations, claim much said isn't true about them having more freedoms than others do. On the pages this is said on though, nowhere is anything written about peyote. Then there are other topics where people had assumptions that they have more freedoms with certain things, when a couple Indians say they do not. But the whole peyote thing just isn't talked about in these pages. Also, someone said they can own casinos in states where they're illegal, like Oklahoma. Too many facts n opinions to go thru.

how does music speak to our souls?

 Something that interests me is wondering how music evokes certain emotions within people. Take an upbeat Journey song, for instance. Many will equate the song with being a cheerful song. Of course, many will find it to be dismal and dreary. Regardless of whether or not a person may enjoy the song as likeable, they may still find it to be a mix of sounds with the goal of being cheery. No two people will hear a song the same or have the same emotional reactions, but what i'm wondering is how would so many universally identify the song as happy sounds? Maybe the romantic notions of the song would not be so happy to some, but the guitars and drums may present the song as exhilarating n exciting to a large amount of people. If a few hundred were asked their opinion of the uppy song, many would agree it makes them feel good, the band wanting to express and elicit from others this type of mood. Many would horribly criticize, of course. How did the tune of this song cause happiness within so many, the band wanting to produce this within people? 

Take a song composed entirely of drumming. The song would make many want to get up and move. An array of emotional responses would ensue. Things that are completely and possibly unexplainable are how people get the idea to produce a song and how people react to the sounds they hear. Who was the first person on Earth to decide he or she should make some sort of compilation of sounds? When did anyone decide this was any source of enjoyment? God gave people this creative pastime. When did this come to be, and how? Music reflects emotions. Sound structures somehow communicate feelings, and this is something that baffles me. Speech, gestures, and other forms of person-to-person communication are already of much confusion. Expressing thoughts in the form of tunes seems much more beyond comprehension. It has been researched that plants also respond to music. Singing to plants and pleasant music has been said to help them grow. Certain music, such as metal, has shown to be detrimental to their growth. Of course, noone knows how plants register sound, if they hear the actual music, if they feel it in vibrations.

An album of relaxing music, designated for this purpose, may calm some and be a clashing cacophony for others. How is it that many collectively relax by these specific variations? How does music speak to our souls? This is something completely elusive to me.