Will grinned. “Some of these books are dangerous,” he said. “It’s wise to be careful.”
“One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us… Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.”
Cassandra Clare in Clockwork Angel (p. 86)
I’m always so sad when I hear from kids boasting that they’ve never read a book. They miss so much opportunity to learn and grow! Readers live thousands of lives, experience diverse perspectives, and make emotional connections with worlds far apart from their own.
What literature and poetry have influenced you?
quote-Cassandra Clare on books October 18, 2013
quote- Cassandra Clare on the world
“It can be…difficult to learn how the world truly is, to see it in its true shape and form. Most human beings never do.”
Cassandra Claire in Clockwork Angel (p. 62)
I wonder whether anyone can ever understand how ‘the world’ is? Everything we see is coloured by our own perspective, and they can be dramatically different. A world view varies between cultures. No one sees the whole picture: we’re like the blind men and the elephant, no matter what we want to be. The more we learn, the more we understand how much we don’t know.
What do you think?
poem- pondering holiness October 16, 2013
Sanctum sanctorum
Holy of holies
Peeled from decorum
Whipping up follies
Shredded and tore them
Fighting for soul ease
Making good for him
Striving to fill peace
Sanctum sanctorum
Wholly ’til holy.
poem-autumn seduction October 15, 2013
While water washes shore
on a moon misted morning,
summer surrenders
to golden kisses
and scarlet sighs.
.
.
(I am finding my commute above Shuswap Lake to be very inspiring! At some point I will have to stop to take some photos for you. It is positively GLORIOUS! In the meantime, this photo in words will have to do).
Monday Meme- Pompeii October 14, 2013
Monday Meme:
mold of a victim killed in
the eruption of Vesuvius at Pompeii in 79 AD
(When they excavated the ruins of Pompeii, they found cavities that were formed by ash and rocks covering the victims. Archeologists in 1848 poured plaster into the cavities, and revealed the victims’ forms. Excavations of the ancient city have been ongoing in this area since 1600s).
Your assignment:
1. create a poem, story, or article based on this photo.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Cut and paste the photo onto your post (leaving the Monday Meme text).
4. Put a link to your post in the comments to this post below so we can visit your blog.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with! (I will leave a comment on your blog post itself, rather than posting in response to your link here).
.
poem- power hair October 13, 2013
She was dazzling
in the cosmetic department
getting lessons in drawing eye brows.
Her silver hair was cut
power short.
Stunning.
It emphasized her features:
glorious twinkling eyes
perfect nose
determined mouth.
Who needs make up
to add to that beauty?
Her hair set her above,
showed her panache,
made me smile,
and look twice.
Then she thanked the clerk
for the lesson,
set on a chemo cap
and her vitality
disappeared.
poem- dream weaver October 12, 2013
The warp of night
The weft of hope
Shuttle flying
Fabric of dreams
I was telling someone this yesterday- how funny that it came up on my random post generator today!
I talk.
I talk a lot, actually.
I was glad to discover when I did a Meyers Brigg’s Personality Test that this is because I’m an extravert. That doesn’t just mean I’m noisy; it means that I process my thoughts by speaking them aloud and I gain energy from interacting with other people. I come to an understanding of issues by talking them through, and after a meeting people I am wired and alert. This makes it sound so much better than a label like “blabbermouth,” doesn’t it?
But to be honest, sometimes I amjust a blabbermouth. If I’m nervous or excited, I will ramble like crazy.
I was mentioning this today, and was given the most wonderful quote. I think I may have to make it onto posters and hang it on walls wherever I go. The person who was telling me about this thought it was…
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Shawn L. Bird 
comment- We Day October 19, 2013
Tags: Avril Lavigne, Christy Clark, Down with Webster, Free the Children, Hedley, Kielburger, Kofi Annan, Martin Luther King, Molly Burke, Romeo Dallaire, Spencer West, We Day
I have just returned from my first We Day.
Waiting to enter Rogers Arena: We Day 2013 Vancouver
If you haven’t heard about this amazing event, it’s put on by Free the Children, a non-profit for kids to help other kids, founded by Craig Kielburger when he was just 12 years old. The concept is that kids want to help others, and that they can gather together and make a difference in the world.
We Day is basically a HUGE pep rally, rewarding schools/groups for their contribution to the cause. You can’t buy a ticket. You school earns the opportunity to attend through its fundraising for Free the Children’s many projects around the globe. 20,000 kids and teachers from across BC attend. It presents a variety of causes that kids can support, a few musicians kids love, a few amazing speakers, and a few corporate messages from the folks who pay the bills.
Attendees were addressed by Kofi Annan, retired head of the United Nations (who was once mistaken for Morgan Freeman while on holiday at Lake Como), Martin Luther King III who has his father’s gift of oratory, and Hon. Romeo Dallaire retired lieutenant-general, author, and senator. Very impressive.
Attendees were inspired by speakers like Spencer West, a double amputee who climbed Kilimanjaro on his hands, who speaks about overcoming the impossible, and Molly Burke who went blind in her teens and speaks about bullying. Very inspiring.
The kids were entertained by the Kenyan Boy’s choir, rap group Down with Webster, the band Hedley, and Avril Lavigne. (Down with Webster seems like a very negative kind of name for an inspirational band, but I’m old and crotchety).
The kids were presented with a variety of causes they could support: education, building schools, rights of women, child anti-slavery, anti-violence, environment,, clean water, anti-bullying. Leadership students were challenged to bring these causes to the attention of their student bodies, and make a difference by raising money to support various projects through bake sales, something-a-thons, etc.
The kids were pumped.
Concerns?
This was an event filmed for TV and we could see the tele-prompters and timers from our seats. I was disgusted with the politicians who presented- the mayor of Vancouver went over time by a minute and our premier, Christy Clark, was over by more than 3 minutes. She just turned away from those double zeros flashing that she was over time and continued rambling away. It was clear she hadn’t properly prepared. Considering that none of the major speakers went over, it just shows how disrespectful the politicians are of the audience, the promoters, and the event. Very unprofessional and obnoxious. (The aboriginal blessing went over by a minute, too, but you can’t rush sacred ceremony).
I was a little put off by the corporate nature of it all. The major sponsors- phone company, bank, newspaper- all spoke, included things in the goodie bags that marketed directly to the kids, through apps, etc. “Pull out your phone and tweet this!” They were encouraged. “Download this app right now!”
We really must teach our kids that nothing is free, and if you’re not paying, you’re the product being sold. There was also a lot of waste generated on very cool gizmos and gift bags. But everyone likes goodie bags, right? I kind of liked the seed permeated paper leaf that will become a tree if I plant it in my yard…
One student who’d been to the event in the past and had chosen not to attend this time, told me that he wasn’t going this year, because he’d felt like he was inside one of those info-mercials about the starving kids. He said he wanted to talk to me when I got back to see what I thought. I think he has a point.
Did it motivate kids? Definitely.
Are they making changes that will bring about good in the world? Well, hopefully they’ll remember that their daily decisions make an impact and choose to be kinder to each other and their environment.
They’re kids. They’re narcissistic and altruistic in the same hand. It’s hard from them to go from Me to We.
Exposure to the message that they are the future, and that they can seize opportunities to improve their world can’t hurt.
Can it?
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