This blog fully owns up to taking on some heavy topics, but that's not to say this writer doesn't love the goofy or absurd. Without further ado, I present the most memorable Save the Date ever:
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The dark side of a popular tool
CNN reports on the recent shaming of Craigslist for being an avenue for sex trafficking of minors. "Craigslist is like the Wal-Mart of online sex trafficking right now in this country," said Andrea Powell of the anti-trafficking group The FAIR Fund in this CNN interview last week.
Soon after that interview, human rights organization The Rebecca Project wrote a letter from the perspective of two young women who were sold regularly on Craigslist, urging the website's founder to shut down the "adult services" section. The letter ran as a full-page ad in The Washington Post.
"According to the most recent Department of Justice statistics, an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 children are sold for sex every year in the United States. Most are from 11 and 14 years old," writes Malika Saada Saar, founder of the Rebecca Project, in the August 4th opinion piece for CNN Craigslist's shame: Child sex ads. "Try for a moment to imagine your fifth-grade child, niece or sister sold for sex."
At the 3:38 mark in the video segment of CNN's story, journalist Amber Lyon confronts "the Craig of 'Craigslist'" and asks "what are you guys doing to protect these girls?" He stands speechless and motionless, unable or unwilling to say anything. He then tries to put the onus on Lyon to report the inappropriate ads, to which she points out that his site is the one publishing and promising to take action against such pitches. He gets so uncomfortable he paces in front of the camera for an awkward 30 seconds before ultimately walking away in silence.
Craigslist responds to criticism in this opinion piece.
Soon after that interview, human rights organization The Rebecca Project wrote a letter from the perspective of two young women who were sold regularly on Craigslist, urging the website's founder to shut down the "adult services" section. The letter ran as a full-page ad in The Washington Post.
"According to the most recent Department of Justice statistics, an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 children are sold for sex every year in the United States. Most are from 11 and 14 years old," writes Malika Saada Saar, founder of the Rebecca Project, in the August 4th opinion piece for CNN Craigslist's shame: Child sex ads. "Try for a moment to imagine your fifth-grade child, niece or sister sold for sex."
At the 3:38 mark in the video segment of CNN's story, journalist Amber Lyon confronts "the Craig of 'Craigslist'" and asks "what are you guys doing to protect these girls?" He stands speechless and motionless, unable or unwilling to say anything. He then tries to put the onus on Lyon to report the inappropriate ads, to which she points out that his site is the one publishing and promising to take action against such pitches. He gets so uncomfortable he paces in front of the camera for an awkward 30 seconds before ultimately walking away in silence.
Craigslist responds to criticism in this opinion piece.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Just finished ...
A childhood classic that was a favorite of mine in both the book and movie format. I hadn't read Charlotte's Web
in at least 15 years but I thought I'd revisit it when I serendipitously happened upon it in a used bookstore the other day. The timeless tale of friendship and self-sacrifice moved me as it had so many years before. Themes I didn't remember: respecting animals and growing up. The tender illustrations paired with the lively descriptions were a riveting combination. Tip of the hat to author E.B. White and illustrator Garth Williams.Unexpectedly, I read the book more as a writer this time and less as a reader. I still was completely absorbed by the descriptions and the characters, but I viewed it from the lens of an aspiring children's book author. What I learned was that when a book comes from an authentic place, the author can draw in any type of reader. Reading about the rhythms and tasks of farm life is a topic that I am unlikely to feel connected to, having grown up in urban landscape my whole life. And yet, I felt fully present with Fern and her "best friends," the animals, and was drawn in by the narrator's knowledge. Ultimately, the book reminded me that no matter what our life experiences are or how simple an idea we have, the right combination of skill and heart can produce a poignant classic.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Summer's last gasp*
August is a melancholic month, haunted by memories of poisoned love. Romantic beach vacations gone awry. Threats uttered as his fist broke the wall. Terror, humiliation, the death of a relationship that has become my all. The heartbreak of his departure.
Trapped in my fractured reality, I've come to dread the way the sunbeams slant across my wall. They are the bars of my emotional prison. No other time of year do they cut into my apartment so drastically as in August.
His presence hangs in the air like stale cigarette smoke. Everywhere I look there are reminders that it wasn't just a bad dream: his ticket stub from Rome to D.C.; the can of men's shaving cream in the bathroom; a forgotten sock in the corner; the coffee-can-lid-turned-ashtray choked with cigarette butts.
Echoes of his words taunt me daily, sadistic remnants of the past. How long will they be my roommates? How many more sun-triggered flashbacks of despair? How much longer will I walk zombie-like in limbo between the hell of being with him and the ache of being without him?
*Time warp: I'd thought about writing this before but I needed distance to capture the emotions. It was written present-day but it's set in 2008 or 2009.
Trapped in my fractured reality, I've come to dread the way the sunbeams slant across my wall. They are the bars of my emotional prison. No other time of year do they cut into my apartment so drastically as in August.
His presence hangs in the air like stale cigarette smoke. Everywhere I look there are reminders that it wasn't just a bad dream: his ticket stub from Rome to D.C.; the can of men's shaving cream in the bathroom; a forgotten sock in the corner; the coffee-can-lid-turned-ashtray choked with cigarette butts.
Echoes of his words taunt me daily, sadistic remnants of the past. How long will they be my roommates? How many more sun-triggered flashbacks of despair? How much longer will I walk zombie-like in limbo between the hell of being with him and the ache of being without him?
*Time warp: I'd thought about writing this before but I needed distance to capture the emotions. It was written present-day but it's set in 2008 or 2009.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Bite-sized inspiration
True love is not a feeling by which we are overwhelmed. It is a committed, thoughtful decision.
--M. Scott Peck
--M. Scott Peck
Jar of Hearts
A shout-out and thank you to Miss K-Ro for introducing me to this haunting ballad. I love the rawness in Christina Perri's voice.
This song's awesome backstory: A L.A. waitress/singer-songwriter whose luck was changed by a reality TV show she wasn't a part of. Her success occurred before she ever stepped in front of the camera.
This song's awesome backstory: A L.A. waitress/singer-songwriter whose luck was changed by a reality TV show she wasn't a part of. Her success occurred before she ever stepped in front of the camera.
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