Blue eyes proven to be a common ancestral mutation

That's right - all people with blue eyes can be linked to 1 common ancestor, from which a mutation occurred in the eyes where there was an underproduction of melanin. This lack of melanin is what turns traditionally brown-eye genetics to blue eyes, and to an extent, affects the hair colour of said individual. The colour of hair, for example, is determined by the amount of melanin contained within in; the more melanin, the darker the colour. This also applies to skin.

The complete lack of melanin is known as Albinism.

For more information, please click here.

What The Stars Have To Say

About me! At least for this year. Even if you do not believe in horoscopes, it is still fun to read them, right? I have generally found that I am the quintessential Gemini (I was born in late May) when I read the profile of a Gemini. So yeah! Post yours for this year. =)

Gemini

Much of your energy this year will be focused on figuring out ways improve your financial situation. Money will definitely be coming your way and will greatly influence your personal beliefs, dreams and philosophies. You have a quick way of analyzing situations and expertise to organize your thoughts to maximize your productivity. You have an intense desire to be of service to others and have a keen sense of knowing where in the world you can be most effective to make a positive difference for change in the world.

Community involvement gives you a forum to sharpen your debate and controversy skills that you so thoroughly enjoy. There will be a strong influence from others to help you create more personal security in having your material needs met. You could expect receiving a possibly large sum of money from someone you have helped rise to the top of their career. The summer will give you more time to enjoy life and pamper yourself. Time for some long deserved wonderful vacation time! It will be good to get away and spend some time to start thinking of yourself more and allowing time to recreate your personal values. This will give you a new sense of personal freedom.

You are feeling your home life requires attention to be more comfortable. New ideas will flow to create a nurturing atmosphere for your innovative lifestyle. You will definitely be setting some time aside to make some changes, even the possibility of a complete move to better suit your dreams and aspirations. Your creative interest is perked when you share your stimulating ideas with a responsive mate.

Stresserella and the dumb old "wise people"

I know I've done a lot of these journals, and I know it may seem narcissistic to some. However, I try to provide you with lessons within each journal I give. Hopefully, I've provided some of you with feelings of strength. Believe me, to just come out with your problems, whether online or in reality, has proven itself quite a tough, tedius, and courageous task. It's not everyday that we wake up saying to ourselves, "I'm not going to lie to people anymore. When they ask me how things are going, I'm going to tell them straight how I feel." It's not like that at all, even for such an open individual as me.

So, here I go again...

It seemed like a regular day. Well, minus the fact that it was an exam day. I woke up, ate, took a shower, and prepared myself to leave for school. I was pretty sure I got all of my stuff together. However, that was proven wrong not so much later.

Fast-forward. I'm at school, and then I discover that I don't have my Accounting Textbook to return at the Book Collection table. You see, if I don't return my textbook, I can't do my exam. So, I basically hustle and bustle about the place, looking in my locker, calling my mom, etc... about how I can't find my book. I get her to look in the house as I'm holding onto the line.

She couldn't find it. I could feel myself heavily panicking, and the stress just built up immensely from there.

I talk to the secretary, and she gave me some handy information about losing my textbook. Since I lost it, she says that the teacher can just fill out some form to the school or whatnot saying that I lost a book and owe one, or $85 pay. Seemed fair. However, I was still immensely stress, being the typing of person that copes with such things very poorly.

Because my exam was with Student Resource (which allows me to do my exam half an hour early than everyone else; that's the only difference), I first headed to resource to find out where I was writing my exam. Luckily, it was just a few doors away. We'll skip through the part with the exam. It wasn't too bad, anyway.

After I finished the exam, I go back to Resource. I asked them where the original exam room (where my Accounting teacher is) is, and basically, it was the room next to where I wrote. How lucky.

So I ask my teacher about the textbook issue. Guess what? Apparently, I already handed in my book, though I don't recall doing so. She also said that my friend, who sits beside me in class, didn't hand in her book, though my friend told me earlier that she did. Here's what I think happened: my book sways over to her desk on occassion, so she might've accidentally handed in mine rather than hers, which is why I don't remember handing mine in - at all - and which is why she remembers supposedly handing hers in. I told her that she forgot to hand her book in, and called my mom back about it ASAP since she was pissed earlier.

Part 2 of the day:

I get home while eating some chocolate. I take off my stuff, and sit at the kitchen table. I tell my dad if he remembers that he allowed me to play video games for 2 hours today. He says he doesn't remember, which became more and more of an obvious lie when he said that he won't let me on because I told him he was being an ass. You know why I told him he was being an ass? Because he was acting seriously victimized just because I wasn't in the mood to hug him in the morning. Seriously, I didn't even hug my great aunt Shukria when she asked, and I love her dearly. He just always does this.

So apparently, he didn't want me to play video games because I told him he was acting like an ass since he was forcing me to get to hug him. Oh, I love the dictatorial bullshit. Well, me, with my lack of taking shit told him exactly just how much of a baby he was being, and I figured out his plan. You know when some person you're close to says "shut up" when you're describing their problem? Well, that usually means they think you're right, but they're too cowardly to deal with the situation maturely. My dad does this all the time; he's like a 5-year-old in a 50-year-old mans body. And yes, I have respect for the elderly, but I only give respect where it's due. I don't care how old a person is, and if they expect respect from me, then they better damn well respect me too. I don't like bullshit.

That reminds me of one of the many things I hate in our society - we place so much emphasis on respecting select groups of people that, when young citizens such as myself disrespect them, there's never a "good enough" justification to do so. An old lady spits at you? Oh, don't talk to her. Your dad is a chauvinistic horse's ass that doesn't show you any true respect or love? Oh, you're just an ungrateful child. You complain so much. And you're just the daughter, so you better damn well listen to his chauvinistic demands. Oh, and you're a woman, so when you're a leader, you're a bitch. When a man shows leadership though, he's just being strong.

Anyway, back to my father being a dick. When he was upstairs, I started playing a video game called Prince of Persia. It got quite fun, then for some reason, when my dad came down, he started bitching again. Really, it just got tedius. You know what he did next? He turned off the game and would not let me save. Hmmm... he had hinted that I could play the game, but yet, he went back on his offer. However, this wasn't what truly annoyed me.

We sort of came to a reconciliation right at the time that they were going to leave the house. I asked them where they were going, and Shukria said to the physician's office. I then asked when they were going, and again, she said to the physician's office. I had to ask my dad when they were going, because she couldn't answer me well. He said ASAP. He obviously knew that I was going to try to play the game when I got the chance.

Some background info on our physician: coincidentally, he was a friend of my dad's in the medical school in Mosul, Iraq, that my father attended quite some years ago. He's one of the best physicians here in our humble, polluted town. Quite frankly, I don't understand why he's in such a shithole, or why he's friends with losers like my dad.

When we did come to that reconciliation point, it came to an abrupt end soon after. Just because I refer to my aunt Shukria usually as Shukria rather than aunt Shukria, my father went absolutely balistic, and started speaking in her name. She didn't really mind it, but my dad, being the drama queen that he is, just had to cause as much trouble as humanly possible. So again, I told him he was being a drama queen and a baby. Now, he says that I can't use the computer or play video games ever because I didn't apologize for what I did. Do you think I honestly listened, considering I'm on the computer right now? Hah!

That felt great to get that all out. What I'd like you to get from all this is that, just because a person's older than you, doesn't make them any greater of an authority. You've got to stand up and say, hey, this is fucked. And never, ever, get yourself too stressed before you're 100% sure that you messed up.

I promise you all... when I don't have so much stress around me, I'll start talking more about other things again. Thank-you for reading my journals and being so kind.

WCC trip cancelled

The supervisor has been swamped with stress lately, so the Woodland Cultural Centre trip is off. Heck, the whole Caledonia ordeal is off our schedule. However, she's told me that there's an upcoming Palistinean conference in Toronto concerning the Palistinean-Israeli conflict that we're going to check out. As you may know, my role is to do as much research as I can 'til the day of the event on the conflict itself. Historical emphasis is strong in this. What I need you to do is reommend me some information sources on the conflict.

Thanks!

Yours truly,

The Dark Knight

Alright, so Heath Ledger's death was tragic. I loved him! He was such a great actor.

He was in:

10 Things I Hate About You
The Patriot
Monster's Ball
Brokeback Mountain
Casanova
That one Bob Dylan movie....I have temporarily forgotten the title of it.

....and several more. Man, he had such promise.

Well, as some of you may know, he last filmed The Dark Knight. It is part of the Batman series and he was cast as the Joker. I watched the trailer and.....he was amazingly scary. The movie is coming out this summer with Christian Bale, which is a disappointment because I do not like him as Batman. I heard that to prepare for this role he lived for one month in a hotel room in isolation. It is known that he was busy and sleep deprived. He threw so much of himself into these challenging characters. I would like to think that his death was not suicide. He had a daughter and a potentially great career ahead of him. If you look at his recent interviews, he was acting completely strange, which can be attributed perhaps to sleep deprivation, stress, and the use of pills to help him with his sleep and stress. I think he miscalcuated his intake of those pills and probably did overdose. It was pretty shocking.

Anyways, enough with the gossip.

Here is a link to The Dark Knight Quicktime Apple Movie Trailers. If it does not work for you, I am sure it is on youtube.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thedarkknight/

Dekker and Yeats ~ Poets

There are long, drawn-out moments in which we find time to observe in others what we see in ourselves, for we must come to understand that all humans share in common quite a few things. Burning passions or more hidden and subtle desires exist in every person and cannot be entirely avoided. Some choose to ignore or suppress these natural inclinations, while others embrace it and let it be their cynosure in all aspects of life. Either way, the dictations of the heart preside in all of us and the only marked difference is how we choose to let it define who we are and our perspective of the world.

At a time in England’s history, when exploration for gold and glory paralleled the exploration of new religious doctrines, by people who were constantly seeking higher satisfaction, Elizabethan writer Thomas Dekker also found in himself what was being reflected in society. He was never content with his work. He was relentless, to the point of careless mediocrity, and he concluded that humans “are ne’er like angels till our passion dies.” When Dekker speaks of angels, he refers to the goodness that lies within every person, and our ability to transcend our self-destructive desires. As angels, Thomas Dekker implies that man would be free from evil and pain, from passions that take hold of us and bind us in chains. A similar point of view concerning human nature is Rousseau’s idea that, “man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” As with Dekker, Rousseau finds man’s natural desires are somehow the cause of narrow-minded, selfish, and limited thinking. In his age, Dekker saw passions as misdirected and the source of every flaw in susceptible people. Thomas Dekker believes that our passions represent everything that is condemned. However, he knows that our passions will never go away, thus humans will never be angels. Perfection and purity will never be attained. We are confined, as humans, to moral corruption and mortality.

What about the good that can come from passion? While Dekker believed it contributed to the loss of godly principles, William Butler Yeats, a notable dramatist in the 20th Century, believed emotions allowed us to connect with our spirituality. He goes further to say that man’s intuitive logic comes from the “heart”, or rather the deepest part of our souls. “The only business of the head in the world is to bow to ceaseless obeisance to the heart”, depicts the notion that everyone is initially guided by their emotional feelings, and that humans observe the world through their passions, and desires. It also hints at the idea that it is not up to humans to prove everything or to know everything through mere logic; our intellectual and philosophical thinking is to be guided by our morality.

Thomas Dekker believed passion leads to all the evil and suffering humans are subjected to and that we should strive to rid ourselves of it, while Yeats believes that this same passion is something humans should accept, and something we should let guide even our logic. Both recognize that if our understanding of human nature is correct, our passions will never leave us. Humans have learned that whether passions are a blight or treasure, no one is ever alone in their affections, aspirations, and ambitions.

God listens...

Why, I never knew!

Aftermath needs a slogan!

When I talked to my supervisor, she said Aftermath needs a slogan that relates to it's purpose because people won't understand what we're all about just by our name. For those who don't know about Aftermath, click here.

Anyway, I was thinking of something along the lines of... "We are the beginning and the end." However, that sounded kind of Matrix-esque or Biblical. What about "The result of every wound"? Wow, this is hard. I'll get back to you all when I have something. Please help us out.

Aftermath at the Woodland Cultural Centre

On Saturday, January 26th, Aftermath is heading toward its first event in Caledonia, Ontario at the Woodland Cultural Centre. I don't remember who we're getting a tour from at the museum, but she's supposedly a famous Native activist who was against the Native side in the land claims dispute in Caledonia. To learn more about the dispute, click here to see CBC's (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) timeline of the issue. We're getting an interview with said Native, and if things go right, I'll post it here. When I remember the lady's name, I'll be sure to tell you all.

So to sum up, this is what we're doing: getting a tour on Native history, an interview with said lady, an interview with the opposing side, and questions for the citizens of Caledonia (hopefully). We're going to see where it all connects and stick to our premise of objectivity.

Also, please recommend us some important events within Ontario to attend to, or at least near Ontario. But I doubt we'll be getting out of the province, anyhow.

The Aftermath

For months, I've been looking for a supervisor for my in-school group called Aftermath. I found one some weeks ago, and we've already got some things planned. However, before I tell you about our first event, I'd like you to see the Group Concept that I gave to her. Anything that I don't want to be revealed will be replaced with a "~" symbol.

Group Submission

Submitted by: Flora ~(# ~)
Submitted to: Ms. ~

Group name: Aftermath
Group concept: Aftermath is a group that will focus on past, present, and ongoing violence between/on nations with a political/social motive; specifically attacks that are lesser-known, but have great impact. Exceptions are made (eg. Holocaust). Cause (political/social situation) and effect (aftermath; the effect on citizens and said nation) are the 2 big factors taken into consideration during each discussion of any violence going on between nations.

What we will do: talk to victims from victims circles, report on their personal experience, and incorporate it into our stories. Nation to nation violence does not only affect survivors, but also descendants of the survivors. Facts about each situation will be presented (referring back to cause and effect). Fundraising for victim circles and trips would be something that should preferably be added to Aftermath’s group concept.

This will be edited soon, but with very minor changes. I'll definitely show you guys the changes later, and we'll have a tag here called Aftermath for everything Aftermath-related. If you guys have any suggestions for stuff I should change, go ahead and be my guest.

Another interesting tidbit on my new friend

(RE: "A heavy metal elder and an intstant friend and "So, my new friend tried to stab someone")

According to Danobear and her friend, this new friend of mine practices voodoo. She tries to pull people's hair out to use it in rituals, and has done so to Dano's said friend in order to kill her or something like that. Funny enough, I'm no stranger to people involved in the occult. I had some good friends that were involved with such things. Curiosity is striking me hard, too. I'm going to try to learn as much as possible about this strange 10th grader, whilst keeping a good distance (as The Clothes Horse suggested). Hopefully she can teach me some voodoo, too!

So, my new friend tried to stab someone.

Remember that friend that I made yesterday? (See "A heavy metal elder and an instant friend") Well, I learned something interesting about her after school when I called my good friend, codename Danobear. Apparently, at some point, this new friend tried to stab Danobear's sister out of jealousy. I believe Danobear because she's never lied to me, and because this new friend seemed a little too rebellious for a Paki girl. I'm not saying that out of hate, but being from the East, I see that a lot of women from those general areas are much more... shy, per se.

But she was so cool. I really liked her, and even though we just met... it's a really tough decision as to whether I should talk to her or not. She's so cool, but for Pete's sake, she tried to stab my friend's sister! I asked my friend, and she said she's okay with me being friends with her... but, I don't know. And I really, really liked her.

I need help. What would you do in my situation?

Modern-day segregation in Toronto

As I was eating my favourite cereal this morning in the kitchen with my TV in front of me, I saw a really strange news report on Breakfast Television, a Toronto-based morning news show. Guess what that report was about? "Black-focused schools." Basically, a sugar-coated name for modern-day segregation. Some verses from an article in the Toronto Star, to introduce you to the incident:

Toronto trustees will meet privately Monday night to discuss four approaches to improving the academic performance of black youth.

Among the possibilities contained in a report on the issue are a black-focused alternative school in the northwest end of the city or starting black-focused programs in three existing schools.

How ironic is this? Black people fought for the right to go to the same schools as white people... and now a decision is being made to make schools like this? Separating black people from everyone else is not the approach to take. It seems too "pre-Civil Rights-esque."

The report says an Africentric, or black-focused, school would be "open to all students, which uses the sources of knowledge and experiences of peoples of African descent as an integral feature of the teaching and learning environment."

"Africentric"? I'm not sorry: this is Canada! Making a Canadian school based with African education is not the way to go. In Canada, you should be learning from Canadian sources if the Canadian people are funding such a school, which obviously, they are, since Dalton McGuinty (premier of Ontario, Canada) left the decision up to Toronto's school board to make such a "black-focused" school and "black-focused" programs.

My question to you is simple: should the Canadian people pay money from their own pockets to fund "black-focused" schools?

A heavy metal elder and an instant friend

Today, I thought I'd bring you guys a more positive, uplifting post, as opposed to the usual dark or politically-motivated pieces. The light isn't always present, and it's not something that is as interesting to talk about as the darkness and world-wide spectrum of life. But then there's those times when the light is so strong... and you can't deny it. It could be a simple kind gesture that someone made to you, or it could be a new, strong trust made. It could be anything.

It happened for me today.

I was in class, doing work for my group Aftermath which I'm started within my school, as opposed to doing a review for an exam I have today. What can I say, I was so excited from when I got things settled down and structured with my group supervisor! I also learned that she loved System of a Down. Who'd have known a lady in her late 40's to early 50's (I can't ask a lady for her age) would like rebellious music? Anyway, that's just the minor thing that made me smile today. That's not the bigger part.

Back to being in class: I was really bored after finishing the structure plans for Aftermath's first meeting in February, so I asked my teacher if I could leave class to get something from a vending machine. She said yes, and she gave me the attendance list to take to the attendance office on my way. I left, took the list to the office, and headed straight for the vending machine.

When I got to the vending machine, I saw this black-haired, dark-skinned girl putting in some change into the machine, and just as the bag of chips she selected was falling out, she started pushing the vending machine like crazy. After she did so, I asked her why she did it, and she said it was so that she could get two bags. She didn't get two bags, but she was almost there! I told her I wanted to try as well, so I did. We waited until the teachers weren't looking in order for me to start.

I had put in a twoonie ($2 Canadian coin, for my international readers) into the vending machine, and proceeded to watch the teachers as I was "working my magic." I wanted the Lay's All Dressed chips. So, we kept rocking the machine for a bit, and we didn't get caught. That is, until I lost my guard. When I lost my guard, a teacher caught me and her and they said, "Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?!" Lying, I said, "I have a spare..." (a spare course period, that is). He started yelling at us to go, so me and her started running off. I was upset that the vending machine didn't give me any chips.

Me and her ran behind some hall doors, and we just started talking from there. She also gave me some of her chips. Strangely, I asked her to hang out for a bit with me in the halls. I don't regret my "forwardness" in this case. Seriously, we had everything in common, except for the fact that she's from Pakistan, and I'm from Iraq. But everything else... the way we react to strangers, our favourite kinds of chips, our favourite school subjects, and lots of other things that we like.... it pretty much all matched up! I eventually told her my name, and she told me her name. I don't know how to spell it, but it sounds like who-ma. So, I'm assuming it's spelled like Houmma or Homma.

She eventually had to get to class, but right before then, we discovered we have the same lunch period! I had to leave to class too, but oh well... it was definitely worth the ride! I never instantly became good friends with anyone in 30 minutes! The world still has it's delightful surprises.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Please tell us your stories!

Exchange links with us!

At ATWKS, we plan on finding the best blogs to add to "Flora's Favourite Blogs" to the right. Remember, we'll only add your blog if I truly like it. If you have some other kind of website that isn't a blog, we're okay with that too. We'll add it to a links section on the right as well!

An advantage to listing a blog: there is a strong guarantee that, even if I don't add your blog to "Flora's Favourite Blogs," I'll still subscribe to your blog. The reason why is because that way, I can get more direct with my readers without having to look all over the place, thanks to the magics of Google Reader. No hassle, and all of the posts from all of my readers are just a few clicks within reach! C'est tres fab.

In addition, listing our Official Message Board would be really nice of you.

Thanks, post your links here, and...
Ciao!

Labour dispute causes 90 Canadians to be stranded in Argentina

In The Toronto Star's website, an article just popped up about 90 Canadians being stranded in Argentina. Apparently there was a labour dispute that caused cancelled flights, creating riots, and that was what resulted in the situation. Here's the article, and here's my favourite little part:

After two weeks of vacation, Normand Robert and his wife had checked in their
bags Saturday evening when trouble erupted.

"There were only two
security guards, people were yelling, there were fights," Robert told Montreal
La Presse.

"It was incredible."

Why can't we all share Rob's attitude?

Anyway, good luck to my Canadian brethren who are stranded out there tonight. It must be scary and... well, just plain weird.

Ciao!

Live! From Washington

Gah! Alright. Now I actually have a little time to talk to you guys on ATWKS! Let me first just say that I was really interested in Flora's story and what is going on in her life right now because, although I understand there are perhaps a lot of differences between her situation and my situation, they are sort of similar. At least I can understand what she is going through in terms of almost having to start over in life, which can be kind of refreshing in a way if we were to stand back and look at the positives. However, I don't know if she might find my comparison insulting. but don't Flora! I wish you the best with your new independence! As for me, well, again, I do not like to talk so much about me, but life has been a little crazy as of late and I would also like to share my story, if that is okay with all of you. Right now, as I am typing this out, I am sitting in my new bedroom, in my new home, in my new city, practically a world away from Los Angeles, California, which I miss so dearly (I have to remind myself to edit my profile). School is going great. I am already making new friends and connections. I obviously had to join Model UN (I left the club at my old school as President and of course they already have a president for my new school's Model UN). I also joined their debate team, which I also participated in at my old school. I have to say how different the east coast is from the west. Maybe that is just me obsessing over the particulars and me missing my hometown, but it truly has been an entirely different experience. I am going around town with my new friends, who were happy to show me around. Anyways, I cannot fully express how it has been so far, other than allowing myself to use the words "exciting" and "hectic". As I left the Clinton campaign in California (she was there the other day and I had just missed her), I signed up as a high school volunteer for her campaign based in Washington. I have been working hard in that regard and the director there even allowed me to form a high school organization so that we could make our own brochures and host our own parties (how nerdy that sounds), and I am helping with the formation of the delegation, especially coming from Annapolis.

I would like to address something in this post that has been coming up between my new classmates and I. Do not get the wrong impression of me. I do like to talk about things other than politics. It is not my sole interest and it does not occupy the majority of my thinking. Because the presidential elections are coming up, I have been focusing a lot of my attention towards it, but I hope that, in light of the event that Bush will no longer be in office next year, people will not forget about the issues that face the international community and our nation or the prospects that this new president has to deal with. I will refrain from talking at length about the media hype and Barack Obama (in whatever I say, I never attack Obama) or all the recent criticisms of Hillary. I will however address her ties to a former president, as we all know who that is. I know that I am sick and tired of hearing all the things there is to hear about it, but I have been confronted with having to make a response to this "proposed" problem, even though I do not see any problem as it stands in the reality of who she is, what she has done publicly, and what she will do....publicly.

It is an old debate; the entire ordeal with having a former president back in the White House and how this is being used to help Clinton win the nomination and so forth (and I believe it only shows how people interested in politics only become preoccupied with "politics" and nothing more):

Bill Clinton had a relatively low profile in his wife's campaign (and I still believe that, however, some would disagree), but as the race in Iowa and New Hampshire primaries began to get a little more competitive and "neck-and-neck" , Bill Clinton began to play a larger role in promoting her message and speaking up to her defense. Mr. Clinton now plays a part in Hillary Clinton's controversial motif of "change" as it was alledgedly Obama's word and slogan....yadda, yadda, yadda, but we all know that experience will not be enough to win her the nomination. Frankly, I am tired of the change vs. experience argument. But, let me be critical about my own candiate:

Throughout Clinton's campaign so far, Hillary's team has been hesitant for Bill to enter on her behalf primarily because they believe Bill Clinton represents the hope of the past and the new message of Clinton's campaign is experience for "change". While they want to focus on experience, there is a disconcerting undertone, especially among the youth, about an almost aristocratic, elite group of politicians sustaining power in the past two decades (and I have a retort to that, but this is not the place) and Hillary would be carrying on that tradition. Therefore, it is ironic that Hillary is singing the high praises for something new when she seems so attached to an older time when there was a different political and cultural atmosphere. Bill Clinton has seemed to muddle the emphasis of Hillary's message and as he becomes more vocal, his acute weaknesses become evident. Contemporaries seem to notice Bill Clinton's spontaniety and impulsiveness when it comes to addressing the press.

The intensity of his involvement was due to his belief that the primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire were a critical factor to winning the nomination and he still exudes a competitive spirit that he has not shown since his early campaigning days. Bill Clinton appeared on the Charlies Rose show making statements that allowed for consternation, such as saying that he was clearly against the war from the very beginning, which goes against the facts of his true stance back in early 2003. He also voiced that his wife is receiving unfair, harsh criticism, while Obama is being somewhat praised and his high-minded rhetoric being catered to (and I totally agree, but this does not mean I do not like Obama any less for this observation).

Personally, I am ecstatic that Bill Clinton is taking part more in Hillary's campaign, but I would not want it to be an impediment on her independent image and nature. Realistically, Hillary will always be attached to her husband to some degree and while I believe he was a great president, I do not think it is a good idea that Hillary depend so much on his presidency as she has done several times, but which I am sure are slight mess-ups she is learning from. The people do not want to hear so much about how sucessful her husband's administration was, even though she did play a minor role in it all. Morever, it will only bring the downsides and the failures of the past along with it. As president (IF), she will need Bill, but more as her private support system rather than major political aide and mentor.

I understand I am not being too perceptive and I know this has been touched upon, but it has been nagging me for the past two days and I just need to talk about it. Seriously, all this talk of campaigning and "politicking" is sickening. If you guys could just imagine the heaviness of politics that is brewing in all the presidential campaigns, you would get a headache too. I cannot wait until the media can again focus on the issues. I am "tired" (my favorite word in this post) of the focus on the actual political process and the not-so-reputable side of it all. If only there was a way to solve the world's problems without the need for "politics;" such an ugly word (it always has been). The blows and attacks from either side, even subtle attacks are being made, which I believe are far worse than more blatant ones.

Anyways, I am holding together on my side. I only hope you are doing well on your side.

A Newfoundland grandmother's poetry

This will only be funny to Canadians:

Here's the American Eagle,
so beautiful and grand.
Flew across America,
and shitted over Newfoundland.

Credit: Danobear's granny

An update on the moving situation

(RE: http://atwks.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-life-new-flora.html)

I'm currently at my house, and after looking at the legalities of my situation, I may or may not stay. I have talked to some people who know their way around the system (after playing Guitar Hero with one of them), and we've worked out ways and "threats" so that I can stay and get what I want. I won't discuss the legalities until the story unfolds a bit further.

Thanks so much to my friends who have supported me and offered me a place to stay during a time of great worry. I love you all! And thank-you especially to Danobear, her parents, and Genie. You know who you are. You're great people!

A new life, a new Flora

Dear ATWKS reader,

I have a very important story to tell you; a story of greed. A greed so deep that you're willing to sell the soul of your own kin for a nice, fat paycheck. A story of riches through conmanship, and never through honest, hard work. It's basically the story of my parents driving me away from them through those things.

To hit things off, my dad is the biggest conman in history. I think he's conned people out of tens of thousands of dollars in every car accident case, and he's had about six. When asked why he won't just start off with a lower-ranked job that he can actually get, he simply said that he's too good for that kind of work. He's so good that, though he doesn't go to work, he feels that he doesn't have to do shit around the house, either! I've put up with this shit for very long, but that's not how things will run anymore.

You see, a few months ago, I was in my dad's car, waiting for him to drive me to school, when I discovered something in front of me. It was a letter from the insurance company. To sum things up, it read that my dad's making a case against the insurance, and he claimed that I have Autism, which I really don't. I talked to my dad, and he said he'd probably get $200,000-500,000 off the case. Well, according to his lawyer.

$200,000 itself sounds like a nice lump sum of money, but do we really need it? We'd probably need $10,000 to get our relatives here, but even so... getting the money through dishonest means is just not my style. Especially since my ass could be on the line when I'm 18, if they find out I don't have Autism. And I don't. And I don't like to lie about having something so serious, something that my brother has. What a great tribute to pay to my brother's illness - a lie of having it!

I told my mother early this morning about how this lie was just eating me up to my very core. She started yelling at me, about how I'd have to be crazy to deny $200,000. I asked her if she'd rather have $200,000 and a daughter with a lifetime of guilt, or a normal life and a daughter who's feeling well. She said yes. Then, I told her if she'd support me with my decision. She then started with the yelling again.

I went on to school, feeling very confused. Instead of going straight to class, I went to the guidance center and sat in the back. I waited for my friend so I could tell her exactly what I'm telling you guys, and just so I'd be able to get this out more easily. In fact, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have had it in me to be able to tell you this.

We eventually had to move to another room due to a teacher making exams in the room we were currently in. I told her as much as there was left to tell, and I told her I just have to move away. I need to. Readers, I'm going to call some women's shelters, pack up my stuff, and leave my house. Maybe not tonight, but definitely by tommorow. I'm nobody's fucking tool.

That's not the end of it, however. I was just in Accounting class 10-15 minutes ago, when a lady on the PA called me down to the attendance office. I went down, and was told that I had a call on line 3. I picked up, and it was my mom trying to reassure me that things were just peachy. I felt more reassured than ever that I wanted to leave.

Wish me luck on the beginning of my new life. I know I can't wait for a new start!

The Malaysian Ethnic Formula: A Summary

Malaysia, which relies heavily on foreigners for menial work, has frozen the
recruitment of workers from India, an official said Tuesday, in a move
apparently linked to unrest among the country's ethnic Indian citizens.

About 140,000 Indian migrants work in Malaysia, constituting the third
largest group of foreign workers.

Malaysia had barred employers from recruiting any more Bangladeshi workers in October following problems sparked by labor agents who leave the migrants stranded on arrival. There are some 200,000 Bangladeshi workers now in Malaysia.

The Home Ministry official said Indian workers who are already in the country will be allowed to stay until their permits expire, but they will not be renewed.

Summary: loyalty doesn't pay in Malaysia, especially if you're Indian or Bangladeshi.

He said the ban is related to recent unrest among the country's minority ethnic
Indians, who are demanding racial equality in the Muslim majority country.

In November, about 20,000 ethnic Indians, most of whom are Hindus,
demonstrated on the streets, complaining of discrimination, in a rare and
open challenge to the government.

Subsequently, the government arrested the top five leaders of the group that organized the protest, the Hindu Rights Action Force. They are currently being held under a law that allows indefinite detention without trial.

Summary: Malaysian Muslims > Hindus and Indians. More-so with Hindu Indians. Don't agree with the Malaysian government? Prepare to get sodomized in jail (don't drop the soap!)

Source of quotes: Malaysia Bans Indian Recruitment

New layout!

Something got lost with the old layout, but, you know, I'm glad it did. Something about this layout is much more open, much more calming, much more refreshing... and, well, just plainly, better. I think the old layout also had hurt plenty of people's eyes. This one is so much easier on them, hopefully. I don't want our readers to go blind!

So, tell us what you think of the new layout.

TeenVogue Girl of the Week: Katie Nguyen - A balancing act

Katie Nguyen is a Washington teen with a solid style that she describes with 2 words: Classy and simple.

Personally, I like the balance and old time contrasts in her outfit. Her white bubble skirted babydoll dress reminds me of the Victorian age, which has inspired some of the best and most innovative fashions to date. It's also very doll-like, in the sense that you can see many dolls with undergarments that resemble it. The sequin detailing and black undershirt are too typical for my taste, so we'll skip them.

Here's the Victorian-esque concept, minus the lace:



Over the dress comes the mysterious short trench. It's long enough and has the right collar to give an edge, but short enough so that you can still see the Victorian-esque, bubbly dress bottom. It has nice black button details, and the material seems practical and comfy.

The black leggings and ballet flats give a really fitting but contrasting feel as well. For example, though the flats and leggings both have their origins in ballet, the leggings have moved on (pun intended). In the 80's, they came to be more part of the punk and rock culture. Flats are a symbol of elegance and class.

Punk: Rock:

In short, Katie has a nice style that I'd like to see more of. Some parts are too dull, but the concept is there, and she obviously sees that. She's classy and simple, just like she said.

The ATWKS Plan

Hello dear readers! This post is to inform you on what's going to happen at ATWKS, and it's really important to me. I thought of this plan today, and I think it will work quite well. What's the plan's goal? To bring more interest to ATWKS! There are several elements to the plan. Here they are:

Getting more writers
We at ATWKS need more writers. If you'd like to write for us, click here.

Spreading the word
We'll be subscribing to your blogs and any blogs you like, and we'll post on there. Post your blogs here! Also, please do tell your friends about ATWKS.

Better connections
We already have several ways for you to get updated on the happenings at ATWKS (ATWKS group, my MySpace, Google Reader subscriptions), but we'll work on more. Please post some ideas here if you'd like.

Also, I just want to tell you guys that I'm going to limit myself to posting just once a week so I can dedicate my time to spreading the word. Okay, I'll probably fail, but point is, you'll see me posting less until I feel the time is right. You'll know when.

With Love,
Flora

Crow and Kitten are Friends

After seeing this, I felt so warm inside. The impossible happens where you least expect it, and it's always a thrill.

Upon Where I Stand Amid Alterations Of My World

I have a few days to complete several projects and menial assignments for the California caucuses on the Clinton campaign, and then I am moving, perhaps not permanently, to my new home in Washington, where I might end up in the thralls of “it” all. It is never comforting to be uplifted from your roots and forced to start afresh, especially when something you are pretty much passionate about takes a temporary backseat to the establishment of a new life. And perhaps if you could understand my position, then you could understand why I will take the liberties of merely rambling in this post as there is a lot I need to get out of my system. I took a few political ideology surveys, and I encourage you to do the same thing to get an indication of which candidate you might choose to support or vote for in the next presidential elections.

There will always be divisions in politics that seem to take away the promise of consensus and progression. People let political labels and stereotypes turn the complexity of their understanding into an oversimplification, and there is a prevalent hesitation to agree with, or even understand, the opposing party on an array of issues; a fear of straying away from the comfortable nests people establish on one side of the spectrum. Although, a significant percentage of Americans are moderate, and view the issues not through the eyes of a staunch Republican or Democrat, but as individuals rising above partisan politics to convey their beliefs according to each topic of importance. I am a person who refrains from generalizing my political ideology, but for practicality’s sake, I cannot seem to get around broadening my scope to get a clear sense of my collective beliefs, which does not mean I avoid all the apparent contradictions or nuances in my thinking. I always knew I was generally liberal on social issues, but it came as a surprise that surveys continuously pointed to the notion that I am more conservative on economic and foreign policy. I was consistently taught to help those who could not help themselves, and to always talk things out rather than resort to physical might, which are rather liberal ideas if applied to the function of government. However, as I arrived at an understanding of my beliefs, I realized that for each of my personal convictions I also have slight oppositions or exceptions to my original claims; a balancing act, which makes me more or less a moderate with libertarian leanings.

I believe that all the problems and conflict this nation confronts has an answer, the possibility of resolution, and as The Beatles once said, “when the broken hearted people living in this world agree, there will be an answer”. I believe that everyone should try and find middle ground at day’s end, and this conviction in the power of compromise is reflected in my beliefs. I am pro-choice. I am not pro-abortion. I am for educating young women, and helping them make responsible choices whatever that choice may mean to them in the context of their own circumstances. I advocate offering women alternative opportunities and options so that they are not compelled to easily resort to abortion. I would never personally get an abortion, and I do not believe that women should decide to abort their child, except if the mother’s life is in danger, but the liberties of others takes precedent over my personal beliefs. The issue is whether to make abortion legal or illegal on the national level, and I believe that if abortion is made illegal, it would not stop women from having abortions, and would force desperate mothers to get unsafe, back-alley abortions where they put their own lives in danger. If we made abortion illegal, we would also assume to make less of a priority to confront all the societal issues that getting an abortion entails such as teenage pregnancy, and rape, which ultimately leads to the issue of crime and the lack of safety in communities for increasingly vulnerable women. Making abortion legal will encourage people of various fields to confront these societal issues that go hand-in-hand with abortion, and may even incite doctors and physicians to improve medicine and technology to keep the mother’s life safe and healthy during pregnancy and labor, as well as that of the child’s safety, so that a woman does not find an answer in abortion. Keeping abortion legal on the national level also means new national responsibilities. We would have to implement more restrictions such as not allowing abortions after a certain trimester of pregnancy. My stance on abortion clearly illustrates that I do not completely side with either political party or present a cohesive political identification. My approach toward the issues held firm when I was not satisfied with any one choice presented in the surveys, and wanted to choose multiple choices or edit certain parts of a choice so that it aligned better with my own beliefs.

All the incongruities in my belief system get muddled together, and it shows in my surveys if looked at in its entirety. I am a moderate and a gradual Libertarian, with liberal and conservative ways of thinking. One survey specifically states I am “moderate” and that I should consider the Libertarian Party, and another survey was more concise, showing in big red letters that I am a “Libertarian”. I am more conservative economically because I generally agree that people are responsible for their own socioeconomic conditions, but I also believe that America does not perfectly offer equal opportunities, especially in education. I do not advocate equal success, but the chance to succeed and get ahead, which allows for competition, and the incentive to push harder for progress. I am for universal health care and government programs to help the poor and homeless even if it means that the government must raise taxes, but only with certain reservations. I believe the government should work towards reversing dependency on welfare and funded programs because when the people rely too much on government help it has both negative affects on the government and the person’s own life (with the exception of health care). Welfare and other government programs should not be the end solution to the problems a citizen faces and its sole purpose should be to encourage people to move forward and give them the tools to take personal responsibility in order to succeed. The conservative in me is also convinced that government regulation in businesses and corporations should be kept at an absolute minimum, but if there are abuses and violations of laws, then the government has the obligation to intervene. Sometimes, there are unhealthy relationships between those who actually advocate restricted government involvement in business (Bush administration), and large corporations. They should be entirely independent of each other partly because they may find ways to work together without the interests of the people in mind.

The surveys helped me understand that I really did have these notions about certain issues in terms of economics. The conservative elements outweighed my liberal viewpoints. While I am more liberal than conservative on foreign policy, the bulk of the questions in the survey were concerned with economic policy, which is why I seem more conservative. If I were to vote today in the 2008 Presidential Elections and base my decision solely off of economics, I would side with the Republicans, but in regards to foreign policy, I would wholeheartedly vote Democrat, specifically, either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama (however, I do not like his policy of meeting with other world leaders without any preconditions). When my father took his survey, he received the same results. My beliefs are based on principles my parents always instilled in me, but I also have taken those principles and values and formed my own opinions, independent of my parent’s ideology or guidance.

My first survey indicated that I was a “Liberal”, which is a result I most likely expected, especially because I am more liberal when it comes to social issues. However, when I looked back on my answer choices for some of the questions pertaining to social problems this country faces, I found I was more conservative than I anticipated. I am for free speech, but I am against making marijuana legal, and I believe that if marijuana is to be used in hospitals, there needs to be more restrictions and supervision. I am against censorship in many cases (a liberal stance), yet I am for keeping illegal immigrants out of this country through tougher border control (a more Republican viewpoint). I do not believe illegal immigrants should have equal access to government programs that help the poor. I advocate that we get the illegal immigrants in this country documented and then put through the legalization process so that they can be legal citizens. The problem mainly takes root with the incompetence and corruption of the illegal immigrant’s native country. I also wholeheartedly support legalizing gay marriage and more gun control, and I am against the death penalty, even though I had once been convinced that people who committed horrible acts should deserve to be executed. There will always be misconceptions about liberals as there are about conservatives, but I think, in the upcoming presidential elections, liberals and Democrats will be more attuned and adept to address the national mood and the most pressing issues. If I were to choose one presidential candidate that I felt could make a difference, according to my liberal positions on social, economic, and foreign policy issues, I would pick Hillary Clinton.

My age, my gender, and my socioeconomic status have influenced my political ideology to a great extent, yet I find that I have the ability to transcend my own circumstances and what would be beneficial to me, to try and step inside the shoes of my fellow Americans. I understand that no person can cater to all the American people and their needs and beliefs, but I believe that every issue we must confront has a point of resolution, the opportunity for compromise, no matter if it concerns extremely controversial issues where there are more clearly defined oppositions. This may be the idealist in my character, but I think it is possible if we move beyond the partisan conflict and stubbornness convoluting Capitol Hill to truly reevaluate the course we want to take as a nation, and to look at our own willingness to get things done and accomplished so that we may see success in the future, for generations to come.

If I could get back to the presidential elections…at a later time….that would be great. I know I have some consternations about recent events, but it is almost 10:00 pm over here and my family is downstairs with late night snacks and the television on full blast. Haha.....Random: By the way, I hate my title. Had to think of something!

Feel free to post your own ramblings. (!)

Articles on Atheism and why to denounce religion by Ethical Atheist

Look at the menu to the right. On the links section, you'll see Ethical Atheist as one of them. I go on this site every day (I'm obsessed) and, using logic and reason, rather than religion, a lot of the people on that site are able to answer my questions. For anyone considering becoming an Atheist or Agnostic, this site is definitely for you. However, here's some material from EA to get you started off. I'm sure these basics will lead you elsewhere.

• What's an Atheist? A Theist? An Agnostic?
• What's an Ethical Atheist?
• Ethical Atheist's Ten Commandments
• Biblical Basis for a Young Earth
• Women and the Bible - this should enrage just about any and every woman to denouncing her Christianity.
• Questions for God

I Will Not Go Away
By the Ethical Atheist

I walk among you. I live next door.
My office is right down the hall from yours.
My child sits next to yours in school.

I live my life by the Golden Rule...
that most basic principle of ethical behavior
that people have followed through the ages.
I treat others as I would like to be treated.
So simple, yet rarely followed...

I practice tolerance.
I do not discriminate by race or gender.
I strive to make the world a better place.
I seek answers to the unknown and
attempt to educate all with answers to the known.

I view the universe in a different way than you
for I am a scientist, an educator,
a free thinker, an atheist.

While you attribute the great unknown mysteries to your God,
I use reason, logic and scientific methods in search
of answers to the as yet unexplained.

This should not be reason that we cannot
live together... practicing tolerance.
Yet, if your opinion differs, so be it!

For I will continue on my path...
I will find answers.
I will educate, and
I will not go away.

These are all the articles I'm listing. Be sure to read the articles that these pages link to. Also, please feel free to use this post as an open forum for commenting on Atheism, Agnosticism, the ethics of Atheism and Agnosticism, and about Ethical Atheist.

Search terms

Britney Spears Brittney Justin Timberlake Hot Porn Entertainment Tonight The Colbert Report Daily Show ATWKS And World Keeps Spinning Arab Sex Paris Hilton Vagina Canadian Dollar New Year's Year Pokemon Google Pikachu YouTube Chrysler Michael Jackson GameFaqs Eagle America Canada Brangelina Madonna Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie Jennifer Aniston Seinfeld

This is a little "Google test" to see how much these search terms get traffic on here. It'll be hilarious if this actually works.

Add crap to the site that you think people search on.

Breaking the law

Today was a.... strange but fun day, to say the least. I woke up at about 9:30AM, went back to sleep, and got up at 11:30AM. I love being lazy.

Anyway, my brother kept prompting me to get ready later on to go to the mall, about 2 or 3 hours later. So I got ready, and went downstairs. We (me, my brother, my mom) were hassling about missing bus tickets. Apparently mom took mine from my room. Strangely, my brother volunteered out of the blue to pay for my ticket.

We get out the front door, and my brother tells me he drove the car around with only a G2 on his own (you have to drive with a person with the G to drive if you only have your G2). Well, that didn't surprise me because of the argument he and my mom had earlier. So, before I explain what we did, I'll explain the argument.

To start it off, my dad is an absolute horse's ass. And no, I'm no spoiled emo kid, I'm just stating what everyone, including my mother thinks. I don't get why she bothers listening to him, since he is just a con (too much to explain), very emotionally unstable, unreasonable, irrational, impulsive; the list goes on. So anyway, that characterization is important in the situation because, for some reason, my dad won't help out my brother with getting his G until he turns 20, because, apparently, he doesn't know how to drive at all. I later found out that was mostly a lie. My mom rarely disagrees with my dad though he's a complete piece of scum like I described.

We're out the front door, and he tells me we don't have change for the bus. So how the Hell do we get around to the mall? You guessed it - we rode in my dad's car. I felt so fucking cool, and I'd do it again if he asked me to. We first drove over to the bank to get money to replace the gas we were to use up (my dad notices meter changes), and then to the mall.

We went to HMV for me to spend my own $100 on some CD's, since I'm a music geek. I ended up getting 7 CD's. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Unleashed Memories by Lacuna Coil with additional Halflife EP added into it
2. Steal This Album by SOAD (System of a Down)
3. Hypnotize by SOAD
4. Once by Nightwish
5. The Wall (Pts 1 & 2) by Pink Floyd
6. Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces by Seether

It all came down to about $87 or so. I'm a very impulsive buyer, but I don't regret my purchases. I've wanted them for a long time.

After purchasing these items from HMV, me and him headed straight home. Before that, however, we encountered some problems on the road. First, when we were leaving the mall parking lot, some dumb bitch just decides to run across the parking lot in front of us and get a bunch of cars, including ours, crowded together. I was telling my brother to end her misery, and to "run over the dumb bitch." There's nothing I can't stand more than jaywalkers who suck at jaywalking and get everyone fucked over in the process.

When we got home, we realized we were missing one key from the key set. We traced back our path in the snow, and still came up with nothing. So we pretty much just walked back home, and were thankfully undetected. We still have absolutely no clue where that key is, and my father will probably be extremely pissed when he comes home from Syria, but fuck that old bitter bastard. That felt so fucking awesome to drive around with a family member without him. My brother did possibly one of the most badass things ever.

Stick it to the man!

Flora's private tour

I was informed that the 2nd sentence is a bit strange. Don't let it lead you to thinking that this is a pornographic or sexual piece, because it isn't.

Wearing nothing but a golden nude bra as I'm sitting on my bed. The only cover for my crotch is a thick cherry red, floral pattern blanket, which has red and green stripes on a mushroom-coloured background. The bed cover has a nice pastel yellow, pink, and green floral pattern on white and my big, puffy white pillow with a white pillowcase is behind me. The bed is in the center of the room.

Around me are four off-white walls and an off-white ceiling for added genericness. Looking at the ceiling, I see my round ceiling lamp straight up in the center. It has a nice, thick white border (how shocking), and inside the inner lines of the border is a half-sphere made of glass with several outverted vertical, clear lines starting from the top and ending at the bottom. The top is like the middle of a full sphere. The bottom has a hole which is covered by a white metal circle.

My neck aches me, my pale skin becomes paler, and my black eyes grow wider as I write so hesistantly over this flower pressing kit. My dark brown ringlets touch the paper I'm writing on in a surrendering stance. But I won't stop.

Ahead of me, to the rightmost of the wall in front of me is the door out. It's grey with a doorknob that is an ancient green in all but the front, which is a light, dusty green. A grey, thick border surrounds it.

To the left at the outer center of the height of the room is a plain white lightswitch. However, it's not important.

Moving on more to the left is my closet, which is obviously on the same wall as the lightswitch and door. It takes up half the area of the entire wall; half the width and the full height. Inside is more "white action" off-white walls inside, and a pure white shelf at the top third. Below the shelf is a dirty silver pipe for hangers. The closet has two sliding doors; each of which covers half of the front of the closet. The doors are a sandy brown with a pattern of hairy, almost primal, large dark brown circles and lines. Sets of chocolate brown, metal rusty bars border them.

In front of the closet is the trusty old and shockingly white air fan which hasn't been cleaned in ages. It's so dirty and dusty, and the blades are covered in what appears to be mud mixed with dust. When turned on, this fan spits the combination, in chunks, right at you. The fan is plugged into the wall at my left.

Further left is a six-shelve bookshelf, which is actually used more for tossed clothes and jewelry than books. It can be described solidly and perfectly in that it is a light brown and orange mixture with texturizing, vertical lines that make dark and light variations of the browns and oranges. A paint kit and mini chess kit are at the top shelf.

At the back wall are some white blinds. I don't even have to describe them at all, for it takes little imagination to picture them. All that can really be said here is that a spicey red pine car freshener is hanging on it the tassles that raise the blinds.

My desk is at the back but also to the right because of the backright corner. On it are various things, such as stuffed animals, clothes, gadgets, deodarent, and other miscellanious items. The colouring and texture is the same as that of the bookshelf, except for the black keyboard holder space, which has grey, horizontal plastic bars covering it, and the bottom and sides of the cabinet holder; also black, which touches the backright corner.

Right beside the desk to my left is my four-drawer night table where each drawer is bigger than the one proceeding it above. The table follows the bookshelf texture, but with a darker brown and orange colour. At the inside sides of the shelves are caramel, hairy strokes on a sand brown background. The bottom of the inside of each drawer is a sandpaper colour and texture. At the outside left and right of the table are black sides.

Lastly, we've reached the floors of the room. Below are squares divided into rectangles with some familiar patterns. In odds, the rectangles look like the inside sides of the night table, but in evens, they are reminiscent to the look of the front closet doors. Everything in this room rests on them.

If the world was colour blind

I sat here in the darkness, waiting for your call
But if the world was colour blind,
I wouldn't have waited to hear nothing at all
I promised you we'd never be apart
But if the world was colour blind
I'd never have broken that part
It feels like centuries
since I've lost that part of me
And what I've convinced myself to be truth
was all along just blasphemy
If I hadn't lied
and if the world was colour blind
then maybe I wouldn't feel so hollow inside
and you wouldn't have committed suicide

This is a poem I wrote some months ago. I just found it last night in my cabinet (with a million other lost pieces). What I'd like you to do is answer me this.... what do you think the story behind this piece is? What relevence does it have to your life?

More about us on the WWW

This page is going to reference you to different posts where users have decided to reference themselves on other sites on the web, such as MySpace, Facebook, etc... It's just for you to be able to get more personal with us without us having to clutter the menu bar with a million links.

Nte: Don't ask for extra info, or I'll delete your comments. Just take what we choose to give you.
Referenced members:
Flora

All About Flora

This has been taken off temporarily, and will be replaced soon.

ATWKS Statistics 2007

These are some statistics collected for the year 2007:

Poll stats:

Are you a Democract or a Republican?
Democrat - 68% (17 Votes)
Republican - 20% (5 Votes)

What is your favourite kind of music?
Rock - 38% (7 Votes)
Pop - 0%
HipHop - 11% (2 Votes)
Metal - 22% (4 Votes)
Other - 27% (5 Votes)

What's your personal favourite topic of discussion?
Religion - 11% (3 Votes)
Politics - 42% (11 Votes)
Fashion - 42% (11 Votes)
Cosmetics - 3% (1 Vote)
Sports - 0%

Did you give anyone a gift on any holiday?
Yes - 66% (10 Votes)
No - 33% (5 Votes)

Page hits since site creation: 873

A new year and old origins

Happy new year, everybody! Please use this post as a means to tell me what you did on New Year's Eve! Personally, I didn't really do much of anything. I have what you call "compulsive blogging syndrome." Fuck you for getting me addicted, Blogspot!

Anyway, I thought I'd also kind of spend this time to explain a bit about ATWKS. You see, some of the coolest things in the world don't have a name that fits them, and thus, they don't have a more "true" feel. What I'm about to explain to you is the "power" of ATWKS, and the silly shit behind it.

It was a few years ago, and I was an avid member of a lovely board called TeenVogue Forums. I pretty much posted there like a demon, and I certainly don't post there as much as I used to, though I still post there regularly. The relevence is that this is where ATWKS came together. Anyway, I remember one day that I asked the girls to come up for a name for some kind of organization, and there were some pretty interesting names and sources for the names. A 13-year-old suggested "and the world keeps spinning." Guess what the source of the name was?

Britney Spears' song "Lucky."

No fucking kidding. Here's a verse from the song:

Lost in an image, in a dream
But there's no one there to wake her up
And the world is spinning, and she keeps on winning
But tell me what happens when it stops?
They go…
"Isn't she lovely, this Hollywood girl?"
And they say…

Okay, the "keeps" part isn't there, but the girl who made the name suggested that was the source. Close enough.

You might think I'd have to be a Britney Spears fan to accept a title with that source, but that's not the reason. In fact, I condemned Britney from my TV ever since I knew how to think for myself. The real reason why I loved the name so much is because it describes everything in life so perfectly. You can become a drug addict, the most famous person ever, or an asshole like me who spends 99% of her time writing or playing video games, and even then, with or without you, the world keeps spinning. Basically, you don't exist to anyone but yourself. I'm no existentialist, but it's so true to life.

Thanks for reading, and remember to get plenty of rest, unlike me.