The Iranian people have such interesting names. In the last few days I have heard from so many of the women that I decided to find out what some of their names meant. I mentioned a few that I discovered yesterday. Then I stumbled upon this article of a young girl named ‘Neda’ meaning ‘voice’.

Neda was brutally killed this past Saturday in her fathers arms; her death, a symbol of rebellion for the Iranian people.

As I began to write my write this morning, I hadn’t even perused my blog since last night and there were only two comments posted. I decided that before I write, I had better see if anyone commented on anything that I might need to include in my write this morning. It was then that I discovered that a commenter had written one sentence: “Neda Soltani was shot in the chest from a rooftop by the Basiji.” I knew that she was the very same young girl that inspired my write today.

So…I’ll take that as a sign to continue….

I watched the video of Neda dying and I could not post it. I have never seen anyone die and I broke out in sobbing tears.  Her eyes in the video looked so innocent….scared…and yet so peaceful as she laid there. I could not take my eyes off of her.  Here is her story:

Her name is Neda, which means “voice” in Farsi, and her death has become the central rallying cry of the Iranian rebellion.

The fresh-faced teenage girl killed by what appears to be a single sniper shot on the streets of Tehran Saturday is now a potent symbol for Iran‘s pro-democracy protesters.

Her shocking and quick death in the arms of her howling father was captured on closeup video, posted to Facebook and came to life on computer screens across the globe.

“RIP Neda, the world cries seeing your last breath,” was one of a flood of messages on Twitter.

“They killed Neda, but not her voice,” read another. “Neda is everyone’s sister, everyone’s daughter, everyone’s voice for freedom,” said a third.]

Within hours of her death, posters of the girl’s face, open-eyed and bloody, were being brandished by demonstrators in Los Angeles and New York City.

The graphic video was originally posted to Facebook by an Iranian expatriate in Holland who said it was sent to him by a friend in Tehran, a doctor who tried to save the girl.

He identified her as Neda Soltani, a 16-year-old philosophy student.

A Facebook group created to mourn her calls her “The Angel of Iran.”

In Tehran on Sunday, the streets were quiet for the first time in a week, but the city was bracing for more unrest today when thousands are expected to mourn the girl’s death.

“To protest against lies and fraud is your right,” opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi told his followers in a statement.

“Be hopeful in exercising your rights and do not allow those who try to instill fear in you to make you angry.”

An ABC reporter in Dubai said she was told the girl was rapidly buried to forestall a funeral rally.

In the holy city of Qom, turmoil was reported among the ruling clerics. There were reports that some dissident clerics were trying to replace the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The regime is under threat after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a suspiciously huge landslide in the June 12 election, sparking accusations of vote rigging and days of mass protests.

Saturday’s brutal crackdown, in which at least a dozen people were killed and hundreds wounded, hardened opposition to the supreme leader as well as Ahmadinejad.

In apparent retaliation, the daughter of powerful former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and four of his other relatives were arrested and held for a day, according to state TV.

State radio said Monday that 457 people were arrested in the clashes.

Rafsanjani’s kin were held for a day for their own protection, but it was seen in most quarters as a clear warning to curb his support for Mousavi.

Rafsanjani, 75, is chairman of the Assembly of Experts that has the power to remove the supreme leader and is Mousavi’s most powerful ally.

Reporters Without Borders said 33 Iranian journalists and bloggers have been arrested even as the foreign press was barred from the streets .

“The regime has been visibly shaken by its own population. That is why the media have become a priority target,” Reporters Without Borders said.

State TV blamed “terrorists” for the street violence.

BBC Persia aired extraordinary video of a crowd of stone-throwing youths on Saturday slowly advancing on a cadre of well-armed police with riot shields, finally forcing the security forces to turn tail and run.

BBC’s lead reporter in Tehran was subsequently told he had 24 hours to leave the country.

A Life.com magazine photographer was missing, and a Newsweek reporter arrested.

Germany called for a revote, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the crackdown on peaceful protest “inexcusable.”

As the Neda video ignited fury and tears, several new Twitter accounts were opened dedicated solely to insisting the video was fake. The posters were roundly shouted down as tools of the Iranian regime.

One of the many other videos of the Tehran protests uploaded to YouTube captured the girl in the last moments of her life, standing on a curb with her silver-haired father, watching the protesters go by.

In a country where martyrdom is a matter of great import and mourning marches often mix with protests, the girl’s very public death has the potential to be a galvanizing event.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas: I hear ya. It is okay to  dump billions into the Iraq war to make our country feel safe and protected, but not okay to dump billions into our healthcare system to insure those same people that we are trying to protect, are well taken care of.

Anna:  First, I have to say, excuse for my brain freeze in the past week. I am well aware that you and Peter live in Guam and you were just visiting the mainland. I have got a lot on my  mind these days, but no excuse. Secondly, thank you for the quarters -that was so nice of you to send them to me! I finally went to my PO box and there they were. Thank you…Thank you!

Pan: As much as I’m sorry to hear that racism has been rearing its ugly head where you are too, we don’t need that kind of attitude here either. What can we do to work to eliminate it together?

Iranian Girls and Readers: Just as you have communication problems with the government spying on you, I too have to have some restraints with what I say on my blog, or my blog may not be accessible  anymore. Rest assured, things are going as they should be. My thoughts are with you.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

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I was beat last night when I got home from work @ 7. I had such little energy to make myself some dinner and then I barely ate it, as all I wanted to do was shower and go to bed. Too tired to shower, I checked in here, and then went straight to bed.

This morning I woke up, took a hot shower, and perused the web.  I came across an article: 12 Of The Most Iconic Photographs Ever Taken. The one that I posted of the lynching  a few days ago was one of them. Many I had seen before, and a few I never had.  The one I posted below is in the latter category.

This example of emotive imagery is of child in Uganda holding hands with a missionary. The stark contrast between the two people serves as a reminder of the gulf in wealth between developed and developing countries. Mike Wells, the photographer, took this picture to show the extent of starvation in Africa. He took it for a magazine, and when they went 5 months without printing it, he decided to enter it into a competition. However, Wells has stated that he is against winning a compeition with a picture of a starving boy.

I am not naive about the impoverishment in Third World countries; I have traveled to quite a few.  But no matter how many times I see people living under such conditions, I feel as if it is my first. My heart feels heavy and I am reminded just how blessed I am.  And then my mind shifts and I start to think of how I can’t believe that I am living in such a modern world, that can’t seem to take care of all of its people. (I won’t even go there today in regards to some people who could care less about taking care of some of the people we share this planet with.)

I almost posted the Pulitzer Prize photo of the small child from Uganda who is alone and starving, barely moving, while a vulture patiently stocks him. But I just didn’t want to go there. it makes me feel hopeless and I don’t want to feel that way. This photo above shows care and hope, and these days, for me, that is what it is all about.

So, yeah, I went to bed slightly hungry last night, but nothing I couldn’t live with, or I would’ve simply ate more. But too tired to eat, I undressed and crawled into a warm and comfy bed. There was no doubt in my mind that when I woke up in the morning, I would always have food in my plate. The thought never even enters my mind that I wouldn’t.

And, then I find this photo and it touches me….it evokes thoughts of….”We are such a rich society with so many resources. Why is it that every child, every person in this world can not feel the same way as I do? Why can they not know that when they wake up, there will be food for them to eat? Why do they find that they can not rely on the simple, basic needs in life such as food, water, shelter, and clothing?” Simple, basic needs…we all deserve them.

Readers: What does this photo bring up for you?

~~~~~~~~~

Zen Lill: You shocked me about what you said about your mother. Mothers can say shocking things. I know; my mother has let a few slip but I love her anyway.

Anna:  You sent me some quarters? When did you send them? How sweet of you! I am so delighted. I have not been to my PO Box in weeks but I will look out for them. I am excited – thank you! Oh and about that Interesting write. I have to admit, I write like that all of the time and I don’t consider myself uneducated or mixed up and unpredictable. Although I don’t see much wrong with a little unpredictability every once in a while – surprise is good. I actually think the technique of my script is creative and whimsical….a bit messy I’ll admit. I never was one to have beautiful handwriting. Hi Peter!  Got to run..

Yeah, it’s Friday and it’s a beautiful day. Go out and enjoy it!

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

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I was sent this video and I have to say it is moving and magical, and simply complex. The message is clear any way you look at it - You’ll see…just watch it.

This video was created for the AARP U@50 video contest and placed second. It is based on the Argentinian Political Advertisement       ”The Truth” by RECREAR

Cool huh? Readers: How will you choose to view the future of our world?

**********

Alexander: Great to hear from you again. I have no comment to add – too beat this morning to say anything worthy of print.

Lilly: Amazing story! – thanks for sharing.

Penny: It is my pleasure. And I will continue to do so.  :)

Zen Lill: I loved the movie ‘Earth’. If you haven’t gotten the 5 disc set of Planet Earth, you will love it. I think I blogged about it awhile ago. Have a great weekend!

You too peeps….Peace out….

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Helllooo….

Ah..It’s Friday. I am so excited the weekend is here.

I want to share something with you. I have come across a few great earth friendly products lately…well at least they seem pretty cool. And I decided to try my darnedest to get the word out to my readers. Any attempt to make this world a better place. And no I’m not connected to any of them in any way. (wish I was :) But what better way to get the word out but to blog about it? 

So…I’m sure many of you were as upset as I was over the toxic soup that I wrote about a few days ago. I try to only use products that use recyclable plastics but that really doesn’t cut out the plastic in our lives.

Here’s one new solution that does. This company whose product is usually only found in plastic containers decided to lay off the bottle completely, and guess what they sell? Shampoo.

Wha’at? How does one sell shampoo without a bottle? The shampoo is called Lush (I just love that word…lush greenery, lush ripe peach…etc.), and it comes in a bar that looks like soap but is equivalent to three 8-oz of shampoo bottles.  Depending how much you wash your hair this little ‘ol bar will last you about 6 months, and is not much more than what you pay for your shampoo now…less than 10 bucks. 

By using LUSH, not only will you prevent plastic waste, but you will avoid harmful chemicals. Lush contains none of those sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates. Good for the environment; good for you. And for you vegans out there – they even have a bar or two for you. I like it already and I haven’t even tried it (yet). You just wet the bar and run it across your hair a few times and lather up. Simple yes? 

There are quite a few ‘flavors’ but these two sound pretty tempting: Karma Komba smells like patchouli (ah…love that scent – high school memories once again :) and citrus, and claims to put the bounce back into your hair. Gentil Lentil contains legumes (no surprise with a name like that), and claims to be a great detangler.  

The company also says that you can use the bar to wash your face and body and even your clothes while you’re away on vacation. (ohh Dr. Bronner, you have some competition). I’m pretty picky about what I put on this face and bod but hey, I’ll try it on my hair. All in the goal of preserving this planet. :)

Anyone else have a cool product you want to share – blog me baby. 

Peace out peeps…. 

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009on

al, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning everyone.

e pluribus unum –  out of many, one

I got up early to watch president Obama’s full speech this morning – I’m sure many of you have watched it already. To me his thoughts always came full circle to these words above. 

Obama talk of bringing us all together as world citizens and embracing our differences.  He talks of our common aspirations that need to be stronger than our fears and challenges. He says let’s not be prisoners of the past but become partners, and move forward in the future. 

What I love is how he understands each and every country he speaks of….how he steps into the lives of all of those around us by recognizing we all have a past and we all have present challenges. He acknowledges the conflicts and the viewpoints of each side. And yet, in spite of it all, we all have a responsibility to join together, and not be bound by the past.

He speaks of us, all of us, as world citizens. 

e pluribus unum –  out of many, one

Obama’s entire speech is honest and moving and inspiring. And it all comes down to this:

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

It is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples – a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian, or Muslim or Jew. It’s a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. It’s a faith in other people, and it’s what brought me here today.

We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.

The Holy Koran tells us, “O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.”

The Talmud tells us: “The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.”

The Holy Bible tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God’s vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God’s peace be upon you.

The above it just the ending of his brilliant speech. I urge you to listen to it in its entirety. I decided to post it here for those of you who haven’t seen it yet. It is almost an hour long but so well worth the time. Grab a cup of joe and get ready to be inspired and proud. 

~~~~~~~~~

Al & Zen Lill:  Thank you. 

Dalia and Anjali, Anonymous: I loved reading your comments. It sounds like his speech will be a memorable day for the both of you as well as the many who watched or listened to him. I thought his speech was one of his best. I felt for the first time that countries around the world have a chance of coming together and doing something great via our common interests and goals.   

Alyah:  I do feel that Obama is a very fair man, and I trust that he has everyone’s best interest in mind. Now we as world citizens need to heed his advice and make huge efforts in coming together peacefully. I’m all for it – how about you?

Hullanta: I think many see him as the hope of the world. I do. But as it is written: It takes all of us. But what better inspiration can you have than president Obama?  

Robert: Great news! Oohh…I love surprises. Let’s hope the surprise is for me and not North Korea. Keep us posted on the girls please – Thank you.

And on that happy note, I am siging off.

Let’s show Obama how much ‘peace & love’ we have to ‘live & give’.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009on

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