Got to run.  

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 2008

" 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"

I wonder if our friends in the UK have been trying to post here? I just got a heads up about the ‘Octopus UFO’ that flew in the sky and collided into a wind turbine a week ago, ripping off one of its 65-foot blades! 

Hmm….is Azza back in town or just our Madaline having a little too much fun? Or something else? Oh…please chime in and make yourself known. We would love to know more of the details!

It has been reported by people living in a nearby town of Lincolnshire (Oh love that name; it is just so Brit!), that strange orangey-yellow lights were headed in the direction of the said wind farm earlier in the evening.  And then surprise!  Those same peeps were awakened at 4 am by the sounds of crashing and smashing…the wind turbine was getting chewed up in a bad way.

“It looked like a giant explosion in the air,” said one local. Another witness said he saw a “massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground. … It was huge. With the tentacles it looked just like an octopus.” Hundreds have reported seeing the same phenomenon. 

An Octopus eh? Now, too bad we don’t have a photo. Out of all of those people woken up by this monstrosity, no one bothered to grab a camera to document this exciting event? Bummer.

So it appears that one blade was completely torn off the giant windmill, and has yet to be found. While the remaining blade was totally mangled. Ha!…It looks just like one of my forks that fell into the garbage disposal one time. 

UFO experts “are very excited” by the prospect that the crash could have been caused by a paranormal incident. 

Incident? Not sure I would call that an ‘incident’. Unless the UFO thought it was getting into a skirmish with another type of ship. Or it was alien who thought he could wrestle the being with the whirling blade-like appendages. (Can you see the visual?) No I wouldn’t call it an ‘incident; more like a paranormal ‘accident’. I think it’s funny.

Readers:  What about you? Comments? blog me. (Especially if you are from the UK – would love to hear about your experience.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Zen Lill:  No biggie – happy that you were having fun with Miss Lily. I love riding go-carts, and yes I am laughing the entire time too – Doug is the driver and all I do is scream and laugh – it is so much fun! Maybe we will go soon Doug?

Thank you for saying all that you said. I was a bit surprised to hear such words from you. Delighted of course that I could be that for you. Thank you for saying so. It is my lifetime goal to inspire others…not necessarily to be like me – how boring that would be…However if you recognize certain things in me, know that you hold these too :) lol..you are too busy being you to be me! Be you – you are perfect as you are. 

Hello D’r'fa:  I am sorry but thank you for trying…seems you did get in…finally. May peace and safety be yours soon.

Hello Nadia: If ZL wants to repost it here for you, that is fine with me. 

Hi Croe:  I have heard the same and was just ‘disgussing’ that same topic with Doug last night. That’s my new word…a morphing of ‘disgusting’ and ‘discussing’ – saved for topics of discussion that disgust me. And Bush fits the bill. Oh, I hope he takes a nice long vacation in a foreign country that doesn’t treat their criminals so kindly.  

Hi Phillip:  Good to hear from you. Interesting comment.  I get what you mean. And, I agree with you. Although he did say that he aspired to be a dictator, I don’t think that he has the brains to ‘contemplate’ being a dictator either. You’re thinking logically – which is good. But you’re forgetting that Bush isn’t very logical.

My point is…does it matter whether he has the brains to contemplate it or not? He doesn’t have the brains to be a president either but he was voted in twice! As long as he surrounds himself with the right puppeteers, the strings will be pulled and shit will get done. – that has been proven. So, if the American people were stupid enough to vote him in twice, I wouldn’t put it past them to help him in his aspirations should he ever get the opportunity. The fact that he blatantly said that and nothing was written about it in the media – no one said a word….Except for Doug sitting next to me in shock, and  now Carmen’s comment from yesterday), the American people have expressed their ‘boneheadedness’ again. And yes, I’m making up my own word again…but it works doesn’t it? :)  

hello Lashkar Gar: I hear you loud and clear. And I too am wishing for our oil independence, not only for us but also for the many women whose lives need to desperately change. You have my support too and I am grateful for yours.

Hi Gereshk:  Good to hear from you. I know how true it is as I have read and heard the stories from others just like your brother. It is so sad and disturbing to know that this atrocity breathes on a daily basis. I hope that my column and others like it can help but I know more must be done besides making people aware. Awareness is only the beginning. 

How narrow-minded that the Islamic council thinks that I am anti Islamic. Far from it. Just another excuse to control their women. What I am is anti slavery and anti rape..and really any type of abuse to their women and children. I am for women’s rights and that means I am for them loosing control of their said property.  Oh I know that just doesn’t sit well with the Islamic men.  Control is a biggie.

To the rest of my readers who posted a comment yesterday: I apologize that I cannot address you today – work calls, but I promise tomorrow I will speak to you. 

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 2008

" 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"

I wrote about the women in Congo back in August.  And ladies I have not forgotten about you at all. The women in this world are always on my mind and when I am having a tough day, I always remember that my life is a dream compared to most. Unfortunately, right now there is only little that I can do. But it is my goal…the bigger picture in my life to do more and I am constantly working on how to improve that.  One of the ways I can help right now, is to continually write about the plight of women and bring it to light. It is not a pretty picture but it has to be painted. 

This morning I woke up and found an article that caught my eye – thank you Doug for putting it aside for me. 

I discovered that Congo has three resources that our electronics devices depend on – Congo has a good percentage of the world’s supply of Tantalite, Tungsten (you may recognize this name if you own a Palm Pilot), and Tin. Without these three, our daily electronic devices would not work.

Congo is also a country that has been torn apart by the deadliest war since World War II, where 5.4 million have perished, and an estimated 1,500 people die per day in war-related causes.  So what is this war fueled by? ….Our inexhaustible thirst for cell phones, laptops, video games, digital recorders and any other product that owes it’s existence to Congo’s contribution to the world’s mineral supply.

Why are so many people dying? Congo is a country rampant with feuding militias and a failed government.  It is a country that has been raided, looted, and raped for the past century and a half because of its vast natural resource wealth.   Kings, corporations, and countries have taken advantage of these resources, stealing whatever they can and leaving behind devastation.  

The resources are not the only thing that has, to be put mildly, been taken advantage of. The Congo has the highest rate of sexual violence globally. It is the world’s most dangerous place to be a woman or girl. These women of Congo are being used in the worst way possible.  The militia use rape as a weapon of war and they are perfecting this tool of war in a manner never seen before. The effectiveness of deploying sexual violence as a tactic of war is unquestioned. Competing forces rape in order to permanently drive communities out of contested areas. Women are so traumatized by gang rapes and other depredations that they are too scared to go home…too afraid to re-live their experiences. And because these tactics work, and the perpetrators pay no price for their horrific crimes, there is no incentive to stop. It continues daily and the women in Congo live through it daily. 

As I write this I can’t seem to contain the anger that I feel. I am disgusted and all I envision is harm and brutality enforced in ways that I can only imagine. I have always been one who believes in and eye for an eye….my feelings on this have not changed. I sit here safe in my own home…safe from harm, but I know…in my gut, that if I was in the mix of it…if I was witnessing the atrocities, I know that I would inflict harm in the same way that these men are inflicting harm on their women.  

Where are the men fighting to protect these women? – Where are the heroes willing to die for those that give us life? As I sit, I feel the tears well up in my eyes and guilt run through my heavy heart, knowing my fingers are tapping on a device that contributes to the plight of so many women. 

So what can we do?  One thing we can do is let our elected officials know that we are aware of the violence and we want it to end. Obama’s inauguration is wildly anticipated by Africans including those in Congo.  They believe Obama will have the chance to make the end of the Congo’s war one of his Policy objectives.  But it can’t stop there…we must also let the electronic companies know that it matters to us where they get their raw materials that run their devices.  

Until there is awareness and action taken, to be put bluntly, in my opinion…every electronic device you support leads to the plight of the Congo women. We as world citizens have to be more responsible about the actions that we take and the choices that we make in the products we buy, and the companies we support.

We cannot turn a blind eye, plug our ipods in and blast our music, knowing that we are drowning out the cries of women and girls in the Congo. We need to demand that these products are conflict free, and ask more questions about where their components are from. We need to care. If we do, the companies will have no choice but to change their procurement practices.  We fought against ‘Blood diamonds’. We saw the horrors that lead to the world to get serious about stopping them. We can get serious and fight against ‘conflict minerals’ too and have the same impact. The Congo women are counting on us. We cannot be irresponsible, unaccountable, world citizens when our sisters are fighting for their lives.

Want to learn more? Go to Raise Hope For Congo. What to do more? If you live in the Bay Area, attend the screening of “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo” at 4:15 pm today, at the Smith Rafael Film Center on 4th Street in San Rafael.  Get involved. 

~~~~~~~

Doug:  You had a heads-up on this one from the night before. We are on the same page :) 

Hey ZL:  Thanks! – I’ll call you today.

Hi Anonz:  My pleasure – happy that I could assist. Be well and be safe.

Hi Brenda: Thanks and keep trying – you did get in this time. :)

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 2008

" 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"

You know I usually address my readers in the order that they comment but this time I had to jump ahead to john. 

Dear John: 

You are a typical male and most likely a white one. Most men are all about themselves, while women are team players who think of others first. Women are the caretakers of this planet, not men. Women have the tendency to find the good in others even if they have to dig through the shit to find it. They search for the shining jewel that has yet to be carved out of the dull rock…the lotus flower that blossoms out of dung. 

So when women speak loudly as they have here, you should shut up and listen.  They have looked for the brilliance in their men  to shine, and after carving away layer after layer looking for the jewel they find that all they can uncover is a dull rock.  

These women aren’t bitching. (They aren’t asking you to take out the garbage…and so what if they are. Just do it and the ‘bitching’ will cease.) How narrow-minded you are that you see the plight of these women and their expression of their controlled lives as ‘bitching’.  I have no idea what these women endure on a daily basis. I can sympathize on one level but my empathy only goes as far as my own experiences, which are nothing compared to these women.  And, I highly doubt that any man could even come close to understanding. In fact I am sure that if the roles were reversed, you would never last one minute let alone a lifetime. I do know that men are babies and when they don’t get their way they throw a tantrum and the fight begins. War is started. Men use their brawn and women use their brains. It is as simple as that. 

So to answer your question, ‘Why is it always time to dump on the men?’ Because men keep taking the same action over and over again. And women are sick of it.  They want out. Yeah these women may be fed by their husbands – yeah ya got to feed them so they have the energy to wait hand and foot on their ‘masters’.  But don’t say that these men are protecting these women or dying for them – let’s be real here.  John, are you not listening to these stories?  These women have no support of their men masters – hell they get left in a room alone with another man and it is instant death – where is the protection? And if they’re going to war it certainly isn’t to protect their women and children. No, it is to ensure the continuation of their own kind.  It is to protect their rights that they have over their women so that they can continue to enslave them and use them as they see fit.  

So don’t give me this crap about all that you do for women. It’s BS. If you truly did care, if you truly did give a shit, you’d be making changes and supporting the women of this world instead of crying like a baby and feeling unappreciated. 

As far as anonz…Again, you are being so small minded. I do not need to back anonz. He needs no one in that arena.  But I do feel the need to play the other side and question ….look at the big picture and see past my own little world. Are you not looking at the big picture? Obviously not. 

You should be grateful that if it were not for him we would not know the truth about our government. We would still continue to believe  that they had the people’s best interest at heart. We would not know the extension of their greed. Yes, he has been a major player but if you were in his shoes what would you do differently? Would you turn it all down or would you gather up as much as you possibly could  – remember my question awhile back:  ‘If anyone could have all of the control who would it be?’ Maybe Anonz  says, ‘I want to be in control; I trust myself more than I trust anyone else to have the control. He knows these players that he is up against much better than we do. I’m not saying he is a saint – far from it, but what I am saying is that he is the only one  ‘spilling the beans’ and he continues to keep us informed even when his life is being threatened as it is today.  Is it not possible that he has bigger plans that we are just not privy to?  

As I said earlier, women look for the jewel beneath the dull surface. It is our nature to want to see the good. Anonz is shedding his layers and we are all hopeful that there is a brilliant jewel underneath. 

Goodbye John.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello Chaghcharn:  You are so correct. I have wonderful close female relationships. It has been challenging lately only because of my circumstances,  but I know that I would never be betrayed by them in ways that you speak of. I can not imagine. The women in your country endure so much together yet you are really alone when you can not trust and confide in each other.  My hope is that we are on the road to change.

Bost, Tarin Kowt, Meymaneh, Kushka, Anjali: Thank you for writing in to Dapne, and sharing with us, ‘woman to woman’. The more that I an exposed to through stories that are written here, the more determined that I am to continue doing what I need to do to help. All I can promise is that whatever way I benefit by whatever comes my way in life will be passed on…women of this world will benefit too. 

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 2008

" 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"

Ya know I went to bed last night with pleasant thoughts on my mind. And we just got through watching one of my favorite movies, ‘The Sound Of Music’.  I can never tire of that movie; the story line or the music. I know it’s a bit corny and sing songy, but it is done so well. Funny, for the first time I focused on the scenery and architecture and found myself drawn to Austria and the incredible mountains. Another reason to love the movie.

The musical ends with the Nazi’s invading and the Von Trapp family having to escape to Switzerland via the beautiful Austrian mountains.  It is an uplifting movie that focuses on love and family, and war plays a very small roll. Even in the end when they are climbing the mountains, they are all smiles and love. Not exactly real life but, hey, it’s an uplifting musical, not a war movie.  

The movie ends and boom…News flash, Israel has bombed Gaza City. They have launched massive airstrikes against Hamas for breaking a 6-month cease fire agreement. Hello…wake-up, welcome to the real world. This is not what I want to see as I shut my eyes and desire to dream of more peaceful and loving times.

BUT…this is reality. This is what is happening in the real world and for ‘these two’ it has been going on…in my mind way too long…and I’m sure for the Israeli and Palestinian people…forever.  I say, ‘these two’ because it always seems that any war is between two or a few dictators who gather and inspire their armies to fight. And people, innocent people get brought into the mix and end up injured or worse, killed. I know my description is simplified and naive, but to me, war is stupid and archaic. 

What I really wish was that war was just a game…a board game really…a battle of the minds, where the most intelligent one with the best idea for all concerned, wins. Win with wit not with weapons. Weapons and bombs feel so yesteryear. But then I remember that many of these dictators are just plain greedy and stupid and don’t care much about the people concerned. It is not a battle of the minds but one of inflamed testosterone levels. So put the two in a pit and let them duke it out and kill each other. Funny though…war is not just global but universal. Minds that are much more intelligent than us battle it out too by going to war. More evolved wit = more evolved weapons. So much for a battle of the minds.

I know…once again I am simplifying war and being naive. But honestly, what I have seen from those that are ‘experienced’ at war, I’ll take my naiveté any day and preach my ‘peace  & love’ mantra. Somebody’s got to. And hey…we all remember the planet Sweteno – we know ‘peace & love’ amongst all, exists.  ’There’…is living proof.

And speaking of my mantra…. 

Khaista: I am not holding back any ‘love’ for you girls. I support and send ‘peace & love’ to all of my sisters in this world, and right now especially the ones who are dealing with the ‘craziness’ of war. And unfortunately innocent people always get harmed in war.

Gidon: I am aware of your situation, and I feel for the people involved,  but Madaline and the Girls are not available to fight for one or the other. My orders to them are to bring about peace and order and equality, not to kill unnecessarily. Killing in my mind is the last resort. My vision is preservation not devastation.  

And with that said…I am signing off. 

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 2008

" 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"