ET: Member blog

[blackenedrose*]'s diary

453539 Link to this entry
Written about Thursday 2004-12-23
Written: (7274 days ago)

The Sands of Christmas

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
and looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.
The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Dolphins lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.
The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
and so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.
And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
eight hummers ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens,
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.
They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.
There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn't need an ornament-- they lacked a Christmas Tree.
They didn’t have a present even though it was tradition,
the only boxes I could see were labled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.
I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There’s nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight,
our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,
to worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.

He looked at me as children do and said its always right,
to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.
And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

God Bless You all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you’re not alone.
The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can’t repay.

© Dec. 2003 -Michael Marks
Used with permission.

"...this is an open and grateful tribute to the men and women
who serve every day to keep our nation safe."

444401 Link to this entry
Written about Tuesday 2004-12-14
Written: (7283 days ago)

Sometimes the Lord rides out the storm with us and other times He calms the restless sea around us. Most of all, He calms the storm inside us in our deepest inner soul.

Lloyd John Ogilvie

"Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against
You." --Psalms 119:11

440599 Link to this entry
Written about Friday 2004-12-10
Written: (7287 days ago)

When you're 16 going on 17 waiting for life to start
somebody kind who touches your mind will suddenly touch your heart
When this happens, after it happens, nothing is quite the same
Somehow you know u'll jump up and go if only he calls your name
Gone are the old ideas of life, the old ideas grow dim
Lo and behold your someones wife
And you belong to him!
You may think this kind of adventure may never come to you
Darling 16 going on 17 wait a year or two

Sing it to the tune of Im 16 going on 17, it is honestly from the musical!

431887 Link to this entry
Written about Thursday 2004-12-02
Written: (7295 days ago)

my birthday is well..tomorrow but its like what the point??....sigh illegally 16 yeah shud be good...but i think ive reached a point in life where im not bothered no more..just want to sleep

407796 Link to this entry
Written about Tuesday 2004-11-09
Written: (7318 days ago)

this is something that i saw tonight and i dont know if you saw it as well or not..but i think its the publics intrest especially if u love dolphins..i was really shocked by this....its even worse when u watch it

Dolphin Hunters

In the seaside resort of Taiji in Japan, around 3,000 dolphins are hunted and killed for food each year.

Known as "drive hunting", the fishermen bang metal poles in the water, disturbing the dolphins' sonar and enabling them to drive the animals into shallow water where they can be caught.

At first unwilling to speak to the media, the handful of fishermen permitted to catch dolphins in Taiji reluctantly agreed to speak to reporter Paul Kenyon.

They insist their occupation is traditional and legal, and are enraged by the groups of international animal rights activists who travel to Japan to protest against the hunts.

One such protester, Ric O'Barry, a marine mammal specialist with One Voice, insists: "The dolphins have a brain larger than the human brain, so when they're being slaughtered like this they're aware... just like humans."

In a local bar, Paul shows the fishermen a research film on dolphin intelligence, but they dismiss the animals in the film as "highly-trained" and therefore more able to perform the tasks given to them.

'Dolphin dealers'

Dolphin meat is a common sight on menus in Taiji, but food is not the only reason for drive hunting.

In 2003, 78 of the dolphins trapped in the hunts were used for dolphinarium shows and swim-with-dolphin programmes.

There are substantial rewards for dolphins employed by the increasingly-popular entertainment business; not for the hunters themselves, but for the industry's intermediaries - the groups who make money by buying the dolphins from the fishermen and selling them to dolphinariums for training.

It is estimated that "dolphin dealers" can sell one animal for up to $30,000 (£16,000). Paul confronts the head of one such intermediary organisation and puts it to him that the dealing business is actually the driving force behind the industry.

It also becomes apparent that there are international dealers. Footage of the hunts taken by Ric O'Barry show Westerners trying to buy dolphins from the fishermen in Taiji.

This astonishing evidence takes Paul further afield than the shores of Japan.

399237 Link to this entry
Written about Tuesday 2004-11-02
Written: (7325 days ago)

Principles of the Just War

A just war can only be waged as a last resort, after reasonable attempts to bring justice have been exhausted.

A just war can only be waged by a legitimate authority. People, vigilantes, terrorists do not wage just wars; only a legitimate government is permitted to wage a war that can be considered justified.

A just war can only be fought to redress wrongs that have been committed. A first strike attack on a nation that has committed no atrocities cannot be considered justice; that's aggression.

A just war can only be fought with "right" intentions. War is not justified to gain control of another nation, it's assets or it's people. If the right intention for going to war is not present, justice is not present.

A just war can only be fought if there is a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.

A just war can only be fought if the ultimate goal is to re-establish peace. More specifically, war is not justified if the situation in a country cannot be reasonably expected to be better after the war than before.

A just war must never allow the force used to be disproportional to the need. Nations must be prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the wrongs that have been committed.

A just war must employ weapons and tactics that discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Innocent civilians are never permissible targets of war, and war can only be just if every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties.

398031 Link to this entry
Written about Monday 2004-11-01
Written: (7326 days ago)

Lionel Richie *I love this song!*

I've been alone with you inside my mind
And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times
I sometimes see you pass outside my door
Hello, is it me you're looking for

I can see it in your eyes
I can see it in your smile
You're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide
'Cause you know just what to say
And you know just what to do
And I want to tell you so much, I love you

I long to see the sunlight in your hair
And tell you time and time again how much I care
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow
Hello, I've just got to let you know

'Cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you
Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven't got a clue
But let me start by saying, I love you

Hello, is it me you're looking for
'Cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone loving you
Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven't got a clue
But let me start by saying, I love you

397956 Link to this entry
Written about Monday 2004-11-01
Written: (7326 days ago)

Isn't It About Time?

There's no reason that you can't
Do without for just one day;
If you can just control the cravings,
Then you're already half way.

This month, it's gone official,
Millions are trying to quit;
All you've really got to do
Is try your hardest to commit.

It seems so unappealing,
I'm still not sure just why you started;
But cancer is no laughing matter,
So you shouldn't be so lighthearted.

I am certain you can do it,
So go find yourself an ashtray;
You really ought to try to quit,
Before your lungs turn black and grey!

There's no better time than now to quit smoking.

383818 Link to this entry
Written about Monday 2004-10-18
Written: (7340 days ago)

a goth is :

Goths find respect very important .
They have respect for others and trie to form an opinion on how they are and not how they look like .
Goths hated it when the respect is not the other way around.

Goths are very emotional .
if others have problems they will try and help that person as much as he she can .

When goths have problems they will withdraw a bit form life or they try to focuse on something like drawing or writing.
They find a way to deal with their problems their self .

Relations are very important .
they are often very close but when they open themself to others those others become really important for them.

368731 Link to this entry
Written about Friday 2004-10-01
Written: (7357 days ago)

i feel like doing all the quizzes on this site so here are my really random answers:

My colour is RED
You are the most controversial of all the colors. You are often easily angered, but as easily as you got excited, you come down. When angered, do you have the tendency to be malicious? Maybe. But you're incredibly generous, and, odd enough, needy. You love to hate, and sometimes, you hate to love. This color describes you as generally edgy. When in a bad situation, you're pessimistic, and when you're in a good situation, you're extremely optimistic. You're painfully tempermental, and sometimes it hurts the ones you love. But with an exciting and stimulating attitude, you enjoy talking to people and being social. But aside from your bold and outgoing attitude, you're attention-needing and attention-getting. This color is associated with lust and desire--and you are both lust and desirous. You're a protective person when it comes to the people you love. You're incredibly sharp-witted and powerful (not to mention intelligent!).

My Wings are BLACK
Your feathers are dark, raven black, which can also be spiny and scaly. No one really knows why your feathers are this dark, because you always conceal yourself with a bubble. A great sadness surrounds you, and you take it out on others and the world. In Spite of your beauty, your inside is twisted and dead, because you were hurt so badly that youre heart couldnt take it. Before, your wings were white, and slowly, when your life was changing, so was the color. You have no friends, because you cant let anyone get too close to you. Grief fills your heart, though anger blinds your eyes.

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