The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran on Pain

AND a woman spoke, saying, Tell us of Pain.

And he said:

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain
would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted
the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility:

For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay
which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

- excerpt from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Fito Paez & Mercedes Sosa - Yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón

YO VENGO A OFRECER MI CORAZÓN
Fito Paez (Argentina)

Quien dijo que todo esta perdido
Who said all is lost

yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón
I come to offer you my heart

tanta sangre que se llevo el río
so much blood was taken by the river

yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón
I come to offer you my heart

no será tan fácil, ya se que pasa
it will not be so easy, because it happens

no será tan simple como pensaba
it will not be as simple as I thought

como abrir el pecho y sacar el alma
like opening our chest and taking out our soul

una cuchillada del amor
a stabbing of love

luna de los pobres siempre abierta
moon of the poor always open

yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón
I come to offer you my heart

como un documento inalterable
like an unchangable document

yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón
I come to offer you my heart

y uniré las puntas de un mismo lazo
and will join the end of the same lasso

y me iré tranquilo, me iré despacio
and I will leave tranquile, I will leave slow

y te daré todo, y me darás algo
and I will give you everything, and you will give me something

algo que me alivie un poco mas
something that will aliviate my pain

cuando no haya nadie, cerca o lejos
when there isn't anybody, near or afar

yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón
I come to offer you my heart

cuando los satélites no alcancen
when the satelites don't reach

yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón
I come to offer you my heart

y hablo de países y de esperanza
and I speak of countries and of hopes

hablo por la vida, hablo por la nada
I speak of life, and of nothing

hablo de cambiar esta nuestra casa
I speak of changing this our home

de cambiarla por cambiar nomás
of changing just for changing

quien dijo que todo esta perdido
who said all is lost

yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón
I come to offer you my heart

May 26, 2008 Jimmy Carter - Israel 'has 150 nuclear weapons'

Photo and excerpt below from a BBC article. Considering today's technologies and number of resources available to the world I can only rationalize that there is no will to solve the ills of people so let children in places like Lebanon and others die of hunger.

During the press briefing, Mr Carter expressed his support for Israel as a country, but criticised its domestic and foreign policy.
"One of the greatest human rights crimes on earth is the starvation and imprisonment of 1.6m Palestinians," he said.
The former US president cited statistics which he said showed the nutritional intake of some Palestinian children to be below that of children in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as describing the European position on Israel could be best described as "supine", festival organisers said.

May 14, 2008 In pictures: On the Amazon frontier

Photos and text below were published by the BBC. I am often amazed how quickly the world judges on those who do deforestation like they do not have the right to work and survive. On the other hand we have countries like the US, China and Russia who pollute the planet as they wish. Not only that, if we compare how much per capita consumption of resources and energy between people living in the US and Brazil we could understand the idiotic argument we have in trying to control the actions of people living in the jungles of Brazil. The fun part of the photos and description is the comment from the native American chief. Perhaps prove that we don't need a PhD to understand nature.
A patch of freshly opened forest. It could have been the work of a farmer, a rancher, a settler or a land invader. Whoever was responsible, it is yet more forest gone. Photos: Fernando Cavalcanti.
For local Indian chief Sipasse the dams equal disaster. "You mess with the rivers, you mess with the forest, so you mess with the rain. If you have no rain, you will have no hydro-electric power."

Pilar Ovalle

A morning distraction with Pilar Ovalle, a Chilean sculpture. Have posted related info here. She has a page on facebook.
Have seen her work in Chile and found it to be fab. Following are a couple photos and descriptions of her work found at SculptureSite Gallery.
Barca
Arbol Magico

Fatima Bhutto, Whispers of The Desert

Following poems were written by Fatima Bhutto and published in her book titled Whispers of The Desert (Oxford University Press, 1998). Should be noted that she was born in 1982 so most of these poems were written when she was 14 or 15 years of age.

“To my darling Papa,
with all the love in
the world…
this is our story.”

You are, page 3

You are
a solitary
star
in a dark,
empty sky.
You
light up the evening
and never
do you
die.
You are a dazzling
sapphire
that shines
only
in my eyes.
For you are
my star
and I
am but your sky.
(end 1995)

I feel your tender lips, page 12

I feel your tender lips
against mine. Could this
be magic?
Could this be true?

How many nights
have I dreamt of this?
Come
into my arms once more.
Let me feel you are here.

So much time
has passed since
I last held you this close.

Tell me you love me.
Let me hear those sweet words
whispered in my ears.

I cannot believe
you’re here with me.
I’ve counted the seconds
for this moment to come.

But now
that you’re finally here,
tell me
when will
you disappear?
(mid 1996)

I have lost the love, page 27

I have lost the love of my life
but she is not gone
she is still with me.
I have seen her
smile in my sleep. I have felt
her breath on my shoulder as I lie
resting.

I have heard her laughter floating
in the air
and I can still feel her heart beating
next to mine.
(mid 1996)

I lie in the darkness, page 31

I lie in the darkness
unaware of where I stand.
I cannot see you
but feel you standing by me.
I know I am alone
yet I sense your presence.
I feel protected
by your shield,
your armour of love.
The day that armour
breaks
is the day
I shall be truly alone
without you.
(mid 1995)

Will you be near me, page 33

Will you be near me when evening falls?
Protect me from the cold wind,
hold me in your arms?
When the moon lights up the land,
will I have you with me?
When the stars
glitter in the darkness, will you kiss me?
Keep me until the night lifts and daylight gleams
upon us?
Or will the clouds descend on you and sweep you
far away?
(late 1995)

He walks away, page 36

He walks away
with promises of return.
I fear that won’t happen.
But what do I know?
I am but a woman.

He comes back wounded.
He will never heal.
What do I know?
I am but a woman.

He falls,
will not rise.
What do I know?
I am but a woman.
(early 1995)

She sits, page 38

She sits on a throne,
surrounded by others
who grovel at her feet.
She seats them next to her
and dismisses the ones who stand.
She co-operates with those sitting next to her and
forgets the ones who stood
She searches for those who know nothing better
than to worship her every more.
But during all this,
she neglects those who stood there waiting,
waiting for less than power,
waiting for basic needs to be met.
Yet she does nothing but smile at them
and make promises she knows she cannot keep.
Not because of hate.
Not because of greed.
Because power blinds those who are
ignorant.
(early 1995)

He looks on, page 39

He looks on
with caring eyes
sees people from within
ignores exteriors
welcomes them in shares their pain
listens
understands
not like others he feels
not judges
could one this strong
you wonder
have feelings this deep?
Yes yes indeed for compassion
is born only
by those strong within
(early 1995)

Up in the mountains, page 45

Up in the mountains,
I am free, calm,
High, near the heavens,
where the air is clearer,
I am myself at last.
I cry without an audience. I smile
without guilt.
I change for no one.
I am loved
as I am.
(end 1994)

May 8, 2008 Iraq, A Peaceful War

Photos and text published by the BBC. Amazing how victorious and powerful the sniper looks whilst the reality of these "peace" wars have a much different face(s). How strong and powerful we feel when killing children and their future. Aren't we so great?
An Australian army sniper shows off his weapon during a training exercise north of Melbourne.
Lebanese children run past a militia gunman in Beirut as Hezbollah-led opposition supporters stage a second day of anti-government protests, as a political crisis escalates.
An Iraqi family look from the wreckage of their home in eastern Baghdad hit by an airstrike during clashes between Shia militiamen and Iraqi and US forces.

April 27, 2008 Through Weegee’s Lens

The world of the internet, the window to the world at our finger tips. Looking through some photographs related to a New York Times article titled Through Weegee’s Lens got distracted in learning about Jill Freedman. Some of her work can be seen here and here. A couple thoughtful quotes:
"There are days I walk down the street feeling its ugliness on my skin like a sunburn," Ms. Freedman wrote of those times in an unpublished manuscript, "other days when I can hardly catch my breath for the beauty of it."
and
In 1988, Ms. Freedman was found to have breast cancer and had no medical insurance or a regular income. She was successfully treated and then moved to Miami Beach in 1991. "I found that I lost my passion," she said. "I thought, I've got to get away from this place because if I lose this, then I've lost it all."
Below are photos by Jill Freedman. Show her range of interest or her interest to urban activities. For sure, her photography reflects her interest in admiring the reality of her world. The quality of her photography, composition, color, texture, mood, light, is superb. Source of the photos jillfreedman.com.

Coursing

Shorty Sees Giraffes

Might vs Right

Fucking Legs

Jumping Rope

Dancing Dogs

Macdougal Stoop

The article presents a recent photo of Jill Freedman and her view returning to New York as presented below.
Photo: Michael Falco for The New York Times - Five years ago, Ms. Freedman returned to the city, homesick for what she described as "the smart talking and corned beef." She barely recognized the place. "When I saw that they had turned 42nd Street into Disneyland," she said, "I just stood there and wept." Presumably much more is out there to be captured by her Leica. "I'd like to find what's left," Ms. Freedman said.