"You Move Me" by Amber

I really feel moved by the artist, Amber, and her work.

Especially her new song, "You move me." 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbaqWJLfahY&feature=channel_page

There is something uplifting about it. It is pretty reflective of myself, in the same manner that she portrays herself.

   Independent woman; knows what she wants in life and won't and  will not put up with any shit.

 It's about being open about what I want. Lately, the only person that I have been dependent on is myself.

    I know what I want and I will work hard to get it.

    I won't let people deter me. (Whatever it may be ).

    It feels great to be liberated and not have to live under how the world thinks I should be, or have to conform to other people's opinions.

       I am beautiful and empowered.

The One Good Thing that George W. Bush did for people with disabilities

Although  George W. Bush's time in office is up, and although  I am/was not a fan of him when he was in office regarding how he ruled the country (I don't know what he  is like in person, but like every other human being, he has a heart and a soul), he did do one  good thing:

     He amended the Americans With Disabilities Act in October of 2008:

http://www.eeoc.gov/ada/amendments_notice.html

Today I went to a protest in response to the violence in Gaza

Hi all!
Today I went to a protest to end the violence in Gaza.
I decided to go since I am against the War Crimes that Israel has committed (when the bombing began, I really felt that it was out of the blue-- I felt that there was no justification, since there had been a ceasefire, no? But I reports from several newsources have been really nebulous over who did what to break it, since let's face it-- this conflict is VERY complex).

I wanted to go and show my solidarity and support for the people that have died; been injured and have suffered losses on BOTH sides. As a citizen of the earth, I refuse to leave or turn my back to anyone.
I created a poster that read:
" Two Peoples: One heart, one dream, one love. We are Together On this! Jews and Arabs Refuse to be enemies!"
I created two heart one with an Israeli flag, and the other with a Palestinian flag. They both intersected, and they showed two fists together. Above it, I drew two people holding hands, representating trust, solidarity and love.
I realized that my agenda may be different, but I still wanted to go and make a difference.
People were really friendly and helpful. I saw many of my friends there. I met a lot of people from the local Arab and Muslim communitites. Many people asked to take a picture of my poster.
I began to chant a song singing, "NO more hate! Teach our children not to hate!" And then I began to sing, "Love, love.. we need love! A love revolution!"
A Muslim woman began to sing with me. It felt great to feel the solidarity with her and the love. It felt great to be with so many people that care about helping the oppressed in the Middle East.
We came to the center of town, and a few students and activists began to give speaches. Some random guy in the car sped buy and screamed "Fuck you all." A few minutes later, he came out and was ready to have a fight with a few people and yelled "Fuck you all! I hope Israel kills all of you!"

I felt really scared. For the first moment in my life, I came to realize that anyone can commit something bad (Read the Zimbardo Experiment). Violence does not belong to a certain, group, race, nationality, political affiliation, ethnic origin, ability, etc.
I came to realize that I am no different from an Arab, Palestinian or a Muslim. We are more alike than we think.

I did feel a little uncomfortable hearing people scream into the microphone (to add a lot of emotion), but it intimidated me. I guess I never liked yelling nor seeing instability, but maybe it just reminds me of a few things when growing up. I guess I don't like anger, aggression and hate, because you are giving into the people that oppress you.
I don't believe that anything is bad-- just the actions that people and institutions do.

I know many people may think that I am a dreamer, and being really unrealistic and out of touch with reality like John Lennon, but I have hope. I believe in love and peace (as much of a cliche as it sounds), and I believe in the end, it will dominate everything.

Love and light

Stephanie Terra I went to a protest in response to the violence in Gaza

Curvation! :)

It made me so happy to know that there is finally a lingere company that caters to what most of American woman are-- curvatious!!!

God bless curvations! :)

http://www.curvation.com/

Finally, I don't have to day dream about getting  a smaller shape, in order to fit into Victoria's Secret Lingere! 

Article and personal opinion on the violence in Gaza and Southern Israel, and the hate that has spewed throughout the planet

 I just read an article online which talked about how a lot of hatred and anti-semitic attacks are being targeted towards the Jewish community of Paris, France, and other European countries, due to Israel's destructive, inhumane war crimes happening in Gaza.
This really breaks my heart to see this. It really saddens me to see Jews in Europe being targeted for crimes that they did not commit in Gaza. I understand that a lot of Arabs and Muslims (I hate labeling, but this is where a lot of the confusion is occurring), equating all Jews as militiant zionists, which is a dangerous thing to do. It would be like equating all Muslims and Arabs as terrorists, which is also not true.
I call forth an end to the violence.
While I feel nervous about being a target for being Jewish, I can't let this stand in the way. I am proud of my heritage, culture and faith and I REFUSE to let anyone belittle me. Events like these are the REASONS why we need dialogue, and mobilize action to the governments, in order to stop the violence, which is a breeding ground for hatred in the other parts of the world. War has never benefitted humanity-- it has only created lies, hatred and rumors that are not true about the latter.
I may be a lone soldier on a battefield, but having confidence in myself makes me feel like a million soldiers.
I plan to go to a protest this weekend near my school. I am devising a poster that I am going to wear, that is entitled:
Two Peoples: One Heart: One Love: End the Violence in Gaza and Sderot.
There will be two hearts together, and in the middle there will be a fist interlocking both in solidarity. I understand that people may see it as weird that I am advocating for both sides, but I refuse to not turn my back on anyone. I am here for ALL people.
I refuse to see an injustice happen to a Jewish brethen over a crime that they did not do. The same for my Palestinian brethen in Gaza for crimes that they did not do.

Love and light
Stephanie :)



Article:


www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/4142583/Gaza-killi...



Gaza killing sparks attacks on Jews across Europe
Israel's invasion of Gaza has provoked a surge in anti-Semitic violence across Europe with attacks on Jewish sites in France, Belgium and Britain.


By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 5:09PM GMT 06 Jan 2009

In France, home to Europe's biggest Arab and Jewish populations, unidentified attackers rammed a car into the gate outside a synagogue in the southern city of Toulouse late on Monday and set it on fire with a petrol bomb.

No-one was hurt, but it has revived memories of a sharp upturn in anti-Semitic crimes in 2000, with the outbreak of the second intifada or Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. In 2002, as fighting raged in the Middle East and Afghanistan prior to the allied invasion of Iraq, some 2,300 Jews left France for Israel because they felt unsafe.

Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said: "I am, in fact, worried by the international situation. My concern is that the situation should not degenerate in our country, that the violence not be imported."

President Nicolas Sarkozy, currently on a peace mission to the Middle East, condemned the synagogue attack.

In a statement issued by the Elysée, he said France would "not tolerate international tensions translating into violence between communities."

Leila Shahid, the Palestinian envoy to the European Union, said there was undoubtedly a link between the attack and fury among France's five million Muslims at "images from Gaza".

On Saturday, a pro-Palestinian demonstration turned violent, with a mob of around 500 protesters burning cars and looting a Paris jewellers.

France's Union of Jewish Students has recorded two attacks on kosher stores in Bordeaux, one on a Jewish apartment in Paris and another on a synagogue in Toulon since New Year's Eve.

"We insist the public authorities quickly investigate these warning signs of a new wave of anti-Semitic acts on our doorstep," said the Jewish community's Central Consistory.

Similar incidents have also been reported in Belgium, where a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue in Brussels on Monday.

No injuries were reported, but the building sustained damage.

Joods Actueel, a Jewish magazine, has received a dozen death threats including those by an anonymous man who threatened a suicide attack to "avenge the suffering of the Palestinians". A Jewish home was firebombed over the weekend.

In Britain, one Jewish charity, the Community Security Trust, or CST, has reported 24 anti-Semitic incidents in the past week; the most serious occurred on Saturday when three youths tried to set fire to Brondesbury Park Synagogue in northwest London. The CST said that the threat had increased after calls from Hamas leaders to attack Jewish people around the world