Sundays are my days...
Yes, I like Sundays. I'm not religious (although I wouldn't mind finding a good Unitarian Church in the area) so these days are left to ourselves. Today was nice as there wasn't any rain! We've been having an awful lot of rain lately. Fortunately, I'm getting over my depression and feeling a lot better.
As for crafts and my art I started to do some linoleum cuttings and guess what, I cut my finger, 4 times. The last was the most serious and I didn't faint because I would have been too embarrassed. So, I started to feel a bit nauseous but all right after 30 minutes. I really hate hurting myself like this. I'm going to wear leather gloves from now on.
We went to AC Moore today and I got some huge sheets of watercolor paper for $9. I was happy about this and I found some yarn that I needed for the shawl I'm making for me. I had to stop because I ran out and I have been searching all over the net for some like this.
It wasn't too bad a day and I feel content. I do feel annoyed that I haven't put up any auctions on eBay. I'll have to do some tomorrow or if I'm up to it later on tonight.
I've heard some questions as to why people are getting so worked up about the tsunami and not other tragedies and I think I have a few ideas. Besides the obvious, people dying instantly in great numbers and with no real warning, I think it's a huge realization of how small our world is and the power of the media.
The first concept, the smallness of our world is based in part on the second concept, media. We've all heard about how travel has made the world very easily accessable, at least for those who can afford it. So, if you live in China you can take a plan to America and visit. The same is true for various countries and accessablity to travel by planes, cars, etc. This was not true say about 150 years ago. Travel and information was stunted by time and availablity and invention.
So, a person of today of moderate or upper class means could move rather freely across the world. This brings me to the second concept, media. How does media fit in to all of this? Well, on several levels, it is the great liberator or oppressor. Media, such as TV(radio, newspapers and the internet)is in nearly all homes in the US. Voyerism, watching or listening to something as if you are there is a great escapist thing to do. TV is the epitome of voyerism. This is not necessarily a terrible thing. Books do the same effects but we are able to create our own world from this information. The problem with TV is the view is coming from the director and their interpretation...Also those damn commercials.
This brings me to my next point, if something or someone is on those media formats, we are all bound to see this someone or thing. In this case, we have seen or heard or read about the tsunami and its effects. And in this case, the media has proved to be a powerful and helping aid in reaching out to people in distress. This is what the media should be doing most of the time. The power of viewing people and the reasons for their distress and knowing there is something to do (such as sending aid and voicing to our leaders to be compassionate and help) is a hugely humanistic one. Truly, this is what everything is about; helping others in their time of need.
The strength of the media is shown in the awareness it has created in many people. Imagine how this awareness could be amplified say on the AIDS epidemic in Africa, the poverty of every continent, the economic problems in the US, etc. If the media turned it's eye onto these issues (and some have, but so few in comparison to the exuberant display of commercial products)just imagine how much more people would take interest in the affairs of their community as well as those across the seas.
Yes, media has the qualities of being both an educator and in most cases (unfortunately) a protitute for money. I'm one for hope and the ability to change. I know most people reading this will probably think, oh how pollyanna of you, but people can change. The world has changed...Certainly the lose of life is horrible, and it's cause, besides the earthquake, is basically of environmental genocide (stripping the land of the protective Mangrove trees for shrimp farms and making luxury hotels on beautiful but potentially dangerous shoreline). Questions about how many people were beaten from their homes to make these places are never asked or even thought about, until now. We are thinking about how these things come to pass and realizing we live on a much smaller planet because of media.
Before I sign out, I'd like to thank Leontinefor bringing this topic up. I found the question interesting on many levels and have been thinking about it when I least expected to.
As for crafts and my art I started to do some linoleum cuttings and guess what, I cut my finger, 4 times. The last was the most serious and I didn't faint because I would have been too embarrassed. So, I started to feel a bit nauseous but all right after 30 minutes. I really hate hurting myself like this. I'm going to wear leather gloves from now on.
We went to AC Moore today and I got some huge sheets of watercolor paper for $9. I was happy about this and I found some yarn that I needed for the shawl I'm making for me. I had to stop because I ran out and I have been searching all over the net for some like this.
It wasn't too bad a day and I feel content. I do feel annoyed that I haven't put up any auctions on eBay. I'll have to do some tomorrow or if I'm up to it later on tonight.
I've heard some questions as to why people are getting so worked up about the tsunami and not other tragedies and I think I have a few ideas. Besides the obvious, people dying instantly in great numbers and with no real warning, I think it's a huge realization of how small our world is and the power of the media.
The first concept, the smallness of our world is based in part on the second concept, media. We've all heard about how travel has made the world very easily accessable, at least for those who can afford it. So, if you live in China you can take a plan to America and visit. The same is true for various countries and accessablity to travel by planes, cars, etc. This was not true say about 150 years ago. Travel and information was stunted by time and availablity and invention.
So, a person of today of moderate or upper class means could move rather freely across the world. This brings me to the second concept, media. How does media fit in to all of this? Well, on several levels, it is the great liberator or oppressor. Media, such as TV(radio, newspapers and the internet)is in nearly all homes in the US. Voyerism, watching or listening to something as if you are there is a great escapist thing to do. TV is the epitome of voyerism. This is not necessarily a terrible thing. Books do the same effects but we are able to create our own world from this information. The problem with TV is the view is coming from the director and their interpretation...Also those damn commercials.
This brings me to my next point, if something or someone is on those media formats, we are all bound to see this someone or thing. In this case, we have seen or heard or read about the tsunami and its effects. And in this case, the media has proved to be a powerful and helping aid in reaching out to people in distress. This is what the media should be doing most of the time. The power of viewing people and the reasons for their distress and knowing there is something to do (such as sending aid and voicing to our leaders to be compassionate and help) is a hugely humanistic one. Truly, this is what everything is about; helping others in their time of need.
The strength of the media is shown in the awareness it has created in many people. Imagine how this awareness could be amplified say on the AIDS epidemic in Africa, the poverty of every continent, the economic problems in the US, etc. If the media turned it's eye onto these issues (and some have, but so few in comparison to the exuberant display of commercial products)just imagine how much more people would take interest in the affairs of their community as well as those across the seas.
Yes, media has the qualities of being both an educator and in most cases (unfortunately) a protitute for money. I'm one for hope and the ability to change. I know most people reading this will probably think, oh how pollyanna of you, but people can change. The world has changed...Certainly the lose of life is horrible, and it's cause, besides the earthquake, is basically of environmental genocide (stripping the land of the protective Mangrove trees for shrimp farms and making luxury hotels on beautiful but potentially dangerous shoreline). Questions about how many people were beaten from their homes to make these places are never asked or even thought about, until now. We are thinking about how these things come to pass and realizing we live on a much smaller planet because of media.
Before I sign out, I'd like to thank
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