eastlothianeblog

A beautiful, meditative memoir mixed with travel and history, this unique book is the story of one American’s search for a deeper connection to the land. Drawn by a sense that he is missing a critical link to his home in suburban Ohio, John W. Simpson heads for rural Scotland, where he encounters his own family history as well as estate owners and tenant farmers who have centuries-long ties to their land.

As he travels, he meditates on the legacy of the great 19th century conservationist John Muir, who himself developed a complex love of the land when he immigrated from Scotland’s North Sea coast to the fields and forests of Wisconsin. As Simpson physically retraces Muir’s journey he wonders what sense of belonging Muir found on the frontier that modern America, with its strip malls and housing developments, has forgotten. A fascinating story of changing perceptions and values from the Old World to the New, Yearning for the Land shows us just how much roots matter—both in our own lives, and in the many ways time and history, landscape and community are tightly intertwined.

Author: John W. Simpson
Paperback:  304 pages
Company: Vintage  (2003-10-14) (2003-10-14)
ISBN: 0375725474
List Price: $14.00
Amazon Price: $8.34
Used Price: $7.95
(more...)

Tags:   Yearning Land Search Homeland Scotland

What does landscape mean to us? How does it shape our sense of “rootedness” to place and connection to community? Can that sense and that connection enrich us in the same manner as having knowledge of our familial lineage? Landscape historian John Warfield Simpson sets out to answer these questions by following the journey of the great conservationist John Muir from his homeland along the North Sea coast in East Lothian County, Scotland, to his family’s adopted home in the fields and forests of Marquette County, Wisconsin. Along the way he discovers much about himself; and we, in turn, can learn much about ourselves.

In 1849 the Muirs immigrated from East Lothian to the wilds of central Wisconsin in search of religious and economic opportunity. What concept of land did they and millions of others from the Old World leave behind, and what did they find in their New World homes? Simpson physically retraces the Muirs’ journey, as he delves into the meaning and importance of place. He speaks with estate owners and tenant farmers in Scotland who have centuries-long ties to the land they own or work; to Wisconsin farmers for whom one hundred years measures a profound connection to place; and to Native Americans working to reclaim the land they lost to white pioneers like the Muirs and to the author’s own Scottish ancestors. Among all of these people Simpson discovers a powerful link between personal and communal history, and a deep connection to the land on which they have been played out.

Time and history, landscape and community, are tightly intertwined, Simpson learns. Roots matter, he discovers, in his adopted home of Cockburnspath, Berwickshire, Scotland.

Author: John W. Simpson
Hardcover:  304 pages
Company: Pantheon  (2002-09-24) (2002-09-24)
ISBN: 037542086X
List Price: $24.00
Amazon Price: $4.99
Used Price: $0.53
(more...)

Tags:   Yearning Land Search Importance

In 1968, Glendon Brunk moved to Alaska to pursue his childhood dream of living in the wilds of the last American frontier. He built his own log cabin, hunted and fished, worked with the native Inuit, and became one of the world's top sled-dog racers. But he also watched the land he loved being destroyed by the tools of the very society he represented. Disgusted and distraught, Brunk left Alaska and hitchhiked across Africa, Asia, and North America, where he witnessed continuing destruction from the hands of humans. He returned to Alaska, committed to fight to save what is left of the wilderness. This personal story explores the deeply American contradictions that make up modern Alaska and questions our cultural inability to both love and protect the land.

Author: R. Glendon Brunk
Paperback:  352 pages
Company: Invisible Cities Press Llc  (2001-11-01)
ISBN: 1931229120
List Price: $16.95
Amazon Price: $9.96
Used Price: $0.93
(more...)

Tags:   Yearning Wild Exploring Frontier Landscape

Audio CD:  Import
Company: Class. for Pleas. Us  (2003-09-02)
List Price: $13.98
Amazon Price: $10.23
Used Price: $6.69
(more...)

Tags:   Lhar Land Smiles Merry Widow Count

Audio CD: 
Company: Capriccio  (2001-01-09)
List Price: $14.98
Amazon Price: $8.74
Used Price: $8.75
(more...)

Tags:   Franz Lehr Yearning Love

Audio CD: 
Company: Dal Segno  (2003-01-01)
List Price: 
Amazon Price: $40.97
(more...)

Tags:   Gershwin Plays

Amazon.com: Yearning for the Land: A Search for the Importance of Place: John W. Simpson: Books ... From Publishers Weekly John Muir's childhood immigration to the U.S. and coming ... (more...)

Tags:   Amazon com Yearning Land Search

Yearning for the Land A Search for Homeland in Scotland and America Written by John W. Simpson (more...)

Tags:   Yearning Land John Simpson Trade Paperback Random

Yearning for the Land. In Jerusalem Diaries: Personal reflections of life in Israel from Jerusalem based writer Judy Lash Balint. (more...)

Tags:   Yearning Land Jerusalem Diaries

Vintage Books: From classic to contemporary, the best books in paperback. Yearning for the Land A Search for Homeland in Scotland and America Written by John W. (more...)

Tags:   Vintage Catalog Yearning Land John Simpson

Yearning for the Land by John Warfield Simpson (2002), a press release for this book A part of the John Muir Exhibit, by John Muir Education Project. (more...)

Tags:   Yearning Land John Warfield Simpson 2002

Israel's award-winning news team for breaking news, analysis, Israeli politics, video & audio. ... Judy Lash Balint is a Jerusalem-based journalist and writer, and author of ... (more...)

Tags:   Yearning Land Opinion Israel National News

Article Preview LESS 'BOSSY' LAND LURES MENNONITES; Those Yearning to Join Colony in Paraguay Tell Why It Is 'Too Socialist' Here DRAFT IS CHIEF COMPLAINT Refusal to Pose for ... (more...)

Tags:   BOSSY LAND LURES MENNONITES Yearning Join Colony

All about Yearning for the land : a search for the importance of place by John W. Simpson. LibraryThing is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers (more...)

Tags:   Yearning land search importance

ZIONISM is the Jewish national movement of rebirth and renewal in the land of Israel ... ritual and literature ­ have been suffused over the centuries with the yearning to ... (more...)

Tags:   Yearning Zion Jewish Life Israel Record

PriceMinister Guaranteed Buying & Selling, Book Yearning For The Land new and used at the best price. 8 280 000 members, over 10 000 000 de products. (more...)

Tags:   Simpson Johnw Yearning Land Book Books Comics

LA LA Land The party was filled with interesting people. The kind of people that you read about but never seem to meet in real life. The majority of them were collagen androids who were perfectly bronzed and plucked. You could say they were the beautiful people of LA, but that would be a lie because everyone in LA was beautiful. The party was held at a neurosurgeons and his new wife?s mansion. The mansion, nicknamed The God?s Play Pen, was gracefully placed upon a grassy hill on Sunset Boulevard. The mansion was lit up with fluorescent green lights which surrounded the massive building. Roman inspired columns stood tall on the porch. Guests immediately complemented the hosts on their grand living quarters, as they stepped out of their jet black limousines. The couple did not have kids. This was because the husband was over 60 already. But, secretly, the wife, who was 27, yearned for a little baby girl of her own. Men in white tuxedos and glossy black masks strolled around with golden serving trays. On those trays was elegant glass glasses filled to the brim with bubbly champagne, which the guests chugged down as soon as they plucked one off the shiny trays. To add to the atmosphere, there was a live band. They were placed awkwardly in the middle of the air brushed guests. But, the best part was that they played continuously throughout the night. I was the only one in the crowd that was rocking out to the adrenaline pumping sound waves. ?God damn, I said, ?These people are way too damn conservative? and that is the truth. The party dragged on. The dance floor was of course, clear of any guests. The guests sat at their assigned tables, and delicately sipped champagne while engaging in meaningless conversations. I would have left a while ago but I didn?t want to be rude or miss out on the bands finale. Honestly, I only stayed for a free concert. These people were dull yet interesting at the same time. I sat with a group of people that I had met while piling my plate up with food and snatching another drink. I tried to take advantage of the fact that there was free food for the taking and it was actually edible. I planned on taking the extra food back to my home and having it as dinner the next night. I called it budgeting, others called it free loading. Whatever you call it; it was helpful and kept me alive. After all, I needed to conserve my money; I barely had enough for rent each month. Selling knit bikinis is not an efficient way to make a living. ?Damn, I should have been a doctor.? ?I mean that?s what mom wanted.? I could have been the one hosting the party at my mansion. Instead, I?m stocking up on free food from the party to keep myself alive and save some damn money. Wow, what a life, I said to myself. The party was to be over in exactly 41 minutes and 21 seconds. I could get through, it wasn?t impossible. All I had to do was get lost in Josh?s eyes. That was an easy task. Minutes passed and by that time most of the guests were wasted. I was wasted way before all of them, and that I was proud of. Even though they were all obviously drunk, they didn?t act like it. I decided to break the mold and jump on top of my chair that I was slumped at just seconds before. Guests just stopped and stared .the music came to a stop and everyone just stared. I guess they expected something of me; after all, I was standing on a chair. An awkward silence came across the crowd. So I calmly stepped down from the chair, grabbed my Marc Jacobs clutch and smoothly left the building. I could feel the guest?s eyes staring me down as I glided down the steps on the porch. I was publicly humiliated but it didn?t matter because I was never going to see those people ever again?hopefully. (more...)

Tags:   Question story english

The little rose bud weeps alone shattered self-esteem, heart of stone silent tears flow freely down its still but fragile pedals Frustration rising, like the temperature of a thousand, steaming hot kettles From over the horizon a Golden Sun peeks Eyes so soft with golden yellow cheeks Why art thou weeping, asks the Golden Sun? Has life broken your heart Along the seams of which Anguish and sorrow are seeping? Oh, Golden Sun, the little rose bud answers My pedals are black, my stem is yellow Surely,you have not seen Such an ugly fellow? Little rose bud, said the Golden Sun One cannot be truly happy If one half of thyself Is flourshing and the other is fettered Do you truly believe that if you were white your life would be That much better? Oh, yes, said the little rose bud I want to be white like all of the other flowers to not spend my entire life Weeping, during the wee morning hours Very well, then, said the Golden Sun Tis a lesson you must learn If having white pedals is something you so dearly yearn Whirls of color and light spun before the little rose buds eyes until he arrived in a clearing, many flowers of the same color, shape and size Where am I, said the little rose bud to himself Golden Sun, cried the little rose bud The Golden Sun appears, Oh, Golden Sun, Where am I? I have made you white Just like you said You are among many flowers alike In a meadow bed And so it was, as the little rose bud looked around The little rose bud, so happy, his face beamed However, it would soon become apparent That not everything was what it had once seemed. One day the little rose bud was relaxing in the meadow Enjoying the moment for he was such a happy fellow But then unable to avoid a speck of dirt it landed on his white pedal like a collared t-shirt The rose bud looked down at its once white pedal With utter dismay what would the other white flowers think? The little rose bud asked to himself What would he do, what could he say? So the taunting began, all of the white flowers he had thought once good friends Began to shun him, and would not lend him a hand Oh, Golden Sun, wailed the little rose bud These white flowers only are my friends for my looks, please change me back staring up at the Golden Sun on tenterhooks The Golden Sun smiled and replied I hope you have learned your lesson Beauty is in the eye of the beholder The concept of beauty is in one's eyes Suddenly in a swirl of light the little rose bud slowly transformed to black from white The little rose bud smiled and laughed with glee Oh Golden Sun, thank you, said the little Rose bud I love how I look I like what I see So the little Rose bud would never again question its beauty and would stand tall and woud blossom into the most beautiful flower of them all... I love writing poetry. Sorry it was long. I wanted to get the entire story out. Ever feel like you wanted to change how ytou looked to fit in? Only when you are finally accepted they shun you for petty reasons? (more...)

Tags:   Voting Question Poetry tale little bud Golden Sun

Back in 1854, American author Henry Thoreau wrote: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Evidently, in his day most people did not enjoy inner peace. That, however, was almost 150 years ago. Are things different today? Or do Thoreau's words still apply? What about you personally? Are you content, at peace? Or are you insecure, uncertain about the future, 'quietly desperate,' to paraphrase Thoreau's words? Unhappily, there are many things in the world that rob people of inner peace. Let us mention just a few. In many countries unemployment and low income bring poverty and with it economic desperation. In other lands many expend most of their energy chasing wealth and material possessions. Often, though, the competitive life-style involved brings anxiety, not peace. Illness, war, crime, injustice, and oppression also rob people of peace. Do you yearn for inner peace? They Sought Inner Peace Many are unwilling to put up with the world as it is. Antônio* was a labor leader in a huge factory in São Paulo, Brazil. Hoping to improve living conditions, he took part in protests and demonstrations, but this did not bring him peace of mind. Some hope that marriage will bring a measure of tranquillity to their life, but they may be disappointed. Marcos was a successful businessman. He got involved in politics and became mayor of an industrial city. However, his homelife was a disaster. When his children left home, he and his wife separated because of irreconcilable differences. Gerson, a street child in Salvador, Brazil, wanted adventure. He drifted from city to city, traveling with truck drivers. Before long he was a drug addict, robbing people to pay for his vice. Several times he was caught by the police. Despite an aggressive, violent personality, however, Gerson longed for inner peace. Could he ever find it? While Vania was still young, her mother died, and Vania became responsible for the home, including the care of her sick sister. Vania attended church but felt abandoned by God. She certainly had no peace of mind. Then there was Marcelo. All Marcelo wanted was a good time. He liked to party with other young people?dancing, drinking, and abusing drugs. One time he got into a fight and injured another youth. Afterward, he was overcome with regret for what he had done and prayed to God for help. He too wanted peace of mind. These experiences illustrate some situations that can destroy peace of mind. Was there any way that the labor leader, the politician, the street child, the overworked daughter, and the partygoer could attain the inner peace that they sought? Does what happened to them teach us anything? The answer to both questions is yes, as we will see in the next article. There are many differences between our time and that of Thoreau, mentioned in the preceding article. One major difference is that today there is no shortage of advice on how to gain peace of mind. Psychologists and writers of self-help books?even newspaper columnists?offer their ideas. Their advice might be of some short-term help; but for long-term solutions, something more profound is needed. That is what the individuals mentioned in the preceding article discovered. Antônio, Marcos, Gerson, Vania, and Marcelo came from different backgrounds and had different problems. But they had at least three things in common. First, there was a time when they "had no hope and were without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12) Second, they longed for peace of mind. And third, all of them found the inner peace they wanted after they accepted a Bible study with Jehovah's Witnesses. As they progressed, they came to realize that God is interested in them. Indeed, as Paul told the Athenians of his day, God "is not far off from each one of us." (Acts 17:27) Being sincerely convinced of this is a major factor in gaining inner peace. Why So Little Peace? The Bible gives two basic reasons for the lack of peace in the world?be it inner peace or peace between people. The first is explained at Jeremiah 10:23: "To earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step." Man has neither the wisdom nor the foresight to rule himself without help, and the only help that has real value comes from God. Humans who do not seek God's guidance will never attain lasting peace. The second reason for the lack of peace is seen in the words of the apostle John: "The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." (1 John 5:19) Without divine guidance, man's efforts to gain peace will always be frustrated by the activities of the unseen but very real?and very powerful?"wicked one," Satan. For these two reasons?that most people do not seek God's guidance and that Satan is very active in the world?the human race as a whole is in a sorry state. The apostle Paul well described it: "All creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now." (Romans 8:2 (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question Inner Peace

In the same way an illegitimate child yearns for acceptance from the hostile world around it - and searches out for a father to adopt it - the early Nasibis who were rejected by the majority, walked the wilderness desirous of a father to codify their hypocrisy into aqeedah. The Devil provided for them, by introducing them to Ibn Taymeeya - and their central source of deviancy comes from him. Revered to the point of Sainthood by the Nasibis, it is interesting to note that his contemporaries didn?t ascribe to the same view; on the contrary they vilified him. Ibn Hajr al Asqalani in his biography of Ibn Taymeeya lists the differing views amongst the Ahl?ul Sunnah scholars. ?Others considered him a hypocrite [Munafiq] because of what he said about `Ali? that he had been forsaken (makhdhoolan) everywhere he went, had repeatedly tried to acquire the Khilafah and never attained it, fought out of lust for power rather than religion, and said that ?he loved authority while `Uthman loved money.? He would say that Abu Bakr had declared Islam in his old age, fully aware of what he said, while `Ali had declared Islam as a boy, and the boy?s Islam is not considered sound upon his mere word? In sum he said ugly things such as these, and it was said against him that he was a hypocrite, in view of the Prophet?s (s) saying (to `Ali): ?Only a hypocrite would show you hatred?. ?al-durar al-kaamina fi a`yaan al-mi?at al-thaamina? by Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani?s in the biography of Ibn Taymeeya (printed in Hyderabad: Daa?irat al-ma`aarif al-`uthmaaniyya, 1384 H, vol. 1:153-155) Ibne Hajar in Fatawa al Hadeesa page 86 on Ibn Taymeeya: ?Ibn Taymeeya is such a man that may God disgrace him, lead him astray, blind him and make him dumb? In Al Badr ul Thalay page 67 Volume 1 Muhammad Shawkani states: ?Maliki Judge Ibn Mukhlauf gave a fatwa that Ibn Taymeeya if not killed should be confined for the rest of his life, Ibn Taymeeya?s kufr was then proven and it was declared in Damascus ?Whoever follows Ibn Taymeeya it is permissible to kill him and take his property?. ____________________________________________________ Takfir issued by the Ahl?ul Sunnah against Ibn Taymeeya We should also point out to these Salafi Nasibis that 40 Ulema of Ahl?ul Sunnah deemed their beloved Imam Ibn Taymeeya to be a kaffir, names included leading Sunni Ulema (of the 4 schools) of the time such as: * Muhammad bin Ibrahim Shaafi * Muhammad bin Abu Bakr Maliki * Muhammad bin Abu Bakr Jareer Ansari Hanafi * Abdullah bin Umar Muqaddis Hanbali These 40 Ulema declared Ibn Taymeeya to be a kaffir, and it was declared in Syria that if anyone shared the view of Ibn Taymeeya, then it was valid to shed their blood and appropriate their land?. (The fatwa and this text can be found in Al Nabraas Sharh al Aqaid page 114 footnote 4 [printed in Meerath, India], Sharh Aqaid Jalali page 80 [printed in Afghanistan]. Ad Dhur ra al Kamina, by Ibn Hajr Asqalani, Volume 1 page 147 [Dakkan]. In addition to this we learn that Shaykh Zaynudeen bin Rajab Hanbali in light of Ibn Taymeeya incorrect views, deemed him to be a kaffir. (taken from Anwar al Bari Volume 11 page 190). We further read in Anwar al Bari Volume 11 page 119 that: ?18 Egyptians deemed Ibn Taymeeya to be a kaffir, including Qadi Taqiudeen Muhammad bin Abu Bakr Akhi Maliki. This was based on the fact that his view, prohibiting pilgrimage to Madina in order to visit Rasulullah (s) proved his disrespect of Rasulullah (s), the penalty for such kufr was death?. Shaykh Alaudeen Bukhari al Hanafi: ?After analysing Ibn Taymeeya Fatwas he said ?Whoever deems Ibn Taymeeya to be ?Shaykhul Islam? is a kaffir?. Takdhirathul Huffaz page 316 [Damascus]; Anwar al Bari Volume 11 page 192 [Multan]. Theses Nasibi followers of Ibn Taymeeya [who according to Ahl'ul Sunnah disrespected Rasulullah (s)] have been deemed to be kaffirs as they adhere to his thinking and call him ?Shaykh ul Islam?. @Wahabi Nasibi- Ibn Taymeeya?s student Ibn Katheer was also a Nasibi Ibn Katheer?s attack on Sayyida Fatima (sa)?s character In al Bidaya wa al Nihaya Volume 5 page 289, Ibn Katheer makes the following comment: ?If by denying Rasulullah (s)?s inheritance and the Estate of Fadak, Fatima became angry, one should point out that Fatima was just an ordinary woman, and she got angry in the same way that ordinary women do, after all she was not infallible?. These type of comments clearly point to Ibn Katheer?s enmity towards Sayyida Fatima (as), to the point that he was willing to lower her esteemed status so as to protect Abu Bakr. This Nasibi claimed that Sayyida Fatima (as)?s anger was just like that of any ordinary woman, when we read in Sahih al Bukhari Volume 5 hadith 61 ?Allah?s Apostle said, ?Fatima is a part of me, and he who makes her angry, makes me angry.? When Sayyida Fatima (as)?s anger is on par with Rasulullah (s)?s anger then can we really deem her anger to be that of ?ordinary? woman? Wahabi Nasibis, here a video to show the kufar of Hypocrite Ibn Taymeeya http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N87VvZUequY&feature=channel_page (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question Ramadan section Ibn Taymeeya position eyes Ahlul Sunnah

Do you feel that the sentiments expressed in "The New Colossus" are still true today? Why or why not? The New Colossus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question Collossus

I can smell the sweet smell of the brine and the foam upon each wave dancing to its own tune out across the sea. The sea such a beautiful and fey place, full of twists and turns, dangers, and beauty beyond any ones wildest dreams. I am from beyond those waves, beyond the brine and foam, beyond the whale?s songs, to past where the mountains stay white yearlong, from the freezing snow that?s rests apon its peaks. The north is so far yet so close; I can only spy its distant peaks when I look out from the cliffs, the cliffs of the south. Oh, how my heart yearns for the north, the snows, the ice, the cold. I feel each and every tendon and nerve strain towards my homeland, my homesickness as real as a physical ache. My spirit is dying, being eaten away by this land, this unfamiliar land. Ten years now I?ve been a slave in the fastness of this land. So hot, so wet, this is not my home and never will be. I cast my gaze over the sugar cane fields. Many others toil on the land with skin as fair as mine, turned burning pink by the hot sun of the south. We do not belong here, why are we so far from our home? Many years ago a man names Jeter, respectfully King Jeter, but he is no king to my people, came with his dark haired, dark skinned wife Kya, determined to settle the south. Kya was a true beauty in the way of her kind, with large hazel colored almond eyes and deep black flowing tresses. She had strong facial structure with high cheek bones and a straight brow, perfectly defining her conspicuous eyes. She was beautiful but cruel, it was her plan to take slaves from the northern tribes to work the land here and create her fortune. Thus the trading of my people began. War ships came from the south with dark haired men with olive skin like such we had never seen before. They ripped mothers from daughters and stabbed fathers protecting their sons. The blood of my people stained the pure white ground. Many died, and many more were taken away, to the south. The conditions on board the slave ships were horrendous and the young and weak soon weakened from disease and famine and shortly after died. My mother and sister among them, my brothers, Able and Justin, lived with me on the island for a few short years before the harsh conditions took their tole on the bodies of the young. Only I, the eldest, survived. I took after my father with his fiery red hair and deep green eyes, but my fair skin and delicate features I inherited from my mother, Kataline. I was the daughter of an important tribe, one of the largest and most respected in the north. I was hailed by the young men as the beautiful one and the wild one, for I was known for my fiery temper. That is my past, the young men are dead, and my tribe is no more than a few old men and women left behind because they were too weak to take the journey. My family is now lying in cold graves, and my life and soul are across the sea, the beautiful green sea. I have no family, I have no tribe, I have no man, and I have no name. I am just Mara, slave of Trutai, slave of my sorrow. ok, jeez i'm sorry it's long but please dont comment just to tell me its long? (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question please improve

It's the beginning of one of the chapters in my attempt at a novel that I deleted. Not saying my age. Don't steal this. Copyright. I didn?t really care about being freezing, soaked, and hopeless; Ivy was still with Xavier even though she hated him and he just wanted her drop dead gorgeousness. If she would?ve magically turned ugly one day, he?d leave her to die on the street getting eaten by a pack of rabid squirrels. I didn?t feel right knowing about how she felt. She was angry at the wrong person, sad for the wrong reasons, and yearned for what she didn?t know she had. Ivy wanted Xavier to know, but she couldn?t tell him herself. She was angry at her own heart for feeling like that, instead of being angry at Xavier for being a complete moron. Being angry made her depressed, which links to the yearning. She felt lonely because Xavier wasn?t there for her the way she wanted. What she wanted was someone to turn to; a shoulder to cry on. She didn?t know I was there for her. Knowing this made me feel the way she did, minus the isolation. After awhile of flying, I let the birds rest. I landed (gently) in a tree. Maybe I should name them, I thought. Then I?ll never want to let them go. You can?t kill or release something you?ve given a name. God, I am going crazy. I turned my mental radio on. It was a new trick I?d learned from Viorica. If I pictured a knob on a radio turning to stations I could pick up thoughts like a signal, hearing anything in a close range. The more I practiced, the more I could hear. It was all focusing on the pictures in my head. I scanned through static, static, static, until I finally found a station. Hurry! Stop telling me to hurry! I?m trying! Thought one interesting mind, then Oh, he?s going to kill me! Ivy better be here!. The Vanderbilts are not forgiving souls... I listened harder, Torren! Shut up! He?ll hear you! There are mind readers here, remember? Then static. I switched to flight and swept back to the main office. I got to Lehrer and told him what I?d heard, and he said he sensed someone or something was looking for us and knew we were here. By the time I finished telling Woodbury this, he looked like he had been bear hugged by group of cacti. ?Go tell the women. Now!? he said, more stern and serious than I'd ever seen before. There was no humor in his voice. I tried to read his mind. When even Woodbury is blocking you out, you know something is not to be joked with. You don't have to read the whole thing. It's a guy reading someones mind, sometimes. Tips? Critique? Anything? k this is the beginning of the 7th chapter. lots of it was explained in chapters 1-6. I mean critique the style. (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question critique please Tips

Julia Kim F.I.T. Admissions Essay I am Julia Kim, a small pigment of talent. I was born within a family line of artists consisting of a fashion designer, abstract painter, graphic designer, and an interior designer. I had always been a creative person even back when I was in grade school. I was that little girl who would sit in class and just draw things here and there all day long, and get in trouble for it. I was the girl who looked forward to school projects which involved making a model of something, or creating a poster, or carving pumpkins, or making a diorama of dinosaurs. I don?t remember the last time I ever bought a birthday card because I was always happy to make my own. I love baking cakes and cupcakes solely for the part where I get to decorate it with sprinkles and frosting. I had always been using my hands, which is my god-given tool for creativity. My mind is full of ideas of what to make next, and if I do not let my creativity flow, I feel like I am trapped and suffocated. It is in my blood to be creative and express myself through the use of color and imagination. Although my heart truly yearned for art, I had the false impression that the artist starves and will go hungry forever. In my naivety, I decided to take the wrong step forward and attended St. John?s University as a marketing major for about a year and a half. During the short period there, I realized that the artist does not starve unless she is taken away from her food; which is her art. I was hungry to expand my talent and move from being just talented to being skillful and well-rounded. So, as a way of redeeming myself for my faltered decision, I decided to take a course in makeup artistry at the Empire Beauty School in Manhattan. There, I learned the taste of blending and observation. I noticed the different ways color relates to one another. I also learned how to deal with various features of a person?s face, and how to bring attention to a certain great feature and less emphasis on a less favorable feature. I learned that even in applying makeup, it is important to grasp the concept of light and shadow. I was literally painting a masterpiece on a person?s face. Within three weeks, I graduated and received a certificate of completion, and thus officially becoming a makeup artist. For a couple of months afterwards, I began collaborating with photographers and models of different levels, and started creating my makeup portfolio. This part of my life was very important because I finally gained the confidence to withdraw from St. John?s. This past summer, I had landed a job at a newly created modeling agency, located in the lower east side. I worked there as a receptionist/booker. Although the business was short-lived, it was a very rewarding experience. While working within this career, I learned how to nurture someone?s talent. I also learned how to deal with clients and reaching their demands. I was under constant stress of having to develop another person?s talent, and properly aid in marketing her. Without having to sit in class, I was first-handedly learning how to help run a difficult business in the fashion industry. Although the business ended up closing, the experience sparked a fire within me to want to learn more about art and how it is relating to the fast growing world of fashion. I want to further be influenced by fashion?s richness, and combine my interest in it with my talent in the arts. I am a hard worker, full of ambition. I am optimistic and intelligent. I am constantly learning, wherever I go. I believe that there is never an end to education, and an education in the arts is what I yearn for. My mind never rests and is full of spectacles wanting to be released. I am patient, pleasant, organized, and friendly. I am influenced by many different things such as New York, Korea, music, food, cosmetology, films, photography, muses, color, fashion, nature, people, friends, family, history, and art. I have the ability to adapt quickly to new environments. I have the ability to push myself harder and find ways to solve a problem. I am calm under pressure and almost always figure the situation out. I am determined to make a stand. I want to walk proudly and say I am a student of the Fashion Institute of Technology. It had taken me some time, but I am finally here, knocking on the doors of my dream school, just waiting to be accepted. I am a sponge waiting to soak up all the beautiful colors that F.I.T. consists of. I look forward to providing F.I.T. with another unique pigment of talent. I believe and I know that I am the right person for the Fashion Institute of Technology. I look forward to your acceptance. Let us begin this journey called life together, where we continue to learn, develop, and grow. Thank you for your time and consideration. (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question PLEASE admissions essay

Occupation You ask me how it is That I dare to take a side You say I loathe myself For pointing out that you have lied You say it's tribal warfare But I disagree For the dynamics of the situation Are not difficult to see On one side is the fighter jet On the other side the stone On one side is the slave On the other is the throne For the many there are checkpoints While foreign soldiers rule the street For one side there is victory But the people don't accept defeat (Chorus) The word you need to know is occupation The very definition of a land without a nation And if peace is what you're after then let us not deceive It will come on the day the tanks return to Tel Aviv On one side there is hunger And bulldozed olive trees On the other is the Army Ruling by decrees Caterpillars maul the streets And destroy entire city blocks While children swallow shrapnel For the crime of throwing rocks Fences are erected Around the towns they flatten And Herzl's own fanatics Sleep on sheets of satin And they water their plantations Drilling ever-deeper wells While the displaced children of the hopeless Are filled with bullet shells (Chorus) ...It will come on the day the settlers return to Tel Aviv On one side there is the Mossad Rounding up the men Thrown in jail with no trial Being tortured once again On the other there is rage Helplessness and fear And a growing realization That another holocaust is near On the outside there are prisons Inside detainees Being stripped of their humanity Beaten naked to their knees Outside ghetto prison walls There are storm troopers all around While inside the hungry people Yearn for liberated ground (Chorus) ...It will come on the day the jail guards return to Tel Aviv All across the world You can hear the people say The children of Jerusalem Will be free one day In overcrowded camps Amidst the stench of death and flies To the suburbs of Detroit You can hear the anguished cries While in the land of Israel With God ever on their side Walls and fences are constructed And papers are denied People fight for their existence While the world turns a blinded eye And those who should know better Insist on asking why (Chorus) ...It will come on the day the refugees return to Tel Aviv Can you identify the truth in this song? Peace! Salaam! (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question Occupation David Rovics

?Ode to American Girls? in our lives upon a certain time we wait For each of us yearns for a soulmate To love and cherish for all times, And to hold and protect and find solace in. As a traveler to many lands afar, I?m no stranger to exotic beauties, Each with its own intellect, charm, and grace, And all with deeply-rooted values and traditions unique. Yet it is a city upon a hill, the most majestic of nations, That the fairest and wisest of all maidens reside. A land whose faith in freedom, called America, Has produced the best females in the earth. A hardened fruit may have a tough outer peel, Yet the pulp inside has the most divine taste. In America the girls may guard their innermost feelings well, But the journey is for those who seek ? their hearts are infinitely deep. The girls of America need not adorn in saffron saris nor kimonos, Their natural beauty is self-evident, From their fresh-smelling long hair and fair, smooth skin and bejeweled eyes, Their warm embrace reminds one of a home too dear and never far away. They are kind and warm, and true romantics at heart, And fiercely protective and motherly, They are snuggly and cute, often say the most adorable things, And are always there for you, till the very end! (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question YAHOO ANSWERS POEM called Ode American Girls please STAR comment