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Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,It’s time to lay the sword and gun away,There’d be no war today,If mothers all would say,I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier. Alfred Bryan 1915

11/21/2015

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I can’t imagine that there is a civilized soul on this earth not touched by the terrifying events in Paris last week, and by Friday’s events in Mali.
Neither can I imagine the pain and sorrow felt by those who have lost their friends and family. Nor the horror of the thought of them being cold bloodedly executed in that dance hall, or being mowed down while enjoying a glass of wine on the sidewalk.
It reminds me all too soberly of the friend who was killed by an IRA bomb in Harrods back in the 70’s while shopping. Having no choice, many of us have been touched by the terrorist acts throughout the world.  My sister nearly got shot by the police for innocently running for a bus in London, in the 1970’s, when the IRA were calculatingly planting bombs in garbage cans and mail boxes, and blowing up cars in busy high streets all over London. 
My daughter Charlotte remembers her young French friend,  Francois Xavier Prévost, who attended UNT in Denton, Texas  in fall 2007, and was regrettably  killed at the Bataclan theater that terrifying night last week.

 As the flames and smoke of anger and outrage die down, and the mists of numbness and sorrow start to clear, we are left with a feeling of emptiness and mournful resolution that something must change; something very fundamental in our lives, in order to stop terrorism.

More bombings are not really the answer. Bombs kill indiscriminately. The seeds of terrorism remain buried often in hiding, left to grow among healthy communities until the time is ripe, and then they will strike.
Nationalism can contribute to breeding hate for other countries and cultures.

“When talking about nationalism and patriotism, one cannot avoid the famous quotation by George Orwell, who said that nationalism is ‘the worst enemy of peace’. According to him, nationalism is a feeling that one’s country is superior to another in all respects, while patriotism is merely a feeling of admiration for a way of life. These concepts show that patriotism is passive by nature and nationalism can be a little aggressive.
Patriotism is based on affection and nationalism is rooted in rivalry and resentment. One can say that nationalism is militant by nature and patriotism is based on peace.”

 From Difference between Nationalism and Patriotism www.Difference between.net

“This Fanaticism is what feeds terrorism. And this is precisely why Muslims must play an active role in opposing hate sermons and incitement to terrorism and extremism in their mosques. “
( Otto Schily)


The process of radicalization is indoctrination. Both ISIS and Boko Haram use the most unthinkable tactics to brainwash children from a very early age to hate and to use weapons to kill. ISIS, Boko Haram and AL Qaeda have strapped children and women with explosive vests, and sent them into market crowds to detonate. These children and women have been tortured, violated and threatened, and surely feared being killed if they did not do as they were instructed, maybe only praying for a quick end to their own suffering; maybe not even knowing what these vests would do to them and others.
As a Mother and a woman, I cannot comprehend the mindset, or condone the kind of brainwashing and indoctrination it must take to raise an army of 8 year old children. Are we living in the ages of The Hunger Games? Do we raise children to think that they must risk their own sacrifice for the good of the cause?
I firmly believe that if women had a greater voice in the world, the world would be a very different place. (Not that there haven't been radicalized women, who have blown themselves up, killing the masses around them; but there are many fewer women than men who are responsible for this kind of "ideology" and warfare.)
Neither am I making an anti-man statement. I just believe that there are so many dis-empowered women out there in the world, that the playing ground would be very different if they found their power, and had more global influence.
 
Last week, my sister Bridget Cousins introduced me to an American song, written by Alfred Bryan and  Al Pianadosi in 1915, written during the pacifist movement before World War One . A Hundred years after the American anti-war song became a popular hit, it is being sung again — only this time in Israel, by Arab and Jewish mothers who have had their fill of violent conflict. The group is called Shirana, and their director, Mika Danny chose the song with a new focus on the chorus:


I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier,
I brought him up to be my pride and joy,
Who dares to put a musket on his shoulder,
to shoot some other mother’s darling boy?
Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,
It’s time to lay the sword and gun away,
There’d be no war today,
If mothers all would say,

I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier.
 
 
It is really worth a listen, so I have included the link to You tube:-
https://youtu.be/0v66ttbihh0  Shirana choir
 
   
            The original  song lyrics were as follows :
 
Ten million soldiers to the war have gone,
Who may never return again.
Ten million mother's hearts must break
For the ones who died in vain.
Head bowed down in sorrow
In her lonely years,
I heard a mother murmur thru' her tears:
Chorus
I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier,
I brought him up to be my pride and joy.
Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder,
To shoot some other mother's darling boy?
Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,
It's time to lay the sword and gun away.
There'd be no war today,
If mothers all would say,
"I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier."
 
What victory can cheer a mother's heart,
When she looks at her blighted home?
What victory can bring her back
All she cared to call her own?
Let each mother answer
In the years to be,

Remember that my boy belongs to me!
 
______________________________________________________________
Terrorism came to our own doorstep in America on 9/11 at the world trade center. It was not the first incident, but it became a pivotal turning point for many, and a catalyst for an outpouring of poetry and art. People were able to express themselves though poetry, where they were unable in other ways. Poetry allows an expression of heart where other forms of writing cannot, exposing the soft underbelly, and raw articulation of feelings.
 
“The events of 9/11 occasioned a tremendous outpouring of poetry; people in New York taped poems on windows, pasted them on posts, and shared them by hand.  In Curtis Fox’s words, “poetry was suddenly everywhere in the city.” Outside the immediate radius of what became known as “ground zero,” aided by email, list-serves, websites, and blogs, thousands of people also shared poems they loved, and poems they had written. By February, 2002, over 25,000 poems written in response to 9/11 had been published on poems.com alone. Three years later, the number of poems there had more than doubled.”
 From Beyond Grief and Grievane, by Philip Meteres

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Over the rubble of the World Trade Center
The grand sad unimaginable confusion of souls
Rose from towers mangled steel--to afterlives all--
All eyes drawn to that vacuum in the sky's next move
Where the ghost dance of Bodhisattva firemen
& holy martyrs of terror--holy martyrs lost &
Missing, a great far reaching cry spreading wild
Across the planet--the crying unity of undying pain--

 Excerpt from Ghost Dance, by Jim Cohn
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

I could tell you what it was like to be there -
the sky black with bodies - humanity colluding with gravity -
people jumping in pairs - linked lives spent working together
in towers so tall it must have felt like heaven to sit at a desk
and watch the city transform with the light of the seasons -
the moment sealed windows were liberated with office furniture,
the moment of shattered glass
when doomed colleagues linked hands and decided to jump –

 Excerpt from September Eleventh

By Penny Cagan

____________________________________________________________________
 
 Fanaticism maddening the flames,
Its once imposing deities abscise,
As the faceless antagonist proclaims:
A consummation sweet but unfulfilled,
A penetrative burst without regret,
A zealous passion never to be stilled,
An earthly instinct powerful, and yet –
This bitter loathing blowing from the East,

Curtailed but could not kill the feisty beast.

 From Silence (over Manhatten )
 By Paula Bardell

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of my own poems, Lullaby Baby, sprang from an idea that I had about a Muslim woman singing to her son, hoping that he will not become radicalized. It is a song of change, and of subtle rebellion. I sing it in my audio book, The Moon of Compassion, but you can read it here..


 Lullaby baby
 
How I love thee little son
Sweetly dreaming of a gun
to rid the world of sin and strife
Gently rocking for your life
Things are changing little son
Sisters rising one by one
See them waking
stronger still
See them breathing
Power and Will
Tables turning
Wise ones learning
Father’s eyes are prying open
Seeing, hearing prayers unspoken
Rigid thoughts are smashed
and broken
Come to me my darling son
Count our blessings

one by one
No more vestal virgins waiting
No more suicide or hating
Sweetly rock you
rock you rock you
Feel my bosom's rise
unlock you
Shed the chains of long tradition
Feed your soul and intuition
Recognize your sisters all
Let the bonds of Dogma fall
Embrace the dawn
of Woman's call
How I love thee little son
Men are changing
one by one
See them running

Come come come ! 


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Finally, I would like to offer my most sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones in Paris and Mali last week.
I pray that you will find some peace in your hearts in order to bear this terrible pain.
Know that the world grieves with you, and that somehow, someday, there will be a world in which Human life becomes sacred over all else, and we shall live in peace as one human race.
 
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We need to be reminded of the unique individuality and creativity of the forgotten. #Homelessness, blog by Womensvoice1

11/8/2015

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 We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.
 

Mother Theresa
 

There goes a troubled woman
She dreams a troubled dream,
She lives out on the highway,
She keeps her money clean.
Soon she'll be returning
To the place where she's queen.
Down where the drunkards roll,
Down where the drunkards roll.
Down where the drunkards roll 

Sandy Denny
 
 
Homelessness is something that I hope I never experience, but I am reminded of it every day when I drive to work. Isolated men or women of all ages,(sometimes hard to tell), ragged and tired, ambling down the center of the road , pushing shopping carts piled high with plastic bags and sleeping quilts; sleeping in bus shelters; hanging around the Seven Eleven, and  diving for food in garbage cans. Others congregate in the library, because it is warm, were there is access to the internet , or in coffee shops, where they might sit and read a newspaper, and spend all morning sipping on one cup of coffee.
I work in a hospital and used to work in Psychiatry, so I am familiar with the high correlation between mental illness and homelessness, as well as the difficulties in finding adequate health care and shelter for those in need.
 Most homeless people are grateful for social services, such as shelters and food banks, but sometimes they are too paranoid to accept it, and prefer to sleep outside away from crowded dorms. Many have drug and alcohol problems.


“If you live in a big city, you see some form of schizophrenia every day, and it's always in the form of someone homeless. 'Look at that guy - he's crazy. He looks dangerous.' Well, he's on the streets because of mental illness. He probably had a job and a home.”
Erik McCormack

 
People can be very intolerant of the homeless, when ones’ personal space is invaded, being asked for money, particularly when you know it’s for alcohol not food, or when personal hygiene is not optimum. But it is important to look at the homeless population with as much diversity as one would look at any demographic. Within this microcosm is a huge amount of determination, and positive creative energy, looking for a way to swim back to the main stream.

Not all homeless people are poorly educated, or necessarily from poor backgrounds. Many of them have “dropped out” of society because of endogenous depression, or schizophrenia, but often, people have just landed on hard times, or followed the path of addiction. Others have become homeless as a result of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, or a devastating event, or because of financial ruin, or they may be migrants who have not yet become legal. Some are victims of conflict, both domestic, and wartime. There are millions of young people made homeless by the death of their parents, or because they have been abandoned by the adoption system, or run away from home.

There are many organizations that have sprouted up to help the homeless earn their own money, and many organizations that are actually owned and run by the homeless population. Artists poets and musicians come together to create art and music that can be exhibited and sold, and there are many of the previously homeless population who have managed to pull themselves out of a quagmire of poverty and helplessness.
 Finding a job is not an easy process when you have nowhere to shower, or no appropriate clothes for an interview, let alone owning a cell phone or having a contact address.

 Back in the 60’s Ralph Mctell wrote a very touching and poignant folk song about the homeless, to raise public awareness, called The Streets of London.
In a television interview, after his song became a national hit, Ralph confessed that he was inspired to write the song while in Paris, seeing all the homeless people in the Metro and on the streets; but realizing it was a global problem, ( and there was already a song about the poor in Paris, ) he brought it right back to London.


The Lyrics  song can be read here:

 The Streets of London,
by Ralph Mctell


Have you seen the old man
In the closed-down market
Kicking up the paper,
with his worn out shoes?
In his eyes you see no pride
Hand held loosely at his side
yesterday’s paper telling yesterday's news

Chorus:
 So how can you tell me you're lonely,
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
Show you something to make you change your mind

Have you seen the old girl
who walks the streets of London
Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags?
She's no time for talking,
She just keeps right on walking
Carrying her home in two carrier bags.

In the all night cafe
At a quarter past eleven,
Same old man sitting there on his own
Looking at the world
Over the rim of his teacup,
Each tea lasts an hour
And he wanders home alone

Have you seen the old man
Outside the Seaman's Mission
Memory fading with the medal ribbons that he wears
In our winter city,
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Paul Simon wrote a song on his album Graceland, with Lady-Smith Black Mombasa, where they sing about homelessness caused by “Strong winds “that blew away their homes in Africa.
 
Homeless, by Paul Simon

Emaweni webaba
Silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni


Homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
And we are homeless, we are homeless
The moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
And we are homeless, we are homeless
The moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Zio yami, Zio yami, nhliziyo yami
Nhliziyo yami amakhaza asengi bulele
Nhliziyo yami, Nhliziyo yami


Strong wind destroy our home
Many dead, tonight it could be you
Strong wind, strong wind
Many dead, tonight it could be you
And we are homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
And we are homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Homeless, homeless

Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake

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 Now the global homeless are beginning to fight back, and project a different perspective on homelessness, one where tolerance and inclusion mixes with hope and perseverance.

Cities are building housing projects to encourage community acceptance, people are being given a chance to own their own space, and make it their own. There are many newspapers being published by the homeless, available for purchase on the streets.

#“Street Sense” publishes the only newspaper by and for the homeless in Washington, D.C. The organization has long trained participants in journalism and writing, and now it's expanding to offer more education in the arts and digital media, like photography and filmmaking, in hopes of giving people a toehold in new creative careers.  “
Anne Davenport

#Forgotten Voice is a street paper published in Las Vegas, Nevada, in which homeless and formerly homeless people, as well as homeless advocates, write and produce.  Their mission is to be a voice for homeless people.
Forgotten Voice welcomes all submissions in the form of fiction, journalism, artwork, photography, and poetry.  We especially encourage those living on the streets to use this space to debate and discuss issues of poverty, housing, and homelessness.  

#‘The Challenger’ is a newspaper published by Austin’s homeless
http://www.challengernewspaper.org/

“Run by homeless people and their advocates, street papers provide an outlet to writers and artists to express their talents. They also create readily available jobs for people looking to get back on their feet. At The Challenger, homeless people can buy copies of the paper, usually for 25 or 50 cents, and then offer it to passersby for a recommended $2 donation. Distributors keep the profits.”

From #The Rag blog, by Aaron Schnautz

 #The Big Issue is a newspaper published by people who are homeless in London and all over Europe .
“The Big Issue offers people who are homeless the opportunity to earn their own money; a livelihood. The Big Issue Foundation, as an independent charity for people who are homeless, offers vendors the opportunity of a life. We work tirelessly alongside our vendors to help them deal with the issues that have caused their homelessness or have developed as a result of hitting the streets.”
 Their mission as a charity is to connect vendors with vital support and personal solutions that enable people to rebuild their lives and determine pathways to a better future
 The papers are full of current affairs, fiction and poetry written by the homeless. Art exhibitions are advertised and profits from sales go directly to the artists themselves.
 
 Here is an anonymous example of "Street Poetry"

  A droplet of rain falls from the sky. 
  As I mingle with passers by. 

  And I simply relax my poor old brain. 
  as the traffic is on the move again. 
  This is the start of a perfect day. 
  The city is just ten miles away. 
  And I think of the joy a nice walk brings. 
  To the heart of a boy as the blackbird sings. 
  I slept in peace all through the night. 
  With some Canada geese on internal flight. 
  And another mile has slipped on by
  in the easy style of a winking eye. 
  Well my body parts are all on the move. 
  And my beating heart's right in the groove. 
  And when I arrive I’ll have biscuits and tea. 
  Great God I’m alive! Oh lucky me!
   By Anonymous
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"Homeless that’s what they call us
 They  say we have no home
 Because we live out on the streets
 And choose to drift and roam

We might be sick and tired

 We may be down and out
 But were still the long lost relatives
 This world tries to forget about"


Excerpt from  Homeless

 By Benjamin T. Fisher II
 



Community newspapers produced by the homeless encourage vulnerable people to develop their creative potential; especially self-expression, self-confidence, teamwork and communication.
 
We need to be reminded of the unique individuality and creativity of the forgotten.  If we focus on random acts of kindness and work on promoting the social inclusion of homeless people they will acquire equal access to services and then become a part in the life of the community.
 
Even advertising art is beginning to show a new attitude towards homelessness.
A print campaign from the eyewear brand “Morela Optics “in Slovenia carries the slogan 'We see things differently' while revealing images from a different perspective.
A homeless man smiles mischievously and confidently while modelling his “Urban Fashion “  .( The ad was created by Imelda Ogilvy in Ljubljana.)
(The picture has been altered slightly so that I hope I do not violate any copyright...)
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Caption reads, "We see the same things differently " 

Just Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins (1989)
Addressing the issue of homelessness and poverty, this song encourages people not to turn the blind eye when encountering the homeless, and to appreciate how lucky we are in our own little paradise.

 
She calls out to the man on the street 
'Sir, can you help me? 
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep, 
Is there somewhere you can tell me?' 

He walks on, doesn't look back 
He pretends he can't hear her 
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street 
Seems embarrassed to be there 

Oh think twice, it's another day for you and me in paradise 
Oh think twice, 'cause it's just another day for you, 
You and me in paradise, think about it

She calls out to the man on the street 
He can see she's been crying 
She's got blisters on the soles of her feet 
She can't walk but she's trying 

Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do 
Oh Lord, there must be something you can say 

You can tell from the lines on her face 
You can see that she's been there 
Probably been moved on from every place 
'Cause she didn't fit in there 


Oh think twice, 'cause another day for you and me in paradise 
Oh think twice, it's just another day for you, 
You and me in paradise, just think about it, think about it



Songwriters: MERRILL, GEORGE ROBERT / RUBICAM, SHANNON / CLAYTON, ADAM / EVANS, DAVE / HEWSON, PAUL DAVID / MULLEN, LARRY / WALDEN, NARADA MICHAEL
Another Day In Paradise lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, IMAGEM U.S. LLC


FACT:
 
“Seven out of 10 Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless.”
Pras Michel
 

“There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.”
Jan Schakowsky

“I didn't mean to be a songwriter; I just was writing for fun, you have all day to do it. I was homeless so that's all I had to do.”
Jewel

Musically, New York is a big influence on me. Walk down the street for five minutes and you'll hear homeless punk rockers, people playing Caribbean music and reggae, sacred Islamic music and Latino music, so many different types of music.
Moby



 I have not even touched the surface when it comes to the creativity and the art of the homeless communities. Graffiti, published works, and recorded music abound. Perhaps though, this article might have focused your eyes and ears to this incredibly rich world, just in it's budding phase.... 


 Have a great week, .....in the comfort of your own homes. 


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Picture courtesy of Marie Lopicki Photographer 

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    Susan Golden

    Born, raised and educated in Cornwall, England., Sue moved to America in 1981.
    After many years of life experience, her first bookof poetry for social change, is published. Available on iBooks.
     https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-moon-of-compassion/id892598396?mt=11

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