Music Mondays – Björk – “Unravel”

Tags

1997, Actress, Alternative, alternative dance, alternative rock, ambient, anarcho-punk, Atlantic, avant-garde, Björk, Björk Guðmundsdóttir, brief flashes of hope, Dirty Projectors, drums, El Cortijo Studios, electronic, Electronica, Elektra, ethereal wave, experimental, fashion model, flute, Gling-Glo, Guy Sigsworth, harmonica, harp, Homogenic, Howie B, Iceland, Industrial, Jazz, keyboards, KUKL, lamenting love, LynnFox, Mark Bell, Markus Dravs, Málaga, music composer, musician, Nonesuch, oboe, One Little Indian, piano, piccolo, Polydor, Producer, rave, Reykjavík, songwriter, Spain, Tappi Tíkarrass, The Sugarcubes, Third, Thom Yorke, Timbaland, trip hop, Universal, Unravel, Vocals, Warner Bros.

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Blue Lines Blog – My 2012 Movember Journey: What is Movember

Tags

Atlanta, Australia, Awareness & Education, Belgium, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Canada, Cancer, Cancer Research, Cause, Czech Republic, Denmark, Donate, Finland, Global Action Plan, Ireland, Key Yemaya Walker, LIVESTRONG Foundation, Mo Bros, Mo Sistas, Moustache, Movember, Movember & Sons, Movember App, New Zealand, Norway, Prostate Cancer Foundation, South Africa, Spain, Testicular Cancer, the Netherlands, the UK, the US

OVERVIEW OF MOVEMBER

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

Once registered at http://www.movember.com, men start Movember 1st clean shaven. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Donate to my cause here.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember.

Donate to my cause here.

The Movember Effect: Awareness & Education, Survivorship, Research
The funds raised in the US support prostate cancer and testicular cancer initiatives. The funds raised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG Foundation. Together, the three channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.

For more information on the programs we are funding please visit the following:
Prostate Cancer Foundation
LIVESTRONG Foundation
Awareness & Education
Global Action Plan

Donate to my cause here.

Movember – a global movement
Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia, Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.9 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate with formal campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, South Africa, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and the Czech Republic. In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the campaign and men’s health cause across the globe, from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro to Mumbai, and everywhere in between.

No matter the country or city, Movember will continue to work to change established habits and attitudes men have about their health, to educate men about the health risks they face, and to act on that knowledge, thereby increasing the chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.

In 2011, over 854,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas around the world got on board, raising $126.3 million USD.

Big steps have been taken towards changing attitudes and habits relating to men’s health around the world, but there is still much to be done to catch up with the women’s health movement. Via the moustache, Movember aims to fulfill its vision of having an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health by continuing to spark conversation and spread awareness of men’s health issues each year.

Donate to my cause here.

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

What I Learned Sundays – Children and Adults

Tags

Adele, Andy Allo, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Chapter 13: Beauty In Blue And White, Bon Iver, Chapter 13: Beauty In Blue And White, Coker Arboretum, Coldplay, Cuba, facebook, Foo Fighters, History, iTunes, Jill Scott, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Lineage, Linkin Park, Martina Topley-Bird, Myla, Myla Watson, Nintin Sawhney, Philips Arena, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sade, SBTRKT, Songify, Spain, What I Learned Sundays, YOU

Opening with a very brief excerpt from Blue Lines Chapter 13: Beauty In Blue And White. (currently page 135)

“Blue closed his eyes, and she understood that he knew the truth in her simple words. Exhaling, he looked toward the idyllic hues of the orange and red leaves that still hung on to the last life of the fleeting summer. He knew that on the eve of their passing, a virgin love was being born between to souls who were occupying the right space at the perfect time. With Keypsiia’s girlish grin still wide, she closed her eyes and looked skyward to accept the warmth of the sun that seemed to caress her. She smiled at the emancipation of her words, and with thoughts of the frightening, unknown love that separated them from the world now.”

Looking back at these moments between these two semi-fictional characters, an 18 year old young woman, and 20 year old young man, the innocence of this time is apparent. Both lacking in experience, and idealistic in what the future holds, and in this instance, what it holds, insofar as “love,” their “love.” A “love,” not yet spoiled by bad decisions, broken and devastated hearts, realizations that these concepts that we believe at this young age, have the opportunity to be proved wrong. “Love…” these are also the transcribed words of a young man, still in that age at that time, far different from thoughts, beliefs, and knowledge now. The problem is, when at this age you a) don’t know the difference of what you “knew” then, but learned along your travels; and b) fail to take heed of the now, versus the then.

When you look at life/events/etc., many things happen for a reason, finding that reason is a challenge in the process. What do I mean by that, well let me first preface, this post has had many directions, however working the weekend, opened a few directions, while challenging my focus in writing this post. To regain my focus, I notice repetition, I notice new experiences, and I notice the past, now repetition continues, as unhealthy as it is, new has reared its beautiful head again.

I will start with the most interesting tidbits that I learned this week. Through facebook, twitter, BlackBerry messenger, twitter, my dealings with YOU etc. my cousin and I have grown extremely close. I’ve never really thought to look into my Cuban and Latin heritage, because it is basically clearcut…or more clear-cut. I found out that my maternal great-grandparents were a Cuban and a Spaniard. A revelation that makes me look in the mirror very differently, as a Hispanic, a Caribbean Cuban Hispanic, Spaniards are looked in a certain light, and to discover that I have Spanish heritage not through rape, pillage, but an actual marriage, and that my family roots on one of the Hispanic sides cleanly reach back to Spain. I hope this statement is understood, cleanly meaning that I have something tangible that I can trace. As a Cuban, I luckily can trace my roots through Cuban and back to Africa in some respect, now this adds a layer to added family knowledge. Cuzzo, we should have the first Family Reunion in Spain, that would be a shocker!!!