Wonderland or Not

Polls at The 2007 Weblog Awards are now Closed (November 8 at 2 pm) Stating: RESULTS ARE NOT FINAL UNTIL WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED!

When I last looked, it seems like Wonderland or Not may have taken 3rd place!

Original Post:

Wanted: Two Hundred votes today!

Where: The 2007 Weblog Awards Best of The Top 3501 – 50000 Blogs

http://2007.weblogawards.org/polls/best-of-the-top-3501-5000-blogs-1.php

Why:

Wonderland or Not is a “Personal blog with a little social, political and pop cultural commentary added.” Equally as important is the Person behind the blog - Cooper, or as some know her by the names Olivia or Alice. She is a real down to earth person. “A spawn of fiscally conservative liberals”, having majored in” Anthropology (cultural focus), and Photography, a liaison in protection and resettlement, for non governmental humanitarian agency” - in other words presumably she writes position papers for a living. Read More About Cooper

Her blog posts leave nothing unsaid. She does not color coat anything she has to say or what she wants to write about from political aspects to humor.

October Posts include:

• The Lights Will Stay On
• Domestic Violence - Following “The Burning Bed”.
• Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
• Thursday’s Timely Tidbits.
• Don’t You Want Some Body to Love
• Spam Blogs and Foliage - The Have a Happy Weekend Edition.
• Saying No - Multitasking. ( “Speed Kills”)
• Love to Love Me Baby…….Me, not my fake breasts and ruby red lips.
• Blog Action Day – Saving The Waves
• Going to the Chapel and I’m Gonna Get….Vacuumed?
• Losing My Religion
• People Are Strange, Fake Plastic Trees
• Kama Told Me Not To Cum
• Army Using Social Science - Is This Really a Bad Thing?
• Sell Me Candy, Sell Me Love, Sell Me Heaven, Sell Me Doves.
• Why I Don’t Go Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Click Here for more Posts from Wonderland or Not

If you haven’t been to Wonderland or Not, come meet an exceptional fantastic Person and her Blog.

And Vote for Wonderland or Not at The 2007 Weblog Awards Best of The Top 3501 – 50000 Blogs (You can vote once a day!)

‘Oh and be careful as “Durham in Wonderland” is also listed and they are not Cooper, “although I’m sure they are excellent.”’

Thank You All!

Posted and Signed by a Fan of Wonderland or Not:

The Flower of Remembrance

¹In 1938, a United States Congressional Act made November 11th a Federal Holiday. The Act declared it "...a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace". The Act was amended in 1954 to rename the holiday to 'Veterans Day', so that all veterans could be honored.

²The important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

³The day has different names in different countries, but its purpose is the same everywhere it's observed. Whether called Armistice Day, Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, it remains a time to recognize those who fought and to renew our commitment to peace.

⁴In Flanders Fields By John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

“This was the poem written by World War I Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon with Canada 's First Brigade Artillery. It expressed McCrae's grief over the "row on row" of graves of soldiers who had died on Flanders' battlefields, located in a region of western Belgium and northern France.

McCrae's poem had a huge impact on two women, Anna E. Guerin of France and Georgia native Moina Michael. Both worked hard to initiate the sale of artificial poppies to help orphans and others left destitute by the war. By the time Guerin established the first sale in the U.S., in 1920 with the help of The American Legion, the poppy was well known in the allied countries — America, Britain, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — as the "Flower of Remembrance." Proceeds from that first sale went to the American and French Children's League.

Donations received in return for these artificial poppies have helped countless veterans and their widows, widowers and orphans over the years. The poppy itself continues to serve as a perpetual tribute to those who have given their lives for the nation's freedom.” Read complete document

This week Classic Poetry Aloud will read War Poems by 7 Poets in these 7 days leading up to November 11th. The Poems include:

Fears In Solitude by Samuel Coleridge

The Man With the Wooden Leg by Katherine Mansfield

Ball's Bluff by Herman Melville

Speech from Henry the V (representing combat) by William Shakespeare

The Soldier by Rupert Brooke

Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen

For the Fallen (extracts) by Lawrence Binyon

Remembrance:



⁵Arlington National Cemetery -- America's best known national cemetery still buries service members and some veterans.

⁵ National Cemeteries -- The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains national cemeteries throughout the country for the burial of veterans of America's armed forces, their spouses and young children.

1. Knowledge Hound
2. History of Veterans Day
3. Knowledge Hound
4. The Flower of Remembrance
5. Celebrating America's Freedoms

War Poetry Remembrance Week

“¹If you're not familiar with Cabaret, it's an interesting play to revive now. Depicting the denizens of a decadent Berlin night club sleep walking their way through life as the Nazis rise to power, it's a cautionary tale of the need to be on guard against the naive belief that the worst can never happen and others will take care of society's problems for us.

Choosing to ignore the spread of brutal, reactionary and racist ideologies, we end up abetting the contagion. There are times when we have to take a stand, no matter how much we'd rather be dancing our lives away.”

I’ve quoted the above from Francis at Caught In The Stream as an introduction to the subject War. On Sunday November 4th, the blog site Classic Poetry Aloud will be running a week of “²War Poems to coincide with Remembrance Week, the week leading up to the 11th of November. In the Uk on the 11th of November, People traditionally will pause for two minutes at 11 O’clock in the morning which is the exact time on that day that the Declaration of Peace was signed at the end of the first World War in 1918.” The goal by Classic Poetry Aloud is to read War Poems by 7 Poets in these 7 days leading up to November 11th.

Classic Poetry Aloud will begin on Sunday November 4th with an Occasional Miscellany that introduces the week to include poetry from Samuel Coleridge, Katherine Mansfield, Herman Melville, William Shakespeare, Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen and Lawrence Binyon.

We “²hope you will be able to join us during this week to take the time to listen and perhaps take some time on November 11th to reflect on where the poems have led you to that week.”

Thank You



1. A Fall Night Out in Rogers Park: Catching Cabaret, Carving Pumpkins (consent to quote granted to Binding Ink)

2. Occasional Miscellany Number 2

Wind Full Ponder

The wind brushes by your skin, unseen yet felt
The wind rustles in the trees, unseen yet heard
The wind though unseen can be playful
Dancing kites up high
Helping birds and insects in their flight
A tool to fly a plane or steer the sails of vessels upon wet waters
And just as assuredly the wind can be foe
Gusting devastation to much in its concealed path
Then without a moments notice change directions, change moods
The wind, perhaps no different than those in life?

© - Jeane Michelle Culp

Throwing Stones

For centuries People have been leaving no stone unturned in trying to figure out how humankind began. Was our initial origin from a God, evolution, Aliens, etc.? Now the mystery of Life may be just a stone's throw away. In fact, such revelation might give new meaning to the old sayings ‘To cast the first stone’ and ‘Can't get blood out of a stone’. When in actuality, according to this theory; we can perhaps get blood out of a stone. ¹In Greek mythology, Deucalion and Pyrrha were the only mortals who survived Zeus’s great flood. ²'Once the deluge was over and the couple were on land again, Deucalion consulted an oracle of Themis about how to repopulate the earth. He was told to throw the bones of his mother behind his shoulder. Deucalion and Pyrrha understood the "mother" to be Gaia, the mother of all living things, and the "bones" to be rocks. They threw the rocks behind their shoulders, which soon began to lose their hardness and change form. Their mass grew greater, and the beginnings of human form emerged. The parts that were soft and moist became skin, the veins of the rock became people's veins, and the hardest parts of the rocks became bones. The stones thrown by Pyrrha became women; Those thrown by Deucalion became men.' Of course this is not etched in stone. Maybe that explains why theories like this are not offered in many preliminary schools as an alternative to the dual creation opposition. However; not being provided with the wide-range of speculations available on any subject, obstructs the stepping stones to not only freedom of choice - rather also impedes free thinking, oppressing the imagination. Hence, the almost innate need for mental stimulation is consequently sought else where. And so from the ancient Stone Age to once arcade, to television sets, to our computers commences the Golden Age of Video games happy to offer what schools fail – stimulus to the imagination. Video games, possibly a Medusa's industry turning emotions to stone because repetitiveness is seemingly learnt behavior that additionally stunts free thinking just as well as selective data. Conceivably, a variety of knowledge on any given subject is the only remedy to truly nourish the ravenous brain. Therefore; free a Person to think for themselves by giving them access to all available options. For Humans may not have actually come from stone, so why stonewall³ us.

Footnotes:
1. Walden and Civil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreau
2. Wikipedia
3. Slang: not give essential information

Friendly DeFeat

I'm not one to talk about my job nor to brag. However; there are exceptions to every rule. Without revealing a great deal about my current Career, I will venture to say that such has a lot to do with production. And without bragging, I will reveal the fact that no one at work will ever venture to call me by my middle name, Michelle. The reason being, from the beginning I was nicked-named ‘Jean The Machine ’; a compliment to my production speed in certain areas. The name has stuck with me and hence, self-expectation to constantly live up to such name has been my friend and enemy. A few months ago, I gladly shared with a Co-Worker some tips. She not only mastered my technique, she surpassed me. The goal was an output of 1,000 and she was the first Person to achieve this. And so some may assume the dance with the ego begins. However; I was proud to congratulate her and brag on her behalf. Admittedly though, I was determined to match her. We were like that, Friendly competition to keep us both on our toes. Perhaps something I thrived on from my early basketball days.

I remember at my old job, a Customer said; ‘you must have played basketball’. I never really thought about the skills such a sport gave me until that was said. There I was able to serve three Customers at a time. While one Customer would be counting chump change to pay for items, I’d be ringing up another Customer who would opt to write a check and while this Person wrote I would reach over and accept cash from another Customer while answering the Customer Service phone. And without missing a beat, I’d continue back to the loose change now counted/verified and receive the paper trail with proper id from the other Person. No one seemed to mind cause the line kept moving at a fast speed. Yes, the good old days of basketball and Team Spirit. I remember making my first hooped score that gave me a nice taste of confidence, nothing could stop me after that. In fact, we went on to win State Championship later that year!

St. Rose New Lexington,Ohio

#15 Jean The Machine

Still the competitive nature stays with me and so at last, a week later I matched my Co-Worker - as of today, with an unintentional output of 1, 001. Second Person to attain the goal! To be honest, I don’t know how I achieved this. Yet a sense of being Proud filled inside myself because the odds were against me. I had come close several other times. Once before my Co-Worker succeeded I had 964, however; Murphy’s Law took place that day and soon after the work ran out. So close, yet no go. Today was just another one of those unfortunate days where anything that could go wrong did, additionally; again the work was intermittent, slow in arriving, and at times nil. The hour of shift change was nearing. However; somehow I managed.

Coincidentally, I came home to find the answer to how I accomplished this feat, it was on my Blog in the Inspirational Quotes and Pictures box:

"The difference between the impossible
and the possible lies in a
person's determination."
- Tommy Lasorda

Breast Cancer Doesn't Stop on 10/31

October may be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, however; we must not stop on October 31 the Awareness about Breast Cancer and taking steps to help prevent and finding a cure for Breast Cancer.

As the Susan G. Komen RACE FOR THE CURE commences in my area of the LowCountry today at Daniel Island, SC; may we all become acquainted with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Organization. "Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of hundreds of local chapters around the country working diligently to further the Foundation's mission to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment."

"Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded on a promise between two sisters." This is an emotionally touching true story about the two Sisters, Suzy and Nan. Nancy details the onset of the unfortunate diagnosis, “As if it were yesterday, I can remember the phone call I received from Suzy one Tuesday afternoon. Her doctor had found a lump in her breast that was not a cyst. He recommended a biopsy.” Nancy pours her heart out in words about the hopeful surgical procedure and chemically induced treatments her Sister had to endure. She talks about the year 1978 when we learnt about First Lady, Mrs. Ford being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy. Her Sister responding, "Nan," she said, "as soon as I get better, let's do something about this. You can find a way to speed up the research. I know you can. And I want to fix up this waiting room and make it pretty for the women who have to be here. This isn't right."

To date, Nancy G. Brinker writes; "As I look back over the last 25 years since I founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure, I am amazed at our accomplishments. What began as a promise to my dying sister, Susan G. Komen, has evolved into the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures…" Message From Our Founder

I encourage all to please visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure to learn more about this Organization and Breast Cancer.

Don’t STOP October 31, continue the Awareness

Rockin' Cockatoo!!

WOW, Snowball is a Rockin' Cockatoo!!

Jenkins Home for Children Yard Sale LowCountry SC

Orphan Aid Society, Inc.

1st Annual

WHALE-OF-A-YARD SALE
Saturday, November 10, 2007

Please drop off tax deductible items to:
JENKINS HOME FOR CHILDREN
3923 Azalea Drive
Charleston Heights
(Off Leads or N. Cosgrove)
(843) 744-2429

Monday-Friday
8 am. To 5 pm.

Binding Ink not associated with Orphan Aid Society, Inc. or Jenkins Home for Children

Information provided via flyer

---

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

RACE FOR THE CURE®

October 20, 2007, 8 a.m.
Daniel Island, SC

Packet Pick-up
October 18 and 19, 2007
Daniel Island Medical Center
9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Registration is also available on Race Day, October 20 starting at 7 a.m.

"The Lowcountry Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of hundreds of local chapters around the country working diligently to further the Foundation's mission to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment."

Haunting Affair

Concerto

Compose for me a musical classic of a masterpiece love
Whence once upon a winter, golden harp strings strummed at their hearts
Until one day, Ebony and Ivory played 'Here Comes the Bride'
And upon the 3rd interlude have the triangle cling
As in the Fall came their new born Daughter Autumn.
Than one Spring trumpets blew with a military flag and 3-volley salute
For her true Love, her Maestro died while conducting war.
Now there is a rumor that when all instruments are tucked asleep
Somewhere betweenst their velvet cases, apertures, valves, and seemingly silent strings
An ensemble tutti echoes the story of how the Wife threw her heart upon the Maestros’ baton
And bled to death upon the orchestra floor.
True she is buried by him literally, as philharmonic in death as they were in life
Then once upon a Summer, Autumn took her stand at the podium
And as she drew her conducting stick to lead the Orchestra in the score, 'The Four Seasons'
You’ll hear it said that she drowned right there in her own tears.
Where upon the 6th interlude have the triangle cling
For in a graven graveyard there is a sympathetic symphony, where violins do weep
And every season, Operatic Angels sing about a Stradivarius love once played upon this stage called life,
Now exited forever more.

By © - Jeane Michelle Culp

ndpthepoetress is back in the Blogosphere!

As some may know and others may not, my hiatus was due to personal and Professional reasons. Personally, I had a few emotional issues to deal with and recently it’s been revealed to a few People that I had some unrelated health matters. Professionally, my Blog site had some minor issues that had to be addressed. Several have been resolved or are resolving themselves. There are still a few concerns in re to MyBlogLog. One matter I’ve been assured by a MyBlogLog Team Member, will be taken into consideration. However; I’ve yet to follow up on this. Health wise I am still trying to regain my strength to the fullest, so please take it easy on tagging me for memes until after October 25 :). I want to thank Author Seaman for holding me up and blog sitting. To my Special Spiritually connected Friends (you all know who you are), Thank You for your kind words and support. I plan to have a few new posts up in the next two days. I'm looking forward to catching up with everyones' posts and commenting once again! Hugs from the Universe!