Contemplations

Well a lot has happened over the week. I went to the Norton Simon Museum on Monday to look at paintings for my Modernism class. This is where I get all fangirly, I mean, the paintings are so incredible and while I've seen them over and over in books, online, etc, nothing can beat seeing the actual original paintings that the Masters made... well except for going back in time and hovering over their shoulder as they paint it.

Monet, Manet, tons of Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, Gaugan, Sargent, Cassatt (the BEST!), etc etc etc! *swoons happily* Ahhh I can just live in the museum and be content at gazing at paintings for the rest of my life! Best of all, I went outside to the sculpture garden before it closed... so beautiful, especially with the sun slowly setting and the sculptures glowing because of the lamps... there was an ACTUAL RODIN!! The garden is incredibly beautiful with a little pond with lily pads, bushes, greens, flowers and amazing bronze sculptures. I WILL go back there again with my sketchbook and pastels and sit and happily draw!!!

Lately, I have NOT been drawing for art's sake. I want to though. But everything I do is homework homework homework. Lynleigh can't believe how much homework I get and it baffles me too on how I'm able to finish all of it before the deadline. I stayed up until five this morning working on a painting for my Composition and Painting class, but I'm feeling great because I didn't have class until 1PM so I slept until 12:15. It's a gorgeous day today too.

Sometimes, I feel that I'm not drawing for the right reasons. Of course I want to be a famous manga artist, but to become a regular manga artist should be fine too. I think I should adjust my dream a bit so that instead of seeking glory, I'm seeking for self-fulfillment. If everyone likes my work, but I personally think is crap... what kind of fulfillment and contentment will I get from it? Probably none. So, I'm just going to work hard about making myself happy.

Nelson Mandela speaks!

Hurrah for Nelson Mandela!

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Jan. 30) - Former President Nelson Mandela called President Bush arrogant and shortsighted and implied that he was racist for ignoring the United Nations in his zeal to attack Iraq.

In a speech Thursday, Mandela urged the people of the United States to join massive protests against Bush. Mandela called on world leaders, especially those with vetoes in the U.N. Security Council, to oppose him.

''One power with a president who has no foresight and cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust,'' Mandela told the International Women's Forum.

Mandela also criticized Iraq for not cooperating fully with the weapons inspectors and said South Africa would support any action against Iraq that was supported by the United Nations.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer responded to Mandela's criticism by pointing to a letter by eight European leaders reiterating their support of Bush.

''The president expresses his gratitude to the many leaders of Europe who obviously feel differently'' than Mandela, Fleischer said. ''He understands there are going to be people who are more comfortable doing nothing about a growing menace that could turn into a holocaust.''

A Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mandela has repeatedly condemned U.S. behavior toward Iraq in recent months and demanded Bush respect the authority of the United Nations. His comments Thursday, though, were far more critical and his attack on Bush far more personal than in the past.

''Why is the United States behaving so arrogantly?'' he asked. ''All that (Bush) wants is Iraqi oil,'' he said.

He accused Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair of undermining the United Nations and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is from Ghana.

''Is it because the secretary-general of the United Nations is now a black man? They never did that when secretary-generals were white,'' he said.

Mandela said the United Nations was the main reason there has been no World War III and it should make the decisions on how to deal with Iraq.

He said that the United States, which callously dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has no moral authority to police the world.

''If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don't care for human beings,'' he said.

''Who are they now to pretend that they are the policemen of the world, the ones that should decide for the people of Iraq what should be done with their government and their leadership?'' he said.

He said Bush was ''trying to bring about carnage'' and appealed to the American people to vote him out of office and demonstrate against his policies.

He also condemned Blair for his strong support of the United States.

''He is the foreign minister of the United States. He is no longer prime minister of Britain,'' he said.

AP-NY-01-30-03 1308EST

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.



I completely agree and am against the war. My reasons are:
1. Innocent people are going to die, this involves senior citizens, women, children and babies.
2. Nuclear war is going to damage the future health of the entire world, from the smallest living organism to humans to plants to the oceans
3. North Korea is going to get involved, which backtracked the slow yet steady growth into combining the two Koreas. (think about the time when families were reuinited)
4. South Korea is going to be caught in the middle, my friends and family will get injurred or possibly killed
5. It's about oil, how petty is that? It is NOT about terrorism, it's about oil.
6. One of the ways to boost the economy is to have a war. With the current economic crisis and the forebearing threat of 'terrorism', it all ties into place
7. After the war is over, everything is going to get back to normal, except for all the people who had to die. No one can completely get over death and all of their family, friends, and lovers will forever grieve because a person had to be taken from them at a young age.
8. The draft. It's not constitutional but it looks like it has a good chance of happening.

Peace maybe more difficult and more time consuming, but at least innocent lives can be saved and the earth can keep spinning.