Where are you?

I wrote this poem in a slave's perspective. Slaves?? Yes, slaves. There are more slaves now then there was when slavery was first a problem. The crisis that we study in school and say "I wish I could have been there to do something." Well we are living in it!!! No, it's not legal, it's just becoming more and more discreet. Last year there were 17,000 slaves in the US. This year that number has come up a place value. There are currently 150,000 slaves in America, 80% of which are women, and 50% of that is children. This is sick, and unjust, and I'm not going to stand for it!! So, do something now. These people deserve a life just like you and me. Let us be the voice for those who can't speak and be the change for those who are chained. Stand up with me, and together we can FREE THE SLAVES!!
Here's my poem:
Please, please help me!
I'm trapped here all alone.
They leave me here and beat me, abuse me, take advantage of me.
They treat me like I'm nothing and when they are done with me they throw me away.
Where are you?
Every minute of my life is spent in fear and waiting; waiting for my time to come.
The time of tears. the time of pain, the time of silent screams.
I cry for help but my voice is faded in such a big world.
Can you hear me?
There's no hope for me, no love I've ever seen.
Just these walls that hold me from my freedom.
What's out there? What's on the other side?
I'll never know because they won't ever let me go.
I'm brainwashed, I'm addicted, I'm not leaving this place.
I'm too far in to clomb back out.
This is my life now, but it wasn't always this way.
Please, please help me!!!

Some ways you can stand up to break the chains of slavery is go see the movie Call and Response. It is a movie with all the facts on slavery. I saw it and it really moved my heart to get my butt out there and do something. http://www.callandresponse.com/
Also, the Not for Sale Campaign an organization that's mission is to abolish slavery. Be an abolitionist and visit the site: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Lastly, just spreading the word. Tell your family and friends about slavery, write poetry or a song, whatever you do best and let the world know it's NOT OKAY WITH YOU!!
Leave comments with any questions, comments, or thoughts. I would love to hear from you!!
In Christ,
AUBREA

in my name

This is an amazing video! A lot of people in the world know about poverty but don't do anything about it. Don't be those people! Stand up for God's people; their cry for help is His cry for help. I dare you to make a video and send it in. You never know, yours may be shown to the president! And if not, they are still able to be publicly seen and educate others of the poverty of the world. Do something...I DARE you!

Never give up

hey hey hey.


I'm sorry it's been a long time since I've posted but yes, I'm still here. Anyway, I really want to get something out. For the past like month, I've been playing on a rec softball team in the San Dieguito Softball League. I joined late and missed the first few practices before games started. I hadn't played for 2 seasons, but when I did play I was an all-star (not trying to brag). I could hit super good and field super good. Well, this season I could not hit for my life. I struck out more than I ever have and wasn't making good contact; the only way I got on was from a bunt or an error on the other team. Trust me, I got so frustrated and beat up on myself so much and just wanted to give up. I got into a state of when I got up to bat I was like Why even try, you're jsut going to stike out anyway. But I kept going. I worked at it 3 times harder every practice, each time getting closer. Then I'd get out and get all frustrated and down on myself. So I'd push myself a little harder. Well today it all payed off. I HIT A HOME RUN!!!!! I got up there, took a deep breath, and told myself I can do this. I swung at my pitch, not trying to crush the ball, and it flew. Even if it wasn't a home run, all my hard work finally payed off because it was a nice solid hit. That's what happens when you never give up.

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. -Michael Jordon

Have an awesome weekend...and NEVER EVER EVER give up. I love you all. much love.

GGS catch up

as you have probably noticed, we haven't been keeping up with our Guns, Germs, and Steel, thus this post. we were assigned this weekend to read chapter 14 "From Egalitarianism to Kleptocracy" and answer questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. like we would answer any different right? just kidding mr.e!

1. Describe the difference between bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states.

There is a big difference between all of these living styles, as i'm sure many of you know. Here's what i think...with a little help from Guns, Germs, and Steel: Bands are the tiniest societies known to us, which most of the world used to be. A "regular" band consisted of 5-80 people, mostly relatives by birth of marriage. They share all the land they have, use it equally, rather than steaking places for only certain people to go/live. There is also no economic specialization, only by age or gender: all able-bodied persons forage for food. There is also no upper or lower classmen. Not neccessarily to say they were all equal, but money or job or person didn't determine that; personality, intelligence, strength, and fighting skills did. This is much different to us here in the US and many other countries out there, but there are still people living in bands today. Now, tribes. Tribes is the next step up from a band...go figure. Tribes, instead of having a dozen or so people, has hundreds, and ususally have fixed settlements, which bands didn't really because they were hunter-gatherers and had to go where the food went. Basically, a tribe is a group that shares language and culture. The conflict is high in tribes though, for whoever you have an argument/feud with, they are closely related to you and the two people share many kin. Tribes, like bands, also have an "englitarian" social system, without divided or or ranked classes. Not much of a difference, but still significant. Chiefdoms now are much, much larger than a tribe, ranging from thousands, to tens of thousands of people. This size also created conflict in the exact opposite way a tribe did: hardly anyone in a chiefdom was related to you. 7,500 years ago, with chiefdoms becoming more popular, the people had to learn how to encounter certain people without killing them. To help this, there was a chief in charge of everyone, making laws and using force when needed. With the vast amounts of people in the chiefdom, large amounts of food were needed, which was easiest with food production, but hunting-gathering was still used on occasion. Tribes and chiefdoms are alike in the sense that they both consisted of multiple hereditary lineages living at one site. However, in a chiefdom, the lineages not equally ranked in clans, but they were seperated into hereditary chief and commoner classes. Chiefdoms, with using the recipricol way of giving anf getting, also came up with a new form of economics: taxes. Each farmer was to give the chief some of what they had harvested. Instead of the chief throwing a feast with the food he had recieved, he kept it, taxes. One of the biggest differences between chiefdoms and tribes is chiefdoms differed considerably, in power by size. The larger the chiefdom, the more power they got in cotrolling land and things as such. Last, but certainly not least, states. States rule all of the world's land area except for Antarctica. As we know, states consis of many people, cities, and cultures, which does kind of set us up for failure. With all the different beliefs out there, people are bound to disagree, some more violent than others. Also, wherever the paramount chief location (President of the US i.e) becomes the nations capitol. In states, central control and economica specialization is more extreme, hence the effect on society is terrible when state government collapses. Food produced from cereal farmers, fishermen, herders, and orchard and garden growers, each giving to society what is needed. Slavery is also a much bigger thing in states than any other group. Also, conflict has decreased to a certain extent, with the help of laws, judges, and police. States are definitley the most improved, but really things haven't changed much from a band to a state.

2. What is something interesting - to you - that you take away from this chapter? Explain.

It's truly amazing how things have changed so much from back when most of the world was in bands, yet the same things keep happening. Whether it be conflict or food production or government. Obviously, we have more help now, thanks to technology and things like that that we take for granted everyday, but still, we can't find our way away from conflict, whether it be from not having a gonvernment, or having a government. I know conflict won't ever stop, but maybe if conflict happened with and without government, we could accurately compromise on something else.

Moving Poetry

This is the poem I chose for Moving Poetry, a little project we'll be showing off at Exhibition Night this Thursday, March 13, from 5-7:30. Hope you like it...

What is life without love?
No joy, no happiness... no fear, no uncertainty
But why is such a special gift treated as quotidian
When it is so delicate and beautiful, shattering as easy as china on a stone Floor?
Nothing can be done without love,
It can't be truly appreciated without pain.
Love gave me my wings,
Showed me how to fly.
It's a smile in my heart,
A feeling like no other.
What is life without love?
Nothing.

Last comic: Comic #7

I love you...comic #5

The many adventures of Lucy and Charlie Brown

The Many Adventures of Lucy and Charlie Brown
A re-creation by: Aubrea Wilson

Boxes... a REAL original

Sour Jelly- an original...kinda

my first comic

ok, so the project now is to become a cartoonist and write a comic everyday for 6 days, posting and presenting a new one each day. this is my first. i hope you like it. making comic strips is harder than it seems...

if you can't read it (there's a small glare and i don't know how to use a scanner) i'll give you the conversation.

girl 1: "Knock knock!"

girl 2: "Uh, no more jokes, please."

girl 1: "Come on, one more. Knock knock!"

girl 2: "Fine. Who's there?"

girl 1: "Uh, Grace. An Invisible Child of Uganda."

girl 2: "Grace who?"

girl 1 doesn't reply

girl 2: "Grace WHO?"

girl 1: "I'm not supposed to answer. The children, and really any citizen, of Uganda have no voice in their government, or about anything. They are really invisible."

girl 2: "Really? Wow..."

girl 1: "Yeah, it's really sad, but it's a really big issue."

girl 2: "Huh, I had no idea. Hey, what happened to your funny jokes?"

Ta Da!

Invisible Children

Of course we all know about the war in Iraq, it is effecting all of us as we know it. But do you know about the war in Uganda, Africa? Most of the soldiers are kids, ranging from 7-18. They are kidnapped, tortured brutally, and sometimes killed for no reason. They are forced to kill their own people, probably family and friends as well. People leave their homes and villages to sleep in big buildings where a lot of people stay so they can be safe. The rooms are packed with people, every inch of the floor is occupied. These people are scared to death of this army, The Resistance Army. I don't know if you've ever been to Africa (I haven't yet, but I will in the near future) but the kids are so full of hope even though they have nothing, they are grateful for the one outfit they own, maybe one orange a week. They will walk up to you and grab your hand, play with you even though they don't know you at all. They've been calling for our help for many, MANY years and we say we see their suffering, but what have we done to help? One voice will not help. We must speak as a nation, a united nation. We must stand up for those too weak, show that there is hope left because with the help of the Lord, ANYTHING is possible!! Discover the unseen-Invisible Children. What are you going to do about it??

click here to visit the site. There you can purchase shirts, bracelets (which I and many of my friends have), and a documentary about 3 college guys' trip to Africa. All this will go to helping the people of Uganda and ultimatley help to stop this war!!!

May God bless those of you big enough to make a difference and may He be with those in dire need of love and hope all around the world. My prayers are with you...you're in my thoughts.

Quote of the Day

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”

We always strive to be "perfect" but there's no such thing. Chances are, whether we think it or not, someone out there thinks we're perfect, just the way we are. There's always someone out there that's going to be smarter, prettier, better at sports, taller, skinnier, etc. We need to stop comparing and start being ourselves. That's the only person who truly matters. We need to be happy with who we are because that's who God wants us to be. You're perfect when you're the best you you can be. :)

"Don't let anyone tell you that you're not strong enough. Dont give up, there's nothing wrong with just being yourself that's more than enough..." -Hannah Montana

Have a happy day. :)

just a shout out

Lately, I've been thinking about my friends and how lucky I am to have them, and everything they've done for me. Life has been really stressful but I know that you're always there for me, and will always love me and have my back, no matter what. Without you, I wouldn't, couldn't be me. You all have shaped me to be the person I am. Whether I've known you 3 months or 3 years, you've impacted my life in such a way that I will never forget. You've helped me through so much, and for this I want to say thank you. All the time we spend laughing, making fun of each other, talking, I cherish those moments, I cherish our friendship. So know, even when times get rough, even when the world seems to walk out, a best friend walks in...and that's what YOU are to ME. :) You all know who you are. You will forever have a spot in my heart, always always always have my love. YOU ROCK MY SOCKS OFF!!!

all my love and much much more,

aubrea <3

who, what, where, when, why and how?

ok, so we're back into the swing of things with our reading of guns, germs and steel. we just finished chapter 9: Zebras, Unhappy Marriages, and the Anna Karenina Principle. it was actually quite enthralling. of course, it wouldn't be right to be able to just read, but show what we got out of what we read by answering a question or two.

There are several different species whose domestication has been tried, and failed. Give 3 reasons why you think these species resisted domestication.

1. Some amazing and powerful species out there(gorillas, elephants) cannot be domestucated because one "trait" of domestication is quick growth. These two are sdmirable because they are vegetarians and don't really care what they eat and they would provide A LOT of meat. But, who would want to wait 15 years before a herd has finished growing; they're all adults? This is just too much time. It also costs a ton to have to breed an animal for that long. It was much cheaper to capture and tame elephants and gorillas. Keeo in mind though, tamed and domestication are two completley different things. Being tamed is only one step in the process of domestication.

2. One rather interesting thing about some species of animals who have been failed to domesticate(cheetahs, pandas) refuse or can't reproduce in captivity. For some animals there are certain mating rituals that cannot be performed in a cage. For instance, in the wild the cheetah is chased for many days by males. This difficult distance is almost required for the female to ovulate and become secually perceptive. We like to have privacy, why can't we give the animals theirs? Another very interesting about reproducing in captivity is the panda. The Panda just doesn't seem to want to. Biologists/zoologists have a full-time job and are being paid to get Pandas to mate. They simply refuse. Scientists even go to the extent of dimming the lights, putting on music, making different scents, giving them different foods, and showing them "panda porn". No joke. They show pandas in captivity videos with other pandas...anything to get them in the mood. I just think it's amazing how intelligent and stubborn some animals are.

3. Some animals are impossible to domesticate because they are so dangerous. Most of the large mammal candidates for domestucation are capable of killing a human. Many of these mammals also get more dangerous as they get older, as they can benefit us more. Zebras are one of the most dangerous mammals out there. They have a habit of biting, and then not letting go. They injure more American zookeepers each year than the tiger! They are also extremely hard to catch(lasso with a rope) because they have the ability to see where the rope is going and duck to avoid it. Hence, you can't saddle and ride a zebra. Of course the zebra sn't the only large mammal who does this, but it's all I have time for today.

Many species would have been very beneficial to us if domesticated, but some just blatantly didn't want to be. There are a variety of reasons why they weren't domesticated, and probably won't be tried ever again.

yet another poem...

i have another poem for all of you. this week (the 3 days it has been) have been tough for me because i felt like i was losing a best friend. everyday, they slipped away even more. everything is ok now, but i seriously thought we weren't going to be friends anymore and i was scared. i put A LOT of emotion and feeling into this and i think it's one of my best.

Need To See You Smile

You didn't stop by today to talk

Your eyes met mine, but you walked away

Did something go wrong?

Or is it just time to move on?

Change is all around, moving things around

but I never thought we'd grow apart

My arms are still open

My hands here to told, if you want them

I'm always here, if you need me

Our backs are turned, I'm facing the wall

The light is nowhere to be found

I need your touch to survive

I respect you too much to follow everywhere you go

I wait for you, but you're not there

Please come back to me

You don't need to hide

I just need to see your smile