A smattering of the long overdue

In my opinion, this blog entry is long overdue and who knows how long it will go. I've neglected to blog in my thoughts over the past month or so because there are so many, and I doubt that I could expound all the things I've been thinking about.

Living in Philadelphia has taught me a lot about snatching up opportunities that will be gone in a breath, and I miss them all the time. It's hard to go far in the city without seeing the homeless asking for change or lunch or curled up in a ball; and seeing the rest of us pass by as if those human beings were invisible. What kills me is that I'm not just an observer, but often times I'm a participant in this blind walking... although I don't think any of us are blind to it. I'd like to think that I'm not indifferent or uncaring, because I see every single one; rather, I am immobilized by two things: what can I offer? and will I be safe? Most of the homeless are men so - to my shame - concern for my safety tends to take precedence over my servitude. What is a very small relief is that when asked, and if I have it on me, I will give change. But even then I feel like I should and could do more.
Thankfully, God brought in two opportunities for me to serve two people on different accounts by offering food and conversation. I sat with a woman named Sianni for a long time, and listened to her story of abuse and emotional disturbances. Despite her situation, her physical and emotional ailments, she had such a deep sense of hope that God was still taking care of her. I'd been wanting to see her again since our meeting, but haven't found her.
The other was a man named Gregory, who'd been sitting in the same place for at least 8 hours that day (I had passed him few times throughout my coming and going) and needed water. He'd been a wanderer of sorts, and recently kicked out of his brother's home. He doesn't like the homeless shelters because they are dirty. He also said that he doesn't like when people pass and don't do anything, and that he can hear the things they say while walking away. Gregory believes in God, and I tried to encourage him to hope in Christ, that He would provide something better for him, and that maybe from the point that he gets to his sister's he could start over again. I prayed with him, that God would help him to find a job in construction because that's what he likes to do.

I'm so thankful that God provided these opportunities and also - somehow - managed to urge me to act. It's relieving, and I could only guess what other opportunities may arise or if I would meet these two again.
It puts an interesting spin on how things have been going for myself financially, since I've recently found myself near some stickiness. By stickiness I mean that things are tight, and I don't like the spot I'm in. I know that things could be worse, I see it every day, and I try to remind myself that the Lord is taking care of me. I know that He is... I know that He still remains as my Abba, Jehova Jira, Adonai.... and so I must learn to pray that God would teach me to be content in this spot, even though I don't like it. There are so many little things that are easily clouded over, that I take advantage of that are wonderful blessings. The apartment I live in, my understanding roommate, the bed I sleep in, the food I'm still able to eat. God's grace on me is so deep and His love so profound that I cannot fully grasp it. Just the very fact that His Son was nailed to a cross covers my inmost needs ought to be reason enough to worship, praise, and dance with joy. I need constant reminders to bring it back to the forefront and give me strength to press onward without anxiety, which so easily entangles me.

Among the little blessings that God has brought into my life is my boyfriend, Scott, who likewise is going through some financial stickiness. It's amazing to me that despite our financial issues we are still able to see each other and then not be redirecting our monetary frustration at one another. It's a huge relief, actually; I know what it looks like to have one thing bothering the snot out of someone and then have it cast out onto other people. It's pretty ugly and it doesn't help with anything anyways. God has used Scott to point out my own faults and tell me things I don't necessarily want to hear, all in gentle ways. He waits patiently through my times of silent frustration and tries to draw me out, and empathizes in a way that isn't all together familiar to me. He's been instrumental in the ways God has been challenging and encouraging me, to which only God can be given the praise and glory for. Although two hours in this day and age is practically nothing compared to other relationships, I do want for Scott to live closer. But I suppose the wonderful thing about our relationship is that physical distance doesn't seem to make a difference right now; we still are growing closer. It just gets harder and harder to say goodbye.

I've been enjoying Philadelphia, for sure, and getting to know the students that I hang out with. I've been wanting to do more, but that's where the financial end of things gets in the way sometimes. It's also difficult right now because it's summer. Yet I won't have to wait much longer - the new school year is just around the bend, and I'm excited to find out what God has in store for us all. There is a lot of hurting and questions and ambivalence that I see in the faces of people that are not that much younger than myself, and I want so much to see it healed and making sense. How do I do this? How do I dig deeper without offending or asking the right questions at the right time? Really, it's not me at all and I know this. It's another thing I have to remind myself of and rely on the Holy Spirit to do what I do. I have to remember also that the same power that God used to raise Christ from the dead is the same power He can utilize to work through me and use me for His purposes. What a relief to know that I don't have to depend on my feeble strength and flawed dispositions!

As for art... well, I'm sure that there is much I could say, with little fruit to show for it. I haven't been able to work on art nearly as much as I'd been wanting to. I haven't been exploring ideas or tossing out poetic thoughts onto paper really... it's all bottling up and soon I could foresee it exploding somewhere if I can just manage to divvy out my time right.

I suppose that's all I will write for now. If we're lucky, I'll get some more thoughts out there about books I've been reading and whatnot.

Bashir lies, Darfur dies

Sao Paulo

Thank you.

SÃO PAULO: Imagine a modern metropolis with no outdoor advertising: no billboards, no flashing neon signs, no electronic panels with messages crawling along the bottom.

Come the new year, this city of 11 million, overwhelmed by what the authorities call visual pollution, plans to press the "delete all" button and offer its residents unimpeded views of their surroundings.

But in proposing to transform the landscape, officials have unleashed debate and brought into conflict sharply differing concepts of what this city, South America's largest and most prosperous, should be.

City planners, architects and environmental advocates have argued enthusiastically that the prohibition, through a new "clean city" law, brings São Paulo a welcome step closer to an imagined urban ideal.

The law is "a rare victory of the public interest over private, of order over disorder, aesthetics over ugliness, of cleanliness over trash," Roberto Pompeu de Toledo, a columnist and author of a history of São Paulo, wrote in the weekly newsmagazine Veja. "For once in life, all that is accustomed to coming out on top in Brazil has lost."

But advertising and business groups regard the legislation as injurious to society and an affront to their professions. They say that free expression will be inhibited, jobs will be lost and consumers will have less information on which to base purchasing decisions. They also argue that streets will be less safe at night with the loss of lighting from outdoor advertising.

"This is a radical law that damages the rules of a market economy and respect for the rule of law," said Marcel Solimeo, chief economist of the Commercial Association of São Paulo, which has 32,000 members. "We live in a consumer society and the essence of capitalism is the availability of information about products."

The statute's most visible impact promises to be at eye level and above. The outsized billboards and screens that dominate the skyline, promoting everything from automobiles, jeans and cellphones to banks and sex shops, will have to come down. All other forms of publicity in public spaces, like distribution of fliers, will also stop.

The law also regulates the dimensions of store signs, and will force many well-known companies to reduce them substantially by a formula based on the size of their facades. Another provision, much criticized by owners of transportation companies, outlaws advertising of any kind on the sides of the city's thousands of buses and taxis.

The law, as passed, also applied to advertising banners trailed by airplanes and ads on blimps. But in the first of what promises to be a long series of legal challenges, a court ruled the clause unconstitutional on the grounds that the federal government, not the city, controls airspace.

"What we are aiming for is a complete change of culture," said Roberto Tripoli, president of the City Council and one of the main sponsors of the legislation. "Yes, some people are going to have to pay a price. But things were out of hand and the population has made it clear it wants this."

The law, approved by a vote of 45 to 1 in September, goes into effect on Jan. 1. Opponents complain that the date does not allow enough time for merchants to comply, that fines of up to $4,500 for violations are extreme and that the result will inevitably be a diminishing of urban life — "like New York without Times Square or Tokyo without the Ginza," Solimeo said.

"I think this city is going to become a sadder, duller place," said Dalton Silvano, who cast the sole dissenting vote and is in the advertising business. "Advertising is both an art form and, when you're in your car or alone on foot, a form of entertainment that helps relieve solitude and boredom."

This is not the city's first effort to regulate outdoor advertising. A few years ago it was prohibited in the historic downtown area. But there have been complaints about inspectors taking bribes and advertisers simply flouting the law.

"All our efforts to negotiate have had no effect because none of the accords and agreements we reached with the advertising sector were ever complied with," Mayor Gilberto Kassab said in an interview. "A billboard that was forced to come down would be back up a week later in a different spot. There was a climate of impunity."

Since "it is hard in a city of 11 million to find enough equipment and personnel to determine what was and wasn't legal, we decided to go all the way, to zero things out," Kassab said. "When you prohibit everything, society itself becomes your partner in enforcing the law" and reporting violations.

Popular reaction has largely been supportive.

"I'm in favor of anything that improves the way this city looks, and this law will definitely make things better," said Fernando Gil, 25, a student interviewed on Avenida Paulista, the main street in the heart of the financial district. "All that neon and bright lights, it just doesn't fit here."

Advertising companies generally acknowledge that abuses of public space have occurred and that a majority of the city's estimated 13,000 outdoor billboards have been installed illegally. But they also complain that they are being made scapegoats, and that the real problem lies elsewhere.

"It is not politically correct to talk about the million-plus posters and signs that small businesses and mechanics' shops have up all over the place, because they are poor," said Francesc Petit, a prominent advertising executive who has spoken out against the law. "It's easier to attack McDonald's and Coca-Cola and the banks, because that doesn't offend anybody."

Kassab said that once the situation is under control he hopes to allow limited, strictly regulated advertising at bus stops, newsstands, outdoor street clocks and public bathrooms. But some residents who support the new legislation hope that day never comes, even if it were to profit the city's coffers.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/12/news/brazil.php


P.S. There has been a LOT going on in my world, from rabbits to homeless women to travel plans. Woo!