Just Some Fun - Try This Quiz

Check This Out!

Your Theme Song is Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow

"I've got no one to blame For every time I feel lame I'm looking up" You're laid back, optimistic, and very together Like the sun, people feel warm and comfortable around you

What's Your Theme Song?

Do You Like Sheryl Crow, too?

Canadian and US Alerts Now On This Blog

Have you heard of "Code Amber Alerts" yet? If you're not from Canada or the USA, you may not have heard of them. They're systems of alerting the general public when a child has been kidnapped or abducted. If you are from Canada or the USA, please note that I am placing real-time Code Amber Alert system tickers on the blog as of NOW, today. Please take note of the tickers from time to time to see if something has occurred in your area.

In 1996, a little girl named Amber Hagerman was outdoors riding her bicycle in a public area - in Arlington, Texas. Someone kidnappened her, snatching her from her play. Later, this person brutally murdered Amber. People saw Amber with someone on this day, but they didn't know it was the KIDNAPPER, so they didn't do anything. The Amber Alert system had not been developed yet. In fact, the Code Amber Alert system is named in Amber Hagerman's memory. The community in the Arlington area raised a resounding and powerful voice, following Amber's kidnapping and consequent murder, and they urged officials, broadcasting services (radio, TV, internet, ad and billboard services) and the like, to create a better way of informing the public about kidnapping and abduction incidents.

Co-operation was achieved in the state of Texas for quite some time, however, the idea of a widespread Amber Alert system didn't get off thr ground until 2002. On August 23rd 2002, an organization called 'Code Amber' went 'live,' and in less than a year, in April 2003, US President, Bush, signed papers declaring the 'Amber Alert' system a National program!

Code Amber Alert also reaches to cover Canadian regions.

I recall an incident about a year ago in my own area. A woman who needed treatment for psychological, behavioral and addiction issues had her infant taken away by child protective services and other authorities in Alberta. She was overwhelmed and kidnapped her child ('took her child back') during a visit that protective services allowed her to have with the baby. She wasn't a hard-set criminal with intent to kill a child, however, in her state, she was very distraught, and anything could have happened to the child. Nobody knew if she was actively using drugs or if she had 'cleaned up,' but even if she had stopped using drugs, she was deemed as an 'unstable' person.

Anyone who knows anything about the first stages of alcohol or drug recovery knows that it is a time of great emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical distress and that sometimes, one undertaking the 'cleaning up' process is not always in control of their behaviors. In this, though it was her own child and though she likely wouldn't have intentionally harmed her baby, the woman was clearly a danger to the child and the child was yet an infant, unable to cry out for help or do anything in the way of self-protection.

Needless to say...a Code Amber Alert is issued for cases just like this - as well as cases where the 'perpetrator,' 'kidnapper,' or 'abductor' is suspected to have criminal and murderous intent!

Luckily, the Code Amber Alert was broadcast very quickly - within about 2 hours of the act of kidnapping, and the infant was recovered unharmed within 36 hours!

I recall the digital billboards along my transit route displaying the Code Amber Alert only an hour after I saw the regular TV Report on my local news. Further 'Alert' measures continued on the TV screen once regular programming was under way, with a ticker-tape-message-tape being run constantly on-screen while regular programming was maintained. Radio messages ran the audio message every 15 minutes on the station I listened to on the way to my classes, so the effect of a Code Amber Alert was surprisingly wide-spread and extensive! The transit signs which usually just display 'location' even had 'Amber Alert' in place of regular words, so that people would check their radios, TV's, etc.

The rapid rate at which the Code Amber Alert allowed the general public to know about this incident was incredible - and - as stated already - the infant was recovered safely...the mother turned herself in to officials shortly after arranging a way for the baby to be returned first, to child protective and law enforcement services.

A pretty amazing outcome, eh?

Prior to this, I had only heard of the Amber Alerts mainly in the USA and had observed an Alert in my area for a different purpose, however, I hadn't observed such a rapid-fire, successful effect with a positive outcome - right in my area before.

I wish I had found access to the ticker-message for this blog sooner, but I just wasn't paying attention!

Anyhow - I will keep the US and Canada Code Amber Alert tickers on this blog from now on. If you see the ticker with a Yellow/Amber background, that means that there is a current investigation under way and that time is ticking.....someone has just recently kidnapped a child and if you can help, please do so! Pay attention to the messages from the ticker to see if the incident has taken place in your geographical area! You may be able to help a child so that what happened to Amber Hagerman doesn't happen again!

If you notice the tickers are not in working order on this blog, please contact me ASAP so I can find out why and get them back into functioning state.

Thanks, In advance!

It's Only The Fairy Tale (They Believe)

Here's an interesting Anime Video - quite a beautiful piece, actually.

Lyrics are sparse, but here they are:

Performer: Miyamura Yuuko
Composer: Yuki Kajiura


Who are those little girls in pain just trapped in castle of dark side of moon
Twelve of them shining bright in vain like flowers that blossom just once in years
They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love just dreaming of a place where they're free as dove
They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage
It's only the fairy tale they believe

Contributed by hokidoki


(Lyrics found at:)
Anime Lyrics




Enjoy!!

Old Tom Bombadil (Video)

This is a neat little Video-poem presentation that I got permission from Mr. John Farrell (in the video) to post to my blog.

It's a portion of The Adventures Of Tom Bombadil from Lord Of The Rings

Here are the words to accompany Mr. Farrell's recitation and the remainder of the poem not covered in the video will be posted below the media-box:

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM BOMBADIL

Old Tom Bombadil was a merry fellow;
bright blue his jacket was
and his boots were yellow,
green were his girdle and his breeches all of leather;
he wore in his tall hat a swan-wing feather.

He lived up under Hill, where the Withywindle
ran from a grassy well down into the dingle.
Old Tom in summertime walked about the meadows
gathering the buttercups, running after shadows,
tickling the bumblebees that buzzed among the flowers,
sitting by the waterside for hours upon hours.

There his beard dangled long down into the water:
up came Goldberry, the River-woman's daughter;
pulled Tom's hanging hair. In he went a-wallowing
under the water-lilies, bubbling and a-swallowing.

'Hey, Tom Bombadil! Whither are you going?'
said fair Goldberry. 'Bubbles you are blowing,
frightening the finny fish and the brown water-rat,
startling the dabchicks, and drowning your feather-hat!'

'You bring it back again, there's a pretty maiden!'
said Tom Bombadil. 'I do not care for wading.
Go down! Sleep again where the pools are shady
far below willow-roots, little water-lady!'

Back to her mother's house in the deepest hollow
swam young Goldberry. But Tom, he would not follow;
on knotted willow-roots he sat in sunny weather,
drying his yellow boots and his draggled feather.
Up woke Willow-man, began upon his singing,
sang Tom fast asleep under branches swinging;
in a crack caught him tight: snick! it closed together,
trapped Tom Bombadil, coat and hat and feather.

'Ha. Tom Bombadil! What be you a-thinking,
peeping inside my free, watching me a-drinking
deep in my wooden house, tickling me with feather,
dripping wet down my face like a rainy weather?'

'You let me out again, Old Man Willow!
I am stiff lying here; they're no sort of pillow,
your hard crooked roots. Drink your river-water!
Go back to sleep again like the River-daughter!'

Willow-man let him loose when he heard him speaking;
locked fast his wooden house, muttering and creaking,
whispering inside the tree. Out from willow-dingle
Tom went walking on up the Withywindle.
Under the forest-eaves he sat a while a-listening:
on the boughs piping birds were chirruping and whistling.
Butterflies about his head went quivering and winking,
until grey clouds came up, as the sun was sinking.

Then Tom hurried on. Rain began to shiver,
round rings spattering in the running river;
a wind blew, shaken leaves chilly drops were dripping;
into a sheltering hole Old Tom went skipping.
Out came Badger-brock with his snowy forehead
and his dark blinking eyes. In the hill he quarried
with his wife and many sons.

By the coat they caught him, pulled him inside their earth,
down their tunnels brought him.
Inside their secret house, there they sat a-mumbling:
'Ho, Tom Bombadil' Where have you come tumbling,
bursting in the front-door? Badger-folk have caught you.
You'll never find it out, the way that we have brought you!'

'Now. old Badger-brock, do you hear me talking?
You show me out at once! I must be a-walking.
Show me to your backdoor under briar-roses;
then clean grimy paws, wipe your earthy noses!
Go back to sleep again on your straw pillow,
like fair Goldberry and Oid Man Willow!'







Then all the Badger-folk said: 'We beg your pardon!'
They showed Tom out again to their thorny garden,
went back and hid themselves, a-shivering and a-shaking,
blocked up all their doors, earth together raking.

Rain had passed. The sky was clear, and in the summer-gloaming
Old Tom Bombadil laughed as he came homing,
unlocked his door again, and opened up a shutter.
In the kitchen round the lamp moths began to flutter:
Tom through the window saw waking stars come winking,
and the new slender moon early westward sinking.

Dark came under Hill. Tom, he lit a candle;
upstairs creaking went, turned the door-handle.
'Hoo. Tom Bombadil' Look what night has brought you!
I'm here behind the door. Now at last I've caught you!
You'd forgotten Barrow-wight dwelling in the old mound
up there on hill-top with the ring of stones round.

He's got loose again. Under earth he'll take you.
Poor Tom Bombadil pale and cold he'll make you!'
'Go out! Shut the door, and never come back after!
Take away gleaming eyes, take your hollow laughter!
Go back to grassy mound, on your stony pillow
lay down your bony head, like Old Man Willow,
like young Goldberry, and Badger-folk in burrow!
Go back to buried gold and forgotten sorrow!'

Out fled Barrow-wight through the window leaping,
through the yard, over wall like a shadow sweeping,
up hill wailing went back to leaning stone-rings, back under lonely mound,
rattling his bone-rings.
Old Tom Bombadil lay upon his pillow sweeter than Goldberry, quieter than the Willow,
snugger than the Badger-folk or the Barrow-dwellers;
slept like a humming-top, snored like a bellows.

He woke in morning-light, whistled like a starling,
sang, 'Come, derry-dol, merry-dol, my darling!'
He clapped on his battered hat, boots, and coat and feather;
opened the window wide to the sunny weather.

Wise old Bombadil, he was a wary fellow;
bright blue his jacket was, and his boots were yellow.
None ever caught old Tom in upland or in dingle,
walking the forest-paths, or by the Withywindle,
or out on the lily-pools in boat upon the water.
But one day Tom, he went and caught the River-daughter,
in green gown, flowing hair, sitting in the rushes,
singing old water-songs to birds upon the bushes.

He caught her, held her fast! Water-rats went scuttering
reeds hissed, herons cried, and her heart was fluttering.
Said Tom Bombadil: 'Here's my pretty maiden!
You shall come home with me! The table is all laden:
yellow cream, honeycomb, white bread and butter;
roses at the window-sill and peeping round the shutter.
You shall come under Hill! Never mind your mother
in her deep weedy pool: there you'll find no lover!'

Old Tom Bombadil had a merry wedding,
crowned all with buttercups, hat and feather shedding;
his bride with forgetmenots and flag-lilies for garland
was robed all in silver-green. He sang like a starling,
hummed like a honey-bee, lilted to the fiddle,
clasping his river-maid round her slender middle.
Lamps gleamed within his house, and white was the bedding;
in the bright honey-moon Badger-folk came treading,
danced down under Hill, and Old Man Willow
tapped, tapped at window-pane, as they slept on the pillow,
on the bank in the reeds River-woman sighing
heard old Barrow-wight in his mound crying.

Old Tom Bombadil heeded not the voices,
taps, knocks, dancing feet, all the nightly noises;
slept till the sun arose, then sang like a starling:
'Hey! Come derry-dol, merry-dol, my darling!'
sitting on the door-step chopping sticks of willow,
while fair Goldberry combed her tresses yellow.

Comments On "A Reward of Merit"

I really appreciated the 'dialogue' in this piece by Booth Tarkington. The way the boys speak is really believable and I could imagine the young boys in my neighborhood 'engineering' stunts and adventures the same way that Penrod and Sam connived about making money of old Whitey!

I even stoped to read aloud, finding that the dialogue parts sounded even more 'real' that way, or at least, the story 'speech' sounded to me the same as when I listen to real children talk amongst themselves, cutting out 'proper' elements of speech when there are no adults around.

I thought it was funny the way that Penrod was 'the leader' all the time and 'Sam' followed - because I have observed this behavior in my own family when children gather to play. Someone always seems to initiate activities and others follow the lead - at least for a while.

This is one of the most enjoyable short story bits that I've read since I've been posting. It was refreshing to read about a childs' perspective and to read 'easy-going' language.

Feel free to make comments.