RobinRaven.com

My heart is broken by the tragedy in Haiti. A look at these "New York Times" photographs is devastating. Google even moved to quickly change its imagery post-quake. From a distance, the horror can be seen and felt. I can only imagine what those experiencing it are feeling. 

I have been trying to figure out how I can help. My fellow Twitter users were also wondering that...and some were reporting found ways to help. Yoko Ono reported, "Help Haiti. Please donate $5 by texting YELE to 501501 on your cellphone." Yele is partnering to help with disaster relief efforts.

The Red Cross is working hard to help Haitians. I also found out that a clear way to help. Donate $10 to the Red Cross: simply texting HAITI to 90999. It will simply show up on the next phone bill. This was widely reported and has been confirmed by the organization.

The Republic of Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America. Two days ago, on January 12, it was struck by a 7.0 earthquake; that's the most severe earthquake that the country has seen in over 200 years. The Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN that he believed hundreds of thousands of lives were or would be lost due to the quake. 

I so want to do something that will truly help. I have looked at lots of ways and ideas. A lot of companies are helping the relief efforts. I will continue my search on what I, as an individual, can do.

"The 12 Days of Christmas." It's easy to hear the tune in your head. There is a lot of religious symbolism in the song and in the keeping of the twelve days of Christmas. The twelve days of Christmas run from December 25 through January 5. On the evening of January 5 (the literal 12th day of Christmas), Twelfth Night is traditionally celebrated. The Feast of the Epiphany is then the next day, January 6. This time period is often called Christmastime. I recently wrote an article on the topic, and the research made me want to find out even more about it.

Not only is there symbolism in the twelve days of Christmas, there is symbolism behind each and every carefully chosen lyric of the song.

The true love of the song referred to God. The two turtledoves represented the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. The three French hens stoof for the virtues of hope, charity and faith. The four calling birds were, in fact, the four calling gospels; they represented the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The first five books of the Bible are the five golden rings of the songs. The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).

The six days of creation found a place in the song as the symbol of the six laying geese. The seven sacrements were substituted with seven swimming swans. The eight beatitudes were represented by weight milking maids.

The nine fruits of God appear as the nine ladies dancing, an eloquent imagery. The ten lords leaping may be easily guessed as representing the ten commandments if you've been paying attention so far. :-) The eleven pipers stood for the eleven faithful disciple of Jesus (no Judas included).

Last--and not, by any means, least--is the twelve drummers drumming. They stood for twelve points of the Apostle's Creed.

Understanding this backgroud of the song may help dispel some of the oddity. Imagining a true love with an affinity for owning birds was a bit perplexing to me. Finding out the symbolism behind the song helped me to appreciate and enjoy it in a new day. Just a bit of food for thought.

May you have a very happy Twelfth Day of Christmas tomorrow...and a very festive Twelfth Night.

I saw "Avatar" at an early morning showing. I must warn you: the following entry contains SPOILERS. If you haven't seen the movie, you might want to skip this entry until you do. And I do encourage you to see it...and in 3D!

Overall, I really liked the movie. I've long liked the work of James Cameron. I started college the year after "Titanic" came out, and the students in film history class mocked me for daring to like the *gasp* most successful film ever. It didn't stop me from continuing my affinity for the movie and his work.

Animation isn't my favorite genre. I guess I should admit that, but I was wowed over the art of the movie. It's rare that a film can so fully immerse the imagination into its world. The 3D complimented the film, but it didn't overpower it. There was no relying on those 3D tricks to make you jump out of your seat. It simply helped the story and the film.

I really enjoyed the metaphors that I perceived from the film, whether they were inferred or implied. Strong statements on the current practices of humans of this country on our own planet...or was that just me?

I was really into the movie at first. My empathy was with Jake, the paraplegic marine taking on a courageous mission after the passing of his brother, and the people of Pandora. Even after the first life-or-death show down where Pandora native Neytiri saves Jake's life, I tried to dismiss the animal slaughter in it as self-defense. Who knows what one would do in a life-or-death situation? The lovely Neytiri is even very ticked off that the animals had to die, leading me to believe that her world must be a compassionate one.

As Neytiri introduces Jake into her world, however, it's clear that the people of Pandora exploit and murder animals the same as people on earth. Hunting is considered a rite of passage, and the taming of the animals that are used by them resembles the cruelty and inhumanity of breaking horses. I was always one to empathize with animals in films, ever since early childhood (Do you even realize how messed up "Old Yeller" is?). A large part of teaching Jake her ways involved teaching him ways to hurt the animals. That's not natural for a people pursuing kindness, as I had hoped this planet would be.

I thought that it was a bit hypocritical and didn't serve the story that the people that we most empathized with, the ill-fated souls native to Pandora, seemed to feel no empathy for those that they had dominion over. There was talk of connecting to the animals while commanding and using them and thanking them after being killed, but that's self-serving b.s. that took me right out of the story, perhaps because it's how I've often heard people rationalize murdering animals for meat and other frivolities on this particular planet. No animal that you've just slaughtered and are using gives an eff if you thank them.

I so wanted to be immersed in this Pandora planet, and I was disappointed that this group of people who seemed to have so much pride in respecting their planet and being connected to what is pure and right would be equally exploitative over what things they could get power over. Did nobody else notice this parallel to how the Americans were exploiting the planet of Pandora...and how the native souls on Pandora were exploiting animals themselves?

We all come into a film with out own stuff going on. People will all perceive it somewhat differently. It's not for me to project my own views into the world of the movie, but I did get taken aback by animal cruelty, as I always do in films, fictional or otherwise.

I should say: Using animated animals in a film is THE way to go. I'm not criticizing the filmmaker for the story told or the methods used to tell it. (Hurray that no actual animals were exploited as too often happens in film). My only gripe is that the characters in the story disappointed my expectations for them.

I love such sci-fi movies like "Logan's Run" that depict a future world where people shudder at the time when people weren't vegan. ;) I really liked "Avatar," too.

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas. It may be our last. Next year, all our lives may be just in the past," so sang the original lyrics to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as it was written for the musical "Meet Me in St. Louis." However, Judy Garland refused to sing those morbid lyrics to child star Margaret O'Brien in the scene, and Christmas music history was made with the revision.

My mentioning those original lyrics may cast light on my previous holiday mood. However, I'm forever thankful for all of my blessings and experiences in this life. I was in the midst of writing a blog entry, then it was accidentally deleted when I clicked a link away from my update without clicking "save." Oh, well. Can't sweat the small stuff.

I had decided against trying to re-post in any way, shape or form. However, I then received some GREAT news. I recently posted my letter written in protest to the horrible, planned slaughter of deer in Valley Forge. Lee Hall posted this update:

"'National Park Service officials have called off this winter's long-planned and highly controversial deer kill at Valley Forge National Historical Park.' - Jeff Gammage, Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the successful legal challenge brought by Friends of Animals, CARE, and Denver University's Environmental Law Clinic"

Thank you to Friends of Animals, CARE and Denver University's Environmental Law Clinic!  This is a huge victory for animals, and it will ricochet in how it helps others.

My Christmas is now a merry one. I hope yours is, too.

Did I learn my lesson from the Facebook debate? Well, not until I finished the Twitter one. Then it clicked!!!

I was a long-time PETA member. I first joined as a child. As a kid, I had decided to be a vegetarian for ethical reasons. I later won a PETA2 songwriting contest for my lyrics, and I've done all kinds of animal rights activism through the year and supported PETA in many ways. I've applied to work there. I even received a job offer from them once, and I couldn't take it. I've long defended the animal rights organization. That's before I knew where they stood on people of different body sizes.

Ingrid Newkirk spoke a lot of hateful things on her blog that also was proven to fully distort the studies it cited. She said such mean things as, "People are obese because they shovel in food and haven't a clue (or don't want to have a clue) about a healthy diet." She also says, "The majority of fat people need to have some discipline and remember that being fat means being a bad role model to our children."

My Twitter debate all started innocently enough. I wanted to applaud the Thanksgiving commercial that PETA put out (and was banned by NBC from airing during the Thanksgiving Day Parade). It's this one: http://www.peta.org/FeatureGrace.asp

Well, I posted by first tweet.

Robin: I lost a LOT of respect for @officialpeta with their body hate campaigns, but I have to say that the new Thanksgiving commercial rocks.

PETA: Our campaigns r about loving one's body & being proud of it. Being #vegan is the best way 2 luv ur body. The grace ad rules tho!

Robin: At least be honest. Your ads were FULL of body hate, stating fat people can't be role models. I do love the Thanksgiving ad.

PETA: We will have 2 agree 2 disagree on that 1! Have a gr8 holiday!

Robin: It's stated on your blog written by your founder Ingrid. I'm not stating an opinion, but a fact. I'd be ashamed of it, too.

Robin: How does one disagree that they said something that's stated on their official blog for all to see? Ask PETA.

Robin: Quoting Ingrid on PETA's official site: "remember that being fat means being a bad role model to our children."

PETA: So r u saving that we should teach children that obesity is not a problem?

Robin: Way to spin what I never said. Caught in a lie, deflect. :-) Role models come in all shapes and sizes.

PETA: No, not a lie. Healthy individuals r the best role models 4 children & so it is our responsibility 2 lead by example.

Robin: Became peta member as kid. Won peta2 song contest. Longtime member. Imagine my shock to know fat vegans are dissed.

PETA: It's not about dissing any1, it's about becoming the healthiest 1 can b. Obesity by def is said 2 have adverse effect on health.

Robin: Healthy people come in all sizes. There are many other animal rights organizations that aren't cruel that I now support.

PETA: Obesity does not = health, therefore healthy ppl do not come in ALL sizes. This is not 2 say the only healthy size is small.

Robin: Way to spin. You state disagreeing with me citing what your ad said. When I pointed out a quote, you spin differently. I see you are just as ignorant of the studies as your founder. There are fat people every bit as healthy as thin.

Robin: Anyway, I do apologize for giving you a second chance from the grace ad. I see your just as prejudiced as ever. Bye Bye, PETA!

**end of tweets**

I would like to further speak about how there are better animal rights organizations that aren't cruel and hating on people who don't meet their size requirements!

I'd love to know which charities and organizations you plan to support at the holidays? On Thanksgiving, I especially want to help one that helps animals.

I love AdoptaTurkey.org by Farm Sancturay.

FriendsofAnimals.org is also wonderful.

Let me know what you think. :)