Welcome - willkommen!


Blogging in English und auf Deutsch.
English: A key topic of this blog certainly is Bullying, and what can be done against it.
Deutsch: Ein Kernthema dieses Blogs is ganz sicherlich Mobbing, und was dagegen getan werden kann.
E: There are still lots of other topics here, too - feel free to cruise around and take a look :-)!
D: Es gibt aber auch noch viele andere Themen - schaut Euch einfach um :-)!
E: I look forward to comments on my blog entries!
D: Ich freue mich über Kommentare zu meinen Blog-Einträgen!

In the banner picture: Libera.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Three Months




I established the YouTube channel

Kelvinwontcry2

on April20th 2009
one day after the tragic and unnecessary death
of

Kelvin / Kel
(YouTube name: kelvinwontcry)

Thank you very much to everyone who, since then,
has been a guest at this memorial place for

... a great kid
... a fun guy
... a brave and courageous boy
... a thinker of smartness and wisdom way beyond his age
... a loving and caring soul
...and a wonderful friend.


______________________________


Among those who discovered Kelvinwontcry2,
watched the videos there and left heartwarming comments
and even made and sent me tribute videos for Kel
there are some YouTubers who have become special friends:

Allan Clellard-Goddard
who sang the song
"Oklahoma" by Billy Gilman
as a tribute for Kel
(who watched the original video for this song every day,
"Because it gives me hope")

Jacob
(YouTube name jafaceinthehall)
and
Richie
(YouTube name ytfan96)

who both made tribute videos for Kel.
Sadly their channels are no longer online,
but they gave me permission to re-upload their videos
to Kelvinwontcry2.

Rosemarie
(YouTube name LovesBWayAndSinging)
who chose a wonderful song and made the video
Memory of Kel

Harry
who has become a wonderful friend of mine
and helped me with making the video
For Us

and

Sarah
a friend of mine who cared a lot for Kel
and became friends with him on YouTube

______________________________


And finally
there was
Mike.

You can learn more about this very special friendship
that connected us
in a blog I wrote
for the one month anniversary of Mike's death day:

One Month ... From missing to remembering

______________________________

.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Me, going 21st century, obviously ... and still being dubious about it


Swimming with the flow?
Maybe ...


Becoming inconsequent?
A bit ...


Getting to use stuff only when I see a need for it?
Definitely!

______________________________


Okay, that last one might save my butt here :-) ...

To get you on track: I'm referring to my, among close friends, well known reluctance of jumping on every new train — gadget wise.

And to be even more specific:

I'm talking about those kind of weird forms of presenting yourself to the world by online tools ... Yes, like this blog here, for instance. But the blog thingy is kinda to my liking, as I can ramble on basically without limits, and also add up optical and acoustical stuff even — meaning I can, within certain limits, be creative.

______________________________


Yet:

How creative can you be, if you only have 140 characters at your disposal, spaces included? That's less than a regular SMS, for crying out loud!

And to what avail do you hurl yourself onto a Vanity Fair where you "know" hundreds or even thousands of people, send virtual bumper stickers (... what the ... ?) and play games like "Which country would you be"?

______________________________


The analytical minds among you out there, my dear zero blog readers (or at least frighteningly close to zero), have realized now what I am talking about:

Twitter, and Facebook

And, to make a long story short
(... ha ha — me? Am I SICK??)
(shush!)

... to make a long story short:
Yes, I have Twitter, and I have Facebook.

______________________________


Anyone who said those sentences to me in the past, would always get the reply "Get well!" — a heartfelt wish, that those illness-like sounding retributions would soon be gone again. But obviously, this wish is never strong enough to rid my stricken friends from their maladies ...

... and more than this: I realize, smitten with remorse, that I got infected myself.

______________________________


So yes, I do have a Twitter account. I established that, because some of my subscriptions and friends on YouTube all of a sudden started to get the hots for this weird tool, seeing it as the next jump in the history of human evolution, obviously, and were all yelling:

"Follow me on Twitter! Stalk me on Twitter!"

... it sounded like willingly triggering and feeding a persecution complex.

So I made a Tweedle-dee-deedle-dee-dee xDD thingy for yours truly, and added some of those guys there.

And I quickly realized that not only were those friends really active on YouTube, but also always found time (in between takes of a video shoot, etc.) to grab their iPhone or computer keyboard, and let the world know that life basically consists of so many trivialities, that it would be a shame not to communicate them ... obviously.

______________________________


I got sick and tired in no time, really following all those people — well, but not, mind you, because they were writing rubbish. No no - there was really funny stuff to be read at times, or even some serious thoughts (consisting of 140 characters maximum, spaces included).

But: Those entries were LEGION!

I follow people who tweet several times a day, and I also follow people who, vice versa, kinda live between tweets several times a day, for a few minutes ... obviously!

As I said: Interesting / entertaining / at least not hurting to read, but wayyyy too many.

So I made it a habit to maybe check into this vividly chirping Aviary of Mini News once or twice a week, not more. And I basically almost never posted something myself — what on Earth should I begin with only 140 characters (spaces included)?! A reply to an entry of one of those who I followed, who I stalked, was the limit.

______________________________


Yet, during the last two weeks or so, things have changed a bit — mainly due to a contact that has developed via YouTube:

As the makers of the Australian short movie RONAN'S ESCAPE do have a Twitter account as well as a Facebook site, I started to become a more frequent visitor of both locations, and I can even be seen posting myself now once in a while, and not only replying.

______________________________


Well, and what exactly is the deal with Facebook? Gee, I'm still not sure.

It is no Blog website. It is no personal Homepage. It's no Twitter.

Somehow, it is a bit of all of those, and also weird things more, like sending virtual bumper stickers and virtual gifts, and playing strange games, and taking obscure tests, and telling all your friends about it.

Oh, and you can become fans of people, celebrities I mean, who you already are a fan of, maybe — but "only" in real life. And that doesn't count. Not really, in the world of Facebook ... obviously.

You got to get these fancies out in the open, by posting them online, and having them shown in your profile.

Speaking of which:

Every single activity you make on Facebook is noted and archived there — whether you became friends with someone, or which link you checked out, whether you said "likes" to a posting or commented on it ... etc. etc.

Let me be frank: It's at least kinda weird. Because, you know ...

On the one hand, everyone freaks out on a daily basis

• about not being able to surf anonymously on the Web any more
• about becoming the transparent human being, an open book of sorts
• about being monitored and controlled all the time
• about "Big Brother is watching you" (quoting George Orwell's novel 1984 - not the TV show ...)

And on the other hand, on Facebook, you make yourself all of that - by your activities there, due to each and every click you make.

It is ... well, as I said before: Kind of weird :-)!

______________________________


I first used Facebook only for posting some news from news websites I found, mostly on the topic of school bullying and suicides of kids (who could not cope with being bullied any more), as this topic is very important and sensitive to me.

The "Share with Facebook" button was a good thing for passing on those messages ... passing them on to all the people on Facebook who, funnily enough, did NOT know I existed there, and therefore NEVER read any of those postings :-)!

______________________________


Okay, okay - I want to be fair, so let me mention something still, before I come to a close with this blog entry here ...

There are a few really good friends now, too (on Twitter, and on Facebook), who I knew already before ... who came there and enrich my life on these Social Networking Sites. I admit that. And it is a pleasure having them there.

They make the whole thing more interesting.

So thank you for that ... tweedlee, deedle, dee and dee ... oh, and then there's still Rockin' Robin, the guy who made me come to Facebook in the first place :-)))!

______________________________


Well, I'll see what happens, and how things there proceed and develop with me.

I'll make a tweet about my experiences :-)!

______________________________

.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

The Sun Will Find Us All Eventually


Someone special just sent me this video ... and I could not agree more with the message that it conveys.

Thank you, Jacob.
--Michael.

______________________________

.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

To Jacob ... Alex and Nat Wolff feat. Barack Obama, YES WE CAN


A good friend sent me the above mentioned video.


And while I was finishing this post here,
sharing this video with my blog ...

(Note:
The post looked completely different then,
just posting the video
and the song's lyrics,
and delivering some
4th of July greetings)

... this friend was
closing his YouTube account,
that he had established
only two days before.

It was his second account.
He had closed the first one
because he was being harassed
by some
YouTube hater idiot
and couldn't take it any more.

I was so happy when he came back
about a week later!
Two days ago ...
... only two days.

And we messaged again,
and shared
good videos
and
good thoughts.

I thought he was fine,
felt comfortable and secure
and was able to make a fresh start.

He wasn't.

He sent me a short good bye message ...

______________________________

thanks

thanks
appericate everything
i am feeling not good about somethings
and it's just never going to be the same
take care


______________________________


That's all that I have left
for now
from a really nice guy.

The hater idiots,
scum of the Web,
ignorant, spiteful and antisocial
vermin ...

... they are still there
like dog's faeces on a shoe,
sticking and stinking.

Sometimes
I feel like hurting a creature like that
in return ...

... for the hurt
that this creature has brought
to a good person
who could not defend himself
and, therefore, took damage.

Hurting with words ...
... fear me when I start doing this.

Take shelter, vermin, if I do that.

Bury yourself alive.
And delve deep.
Or cut off your ears.
Maybe it will help.
Maybe, though, it will only hurt.

Do anything so you don't hear me.

Rueing the day when you were born
is not a nice feeling.
But that's what you would do
if you had to listen to me now ...
if I'd express the anger that
rushes through me
at this moment.

But ...

... being
neither
vermin
nor
faeces,
you find me
helpless ...

... unable
to fight fire with fire
to claim
an eye for an eye
and a heart for a heart.

For me:

Just the sadness
about losing a friend
that I had already lost once before.
And missing him
... again.

Jacob,
you're a great guy,
you have the heart in the right spot,
you have a good and caring soul,
and you think good thoughts.

I miss you
and
I hope that
someday
you'll return.
Make a new account.
Or just e-mail me.

I can't afford losing good and dear people.
Can't afford losing them by a brutal death,
or due to harassment, and a broken heart.

_____________________________

And now
follows the video that he sent me.

I loved it so much before.
I still do.

But I watch it with different eyes now.

--Michael

_____________________________





_____________________________


[Verse 1]
Just a friendly face in a crowd of strangers,
With hats held close we will feel no danger,
Seein' stars for the next 8 years,
Wishes may let go your fear

[Chorus]
Yes we can
Yes we can
Yes we can
Yes we can

[Verse 2]
JFK for the brand new wait,
In our lifetime we enter a hopeful state,
Be kind to your neighbor if no one is watchin'
The sight of goodness that no one is stoppin'

[Repeat chorus 4 times]

Yes we can,
Overcome,
Yes we can,
Be as one (Be as one)
Yes we can,
Lift together,
Yes we can

[Bridge]
Tell me that I'm preachin',
I'm just speakin' my mind,
Tell me that I'm reachin',
Got to reach to find,
Love the world and you begin,
To see what it's about,
Can we change the way we live,
And let the truth sing out,

Yes we can, yes we can, yes we can ooh,
We can be as one,
Yes we can yes we...can

______________________________

.

"Bullying? No Way!" - Jaylen Arnold at CNN News




Please visit Jaylens Website

Please visit Jaylen's YouTube Channel

and please follow Jaylen on Twitter

.

David Sylvian, WORLD CITIZEN


I already posted this song by David Sylvian on my blog earlier.

This here is a video made by
YouTube user OCGSalesianiLecce,
and he / she (don't know) has done a wonderful job
with this video installation.

______________________________


World Citizen

There goes one baby's life
It's such a small amount
She's un American
I guess it doesn't count

Six thousand children's lives
Were simply thrown away
Lost without medicine
Inside of thirty days

In the New York harbour
Where the stock's withheld
It was the price we paid
For a safer world

World is suffering
World is suffering
World is suffering
World citizen

In Madhya Pradesh
Where they're building dams
They're displacing native people
From their homes and lands

So they hunger strike
Cos they believe they count
To lose a single life
Is such a small amount

In the name of progress
And democracy
The concepts represented in name only

His world is suffering
Her world is suffering
Their world is suffering
World citizen

World citizen

And the buildings fall
In a cloud of dust
And we ask ourselves
How could they hate us?
Well, when we live in ignorance and luxury
While our super powers practice
Puppet mastery

We raise the men
Who run the fascist states
And we sell them arms
So they maintain their place

We turn our backs
On the things they done
Their human rights record
And the guns they run

His world is suffering
Her world is suffering
Their world is suffering
World citizen

My world is suffering
Your world is suffering
Our world is suffering
World citizen

Who'll do away with flags?
Who'll do us proud?
Remove the money from their pockets
Scream dissent out loud?

Cos god ain't on our side
The shoe won't fit
And though they think the war is won
That's not the last of it

Disenfranchised people
Need their voices heard
And if no one stops to listen
Lose their faith in words

And violence rises
When all hope is lost
Who'll embrace the human spirit
And absorb the cost?

Not one life is taken
In my name
In my name

His world is suffering
Her world is suffering
Their world is suffering
World citizen

My world is suffering
Your world is suffering
Our world is suffering
World citizen



For further information on David Sylvian's music and poetry, please visit:
www.davidsylvian.com
www.samadhisound.com

.