Laura extremely sloppy Graffitti.

sloppy, but fun to draw.

I have added links to our family. I have also created a separate site for nursing study. The link is www.lauranursing.blogspot.com Some of my crossword puzzles are linked there. It was just getting to be to much on one website. Have Fun!

This blog is definately turning into a mix, so to speak of my passions for art, nursing, and human rights. A meager attempt to answer the many questions in my mind. One of the current questions in my mind is what drives American foreign policy in the middle east; especially concerning the Palestinian issues. I found an excellent work written by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, titled The Israeli Lobby and U.S Foreign Policy. This was published in March of 2006. The full article can be viewed at the links listed below. There is also a great debate about this work that can be viewed at :
www.scribemedia.org After getting to this page, you will need to do a search on the topic above to see the debate. I did not know the exact link to the debate.
The debate is great.

http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/Research/wpaper.nsf/rwp/RWP06-011

The article was published by the London Review of Books.

John Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago.

The article shows great scholarship.

The Heart

This is a painting I made in the winter of 2005. I am fascinated at times by this muscle. That beats, and pumps nutrients and emotions to nearly every cell in my body. This heart painting seems to be overweight, which hopefully is not a relfelction of my own heart.

Matharat al-Qulub by Imam al-Mawlud (poem verses 1-8)
I begin by starting with the heart of beginnings,
For it is the highest and noblest of beginnings.
Have courtesy with God, the High and the Majestic,
by practicing modesty and humility--
dejected out of shame and humility
humbled in awe, imploring Him--
by giving up your designs for His,
emptied of covetousness for what His servants have,
by hastening to fulfill His commands, and by being wary of
the subtle encroachment of bad manners.
If you- the spiritual aspirant-realize your attributes of
servitude, you will then be assisted with something of the
attributes of the Eternally Besought.
Realize your abject character and impoverishment, and you
Will gain dignity and wealth from the All-Powerful.
There is no salvation like the heart’s salvation,
Given that all the limbs respond to its desires.

Reference
Nashif, Taysir.(2006) Society Intellectual and Cultural Change In the Developing Countries. pp39-40. iUniverse, Linclon, NE.

Commentary: This is a book I have just read. I am especially fond of the poetry/songs found in this book; to remind us that we are all apart of humanity and to remind us not to "de-humanize" others who are not like us. A plea so to speak. I referenced this poem, work twice at the beginning and the end to give the author his rightful credit.

My Brother, Don't Deny Me the
Warmth of Humanity
My vocabulary is free from the restriction of "I" and "they."
Humanity is my code of guidance.
Through humanity we are liberated from biases and intolerance.
My address is a home that stretches across the blue waters,
from the Caribbean to Hawaii, and from Tahiti to the Mediterranean.
My address is the earth with its beautiful colors and seasons.
There are no colors in my memory and humanity.
White for me is the color of snow,
of rice for the poor,
of glowing waves of sunshine for human warmth.
Black is the color of nature when it covers lovers with the warmth of privacy of love.
Compassion and love are the roads leading to my home.
God bless all peoples, all mankind.
With God's all embracing mercy and guidance,
we are all the chosen creatures of God.
With love and humanity a rope of brotherhood and sisterhood unites my heart
with all the miserable people on Earth.
The human creature born in Timbuktu I call him my brother from poverty-stricken Africa.
I swear to you, my brother, from far continents and different cultures, by the
prophets in whom you and I believe, that I am looking for humanity to salvage us
from the whims of ourselves.
It may be a source of joy for you, my misguided brother, to see all the evils in me.
Maybe this makes you feel you are superior.
You will not subdue humanity in me.
Let us learn the wisdom of the sages, who tell us the stories of man's miseries.
With my love, in support of humanity,
your heart will be cleansed from the evil ignorance of beautiful humanity;
it will free you from the bondage of bias;
and restore to you the immortal kingdom of humanity.
For my living and sustenance,
it is sufficient for me to fill the stomach with barley bread and olives.
I can survive on a half-empty stomach.
My stomach, lungs and soul I know to satiate with the fragrance of orange and lemon and apple from the Holy Land.
My brother, do not burn, with your fire, the orchards,
so that all of us be sheltered under our mother's green love and protection.
Don't, my brother, harshly treat the oceans, for they, with their human experiences,
tell the immortal story of humanity.
One person lost is one too many.
Let, then, humanity, with on concerted humble song, sing
in all corners of the small Earth.
With our vulnerablities and weaknesses we are equal.
The dictionary of my mind is devoid of the unfamiliar word of superiority over
my neighbors in the other continents beyond the connecting seas.
I left a share of dates and dry bread for your empty stomach, my brother. This is the only food I have to share with you.
I do not lie down to rest, over-stuffed with food much needed by the poor and
miserable of generous Earth.
I have conscience qualms over the over-consumed dwindling resources of our
over -milked mother Earth.
It is inhuman that you do not sense my humanity, brother.
You have no right to deny me the warm shelter of humanity.
The oil of Divinity has blessedly covered my Earth-colored skin.
My breath is permeated with the spirit of the immortal to which both you and I belong.
Where are the angels of good who come forth to salvage humanity from the over-whelming whim of unsatisfied desire?
Where are the knights of good tidings who remove the thorns from the one road
of humanity to a world free from myths of divided humanity?
A world where the clasped hands of the east and west form and elevated bridge
to humanity in its happy march to self-assurance and peace of Earth.

Reference
Nashif, Taysir.(2006) Society Intellectual and Cultural Change In the Developing Countries. pp39-40. iUniverse, Linclon, NE.

I am painting the 99 names of Allah. Each one is painted on glass and fits inside a 5x7 inch frame. I thought it was a great idea, but then I realized that I do not have a wall large enough to hang them all together. I have edited each painting by photographing it and smoothing it over on a computer generated art program; they actually look better on the computer than my actually paintings. Maybe I will make prints out of each one.

I painted this about 2 years ago. I just watched a movie called Death in Gaza. It was produced and directed by a man named James Miller. He was killed by Israeli soldiers while filming the documentary. His co- workers finished the project. I think that it is worth seeing.
Here are some links to websites....
www.rachelcorrie.org
www.motherjones.com
www.americantaskforce.org
www.upmrc.org
www.laureghorayeb.blogspot.com
www.juancole.com
www.palestinechronicle.com

This drawing is my response to the media and government onslaught of support for the settler state of Israel. The marriage between the United States government, the media, and the settler state of Israel is ridiculous. I am still trying to figure out the motive behind this administrations support for a terrorist state that violates UN resolutions, violates basic human rights and is well known for killing civilians, I just do not understand the rationale. I just find this whole business ironic. For a long, long time I did not really want to believe that this is happening to my own country…but it is. I spent a lot of time researching. I went to the United Nations official website and was sickened to see that the United States has vetoed every single UN resolution that tried to help the Palestinian people. Someone once said to me, “ How can the whole world be wrong and you right?” Well that is what prompted me to find out what world opinion really was. When I saw those vetoes over and again, and the USA being the only one to use the veto, against every other country in the world; I realized that the whole world is on the right track…and United States government/administration is wrong. The president may say that, “Freedom is on the march.”; that is the lie of the century. It is the opposite of freedom. It is Freedom for those who have natural resources…and that freedom is not free; if you can even call it freedom. I do not see any freedom on the march in Iraq; they seem to have less freedom now than ever.

Why is the USA married to Israel? Well I guess birds of a feather flock together. Why shouldn’t we support the settler state of Israel…after all the same thing happened here in our own land. The Europeans came…the new Americans…and DESTROYED the native population here. The ones that were left were forced onto camps called reservations. Were those native Americans terrorists too? I guess they were. They were snipers in the hills and valleys on horses….trying to save their land. Look and think about what we did to them. It is the same thing.

I will update with where I found these prints as soon as possible.

Last night while watching the news..CNN...Something I try not to do, but somehow get pulled in everynight, one of the reporters said something of the like.." The bad news is that more Israeli soldiers could be harmed fighting the enemy Hezbollah." Now this was not word for word, but it was close to that. I just stopped to think and wonder how the media brainwashes the masses. Since when are Israeli soldiers the heroes and Hezbollah the enemy? I am sorry to say to my fellow Americans that we have been duped, and tricked! CNN will not dictate to me who my enemies are. Does anyone even think about that? How is it that a nation is under control of so called journalists? The media is spinning way out of control. Does anyone know anything about Hezbollah or anything in the middle east except for what CNN and FOX news reports? Do they even think? My opinion is that I do not think anyone knows. All they know is that there is more fighting and more war, and the people trust their government as to who the enemy is: A big mistake.

some graphic arts

Sand play.

This is my beloved brother. I am calling this "off the wall."