J Peniel

I started this mostly to express myself, things I like and things that start my little wanderer's heart.

Music, simple photos I take, and lovely photos I find are what will fill this ever expanding collection of what I see as beauty.
gynocraticgrrl: searchingforknowledge: Fifteen rape victims have formed martial arts movement and are prepared to confront abusers if no one listens to their complaints… A GROUP of women are fighting back against the sickening culture of rape which they say infects India. Fifteen determined females – all victims themselves – have trained in martial arts and are prepared to hand out rough justice if no one listens to their complaints. And the movement, called the Red Brigade, is growing rapidly following the gang rape and murder of medical student Jyoti Singh Pandey that horrified the world. In a nation where a woman is reportedly raped every 20 minutes, the group’s leader Usha Vishwakarma said: “We are fighting back – and the boot is now on the other foot.” Member Sufia Hashmi, 17, said: “We’ve caught a lot of men recently. I joined because men always used to pass comments on me and touch my body but now we beat them and they run.” Like the other members in the northern city of Lucknow, 25-year-old Usha has first-hand experience of the daily dangers women face in the huge nation – a teacher tried to rape her when she was 18. She said: “He grabbed me and tried to open my trousers. I kicked him in the crotch and ran.” Usha complained to staff but they told her to forget it and allowed her attacker to carry on teaching. She said: “Many parents tell girls to quit school so there will be no sexual violence. But we said no – this has to stop. We decided to form a group to fight for ourselves, not just complain.” MORE The Red Brigade is up there with badass all female groups like the Ukrainian Asgarda and India’s Gulabi Gang.

gynocraticgrrl:

searchingforknowledge:

Fifteen rape victims have formed martial arts movement and are prepared to confront abusers if no one listens to their complaints…
A GROUP of women are fighting back against the sickening culture of rape which they say infects India. Fifteen determined females – all victims themselves – have trained in martial arts and are prepared to hand out rough justice if no one listens to their complaints. And the movement, called the Red Brigade, is growing rapidly following the gang rape and murder of medical student Jyoti Singh Pandey that horrified the world.
In a nation where a woman is reportedly raped every 20 minutes, the group’s leader Usha Vishwakarma said: “We are fighting back – and the boot is now on the other foot.” Member Sufia Hashmi, 17, said: “We’ve caught a lot of men recently. I joined because men always used to pass comments on me and touch my body but now we beat them and they run.”
Like the other members in the northern city of Lucknow, 25-year-old Usha has first-hand experience of the daily dangers women face in the huge nation – a teacher tried to rape her when she was 18. She said: “He grabbed me and tried to open my trousers. I kicked him in the crotch and ran.” Usha complained to staff but they told her to forget it and allowed her attacker to carry on teaching. She said: “Many parents tell girls to quit school so there will be no sexual violence. But we said no – this has to stop. We decided to form a group to fight for ourselves, not just complain.” MORE

The Red Brigade is up there with badass all female groups like the Ukrainian Asgarda and India’s Gulabi Gang.

(via sameatschildren)

Today I was looked at like I was crazy to think I might be desired just as I am. What a silly notion right? You know what I think, I think anyone would be a lucky little duck to find themselves to be the person I wanted to love. I’ll tell you why. I’m smart as hell, I’m a babe (yep a babe), I can make you laugh til you lose control of your bladder (ask my sisters), I’m ridiculous in all sorts of wonderful ways, I have an inexhaustible desire for adventure, I am a fierce advocate, I am kind and wild all at the same time, and I will fight for you. So yeah, I’ve got that going for me. Jesus, I think more people need to check themselves before they set to wrecking other peoples sense of selves. I don’t even think people are aware they do it. It’s sad. So here’s a thought. Make a big fucking list of why you like yourself, and damn it if you can’t get past 20 things, come to me and I will help you fill that sucker out.

—Yep. I just quoted myself.

I am not the first person you loved.
You are not the first person I looked at
with a mouthful of forevers. We
have both known loss like the sharp edges
of a knife. We have both lived with lips
more scar tissue than skin. Our love came
unannounced in the middle of the night.
Our love came when we’d given up
on asking love to come. I think
that has to be part
of its miracle.

This is how we heal.
I will kiss you like forgiveness. You
will hold me like I’m hope. Our arms
will bandage and we will press promises
between us like flowers in a book.
I will write sonnets to the salt of sweat
on your skin. I will write novels to the scar
of your nose. I will write a dictionary
of all the words I have used trying
to describe the way it feels to have finally,
finally found you.

And I will not be afraid
of your scars.

I know sometimes
it’s still hard to let me see you
in all your cracked perfection,
but please know:
whether it’s the days you burn
more brilliant than the sun
or the nights you collapse into my lap
your body broken into a thousand questions,
you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
I will love you when you are a still day.
I will love you when you are a hurricane.

—

Clementine von Radics, Mouthful of Forevers (via beatboxgoesthump)

This is lovely.

(Source: waydowntown, via thereverieinrealityy)

I’d like to thank the ending scene of episode 8 in season 3 of Californication for this gem.

Took a wander while we waited for a hitch. Found this scrawled on a boarded up window, and promptly laughed. Then I thought about all the possible ways to interpret it. I first felt for Destiny, then I thought of the wider implications, then I thought that seemed like an unhealthy sentiment, and then I laughed again, sighed and took the picture. At least they were being honest.

Took a wander while we waited for a hitch. Found this scrawled on a boarded up window, and promptly laughed. Then I thought about all the possible ways to interpret it. I first felt for Destiny, then I thought of the wider implications, then I thought that seemed like an unhealthy sentiment, and then I laughed again, sighed and took the picture. At least they were being honest.

Those big beefy lugs behind Abbi are what we carried on our backs for 3 months. Weighing in at roughly 45 pounds, hers definitely more than mine for sure, these babies often had grown men grunting and looking at us with a loss for words. Yes, we can lift them, yes we have walked miles with them precariously loaded more times than I thought was possible, and no there are not 2-3 small children packed in each. That expression she is wearing most accurately depicts what it felt like sometimes while we waited to see who our next ride would be.

Those big beefy lugs behind Abbi are what we carried on our backs for 3 months. Weighing in at roughly 45 pounds, hers definitely more than mine for sure, these babies often had grown men grunting and looking at us with a loss for words. Yes, we can lift them, yes we have walked miles with them precariously loaded more times than I thought was possible, and no there are not 2-3 small children packed in each. That expression she is wearing most accurately depicts what it felt like sometimes while we waited to see who our next ride would be.

East Cape Lighthouse, Built in 1900, used to be located on the island out in the distance, but it didn’t bode well as the cliffs kept eroding near the lighthouse and the keeper found it hard to grow food in the clay like soil. Abbi and I caught a hitch from this old gentleman whose job it was to travel all around the greater Gisborne area and keep track of working farm dogs and livestock. If a horse, cow, dog, or sheep found itself lost out of its paddock this is the guy you call. He must have been at least 80. He took us to a beautiful Maori carved church, to the city we were aiming for, and then decided to just drive us entirely out of the way to this lighthouse. He laughed at my jokes, was full of interesting knowledge, and clearly knew and cared about all of the folks and animals in his jurisdiction. Abbi and I thanked him profusely and made our journey/crawl up the innumerable steps to this lighthouse. Did I mention there was one road in and one road out? We were prepared for the possibility that we might not find a ride the 30 minutes along the coast back into the next tiny town. Through a serious of events we got a ride in the end from this sweet couple from Sweden who initially laughed and said no after I asked for a lift. Turns out her English was not so awesome and she didn’t exactly understand what I was asking her. As we sat on the side of the road eating PB&J wraps (because the pack lighter and easier than bread) wondering what our fate would be that night, they stopped and offered us a ride, and furthermore a ride to a campsite they were heading to.