as told to (your name here)

A Moment of Silence

I don't know if I've ever come right out and said it, but I've tried to avoid trolling the news headlines for stories to which I could write punchlines for your amusement. It's a type of comedy that is often done poorly (see the multitude of crappy blogs if you don't believe me) and at the same time has been perfected by a select few who have made themselves household names. To put it another way, I wouldn't try to repaint the Mona Lisa. I wouldn't try to rewrite Mozart's Requiem. I'd never try to re-build the Chrysler Building or re-chisel David. When an art form has been perfected, sometimes you have to step aside and allow the artist his due glory. I would never put myself in a league with the master himself, so I will stick to telling you little stories about myself. And as we have lost one of the great masters today, one who was such much more than punchlines and yet perfected the monologue, I'll simply say goodnight Johnny.

But I'll try not to leave you sad, I'd like to tell you about my favoritest charity of all time. With all the news of Tsunami Aid and such in the news lately it's been easy to find information on charities. Since I'm a broke-ass loser, I don't find myself in a position to actually give money to any charities at this time, but I'll still poke my nose around the web here & there. It was actually the impending death of a dear friend of mine that prompted me to investigate the whole "donation in lieu of flowers" thing. It was in this context that I came across a charity named Vive. I don't know if they pronounce it "veeve" or "vaive" but that's not important right now. What is important is that this charity exists to help refugees find shelter. Elsewhere. This charity is headquartered in Buffalo, NY and helps refugees find asylum in Canada. The irony here is simply beautiful. New York, home to the Statue of Liberty and its famous inscription:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore; Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to" Canada.

posted by tinyhands @ 11:59 PM