Thoughts on recent tragedy

When I saw news about the carnage in Paris, I could feel my heart and my voice drop to the bottom of my stomach. 
     My reaction has been shared by many. I've seen many postings and comments mentioning Beirut, which had 2 bombings a few days before Paris that killed 43 people and injured over 200 more. There was more coverage on Paris than Beirut. I believe that both are tragic. Both are claimed by ISIS. Both leave survivors living with fear and no sense of security, which is a basic need for life.
    But there are a few reasons why Paris was covered more than Beirut. These reasons do not excuse anything nor does it mean that Paris and its people are more important than Beirut and its people.
    We in the US are almost desensitized to hearing and reading about tragedy in the Middle East. It's a shame to say, but we have created an image for the Middle East, not on purpose, but through the stories we hear in media outlets and our conflicts there, that is an image of bombings, terror, and war.
I think that for us, knowing a city like Paris went through a terrible attack, hits closer to our feeling of security than the tragedy in Beirut.
    Paris is a vacation spot. It's on everyone's travel list. We imagine lights, lovers, art, and fresh bread. It's a place most of us can picture ourselves in.
  This, I believe, is one of the reasons that Americans are so distraught. To know that Paris could be attacked puts a little more fear into us than bombings that seems too far away in the Middle East.
   Now, I admit, I am a little sensitive when people blame "The Media" as if it were one big machine. That being said, I do believe that a free media is a reflection of its society and this is one reason why we would see more coverage of Paris than Beirut. Americans identify more with Paris and we are more shocked by that news. It is not right or wrong, it is a reflection of us. There was coverage on Beirut, at least by my main news source, NPR. If it wasn't on your radar, consider expanding your news sources.
   I don't pray, but I do believe in energy and love, which I send not just to Paris and Beirut, but to everywhere there is people without a sense of security in the world, people who are left with too much fear and not enough ground to sleep on.

What's in Australia?

After a long hiatus (a period of my own forgetfulness, writing blocks, and procrastination) I fully intend to pursue this blog with a greater force than past effort. Special thanks to curious, helpful prodding from a caring person. 

I'm taking a year off from school to de-stress, re-finance, travel, and breathe. While I hope there will be enough money for me to return to Stony Brook, I am applying to other schools and keeping my options open so I can avoid furthering the black hole of student loans. I'm truly looking forward to this year and am enjoying it so far. I want to read more, ski more, and finally watch Gilmore Girls with my sister.
While embarking on our Gilmore Girls adventure, I encountered a quote or line or what have you that I love. Rory's grandfather tells his friends she is going to go to Fez someday, when they question "What's in Fez?" he answers "That's for her to find out."
That's awesome.
We may know what is in a place as far as landmarks, like the Taj Mahal or cuisine, plants, and animals, but there is so much more that you can't know until you've been to a place.
Why am I going to Australia and New Zealand? Well, I want to travel. Also, one of my best friends will be in Darwin on exchange. And it's an opportunity to travel with my best friend/boyfriend, The Alaskan Bear, and another dear friend, Mitchell. I saw a reason to go and there is plenty (too much) to explore in Australia.
What's in Australia? That's for us to find out. I'll let you know.