eightsixteen:816

2010-05-19T10:56:00.001-04:00

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us." — Joseph Campbell

2010-05-19T10:55:00.002-04:00

"Don't feed your mind with negative thoughts. If you do, you will come to believe them." — Catherine Pulsifer

2010-05-19T10:55:00.001-04:00

"Behind every beautiful thing there is some kind of pain." — Bob Dylan

2010-05-19T10:54:00.000-04:00

You never forget a real woman...

2010-05-19T10:53:00.001-04:00

"Do not pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." — Bruce Lee

2010-05-19T10:52:00.001-04:00

"We wouldn't know the sweet moments in life unless we had the pain." — Sandra Bullock

2010-05-19T10:51:00.004-04:00

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." — Thomas Jefferson

2010-05-19T10:51:00.003-04:00

"The most important thing to remember is this: To be ready at any moment to give up what you are for what you might become." — W.E.B. Du Bois

2010-05-03T12:58:00.001-04:00

"There are few things in life that are harder to find and more important to keep than love." — President Obama

2010-04-22T22:20:00.004-04:00

"Earth Day has become much more than a date on a calendar. It has come to represent the simple truth that with each challenge comes the opportunity to make the world a better place." — President Obama

Today is a special day we celebrate the Earth's goodness as well as increasing our awareness on how we can protect it. In recent weeks we've witnessed how fragile life is with earthquakes hitting countries all over the world, even the volcano erupting in Iceland that crippled Europe's economy for a week (the affect will be felt much longer) and prevented thousands of flights from taking off. I read somewhere that the airlines were losing $200 million a day! WOW. These are things that we can't control. We can't stop an earthquake from shaking life on Earth, hurricanes from forming, or volcanoes from erupting, but we can control our lives to help sustain our planet, conserve energy and educate people around us about the dangers facing our planet. Keep in mind that each of us affects everyone else on Earth, because we all share the land, the ocean and especially the air on what is proving to be a pretty small planet, let's all do our part to take care of it! Do what you can. There are endless ways for us to minimize the harm we are doing to this rare and beautiful planet that more than 6 billion people call "home". To think about the damage that we have already done is unnerving, but we can change our ways today and make a difference that affects every single one of us. Whether it's turning the water off while you brush your teeth, reusing your shopping bags, turning the lights off when you leave a room (or using the sun light to light a room during the day), or unplugging items all over your house that aren't being used such as the toaster, a light, your computer, etc. There is so much we can today, and every day, to be green and environmentally conscious! I read today on OMGFacts that recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to watch TV for three hours, which is equivalent to half a gallon of gasoline! WOW! It seems so simple, right?? Well, because it is!

Think about it...as humans we "love" so much. We love our family, our children, our friends, our jobs, our clothes, our shoe collections, our cars, our cell phones, this list could get ridiculous, and even worse, it could get really long (p.s. that wasn't my personal list of things I love, although I do love my family, friends, and well, I can't lie, I love my shoes, too! :P)...so stop for a minute and ask yourself, if you can love all the things that you do love, and continue to love them, why not love your earth?? After all, this earth belongs to you, right?? It is as much yours as the things you claim ownership over that this very earth allows to exist! Does that make sense? I hope so. I also know that this planet is as much yours as it is mine, so that's why we ALL must take ownership and be responsible citizens of this earth and treat the planet that gives us all life well!!!

We all know life gets hard...some people in our life are here today and might not be there tomorrow, but guess what, that sun will keep on shining!

Let's take care of our planet and each other!

Happy Earth Day!

xoxo,
M

2010-04-22T22:18:00.001-04:00

"People who have only good experiences aren't very interesting. They may be content, and happy after a fashion, but they aren't very deep. It may seem a misfortune now, and it makes things difficult, but well—it's easy to feel all the happy, simple stuff. Not that happiness is necessarily simple. But I don't think you're going to have a life like that, and I think you'll be the better for it. The difficult thing is to not be overwhelmed by the bad patches. You must not let them defeat you. You must see them as a gift—a cruel gift, but a gift nonetheless." — Peter Cameron

2010-04-22T21:52:00.001-04:00

"To be brave is to love someone unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. To just give. That takes courage; because we don't want to fall on our faces or leave ourselves open to hurt." — Madonna

2010-04-22T21:51:00.001-04:00

"In my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for EXACTLY what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you. The right person is still gonna think the sun shines out of your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth stickin' around." — Juno

2010-04-14T21:33:00.000-04:00

"I aspire to inspire before I expire." — Alina Morelli

2010-04-13T10:53:00.001-04:00

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it."
— Mother Teresa

2010-04-13T10:52:00.001-04:00

"For us, each day is a dark night. None of us know what might happen even the next minute, and yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have faith." — Paulo Coelho

2010-04-13T10:51:00.001-04:00

"I’ve been making a list of the things they don’t teach you at school. They don’t teach you how to love somebody. They don’t teach you how to be famous. They don’t teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don’t teach you how to walk away from someone you don’t love any longer. They don’t teach you how to know what’s going on in someone else’s mind. They don’t teach you what to say to someone who’s dying. They don’t teach you anything worth knowing." — Neil Gaiman

2010-04-13T10:50:00.001-04:00

"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." — Jonathan Swift

2010-04-13T10:49:00.003-04:00

"Love is everything it's cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for." — Erica Jong

2010-04-13T10:49:00.002-04:00

"I must learn to love the fool in me – the one who feels too much, talks to much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laugh and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool." — Theodore Isaac Rubin

2010-04-13T10:48:00.001-04:00

"When you live for others’ opinions, you are dead. I don’t want to live thinking about how I’ll be remembered." — Carlos Slim Helu

2010-04-13T10:47:00.000-04:00

"In love, no one can harm anyone else; we are each of us responsible for our own feelings and cannot blame someone else for what we feel. It hurt when I lost each of the various men I fell in love with. Now, though, I am convinced that no one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone. That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it." — Paulo Coelho

2010-04-13T10:46:00.001-04:00

"There is the fight for holding on. And the fight for letting go. The hardest thing i have ever experienced is the learning which and when. But i still say it’s worth it, that love is real and possible. There are things worth fighting for, and love is at the top of the list…" — Jamie Tworkowski

2010-04-13T10:45:00.001-04:00

What you are to me
nothing can summarize and
no words can define.

2010-04-13T10:44:00.002-04:00

"I love you more then yesterday.. And you’ll never know how much I loved you then." — James Patterson

2010-04-13T10:44:00.001-04:00

"I think what weakens people most is fear of wasting their strength." — Etty Hillesum

2010-04-13T10:43:00.002-04:00

"Be a best friend, tell the truth, and over-use “I love you,” go to work, do your best, don’t outsmart your common sense, never let your prayin’ knees get lazy, and love like crazy." — Lee Brice

2010-04-13T10:43:00.001-04:00

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." — Mark Twain

2010-04-13T10:42:00.001-04:00

"Good things happen to those who hustle." — Anais Nin

2010-04-13T10:41:00.001-04:00

"Love and time - those are the only two things in all the world and all of life that cannot be bought, but only spent." — Gary Jennings

2010-04-13T10:39:00.002-04:00

"But there’s something in me that just keeps going on. I think it has something to do with tomorrow, that there is always one, and that everything can change when it comes." — Augusten Burroughs

2010-04-13T10:39:00.001-04:00

"We fell in love, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare and beautiful was created. For me, love like that has only happened once, and that’s why every minute we spent together has been seared in my memory. I’ll never forget a single moment of it." — Nicholas Sparks

2010-04-13T10:38:00.001-04:00

"Almost all men, and those that seem to be very miserable, love life, because they cannot bear to lose sight of such a beautiful and lovely world. The ideas, that every moment whilst we live have a beauty that we take not distinct notice of, brings a pleasure that, when we come to the trial, we had rather live in much pain and misery than lose." — Jonathon Edwards

2010-04-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

"When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." — Jonathan Swift

2010-04-13T10:35:00.002-04:00

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." — William Shakespeare

2010-04-13T10:35:00.001-04:00

"There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble." — Sinclair Lewis

2010-04-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

"By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired." — Kafka

2010-04-13T10:32:00.002-04:00

"The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt." — Leo F. Buscaglia

2010-04-13T10:32:00.001-04:00

"You can never really know someone completely. That’s why it’s the most terrifying thing in the world, really- taking someone on faith, hoping they’ll take you on faith too. It’s such a precarious balance, it’s a wonder we do it at all." — A Great and Terrible Beauty

2010-04-13T10:31:00.001-04:00

"I cannot write to anyone outside myself—if I tried, it would be a horrible story, flat and lifeless. I write to myself. That’s the only person I’m trying to please." — Shannon Hale

2010-04-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

"There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other." — Douglas H. Everet

2010-04-13T10:27:00.002-04:00

"When you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave." — Neil Gaiman

2010-04-13T10:27:00.001-04:00

"Action shapes destiny." — Noel Magtoto

2010-04-13T10:25:00.002-04:00

"In my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome…what you have, the right person will still think the sun shines out your ass. That’s the kind of person that’s worth sticking with." — Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons), Juno

2010-04-13T10:25:00.001-04:00

"You begin saving the world by saving one person at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics." — Charles Bukowski

2010-04-13T10:23:00.001-04:00

I love you more now
than yesterday, but less than
I will tomorrow.

2010-04-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

"Some things you’ll never know, and some things you’ll wish you never knew." — Eric Williams

2010-04-13T10:21:00.002-04:00

"The tragedy of it is that nobody sees the look of desperation on my face. Thousands and thousands of us, and we’re passing one another without a look of recognition." — Henry Miller

2010-04-13T10:20:00.001-04:00

"Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity." — John Lennon

2010-04-13T10:19:00.001-04:00

"I believe in intuition and inspiration. At times I feel certain that I am right while not knowing the reason. Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world." — Albert Einstein

2010-04-13T10:15:00.002-04:00

"Love is strong yet delicate. It can be broken. To truly love is to understand this. To be in love is to respect this." — Stephen Packer

2010-04-13T10:14:00.000-04:00

"Look up from what you're doing and look around for a minute. See what a beautiful world you're in." — Ralph Marston

2010-04-11T22:52:00.000-04:00

"Isn't it ironic, that we ignore the ones who adore us,
adore the ones that ignore us,
love the ones who hurt us,
and hurt the ones that love us."
— Jordan Neill

2010-04-09T00:16:00.000-04:00

"But there's something in me that just keeps going on. I think it has something to do with tomorrow, that there is always one, and that everything can change when it comes." — Augusten Burroughs

2010-02-13T13:52:00.003-05:00

816.tumblr.com

2010-02-10T04:33:00.005-05:00

I thought about completely ending this site, but it was too hard for me to do away with everything on here. There is a lot of motivation in the words archived in this site and a lot of inspiring photos to stare at. I actually find posting on eightsixteen:816 much more relaxing than poor & fly...don't get me wrong, I love my first site, but there is a lot of work that goes into it and it can be exhausting, but this site seems effortless, which is why it's so easy for me to neglect it, but also why I want to continue doing it. It is very calming to post things for eightsixteen:816, but to be honest, I just don't like the layout for what I'm trying to share. I have so many beautiful pictures, so many quotes, so many songs, so many everything, and it just seems to get lost on here. I wanted a better forum so I have officially switched to Tumblr! My best friend told me to make one long long ago, and I made one before I started this one but never used it because I wasn't exactly sure how to use it. I soon found out, well 800 something posts later that it's not rocket science and I have officially made the move! Make sure to visit the new site!

816.tumblr.com

A much easier domain name to remember andddd to type in the search bar! Thanks for all the love!

xoxo,
E

2010-02-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

"You can get bitter or you can get better." — Joel Osteen

2010-02-02T22:56:00.003-05:00

My new read:

"It's not easy to always be optimistic. Life can be difficult, and in hard economic times it's not just your finances that suffer. Your relationships can be strained. Your health can be stressed. Bad habits can return and negative thoughts can take over. When one part of your life after another takes a bad turn, you can feel like there is no end in sight, no way out. The truth is, maybe you don't have an answer. But God does! Maybe you don't have the strength. But God does!" — Joel Osteen

Joel Osteen was on Anderson Cooper:360 tonight, and they briefly talked about his new book "It's Your Time" which I bought roughly two weeks ago and have yet to start reading. He was on to discuss why it's so important to keep your faith in difficult times and specifically talked about the situation in Haiti. I loved when he said:

"Find something to be grateful for and go out and do something good for somebody else. If you'll make somebody else's day, God will make your day."

That's the truth. I love books that inspire me to keep going. What am I waiting for? I am definitely going to start reading tomorrow, I promised myself and I don't break promises!

2010-01-29T01:25:00.001-05:00

"When I'm weak, I draw strength from you
And when you're lost, I know how to change your mood
And when I'm down, you breathe life over me
Even though we're miles apart we are each other's destiny."
— Destiny by Zero 7

(via)

2010-01-29T01:22:00.001-05:00

"Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body. No, don't blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident." — Louis de Bernières

(via)

2010-01-28T20:14:00.004-05:00

From This Moment by Shania Twain

(I do swear that I'll always be there.
I'd give anything and everything and I will always care.
Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow,
for better for worse, I will love you with
every beat of my heart.)

From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on

From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on

I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you, I can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on

You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on

2010-01-18T12:32:00.000-05:00

2010-01-18T12:18:00.000-05:00

"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it." — Martin Luther King Jr.

2010-01-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

"Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education." — Martin Luther King Jr.

2010-01-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." — Martin Luther King Jr.

2010-01-18T12:15:00.000-05:00

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." — Martin Luther King Jr.

2010-01-18T12:14:00.000-05:00

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." — Martin Luther King Jr.

2010-01-18T12:13:00.000-05:00

2010-01-13T23:20:00.003-05:00

"My knees buckled, I went down to the floor. I cried in English, I cried in French, I cried in all the languages, because tears are the same all around the world." — Miranda July

2010-01-13T19:25:00.001-05:00

"Live every day in awe of the fact that you're alive." — Ralph Marston

2010-01-13T12:10:00.008-05:00

Still in a state of shock and sadness for Haiti. The assessment of the damage not even 24 hours later is gut-wrenching!!! I can't stand to hear that potentially 100,000 people are dead...the confirmation on that number will be excruciating to hear! How crazy is it that the fault line on the tectonic plate that Hispaniola lies on goes straight through Port-au-Prince! What happened yesterday was literally a catastrophe waiting to happen...even crazier that the island itself is literally at the DEAD END of the plate :[ :'(

Now if you haven’t donated yet, please note that ALL hospitals in Port-au-Prince have been completely destroyed or severely damaged! Please do anything you can to help! No donation is too small! Information on to help can be found here.

May God continue to lay His hands on the victims, the families, the friends and ALL the people of this devastated country. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of Haiti and those affected.

*I hate seeing people suffer...praying for the world...

2010-01-12T22:09:00.018-05:00

I have so many wonderful quotes and beautiful pictures to share with you, not to mention the stories I want to share with my poor & fly readers; however, I just cannot bring myself to sit here and type away at this computer given what happened earlier today. In my personal opinion, it would be incredibly selfish and insensitive of me if I did so. Especially because the country that was rocked with such colossal devastation neighbors the country where my family is from, the country that my family calls home, the Dominican Republic. Imagine something as catastrophic as an earthquake — one that was on the more damaging side of the Richter scale in this instance — hitting sooo close to home. Come to think of it, I can only imagine that there was damage there, too :'( Crazy that my abuela got here from the Dominican Republic just two weeks ago! It's very unnerving to think about :[

__

Today a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Port-Au-Prince, Haiti completely devastating a country that is widely known as the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation.

Hills surround Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Haiti's ambassador says "little flimsy houses" cling to the hillsides

(CNN) -- A major earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday, knocking down buildings and power lines and inflicting what its ambassador to the United States called a catastrophe for the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation.

Several eyewitnesses reported heavy damage and bodies in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where concrete-block homes line steep hillsides. There was no estimate of the dead and wounded Tuesday evening, but the U.S. State Department has been told to expect "serious loss of life," department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters in Washington.

"The only thing I can do now is pray and hope for the best," the ambassador, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN.

The magnitude 7.0 quake struck shortly before 5 p.m., and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It could be felt strongly in eastern Cuba, more than 200 miles away, witnesses said.

Mike Godfrey, an American contractor working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, said "a huge plume of dust and smoke rose up over the city" within minutes of the quake -- "a blanket that completely covered the city and obscured it for about 20 minutes."

Witnesses reported damaged buildings throughout the capital, including the president's residence and century-old homes nearby, and The Associated Press reported that a hospital collapsed. President Rene Preval is safe, Joseph said, but there was no estimate of the dead and wounded Tuesday evening.

He said an official of his government told him houses had crumbled "on the right side of the street and the left side of the street."

"He said it is a catastrophe of major proportions," Joseph said.

Frank Williams, the Haitian director of the relief agency World Vision International, said the quake left people "pretty much screaming" all around Port-au-Prince. He said the agency's building shook for about 35 seconds, "and portions of things on the building fell off."

"None of our staff were injured, but lots of walls are falling down," Williams said. "Many of our staff have tried to leave, but were unsuccessful because the walls from buildings and private residences are falling into the streets, so that it has pretty much blocked significantly most of the traffic."

Haiti's government is backed by a U.N. peacekeeping mission established after the ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004.

The headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Port-au-Prince collapsed, a U.N. official told CNN.

There was no immediate report of any dead or wounded from the building, but Alain Le Roy, the undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations said of the 9,000-member, Brazilian led-force, "For the moment, a large number of personnel remain unaccounted for."

Outside the capital, several people were hurt when they rushed to get out of a school in the southwestern city of Les Cayes, said the Rev. Kesner Ajax, the school's executive director. Two homes in the area collapsed and the top of a church collapsed in a nearby town, he said, but he did not know of any fatalities.

Les Cayes, a city of about 400,000 people, is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince.

The quake was centered about 6 miles (10 kilometers) underground, according to the USGS -- a depth that can produce severe shaking. At least 10 aftershocks followed, including two in the magnitude 5 range, the USGS reported.

Jean Bernard, an eyewitness in Port-au-Prince, told CNN the city had no electricity Tuesday evening. The first quake lasted about 40 seconds, he said.

"A lot of houses [and] buildings went down, and people are still running all over the streets," Bernard said. "People are looking for their wives, looking for their husbands and their kids. It's scary."

Luke Renner, an American staying in Cap-Hatien, a city nearly 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince, said he was sitting at his home when "the whole world started to shake."

"It felt like our whole house was balancing on a beach ball," Renner said. "We heard the whole community screaming and in an uproar during that whole 20- to 30-second window."

"I haven't seen any structural damage here," Renner continued. "With the sun setting it may be difficult to tell. In the morning we'll know for sure."

Because of the earthquake's proximity to the capital, and because the city is densely populated and has poorly constructed housing, "it could cause significant casualties," said Jian Lin, a senior geologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.

In Washington, President Obama said the U.S. government would "stand ready to assist the people of Haiti." At the Pentagon, the U.S. military said humanitarian aid was being prepared for shipping, but it was not yet clear where or how it would be sent. A U.S. aviation source said the control tower at the Port-au-Prince international airport collapsed, possibly hindering efforts to fly relief supplies into the country.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that Washington is offering "our full assistance" to Haiti, "

The deputy chief of the U.S. mission in Haiti, David Lindwall, told Clinton that he saw "significant damage" from the quake and said U.S. officials there expect "serious loss of life," Crowley said.

And Clinton's husband, former President Clinton -- now the U.N. special envoy for Haiti -- said the world body was "committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of Haiti in their relief, rebuilding and recovery efforts."

The United States has been heavily involved in Haiti commercially, politically and militarily for most of the last century. U.S. intervention under Clinton restored Aristide to power in 1994 after a 1991 coup, and a U.S. jet hustled him out of the country again in 2004 following a rapidly spreading uprising against his government.

The disaster is the latest to befall the country of about 9 million people, roughly the size of Maryland. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and among the poorest in the world.

With people stripping the trees for fuel and to clear land for agriculture, the mountainous countryside has been heavily deforested. That has led to severe erosion and left Haitians vulnerable to massive landslides when heavy rains fall.

Hurricane Gordon killed more than 1,000 people in 1994, while Hurricane Georges killed more than 400 and destroyed the majority of the country's crops in 1998. And in 2004, Hurricane Jeanne killed more than 3,000 people as it passed north of Haiti, with most of the deaths in the northwestern city of Gonaives.

Gonaives was hit heavily again in 2008, when four tropical systems passed through.

In addition, a Haitian school collapsed in November 2008, killing more than 90 people and injuring 150 -- a disaster authorities blamed on poor construction.

Eighty percent of Haiti's population lives under the poverty line, according to the CIA World Factbook.

"Today as Haiti is going through the worst day in its history I am calling for all others who got help from us in the beginning to help in support," Joseph said.

(via)

What heart-breaking news. It's so hard to watch/listen to/read the news every day because of things like this. It seems as if there is something happening e v e r y s i n g l e d a y that can tear you up inside :[ Another thing, why does it always take a catastrophe for people to notice the suffering that is taking place across the globe. I'd like to think I'm well aware of it in some situations on which I've taken the initiative to educate myself about, but even that is an ingnorant suggestion because I cannot even begin to comprehend the degree at which people suffer. It's sad that it takes such horrific tragedies to put things into perspective for us, but sadly it is a true statement that- Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. (I posted the full quote by Alexandre Dumas the other day.)

I have faith that the world will come together and help re-build a land that has so desperately needed aid for such a long time; but it is not only up to the government's of different countries to help — that is their obligation — but it is up to us, as well. I know the human spirit is a beautiful one, so please do a n y t h i n g you can to help! You can donate as little as $5 towards relief efforts through Wyclef Jean's organization, Yele Haiti, by texting Yele to 510 510.

You can also Impact Your World through several different organizations listed on CNN.com, and The Washington Post has also provided information on how you can help:

To donate to specific relief efforts in Haiti:
Mercy Corps
International Red Cross
World Vision
UNICEF
International Medical Corp
You can also find updated information and general ways to help during disasters at ReliefWeb and USAID.

Deep down inside I feel as if this was a message from Him telling us to pay closer attention to those who are suffering. All too often we turn a blind eye as if someone else will take care of something that needs attention/assistance, and no one ever does...well, let me not say that because there are plently of people who relentlessly put everything they have into making this world a better place every single day, but this just calls for all of us to start paying attention!

__

I had to take a moment to write about this, it was really difficult for me to watch the news and absorb the information, not to mention the images. There's been so much destruction going on in the world lately...it's realllly tough to take it all in. I'll more than likely take a break for a few days...to be honest it's just so hard to update sometimes. I used to do it daily and I even find myself updating eightsixteen:816 more often than poor & fly simply because it's just easier, but with the recent events that have been happening all over the world, I find it rather easy to stay away from it all. I'm taking a much needed break from everything to just reflect on life and attempt to find peace within this chaos. It may be a few days, or a few weeks...who knows?

Again, God bless the victims, the families, the friends and ALL the people of this devastated country. My love and prayers continue to be with all who are affected.

2010-01-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

2010-01-12T16:38:00.000-05:00

"Each generation should be made to bear the burden of its own wars, instead of carrying them on, at the expense of other generations." — James Madison

2010-01-12T16:25:00.000-05:00

"Fear is the single greatest weapon the enemy has to keep you from God's best." — Joel Osteen

2010-01-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." — Walt Disney

2010-01-12T15:36:00.001-05:00

"I am always thinking one step ahead like a carpenter who makes stairs." — Andy Bernard

2010-01-12T00:57:00.000-05:00

Cupid by 112

Girl I love you so...

Girl if I told you I love you
That doesn't mean that I don't care
And when I tell you I need you
Don't you think that I'll never be there

Baby I'm so tired of the way you turn my words into deception and lies
Don't misunderstand,
Don't misunderstand me when I try to speak my mind
I'm only saying what's in my heart

Cupid doesn't lie
But you won't know unless you give it a try
Oh baby, true love won't lie
But we won't know unless we give it a try
Give it a try

Girl when I ask you to trust me
That doesn't mean that I'm gonna cheat on you
Cuz I'm gonna never do anything to hurt you or mislead you
I love you

Baby I'm so tired of the way you turn my words into deception and lies
Don't misunderstand,
Don't misunderstand me when I try to speak my mind
I'm only saying what's in my heart
Cupid

Cupid doesn't lie
But you won't know unless you give it a try, true love
Oh baby, true love won't lie
But you won't know unless you give it a try
Give it a try

Ain't no doubt about it
Lord knows I really mean it
I'd rather die before, before I lie to you
Never wanna leave you
Ain't no life without you
Never gonna leave, never gonna go, no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, ohhhh

Cupid doesn't lie
But you won't know unless you give it a try, true love
Oh baby, true love won't lie
But you won't know unless you give it a try
Give it a try

Ain't doubt about it
Lord knows I really mean it
I rather die before, before I lie to you

True love won't lie
But we won't know unless we give it a try
...

2010-01-12T00:51:00.000-05:00

2010-01-12T00:50:00.000-05:00

"You can turn off the sun, but I'm still gonna shine." — Jason Mraz

2010-01-12T00:47:00.001-05:00

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." — E.E. Cummings

2010-01-12T00:45:00.000-05:00

"People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain." — Jim Morrison

2010-01-12T00:44:00.000-05:00

"Love is an attempt at penetrating another being, but it can only succeed if the surrender is mutual." — Octavio Paz

2010-01-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

2010-01-12T00:42:00.000-05:00

"The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live." — Leo F. Buscaglia

2010-01-12T00:41:00.000-05:00

"A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires." — Paulo Coelho

2010-01-12T00:40:00.001-05:00

"The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant." — Salvador Dalí

2010-01-12T00:39:00.001-05:00

"I have no regrets. Regret only makes wrinkles." — Sophia Loren

2010-01-12T00:37:00.001-05:00

2010-01-12T00:36:00.002-05:00

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." — Albert Einstein

2010-01-12T00:36:00.001-05:00

"We are healed of a suffering only by expressing it to the full." — Marcel Proust

2010-01-12T00:35:00.002-05:00

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" — Vincent van Gogh

2010-01-12T00:34:00.000-05:00

"I will wait for you forever,
If you would just ask me.
I thought that I could change you,
But you changed me."
— Emery

2010-01-12T00:33:00.002-05:00

2010-01-12T00:33:00.001-05:00

"Writing is a form of therapy. Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation." — Graham Greene

2010-01-12T00:32:00.001-05:00

"Humanity is not perfect in any fashion; no more in the case of evil than in that of good. The criminal has his virtues, just as the honest man has his weaknesses." — Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

2010-01-12T00:31:00.002-05:00

"Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something." — Henry David Thoreau

2010-01-12T00:31:00.001-05:00

"Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

2010-01-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

2010-01-12T00:29:00.000-05:00

"This love is silent." — T. S. Eliot