Fundraising Videos

The past 3 months or so have been spent trying to raise $4000 for cancer research, prevention outreach, and patient care.  I did it once before in 2006 with lots of fancy fundraising letters, but this time I decided to only use facebook and ask for small donations.  I'm close to my goal, about $500 shy, but am thrilled by the knowledge that tweaking my method has brought in over 145 contributors from Brazil, Israel, Syria, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, and the ol' US of A.  A big part of this process has been making ridiculous fundraising videos...

Across America take 5

A church in Michigan City, Indiana explaining five reasons to tithe.  Until seeing this poster, I thought "tithing" strictly belonged to vocabularies prior to the 16th century.  It turns out tithes are in, and my vocabulary needs a serious updating.  

This is the 5th installment in a series of photos taken from a 2006 bicycle trip across America to raise funds, spread awareness, and foster hope in the fight against cancer.  I am riding again this summer.  Each rider has pledged to raise $4000 to donate to the American Cancer Society's Baltimore Hope Lodge, a free residence for patients receiving cancer treatment in the Baltimore area.  We also donate to the outreach and research divisions of the Sydney Kymmel Comprehensive Cancer CEnter at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Please consider making a $10 donation.  If you can only afford less, then that is totally cool - EVERY PENNY COUNTS!  You can make a contribution by clicking the "Donate Here" link of my fundraising page at: http://sites.google.com/a/4kforcancer.org/rider-fundraising/riderfundraising/raffi-wartanian

Leave a comment if you have any questions or stories you want to share.

Thanks!

Across America Take 4

Photo above:  Cycling up Pennsylvania's Appalachian mountains, we encountered the following sign.  The Pennsylvania peak is named after the mountainous resting place of Noah's arc after the great flood.  Photo below: Mount Ararat itself - a photo I took the following summer in Armenia.  Mount Ararat is one of the most enduring symbols of the Armenian nation, and, ironically, rests just on the other side of the closed border with Turkey.  It is quite symbolic, actually, of Armenian history as one that has been inextricably tied to surrounding powers.  

This is the 4th installment in a series of photos taken from a 2006 bicycle trip across America to raise funds, awareness, and hope in the fight against cancer.  I am riding again this summer.  Each rider has pledged to raise $4000 donated to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge, a free residence for patients receiving cancer treatment in the Baltimore area.  We also donate to the outreach and research divisions of the Sydney Kymmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.  

Please consider making a $10 donation.  If you can only afford less, then that is totally cool - EVERY PENNY COUNTS!!  You can make a contribution by clicking the "Donate Here" link on my fundraising page at:

http://sites.google.com/a/4kforcancer.org/rider-fundraising/riderfundraising/raffi-wartanian

Thanks!

Across America take 3

Enormous piper.  Music so good you can't even hear it.  

This is the third in a series of photos from a 2006 cross country bicycle trip to raise money, awareness, and hope in the fight against cancer.  I will ride again this summer, and each rider has pledged to raise $4000.  You can learn more about our organization, the 4k for cancer, by visiting the website - www.4kforcancer.org .  To make a donation, please visit my personal fundraising website at:   http://sites.google.com/a/4kforcancer.org/rider-fundraising/riderfundraising/raffi-wartanian .

Please consider donating.  EVERY PENNY COUNTS AND IS TREMENDOUSLY APPRECIATED!

Across America take 2

This is the second installment in a series of photos from a cross country bicycle trip I took in the summer of 2006. 

Is this a subliminal way of saying that Todd Alexander is the head of Ministries International?  Or does it say that Ministries International provides one-on-one advice for financial solutions?

I will ride once again this summer, pledging to raise $4000 in the fight against cancer.  The funds go to the American Cancer Society's Baltimore Hope Lodge, a free residence for patients receiving cancer treatment in the Baltimore area.  We also donate to the outreach and research programs at the Sideny Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.  

If you like what you see and approve of our mission, the consider making an online donation.  You can visit my personal fundraising page and learn more about the trip by copy/pasting the following URL into your browser:  http://sites.google.com/a/4kforcancer.org/rider-fundraising/riderfundraising/raffi-wartanian .

Every penny counts in the fight against cancer.  Thanks for your support!

Across America take 1

This is the first in a series of photos from a cross country bicycle trip I took in the summer of 2006.  I will ride once again this summer, pledging to raise $4000 in the fight against cancer.  I wanted to share this series of photos to give you, dearest potential donor, a sense of the many quirks and surprises we encountered along the way.

Roadside religious philosophy.  It was reported that twenty people lost their lives in the construction of that sign.  I thank them for their sacrifice.  

If you like what you see and approve of our mission, then consider making a small donation to our cause online.  You can visit my personal fundraising page and learn more about the trip by copy/pasting the following URL into your browser: http://sites.google.com/a/4kforcancer.org/rider-fundraising/riderfundraising/raffi-wartanian

Whatever you can give is tremendously appreciated and is tax-deductable.  Thanks for your support!

I'm riding a bicycle across America and NEED YOUR HELP!

Dear Readers

I am bicycling 4000 miles from Baltimore to San Francisco this summer to raise funds, awareness, and hope in the fight against cancer.  I will be joined by 26 other rides as a part of this year's 4k for Cancer.    

Each rider is responsible for raising $4000 - that's $1 for  every mile we ride.  The funds go to the American Cancer Society's Baltimore Hope Lodge, a free residence for patients receiving cancer treatment in the Baltimore area.  We also donate funds to the research and outreach programs at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital.  

Please support my trip and the 4k for Cancer's objectives by making a donation - EVERY PENNY COUNTS!  Seriously, whatever you can give is TREMENDOUSLY appreciated, and all of it is tax-deductible - just ask me for the form.  You can donate online using your credit/debit card by visit my fundraising page and clicking on the "Donate Here" link.  You can copy-paste the URL into your browser to access my fundraising page.  Here's the link:

http://sites.google.com/a/4kforcancer.org/rider-fundraising/riderfundraising/raffi-wartanian

You can also donate by check.  Please mail your check (payable to "4k for Cancer") to the following address.  And please make sure to put "Raffi Wartanian" in the memo line.  The mailing address:

Raffi Wartanian

4k for Cancer

PO Box 4730

Hamden

Baltimore, MD 21211

Your donation, no matter the amount, is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!  

If you have any questions or stories to share, please do!  Leave a comment, or send me an email to rjw303@yahoo.com. 

I did this ride in 2006 and made a small slide show of images from the Rocky Mountains set to John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High".  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SHqzyOadlQ

Does this guy look like my dad?

My housemate Julian argues that the man I am hugging on the right, ie the big doll in the beetlejuice shirt in the middle of a Barcelona street, resembles my dad.  So I thought I would post this side by side comparison and throw it open to the public.  I think they kind of look alike, but not really.  Some say no resemblance whatsoever, others see a huge resemblance.  Thoughts?  

p.s.  I have a picture of my blog on my blog.  If that isn't a glaring case of blog-narcissism then I don't know what is.

Best Job in the World

I must send a big "thank you" to my friend Ethan who informed me about an amazing opportunity offered by Tourism Queensland.  This is how they describe the job: 

The role of Island Caretaker is a six-month contract, based on luxurious Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef.  It's a live-in position with flexible working hours and key responsibilities that include exploring the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef to discover what the area has to offer.  You'll be required to report back on your adventures to Tourism Queensland headquarters in Brisbane (and the rest of the world) via weekly blog posts, photo diary, video updates, and ongoing media interviews.  Our offer is a unique opportunity to help promote the wondrous Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.  

Since this job description shared an uncanny resemblance to the past eight months of my life - traveling and blogging - I thought I had nothing to lose in applying.  All applicants are required to make a one-minute video explaining why they would make the best Island Caretaker.  So I bit the bullet, got a monkey suit, an Australian flag, and went to town.  HERE'S THE LINK TO MY VIDEO -> www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/FMCXwJPDBHE

It's also really fun to watch one of the thousands of one-minute application videos from across the world.  You can even search by country (the Russians are my personal favorite).  It's neat to see so many random people across the world who would never otherwise make a connection through this process.  You can find their videos at the contest website: www.islandreefjob.com 

iDecoupage

When I was couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) in Florence, I stayed with Elisa and  her flat mate Dave, an Italian graphic designer and freelance psychologist.  The kitchen he had decorated rocked my world - especially the table.  

Close up of the table.  The world's best fitting jeans under my glass of OJ.

  

The table from afar.  

Kitchen contextualized.  Black panther on the fridge.  

"What's up with that multi-colored elevated circle in the middle of that room?" you might ask yourself.  Well, dear reader, Dave decoupaged his table.  Decoupage.  DEK YOU PAJ.  Scientists claim that the word has a Latin origin and stands for "Decorate Eclectic Kangaroos Yearly On Underbelly Pouchy After Jamming".  

Decoupaging is when you glue colored paper onto objects.  Sound exciting?  Not really.  Look exciting?  You bet!  Dave chose the theme of ridiculous 1950's advertisements for the table, resulting in unendingly interesting sit downs when you could look at the pattern under your cup, plate, spoon, fork, knife, napkin, salt or pepper shaker, ashtray, napkin holder resembling flamingo, pair of dice, slice of watermelon, and never get bored.  

His creation inspired me to do one of my own.  He explained the process, and soon enough I stumbled across a record shop in Philadelphia selling milk crates of old records for one dollar a piece.  After gathering thirty of the most colorful album covers, I went inside the store (yes, these albums were actually displayed outside of the store - shows how much they care!) and the clerk told me to name my own price.  

I left Philly with some funky looking album covers.  I cut them up to fit our living room table, glued them down, and poured varnish over top for protection.  Below is the final product! 

Thank you, Dave!

Life in Lebanon

I hope the photos in this post give a sense of life in Lebanon beyond the cloak of fear and instability many western media outlets use to depict the small Mediterranean country.

Lebanon is a land of harmonized oppositions (or opposing harmonies) - mountain faces towering over the sea, churches and mosques across the street from one another, a one-legged man on the street offering you coffee.  It is a difficult life riddled with neglect and steeped in family values - these photos show Lebanon suspended from its political context (it tries, at least), focusing on its natural beauty, and the way people fit themselves into that beauty.  

The ruins of Anjar village.  

'

Farayah - This is where we go to ski.

Beirut at sunset from my uncle's apartment.  A mesmerizing sun humming "good night" to the people.  

What used to be the Nahr River.  Countless bullets and rockets were exchanged across this waterway during the civil war that lasted from 1975-1990.  

The rocks of Rowche refusing to sink quietly into the sea.

Memories of a violent past.  

My grandmother's balcony at dawn.  Do you see that big green hill in the middle of everything?  That's a big pile of trash.  Sometimes you can smell it when the wind blows.  

Government Censorhip in Kuwait

These are photos I took of magazines from a mall in Kuwait.  If you look closely, you'll notice sloppy, black blotches on the pages of these magazine.  The location of those blotches are no coincidence - this is the work of Kuwaiti government officials who apparently flip through these magazines page by page and marker over anything deemed "inappropriate".  

These pictures demonstrate the official's specific sensitivity towards any type of exposure or flaunting of a female's nether-regions, even if it is necessary for them to complete their athletic endeavors.

More blotching of anything that might expose skin near the woman's private areas.  

Clearly the officials did not appreciate the V cut in this dress.  

But they did appreciate the V cut dress of the "Illustrado" lady.

So this is what it means to have religious law overtly enforced over secular trends in society.  On the one hand, I understand how this approach can counter the media's trend of objectifying women into mere sex symbols.  This is part of the reason why so many women wear the hijab (head scarves) - it is a symbol of devotion to God and an upholding of the sanctity of monogamy.  

In the West, we criticize the presence of religious law in secular society and government.  Perhaps we would not object to the notion that women should not be objectified, yet we believe that these decisions come down to the freedom to choose.  The freedom of a model to pose in a bikini for a photoshoot.  The freedom of a curious teenager to buy the magazine displaying that photoshoot.  The freedom of the woman selling that magazine to dress as she pleases.  With freedom we may sacrifice many layers of conservatism, but we preserve that feeling of individualism so dominant here in the West.

It's time for a game!

Dear friend,

This is a guessing game.  Below you will find a picture I took in Lebanon.  If you accurately guess what it is, I will write a poem about you and post it on my blog.  Email me your answers, or just leave a comment with your guess.  I will write about your imaginative brain and your attentive eyes.

Happy hunting!

Hi Blog

Dear Blog,

It's time to get you going again.

Raffi

If you're my naughty child

Folks, I have given up on posting pictures for the time being because the internet here is just too slow and unruly.

Today I went with my cousin Viken to Zmar, an Armenian Catholic monastery in the middle of one of Lebanon's countless mountain chains.  It's exquisitely beautiful.  

I sneaked into a building.  It was a Sunday night.  And I found a classroom of pre-pubescent boys with scraggly forebodings of facial hair sitting quietly and studying.  

They lived at the monastery, enduring the (rigorous?) education future priests must endure.  Their tameness struck me, the sense of discipline, of withdrawal from the outside world; insularity.  

Then it hit me.  I discovered the perfect ultimatum to put before my future child (should he/she exist) if he/she's behavior drives me bonkers.  "If you can't get your act together," I'll say, "then you're off to Zmar."

Swish.