Ruled by my hands?

It's no secret I just love the tests which pop up on my facebook. It can be about anything from what kind of animal are you, which flower are you to what are your most distinct character features.
I don't really know why I like them, but they do kind of boost my curiosity on the outcome of my choices.
I try to answer as truthfully as possible, and even though I never post the results on facebook (now, that I find just as annoying as people's candy crush results), I do copy and share with one or two I believe know me a little.

Last night, while doing nothing, I took a test asking "What are you ruled by?" A few of my facebook friends posted cheerful comments on being ruled by their heart, or head, and when I took the test I was so hoping for being ruled by something more poetic, like my heart, which was the option that seemed the most noble to me.
Anyway, I conscientiously clicked off the options on all the ten questions, and clicked "complete".
I have to admit I was a tiny bit disappointed:

You are ruled by your: 

Hands: Ingenious and Creative 

You are a highly creative person, with profound imagination, and an appetite for original thinking. Naturally, your brain has a way of figuring out how the things you see in your head should come about into the real world. Wether it's visual or auditory, all creativity stems from nature and you get your inspiration from it to create something that is truly marvelous. To you, satisfaction comes from truly expressing and bringing to life that which is already alive inside you.

Seriously?  Ten options, and this is what I get? So I sent the result to a friend, and the response was: "yes, that sounds like you".

It would have been great to get a "gentle" or "kind and caring" in there somewhere, but I guess that's not really me then.

Thinking it through, though, I have to admit I am creative. My best hours are spent with a book, but in a really strong second place is doing crafts.
It can be anything from painting, papercrafts, sewing, knitting... anything to do with texture and colours. I just simply love it! 
Not only that, if I can come up with an idea to bring out the best in me and people around me it makes me happy.

Kind of folds nicely in with "my new project".

It is common in Norway that the senior year in junior high, the students get to go on a class trip. A year ago my son's class decided to go to Poland, to visit Auswitch, the salt mines and a few other sites.. and do some shopping.

For various reasons they failed to raise money for the trip, so now I have gotten involved. We do voluntairy work: washing the home nurses' cars, we sell boxes of cookies and candy, we sell a kind of local pancakes in a store on Saturdays, and now we are going to participate in the city's Christmas Market. A four days event, where people sell whatever product they have to sell.

We have a lot of nice things the parents, grandparents and the students have made, and I have high hopes to the income.
One of the parents told me that "We were very frustrated, but it is very hard to be negative when you guys are so excited!" 

Well, there are a few really energetic parents, who have chosen to get involved, all I did was to kick them started. They are creative, kind, engaged and really take their kids' adventures seriously. It is wonderful to work with people like that. I just created commotion, and gave them "permission" to start working towards a goal.
I have no executive powers given me, I just planted a word here and there.
Another thing they are greatful of is that I do not allow negativity to overshadow their efforts.
I also want thje students to feel ownership to the trip, so I expect of them to put in effort.
It wouldn't be too much to just cash in the tickets, but they wouldn't learn much from that, would they?

My goal is that the trip is to be fully financed by our voluntairy work; noone should have to stay at home because they can't afford the trip, or because they have parents who for various reasons don't care enough, or are unable to, make an effort. I am rather stubborn about it, and I believe it to come true. And that might be my strongest feature.

Questioned good.

A couple of weeks ago Bob Geldof gathered quite a few famous artists to record another version of the "bygone", 80s hit: "Do They Know It's Christmas". Again his aim was to use music and a few good household names to raise money for a worthy cause.
This time for the benefit of ebola victims. 

When we heard this event was to take place, we knew what to come next, people are so predictable: "Humiliating", says Liberia researcher Robtel Neajai Pailey to al-jazeera.

Stars like Bono, One Direction, Sinead O'Connor, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Paloma Faith and Coldplay's Chris Martin showed up in the studio in London to do their thing, and 36 hours later they were done. The CD single goes on sale December 8th.
Of course critical voices were raised:

The well-known and reputable TV channel al-Jazeera has been in contact with a number of African prominent and renowned scholars, activists and analysts questioned whether Geldof thus hanging out an entire continent as a black hole, completely unable to take care of themselves and depend on help from the rich part of the world.
- Nigeria and Senegal have had outbreaks of Ebola and handled this efficiently. As has Congo, says Abdullahi halakha, an analyst from Kenya.

He does not deny that he also believes that Ebola epidemic has been devastating, but a song recorded out of charity reasons does not solve the problem.

Robtel Neajai Pailey claims that this type of music is overbearing, redundant and out of date.

She points out that a number of artists from the Ebola-hit countries have written and published songs with a view to educate the population about ebola.

She tells Geldof to cut it out. It is great that They record and release songs to educate people, but... thing is: If an African artist, famous in Africa, releases a song which is educational about the disease and people listen and learn, and they raise money to secure research, medicines, medical personnel and additional care; Can they really afford to say no, thank you, to funds which will support and ensure further effort?

SolAbout Lemm, writes in an article that a study from 2001 showed that Bob Geldof's "Live Aid" project meant that 80 per cent of the British population only associate developing countries with poverty and misery.
I am sorry, but it is not new of date that many countries are developing countries. I refuse to believe Bob Geldof's "stunt" is what caused this perception. Western population was made aware, yes, but it was old news.

This new recording is the fastest selling song in the UK in 2014, and it sells faster and more than the original version in 1984. The online world shows its excellence in applicability; it is easy to download and play music we take an interest in. In other words: serious money are into the matter.

Isn't it flippin' annoying? Of course the cred police here at home feel the need to stand out and claim the song just isn't up to standards of good music. Too popular music never is, you know. Good, I mean.
Thank God we have people who take the task seriously and call a spade a caterpillar.
The most enthusiastic contribution here in Norway has probably come from "Dagbladet"'s music critic who gave the song a dice 1 under the heading "Totally f_ _ _ ed up!". She isn't satisfied with the artists who contribute and cuts right to the core: "What motives, those who spend their time doing this, really? They can't possibly care all the while the vocals are flat as a cookie?"

Since we are talking about glitterati artists, it is fair to wonder what the artists really care about in this project: is it the ebola or the image?" It is commonly known that when state of celebrity sinks in, the sense of empathy and social engagement runs out. Apparently, according to public scandalmongers.
And that's not all: several of the artists she has not even heard of. Why are they included in this elite of musicians? Well, all I can say is that if you are a music critic, but unwilling to follow the rising of up and coming artists, perhaps you should start writing your memoirs.

It never even crossed my mind that to feel a sense of capital liability, and spend effort, time, talent and fame to raise money in an attempt to do some good for somebody should be a bad thing.

If Ebola victims in West Africa only knew. If only they had known what lay behind the care they now receive. Had Ebola victims known that several of the artists who contributed are totally unknown to 40- and 50-year-olds in Norway, they probably would have thought twice before they agreed to get help and treatment. They would most likely go to see Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which treats people where the need is greatest. An international medical humanitarian organisation, probably run by love, care and air.