Happy New Year 2020

Wishing everyone that reads this a happy new year. May all your dreams come true in 2020, and may this new year be better than all your best bits of 2019 😀❤❤

Merry Christmas - 2019

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas. I'm sharing with everyone my mother's Christmas tree and some of her decorations, as you can see she loves Christmas 😀

Paul John Dark

Today is the funeral of my cousin Paul Dark. Rest in peace.

Rest in peace Paul Dark

2019 - National Coming Out Day

Apparently today is National Coming Out day, but seeing as its pouring down I'm not coming out 😁😃 lol! And my agoraphobia won't let me either 😂❤

I am of course joking but I believe in everyone being treated equally and with respect and kindness. Most people do not understand the subject of gender, partly because of religion and partly because of science and the medical world. Most people believe gender is either male or female, and there is nothing in between; this is wrong. There are intersex medical conditions. Did you know that 1.7% of the world's population is intersex, that's around 150 million people.

There are different types of intersex medical conditions too, its not just a person who is born with both genders, that's extremely rare, and there are two different types. Most people don't know about intersex conditions because society has erased intersex people from history for many many generations. They've considered us freaks, but we're not, we're human beings first and foremost. I refuse to be hidden away or brushed under the carpet.

If you don't understand about the different intersex medical conditions then you simply don't understand gender. Happy coming out day everyone. I wish you all peace, love and good health ❤❤❤

My name is Lisa-Lee Dark and I was born with a rare intersex medical condition called, 'Congenital adrenal hyperplasia' (CAH). My birth name was just Lee Dark and I have been giving media interviews for over 20 years to raise awareness about intersex conditions to create more acceptance and less hate. I am here to help make the world a better place and make sure younger generations won't have to experience the same level of hate I've had to deal with ❤

A Jewish boy

Seeing this photo and reading this story made me cry. And this is the very reason why I'm careful what I say about the situation in Gaza/Palestine and Israel. A 12 year old boy was forced to kiss the feet of another boy, or get beaten up by a gang of nine. The twelve year old Jewish boy then went and told his mother, 'You shouldn't love me because I'm a worthless Jew. I'm a Jewish rodent and I'm vermin'. No child should ever have to feel like this or say those words. It's wrong.

I don't care if you're pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, you need to be careful of the words you choose to use. Hate is a dangerous and powerful weapon, and it spreads like wildfire! My stance on the Palestine/Israel situation is, I'm pro-coexistence. For me its the people who build bridges that are the more important ones. Peace can be achieved but not while both sides are attacking the other. The people who are pro-Israel usually do more to help the Palestinian cause than the pro-Palestinians do, and vice versa, and the reason they do more to help the other side is because of the words they use to attack.

There is right and wrong on both sides, and there are good and bad people on both sides. There is no good guys and bad guys. Although saying that I don't agree with land theft and I don't agree with Collective punishment or the people of Palestine being under military law. And I definitely don't agree with any of the wars they've had with Gaza. But these are the policies of the right wing government, so it's the extreme right wing government that I don't agree with. It's not Jewish people, and the right wing Israeli government don't represent all Jewish people. Don't forget that most of the loudest voices that are fighting for peace in Palestine are Jewish.

Today people will say the most offensive things about Jewish people, but they'll replace the word 'Jewish', and say, 'Zionist', and they'll think its fine to do this because all Jewish Zionists are bad. But this is not correct and it shows that most people don't know what a Zionist is. A Jewish Zionist is someone who believes in a Jewish homeland. A place/country where Jewish people can be safe and free. I don't have the right to tell someone that being a Zionist and wanting a homeland / safe place is wrong. We all want a safe haven. There are lots of Zionists who are also supportive of the Palestinian cause. Being a Zionist doesn't mean you're bad, and the more Jewish people who are attacked, the stronger you make Israel. Additionally not all Jewish people are bankers or extremely wealthy. Look how many Arab Muslims who have obscene wealth.

Lots of people will disagree with me and that's fine, but I urge you all to be careful how you say things, because hate is toxic, and its spreading. No child should ever have to feel like this boy, or be forced to kiss someone else's feet. This reminds me of how I was bullied and humiliated every single day. Being born with a rare intersex medical condition means I'm different and I've had to suffer for being different! I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to deal with sexual and physical assaults, and then been ignored when trying to report them, I've even been blamed or made to feel like they were my own fault. I've even become terrified of losing weight because I've been told I'm going to get raped because I'm getting pretty! I've even found out that there's a £100 bet on for who can rape me in my home! And my attackers have told me that I can't do anything to stop them because, firstly no one listens to me, and secondly, if I report them, they'll accuse me of sexually assaulting them years ago, and they'll get their friends to say the same! This is how sick people are today. People today always try to use sex to humiliate you. They'll accuse you of sleeping around and doing all sorts of disgusting sexual things. This is just to discredit you, so they're free to keep humiliating you and no one will stop them.

I know how this boy feels and no child should ever have to feel like this! Hate is wrong in any form, and that is why I'm now careful about what words I use, even with the Palestine / Israel situation.

https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/04/jewish-boy-forced-kiss-muslim-boys-feet-face-beating-10859052/

Rest in peace angel of Gaza

Today I was reading my Facebook timeline and I came across this sad story, another young man has committed suicide in Gaza. Reading stories like this breaks my heart. This young man from Gaza/Palestine killed himself. Look how young he is, he's really just a young boy. He is the second young man to kill himself in a week. So many people still don't understand how bad, difficult and hard life is in Gaza. There is a very high suicide rate in Gaza, I would say the situation is so bad it's an epidemic. Gaza is the place where hope dies!

Lots of Palestinians are leaving Palestine in search for a better life. A life that has hope, meaning and love. But sadly most of them are ending up stuck in countries like Turkey, Greece or Eastern Europe and they're finding a new hell!

I believe that there is a solution, why can't the EU / UN work together to find a safe haven for these people fleeing. Why can't they work with some African  (or other) countries, so you can make sure the refugees don't have to risk their lives desperately trying to get into Western Europe. Help them settle in a country that you're working with, to help them find peace, safety and dignity. Lots of countries could come together and fund this, and fund housing, educational and working projects to help the refugees. The refugees are some of the hardest working people you'll ever meet. They're leaving their place of origin, not to steal or sponge off other people. They're leaving to find work, to work hard to get themselves and their family out of poverty. They understand that you need to work hard to create a better life.

If there was a place that was a safe haven for them, you could make sure they had any medical help they needed. You could also help train people up for jobs that are needed in the West, make sure the children aren't missing out on their education or studies, help them build businesses up in this area (safe haven), this would also help build up the economy of whatever country they're in. These refugees might decide to stay where they are. By doing this you're keeping them safe, you're ending the human trafficking and you're building up a better, kinder world. Additionally you're not over stretching your own countries resources. Sadly something like this will only happen once man learns how sacred and precious life is. We all need to show more kindness, offer more help and give more love to each other.

Sadly this young boy will never be given a chance at a better life. He deserved so much more and as a world and society we have all failed him! May he rest in peace. And if you're religious do not comment saying suicide is wrong. Do not show more ignorance, if you believe in a God who punishes suicide you believe in a cruel God. This young man felt so empty, so unhappy, and he was in so much pain he ended it, because for him there was no hope and no way out. I believe in a God that is full of love, and He hates to see His people cry or be in pain. When we cry He cries with us. I believe God will understand this young boys pain and He will forgive him, and He'll embrace him and give him the love he needs. If you believe otherwise, keep your comments to yourself. My prayers are with him and his family. Rest in peace little Angel of Gaza ❤❤❤

Music

Justin Trudeau

Why do elections always have to be so nasty, vicious & personal? I feel sorry for the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, why do the public expect their politicians to be saints all their lives. Look at his actions today, not his mistakes of yesterday. Every saint was once a sinner. I know that my Canadian friends might disagree with me, I can't comment on his politics or policies because I'm not Canadian or living under his government, but that's what the election campaign should be about. It shouldn't be personal attacks, unless its possibly a criminal act. We were all young once and we all learn from our mistakes.

When I see Justin Trudeau I always see the man who cried listening to the refugees stories, and the man who stood up to Donald Trump, and someone who got a trade deal with the EU (I think 😁), that's something no one in my country has managed to do (UK / Brexit). Look at who he is today not what mistakes he made yesterday, while growing up. Let's clean up politics and make it about policies and not personal attacks on people's past character. Everyone has a past.  #JustinTrudeau  And its completely fine if my Canadian friends disagree with me, or if they don't like his policies, you're free to vote as you see best.

YouTube - Copyright

On Sunday I posted a YouTube video of the audio of me singing the Lord's prayer in Romanian, and unusually I sang the aria in the range of a tenor. I rarely sing that low because its not the most comfortable, and I know that I'll get lots of hate and abuse off people. The song is called, 'Tatal Nostru' (Our father). The sacred aria was written by Anton Pann (1790 - 1854). Pann was a composer and Romanian language poet.

I first heard Tatal Nostru performed by the soprano Angela Gheorghiu, and I fell in love with the piece straight away, and it wasn't until later that I discovered it was the Lord's prayer sung in Romanian. As a singer I was mostly self taught, but this is frowned upon in the opera world, but I taught myself to sing by mimicking other singers, and I was good at it 😀 I always tell people I'm not a good singer, I'm a good impressionist  (of other singers). Most people don't get that that's what my music career is about, not how good my singing is, but how good my impressions of other singers are!

I naturally tried to copy the Angela Gheorghiu version, but her voice is too complicated for me to mimic, meaning her voice is far too superior. I just sound like a Russian singing, so I searched for another version to copy, and I found it. The aria was sung by a group of monks and it was so beautiful, and this one I could mimic. So I did a copy and posted it, but even though the song is in Public Domain because the composer has been dead for over 70 years, a publisher has claimed the copyright of the song.

The problem today with people who are releasing their music is they don't understand copyright and publishing laws. Nearly all of the songs I record are in Public Domain, but other singers are taking some of these 'PD' songs and releasing them, but they're claiming copyright ownership of them and this is wrong. Sometimes some people might slightly rearrange the aria and the big record companies will copyright it, lots of people in the music world don't believe they have the right to do this, but they've got lots of money and power, so no one can stop them.

I decided to delete my YouTube audio cover version because the publisher who claimed copyright over it, and the artist name was different from the one I heard and copied, so I have no idea who did that arrangement first. Once a song has been claimed by someone on YouTube, they make money each time its listened to; that's why I took my version down because I don't want the wrong person making money from someone else's hard work and arrangement.

After saying all the above, there is a problem on YouTube and its very easy for a big publishing company to claim copyright over your own music, I've seen it happen lots of times, publishers will come along and just claim music ownership and there's nothing you can do unless you have lots of money, and a legal team to challenge them. That's why I stopped writing music. There's a saying in the music business, 'A hit is always followed with a writ!' That's because there are so many greedy people out there who try to steal other people's hard work and money!

I would also warn people to be careful if you put out your own music, because I see lots of people doing cover versions and releasing them, but they claim they own the copyright, you don't, the publisher does! And if you do this you could get sued for thousands of pounds because you're stealing someone else's work. That's why nearly all the music I do is in public domain.

What I do is, if I like a particular arrangement of a song and I'm able to copy (mimic) it I will, to show people what I can do vocally; but if I find out that person has released the song commercially I usually take down my version/copy because I don't want people to credit me with the song or arrangement. I try to be fair; but the problem with YouTube and people who claim copyright to new arrangements of songs that are in Public Domain, is you could have a dozen or more people come up with the very same arrangement, because the actual song has already been written. The other problem is that you might have one hundred people record a rare classical aria, but if one of those one hundred people claims copyright on it, they take all the royalties off the ninety nine others and that's not right or fair. I strongly feel that all songs that are in Public Domain should not be allowed to be copyrighted, even if you change the original arrangement because its someone else's work you've altered.

Acrostic poem - Kamal Ghazall

This is an acrostic poem Lisa-Lee wrote a while ago for Kamal Ghazall. This poem is included in Lisa-Lee's new book, 'Six', which is available internationally from Amazon.

Kamal is from Gaza / Palestine and as all Palestinians life has been difficult for him, and Kamal is trying to raise money to study in Canada, if you'd like to know more about him or you're able to help him then please click on the link at the bottom of the poem.

Kind, caring, sensitive and sweet
Are all the words used to describe Kamal
Mornings are usually the times he sleeps
As he works every evening without fail; but
Lost and alone is sometimes how he feels.

God only knows how big his beautiful heart is
He is always there listening and helping others
Always guiding, giving advice and support
Zealously he writes his own beautiful poems
Adam, his little brother, is the love of his life
Life would have no meaning for Kamal without Adam
Lovingly he works non stop, selflessly providing for his family.


https://m.facebook.com/nt/screen/?params=%7B%22fundraiser_campaign_id%22%3A743035059464669%7D&path=%2Ffundraiser%2F&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F&_rdr

The Star

I see it again, the beautiful star
It twinkles down, and gladly draws near
It warms and sparkles, the closer it comes
It dims all others
I patiently watch and wait each night
For my star to shine
And secretly hope that one day
My beautiful star will come for me
So I may surrender my heart.


This is a love poem by Lisa-Lee Dark, it features in her new book, 'Six', available internationally from Amazon. Lisa-Lee wrote this poem a few years ago. The Star is a person ❤

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-collection-stories-Lisa-Lee-Dark/dp/1077621019/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Lisa-Lee+Dark&qid=1564439134&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Giusto ciel by Rossini

This is the link to the YouTube video with the audio of Lisa-Lee singing the Rossini aria, 'Giusto ciel L'assedio di corinto'. The audio is a little rough as it was taken from one of Lisa-Lee's singing lessons. This is the first recoding in a while of Lisa-Lee singing in soprano voice/range, it shows her soprano voice is getting stronger, its not perfect yet, but its getting there. Please click the link to hear the recording.

https://youtu.be/2OZKdYH8dQU

My moon, Sun and stars

A poem from Lisa-Lee Dark's new book, 'Six', available internationally from Amazon.

You are my moon, my Sun and my stars
You are everything to me
Today I love you more than yesterday, and
Tomorrow I will love you more than today
Because with every beat of your heart
My love increases for you

Through you I found my heart
With you I will reach the stars
And side by side we will find peace

You have brought joy to my sad heart
You have opened up my soul
And filled it with love
With you I will find joy
And with you I will reach Paradise.

A strange mystery

I usually use a tablet computer as I find them easy for general things like social media activities, I use my laptop computer for typing my work and general business stuff. My only trouble is that I'm really quite forgetful at times, and several times I've gone outside with my tablet computer and left it outside, once or twice it went missing and I thought it's been stolen, but out of the blue its reappeared.

I guess I should be lucky it was returned. Maybe the thief didn't like it? Although something weird did happen on its return. I found some unusual photos in my photo gallery, well there were a few images of women's breasts and vaginas!!! I never put them on there. Should I be worried because its such unusual behaviour or should I just be grateful I still have it in working order. I guess the positive thing is that I provided free internet access for someone. The only scary thing is maybe I'm being watched again!

Lisa-Lee Dark ❤

Six

We are pleased to announce Lisa-Lee's new book is finally available to buy. This brand new book is a collection of six short stories, some poetry by Lisa-Lee and a collection of inspirational quotes. More information to come soon.......

The book is available in paperback and as a Kindle version. The book is available internationally through Amazon.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-collection-stories-Lisa-Lee-Dark/dp/1077621019/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Lisa-Lee+Dark&qid=1564439134&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Rohingya [acrostic poem]

Rivers in Rohingya run red with the blood of the dead
Only because they're Muslim who pray five times a day
Humiliated, beaten, raped, repressed, tortured and left to die
Incarcerated, denied basic human rights to life
No one comes to help them or save them from this evil
God only knows how they pray daily to be saved
Yesterday should be history, but each day is the same
Allah please help the forgotten people of Rohingya.



This is a poem Lisa-Lee wrote a few years ago to try to help raise awareness of the plight of the people of Rohingya. Thankfully the world is more aware today.

Kamal Ghazall fundraiser

A good few years ago I met a young man called Kamal Ghazall. We met through Facebook. We've never met in person because Kamal was living in the open prison called Gaza, in Palestine. Both myself and Kamal connected and I kind of adopted him. I think of Kamal as my adopted son.

One of the things that connected myself and Kamal was our broken hearts and dark minds. For me, I had finally found someone who not only understood me, but someone who thought like me too. Kamal also used poetry to let go of some of his pains. Kamal's poems are truly beautiful; he not only opens up his heart, but his mind and soul too.

Life inside Gaza for Kamal was unbearable; along with his broken heart he had to financially support his whole family. Most young men in the West would be selfish and see to their own needs first; but not Kamal, his priority was to look after his whole family. Kamal had three jobs, sometimes four, and nearly all of his earnings went to feed and clothe his family. How many young men would gladly give up their wages to make sure their family were fed and taken care of? Even during Ramadan when everyone was fasting, Kamal would take on extra work, just to make sure the family had extra money, so his younger brothers and sisters (who were under 10) had gifts for their Eid celebrations. Kamal never once asked for money or help off anyone. Kamal has a big, beautiful and kind heart; he's a much kinder person than I.

Kamal's life was so hard he wanted to die, the only thing that kept him hanging on was the love he has for his family; and understanding how much his family needed him, he loves his family with his whole heart, especially his younger siblings Adam, Malak and little Mohammed; they are his life.

Kamal is a qualified English teacher and translator. Kamal's big dream was to go to university in the USA to get his Masters degree, so he could get a good job and give even more support to his family in Gaza. To try to achieve his dreams Kamal took on extra work, he asked no one for any help he just worked non stop to be able to pay his own way; even in his spare time, or during a long night shift he would do extra studies, to make sure he passed the exams needed to go to a USA university. Due to his hard work, focus and determination Kamal found a university and got accepted. Additionally Kamal also found accommodation for himself and employment for when he got to the USA. Kamal was determined to make his family proud of him and give them a better life. The very last thing Kamal needed was his Visa, this should have been completely straight forward. Without any help from anyone Kamal arranged to visit the USA embassy in Egypt to get his Visa. What people have to understand is there are no embassies in Gaza, you just have two options. One, you go into Israel or two, you go into Egypt. Both are very difficult.

Kamal should have been accepted without any problems, but life decided to be even more cruel to him. He decided to leave Gaza and visit the USA embassy in Egypt. To leave Gaza this way is very difficult because the Rafah border crossing is hardly ever open, and the Egyptian government officials are known for treating the Palestinians extremely badly, they treat them like dirt and they fully take advantage of the difficult situation the Palestinians are in. Quite often corrupt Egyptian guards charge the Palestinians as much as $2,000 to leave through the Rafah border crossing. This is completely illegal, but no one stops it from happening. Kamal knew that once he left Gaza it would be difficult to return because the border is mostly closed. Kamal took the brave decision to leave his family and try to work hard to create a better life. Sadly it took him weeks to leave because the border guards were being difficult. They charged him twice, leaving him with very little money to survive on, Kamal knew life was going to be hard for a bit, but he was determined and prepared to do his best for the people he loves.

Unfortunately for Kamal, Donald Trump got elected as US President and did his Muslim travel ban, preventing people from certain poor countries from going to the USA, so for no good reason Kamal's visa was rejected. This is quite ironic as Kamal shouldn't have had any travel problems because the USA doesn't support an independent State for Palestine, so officially Palestine isn't a State / country in the eyes of the American government. Kamal tried everything to get his Visa but was unsuccessful. Kamal was now completely stuck in Egypt; he was unable to return to Gaza because the Rafah border crossing was closed. Thankfully he had a few friends who were able to help him, but his permit for Egypt was about to expire and if he didn't leave they would have put him in prison - for years.

Kamal managed to get to Jordan and find some work. He tried again for a Visa because the university wanted him but again he was rejected. Kamal still dreams of working hard to create a better life for himself and his family, sadly America is no longer an option, and he also understands that he can't achieve his goals by himself; so his friends have teamed up to try and help him, they've set up a fundraising page for him because if he can raise a little money he can go to Canada to study. All he needs is to raise around  $7,000, please if you support Palestinians and the Palestinian cause, then please support Kamal in some way; either by donating a small amount, sharing this post, saying a prayer or if you have any ideas on how to help him please do.

Thanks for reading and hopefully supporting - Love you Kamal ❤💙💚💛💜

https://m.facebook.com/nt/screen/?params=%7B%22fundraiser_campaign_id%22%3A743035059464669%2C%22source%22%3A%22feed%22%7D&path=%2Ffundraiser%2F

Ebben? Ne andro lontana

Please click on the link to go to YouTube and listen to Lisa-Lee performing the Catalini aria, 'Ebben? Ne andro lontana

https://youtu.be/cDNTMNz9nws

Chernobyl

I'm looking forward to watching the final episode of the HBO / Sky Atlantic mini-series 'Chernobyl'. I'd give this drama a 5/5. The acting, the sets, the special effects make-up is just brilliant. I've really enjoyed it. It's so sad and so scary / frightening too! The thing that makes it more frightening is the fact that its based on a real life event! You're watching what some of the characters are doing and thinking, don't do that it's lethal! This really did happen, and not just that, the people who dealt with the aftermath are true life heroes and heroines! They saved millions of people from dying, and we don't know their names! Without their actions a huge part of Europe would have been blown up or poisoned!

The people who gave their lives to deal with Chernobyl are the same as war heroes, and they deserve the same respect. This should also be a warning that nuclear power is dangerous, no matter how safe people tell you it is, its lethal when something goes wrong. We need to stop poisoning our planet, and we should focus more on green / renewable energy.

Game of Thrones finale / Final episode

I don't like to be critical or say nasty or negative comments about other people's art, but WTF was that last episode of Game of Thrones? I'm not going to say any spoilers, just in case some people haven't watched it yet! But sadly, the leaks of episode 6 were completely true, and that was the worst episode I've ever watched of Game of Thrones! They could have had so many twists or little turns, but nothing! What they've done makes no sense! The writing of that episode is so weak, I'm shocked HBO allowed it! I believe if you say something negative, you should always try to say something positive, and the only thing I liked about this episode is what Drogon did to the throne! The show has no ended with so many unanswered questions! Terrible ending and a terrible episode!

Game of Thrones - Season 8 - Cersei

Am I the only one to think that maybe Cersei isn't dead? We never saw her lifeless body, and I could be wrong, but when they started showing the preview to Season 8 of Game of Thrones, I'm sure they showed Drogon under the Red Keep, where Cersei and Jaime are buried, or maybe trapped?

If I'm not mistaken, the original Scorpion  (Dragon killing cross bow) is down there, with the remains of Balerion the Black Dread, and remember Cersei said, "All they need is one good shot". Maybe Cersei gets her one good shot and kills Drogon? I'm probably completely wrong, but it would be good if it happened

Ramadan - 2019

Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslims ❤

Chat magazine - 2019.

Lisa-Lee is in this months edition of, 'Chat' magazine.

2019 - My birthday!

Today is my birthda! So I'm officially fat and old now 😁

Syrian little boy.

This Syrian child was with his family on Friday 5th April  (2019); they were on a boat trying to get to Greece via Izmir. Sadly the boat sank and everyone on board drowned, except for this little boy. He lost his whole immediate family.

The authorities are now desperately trying to find this little boys relatives, but its made harder by the fact that this little boy doesn't know how to speak. No one knows any information about him, not even his name. If you know who he is, or where his relatives are, then please call this number  +90555 00 26 300.

Please help in any way you can, even if its just by sharing his information and photo. Please think, what if this was your child? Your baby! It's obvious that his parents loved him deeply, because they were trying to get him to safety. Trying to get him to a place where he could be free, and have a life. Please show this little boy some love, kindness and compassion. Help his parents achieve their goals / dreams of getting him to safety, so he can have a life and experience freedom and love. Please help him.

Know yourself

Recently I did an in-depth online personality test, to find my eight personality traits. Mine were;

(1) Loner.
(2) Secured.
(3) Thinker.
(4) Delicate.
(5) Extremely cautious.
(6) Assertive.
(7) Stressless.
(8) Perfectionist.

I was shocked by how accurate this test was. The only thing I'd disagree with is number seven, 'stressless'. I am a complete stress-head. Stress is my major downfall in life. Maybe this test is telling me what I need to be in order to be my true self?

To grow into who you are supposed to be, you must Know yourself.

Kindness

What the world desperately needs today is; more kindness. More compassion. More respect, and more love.