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| The Almavore is among us... |
| truth |
| liberty |
| V O R A C I O U S... |
| R A P A C I O U S... |
| R A V E N O U S... |
| We're dealing with more than ghosts & vampires here... |
| Almavore and Almavore characters Trade Marked email@almavore.com |
| justice |
| "Almavore was here." BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Shaima, a 29-year-old artist, proudly displays her latest work in progress. White streaks stand out against a bright, burnt orange background -- an abstract painting that she says signifies the reality of life in Baghdad for the last five years. "I am trying to show scattered body parts flying around," she says. Dressed in a sleek gray shirt and spiked heels, Shaima looks like she belongs at an art gallery in Paris, not a run-down studio with no power in Baghdad. Her art used to be as lively as her persona, but since the U.S.-led war began, she only expresses tragedy. It's the reality inside her, the death and destruction she has witnessed firsthand. "Ruins of a city, a memory of a city only," the artist says as she describes what she sees when she looks at the streets of Baghdad. "I only see it full of sorrow -- the city that had such a busy past -- but now it's just a memory." Werewolves rampaging through the streets? Hardly. Monsters need not apply here; there's no work, as the humans have taken .all the positions available. So many out-of-work fictional ghouls... |
| Horrors rampant in city 'full of sorrow' CNN | February 1, 2008 |
| Further Information: Shaima could have left Iraq, but she chose to stay out of love for her homeland. She's fighting to keep going, opening a small studio with two friends. She says her paintings are not meant to be political -- just a reflection of the mood in Baghdad. "We see the violence daily, the killing, the conflict among the people. It's affected me and my students, especially the students when they see their colleagues kidnapped or killed." Baghdad is largely chopped into sectarian blocks, each guarded by its own armed force, most supported by the United States. And many Iraqis still don't dare cross sectarian lines. Nearby...16-year-old...Ahad, speaks with a maturity beyond her years. She has known nothing but war since elementary school. "Here, there are no guarantees that you will be alive in the future, whether you are old or young," she says. Huddled on the bed with her two older siblings and her little cousin, Ahad says the war has created a layer of nightmares, each different from the next. |
| The monster inside still lives; it will always be there. Without education, without maturity, without upgrade, the real monsters don't need to hide in the dark. The true horror lies exposed. -Blackwood, M.D. |
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