How the times have changed...

Some of these changes I've witnessed through my life, others no. However, they never cease to amaze me... funny, but pretty depressing as well.

Miss Representation, a movie actually worth watching

Cuba, China, Iraq and Afganistan have more women in government than the United States does.

Think about that.



Miss representation Trailer
By MrSamy1600

http://youtu.be/JFh5F8cFb3g

Bald Eagle "Challenger" soars

http://youtu.be/oOZF4vTAF2M




Text that accompanied the video in my e-mail:

'Challenger' is his name (in honor of the lost space shuttle crew) & is cared for by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation (AEF).

He's a 'human-socialized' bird accidentally raised by the people who rescued Him - after being blown from a wild Louisiana nest in a storm as a baby in the late 1980s. Declared 'non-releasable' by federal and state wildlife Authorities, he was trained by the AEF to perform educational free-flight demonstrations at high profile public events.

He's the first Bald Eagle in U.S. History that learned to free-fly into Stadiums, arenas and ballrooms during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. The celebrity eagle has appeared at numerous major sporting events like the World Series, Pro-Bowl, All-Star game, BCS National Championship, Fiesta Bowl, Men's Final Four, etc.

This eagle named Challenger has also flown before 4 U.S. Presidents

His life story is told in a children's storybook.

Please enjoy the video and pass it on to your fellow Americans.

Matthew Gray Gubler opens a few doors

If you don't know who this guy is, you should check him out. He's got a fun Twitter page (@GUBLERNATION), and plays the fantastic Dr. Reid on Criminal Minds. I just thought that this was cool.



http://flaunt.com/flaunt/whats-your-fridge-matthew-gray-gubler

Remember 9/11... like, really remember it

This is a lovely, to-the-point article reminding us why we truly cannot afford to forget about the horrific events which took place on September 11th, nearly ten years ago.



http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_18838151

Wait, so humans came from... multiple types of humans

I can't even fake an intelligent comment here. This isn't a field that I understand particularly well, but from what I gather, this is pretty cool.



http://news.yahoo.com/wasnt-just-neanderthals-ancient-humans-had-sex-other-171119367.html

Apparently the Brits own English

God, this annoyed me so much as I read it. Although, I'd say that this list is quite telling.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14201796



It would seem that the British don't like American English. As someone who hates most cliches, I agree that a lot of these phrases are terrible. "I could care less" definitely needs to burn. And actually, poster #48, there are a lot of people who commit the ghastly sin of "I got it for cheap". Believe me, I'd like to smack some of those people, too. (And why didn't "pitch dark" make the list?)

But I also find some comments here irritating, such as #38-- "My worst horror is expiration, as in 'expiration date'. Whatever happened to expiry?" Uhh... who says "expiry"? Oh, the British! Some of their phrases are equally laughable to Americans.

I've never been to England (or am I supposed to call it Britain or the UK?), but all this is leading me to believe that we English-speakers on opposite ends of the ocean view our language differently on a fundamental level. I think that Americans are more experimental and less like purists, because we're a mutt nation with a short history and a knack for borrowing traditions from the rest of the world.

Sorry, Brits, but that's just how it is.


PS- How are we supposed to be pronouncing the letter Z, anyway?

Bent Objects creator takes on a world of art

I believe I may have directed you to the Bent Objects blog before. Artist Terry Border uses food, wire, and other little things to create humorous characters and scenes, and released a book a while back. (Anyway, in case you've forgotten-- bentobjects.blogspot.com.)

He's just started on a new project in which he interprets other pieces of art in his own, epically twisted way. Oh I am so looking forward to all his future posts!



http://myresponseproject.blogspot.com/



And actually, I wouldn't mind trying my own version of this, too. Hmmm...

So... pot might bring world peace...

...or something. I found this article interesting because I remember years ago seeing a news story which I believe was about these two girls, Lamb and Lynx Gaede of Prussian Blue. I remember seeing footage of these cute little girls dancing on a swastika. Talk about parental brain-washing. Anyway, here's how they feel about humanity and their upbringing now:



http://www.uproxx.com/music/2011/07/teenaged-nazi-music-duo-prussian-blue-discover-marijuana-have-a-change-of-heart/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teenaged-nazi-music-duo-prussian-blue-discover-marijuana-have-a-change-of-heart

ModCloth is rad, groovy, and swell, man

Aaaaaaahhhhhh. I find some aspects of fashion interesting enough, but I'm by no means a fashionista. I used to be hooked on What Not To Wear until I got tired of it. BUT, if there is one thing that I love, it is vintage clothing. I love looking at photos from the 50s or 60s and drooling over girls in floral print dresses or guys fresh off of Carnaby Street.

And what's better? Being able to buy that kind of clothing today, because it's in style again! It's not cheap, but online store ModCloth.com has pretty much everything you could want.

So, let me get you started with a dress that I cannot get over. Even if this stuff is out of your price range, treat yourself to some delicious optical goodness.



http://www.modcloth.com/Womens/Dresses/-Bonus-Points-Dress

1930s "King Kong" spoof

There is nothing like watching an old TV show or commercial to show you just how far we've moved from our past. It's particularly interesting to me what details are considered acceptable back then but are not now, and vice versa. This short cartoon definitely features some racial stereotypes, but not unlike others that I've seen from that era.

But that aside, there is one characteristic of this particular time period's art that I think is awesome. Look at the creativity in the animation. Like, when the hero pulls out the plane's front propellar, it's made to look like the plane lost its dentures. And the spikes on the giant lizard/dinosaur's back turning into a chainsaw of sorts. Epic stuff. I don't really watch cartoons nowadays, but I'm pretty sure that you don't see that anymore!




http://youtu.be/ArKXdba3C8E

Lost their meaning, grew their beauty

One thing I love about the mid 1900s is the trend towards futuristic artwork and design. I don't know much about its impact outside of the US, but these Yugoslavian monuments certainly look like someone's take on the Space Age.



http://www.cracktwo.com/2011/04/25-abandoned-soviet-monuments-that-look.html



I think these are all gorgeous and breathtaking. The fact that their significance has been forgotten makes them even more interesting-- I believe, as I stated in my post on the Neo-Nazi codes, that all symbols are arbitrary. So, these could have meant anything, although we could make some guesses based on the location of each piece and the local history. But the fact that I can look at any one of them all day and never know for sure makes me feel as though I am staring into the future. And the past. And my mind melts a little bit as reality shifts.

State stereotypes!!

I love these. Stereotypes can be horrible, and people should by no means be judged using them as we're each individuals, but to an extent they're true. I'm a big fan of anything showing off the fifty unique chunks of the US, so I think this video is great. I haven't looked into the book that the guy's promoting at the end, though... hmm, probably should do that.




http://youtu.be/h68UJaHvG_c

Neo-Nazi codes

I have a German friend who, when we first met, was concerned whether or not I would think that she was a Nazi. It was amazing to me how people could be worried about how their country is viewed by the rest of the world decades later, although it's true that there are still those with Nazi beliefs out there.

More than I thought, apparently. And since the swastika, the phrase "Heil Hitler", and other Nazi propaganda is banned in Germany, people are coming up with new ways to spread their message of hate.

It's amazing, and extremely sad, not to mention troubling, what all this could lead to. I took a course in rhetoric, and we discussed how language and symbols are all arbitrary; we just assign meanings to them. Banning the number 88 because of what it might mean is ridiculous. But, what are you going to do?



http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/disturbing-trend-neo-nazi-codes-203345626.html

Presidential hopefuls should make us feel warm and fuzzy inside...

...or, you know, like face-palming ourselves. Whatever.

I've heard of plenty of people doing this sort of thing before, like Ann Curry while giving a speech at a college, I believe. But still, even if you think you know the facts, you want to make sure you sound knowledgeable. Sooo... checking up on your info probably isn't a bad plan.

Michele Bachmann, the next Pres? Hmmm.



http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/06/michele-bachmann-confuses-john-wayne-gacy-with-the-duke.html




http://youtu.be/PsLfL9vMaUY

Letting a baby pick its gender(s)

Recently, a couple in Canada was criticized for refusing to reveal the sex of their newborn baby, Storm. There have been lots of articles about it, and here is one that I found a couple of weeks ago--



http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-world-canada/20110527/CN.Canada.Genderless.Baby/



I shared this story with a friend, who in return had a similar story for me. Ever heard of Baby X, from the 1970s? This is the story of a couple who raised a little X, who ended up being the most well-adjusted kid in its school. I've found the book on Amazon, and my understanding is that this is an excerpt? Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.



http://www.gendercentre.org.au/22article4.htm



Anyway, I find some areas of gender/queer studies absolutely fascinating. I'd love to look more into this issue, but for now, here are these two pieces. I do find myself wondering how much of what we do is based on what we truly feel, versus what society tells us to feel. And what's amazing is that some of this stuff is so deeply engrained into our psyche that we don't even pause to ask why things are the way they are. For instance, look at my post on shooting anvils. I copied the text from the e-mail directly, and as you can see, the sender calls the sport a true "guy thing." Does my wanting to try it out make me a guy?

And do you ever notice how it's okay for girls to be tomboy-ish, but it's not okay for boys to be girly? It's good to be a Daddy's Girl, but bad to be a Mama's Boy? Of course, the article about Baby X was written back when gender roles were more strictly enforced than they are now. Back in the day, all girls took home ec classes, and all boys took woodworking. I daresay that those two sets of classes should be brought back into the school curriculum, but I believe that they should be mandatory for all students.

So yeah. That's enough of my opinion. I just find this all extremely interesting. I do believe that any Baby X, such as Storm, could grow up to be a perfectly happy and healthy individual. If anything is going to eff things up, it's how he/she/it/etc is accepted by our highly categorized society.

Best of luck to you, Storm!

Let's shoot anvils!!

"What's an anvil shoot?

"It's a guy thing you have to witness.
The younger generation says, 'What's an anvil?'
This guy is one of us wrinkled, gray headed old farts who remembers anvils.
He lives in Farmington, Missouri."



http://www.coolestone.com/media/895/Anvils_Away/



(To tell you the truth, as a girl, I would love to try this. Or at least be there to watch. Epic!!)

Pit bulls: A baby's best friend

I did not know this, but apparently, pit bulls used to be "nannies" for small children. It's astounding what's become of their breed today.

I believe very strongly in the notion that a bad dog owner is more to blame for a pet's behavior than the pet is.

Good dogs > Bad humans


http://beta.news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/pit-bulls-surprising-past-nanny-dogs-195612543.html


I recommend that you look into the links within the article. I love that one of Michael Vicks' former fighting dogs was given an edible key to the city of Dallas. Go look at that photograph. Sweetest dog ever. I fail to see animal abusers as fully human.

The sounds are as old as language itself

Language may be more than 50,000 years old? And may still carry traces of its roots?? Eeeeeee!

Yeah, I be linguistic dork.

Cool article.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/science/15language.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage

If 1984 came to Thanksgiving...

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM ME, THE BLOGGER:

Since I started this blog, I've been really considering how much politically-based stuff I wanted to post. I get plenty of interesting articles, videos, and editorials about political issues in e-mails and elsewhere. I myself am not very passionate about politics, and I dislike debates. HOWEVER, if I read or see something that sticks with me, I feel the need to pass it on merely as "food for thought." In other words, I do not wish to start any political discussions, nor am I pushing any beliefs that I may or may not have onto you. I'm just sharing. If you don't like what you see, please move on to the next post.

Thank you! :)






With due credit to George Orwell and '1984'/I do not know who wrote this, but it sure resonates!!!



“Winston, come into the dining room, it’s time to eat,” Julia yelled to her husband.

“In a minute, honey, it’s a tie score,” he answered. Actually Winston wasn’t very interested in the traditional holiday football game between Detroit and Washington. Ever since the government passed the Civility in Sports Statute of 2017, outlawing tackle football for its “unseemly violence” and the “bad example it sets for the rest of the world,” Winston was far less of a football fan than he used to be. Two-hand touch wasn’t nearly as exciting.

Yet it wasn’t the game that Winston was uninterested in. It was more the thought of eating another TofuTurkey. Even though it was the best type of Veggie Meat available after the government revised the American Anti-Obesity Act of 2018, adding fowl to the list of federally-forbidden foods, (which already included potatoes, cranberry sauce and mince-meat pie), it wasn’t anything like real turkey. And ever since the government officially changed the name of “Thanksgiving Day” to “A National Day of Atonement” in 2020, to officially acknowledge the Pilgrims’ historically brutal treatment of Native Americans, the holiday had lost a lot of its luster.

Eating in the dining room was also a bit daunting. The unearthly gleam of government-mandated fluorescent light bulbs made the Tofu Turkey look even weirder than it actually was, and the room was always cold. Ever since Congress passed the Power Conservation Act of 2016, mandating all thermostats—which were monitored and controlled by the electric company — be kept at 66 degrees, every room on the north side of the house was barely tolerable throughout the entire winter.

Still, it was good getting together with family. Or at least most of the family. Winston missed his mother, who passed on in October, when she had used up her legal allotment of live-saving medical treatment. He had had many heated conversations with the Regional Health Consortium, spawned when the private insurance market finally went bankrupt, and everyone was forced into the government health care program. And though he demanded she be kept on her treatment, it was a futile effort. “The RHC’s resources are limited,” explained the government bureaucrat Winston spoke with on the phone. “Your mother received all the benefits to which she was entitled. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Ed couldn’t make it either. He had forgotten to plug in his electric car last night, the only kind available after the Anti-Fossil Fuel Bill of 2021 outlawed the use of the combustion engines — for everyone but government officials. The fifty mile round trip was about ten miles too far, and Ed didn’t want to spend a frosty night on the road somewhere between here and there.

Thankfully, Winston’s brother, John, and his wife were flying in. Winston made sure that the dining room chairs had extra cushions for the occasion. No one complained more than John about the pain of sitting down so soon after the government - mandated cavity searches at airports, which severely aggravated his hemorrhoids.

Ever since a terrorist successfully smuggled a cavity bomb onto a jetliner, the TSA told Americans the added “inconvenience” was an “absolute necessity” in order to stay “one step ahead of the terrorists.” Winston’s own body had grown accustomed to such probing ever since the government expanded their scope to just about anywhere a crowd gathered, via Anti-Profiling Act of 2022. That law made it a crime to single out any group or individual for “unequal scrutiny,” even when probable cause was involved. Thus, cavity searches at malls, train stations, bus depots, etc., etc., had become almost routine. Almost.

The Supreme Court is reviewing the statute, but most Americans expect a Court composed of six progressives and three conservatives to leave the law intact. “A living Constitution is extremely flexible,” said the Court’s eldest member, Elena Kagan. “Europe has had laws like this one for years. We should learn from their example,” she added.

Winston’s thoughts turned to his own children. He got along fairly well with his 12-year-old daughter, Brittany, mostly because she ignored him. Winston had long ago surrendered to the idea that she could text anyone at any time, even during Atonement Dinner. Their only real confrontation had occurred when he limited her to 50,000 texts a month, explaining that was all he could afford. She whined for a week, but got over it.

His 16-year-old son, Jason, was another matter altogether. Perhaps it was the constant bombarding he got in public school that global warming, the bird flu, terrorism or any of a number of other calamities were “just around the corner,” but Jason had developed a kind of nihilistic attitude that ranged between simmering surliness and outright hostility. It didn’t help that Jason had reported his father to the police for smoking a cigarette in the house, an act made criminal by the Smoking Control Statute of 2018, which outlawed smoking anywhere within 500 feet of another human being. Winston paid the $5,000 fine, which might have been considered excessive before the American dollar became virtually worthless as a result of QE13. The latest round of quantitative easing the federal government initiated was, once again, to “spur economic growth.” This time they promised to push unemployment below its years-long rate of 18%, but Winston was not particularly hopeful.

Yet the family had a lot for which to be thankful, Winston thought, before remembering it was a Day of Atonement. At least he had his memories. He felt a twinge of sadness when he realized his children would never know what life was like in the Good Old Days, long before government promises to make life “fair for everyone” realized their full potential. Winston, like so many of his fellow Americans, never realized how much things could change when they didn’t happen all at once, but little by little, so people could get used to them.

He wondered what might have happened if the public had stood up while there was still time, maybe back around 2009, when all the real nonsense began. “Maybe we wouldn’t be where we are today if we’d just said ‘enough is enough’ when we had the chance,” he thought.

Maybe so, Winston. Maybe so.