Kony 2012: We got trouble

As the Kony 2012 video swept through the internet like wildfire, I'm sure that many people have already seen this subsequent post. In case you have not, I think that it's well worth your time.




http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-trouble

Mike Rogers on health care

I feel as though I've seen very little of this perspective on the news lately. Granted, I don't own a TV at the moment, but in the past, other sides of the matter have been more widely presented. Just thought I'd put it out there.




Congressman Mike Rogers' opening statement on Health Care reform in Washington D.C.
By RepMikeRogers

http://youtu.be/G44NCvNDLfc

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

Unless you're Tom Cruise, being an actor is a rough job

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2010/02/guys-are-not-going-to-want-to-fk-her.html



This amazed me. I can certainly imagine that there are far more actors out there than there are roles to hand out. But still! What is with all these committees, and all of these non-creative people making the decisions? And being turned down because the prez wants Mr. Popular instead? It's like effin' high school all over again, man.

Every one matters

As an English freak, I first off feel the need to say that yes, "everyone" is one word. But here, I mean to make a more pointed statement. We get wrapped up in our lives. In our work, our friends, our immediate vicinities. It can be easy to forget that there are more people out there whose experiences are an entirely different universe from one that we can even imagine. For the jobless and the homeless, it's not something they see in a newspaper or pamphlet. It's what they wake up to, work through every single day.

In school, I saw a presentation given by a volunteer for Tent City's 1 Matters. He was an incredible man, with a sense of humor that amazed me, despite his past. As I listened to him speak, I wrote down some things he said, which I hope to never forget. Sometimes they seem like the simplest, most obvious things, but that just means that you've forgotten to pause, think, and feel them. Realize their depth.

~The more you give, the more you get.
~Chase money, it flees. Chase quality, and money comes to you.
~They say distance makes the heart fonder... so keep going.
~If you don't use your talent... it affects you.
~I wasn't what I was doing. I was who I was.

~You can be that one that matters for somebody.


www.1matters.org

Brazil's epic law enforcement takes out a plane

Video description: Brazilian Federal Police SUV hits airplane to prevent smuggler's flee.It happened in São José do Rio Preto, a city located 275 mi (443 km) from São Paulo.

My only comment: Holy shit.





http://youtu.be/ikg3Wi3Ejgo

Don't buy cheap DVDs if you don't want to fail

Got this e-mail recently. It's a good thing to know. Slightly altered to remove all personal info, just because.



I want to take a moment and relate something interesting that happened.

Your photo collection from your trip occupies 9 DVDs. Since I made two copies, that came out to 18 DVDs required for the task. Because I both burned and verified each disk, figure on an average of 30 minutes per disk, partly because I shuttled back & forth between the burning and doing other things. It took me large chunks of two days to finish the job.

I used some Sony DVD-R blank disks, which took me thru Disk 7, Copy #1. At that point I switch over to Staples brand blank disks. [I had accumulated some money in rewards points at Staples and bought the Staples brand because they were on sale.]

Therefore, I started using the Staples disks with Disk 7, Copy #2. Obviously, Copies 1&2 are identical, and I didn't make any changes to the source files before starting the next burn. The burn process failed about half way thru. I tried a second one, just in case the first disk was defective. It failed identically. At that point I went thru every one of the source files (~4.3 GB of pictures) to verify none of them were corrupt, although that really should not have caused the problem. Also, since this particular disk was very close to its maximum capacity, I shuffled the source files to reduce the size slightly. No joy - same problem happened.

At that point I called it quits. Went to Staples the next day and explained the problem. Their customer service people were great, not questioning why I wanted to return the two spools of disks. The exchange took a while because I no longer had the receipt and the credit card had changed. Got the same Sony disks, as before.

Returned home and finished the burning job without any more problems. The lesson: don't buy Staples brand CD or DVD blank disks.

Chick-fil-A is homophobic?

http://equalitymatters.org/factcheck/201111010001



Just found out about this. It irritates me to no end that, no matter what product you buy, you're supporting the entire infrastructure and belief system of the company, rather than just the damn product.

Not that I'd ever want to buy that poor excuse of a food substitute.

Oh Cleveland!...

From a friend in Ohio. Although I'd like to add that I actually like the Free Stamp.




http://youtu.be/ysmLA5TqbIY



http://youtu.be/oZzgAjjuqZM

^Can't embed the second one, though. Sorry!

Disney princesses come to life. Like, for real.

Regardless of any sexist or racist undertones that Disney may or may not have incorporated into its movies, it is a deeply-rooted part of my childhood, and I enjoy seeing new media related to the old classics.

This graphic designer fixed up classic Disney princesses so that we could see how they'd look if they were real people. Pretty awesome!



http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/if-disney-princesses-were-real-2595417/#photoViewer=1

OnStar spies on you for profit after you unsubscribe

It sort of comes across as one of those overly paranoid things that we've grown frighteningly used to. However, apathy, as they say, can be deadly. There are many ways that you private information can be used, and possibly new ways developed every day. Who says that we even know half of them?

I reccomend reading these in the order posted. (And don't worry, they're not all long.)




http://www.zdziarski.com/blog/?p=1270

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/21/gms-onstar-now-spying-on-your-car-for-profit-even-after-you-uns/




And here is an example in real life--

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/34/3466.asp

Um... so where are the humans supposed to work, then?

...no, seriously.

I really do wonder about that.



http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/robot_invasion/2011/09/will_robots_steal_your_job.html?gt1=38001



It's like cloning animals. Why make more of them when you already have too many stuck in shelters? How many jobless people are there in this country because nobody is hiring??

Doorbell: The severity of the debt crisis

I got this in an e-mail. Here's the explanation to the video:


"Power Line Blog held a prize competition for $100,000 for whoever most effectively and creatively dramatized the significance of the federal debt crisis.

"Any creative product was eligible: videos, songs, paintings, screenplays, Power Point presentations, essays, performance art, or anything else.

"Several entries have gotten a lot of attention and a lot of views or listens. But unquestionably, the one that has most gone viral so far is “Doorbell”.

"After listening to this it is OUR FAULT that this has happened. We have to mount an attack on the lobbyists. We have to find people that will not take a dime from these people. The press thinks that they are great as they get most of the money during champagnes for advertisement. The same goes for getting people to run that believe that they should be on Social Security. It would take 3 elections to accomplish this along with a big fight in between."




And here is the video in question:

http://www.ntrc.info/doorbell.html

Hollywood doesn't watch Supernatural

It makes enough sense. How else can you explain such a wildly popular show getting so blatantly ignored by the industry? God, I hate those people. And I'm as thankful as ever that the Supernatural cast and crew are who they are-- people truly dedicated to and in love with their project, so they've been willing to keep going with it despite the lack of mainstream attention. People who pick up on their fans' deep appreciation and always hold that close to them. Anyway, Misha Collins does a good job of exlaining his thoughts here.



http://www.afterelton.com/people/2011/09/misha-collins-supernatural-castiel-gay

Supernatural auction-- ENDS SOON!!

This fan-organized auction was supposed to take place at the Salute to Supernatural convention in Chicago this October, but Creation Entertainment disallowed it. So, it's taking place on this website instead. Here you will find some posters, books, movies, and a CD. Come take a look!

It ends soon, and the prices are pretty good. You do need an account with the site to bid, though.



http://www.webstore.com/80935,user_id,shop

Oh Borders... why am I not surprised?

Typical. Typical. Typical. I really don't have anything else to add. I'm just pissed.



http://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2011/09/06/borders-seeks-six-figure-payments-for-ex-ceo-others/

Is your favorite state park closing?

It's a sad reality that when funding drops, beauty is frequently a victim. No more art, no more nature. Thankfully some of these parks have been saved, but check the list and see what you can do to help save one!



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/the-100-state-parks-facing_closure--is-your-favorite-park-on-the-list.php

Because dog fighting isn't a big deal?!

Well, guess who's sharing some details about his favorite hobby with GQ. That's right, it's Vick.



http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Vick-on-dogfighting-in-GQ-8216-People-act-lik?urn=nfl-wp5294



Fucked up in so many ways that it's not even worth it to make a list.

Dollar stores aren't a bargain?

http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-113117-10316-1-why-youre-overpaying-at-the-dollar-store?ywaad=ad0035&nc



To this I'd like to add a couple of things. First off, doesn't it take a ton of effort to dig up all those coupons to begin with? But hey, that's fine if you're short on money, and who isn't in today's market anyhow. Second, what with everything costing "only" a dollar, it's easy to buy a ton more useless things that you never needed anyway. Those places can be good to avoid. I'm not... the biggest fan. I usually feel as though I'm making myself morally unclean every time I set foot in a dollar store. Heh.

It doesn't pay to help people

When I say "pay", I mean actual money, not karma. And that's beyond upsetting. Every time I wonder how things in our society have gotten so horribly screwed up, something new is thrown at me. People are mentally and emotionally unstable these days with all of the pressure of the 21st century, filling their bodies with crappy food and chemicals that further mess with their health, and now every health industry in the country seems to be failing us.



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/health/policy/06doctors.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&emc=eta1



Here's to hoping that, the more people realize there's a problem, the harder they can work to fix it.