I’ve tried horse once - pretty tasty. But, I think they’re better as pets…
“In a bipartisan effort, the House of Representatives and the United States Senate approved the Conference Committee report on spending bill H2112, which among other things, funds the United States Department of Agriculture. On November 18th, as the country was celebrating Thanksgiving, President Obama signed a law, allowing Americans to kill and eat horses. Essentially, one turkey was pardoned in the presence of worldwide media while in the shadows, buried under pages of fiscal regulation, millions of horses were sentenced to death.
Horse slaughter has been prohibited in the United States as funding for inspections of horses in transit and at slaughter houses was non-existent. This worked because the horse meat cannot be sold for human consumption without such inspections. The House version of the bill retained the de-funding language and the Senate version did not. The conference committee charged with reconciling the two opted to not include it. The result is that it is now legal to slaughter horses for humans to eat.
Notwithstanding that 70% of Americans oppose horse slaughter, that President Obama made a campaign promise to permanently ban horse slaughter and exports of horses for human consumption (horses can be sent to Mexico and Canada), that documentation of animal cruelty, slaughterhouse stench, fluid runoff and negative community impact exists, it is taxpayers that will bear the costs!
Wyoming state representative Sue Wallis and her pro-slaughter group estimate that between 120,000 and 200,000 horses will be killed for human consumption per year and that Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Georgia and Missouri, are considering opening slaughter plants.
During these trying times, is the only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that Americans need to eat horses?”
Read more: technorati
My blog has become a reblog blog. Everyday that goes by and I don’t add something I think to myself, “Another day without a blog entry.” I have a lot of ideas, that isn’t the problem. It’s focusing on one topic that is hard. Besides my personal blog I keep two other tumblr blogs; one on the Eurozone Crisis, which is for my politics class, and the second about the Occupy Wallstreet movement, which focuses on how the media has changed in reaction to the movement. I tip my hat to all of those amazing bloggers who manage to keep several blogs going at once. Often, I just feel overwhelmed, since I am trying to keep up with everything that his happening in the Euro debt crisis, Occupy Wallstreet movement, and my own ideas.
In the last months I have started looking for jobs and realize that I want to go into Public Relations for fashion, film, or photography. Along PR, I am also searching assistant jobs. Since I was a kid, I have been dreaming of being a writer for Elle of Vogue and eventually becoming editor and chief. Who doesn’t have this dream? Many people, especially when you know that it is one of the hardest jobs out there. These are just the beginning of all the things I want to accomplish.
Originally the point of my blog was about film. I have set up several competitions for myself in order to keep me blogging and more importantly focused on things that I want to accomplish in the long run. The competitions are:
- 365 Films in One Year
- Downsize
- 5 short films in One Year
- $20,000 one year
- One Screening
So far my progress on any of these competitions has been minimal. I am a senior at Mount Holyoke College and lets face it, I thought back in July when I created the blog that I could write one entry a day for the rest of the year. The thing I have come to realize is I am lucky if I post once a week. Yet I am beginning to see that the key to success lies in posting everyday, that way you get hooked on blogging and keep the ideas rolling. I just purchased the new iphone 4s so this should be easier than ever. At least I hope!
So I want to update my blog and reformulate my ideas.
First I want my blog to be like a newspaper of my interests.
Let me start with my interest in film. I am a film major who would love to one day be a director. From those directors that I admire, Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman to name two, it takes a lifetime to become a great director. Last spring semester at Columbia University, I found out first hand how hard it is to be a director and I have a lot to learn. I don’t find myself accomplished enough to say with confidence that I want to be a director. Instead I have decided to focus my attention to watching 365 films in one year and making 5 short films of my own.
The best way to learn about film is to watch lots of films. In many of my film courses, especially last semester at Columbia University I found that I had seen only 20% of the films that the Professors talked about in class. I realized that I had a lot of films to see. Therefore I decided to come up with the competition 365 films in one year. I envisioned myself seeing a film every night and writing reviews about them. It was not a hard task to just watch a movie everyday…WRONG. With school and job applications I am far behind in this endeavor.
I began July 22, 2011.
Today is November 19, 2011
I have seen:
- Marke pour Memoire
- The Trip
- Oldie but Goodie…title unknown
- Bad Teacher
- Role Models
- Mrs. Doubtfire
- Quantum of Solace 007
- Going on 30
- Alles if Liefde *
- Cat Woman
- The Queen
- Horrible Bosses
- Friends with Benefits
- The Duchess
- Washington Square
- The Bostonians
- Bon voyage
- Bridesmaids
- Something Borrowed
- The Help
- Love and other Disasters
- The Graduate
- Clockwise
- Greenfingers
- Secretariat
- The Kids are Alright
- The Guard
- The Innocents
- Blue Gardenia
- Strike
- Battleship Potemkin
- October
- Behzin Meadows
- Old and New
- Alexander Nevsky
- The Magnificent Ambersons
- Ivan the Terrible
- Zorns Lemma
- Cheri
- I Hate Valentine’s Day
- Portrait of a Lady
- Nostalgia
- Star Garden
- He Was Born, He Suffered, He Died
- Flight
- Meshes of the Afternoon
- Scorpio Rising
- Puce Moment
- Cheri
- I Hate Valentine’s Day
- The Odd Couple
Now there has been 120 days since July 22nd, which means that I am 69 films behind. I have over 30 days of winter break and if I watched two movies a day I would be only be 10 films behind. However, I am not going to kid myself I would be lucky to see one film a day. When there is a will there is a way.
More importantly is revising the types of films I watch. I have a real soft spot for chick flicks. When it is late at night after a stressful day all I want to do is watch a happy romantic film. It’s been hard to find good romantic comedies in the last year, especially on Netflix streaming. Another addiction I have is to sitcoms. Several weekends this semester I have found myself watching the first four seasons of Coupling, my favorite British comedy series. This is not the only sitcom that I am addicted to; I go through phases of addiction.
My first addiction to any sitcom was Seinfeld. When I was growing up, my parents forbade me from watching TV, except for public television when I was sick. Of course we only had four channels, so there wasn’t much to watch. My grandpa Cliff lived with us for seven years and during these great years I would sneak over to his house and watch Seinfeld with him. Also would get to eat ice cream while I was there. I have loved Seinfeld ever since and have seen about every episode. The great thing about the show is that I can relate it to everyday. At the same time I was watching Seinfeld my classmates were watching Friends. I didn’t get the chance to see the show and when I did see an episode, I didn’t like it. Many years later I found myself watching the TV show and falling in love with the cast of characters. Jennifer Aniston will always be Rachel to me and it was by far one of her best roles.
Even though my parents strict TV policies thankfully stopped me from becoming addicted to the mainstream media, I did watch British comedies on PBS ever Saturday night. It was through Keep up Appearances, Faulty Towers, Mr. Bean, Upstairs Downstairs, and As Time Goes By that my love of British comedy arose. There is a lot to be said for TV classics and how they have changed over time. All I know is that it is hard to find a good sitcom and usually I am left frustrated by today’s sitcoms, which lack content and storyline. The same goes for romantic comedies; Along Came Polly maybe was the last good one I have seen. This winter the films that are being released, are either violent, stupid, or lack content. Although there has been many great films this year, or maybe that was last year. I will have to focus on this in another article.
My point is that so far I have not focused on classics or any director in the films I have seen. I want to have more direction in the genre, director, period, and actors in the films I see. Since I have an interest in romantic comedies and how the role of female has changed over time I will begin by focusing on the romantic comedy. When I have exhausted every possible comedy ever made then, I will have not only furthered my interested, but will take an interest into a new genre.
I will continue this discussion on films in a later blog entry.
I’d like to turn your attention to the other competitions I put myself up to. The point of Downsize was to cut my possessions in half. Well upon arriving back at school it took me three carloads to move all my stuff from storage in NYC to Mount Holyoke. I am guilty of having too much stuff and while I was moving into my dorm room a freshman walking by asked me, “How did you get so much stuff?” I replied, “Wait till you’re a senior, you will see.” Maybe not. When I look at other students dorm rooms they have about half the stuff I do. My book collection takes up eight shelves. Yet despite this overflow of stuff, I am able to fit it all into one small dorm room. However, my goal remains the same. I want to cut my posesions in half and graduate from college with my life free of cluter. Currently, I don’t see how I am going to do this, as the semester flies by faster than ever. Its thanksgiving break next week and then I have two weeks of studying before finals. If this is any key to how the last semester will go, then I will have to cut my possessions in half after I ship them back home. For now I will post some pictures of moving.
I have not begun the three other competitions. But I will update when they become relevant and foreseeable in my life.
Right now I just want to focus my attention to watching films, reviewing them, fashion, and my everyday experiences.
Great article about Kristen Wiig and how she made it in the film industry. Very inspiring to those of us who are trying to find our way into the industry and doubt if we stand a chance of making it. Wiig spent 11 years struggling as an actress before she received a call from Saturday Night Live, eventually leading to her co-writing and acting in Bridesmaids. She’s an inspiration and a reminder that you should Never EVER GIVE UP!!
Visualizing the 99%
The Guardian put together this compelling animated short explaining wealth distribution in the United States. It’s a must watch and something I’m going to share with everyone I know.
Click through to see the data behind the animation.
(via futurejournalismproject)
(via thenewrepublic)
” The Coming Revolt of the Guards | Howard Zinn - The People’s History of the United States (via gonzodave)The prospect is for times of turmoil, struggle, but also inspiration. There is a chance that such a movement could succeed in doing what the system itself has never done-bring about great change with little violence. This is possible because the more of the 99 percent that begin to see themselves as sharing needs, the more the guards and the prisoners see their common interest, the more the Establishment becomes isolated, ineffectual. The elite’s weapons, money, control of information would be useless in the face of a determined population. The servants of the system would refuse to work to continue the old, deadly order, and would begin using their time, their space-the very things given them by the system to keep them quiet-to dismantle that system while creating a new one.
The prisoners of the system will continue to rebel, as before, in ways that cannot be foreseen, at times that cannot be predicted. The new fact of our era is the chance that they may be joined by the guards. We readers and writers of books have been, for the most part, among the guards. If we understand that, and act on it, not only will life be more satisfying, right off, but our grandchildren, or our great grandchildren, might possibly see a different and marvelous world.
(via gonzodave)
Every year, on the first day of astronomical summer, there are thousands of people gathering at the river of Warta in western polish city of Poznan, to celebrate and share this meaningful moment. Its importance and joy is expressed by lanterns flying into the sky. Photos by Adam Brosz.
I want to go! Must be the most amazing experience!!
(via orientaltiger)
If we only loved each other a little bit more! the world would be a better place.
(via deonteblue)
HYPER ISLAND AND CP+B LAUNCH 72-HOUR SOCIAL INITIATIVE TO RESULT IN AT LEAST 60 IDEAS FOR WORLD PEACE
“72-Hours for Peace” Event Kicks Off Ongoing Hyper Island “Create for CHANGE” Concept-Series
Stockholm – Nov. 16, 2011 - Hyper Island and ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) today surprised more than 300 digital creative students at Hyper Island’s Stockholm and Karlskrona, Sweden campuses, launching a three day event that will result in a minimum of 60 well-formed solutions for positive global change.
During the “72-Hours for Peace” event, Hyper Island and CP+B creatives and strategists will guide the students as they explore ways to leverage technology to encourage peace within their communities, resulting in complete and viable concepts that will be free and available for anyone to implement. The entire process will unfold across multiple platforms and the public is invited to follow the event in real time and contribute to the creation process. Final concepts will be uploaded to www.72hoursforpeace.se with the ultimate goal of establishing the largest global creative commons database of ideas for peace.
“We are co-creating this event with Hyper Island to introduce and challenge their students to our creative process,” said Per Rundgren, Creative Technology Director, CP+B. “When we realized we would have 10,000+ man hours of creative thinking happening over the course of three days, the urge to leverage it for an altruistic cause was irresistible.”
During day one of the event, 60 teams of five students will undergo a creative exploration before entering into a facilitated idea generation process designed to identify as many fleshed out concepts as possible. On Thursday Nov. 17, day two, global organizations and social entrepreneurs will share best practices and inspiration with the group. Each team of students will pitch five ideas to their peers until one or more ideas are selected for further development. By Friday Nov. 18, day three, each team will upload a video presentation articulating their plan or plans for peace to 72hoursforpeace.se, which will serve as the creative commons database.
“Using technology to drive social good is a responsibility, not an option,” said Johanna Frelin, CEO of Hyper Island. “Today, we have access to the talent and the tools needed to harness the power of collective action and bring about real social change. With CP+B on our side, Hyper Island has a real opportunity to inspire the world to Create for CHANGE.”
“72-Hours for Peace” marks the start of Hyper Island’s ongoing “Create for CHANGE” initiative that brings together students and the global Hyper Island network of alumni, fellows, global brands and agencies to create solutions for positive global change. During the events, Hyper Island will employ its unique experience-based learning methodologies to facilitate idea generation and concept development around a specific social theme, with the opportunity for in-market implementation.
