The 3:18 Movement.

The 3:18 Project is finally starting.

http://the318movement.org

Check it out! :)

npr debate: the united states & israel.

This past Tuesday, Dainty Danit & I went to a Think Twice debate hosted by NPR (Intelligence Squared) at NYU's Skirball Center.



Debate motion: The U.S. should step back from its special relationship with Israel.

Was really interesting...I think you can watch the debate online now?
Sadly, I forgot to get a picture with Danit! :(


Also, May 11th is the debate on Obama's foreign policy. Very interested in hearing that one.

healthcare reform fail?

In the words of Gilliguinea Pig (recent friend of Gabriellephant): "Healthcare is officially going to suck now. Thanks, Massholes."

NYULocal article on where it can go from here.

I haven't adequately processed all this. Between all the drama going on in the world and in my mind, I haven't been able to articulate anything lately. But hopefully it'll stir up dialogue for you.

avatar (aka pocahontas in space).

I just got back from watching Avatar in IMAX3D at Lincoln Center. Quick response:

• I heard from many people that it was amazing. I heard from a decent amount that it was "meh." My conclusion about the overall movie: I found it amazing only because I was in an IMAX3D theater; if I watched this movie in a regular theater, I too would find it to be very mediocre. Essentially, the beauty of the movie is in the CGI, the effects, and the creation of the planet and species. I can imagine it was harder to appreciate all of that in just a regular theater (and let's not even think about it on DVD, BluRay or not).
  
  (Technology never ceases to blow my mind...and make me feel like an old woman.)
  
  
• Besides the effects, I really admired that Cameron created this entire world with its own biology, culture, language, etc. Even though I am really, really not into fantasy stuff, I've always found it amazing and awe-inspiring to see people like J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and even J.K Rowling create brand new worlds with intricate details. The creation of a new language amazes me too -- Elvish, Klingon, and now the Na'vi language.
  
  
• It is essentially the same storyline as the movies Pocahontas, Ace Ventura 2, and others...as well as the storyline of America's history. Nevertheless, I greatly appreciate the still-much-needed reminder of the morals behind Avatar...because clearly we as a human race have not learned enough.
  
  
• I can see how super right-winged people can be upset by this movie. I still think everyone needs to calm down a bit (on every end of the spectrum), but at least I can see what the hoopla was about now.
  
  
• I found the overall movie to be a bit ironic. I will find it even more so if they create some kind of DVD 3D kit for it.

That's all, really. I haven't slept much in the past days so I'm calling it an early night tonight seeing as this is going to be a full week. Signing off.

ishmael beah, live.

Present: Jo Becker, Children's Rights Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch; Ambassador John McNee, Permenant Representative to the UN; Ronnie Harleston, Lieutenant Colonel and Military Adviser of the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the UN; and Ishmael Beah, former child soldier and author of A Long Way Gone.

michelle obama & i have something in common.

Mark is awesome for being Mark. But he is doubly awesome for Facebooking me this superb news article on Michelle Obama.

Not only is she a fellow [beginner] hooper but she also loves french fries.

"And look, my favorite food in the whole wide world are french fries. I love them. Dearly. Deeply. I have a good relationship with french fries and I would eat them every single day if I could."

For a hooper who orders a basket of fries everytime she's at a diner or at Applebee's, this article is fabulous. Thanks, Mark.

MJ, Obama, Twitter: the advancement of technology...

...means that it's too easy to become obsolete. & I apologize now for the lengthy entry that is about to occur; I know that it out of character for my blog but I feel the need to write:

As most of us have heard already, Michael Jackson was confirmed dead at the age of 50 earlier today (on about 50,000,000 news sites and stations).

My dear friend Matt brought this up to me, as he read many Facebook statuses mourn over "MJ" (it took him a moment to realize that was NOT Michael Jordan). He then went on a Google news search, telling me that hundreds of articles were popping up about this -- within a 5 minute block, it jumped up another 100+ articles. Yet, only one news source claimed that he had died; all others confirmed that he was rushed to UCLA Medical due to cardiac arrest but couldn't confirm death. I mean, it makes sense...hospital regulation, patient privacy, etc.

I IMed A-Live, who told me that he was pretty sure MJ was gone. Via text/Twitter/Facebook/gchat/whatever means, he found out from a friend who is a nurse at UCLA Medical that the King of Pop had passed away this afternoon. I then ceased reading through Washington Post, CNN, New York Times, etc., though moments later, LA Times confirmed his death...but after everyone heard via a source such as Twitter. (Even now, as I am typing this, my friend is texting me in regards to a tweet she read about a deceased celebrity...I'm informing her that it is in fact Michael Jackson...)

I thought about this -- how in a way, news stations are going to have to compete against or at least keep up with this generation's technology.


My brother recently told me about a clip from Onion News (the spoof newspaper/station, which is fabulous) regarding an NYU dormitory fire. It was originally declared arson but soon was discovered as an accident, thanks to 40,000 iPhones, Blackberries, digital cameras, and Twitter updates.

Watch it here, because it's really awesome and speaks a great deal to the power (and ridiculousness, at times) of our modern technology. That, and it mocks our generation in general. Sadly. But funnily.

I recalled a video on BBC that I saw of President Barack Obama addressing the injustice going on in Iran.

At one point, he says this great quote that really does speak to the power our generation holds:

"No iron fist is strong enough to shut out the world from bearing witness to peaceful protests of justice. Despite the Iranian government's efforts to expel journalists & isolate itself, powerful images & poignant words have made their way to us through cellphones & computers, and so we've watched what the Iranian people are doing."

On Youtube, you can watch such footage of Iran taken by citizens over there.

Because of the internet, we have the ability to watch in real time via webcam exactly what is going on in other parts of the world. We have surpassed news reporters and even gossip columnists with our Smart Phones, picture texts, video chats, and such. We can find out before Anderson Cooper does whether or not a major celebrity is declared dead. That is mind-blowing.

Our generation is filled with non-professional journalists. Are you making yourself heard? How are you expressing yourself and what are you writing/typing/tweeting/texting/updating/uploading/IMing/talking about? Seriously.