Tracy's blog

How will you help get to zero? (the Global Fund)

2012-02-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

Stand with the Global Fund and (RED) on World AIDS Day

Dear Tracy,

Zero.

What does that word make you think of?

Do you think it means nothingness and absence? What if we told you it could mean progress and promise?

Today, the Global Fund and (RED) are joining all partners fighting against HIV and AIDS in support of "Getting to Zero," the World AIDS Day 2011 theme, which will run until 2015.

As you may already have heard from us, we are all working to ensure an HIV-free generation by 2015 and get closer to a world without AIDS. Today is an exciting day, and we want you to join us in commemorating it.

We're proud to be part of the online (2015)QUILT, created by (RED) for World AIDS Day. The Global Fund has already made its own panel -- take a look and then make your own!

This digital "quilt" follows the lead of the original 1987 quilt created by the NAMES Project Foundation, which covered the Mall in Washington DC, memorializing those who had been lost to AIDS.

This new, virtual quilt will be made of graphic images and pledges created by people all over the world who are helping to bring about the beginning of the end of AIDS - and we want you to make your mark on it. Set aside a few seconds to make your own digital panel for the quilt and show that a better world is possible.

There's reason for hope this World AIDS Day. Thirty years after the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, millions of people across the planet are receiving life-saving treatments. More than half the HIV-positive women who need to prevent transmission of the virus to their babies are getting these treatments, and we're on our way to seeing a generation of babies born without HIV in 2015.

But there are still more than 1,000 babies born with the virus every day. So much more needs to be done.

You can get involved this World AIDS Day -- find out all about it here:

http://www.2015quilt.com/#Learn

Thank you for your support. Together, we can make zero mean something.

Best,

Jon Lidén

funny article/ Galaxyland/ 1000awesomethings.com

2012-02-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

Jan. 30 Funny article: I got this funny article from Jennifer Lynch. It's called "10 Biggest Ways that TV High School is not like Real Life."

I like this part in the beginning of the article:
"What you'll react to, who you'll associate with, what you're interested in make adolescence, specifically high school, as informing as it is formative."

It talked about how "high school students are usually high- school aged." Most TV shows hire 20-something yr olds to play students because of child labor laws. Kids and teens can only work a certain amount of hrs a day. I'll give points to Degrassi for having real kids and teens play their age.

"High school kids aren't afraid of caffeine pills." They showed Saved by the Bell about taking caffeine pills in the early 90s. I'll give points to Degrassi again for talking about the real hard drugs people use like cocaine, and crystal meth.

http://www.toponlinecolleges.com/blog/2012/10-biggest-ways-that-tv-high-school-is-not-like-real-life/

Feb. 1 Funny commercials: I also got this from Jennifer Lynch called "10 Weirdest TV Ads in History."

Some are really creepy like "#1 Sugar Rice Krinkles" with a clown. I'm not afraid of clowns, but it was pretty scary. So was "#3 Baby Laugh a Lot" with this toy that laughs. It sounds so evil.

"#6 Jello" was straight-up offensive by making fun of Chinese people. So was "#9 Winston Cigarettes featured on The Flinstones." "#10 Calvin Klein Obsession" was so disturbing. The vibe I got was kind of like pedophilia with this Justin Bieber-like guy who is in love with this older woman. Sure makes me appreciate "#2 Chanel Egoiste" with the women opening doors on their balconies.

These days, perfume commercials are supposed to be sexy, fun, cool, and glamorous looking. Get the actors to wear clothes for a black-tie even, show a cool car.

The only commercial I thought was actually kind of good was #5 John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) Country Life Butter. He's the Sex Pistols lead singer. I don't listen to his music, but the commercial made fun of living in Britain.

http://www.toponlinecolleges.com/blog/2012/10-weirdest-tv-ads-in-history/

Commercial: I emailed my friend Sherry about that Pepsi Max commercial where a guy beats himself up in the office, so his friend could get hired.

Sherry: fight club was and still is VERY popular with some groups....i think that says it all
i didn't like fight club either

I would like to add that I was reading Youtube comments and it turns out the guy who was beating himself up, his name is Tom Lenk. He played the geek Andrew on Buffy. I didn't recognize him because I didn't look that closely.

Joke: I got this from Daily Silly.

ACTUAL PRODUCT INSTRUCTIONS:

ON BOOTS CHILDRENS COUGH MEDICINE: *Do not drive car or operate machinery.

ON NYTOL (A SLEEP AID): *Warning: May cause drowsiness.

ON A KOREAN KITCHEN KNIFE: *Warning: Keep out of children.

ON A STRING OF CHINESE MADE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: *For indoor or outdoor use only.

ON A JAPANESE FOOD PROCESSOR: *Not to be used for the other use.

ON SAINSBURY'S PEANUTS: *Warning: contains nuts

ON AN AMERICAN AIRLINES PACKET OF NUTS: *Instructions: open packet, eat nuts. (I think I remember hearing this in gr. 8 science class. The teacher Mr. Oxamitny was reading these dumb and obvious instructions.)

ON A SWEDISH CHAINSAW: *Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands.

Galaxyland: Last week I went to Galaxyland at West Edmonton Mall which I haven't done in years.

1. I rode on the Cosmic Spinner. It was a calm ride, and you are lifted up a bit.

2. Sonic Twister: That was so scary. You are sitting there and it goes really fast and you are being swung back and forth. Afterwards, I was dizzy. It's one of those rides that are too scary to be fun. I felt good after confronting my fear.

3. Auto Sled: I went on this light roller coaster ride. It was fun.

4. Flying Galleon: I went on this with my parents. You are sitting on a boat and you're swinging back and forth. Fun.

5. Merry-go-round: I also went with my parents. I haven't rode on that since I was in elementary school. I also was thinking about crime dramas like Criminal Minds where they found a dead body on the Merry-go-round.

6. Cosmo's Space Derby: I went with my dad. It's bumper cars. It's hard to control bumper cars. I thought of The Simpsons where Aunt Selma takes Bart and Lisa to Duff Land. The three bullies ended up stealing the bumper cars and driving on the road with them.

I did get a flashback of riding those other rides like the Space Shot. It was in 2002 and as soon as you sit in it, it goes straight up int the air really fast. It was so scary, my heart jumped. I had rode on the Solar Flare in 2002. It was scary because you go so high in the air, and you're going round and round. It's very rocky of a ride.

The Space Shot, Solar Flare, and Sonic Twister, and the biggest roller coaster there, are the scariest rides.

License plates: SK8TES
1MAGOO

"Getting scared about things that aren't supposed to be scary": I want to add the Buffy episode "Nightmares" where everybody's nightmares become true. Cordelia has a bad hair day and is being dragged by these nerds.

Cordelia: No, I'm not in the chess club. I don't even know how to play chess!

1000awesomethings.com: My sister bought the book The Book of Awesome. I read a bit of it. It was originally a blog that Neil Pasricha started just for fun, and his mom read it. Then his dad read it. Then his friends, and they forwarded it to other people. Now he got 3 books published and on The New York Times Bestseller list.

I hope to get noticed by TV producers through my blogs. They will then produce The Vertex Fighter script. I guess you can probably get all these written passages about one topic and put it into a book. How about Tracy's Job Tips? I have written so much about my job search, job articles, business, you can probably put it into a book.

Job tip: I was reading a Cosmopolitan article about job interviews. One thing: "You came. You saw. You Tweeted." Don't write about how well a job interview went through your Facebook or Twitter account. Korin Miller writes: "You may have tweeted yourself out of a job." It shows an employer you don't know how to be discreet.

"Hiring managers tell me it's all but certain that they'll Google a prospective candidate" says Paul Powers, Phd, author of Winning Job Interviews. Don't tell about about the job opportunity, online or with others in your industry until you've been hired.

I will say it's totally okay to tell everybody you're looking for a job on Facebook. Then all your contacts will tell you about openings.

The thing is, after I do a job interview, I always write about it on my blog. However, I never mention the company. I always say something vague like Call Centre #4, dental office, computer store.

Who's standing next to you? (The Global Fund)

2012-01-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

I got this from the Global Fund:

Dear Tracy,

Bill Gates. Bono. You.

That's what the lineup of faces appearing onstage at our tenth anniversary celebration could look like. All we need is your photo.

This Thursday, the Global Fund will mark ten years of impact in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Thanks to the tireless work of the hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers we support in 150 countries and to the drugs, anti-malaria bed nets and medical equipment we finance, the world has made amazing, lifesaving advances. We're looking forward to the next ten years, and to meeting the challenges ahead.

Upload your photo now!

It's been an incredible decade. In just ten years, the programs the Global Fund supports around the world have provided financing for AIDS treatment to 3.3 million people, treatment for 8.6 million cases of tuberculosis, 230 million insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria, helped 1.3 million HIV-positive women prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies, and much more.

Here's where you come in: For our tenth anniversary we're putting together a giant collage of photos of people involved in the struggle against epidemic disease, including some of the world's leaders, and we want you alongside them. The more people we can see, the better we can show that we have a global movement for change.

Take a photo modeled on what we've provided here and on our website, then send it to us!

http://onemillion.theglobalfund.org/page/s/submit-your-photo?utm_medium=email&utm_source=globalfund&utm_campaign=20120124photosubmit&source=20120124photosubmit

With your ongoing support, we are confident that we can achieve goals like seeing the birth of an HIV-free generation starting in 2015.

Send us your photo so we can feature you alongside Bill Gates and Bono.

http://onemillion.theglobalfund.org/submit-your-photo

Here's to another decade of change!

Best,

Jon Lidén
The Global Fund

job talk/ social job search/ Looking past limits

2012-01-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

Jan. 22 Job talk: I was working with one of my servers, and she's 50 yrs old. She said she thought of being a receptionist and getting paid $16/hr. However, she's getting paid that much right now. She gets paid $11/hr, with say $5 an hr on tips.

We talked about how I did get an offer on an office job position, but it was in an industrial part of town. (It happened in Oct. 2011). It was for a dry walling company. He said: "I will hire you right now, if you are able to start tomorrow." He gave me his card so I will think about it. I talked to my dad about it, and he said it wasn't really an office position because it's in the industrial part of town.

It's not really that good of a position. The buses aren't that frequent. I did a job interview at a car dealership, and the boss said: "If I were to hire you on the spot right now, you would be thinking 'Is this a good company to work for?' And I would be thinking 'Did I hire the right person'?"

The server told me I had to start somewhere, and it may not be in downtown. You need to start somewhere and build experience. I know. I should talk to the manager and ask for more hours by putting me in other departments. I have worked in 2 other departments before. I should ask for more duties and responsibilities. It's a big company, I can grow in it.

Jan. 26 Social Job Search: I got this through my blog. Jen Rhee emailed this to me last week. It's about how using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn helps increase your chances of looking for a job significantly.

I emailed her this:

"This is a really good infographic. It's a fast and easy read. I got inspired by it and decided to put my professional info on Facebook. I only used Facebook to tell my friends I'm looking for a job, and contacted all my old school classmates about it. But now I will put my resume there."

I put a bit of my resume up on Facebook. There are tips from the infographic like:

1. Post "Notes": Notes stay on friends feeds longer than status updates. Use them to describe your situation and job interests.

http://www.mbaonline.com/social-job-search/

Jan. 27 Job interview: Today I went to a job interview. The ad said it was for a telephone company, and it was contracted out to this marketing company. At the interview I learned that it is selling a package of TV, phones, and internet package. We go door-to-door selling it. I rather sell that, then go door-to-door selling energy. People are going to use TV and phones.

It's like 3 weeks training, paid $1000. You go to the office, and they will drive you and your team to a location and sell this package.

It's Mon.-Fri. and weekends are optional, so I can work at the restaurant on the weekends. There are 45 applicants for 15 positions.

They talked about how it's mainly college students applying and working for them. He mentioned how one 18yr old girl hit her sales target after 3 days. The ad really seemed to be aimed at young people age 18-24. The incentives were if you hit daily, weekly, monthly goals, you can win 1 of 8 trips to Vegas. Cool and fun technology like an XBox, and IPads.

Review: Let's be straight-up. That "left and right brain" article has an effect on me.

My left brain says: I don't think I'm going to be good at this job. I don't really like selling door-to-door. I've never done it.

My right-brain says: I don't have a good feeling about this job.

Highlight: The highlight of that interview was that the interviewer told me that I asked good questions. It was as simple as my question: "What are the duties?"

Looking past limits: I got this through my blog from Emma Taylor. It's called "20 Essential TED Talks for New Grads":

http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/the-20-essential-ted-talks-for-new-grads/

I was listening to the third one: "Caroline Casey: Looking Past Limits." CC talks about how when she was 17, she took her little sister to the eye specialist. CC also gets her eyes checked, and then she learned that all her life she was legally blind, and she didn't know it.

Her parents didn't want to label her, and put her in special schools and put limits on her. She was very successful, going to college and having careers like running a restaurant and working for a global company. It was very inspiring and uplifting.

http://www.ted.com/talks/caroline_casey_looking_past_limits.html

Jan. 30 Motivation: I needed to hear the above TED talk. It motivates me, and is a pick-me-up.

Reject: I did a job interview on Fri. about being a door-to-door salesperson. I didn't get a callback. They said they will call or text me by the end of Fri. It's Mon., so I can assume that they didn't hire me. That's fine.

Commercial: This is relevant to my job search. I just posted this on twop.com "TV Moments that Angry up the Blood":

This doesn't totally angry up my blood, but it does annoy me. It's that new Pepsi Max commercial. Guy #1 goes into a job interview and he starts throwing stuff in the interview room, and beating himself up. The applicants in the waiting room start to get up and leave. Guy #1 throws himself out, pretending the Boss is beating him up.

Boss sees that Guy #2 is the only one in the waiting room, so he interviews him.

Cut to outside of the office building, and Guy #2 tells his friend Guy #1, that he got hired.

At first when I saw it, I thought it was creative. Then the second time I saw it, I was annoyed by how unrealistic and unbelievable it was. If I was an applicant in the waiting room, I would be knocking on the Boss's door, asking: "Are you okay in there? I'll call security."

I thought about it some more, and the Boss was unrealistic too. How come the Boss isn't saying: "Stop breaking my stuff! Why are you beating yourself up?"

Then I thought it was kind of like the movie Liar, Liar where Jim Carrey beats himself up the washroom. However, that was a little bit more believable because a man in the washroom asked why he was beating himself up.

It's been a few hours since I wrote the above. I then checked twop.com, and someone commented on it:

Actionmage: "Sounds like someone has now proven that Fight Club is over. Guy 2 was probably hired because he was 1) sane and 2) around. Guy 1 waas a bud who "acted" nuts to scare the others off, but it's also similar to a scene in Fight Club (1999) where Ed Norton's character beat himself up to frame/blackmail his boss.

Either way, yeah, why security wasn't called by someone else outside that office, I don't know aaaand they advertiser lost me. Especially since you don't have to hire the last remaining person. What would Guy 2 have done if the hiring guy took the rest of the day off? All that scheming for nothing.

Stupid ad folks."

Zombie restaurants: A few months ago, I was reading in the National Post business section about "zombie restaurants." It's about restaurants like Sbarro that aren't doing very well, but they stick around like a zombie. The restaurants barely make a profit and are able to pay for the worker's wages and supplies. By having these zombie restaurants around, they are hurting business from other restaurants from making more money.

Free Naser al Raas: Canadian citizen facing 5 year sentence for peaceful protest

2012-01-27T17:32:00.000-08:00

Please sign this petition:

http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=808

Free Naser al Raas, Canadian citizen facing a 5-year sentence for peaceful protest
Naser al Raas

You have a chance to bring a happy ending to a true horror story.

Canadian national Naser al Raas arrived in Bahrain on March 6, 2011 to spend time with his family. Now there is a very real chance he will die in prison without your help.

Take action now – send an urgent message to Bahrainian authorities!

You can imagine Amnesty’s concern when his fiancé, Zainab, contacted us, pleading for help - Naser had been missing for a month. That was in April last year.

Now, after being held without charge and tortured, Naser has faced accusations, trials and sentencing for exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly. But his horror story continues: he has a heart condition that his Canadian doctor has said is aggravated by imprisonment - bringing a real threat that he could die behind bars.

The 12 other prisoners accused along with him for the same crimes were acquitted of all charges on January 24th. But in spite of this and his health, Naser’s five year sentence was upheld by the same court.

Amnesty International believes Naser will be a Prisoner of Conscience, held by a regime that refuses to recognize his right to freedom of expression and assembly.

You need to let Bahrainian authorities know that this is unacceptable.

Take action for Naser now.

Sincerely,

Alex Neve signature

Alex Neve, Secretary General
Amnesty International, Canadian Section

Touch

2012-01-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

Jan. 25 Touch: Today I finally saw the pilot to Touch. It's by Tim Kring, the guy who created Heroes. He's really creative and a great writer. On Heroes, it was about a group of people all around the world who had superpowers. They were all connected to one another. If you watch Touch, it's about a group of people who are all connected with one another.

I was very inspired by it. Tim Kring had said in this article I read in 24: "This is really a chance to continue what you would call social-benefit storytelling, the idea of using archetypal narrative to create and promote a positive energy in the world."

This show is about a man who discovers that his mute and autistic son can predict world events. It has a strong opening about patterns and numbers, spoken from an autistic 11 yr old boy named Jake (David Mazouz). Cut to Jake's dad Martin (Keifer Sutherland) who picks up a phone he got from an airport. (I went on imdb.com to get the actors and characters names, but there weren't any. So I'm going to use descriptive names instead.)

The British Guy calls Martin: "You have my phone. I want it back." It has pictures of his daughter that has passed away. Martin's own phone starts ringing, and he puts the Brit Guy's phone on suitcase, and it goes through the terminal.

Jake is on the tower. Martin shows him a cell phone to get him to come down, and he does. I like that Martin says to everybody to not touch Jake, because it's real. A lot of autistic people don't like to be touched and freak out. It was mentioned when autism was shown on The Listener and Criminal Minds.

Jake goes to the tower at 3:18pm, three times in the past three weeks. They go to the gas station, and there's a school bus. Jake goes to it, and the school bus has 318 on it.

Cut to Nerdy Guy videotaping Kayla singing at karaoke bar with Brit Guy's phone. He tells her that she will be famous when this gets on TV.

Cut back to gas station, and Lottery Guy buys a lottery ticket. Jake takes the ticket, and is chased down. Lottery Guy argues with Martin about his son. Cut to Lottery Guy putting his lottery ticket on the wall, with the hundreds of lottery tickets. It looks like wall paper.

At 3:18am, Martin wakes up because his laptop woke him up. He puts Jake to bed. Then all these cell phones ring at the same time. It's all the same number, the lottery ticket number.

Cut to Baghdad. Teen boy is watching Chris Rock and pretending to be him, Mom tells him that their oven broke down. If there's no oven, they can't bake bread, and make money.

Cut to Social Worker talking to Martin. Martin used to have a good job, but works 50hrs a week now in regular jobs like construction work.

Martin: Jake maybe trying to communicate with me. He's been putting the alarm at 3:18, he goes to the tower at 3:18.
SW: Does he even know who you are?
Martin: My wife died on 9-11. She was a stockbroker at the World Trade Centre. All her money went into Jake's trust fund.

Lottery Guy won the lottery.

Brit Guy calls wife to ask if there are more of daughter's photos other than the ones on his phone.

Cut to Prostitute in Tokyo who steals money from john. The scene is shown on the Brit Guy's cell phone.

Martin puts Jake in institution for a couple of weeks. Martin visits wife's grave and talks to her saying he feels like he failed them. He sees a medal by the grave with the number 318. He looks up autism and being mute on the internet. It leads to this House with the address 318. It's called the Teller Institute. A Black Man is there and explains math sequences and how we're all connected.

Cut to institution and Jake is putting popcorn kernels and lined them up. SW counts the kernals with him: "That's my mom's phone number. I haven't thought about that in years." Her cell phone rings and it's that number. No one's on the line.

Lottery winner makes plans to go on a trip.

SW goes to Martin that 318 is today, March 18. Martin figured it out, and the phone number is Grand Central Station. It's 2:56pm. They go to the station, and Martin finds that the phone number leads to the pay phone. It's being used by the Lottery Guy. They recognize each other and get into a fight. Security guards break it up. Martin sees it 3:19pm, and he missed the call.

Lottery guy: You made me miss my train!

Baghdad. Teen boy and his friend break into a restaurant to steal oven. Terrorists come in and the boys hide. Terrorists leave, but then they attack boys as they run.

Martin gets answering machine message: "I was a firefighter on 9-11. I found your wife. I carried her, and then stopped. She's died. I was playing the numbers of 9 11 20 01 82 (floor number). I won the lottery. In the background, you can hear Martin saying: "I need to use the phone."

Martin then sees TV news, and Lottery Guy is there. It turns out he saved a school bus full of children. Then Lottery Guy realizes he was at the right place, at the right time because he missed his train.

Martin goes to see his son at the institution, but he's gone. Martin and SW goes to the cell tower. Martin climbs up though he's scared of heights. He tells Jake he knows he's communicating with him. Jake hugs him. But then Jake takes his cell phone and dials a number. Martin calls it and says to the man on the other line that they're supposed to meet.

Brit guy calls tech support Kayla: "I want my cell phone back."

Baghdad. Teen boy has a bomb strapped to him. The karaoke singer Kayla calls him: "You have a cell phone that's not yours." Teen tells her his situation.

Teen: I need an oven.
Kayla: I can get one for you. I'll disconnect the phone and you take out the battery to stop the bomb.
Teen takes out battery with 1 sec to spare.
Cut to Brit Guy sees his photos of his daughter on the street building's screens. I think it's Times Square or at least it looks like it. He cries. He's handsome.

Kayla sees herself singing karaoke on Youtube.

Teen gets oven.

Jan. 27 Busy plots: There is quite a few story lines going on Touch, with a lot of characters all around the world. However, it doesn't seem to be very busy. I think it's because it's well-written and all the characters are interconnected, so it's kind of like one story. The main story has to be a father and his autistic son.

It's like with Desperate Housewives, there are four women and their families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. To the core, it's the the four women with four story lines.

Post Secret/ Left and Right Brain/ The Secret

2012-01-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

Jan. 22 Post Secret:

Postcard: "Alex- I know you stood up for me all those years ago. Thank you."

Email:

There's only a tiny chance this secret was intended for me, but nonetheless - I'd like to thank the sender. I've been in a bit of a down patch, and this secret made me realise that I know there are people out there I've done well by, and maybe some who would want to thank me, too.

In return, I'd like to remind everyone of the same fact. There's always someone, who you wouldn't necessarily expect, who is grateful you exist.

Alex.

Email:

Frank,

My brother Alex died a couple months ago very suddenly at the age of 20 while studying abroad in London. This reminds me that he is not forgotten nor are his beautiful accomplishments of caring for others. Alexander means "defender, protector of mankind", and that is exactly who he was to so many people. Thank you for posting this secret and reminding me of who my brother was and how he impacted lives, even if it was for a tragically short time.

Postcard: "I feel like everyone's judging me."

I think everybody feels that. We all judge each other. When I go to job interviews, I know I'm being judged. Or at least they're getting to know me. Though I'm getting to know the job and the people there.

Jan. 25 Kindness article: I read an article in the Edmonton Journal called "Perceived kindness enhances flavor, reduces pain. It's written by Misty Harris. Kurt Gray who is a Calgarian who is social psychologist at the University of Maryland. There's an experiment about you give a box of candy to one group and there's a special note that says: "I picked this just for you. Hope it makes you happy." The other group got the candy and a note that it was picked randomly. The first group who got the special note, thought the candy tasted sweeter.

Gift tip: So a good gift tip is to write a little note with the gift you gave. It doesn't have to have to cost a lot of money, it's the thought put into it.

Prostitution: Also in the article, Kurt Gray says: "It's part of why buying a prostitute wouldn't be as fulfilling. You know they're not doing it for you, they're doing it for the money."

Maybe not as fulfilling, but fulfilling enough. Prostitution is still around, and there is such thing as the GFE or "Girlfriend Experience." The escort pretends to be your girlfriend.

Dateline: Now I'm going to bring up Dateline: To Catch a Predator again. The 35 yr old guy who dates a 12 yr old girl. I read a Youtube comment about: "Why doesn't he just buy an escort?" Because the guy knows he's paying someone to pretend to be in love with him. He thought a 12 yr old girl who is really in love with him, would be more fulfilling.

Yeah, well he's not going to really be in love with the 12 yr old. He should have hired an escort.

Funeral party: Also in the Edmonton Journal, there's an article "It's your funeral: Why not throw a party?" by William Hageman. Erika Dillman had wrote a book called The Party of Your Life: Get the Funeral You Want by Planning It Yourself.

The part that stood out was: "What a great message. If you have a great funeral that's fun, you're telling guests, I accept my death. By doing that, I believe you're helping your guests accept it. You're setting the tone. I'm okay with this, so they're okay with it."

Left and Right Brain: Helene Schmidt emailed this article through my blog. It's more like an infographic (pictures and words put into a diagram.) It looks like it would be in a magazine. You should take a look at it, it's fun.

When I was a kid and teenager, I would see myself as creative and artistic like the right-brain. In the article it says right-brains like cats, and are in psychic things. I would say I'm like that.

However, I looked at the left-brain section. I realized that when I got into adulthood like Professional Writing college, and into the working world, I have become more left-brain. I still don't like math and science. I'm very much a planner, linear, and sequence like in the article.

I am very left-brain with my job search, work, and reading the business section of the newspaper, magazines, and internet. So I'm going to use my right-brain a bit like in the below topic.

http://www.onlinecollege.org/left-or-right-brain

The Secret: A few weeks ago before I went to the Christmas party at work, I read The Secret at Chapters to bide my time. I read The Secret: Teen Power also between shifts at work.

Money: I read "The Secret: To Money" chapter in the first book. It talked about focused positive thinking. If you think about getting out of debt, but you are thinking of the word debt. You have to think of having enough money to support yourself.

There was a story about a guy who was making $8000 a yr. He applied the Secret, and he thought of selling his book that he wrote. He thought of the number $100,000 of how much money he would make from his book. He was able to make $90,000 something off it.

Another story was how every time this person gets a credit card bill, he thinks of it like he is getting checks in the mail. He thanks and acts happy when the credit card bill comes. If it says he owes $100 on it, he thinks of it like he got a $100 check. Then he started getting checks in the mail.

It's about the law of attraction. What you think, you attract.

Job: I was thinking about how I wanted to get more hours at work. The left-brain side of me thought of: "Ask your managers for more hours. Ask to get more hours in the two other departments you worked at before. Ask to be trained on the computer system. I did just that.

When I asked one manager for more hours, I received it. It just so happens that the restaurant will start opening later. We will have lunch again. In Restaurant #1, we used to have lunch. Then it closed down, and we were transferred to Restaurant #2 and we didn't have lunch. It was like that for a yr. Now Restaurant #2 opens for lunch. Is it the law of attraction working?

Call centres: But it was so weird today. So Call Centre #4 didn't call me back on Friday, so that means they didn't hire me. I then thought of Call Centre #5. Maybe I should apply there again. It's where you call people to get them to donate to charity. I worked there for 2 days and hated it, and they dismissed me.

I was on the internet yesterday and looked up people's comments talking about working at Call Centre #5. They said it was crappy, but if it wasn't for this call centre, the charity wouldn't be getting any money at all.

Today Call Centre #6 called me. I'm pretty sure I applied there back in 2010. Maybe in 2011. They called me today. We talked a bit, but I have to do more research and think about it. Since I get off work by 2:30pm, I would get home by 3:30pm.

Then when I'm home, I would have to take 40min to go to Call Centre #6. I could go to the library which is between my job and this place.

The law of attraction seems to be working here when I started thinking about call centres and suddenly one of them I haven't applied to in a long time calls me.

Guantánamo: 10 years and still open. Still violating human rights.

2012-01-23T20:05:00.001-08:00

I got this from Amnesty International. Please sign this petition.

January 11, 2012

10 years on. Still open. Still violating human rights.

End detentions at Guantánamo Bay!

Your voice is urgently needed to end human rights abuses at the notorious detention centre at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Like you, we can't believe it's still open, still making a mockery of human rights.

You’ve probably seen the headlines: shocking human rights concerns including torture, arbitrary detention, secret detention, ill-treatment, renditions and unfair trials.

Sign the petition now!

It's so important that you sign the petition . Ten years on from those first detainees arriving in the aftermath of 9/11, more than 150 people still remain in captivity. Most are in indefinite detention without charge or trial.

President Obama has already broken his promise to close Guantánamo, and he recently signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows horrific detention provisions. The US government needs to meet its human rights obligations.

Ten years is simply too long – your voice is needed to end a decade of damage to human rights.

Will you sign our petition today? We will deliver it to President Obama before his 2012 State of the Union address.

Thank you for your commitment to human rights. I hope this is the first of many human rights successes together in 2012!

http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=807&utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Informz
Yours Sincerely,

Alex Neve, Secretary General
p.s. Your outrage over Guantánamo Bay is justified. This detention facility represents the US government's open abuse of human rights. Take action today! Sign the petition now. And please forward and share this email with your friends!

job search/ fiduciary/ job interview tip

2012-01-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

Jan. 17 Job search:

Bank: I called the bank to see if they made a decision. They called back and said I didn't get hired. I asked if they will forward my resume to other locations. They said no, because they didn't hire me at this location, and they won't forward it to the others. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get hired. I'm more disappointed that they wouldn't pass my resume to other places.

Sales associate: Today was my day off and I did an interview at this computer store. I took 2 buses to get there. The interview was average, and I stumbled on the question about what I like to do for fun. I said reading and writing, but I was thinking I should add something about computers. I added reading on the internet.

The place seems like an alright place to work at. It's kind of far, but it's a safe place to take the bus. There are lots of stores and restaurants around. It's $11/hr and full-time. I have to work 1 weekend day a week. I can still work at the restaurant on the weekends. You can get commission. These are the pros.

He did ask me if this interests me. I'm not putting obstacles in front of myself, but I said I did have a couple more interviews. It's true, I did.

The cons were that I'm looking more for an office job. I do know if I take this job and work at the restaurant one or two days a week, I can make more money. It just did not totally interest me. Yeah, well that dental assistant job didn't totally interest me in the duties, but I knew it was a step up in my career. Retail is moving sideways.

Imagine getting hired. How do you feel? Indifferent. No disrespect to the company.

Crazy trip: There's a little bit of a crazy trip getting home. When I got off the bus to go into the interview, I was told to take one of three buses to get back to the transit centre. It was by a restaurant. After the interview, I went and looked for the bus stop and didn't see any. I went into a Chinese restaurant and a waitress directed me that there's a bus stop at this other restaurant a block away. Fortunately I didn't have to wait long for a bus. It was like -20 today.

Banking: After the interview, I went and deposited a check. I noticed the bank wasn't really busy. I was thinking about opening a savings account for about a month. I didn't open one because I was busy with my office job search and interviews. I waited a few min. and then I went in and talked to this guy who worked there. He spent an hr giving me a lesson about mutual funds, saving accounts, interests, inflation, and investing.

I learned a lot and will have to study the sheets he printed out for me. I do read the business section of the newspaper everyday, but I learned quite a lot from him.

Fiduciary: I was watching Desperate Housewives last night, and Gabby needs to wine and dine these two investors. Gabby gets Lynette to teach her about finance in a few hours.

Gabby: Not everybody knows what the word fiduciary means.
Lynette gets her 12 yr old daughter Penny to come over.
Lynette: What does fiduciary mean?
Penny: I think it means to give money to someone else and you trust them to manage your money.

I went on dictionary.com:

Law . a person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another.

The guy at the bank said the word fiduciary. lol. Anyway, back to the show. Gabby acted like she wasn't worried about the meeting. She thought she could throw in a few buzzwords around and get the investors. Lynette was telling her that it's important to know the meaning of the words. I have to agree with Lynette. I would be stressed and studying really hard to learn.

Jan. Call Centre #4: I did the job interview today. Back in 2010, I mainly got a call to come in. He had read my resume and hired me, and I was to go into training. There wasn't an interview in 2010.

This time, there was an interview. He didn't say anything like: "Wait a second, have you been here before?" I don't think he recognized me. If he later thought I did work here before, he would and look up my name on his computer and there may have been a file that I worked there for a day.

The questions were like: "Where did you hear about us? Why did you apply here? How do you feel about not meeting performance expectations? What examples have you done to meet performance expectations in school and work?"

It pays $11/hr, and has company benefits. I can work there full-time, and work at the restaurant one day a week. I'll try part-time first, for awhile to see how working at both jobs work out. I can work at the call centre at night.

This is kind of like that computer store interview. If I take the call centre job, then I'm moving sideways in my career. However, the call centre is closer and easier to get to than the computer store. I'm more interested in working at the call centre.

EI: It's been a couple of hours since I wrote the above. I should start working as much as I can at the call centre. There isn't really good job security there, so I should work as much hours as I can to qualify to get EI if the place closes down.

Jan. 19 Callbacks: Yesterday the dentist called, and I didn't get the dental assistant position. That's okay. He said he will keep my resume in case the people don't work out. I thought he seemed to be a nice and friendly guy to work for.

The sales associate/ receptionist position didn't call back. I'm not really that interested in working there, so that's fine.

Jan. 20 Job interview: I did an interview at an office. It's temporary for a few months, but it's still good to put that on my resume. I can work there on the weekdays and work at the restaurant on the weekends. I go to the place early, because I've never been there before. I went shopping at a furniture store. I sat on some chairs like Goldilocks in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. lol. Now I'm thinking about that TV show Once Upon a Time about fairytale characters in the real world. They haven't done that fairytale yet.

I get to the office 25min early. I sat in the waiting room and read this financial advertisement. I did the interview, and it was 10min long. One of them asked a bit about my restaurant. They also asked if it sounded like something I'm interested in. I said yes. They did ask if it's hard to get to the office. I said no.

Job interview tip: I learned this from the job interview book Interview Skills that Win the Job by Michael Spiropoulos: Don't mention if it's easy or hard to get to work, because it has nothing to do with how you actually do your job.

Good tip, but I have a counter argument about that. I remember reading an article from Job Boom or some other newspaper, that nearly 50% of people have once not come to work because they didn't want to do the commute. I have done lots of interviews and people have asked if I have a car, and if it's easy to get to this location.

Commute tips: I do remember reading an article about how to enjoy your commute to work. Listen to music, or a book when driving. Or when you're on the bus, do those activities or read a book or newspaper.

Bookstore: I also went into a discount bookstore. It was closing down. It wasn't the Wee Book Inn, but it smelt like it. I'm sure you guys are laughing. Old books all smell the same when you put all of them in one room.

Year of Rebellion: Where do we go from here? (Amnesty International)

2012-01-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

A monumental year

Dear Tracy,

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, 2011 was the year a tightly wound coil was suddenly unsprung. Ordinary people flooded the streets to demand change, releasing energy and power that continues to transform the region.

Millions of people, many of them women protesting for the first time, risked their lives to publicly express a deep, burning need for change. Government forces responded with relentless brute force.

It's not over yet. Brave individuals continue to put their safety on the line, standing against governments that respond with guns, tear gas and tanks.

Our special in-depth report "Year of Rebellion: The State of Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa," documents this historic, tumultuous year and issues a bold human rights agenda for change in the region. Foremost among these recommendations: stop sending weapons to governments that use them to kill and repress their own people.

I'm going to be talking a lot about weapons sales in the next few months -- it's an issue I care about, and one that has major implications for human rights.

Take Egypt. Last January, Egyptian protestors stormed Tahrir square and braved violent government crackdowns as they drove President Hosni Mubarak from power.

One year later, Egypt's new military government continues using excessive force against protestors. Many have died. The government has even fired tear gas canisters that say "Made in the USA."

This is unacceptable. Urge the U.S. State Department to stop authorizing the shipment of U.S.-manufactured tear gas, bullets, and other military equipment that could be used by Egypt's military to violate human rights.

The people of Egypt have achieved momentous change, but their gains are fragile.

Your solidarity is needed still.

Demand that the State Department stop any future transfers of weapons and equipment that the Egyptian military could use to attack Egyptian protestors.

Thank you for all you do to support human rights.

In solidarity,

Sanjeev Bery
Advocacy Director, Middle East North Africa
Amnesty International USA

tired TV dialogue/ funny video/ A Friend of the Family

2012-01-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

Jan. 19 Tired TV dialogue: I got this from twop.com. It's on the thread "Tired TV dialogue" about repetitive dialogue you see on TV shows all the time.

Person: When haggling over just about anything:
"I'm gonna write a number down on this piece of paper"

Say the number! Just say it!!

Person 2: I didn't know people did that in real life until once when I was getting a raise, my manager wrote it down. (There was no haggling involved. That was what it was going to be.)

Person 3: I'd like to see the other person say, "And I'm going to draw a kitty cat on this piece of paper!"

Me: I think I saw this on some bank commercial. One couple writes down a number to sell their house. They pass it to the couple across from them on the table. The second couple writes down a number and passes it back. Each time they do it, the couples age a bit, and look older.

So there was a little bit of a parody of this take of "writing down a number."

Funny video: On Jan. 13, I was watching Jay Leno. Show real news report:

News reporter: A heart was supposed to be used for a heart transplant. It fell out of the box, but they still used the heart and the surgery was successful.

Cut to JL.
JL: I think they sugar coated it. Here's what really happened.

Cut the One Tree Hill video clip. I mentioned it before. I found it on the twop.com thread "Unintentionally Funny TV Moments."

Cut to a paramedic running in the halls of the hospital. He trips, the heart falls out of the box. A dog runs over and eats the heart.

Cut to JL's TV show. The audience burst out laughing.

Jan. 21 Comment: This is about the female news reporter saying something sexual in the news. I sent it to my friend Sherry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Bc7eRTdWY

Sherry: hmm, after she says 'you would know about that' her face looks.....wooden like emotionless? then when she says the 'we'll be back with' part, it does it again. dunno bout friends/enemies but right then it looks like he'd said something that hit a nerve with her, and that she'd gone for a return blow

Comedy comparisons:

Two people thinking the other one's dead: It was first done on The Simpsons. Homer fakes his death, and then lands in his own grave.

Old Woman: You awful, awful man! Get out of my son's grave!
Homer: Excuse me lady, but this is my grave. Wait a second. Mom?
Old Woman: Homer?
Homer: I thought you were dead.
Old Woman (holds up newspaper): I thought you were dead.

It was then done on Dark Angel. Max rescues a guy on her motorcycle, and Bruno is riding with her.

Bruno: Max?
Max: Bruno? I thought you were dead.
Bruno: I thought you were dead.

It was in the pilot where Max is running, and Bruno shoots at her. Max falls into the pool and sinks in it. Bruno assumed she was dead and ran. Max comes out of the pool.

Guy finds out he has a kid: It was done in movies like The Game Plan. It's about an NFL quarterback learns he has an 8 yr old daughter.

It was done on What a Girl Wants, but it's about a teenage girl going to Britain to look for her father.

It was done on The Simpsons where the Krusty the Klown meets his 8 yr old daughter.

The situation's been done, but it was all done differently with different characters and outcomes.

Reversal of situations: Comedy does this a lot.

The Sausage Factory: I remember on The Sausage Factory, Gilby plays a prank on the wrong person, and it's this big, built girl who's no one is to mess with. So Gilby says he likes her to avoid getting beaten up by her. He has to pretend he likes her and dates her.

Gilby thinks of: "I'll be the worse boyfriend ever, and she will dump me." I remember this date scene.

Gilby: I didn't bring any money, I hope that's not a problem for you.
Girl: That's okay, you can pay me back in other ways.

lol. Then Gilby actually does fall in love with her, and he becomes a good boyfriend. Then the girl doesn't like that. She likes it when Gilby is being stupid and immature instead of sweet and nice.

There was a time where on the show, JC got some gum without reading what kind of gum he was chewing. It was Nicorette, the gum that helps you stop smoking. He got addicted to Nicorette, and then he started going on the patch. Then he was smoking. Gilby then says: "You need to replace your addiction with another addiction." It was the ep where Gilby and Zack worked at the video store, so Gilby gave porn tapes to JC. Every time JC needs a cigarette, watch porn instead.

Parks and Recreation: On this TV show, April woos Andy back by singing his song. It's usually a guy who plays a song to win a girl back.

A Friend of the Family: I was channel surfing and saw that the TV movie A Friend of the Family was on. It stars my favorite Edmonton actor Eric Johnson. I saw this back in 2006. On imdb.com, it said it came out in 2007, but I remember it was in the summer before I started my first year in Professional Writing.

So anyway, I do remember it was a good TV movie. It's based on a true story about a woman who suspects this man is a serial killer in this small town, but she is finding it hard to prove it.

It's about a woman named Alison Shaw (played by Laura Harris) who escapes being raped by attackers in Toronto. She runs into a man Darris Shaw (played by Eric Johnson) who saves her. They then move to a small town and got married and had a baby.

Their neighbor and upstanding citizen David Snow (played by Kim Coates) is the suspected serial killer. I remember there was a missing poster of a blond woman. Alison looks like her, so she cuts off her hair which is actually a smart move. The entire time I was watching it, I felt tense and lots of suspense.

Alison was able to catch him. There was so much suspense at the end. Check out more info here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439578/

I also found that this TV movie has a blog on Blogger like I do with my The Vertex Fighter script. I thought that was cool. There's more info on the real case here. Check out A Friend of the Family blog here:

http://afriendofthefamilymovie.blogspot.com/

Marriage: Then I thought: "I saw this TV movie about 5 yrs ago, but I'm pretty sure, if I remember correctly, Alison's marriage to her husband ended after that ordeal." I then went and found Amazon.ca and found review of her book. It did said yes, the marriage ended.

http://www.amazon.ca/Friend-Family-True-Story-David/dp/1551990245

I had a flashback because in 2006, after I saw the TV movie, I wrote about it in my weekly email. I said something like: "Maybe it's because I've watched too much Dr. Phil, and have stopped, he still has an effect on me. If Alison and Darris didn't live next door to a serial killer, would they still have stayed married? The killer David Snow has seriously put a wedge between them and gotten between them because Darris (and everybody else) didn't believe in Alison. They didn't believe that David Snow was a killer."

What if Alison and her husband moved somewhere else and never met David Snow? Would they still be together? Look, the point is, is that Alison managed to stop a serial killer. If it meant losing her marriage along the way, she managed to save lives.

Locking up kids for life? (Amnesty International)

2012-01-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

Please sign this petition.

Children spending a lifetime in prison — only in the USA.

Dear Tracy,

Locked up for life at 16. No possibility of parole. Christi Cheramie is living a nightmare.

When Christi was 16 years old, back in 1994, she couldn't vote, drink alcohol, serve on a jury, or buy lottery tickets. She was considered a minor -- a child. But that didn't stop the state of Louisiana from giving this 16-year-old a sentence of life without parole.

Ask Louisiana's governor and the state Board of Pardons to grant clemency to Christi Cheramie.

Only in the U.S. -- where children as young as 11 have faced life in prison -- are such harsh sentences against juveniles allowed. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibits life without parole for offenses committed under the age of 18. This is not about excusing or minimizing the consequences of crimes committed by children, but about recognizing that children are not yet fully responsible for their actions and have special potential for rehabilitation and change.

Christi, now 33 years old, has spent more than half of her young life in prison. She's earned her high school equivalency diploma and an associate's degree in Agriculture Studies, and teaches classes to her fellow inmates. A prison warden who oversaw Christi considers her a "model inmate" who has grown into a "remarkable young woman" deserving of "a second chance in society."

But if we don't act, a mandatory sentence of life without parole means that Christi will die in prison. A victim of sexual abuse and depression, and caught in the web of an aggressive and controlling older fiancé, Christi found herself at the grisly murder scene of her fiancé's great aunt. She was charged with murder just for being there -- even though it was her fiancé who wielded the knife.

The victim's closest family members are sympathetic to Christi's case. But Christi's fate is now in the hands of Louisiana's governor and Board of Pardons.

Our 2011 Write for Rights campaign highlighted Christi's case, and thousands of letters have already poured into Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's office. Next week, the Board of Pardons will meet to decide whether or not to move forward with Christi's clemency application -- a decision that the governor can influence. We must keep the momentum going from Write for Rights -- and the time to act is now!

Christi has already changed people's lives through her work at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, but she will never be able to realize her full potential — and society won't benefit from her potential contributions — if she spends the rest of her life behind bars.

It's time for the U.S. to join the rest of the world and end the cruel and unusual punishment of juvenile life without parole. People convicted of crimes while still children -- like Christi Cheramie -- should be given a chance at rehabilitation. They shouldn't be left to grow old in a jail cell.

You can make a difference in Christi's case. Sign our petition now calling for clemency for Christi Cheramie.

Thank You,

Michael O'Reilly
Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign
Amnesty International USA

The Vertex Fighter/ Facebook Follies/ Castle

2012-01-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

Jan. 17 The Vertex Fighter:

Joe Thornton: He's a producer. I emailed him on LinkedIn, but he didn't get back to me. I just posted a comment on his blog to get him to contact me. Here's his blog:

http://www.joethornton.net/

Actors: Here are some more actors I can see in The Vertex Fighter.

Niall Matter is from Edmonton. You may have seen him on the show The Best Years. I've seen him on Fear, Itself, Warehouse 13, and Melrose Place. I just checked him on imdb.com and he's now on 90210. Good for him. I can see him as a fighter.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2473076/

Allan Hawco is the star on the TV show Republic of Doyle. It's on CBC and they're in their 3rd season. It's a good show. I'm Facebook friends with him. lol. I can see him as fighter.

Script pitch: Today I emailed the new Writer in Residence at the public library, if she wants to read my Rain script and give me feedback.

I emailed another producer again about my Rain script.

Facebook Follies: I saw this on Doc Zone on Oct. 27,2011. It's a documentary about how Facebook affects all these people's lives in very different ways from positive to negative. Here they are:

Party: In Hamburg, Germany, a 16 yr old girl threw a party and thousands of people showed up because she didn't put up private settings. She had sent to her grandparents. Police went to end the party.

Politics: Ray Lam was a political candidate. On Facebook he had photos of him in high school where he has hand on a female friend's breast, and him in his underwear.

Clive Thompson: They talked to Clive Thompson is a blogger. Here's some more info about him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Thompson_%28journalist%29

Job: Riley Cameron dissed Kate Middleton on Facebook, and then he can't work on the Royal Wedding.

Money: Paul Chambers said on Twitter that he will blow the Robin Hood airport up. He said it as a joke, but it closed down. Chambers had to go on trial and paid $1500.

Twitter: It mentioned Anthony Weiner, the politician who took photos of his privates and sent it out. He then stepped down. A cop got his car washed in a fundraiser with young women in bikinis. The cop got fired because it made the police look unprofessional.

Graham Cluley: They talked to Graham Cluley who is a computer security specialist. Here's a link:

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/author/gcluley/

Crime: A story about Brad Rutberg's Facebook email was hacked into and it said: "I'm held at gunpoint, I need money." A friend who saw it then gave $1200 to Western Union, and the Hacker got the money.

Stupid criminals: Graham Cluley talked about stupid criminals. There were pictures of robbers at the house, and holding up stuff from the house, and putting the pictures up on Facebook. So there was evidence and were able to arrest them quickly. The son Aaron and his dad Marc Fisher's house was broken into. The Robber stole Aaron's laptop. Robber took a picture of himself in the house. Aaron's friend calls Aaron: "What's the picture on your Facebook wall?"

Police were able to arrest Rodney King through Facebook.

Love story: They profiled Kelly Hildebridt (woman) who found a guy on Facebook with the same name as hers. They became friends and fell in love. Conan O'Brien made a joke about it on his show.

Conan: Now 1 million people have changed their names to Megan Fox.

Infidelity: They talked to Ken Savage. His ex-wife got on Facebook and hooked up with ex-boyfriends. Savage created a "Facebook cheating" website. 1 in 5 divorces are from Facebook. Ironically, Savage did meet his next girlfriend through Facebook. He also makes money off his "Facebook cheating" website.

Family: Jim Toth found his half-nephew, then his half-brother. He then met his other family members.

Death: Wilma Jones is a black woman who passed away. Friends and family keep posting on her Facebook wall. It's like they're communicating.

Graham Cluley says: "Anything you don't want out in public, don't put it on the internet."

Jan. 19 Castle: I saw this episode of Castle a few months ago. It's called "Kick the Ballistics." I would have to say this is my favorite episode. This show is good, but I was particularly impressed and really liked this episode. It was written by Dark Angel writer and producer Moira Kirkland. Even if a Dark Angel writer didn't write this, I still really liked it.

The episode starts off with finding a dead body in the cement as it was turned. (Kind of done on CSI: NY, but the cement was already formed. The body was found when the cement was drilled.) Back to Castle. The Woman Jane who died, she was shot by Det. Ryan's old gun. It was the gun from last season's ep, the 3XK killer was Tyson. Tyson ran away, and he killed a woman with Ryan's gun.

Castle and Det. Beckett work and finds a lead to a drug dealer, who is really an undercover cop. The UC has Ryan's gun. UC says the woman Jane was his intel. Jane tutors this Chinese Mob boss's son Ben Lee.

During interrogation, Ryan pushes UC in the interrogation room. There's tension and drama. They did that before with Beckett pushing a bad guy in the interrogation room. I'm pretty sure Det. Stabler did that on Law and Order: SVU.

Cut to Chinatown, and the Chinese restaurant was well shot in red. They also had a well shot scene in the bar, and the chase scene. Mob Boss Clifford Lee says he and his 4 sons were watching TV when Jane died. The household staff confirmed it. No surprise, because the staff are getting paid.

The detectives then found a locker with gun, tickets, and money. (Kind of seen that in the TV show Ringer.) It wasn't Ryan's gun, but a similar one.

Castle does his investigating, and Mob Boss Clifford's son Phillip did go to jail, but used his Chinese name. The theory is that Jane and Clifford's other son Ben are in love, and will run out of town to escape from family.

Jane's ex-boyfriend moved money for Clifford. Ex-boyfriend got mad that Jane fell in love with Ben. Phillip then got Jane killed with Ex-boyfriend told Phillip. A Woman Lawyer defends Phillip. (It kind of reminds me of The Simpsons ep "Behind the Laughter." There was a Woman Lawyer at the family dinner table.)

Cut to Ben studying in the library, but Ben's black Bodyguard is there. Det. Espisito then starts annoying Ben, and the Bodyguard has to remove Espisito. Kind of funny. Ryan then approaches Ben.

Ryan: Jane died fighting your battle. We're not talking about family, but your life. You went to college, and learned there's more to life than being a drug dealer.

After the pep talk, Ben goes to police station. Cut to later Ben is at the restaurant studying, and Phillip enters. Ben's wearing a wire.

Ben: If they never found the body, I would never know where she is. I will think she's alive somewhere. Were you ever going to tell me the truth?
Phillip points gun at Ben.
Phillip: Are you wearing a wire?

Cut to cops listening and the SWAT team bursts in. Phillip drops his gun. Ben pulls out gun and points it at Phillip. Cops shoot Ben. Ryan runs over and tries to save him by starting CPR on him. There was good music, and lots of tension.

Phillip is arrested and will go to jail for life. It turns out Ben is alive, and they faked his death in front of Phillip. Ben will go to Witness Protection.

I really liked it because it kind of reminded me of my own script. The question of being loyal to your family or yourself.

What would Dr. King do? (Amnesty International)

2012-01-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

"Justice is never advanced in the taking of human life." - Coretta Scott King

Dear Tracy,

Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Dr. King is widely regarded as one of the world's great human rights leaders.

Today and every day, Amnesty members stand together to defend the full body of human rights that Dr. King so bravely and eloquently espoused.

As we gear up for our Death Penalty Action Weeks (Feb. 27-March 11), we are inspired by Dr. King's vision of a day without the death penalty. A day when revenge is not offered as justice and society turns to humane and constructive ways of dealing with violent crime.

Dr. King deeply opposed the death penalty, calling it "society's final assertion that it will not forgive." His widow, human rights activist Coretta Scott King, agreed. "Morality is never upheld by legalized murder," she said.

Work with Amnesty to abolish the death penalty and defend basic human rights by becoming a Partner of Conscience monthly donor today.

We are moving closer to abolition in the United States. 2011 saw amazing victories: Illinois passed a law ending the death penalty, Oregon's governor put a moratorium on executions and death sentences, and executions across the country were at an all-time low. However, it was also the year that the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis, who came to symbolize all that is wrong with the death penalty.

As you read this message, eight more men are scheduled for execution in the next 60 days. More killing is not the answer.

Dr. King described violence as, "a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Returning violence for violence multiples violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars."

Stand with Amnesty. Defend human dignity with your monthly gift to Amnesty today.

Dr. King lived his life in service to others, speaking out against suffering, inequality and injustice. In his memory, with his words, we march together toward the end of the death penalty in the United States.

In peace,

Laura Moye
Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign
Amnesty International USA

job interview/ job articles/ work wardrobe

2012-01-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

Jan. 12 Job interview:

Bank: Today I had a really important interview. I did a phone interview first. Then I was to go there in person. That's good that I did manage to get through the first round over the phone. Yesterday, on my day off, I went to look for the office. Today I went to it and got there an hr early, but there were stores around so I shopped a bit. I got off at the right bus stop this time.

The interview was 30min long. The shifts are Mon.- Fri. so that's good. So is the pay. There's no cap on commission. It kind of reminds me of The Office where they sell paper. There was an ep where Jim can't sell anymore paper because there was a cap on the commission. The duties are selling. There is going to be a couple weeks of training. It seems like a really good job.

A few pitfalls was that the interviewer was going through her list of questions, and some of it didn't relate to my prior work experience. I have some experience that's related to this position.

A good thing is that she will pass my resume to other locations that are closer to downtown. Those locations are hiring and they can call me for an interview. Even if I don't get hired at this location, she might still refer that I go to another location.

Jan. 13 Crazy trip: This trip was not as crazy as the one I had the other day. After work I took a bus that took me straight to Whyte Ave so I could take another bus to a job interview. If I had gone home, I would have left at 2pm to catch 2 buses. I decided to save myself a trip and time by going to Whyte Ave. I got to Whyte Ave by 1pm. So I had an hr to bide before I need to take another bus.

I went to Warp 1 Comics and Games. I've been there once. They sell the sci-fi stuff like graphic novels for TV shows like Warehouse 13 and Manga comics. I saw some Buffy and Angel figurines. They even sell Hello Kitty stuff like backpacks. There's Sesame Street and The Simpsons toys. Then I went to 4 Stroke Custom Culture. They sell cool clothes I would see at Le Chateau.

I checked out the convenience store Mac's and they sell sushi. I thought they only sold sandwiches. I also went to Esso, and they don't sell sandwiches.

Then I took the bus. I get off at the right street, because the bus driver said so too. I go to check the address of a place, and asked a woman where it was. She directs me to cross the street. I go to McDonald's and the workers said it's this way.

I enter a car dealership and she said I had to walk 5 more blocks that way. I was like: "Whatever. I'm not going to walk another 30min to get to this interview at a law office. I guess I could take the bus to there, because there was still ample time to get to the interview. I realized I didn't really want to go there. So then I called them at the bus stop and said I'm cancelling.

Question: I have to analyze: "Are you putting obstacles in front of yourself?" No, I just didn't want to go to it. I already went and made a big trip for a bank interview, and then another one to a sales associate interview.

Maybe if I left at 2pm from home, I would have gotten another bus driver and he would have gotten me to the right bus stop. I will say I don't regret not going to the interview. Yeah, well at least I didn't totally burn down that bridge with the law office. I could have simply not showed up, and they would think I'm flaky. Then they won't interview me again if I applied to them again.

Jan. 16 Call Centre #4: I got a callback from Call Centre #4. Remember how I got hired there back in 2010? I then was dismissed after a day because 9 completed surveys wasn't good enough. Also I was rushed and skipped a paragraph that I was supposed to read to the caller. They called me today to do an interview, and I feel nervous. I think it's the same guy who hired me 2 yrs ago because it's the same name and voice. I don't know if he's going to remember me.

I did meet him for a day and was dismissed. This happened 2 yrs ago. If he remembers me, he will ask: "Have you been here before?" I will straight up and say: "Yes, you dismissed me after I only got 9 surveys done. However, this time I will get way more completed surveys." I am nervous about it, but after writing about it, I feel a bit more calm.

Call Centre #3: I didn't feel this way with Call Centre #3. I did a day of training back in 2007. Then I was dismissed because they said they decided to hire someone else who didn't need as much training as I did. At least I got paid. I got hired there in 2009 and worked for 6 months until I got laid off. I wasn't nervous when I was hired back because there were new managers there.

Job articles: I got this from Job Boom. It's an article about building your online brand. Google yourself, and what do you get? I got my Facebook page and my Tracy's blog. This is a good article because it provides tips on creating your online presence like write a blog and create a profile on LinkedIn.

http://career.jobboom.com/career-planning/2011/01/11/16848346.html

Getting a raise: I got this from Alberta Job Centre: "How to Negotiate a Raise." Good tips about building a portfolio, and to know your employer and industry. Can they give you a raise if the industry is struggling? You may not get a raise, but you can get benefits. There are tips like: "Don't act entitled to a raise."

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=AF31D989-2219-80B4-53FDCC3449F1ECD1&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=fdb0828d65-AB_Career_Jan_05_20121_5_2012&utm_medium=email

Another article: "Negotiating awesome benefits." It mentions signing bonus and vacation time.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/re/career-advice/career-advice/salary-advice/salary-advice--negotiating-awesome-benefits

"8 Things that can boost your pay" are education, years of experience, performance reviews. It did mention hazardous working conditions like working with dangerous chemicals:

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/re/career-advice/career-advice-articles/salary-advice/eight-things-that-can-boost-your-pay

Here's an article about career portfolios like it should have a resume, references, and certificates:

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/re/career-centre/career-tools/career-planning/career-portfolios

Work wardrobe: Here's one "Your Interview Wardrobe on a Budget." It's about clothes so it interested in me like something I would read in a fashion magazine. The article said: "Dress for the job you want, and not the one you have." It gives good tips about shopping in your closet and the store. Go to the tailor to get your clothes to fit you.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=CEADA768-2219-80B4-5311AE9B04BB35A5&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=b3ad3eaf2a-AB_Career_Jan_11_20121_11_2012&utm_medium=email

It reminds me of a Seventeen magazine article about going around passing your resumes. Wear dress pants, and not jeans. Wear a nice shirt, and that's not too revealing. Also reminds me of my brother's friend a couple months ago. He was looking for a job in the warehouse and he went around to pass his resume in the industrial neighborhoods. He was wearing the clothes like the coveralls and the steel toe boots that are needed to be worn to work there. He was able to get hired when he did an on-the-spot interview.

Blog article: I really like this article from Job Boom. It's about building a blog to make yourself more professional:

"Determine what you have to share that is of value. Identify what you’re passionate about and what topic will keep you motivated to keep learning more."

The Vertex Fighter blog is to get investors, writers, producers, actors to help me produce my script called The Vertex Fighter. Tracy's Blog is my personal blog. It's more like a portfolio that I'm a prolific writer because I have all these blog posts. It's also to get someone to hire me to be a writer for TV and movies.

http://career.jobboom.com/headlines-calgarysun/2009/08/17/10490026-calsun.html

After Holiday Sale: Calendar, Planner and more! (Amnesty International)

2012-01-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

If you still want to go shopping after the holidays, you can shop at Amnesty International. Here's an email from them:

Shown in Photo: 2012 Calendar & Planner

Dear Tracy,

SHOP FOR HUMANITY. SHOP WITH A PURPOSE. Keep human rights at the top of your agenda with an Amnesty planner or calendar. Save on shirts and fair-trade jewelry--all for a great cause. At Shop Amnesty, every purchase supports Amnesty International life-saving human rights work. Visit our store.

50TH ANNIVERSARY TIN CANDLES - $15.00

50TH ANNIVERSARY SILVER LAPEL - $9.95

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL LOGO POSTER - $15.00

HANDMADE SAC BAG - $25.00

TON FAI COTTON SCARF - $18.00 $15.00

ECO-FRIENDLY HARDCOVER HORSE JOURNAL - $14.00

PURPLE SHORT CHERRIES NECKLACE - $28.00 $20.00

VEGAN WALLET - $36.00 $30.00

SILVER/GUNMETAL BEADED BRACELET - $20.00 $16.00

WRITE-A-THON T-SHIRT - $17.95 $14.00

INSTANT KARMA FUN PACK - $40.00 $30.00

GLOBAL ETHICS SERIES: UNIVERSAL RIGHTS - $22.95 $18.00

You can find more great deals on Shop.AmnestyUSA.org

Please send all questions & concerns to Store@aiusa.org

job joke/ comedy and genders/ funny video

2012-01-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Jan.11 Job joke: I got this from Daily Silly:

A man went to apply for a job. After filling out all of his applications, he waited anxiously for the outcome. The employer read all his applications and said, "We have an opening for people like you." "Oh, great," he said, "What is it?" "It's called the door!"

Little jokes: Here are a couple from Daily Silly. It's basically a set up, and a punchline.

"A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does."

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day."

This isn't from Daily Silly, it just showed up in my spam:

What is worse than a giraffe with a sore neck?
A centipede with athlete's foot.

Where did the kittens go on their class trip?
To a mewseum.

Comedy and genders: I think women can be funny and joke around, but they usually tell the plain truth. It's mean, but it's not funny. I was thinking about that online dating chat where I was IMing this guy, and then later he totally rejected me. I emailed all my friends about it.

When I was talking to my 20 yr old friend Maygen.

Me: Did you read my email about online dating?
Maygen: You mean the guy who was looking for a hookup?

Maygen dissed him, but it wasn't funny. At least not to me, but some of you may laugh.

When I was talking to my 24 yr old friend Leslie.

Me: Then he asked me "Do you like sex?"
Leslie laughs.
Me: Why are you laughing?
Leslie: Because it (the question) came out of nowhere.

Leslie laughed at him. She wasn't trying to be mean, but she laughed.

When I was talking to my 16 yr old friend Ray.

Me: He said "Yikes."
Ray: What is this guy? Like 16?

Ray dissed him for being immature. She wasn't laughing as she was saying it.

When I talked to my 24 yr old friend Dan N.

Dan N. (laughing): What is this guy? Like 13? Asking "Have you ever had sex before? Have you ever done it?" Not knowing what it is.

Dan N. was laughing and made a snarky comment.

Genders being mean: I was comparing this to that "genders being mean" subject about that Jamie Kennedy Experiment show. They did that episode about a talent show, and the 2 male judges were totally mean and making snarky comments.

If there is a woman judge, she would diss him, but she would tell the plain truth like: "He can't ride a unicycle or juggle at the same time. He's not talented." It's mean, but it's the plain truth, and not funny. I went to the Youtube video again. I read some more people dissing the 2 male judges. Also one comment where someone said: "F--- the audience." The audience was mean too by laughing and booing at Jamie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBQ1s35d5rw

Funny video: I found this on my friend Heather's Facebook status. Here's some news with two TV hosts. "Belinda Heggen deals Mark Aiston a low blow."

Mark: ...Something so small can be so impressive.
Belinda: Well Mark, you would know about that. (Turns to camera). Thank you very much. Weathers next with Jane Riley-

I commented on the link: What? I'm putting this up on my blog and my Facebook page. This proves that women can be funny.

It was also so fast that the camera cut back to Belinda, they didn't show Mark's reaction. Also Belinda still managed to seem professional. I don't know, I'm over analyzing again. Maybe I have to see more videos of them together. They're either friends, or maybe they really hate each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Bc7eRTdWY

Jan. 13: On Facebook, my friends Jayda and Judith "liked it."

Jayda said: I don't think the argument of whether or not women are funny even merits proof.

Me: A lot of people think women aren't funny, so I feel like there needs to be proof.

Jayda: Yeah it's a ridiculous argument... it's like arguing monkeys should be allowed to drive... doesn't even deserve validation.

Mr. D: Comedian Gerry Dee has a new sitcom called Mr. D. He plays a teacher and he was a teacher prior to being a comedian.

johncorraza: Thumbs up. Mr. D is to teachers what Michael is to office managers (in the TV show The Office.) Finally the CBC has programming that isn't contrived Canadian.

I have to agree that Mr. D has this vibe of a bad teacher like Michael is a bad office manager in The Office. I only saw this 2min clip, and not a whole episode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fn_vAhu_Lw&feature=pyv

job search/ job interviews/ 2011 review

2012-01-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

Jan. 9 Job search: I applied to Call Centre #4 again. Yeah, that's right. I have worked there for a day back in 2010, and then they dismissed me because 9 completed surveys isn't enough. When I get hired, I will strive to get way more than that.

Companies: Have you ever heard of SFZ telemarketing? I got a call from them months ago. It pays $11/hr and commission. It's night shifts as usual like call centres are. They said it closes down every couple of months because it's not busy.

It's in downtown, but since it's night shifts and it was going to take longer to get home. I need to be able to wake up early for my restaurant job. I also wanted something permanent, and they said it closes down every couple of months so I felt it was inconsistent. I guess I could work there, and keep getting laid off so I can get my EI money. That's only if I work some hundreds of hours so that's going to be awhile to qualify and collect EI.

Job interviews:

Phone interview: Today I did a 20 min. job interview over the phone. It's for a bank. I did a job interview for them last year and didn't get hired. This time, this is for another position which I think seems easier to get. However, at the end of the interview, he gave me the location. I looked it up and I have take 2 buses and an LRT to get there. It's for a bank, so it's worth it.

I thought the interview was average. I think I flopped on a question, but overall my work experience was relevant.

Dental assistant: I did a job interview to be a dental assistant. The Dentist was this white guy in his 40s. Kind of balding. He gave me a tour of his small office. He asked questions that I have never been asked before in an interview. I did an interview for a medical office assistant and at a chiropractic clinic, but this was different. He asked me if I took high school science. I took Biology.

He asked if I get queasy from the sight of blood and seeing needles put into people. I said no. He mentioned about having a family member who was a nurse and quit because it was hard to deal with the blood. I remember reading somewhere that medical school students who drop out not because it's hard, but because it's gross with the blood and guts.

The interview was okay. I will be trained with the computer program, and it's not very hard. It's the chair side work that will be a new challenge for me. The hours are full, and I can work there on the weekdays, and work at the restaurant on the weekends. I'm kind of interested in that I can work here and at the restaurant at the same time. The Dentist seems nice.

Bus: I'll have to take 2 buses to get there, but that's fine. Today I actually took the bus and then it turned into a different number. So then the bus driver stopped at this other bus stop, and I caught another bus to get there. I got there on time and that's good. It was also really windy and cold today.

Flashback: I did get a flashback of how I met this girl at Centre High. She was applying to get into NAIT's dental assistant program. It's a 1 yr course. She said to be a dentist, you would have to go to school for way longer.

Jan. 11 Crazy trip: It was crazy this morning. I have a job interview tomorrow. I have to take 2 buses and an LRT to get there. I have never been there before, it's an important interview, so since it's my day off, I'm going to utilize my time. I have done lots of interviews to places I have never been before, but I go to Google maps, I look it up and find it and am able to plan my trips and get there on time.

I'm nervous about this interview, so I thought I could calm myself down a bit if I go there once before, the day before. I took the bus, and I actually missed the stop. Fortunately, the driver stopped at another stop and directed me to the right direction. I only had to walk about 5 min to find the place. I found the place, so that's good.

But then I had to get home. I found one bus stop that said "Future service" so it's not really a bus stop yet. I found another stop for a bus # I didn't take. I saw another bus stop, I go there and it's for the same #. I did see a taxi go by at #2 bus stop. I was waiting #3 bus stop and I waved a taxi down. I asked to be taken to the LRT station.

I then paid $8 for a taxi ride. I went home. It took 2 and a half hours to go there and come back. The good thing is that I found the place, I'll keep more of an eye out for the bus stop I'm supposed to get off at. I was paying attention and looking for the building and the stores around it. I should be really paying attention to the street numbers. Then I noticed the street numbers were a bit ahead. I went home and planned my trip a little earlier so I could be on time. There are also some stores around the office so I could shop there before the interview.

If I had gotten off at the right bus stop, I wouldn't have taken that taxi. I would have been able to know which bus stop I'm supposed to go to get back to the LRT station.

Sales associate: I was wary of going to this interview this afternoon. I called to confirm is it just selling or is there a receptionist position? It's sales associate/ receptionist. If it was just sales associate, then I'm not interested.

The trip was kind of unpredictable. The bus came 5min. late, but then I was able to catch the 2nd bus to get there. I get there 30 min. early so I went and checked out a thrift store that's close by. It's also around the same neighborhood that I had been there on my "crazy trip" this morning.

The interview was okay. I have read 2 job interview books, and I felt this boss wasn't interviewing me with the right questions. I was the one who asked the questions like what are the shifts like, and what the duties are. I was the 5th person to be interviewed. He did say I was the first person to ask questions.

The pay is good, and there is commission. I can work here on the weekdays, and work at the restaurant on the weekends.

Question: Are you really interested in working as a dental assistant and sales associate/ receptionist? I would say I like them both for the pay, and that I also get to work at the restaurant on the weekends. The duties seem fine.

Productive: Today I spent hours on the bus, but I was productive as I was waiting for it, and riding on it. I was reading the newspaper and educating myself.

Saying: This happened last week, but I asked my sister this question when we were watching TV.

Me: Have you ever heard of the saying: "What gets measured, gets done"?
S: I think it's different.
She Googled it.
S: "What gets measured, gets managed."

I looked it up, and it seems we're both right. It's both from Peter Drucker. On this site, it says "done":

http://stephenjgill.typepad.com/performance_improvement_b/2010/02/what-gets-measured-gets-doneor-not.html

On this site, it says "managed":

http://www.sebastianmarshall.com/what-gets-measured-gets-managed

2011 review: I've been kind of procrastinating writing about this 2011 review. This morning, my sister did ask me how much money I made last year. I told her.

Me: This is pretty much the same amount I made back in 2009 when I was working at the Soup place full-time. This year, I've been working at the restaurant part-time, but I got a lot of tips so that's how I can make as much money as I did at the Soup place.
S: Have you thought of getting a 2nd job that's the same like what you do right now?

Me: Yeah, I applied to a call centre where I can work at night.
S: There must be something wrong with your resume if you don't get interviews.
Me: I pass out at least 100 resumes a month. I do get interviews. I've done like at least 50 interviews this year.
(Seriously. Some are short, preliminary interviews over the phone where they ask a few questions. So some of you may say that doesn't count and that a job interview is when you are in the office, talking face-to-face.)

S: Yeah, well then you're doing something wrong in the interviews.
Me: That's why I read 2 interview books.
S: You should go to a counselor and do a mock interview to see what you're doing wrong.
Me: I know there's one at the U of A.
S: You never went there. (As in attending the school.)

What I took from this is that I should go to one of my 2 colleges I attended, and talk to a counselor. I was thinking about that. I haven't done it because I was actively looking for a office job on the internet, and attending interviews.

Special jewelry gift sale at Amnesty's store

2012-01-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

I got this from Amnesty International:

Shown in Photo: Ziya Wrap & Beads of Strength

Dear Tracy,

Avoid the chaos of Black Friday -- shop Amnesty for gifts of peace and hope. Save big on books, calendars, shirts and jewelry, knowing that 100% of all proceeds benefit Amnesty International's human rights work. Hurry - sale ends Monday 11/28/11! Visit our store.

INSTANT KARMA PACK - $37.00 $23.00

CALENDAR & PLANNER SET - $26.94 $18.00

LOGO SOCCER BALL - $30.00 $21.00

NEW ORLEANS AGM MASK SHIRT - 17.95 $10.00

PINK & WHITE ONESIE - 14.95 $8.00

ACTIVIST LOGO SHIRT - 17.95 $12.00

HOLIDAY CARDS - 12.95 $10.00

ENDURING SPIRIT + FREE POSTER - $30.00 $15.00

ALL POSTERS 30% OFF - $5.00-$24.00 $3.50-$16.80

DARFUR PHOTO ESSAY - $20.00 $9.00

BEADED LOGO BRACELET - $7.00 $4.50

REGGIE CLEMONS SHIRT - $15.00 $10.00

P.S. We refreshed our store to make it easier to find the gifts you need - check out the new shop.amnestyusa.org today.

Step Up/ Michelle Murray/ Christmas party

2012-01-09T18:59:00.000-08:00

Jan. 6 Step Up: I was channel surfing and I saw that the dancing movie Step Up was on Cosmo channel. I had to watch it. I saw it the first time when it came out back in 2006. I really liked it because of the dancing and love story. I also really like the lead actor Channing Tatum. This is the movie where he really broke out on his own. He was in a few movies prior to it, but he wasn't the lead.

I mainly had this movie on in the background as I look for a job. I already saw it once, so the 2nd time I'll watch it for the dance sequences. It's a light and fun dance movie to watch. I recommend it if you like light movies, dancing, and romance.

I was watching Pop Up Video, and it turns out the lead actress Jenna Dewan was a back up dancer in Janet Jackson's music video "All For You." I went on the internet and she was on the "All For You" tour. In the show, they mentioned that Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum got married.

Jan. 7 Date: So I have been emailing this guy Jay for a couple of weeks. We met up today and hung out for about an hr and a half. We went to the Edmonton Winter Festival in Churchill Square. We checked out the art displays there. There were a lot of artists who were at the summer festivals at Churchill Square last year. It was interesting and fun to look at the paintings.

Michelle Murray: Jay talked to the artist Michelle Murray. During it, I then got a flashback and asked her: "Were you in the Edmonton Journal?" MM says: "Yeah, Mom of 8. You have a good memory." I remember reading an article about it a few months ago. Check out her art:

http://michellemurrayart.com/about

So back to the date. It was okay. I had fun, we talked a lot about movies as we were shopping.

Jan. 8 Christmas party: I invited my friends to my Christmas party at work, but no one could make it. So I went by myself. I didn't go last year because after work, I was tired. I had a good dinner with my family instead. This year, I decided to go to see what it was like. I should go out more often and try new things.

I did kind of have a friend with me, my friend who started working here. She brought another friend. They ate dinner, and stayed for 30min. They then gave me their raffle/ party tickets when they left. My friend's friend didn't rip off the bit of the ticket to enter in the draw. I had 2 chances to win one of these great prizes.

It's mostly gift cards for restaurants and stores. The really good ones are the ones to stay at really nice hotels. Some are electronics like a dvd player. I was there for about 2hrs. I did socialize a little bit, by talking to this young woman from another department. We know each other a bit. I mainly talked to my friend, and her friend.

I did do a little bit of my crossword puzzle after I finished eating. The food was good. I also read the newspaper I brought with me. You're probably like: "You need to socialize more." Yeah, well at least I stayed longer than 30min. I mainly stayed because I wanted to win something in the raffle. I didn't win, but I had fun.

Jan. 9 The visitors: On New Year's Day, at night, we got some visitors. I was in my room and my parents were talking to them. I thought friends came over. Then they came downstairs and was speaking English to my brother. My sister closed her bedroom door. I went out of my room to see what the hub bub was about.

It's two cops. A white woman and an East Indian man. They were investigating a domestic disturbance. My mom called my sister out, and she had shut the door so she wouldn't have to listen. Now she has to deal with it. I didn't hear anything. However, my sister actually heard something outside. That was interesting.

Music: I found this artist from watching Pop Up Video. Maxwell is a black R&B artist and here's his video "Fistful of Tears." He's got the smooth voice and music like Robin Thicke. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabCkV_oW48&ob=av3e

Also from the show, I saw the video by American Idol winner Fantasia. Here's her video "Free Yourself." This is a good and emotional ballad. The chorus says: "If you don't want me, then don't talk to me/ Go ahead and free yourself."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWs3fs9nnzc&ob=av2e

Also on the show, they played this R&B group called Soul for Real. They are 4 African-American brothers. The video is called "Every Little Thing I Do." They're from the early 90s and I don't remember them. It's got a good beat and the dancing's good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ihhJCPYHuk&ob=av2e

I was watching a little MuchMusic and they showed this R&B group called Mindless Behavior. They look like they're 13-15 yrs old. Here's their song "Mrs. Right" ft. Diggy Simmons. I like the song, it's got a good beat to dance to. They kind of remind me of the old R&B group B2K because they're both with 4 African-American guys who sing and dance. B2K were in their late teens though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cuoL8lwaPs

I was watching the tail end of Jimmy Fallon, and they showed this country singer Hunter Hayes. I listened to some of his music and it's okay. I'm not really into country. If you are, then check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5MPxz-8e6A

Comparisons: Here's something I haven't done in awhile. List my comparisons.

Lead character meets person of the opposite sex, and is their double: In The Listener season 2 finale, Toby meets a woman who is telepath like he is. That reminded me of Kyle XY where Kyle meets Jessi. She has the same powers he has. On Tru Calling, Tru can relive days. She meets Jack and he can do the same thing.

An intro to TV series: The third ep into Ringer, they showed the intro to what the TV series is about. Ringer is about two sisters with the same face. They're twins and Siobhan fakes her death, and Bridget takes over and pretends to be Siobhan. Bridget is hiding away from the FBI and the mob.

As soon as I saw the intro, I was reminded of Alias. The intro was Sydney is a double agent working for SD-6 who she thought was the CIA. It turns out SD-6 wasn't, so she works for the CIA to take down SD-6. Her dad is also a double- agent.

Closing the morgue drawer door where they keep the body, and cut to black: I was watching The Mentalist and at the end, Patrick Jane needs someone to confirm if the dead body is Red John. The door closes and cut to black. Cut to closing credits.

It was done on Tru Calling where Jack works at the morgue. He closes the drawer door, cut to black, cut to credits. It was done well on both shows.

Teen pregnancy: Here's something I haven't wrote in a long time. I was watching the Teen Mom season finale special. The 4 teen moms mainly have positive feedback. The TV show makes parents talk about sex and have an open discussion with their kids. Amber did get negative feedback because of her domestic violence actions on the show.

Catelynn Facebooks people about adoption because she gave her baby up for adoption. Did you know that 1 in 10 of every children born in the US are from teen moms? 400,000 babies are born to teen moms a year. In the first part, they interviewed Farrah and how she's sad. There was a PSA about Halfofus.com about depression.

http://www.halfofus.com/default_splash.aspx

Dr. Drew interviewed Amber about how her little sister died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Amber's mom came, and started talking about her experience with SIDS. Amber got so upset, she got up and left the stage. Dr. Drew followed her to make sure she's okay.

Think murder: I was watching BBC news on Nov. 3, 2011. I turned on the TV, and it was on. BBC news was profiling this:

Cut to a black woman who is a Parking Officer.
She is arguing with a Man in coveralls over a parking meter.
Man #2 in coveralls comes with a chainsaw and cuts the parking meter in half.
PO starts backing away in fear.

It looks real, but it's a hoax. It was supposedly to help advertise the movie In Time. It turns out the black woman really is in law enforcement. The BBC news piece was about advertising and how to make things look real, when it isn't.

Pres. Obama signed the NDAA - now we fight back

2012-01-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

I got this from Amnesty International:

Dear Tracy,

January 11, 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of "war on terror" detainees at Guantanamo. We're not going to let this day pass quietly.

Sign Amnesty's global petition urging President Obama to finally follow through on his promise to close Guantanamo. Help us meet our goal of 100,000 signatures worldwide -- signatures we plan to deliver straight to the White House door.

We haven't forgotten President Obama's pledge to close Guantanamo, one of his first acts as president. Nearly three years later, the President has failed to keep his end of the bargain.

Even worse, President Obama has yet again relented to extremists in Congress. On New Year's Eve, he signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, along with its appalling detention provisions.

We lost that fight, but there's reason for hope. The battle over the NDAA united activists across the ideological divide, who put differences aside and came together to oppose the NDAA.

January 11th isn't just any anniversary. This year, it's a critical moment to rise up against a shameful decade of human rights abuses perpetrated in our name. We can't let the recent outrage against the NDAA simply ebb away -- help us channel this passion into a movement rededicated to closing Guantanamo!

Guantanamo is a costly human rights catastrophe. Military and intelligence experts have repeatedly asserted that Guantanamo and the violations it stands for are immoral, illegal and counterproductive to US national security.

There is a simple solution to closing Guantanamo -- either charge detainees and give them a fair trial in US federal court, or release them.

Sign our petition to tell President Obama that we are tired of his excuses. Guantanamo must be closed.

For many, the New Year holiday embodies humanity's hopes for the future. Here's to 2012 -- and with your help, this could be Guantanamo's final year.

Sincerely,

Zeke Johnson
Director, Security with Human Rights Campaign
Amnesty International USA

P.S. It's not too late to join us in Washington, DC on January 11th for a National Day of Action Against Guantanamo. Lend a hand to our human chain!

funny video/ New Year's jokes/ rant

2012-01-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

Jan. 4 Funny video: I found this on Yahoo. It's where a cat is pawing the baby's head gently. The baby was crying, but the cat's paws soothed him. The cat must have been de-claw. As I was watching it, I thought the parent should have gotten a stuffed animal and rubbed it on the baby's head. It would have made him stop crying.

http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/cat-soothes-crying-baby-to-sleep.html

Jan. 5 Christmas joke: I got this from Daily Silly on Jan. 3. So it's a little late, but here it is:

A few days before Christmas, two young brothers were spending the night at their grandparent's house. When it was time to go to bed, and anxious to do the right thing, they both knelt down to say their prayers.

Suddenly, the younger one began to do so in a very loud voice.
"Dear Lord, please ask Santa Claus to bring me a xbox, BMX bike and a ipad."
His older brother leaned over and nudged his brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf."
"I know" he replied, "But Grandma is!"

New Year's jokes: I got these from Daily Silly. I think this joke is a good start in ending a bad habit:

Dave, at a New Year's party, turns to his friend, Kevin, and asks for a cigarette.
"I thought you made a New Year's resolution to quit smoking," Kevin responds.
"I'm in the process of quitting," replies Dave with a grin.

"Right now, I am in the middle of phase one."
"Phase one?" wonders Kevin.
"Yeah," laughs Dave, "I've quit buying."

Here's another one:

Are you sick of making the same resolutions year after year and yet you never keep them? Here are some resolutions that you can actually accomplish! Enjoy! :-)

10. Read less.
9. I want to gain weight. Put on at least 30 pounds.
8. Stop exercising. Waste of time.
7. Watch more TV. I've been missing some good stuff.
6. Procrastinate more.
5. Drink. Drink some more.
4. Start being superstitious.
3. Spend more time at work.
2. Stop bringing lunch from home: I should eat out more.

and last but not least...

1. Take up a new habit: maybe smoking!

Me: I do have to say about #7. I don't want to miss out on something good on TV. I know Criminal Minds is a good TV show. The important thing is to not watch Dr. Phil.

This joke, at first seems to be about New Year's. Now I read it again, and it doesn't seem to be:

A VERY BRAVE MAN

It was New Years Day and Billy asked his mother, "Mom, why are wedding dresses white?"

The mother looks at her son and replies. "Billy, this shows your friends and relatives that your bride is pure."

Billy thanks his Mom and goes off to double-check this with his father. "Dad why are wedding dresses white?"

The father looks at his son in surprise and says, "Billy, all household appliances come in white."

Rant: I got this also from Daily Silly, but I have a lot of comments which I will add in brackets.

NINE THINGS I REALLY HATE

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time. Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?
(That's interesting, I never noticed that. Well a lot of people ask me what time it is, but they don't always point at their wrist.)

2. People who are willing to search the entire room for the TV remote because they refuse to get up and change the channel manually.
(I don't. My TV needs the remote to change the channel. If my remote doesn't work, I run upstairs to get the one from the other TV and run back down to change the channel.)

3. People who say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too". Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?
(Good point. I think the phrase is about not getting everything you want all the time. Or about sacrificing something for the greater good. For example, you may not be able to watch one hour of TV because you need to study for a test tomorrow. I want to do both, but I can only do one. I think the rant was also about an annoying cliche.)

4. People who say "it's always the last place you look". Yeah, I tend to stop looking once I've found it.
(I thought it was about something like finding a remote in the fridge. It's about finding something in an unexpected place. That is kind of an annoying cliche.)

5. When people watching a film say "did you see that?" Do they think I paid $12 to look at the floor?
(It could mean something specific like "Did you notice that the actor kind of laughed before they cut away? Or that little movie mistake.")

6. People who ask "Can I ask you a question?". Did they give you a choice?
(I read about it on twop.com. You can say: "You already did." You should say: "I have a question" or "I have a personal question that I hope you don't mind my asking.")

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it?
(I remember reading this on Seventeen magazine called "Dear Whatever" about a rant. Someone said: "If it's new, then it can't be improved.")

8. When people say "life is short". Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?
(Another cliche, but it doesn't annoy me. There's the saying "Life is precious.")

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet?". If the bus came would I be standing here?
(In real life, people specify like: "Has the #2 gone by yet?")

Productive: I'm going to add to the rant. I mentioned this before in the "Unintentionally Funny TV moments" on twop.com. It's about the TV show Life, a group of 8 cops watching this woman play a video game so she can get access to the files that they need to solve the case. You can watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFfJ4ZC1AtA

People on twop.com and Youtube said it was stupid. The cops have to get to level 10 of a video game so they can access the files. I'm getting angry at something that's fictional and has no effect on my life. I remember reading in the business section of the newspaper, and it said something about: "When you have a 1hr meeting with 5 people, it's not 1 hr. It's really 5 hrs, 1hr per person is giving their time to this meeting. They are not doing something productive and working."

So when I saw the group of 8 cops watching someone play a video game, that annoyed me. Say it took an hr. That is 8hrs of not being productive. The other people should work on the case, or can go on the internet to find tips on how to beat the game. Or some could be sent home.

Unrealistic: I'll also add in when there is this young woman in the clip, 1:17 sec in, she was watching the video game, and she was pretending she had the game console in her hands. Does anyone do that? Like when watching a video game, they pretend they have a game console in their hands?

Jan. 6 Crazy week: It's been a crazy week in general. On Mon. I stayed an hr late, because I had to work in another department. All week it was busy. We were running around trying to get things done. I came in on Wed. (which is supposed to be my day off) because they needed me. Today I was able to leave an hr early so I could get to a job interview.

Job interview: The interview I went to was close by to where I live. It's a law firm. I think the interview was okay. There were 12 applicants.

A couple of hrs later, they called me back and said I didn't get hired. In the interview they did mention that they either hire today or by next week. I guess they were looking for someone who had legal experience. They talked about if you wanted to work your way up, you can be a legal assistant, and I told them I know there's a 2 yr legal assistant program at MacEwan University. They said a lot of people who work at their firm is from that program.

A great way to start the year (Amnesty International)

2012-01-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

Impressive.

Dear Tracy,

You sure know how to ring in a New Year!

It began with December's Global Write for Rights Write-a-thon. Tens of thousands of committed volunteers pledged an amazing 265,000 letters demanding basic human rights for individuals at risk. Your words are already shaking loose the shackles of injustice -- Jabbar Savalan, an Azerbaijani student and Write for Rights case whose Facebook post landed him in prison, has been released!

And seconds before midnight on Dec. 31, we reached our crescendo. Supporters like you made more than 55,000 donations to Amnesty International USA!

I'd like to take a moment and just say -- wow! And there's even more good news.

Thousands of you joined Amnesty or became Partners of Conscience monthly donors for the first time. Together we are a force for good growing stronger every day.

You are generous. You are passionate. You are the defenders of humanity. I couldn't be more grateful that you are a part of this human rights movement.

Thank you so much for your commitment and support. I wish you and yours a peaceful and Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Curt Goering
Chief Operating Officer

The Vertex Fighter actors/ Heartland/ payday loans

2012-01-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Jan. 3 The Vertex Fighter actors:

Vada Studios: I found this ad on Vue Weekly. Vada Studios is Vancouver Academy of the Dramatic Arts. I guess I can go there if I'm looking for actors.

J Mack Slaughter Jr.: This has been months ago, but I wrote about him because he was on the old TV sitcom called Like Family. It was on the WB about a single white mom and her teen son (Slaughter) and move in with a black couple, with their teen daughter and kid son, with a grandpa.

I added him on Facebook and he confirmed me as his friend. I wished him a happy birthday on his birthday Dec. 28, and he liked my wall post. lol. He's now in medical school, and not acting. However, I would still like to see him in The Vertex Fighter.

Blake McGrath: I have also written a lot about this dancer/ So You Think You Can Dance Canada judge. I do see him in The Vertex Fighter. I can see him as a fighter because he is athletic.

Rejects: I found my notes from my job interview that I did 2 months ago. It was for a company in the industrial neighborhood. The interview was okay, but it seemed like a really hard and challenging position.

I did an interview for a medical office assistant position last week. They should have called by now for training. I did call them today to ask about it, and I left a message.

Scrubs: From that interview, I did learn that you have to wear scrubs. If you want to buy some, you can go to Wal-Mart, Zellers, and Mark's Work Wearhouse. I didn't know they sell them there.

Jan. 4 Producers: Here's something I haven't done in about a month. I emailed those TV producers back and asked if they read The Vertex Fighter script yet. I was busy with my work and looking for office job, that I haven't been emailing them.

Job cycles: This is an article about job cycles for different industries. In the 2nd quarter, they hire for hospitality and tourism for the summer. In the 4th quarter, holiday retail are hiring.

http://career-advice.monster.ca/job-hunt-strategy/getting-started/understand-recruitment-cycles-ca/article.aspx?WT.mc_n=Ycanada_YToday

Misleads: Today I got a call on my cellphone. I looked it up, but didn't find who it is. I called it and it's actually from an Energy Company #1. The guy said it's part of Energy Company #2. It's a customer service position. I remember in 2010, I did an interview for EC#2, and it's selling energy door-to-door. So I turned down EC#1.

The second mislead is an email I got. The position in the ad was "personal assistant." I got info that it's really a mystery shopper position. You go to the store, buy something, and you get to keep the item you bought.

This was about a month ago, and I found it in my email. I saw the job ad in 24 News about being an accounting representative. It said this:

"Your duties as the Payment Officer / Book Keeper is to collect payments from our numerous customers within your region, process the payments, deduct 10% of the amount issued to you as your personal bonus and you transfer the rest of the funds to our main account officer whose information will be provided to you in due time."

Perspective: It's like I am so sick of looking for an office job. But I can't stop looking for it, and writing about it. It's this habit that's instilled in me. Yeah, but it's a good work habit and it's productive, because it will lead to me making more money.

I also learn more about companies, and jobs. I get to go all around Edmonton and meet these people when I do interviews.

Yeah, well at least it's better than the days when I used to be addicted to Dr. Phil back in 2006. I hate the TV show, I can't stop watching it, and getting angry at it, and writing about it. However, I managed to quit.

Drug article: Jasmine Hall sent this through my blog: "10 Professors Who Were Caught Dealing Drugs." I had to read it. I don't know, I thought it would be kind of funny where college professors who are supposed to be good, are selling drugs. When I read the article, it wasn't funny.

At #5, Philip Alan Barker who taught at the University of Calgary and the Alberta Children's Hospital was caught selling crack cocaine to an undercover cop.

#6 is Mr. Cha and he's like the lead character in the TV show Breaking Bad. It's about a chemistry teacher who cooks up drugs.

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/01/03/10-professors-caught-dealing-drugs/

Heartland: I saw an ep a couple months ago and it reminded me of my job search. It turns out the married couple Lou and Peter went for the same job, and Lou got hired. Lou didn't know Peter went for the same position too.

Peter mentioned about job-sharing when Lou was kind of on the fence about the position. She did just have a baby and wanted to spend time with her daughter. It also kind of reminded me of Desperate Housewives where the married couple Lynette and Tom worked for the same office. Later they worked together again when they opened a pizzeria.

Negotiation: In the ep, they did say this line: "The first rule of negotiation is if you don't ask, you don't get."

Work and friends: My friend started working at my restaurant a couple of weeks ago. I then realized we had run in the same work places before. I worked at Call Centre #2 in 2006 for 5 months. Then I quit to go to school full-time and my friend then got hired there. In 2010, she got hired at Call Centre #5, and I then got hired shortly after her. I lasted for 2 days before I was dismissed for not getting enough money donated to the charity. She lasted for 3 days and was dismissed for the same thing.

We went and did the same interview at that law firm in 2011.

Business ethics: I was thinking about The Sausage Factory again where Gilby lets teenage boys rent out porn tapes. That is unethical.

Payday loans: Back in 2008 when I was applying to banks, I asked my dad if I could apply to Money Mart and those payday loans places. He said they're not real banks, so I didn't apply.

Last month, I found a job ad where you can work at a payday loan place and get $15/hr to be an administrative assistant. I asked my dad about it, and he said they're like loan sharks. They do charge a lot of interest.

Example: I got this manual "Stretch Your Dollars: budgeting basics" by Money Mentors. I got this at a U of A job fair. Here's an example (paraphrase):

"Joe didn't have the money, but knew he could get it at a quick cash store. His next paycheck is $999 so he qualified for a $299 advance. The transaction fee, the interest, it cost him $332.49 to have this money for 13 days until he got his next paycheck. He repaid the money by check rather than cash. That cost him an additional $28.17. Joe paid $360.66 to have $299 for 13 days."

Troy Davis execution: The struggle doesn't end with me

2012-01-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

I got this email from Amnesty International on Dec. 19, 2011:

Protecting Individuals at Risk

Dear Tracy,

Troy Davis

Troy Davis
1968 - 2011

You showed your passion for human rights when you signed the petition to stop the execution of Troy Davis. Tragically, the execution went ahead, and on Sept. 21st Troy was put to death by lethal injection.

As we come to the end of 2011, the state of Georgia believes this is over. But we know it is far from over. We are still fighting and we will not stop until we see an end to the death penalty.

Will you take action? Speak out loudly, talk to law makers, and raise awareness to bring an end to this ultimate denial of human rights.

One way to help us win this fight is to become a member of Amnesty International. Your membership helps keep our movement running – supporting our work to end the death penalty, stop torture, end violence against women and protect human rights worldwide.

Become a member of Amnesty International today at www.amnesty.ca/donate

Your support is essential for us – the truth is, without membership contributions, there is no Amnesty International. We are completely independent of government or corporate interests. The more funds and supporters like you we have, the greater our impact will be.

As Troy said in a message to Amnesty supporters, “The struggle doesn’t end with me. The struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I will not stop fighting until I’ve taken my last breath.” That’s what Troy said to us, and now we must continue the fight.

Please join us.

Sincerely,

Alex Neve signature

Alex Neve, Secretary General
Amnesty International, Canadian Section

p.s. Your support helps keep our movement running – supporting our work to end the death penalty, stop torture, end violence against women and protect human rights worldwide. Please consider becoming a member of Amnesty International. If you would prefer to make a one-time gift, please click here.

A reunion like no other (Amnesty International)

2012-01-02T19:48:00.001-08:00

I got this email before, but I want to put it up again, because I got it again. It's to remind you about Amnesty International's mission to save lives:

Dear Tracy,

Today is December 31st, the last day to make a tax-deductible gift to Amnesty International in 2011. If you donate today, your gift will be tripled by a generous donor.

Throughout this month, you've heard stories of human rights defenders whose lives have been forever changed by Amnesty International. You've heard about people whose families have been ripped apart by unjust systems that Amnesty is working to fix. And you've heard from Grammy-winning artist Sting, whose commitment to human rights has taken him all over the globe.

Your donation will help us start 2012 with a strong footing, able to tackle human rights abuses around the world.

Stand with Amnesty today. Donate now.

Sincerely,

Curt Goering
Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director, Amnesty International USA

Amnesty International USA

Celebrate bringing home mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

Dear Tracy,

The sweet embrace of freedom. A triumphant rescue of human dignity. A jubilant homecoming.

A prisoner of conscience has been released.

When you work for the release of those who are unjustly imprisoned, you are not only defending human rights, you are reuniting families torn apart by discrimination and oppression.

Being unjustly imprisoned is a terrifying ordeal. Dragged from their homes, disappeared, tortured – these men and women are persecuted for who they are, for what they believe, for the peaceful expression of their ideas.

But these prisoners met a massive, global force for good, a group of passionate individuals who shined a light into the darkness and demanded justice. The captors bowed to pressure, opened the prison doors, and set the prisoners free.

That force is you. That light is Amnesty.

This holiday season, celebrate reuniting families with Amnesty.

Share our special reunions holiday e-card with someone you love.

Because of you, fathers and mothers hold their children again. Sons and daughters live free. Families are made whole.

For prisoners of conscience and others unjustly imprisoned, the opportunity to make new memories with loved ones is a priceless, indescribable gift. Is there a sight more heartwarming than a family reunion like this?

I cherish these moments – they are a joy to behold and inspire all of us here at Amnesty. I hope you agree. After all, when you stood up for their human rights, you brought them home.

I can't think of a better place to be.

Reconnect with your loved ones. Introduce them to your passion for human rights with the Amnesty reunions holiday e-card.

In solidarity,
Curt Goering
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

technology/ Giving birth/ Abortions in India

2012-01-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

Jan.1 Technology: Carol Brown sent me this article through my blog. It's called "10 Innovative Schools Allowing Smartphones in the Classroom." The article mentioned Edmonton Public schools as #5. It talked about how each school let the students use smartphones and it helped them learn more and get good grades.

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/12/11/10-innovative-schools-allowing-smartphones-in-the-classroom/

Post Secret: I read this one. It resonated with me. It has a picture of an African child in the 3rd world country.

"You hate your life while children like this dream of having it."

Jan. 2 Job: Yesterday was busy because it was New Year's Day and today was busy too. I thought people were at work, but they're still having fun by going to the restaurant.

Giving birth: I was watching 20/20 on Dec. 16, 2011. They did a piece called "Giving Life: A Risky Proposition." A girl who gives birth in Afghanistan has a 1 in 10 chance that she will die after giving birth. Far more people die in childbirth than Taliban bombings. There are a lot of child brides because the younger the bride, there is more chance she's a virgin. A lot of people will pay more money if she's younger.

A girl's pelvis is not fully formed to give birth. JHPIEGO is a charity that teaches women to be mid-wives. It went from 1 in 11 women dying after giving birth to 1 in 50. I looked up the website:

http://www.jhpiego.org/

Hemorrhaging is the common cause of of death in childbirth. In Sierra Leone, 1 in 24 women die. The hospitals are dirty because they aren't sterilized. There's an anti-hemorrhaging drug that could help save lives. The drug is called Mioprostal. This old white woman who was in her 60s, she donated enough drugs to save 50,000 women.

A white woman named Erin who's a mom and is also a dr. She goes to Sierra Leone to help the women. She gives basic education and life support skills.

They profiled one woman at the hospital who is bleeding. She couldn't get blood because there was no blood in the blood bank. Her husband tried to buy blood from strangers. Then he found his sister, and she donated blood.

Model Christy Turlington gave birth and began to hemorrhage. She made a film called No Woman, No Pride. The US ranks 50th in the world for Maternal Health. It's because of obesity and diabetes. Some women get prenatal care 2 months in, or not at all.

BRAC USA is a charity that helps women in Bangladesh. 50% of all people in Bangladesh have cellphones. They learn about vitamins through their cellphone. 215 million who want birth control, can't access it. Here's BRAC USA:

http://www.brac.net/content/about-brac-usa?_kk=brac%20USA&_kt=00af63bd-f71d-47ed-ace5-47091ae9ec2e&gclid=CMDQrpDqsq0CFcYbQgodMjbImQ

In Mexico, there is a woman who got a college degree and teaches about contraception. Julio Frenk, the Mexico Minister of Health says that every 20 yrs, the population in Mexico doubles. In the 1970s, the average family had 7.2 children. Now 2.2 children is the average.

Charity: Then 20/20 did a piece about how $1.5 million were donated last year after an ep they did. I wrote about it before on this blog.

Clean water: Scott Harrsion created the non profit Charity: Water to get clean water for 3rd world countries. $40,000 is donated to get clean water in Bangladesh. Here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Harrison_%28charity_founder%29

Malnutrition: Viewers donated $200,000 of Plumpy Doz that helps fight malnutrition for chidren in 3rd world countries.

http://www.nutriset.fr/en/product-range/produit-par-produit/plumpydoz.html

Viewers also gave $250,000 do fight measles.

They mentioned Embrace, this blanket that warms babies and is used in 3rd world countries. Here's the website:

http://embraceglobal.org/

Abortions in India: This was on 20/20 on Dec. 19, 2011. In India, 50,000 female abortions occur every month. Since the 1980s, 40 million unborn women were aborted. There's an Indian woman president. Women are expensive with a dowry when they get married. Families don't want to pay so their daughter could get married. Dowries are illegal, but it's ignored.

Sex selection abortions are due to ultrasounds. It's not for the poor and uneducated who get abortions. It's the rich and educated. They interviewed Dr. Korana who is an Indian woman pediatrician. She didn't want to do a sex selection ultrasound. So her husband and mother-in-law fed her eggs in a cake, and she had an allergic reaction. They took her to the hospital to get an ultrasound to see if the baby is going to be okay.

She's going to have twin daughters. She refused to abort. Her husband and mother-in-law beat her up. Dr. K ran to her parents and gave birth.

There is "demons in white coats" that are doctors, who does sex selection ultrasound and the dr. tells them about it. It's a sting to give to cops. The doctors are arrested, but the ultrasound machines are taken away. The video was put on Youtube. I like watching undercover sting operations that are put on the internet and TV.

Dr. K then sued her husband about domestic violence. It's hard to find brides in India, so women get trafficked. There's an orphanage in India where baby girls are abandoned. A woman who runs it call Mama. She was an orphan herself. Her real name is Prekashcar won't let the girls be adopted so won't get hurt. The place is called Unique Home.

When the girls are old enough to live on their own, they will move out. They all share the same birthday since they don't have a birth certificate.

The Listener: This show is coming back on CTV in a couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for it. CTV has been playing reruns for the past couple of weeks. A few months ago, I was watching CSI with my little brother. I then recognized the woman.

Me: It's Michelle McCluskey!

Her real name is Lauren Lee Smith. I was going on imdb.com to see her credits, and the thing is, I can't believe it. I have seen her quite a few times, but I didn't recognize her. She played Jerry's girlfriend Erin on the TV show 2gether about that fictional boy band.

relieve stress/ business mind/ Afghan girl news

2011-12-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

Dec. 29 Relieve stress: I read in YM magazine a long time ago about how writing in a journal can relieve stress. For example, before you have a big test, write down your feelings. Then when you go into the test, you will do better. It's because you expressed yourself and then you can then focus on the test than your feelings.

I don't know if you noticed this, but for the past couple of weeks I haven't been writing about my office job search because I was busy working at my restaurant and my 2nd part-time job. I have another interview to go to today, and I'm stressed. So I'm going to write about the job interviews that didn't go well.

Rejects: I didn't get a call back from that industrial company that was really far away. It was the one that I didn't really want to go to, but I did anyway.

There was the hair salon that didn't call back either. I felt that even if I added I could work on Sat., they wouldn't think I'm a good candidate. I'm sure the person they hired, will appreciate it more than I would.

That dispatcher company didn't call back either. It was the availability. I think they were looking for night shifts and people who are more flexible in working any shifts.

There was the car dealership one that I was interested in working at. I actually called them back to see if they would hire me. Instead I got an answering machine and left a message.

Call backs: Then there are the places that call me, and then I call them back and leave a message where I specify about a job interview. They don't call back. I called this industrial company that's not too far away to get to. I left one message on Fri. and one on Mon.

I'll throw in that college and this assistant position where I left a message. They don't call back.

Medical office assistant: I went to a job interview to become a medical office assistant. It was okay. There are two locations. One place I can take one bus to get to, and another place that takes 2 buses to get there. There is inconsistent scheduling like two weeks you work days, another two weeks it's nights.

There is going to be a few days training and they will hire right away. If I'm going to keep my restaurant job, then the restaurant will have to work around this clinic job. This clinic is hiring multiple positions.

Friends: Afterwards, I was waiting for the bus and talked to this middle-aged East Indian woman Meerna who was also being interviewed for the same position. She said that she hopes she got the position and that I got it too. She told me that she got laid off from her hair salon because of a rival hair salon that took most of the business when it opened.

She's been unemployed and is looking for a challenge.

We got on the bus and sat on different places. Then we got off at the same stop and we wished each other good luck.

Three days ago, I was waiting for the bus and talked to this woman Barbra while waiting for the bus. She works at a print shop that prints things for industrial companies, mainly in Fort McMurray.

Job article: I read this in 24 News last week and I think I read a similar article back in 2009, also from 24. It's about how people think the holidays of December is where companies aren't hiring when they are. They may be busy with holiday parties, but they are hiring for Jan. It's proven today when I had a job interview for a position that starts next month.

It's also proven again yesterday. I got a call from a dental office. I read the ad without a company name or address. I faxed my resume. I did look up the fax number on the internet, but it didn't provide any info. They gave me their address, but it was so far away. I would have to take 3 buses to get there.

Dec. 30: I called that company that called me yesterday. I left a message, but it seems to be a big company. They may not get back to me. But I feel good that I called.

I also talked to Barbra at the bus stop again. She told me about a Christmas party at her work.

Business mind: I was thinking about that Zappos creator Tony Hsieh and how he has a business mind. It got me thinking about other ways to make business.

The Sausage Factory: I mentioned The Sausage Factory episode where Gilby lets teenage boys rent out porn tapes, though it's against the rules. Later on, all these teenage boys started coming into the video store and it really increased business. Gilby doesn't have a business mind. He's just nice and easygoing and is a teenage boy himself. He didn't go after the goal of: "I want the assistant manager position so I'm going to be creative and think of ways to help increase business."

Wishbone: I got a flashback of the TV show Wishbone from 1995-1998. Here's it's description from imdb.com: "An intelligent and witty dog imagines himself in the role of characters from classic books and gets involved in similar real-life adventures."

I must have been 11 yrs old when I saw it, but there was an ep where the kid Joe wanted a business of his own, and thought of buying and delivering groceries. Joe read a business book: "Make personal connections with the customer." His friend Samantha was putting flowers in the grocery bags and Joe said that's how you make you a personal connection. Samantha said she was just being nice and not thinking about business.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112225/

The Baby-Sitters Club: Another example from my childhood was the book series The Baby- Sitters Club. The character Kristy was was 12 yrs old thought up the idea of: "What if you needed a baby- sitter? Instead of calling 5 people to ask if they're available to baby-sit your kid, you can call one number and are able to get a baby-sitter?"

I've read these books since I was 8 yrs old. I kept reading them until I was 14. I do reread the books when I was in high school. The entire time as a kid and teen, I wouldn't say I have a business mind. Now I'm 26, and read the business section all the time.

Kristy has a business mind and her business idea was average, if I were to grade it. Her idea was convenient, it's about supply and demand. I would say that it was good for a 12 yr old and her jr. high friends to run it the way they did.

Afghan girl news: I found this story on Yahoo about Sahur Gul who's a 15 yr old girl in Afghanistan was found beaten up and locked in a toilet for 5 months. She defied her in-laws who tried to force her into prostitution.

This line stood out: "The case highlights how women continue to suffer in Afghanistan despite the billions of dollars of international aid which has poured into the country during the decade-long war."

At least the article kind of ended with a bit of an upbeat note: "Last month, the United Nations said that a landmark law aiming to protect women against violence in Afghanistan had been used to prosecute just over 100 cases since being enacted two years ago."

This is why I keep forwarding and posting these Amnesty International emails to my friends and put them on my blog. I also like the women's magazine Marie Claire for writing serious articles about women in 3rd world countries. The world needs to be informed about what's going on and how to change and fix these problems.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/afghan-girl-locked-toilet-5-months-officials-165016469.html

Dec. 31: To close on a good note:

Happy New Year!

Your last chance to make a tax-creditable donation in 2011

2011-12-29T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is from Amnesty International:

Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your activism.

Thank you for believing in human rights.

I just wanted to re-send my year end message to you, and remind you that if you haven't yet made a donation, that you only have 3 days left to receive a tax receipt for making a donation in 2011 to Amnesty International. If you've already made a year-end donation to us, please accept my thanks on behalf of Amnesty International.

Please click here to make your donation now!

I invite you to click on the link below to read my year-end message, or click on the video below to the right.

Read my end of year message by clicking here.

2011, this 50th anniversary year, draws to a close with a strong dose of both inspiration and outrage. Inspiration from the Middle East, from Cote d'Ivoire and from Burma. Outrage about today's human rights tragedies, from Attawapiskat to Damascus, and points in between.

Inspiration and outrage. That is our voice for human rights. That is your voice for human rights. And without your voice, without your support, none of this would be possible. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your activism. Thank you for believing in human rights.

As we enter 2012, there is still much for us to do together.

Please make your end of year donation to Amnesty International's life-saving work now.

Thank you,

Alex Neve,
Secretary-General
Amnesty International Canadian Section

p.s. Your support is essential for us – the truth is, without membership contributions, there is no Amnesty International. The more funds and supporters like you we have, the greater our impact will be. Please donate today and contribute to ensuring the world's human rights for us all.

jokes/ photo booth/ truth or dare

2011-12-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

Dec. 27 Jokes: I got this from Daily Silly. It's a short joke; set up and punchline:

"A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument!"

Dec. 28: Here's another joke, but it kind of has a twist to it:

A man goes to the doctor and says: "It hurts when I press here" (pressing his side) "And when I press here" (pressing the other side) "And here" (his leg) "And here, here and here" (his other leg, and both arms) So the doctor examined him all over and finally discovered what was wrong. He exclaimed, "You've got a broken finger!"

Holiday joke: Here's a somewhat of a holiday joke.

After being away on business for a week before Christmas, Tom thought it would be nice to bring his wife a little gift. "How about some perfume?" he asked the cosmetics clerk. She showed him a bottle costing $50. "That's a bit much," said Tom, so she returned with a smaller bottle for $30. "That's still quite a bit," Tom groused. Growing disgusted, the clerk brought out a tiny $15 bottle. Tom grew agitated, "What I mean," he said, "is I'd like to see something real cheap." So the clerk handed him a mirror.

Comedy comparisons: I got some more examples about "getting scared about things that aren't supposed to be scary."

There was The Simpsons ep where Bart goes to kindergarten. He then drew this disturbing picture. Marge shows it to Homer.

Homer: Ahh! Burn it! Send it to hell!

Or the one on The Simpsons where some kids go to school on a snow day. The kids were watching this really bad Christmas movie. After the day was over, they open the doors and it turns out they're snowed in and trapped in the school.

Kid: We're going to miss Christmas.
The kids scream.
Principal Skinner: I fixed the dvd.
The kids scream even louder.

Photo booth: I was watching Jay Leno and there's a segment called "Photo Booth" where people get free photos from this photo booth. However, there's a woman host who talks to the people in the booth, and it's funny.

Cut to a married couple in the booth.

Host: How long have you been married?
Woman: 20 yrs.
Host: How about your husband leaves for a moment?
The Husband leaves.
Then this 20- something yr old guy enters and sits beside her. He then takes his shirt off and he puts his arm around her.

I'm like: "What?" Then I got this vibe it kind of felt like a strip club. You're in a booth and someone takes his shirt off for you.

Truth or Dare: There was a segment between other Jay Leno correspondents Mikey Day and Trevor Moore. They were playing truth or dare on the street. Mikey dares Trevor.

Mikey: I dare you to get people to sign a petition.
Cut to Trevor wearing a sandwich board saying: "Pave the Rainforest."

Trevor is walking around with a clipboard and no one was signing it. But he manages to get a group of 3 people to sign it. If I remember correctly, the 3 people were young looking, in their 20s.

Ebay: There's a segment called "Stuff we found on Ebay." Is it sold or not sold? There was a guitar that was made out of a toilet seat. It's a toilet seat with the guitar strings on it. It was sold. Cut to the Tonight Show band having the guitar. So the show bought it. lol.

Fun article: I got this from Emma Taylor through my blog. It's an article about "10 Famous Authors featured on The Simpsons."

http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/blog/2011/10-famous-authors-featured-on-the-simpsons/

Shopping: Today I did some shopping at City Centre mall. The clothing store Costa Blanca has closed down. Urban Behavior is about to close down. They're in their final days. Carlton Cards is now replaced by Papyrus. I read in the Edmonton Journal they are the same company. Papyrus is more classier and upscale than the family-oriented Carlton Cards.

There's a new store called Flurries. It sells leather boots and bags. I was at the mall a few weeks ago, and the GAP has closed down. On that one day it had that Free Store where they gave away free stuff. Now the store is empty.

Reading: I found this through Facebook from Ronald Peterson (from MADtv) and he put this up: "Date a girl who reads." The article was written by Rosemarie Urquico.

It's a really well-written about what is so good about dating a girl who reads. It's about my fave topics of reading and writing. It's kind of a quirky article.

http://nonamerah.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/869/

A special message from Sting (Amnesty International)

2011-12-27T16:04:00.001-08:00

Dear Tracy,

When it comes to defending human rights, there is no organization I trust more than Amnesty International.

That's why I'm honored to join Patti Smith, the Dave Matthews Band, Adele, My Morning Jacket and a host of other artists for the upcoming tribute album Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.

Amnesty understands that defending human rights requires vigilance, doggedness and a strong, global force for good. Right now Amnesty faces multiple, urgent human rights crises and needs your immediate financial support to tackle them head on.

Be part of the most successful, most honored global rights movement in history. Join me as a proud member of Amnesty International today.

Here's some of what we are up against:

Dozens of health professionals were arrested in March, apparently for treating wounded protestors in Bahrain. In September a military court found 20 of these doctors and health workers guilty of "inciting hatred of the regime" and "occupying the hospital by force."

The verdict brought prison sentences of 5-15 years. The health professionals are currently appealing the convictions.

Journalists threatened in Russia. Little progress has been made to increase the safety of journalists and human rights defenders who have the courage to expose abuses in Russia.

At least three high profile attacks, including the abduction and murder of human rights defender Natalia Estemirova, remain unsolved and uninvestigated.

Crackdown on human rights lawyers in China. Lawyers that challenge the government in court are threatened with suspension, disbarment and even criminal punishment. Where threats fail, lawyers are labeled dissidents and targeted with state violence. Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been forcibly disappeared for more than a year.

These assaults on human rights must not go unanswered. Don't let the brave individuals I've highlighted become casualties of our silence and indifference.

Support human rights the world over by becoming a member of Amnesty.

Your gift is tax-deductible and will be put to work immediately. A generous donor will even triple your gift - but you must donate before December 31st.

Post Secret/ good news/ survival story

2011-12-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

Dec. 25 Post Secret: There's a post card about a Post Secret:

"I saved this post secret in April during the most difficult year of my life and hoped that I would feel this way by the end of the year.

'This was a year of losses, but I am so happy with who I have become.'

It's December now and so much has changed. I've never been happier and I have everything I ever wanted."

Football player stops attack: I found this on Yahoo. This 18 yr old black football player Justin Richardson stops a teacher from attacking another teacher. It's between two women and one had a screw driver. Fortunately, Justin was there and was able to step in. Here's a video talking about what happened and he sounds very smart and calm. Good for him for having the courage to step in.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Heroic-football-player-stops-potentially-lethal-?urn=highschool-wp10312

Fight: I have saved an old email from Sherry. It's about stepping in fights.

Sherry: i occasionally do things like that, in defense of another person.. i am lucky that i have not been attacked over it

Me: Damn, you're brave.

Sherry: not always, and believe me i am usually feeling like i want to make a mess in my pants when i act like that, but sometimes you just have to protect someone, or no-one will....and sometimes by speaking up the aggressive one(s) snap out of it and get real and grounded again

Job: Today I worked on Christmas at my restaurant, just like last year. I get paid more because it's a holiday.

Christmas: On Christmas Eve, my family and I had dinner of roast beef and potatoes. Tonight we'll be eating the leftovers. Last night I called my friends up to wish them a Merry Christmas.

Zaib Shaikh: He is the lead actor in the TV show Little Mosque on the Prairie on CBC. He has recently confirmed me as his friend on Facebook. I have seen one episode of this show. They're going into their 6th season in Jan. 2012. It's kind of funny about a Muslim community living in a small town. I'm not Muslim, but I did find the show had a quirky small town feeling like the other Canadian show Corner Gas.

If you want to know more about him, I copy and pasted his info from Facebook onto my www.thevertexfghter.blogspot.com website.

The Vertex Fighter actors: I will throw in Zaib Shaikh to make an appearance in The Vertex Fighter. I can see him as a guy hanging out in the club.

I wrote about Sam Witwer before. He's the vampire Aidan on the supernatural show Being Human. I can see him as a fighter.

Dec. 26 Boxing Day: Today I worked and it was eh. I didn't really make any tips and I only worked in the morning. I could have worked in the afternoon, but it wasn't really busy and they were fine with 5 people working. Unlike on Christmas, it was busy and they needed me.

So I went home and then my mom and I went shopping. It was productive. I spent quality time with my mom as we look for work clothes for me. We went to a store that was closing down and looked for black shoes. There was none. Then we went to a clothing store and bought black dress pants for $15.75 for work. We went to another store for shoes, and there wasn't any.

Then I went home and washed my hair, and looked for a job.

Good news:

Found Girl: I read that Meri Yuranda is an Indonesian girl who was reunited with her family after 7 yrs. They thought she died in the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. She lived with a woman and she was forced to beg on the streets. Yeah, well at least she's not a prostitute. It's confirmed that it really is her because of her birthmarks and scars. If they want more proof they could get a DNA test.

Coma patient wakes up: I found this story. This 21 yr old University of Arizona student Sam Schmid woke up from a coma after a few months. He had gotten into a car accident. Read here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/coma-patient-wakes-up-at-phoenix-hospital-after-nearly-being-taken-off-life-support/2011/12/23/gIQAFmIvDP_story.html?tid=pm_national_pop

I was reading in 24 News about how there was a suicide attack in Afghanistan. The good thing is that young men offered to donate their blood to victims right away.

Dec. 27 Charity: I was watching Pop Up Video, and they aired Eminem feat. Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie." Meghan Fox and Dominic Monaghan are in the video. It said that MF donated her earnings from the music video to a women's shelter. That's good.

Survival story: I was watching the TV show Urban Legend last month. I've seen it before. It's where they show 3 urban legends, and you try to figure out which one is true. Here's a true story about a man named John Thompson. He lives and works on a farm, and he got into an accident.

His arms were cut off from farm equipment. When he came to, he went to his home. He tried to open the screen door and there was some difficulty. He called his cousin and told him what happened. I think he used a pencil to dial the numbers. The cousin then called an ambulance. The cousin came over, and found the dog was guarding the arm that was on the field. Both of his arms were then reattached.

Work: Today was busier at work than Boxing Day, so that's good.

Writing: For the past few days I actually went and worked on my Rain script. It turns out I haven't really been working on it since Aug.

Writing trust: I thought I had written myself in a corner when my characters don't trust each other when they work together. I talked to my friend Dan L. and he said it's about compromise. The characters have to compromise to be together. I would say the characters have to have a common goal.

It reminds me of Alias where Sydney and her dad Jack are double agents. They don't trust each other because they are estranged from each other. However, they have to work together to be able to take down the bad spy agency SD-6.

It's also been done on Prison Break. In the last season, there are some good guys who have to work with some bad guys to take down a bigger bad guy. I remember on the show, one of the characters mentioned that it's hard. It does complicate the show and make it more interesting to watch.

Writing tip: This is a writing tip that I have thought up: There's a difference between complicating the story, and making it too busy.

For example on an ep of Flashpoint, there is a bomb that Spike has to diffuse. To complicate it, he gets a phone call that his dad is in the hospital and that he may not make it through the night. He has to choose to either diffuse the bomb, and miss out seeing his dad before he passes away. Or quit trying to diffuse the bomb, and go straight to the hospital to see his dad.

The above ep was good. However, their other ep "A Day in the Life" was way too busy. There were 3 cases they had to run around town trying to solve. One with a woman holding a strip club owner hostage, talking down a guy who's about to jump off a bridge, and stopping a gun man from shooting up an office building.

A reunion like no other (Amnesty International)

2011-12-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

This is an inspiring video to watch.

Celebrate bringing home mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

Dear Tracy,

The sweet embrace of freedom. A triumphant rescue of human dignity. A jubilant homecoming.

A prisoner of conscience has been released.

When you work for the release of those who are unjustly imprisoned, you are not only defending human rights, you are reuniting families torn apart by discrimination and oppression.

Being unjustly imprisoned is a terrifying ordeal. Dragged from their homes, disappeared, tortured – these men and women are persecuted for who they are, for what they believe, for the peaceful expression of their ideas.

But these prisoners met a massive, global force for good, a group of passionate individuals who shined a light into the darkness and demanded justice. The captors bowed to pressure, opened the prison doors, and set the prisoners free.

That force is you. That light is Amnesty.

This holiday season, celebrate reuniting families with Amnesty.

Share our special reunions holiday e-card with someone you love.

Because of you, fathers and mothers hold their children again. Sons and daughters live free. Families are made whole.

For prisoners of conscience and others unjustly imprisoned, the opportunity to make new memories with loved ones is a priceless, indescribable gift. Is there a sight more heartwarming than a family reunion like this?

I cherish these moments – they are a joy to behold and inspire all of us here at Amnesty. I hope you agree. After all, when you stood up for their human rights, you brought them home.

I can't think of a better place to be.

Reconnect with your loved ones. Introduce them to your passion for human rights with the Amnesty reunions holiday e-card.

In solidarity,
Curt Goering
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

funny video/ holiday jokes/ Asian- American Achievement

2011-12-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

Dec. 14 Funny video: I was on twop.com "Unintentionally Funny TV Moments." Does anyone remember the TV show Life? It's a cop drama and it was on for 2 seasons. I never saw it, but here's a kind of funny video from the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFfJ4ZC1AtA

Person: I do enjoy it when procedurals decide to do an episode about murder via video games or some such thing, because I usually get the feeling the writers have never actually played one before. Anyway, this clip from Life is seriously cracking me up. Especially the gaming montages. I'm glad to know that being good at Grand Theft Auto makes me a total badass.

Person 2: You also really have to wonder, did the kid have to play through the whole game every time he wanted to access his files?

I see there are 715 likes and 720 dislikes on Youtube. You either love the video montage or you don't. There are a lot of funny Youtube comments dissing it like it was a product placement.

I posted this on twop:

I have to say before I read the Youtube comments, I thought it was crappy. Are all these 8 people going to watch a girl play a video game so they could access the files? Shouldn't the rest of you guys be working on your computer on this case, or another case instead of watching someone play a video game? That is not productive at all when you are at work.

I thought the boss was going to be like: "Okay, you play the video game and call me when you get to level 10." It's so unbelievable. Thanks for sharing the clip. lol.

Dec. 20 Comedy comparisons: I have something to add to my comparison "Getting scared at things that aren't supposed to be scary." I remember this one from Family Guy where the womanizer Quagmire tells a scary story to the family.

Quagmire: And when he woke up in the morning, she was still in his bed. Ahhh!
Chris: That's it?
Quagmire: Yeah. And then she wanted to make him eggs. Ahhh! And he said: "Oh, I don't have time, I have a meeting at 12:30." She said: "I'll drive you there." Ahhh! And he said: "No, no it's at my office and it's like a half hour commute." And she said: "I don't mind, it's on my way to my kid's preschool." Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh!

You can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yNaHQZrZ90

Dec. 21 Holiday jokes: I got this from Daily Silly.

This is my favorite one:

It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner, "What are you charged with?" "Doing my Christmas shopping early," replied the defendant. "That's no offense," said the judge. "How early were you doing this shopping?" "Before the store opened," countered the prisoner.

This is an average one:

About two weeks before Christmas, a little Catholic boy decided to write a letter to Santa. He started "Dear Santa...", he thought "No, I will go to a higher authority", so he decided to write a letter to Jesus. "Dear Jesus, If you get me a bike for Christmas, I will be good for two weeks." "NO NO NO NO, I can't be good for two weeks," he thought to himself. So he started all over again... "Dear Jesus, If you get me a bike for Christmas I will be good for one week." "NO NO NO NO, I can't be good for one week," he thought to himself. So he quickly ran to the Study room and grabbed their statue of Mary, and quickly wrapped it up in a blanket. He started all over again. "Dear Jesus, I have your mother...if you ever want to see her again...get me a bike for Christmas!"

I like this joke. This is something for parents to teach a lesson to their kids, but they should clarify what the lesson is:

Sarah and her thirteen-year-old sister had been fighting a lot this year. This happens when you combine a headstrong two-year-old, who is sure she is always right, with a young adolescent. Sarah's parents, trying to take advantage of her newfound interest in Santa Claus, reminded the two-year-old that Santa was watching and doesn't like it when children fight. This had little impact. "I'll just have to tell Santa about your misbehavior," the mother said as she picked up the phone and dialed. Sarah's eyes grew big as her mother asked "Mrs. Claus" (really Sarah's aunt; Santa's real line was busy) if she could put Santa on the line. Sarah's mouth dropped open as Mom described to Santa (Sarah's uncle) how the two-year-old was acting.

But, when Mom said that Santa wanted to talk to her, she reluctantly took the phone. Santa, in a deepened voice, explained to her how there would be no presents Christmas morning to children who fought with their sisters. He would be watching, and he expected things to be better from now on. Sarah, now even more wide eyed, solemnly nodded to each of Santa's remarks and silently hung the phone up when he was done. After a long moment, Mom (holding in her chuckles at being so clever) asked, "What did Santa say to you, dear?" In almost a whisper, Sarah sadly but matter-of-factly stated, "Santa said he won't be bringing toys to my sister this year."

Asian- American Achievement: Carol Brown sent this article through my blog. It's called "20 Amazing Stats about Asian- American Achievement." I liked the article because it was interesting and informative. The last bit #20: "Asian- American students are achieving at high-poverty schools." These are schools that are underfunded and aren't really good, but these 30% of Asian and Pacific Islander students attend these schools, and are getting good grades.

#5: "Asian- American kids aren't more stressed than their peers." They had 5000 11th grade math students, of Asian-American and white Americans, and they have the same level of stress.

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/12/13/20-amazing-stats-about-asian-american-achievement/

Dec. 24 Christmas card: Earlier this week, my newspaper carrier gave my family a Christmas card. He had written and signed it as "Newspaper Carrier." My sister and I thought he should have added his name, and that it was a nice gesture.

Kim Jonj Il: I'm sure all of you have heard by now that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has passed away. Jay Leno made a joke about it.

JL: One of his successors could be Kim Jong Il's two sisters, Kourtney and Khloe Jong Il.
lol.

Get it? Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe are the names of the Kardashian sisters on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Pop Up Video: This is a really fun show. I was watching the music video "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO. I learned that the pop duo are uncle and nephew. I didn't know that because I'm not really a fan of them. I do like their songs "Shots" and "Top of the World." Did you know that Hok from America's Best Dance Crew winning crew Quest is in the video? He actually choreographed it too. I thought that was cool.

They showed Dr. Dre feat. Eminem's video "Forgot about Dre." In it, the news reporter Jane Yamamota is a real news reporter who made appearances on 9 other shows. It kind of perpetuates the racial stereotype of "Asian woman news reporter." The neighborhood was also shot on the same set Desperate Housewives is now filmed in.

Video: What does Eminem's neighbors say about him?
Me: He's nice?
My brother was watching with me.
P: He's quiet?
Video: "He's friendly and shakes your hand."
lol.

Christmas: To close, Merry Christmas!

Re: Troy: The struggle doesn't end with me (Amnesty International)

2011-12-21T11:49:00.001-08:00

Dear Tracy,

Given the number of families facing serious human rights abuses, I am pleased to announce that a special group of individuals has offered to triple any gift you make before December 31st.

You can fight human rights abuses with a contribution to Amnesty today. Act now and your gift will be tripled by a generous donor.

We will put your gift to work quickly, tackling human rights abuses around the world.

Thank you,

Curt Goering
Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director
Amnesty International USA

911 call/ Grimm/ Billionare secrets

2011-12-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

Dec. 20 911 call: I found this on Yahoo news. There's this 13 yr old girl who was home alone because she was sick. Two burglars came into her home and she ran into her home, and hid under the bed. She was talking to the 911 operator.

The two young men went room to room, and took the Christmas presents. As soon as they left the house, the police were already there. They were 19 yr olds and one was an acquaintance to the family.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/news-26797925/michigan-girl-s-shocking-911-call-27637222.html

Holiday Rush: I got this email from Shirley Zeilinger about my blog. It's called: “9 Businesses That Depend On The Holiday Rush"(http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/9-businesses-that-depend-on-the-holiday-rush/)

It mentions airports, Hallmark, credit card companies, and non-profits. They forgot to mention hotels because a lot of people go on vacations during this time and stay at hotels. They didn't mention restaurants, but they do get busy because people celebrate there. Also Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas.

Grimm: This is a TV show with Buffy producer David Greenwalt. It's supernatural about a police detective that has the ability to see supernatural creatures. This is from imdb.com:

"Nick Burkhardt discovered he is descendant of an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world."

I decided to check out the episode "Lonely Hearts." A Driver hits a Woman with his car on the bridge. A mysterious man named Billy puts a hand over the Woman's mouth as the Driver calls 911.

Cut to another scene of a man who pulls out an ax from his suitcase and becomes a demon.

Det. Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) and his African- American partner Hank (Russell Hornsby) investigate the case. They talk to the husband of the woman who died, and who had domestic violence on him. They investigate leads to a Bed and Breakfast that's close by the bridge.

Hank steps on a toad by accident, and the B&B manager Billy turns into a demon in the water reflection that Nick sees. They leave, and Billy eats the toad. The entire time I was watching Billy, he looked so familiar. Then I remembered he was on a Criminal Minds ep months ago. The actor's name is Patrick Fischler.

I like the ethnic diversity here, when I notice an Asian guy cop Sgt. Wu played by Reggie Lee.

Cut back to the Demon with the ax who is looking for the detective who shot and killed his friend. He came to the station and asked Sgt. Wu, but he wouldn't give info to him. Demon walks past Nick. This is the 4th episode of the season, and I haven't seen anything prior to it, so I'm going to assume Nick did it.

Nick looks into a demon book, which is like on Buffy where the characters research about demons. His friend Monroe is a Grimm creature himself. It's played by Silas Weir Mitchell (he was Haywire on Prison Break.)

The demon is a Goat Demon Blue Beard who is a lover and who gets all these women. Monroe says if that Goat Demon touches you, they own you. Earlier, when Nick and Hank were at B&B, Billy touched Hank. There are clusters of missing women, victims of the Goat demon.

Cut to B&B. Billy goes to basement and gives food to 3 cages where women's hands take them. Hank puts tracking device on Billy's car, but Billy walks. Nick follows while Hank checks the B&B garden. Nick sees Billy eat a toad. He also sees him turn into a goat. Nick calls Monroe to go to bar to watch Billy.

Police Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) sees Demon with ax. Renard is evil and cuts off Demon's ear: "It's a lesson so you listen when I speak."

At the bar Billy is working his magic on a woman Lisa (Haley Talbot). Cut to Hank at the B&B and hears something downstairs and enters. A bed post turns into a snake- it was scary. There's gas in the basement so he passes out, and doesn't answer phone when Nick calls.

Billy goes to the B&B and turns off the gas. Lisa from the bar goes to the B&B and Nick gets her to leave so he can get to Billy. Nick gets beat on Hank and he's in B&B. He finds Hank, and Billy then locks them both in the basement, and turns on the gas.

There's gas, so they can't shoot the door or it'll blow up. When I saw Nick pull out his gun, I was like: "No, there's gas!" They break the door, and rescue the women. However, Billy and Lisa leaves together. But, wait, the tracking device in the car still works.

They find him, and there's a crazy chase after him. Billy turns into a Goat's head and runs. He gets hit by a car and is in an ambulance. A Female Paramedic touches him so he may escape since he can work his magic on her.

Review: I did see a second episode called "The Three Bad Wolves." I will give this show an average rating. It's well-written and well- acted, but I don't know if I can really get into this show. If you like the supernatural, you may like watching Grimm.

Dec. 21 Books: Florine Church emailed this through my blog. It's called "The 20 Best Books of 2011 You Should Read Over Winter Break." I read book reviews in the Edmonton Journal, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail.

Half are fiction, and the other half are non-fiction. There are the popular best-sellers like Bossypants by Tina Fey.

http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2011/the-20-best-books-of-2011-you-should-read-over-winter-break/

Billionare Secrets: This was on 20/20 on Oct. 28, 2011. I had written about 3 self-made billionares, but here's one more. Tony Hsieh is a Zappos shoe maker who sells his shoes in Las Vegas. He makes all of his employees happy. He is the son of Taiwanese parents.

He go into Harvard, but didn't attend any classes. He did the readings and taught himself the material, and got all As. This proves he's smart.

He bought frozen McDonald's patties and cooked it and sold it college students. He made $5000-$10,000. This proves he's got a business mind.

He created a fun environment at his company: He gives free food in the cafeteria, medical insurance, and a life coach. Amazon bought Zappos for $2 million and he's a CEO. His salary is $36,000 so he's staying there, and he's not just in it for the money.

Tony says: "Success is if you lose everything, you can still be happy with yourself."

Here's some more info on him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hsieh

The Return of Joe Rich: I found this movie starring Sam Witwer. I saw him in the TV show Being Human. Joe Rich is about a guy who lost his job, and his wife. He has nowhere to go, but decides to work for the mafia. Check it out:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540014/

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8eFcjcpSU

Troy: The struggle doesn't end with me (Amnesty International)

2011-12-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

"The struggle for justice doesn't end with me." -- Troy Davis

Dear Tracy,

Troy Davis knew that the battle to stop his execution was about something bigger -- and so did his family. His sister Martina joined Amnesty more than a decade ago because she knew that other families, besides hers, were suffering at the hands of unjust systems.

Martina used all of her strength to battle two things: cancer and human rights abuses. In death penalty cases, families of both murder victims and death row inmates endure unknowable pain. Martina's body finally gave out on Dec. 1, ten years after her doctors thought she would live, and a few months after her brother was executed. I was so privileged to have worked by her side for a dozen years and to have been with her in her final days.

Amnesty members should feel proud that we helped Martina raise her voice for her brother. We are heartbroken by this loss, but we know what we must do. We must continue the fight for other families, because we are all connected as one human family.

Shine a light. Please join Amnesty today.

We have no time to lose. There are families facing serious human rights abuses right now.

Fatima Hussein Badi of Yemen may only have days to live. Arrested for the murder of her husband, she was questioned by police for hours without a lawyer. When she refused to confess, police brought in her brother Abdullah.

Fatima was threatened with rape in the presence of her brother, who then confessed to save his sister from being raped. They were both sentenced to death, and Abdullah was executed in 2005.

Yes, I will make a year-end gift to fight for human rights.

The pain of separation can be nearly unbearable. Shin Sook-ja, a radio announcer in North Korea, and her two daughters were sent to the secret Yodok political prison camp over 24 years ago. Yodok is notorious -- inmates are beaten and malnourished. Many prisoners die in detention.

Sook-ja and her daughters were punished because her husband, Oh Kil-nam, requested political asylum. Kil-nam has not heard from his family in 20 years.

These families wait for reunion, justice, freedom, a ray of hope.

We must stop this suffering before more families are shattered. Giving to Amnesty now will help to ensure that all families have an existence worthy of human dignity. Please, join Amnesty now, and give as generously as you can.

We must and we will continue this fight.

milestone/ speed dating/ flashback

2011-12-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

Dec. 14 Milestone: In the interview where I had fun at, they asked me a question: "What have you achieved last year?" I usually get questions about: "What is the achievement you're most proud of?" I would say getting my high school diploma is something I'm most proud of because it was harder to get than my college diploma.

In college, I took what I'm interested in, writing. In high school, I had to take math and science which I'm not good at. I really had to think about what I have achieved last year. I said that getting my job at the restaurant and keeping it for a year was the biggest achievement last year. It took me 8 months to get the job, and keeping it and staying there is something to be proud of.

New job: Yesterday I started my 2nd job that's supposed to be temporary for the holidays. It reminded me of the two juice places I worked at for a short time during my unemployment back in 2010. The uniforms, the people, the environment was similar to the juice places.

Today I did my second day, and I dreaded coming to work today. I didn't like it. You work really hard and the pay is $1 more than min. wage. I'm getting the vibe that the managers don't really like me because I'm not really good. They will keep me around for the remaining time I'm there. I doubt they will offer me a job after the holidays.

Job interview articles: I got this from Alberta Job Centre. It's called "How to Handle the Five Killer Telephone Interview Questions." They provide good answers to "What is your weakness?" You should say that you find it hard to find the time to keep up with all the new technologies and skills related to your work. They said everybody experiences that.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=3D4B5304-2219-80B4-53217D44D4091574&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=c96eb774de-AB_Career_Dec_14_201112_14_2011&utm_medium=email

Another article: "Do I have to Answer that Question?" It's an okay article, but you're really on the page to watch a Monty Python comedy sketch about a weird job interview. The interviewer asks questions that have no relevance to the job. At the end it was funny, but I was like: "What?"

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectID=19BFF4E6-2219-80B4-53071BC9B5B7474A&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=28b1056173-AB_Career_Dec_07_201112_7_2011&utm_medium=email

Pregnancy employment: My friend Sherry and I were talking about how pregnancy affects your employment:

Sherry: if someone already has a trade like cake decorating, graphic design, accounting/bookeeping or sys admin/programming it is more possible to work right through the 9 months, if the employers do not feel the pregnancy to be a visual negative on customers. out of sight non-labour jobs are best.

Me: Any office jobs where you're sitting most of the time, shouldn't really affect your pregnancy. I remember going to college in 2006, and there was this librarian who was 9 months pregnant and was working there.

Flashback: Now, I'm getting a flashback of when I was a kid and there was this Ann Landers advice column. A woman wrote in saying she's pregnant and working as a waitress, because she needs the money. She doesn't like it when customers touch her stomach. AL says: "You should tell the customers that you are very sensitive to being touched and gently move their hand away."

Dec. 15 French service: That job interview to be a fine dining server has had an effect on me. It's the interview where I totally flopped and was asked questions like: "What's the difference between French and American service?"

Yeah, well I found a website about the service industry called www.tip20.com. American service is where the plate, glasses, and silverware are there when the guest arrives. French service is where the servers bring the tray of food to the guest. The guest then serve themselves.

http://www.tip20.com/3-types-of-service-american-french-russian/47

Then I read the article called "Hi! I'm the Waitress at your Local Nudie Bar." I recognize the pic because it was used on Post Secret. It's kind of depressing to read the article. The writer seems angry and doesn't like her job as a waitress.

http://www.tip20.com/hi-im-the-waitress-at-your-local-nudie-bar/939

This is a good website if you work in the restaurant/ service industry.

Dec. 16 Speed dating: So I finally went and tried out speed dating. I emailed 3 of my friends to come with me, and they didn't. It was a good experience. It was 8 min. of talking with each guy. It's about focusing on the purpose. It's to find a boyfriend. The first guy I talked to was nice and friendly, but I wrote down on the card "No."

There were 5 other guys I talked to, I was not interested in whatsoever. So it goes to my next objective to know where they worked at, and then learn something about their job and company. One company I will look up. Another guy, I told him that I see him more as a networking for work and TV producing because he says he's going to produce Youtube videos.

The last guy I talked to, I think there was a connection. We talked about these TV shows we both liked to watch. Also if you're not interested in this person, then it's still good to talk to them and see into their lives. Then I could use it for my writing.

Dream: Prior to this event, I had two dreams about it. Two weeks ago, I dreamed that Cordelia (from Buffy) and I were walking in an industrial part of town to go to the event. I think I missed it or something. Then the night before the event I dreamed that my parents and grandma won't let me go.

When I got hired at my 2nd part-time job for the holidays, I was nervous. I dreamed that I was 20min late for work.

Dec. 17 Date: So today after work, I got a call from the last guy I thought I had a connection with from the other night. His name is Glenn. I was at the mall, and it was in the afternoon, so I asked if he wanted to hang out right now. He said yes, because he's going to take a trip tomorrow and be gone for a few weeks.

So I was at the mall for 45 min. and did a little shopping. Then we met up and talked for an 1hr and 15min. Wow, I went out twice in one week. That's a milestone. lol.

Break: I'm kind of taking a break from my office job search. I'm only looking for an office job through one website instead of the usual four. I've been busy with my 2nd part-time job.

Dec. 18 Book: I know I just sent a weekly email yesterday, but I had to send one today due to this flashback. I'm really excited by it. I was reading the Edmonton Journal book review about The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg.

It's a book with 14 illustrations and a line from the short story. Burdick gave it to the publisher and said he will be back with the short stories to all the pictures. Then he disappeared. It still got published, and it's used to battle writer's block. There's an interesting picture, and it makes the mind wander and think of a story to it.

The original edition came out in 1984. This new edition has 14 big authors like Stephen King, and Gregory Maguire (Wicked) to write their own stories to these pictures. Here's the book:

http://www.amazon.ca/Chronicles-Harris-Burdick-Fourteen-Amazing/dp/0547548109/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324251995&sr=1-1

Flashback: My flashback is back in gr. 5, my teacher showed this book to the class and we were all supposed to pick a picture and write a story about it. In the book review there was "The House on Maple Street." It shows a suburban home lifting off the ground like a rocket. The line: "It was a perfect lift-off." I wrote a short story about that one.

I had cut my picture book into the shape of a house. I remember the class thought cutting the book like that was creative. The story was of a teen girl named Mariah, and she had to baby-sit two older kids (like 9yrs old) Lenni and Jamal. There was a younger boy who was younger like 5 yrs old. The house went into space, and something with one of the characters taking pictures of the stars and planets.

I named Mariah because of one of my favorite singers Mariah Carey. Lenni and Jamal are names from the TV show Ghostwriter. Baby-sitting was from my fave book series The Baby-Sitter's Club. This is like from 15 yrs ago, and I remember it. lol.

Last Chance - Sigg bottles, scarves and calendars before Dec. 25

2011-12-17T18:55:00.001-08:00

This is from Amnesty International:

Shown in Photo: AI Sigg Bottles

Tracy,

There's still time to give gifts with purpose at Amnesty International's holiday sale. To get your order before December 25th, order no later than:

December 18th for standard shipping
December 20th for Rush Orders.

Thank you for shopping Amnesty and supporting our life-saving human rights work. Happy Holidays! Visit our store.

2012 CALENDAR - $13.99 $11.00

WEEKLY PLANNER - $12.95 $10.00

AMNESTY POSTER - $15.00 $11.00

BINH MINH LOOP SCARF - $30.00 $25.50

SMALL YEGO EARRINGS - $32.00 $25.60

PLEATED SHOULDER BAG - $35.00 $28.00

SOCCER BALL - $30.00 $24.00

FREE WEAVE SCARF- RUST - $18.00 $15.30

GOLD & SILVER BRAIDED BRACELET - $25.00 $20.00

FREE BIRD NECKLACE - $27.50 $24.75

ENDURING SPIRIT - $25.00 $15.00

VESSEL OF LIGHT CANDLE - $25.00 $21.00

The Vertex Fighter actors/ holiday jokes/ Death Valley

2011-12-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

Dec. 12 The Vertex Fighter actors: Last night I woke up at 3am, and then I wrote down that I thought Aaron Douglas from The Bridge should be in The Vertex Fighter. He could play Banks. On The Bridge, AD plays the lead who's very serious, focused, smart, authoritative figure. Those are similar traits to Banks.

Degrassi actors: On the TV show Degrassi, I have mentioned that I really like James Edward Campbell (Fitz on the show.) There was a MMA storyline given to the character Drew played by Luke Bilyk. I can see him as a fighter. I do like Degrassi, so I might as well throw in all the actors from season 10 who I want to see make an appearance in The Vertex Fighter. These are the actors and the characters they play on Degrassi:

Landon Liboiron as Declan Coyne: He plays a good kid, so I see him as an extra.
Argiris Karras as Riley Stavros: Good kid, maybe a fighter.
Raymond Ablack as Sav Bhandari: Good kid, maybe a fighter.
Shannon Kook-Chun as Zane Park: Good kid, maybe a fighter.
Munro Chambers as Eli Goldsworthy: Good kid, extra.
Daniel Kelly as Owen Milligan: He plays a bully, so a fighter.

There are only 5 core characters. But the Degrassi actors can like all be extras and sit in the audience in the the Vertex club scenes.

Dec. 14 Holiday jokes: Here's the fun email. I don't really have the holiday spirit right now. Probably because I didn't decorate the Christmas tree or my house this year. I do get jokes emailed to me from Daily Silly. Here's some holiday jokes:

"Q. Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?
A. You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit."

A Russian couple was walking down the street in St. Petersburg the other night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.

"No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied. "No, I'm sure it was just rain, he said." Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw a minor communist party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing."

As the official approached, the man said, "Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"

"It's raining, of course," he answered and walked on. But the woman insisted: "I know that felt like snow!" To which the man quietly replied: "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!"

Headlines: Jay Leno showed an ad about a doctor's name: "Noah Lott" like "Know a lot." Quirky.

There was ad for a psychic "Love Reading": "Free slice of cheesecake with reading."

Death Valley: I saw this on Halloween. Have you ever seen or heard of the TV show Death Valley? It's a TV show making fun of Cops, but this time the cops have to deal with supernatural things like vampires and werewolves. It's actually kind of funny. Bryce Johnson whom you may have seen play a cop on Pretty Little Liars is also on this show, playing a cop. He is handsome. He plays Officer Billy Pierce.

Billy and a Cop confront this Drug Addict.

Billy: Are you a zombie?
Drug addict: No, I'm just really addicted to crack, sir.
lol.

Later I channel surfed and caught another ep. In this scene, an old woman is keeping her zombie husband tied up and alive.

Woman cop: I lost my mom in the 7th grade. I miss her, but I have to move on because it's the only choice.

This is really supposed to be a funny and stupid show, but that was a really nice line.

Degrassi: I know, it's kind of late to be talking about Halloween, but I did find this funny joke. In the season premiere called "Nowhere to Run". A group of the kids go to a cabin in the woods. There is a guy with a chainsaw coming to the door.

Bianca: He must want a virgin. Katie, Claire, sacrifice yourself.
lol.
It turns out it was one of the kid's parents.

Stupid criminals: This is from 2005. I remember I was on Real Player news, and there were 2 college guys sitting in a car.

CG #1: You should give the cop the finger, and he won't do anything to you.
CG #2 gets out of the car and goes up to the Cop.
CG#2 gives the fingers to Cop. CG#1 is laughing in the car.
Cop pulls out his baton and hits CG#2 to the ground.
CG#1 in the car stops laughing and is saying "Oh my God!"
CG#2 runs away.

Me: That's what you get for disrespecting cops. That's the thing with people, you can't predict what they're going to do all the time. You can say that's police brutality, but those college guys were punks. This should be a lesson to all the people to not disrespect cops. I'm siding with the cop. When a guy is a jerk to you, you're going to be jerk back. It's a good thing he didn't pull out a gun.

What if this was taken to court? To sue the police officer for police brutality. It can go either way. Half side with the cop, the other half say he's too mean.

Comedy comparisons:

Getting scared at things that aren't supposed to be scary: I was watching Desperate Housewives ep "The Art of Making Art." Lynette was on her laptop, and then she slams it shut when her friend Renee enters. Renee thinks it was porn, but it was really Lynette making an online dating video:

Lynette: Hi, I'm Lynette. I'm 45 yrs old and I've been recently divorced after 20 yrs of marriage. I have 5 children and I'm a Cancer. Coincidentally, I have gotten cancer and beaten it, twice.

After watching the video.
Renee: That is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen.

Later Lynette goes to a bar, and this guy comes up to her and I recognized him as PI on Veronica Mars. His name is Ken Marino, I had to look up the actor.

It also reminds me of Spice World. Victoria (Posh Spice) was talking about her nightmare:

Victoria: I had a nightmare where I was performing and I wasn't wearing any makeup.
All the girls acted scared.

Holiday Sale - shirts, Siggs, and scarves for human rights

2011-12-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

This is from Amnesty International.

Shown in Photo: Amnesty Apparel

Dear Tracy,

Shop Amnesty International's holiday sale and give gifts with a purpose. Save on fair-trade jewelry, scarves, bags and our holiday cards. Every purchase you make supports our life-saving human rights work. Visit our store.

P.S. We refreshed our store to make it easier to find the gifts you need - check out the new shop.amnestyusa.org today.

plain truth/ Polaris Project/ writer

2011-12-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

Dec. 8 Plain truth: What I like about Tyra Banks is that she tells the plain truth and ask questions I want answered. Here's the part I found of that teen pregnancy episode. It's with the African- American girl Jessica who said she had two abortions and a miscarriage. Tyra pointed it out like she was buying lunch. It's not that Tyra was trying to be mean or snarky, but this was the plain truth. That's how Jessica sounded here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACqpKMxurDE&feature=related

Also when Tyra was interviewing the 14 yr old girl Sue- Ann. Tyra was asking her the questions about what her boyfriend does for a job if they are going to have a baby.

Sue- Ann: My boyfriend says if I have his baby, he's going to stick around.
The audience laughs.
Tyra: Does your boyfriend have a job?
Sue- Ann: He does lawn work.
The audience laughs again.

I know the audience isn't trying to be mean or snarky, but they just couldn't hold back their laughter at this stupidity and lack of logic. Teen pregnancy is nothing to laugh about. What we're laughing about is that they are all so delusional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPAhO2LvUGg&feature=related

Tyra asked Katheryn who's 16 and got pregnant on purpose.

Tyra: You were looking for a guy to go out and have a baby with? Because you wanted to?
Katheryn: Yeah.
Tyra: You sound like a 38 yr old woman who feels the clock ticking.
The audience laughs. Yeah, Tyra seemed to be trying to be funny here, but it's true that's how Katheryn sounded.

Then Katheryn talks about how she thought she could get on welfare, and then you hear some of the audience members groan and say "Ohh."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnUzWmo02c&feature=related

Dec. 11 Group Therapy: Remember a few weeks ago I sent this email/ blog post about the Globe and Mail advice column called "Group Therapy":

I read this question for next week: "My best friend was happily dating a man for several months until he dumped her via text message. She is now pregnant and wants to keep the baby, and not tell him about it. I tell her he has the right to know, and she refuses. How do I persuade her?"

I said the woman needs to tell her ex-boyfriend because he should know that he has a kid. He may not be there for her or the kid, but he should at least know about it.

My friend Sherry: i would want to know what the text message was first. i think the friend should ask why the mom doesn't want to tell him and get her talking.....maybe he turned out to be an ass somehow. like, maybe he 'found someone better' in which case he will not be trustable. or maybe it had not been as happy a relationship as the friend thought, like if he'd started hitting the woman and when she told him backoff or bugoff he tried to put a guilt trip on her and it failed. or maybe he told her he'd been fixed so he didn't need to wear protection. only she knows, till she talks

Actual advice: The main advice was published by Lynn Coady that the woman does need to tell her ex-boyfriend this. She also has to tell her kid what his or her dad is like. That you can't play "keep-away" from one of your parents who made half of you. The other people's advice was go to court with a mediator to plan custody or child support.

The Simpsons: A couple weeks ago, they aired an episode called "The Book Job." I liked it because it was about writing. Homer and Bart recruit others to create a hit tween literature book. They talked about how the vampire subject has been "suck dry." lol. They brainstorm what is a hit like the lead character is an orphan like Harry Potter.

I can throw in the lead Elena on The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith and Alex in the Alex Rider mystery series by Anthony Horowitz. Lisa Simpson is experiencing writer's block so she procrastinates. Later Lisa becomes the face of the author of Homer and Bart's team of writers. It was a creative and fun episode with a plot twist ending.

You can read more about the ep here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_Job

Polaris Project: I found this website months ago, but I'm telling you now. The Polaris Project combats human trafficking. On the site, it says they work with survivors, and the operate the National Human Trafficking Resource Centre:

We are not a government entity, law enforcement or an immigration authority.
Call us at: 1-888-3737-888

To report a tip;
To connect with anti-trafficking services in your area; or,
To request training and technical assistance, general information or specific anti-trafficking resources.

http://www.polarisproject.org/about-us/introduction

Dec. 12 Fun: Today I went to the bank and the young East Indian woman teller recognized me from the Soup place. She asked me where I worked at now, and I told her at another restaurant. I worked at the Soup place for 2 yrs (2008-2010), and haven't worked there since it closed down in 2010, and she still remembers me. lol.

Celeb dates: That news bit about that woman who dates guys to get a free meal has a real effect on me. I don't know what guys she has to go on a date with. By all means the guys could be boring, or jerks. Then I thought: "I can't really enjoy a lobster or steak dinner if I had to sit and talk to the following guys":

1. Aaron Carter: He his Backstreet Boy Nick Carter's little brother. I hate his music and his videos when he came out with them in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I remember Britney Spears saying: "If you don't like me, then don't look at me." So I don't look at AC. Though I have checked out the reality show House of Carters, where all 5 Carter siblings lived together. It was an okay show. I hate his music, but don't hate him as person because he seems okay on the TV show and interviews.

2. Joe Francis: The guy who created Girls Gone Wild. I've seen him on the Tyra Banks show. I don't like how he makes money off this young women who are drunk and flash themselves. However, he did say that there is 48 hr window where a young woman can say that she doesn't want to be in his videos.

3. Howie Day: He's a singer, and he's a total jerk. There was a news story back in 2004, and he admitted that it happened. It was a story of how he invited some girls to his tour bus for drinks. He followed one young woman to the back as she goes to the washroom. He made advances on her, and she said no. He then locked her in the bathroom and another young woman said she was going to call the police. HD broke her cell phone.

Fortunately, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and had to pay a $200 fine and written apology. You can read it here. Fortunately, there were other women there so there was safety in numbers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howie_Day#Legal_trouble

Writer: The writer/ blogger in me then thought: "This woman could start a food blog. She could write about the reviews of restaurants, the service, and the food." A few weeks ago, there was an ep on The Simpsons called "The Food Wife" where Marge, Bart and Lisa start a food blog.

Published: So I got my poem "Downtown Streets" published by the Poetry Institute of Canada. I got the letter back in Sept. and I forgot to send the author release form. I don't know, I put it away. I then found it a couple weeks ago in Dec., and sent it. It was too late, but I emailed them and they said they will publish it in next year's poetry anthology.

I think I didn't send the release form right away because I wasn't as excited about it getting published as my two short stories were. I then misplaced the letter. Look, the point is, it will get published later.

Lynn Coady: She's the author of the book The Antagonist. I've read good reviews about it in the newspaper. She's also the writer-in-residence at Grant MacEwan University. I sent her my Rain script and it took a few months, but she finally got back to me today. The comments in the script were some things about grammar, and how there should be character descriptions.

She did say the story unfolded fast and the character Rain was established well.

Who inspires you? (Amnesty International)

2011-12-12T14:51:00.001-08:00

We need a hero. Yours.

Tracy, we always remember our first.

I'm talking about the moment of our human rights awakening. When we realized a wrong had been done - to ourselves or to another - and felt compelled to make it right.

Whether that moment was yesterday or a lifetime ago, there is probably a person who opened your eyes and inspired you to rise up, speak out and defend basic rights.

Who is that hero? Recognize him or her publicly. Name the person who inspired you to care about human rights.

You can name anyone.

The icons. Martin Luther King, Jr. Aung San Suu Kyi. Desmond Tutu. The man who stood in front of a line of tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

The defenders. Lydia Cacho, Rebecca Masika Katsuva, Yolanda Becerra Vega, and others working to protect the liberty and lives of those facing widespread human rights abuses.

Your circle. A parent. A coworker. Your high school civics teacher. The local activist who lit candles with you at a vigil. The Facebook friend who says, "Join me. Speak against this abuse."

Help us build a gigantic wall of human rights heroes - the people who lit the way, winning human rights battles large and small. Add your hero today and you could win a 2012 Amnesty calendar or the new Chimes of Freedom album.

Most importantly - have fun, be proud, and keep on being the world's strongest force for good.

Thanks for all you do.

Donate now.

Sincerely,

Curt Goering
Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director

P.S. Don't forget, when you enter a hero you have a chance to win a 2012 Amnesty calendar or Chimes of Freedom CD. Click here to visit the Amnesty Hero Wall.

job interviews/ economy news/ job

2011-12-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Dec.8 Job interviews:

Car dealership: Earlier this week, I did a job interview at a car dealership. They called me and I said I can come in for an interview that afternoon.

I did one for them last year. This time I was interviewed by 2 different men. They asked me questions like "What's a good boss?" I said: "Honest, trustworthy, and smart." We even discussed a little MMA because they asked about my writing. lol. There's a little rapport there.

The interview was okay. There were 6 applicants for this position, and maybe a 2nd interview. He even said that a job may not be that good, if someone hires you on the spot. Like, you don't know much about the job and they don't know much about you. Suddenly they're willing to hire you so soon? Maybe if they're desperate and need someone. I got hired at the Soup place on the spot when we did the interview. But that was a good place to work, since I've been there for 2 yrs. I know there are a lot of companies like retail who hire people really soon.

Dispatcher: I did an interview this morning at this taxi company dispatcher. I got a call last night, and set it up for the morning. The interview was 5 min. long. One woman went in before me, and after I talked to the boss, another woman was waiting to be interviewed. They're hiring for 2 part-time positions. I told them my availability was afternoons and evenings.

He's trying to see what people's availability are, and see if they match to his company. That's happened before at this interview I did at a cafe that was going to open, and the one at a college food service. He mentioned that some dispatchers take shifts that end at 3am. I'm willing to work as late as 9pm. The office was small and smelled like cigarette smoke.

Hair salon: I went to another interview in the afternoon and it didn't go as well as the dispatcher. I got there and had to fill out an application that took me 25min. It was 3 pages long and I had to make myself sound good. There were 7 more interviews to go to, they were looking for one person to hire. They seemed to be interested in someone willing to work on Sat. and I wanted to work on the weekends at my restaurant.

I guess I would be willing to work on Sat. if they hired me, but I didn't say it at the end of the interview. They said that it closes at 9pm, but you may leave at 10pm. That's pretty late for me. Also, I felt it was pointless that I said I could work on Sat. Am I putting obstacles in front of myself? Yeah, maybe. The interview, she said my schooling didn't match the position. I said my customer service experience matches the position.

It was really busy when I was there. It's not just the holiday season to look good for parties, but it seemed like a really good hair salon that has a lot of business.

They did ask interesting questions in the application like:

"If you have nothing to worry about money or fear, what would you dare to do?"
"What would stop you?"
"What would motivate you?"

I said I would produce my TV script. If I had the money, I would do it. Nothing would stop me. If I had the money, it would get produced.

Job interview tips: I got this from my friend Dan L. I've know him since jr. high. I called him last Sat. and he has a career at a company where he uses his college degree. He gave me his job interview tips:

Dan L: Be as interesting as possible. Be natural.

He said he thought of the tip when he was reading a celebrity interview with Robert Downey Jr. Dan L also does interviews when he writes articles, and some interviews he does are boring. I'll add this to my friend Jessica who also has a career with her college degree: "Show your personality."

My tip is: Be professional and likeable.

Economy news: A couple weeks ago, I was reading in the National Post about this recent college graduate. He was in business and he worked as a consultant for 6 months. Then he got his big break by getting a position on Wall Street. He went out with his parents to a restaurant to celebrate.

One week later, he's back at the restaurant and he orders a glass of wine because he was laid off from that position on Wall Street. It's disappointing to hear that you get a really good position, and then something out of your control, you get laid off. The article discussed there are a lot of positions that are ending, and they're not going to come back.

Dec. 9 Bus: Today I did another interview, but it's an industrial part of town. I had to take 2 buses to get there. It's 45min ride. The main thing is that the buses aren't very frequent. It's 30min wait times from 6am- 9:30am. It's 1 hr wait time from 9:30am- 3:30pm. Then it's 30min from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.

The bus driver was nice and gave me directions. And after I did the interview, he saw me running to the bus stop and stopped for me to pick me up.

Oil and gas company: So I did the interview, and it was average. There are 4 more applicants to be interviewed. The salary is good. My education and speaking Cantonese is an asset. I don't have experience in oil and gas.

Feelings: I'm going to be straight up here. I was feeling really stressed out and dreaded going to that interview. I think it's because I have never taken that bus route before, and it was so far away. I have done interviews in that industrial area before, but this was a little bit further.

Good: But I feel good that I got the courage and went to the interview anyway. If I didn't go to the interview, I would regret it and think: "What if?"

Question: There was a good question they asked at the interview, that I haven't gotten before: "Who would you refuse to work with?" I said: "Somebody who doesn't respect me, and who doesn't respect others."

Dec. 10 Friends: It was cool today at work. One of my friends got a job as a busser at my restaurant. We chatted a bit during work, and a little after work. She only works here on the weekends. I told her where I worked, but I didn't tell her to apply because she already has a job.

Job: Earlier in the week, I did an interview over the phone for a store. I gave them my availability and I guess it worked for them. I got a call today to work there temporary for the holidays. It's kind of vague, they told me to come at this time, but won't tell me when the shift will end. If it's busy I'll stay longer, or maybe I'll only stay for a few hours.

At the very best, I make some extra money. At the worst, they say they don't need me after that day. I have applied there a few times and have gotten a call from them, but never an interview.

Dec. 11: I just got a phone call from this downtown store. He said that I got this job ad from another job site. He had put it up on Job Bank and this other job site extracted that ad.

Guy: I hope you didn't pay to get the job ad.
Me: No, I didn't.

He asks about my availability for this part-time permanent position. I gave it to him about afternoons and he said it wasn't going to work for them. That's okay. I have worked at a clothing store before, but with the store I worked at, they kept changing the days and times and there wasn't consistency. The guy that called may have been looking for someone to work anytime instead of just afternoons.

Don't miss the biggest human rights event of the year - Write for Rights 2011

2011-12-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

This is from Amnesty International:

Write for Rights logo

Tomorrow is International Human Rights Day.
Don't miss your chance to take action!

Here's three easy things you can do that are proven to have an impact:
Sign up

I write because it's right and I have been helped by these writings in the past. Good works.
Mutang Urud - former Malaysian prisoner of conscience

I will be at a hockey practice, and I will be writing letters with other hockey moms. It is important to show our children that human rights apply to everyone.
Jonquil - Rockland, ON

Last year was my first time writing for write for rights. It was truly inspiring to see how much change something so simple could make. I can't wait to do it again!
Chantelle - Winnipeg, MB

1. Write for Rights:

Case images

It's easy! You can choose from any or all of our 14 featured Write for Rights cases. Full details and mailing addresses are inside each case's page.

You'll be an active member of the world's largest Human Rights Day event, making a real impact on real people suffering from human rights violations. View the full list of cases for letter-writing in 2011

2. Shine a Light:

If you're in the Toronto or Niagara area tomorrow, join in a special Shine a Light event.

NiagaraYou can celebrate Amnesty International's 50th anniversary with us! Watch as Niagara Falls is lit in Amnesty yellow from 5:30pm, or join in a flash mob at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor in Toronto at 6:45pm, or find a Write for Rights event closer to you.

3. Make a donation:

Tell governments that you won't stand for anyone infringing upon your human rights - or anyone else's - and help Amnesty International continue its work for another 50 years by making a donation to the Write for Rights campaign today.

Amnesty International is 100% funded by our members - we accept no government money under any conditions. Put simply, without you there would be no Amnesty International.

4. Spread the word:

Write for Rights is making waves on social media today. Please spread the message! Here's what you can do:
Follow us on Twitter

Find us on Facebook

Flickr

Watch us on YouTube

Use the hashtag #4Rights

Visit this page for ideas on what to tweet.

And don't forget to follow @AmnestyNow for updates!

Use the Facebook "Like" buttons at the top of each case page

Post a special message on your wall. Click here for an idea of what to post.

We have an open Flickr pool where you can view photos of Write for Rights uploaded by people from all over the globe - and you can upload your own!

View photos and add your own to the group pool here.

Create your own Write for Rights video and upload it as a response to our video, "Letters".

Upload your video response here.

Please forward this edition
of Speak Out to a friend Find us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterWatch us on YouTube

or call us at 1-800-Amnesty

If you wish to unsubscribe from Speak Out, click here

Five/ Paralympian cured/ dating news

2011-12-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Dec. 2 Five: I'm looking for a job and listening to the old British boy band Five interviews. You may remember them when they first came out in the late 90s. I have all 3 of their albums. Their songs are "Slam Dunk da Funk" and "When the Lights Go Out." Here's an interview when they first came out:

Abs: We just got together, and we're exploring what we can do together when you're in a house.
The entire audience of teen girls are cheering because it sounded sexual.
Rich and Scott are waving their arms to stop them.
Rich: Not like that, not like that!
Jay: He meant musically.
lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzqVysd-OFY

Neighbors from hell: Here's a segment about Five where they are the "neighbors from hell." You put these five guys together in a house, and one couple are angry at them because they are loud. There are these 3 guys who are the same age as the Five guys and they complained about how noisy they were.

It's funny to watch, but not funny if you're living next door to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WlrfT--3ow&feature=related

Funny: I found that TRL interview that I saw way back in 2002. It really shows the guys chemistry and how they joke around. 1:15 sec in Jay talks about what music he likes. Then Abs talks and Jay pretends to look really interested in what he's saying. Then Rich talks, Jay and Abs then follow suit and pretend to be really interested in what Rich is saying. It keeps going to Scott and Sean.

I love how one starts a joke, and they continue it. lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrNrBMysWSI&feature=related

Scott and Rich: Here are Scott and Rich are from Five. This was in 2008. It's interesting. This group ended in 2001, but I'm learning some new info that I haven't until now. 1min into the interview, Sean wasn't in the "Let's Dance" video so I and I guess a lot of fans thought he quit. What's interesting is that Sean did quit, and the 4 remaining guys didn't know. The management said Sean was sick. Well a few months later, the group ended.

Also I learned that Scott has been with the same woman since the start of the boy band and till the end, and still now. That's like 10 yrs. It started in 1998 and this in 2008. They're married, have 2 kids, and a dog. The audience applauds. lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi69asWkIM0&feature=related

Dec. 7 Headline: This was a couple weeks back. A headline on Jay Leno said:

"Sheep slightly used."
Me: What?

My friend Sherry said: It's a bad attempt at humor. It took me a few minutes to realize what it referred to, and believe me, whoever put that ad had an odd sense of humor.

Me: Is this sexual? Are they talking about a used condom? Please explain.

Sherry: sexual i suspect. the connection i made was used sheep as in it had been used by a human male for intercourse purposes (there are many running jokes about men and sheep)

Holiday jokes: This was also on Jay Leno. He has a Facebook page. He put a question up: "What do you hate about the holidays?"

Zelda, a black woman posted: "People returning things to Wal-Mart when it's obviously from K-Mart."

Chris Hernandez: "Family ask you if you lost weight, when you haven't."

Jay Leno: That's a compliment. So what? You want them to call you a fat- ass?

Joke: This was a few weeks ago, Jimmy Fallon was on Jay Leno. They made a bet. If JF lost bet, he has to wear JL's denim shirt and jeans to work on his Late Night show. They're playing shuffle board, and JF lost the bet.

Cut to a clip of JF in a denim shirt and jeans on the Late Night show.
JL: He looked good.
Cut to JL's studio audience, and they're all wearing denim shirts.
lol. That was a good clip.

Dec. 8 Friends: Today I talked to my friend Chase who works at the mall. I haven't seen him in months and we both talked about our job search. I talked to my friend Dan L. on Sat. on the phone. We talked about job interviews.

Paralympian cured: I found this on Yahoo news. Paralympic silver medallist Monique van der Vorst was paralyzed from the hip down when she was 13. Now she's a 27 yr old hand cyclist. She was hit by a bicycle while training for the 2012 London Paralympics. She spent months in physical rehab learning how to walk. Now she can walk. It's a miracle.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-paralympiancured_tv_repeat

Dec. 9 Dating news: This was on Jay Leno and it was real news. There was a piece about this 30 something yr old woman who was good looking and I think she was a professional business woman. She goes online dating, and dates 4 or 5 guys a week, just so she could get a free meal. She's not interested in the guys at all, she just goes out with them so she could go to a restaurant.

It says she picks with good jobs. Cut to a shot of her talking, and she is really overweight which is what the Jay Leno editors made her look like.

Woman: So-and-so bought me a $500 meal, and so-and-so took me to this place.
Reporter: She got a boyfriend now.
Camera zooms out and Jack-in-the-Box is sitting beside her.
Reporter: They go out and eat every night.
lol.

Rant: I don't really approve of this woman's actions because she's fake and uses guys to get a free meal. She's wasting this guy's time and money. She didn't seem to be struggling to afford groceries. Yeah, well at least she's only getting food.

Sexual orientation: I've seen people who are way more fake like being gay (and knowing it) and dating someone who's straight. Sexual orientation is harder, because how do you really know if you're gay or straight? Maybe you haven't found the right person yet so you date around.

I have seen on TV about people who are gay, but they date people from the opposite sex. I remember seeing this woman on Oprah say: "I have dated all these guys and I didn't connect with any of them. So I must be gay."

Flashbacks: This kind of leads me to a flashback of a newspaper article. Something about how you can smell a "gold-digger" a woman who's only interested in a guy's money. If you two plan to go for drinks, but then she calls to change it to dinner. She probably wants something more. I do recommend you guys go for coffee or drinks to make it more casual.

Another flashback is this Seventeen magazine quiz from 2002. It's about: "How good are you?" A guy you're not interested in asks you out:

A. Go out with him (free food) and then blow him off.
B: Go out with him because everybody deserves a chance.
I forgot what C was.

Another flashback was of 2005. I was working at a clothing store and this guy Jordan told me that I should totally go out with the new guy Jason.

Jordan: You should go out with him. Go out for some Chinese food, and anyways he's a guy so he'll pay.

Dating: My tip is for guys and girls on a first date, is to go for a drink or coffee. Dinner as the first date is too much pressure. It's like you have to sit there for the entire meal and there's more money put into it. If it's coffee, it's more casual and only a few bucks. If it goes bad, the date ends after the coffee's drank. If it goes well, then you can get a refill.

Send a letter of hope for teachers in Bahrain (Amnesty International)

2011-12-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

The nightmare faced by two teachers in Bahrain. It's why we Write for Rights.

Dear Tracy,

The terrifying threats. "We can do anything to you. Anything." Mocked, tortured, threatened. Forced to sign a confession, without even being allowed to read it. Civilians subject to an unjust military trial.

This is the story of two former leaders of the Bahrain Teachers' Association, Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb, who were arrested and ill-treated during this spring's protests in Bahrain. Jalila and Mahdi are among the 15 cases featured in Amnesty's Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon this year.

Write a letter for Jalila and Mahdi, and other urgent human rights cases -- join thousands of others worldwide to Write for Rights this December.

Your letters are urgently needed. Next week marks a key milestone in Jalila and Mahdi's case. One day after International Human Rights Day on December 10th, Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb face an appeal hearing.

Why are these two teachers considered so "dangerous"? Because their trade union called for a teachers strike during Bahraini protests this spring -- protests seeking reform of a government that has used torture and excessive force against its own citizens.

Jalila and Mahdi have seen the horrific behavior of Bahrain's government firsthand. Mahdi spent 64 days in solitary confinement, where he says he was tortured. And when Jalila demanded a lawyer after her arrest, she says the authorities rebuffed her with the chilling words: "Who said you would have a lawyer in here? It's us, only us. And we have the permission to do anything to you to [get] the testimony we want."

After unfair trials before a military court, Jalila was sentenced to three years in prison, and Mahdi was sentenced to ten years. It's clear that Bahrain's authorities have no regard for human rights.

Don't let Jalila and Mahdi face their appeal hearing alone. Be there by writing a letter. It's not too late -- join us to Write for Rights.

Thank You,

Michael O’Reilly
Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign
Amnesty International US

Human Trafficking/ Pregnant Bunny/ job interview book

2011-12-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

Dec. 6 Human Trafficking: I was thinking about that this TV mini-series called Human Trafficking that aired back in 2005. They profiled about four women and girls who are lured into human trafficking. You can get more info on it here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461872/

One is about single mom who is lured into it, because a guy took her from Europe to America, and she was forced into it. She was threatened that they will kill her daughter if she doesn't do it. This mini-series is really hard to watch, because it's dark, depressing, and intense. There's this one shot that sticks in my mind as I see this woman was being raped, and sodomized, and she wants him to stop, but she can't because they will kill her daughter. However, she manages to get to ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement agency) to help her.

The ICE agent is a woman who was actually abused and that's how she got into this department.

Another story was of a teen girl from Europe who thought she was going to be a model in America. She left a note to her single dad that she left. She told her friend where she was going, and then later the friend told her dad. Her dad then managed to get a job as a body guard for a human trafficker. That was how he managed to find his daughter.

A 12 yr old girl went to Thailand with her family and was kidnapped. They had to find the daughter and they were able to rescue her. You can watch this entire series on Youtube. Here's the first part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4bLeY2xwtg

It was a real eye- opener for me. I have watched Law and Order: SVU for a few years already. From watching this mini-series, I learned at the end, drugs and weapons are trafficked the most. Then it's humans.

Prime Time: I think around that year, I had watched a part about human trafficking on the news magazine show Prime Time. If I remember correctly, they interviewed this Asian-looking girl who was saying goodbye to a friend. The Asian girl was then thrown into a van and she was forced into prostitution. She was threatened that her baby sister will have acid thrown in her face.

She was sometimes put in a dog cage, and fed dog food. When she was interviewed, she was disguised wearing a wig, and this purple lens sunglasses.

They interviewed this curly- blond hair girl and how she was at the mall. She worked there, and a young man and woman gave her this card to be a model. She wanted to make money, so she agreed. They took her to a salon and got her hair and nails done. They took photos of her with a regular camera. They said these are test shots. The photos were posted an a prostitution website with the rates. She was then forced into prostitution.

However, she managed to escape. My memory is kind of fuzzy here, but she managed to run.

Pregnant Bunny: I was looking up "Tyra Banks teen pregnancy" on Youtube to show you that African- American girl Jessica who said she wanted to have a baby so she can get her ex-boyfriend back. Instead I found "Pregnant Bunny." It's this 20 yr old woman Alana who got pregnant and became a prostitute 6 months along her pregnancy. She works at the Bunny Ranch in Nevada. This aired in 2009, and I missed it.

I watched the entire thing and it was sad. Alana's parents wouldn't support her and the baby. Her bills were piling up and if she worked min. wage at McDonald's then she can't pay all of her bills. She was desperate and then she called the Bunny Ranch. Her parents stopped communicating with her. Her older sister still supports her emotionally and told her to go to school.

Her ex-boyfriend says he doesn't know if he's the father, and there will be a DNA test. No one was there to support her. Tyra did talk about adoption, but Alana said she wanted to be a mom since she was 6yrs old. Throughout the entire show, Alana was crying.

A few good points was that the Bunny Ranch people threw her a baby shower because her family wasn't going to. The family was going to throw her the shower, but then when she said she was going to be a prostitute, they didn't have the party. The Ranch manager Dennis was supportive of her, because he does get 50% of her earnings. He stood up for her.

Tyra did ask the question: "After the baby's born, are you going back to prostitution?" Alana said in her ideal world, she would have a regular job and be home with her baby at 5pm. She hopes to finish school and be a pharmacist. You can watch the ep here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abeeY_95jkA&feature=related

Job interview book: My little brother checked out some job interview books. I read this one called Interview Skills that Win the Job by Michael Spiropoulos. It's a good, fast, and easy read. He gives you a common job interview question, and then gives you a good answer and a not-so-good answer. The comments explain why it's good.

Say you were dismissed from your last job: You tell in detail, be dispassionate (don't sound bitter or angry), don't use abusive language, tell what the situation and job environment. Then you say you were dismissed, and then you can get the interviewer's sympathy. Don't mention the dismissal in the first sentence. You need to soften the interviewer.

Or don't mention the dismissal at all if you only worked there for short period of time and/ or it was in the distant past. If you worked there for a short period of time, I wouldn't even put that on my resume so they wouldn't ask about it.

He talks about negotiating wages like giving a range. He mentions building a rapport and trust. That reminds me of the job interview I did that I kind of had fun at. I felt I was building a rapport.

Dec. 7 Job: I also want to add to that "Pregnant Bunny." Alana said when she was 4 or 5 months pregnant, no one wanted to hire her. Because even if she gets a job at McDonald's, can we guarantee she won't miss work for her morning sickness? She said her feet hurt all the time. Even if she doesn't miss work, she is going to miss maybe a month after she has the kid.

She may not come back for work, so you might as well hire someone who isn't pregnant, and have a higher chance he or she will stay there longer.

Delusional: I was watching Once Upon a Time about fairytale characters in the real world. There is an episode about Jiminy Cricket and in the real world he's a therapist named Archie. 10 yr old boy Henry believes that the fairytale characters are real. The ep was written by Buffy writer Jane Espenson. The evil mayor/ adoptive mother of Henry tells Archie that he needs to end Henry's delusions.

Archie (to Henry): A delusion is not real, and it's not healthy.

I found the African- American girl Jessica on the Tyra Banks show. She's the one who wanted to get pregnant as a teenager to get her ex-boyfriend back. Go to the 2:20min mark and you can hear her talk. She's the girl who came back on the show 6 months later and said: "After I saw myself on TV, I realized how stupid and ridiculous I sounded and looked."

What other words can you say to describe her? I would say delusional. If you look in her eyes, she looks like she totally 100% believed what she was saying. You can watch the entire episode about teen girls wanting to get pregnant, and teen moms. It's a good episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_W6QtmuDMU

Dateline: Now this guy who is 35 yrs old and is going to date a 12 yr old girl. He is 50% delusional. It's like he didn't really believe he was going to date a 12 yr old, but he wanted to believe it so it could make his actions normal. When in reality, he is grooming her and not dating her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14FZUc8_rWI

Criminal Minds: What's full-blown delusional are some serial killers on this show. In the episode "Slave of Duty" (starring one of my fave actors Wes Brown as the serial killer) is delusional. In this clip it's described that: "He fantasizes or he believes he's in a relationship with these women."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGx_EATqJNY

Global Write for Rights event launches! Are you on board?

2011-12-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

I got this on Dec. 2. I have posted emails from Amnesty International about this Global Write for Rights event before.

Don't let the world's largest human rights event happen without you!

Dear Tracy,

Write for Rights begins tomorrow. Tens of thousands of people around the world are participating in Amnesty's annual Global Write-a-thon, joining together to write letters that can save lives.

It's your last chance to join us before the event's official launch. Tracy, will you sign up today and pledge to write at least one letter to free prisoners of conscience and to stop human rights abuses?

Yes, I will send a letter of hope this December. I will Write for Rights.

You won't be alone. Almost 50,000 people already plan to participate. And more than 800 Write for Rights events are taking place across the United States, with even more events happening worldwide.

One of these events, in Chicago, will feature a very special guest -- a man who symbolizes exactly why it is we're writing. Ed LeMaster knows how important your letters are. In 1961, letters from Amnesty supporters helped to set him free.

Ed, a missionary in Angola, was imprisoned in 1961 as a prisoner of conscience, wrongfully accused of terrorist activities. His case was part of Amnesty's first December letter-writing campaign, 50 years ago.

50 years later, we still write for justice. This year, Ed LeMaster celebrates his 50th year of freedom and will be writing with us. We'll write all across the country -- from Homer, Alaska, to New York City. Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles is organizing an assembly for over 1,200 students to write for rights. Birtukan Mideksa -- an Ethiopian prisoner of conscience and former Write for Rights case who was freed in October 2010 -- will join a Write for Rights event in Washington, DC.

The response has been truly inspiring so far. But we still need your help to reach our goal of 250,000 letters pledged. Every letter matters. Ed LeMaster still treasures every last one of his.

It all starts tomorrow. Write letters to amplify the voices governments are attempting to silence. Write letters demanding freedom. Write letters of solidarity.

There are many governments around the world that like to think their prisoners are forgotten, and that their unjust actions go unnoticed. Help us shine a light on human rights abuses. Join us and write for rights.

Thank You,

Michael O'Reilly
Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign
Amnesty International USA

Post Secret/ The Watcher/ missing girl found

2011-12-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Dec. 4 Post Secret:

"Every time I drive past a strip club, I scream DAD! Hoping that the guy walking in will feel horrible, and run away :)"

Me: That's kind of funny and can hurt the strip club business. Or by all means the guy walking in isn't a dad. Or he will think the strippers are someone's daughter.

"Every time a 'room inspection' notice is posted on my dorm room door I take it down so my roommates don't know when to hide their booze and drugs so they'll finally get expelled."

Me: That's good. They deserve to get expelled.

"Somethings that you pretend to like so a boy will love you end up giving you more than that boy ever could."

"Seeing my ex's name come up on my phone when he texted hurt too much, so I switched his name to 'Urkel.'"

Me: That's a good way to deal with it.

Quote: I was reading on Yahoo about how who was considered to be the lead girl Bella in Twilight. Michelle Tractenberg (Dawn from Buffy) was one of the actresses. She says:

"[Hypothetical answers mean] you're not living in the moment and you're looking negatively at what you're doing now," she mused.

Me: That's a good quote that I collected in my quotes.

I was thinking about "What if I done this or done that?" The thing is, you can't take every route or do all the activities. All you can do is prepare and think through your decisions before you make them. Back to Tractenberg, she is still successful. She was on Gossip Girl.

The Watcher: I saw this movie last week and I didn't like it. It's about a serial killer playing a cat-and-mouse game with the police. It came out in 2000. I thought I would like it because I watch Criminal Minds. However, I would say I like other serial killer movies like The Cell and Taking Lives.

It starts off with helicopters and police are rushing to a scene. Cut to Keanu Reeves playing the serial killer Griffin. He is dancing to a Rob Zombie song that's on The Matrix soundtrack, and we all know KR is in that movie. lol. The SWAT team kicks the door open. The Detective Campbell (James Spader) is talking to his therapist Polly (Marisa Tomei) about the serial killer.

Campbell is lonely and sad. Then he gets a picture of a woman who's a murder victim. Then he gets another one who's about to die. Campbell goes to homicide Det. Hollis (Chris Ellis) about it. Griffen calls Campbell: "I'll send you a picture of a woman, and I'll give you a day to find her until 9pm. If you can find her, she won't get killed." (The inciting incident.)

There are flashbacks of Campbell and his Girlfriend. She was attacked by Griffen. Campbell gets a picture in a card, and he doesn't get his fingerprints on it. Another Detective Ibby is on the case. I know it's the African- American dr./ dad from Secret Life of the American Teenager. His name is Ernie Hudson.

Hollis holds press conference that says this woman Ellie is in danger. Tips pour in. Campbell gets photo blown up to get clues. Turns out Ellie works at the mall and Campbell misses seeing her. Cops pass out photos of her. A witness says she works at the photo store.

What's interesting is Ellie is at home and she gets a call from her mom. Her mom's freaking out about her pharmacist, and not because her daughter's in danger. Ellie hangs up and Griffen comes up from behind and strangles her.

Campbell calls Ellie, and Griffin picks up. He is too late to save her. Campbell and Hollis at the Vietnamese restaurant.

Campbell: What if he's watching us right now?
In the first phone call, Griffin mentioned how he has been watching Campbell.

Campbell leaves and walks out of the restaurant looking for Griffin. Griffin is in car, and drives away. He chases after the car and shoots at it. The question comes: "Why is Campbell obsessed with finding the killer?" It's answered that the killer killed his girlfriend.

Another interesting part is that Griffin follows Campbell into an elevator to see him go to therapist. Griffin followed Campbell to Chicago. Griffin talks to therapist to get info on Campbell. They never really met so Campbell doesn't know he's the killer.

The next victim is a young homeless woman named Lisa. Her mom saw her pic on TV and calls the police. They go to mom's place to get info. In Lisa's picture, there are 3 people from the same coffee shop. Which one? If you find the location, you can find her. Campbell stops Skateboarder who knows Lisa. He runs away from Campbell.

Griffin goes to Lisa and Lisa hits him with her stereo. She runs and hides behind pillars and go down the stairs. The cops go to abandoned building where they know Griffin and Lisa are. The Skateboarder told them. They run around. Lisa is killed, and Campbell runs after Griffin on the roof.

Griffin manages to get to a car, and hot wires it. They get into a car chase and it stops at an abandoned gas station. Griffin blows it up. There is a great explosion, hauntingly beautiful. 3 cops died in the explosion. Campbell is hospitalized. This would be the lowest point in the script.

Griffin breaks into therapist Polly's office to get file and tapes of Campbell's sessions. There is a flashback to delve deeper into when Campbell saves his Girlfriend. She was tied up in the chair and he takes the tape off her mouth. Campbell runs to chase Griffin, and a candle was knocked over and sets the house on fire. The question: "Do I save Girlfriend or let the killer get away?"

He tries to save her, but was unable to. Then I thought James Spader kind of looks like William Fitchner (Mahone from Prison Break.) Well they both have bags under their eyes and have that old, tired weathered look.

Campbell visits Girlfriend's grave and Griffin is there. Griffin has his next victim, the therapist Polly. Campbell gives Griffin his gun, so he could get to Polly. Campbell is driving and then he dials Hollis's number. They put a trace on it.

Cut to an abandoned building. Griffin was smart and sets up door that if it opens, it will shoot a gun at who enters. Polly is tied up to a chair and there are candles around oil. The movie ends where it begins. Griffin knocks out Campbell and shoots him in the leg, so he's weak.

Griffin: You need to thank me because I gave meaning to your pathetic life.
He starts strangling Polly.
Campbell thanks him to stop him from hurting Polly. Campbell then stabs him and knocks candle over. Everything's on fire and the SWAT teams bursts in. Campbell and Polly run out through the window and lands into lake. Griffin is on fire and falls into lake.

Campbell and Polly are fine. Griffin is dead.

Dec. 5 Missing girl found: A 2 yr old baby girl was abducted by her mom. Her dad, and her older brother has been looking for her. They found her 18 yrs later, and she's now 20 and will be meeting her dad and brother. Her dad talked to CBC news on the phone and he seemed calm and isn't mad at his ex-wife. He's excited to get to know his daughter.

He and his son has kept video blogs the entire time so they will show it to her.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/canews-22424922/missing-girl-found-27475057.html

Joke gift: I was reading in 24 newspaper, about a woman who creates a joke gift with dead flowers. It costs $43 and free delivery in the Edmonton area. A portion of the profits go to the Stollery Children's hospital. It's funny to send it on divorce, breakups, Halloween, etc.

It's kind of quirky to me, but I don't find it funny. It can be kind of creepy. It would be good for a Goth couple.

http://ownlyu.webs.com/

Fight bad guys. No cape required. (Amnesty International)

2011-12-01T16:31:00.001-08:00

This is your movement. Shine a light.

Tracy,

When journalist Lydia Cacho picked up the phone on June 17, she heard a low, gritty voice on the other end.

"Shut your mouth or we'll kill you."

As one of Mexico's leading investigative journalists and women's rights advocates, Lydia has been on a collision course with some of the most powerful men in her country.

Her enemies tried to rape her to force her into silence. But she remained undeterred, and opened a shelter for battered women. She went on to write not one, but two books exposing child pornography and sex trafficking rings in Cancun. She remains more resolved than ever to protect children from sexual exploitation.

We will never stop fighting for people like Lydia, who risk their lives to shine a light on human suffering. On Dec. 10, Human Rights Day, we honor champions of humanity like Lydia and the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Join this inspiring movement. Celebrate Human Rights Day with Amnesty. Become a member today.

TRIPLE YOUR GIFT: Join our Partners of Conscience monthly giving program before Dec. 31 and a generous donor will triple your 1st monthly gift. You'll also be eligible to receive a beautiful limited edition 50th anniversary Amnesty candle. It's a great time to join.

Your financial support powers the mobilization of millions. It helps human rights defenders walk free again, closes secret torture chambers, and protects the rights of people living in poverty.

You may never really know the people you are helping to protect, but know this -- they felt your presence. They know you made a difference. They are forever grateful. Lydia Cacho says this:

"You and I might live miles apart, but our activism unites us. Human rights for all people -- it's why we fight. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

The struggle for justice and liberty does not end when the prison door opens. It ends when the door closes, to everyone, forever.

Together, we fight bad guys and save lives. And we can do so much more with your support today.

This is your movement. This is your Amnesty. Shine a light with us. Become a member today.

Sincerely,

Curt Goering
Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director
Amnesty International USA

Dateline/ social media/ flashback

2011-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Nov. 29 Dateline: I found Dateline: To Catch a Predator ep "The Unseen Tapes." I think I may have missed this ep. I don't remember seeing an ep where the host Chris Hansen gives his commentary on how he approaches the predators.

Here's the teacher Walter Bast who was arrested. I think I may have read about him in Cosmogirl. There's an article about these 2 girls who said that they saw their high school teacher on Dateline. I remember this clip because of Chris Hansen asking: "Yeah, well how would you feel if some guy in his 40s walked into your house trying to hook up with your kids?" I think Bast said: "Pissed." Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwFM26cxTUk&feature=related

Here's another part of it. CH talks about how sometimes you feel sorry for them, but then you read the transcript and see how explicit it gets, you don't feel sorry for them anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krn5vP79Okw&feature=related

Nov. 30 Humanity: I found some interesting comments on Youtube about Dateline. There was a guy in the religion Sikh and he came to see a 12 yr old girl. One comment was: "This proves that there are deviants in all religions."

"This is why I've lost faith in humans. Don't like them or trust them, so I keep my guns and knives nearby."

I remember talking to my friend Angela about this thread on the internet "People as a whole, suck." She disagrees with me because there is still a lot of good people who do good things. She said she doesn't like watching some reality shows because it shows the bad side of humanity.

I mentioned before about that guy on Survivor who lied about his grandma passing away so he get sympathy votes and get himself further in the game. It was manipulative, but it was a reality show, and it's just a game. When you're on an island with strangers to win $1 million, you can do whatever. However, what happens in real life is what matters. Catching sexual predators and preventing them from harming children is important.

Productive: Today I woke up and my sister is asking me questions.

S: Is today your day off?
Me: Yes.
S: I wrote a list of chores for you to do.

I shoveled snow (not too much has fallen), took out the trash, recycling, and washed 2 pots.

Cell phone: I then went to downtown and got my cell phone to work. I had to put $20 on it to work for a pay-as-you-go. I was happy that I accomplished that task. Now I can get more phone calls from offices that I applied to.

School: I then went to my old college so I can gain access to my college emails. They told me it expired and I can't access my emails about job openings. I can access the website though. That's okay, there are a lot of job sites out there, and I can type in "communications" to search for a writer's position.

Social media: Alberta Job Centre has a newsletter: "Finding your own social media voice." It was about combining one interest with your work. An example from the article was you like snowboarding for fun, but your job is transportation. You can write a blog post about your transportation that you usually don't use to the snow hill.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=F5B519AD-2219-80B4-5349EE9BF9F97BC2&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=08cccc32e4-AB_Career_Nov_30_201111_30_2011&utm_medium=email

Excel book: It took me 3 weeks, but I finally finished reading this Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Quicksteps by John Cronan. It's $19.99 (USD), but I got this from the library. I will say it's a really good book. It's got good tips, caution about pitfalls in the program, bonus info. It's very clear, and concise writing. I like the pictures because I'm a visual learner.

However, it's just me, but I'm not really interested in it. As in the book and the program. Well I have to push myself if I'm going to get an office administrative assistant job, because that's a common program. I can say at least I got some of the basics about the program.

I think I have to take a class to become really familiar and knowledgeable about the program, besides just reading this book.

Flashback: I did get a flashback of 2005. After I did a yr at NAIT, I took a few classes at MacEwan. One of them was a computer class where I learned Excel. I remember this assignment where the teacher gave us a choice to do 1 of 3 projects. I took the easy one and I think a lot of others did too. I wanted to be guaranteed to get a good mark. I talked to this 27 yr old woman Kristy who did the really hard one.

K: I want to do the hard one and get not as good of a mark, so then I can actually learn something. If I did the easy one, then I didn't really learn anything.

The teacher actually showed her assignment to the entire class because he was so impressed by her work. So hard work does pay off, and risk can pay off too.

Job search: I was going through my emails and I applied to be an administrative clerk at the beginning of the month at this one place. She emailed back saying she got my resume. Then 3 weeks later I actually applied again to the same place, and she said she got my resume. It must have been a different job ad or they put it up again.

Rejects: Also with the emails, I had gotten rejected from the art gallery. Not surprised because they would have called. That contact lenses place didn't call for an interview. I thought they would because it's a part-time position and more people are more interested in full-time. Unless I'm wrong, and people are willing to take what they can get.

You know that interview I did and I mentioned that I kind of had fun during it? Well I didn't get the job, but I did email back saying I'm willing to be a receptionist or work at the call centre. In the interview they did ask me what I did for fun. I said I write a blog about TV shows and movies.

Guy: What TV shows?
Me: The Mentalist, and Criminal Minds.
Guy: Oh, I love Criminal Minds.
lol.

Job interview: I did a little phone interview today for a company. I did research about the company prior to it, so I was able to tell the interviewer what I knew about them. Always do a little research about the company to impress the interviewer. Or at the very least inform yourself about the company so you can decide if you want to work for them.

TV production: Onto some good news, today a producer called me, but I wasn't home. I called back, but he wasn't there either. I told him to email me.

I read the Working section in the Edmonton Journal about a TV production company called Big Soul Productions. It's in Toronto and it's Aboriginal owned and operated company.

Dec. 1 Feeling good: After I wrote the above about my job search, I feel good. Even thought I didn't get the job, I feel good that I'm trying and working.

You demanded freedom for Jabbar (Amnesty International)

2011-11-29T16:14:00.001-08:00

You demanded freedom for Jabbar. Now take the next step and Write for Rights.

Dear Tracy,

First off, thank you -- recently you took action online demanding the release of Jabbar Savalan, an Azerbaijani student jailed because he called for a protest on Facebook.

More than 35,000 dedicated supporters like you have already signed Amnesty International USA's petition to "Dislike" this injustice. In early December we will gather together all these signatures and hand-deliver our powerful message to representatives of Azerbajian's government: The world is watching, waiting expectantly for Jabbar's freedom.

I hope that you are ready to go one step further, because we need your support once again. Saturday, December 3rd, marks the beginning of Write for Rights, Amnesty's global Write-a-thon. We have a big goal -- to generate more than 250,000 hand-written letters in support of 15 human rights cases, including Jabbar's.

Take the next step for Jabbar and other urgent human rights cases. Sign up now to pen a letter for Write for Rights.

It's the world's largest human rights event. You don't want to miss it. And more letters -- your letters -- mean more impact.

Show solidarity with those suffering human rights abuses. You have the power to save a life with a pen. Exercise your freedom of expression by proudly signing up to Write for Rights today.

Thank you,

Michael O'Reilly
Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign
Amnesty International USA

names/ Challenge Factory/ "Psychic" gets busted

2011-11-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

Nov. 28 Names: I was on Linked In writing group called Two Bits. I read about people's comments on creating character names.

Susan Gilbert:

Back to names and synchronicity, I once actually googled the name I'd given to one of my characters and came up with a guy who so closely resembled the one I created, in both appearance and abilities, that it was spooky! I haven't tried that since.

I'm not certain about the universe giving us messages, but the subconscious mind is very powerful and there may well be ways our subconsciousness can communicate with others' that we just are not aware of.

Me: That sounds so cool. I then googled a couple of character names to see what I get.

Nanny: I got this through my blog. I thought the article was average, because all the questions you can't ask a nanny, is what you can't ask for any job at all. You can ask about their race or if they're married or divorced. However, the blog is interesting about how to raise kids.

Email:

Hi Tracy,

Considering that I work with nannyjobs.org, I spend a lot of time on the Internet browsing blogs, and I must say that yours has caught my attention. Coincidentally, we recently published an article entitled (10 Questions You Can’t Legally Ask in a Nanny Interview) that I believe would draw considerable interest from your readers. If you are interested in sharing with them, then feel free to do so.

Here's the link for your convenience: (http://www.nannyjobs.org/blog/10-questions-you-cant-legally-ask-in-a-nanny-interview/).

Thanks for your time!

Roxanne Porter

Challenge Factory: I was reading the 24 newspaper and I found this website called www.challengefactory.ca. This company is about test-driving a career. It's where you can spend a few days trying out an occupation that you're interested in to see if you would actually like it.

Here are the packages and it's kind of expensive:

http://www.challengefactory.ca/pricing-and-details

This seems like a helpful site and company. However, you can probably get free information sessions by calling asking politely to speak with someone who works there. You know like you're interested in being a nurse, so you volunteer at a hospital. You talk to other nurses about what they like or don't like about their jobs, and research college programs.

Feelings: I feel depressed. I'm lacking in concentration. Usually I take breaks from my job search by listening and dancing to music for a bit. Then I go back to it, and then I can't stay as focused to my job search as before.

Nov. 29 Productive: I found this article on Yahoo called "8 Habits of Highly Productive People." It's about taking breaks, making good food choices, learning to say no to so many things. I thought it was good article.

http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/8-habits-of-highly-productive-people.html

Rant: This is a mild rant. There was a meeting scheduled at work. Only 4 people including me because it was on a weekday morning. Everybody has school and work. Most meetings are on the weekend. At least it was really short. I guess I'm annoyed because there wasn't a huge point and no one came.

Dateline: So I went to my Youtube bookmark so I can read some more snarky comments about a 35 yr old guy dating a 12 yr old, but there weren't any new ones. I then scrolled on the side, and there was "Handicapped on to catch a predator." It was so disturbing. It's like a 40 yr old guy, who's mentally average smart, but he had cerebral palsy and walked with a cane.

Cut to this black guy KBI commissioner David James who was talking to Chris Hansen said he: "felt a little bit sorry for him. A little bit, but then we remember why we're here." You may be offended by this, so I'm forewarning you: The predator talked about shaving the girl's privates. As soon as CH comes in, the predator says he wasn't going to make the girl do anything she didn't want to do.

Of course not, that's what they all say. However, in this case, I really doubt he could due to his physical disability. That girl could have totally beaten him up, but that would be wrong to beat up someone with a physical disability.

You know what was really interesting was that the predator said he had chatted online with this other girl. The girl's mom's boyfriend was a cop, and he threatened the predator to stay away from the daughter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOO8TjKyGr4&feature=related"

"Psychic" gets busted: I found this on Youtube after Dateline. It's about: "'Psychic' gets busted." It's Sylvia Brown on Montell Williams. I read years ago on www.jumptheshark.com that she made Montell Williams "jump the shark" (as in make the show go bad.)

Cut to a Woman in the audience talking about her missing boyfriend and how she can't find him.

SB: The reason you can't find him is because he's in water. It's like the girl missing in Aruba.
Me: You mean Natalie Holloway?
Woman: Yeah, well it was Sept. 11. He was a fireman.

I felt so sad after that. SB kept saying water and the woman mentions about still not finding any piece of him. I thought it was going to be a really "Gotcha!" moment where the woman says: "Psych! I don't have a boyfriend!"

SB is so wrong. She seems to be alluding to the boyfriend being in a lake or an ocean, but he died on Sept. 11. Yeah, well at the least the audience didn't say: "Ohhhhhhh" as in "You are so wrong." Well it's very sensitive topics about death and 9/11. You can't really say "Ohhhh" to that.

A person on Youtube said: "The thing with this is - Coming from a sensitive myself - When the towers fell the sprinkler system was going off and pipes were snapping because of impact - sometimes psychics get info that they cant define - like she got hes in water - but he may have passed out from lack of oxygen and landed facedown in a pool of water from the sprinkler systems and drowned... "

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRc4LkBRjIc&feature=related

See hope for an HIV-free generation in East Africa (The Global Fund)

2011-11-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

I got this in my email:

Dear Tracy,

In the past months you have already shown your support for the Global Fund, so we wanted to let you know a little more about some of the remarkable work that is being done - this time in the area of HIV and AIDS.

When Tatu Msangi, an HIV-positive woman in Tanzania, first found out she was pregnant some years ago, she was terrified. In the months before she gave birth to her child, she had thought her baby would be infected.

But something amazing happened: Tatu received treatment that protected her baby from the virus she carries. Her daughter Faith was born happy and healthy and is now a thriving six-year old.

"It was a great joy," Tatu says, remembering the day she brought her daughter into the world. "I tried to involve my friends to tell the news. I called them by phone. We met outside the gate with the baby, celebrating. It was a very happy day."

These treatments are simple, and the Global Fund is funding programs around the world that provide them. With continued support for the Global Fund, we could see the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV becoming a reality by 2015.

Watch this video about Tatu and other successes we've seen in East Africa, and see how mothers, children and communities are having their lives changed now that they have effective HIV treatment.

Watch the video

The stories in this video are full of hope, but there is still an incredible amount that needs to be done if we're going to see an HIV-free generation born in 2015.

Though now more than half the women who need treatment to spare their unborn children from HIV get it, there are still hundreds of thousands of babies worldwide who are born with HIV every year.

As you'll see in the video, with Global Fund grants, 49 countries in Africa are turning the tide against mother-to-child transmission of HIV. If we can continue this incredible progress, we will reach the other half of those women - and the Global Fund and its partners will continue to save millions of lives.

Please watch the video now to see all that is being done:

http://onemillion.theglobalfund.org/see-amazing-progress

Together, we can change the world.

Thanks,

Jon Lidén

funny sketch/ Republic of Doyle/ Canadian male actors

2011-11-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

Nov. 26 Funny sketch: This is the fun email. I have to go through my old notes to really find funny things to write about.

This sketch was on Jay Leno in Dec. 2010, but I'm writing about it now.

Cut to JL, 3 men and a woman sitting at a table with a laptop. They're discussing budget cuts so they can still get their bonuses.

The lights go off and it comes back on. The laptop is missing.
JL: I'm going to turn off the lights and I will turn it back on, and the laptop will be put back.
The lights go off and on.
The laptop is there, but the table is missing.

JL turns the lights off then on.
The table and laptop is there, and the chairs are gone.
The lights go off and on.
Everything's there.

JL: Is anything missing?
Woman: Yeah, my breast implants.
Me: What?

The lights go off then on.
JL has the breast implants.
The lights go and on and it keeps getting crazier.

At the end there's a dinosaur outside, and a man gets eaten.
Then everything goes back to normal.
JL: Well now that one of us is gone, we can all get our bonuses.
lol.

Time machine: This was a sketch on Jay Leno, but on Jan. 27, 2011. This 20- something yr old guy named Trevor was on. He had a shaved head, athletic, kind of cute in an average way. He has a time machine and this is what happens when he goes back in time. I have seen on The Twilight Zone where a man goes back in time to prevent tragedies from happening like killing Hitler, but is unable to. To the sketch:

Cut to the moon landing where Neil Armstrong keeps messing up his line like a blooper.

NA: One small step for... what's the line? I mean, one small step for mankind and....

I thought the sketch improves when Trevor overhears Marilyn Monroe being dumped by John F. Kennedy over the phone.

T: She's very upset and vulnerable, and I shouldn't take advantage of that.
Cut to T in bed with MM, and he's smoking a cigarette. You know they slept together.

Then T starts using the time machine to sleep with famous women like Amelia Earhart.

Cut to T with Pocahontas.
P: I'm 14.
T runs.
T: This was a mistake.
T wakes up with a man.

I guess with both sketches, the premise has to be funny, and then make it funnier by layering the jokes.

Happy meal: This was from Oct. 2010 on Jay Leno. It was real. An artist takes a picture of a Happy meal he bought from McDonald's. He takes a picture everyday from day 1 to day 171. After 6 months, I thought the food was going to decompose. It didn't decompose. It stayed exactly the same.

Camera pan up to JL picking up the burger and eating it. lol.

Funny dance: Janet Jackson was on Larry King Live last year. I remember seeing a clip where JJ teaches LK a dance move from her "Feedback" music video." Here it is. It's kind of funny to see a big pop star teach a 70 yr old guy to do a small hip hop move.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Zgc-TFOT8

Nov. 27 Light jokes: I was reading my old notes about TV shows.

Gossip Girl: I was watching Gossip Girl last season and a girl talks about getting into a sorority.

Girl: My mom said I wouldn't get in unless I lost 10 pounds. She's a bitch.

lol. Don't let put downs affect you.

Castle: I was watching Castle ep "Anatomy of a Murder." They have to solve a case and the question is: "If you were to meet your lover 3 yrs later, where do you go?"

Castle and me (unison): A motel.
lol. Actually they went somewhere else.

Republic Doyle: This was from last season. This show is about a man and his dad having a private investigation agency in Newfoundland. Allan Hawco plays Jake and I'm Facebook friends with him. lol. Jake Doyle has to solve a case and went undercover for a bit. He sees the mailman and recognizes him. Jake takes off his clothes in the middle of the street and runs to the door of a house. He wants to make himself look like he woke up and came out of the hosue.

Jake: Hi, I'm here to pick up the mail.
Mailman hands it to him and leaves.
An old senior woman opens the door and sees Jake in his underwear.

I predicted that it was going to be an old woman. There was another scene where Jake meets a woman at a bar and it seems like she's a prostitute. I predicted she wasn't going to be one. I was right, she works for the govt. I have to say this: Allan Hawco is fit and has good abs.

Another thing I have written down is a line that was said to the dad who had a heart attack: "You have a second chance at life."

There's going to be a new season on CBC in Jan. 2012. It's a fun comedy/ action show. Check it out.

Dark joke: In Oct. 2010, I had wrote down I was listening to 91.7 The Bounce radio station. This DJ volunteered to read a book kids. It was called The Last Invisible Boy. The DJ didn't research or read the book prior to it. It was actually about death and dealing with grief. The DJ talked about how he regretted not researching the book prior to it, and how he should have picked a lighter book.

Here are some reviews on Amazon. Most are good:

http://www.amazon.ca/Last-Invisible-Boy-Evan-Kuhlman/dp/1416957979

Commercial: There are some funny and quirky commercials I like. Cut to a man singing about love. Then a woman singing another line. Then a son and daughter. It turns out they're singing about finding things in an organized home. It's for Ikea.

Reversal of situations: I was watching South Park and the ep was called "Poor and Stupid." Cartman was crying about how he wasn't going to be able to achieve his dream of being a Nascar driver. It's because he isn't poor and stupid enough to be one. Usually it's supposed to be: "I'm not rich or smart enough to get into university."

It was kind of funny. They made fun of Nascar and the Nascar driver Danica Patrick. You may know her in those Go Daddy commercials. I did like the part where Butters donates blankets and canned foods to poor people. I like to see charity work.

Canadian male actors: I've been procrastinating about writing my post for my The Vertex Fighter blog. I have to write a post. This should get my creative juices flowing. These are the following Canadian male actors I see in it. What I have learned, is that Canadian actors go on Canadian shows.

I can see Gabriel Hogan as a bad guy. I've seen him play good guys on Heartland, Flashpoint, and The Best Years. He was a bad guy on The Bridge. I think because he's 38, he can play one of the older bad guys. Here's his pic:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0389527/

The older brother role is supposed to be smart and mature. I've said I would give to Giles Panton (Flash Gordon) as my first choice. Now I think Craig Olejnik (star of The Listener) can play him. CO plays a good guy paramedic so I can naturally see him as the brother.

I can see Travis Milne (Chris Diaz from Rookie Blue) in it because he plays a good guy cop.

I can see my favorite Edmonton actor Eric Johnson (Rookie Blue) play the older brother, but also a bad guy too. He often plays bad guys like Whitney from Smallville.

There's Danijel Mandic, who was on Flashpoint. He's a good actor in the episode "Between Heartbeats", playing a guy who takes revenge on the SRU team. I can see him as a fighter. I also see Kerry James from Heartland as a fighter.

Robin Thicke/ job articles/ Billionare secrets

2011-11-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

Nov. 22 Robin Thicke: I was watching Britney Spears's "Criminal" and then stumbled upon Robin Thicke's new video "Love After War." It's from his new album that will be out this year. I clicked on it immediately. It stars RT's real wife, actress Paula Patton. The beginning gave me high expectations because it said it was written and directed by Hype Williams. He directed a lot of music videos.

I then saw it. I thought it was average. I liked that RT was wearing a muscle shirt in the beginning, and in the 2:15 sec mark, he has his shirt off. I didn't know that he was so athletic with abs. In his videos, he's always covered up. You may see him in a short- sleeved shirt, but that's all he reveals.

What I didn't like was that there wasn't much going on in the video. It said it was "written by" so I thought there was going to be a story, but there wasn't. It's mainly RT and PP dancing, sitting around, making out with each other.

The song was okay, but I got to say I love his song "Sex Therapy." I have his three albums "The Evolution of Robin Thicke" (2007), "Something Else" (2008), "Sex Therapy" (2009). I bought them all last year in 2010 since I heard "Sex Therapy."

Here's his video "Love after War":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwFtfnUGJfg

Nov. 23 Job articles: I get Alberta Job Centre newsletters emailed to me. I like this article "Stay sane while on the job hunt." The tips were do temporary work, collect letters of references from past bosses and certificates and put it together. It's to remind yourself that you have achieved things.

Get a hobby, plan your day if you're at work, and chill out.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=8957A7E4-2219-80B4-53A4AFFF6FA79C3F&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=ed8cd9841e-AB_Career_Nov_9_201111_9_2011&utm_medium=email

Here's one: "How to Customize Your Resume." The resume needs a focus, and should really be targeted specifically to the job ad or company. I remember my friend Angela saying that to me years ago.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=D19C531A-2219-80B4-532CA7C9EEEF68A1&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=52fd4db22f-AB_Career_Nov_23_201111_23_2011&utm_medium=email

"4 Nifty Online Places your Resume can Live" says you can post your resume on your website or blog. The article mentions a resume hosting platform, social media profiles, and put your resume into your email account so you can send it right away.

I have a personal blog about TV shows, movies, news. I have a professional blog, but it's about my The Vertex Fighter script. I don't know how my resume can fit into the latter one. On the blog it does mention my Professional Writing college diploma. I have my resume in my email as my backup if my 3.5 floppy disk stops working on me.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=AD65A59C-2219-80B4-533DDB7EAC963B44&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=a30eaddcd8-AB_Career_Nov_16_201111_16_2011&utm_medium=email

Linked In: I went through my old emails and got one from Linked In about "adding skills" to my profile. I then added a whole lot of skills onto it. Maybe I'll get a job through it.

Nov. 24 Rant: I signed up to this info session about the new plastic bills and how to discern counterfeit money. I read my career book for about 30min to bide my time before it starts. Then I went to see if there is still going to be a session. I got there and the guy who was setting it up said the speaker said it will be 1hr and a half. My boss told me it was going to be 30min long.

I decided to skip it because I have a lot of job search to do. To add to my rant, I made a call to the boss to say I was skipping it. It turns out I didn't have any money on my phone account. I got a message that said I could make a collect call, but I decided to go home.

Abs: That Robin Thicke music video has seriously had an effect on me. I went and looked him up and here's a picture of him with his shirt off. He's at the beach, and his abs are flat. It's average.

http://socialitelife.com/shirtless-robin-thicke-bikini-clad-paula-patton-soak-up-the-sun-photos-07-2011/robin-thicke-catching-some-rays-in-miami-5

Then you watch the video and he's totally fit. So I guess he worked out for the video.

Kid: Then I found pictures of RT's 1 and a half yr old son Julian. The kid doesn't really look like either of the parents. The kid has blond hair and neither of the parents have that. Wait, he has RT's eyes.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2011/10/10/robin-thicke-paula-patton-pumpkin-patch-with-julian/

Billionare Secrets: I was watching 20/20 on Oct. 28,2011. They interviewed billionares who use their money and success to help others. They tell you how they got to be so successful.

Guy Laliberté: It talked about Cirque Soliel creator Guy Laliberté who was raised in Quebec City. He left at 16, and became a street performer. He played the accordion and made enough money to fly to Paris. He slept on a bench, with $50 on him.

The director of Cirque, Thomas says Guy is very confident. 5000 employees work at the Montreal location. He started the One Drop Foundation that gives fresh water to 3rd world countries. He has won $7 million playing poker because he's a risk taker. A wealth expert Robert Frank in the episode said: "Success come from taking risks."

Lynn Tilton: Lynn Tilton buys companies in jeapordy. She saves them by getting rid of things that don't work and make it profitable. She owns 75 companies. She generates $8 million a year. She helps the economy by having people keep their jobs by buying the company.

She was 23, divorced, and had an infant daughter. She works at Wall Street, 15 hrs a week. She was sexually harassed there for 19 yrs. Their were clients who call her to ask what she's wearing. She sued, and then settled and got money. She quit.

She now lives in a mansion, and shows off her clothes, and 500 pairs of shoes. She hugs her management team. She talks about Occupy Wall Street.

LT: You must create jobs, or there will be violence on the streets.

Her success tip was: "Don't do it for the money. Follow the path to do what makes your heart beat faster. Follow your passion."

Jean Paul Dejora: Jean and his brother lived in foster homes and saw their mom on the weekends. He got older and ran around with guns. He then joined the navy, and was a door-to-door sales man and was rejected.

Jean: Stay enthusiastic after getting rejected.

He got married when he was 20 yrs old, and his wife left him with a 2 yr old son. He worked at 3 hairstyling jobs and was dismissed. He met a man named Paul Mitchell and they teamed up together with $700 to sell shampoo. Jean lived in a car with his son for a couple of months. Paul later died of cancer.

Jean's been married for 20 yrs and they have a 14 yr old son. They live in a mansion with a 5 star chef.

He visits Boys and Girls Clubs, and paid for the renovation. He used to go the club when he was kid. He helps homeless people get jobs. He also helps people in 3rd world countries grow their own field.

Can you do one more thing to help Naser al Raas before Monday? (Canadian POC in Bahrain) Amnesty International

2011-11-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends:

I’m writing to you because you signed our online action about the case of Naser al Raas, a Canadian sentenced to five years in prison in Bahrain simply for being part of the peaceful protests. I’m hoping you have a few minutes to do a quick follow up action in the next few days.

As you may remember, Naser has some serious health problems including a heart condition and a blood disorder. His doctor in Canada believes that Naser’s life will be in jeopardy if he is imprisoned because he needs special medication and careful monitoring. But we just found out that a judge summarily turned down a request to suspend Naser al Raas's re-arrest pending his appeal on November 22nd. The judge gave no reason for his decision: he simply wrote the word “refused” on the original letter from the lawyer.

Naser’s trial wasn’t fair. We fear that the appeal hearing won’t be either. And five years in prison could be a death sentence.

We need the Canadian government to act now. Today Naser made a personal appeal to the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Services). He feels abandoned by his own government at the time when he needs the most help: “I would have thought that the Canadian government would have told the Bahraini government that they must respect freedom of expression; that they cannot torture people…Please Minister, take decisive action now, before it is too late and I am back in a Bahraini courtroom or a Bahraini jail. Speak up before I am once again at risk of being tortured.”

Please take a moment to send you own message to Minister Ablonczy before Monday. It doesn’t need to be more than a few simple sentences – in fact a short message is more likely to be read. Tell her that it is not enough to “monitor” while a citizen goes through a blatantly unfair legal process in another country. Canada needs to send a clear message to the government of Bahrain before the appeal on Tuesday, November 22nd that the charges against Naser al Raas should be dropped and his conviction overturned.

Write to:

The Honourable Diane Ablonczy
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs)
Fax: 613 992 2537; 613 996 8968
Email: diane.ablonczy@parl.gc.ca

You can copy your message to:

The Honourable John Baird
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Fax: 613 996 8968
Email: john.baird@parl.gc.ca

Read Naser’s letter: http://www.amnesty.ca/files/Letter_NaserAlRaas_to_Ablonczy_18Nov2011.pdf

Thank you for your commitment to human rights. Naser and his fiancé Zainab have been overwhelmed to see the support from Canada and around the world.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this case.

Best wishes,

Hilary

Hilary Homes

Campaigner: International Justice, Security and Human Rights

Amnesty International Canada

hhomes@amnesty.ca 613 744 7667 ext 247

Check out the blog www.amnesty.ca/security and receive regular updates via Twitter @AmnestySecurity

Thousands of letters (Amnesty International)

2011-11-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Tracy,

If you want to know why letters are important, just ask Yusak Pakage.

Yusak was serving a 10-year prison sentence in Indonesia simply for taking part in a peaceful flag-raising ceremony. Amnesty International supporters campaigned for his release, and in 2010, authorities freed him. He knows from personal experience the impact Amnesty's letters can have.

"Amnesty is ... the strength for those drowning ... the friend of the excluded ... the protector of those in need ... and the hope which keeps our hope alive," Yusak Pakage told Amnesty International members after his release from prison.

Will you donate today to support Amnesty International's life-saving human rights work?

This year's Write for Rights starts in a few weeks. Letter-writers will send messages to demand release of imprisoned Azerbaijani youth activist Jabbar Savalan, Iranian student organizers Behareh Hedayat and Majid Tavakkoli, and Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, among others.

Donate today to support Amnesty International and our 2011 Write for Rights campaign.

For 50 years, Amnesty has given us the ability and the opportunity to expose and confront abuses in a way that is profound, fulfilling and effective.

When you Write for Rights, your words bolster a human rights defender whose life is in jeopardy. They ignite hope in a forgotten prisoner.

"Thank you to Amnesty International members across the world from someone who has suffered and who now smiles again thanks to Amnesty." -- Yusak Pakage

When you make a financial contribution to Amnesty, you empower a formidable human rights movement. A movement that is tackling crises around the world, and needs your help now.

Donate today.

Sincerely,

Michael O'Reilly
Senior Campaign Director, Individuals at Risk
Amnesty International USA

Come to Denver! Rise Up for Rights! (Amnesty International)

2011-11-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

There is a protest in Denver, Colorado. Here's some info about it:

March 30 – April 1, 2012

The Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, Colorado, 80202

Dear Tracy,

It's time for the Human Rights Conference of the year, and we want you to be there! This conference welcomes all who are ready to use their voice and energy to engage in the future of human rights! Come help us create a better future -- your presence is the first step towards action, and the movement needs YOU to keep going forward.

Our destination: Denver, Colorado
Our mission: To unite, organize and mobilize for human rights!

Reserve your spot now by registering online!

With the Rocky Mountains as our backdrop, we'll tackle some of the most pressing human rights issues and questions facing our world today:

What is next following the uprisings in the MENA region? What has been the impact of the recent protest wave in the United States on crucial aspects such as freedom of expression and corporate accountability?
What is the role of media and social media in organizing activist campaigns? How can they be utilized more effectively?
In what way have women and youth increasingly acted as driving forces of change?
How can we maintain momentum towards abolishing the death penalty after the execution of Troy Davis?
You'll have to register now to join in these and many more exciting conversations we have in store!

It's an amazing event for connecting with fellow human rights supporters from around the country, as well as a valuable opportunity for gaining essential skills in human rights advocacy and community organizing.

You don't want to miss out! Register today!

Rocio Diaz
Director of Events
Amnesty International USA

Dan Ariely/ spiritual advisor/ music video

2011-11-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

Nov. 20 Dan Ariely: I got this through my blog. It's a TED talk where Dan Ariely talks about "Are we in control of our own decisions?" He shows some pictures of two tables and ask which one is longer? They're both the same.

He showed an interesting experiment with two 3D photos of people. Who is more attractive? If you put a less attractive version of yourself, you look more attractive. He's a behavioral economist and it was an entertaining and informative talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_asks_are_we_in_control_of_our_own_decisions.html

Rejection: I have to acknowledge it and move on. I did an interview at an art gallery a couple of weeks ago. I called this week when they're supposed to call back, and they said they were still going through applicants. I'm going to assume they didn't hire me, which is fine.

I'm also supposed to get a call back from the physical therapy clinic, but they didn't call either.

Castle: I'm going to bring a Castle episode "Head case" as an example of rejection. In the ep, Castle's daughter Alexis got rejected from Stanford University. She's an overachiever. They discuss it as Castle is an author and has his work rejected before.

Castle: Rejection isn't failure. It's about how you handle it. The rejection letter drives me.

Nov. 21 Job interview: Today I went to a job interview. I took 2 buses to get there, but I have done a few interviews in that neighborhood before. I may even say I kind of had fun doing the interview. I was being asked good questions by these 2 men. They asked the usual like why did I apply and tell me about your hobbies. It was about 20min long. There were 30 applicants, 4 interviews.

I think the interview went well, and I was the first one to be interviewed.

Pros: It's close by. This is the kind of job I want. The office is nice. If I get hired, I will give it my best shot. The hours are good.

Cons: I guess the cons are that they gave me the job duties in this hand out, and there is a lot of duties. It seems really stressful and hard. They also said there's some traveling and I would need a passport.

Rant: My sister was also lashing out at my brother, so he blew up at her. She tells me he has an anger management problem. Today my sister lashed out at me for not helping out more around the house. I told her I put away the dishes when my brother was mopping the floor today. She lashed out a me for not doing the dishes in the sink and not putting away the furniture in the washroom.

At the same time were were going to say something, but I let her go first. I let her rant, and then I told her about how I put away the dishes today. I also told her in a calm voice defending myself. I got home at 1pm and then left to go to a job interview. I came back at 4pm, and went straight downstairs. I didn't go to the kitchen or the washroom and didn't see that things needed to be done.

I told her that, but she told me it was "willful blindness." Due to my sister's yelling, my dad came in to calm the situation down. I am proud of myself for keeping calm and not getting angry. I didn't even do any passive- aggressive manners of rolling my eyes, looking bored and tired, and not paying attention. I didn't act aggressive either. I'm not really angry. I heard her side, and she heard mine.

Spiritual advisor: I saw that spiritual advisor Barb Cote back in Aug. I wrote about meeting her and how I got good vibes about her. She says she isn't a psychic and doesn't see the future. I went on dictionary.com for the definition of advisor and one of it said "fortune teller."

First I emailed her:

Hi Barb

I have a question: You say you "guide" people than "predict." So say if I ask you question like: "I want to move. Do I move somewhere in Edmonton or to another city? If another city, what city?" Can you answer questions like that?

I have been to a few psychics, and they predict the future. I haven't been to a spiritual advisor, so I wanted you to clarify that.

Thanks.

Hi Tracy ....thanks for your email :) what I can tell you is I show up and people tell me what is going on in their lives and spirit uses me to help them on their life journey...spirit is insistent with me that one's future is up to the individual and what they want in their lives....we are not separate from Creator we are cocreating....and it's time we get into the drivers seat of our lives :) once we have a clear vision about what we want, the opportunities show up and we follow the yellow brick road ; ) it's also time for us to be our own psychics and trust our own intuition more and more...

Not sure if that answers anything for you or not....hopefully it does!

A few weeks after I met her, I went and got a reading from her. I told you, I see a psychic once every 6 months since 2009. So if you think I'm wasting money, at least I don't do it very often. It's never the same psychic. She didn't tell me the future. I think she was okay as a spiritual advisor. I guess I would rather prefer a psychic because they can tell you the future.

I guess with B, she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. If you want advice or to be guided in a direction when you don't know where to go, then go to a spiritual advisor. I want a psychic to tell me what's going to happen in the future, so I could prepare for it.

I guess I'm writing about seeing her in this email/ blog post is because the rant about my sister. B says you need to draw a line in the relationship with your sister.

Psychic: It's also interesting because B says I need to stop analyzing. Back in Jan. 2010, I saw a psychic named Terri. I was told to shuffle tarot cards and then the first thing she told me is to stop over analyzing things. T says: "Thinking and stressing about things isn't going to change anything."

Priorities: In an earlier email I had written about what I'm going to write/ think/ analyze about the important things like my job search. Then it's okay to analyze TV shows for their story lines and characters because it's relevant to my writing.

Nov. 22 Good: I'm going to be more positive.

Today I went to work and I got a $5 tip specifically from this couple that came in. I like to be recognized and appreciated, and the money signifies that.

Also when my sister got home from work, she asked for change for a big bill and I gave it to her. No arguments there.

Neighbor: Today my brother was mopping downstairs and I asked if I could sweep. He says I could take out the trash. I did with the recycling. As I was going inside my house, my next door neighbor asked for a band aid so I gave it to him. We had a nice and friendly chat.

Hot chocolate: My dad was so thoughtful today. He bought this hot chocolate powder on sale for $9. It's 2.15 kg. I'm going to put some of it in my coffee. This is a good deal, it will last for months.

Music video: I saw the last half of Britney Spears music video "Criminal." Now I saw the first half today on TV by chance, and I really like the beginning. The beginning is shot really well like it could be a scene in a movie.

The set up is that BS is at this formal party, and her boyfriend is a jerk who is really verbally abusive towards her. She leaves and then comes back to see him getting cozy with another woman. BS shows some attitude here.

BS: So you're not working the street corner tonight I see?
Boyfriend takes BS outside, and lashes out at her.
BF: How dare you disrespect me like that? Who do you think you are?
BF hits her.

Another Man comes over and and punches BF a few times in the face, and he falls down.

Man: You okay?
BS: Yeah. Wait.
BS walks over to BF.
BS kicks BF in the crotch.
BS: Now, I'm okay.

lol. I thought BS was going to go and steal his wallet while he's down. I did disagree with her dissing the Woman at the party, when she should be dissing her boyfriend. Well she did diss him when she kicked him.

On a side note, I thought the British BF was good looking in the handsome way.

Her last video "I Wanna Go" was kind of funny in the beginning. She's at a press conference and reporters were asking questions like: "Does this suit make me look fat?"

BS: Yes, yes it does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6b33PTbGxk&ob=av2n&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3Dbritney%2Bspears%2Bcriminal%2B%26oq%3Dbritney%2Bspears%2Bcriminal%2B%26aq%3Df%26aqi%3Dg10%26aql%3D%26gs_sm%3De%26gs_upl%3D5320l5320l0l5604l1l1l0l0l0l0l201l201l2-1l1l0

magic clerk/ Trapped in a Closet/ Once Upon a Time

2011-11-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

Nov. 17 Magic clerk: On Jay Leno, there's the segment of "Magic Clerk" where the magician Michael Carbonora works at a convenience store and he does magic tricks on people. There's this bowling ball in a box and it can only fit one ball. Then two balls come out of it. It was so cool.

He smashes a bag full of nuts and a bottle in the plastic bag. Nothing breaks. There was a scorpion in a bag of chips. It was so scary because it was a real scorpion. The woman was so scared, but then he tells her she's on the Tonight Show and she laughs.

Nov. 19 Trapped in a Closet: Earlier this week I was watching Pop Up Video and they showed R. Kelly's "Trapped in a Closet." It's the first part. There is actually a whole series of videos. I put it up on my Facebook status:

"Tracy Au is looking for a job and listening to R. Kelly's song "Trapped in a Closet." It's a long and crazy story."

My friend Omar commented and said: "That is indeed a long and crazy story."

Ed the Sock from MuchMusic described it as: "The black version of Desperate Housewives." lol.

The first part of the video is where R. Kelly wakes up and he had cheated on his wife with this woman in the club. Then the woman says she's married to a pastor, and he's coming upstairs so R. Kelly has to hide in the closet. Then the pastor husband enters. RK's phone rings, so the husband starts looking around for him and/ or the cell phone.

In the 2nd video, it turns out the pastor is gay and is cheating on his wife with another man.

The other day I was looking for a job and I realized I was listening to the entire nearly 2 hr music videos. If you put all the music videos together, it will be like a musical movie. It's very unintentionally funny because it's so ridiculous at times.

There are guns involved, and another woman cheating on her husband....with a midget. What? If you have time to surf the internet, you will have fun listening to this story. lol.

MADtv: I found the MADtv parody of "Trapped in a Closet." It's called "Trapped in a Cupboard." I totally remembered the first part where R. Kelly wakes up singing to the woman: "Damn, I wish you were 13." Remember he was arrested for statutory rape? The parody is good as he sings about buying cereal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7putw2A4FiI

Woman marries sister's husband: I found this on Yahoo. It's where a 42 yr old woman Jackie Devita asked her sister Colleen Leary to marry her husband when she dies. Jackie dies, and 3 months later, Colleen marries Jackie's widower Richard.

Colleen: I always say to people, 'Was I in love with him? No. Do I love him now? Yes.' He's a good man.

I think with marriage, you should marry because you're in love with this person. The kids are happy because their aunt is now their step-mom. Well if everybody's happy, then that's all that matters.

http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/sister-wives--woman-marries-sister-s-husband-to-honour-her-final-request.html

Once Upon a Time: I had written a review of the show before, the pilot was very good. It's about fairytale characters being transported into the real world and they don't know that they are fairytale characters. The 10 yr old boy Henry gets his biological mother Emma who gave him for adoption to Storybrooke town to help people.

In this ep "The Price of Gold", it's about Cinderella. It reminded me of the TV movie Cinderella starring the singer Brandy as the title character, and Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother.

Back to the show, Cinderella meets her fairy godmother and then she gets killed by Rumpelstiltskin. Cinderella makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to get out of poverty and she signs the contract.

Back to the real world, the Sheriff offers Emma a job as a deputy. The bad mayor/ Henry's adoptive mother Regina tells Emma that:

Regina: In order to grow, you have to set roots.

Emma moves around a lot because she's chasing people who skip bonds. Emma then meets Cinderella in real life. C's name is Ashley.

Ashley is 19 and pregnant. Emma tells her that she was 18 and pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption.

Emma: People are going to tell you who you are in life. You have to punch back.

Emma gives a good pep talk to her. Ashley then breaks into Mr. Gold's (Rumpelstiltskin) place to get to the safe.

Cut to the fairytale world. Cinderella marries Prince Thomas.

Snow White (tells Cinderella): You showed that anyone can change their life.

Rumpelstiltskin wants Cinderella's first born. Cinderella tells Prince Thomas the truth about R's deal.

Prince: Magic may have brought us together, but it didn't create our love.

Cut to real life, Mr. Gold hires Emma to look for Ashley because she took the contract. Emma finds the Prince whose name is Shawn. She gives a pep talk to him to do what he wants and not what his dad wants. Shawn's dad found someone (Mr. G) to pay Ashley very well so the baby will have a good home. But, Mr. G is evil.

It's funny when Ruby (Little Red Riding Hood) tells Emma and Henry about Ashley as they look for her.

Henry: Wait, she has a step mom, stepsisters, and is a maid?
lol.

Ruby tells them that Ashley is going to Boston. I like that Ruby (Canadian actress Meghan Ory) has more of a part in this ep than being a waitress. Emma tells Henry to go home so she can drive to Boston. Henry ends up hiding in the back of the car and comes along. Emma lets him.

Cut to the fairytale. The plan is to get Rumpelstiltskin to sign a new contract with a red quill to trap him.

Cut to real life, and Ashley got into a car accident and goes into labor.

Cut to fairytale. Cinderella shows the contract to Rumpelstiltskin: "I'll give you twins because I don't have any money. There aren't any crops to grow on this soil. You give me soil and I'll give you the twins." He signs it and he's trapped in this magical freeze.

Cut to real life and Ashley gives birth to a baby girl. An Asian woman dr. tells Emma and Henry that.

Cut to fairytale. Prince Thomas then went missing.
Rumpelstiltskin: When I get the baby, I'll give you Thomas.

Cut to real life. Emma makes a deal with Mr. G.

E: You don't take Ashley's baby.
Mr. G: I won't. I'll need something from you later.
E: Deal.

This is a good set up for a later storyline.

Shawn comes back to Ashley. The baby's name is Alexandra and he gives her baby shoes like glass slippers.

It was a good story. One lesson is that you can change your life. My nitpick is that I hope everybody knows that it's a fictional story about fairytale characters in the real world. The other lesson it seems to give is that if you have a baby, your boyfriend will be there for you and you can be a family, and raise the baby together.

Teen pregnancy: It reminds me of the Tyra Banks show where they did an ep about teen pregnancy. They interviewed this African- American girl Jessica.

Jessica: I want to have a baby with my ex-boyfriend. He doesn't want to have a baby. I feel like when the baby comes he will want to be with me and we can be a family. We can then raise the baby together.

Cut to 6 months later, she's back on the show.

Jessica: After I was on your show, a month later I saw myself on TV. I then realized how stupid and ridiculous I sounded an looked. I realized that I'm not ready to have a baby at all. (Starts crying.) Oh thank you Tyra for having me on your show and making me realize I'm not ready to have a baby.

Dislike: Student jailed for a Facebook post (Amnesty International)

2011-11-16T16:28:00.000-08:00

Please sign this petition.

Jabbar Savalan is in jail after calling for a protest on Facebook. Fight for his release.

Dear Tracy,

Arrested for posting a note to Facebook?! If there was ever a need for a "Dislike" button on Facebook, this is it.

When you log in to Facebook, you might expect to hear from long-lost friends or to see pictures from the latest family reunion. Maybe you follow Amnesty on Facebook and learn about ways you can make a difference for human rights.

But when you log off, you probably don't expect the police to come knocking on your door.

That's what happened to Jabbar Savalan, a 20-year-old Azerbaijani student activist framed and punished by his government for calling for a protest on Facebook.

The Azerbaijan government's assault upon the right to freedom of expression is a travesty.

Tell the authorities that you "Dislike" injustice. Sign Amnesty's online petition calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Jabbar Savalan.

Jabbar is one case in this year's Write for Rights campaign, Amnesty's annual human rights letter-writing marathon. Hundreds of thousands of people will be participating this year, writing letters of hope and solidarity to free prisoners of conscience and combat injustice worldwide.

Maybe this is your first time writing for rights, or maybe you've taken this action before. Now's the time to pledge your participation in this event - starting with signing this online petition for Jabbar.

During Write for Rights, December 3-11, Amnesty will deliver the petition signatures along with a giant Facebook-inspired "Dislike" thumbs-down sign to Azerbaijan's diplomatic offices in the U.S.

Jabbar's case is deeply troubling. Azerbaijani authorities didn't like his Facebook post, so they began following him. One day later, they arrested him without explanation.

Jabbar knew something was very wrong that night. Police never read him his rights. He wasn't searched right away. He was manhandled in the police vehicle.

It was only when Jabbar arrived at the police station that authorities did an official search, and that's when they "discovered" marijuana in his outer jacket pocket. It was all too convenient. Officials in Azerbaijan have a history of using trumped-up drug charges to smother dissent. Jabbar maintains he's never used drugs in his life.

Jabbar was jailed for a Facebook post. If we don't call out authorities on abusive behavior, wherever and whenever it happens, it will only get worse. They will crush and crush and crush, ever more recklessly, inhumanely and unlawfully.

If freedom is something we cherish, then we must defend it. Jabbar Savalan was jailed because of his beliefs, and as human rights defenders, we can't let this stand.

Join thousands of others around the world fighting for Jabbar and other cases during this year's Write for Rights campaign. Freedom for Jabbar and others like him is only possible if we take a stand -- together.

Add your name to Amnesty's petition calling for Jabbar's release.

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/c.6oJCLQPAJiJUG/b.7808971/k.7FB1/Dislike_Injustice_Demand_Freedom_for_Student_Jailed_for_a_Facebook_Post/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?msource=W1SEAIAR6&tr=y&auid=9863414

In solidarity,

Michael O'Reilly
Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign
Amnesty International USA

P.S. Write for Rights is a powerful, inspiring event - the largest grassroots letter-writing campaign in the entire world. Put pen to paper and deepen your commitment to human rights. Find Write for Rights events near you and learn more by visiting amnestyusa.org/writeathon.

college majors/ Elizabeth Gilbert/ The Listener

2011-11-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

Nov 12. College majors: I got this on Yahoo "Study reveals 10 highest- and lowest-paying college majors." It's mainly engineering. The comments are interesting and funny.

O.o o.O: Are we suppose to read those tables with a magnifying glass?

Me: Yeah, I know. The graphs are so small.

Ray Ang: This is pretty nonsensical isn't it? It seems to imply that if you take engineering majors, you'll earn more, what rubbish. Supply & Demand, dumbos!

Adrian: What happened to going after your passion, not about how much money your degree could get you?

Me: I agree.

MichaelT: These studies are biased, they seem to indicate that the only reason to go to college is the amount of money you make, instead of the actual reason, to learn a skill, trade, and knowledge.

Me: I agree too. To make more money is one of the reasons, but it's about earning money through a career that you actually like.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/study-reveals-10-highest-lowest-paying-college-majors-171104823.html?fb_action_ids=10100112070017791&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_source=home_multilinecode=AQB23IaTGaTmXKA1wP6MO9rYJi3L5v6fSYTW_qGd_ioJyetpuSpsTDuYMRELhhm1DZl5ksN0CFYkpebBjvihERztKgmAmPyMhmhvQb8WM4WEV9bdartZThPRF9ctej6scr_PKat-MCClUbpetA55pE-Qum9zoVfmJGwXuuOTQ5l8G17xdlWj-yy8mq_qqMLI2M#_=_

Rants: I got a lot of stuff. One, it's winter time and it's gotten cold. I'll give points that it didn't get really cold until mid. Nov.

Two, I got some rejects and disappointments like how a producer was supposed to call me in a period of these days, and he didn't call. That's okay, he can still email me. I applied at this bank and there were these interviews being held at that week. I didn't get a call. That's okay. I did get an email from the bank. I read it and it's really from a staffing agency. So it's not really from the bank anyway.

Three, the major one is that my sister is back from her vacation. She is ranting at me to do chores around the house. I do chores. Today I vacuumed because my dad told my brother and I to do it. P did downstairs, and I did upstairs. S then tells me to put away the dishes, and fold the laundry and put it away. It took a few min. to do each chore. Then S tells me to help her shovel the driveway and I did. I told her that she's grumpy from jet lag, but she lashes out at me.

Nov. 16: I'll throw this one in too. Today I was washing the dishes, and I put a pot on the rack to dry. It fell off, and it hit this ceramic pot and the spout broke. I apologized to my dad. He said it was expensive, but he didn't freak out. He is often calm. He said he got this 4 yrs ago, so at least he enjoyed it and used it often.

Elizabeth Gilbert: I got this through my blog, it's a TED talk from "Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity." She wrote Eat, Pray, Love. After it became this huge success, people came up to her and acted worried that she may not write another book that won't be a success. When she was a teenager, and said she wanted to be a writer, a lot of people worried that what if she didn't become a success and experienced a lot of rejection.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Arts career fair: Today is my day off so I went to another career fair at the University of Alberta. This one is smaller, like 20 booths. It was more relevant to my job search than the last one with all the engineering firms,
and oil and gas companies. I'm going to have to read through the pamphlets.

Job interview: In the afternoon I went to a job interview. I took the bus to the same industrial neighborhood and it turns out I miss my stop by a few blocks. The driver then told me to take a bus back to get to the place. I didn't have to wait long, and I still got to my interview on time.

The interview was okay. There were 15 applicants. They asked about my buses to getting here, like is it a problem. They asked about my college education and how I don't have a writing job. I tell them because a lot of communications job are hiring people with 3 or 4 yrs of writing experience.

The Listener: I saw the season 2 finale at the end of Aug. and I haven't wrote about it until now. A few weeks ago I read in the Globe and Mail about Canadian shows getting international success. It was from there that I learned that The Listener is getting a 3rd season! It's coming out in Jan. 2012 for mid-season. I'm really happy about that. The show is about a paramedic who's telepathic and uses his skills to solve crime with the IIB.

The season 2 finale was called "Reckoning." The episode started with clips of the beginning of the season which is the first time they've done it. All the episodes are stand- alone and don't connect with each other. It starts off with a man, and a gun shot to the head. You think he's dead, but as Toby goes to treat him, the man grabs Toby.

Toby gets a flashback of the Man who shot himself in the head. Agent McCluskey and her ex-husband are to sign divorce papers. Good continuity because her ex-husband was in an earlier ep.

Back to the murder, and there were 3 suicides by former members of a biker gang. They mention Calgary, Canada, and RCMP. T's dr. friend Olivia tells T to stop using telepathy because it could hurt him.

T: I can't stop because it makes me who I am.
O: You use your gift to fill a void, and to not get close to people.

An Asian woman nurse named Theresa goes to gun shot victim in a coma. She pulls the oxygen tube to kill him. The comic relief comes when an old man comes into the hospital because "broke his ass."

McCluskey and T investigates the nurse, and she said "Something came over her." She had never thought of killing anyone before. T gets a flash of a young woman walking by Theresa when the tube was pulled.

Another biker named Jeremy is now married with 3 kids. All the ex-bikers were doing well and now commit suicide. The same young woman walks past Jeremy, and he then throws himself in front of a car. The Art Gallery Owner/ ex- biker Gassel sees that Jeremy's dead, and he walks back into his gallery.

McCluskey and IIB see hospital footage of the young woman named Elizabeth when the
nurse pull the oxygen tube. M interrogates E, but has to let E go. M doesn't like E. M tells T what happened and that Gassel may use E to exploit her. T follows E and they talk. Then T kisses E when just met each other. Then they have sex which is the first time they ever really showed sex on this show. T reads E's thoughts and expressed it by saying what E is thinking in unison.

It's to prove that T can is a telepath. It was done to T's friend Oz in the first season. T and E talk about being telepaths. This reveals character when T gets a flash and E's parents and brother were murdered in front of E. E exacts revenge on the ex-bikers by having them commit suicide.

M does research and E's real name is Emily Matlin. E got shot in the head and was in a coma for months and didn't talk. She made a miraculous recovery and that was how she got her power. The murders were pinned on the bikers.

E goes to Art Gallery to see Gassel and confronts him with her family pictures. M and T go to art gallery. Gassel then shoots E in the chest.

Me: Oh my God!
T runs over to E and starts doing CPR on her.
M points gun at Gassel.
M: Get down!

The above was all music, and no dialogue. It was very powerful. M arrests Gassel. E dies. There was justice. They killed E who is a killer, and arrest Gassel.

The ep ends with the ambulance and cops. M meets her ex-husband at the bar and M bought 2 tickets and they will go on vacation together. T thinks about using his power.

T (voice over): How can I turn my back on them?

Don't let their work disappear (The Global Fund)

2011-11-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Tracy,

Something remarkable is happening, and your having signed the open letter of support is helping to make sure it continues.

In Swaziland, one third of the population lives in areas plagued by malaria. For years, Swazis have had to fear that their next mosquito bite could be a death sentence, especially for young children.

But thanks to innovative work from Swazi health workers and investment from the Global Fund, the country's malaria cases have been cut in half in just five years. It's nothing short of incredible.

Swaziland's - and several other countries' - successes is a perfect example of why we are urging more people to co-sign the open letter calling for continued support from the United States' leadership in the fight against three of the world's biggest epidemic diseases. If we lose momentum in the fight against malaria in Swaziland and a range of other severely affected countries, tens of thousands of lives could once again be placed at risk.

Watch this short video about the amazing victories against malaria in Swaziland - then ask your friends and family to join you in co-signing the open letter.
Watch the video about amazing victrories against malaria in Swaziland

As you'll see in the video, local aid workers use time-tested tools like insecticide-treated bed-nets and indoor anti-mosquito spraying to prevent malaria - but they're also using cutting-edge technology, tracking every new case via GPS and using that data to help determine the locations of others who may be affected and need treatment.

Game-changing programs like this one are happening all over the world, thanks to the support of the Global Fund. We simply can't afford to let this progress slip away. To keep encouraging U.S. support, we need to grow our movement and keep it moving forward. It begins with you.

Please watch this video about the incredible work in Swaziland - and then show it to your friends, so they can see why they should sign the open letter, too:

http://onemillion.theglobalfund.org/swaziland-fights-malaria-video

Thanks,

Jon Lidén
Campaign Director, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

school/ Wes Brown/ Hart of Dixie

2011-11-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

Nov. 9 School: I was talking to my dad about those continuing education classes. At MacEwan, there were these 1 or 2 day classes teaching things like Microsoft Excel. It costs about $300. My dad says I shouldn't go to it, because it's hard. They will cram everything in these 2 days. Will you remember it all?

If you take extensive notes and keep studying afterwards, you will. He says I should check out a book from the library about Excel and study it. I told him I thought of that before, and went to the library last week. I tried to check out a book, but my library card expired and I didn't have $12 on me to renew it.

The Situation: In 2010, I was unemployed for 8 months and was looking really hard for a regular job and an office job. I then got a regular job at a restaurant. I only work part-time, and my free time is mainly unpaid work of looking for an office job. I spend hours on the internet looking for offices to apply to, going to interviews and writing about it in my weekly emails/ blog posts. I have worked like this for a year now, and I haven't been hired. Now it's time to really study Microsoft Excel.

Confidence: I need to show more confidence in my interviews. Confidence comes from knowledge. I need to study and learn to build my skills. Confidence comes from experience. I learn by doing.

Nov. 10: Today I checked out an Excel book and read some of it.

Jewelery store: Over the weekend I called up one of my friends who worked at jewelry store. She said she was dismissed even though she sold $2000 of jewelery in one month. The boss said: "You sold a lot, but you're not a fit."

I don't know what the whole story is. By all means $2000 isn't really that good. It's like that time I worked at Call Centre #4 and I got 9 completes in one day. I thought that was good, but the boss did not. Yeah, well my friend did get another job right away and she really likes it.

Nov. 11 Study habits: I find it hard to concentrate on my Excel book. I know what my good study environment is: When I'm alone, no music or TV, use highlighters and pencils when reading because I'm a visual learner. I lightly underline the words with my pencil when I read, but I can't do that with a library book.

Nov. 12 Wes Brown: Here's something that I hardly ever do: have fun on the internet by looking up actors that I like. Seriously, all I do on the internet is look for a job and write my weekly emails. I really like this actor Wes Brown since I saw him on an ep of Criminal Minds ep "Slave of Duty." Then I went on Youtube to watch him in a CSI: Miami ep where he's only in the beginning of it.

Then I went and found the episodes he was on in True Blood season 2 on the internet. I saw the beginning of the movie We Are Marshall when it was on TV for him. I watched Private Practice promo on Youtube because he was in it.

I just "liked" him on Facebook. lol. Did you know that he's in Hallmark TV movies? He plays Clark and the story takes place in the 18th century.

Love Begins trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otj_N280meA

Here's an "On Location" behind- the -scenes and interviews with making it. I like the 4 sec mark where you see WB's smile, because it looks so genuine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XncpPrPYavw

Here's the sequel Love's Everlasting Courage trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcMdfCRPZcQ&feature=related

Here's the "On Location" of this TV movie. At the 1:50 min mark:

WB: The first thing my manager told me, was that Cheryl Ladd is going to be playing your mother. No pressure.
WB rolls his eyes and shows that he's stressed out by it. lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0MekHhBMb4&feature=related

Nov. 14 Hart of Dixie: Last week I was watching TV, and I saw the promo for Hart of Dixie. Wes Brown was in it and I screamed! I just saw the episode today. In the satellite info, his name was in the episode description. His name wasn't in the opening credits under "guest-star." He was only in 3 scenes.

He plays a veterinarian. He asks the lead character Zoe Hart on a date. Zoe chickens out and cancels the date later, and then at the end she talks about taking baby steps into dating so she goes and have coffee with him. It was kind of inspirational. I can relate to Zoe. Z talks about how her life is kind of at a stand still and she's not dating or totally moving forward in her career. She's a doctor, but it's a small town.

Review: Let's start off that Hart is about a young woman named Zoe Hart who's from New York. The lead is Rachel Bilson (Summer from The OC) and she is a young dr. who got a job as a doctor, but it's way down in the Southern US. So there's the "fish out of water" element. This is the first episode I've ever seen, and it was good. It had emotion, and this warm feeling you get from living in a small town.

It kind of reminded me of The Gilmore Girls, also about young women living in a small town. I like Hart, but I don't think I will watch it every week. Tune in occasionally if I have time. It was created by Leila Gerstein and she also produces Gossip Girl. I noticed Josh Schwartz produces it to. He created The OC and Gossip Girl.

Actors: I was watching Hart and there were some people who looked familiar. There was this black man Cress Williams who plays Mayor Lavon Hayes. It turns out I saw him before on Veronica Mars. There's the actor Wilson Bethel who looked so familiar. After 45min, I said: "Wasn't he on The Young and the Restless?" I was right. lol.

Job search: The World Financial Group called me again today. They said I applied as an admin assistant, but they want some adviser positions that are available. I asked if it's about selling, and they said yes. My dad told me that selling things isn't really good to the other time they called. So I turned them down and told him to call me for an admin assistant instead of an adviser position.

Job interview: Today I went to a job interview in an industrial part of town. The buses are more frequent and a bit easier to get to. I was like 50min early, so I walked around for 15min to see what other companies are there that I could apply to. I then found some companies that I had applied to before.

I was 30min early, but we did the interview right then and there. There were 15 applicants, and 6 interviews. It's a temporary position and even the boss said they're not sure how long the position is going to be. There's a chance the person may not come back for their old job so it could be permanent. It was about a 5min long interview.

Stress: I was walking for 15min at 0 degrees. After the interview, it was snowing, and then it came really hard. At least I didn't have to wait too long for the bus. I was like: "I have to find my other winter jacket." This morning I found one, and the zipper was broken. I got home and was tired, stressed out, and cold. However, I worked through it by looking for a job on the internet.

Stop U.S. arms sales to Bahrain! (Amnesty International)

2011-11-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

I signed the petition. Please sign it too.

Sell weapons to a government that could use them against its own people?! NO SALE!

The U.S. State Department is coming under fire for considering a $53 million arms sale.

Why? Because since February of this year, the military, security and police forces of the prospective buyer -- Bahrain -- have used such weapons and military equipment to inflict deaths and injuries on protestors demanding greater political freedom.

Moving forward with this arms sale would provide more weapons and equipment to the very Bahraini security forces who have already shot protestors. It would also cross a clear line of U.S. responsibility to protect human rights.

That's why right now members of Congress, led by Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Jim McGovern, are drawing a sharp line with a resolution aimed at blocking this arms sale.

Urge your Senators and Representatives to join the call to stop the U.S. arms sale to Bahrain!

Bahrain's horrible record on human rights continues to this day. At the peak of the crackdown, President Obama condemned the "mass arrests and brute force" used by the Bahraini government.

So why is the State Department even considering selling Bahrain more weapons?

Fortunately, the U.S. State Department is showing some signs of responsiveness. Just last week, it agreed to delay the weapons sale until a commission in Bahrain finishes investigating the government's human rights abuses.

This temporary delay gives us the space we need to break through with a larger message of protecting human rights in Bahrain.

Add your voice -- help stop the U.S. arms sale to Bahrain!

In Solidarity,

Sanjeev Bery
Advocacy Director, Middle East & North Africa
Amnesty International USA

funny videos/ jokes/ Group Therapy

2011-11-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

Nov. 5 Funny videos: Here's one where a Camera Guy is with the Female News Reporter. As FNR interviews Fitness Woman, the CG does the same exercise too. They're on their backs on the exercise ball, and he has to roll himself back up, but he rolls off the ball.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201111/exercise-ball-proves-too-much-news-crew-member

Nov. 9 Jay Leno videos: Yesterday on Jay Leno, they were talking about that presidential candidate Herman Cain for sexual harassment. One woman reported it, and two more women came forward.

JL: It turns out there's a 4th woman who came forward too. It was when Cain was in the fast food industry.

Cut to a press conference and a female lawyer was talking at the podium. Camera pan out and it's the red headed girl from the Wendy's fast food restaurant who has come forward.
lol.

Nov. 10: A week before JL showed this other video. There is news.

News reporter: A car crashed into a McDonald's restaurant. It was an accident, but now it turns out it may not be. There were arrests.
Cut to Jack in the Box being arrested.
lol.

Jokes: This was a couple of months ago. I was watching Sarah Michelle Gellar on Jimmy Fallon. She was Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and now she's back to promote her new show Ringer where she plays twins.

SMG: I have the best co-star.
lol. She's poking fun at herself by playing two characters.

Alexander Skarsgard from the vampire show True Blood came on afterwards. When he comes on, the band was playing the Buffy theme song. I thought that was so cool to hear the song live.

Before Jay Leno's show starts, this is the prologue.

JL: I'm going to check on Charlie Sheen.
They open the dressing room, and CS has powder under his nose. You think he's done cocaine.
JL: Oh, Charlie.
CS: Oh, hey I was just eating a donut.
CS holds up a powdered donut.
lol.

Magic Clerk: On Jay Leno, there's a segment called "Magic Clerk." It's where a magician works at a convenience store and he does magic tricks. This guy is the 100th customer and this alarm is ringing.

Magic Clerk: Since you're the 100th customer, you get to have what's in this briefcase for free. It's items from the store.
He opens it, and it's the exact 4 items that the customer has picked.
Interesting trick.

Your Local News: JL showed this real video clip of a real news report. There was a White Woman and Black Man behind the counter as news reporters.

WW: A man was arrested for passing gas near a police officer. It's considered assault. He was arrested, and then was held...
As she is saying it, she is laughing at it. She couldn't go through with it.
BM is laughing too as he is finishing off what she said.

It was unprofessional, but the news was ridiculous. Can you say that line with a straight face? Maybe if you're on Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live.

Actors: I was watching Once Upon a Time, and I saw a promo where I thought I saw the actor David Anders. I then saw the ep "Snow Falls" and it was him! DA played a doctor, and had a prominent part in the ep. I don't know, maybe he'll be a fairytale character.

I also noticed that Jane Espenson is on as a producer on this show. She was a Buffy producer and she created the sci-fi show Warehouse 13.

Nov. 11 Job: Today was good at work, because it was really busy and I made a lot of tips.

All About Aubrey: Do you remember that girl group Danity Kane? They had songs like "Damaged" and "Show Stopper." The group started when P. Diddy created it on the TV show Making the Band 3. Well I read after the group ended, one of the members Aubrey was going to have her own reality show called All About Aubrey where she embarks on a solo career.

I was listening to the season finale episode on the internet while I look for a job. It was actually kind of inspiring to listen/ watch the ep. She talked about how last year, she thought her career was over, until she performed on this radio concert. There were record labels there, and she ended up getting signed.

The lesson is that though you may haven fallen on hard times, you can still get back up.

Group therapy: There's this advice column in the Globe and Mail called "Group Therapy." It's where people send in their question asking for advice. Lynn Coady picks three people's advice, and then she gives her take on which is usually all three of it combined.

I read this question for next week: "My best friend was happily dating a man for several months until he dumped her via text message. She is now pregnant and wants to keep the baby, and not tell him about it. I tell her he has the right to know, and she refuses. How do I persuade her?"

I'm going to email grouptherapy@globeandmail.com: "You should tell your friend how expensive it is to raise a kid. Will she be able to afford it? She needs to tell her ex that he has a kid so he can pay child support. He may want a paternity test, and he may not want to have anything to do with the kid, but it's still important to tell him. What if she runs into him when she's 6 months pregnant? He can do the math and would ask if the kid is his.

Tell your friend to tell her ex now, or else someone else is going to tell him that your friend is pregnant. How about writing an anonymous note to him telling him he's the father?"

LC and maybe a lot of people would disagree with my advice. We'll see what LC and other people would say in next week's column.

Nov. 12: I want to add I saw this on Desperate Housewives. Bree is dating Keith and this woman Amber comes looking for him. Then Bree learns that Amber actually had K's kid, and K doesn't even know about having a son. B decides to not tell K about it.

When that happened, I thought the show "jumped the shark." B should tell K about it. If my boyfriend had a kid with another woman, he should know about it. A couple episodes later, B does tell K about it. So the show didn't jump the shark.

Headlines: I was watching Jay Leno and he showed some funny headlines.

There was a nail salon called "Nail Me Good."

There was an ad, I forgot what's it for: "Leaves are falling...and so is your mom."
JL: That's a horrible ad!

Ad: "Slightly used car used for one bank robbery."
JL: So the car doesn't go very fast.

"Owl Creek picks mascot: It's an Owl."

"Sheep slightly used."
Me: What?

TV Guide: "CSI: A killer kills a man."

License plates: Here's some license plates I found on the roads:

JOSGIRL- Joe's Girl
BHOGALS- I don't totally know. Bho's Gals.
Factor Desserts van: YUMMY
AMAE
PATSY1

MYHY- My High, I like this one.

Shell Oil: Own up, pay up and clean up (Amnesty International)

2011-11-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Please sign this petition:

Shell Oil considers the oil spills it caused in Nigeria a "tragedy." Then why does the oil giant refuse to clean up its act?

There used to be life and hope in the Niger Delta town of Bodo, a village filled with thriving fish ponds and mangrove trees. Then in 2008, two oil spills changed everything -- twice, nearby Shell Oil pipelines spewed toxic oil for weeks before they were repaired.

"It killed all the mangrove trees, the ecosystem, everything we put there. Everything just died in a day." --Bodo resident Christian Lekoya Kpandei

What was Shell Oil's initial response to the devastation in Bodo, to Christian's ruined fish ponds and livelihood? Silence.

Although Shell has accepted liability for these two spills, it is still silent on the issue of undertaking a comprehensive clean-up of the affected area, fully compensating the people whose lives have been devastated by the spills, and rehabilitating the affected area.

Counter Shell's silence with some noise of your own. Tell Royal Dutch Shell's CEO that it's time his company own up, pay up and clean up its human rights mess in the Niger Delta.

The facts are indisputable. According to a recently released UN report, Shell has failed to adequately clean up pollution in the Niger Delta for years. It's a familiar story these days -- yet another corporation trying to weasel out of a mess of its own making.

Today, on the 16th anniversary of the execution of Nigerian environmental and human rights defender Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his fellow activists, Amnesty is launching a new report that reviews the record of the Bodo spill and adds damning new facts.

Shell Oil, which recently reported profits of $7.2 billion for July-September 2011, initially offered the Bodo community just a few thousand dollars and 50 bags of rice, beans, sugar and tomatoes as relief for the disaster.

Shell Oil is one of the three biggest companies in the world by revenue, a juggernaut in international business. But when it comes down to paying for a cleanup fund in Nigeria -- to pay basic compensation to residents like Christian who lost everything in the oil spill Shell is liable for -- this multinational corporation refuses to take responsibility.

Of course, if Shell commits to a $1 billion cleanup fund in Nigeria, as Amnesty is asking it to do, Shell's shareholder profits may suffer a little. But we believe corporations should not put the profit of a few over the health and human rights of entire communities.

Stand up for "the 99%", wherever they are. We can't be silent while the human rights to water and livelihood are being destroyed by corporations like Shell.

Let's win a key victory in the fight against environmental abuses in the oil industry and for human rights. Sign our petition now calling on Shell Oil to clean up its Niger Delta mess.

For justice,

Tanuka Loha
Director, Demand Dignity Campaign
Amnesty International USA

P.S. Momentum is already on our side! Just last month the US Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases that will determine whether corporations can be sued in US courts for human rights abuses committed abroad. One of them involves a group of Nigerian nationals who sued Royal Dutch Petroleum and two of its Shell Oil subsidiaries, alleging their complicity in serious human rights abuses by the Nigerian government in the early 1990s to suppress activism against the oil industry.

Post Secret/ 9 yr old artist/ Alicia Josipovic

2011-11-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

Nov. 6 Post Secret: Here's some secrets:

"I just sold my range rover so I could afford to adopt my niece."

There's a soldier's secret. It's a picture of a loved one: "This picture has gotten me through more pain and hardship than most civilians can imagine."

"During the past two years, the US military has lost more men and women to suicide than it has to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. [ABC News]"

"I'm doing a job that requires a license and I made one up on the computer. My employer bought it and now I've been employed for 10 years and I feel guilty everyday for lying."

Me: Well then go and get that license to ease your guilt. Or maybe you don't need to get it if you've been working there for 10 yrs, then you must be good at it. But really, go get your license.

Good news: I found this on Yahoo News. This man robs a hotel clerk, then the hotel clerk yells for help. 2 MMA fighters were there and they managed to hold the robber down. They did calm the robber down and held him down with their MMA moves when the police came.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Fighters-in-L-A-for-BJJ-tournament-stop-a-robbe?urn=mma-wp9093

Nov. 7 Feelings: I feel angry and depressed. I get into these moods sometimes. Yesterday at work, I worked downstairs and it's not as busy so I didn't get a lot of tips. Usually the other busser works downstairs, but they switched it up this time. I guess I could have gone upstairs, but didn't think of that until the shift was ending. Throw in another server ranting about working downstairs.

Award: Today I got this paper glued onto a poster board from work. It's recognizing me for working there for 1 yr. That was nice.

Heart attack: I also need to gain perspective. Someone at work had a heart attack. He was overweight, and it turns out he was diabetic. I told my dad and he said if it's the guy's first heart attack, he will survive. If it's the third one, then he won't survive.

Nov. 8 Job: As usual, everything has to go back to discussing about jobs. The manager had a heart attack, he will take time off. He's in his 50s and may be forced to retire. He could go to part-time work, but are there part-time manager positions available? My dad pointed that out to me.

I got a call back from an interview that I did. The non-profit organization rejected me. That's fine. It seemed really hard where they talked about the duties of event planning. The starting salary was $38,000. I flopped on the question about how to make a table of contents on Microsoft Word. I thought you could type in "Chapter 1" and then "....." and then the page number. She then pointed out there was a tool on there that creates table of contents for you.

Job interviews: Today I went to a job interview at an art gallery. It was an average interview. There are only two people working there right now. The duties is mainly filing and there are boxes of paper to go through. There were a lot of applicants. I can work there and still work at my restaurant. I can see myself working there. However, there may be other applicants who are more interested in art than I am.

Nov. 9 Real estate: I went to a job interview today at a real estate firm. It was kind of far away. I got the call yesterday to come in. There were some pros and cons. The pro was that I got some more self- confidence in myself by learning the bus schedule to get there. I have to take two buses, and one of them comes every 30min. At least during 7-8am and 3-5pm, it comes every 15 min.

I also went to a different part of the city so I can learn what other offices are available there, so maybe I could apply to them. The interview was only a few min. long. The office had nice brick walls and paintings.

The cons were that there were 9 interviews that day, and I was the first one. She will be making a decision by the end of the day or tomorrow. I doubt I really impressed her because she told me about the job, but didn't really ask about me. I guess I could hope that other people don't show up for the interview, come in late and make a bad impression. The job is part-time and in the afternoons so I could still work at the restaurant.

Clinic: In the afternoon I went to another job interview at a clinic. There were 50 applicants to 10 interviews. I have a 10% chance of getting hired. They ask questions about helping people.

9 yr old artist: I found this on Yahoo news, about a 9 yr old artist named Keiron Williams who sold $245,000 Canadian worth of paintings to buy him and his family a house. He sold 33 of his paintings within 30min at an art show. That is so impressive.

To be 9 yrs old, to make this much money, this fast. There are artists out there, who never sell a painting or sold that much.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/mini-monet-sells-enough-art-buy-home-175009726.html

Speed: I was on Kijiji and I bookmarked a job ad that was posted yesterday, but that I found today. I came back a few hours later, and the ad was gone. You have to be on there all the time, and apply as soon as you read it. It happened one time last summer. A office called me on my cell phone, I called them back the next day and they said the position was filled.

Saying: I was thinking about the saying "You miss all the shots you never take." I always give job interviews a try. Even if I have a low chance, it's still a chance.

Chances: I remember watching Tyra Banks show, and she talked about what the odds are. Like what's easier? Being the President of the USA or an Olympic athlete? I would say Olympic athlete because there are so many of them. As for Presidents, there are 40 something of them. I was right. It's easier to become an Olympic athlete.

Charity: I was watching Pop Up Video with Jamie Foxx's video "Blame it." He has a sister with Down syndrome, and she's actually in the video dancing. The info says she lives with him. He raises money for charities that help people with her condition.

Alicia Josipovic: She plays Bianca on Degrassi. She's now also pursuing music, and there was a MuchMusic show called Signed where they profiled her. She's on Wax Records. I'm not really a fan of her or her character on the show, but it was interesting. Do you remember the Canadian pop trio B44 with their song "Get Down"? It was in 2000.

Well two of the members are twin brothers Ryan and Dan and they did come back as duo. They have now appeared as music producers on the show. AJ then works with Josh Ramsey, the lead singer from the Canadian band Mariana's Trench. They co-wrote songs together.

There's a part where AJ talks about how her dad passed away 2 months ago. She's now writing a song about it. She and her dad had music in common. I can relate to her talking about producers, writers, and her song writing. I may not write songs, but I do get feedback from producers and writers who tell me their opinions about my script.

Will you join us on December 10th to Write for Rights?

2011-11-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

I got this from Amnesty International:

"I wanted a laptop for Christmas, but I got my father back, the biggest Christmas present ever."
-Femi Peters, Jr., son of Femi Peters who was released in Dec 2010

Dear human rights supporter,

Will join us for an inspiring day of letter-writing on December 10th, International Human Rights Day?

Every year on International Human Rights Day, tens of thousands of Canadians join Amnesty International supporters in more than 50 countries around the world in an inspring day of letter-writing.

Last year, we wrote more than half a million letters urging that the rights of individuals be respected, protected and fulfilled, and showing solidarity with people wrongfully detained. Our letter-writing last year led to a successful outcome in more than half of the cases featured!

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This year on Human Rights Day, Amnesty International is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and we expect this will lead to the most successful Write for Rights ever.

Please join us in writing a letter on Human Rights Day — it’s a simple act that can save a life!

Alex

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Alex Neve,
Secretary General,
Amnesty International Canada

job interview/ revenge movies/ 90210

2011-11-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

Nov. 4 Job interview: I went to another interview today. It was in an industrial part of town. I was interviewed by this nice Chinese woman and she said the place is really fast-paced. She talks about speaking Chinese because there are Chinese workers and customers. I think it was okay, it lasted about 10min. But when I asked how many applicants there were, she said there were a lot.

My nitpick is crossing the street. There wasn't a sign with a big human figure. It's not until after the interview I was waiting for the bus, and there was a sign, a block away. I guess I could have got off the bus stop there, and then do a 5min walk to the building. It's about safety.

Another nitpick is that I have to take 2 buses, which is fine. But one of the buses comes every 30min, and not every 15min.

Revenge movies: I was thinking about that movie I Spit on Your Grave. It came out in 1978, and it was remade in 2010. I have read reviews where it's really good and scary. It's about a woman who was raped, and she comes back to kill the men who were responsible for it. It's a revenge fantasy/ torture-porn movie. I read that it's really graphic and violent, rated R.

I then thought: "So it's like Hard Candy, where a 14 yr old girl tortures a pedophile." Except I can stomach Hard Candy. As for I Spit on your Grave, seems really dark and I doubt I can sit through all of it. It's reality- based so that's what makes it scary. As for Saw movies, it's torture-porn, and it's not realistic, at least not to me. I can imagine a sociopath creating torture chambers for the victims to fight through, but it's not as believable as someone taking revenge on someone who hurt them brutally.

Here's the I Spit on Your Grave trailer. I'm disturbed watching it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J60jbnha-00&feature=related

A comment on Youtube: "They deserve to be imprisoned or killed. Not tortured, but just killed. By torturing them she's no better than they are, even if she did it out of revenge."

Hardy Candy: Here's the trailer to Hard Candy. It's interesting to read people's comments:

"I do get what you're sayin.

As a molestation victim, I'd have to say I myself would take great pleasure and satisfaction in personally and brutally torturing the men who took me and my brothers innocence. Some people deserve to pay in blood."

"f---ing disgusting torture-fest. Just finished this piece of sh-- 'movie' and I still feel shivers. My friend told me that I literally turned pale during the castration scene. This was the most demented, vile, and disgusting thing I have ever seen. I actually felt PITY for the damn pedophile... nobody deserved those seven stages of hell. I wouldn't wish this upon Hitler."

"Doesn't matter if she was a little psycho bitch who enjoyed torturing them, they deserved every bit of it and she's not hurting innocent men. She most certainly was better than that murderous pedophile, pedophiles pray on the innocent, she prayed on that which was far from innocent or good. Huge difference!"

That's the thing with this movie. You either find it a good revenge movie, or an awful torture-porn movie. You are also supposed to pick who to side with like a pedophile or 14 yr old girl torturing the pedophile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-C2H4ipxz0

Nov. 5 Comparisons:

Rape victim becomes vigilante: It's been done before on Criminal Minds season 2 ep "Jones" in 2007. It was done on CSI: NY last season's ep called "Vigilante." Also the movie I Spit on Your Grave. They were all done differently.

On Criminal Minds, there's Jack the Ripper kind of killer in New Orleans. It's not until halfway, they figure out the killer is a woman. Then they have to find the rapist to tell them the name of the woman. Agent Jennifer Jareau says: "The statute of limitations is up, so she can't press charges on you. However, we are under the impression that she is killing all these men, and she's working her way up to you, and you're next."

Then he gives them the name, and they arrest the woman as she is attacking another guy.

On CSI: NY, they start off the episode with a sexy situation. They show women working out on the poles. A Young Woman is punching a punching bag at the gym. A Man stalks her and follows her to an alley.

Man (voice over to 911): I would like to report a murder.
Operator: When did this happen?
Man: It's about to.

That was a good surprise to report a murder right before it happens. So you think it's the serial rapist/ killer who makes the call.

Then it turns out he was the one who got murdered. Surprise again. After some investigating, Det. Flack and Lindsay arrest the Young Woman who is the Vigilante Woman. VW punches Flack in the face and kicks Lindsay as she escapes. But they get her.

They thought the rape victim Kate Price did it. KP told VW and Female Lawyer about find the rapist. The good plot twist is that the Female Lawyer did it. FL had defended the rapist, and the next day she quit.

FL: He did only 5 yrs in prison.

FL and VW teamed up to beat up and kill the rapist.

90210: There is an episode called "Liars" from last season. It starts where the Christmas episode ends. This show is about rich teens doing fun and sexy things. However, I like this ep because it was very much like a crime drama.

Last season, Naomi falsely accuses her teacher Mr. Cannon of sexual harassment because she was angry at him. She then admits to it. He then rapes her in the season finale. She tries to forget about what happened, and then reports the rape 3 months later. Now there's no physical evidence. If you get raped, you should head to hospital right away and don't take a shower, or maybe even urinate until the get a rape kit together.

You don't necessarily have to press charges, but it's important to report the rape so he won't go and rape someone else.

Mr. C runs away and he came back and holds N hostage in her own home. Mr. C wants to get revenge on her because he lost his wife, family, and career because of N. Mr. C needs to get N's friend Silver to come to the home. N refuses to call S and get her hurt. Mr. C textes S, on N's phone.

S comes to N's home. Now N and S are tied up to chairs and they say on video tape like how N was never raped (when she was.) Mr. C needs a lot of money from N so he can go away until his name is cleared.

Cut to the next day. Mr. C wakes up N and S. Mr. C will hold S hostage in car, as N gets money from her bank. N asks to fix her makeup because the bank people will know something's wrong if she goes in not looking dressed up.

N sits down and puts make up on and as Mr. C is talking, she grabs her hairspray and sprays it into Mr. C's eyes. S gets this blunt object and hits him on the head and knocks him out.

N and S put masking tape and tie up Mr. C to a chair. They call the police and they're coming. N punches Mr. C in the face twice. She kicks him when he's in the chair and it falls over.
Me: Yeah!

Then N is about to slit Mr. C's throat, but S convinces her to stop. Then the police come. N cries as S holds her.

Save a life. Write for Rights

2011-11-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

I got this from Amnesty International. It turns out writing letters to the govt. does help people.

If you think writing letters is passé, that touching pen to paper is meaningless in the age of Facebook and Twitter, remember my story.

My name is Birtukan Mideksa, and your letters set me free.

I once had no hope of freedom. A single mother and former opposition party leader in Ethiopia, I was arrested in 2005 after my political party participated in protests disputing the results of the elections.

Security forces responded to the public outcry with deadly force, shooting dead 187 people and wounding 765 others.

I committed no crime. I was targeted solely for peacefully expressing my political views.

Help free other prisoners of conscience like me. Join Amnesty's 2011 Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon. There are 15 urgent cases of abuse and injustice in need of your action.

The government in Ethiopia thought it could quell dissent by locking opponents away forever.

I was serving a life sentence in Kaliti Prison when Amnesty International members came to my defense. When my case was featured in the 2009 Write for Rights campaign, thousands of people called for my freedom.

Your letters were my protection during the months I spent in solitary confinement. You were my voice when I had none. Your letters kept hope alive at the darkest hours of need.

Thanks to Amnesty International, I regained my freedom in October 2010.

I am so grateful that your letters and action worked for me. Now I urge you to keep up your good work by taking action for others. I offer my voice for Amnesty International, and I hope that you will do the same.

Write with me. Join the 2011 Write for Rights campaign today.

In peace,
Birtukan Mideksa