I got this from Amnesty International:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/
My father has been on a hunger strike for 9 weeks. He may die soon. Demand his immediate release and freedom for all prisoners of conscience in Bahrain.
Dear Tracy,
No one wanted it to come to this, but it has.
My father, prominent Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, is on a 9-week hunger strike protesting the life sentence he received for peaceful protest.
In prison, security forces broke his jaw in four places and subjected him to severe physical, psychological and sexual torture. Since his arrest last year, my mother was fired from her job, my sister was arrested five times, and my brothers-in-law were arrested and tortured.
Authorities decide when to let anyone from my family see him. The human rights of my family and of thousands of peaceful Bahrainis like us have been deeply violated by the government.
My father doesn't want to end his life. He wants to end injustice and violence against the Bahraini people.
Help me break through now, to save his life. Demand the immediate and unconditional release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and all prisoners of conscience in Bahrain.
Many governments have shamefully ignored the daily and widespread human rights violations in my country. As controversy swirls around Bahrain's plans to host the Grand Prix auto race this month, Bahraini authorities desperately try to assure the world that all is back to "business as usual." But the people of Bahrain continue to call for change, and my father may pay for that goal with his life. Pressure from people like you may force action.
As one activist to another, I ask for your help securing the release of my father and of all of the unjustly imprisoned activists in Bahrain. Delay could mean death.
Please take action for my father today. I am forever grateful for your support.
In solidarity,
Maryam al-Khawaja
Head of Foreign Relations, Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Daughter of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
job interview/ junior achievement/ financial chats
Apr. 9 Job interview: Today I went to a job interview. It was average.
The pros: I arrived early, dressed well, and brought what they asked me to bring.
The cons: I felt that I was kind of stumbling on my answers a bit. The guy who wrote down the answers, typed it up and it was the gist of my answers.
Apr. 13: I checked my email and I got rejected.
Rant: This is a mild rant. I was thinking about those 3 employees who got dismissed. Let's just say one of them, I had a rift with. I told him he was too demanding with how the table has to be set perfectly, like putting it to the edge of the table. I mean with a hostess, she has told me I should set for 4 and not for 2. That's fine.
He told me I wasn't a really good worker because I wasn't constantly moving. Well certainly before 9am, it's not really busy so I'm more calm. As soon as 9am comes, I'm constantly dealing with the rush. I guess I want to say is: "Who are you to tell me that I'm not a good worker compared to what you did?"
Vacation pay: I found this article on Yahoo about how Netflix lets their employees take as much vacation days as they want, as long as they keep up with their projects. I read a lot of comments on it about work-life balance.
http://news.yahoo.com/netflixs-unlimited-employee-vacation-policy-why-works-143308255.html
Apr. 14 Junior Achievement: This is youth education organization that teaches about financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. I remember back in gr. 9, a man and a woman came in and did a few financial literacy classes for us. Here's their website:
http://www.jacan.org/
Today I was at West Ed Mall and there were these booths where teens sell their products that they learned how to make and sell from Junior Achievement. I picked up their business cards and talked to them a bit.
Chameleon Cups: This ceramic mug will change color when the cup is hot.
www.chameleoncups.webs.com
Collar Chic: This is an accessory. It's a shirt collar with these studs and other jewels on it.
Me (to the teens): I guess this will be really popular for grad.
http://www.wix.com/collarchic/chic
Chain reaction: They make key chains and some are customized. 25% of their profits will go to the Edmonton Food Bank.
http://www.wix.com/stalphonsuscr/chainreaction
SurvivaCord: This is a bracelet made of Paracord. It looks good. I think guys can wear this jewelery.
http://www.survivacordja.com/productsservices.htm
Carterra: They make Eco-friendly wallets that hold cards.
http://carterra.webs.com/aboutus.htm
Deco Art: This is actually kind of quirky. It's a picture frame where you can write and draw with a chalk. It's like made of chalk board, and it's magnetic so you can put it on the fridge and stick magnets on the frame.
http://decoart.tumblr.com/
Review: All the Junior Achievement websites are really good. I went to all of them. I thought the products are fun and creative gifts.
The Book of Awesome: This is written by Neil Parsricha. I made a note that on page 141 he wrote that "Terrible Businesses run by Children." He talked about being 14 yrs old and selling necklaces for Junior Achievement: "Or basically it was a bunch of kids in a room every Thursday night acting like middle managers with adult supervision."
"Because really, you're just watching them learn things they don't learn in the classroom and have fun doing it. They're learning how to sell, picking up social skills, and jumping right into the whirring gears of the marketplace. And honestly, they're doing all this by just getting out there and giving it a shot."
Apr. 15 Callback: I may have been hired somewhere. I don't know for sure. I may only get one or two shifts a week. I'm kind of stressed out. I will still work at my restaurant job. If this new job doesn't work out like I'm not good at it, and I get dismissed, I still have my restaurant job.
Apr. 18 Financial Chats: I got this article from Alissa Alvarez called "12 Financial Chats You Should Tune into on Twitter." Yesterday I finally set up my Twitter account. This is an informative article.
5. #Careerchat is for Generation Y.
7. #JPchat is for young women's finances.
http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/12-financial-chats-you-should-tune-into-on-twitter/
Personal finance: Jasmine Hall sent me this article "10 Colleges that are Taking on Personal Finance." Everybody should know about savings, investments, and budgeting. After the recession hit and college graduates are going into this economy, they especially need to learn about personal finance. This article lists 10 colleges that are teaching it. It's good that kids are prepared for the real world.
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/04/16/10-colleges-that-are-taking-on-personal-finance/
College majors: Tim Handorf emailed this article "12 College Majors we Hope to See Soon." It's mainly technology like IT for medical technology, mobile app development, digital publishing. There is also climate change. It's a good article because the world is changing and technology and the environment are really important.
http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/04/05/12-college-majors-we-hope-to-see-soon/
Employee motivation: Carol Brown sent me this article "10 Biggest Myths about Employee Motivation." "#4 Surfing the web hurts productivity" is not true because employees do need a mental break from time to time. You have to motivate smart employees and managers have to sometimes set goals for employees. There needs to be a direction.
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/04/10/10-biggest-myths-about-employee-motivation/
Blogging: I found this article "Start Blogging to Change the World." Justin Marquis, Ph.D. gave tips like purpose, content, and the audience. He says: "Your reason for writing (purpose) is different than the content that you will write." Get on social media like Facebook and Twitter to advertise your blog.
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/start-blogging-to-change-the-world/
The pros: I arrived early, dressed well, and brought what they asked me to bring.
The cons: I felt that I was kind of stumbling on my answers a bit. The guy who wrote down the answers, typed it up and it was the gist of my answers.
Apr. 13: I checked my email and I got rejected.
Rant: This is a mild rant. I was thinking about those 3 employees who got dismissed. Let's just say one of them, I had a rift with. I told him he was too demanding with how the table has to be set perfectly, like putting it to the edge of the table. I mean with a hostess, she has told me I should set for 4 and not for 2. That's fine.
He told me I wasn't a really good worker because I wasn't constantly moving. Well certainly before 9am, it's not really busy so I'm more calm. As soon as 9am comes, I'm constantly dealing with the rush. I guess I want to say is: "Who are you to tell me that I'm not a good worker compared to what you did?"
Vacation pay: I found this article on Yahoo about how Netflix lets their employees take as much vacation days as they want, as long as they keep up with their projects. I read a lot of comments on it about work-life balance.
http://news.yahoo.com/netflixs-unlimited-employee-vacation-policy-why-works-143308255.html
Apr. 14 Junior Achievement: This is youth education organization that teaches about financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. I remember back in gr. 9, a man and a woman came in and did a few financial literacy classes for us. Here's their website:
http://www.jacan.org/
Today I was at West Ed Mall and there were these booths where teens sell their products that they learned how to make and sell from Junior Achievement. I picked up their business cards and talked to them a bit.
Chameleon Cups: This ceramic mug will change color when the cup is hot.
www.chameleoncups.webs.com
Collar Chic: This is an accessory. It's a shirt collar with these studs and other jewels on it.
Me (to the teens): I guess this will be really popular for grad.
http://www.wix.com/collarchic/chic
Chain reaction: They make key chains and some are customized. 25% of their profits will go to the Edmonton Food Bank.
SurvivaCord: This is a bracelet made of Paracord. It looks good. I think guys can wear this jewelery.
Carterra: They make Eco-friendly wallets that hold cards.
Deco Art: This is actually kind of quirky. It's a picture frame where you can write and draw with a chalk. It's like made of chalk board, and it's magnetic so you can put it on the fridge and stick magnets on the frame.
http://decoart.tumblr.com/
Review: All the Junior Achievement websites are really good. I went to all of them. I thought the products are fun and creative gifts.
The Book of Awesome: This is written by Neil Parsricha. I made a note that on page 141 he wrote that "Terrible Businesses run by Children." He talked about being 14 yrs old and selling necklaces for Junior Achievement: "Or basically it was a bunch of kids in a room every Thursday night acting like middle managers with adult supervision."
"Because really, you're just watching them learn things they don't learn in the classroom and have fun doing it. They're learning how to sell, picking up social skills, and jumping right into the whirring gears of the marketplace. And honestly, they're doing all this by just getting out there and giving it a shot."
Apr. 15 Callback: I may have been hired somewhere. I don't know for sure. I may only get one or two shifts a week. I'm kind of stressed out. I will still work at my restaurant job. If this new job doesn't work out like I'm not good at it, and I get dismissed, I still have my restaurant job.
Apr. 18 Financial Chats: I got this article from Alissa Alvarez called "12 Financial Chats You Should Tune into on Twitter." Yesterday I finally set up my Twitter account. This is an informative article.
5. #Careerchat is for Generation Y.
7. #JPchat is for young women's finances.
http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/12-financial-chats-you-should-tune-into-on-twitter/
Personal finance: Jasmine Hall sent me this article "10 Colleges that are Taking on Personal Finance." Everybody should know about savings, investments, and budgeting. After the recession hit and college graduates are going into this economy, they especially need to learn about personal finance. This article lists 10 colleges that are teaching it. It's good that kids are prepared for the real world.
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/04/16/10-colleges-that-are-taking-on-personal-finance/
College majors: Tim Handorf emailed this article "12 College Majors we Hope to See Soon." It's mainly technology like IT for medical technology, mobile app development, digital publishing. There is also climate change. It's a good article because the world is changing and technology and the environment are really important.
http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/04/05/12-college-majors-we-hope-to-see-soon/
Employee motivation: Carol Brown sent me this article "10 Biggest Myths about Employee Motivation." "#4 Surfing the web hurts productivity" is not true because employees do need a mental break from time to time. You have to motivate smart employees and managers have to sometimes set goals for employees. There needs to be a direction.
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/04/10/10-biggest-myths-about-employee-motivation/
Blogging: I found this article "Start Blogging to Change the World." Justin Marquis, Ph.D. gave tips like purpose, content, and the audience. He says: "Your reason for writing (purpose) is different than the content that you will write." Get on social media like Facebook and Twitter to advertise your blog.
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/start-blogging-to-change-the-world/
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Be a part of the "Famnesty"
Gear Up with Amnesty Merch!
Shown in Photo: Amnes-tees
http://shop.amnestyusa.org/?utm_source=aiusa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=April12_Merch2&utm_campaign=Merch_April12_Email
Dear Tracy,
Be a part of the Amnesty Family (or, as we like to call it, "famnesty!"). Wear your support for human rights from head to toe with our new Amnesty bags, bandana, and tees. Check out our trendy loop scarf, a must-have for this season, or get creative with paper beads made in Uganda. You can make an impact when you shop at Amnesty International because every purchase you make supports our life-saving human rights work. Visit our store.
BANDANA - $7.95 $6.50
MESSENGER BAG - $24.95
ABOLISH THE DEATH PENAL-TEE - $17.95 $14.00
BANDANA MESSENGER BAG ABOLISH THE DEATH PENAL-TEE
PEPPERMINT SHEA LIP BALM - $6.00
FAIR TRADE SHEA BUTTER SOAP - $6.00
FAIR TRADE LOOSE BEADS - $15.00
PEPPERMINT SHEA LIP BALM FAIR TRADE SHEA BUTTER SOAP FAIR TRADE LOOSE BEADS
BASEBALL CAP - $18.95
AMNESTY PEN (10-IN A PACK) - $7.00
MUSETTE BAG - $15.00 $12.00
BASEBALL CAP AMNESTY PEN (10-IN A PACK) MUSETTE BAG
PROSPERITY TIN CANDLE - $15.00 $12.00
FAIR TRADE LOOP SCARF - $25.00
PERUVIAN CHANGE PURSE - $15.00
PROSPERITY TIN CANDLE FAIR TRADE LOOP SCARF PERUVIAN CHANGE PURSE
You can find more great deals on shop.amnestyusa.org
Please send all questions & concerns to store@aiusa.org
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Shown in Photo: Amnes-tees
http://shop.amnestyusa.org/?utm_source=aiusa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=April12_Merch2&utm_campaign=Merch_April12_Email
Dear Tracy,
Be a part of the Amnesty Family (or, as we like to call it, "famnesty!"). Wear your support for human rights from head to toe with our new Amnesty bags, bandana, and tees. Check out our trendy loop scarf, a must-have for this season, or get creative with paper beads made in Uganda. You can make an impact when you shop at Amnesty International because every purchase you make supports our life-saving human rights work. Visit our store.
BANDANA - $7.95 $6.50
MESSENGER BAG - $24.95
ABOLISH THE DEATH PENAL-TEE - $17.95 $14.00
BANDANA MESSENGER BAG ABOLISH THE DEATH PENAL-TEE
PEPPERMINT SHEA LIP BALM - $6.00
FAIR TRADE SHEA BUTTER SOAP - $6.00
FAIR TRADE LOOSE BEADS - $15.00
PEPPERMINT SHEA LIP BALM FAIR TRADE SHEA BUTTER SOAP FAIR TRADE LOOSE BEADS
BASEBALL CAP - $18.95
AMNESTY PEN (10-IN A PACK) - $7.00
MUSETTE BAG - $15.00 $12.00
BASEBALL CAP AMNESTY PEN (10-IN A PACK) MUSETTE BAG
PROSPERITY TIN CANDLE - $15.00 $12.00
FAIR TRADE LOOP SCARF - $25.00
PERUVIAN CHANGE PURSE - $15.00
PROSPERITY TIN CANDLE FAIR TRADE LOOP SCARF PERUVIAN CHANGE PURSE
You can find more great deals on shop.amnestyusa.org
Please send all questions & concerns to store@aiusa.org
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
comparisons/ The Vertex Fighter music/ Degrassi
Apr. 6 Comparisons:
To remove a bomb inside a body: It was done on Dark Angel season 2, where Alec has a bomb in his head. Alec was to kill three Manticorp mutants, and he only got one. Max manages to get a Manticorp scientist to pull it out.
It was done on Alias season 1 where Sydney has to pull out a bomb inside some politician's body.
It was kind of done in the movie Crank where a man learns that he was injected with a poison. He has to keep his heart racing so he could live. There is still something in his body that could kill him.
A character is strapped to a bomb, and they have to find the bad guy who did it, and get him to diffuse it: It was done on The Mentalist where Agent Lisbon wakes up with a bomb strapped to her.
It was done years ago on She Spies where Cassie puts on a necklace for her birthday. Then she learns this gift she got, was a bomb. Both shows did it well.
Apr. 9 Group of friends commit a crime: This has been done several times like this Desperate Housewives season 8. Gabrielle's stepfather attacks her, and her husband Carlos kills him. The other friends enter, and they all have to hide the dead body.
It was done on Tru Calling's ep called "Past Tense." It's a show about a woman named Tru who can relive days and save dead people. The ep is where a group of 5 guys died. Tru has to prevent it from happening. It turns out the 5 guys were all friends, and one of them killed a girl and they all have to keep it between them.
Also I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Group of friends commit a crime. One of the friends kills the others so he could protect the secret: It was done on Tru Calling's episode "Past Tense." One guy John (Gabriel Olds) tries to kill the other 4 guys. John was the one who killed the girl. One guy Blake (Leonard Roberts) was the one who sent John the anonymous note "I will go to the police about it." Since John doesn't know which one of his 4 friends sent the note, he decides to get them all killed.
Fun Buffy trivia. Tru is played by Eliza Dushku was Faith on Buffy. Leonard Roberts was Forrest on Buffy.
I recently saw this on Castle's ep "Once Upon a Crime." Two women got killed. Then a third one was about to get killed, but Beckett and Castle save her. They interview the surviving victim and she said she was blackmailed. They were blackmailed by a guy, but then that part of the mystery is solved.
It turns out the surviving victim was the one who was responsible for the murder of her two friends. It was to make sure, they won't go to the police because the surviving victim was responsible for the accidental murder that happened years ago.
Apr. 11 The Vertex Fighter:
Music: I thought of a couple more songs.
"Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5: I have their cd. This is a tough, rock song. You can play this song during a fight scene. Here's their music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV8NHsmVMPE&ob=av2n
"Push it" by Amerie: This is more of a motivation song to keep pushing and trying to achieve your goals. I can see this song playing during a montage of the lead Shawn working out and training. Here's the link to the song. On the description it said that it's a good work out song. lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RgtuNMi68U
"Make it Rain" by Amerie: "Make it rain" means make money. This has a good beat, got a tough, gangster vibe to it. You can dance to it. This song could play in a montage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuKGoswiRDw&feature=related
Themes: I have written before about busy plots. As in there are too many stories going on at the same time. In The Vertex Fighter, I am able to list 3 themes.
1. Mix Martial Arts (MMA)- the action.
2. Police involved- the story.
3. The brother's drama- the characters.
Apr. 12 Flashback: I was going through my notes and it's about a comparison "Get out of a test, pull the fire alarm." I mentioned this before, but I want to add to it. When I was at NAIT back in 2004, a fire alarm was pulled. Then later, I heard a guy got kicked out of an exam for cheating. He then called the school and said there was a bomb there. That's why the fire alarm was pulled.
I may have read about it in the Edmonton Journal afterwards. It's kind of fuzzy right now.
My left-brain says: "That's terrible. You unnecessarily scared people and got the fire department, police, maybe bomb squad over something that's not a danger to anyone. If you just pulled the fire alarm, only a fire truck would come."
My right-brain says: "That's creative about a bomb. I haven't heard that one before."
But that is still terrible to scare people like that.
Degrassi: I was watching Degrassi back in Aug. 2011. It was the season finale and I liked it because it had action, cops, and guns involved. Kind of like my The Vertex Fighter script.
The story is that Bianca is selling drugs for drug dealer Vince to protect her ex-boyfriend Drew. Vince and his gang already beat up Drew once earlier in the season. All season Vince has been intimidating them.
There is also the lighter storylines like how Holly J can't physically come to the prom because she's sick and needs a kidney. So her friend Anya shows her iPad and Anya is there and they talk through it. It's like Holly J is physically there. Riley and Zane go to college, so that's the end of their storyline now that they have graduated out of Degrassi.
Vince knows where the Degrassi prom was held. Drew then defends Bianca when Vince shows up. Drew uses his MMA skills that he learned earlier in the season. Vince shoots in the crowd, and then drops his gun on the ground, and runs.
It's Drew's step-brother Adam who gets shot in the shoulder. Bianca picks up the gun to end this feud between her, Drew, and Vince once and for all.
Bianca goes to this kind of "safe house" where Vince hides out whenever crazy gang things happen. Bianca knows him. Drew goes to Bianca and talks her down because she's going to shoot him when he comes out.
Drew: You can put Vince in jail with the gun that he used since you have the gun here. And then you can arrest all of Vince's friends so they won't get at us.
Bianca then goes with Drew. Vince gets arrested.
Bianca, Drew, and Drew's girlfriend Katie go visit Adam in the hospital. Adam is transgender and is really a girl living like a guy. I remembered that Adam's mom came to the hospital and said Adam's real girl's name. It was very instinctive of a mother to say the real name though she often says Adam.
Pros: It was a good season finale with the drama and action. I liked the light things like how Bianca and Adam were dancing at the prom. When they first met each other the season before, they didn't get along. There was some bittersweet moments like Jake dumps Claire because their parents are getting married.
I did like how Sav suprises Miss. Oh by going back to Degrassi, and they dance together. Sav will graduate and he says goodbye to Miss. Oh because they aren't going to be dating. She's a teacher, and he's a student. Even when he did graduate and he's no longer a student there, it wasn't going to work out.
Cons: My major problem with this story is how they were able to arrest Vince so easily. In real life, Vince should get the gun, shoot, and run with the gun. He shouldn't just drop the gun on the floor and run. He would then throw it in the water, burn it, whatever just get rid of it.
Also Bianca was able to find Vince easily. Well that's because Bianca knows Vince personally and his MO. This is a teen TV show, and it has to be solved in 1 hr (2 30min shows.)
In a crime-drama, there would be a lot of difficulty finding the gun and finding the gunman. There would most likely be 2 cops following a lead on the gun, and 2 other cops following a lead on the gunman.
To remove a bomb inside a body: It was done on Dark Angel season 2, where Alec has a bomb in his head. Alec was to kill three Manticorp mutants, and he only got one. Max manages to get a Manticorp scientist to pull it out.
It was done on Alias season 1 where Sydney has to pull out a bomb inside some politician's body.
It was kind of done in the movie Crank where a man learns that he was injected with a poison. He has to keep his heart racing so he could live. There is still something in his body that could kill him.
A character is strapped to a bomb, and they have to find the bad guy who did it, and get him to diffuse it: It was done on The Mentalist where Agent Lisbon wakes up with a bomb strapped to her.
It was done years ago on She Spies where Cassie puts on a necklace for her birthday. Then she learns this gift she got, was a bomb. Both shows did it well.
Apr. 9 Group of friends commit a crime: This has been done several times like this Desperate Housewives season 8. Gabrielle's stepfather attacks her, and her husband Carlos kills him. The other friends enter, and they all have to hide the dead body.
It was done on Tru Calling's ep called "Past Tense." It's a show about a woman named Tru who can relive days and save dead people. The ep is where a group of 5 guys died. Tru has to prevent it from happening. It turns out the 5 guys were all friends, and one of them killed a girl and they all have to keep it between them.
Also I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Group of friends commit a crime. One of the friends kills the others so he could protect the secret: It was done on Tru Calling's episode "Past Tense." One guy John (Gabriel Olds) tries to kill the other 4 guys. John was the one who killed the girl. One guy Blake (Leonard Roberts) was the one who sent John the anonymous note "I will go to the police about it." Since John doesn't know which one of his 4 friends sent the note, he decides to get them all killed.
Fun Buffy trivia. Tru is played by Eliza Dushku was Faith on Buffy. Leonard Roberts was Forrest on Buffy.
I recently saw this on Castle's ep "Once Upon a Crime." Two women got killed. Then a third one was about to get killed, but Beckett and Castle save her. They interview the surviving victim and she said she was blackmailed. They were blackmailed by a guy, but then that part of the mystery is solved.
It turns out the surviving victim was the one who was responsible for the murder of her two friends. It was to make sure, they won't go to the police because the surviving victim was responsible for the accidental murder that happened years ago.
Apr. 11 The Vertex Fighter:
Music: I thought of a couple more songs.
"Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5: I have their cd. This is a tough, rock song. You can play this song during a fight scene. Here's their music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV8NHsmVMPE&ob=av2n
"Push it" by Amerie: This is more of a motivation song to keep pushing and trying to achieve your goals. I can see this song playing during a montage of the lead Shawn working out and training. Here's the link to the song. On the description it said that it's a good work out song. lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RgtuNMi68U
"Make it Rain" by Amerie: "Make it rain" means make money. This has a good beat, got a tough, gangster vibe to it. You can dance to it. This song could play in a montage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuKGoswiRDw&feature=related
Themes: I have written before about busy plots. As in there are too many stories going on at the same time. In The Vertex Fighter, I am able to list 3 themes.
1. Mix Martial Arts (MMA)- the action.
2. Police involved- the story.
3. The brother's drama- the characters.
Apr. 12 Flashback: I was going through my notes and it's about a comparison "Get out of a test, pull the fire alarm." I mentioned this before, but I want to add to it. When I was at NAIT back in 2004, a fire alarm was pulled. Then later, I heard a guy got kicked out of an exam for cheating. He then called the school and said there was a bomb there. That's why the fire alarm was pulled.
I may have read about it in the Edmonton Journal afterwards. It's kind of fuzzy right now.
My left-brain says: "That's terrible. You unnecessarily scared people and got the fire department, police, maybe bomb squad over something that's not a danger to anyone. If you just pulled the fire alarm, only a fire truck would come."
My right-brain says: "That's creative about a bomb. I haven't heard that one before."
But that is still terrible to scare people like that.
Degrassi: I was watching Degrassi back in Aug. 2011. It was the season finale and I liked it because it had action, cops, and guns involved. Kind of like my The Vertex Fighter script.
The story is that Bianca is selling drugs for drug dealer Vince to protect her ex-boyfriend Drew. Vince and his gang already beat up Drew once earlier in the season. All season Vince has been intimidating them.
There is also the lighter storylines like how Holly J can't physically come to the prom because she's sick and needs a kidney. So her friend Anya shows her iPad and Anya is there and they talk through it. It's like Holly J is physically there. Riley and Zane go to college, so that's the end of their storyline now that they have graduated out of Degrassi.
Vince knows where the Degrassi prom was held. Drew then defends Bianca when Vince shows up. Drew uses his MMA skills that he learned earlier in the season. Vince shoots in the crowd, and then drops his gun on the ground, and runs.
It's Drew's step-brother Adam who gets shot in the shoulder. Bianca picks up the gun to end this feud between her, Drew, and Vince once and for all.
Bianca goes to this kind of "safe house" where Vince hides out whenever crazy gang things happen. Bianca knows him. Drew goes to Bianca and talks her down because she's going to shoot him when he comes out.
Drew: You can put Vince in jail with the gun that he used since you have the gun here. And then you can arrest all of Vince's friends so they won't get at us.
Bianca then goes with Drew. Vince gets arrested.
Bianca, Drew, and Drew's girlfriend Katie go visit Adam in the hospital. Adam is transgender and is really a girl living like a guy. I remembered that Adam's mom came to the hospital and said Adam's real girl's name. It was very instinctive of a mother to say the real name though she often says Adam.
Pros: It was a good season finale with the drama and action. I liked the light things like how Bianca and Adam were dancing at the prom. When they first met each other the season before, they didn't get along. There was some bittersweet moments like Jake dumps Claire because their parents are getting married.
I did like how Sav suprises Miss. Oh by going back to Degrassi, and they dance together. Sav will graduate and he says goodbye to Miss. Oh because they aren't going to be dating. She's a teacher, and he's a student. Even when he did graduate and he's no longer a student there, it wasn't going to work out.
Cons: My major problem with this story is how they were able to arrest Vince so easily. In real life, Vince should get the gun, shoot, and run with the gun. He shouldn't just drop the gun on the floor and run. He would then throw it in the water, burn it, whatever just get rid of it.
Also Bianca was able to find Vince easily. Well that's because Bianca knows Vince personally and his MO. This is a teen TV show, and it has to be solved in 1 hr (2 30min shows.)
In a crime-drama, there would be a lot of difficulty finding the gun and finding the gunman. There would most likely be 2 cops following a lead on the gun, and 2 other cops following a lead on the gunman.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Clooney got arrested for Sudan, what will you do?
Amnesty's on a mission
https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.6oJCLQPAJiJUG/b.6662481/k.2BA2/Donate_Now/apps/ka/sd/donorcustom.asp?msource=W1204EDCPR1N
Dear Tracy,
George Clooney, members of Congress, and activists were arrested last month for protesting human rights abuses in Sudan. Despite the attention this act drew to their suffering, the Sudanese people still face grave abuses, and their country remains devastated by years of civil war.
This week, Amnesty International's Alex Neve arrived in South Sudan. He is participating in a vitally important human rights research mission to investigate deadly attacks on villages and aerial bombings of civilians along the border region of Sudan and the world's newest country, South Sudan. We need your support to continue this work.
Just before he left, Alex made a video about why this trip was so important. Watch the 3-minute video:
Mission to South Sudan video
We wish Alex and the team of Amnesty International researchers safe travel to remote and volatile areas, as they gather first-hand reports from those affected by the violence in the region.
Support Amnesty's work in Sudan and around the world -- donate today.
Amnesty International's human rights research and monitoring saves lives. It gives voice to people affected by conflicts and mass atrocities. It's used to pressure governments to protect human rights. And it backs up the tireless campaigning of our millions-strong human rights movement with fact-based, first-hand research.
Thank you for supporting Amnesty International's fact-finding mission in South Sudan. It's financial contributions from people like you that allow Amnesty to undertake these vital human rights missions in our efforts to protect civilians at risk. Donate now.
Sincerely,
Scott Edwards
Crisis Prevention and Response
Amnesty International USA
https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.6oJCLQPAJiJUG/b.6662481/k.2BA2/Donate_Now/apps/ka/sd/donorcustom.asp?msource=W1204EDCPR1N
Dear Tracy,
George Clooney, members of Congress, and activists were arrested last month for protesting human rights abuses in Sudan. Despite the attention this act drew to their suffering, the Sudanese people still face grave abuses, and their country remains devastated by years of civil war.
This week, Amnesty International's Alex Neve arrived in South Sudan. He is participating in a vitally important human rights research mission to investigate deadly attacks on villages and aerial bombings of civilians along the border region of Sudan and the world's newest country, South Sudan. We need your support to continue this work.
Just before he left, Alex made a video about why this trip was so important. Watch the 3-minute video:
Mission to South Sudan video
We wish Alex and the team of Amnesty International researchers safe travel to remote and volatile areas, as they gather first-hand reports from those affected by the violence in the region.
Support Amnesty's work in Sudan and around the world -- donate today.
Amnesty International's human rights research and monitoring saves lives. It gives voice to people affected by conflicts and mass atrocities. It's used to pressure governments to protect human rights. And it backs up the tireless campaigning of our millions-strong human rights movement with fact-based, first-hand research.
Thank you for supporting Amnesty International's fact-finding mission in South Sudan. It's financial contributions from people like you that allow Amnesty to undertake these vital human rights missions in our efforts to protect civilians at risk. Donate now.
Sincerely,
Scott Edwards
Crisis Prevention and Response
Amnesty International USA
funny video/ tone of voice/ marriage
Apr. 6 Funny video: I was watching some Tosh.O today. It's where the comedian Daniel Tosh shows some videos and makes snarky comments on it.
Cut to the back seat of a car.
A Teen Boy isn't wearing a seat belt, and he opens the door.
Teen Boy sticks half his body out, as he reaches to smack his friend outside.
Teen Boy falls out of the car.
Teen Boy hits his face hard on the back headlight of a parked car.
Cut to the studio.
The audience says: "Ohhhh."
Then DT pretends to be like Oprah by being on a set that looks like her talk show. On the screen it says "Tosh Oprah."
DT interviews the Teen Boy.
TB is wearing bandages all over his face.
DT: Why did you stick your body out like that?
TB: I thought it would be funny to hit my friend as the car goes by.
DT: How fast was the car going?
TB: 35 miles an hr.
DT: Did your friends call 911 or did they drive you the hospital?
TB: They called 911 and the ambulance came 45min later.
DT: How old were you?
TB: 15 yrs old.
DT: Did your parents ground you?
TB: They sent me to live with my grandma.
DT: So they got rid of you.
The audience laughs.
TB takes off his bandages and he looks normal.
It was a "video redemption" segment. It's where TB relives that moment, and he sticks his body out and hits a Guy on his head while Guy is riding a bike. TB, DT, and Woman are riding this sort of jeep.
Apr. 8 Tone of voice: I remember in writing and a gr. 10 drama class exercise, about tone of voice. You can say one sentence in different ways. It was about a month ago, I thought about this.
Dateline: I'm going to bring up Dateline: To Catch a Predator where a 35 yr old guy is going to date a 12 yr old girl. Here's the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14FZUc8_rWI
Guy: I thought that we should get to know each other a bit first. Then next time I'll bring condoms.
Me: What are you guys going to talk about? Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers? What if she gets pregnant?
I know you guys are only reading this, and you can't hear my voice. I will say my tone is plain. I'm not angry or snarky. The way I asked "Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers?" is the exact same plain tone of voice as I ask the serious question "What if she gets pregnant?"
Tosh.O: However, I can imagine Daniel Tosh on Tosh.O saying what I just said, but in a way more snarky tone.
Here's a clip of DT talking about "Tebowing." You can watch 30 seconds of him and now imagine him saying what I just said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYSRiz52exk
Cut to Tosh. O. They show the Dateline clip.
DT: What are you guys going to talk about? Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers?
The audience laughs.
DT: So are you going to watch some Twilight movies and go to the Justin Beiber concert?
The audience laughs.
DT: Geez, this guy is so fake. It's like watching a really flamboyant gay guy date a straight woman.
The audience laughs.
Imagination: Now I can imagine Daniel Tosh and his producers going on the internet and finding my blog. They would say: "Damn, Tracy Au has kind of got the flow of DT's humor and show."
Internet in movies: Yelin George sent me this article through my blog. "10 Most Ridiculous Uses of the Internet in Movies." It's a mildly funny article.
When I mentioned it to my brother the movie The Italian Job, my brother guessed right away what the scene was. It's where Seth Green's character make all the street lights turn green. #2 was FearDotCom. I remember seeing it on TV, and thought it was mediocre. It's about a website being able to kill people just by visiting it. Then it gave to the link to Justin Beiber's website about his new single "Boyfriend."
http://www.cabletvproviders.net/blog/2012/10-most-ridiculous-uses-of-the-internet-in-movies/
Apr. 9 Joke: I got this from Daily Silly. I thought it was a creative story.
There was a perfect man who met a perfect woman. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was, of course, perfect.
One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve this perfect couple was driving along a winding road when they noticed someone at the roadside in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help.
There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle.
Soon they were driving along delivering the toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident.
Only one of them survived the accident. Who was the survivor?
The perfect woman.
She's the only one that really existed in the first place.
Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man.
* A Male's Response *
So, if there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. This explains why there was a car accident.
Me: This joke dissed both genders.
Marriage: Here's another one from Daily Silly:
A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up.
"Oh, we'll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship," the wife explained. "He was a communications major in college, and I majored in theater arts. He communicates really well, and I just act as if I'm listening."
Here's another one:
Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?" "Because white is the color of happiness," her mother explained, "and today is the happiest day in her life." The child thought for a moment and then asked, "So why is the groom wearing black?"
Apr. 12 Bear joke: I got this from Daily Silly, but I think I've heard this joke before a long time ago:
Two guys were hiking in the forest when they suddenly came across a big grizzly bear. The one guy took off his hiking boots and put on some running shoes. His friend said to him, "You're crazy! Don't you know how fast grizzlies are? You'll never be able to outrun it!" "Outrun it?" said his friend. "I only have to outrun you!"
Dog joke: Here's one from Daily Silly:
A mother's bachelor son invited her over for a meal. He had just gotten two new dogs and wanted his mom to see them. When she sat down at the table, she noticed that the dishes were the dirtiest that she had ever seen in her life. "Have these dishes ever been washed?" she asked, running her fingers over the grit and grime. "They're as clean as soap and water could get them," he answered. She felt a bit apprehensive but started eating anyway. The food was really delicious, and she said so, despite the dirty dishes. When dinner was over, her son took the dishes, put them on the floor, whistled, and yelled, "Here, Soap! Here, Water!"
Me: I predicted that the dogs were licking the plates, but I didn't predict that Soap and Water were the dog's names. However, in real life I would have tried to use soap and water and wash the dishes myself. I'm a neat freak and would say: "You're not washing the dishes right. You're not giving it a really good, hard scrub."
Motorcycle: Also from Tosh.O. They showed this video at the beginning of the show. There's a camera on the motorcycle, and it's going over these 3 hills. Then it goes right over 2 girls, and it hits one of them.
The audience: Ohhhhh.
Cut to Daniel Tosh.
DT: Because you can't always hear a motorcycle.
The audience laughs.
Flashback: This brought a flashback of 2001. I was waiting for the bus with my brother and sister, and a motorcycle goes by.
Me: I hate motorcycles. They're so loud.
S: They have to be for safety reasons. If you're on a highway, you can't always see a motorcycle, but you can always hear it.
Cut to the back seat of a car.
A Teen Boy isn't wearing a seat belt, and he opens the door.
Teen Boy sticks half his body out, as he reaches to smack his friend outside.
Teen Boy falls out of the car.
Teen Boy hits his face hard on the back headlight of a parked car.
Cut to the studio.
The audience says: "Ohhhh."
Then DT pretends to be like Oprah by being on a set that looks like her talk show. On the screen it says "Tosh Oprah."
DT interviews the Teen Boy.
TB is wearing bandages all over his face.
DT: Why did you stick your body out like that?
TB: I thought it would be funny to hit my friend as the car goes by.
DT: How fast was the car going?
TB: 35 miles an hr.
DT: Did your friends call 911 or did they drive you the hospital?
TB: They called 911 and the ambulance came 45min later.
DT: How old were you?
TB: 15 yrs old.
DT: Did your parents ground you?
TB: They sent me to live with my grandma.
DT: So they got rid of you.
The audience laughs.
TB takes off his bandages and he looks normal.
It was a "video redemption" segment. It's where TB relives that moment, and he sticks his body out and hits a Guy on his head while Guy is riding a bike. TB, DT, and Woman are riding this sort of jeep.
Apr. 8 Tone of voice: I remember in writing and a gr. 10 drama class exercise, about tone of voice. You can say one sentence in different ways. It was about a month ago, I thought about this.
Dateline: I'm going to bring up Dateline: To Catch a Predator where a 35 yr old guy is going to date a 12 yr old girl. Here's the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14FZUc8_rWI
Guy: I thought that we should get to know each other a bit first. Then next time I'll bring condoms.
Me: What are you guys going to talk about? Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers? What if she gets pregnant?
I know you guys are only reading this, and you can't hear my voice. I will say my tone is plain. I'm not angry or snarky. The way I asked "Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers?" is the exact same plain tone of voice as I ask the serious question "What if she gets pregnant?"
Tosh.O: However, I can imagine Daniel Tosh on Tosh.O saying what I just said, but in a way more snarky tone.
Here's a clip of DT talking about "Tebowing." You can watch 30 seconds of him and now imagine him saying what I just said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYSRiz52exk
Cut to Tosh. O. They show the Dateline clip.
DT: What are you guys going to talk about? Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers?
The audience laughs.
DT: So are you going to watch some Twilight movies and go to the Justin Beiber concert?
The audience laughs.
DT: Geez, this guy is so fake. It's like watching a really flamboyant gay guy date a straight woman.
The audience laughs.
Imagination: Now I can imagine Daniel Tosh and his producers going on the internet and finding my blog. They would say: "Damn, Tracy Au has kind of got the flow of DT's humor and show."
Internet in movies: Yelin George sent me this article through my blog. "10 Most Ridiculous Uses of the Internet in Movies." It's a mildly funny article.
When I mentioned it to my brother the movie The Italian Job, my brother guessed right away what the scene was. It's where Seth Green's character make all the street lights turn green. #2 was FearDotCom. I remember seeing it on TV, and thought it was mediocre. It's about a website being able to kill people just by visiting it. Then it gave to the link to Justin Beiber's website about his new single "Boyfriend."
http://www.cabletvproviders.net/blog/2012/10-most-ridiculous-uses-of-the-internet-in-movies/
Apr. 9 Joke: I got this from Daily Silly. I thought it was a creative story.
There was a perfect man who met a perfect woman. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was, of course, perfect.
One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve this perfect couple was driving along a winding road when they noticed someone at the roadside in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help.
There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle.
Soon they were driving along delivering the toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident.
Only one of them survived the accident. Who was the survivor?
The perfect woman.
She's the only one that really existed in the first place.
Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man.
* A Male's Response *
So, if there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. This explains why there was a car accident.
Me: This joke dissed both genders.
Marriage: Here's another one from Daily Silly:
A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up.
"Oh, we'll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship," the wife explained. "He was a communications major in college, and I majored in theater arts. He communicates really well, and I just act as if I'm listening."
Here's another one:
Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?" "Because white is the color of happiness," her mother explained, "and today is the happiest day in her life." The child thought for a moment and then asked, "So why is the groom wearing black?"
Apr. 12 Bear joke: I got this from Daily Silly, but I think I've heard this joke before a long time ago:
Two guys were hiking in the forest when they suddenly came across a big grizzly bear. The one guy took off his hiking boots and put on some running shoes. His friend said to him, "You're crazy! Don't you know how fast grizzlies are? You'll never be able to outrun it!" "Outrun it?" said his friend. "I only have to outrun you!"
Dog joke: Here's one from Daily Silly:
A mother's bachelor son invited her over for a meal. He had just gotten two new dogs and wanted his mom to see them. When she sat down at the table, she noticed that the dishes were the dirtiest that she had ever seen in her life. "Have these dishes ever been washed?" she asked, running her fingers over the grit and grime. "They're as clean as soap and water could get them," he answered. She felt a bit apprehensive but started eating anyway. The food was really delicious, and she said so, despite the dirty dishes. When dinner was over, her son took the dishes, put them on the floor, whistled, and yelled, "Here, Soap! Here, Water!"
Me: I predicted that the dogs were licking the plates, but I didn't predict that Soap and Water were the dog's names. However, in real life I would have tried to use soap and water and wash the dishes myself. I'm a neat freak and would say: "You're not washing the dishes right. You're not giving it a really good, hard scrub."
Motorcycle: Also from Tosh.O. They showed this video at the beginning of the show. There's a camera on the motorcycle, and it's going over these 3 hills. Then it goes right over 2 girls, and it hits one of them.
The audience: Ohhhhh.
Cut to Daniel Tosh.
DT: Because you can't always hear a motorcycle.
The audience laughs.
Flashback: This brought a flashback of 2001. I was waiting for the bus with my brother and sister, and a motorcycle goes by.
Me: I hate motorcycles. They're so loud.
S: They have to be for safety reasons. If you're on a highway, you can't always see a motorcycle, but you can always hear it.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Stop Syria's deadly assault on Homs
I got this from Amnesty International.
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517378
Call for an end to the violent crackdown
Dear Tracy ,
The death toll continues to rise in Syria. Hundreds of largely unarmed people have reportedly been killed in the city of Homs alone. The crisis in Syria is escalating.
The world must do everything in its power to end the Assad regime's violent crackdown. Instead, Russia, a country with influence over Syria, appears to be standing by while crimes against humanity are being committed.
Demand that Russia put real pressure on Syrian authorities to end the military assault on Homs.
Last weekend, Russia, together with China, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, crushing one of the last and best hopes of ending the violence that has claimed thousands of lives since March. The resolution -- though watered-down -- was the closest the global community had come to taking firm action toward ending the violence that has brought Syria to the brink of civil war.
While diplomats wrangled at UN headquarters over the weekend, the Syrian government unleashed a barrage of attacks in Homs. The attacks included the use of heavy weaponry such as tanks in residential areas and claimed hundreds of lives, killing more than a dozen children.
As the Assad regime's strongest foreign backer, Russia is poised to play a central role in stopping the killing and preventing the bloodbath that will occur if fighting between the government and protesters continues unchecked.
Join Amnesty's millions-strong global human rights movement -- demand that Russia take steps to bring an end to the grave human rights violations that are being committed in Syria.
When Russia blocked the Security Council from taking meaningful action to stop the massive human rights violations in Syria, it stated that it has a better plan for resolving the crisis. But its veto has only served as a green light to the Assad regime to continue to use any means to crush the resistance.
Urge Russia to take public and decisive action to oppose the atrocities being committed in Syria.
Sincerely,
Sanjeev Bery
Advocacy Director, Middle East & North Africa
Amnesty International USA
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517378
Call for an end to the violent crackdown
Dear Tracy ,
The death toll continues to rise in Syria. Hundreds of largely unarmed people have reportedly been killed in the city of Homs alone. The crisis in Syria is escalating.
The world must do everything in its power to end the Assad regime's violent crackdown. Instead, Russia, a country with influence over Syria, appears to be standing by while crimes against humanity are being committed.
Demand that Russia put real pressure on Syrian authorities to end the military assault on Homs.
Last weekend, Russia, together with China, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, crushing one of the last and best hopes of ending the violence that has claimed thousands of lives since March. The resolution -- though watered-down -- was the closest the global community had come to taking firm action toward ending the violence that has brought Syria to the brink of civil war.
While diplomats wrangled at UN headquarters over the weekend, the Syrian government unleashed a barrage of attacks in Homs. The attacks included the use of heavy weaponry such as tanks in residential areas and claimed hundreds of lives, killing more than a dozen children.
As the Assad regime's strongest foreign backer, Russia is poised to play a central role in stopping the killing and preventing the bloodbath that will occur if fighting between the government and protesters continues unchecked.
Join Amnesty's millions-strong global human rights movement -- demand that Russia take steps to bring an end to the grave human rights violations that are being committed in Syria.
When Russia blocked the Security Council from taking meaningful action to stop the massive human rights violations in Syria, it stated that it has a better plan for resolving the crisis. But its veto has only served as a green light to the Assad regime to continue to use any means to crush the resistance.
Urge Russia to take public and decisive action to oppose the atrocities being committed in Syria.
Sincerely,
Sanjeev Bery
Advocacy Director, Middle East & North Africa
Amnesty International USA
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