You demanded freedom for Jabbar (Amnesty International)

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

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)

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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)

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

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)

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

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)

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

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)

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

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?

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

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.