Thank you, Julie Andrews…

Another video that makes me happy…

Makes me proud to be part Belgian.

- suse

Wiikend

Wiikend

Dance Magic Dance

Because this makes me happy…

more about "untitled", posted with vodpod

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.

Personal faves are days 4, 7, 13, 15 (for the shirt, which reappears on day 92), 23, 26, 28, 36 (his jacket is spectacular), 37 (very MJ-esque in RocK With You), 56, 62, 69!!!, 80, and 87.

Interesting how student art galleries look the same everywhere you go (good times at UCSB, good times). Though I do admit, Yael’s facilities as a whole look quite a bit nicer than what I had access to. I like how you can tell he goes home over the holidays (I’m guessing somewhere in SoCal) cause he goes from wearing heavy jackets to t-shirts.

See the list of songs used here.

- suse

Where are Goose and Maverick?

After seeing this video and the variety of individuals (regular joes and janes, Peggy Noonan, Larry King, Abraham Lincoln, Newt Gingrich, Adam Levine, DMC (wearing a Ramones shirt!), Arianna Huffington, Paul Begala, Tucker Carlson, etc.) that participated I’m pretty sure the people over at funnyordie actually run the country.

more about "HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION! from Almost T…", posted with vodpod

And I’m all about expanding the use of high-fives, they’ve been a pretty stable element of my repertoire.

- suse

CA residents, vote NO on Prop 8!!!!

So I’ve been thinking about writing a post regarding Prop 8 here in CA for awhile and after I heard an ad on the radio supporting the Prop I decided I really had to.

First, I am totally opposed to Prop 8.  This proposition would make an amendment to the CA constitution limiting ‘marriage’ to that between a man and a woman.  Now, anyone who is behind equality and good will and social justice should also be opposed to this proposition.  Essentially Prop 8 and proposed laws like it are simply another form of separate but equal.  Which, if you don’t remember, was decidedly (and rightly) shot down by the U.S. Supreme Court back in 1954 and then the decision was upheld and expanded in subsequent decisions.  I still find it ridiculous that it wasn’t until 1967 that the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision that laws against racially mixed marriages were unconstitutional.  To me the right of any two people to marry falls under this same category.  We can not claim to have a free and just society in the United States and then make laws not allowing our citizens to marry those whom they love.

Back to the ad I heard supporting Proposition 8.  The CA Supreme Court decision earlier this year stating that the state ban on same sex marriages is unconstitutional is a wonderful thing.  I completely agree with the court’s decision that sexual orientation, like race or gender, “does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.”  So the idea that there is a Proposition out there that seeks to dismantle this decision is horrible.  On top of that, the ads for Prop 8 are completely misleading.  Churches and congregations who make the decision to not perform same sex marriages will not lose their non-profit/tax-free status.  Civil institutions (i.e. city halls) would be required to perform all lawful marriages, but churches are private institutions and can make their own decisions.

In addition, I don’t think the belief that many individuals hold about God creating marriage between a man and a woman should be used in this argument.  One of the founding tenets of the United States is separation of church and state.  This being so, the religious definition of marriage should not necessarily be taken as the same thing in our civil definitions.  Not allowing a group of people the same rights as others is the absolute meaning of discrimination, and this is what Prop 8 supports.  Personally, I would have all instances of ‘marriage’ taken out of the civil code and replaced with ‘civil union’.  This keeps religious ideology out of our laws and allows churches/temples/mosques and their corresponding religions to maintain their own beliefs.

As well, as supporting ads claim, same sex marriage as a concept will not now be taught in schools.  This in itself is just an absurd idea.  Perhaps addressing same sex couples in sex ed classes and talking about all possibilities within dating and relationships in high school settings (with counselors, psychologists, administrators, etc.) will now be easier.  And when living in the real world these are things that need to be addressed if brought up because we want future generations to be able to take care of themselves, both physically and emotionally.

So basically, what I’m trying to say is PLEASE do not support this proposition.  When you go to the polls in November vote NO on Prop 8.  Because everyone deserves to be with the person they love.

- suse

Please visit noonprop8.com

video on urban renewal/gentrification/disinvestment

I don’t usually have much patience for long youtube videos, but this one is amazing (and not really that long, only 10 min).

I like one lady’s description of ‘direct action’ near the end. Usually when I hear ‘direct action,’ people are talking about some form of protest (or sometimes destruction), not about the direct action of fixing up an empty house so that people can live in it.

~ missingwhitewomanohmy

South End Press Needs You

South End Press Knows

So, South End Press is a wonderful non-profit publishing company that is struggling to survive.  Based in Cambridge, MA, they’ve been fighting the good fight since 1977, putting out titles by Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Gore Vidal, Vandana Shiva, Paul Farmer, bell hooks, basically everyone you ever loved.  But, they are in trouble.  Books are difficult to make and pay for, especially in the current environment of consolidated publishing and media.

South End Press needs your help to stay open and active.  Here are three things that you can do:

1) Vote for them at Idea Blob, so that they can win a $20,000 grant to start up their Community Supported Publishing program. (NB: You have to register first.  Please register and vote.)

2) Buy a book from them!  It’s a lot different from buying one from Barnes & Noble, etc. and you’ll learn something great.  Here are the new releases.  Just tell me that you don’t like at least five of them.  Tell me!

3) Give them some money!  Like, your latte or Slurpee money.  Or, your yacht money, if that’s where you’re at.  Fund the revolution, people.

Ok, serious.  I promise to write about girl-on-song action soon.

- Ferrrosha