Anti-Bullying Flash Mob Becomes Viral Hit

On January 27th, 300 students from David Lloyd George Elementary and Churchill Secondary schools, in Vancouver, British Columbia, came together to spread a message of acceptance.  They met at the Oakridge Centre, a local mall in Vancouver, and, with the help of some teachers and a choreographer, put together a performance that has been seen nearly 140,000 times in the last week.  Take a look:



Why the pink shirts? In Canada, the last Wednesday in February is Anti-Bullying Day, also known as "Pink Shirt Day".  It was started in 2008 in Nova Scotia, after a student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school.  It was then adopted nationwide the following year.

Remember, bullying can be toward many demographics.  There was a lot of media attention recently about gay and lesbian kids that took their lives due to constant bullying for others at school.  What you don't hear on the news are the stories of the young men and women that take their lives because they're endlessly ridiculed for being overweight or looking different than everyone else.  Bullying is bullying, regardless or the reason why, it's unacceptable.

It wasn't until after seeing this video a couple of times that I realized it, but Bruno Mars' 'Just The Way You Are' is a very affirming body positive/fat positive song that is on the radio currently.  He doesn't mention any specifics about his significant other's body or facial features, but reassures her that those things she sees as flaws are, in fact, perfect.  It's ironic, though, that the video has him singing the song to a woman that is practically a supermodel.  What a good song, but what a bad example to set.

I Received My First View From Egypt

My first blog post was on September 11, 2009.  Since then, I have written 452 articles for this site.  I have had thousands of page views from dozens of countries.  Of course, the majority of my readers come from the United States and the United Kingdom.  I also have quite a few coming from Canada and Australia.  Last week, I had a viewer from Ghana.  Two weeks before that, Kenya.  I have always found it interesting to see who is reading what I have to say.

As you know, Friday was a momentous day for the people of Egypt.  They finally had a taste of freedom after 18 arduous days of protesting in the streets.  I spent much of the afternoon watching the celebrations unfold on CNN, or on my computer on Al Jazeera, with one of the most genuine, heartfelt smiles I've ever had in my life.

At about 4pm my time, or 1am Egypt time, I checked the viewer stats on my blog.  Someone from Egypt had just been reading one of my posts.  I can't tell which one for sure, but I was able to see that they reached my page via Google Egypt.  Based on the traffic sources, it looks as if they were looking for pictures or tweets regarding the protests from earlier in the week, since they now had internet service back up in the country.

I know in actuality it's nothing. But for me, it's a big deal.  I don't get a lot of readers.  Some days, I'm lucky if I get 100 in 24 hours.  So, I'm humbled when one of the 92 that read my blog yesterday is possibly someone that was in Tahrir Square just hours before.  I'm glad that I was available for that man or woman, and I hope they got the information they needed.  Congratulations on your liberation.

If by chance you read this, I would love to speak with you.  Write me.  Leave a comment.  It comes to my personal email inbox before it gets posted.

Thanks for stopping by.

Kevin Smith - A Body Positive Role Model For Men

It's no secret that women aren't the only ones that feel self-conscious about themselves at times.  Men are just as insecure as our female counterparts, whether we would like to admit it or not.  We worry about going bald.  We think about our skin, and most of all, we worry about our weight.  For quite some time now, women have had a number of body positive advocates on their side, with the Operation Beautiful project, websites like The Body Positive, and numerous amateur blogs and forums.

 Men...seems like we're on our own.  Today, we're inundated with ads for weight loss pills, Bowflex, and P90X.  The fat guys in the movies are relegated to either the slapstick jackasses or the comedic sidekick that never gets the girl.  And Seth Rogan doesn't count.  He's not fat anymore.  Besides, he's sort of a douche.

Our only hope is a quiet, bearded man standing in front of a convenience store in New Jersey.  This guy:

This is Kevin Smith, director of such classics as 'Clerks', 'Mallrats', 'Chasing Amy', and my personal favorite, 'Dogma'.  This picture of him was taken with his cellphone on 02/13/2010, while he was being kicked off of a Southwest Airlines flight for being "too fat".  He was able to fit between the armrests and buckle his seat belt, but the flight crew determined that he posed a "safety risk" due to his size.  At the time, he weighed over 300 pounds.  Needless to say, he was not happy that afternoon.  He was continuously tweeting as the ordeal was developing.  Here are a couple of those tweets:

The @SouthwestAir Diet.   How it works: you’re publicly shamed into a slimmer figure. Crying the weight right off has never been easier!

Hey @SouthwestAir! I’ve landed in Burbank.  Don’t worry:  wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.

Needless to say, it was a humiliating ordeal.  Newspapers, websites, and magazines around the world carried the story showing his picture with the word "fat" sprawled across the title.  The Philadelphia Inquirer even went so far as to call him a "blimp".  Since then, Smith has lost 65 pounds.  He refuses to disclose how much he weighs now, or how he lost the weight.  He spoke with Joy Behar on Wednesday night, telling her that in 2008, "I broke a toilet.  That's how heavy I am."  He also said,

"I feel mixed feelings about losing the weight.  I sympathize far more with heavier people than I ever will with thin. I'll never be thin. Let's be honest, I've lost 65 pounds, but nobody's going, 'I wanna sleep with you!' They're just like, 'Keep going, you look better.'"

One thing that really makes Smith stand out was his final statement of the interview, "Sometimes a fat dude has a lot to offer, if [you] can just get past the blubber."  If more women realized that...hell, if Hollywood realized that, I think it would make for a lot of happier men in the world.  And a lot of happier women.  Take a look at the interview:

"Stop Pitying Children In Africa"

That is the message that is coming from Mama Hope, a charity that is focused on "building self-sufficient communities in Sub-Saharan Africa".  When you think of an African child, what do you picture?  A baby with a bloated belly?  Ribs sticking out from starvation?  Flies crawling unnoticed on a baby boy or a baby girl?  That was the image that charitable organizations burned into our heads during the 80s and 90s.  Times have changed. I'll let Mama Hope explain:

"Too many non-profits ask for your pity by depicting poor, helpless Africans.  But like any stereotype, this portrayal has more exceptions than truth. 

Mama Hope feels it is time to re-humanize Africa and look to the positive change that is happening. We’ve had enough of the tragic impressions and abundance of sad, oppressive images that flood media outlets and non-profit campaigns. We want to make the statement that it is time to stop they pity and unlock the potential! 

Through a series of videos Mama Hope wants to show the light of the people we serve in Africa. We aspire to introduce our partner communities to you with the integrity and brilliance that we witness everyday. We want you to see the humor, courage, and potential of a wonderful people and continent. 

In these video’s we plan to feature the shared traits that make us all human—the dancing, the singing, the laughter and bring the compelling truth of their lives to your living room. We believe realistic, positive imagery can be very powerful and that it is time to move past the traditional images of weak and helpless people. 

This is a campaign to break the negative perception of Africa and build awareness of the simple fact that we are more similar than different." 

Their first video is of a charming and energetic 9 year old boy named Alex.  He lives in the town of Mvuleni, in Tanzania.  He loves Arnold Schwarzenegger, especially the movie 'Commando'.  When he was asked to tell the cameraman what happened in the movie, he went on for more than 15 minutes.  What you're about to see is about 3:20 of the main aspects of the plot:



I love this kid!  He doesn't need our pity.  Alex and his community need funds for food and water infrastructures, schools and educational materials, and health and medical services.  With that, Mvuleni would become a self-sustained community.

As you can see, Alex and his friends aren't starving.  Their bellies aren't bloated.  There aren't any flies on their face crawling around.  Alex doesn't want a handout.  He just wants to be a healthy, normal kid.  If you would like more information on donating to the Mama Hope Organization, click this link.  Thank you.

"Egypt Is Free!" "Egypt Is Free!"

For years, I have heard the saying, "The revolution will be televised", but I never thought I would actually see it.  In recent years, especially in the Middle East, a peaceful revolution often equates to a bloodbath.  It leads to an "open season" being called upon those in the streets, which, more often than not, are students.  People are arrested and tortured.  Some simply disappear, never to be seen again.

When Hosni Mubarak announced Thursday night that he was not leaving office, it appeared that Egypt would be  a repeat of what we have seen before.  The crowd of nearly a million, which had previously been peaceful, had become angry.  They had reached their limit.  There was talk of storming the offices of the state run television station and the presidential palace.  People in the Mubarak regime would pay with their lives.

That, fortunately, did not happen.  As the sun rose over Cairo, thousands remained in the streets and in Tahrir Square.  Tens of thousands more arrived at local mosques for Friday afternoon prayers.

So began the 18th day of protests in Tahrir Square.  Hundreds of thousands of people gathered together determined to obtain their freedom by any means necessary.  Up to this point, protests had been peaceful.  After Mubarak's refusal to leave office last night, it was increasing growing clear that the atmosphere was changing.  Senior military officials threatened to remove their uniforms and join the protesters last night.  Many soldiers on the street had already joined the protests.  With the exception of a couple of close allies within the government, Mubarak had no friends or protection from what was facing him on the other side of the Ministry walls.

Then at 3:19pm Cairo time, it is reported that Mubarak has left Cairo with his family for Sharm el-Sheikh.  Approximately an hour later, the government reports that soon an "urgent and important" statement would be released by the Egyptian presidency.  At 6:29pm, Vice President Suleiman makes the following statement on state run television.  It lasts only 30 seconds.  It's a paragraph long, and is so short, many Egyptians didn't hear it the first time it was spoken.  It changes the course of Middle Eastern history.

Within seconds, the nation of Egypt exploded into a frenzy of joy.  Tahrir Square became Liberation Square, and it became the nucleus for a party that lasted well into the middle of the night:

There are fireworks tonight over the skies of Cairo.  At the moment, it is currently a little after 3 in the morning there, and people are still dancing in the streets.  February 11, 2011, is their Independence Day.  Tonight, they are celebrating.  They are holding their loved ones, and remembering the 300 that gave their lives so that 80 million of their Egyptian brothers and sisters could have freedom.

The founders of the website 1000memories.com have set up a site called Egypt Remembers.  It is a very touching memorial of the 300 martyrs that were killed during the fight for democracy.  The site is trying to gather as much information about the victims as possible, including pictures, cause of death, occupation, and family information as it comes in.  It is heartbreaking to see how many of these people were just kids.  15, 16, and 17 years old.  Many were shot coming out of their mosque.  Some were shot or beaten on their way home from protests.  They deserve a look out of respect.

Egypt's future is uncertain.  At this point, we can be nothing but optimistic.  Today was a historic day for the people of Egypt, for the Middle East, and for the people of the world.  I feel privileged that I was alive to see such a monumental day in history.  Congratulations Egypt.  The people of the world are celebrating with you. 

Lady Gaga Finally Releases 'Born This Way'

After almost of year of press surrounding it, along with endless self promotion on the part of Gaga herself, we finally get to hear the "gay anthem of the decade" this morning.  'Born This Way' was released on Lady Gaga's site at 6am PST today to the delight of millions worldwide.  Have a listen:



Speaking for myself, I'm somewhat disappointed.  It doesn't live up to the hype.  It sounds like it's heavily influenced by, if not a ripoff of, Madonna's 1989 song 'Express Yourself'.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Gaga fan, but this one just doesn't do it for me.  Maybe it will grow on me.  I don't know.  But as it stands right now, I'm not looking forward to hearing this on the radio every 10 minutes for the next six months.

First Look At 'X-Men: First Class'

The first official trailer was just released for the newest X-Men movie expected on June 3rd.  Starring James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto), the story takes place during the early 60s, when Xavier and Lehnsherr were friends, looking for other young mutants.  The preview looks to promise an action packed movie and one heck of a prequel:

Just When 'Glee' Goes Fat Positive...

...They screw it up.  If you watched Tuesday night's episode of 'Glee', then you got to know Lauren Zizes better.  She kicks ass!  She's confident.  She's on the wrestling team.  She dresses cool, and she doesn't just jump into a relationship with someone.  She expects to be treated like a lady.  She wants to be wooed.

I'm watching the show, and I'm thinking, "This is great.  They're going to do a fat positive thing.  It's going to be awesome to see a positive fat teenage female character on television.  Maybe she'll be able to do what Kurt did for gay kids in America".  She's playing hard to get with Puck.  Puck's crushing hard on this girl.  Then Puck sings Queen's 'Fat Bottomed Girls':



She was insulted.  I know that if I sang that for my wife, she would be on me like white on rice.  At that point, the show, and the Lauren's character went downhill.  Number one, throughout the episode, Puck is continually telling her things like, "I usually don't go for girls like you", or "You're not my type".  The worst backhanded compliment of them all was something along the lines of, "You have to realize that I'm not into you because of what you look like, but because you're a cool person.  Like me."  I found that more of an insult than a compliment.  I think she's cute.

Secondly, and perhaps worst of all, the way they have her character written, she's always being tempted and wooed with food.  One of the jokes last night was she gave Puck his box of chocolates back because they sucked.  The box was empty.  When he asked why, she said "because I had to make sure every one of them sucked".  For fuck's sake, when he asked her out on Valentine's Day, he got down on one knee and proposed with a Ring Pop.  Really?  Food jokes for the fat chick?   I thought this show was better than that.

I've been fat all of my life.  I still am.  Even though I am over 6' 4" tall, I still weigh over 300 lbs.  Over the years, I have been able to accept the fact that I am fat and appreciate my body.  It wasn't until well into adulthood when that happened.  I am 35 now, and there are still times I look in the mirror and think, "My god, man.  Look at yourself.  You're so fat and ugly.  How could anyone ever find you attractive?"  Anyone reading this can tell you, life as a fat kid can be hell.  Personally, I was picked on and beat up more because I was fat, than because of my religion or my sexuality.

Overweight teenagers, especially teenage females, need someone on TV to look up to.  Someone empowered.  Someone confident about herself.  Someone fat positive.  Ryan Murphy, stop making fat jokes. You wouldn't subject Kurt or Blaine to gay jokes.  Don't humiliate Lauren either.  Young women need someone to look up to.  You introduced Kurt Hummel to America as a role model for our generation.  Give us Lauren Zizes.

Fox News Does The Impossible - Double Headdesk In 12 Hours

There are times when, as a network, Fox News creates more newsworthy stories themselves than the politicians they cover.  A study came out in December of 2010, showing that, out of all cable news networks, their viewers were the most "misinformed".  And by the looks of things, the network is doing nothing but encouraging it.  Between the hours of 8pm EST Monday and 8am EST Tuesday, they completed the unheard of Double Headdesk.  For those of you that don't know what a headdesk is, let me give you a visual example:

On Monday night, Fox News gathered a focus group of Republican voters in Iowa to discuss their thoughts on Bill O'Reilly's interview with the President the day before.  At one point in the discussion, a woman in the focus group says that she believes that the President's "religious beliefs govern his foreign policy".  When asked on what she feels his religious beliefs are, she says "Muslim".  Watch how the commentator responds:

The Fox News representative never stepped in and said, "He's Christian".  He never tried to correct them.  He aided in spreading what has amounted to a conspiracy theory on national television.  Headdesk.

Then this morning, Fox News put an online poll on their website concerning abortion.  The poll has since been taken off the site, but I was able to get a copy of it from another blog:

What's wrong with this poll?  If I select not sure, I'm pro-life.  If I select yes, I'm pro-life.  And, if I select no, I am still pro-life.  There are absolutely no pro-choice options on a poll about banning abortion.    You might as well just have one question on the poll.  Headdesk.

I wanted to add this additional video.  It's not a headdesk moment, because it should have been expected.  During O'Reilly's interview with Mr. Obama, he interrupted the President 48 times.  48 times!  Sure, you come to expect this when you are watching his show on Fox News and he has an invited guest, but this is the President of the United States.  How disrespectful.  Talk about an asshole.

Looks like Fox News is having one hell of a February.

Everything Is A Remix

Warning:  If you are die hard Led Zeppelin fan, it would be best to stop reading this post now, unless you want to see your idols shit on.

For those of you that are regular readers of my blog, you know that every Monday, I post a blog entitled Mash Up Monday.  A mashup is when you take two or more songs and mix them together to make one song.  This week's post was of a mix that consisted primarily of Green Day's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' and Oasis' 'Wonderwall'.  If you listen to the song, it's hard to imagine why Green Day wasn't sued for copyright infringement.  The melody is very similar.  The chord progression is practically identical.  It's uncanny how much the songs sound alike.

That, in a way, is the theme of Kirby Ferguson's 'Everything is a Remix'.  Since the late 70s, artists have been sampling beats from other songs to the point that, today, we don't even notice.  Nothing is original anymore.  Everything is heavily influenced by, or is a cover of someone else.  Sometimes, it's just blatantly ripped off.  That was the case with Led Zeppelin.  Turns out, they just redid a bunch of little known blues songs on electric guitars.  They didn't change any of the notes.  In most cases, they didn't change the lyrics.  Yet Robert Plant and Jimmy Page still listed themselves as the songwriters.  Take a look.  It's very educational.  Be sure to watch all the way to the end of the clip.

Everything is a Remix from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Part two of the series is about the lack of originality in film.  Sorry 'Star Wars' fans.  George Lucas is next.  I'll post about him tomorrow.

Prince May Be A JW, But He's Still A Diva

Prince became a Jehovah's Witness sometime back in 2001.  Since then, from what I've been told, his concerts just haven't been the same.  I saw him in May of 2005, and, while it was quite an experience, it was a bit of a letdown.  Since becoming a Witness, there have been a number of songs that he refuses to perform.  Songs such as 'Cream', 'Gett Off', 'Little Red Corvette',  and 'Darling Nikki', just to name a few, due to their sexual content.

He changed the lyrics to other songs.  For example, in 'Purple Rain', the line goes "You say you want a leader...But you can't seem to make up your mind...Think you better close it...And let me guide you...To the purple rain".  During the 2005 concert, he sang it "Think you better close it...Maybe open up your bible and read it a little."  Yes.  He was preaching during his show.  He even made comments during his performance about how within 5 miles of the arena, there are probably 30 churches.  All of them believed that they had the true religion, but only one did, and it was up to everyone in the arena to figure out which one was right.  If it wasn't for the fact that I had 8th row floor seats that cost me $125.00 each, I would have walked out.

Anyway, getting to the point of this post, Prince was at Madison Square Garden Monday night.  Midway through every show he calls people up on stage to dance with him.  The results can be pretty interesting.  Monday night, he called Kim Kardashian up on stage to shake her ass to the music.  And, as everyone knows, Kim probably has the most famous ass in America.  She gets up on stage and just stands there.  Doesn't move.  #1 rule at a Prince concert = When Prince calls you on stage, you better damn well dance.  He put up with her lack of enthusiasm for about 15 seconds before saying "Get off my stage", and sending her back to her seat.  Pretty funny.  Check it out:



When I saw him in 2005, not only did he throw a faulty microphone at the sound engineer's head, but he refused to come out for an encore.  He told the local media the next morning that the reason he didn't do an encore was because not all the 20,000 in attendance "stood and danced for every song of the night".  So, becoming a Jehovah's Witness may have had toned down Prince's sexuality, but it has done nothing for his humility.  He is still the over the top, self centered diva that we have known and loved for the last 30 years.  Now if only he could go back to releasing music worth listening to.

Phenomenal A Cappella Version Of 'Thriller'

I just saw a video of a six piece a cappella group out of New York City called Duwende.  This spring, they're coming out with a Michael Jackson tribute album called 'Remember'.  So far, they have given a sneak peak of five songs that will be on the album.  One of those songs is 'Thriller'.  It's amazing.  Just watch:



Suck on that, Glee kids.

They also do a great rendition of 'Human Nature', which I've always felt was the quintessential Michael Jackson song.  There was something magical about it.

Two Word Tuesday

Poetic Justice

Sid Loved Nancy

From today's Letters of Note:

The tale of the Sex Pistol's Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen have become the tragic love story of our generation.  In October of 1978, Nancy was found dead in a hotel room that she had shared with Vicious.  She had a single stab wound to the abdomen.  Sid Vicious was presumed to be the murderer, as it was his knife that was used as the murder weapon.  He was arrested on 2nd degree murder charges.  He died of a heroin overdose four months later while awaiting trial.

The following is a hand written love letter of sorts, from Sid to Nancy, written just a couple of months before her death.  It's brutally honest, affectionate, and sweet.  At the time this was written, Sid was only 20 years old.

Transcript

What Makes Nancy So Great By Sidney

1 Beautiful
2 Sexy
3 Beautiful figure
4 Great sense of humour
5 Makes extremely interesting conversation
6 Witty
7 Has beautiful eyes
8 Has fab taste in clothes
9 Has the most beautiful wet pussy in the world
10 Even has sexy feet
11 Is extremely smart
12 A great Hustler

Jehovah's Witness Organization Urging Followers To Rat Out Friends

So, I may have been out of the religion for 15 years, but last time I checked my sins were on MY conscience.  Sure, there was always gossip floating around the congregation about what Brother So And So was getting into, and what Sister So And So was doing, but you never heard of people turning each other in, unless it was considered a "gross sin", or a serious offense.  Not until now, at least.

For the last couple of years, the Jehovah's Witnesses have printed two different versions of 'The Watchtower' magazine.  You have a softer, less jargon filled version that is placed in the hands of the public.  I like to call that one 'Watchtower Lite'.  Then, there is the "eyes only" version that church members see.  In the "eyes only" version, there are two articles per issue that are reviewed during Sunday morning "meetings" or services.  The January 15, 2011 issue of the 'Watchtower' has a study article in it which will likely be reviewed by congregations sometime in March.  In it, the article encourages church members to act on behalf of  their brother in the event their brother's conscience is faulty: (Italics mine)

"10.  Some young ones might face a dilemma if they learn that a friend has engaged in unscriptural conduct. They may feel that seeking spiritual help for their friend would violate an unwritten code of silence; therefore, they refuse to speak about the matter because of a misguided sense of loyalty. A wrongdoer may even pressure his friends to keep his sin hidden. Of course, this kind of problem is not unique to young people. Some adults too may find it difficult to approach congregation elders concerning the wrongdoing of a friend or a family member. But how should true Christians react to such pressure?  

11.  Imagine this situation. Suppose that Alex, a young brother, learned that Steve, his friend in the congregation, was in the habit of viewing pornography. Alex tells Steve that he is deeply concerned about what his friend is doing. However, Steve shrugs off his words. When Alex urges him to talk to the elders about it, Steve responds that if the two really are friends, then Alex will not tell on him. Should Alex be afraid of losing his friend? He might wonder whom the elders would believe if Steve denied everything. Still, the situation is not going to improve if Alex keeps quiet about it. Indeed, it could lead to Steve’s losing his relationship with Jehovah. Alex would do well to recall that “trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.” (Prov. 29:25) What else could Alex do? He might lovingly approach Steve again and lay bare his fault. That will take courage. It may well be, though, that this time Steve will welcome the opportunity to talk about his problem. Alex should again encourage Steve to speak to the elders and tell him that if he does not do so within a reasonable period of time, then Alex will alert them.—Lev. 5:1."

 We're not talking about a situation where you know your friend has committed murder, or rape, or has robbed a bank.  The article's example is if you knew your friend was viewing pornography.  There are a vast number of things that are not allowed within the Witness organization, including: cursing, smoking, masturbating, watching R rated movies, premarital sex, and even reading this very blog post.  Half of these offenses can get you "disfellowshipped", kicked out of the church and shunned by your friends and family.   Now, it appears that congregation members are being told that it's their Christian responsibility to run to the elders every time they're aware of anyone's shortcomings.  Let me tell you, from experience, how embarrassing that can be.

Late one night, when I was 15, my mom walked in on me while I was masturbating.  If that wasn't embarrassing enough for a teenager to go through, it got worse.  Instead of walking out of my room and closing the door, or talking to me later about our awkward moment, she scheduled an appointment to meet with the body of elders at my local congregation.  I had to meet with a pair of old men and discuss my masturbation habits at the tender age of 15.  My mother was not in the room.  Neither was my father.  Hell, my father and I have never even mentioned the incident to each other all these years.  They went over a number of scriptures that they felt talked about why I shouldn't masturbate. (They consider it a selfish and "unclean" act.  They feel that if you masturbate as teenager, you'll have no interest in having sex with your wife or your husband once you're married, because you know how to pleasure yourself.)

At this point, no one is safe.  Married couples can't confide in each other.  Friends can't have an honest, open relationship.  You have to look over your shoulder to make sure that other family members in the house aren't in on your secrets.  It does nothing but make you feel guilty, paranoid, and alone.  Welcome to life as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.  Ready to leave now?