Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

FANTASTIC MOVIE! I am glad we decided to see this instead of Burn After Reading (which I still want to see). It was a perfect date night movie and Todd was so adventurous afterward. Too bad we live in stupid Boca Raton and have no big city to walk around and get lost in.

I am becoming a serious Michael Cera fan. He is just funny, and I can't imagine him being a different person outside of his persona in movies. That has just got to be how is in real life. Kat Dennings was sarcastically fabulous. Norah is the type of person I like to hang with. I love smart asses. There isn't a plot to the movie. It is just a fun loving, lighthearted romantic comedy that makes your heart smile. I loved the gay band mates - what a riot. Loved the dialogue between the two about what to name the band. And the scene where one of the gay boys gives Kat a bra to get rid of her "uni-boob" (how that woman ever had a uni-boob is beyond me) and then Nick notices that his friend has that "same bra" later in the movie. haha! (No sex scenes here ladies n gents. Besides, can you imagine Cera in a sex scene? LMAO. I feel dirty even thinking about him that way. He just shouldn't....ever. The point they brought it too was bad enough.) Norah's friend was a complete mess. Her freakin piece of gum became it's own character. All in all, I loved the flick. I am easy to please.


Todd was surprised to see the car Nick drove. It's a Yugo, which I knew nothing about. Hubs schooled me on the way home. Quite the interesting history. Check it out.

We had some good Asian food after. Todd had green curry and I had UNAGI! YUM!

Brooke Fraser

Last night, the topic in Human Behavior class was empowerment, so professor asked what empowered us. I told him my drive for educating ppl about genocide, however that is expressed in behavioral terms. The turning point for me was seeing the movie Hotel Rwanda. After class, Sharon told me about Brooke Fraser, a New Zealand songstress who visited (and continues to visit every year) Rwanda. She met a man there who urged her to meet an orphan named Albertine. Albertine touched Brooke deeply, and they asked her to tell the world about what she saw in their country. She made the promise, and released an album named Albertine, named after the sweet orphan. The title track shares the name, and the song is beautiful

ALBERTINE

I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
Her mother’s voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent

And on a thousandth hill
I think of Albertine
There in her eyes what I don’t see
With my own

Rwanda

CHORUS
Now that I have seen
I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you
In my own arms
I cannot let go ‘til you are

I am on a plane
Across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
And in the dust on, the dust on my feet

Rwanda

CHORUS

Bridge
And I’ll tell the world
I will tell them where I’ve been
I will keep my word
I will tell them, Albertine

CHORUS

I am on a stage
A thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine

The video

The lyrics "now that I have seen, I am responsible" are so inherently true across all social issues. It is our job to educate other about injustices. We can't turn a blind eye. We have an obligation to humanity to try...

SO GET WITH IT! Help Darfur, the DRC, Burma, Iraq - and countless others!
STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition
Genocide Intervention Network

Life is so precious.

I arrived at work this morning to find a beautiful green bird lying face first on the sidewalk right outside the entrance to the Student Support Svcs building. According to the office, the birds see their reflection and attack the windows. This happened at my old office but I never ran into one of the victims. As I fought back the tears, I had one of those reflective moments where you are just thankful for everything. And I certainly am.

RIP lil green birdie.

100 Years of Clean Drinking Water says WHO

“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Unsafe water and inadequate sanitation kills nearly TWO MILLION people each year, mostly children under the age of five.” September 26, marks the 100th Year of Safe Water according to the American Chemistry Council, and we can help continue and supply safe drinking water to others. Timeline 100 years ago, Jersey City became the first U.S. cities to routinely chlorinate municipal drinking water supplies. Over the next decade, more than a thousand U.S. cities adopted chlorination, helping to dramatically reduce infectious diseases. About Chlorine Today, about 9/10 U.S. public water systems rely on chlorine in some form for safe drinking water. Chlorine can destroy disease-causing microorganisms. Chlorine removes many unpleasant tastes and odors, as well as certain metal contaminants like iron and manganese. Chlorine also providedes a residual level of disinfectant to keep water safe while in transport from the plant to a consumer’s water tap. Quick Facts U.S. CDC calls drinking water chlorination “one of the most significant public health advances in US history.” In that same vein, in 1997, LIFE magazine hailed the filtration and chlorination of drinking water as “probably the most significant public health advancement of the millennium.” Drinking water chlorination has helped to virtually eliminate waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever, and played a major role in increasing Americans’ life expectancy from 47 years in 1900 to 78 years in 2006. Where piped water supplies are not available, simple techniques to disinfect and safely store water in individual households can dramatically reduce waterborne disease. A recent study by the WHO found that household-based chlorination is the most cost-effective way to reduce these waterborne illnesses. Call to Action :: Disinfect 100 liters of Water with 1 Click For starters, we can partake in ACC’s Clean Water Challenge Quiz. For every correct answer, the ACC with support from others, will donate $0.20 (up to a total of $200,000) to support household water chlorination programs in West Africa. Your 1 Correct Answer + $0.20 = the cost of five chlorine tablets –> designed to disinfect 100 liters of water! The Downside of Chlorine Some environmentalists urge that chlorine is a short-term solution arguing that cleaning up our rivers, lakes and streams is more sustaining Some health researchers argue that with all the benefits of adding chlorine (such as decreased Typhoid cases), there may be side effects of other increased health problems. Alternatives Some say that Canada and Europe have switched from using chlorine to using ozone to ensure safe water. A handful of U.S. cities like Las Vegas practice this as well. Before using tap water, leave the water uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours for the chlorine to leave the water. Invest in a filtration system (which I have heard debates on this issue as well). Practice recycling and treat our water resources with care.

Boo.

I just got my first reaction paper back from my Social Welfare History/Policy class. Needless to day, I bombed it something terrible. It is no surprise that I am not a conceptual / theoretical / analytical / critical thinker. Unfortunately, I best get with it because critical thinking is EVERYTHING in Grad school. You have beyond common knowledge and are expected to supply your own thoughts/arguments with appropriate evidence, of course. I can do that on a semi-ok scale, but it's not good enough yet. I also suck at writing and my thoughts just don't come out properly. It really blows and I REALLY hope that I get better. *le sigh*

Off to do homework...