in service
Posted by snake in Anniversaries, Celebration, family, friends, holiday, national service, remembrance, video on May 23, 2013
click on picture for the background story
Growing up in a military family can be difficult. I remember, all too well, the long absences, the sudden and often uprootings and saying goodbye to newly made friends. The only certainty in a military family is uncertainty. And when a loved one goes off into harm’s way everything is amplified. When they don’t come home the world changes forever. Heading into the long Memorial Day holiday weekend we will do our best to remember the promise we made to those who gave everything they had in service to their country…the promise that we will never forget. In the quarter of a millennium this country has existed more than 1.3 million American lives have been lost in combat. The number is still growing.
This weekend I will be flooded by memories of my father. I will thank him for my life and I will thank all those who died to protect our freedom. I will also celebrate and salute those who return safely into the warm and welcoming arms of their family and friends. It is in that moment they begin to breathe again. That is a certainty.
Thanks to the U.S. Army Children, Youth and School Services (CYS), CYS for supporting the Army Family Covenant by reducing the conflict between mission readiness and parental responsibility, and for providing a compilation of military homecomings. The joy on the faces of the children says it all.
(d)wayne’s world
Posted by snake in basketball, Celebration, Celebrity, Dances, friends, rites of passage, school, spring fun, video on May 21, 2013
In Field of Dreams the voice said, “If you build it he will come.” Dwayne Wade tweeted, “…never be scared 2 ask.”
A high school senior got the surprise of a lifetime when NBA and Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade arrived at her prom. Nicole Muxo, a senior at Archbishop Coleman Carroll, posted an elaborate video she created on YouTube asking Wade to be her date, but she says she never expected him to actually show up. Just before 9:30 p.m., the Heat star arrived. He said it wasn’t the first time she’d asked him to a dance, but this time her persistence paid off.
Dwayne and Nicole at the prom and on Instagram
“She continued to go for it no matter how many times I told her I’m going to be busy, but she continued asking if I’m going to come,” he said. As it turned out a break in the playoffs would work to his advantage. The entire crowd cheered as Wade arrived on the dance floor. “I was so surprised. I didn’t expect it at all,” said Nicole. They took pictures together and danced. Her date, Laurent Chaumin, was a good sport about the whole thing and joked and posed with Wade. “At least we both know how to dress,” he said.
That left the superstar happily tweeting that he was a “third wheel” and “both of their dates,” though he was apparently glad just to make a difference for a group of Miami teens, particularly the one who mustered up the courage to ask him to show up. He made that much clear on his Twitter feed shortly after leaving the event. “I had a blast at Prom. Never be scared 2 ask.”
Nicole says the night was unforgettable. “I’m going to remember it forever. This was definitely the highlight of my senior year.” Who said celebrities are out of touch?
in the blink of an eye
Posted by snake in essays and random thoughts, family, friends, hope, living and life, News, the power of nature on May 21, 2013
I had a happy little post all set to go. But in the wake of the Oklahoma tragedy I decided to put it on hold for a day. Watching the events of the Moore tornado was tortuous drama. As it unfolded it struck me how quickly everyday life and lives can be turned upside down and inside out. How would I handle having near and dear family members ripped away in the blink of an eye? What would I do if my friendly, cozy and solid little home shredded into splinters in the space of a heartbeat? Would I be able to move on knowing the neighborhood children were never coming home again? Would I survive an unending nightmare? Would I be brave enough? These are questions we all ask ourselves.
But out of the rubble comes stories of courage, tales of heroism, and a heavenly miracle or two. We are Americans and we are always at our best when things are at their worst. A community of first responders converged quickly on the scene. Red Cross quickly began to mobilize. State and Federal relief agencies are now on hand. Food, water, clothing, and money will begin pouring in to the stricken community. Shelters will be erected. Blood drives will flourish and people from coast to coast will donate what they can. Broken hearts may never be mended and folks will never forget, but love and support will always be available for those who need a strong shoulder on which to lean. The town will rebuild and flourish again. It’s the Oklahoma way, it’s the American way. When push comes to shove that strength is always there. God bless Moore, God bless the children, God bless us one and all.
and action!
Posted by snake in Adventure, Animation, audio visual, fun, Horror, humor, movies, Pop culture, Reviews, romance, sci-fi fantasy, summer fun, video on May 17, 2013
It’s just not summer without car chases, caped crusaders, pyrotechnics, zombie invasions and explosive fighting. Action and superheroes are dominating the hottest season once again, and seriously, would we have it any other way? Throw in some bikinied kung-fooers, clueless sophomores, bromances, gal pals, road trips, minions, smurfs, penguins, and Johnny Depp doing something strange and wonderful and we’ve got ourselves a movie! Sooner our later it’s going to get really hot outside and the cool, dark Cineplex will beckon us inside for a couple of hours of sweet relief. Have you ever noticed that candy and popcorn taste better in at the movies? Here’s the upcoming summer line-up, courtesy of Movie Insider. Just click on any title to see trailers, stills, production notes, polls, ratings, cast and more. Release dates are subject to change and some films may go straight to pay-per-view and DVD.
May 2013 65 movies
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May 15 Star Trek Into Darkness Becoming Traviata
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May 17 Star Trek Into Darkness Erased The English Teacher Black Rock An Oversimplification of Her Beauty State 194 Augustine Stories We Tell 33 Postcards Pieta Frances Ha
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May 22 3 Geezers! Plimpton!
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May 23 The Hangover Part III
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May 24 Fast & Furious 6 EPIC Only God Forgives Before Midnight Penguins 3D We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks A Green Story Fill the Void
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May 29 Hannah Arendt
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May 31 After Earth Now You See Me Shadow Dancer The Kings of Summer American Mary Ephraim’s Rescue The East I Do
June 2013 52 movies
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TBA The Iran Job Best Man Down The Canyons
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Jun 7 The Purge The Internship The Wall Much Ado About Nothing Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie Rapture-Palooza Wish You Were Here Tiger Eyes Dirty Wars Violet and Daisy Passion Syrup Hello Herman Hey Bartender
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Jun 12 This is the End Pandora’s Promise More Than Money
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Jun 14 Man of Steel Hatchet 3 Vehicle 19 The Guillotines A Hijacking The Bling Ring The Stroller Strategy Stuck in Love Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story Apostles of Comedy: Onwards and Upwards Call Me Kuchu Twenty Feet from Stardom Berberian Sound Studio
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Jun 16 My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
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Jun 21 World War Z Monsters University The Attack Surfers 3D Unfinished Song Somm As Cool as I Am
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Jun 28 White House Down The Heat Detention of the Dead Redemption 100 Bloody Acres Copperhead Byzantium The Stroller Strategy Some Girls The Secret Disco Revolution I’m So Excited
July 2013 31 movies
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TBA All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
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Jul 3 Despicable Me 2 Lone Ranger Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
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Jul 5 The Way, Way Back Hammer of the Gods
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Jul 10 Israel: A Home Movie
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Jul 12 Pacific Rim Grown Ups 2 The Hunt V/H/S/2 Crystal Fairy Dealing With Idiots Blackhats Hot Flashes Fruitvale Station
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Jul 17 Turbo
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Jul 19 Red 2 R.I.P.D. The Conjuring Girl Most Likely The Act of Killing Evidence
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Jul 26 The Wolverine Frankenstein’s Army Blackfish Stranded Blue Jasmine
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Jul 31 The Smurfs 2 Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers
summer’s siren call
Posted by snake in Adventure, Celebration, family, friends, fun, holiday, hope, living and life, poetry, summer fun, teens, travel, vacation, video on May 15, 2013
I love summer. A recent stretch of nice weather has me restless and itchy for the real thing. I can’t wait to hook up with my pirate mates for some new adventures. In summer the heart is unbound and carefree. Shorts and flip flops, sunglasses and beach days, outside barbecues and happy hours, fireworks and amusement parks, summer reads and summer loves, concerts and baseball, weddings and starry nights, romance and full moons. It’s all good. I found this lovely tribute to the sunny days ahead by teenager Olivia Taylor on TeenLink and wanted to share. I think it blends perfectly with the celebratory video, Samuel Ebat’s 270 Seconds of Summer, shown below. The countdown to the best time of the year has begun and I’m sooo ready! Are you?
Ode To Summer
sunflower
through the looking glass
Posted by snake in audio visual, digital world, Future, humor, links, living and life, research, Science, technology, video on May 13, 2013
The first generation to have been born and lived entirely in the era of digital social media is now oozing into college and the workforce. All they’ve ever known is a universe of 1′s and 0′s. Kind of amazing to think how fast and how far the technology boom has traveled in 20 years…a technology tsunami. Many may owe their very existence to that same technology, one that helped infertile couples conceive. The generation preceding was there for the infancy and took to it to it like Lilo takes to Adderall, but it’s today’s youth that hold the landmark distinction. Which is why I was so amazed by Paul Miller’s story.
Paul felt overwhelmed by the Internet. So the stressed-out online tech writer underwent a Web detox, unplugging himself from the wired world for an entire year. At first he felt zenful bliss, but soon enough he became a prisoner of his own freedom. Disconnected from friends and family and out of the loop, he realized his dissatisfaction with productivity was not the internet’s fault. Miller returned to the World Wide Web a few weeks ago with an article recounting his entire journey. Since then, he’s found the transition back to ‘reality’ tougher than he expected. Imagine how he’ll feel when Google Glass makes it’s debut in limited release later this year and general release in 2014.
Glass is the new eyewear that may make smart phones and social media seem so vintage. Developers and a lucky few are using them now, kicking the glass as it were, and report they are easy to adjust to and highly addictive. And they come with an imperative need for a code of etiquette. Every time you look at someone people will wonder if you’re recording them. Dude, seriously, we’re in the men’s room! Take off your g’s, glasshole! And walking around speaking to your specs could get very annoying…send a text to mom, share this with Carole, get me tickets for The Croods, etc. Dude, you’re talking to yourself again. A vision of the future in the video below.
thank you Mom!
Posted by snake in Celebration, education, family, holiday, links, living and life, parenting, relationships, video on May 11, 2013
Some days I miss her, but I do not mourn. You see, she still lives inside of me. She shaped and filled my heart with all her hopes, and dreams, and best wishes. There is one thing in this life that never dies – it is a mother’s love for her child. It follows you throughout your life, across the universe and to the ends of eternity. I love you right back Mom!
A year ago Michael Marantz went around New York City asking real people on the street to say thank you to their mothers. There were many terrific responses, some unexpected, some adorable, and all brought big smiles. The piece was commissioned by thanksfa.com…a terrific site where everyone can say thanks to others for their wonderful deeds. The San Pico Pirates would like to thank our moms and all the moms in our extended family and wish everyone a most heartfelt Happy Mother’s Day.
appy daze
Get a new mobile device and what’s the first thing we do? Start downloading apps! There’s a bazillion of them and we all want our fair share. We stuff them into our little 3 x 5′s and 9 x 7′s until they are bloated and hemorrhaging. There they sit, mostly unloved and unused, sulking and stewing until they renounce us and start leaking our personal info to someone named Zho Xing 5000 miles away. Sad. But now there’s an app finally worth its digital weight that will turn every family gathering and dorm room soireé into a par-teé.
On her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres plays a game with celebrity guests where she holds a card up to her forehead showing a word or famous name. The guest then gives clues to Ms. DeGeneres to help her guess the word. It’s a game we’ve all played. Some call it Celebrity; others Charades or Password. So why not turn this into an iPhone game? That’s the idea the producers of the Ellen show came up with last October. They hired an iPhone app development studio and released it a week ago in Apple’s App Store. In hours it was #1.
In Heads Up!, you pick a category like movies, animals or music. Then you hold the iPhone up to your forehead with the screen showing the word, and your friends shout clues at you. After you guess correctly, you put the phone face down and hand it to the next player, who gets a new word. Players pass the phone around, guessing as many words as they can until time runs out. Unknown to most new players, the front-facing camera on the iPhone is recording a video of the whole game session. The players can save the video, share it on Facebook or even Send to Ellen, where producers will select favorites to play on the television show. It’s only a buck for a bucket of fun.
show of hands
Posted by snake in audio visual, digital world, experiments, humor, photography, technology, video on May 7, 2013
In the digital age where does reality lie? Somewhere between the 1′s and 0′s? The demarcation has blurred, altering our brains ability to distinguish between what is real and what is imagined.
Wow your brain with the camera trickery behind SCREENGRAB. By day Willie Witte is a documentary filmmaker working on a PBS series, but he uses his evenings to experiment with analog visual techniques. His latest endeavor with accompanying sound aid from Kevin McAlpine is, in his own words: “An experiment in transitions. None of the effects are computer generated. All the trickery took place literally in front of the camera.”
See if you can keep up with this show of hands imbued with an amazing transitional technique…mind blowing!
teach your children well
Posted by snake in Activism, Celebration, community service, education, jobs, links, music, school, video on May 5, 2013
And you, of tender years
Can’t know the fears
That your elders grew by
And so please help them with your youth
They seek the truth
Before they can die.
(Can you hear and do you care
And can’t you see who must be free
To teach our children what you believe in
Make a world that we can believe in.) - Graham Nash
Her name was Miss Taylor. I don’t know if she was married or not. She seemed old but I was 11 and everyone over the age of 14 seemed ancient. She was my sixth grade teacher and, of all of them, I remember her best. They passed through my educational life one by one, concerned and caring and mostly wonderful, but no one had the impact of Miss Taylor. She ignited my passion for learning and set me on a generally productive path, far removed from the chaotic road of self-destruction. Sometimes, one great teacher is all it takes.
A landmark new research paper underscores that the difference between a strong teacher and a weak teacher lasts a lifetime. Having a good fourth-grade teacher makes a student more likely to go to college, the research suggests, and less likely to get pregnant as a teenager or gravitate towards criminal behavior. Each of the students will go on as an adult to earn, on average, $25,000 more over a lifetime — or about $700,000 in gains for an average size class — all attributable to that ace teacher back in the fourth grade. That’s right: A great teacher is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to each year’s students, just in the extra income they will earn, not to mention productivity and good citizenship. The study, by economists at Harvard and Columbia universities, finds that if a great teacher is leaving, parents should hold bake sales or pass the hat around in hopes of collectively offering the teacher as much as a $100,000 bonus to stay for an extra year. Sure, that’s implausible — but their children would gain benefits that far exceeds even that sum.
National Teacher Day is this Tuesday during Teacher Appreciation Week. A good time to say thank you and a good time to remember we are all teachers. Perhaps you can convince your company to commit to the educational community as Manpower has done. It benefits everyone and pays dividends far into the future. As Paul Tudor Jones, founder of the philanthropic organization the Robin Hood Foundation says, ‘the only way to kick poverty in the ass is through higher education’ and that begins with a wizard teacher early on.
Pirate Peeps
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Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation
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Save the Children
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