#socialgood Day

For those of you not into the whole "social media thing," you may not know that today is Social Good Day. In an effort brought to you by @mashable and @joinred, we are asked to put on our thinking caps and use our collective brain power to "unleash fresh thinking about how social media can raise awareness and create solutions for social issues around the world."

The great news is that our dear Milwaukee community is far ahead of the times. If you're not in the Twitterverse, check out Sue Spaight's blog post that recaps how Milwaukee's Twitter community banded together to save Tim, Jess, and Clara Cigelske of Teecycle.org. The Cigelske's home was - for all intents and purposes - destroyed during the Brew City Flood. Folks on Twitter got word of it, and came together to put on a fantastic - and effective - fundraising event, helping them to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

This example was the result of a process that happened organically, but what if we harnessed the power of these "activaters" to do something just as awesome on a regular basis?

The Idea:
Wouldn't it be great if Milwaukee's Twitter community came together every month (or so) for the purposes of social good? There are so many people struggling in our area, that surely we can utilize our collective networks to make a difference on an ongoing basis.
Monthly meetups of interested and connected Tweeters could be the grounds for social good planning.

Individuals who are struggling could informally propose their issue (statement of the problem) and craft a possible solution (action steps for the Twitter community) using free software like Scribd, Issuu, Slideshare, Prezi, and others. This would help others vet each proposal and choose a recipient.

Milwaukee tweeps could then use an online polling system to choose a #socialgood recipient. With regular, small-scale, local #socialgood successes, we could make a huge difference for Milwaukee.

You can read more about Social Good Day here.

If you have ideas for Social Good Day, or if your organization is already doing something great, then tweet it using the hashtag #socialgood.

MKE Film Festival

Okay Milwaukeeans, get your butts and popcorn buckets ready and put your cell phones on vibrate...tomorrow is the beginning of the 2010 Milwaukee Film Festival.

Here are my selections. I'm doing my "going to the movies alone" thing, which I know some of you find weird. Feel free to join me if one of these spikes your interest.

The best part? I'm volunteering for free tickets. Thank you, Milwaukee Film for being so awesome and affordable.

September 23
Blue Valentine 7:00 p.m.,
Opening Night Party @ Discovery World
A film about "...falling in love - and out of love," this opener will be the meat of my Happy Hour sandwich - Von Trier's before the show, and opening night party at Discovery World afterward.

September 24
Baraboo 7:30 p.m.
Small town WI? Check. Past it's peak resort town? Check. Disillusioned residents? Check. Anyone with me? (check)

September 26
It's Kind of a Funny Story
I'm a fan of Zack Galifianakis, and this film, which takes place in a psychiatric ward and also includes Emma Roberts, Aasif Mandvi, and Jim Gaffigan, is a "darkly humorous coming-of-age story" that I'm excited to see.

Note: I'd also love to see Waiting for "Superman," but it's sold out.

Editor's Note 9/23/10: Since I can probably see It's Kind of Funny in theaters (aka: matinee ticket prices), I think I'm going to see Kings of Pastry 4:15 p.m. instead. Yes, I could see both in one day, but I'm on a budget.

Tuesday September 28
Cooking History 3:15 p.m.
Food Network if it's cooking shows took place in Europe. During wars. And I can actually make it to this one; I just have to see if I can leave work half an hour early.

September 30
Katalin Varga 4:30 p.m.
Mostly because it was shot throughout the Romanian countryside and Carpathian mountains.

Sidenote: Gosh, I'm a sucker for anything that relates to Eastern Europe...

October 2
The Best Damn F*#&ing Midnight Program Ever. Sh*t. Midnight. Duh.
As the promo says, the title says it all.

October 3
Feed the Fish
How wisely they schedule this showing, leaving enough of a cushion after the Packer game that we can still get to the theater to see this WI film. Naturally, this one is sold out, but I might try rush tickets - along with hundreds of my fellow Wisconsinites, no doubt.

other October 3rd options, considering the likelihood of Feed the Fish rush tickets is nil:

About Elly 11:00 a.m.
Budrus 3:00 p.m.

I'll also be volunteering at the North Shore Cinema THIS SATURDAY from 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. if you'd like to stop by and see me.

@NickBarnett's Fangs

Last week I made a small reference to Nick Barnett's fangs...or, what I thought looked like fangs during one quick camera shot of the Packers/Eagles game.

You'll be happy to know I was right. If you're a Packer fan, you'll be happier to know that Nick Barnett is bada$$, then again, you probably already knew that.


Intimidation is the sincerest form of bada$$ery.

Tweeting the 1960's

Did you know that Mad Men is a fantastic show? No? Well, then, I have nothing else to say to you.

If, however, you love Mad Men as much as this PR (oh the horror!) gal, then you'll want to fire up your Twitter account and start following the fine folks of Sterling Cooper Draper Price.



The Crew
Don Draper Only slightly demeaning to women.
Peggy Olson A bit of an identity crisis in the happening.
Pete Campbell You can see him swirling the scotch in his lowball as you read through the tweets.
Roger Sterling Does he still come into work?
Ken Cosgrove Only 97% jerk.
Paul Kinsey Takes his sensitive side seriously.
Sal Romano Alas, not with SCDP, but still relevant.
Bertram Cooper I don't think he actually works either.

Joan Harris Ballsy yet classy.
Miss Blankenship Crotchety.
Secretary Practically non-existent, unless SCDP needs to get some work done.

The Ex and the New Mr.
Betty (Draper) Francis Poster Mom for the blog Really Bad Parenting Advice.
Henry Francis Character with an unclear purpose.

The Kids:
Sally Draper Definitely an identity crisis, but she's a pre-teen child of divorce, so it's expected.
Robert Draper Lots of questions.
Gene Draper Few answers.

The Workhorses:
Xerox Machine Could be more snarky.
Vending Machine Sets the precedent for office machine snark.

There are so many bit players that it's hard to list them all. Like Bethany Van Nuys and Anna Draper (now a Twitter user from beyond the grave, apparently). And there are multiple accounts for each character, so it's hard to know who's authoring them. Certainly none of the accounts have been verified (wink), but take a look, follow along, and enjoy the convo.

Journal Sentinel Point-Counterpoint: Indian Mascots

Today the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published two community commentary pieces that look at both sides of the Indian mascot debate. I commend them for providing an astute point-counterpoint on a, sadly, still relevant topic (read about the recent Mukwonago mucky muck here).

What I am ashamed to see - as a proud citizen of this great city (I had my reservations when moving here, but you've grown on me, Milwaukee) - is that all of the comments to these articles appear in response to the article in favor of changing team names. This article argues in favor, not because every Native American is offended, but because it should be enough that some are. And commentors are ripping the author a new one for being so sensitive.

Jane, you ignorant slut.

The other article, rather than taking a hard stance in favor of keeping Indian mascot names, merely suggests that our society's collective effort toward political correctedness sometimes gets out of hand.

Dan, you pompous ass.

But seriously. The first article is titled, "It's Time to Simply Do What's Right," while the second article is titled, "All References Aren't Derogatory."

Guess what? I think they're both right.

It's at this point that I should disclose that I am a Native American. And guess what? I don't have a problem with most Indian mascots. But to claim that you can't possibly understand how such caricatures could insult another human being is the worst sort of ignorance.

Case in point:

Seriously, Cleveland? How have you gotten away with this for so long? Why don't you just change your logo to a black guy with a big nose and an underbite and call yourself the N****rs?

Did I just make you uncomfortable? Did you know that "Redskin" is the Native American equivalent of the "N" word? The fact that I can write one and not the other in print is argument enough that something is wrong in our society.

But Washington's logo is actually pretty cool.

My point to all of this is not to stir the pot, but to point out that, yes, some Indian mascots are demeaning. And worse, it's not usually the names or the mascots that are the problem, but rather the 30,000 fans in an arena doing tomahawk chops and chanting war cries wearing war paint that ultimately fail to "honor/celebrate [an] ethnic group." I know it makes me feel welcome at a sporting event to see a white guy hopping around in neon colored "traditional" Indian regalia with a handful of stodgy old white guys (aka: regents) telling me I should feel honored about it (I'm talking to you Fighting Illini).

Not to mention dozens of commentors spewing hate speech toward someone who's simply pointing out that a portion of our citizens are demeaned on a daily basis because of their race, and we should consider graciously doing something about it.

Maybe if we can somehow find a way, like the FSU Seminoles, to work with those that are depicted to create a dignified rendition, then all can be proud and honored?

This Week in Wisconsin Sports

There’s nothing quite like sports in Wisconsin. Maybe it’s our Midwestern lifestyle that encourages pro athletes to be nice guys instead of d-bags. Or maybe it’s simply the 9 months of soul-crushing winter that leaves us little to do but gather together for warmth, I mean, camaraderie around our hometown teams.

Either way, it’s pretty cool to be a sports fan in Wisconsin. And here are the four most recent reasons why.

1. Mark Tauscher: Football Phenom. Blogger Extraordinaire.
FYI – Packer’s offensive tackle, Mark Tauscher, has entered the blogosphere. In a series hosted by Travel Wisconsin, our homegrown talent will be sharing his favorites of all that Wisconsin has to offer this, sometimes, unappreciative world. Read it here.


Also, something cool I learned whilst Googling Tauscher? He organizes Trifecta Foundation to “enhanc[e] the education and literacy of children in Wisconsin.” I kind of want to make some witty comment about Tauscher and Pizza Hut (read: Book It), but would rather not distract from the awesome mission of this org.

2. A Rod’s ‘stache
By now we all know that number 12 loves experimental facial hair, and we all love seeing what shapes and fu manchu’s will surface every Packer’s preseason. However, this author thinks it’s a travesty when all that grizzled wonderment is shaved for every season opener. After all, what could be more intimidating to an opponent than Grizzly Adams coming at you?


Except, maybe, Nick Barnett’s mouth guard giving the impression he has fangs – did anyone else see that shot in yesterday’s game?

Regardless, wherever you fall on the A-Rod Beard Fence (there’s an idea for that yellow monstor across from Lambeau Field), you can cast your vote here (look for the poll on the right side of the screen).


3. Joe Heller’s Cartoon: What Kind of Fan Are You?
We’ve all known THAT guy. But are you that guy? Take a look at Joe Heller’s slideshow of fandom.

Fun Fact: I once went to a Green Bay Blizzard game (I cannot recommend arena football more – it’s a blast! Go to a game. Do it), and sat behind a guy who clearly drank too much beer and instead of being obnoxiously drunk, he was being odorously drunk. You know what I mean.

Let me just put it this way for our younger readers. His tummy was feeling bad because of all that carbonation, and he should’ve gone to the little boy’s room.

For our adult readers: instead of going to the bathroom, the guy kept ripping the worst butt stenches known to man’s rotten intestines and I nearly lost my lunch.

So yeah.

View that slideshow up there and see if you fit into one of those fan categories.

4. Fear the Deer
And last, but certainly never least as evidenced today, Bango, the Buck’s mascot, was named NBA Mascot of the Year. Booyah all you Clutch fans (I Googled “ridiculous NBA mascot” and got this result. Bygones.). If you’ve ever been to a Buck’s game you know that Bango is one bad mickey fickey.

Congratulations, Bango, on your domination. May you survive Wisconsin’s upcoming hunting season and live to serve up more crazy stunts like these:

Man Shows

Man Shows. There's a title to get the ladies excited. Too bad I mean "TV shows with an audience demographic of male ages 18-39" and not "chippendales." Ew, skeevy. As far as eye candy goes, gimme any sporting event with athletic sweaty men over a skeevy strip show any day.

Bygones.

Maybe I have an abnormally high level of testosterone flowing through my veins (probably not as evidenced by the mammaries), or perhaps I'm just your classic tomboy (ding, ding), but I love a good Man Show. And what better way to celebrate the season premiere of just such a delight than with a blog post that espouses the wonders of my favorites? Let's get crackin'.

1. Deadliest Catch
I love me some Blue Collar Reality TV. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, but Deadliest Catch is boss.



2. Tosh.0
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. It's politically incorrect. Daniel Tosh is a dick shine. Whatever. I'm sure he's heard it all, and I'm sure you're right. But there's something very appealing about a show - even a comedy show - that doesn't pull any punches. In this day and age when every celebrity, politician, water cooler Kathy, whathaveyou is verbally walking on eggshells in an effort to not offend any person, place, thing, or idea, it's refreshing to watch a show that makes an effort to equally offend everyone. Not THAT'S equality. In the "man" sense, I assume.

Tosh.0	Weds 10:30pm / 9:30c
Beach Flip
www.comedycentral.com
Tosh.0 Videos Daniel Tosh Web Redemption

3. Sons of Anarchy
Perhaps it's because I grew up so close to the Rez (that's "reservation" for you non-native folks), but I've got me a soft spot for SoA. The lawlessness, the tattoos, the theme song co-written by Velvet Revolver's David Kushner...it all adds up to one thrill ride of a show about, let's face it, a motorcycle mafia. Your two favorite things in life, right? Harleys and assassinations? I thought so.

Last season ended with quite a bang, and I know I'm not the only Lady Fan anxiously awaiting the premiere tonight.

Things I Don't Like

Awhile a go I wrote a post on Things I Like to celebrate those random blessings in my life. Well, here's the yin to that yang...Things I don't like. In no particular order.

I don't like...

1. Heights
I don't particularly enjoy heights. My knees get shaky. My legs get weak. I think of the myriad shapes I'd make if I plunged to my death and splatted on the ground. Ew, gory.

But this doesn't explain why I liked rock and wall climbing in high school or why I harbor the desire to sky dive.

I suppose mostly I just enjoy a good challenge, and what are fears but simply challenges unmet?

I don't like...

2. Timidity
If you want to do something, go out and do it. If you don't like something about yourself or your life, get proactive to make improvements. And for goodness' sake, if you don't know where you're going do NOT stop in the middle of the highway to look at your map.

I don't like...

3. Sheryl Crow
I don't know why. It's one of life's great mysteries, because you would think a talented, guitar-playing, singer-songwriter would be right up my musical alley, but there's just something about her shouting melodies, I mean, singing that rubs me the wrong way.

I don't like...

4. Ignorance
Seems obvious, right? Wrong, at least, according to Newsweek. Now, I know there are tons of smart people out there, and even the smartest person can be dumb about some things, but I just wonder if terrorism is really the biggest threat to our nation.

I don't like...

5. Bugs
The number one reason why I don't like being single is because I don't have anyone at home to kill all the creepy crawlies for me. And that is why I'm single. You gotta have a better reason than that, no?

Things I Like

In this economy it's easy to get downtrodden and depressed, especially when looking for a job. Therefore, I've made it a habit to think of three things every morning that I like and/or that bless my life. It helps to remember that, while many of the good things in my life are things I've worked incredibly hard for, there are just as many good things in my life that are blessings for which I did nothing to deserve. Here are just a sampling of these latest likes - blessings, results of hard word, randomness, or otherwise.

I like...

1. Having a Job
Yes, I worked hard to get it. I worked incredibly hard to get a Master's degree, and then spent weeks searching for a job and pushing the boundaries of my creativity in doing so. But, ultimately, getting those interviews and then getting an offer after several interviews at several places is an elusive combination of hard work, persistence, and serendipity.

I like...

2. Tosh.0
This show is so highly inappropriate that I can't help but like it on some deep, barbaric level. I think the same part of me that leaves Sports Center on all day and calls The Big Lebowski a favorite film is the one that likes Tosh.0.

I like...

3. My Sandwiches Cut Into Triangles
They just taste better that way, no?


I like...

4. The Sound My Directional Signal Makes When it Clicks Off
I don't know why, but it's an oddly satisfying sound. Perhaps because it reminds me that I am still young enough to regularly use one while driving.

I like...

5. Cooking
Not only does chopping things with a large knife lower my stress level, but it also makes me believe that I'm contributing to the greater good. You know, taking care of my peeps..."my peeps" referring to whomever I'm cooking for at the moment. I'm also pretty good at it.

And there you have it. A short list of the latest things I like, in no particular order. Stay tuned for when I explore my dislikes...it's sure to be entertaining.

Social Media, Social Repetition, Social Apathy?

I'm going through a non-Internet phase in my life...in that I have no Internet. Why pay $50 a month just to provide myself with another distraction I don't need?

Not to mention being connected 24/7 has never sounded attractive to me - have people bother me all of the time? No way!

Lately this has extended to this blog (as if you haven't noticed) and Twitter.

Does anyone really care what I'm doing/thinking/saying?

Do I really want to keep writing in first person?

Am I growing out of my narcissism?

This is where I currently am with the blog. Mayhap I will envision a new direction for this little space of the Internets and become more regular about my posting. If you have any ideas, please, let me know. And don't say Metamucil; I realize the phrasing in that last sentence sounded a bit off.

And Twitter.

I've come to be a little cynical and suspicious of Twitter as of late. Is it really just people who know each other in real life carrying on a conversation? Do all of those @ replies really just represent a sham of what should be friends texting each other, and in no way are related to strangers networking, information sharing, or gaining/losing popularity?

I wonder sometimes.

Maybe I'm following the wrong people and my data is skewed.

Regardless, this is where I stand on the whole social media thing right now, at least for personal use. There's a cynical side of me that thinks it's all a repetition of what could be conducted via phone, text, or in-person, and there's an apathetic side of me that wonders, really, what am I bringing to the table with status updates and blog posts that tell everyone what they probably already know?