According to a reader of Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish, the US government is charging it’s citizens in Lebanon for the priviliege of being removed from that country and being left in Cyprus. Where they’ll have to sort out their own accomodation and flights back to the US.

Nice of them isn’t it. To be so concerned about their citizens that they are offering to remove them from a war zone for a FEE. Not like all those other governments who are already getting their citizens out for free.

Originally by Rachel from More Tomorrow on July 18, 2006, 8:07am

Newcomer Freema Agyeman is to take over from Billie Piper in the third series of Doctor Who, it has been revealed.
Agyeman, 27, will play Martha Jones in the next run of the drama, due to start filming in Cardiff this summer.

I have to say, that I’m pretty excited about this new companion and at the prospect of next Christmas’ episode having no companion at all. Maybe Captain Jack will make an appearance…

Originally by Rachel from More Tomorrow on July 5, 2006, 10:39am

A telephone bracelet has been developed by Orange and Medical Mobile for Alzheimer’s sufferers in France. It seems to be basically a watch containing GPS and mobile phone technology that keeps track of the patient and alerts the relevant people when they wander out of where they’re supposed to be – a bit similar to a system implemented in a nursing home that I read about except this would allow the patient out of a nursing home and down to a local shop perhaps rather than just confining them to the home. Plus there’s the added bonus of being able to talk to the person through the bracelet rather than having to peg it to wherever they are.

This is a really cool idea and could probably be used not just for Alzheimer’s patients, but for any vunerable person who might get confused and disoriented when out and about.

Via Popgadget

Originally by Rachel from More Tomorrow on July 5, 2006, 10:07am

AFI are my favourite band and have been for about 6 years now and I’m always struck by how dedicated their fans are and how much AFI seem to do for their fans. It may be because I am far more involved with the AFI fan community than I have been for any other band or musician that I have liked in the past, but thinking about the big music stars that I remember, none of them seem to do so much personally for their fans. Sure they might tour and stuff – but all musicians tour. Otherwise it’s just CDs and radio and while the music may be good, it’s not enough just to hear recordings. AFI actually concoct crazy mysteries to go with their albums for the fans to try and solve and investigate. They communicate with the fans using their messageboard, myspace and various other internet outlets. They take the time to meet members of their fan club before shows and often spend some time with the fans who stick around waiting after shows.

And I think it pays off. All the extra effort that AFI put into doing a little extra for their fans has resulted in a largely uber-dedicated fanbase who stick with them, even if some aren’t sure about the new direction their music is going in. A fanbase so dedicated that they frequently declare their love for AFI in a permanent fashion by tattooing it on their bodies.

Link to the original site

This is a video directed by Karen Lum, adapted from the poem “Slip of the Tongue” written and performed by Adriel Luis.

And it’s great.

I can only really speak from the experience of creepy old men saying to me “You’re mixed race, yes?” as if they’ll get some kind of prize for correctly guessing that I’m both caucasian and chinese with perhaps a bonus thrown in for being incredibly skeevy. Then there’s the wondering whether you got into a university because of your ethnicity and gender and not because of your talent – perhaps they had some kind of quota to fill.

It’s something to think about.

Link to the original site

This is a video directed by Karen Lum, adapted from the poem “Slip of the Tongue” written and performed by Adriel Luis.

And it’s great.

I can only really speak from the experience of creepy old men saying to me “You’re mixed race, yes?” as if they’ll get some kind of prize for correctly guessing that I’m both caucasian and chinese with perhaps a bonus thrown in for being incredibly skeevy. Then there’s the wondering whether you got into a university because of your ethnicity and gender and not because of your talent – perhaps they had some kind of quota to fill.

It’s something to think about.

Link to the original site

I think there’s also a video on the same topic by Alanis Morrissette somewhere, but videos like this make me think about the things that celebrities choose to draw attention to. I mean, celebrities are ordinary people who also happen to be well known by a lot of other ordinary people for one reason or another.

So should they feel obligated to draw attention to various issues that they feel are important or that other people feel are important and have asked them to pimp out?
Maybe. Celebrities are people like you and me and in a way, we should all be doing things to solve problems with the world that we feel strongly about and to help right various wrongs about the place – so they shouldn’t be singled out as someone to hold up as an example to the world. Being some kind of role-model or hero-figure has responsibility and can mean always being on your best behaviour in public and not having the freedom to just chill out and be naughty occassionally.

However, at the same time, they are famous. People have heard of them. People pay to see their films, hear their music or buy their books. Their jobs are based on being known by at least a few other people and using that power to get people to buy whatever product they are promoting – be it a film, cd or carpet cleaner. From the obligation that everyone has to do their bit for issues they care about, you could also say that because celebrities are in a position of a certain power, they can use this power to draw attention to things that the common folk might not think about too often.

I guess it could be annoying though, to have people wanting you to champion various causes all the time, so there has to be a balance between private and public and making time both for yourself and also for this kind of charitable action.

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I only really signed up for this blog so that I could get an api key for my other blog. So, go look at my livejournal.

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