Tis the Season to Destroy?

Just got home from seeing "Avatar."

Seriously. GO SEE IT.

The CGI alone is reason enough to see it. It's...mind blowing how far technology has come that we can produce a film that is 60% CGI and looks SO realistic. It's seriously phenomenal.

The world they live in (and that James Cameron ENVISIONED and CREATED!) is beautiful. If such a place existed, I would seriously consider living there. Giving up my precious city life and moving into this surreal jungle. It's THAT gorgeous.

The action sequences are so intense that they had me on the edge of my seat...heart racing. Even found myself getting choked up at times (don't tell anyone!)

Seriously, I don't gush often.

But this movie is RIDICULOUS.

However, it DID get me thinking (of course).

Of COURSE you're not supposed to be cheering for the (characteristically one-sideded) Colonel...but the idea behind his motives in the movie just...stuck with me.

Semi-spoiler: The whole reason this military force has come to this world is to collect some...rock substance...that is worth a lot of money. MOTIVE = money. How materialistic. Unfortunately, the Na'vi's (the native semi-human, quasi-alien, giant blue people) hometree happens to sit on the rock that they want. Solution? Destroy their home and families, of course.

On the other side, there are the scientists who HAVE hearts and want to understand the way of life of the Na'vi.

The world needs more of the latter and less of the former.

It's really no shock to anyone that I'm not a fan of war. I think that we, as a society, should be able to come up with a more intelligent, more humane, and more civilized solution to problems than just blowing everything up. I think the military has seen one-too-many action movies.

This movie further solidified my hatred for the idea of war. Essentially, people don't want to make the effort to understand other cultures or lifestyles. They believe that their way of life and/or agenda is more important than anyone else's, and, because of this, they have some divine right to use whatever means they want to achieve their goal.

Since when is okay to destroy someone's entire home, family, and LIFE...for you to make money?

Yes, it's a movie. But think about it...it's not that far exaggerated... Take a look around. What does destruction REALLY solve?

Music to Cure the Winter Blues

So my good friend DJ Kid Cut Up worked his ass off to make this sweet 2-hour mix. It played on 88.9 Radio Milwaukee a few weeks ago and now it's ready to be downloaded :)

It's disgusting how good this is. He's an incredibly talented DJ. Show your support. Put these tracks on your iTunes, send the links around, and get it heard!

DJ Kid Cut Up - Hour 1

DJ Kid Cut Up - Hour 2

Cheers :)

Raise Awareness. Give.

Today is World AIDS Day 2009.

Because social media has seemingly taken over, it is an incredibly effective venue for raising awareness. People are joining together to "turn twitter (red)" or "turn facebook (red)."

While awareness is a HUGE part of it, just being aware of the problem at hand does not solve anything. The President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Jacob Zuma, gave a speech today along side UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe.

“Our message is simple,” President Zuma said, “we have to stop the spread of HIV. We must reduce the rate of new infections. Prevention is our most powerful weapon against the epidemic.”

Raising awareness is the first step.

Prevention is where we're headed.

We can get there by donating.

(Again, I realize we're in a recession, but putting your money toward THIS is more worthwhile than buying a video game. And, because we're in a recession, that means these charities are hurting too.)

You can still shop and buy Christmas gifts...and still support the (Red) movement.

Or donate directly to the United Nations Foundation.

Help raise awareness and find a way to prevention. Do Something this World AIDS Day.

Consumerism? No thanks. Minimalism, please.

So, Black Friday came and passed. (And apparently now it's Cyber Monday...is that even a real thing?) I chose not to wake up an an ungodly hour and face crowds full of people who seem to have lost all sense of decency. And after watching this video...I'm SO happy with my choice.

Watching this video disgusted me. THIS is what is wrong with America.
First, we're in a recession. I realize people are taking part in Black Friday to take advantage of the sales and deals, but how about considering just NOT buying the crap that you really DON'T need?
Second, how about taking that money you're spending and donating it to people who actually need it? There are countries where people are fighting for food. Here? People are physically fighting over a video game. Are you kidding me?

The problem is that people are still entirely too focused on consumerism. Yes, we need to put money back into the economy, but not on superfluous items. It's time for our country to embrace the minimalist century.

Not only did I get to sleep in and protect my safety, but BECAUSE I didn't shop, I won a free shirt from TeecycleTim (Check out Teecycle.org...They're helping the environment, helping the minimalist movement, and selling some sweet t-shirts!). See? I saved more money than the crazies who woke up hyper-early (or didn't sleep at all...).