Having lived through Hurricane Katrina, I can certainly empathize with survivors of natural disasters on a more personal level. Maybe that's why this particular story really hit me right in the feels, so to speak.
Although this video clip is definitely heartwarming, it's also a tear-jerker. You've been warned!
Remember, the best survival strategy for a natural disaster is to have a plan for you and your family. Make sure that each family member is aware of the plan and practice each plan (or parts of it) consistently. 72hours.org is a good source of information. In addition to the usual Google search results, you can also look here and here for some good information.
Matthew Lannon, a 12-year-old resident of Rhode Island, delivered a powerful speech in support of gay marriage in front of the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary committee. For being in the sixth grade, he speaks with a great degree of eloquence and wisdom.
Lannon's parents- two lesbian mothers and two gay fathers- have been in their respective relationships for 14 years. As he described it, "My parents, and all the other gay and lesbian people here, just want to be happy." Interestingly enough, Lannon also happens to be the nephew of Rhode Island State Sen. Donna Nesselbush.
Surprisingly, Rhode Island is the only New England state that does not allow same-sex marriage, although LGBT couples do have the option of civil unions.
Kudos to you, Matthew Lannon, for having the courage to stand up and encourage people to "choose love!"
In this video, Dr. Temple Grandin answers many viewer questions. Topics include advice for parents of children with autism, some words about the Sandy Hook tragedy, and upcoming speaking events, to name a few.
The video is a bit lengthy- 40 minutes long- but well worth watching. The beginning of the video offers an "index" of sorts, listing the times for each specific question. So, if there are certain questions/topics that you're interested in, you can easily skip through the video.
If you happened to miss it, you can watch Mitt Romney's concession speech right here. Short, sweet, and to the point. I find it kind of funny that he didn't prepare a concession speech beforehand, just in case. Wouldn't you want to be prepared for any scenario, especially when running for President of the United States?
Well, at any rate, you can also watch Obama's victory speech below.
President Obama's speech is just a little bit longer... (ha)
You know, I have to say this: I've been really disappointed by some of the reactions I've seen from Romney supporters. A lot of them have been posting some really negative, immature crap on various social media sites. You know what? Obama won. Romney lost. End of story. You can either wallow in negativity and whine about the "coming apocalypse", or you can stand up and work to create a better America. The president is just ONE MAN. You don't need to agree with him in order to work for your country. If you truly care about America, then quit your whining and STEP UP. Make a difference in the world; your delusional social media rants are neither profound nor inspiring.
I don't agree with Obama 100%, but you know what? I think he'll do just fine. I'm going to be optimistic and send President Obama some good vibes. I'm also going to keep working with my partner to create a better life for our family.
Tomorrow is a new day, and we can always make a difference.
If you happened to miss the second election debate of 2012, which aired on 10/16/12, you're in luck- the entire thing is available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube.
I'll have some more in-depth commentary about this one, but for now I'll just say that Obama was the clear victor here. Unlike the first debate, Obama did a great job catching Romney in all of his lies.
So, Ann Coulter still exists, and for some reason she has this bizarre notion that speaking is a good idea. She's even barfed up written a new book, Mugged, in which she spends more time spewing inaccurate facts and pointing fingers in the endless(ly stupid) war between "liberals" and "conservatives." If you want an idea of the book's premise, Coulter argues that civil rights "only belong to blacks" because the U.S. "has a legacy of slavery."
Coulter has certainly made some bat-shit crazy interesting statements, lately. During a round table discussion on "This Week", she stated that civil rights are for blacks - not gays, Latinos, or women. So, what she's trying to say is that suffering and injustice are prerequisites for civil rights; something must be owed to one group by another. Even if we run with her bizarre definition of civil rights, it would seem that Coulter has a flimsy understanding of American history (in which immigrants have suffered various injustices) and almost no understanding of the daily struggles faced by and injustices inflicted upon other minority groups.
Seriously, can someone just advise this woman that speaking is not a good activity for her?
Don't you just hate it when life gets busy and you have so little time to blog and do FUN things? Yeah, me too. So, in the meantime, you can have a video! I have to say, I'd probably buy the book on tape if Ellen actually DID perform it. Hilarity.
I've been quiet for the past week. My apologies; things were a little hectic and my body decided that I should be absolutely exhausted, just to complicate things. I have some fun posts to finish up this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy this music video from Teen Mom's Farrah Abraham. Yep, that's right... Farrah has decided to try her hand at singing. She wrote and produced a soundtrack to accompany her book release. Now, I haven't read the book just yet, but apparently it's earned a spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Her album, on the other hand... well, I don't think that will be winning any awards. Not unless they present her with an award for truly awful music. Seriously, it's just Farrah "singing" over a bunch of synthesized garble. If nothing else, at least it's funny for a minute or so... until your eye begins to twitch and you can feel your brain cells dying.
Well, that's nice to know. I'm not being sarcastic, either- it's nice to know that the President of the USA believes that gay couples should have the right to marry. I have my owns views on marriage in general, but that will have to be written as its own blog post.
I hope that one day I will live in a world where the idea of gay couples not being allowed to get married is just as absurd as, say, interracial couples not being allowed to marry.
Aside from being another positive tale from the autism spectrum, this was just cute. Megan, a young girl diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, displays her memorization skills by reciting the various capitals of the world.
Many individuals on the autism spectrum display above average abilities in specific skills. Having a "special interest" can often help an individual find their voice in a world that may not otherwise make much sense to them.
It's finals week for a lot of my friends- I bet that memorization skill would sure come in handy for them!
Very well said! This young man has a bright future. More and more individuals with autism are proving that they can lead meaningful lives; we've come a long way from the view that the only viable future for individuals with autism was confinement within an institutional facility.
This isn't autism related, but the story deserves to be shared as much as possible. Seeing this story only encourages me to open my own shelter someday. I don't know how anyone could allow this to happen to a dog, but I'm grateful that there are good people in the world who care enough to take a stand and do something about it.
Last Friday's episode featured a segment relating to autism. Happily, it seemed like everyone in the cafe stuck up for the family and for the child.
What would you have done? Would the child's behavior have bothered you? Would you have stuck up for him?
I can honestly say that I'd have stood up for him and for his family. They have every right to be there. I was definitely pleased with the support shown to this family.
Jake was featured on 60 Minutes. He's a bright child whose skill in mathematics speaks for itself. Being on the spectrum has enabled him to think in different ways, which adds to his knowledge and abilities.
Sure wish I had a knack for math...! Oh well. It's my own fault for not having any interest in the subject whatsoever, ha ha.
Progressive (the insurance company) recently released a new commercial featuring Sonic the Hedgehog. Wonder if they're trying to relate to my generation? If so... it works!
