The Ginger Gazette

Oscar Night

2010-03-08T16:17:00.001-05:00

So last night was a big night of glitz, glamor, winning and losing. The 82nd Annual Oscar's was hosted and some of the big name wins were as follows:

Best Picture/Directing: The Hurt Locker

(Kathryn Bigelow who ironically is Avatar's Director, James Cameron's, ex wife.)

Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Hearts)

Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

Animated Feature Film: Up

Art Direction/Cinematography: Avatar

Costume Design: The Young Victoria

For the complete list along with acceptance speeches click here

Ke$ha Parody

2010-02-22T19:02:00.002-05:00

A Funny

2010-02-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

Miss Him Yet?

2010-02-14T13:13:00.001-05:00

Found along Interstate 35 outside Wyoming, Minn. this billboard sparked the interest of thousands as it "was one of the most-searched items on Google Tuesday."

some people are concuring with the billboard while others oppose it

the real question is

do you miss him?

Superbowl 2010

2010-02-08T09:34:00.005-05:00

Saints vs. Colts Superbowl 2010

Saints won 31-17, it's the first Superbowl win for the Saints

"We knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us" said MVP QB Drew Brees

This will for sure be one of the longest Mardi Gra's for Bourbon street

The Who played the half-time show, which was pretty good considering how old they are. But their vocals have defiantly taken a shot. The commercials weren't all that good but here are some examples of the better ones:

Let me know if you have any highlights/commercials that you loved on the superbowl

Happy Monday!

"10 Futuristic Cell Phone Concepts" from Toxel.com

2010-01-30T22:52:00.004-05:00

Toxel.com

I don't know about you guys, but I am simply obsessed with Stumbleupon.com

I was on it tonight and I came across some cool sites but one of the best was a site that did an article on 10 futuristic cell phone concepts. Toxel describes the article as a "Collection of the most creative and interesting cell phone concepts designed by talented people from all over the globe."

Here are some pics of the ultra cool designs:

What do you guys think?

Nerimon, YouTube Sensation Points Out the 'Finer' Points of Pop Music

2010-01-27T17:15:00.001-05:00

A New iProduct for the Apple Fans

2010-01-27T16:08:00.001-05:00

http://www.apple.com/

Apple has done it again.

"At a press event in San Francisco today, Steve Jobs introduced us to the iPad, his company’s hotly anticipated entry into the tablet market that is set to release worldwide in 60 days." - EW.com

It looks like a rather large iPhone but it's a lot more then that. "iBook app, which will let iPad owners create their own library of titles purchased and downloaded from a central iBooks store." Amazon's Kindle must be one unhappy camper.

"At first glance, the device does not look like much, and as rumored it basically resembles a large iPhone, complete with a home button and glass touch screen. True to the style that has come to define Apple products, the device looks simple and well-built, with a rigid glass display and a inch or so of bezel area around the display. The display is a full capacitive multitouch panel, as was expected, but is also an LED-backlit IPS (In-Plane Switching) display that has a great viewing angle. The back is aluminum, and there are various connectors on the sides for power, sleep, and volume controls." - Cnet

It looks sick, and all I know is I want it. Badly.

Haiti Hit

2010-01-15T17:01:00.003-05:00

So I've been a really bad blogger this month, and I'm sorry; I was just so caught up in all the excitement of my life. But now I'm back (yay!) and I have a really good cause to write about so hopefully it makes up for my neglecting you all.

So unless you live on another planet (or under some very large rock) you've heard all about the disaster that's hit Haiti.

It is extremely important to help out countries that face environmental disasters, especially if said countries face the issues that come with being a developing nation. "It is important to give quickly in the Haitian quake because that nation does not have the resilience of prosperous developed nations," says Richard Sylves, a professor of political science at the University of Delaware. Mr. Sylves appears to be right and Haiti needs all the help it can get.

If your thinking you don't really have time to go to a meeting, and you don't have a lot of time or money to volunteer you can still help out. Visit any of the websites below, or text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross for relief.

http://www.unicefusa.org/

https://www.habitat.org/

If any one has any other good websites for the relief of Haiti please comment or you can email the link to gingergazette@gmail.com

and I'll add it on up here.

Thanks and I hope you guys have a great weekend!

Merry Christmas 2009!! (Or anything else you might celebrate)

2009-12-25T01:28:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!

xoxo The Ginger Gazette

Brittany Murphy - December 20th 2009 (RIP)

2009-12-20T18:31:00.001-05:00

"2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon... See you on the other side kid."

-aplusk (Ashton Kutcher's twitter account)

The above is Ashton Kutcher's response to the loss of ex-girlfriend and co-star Brittany Murphy.

Mrs. Murphy died at 10:04 this morning morning. She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after her husband placed a 911 call at around 8 this morning. It was their that it was determined she had entered cardiac arrest and could not be revived. Murphy is most famous for her roles in "Clueless," "8 Mile," and "Don't Say a Word." TMZ had the following updates to add:

"UPDATE 3:11 PM ET -- Sources tell TMZ Brittany Murphy's mom discovered her unconscious in the shower. We're told when paramedics arrived, they quickly determined Murphy was in full cardiac arrest and immediately administered CPR. They continued CPR in route to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center -- several miles away -- and Murphy was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

We're told the LA County Coroner's is picking up Murphy's body from Cedars later today and will launch a death investigation.

UPDATE 4:00 PM ET -- We're also told the LAPD has launched a death investigation.

UPDATE 4:07 PM ET -- A rep for Murphy tells TMZ, "In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."

UPDATE 5:21 PM ET -- Two LAPD officers were just spotted going into Murphy's home.

UPDATE 5:34 PM ET -- A neighbor of Brittany's tells TMZ she saw Brittany getting taken out on a stretcher with paramedics performing CPR. The neighbor said Brittany "looked dead.""

Down Tiger

2009-12-03T13:01:00.001-05:00

(photo credit examiner.com)

Tiger Woods is probably one of the most respected sportsmen out there.

His record is so clean it shines and he always seems to bring joy with that killer smile and the likewise bod.

Well it seems he's been bringing a lot of joy to a girl named Jaimee Grubbs, a former tool academy contestant. Boy has she upgraded...

(Photo credit Jaimee Grubbs / VH1)

Needless to say Tiger's record is not so clean as of this week, that will happen when you cheat on your wife in what allegedly is a 31-month affair.

The media is in a frenzy.

Tiger Wood's released the following statement: "I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart,"

"I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means."

The family is supposedly in intense couples therapy, and Tiger will not be playing in the infamous Chevron World Challenge often referred to as "Tiger's Tournament".

There are rumors flying around now that Tiger woods is paying his wife up to $5 million to stand by at his side plus an extra $55 million in their prenup I believe its an effort on his and his lawyers part to try and keep Wood's endorsements.

Minarets Banned in Switzerland

2009-11-30T08:46:00.005-05:00

(Photo Credit)

"Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show." (BBC)

Minarets are tall slender towers, typically part of a mosque, they contain a balcony from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer. The swiss have voted against the creation of any new minarets.

Switzerland's government did not wish to put a ban on the minarets, they feared that this would reflect badly on Switzerland's image in the Muslim world.

"voters [though] worried about rising immigration - and with it the rise of Islam - [so they] have [chosen to ignore] the government's advice."

so the ban was voted in favor by the people. It is targeting one religion which is why so many find the referendum so distasteful. The ban itself seems to scream intolerance. Which is why most of Europe is pitting itself against the ban and trying to reason with Switzerland to repel the referendum.

You wouldn't really know it, but there are many Muslims in Switzerland, around 400,000 live in the country. With such a large community you would imagine a strong sense of Islamisation, you'd be wrong. Switzerland itself only has 4 Minarets and after the ban that is all it's set to have unless something dissolves the law.

Martin Baltisser, the SVP's (Swiss People's Party) general secretary, told the BBC: "This was a vote against minarets as symbols of Islamic power."

Switzerland accepted their people's decision however and said the following: "The Federal Council (government) respects this decision. Consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted."

(Quotes from BBC article)

Obamao

2009-11-18T10:07:00.001-05:00

Poor Obama can't seem to get a break...

T-shirts just came out depicting him as the Mao Zedong, the communist leader.

"Those Chinese sure can spot a fellow commie"

Another Youtube Sensation

2009-11-17T15:47:00.003-05:00

I was in the library today, trying to do some work, when I inevitably found myself opening firefox and typing in the world famous youtube.com.

I found this gentleman Sam Tsu, and I'm impressed.

I think he's really really good and I'm not the only one. This song alone has over 2,238,640 views. Even magazines like TIME have started paying attention to this new Youtube Sensation. Click here to see TIME's article on the boy.

Vote Cast in Breckenridge Colo.

2009-11-14T17:03:00.005-05:00

Marijuana Moves Into the Open in a Ski Town

- courtesy of The New York Times

Last week, a town vote was cast in Breckenridge Colorado decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The town has been known in the past for its partying so the locals don't appear very surprised by this turn of events.

“It’s been here forever,” said Ms. Vogt, who works for a property maintenance company when not on the mountain. “Now people can just be more comfortable walking down the street having some marijuana in their pocket — definitely including me.”

Not everyone is for the ordinance, obviously, businesses especially don't seem to ken on the idea and are enforcing precautions to protect their clients.

"A spokeswoman for Breckenridge Resort, Kelly Ladyga, said that resort employees were already trained to be “hypervigilant” in watching people for dangerous behavior from drugs or alcohol and that the company reserved the right to test any employee for drugs if “reasonable suspicions” are raised or an accident occurs."

“I don’t think that’s the type of person we want flocking into Breckenridge,” said Ms. Musso who owns a Christmas store in Breckenridge. I'm assuming what she means when saying the type of person she is referring to what she views as the "Pot-smoking crowd".

Damn, those heathen pot smokers.

Marc Jacobs Growing Impatient With Obama

2009-11-12T22:04:00.006-05:00

Obama's approval ratings have been dropping since this summer. People are hearing a lot of talk but seeing very little action; that, and they fear that at any moment their taxes are about to go sky high.

I think the problem was Obama's campaign. It was so fueled by the word "change" that when months passed with out much decision making, and a huge sum of money being thrown into the black hole that is now the American debt, people started getting antsy. After all, we are the internet generation and are used to having things just a fast click away.

Marc Jacobs, like most annoying popular culture figures, always enjoys telling the masses who he's siding with when the campaign trail strikes. Marc, like most, is growing impatient with Obama and has put out the following 'statements'.

Courtsy of Coco Perez

(Dear Mr. President You Promised I Voted Now Please Deliver)

Courtesy of Blackburn and Sweetzer

You can also pick up the shirt version.

- Smokin' Smarties -

2009-11-10T13:12:00.001-05:00

A new movement has hit middle schools everywhere: smoking smarties is the new fad now.

"The children [don't] light the candy. They crushed it into a fine powder in its wrapper, [tear] off one end, pour the powder into their mouths and blow out fine Smarties dust, mimicking a smoker's exhale." (WSJ)

This new generation is clearly trying to one up my own generation's time in middle school. They're failing.

This 'smoking' of smarties can lead to many health issues. Along with irritation of the throat and nostrils you can possibly invite some unwanted guests.

"Oren Friedman, a Mayo Clinic nose specialist, cautioned that frequent use could lead to infections or even worse, albeit rare, conditions, such as maggots that feed on sugary dust wedged inside the nose." (WSJ)

Ew...

Parents and Schools are obviously worried; hopefully these kids wont be any future leaders. Some schools have even gone as far to ban the candy.

A lot of kids have created how-to videos on youtube. You can see one and read a little more on the topic here: http://www.detentionslip.org/2009/03/kids-smoking-smarties.html

100th Post!!!

2009-11-09T09:31:00.001-05:00

Autism Speaks Under Controversy

2009-11-08T17:55:00.001-05:00

The group Autism Speaks now faces deep controversy with the new commercial they released below:

Many people who have or care for people with autism are angered and upset by this video. They feel it gives people with autism a negative persona, one they are trying to banish. If Autism Speaks had more people on their board with autism, perhaps they would be able to sympathize better and create more sensitive ads. The beginning is a little rough to deal with, but I think it ends nicely.

YANKEES WIN!!!

2009-11-08T13:55:00.001-05:00

YES!

The Yankees are the World Series Champions for 2009!!

They had me scared for a little there, but they pulled on through. My friend says "they did it on purpose because they wanted to win in their brand new stadium," whatever the reason, I'm glad.

Congrats Yankees You Did It!!

Sorry this post is a little dated

The Tunnel Smugglers of the Gaza Strip - TIME magazine

2009-11-07T14:43:00.002-05:00

all credit goes to: TIME magazine

A video about the blockades along the Gaza strip.

Blockades, along the Gaza strip, prevent goods from coming in. However, that doesn't stop some people; A series of intricate tunnels have been created to transport goods from Egypt to the strip.

Books and the Loss of the Yankees

2009-11-03T00:10:00.006-05:00

I was hoping to blog about the Yankees sweeping victory but, alas, they had other plans. The game was 6-8 yanks and that means its anybody's game... sadly.

I was eating today in my university's cafeteria, discussing the latest issue in Pakistan (really just self-advertising for the ginger gazette) when a man who overheard me came over to discuss a book he's been reading on Peshawar. It's called Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. The book sounded so interesting I decided to order it on my fancy kindle.

I haven't gotten around to reading it yet but I know a brief description of what its about courtesy of amazon.

"The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard
Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools—especially for girls—that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth. As it chronicles Mortenson’s quest, which has brought him into conflict with both enraged Islamists and uncomprehending Americans, Three Cups of Tea combines adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit."

Just this summer I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, I was even fortunate enough to meet the man and hear parts of his own story, living in a volatile region.

That book and other happenings have changed my mind and formed new observations about the middle east and I'm eager to learn more. I think this book will help greatly, and if its good enough I'll keep you posted.

We Lost.... 6-1

2009-10-29T00:14:00.001-04:00

Peshawar, Pakistan

2009-10-28T14:45:00.003-04:00

(Photo credit: NYtimes)

The image you see above, is of what used to be a marketplace in Peshawar, Pakistan. Peshawar, Pakistan is not the most familiar to Americans, but a very popular national geographic image was taken there and most people I'm sure will recognize it.

(for more on this epic photo go here)

The city has been utterly destroyed by a huge car bomb. The layout of the city doesn't help deter destruction; with its narrow ally's and congested streets things can easily catch on fire and spread rapidly.

At lease 90 people were killed, in this attack, most of them being women and around 160 were seriously injured. The New York Times said the following: it was "an attack aimed at civilians and mark[ed] a clear escalation in the Taliban campaign to undermine the government.

The telegraph reported "that [it is] the latest attack in a deadly barrage of violence that has swept Pakistan while the military battles Taliban militants along the Afghan border."

In the New York Times article an official "described it as the most serious in the history of a city that has become a frontline of Taliban terrorist attacks in recent weeks. This was the most deadly by far."

Hilary Clinton, the Secretary of State, was in Pakistan when the bombing took place. She was having a meeting with senior government officials in Islamabad, including Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani pictured below.

(Photo credit: NYtimes)

She had the following to say when the news struck.

“If the people behind these attacks were so sure of their beliefs, let them join the political process,” she told reporters. “They know they are on the losing side of history. But they are determined to take as many lives with them as their movement is finally exposed for the nihilistic, empty effort it is.”

Everyone is feeling the effects of this terrible attack. “A state of emergency has been declared at the hospital. We don’t even have time to count the bodies. Its absolutely mayhem here. We have called for blood donation to meet with the crisis.”

"Suicide bombings and commando-style ambushes have killed more than 280 people in the last month, a wave of attacks that Pakistani officials say is the Taliban's answer to the government's offensive to flush the militant group from its stronghold in South Waziristan, a rugged, underdeveloped region bordering Afghanistan."

The message is clear the Taliban wants control and will do what it has to in order to attain it.

Citation:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-bombing29-2009oct29,0,1040624.story

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/world/asia/29pstan.html?_r=1&hp

The Ginger Gazette

*Oscar Night*

Art Direction/Cinematography: Avatar

Costume Design: The Young Victoria

For the complete list along with acceptance speeches click here

Ke$ha Parody

A Funny

Miss Him Yet?

Superbowl 2010

"10 Futuristic Cell Phone Concepts" from Toxel.com

Nerimon, YouTube Sensation Points Out the 'Finer' Points of Pop Music

A New iProduct for the Apple Fans

Haiti Hit

Merry Christmas 2009!! (Or anything else you might celebrate)

Brittany Murphy - December 20th 2009 (RIP)

Down Tiger

Minarets Banned in Switzerland

Obamao

Another Youtube Sensation

Vote Cast in Breckenridge Colo.

Marc Jacobs Growing Impatient With Obama

- Smokin' Smarties -

100th Post!!!

Autism Speaks Under Controversy

YANKEES WIN!!!

The Tunnel Smugglers of the Gaza Strip - TIME magazine

Books and the Loss of the Yankees

We Lost.... 6-1

Peshawar, Pakistan

Oscar Night