absolutwillie

Tag: activism

  • Reblog – Urgent anti-bully message to educators: Do more to stop it

    Urgent anti-bully message to educators: Do more to stop it is a cross-blog from Annie Fox’s Blog

    Annie Fox, M.Ed., is an internationally respected parenting expert, 

    award-winning author, and a trusted online adviser for tweens teens.

    (via @TeachersApps) 

    They say schools are no longer in the business of teaching good citizenship, character, ethics or whatever you want to call it because educators are too busy “teaching to the test.” There’s no test for character that can be graded to give districts bragging rights for getting their scores up, so why teach this stuff? Because there actually is a test for character. It’s called Life and we ought to be teaching to it. When we don’t, we get this…
    Hey Terra,
    People at school don’t like me because me and this popular girl got into a little fight and I won. To get even she spread rumours about me saying I was in a mental institution for weird and violent behavior (a complete lie). Then everyone started to insult and ignore me. She does it the most. They say stuff like “Hey freak! No one likes you, so why dont you take a long walk off a short bridge?” Everyday. I don’t get a break from it. I insult them back. I know I probably shouldn’t bother, but it’s really hard not to. It’s like automatic for me now. I don’ t like being told to basically die. It’s not right for anyone to be told that.
    So Fed Up
    See it. Name it. Stop it.
    Dear Fed Up,
    These kids are being rude and cruel. I know it’s hard to hear this crap and try to brush it off. I’ve heard it said that no one can bring you down without your permission. That’s kinda true and kinda not. Humans are wired to be emotional. We’re also wired to want other people to like us. So when someone shouts angry words in your face or online, your human wiring kicks in. Your heart beats faster (and not in a good way) and you feel attacked. Even if the person isn’t someone you know or care about. Even if what he or she says is a lie. Words hurt. We feel it. So I totally understand the temptation to attack back. Except… it doesn’t help. You’ve seen that. It just makes things worse. Like throwing gasoline on a fire. That won’t put it out.
    But you need to learn to take care of yourself. That doesn’t mean yelling nasty stuff back at people who are mean to you. You need to take care of yourself by figuring out how to response so that
    a) you don’t give anyone permission to push your buttons so you automatically react like a puppet and
    b) at least one adult at school and/or at home steps in and gets to the bottom of this so that this girl and her followers no longer feel they’ve got the right to talk to you or anyone in this way.
    I just took my fingers off the keyboard for a minute.  I’m taking a deep breath now, because hearing about this stuff every day really upsets me. I feel frustrated there are kids who believe it’s OK to be mean to other kids. I also feel frustrated that the adults who run schools (principals, counselors, teachers, coaches) have not done a better job making school a safer more accepting place for all students all the time.
    Still breathing. It helps. Take some deep breaths on your own whenever you need to calm down. Then think about what would really make this situation better. Forget about trying to talk to the girl. Go to adults in power. Talk to your parents. Tell them what you told me. Tell them just how Fed Up you are. Talk to the principal (with or without your parents). Talk to the school counselor. This has to stop. Adults can make it stop. Remind them it’s their job.
    Take care.
    In friendship,
    Terra
    ————–
    I’m so sick of the situations that prompt these emails. Where are the adults in charge? Do they really not know what’s going on? Do they believe it’s not part of their “job” to get involved with fights between students? Do they worry they’ll get no support from their administrators if they step in? Do they worry they’ll get  in trouble with parents for calling out kids who are disrepecting other kids? Or have they just given up, believing that peer harassment is a problem bigger than any remedy they might offer in the moment?
    I don’t know what school administrators and teachers think about the bullying that persists in their schools. Why don’t you tell me? I’m listening.

  • Movember

    Brace yourselves…
    …the moustaches are coming!
    Yep! This year, I’ve decided to join in the fun, sacrifice my beard and, in the spirit of Movember, grow a mustache from scratch. All with the aim of raising awareness of prostate- and testicular cancer!
    Want to learn more about it? Or donate and sponsor my Mo?
    Then go to mobro.co/absolutwillie right away!
    *proof of a clean start: 1 Nov 2012

  • It Isn't Your Town – It's You

    Compliments Worth County Times
    Grant City, Missouri
    If you want to live in the kind of town
    Like the kind of town you like,
    You needn’t slip your clothes in a grip
    And start on a long, long hike.
    You’ll only find what you left behind,
    For there’s nothing that’s really new.
    It’s a knock at yourself when you knock your town.
    It isn’t your town – it’s you!
    Real towns are not made by men afraid
    Lest somebody else gets ahead.
    When everyone works and nobody shirks
    You can raise a town from the dead.
    And if while you make your personal stake
    Your neighbor can make one, too,
    Your town will be what you want to see.
    It isn’t your town – it’s YOU!

  • CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: Special Olympics Missouri Northwest Area

    Hello All,

    We are gearing up for our 2012 District Bowling Competition for Special Olympics Missouri that will be held in St. Joe, MO March 3-4! We will be utilizing Belt Bowl and Southside Family Fun Center for this amazing event! 
    We are still in need of volunteers to ensure that we provide the best bowling competition to our athletes. They deserve the best!  If you are interested in volunteering we could really use your help. We have 1200 SOMO Athletes coming into town to compete. They must win a gold or silver medal in order to advance to the State Tourney in Columbia in May. If you would like to be a part of this special event you can sign up to volunteer at the link below:

    Volunteer Link: here
    Then click on: St. Joseph District Bowling March 3-4

    We hope that you can make it out that weekend. When you visit our volunteer site you can click whichever shifts fit into your time schedule. We would truly appreciate you sending this on to anyone you think might be interested in being a part of this event. Thank you!!!


    Katie Hrenchir | Associate Area Director | Special Olympics Missouri Northwest Area
    520 Francis Street | St. Joseph, MO  64501 | P: 816-233-6232 | F: 816-233-0130
    www.somo.org | hrenchir@somo.org | Be a fan.  Like us on Facebook.


    Take the pledge to stop using the word “retarded” and start treating others with respect.

  • Gay high school athletes blog (from: outsports.com)

    Jan 8th, 2011 

    by Jim Buzinski.
    “Three kids. Three time zones. One mission …” That’s the tagline for a fantastic new blog, “Walk the Road” (with the url www.bradrobertben.wordpress.com), created and written by three gay teenage high school athletes. That’s unusual in and of itself. What makes it even more unique is that the three are not anonymous.
    The three bloggers are Brad Usselman, 16, (a runner from Washington state in the Pacific time zone); Ben Newcomer, 16, (a soccer player from the Southeast in the Eastern time zone) and Robert, 17 (a soccer player from the South in the Central time zone). Robert is not using his last name since he lives in a conservative area, but like Brad and Ben he is using his photo and is comfortable telling his story. (For those wondering, I have verified all their identities).
    I have been e-mailing, texting and webcamming regularly with the three since Brad first wrote me and I am very impressed by their drive, intelligence, energy and passion; they are also just fun to talk with.
    For example, I asked Brad what his goals are for the blog and he replied: “One goal is to dance on ‘Ellen.’ Another one is to help the younger generations. The last goal is to meet Lady Gaga. Those can go in any order, haha.”
    The blog actually got its start in the aftermath of last year’s Mikey hoax (the alleged teen hockey player who turned out to be a 40-something married man). Said Brad:
    “Finding out that he was a phony destroyed me, and I went through a hard time because I built up a relationship with a lot of people on that website. Still to this day I have not found a blog with an openly gay high school athlete who uses his real name. My friends and I would like to change that. … Our goal is hopefully to change people’s perceptions that openly gay athletes would be ostracized from their sports team. Also, we want to build a grass-roots movement with my generation to show that equality isn’t just something we strive for, equality is something we want now and we will go against society’s view of being normal to prove our point.”
    They are committed to making a difference for other LGBTQ young athletes, wanting them to know they are not alone. As Ben wrote me about how easy it is for athletes to stay hidden in the closet: “Gay people who fit in shouldn’t feel like they have to just because they can.”
    While there have been anonymous blogs by gay athletes, this is the first I know of where the bloggers are in high school and not hiding who they are. That alone makes their blog special and makes them more real and accessible since they are not freaked out about hiding details or of someone finding out. It will make their blog that much richer.

    From left: Ben, Brad, Robert
    Excerpts from some of their first posts give a glimpse of what they’re about:
    Ben:
    You could call me gay. Or you could call me bisexual. Or you could call me straight, or pansexual, or maybe just Ben. These labels that define our sexuality, personality, individuality are just that. They are labels. Labels that people use to box up society into neat little packages. I am here to say to those people, “Here’s a run for your money.” Labels are comforting, but where’s the fun in life without a little ambiguity?
    Brad:
    I have grown up in a society filled with stereotypes of every group of people. These unhealthy views of certain people destroy some. I myself have been affected. Words such as “faggot” and “homo” being used in daily conversations have shut the closet door on me and not let me out. But I made a promise to be who I am and not let others define me just by my sexuality. I, Brad Usselman, am a varsity athlete who is gay and this is my story.
    Robert:
    We are free to be what whatever we chose to be and how to do it. I was led down a rough path for many years until I began to figure out who I am and how I’ve become stronger in spite of the past. In retrospect it is better to be happy with whom you are rather than try to be something you are not.
    Their banner image is of a solitary man walking down a tree-lined road. It has the words “Walk the Road: One common goal.” The idea is that young people wrestling with their sexuality need not walk alone. As Robert said: “Walk the road came to mind just out of the blue. The picture that we have that top made me think of how alone, at times, I have felt and with that I came to ‘Walk the Road’ (being that the road resembles a sort of life’s path that a lot of us have been on).”
    Via the blog we’re watching three young people during their coming out process. And it is a process, with all its ups and downs. They are out to their parents (Ben’s mom posted the first comment) and some friends, but not yet to their teams or to most people at their schools. Ben is also out to his twin brother, whom he plays with on a club soccer team, and assumes some teammates on his high school team might know. As for Brad, “I am not out yet to my teams but will be soon. I am guessing people already know but I have never faced any criticism.”
    Being so open is not without its potential risks, and I have been wondering how they will deal with people stumbling across the blog by doing a web search. “I’m at the point where I’m not announcing it, but I think I’m all right with people finding out,” Ben said. Added Robert: “We understand there might be things that come with this blog, as well as maybe a few gay-bashers, but I think we can handle it, as well as ask for advice.”
    I have been telling people about the blog and they immediately get its uniqueness. At the end of a long interview with out rugby player Gareth Thomas, I asked him to videotape a short greeting to the trio, who see Thomas as a role model. He readily agreed and the clip is up on the blog. Wrestler Hudson Taylor and his fiancée Lia Mandaglio have friended them on Facebook and are big supporters. When I mentioned the story to a mainstream media colleague, she immediately asked for their contact information to do a story.
    What I especially like is that the blog is entirely run by the three (it is hosted on a free WordPress account). As a point of disclosure, I have offered them editing and general blog advice, but the words, layout and ideas are all theirs.
    The site is in its infancy but it will be enjoyable to see it grow. They have no intention of just writing post after post filled with teen angst about being gay, and will deal with those issues when appropriate. They also want to be seen as well-rounded people with differing interests -– Brad loves “Jersey Shore,” March Madness and dancing; Robert can talk intelligently at length about cars, the Chicago Bears and the English Premiere League; and I hope Ben writes about why Einstein, the Buddha and Henry David Thoreau inspire him.
    Most of all, the blog has a tremendous potential to bring together other young athletes (or non-athletes) wrestling with their sexual identity. These are three people who know what it’s like to struggle with that at a difficult point in life, and their journey is far from complete. They want more people to tell their stories, comment on posts and connect with each other.
    I urge everyone to check out “Walk the Road” and read their posts and bio pages. They would love feedback, so please leave comments (there is also an e-mail address). And if you like what you see, please pass the blog address on. Connecting gay teenagers is especially hard, so the more exposure for the blog the better the impact.
    Update: Brad, Ben and Robert are already posting submissions from others. Check out thisemotional e-mail from a fraternity member at Mississippi State and this one from a college swimmer and why he is in the closet.

  • watch it. watch it again.

    and watch it in full screen,
    with the volume way up…
    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2mf8DtWWd8?fs=1]
    if you’re going to drive – don’t drink. AT ALL.
    and if you see your “tipsy” friend taking his/her keys and heading for the door – take their keys, get them home safely, worry about the vehicle when everyone’s sober. (an acquaintance of mine gave his buddy his bike’s keys back, who proceeded to smash into someone else.)
    THINK
    before you
    DRINK
    before you
    D(R)I(V)E

  • World AIDS Day 2010 – The Ribbon/Cucumber Timelapse

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImFwKYxkzh8?fs=1]
    Be safe.

  • True Colors: it gets better

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnYa9R4N-8c?version=3]
    turn up the volume
    and view this in full screen
    thank you to the Gay Men’s Chorus of LA!

  • IDAHO 2010 – the great, global kiss-in

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFFqeeNwOhI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&&w=320&h=265]

  • truth or lies – all stories should be told

    true – if china didn’t force this movie out of Taiwan by increasing the numbers of missiles pointed at us, i would probably have missed it.
    Synopsis:

    THE 10 CONDITIONS OF LOVE is a love story – of a woman, a man, a family, a people and a homeland. It is the story of Rebiya Kadeer, China’s nightmare – the woman it accuses of inciting terrorism.


    It is also the story of the other Tibet, the Muslim Tibet – the country its people call East Turkestan, but which the Chinese call Xinjiang Province – the other stain on China’s moral character.


    It is a big story: a story of the ruthless oppression of 20-million people; of the global politics of energy; of Super Power politicking over the War on Terror; and of the pain of a deeply loving family torn violently apart.


    Exiled in the US, Rebiya Kadeer is fighting for the human rights of her people, the Uyghur (pron. wee-ger), China’s oppressed Muslim minority. But Rebiya Kadeer’s campaign condemns her sons to on-going solitary confinement in a Chinese prison. Having done six years solitary herself, she understands the appalling consequences for them of her actions – but she will not relent.


    Twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, once the richest businessperson in China, Rebiya Kadeer is a remarkable woman who pays daily a terrible price for patriotism.


    And it will never be over.