[sunnykerr]

Unless being a classy professional athlete has become so rare that it now somewhat bissects social issues, the latest Nike add saluting Derek Jeter's last season in the MLB is probably not the most on-topic thing to bring up, but then I'm out of the loop on trending stuff.

I did think it was pretty awesome.

[sunnykerr]

Miss Idaho’s bikini pic with insulin pump sparks social media campaign The new Miss Idaho is making a splash on social media this week. Sierra Sandison, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2012, has previously spoken about her fear of wearing her insulin pump in public. But during this year’s pageant, she decided to wear it proudly and posted a photo of herself wearing her bikini with her pump to Facebook. And the photo prompted Sandison to start a social media campaign. On Facebook she wrote: “I have faced my fear of proudly showing my insulin pump! Now I want to see YOURS! Post your photo on social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook– make sure it is shared publicly so I can see it) with the hashtag #showmeyourpump! The nationwide support from my fellow diabetics this weekend has been AMAZING! I can’t wait to see more of you guys! This is not limited to just girls, or to people with pumps–I want to see YOU and whatever your daily battle with diabetes looks like."

Good for her, right?

People shouldn't have to be ashamed because they have an illness.

[Ann357]

She looks beautiful and has nothing to be ashamed of - good for her for doing this.

[sunnykerr]

^ I thought it was a beautiful thing she's doing.

Meanwhile, other people are also doing beautiful things about this disgusting nonsense in the Gaza Strip:

Social media campaign shows that #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies Despite renewed violence in the Middle East, #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies is a social media campaign aimed at countering the hateful dialogue that resurfaces each time fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants escalates. Abraham Gutman and Dania Darwish, both students at New York City’s Hunter College, started the campaign earlier this month. Gutman, who is from Tel Aviv, and Darwish, who is Syrian, wanted to counter the negative rhetoric that has surfaced in recent weeks. A Facebook page set up on July 10 was approaching 4,000 likes Tuesday morning, while tweets have been sent with the hashtag, many including photographs of Jews and Arabs together. New York-based freelance journalist Sulome Anderson’s contribution to the campaign went viral. Anderson, who is half Lebanese, posted a photo of a kiss with her Jewish boyfriend. Since appearing online, it’s been re-tweeted nearly 1,300 times and was favourited more than 800 times. “We want to bring attention to the fact that both sides are just made up of human beings, most of whom just want to live peaceful lives,” Anderson told CTV’s Canada AM on Tuesday. “So the message isn’t that one side is right and one side is wrong. I have my opinions, my boyfriend has his opinions, everybody has their opinions. But this is about bringing attention to the people who suffer the most and showing the human connections between them.” Anderson’s father began serving as Middle East Bureau Chief for the Associated Press in Lebanon in 1983, at the midway point of that country’s 15-year civil war. In March 1985, three months before Anderson was born, her father was kidnapped by a Shia militia that would later become Hezbollah. He was held captive for nearly seven years. “My family is intimately familiar with the toll that Middle East violence takes on ordinary people, which I think is the message that we’re trying to send,” Anderson said. While her boyfriend agreed to be in the picture, he is not speaking publicly about the issue out of respect for his Orthodox Jewish family,” she said. Anderson said she and her boyfriend were raised with very different opinions about the Middle East, and “used to clash a lot” when they first got together. Her boyfriend witnessed a bus bombing when he was in Israel years ago, and she has worked in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. But they’ve talked through their differences, and have come to a kind of consensus, she said. “Both of us share this concern for human life and this regret at how much has been lost in this war.”

I think it's so awesome when people use their creativity to take a stand like this.

[Ann357]

^That's a feel good story.

[*Adora*]

these are all great photos! Thanks for sharing them! Even though not the majority, still there are many more examples. In times like this, such stances need to be promoted so we target the real enemy , i.e. governments, and not fall into hate without limits.

[sunnykerr]

They may not be the majority, but we don't actually know how small of a minority they are either.

Yes, tensions are high in that part of the world.

And, yed, there are people on both sides who hate the other side on principle.

But you also have a whole bunch of normal people somewhere in there who work side-by-side every day.

And you can't tell me that, after a while, you don't start to realize that you have more in common with each other than you have things to fight about.

[sunnykerr]

'You're not a child, are you?' Woman confronts catcalls with 'Cards Against Harassment' A Minnesota woman, fed up with regularly ignoring catcalls and lewd comments on the street, has begun taking a different approach, confronting the men in a firm yet polite way and inspiring other women to do the same. Lindsey, a 28-year-old lawyer who prefers to keep her last name private, has begun stopping the men who catcall her to ask them what they think are doing. She then hands over one of 20 cheekily written business cards that explain about why catcalling isn't a compliment; it's harassment. One card reads: "When you walk down the street do random strangers comment on how you look. No? Wow. That must be nice.” Another reads: "I know you might think you can't help but comment on the appearance of certain people you pass, but think about it: only poorly behaved children blurt out everything that pops into their head. You're not a child are you?" The cards are free for women to download off Lindsey's website, CardsAgainstHarassment.com to hand out to men who bother them on the street. Lindsey explained to CTV's Canada AM that the whole endeavour began after an unpleasant incident in which a strange man began touching her hair on an escalator. When she asked the man why he didn't just trying saying hello to her, the man began yelling at her and telling her she was ugly. "So I just thought the cards would be a good way to take what is often a unilateral scary situation and give women a tongue-in-cheek voice back to express our discontent with this kind of treatment," she said from Minneapolis. Earlier this month, Lindsey began filming herself confronting men who remark on her appearance and posting their reactions to YouTube, where the videos have amassed more than 1 million views. Lindsey said she wanted to film the discussions to show others how often street harassment happens. "I had some male friends express skepticism that this was actually a thing that women still experience," she said. "So I thought it might be edifying to film not only egregious instances, but essentially any time a stranger in the span in a couple of weeks approached me and made a comment on my appearance." While Lindsey says she would never encourage other women to put themselves at risk by getting into extended conversations with some of these "less-than-charming gentlemen," she says the reactions she's gotten have been interesting. Some men have refused to apologize, with one many saying that women were put on Earth "to satisfy men." Others others seem genuinely surprised she isn't flattered by the attention. "Often these conversations, as long as I keep polite, end up in an apology or a discussion about where this is coming from," Lindsey said.

I gotta give her respect for the creative approach.

Some people say there's no harm in the catcalls, but I have to imagine it's demoralizing to be on the receiving end.

Yeah, it's not a problem I've ever had.

So feel free to go and imagine I'm bitter or whatever.

Personally? I'd rather be addressed like a human being. Someone admiring another person's good looks doesn't have to turn the object of their admiration into a piece of meat to be drooled at.

Any thoughts?

[sunnykerr]

16-year-old girl tweets images of overnight battle in Gaza As forces from Israel and Hamas exchange fire, there are countless stories of people getting caught in the middle. Farah Baker is 16 years old and lives in Gaza. She shared the view from her home via Twitter last night, including the sights and sounds of rockets, bombs, drones and ambulances. “The power was cut off so we were sitting in darkness. The only light we could see were the flares and the drones. The only sound we could hear was the bombs," she told NBC News. "This is my first time feeling like I would die... I want to stop this when I get older. This is why I want to study law." Here is her personal account of what happened Tuesday between 1 and 4 a.m.: [img]We are sitting in darkness bc th power is off, flares r lightening up th area just like it's midday,we're just hearin bombs,drones,f16s#Gaza[/img] [img]Whenever my 6 yrs old sis hear the rocket falling she covers her ears and shout while crying in order not to hear the bomb #Gaza #AJAGAZA[/img]

That last one isn't sunlight. It's a bomb.

There is a lot more at the link. Videos and such.

I can't even imagine.

I mean, we can talk all day long about who's to blame and all that.

I still can't imagine what it must be like to be a teenager living in all that.

[sunnykerr]

Hashtag headache: Madonna and Javier Bardem among celebs weighing in on Israel-Gaza conflict Celebrities taking to social media to voice stance on month-long conflict that's killed more than 1,000 people. #OyWhatAMess. The conflict between Israel and Hamas is lighting up the skies over Gaza — but now a new weapon of mass destruction has joined the air war. The hot air war, that is. Celebrities are weighing in on the month-old conflict to show their support for the side they believe in — but even in the rare case when celebs understand the complex issue, they tend to trivialize it by pontificating on social media. Memo to Hollywood: You’re not helping — and you’re hurting yourself with fans. “(It’s) much more likely a fan is going to change his mind about the celebrity than change his mind on the subject,” says Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television & Popular Culture at Syracuse University. “It’s a lot more likely they’ll say, ‘Oh, I used to like that person, now I don’t anymore.’” And the Middle East is the ultimate dividing line. Worse, the issue is far more complicated than 140 characters or a status update will allow. Madonna waded into the swamp when she posted a photo of flowers to her 18 million Facebook fans on July 23, likening the petals to Palestinian kids. The post got 40,000 “likes” — though few pointed out that Hamas had actually rejected a ceasefire proposal that same day. In the end, the Material Girl ended up appearing uninformed — and the war raged on. Singer Selena Gomez was no less shallow, posting a picture of the words “It’s all about humanity,” then adding in a caption, "Please pray for those families and babies. Please always remember what's important in life. It's not any of this. We are here to help, inspire and love. Be that change." She ended with the hashtag, "wearethenextgeneration." In the current conflict, hashtag diplomacy has centered on #freepalestine and #prayforgaza — but hashtags can be easily misunderstood amid a deep-seated conflict that killed more than 1,000 people in July — the latest outbreak in a dispute with thousands of years of history, decades of armed conflict, and years of failed peace efforts. Malik left up his July 27 post, but several celebrities — including Rihanna and NBA player Dwight Howard — have deleted their earlier #FreePalestine tweets as fans responded poorly. “In the U.S., showing sympathy for the Palestinians generates a lot of backlash, so many celebrities are very careful about what they say,” said William Youmans, a media professor at George Washington University. “Many feel pressured to be silent.” Oscar winner Javier Bardem penned a July 25 op-ed for El Diaro, a Spanish-language newspaper, in which he condemned Israel’s actions and accused the nation of committing genocide. “It's a war of occupation and extermination waged against a people with no means, confined in a minimum territory, with no water, and where hospitals, ambulances, and children are targets and presumed to be terrorists,” he wrote. But just because there’s a hashtag #GenocideInGaza doesn’t make this war a Jew-on-Arab Holocaust. After all, the Jewish state isn’t killing Israeli Arabs — just battling a military foe that has launched attacks from Gaza. The United Nations — no great supporter of Israel — has not used the word “genocide” yet. Hollywood’s tradition of venting on political issues is as old as Tinseltown itself. From “Birth of a Nation” to Marlon Brando’s Oscar snub in solidarity with mistreated Native Americans to Clint Eastwood’s speech to an empty stool at the 2012 Republican National Convention, film industry leaders have never been reticent. But unlike the current “debate,” at least prior generations of Hollywood stars put themselves on the line, risking their careers and the love of fans. That’s why a thoughtful harangue is always better than a hashtag. “Expressing political views can alienate some fans,” Thompson says. “But if a celebrity advocates it’s something they believe in, that’s admirable.”

So the fact that some celebrities are full-on morons isn't really news.

And I guess the fact that it's getting a lot of backlash isn't surprising either.

At the end of the day, I guess it's just the nature of the game.

[Ann357]

Originally Posted by sunnykerr (View Post) So the fact that some celebrities are full-on morons isn't really news. And I guess the fact that it's getting a lot of backlash isn't surprising either. At the end of the day, I guess it's just the nature of the game.

twitter is probably best used for cute pictures of a celebrity's dog...not expressions of importants when your career is on the line unless they don't care.

[sunnykerr]

I'm always a little weary about what celebrities have to say on any given topic.

On the one hand, you know it's just a recipe for disaster.

On the other, I do think it perfectly natural and human to want to express yourself when you have an opinion.

That some of them don't really have an opinion and are just following... whatever it is they're following is probably the bigger problem here.

If you bother to express yourself publicly about such a controversial topic, when you're a public personality, you better have thought through what you're going to do.

Separately from all of that, I'd be curious to find out how this specific example of talking about the war in Gaza will affect these celebs.

I think a lot of people (including myself, obviously) are pretty apt to dismiss celebrities as empty-headed morons. "Shut up and sing," and all that, you know?

[Ann357]

Originally Posted by sunnykerr (View Post) If you bother to express yourself publicly about such a controversial topic, when you're a public personality, you better have thought through what you're going to do.

Very true.

Honestly, I don't want to know much about an actor or singer's personal life or opinions. I think it taints my enjoyment of their art...

[sunnykerr]

And I think that's precisely why celebrities voicing their opinion isn't as big a deal as it usually sounds in the media.

Because most of the people out there don't really care what Javier Bardem or Madonna or even a two-bit starlet like Selena Gomez think about these things.

Whether they have the most intelligent perspective on the issues or are just trying to be trendy, most people don't care, so they won't listen.

Which is just fine, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm just saying that I doubt they'll ruin their careers by expressing their opinion.

Look at Sean Penn. That guy has causes coming out of his pores. Has it stopped him making a freaking good living and being considered a great actor? Of course not.

[sunnykerr]

The propaganda side of social media:

Israel launches new media campaign: 'Hamas sacrifices Gaza for its extremism' Campaign's goal to show the context to the suffering in Gaza, and that Hamas is "sacrificing its people on the altar of its radical ideology." Faced with nonstop pictures of death and destruction in Gaza, Israel’s National Information Directorate has launched a social media campaign showing pictures of Gaza misery under quotes by Hamas heads admitting the value and importance of human shields. “The Palestinian blood that is spilled is precious, but the goals for which this blood is spilled are even more precious,” Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was quoted as saying on July 21, over a picture of a crying woman. The name of the campaign is “Hamas sacrifices Gaza for its extremism.” Another picture quotes Hamas Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh as saying on July 21 that “the resistance protects its people who are paying with their pure blood.” And another picture quotes Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri as saying on July 9, “The blood of the shahids [“martyrs”] killed in this campaign is the fuel of our victory.” One official involved in the campaign explained its rationale as the belief that the only way to counteract the images of carnage beamed across the world from Gaza is by showing the world that Hamas wanted and planned that carnage, and providing the quotes to back this up. The campaign is also providing visual support for one of Israel’s key messages – that Hamas is responsible for the misery in Gaza because it fires on Israel and places its command centers in civilian areas. The official said Israel wanted to impress upon the world that it is not as though the battle started elsewhere and “rolled into civilian areas” such as Shejaia (a neighborhood of Gaza City); rather, Hamas set up its command centers, rocket launchers and attack tunnels in civilian areas to begin with. The purpose of the campaign, the official said, is to show the context to the suffering in Gaza, and to show that Hamas is “sacrificing its people on the altar of its radical ideology.” The campaign is appearing on English-language and various Arabic social media.

Obviously, I'm not sitting here claiming that Hamas doesn't do the exact same thing.

But the thing to remember, which the Israeli department for information seems incapable of doing, is that the Palestinians of Gaza don't need Hamas to be made victims if they keep getting bombed out of shelter and water.