Wednesday 18 April 2012

A Kony 2012 Reaction - Or One Of Them

It's been a while since I've blogged, but hey - there's always a bright side. Instead, I've updated my YouTube videos - so why not give them a try! :D

Today’s topic: Kony 2012. Yes, I know, I’m headed into dangerous waters – but this is the internet, and if I can’t voice my opinions here, on my own blog, then I can’t voice them anywhere. Plus, it's been a few months since the video was posted so I'm going to assume that this blogpost won't ruffle too many feather. For those of you who don’t know – although I highly doubt that – there is a YouTube video online which is called “KONY 2012”. This is a ½ hour documentary produced by the company Invisible Children, and basically tells the story of the war in Uganda against the LRA (or the Lords Resistance Army) which is led by Joseph Kony, a man who managed to disrupt nearly 2 million lives. The film was very inspiring, and I did learn much about Kony, whom I hadn’t even heard of before the video. Now I know all about the war in Uganda, and how Kony 2012 is our last chance to find him before the world loses interest.

I highly doubt that.

Kony 2012 has not only been viewed over 85 million times, but has also gone down in history as the most viral YouTube video EVER. Indeed, the film got 3 million views in the first 24 hours it was posted – not bad for a small company trying to change things, right? I think it important to mention that Invisible Children has been receiving quite a lot of bad press recently. For those of you who don’t keep up with worldly affairs (or BBC, for us British), Invisible Children has got quite a lot of criticism for both their marketing and the fact that Jason Russell, the film maker and the narrator for the Kony 2012 video was found running around the street in California half naked.

Yes, you did just read that.

I was surfing the Interweb one day when I saw that Kony 2012 was back on the Twitter feed. I got curious, and decided to explore for the latest news – or, in my case, www.bbc.co.uk/news . Almost immediately I had found the source of all the flurrying.  It turns out that Jason Russell was arrested by police and taken to the local hospital, where he was “diagnosed with a mental condition brought on by stress or trauma.” Poor guy. Apparently, he had some kind of psychotic breakdown and is not planning to spend several weeks in the hospital to recover. Needless to say, this doesn’t seem to have boded well for Invisible Children.
But maybe they already have enough to worry about without their lead filmmakers’ breakdown? Critics have heavily targeted the company, claiming about how money donated to them actually goes towards the company's personal needs. Again, I got curious, so I decided to go digging. And what I found was shocking.

Many people have assumed that at least 50% of all the donations goes directly to projects in Uganda. Well, I’m terribly sorry to burst your bubble, but not even 40% gets to Uganda in the first place.  Records from last year show that 32% of all funds donated actually got to projects in Uganda, with the rest going to staff salaries, travelling expenses and making films. I decided to save you the time and made some calculations – from last years’ earnings of $8.8 million dollars for the company, only $2.8 million actually made it to Uganda. Sorry, but I’m pretty sure – and this is just my opinion – that more than this should be going to the Ugandans.

Speaking of the Ugandans, I’m not sure whether you are aware but actually quite a lot of Ugandans were offended by the video. After free screenings in Lira, a town where the LRA once terrorized thousands of people, Invisible Children were forced to close the free screening after “overwhelming negative reactions”. By this I mean that food was thrown both at the screen and at the African Volunteers Group who were running the cinema. Ugandans failed to understand “why there were so many white faces in the video, or why Kony needs to be made famous.”

This comes from the people who have been terrorized by Kony. For goodness sake, Ugandan officials have released several statements declaring that Kony is no longer a threat! He’s not even in Uganda! He has at the most several hundred followers left in the LRA. A government spokesman actually said, “They are a diminished and weakened group with numbers not exceeding 300.”

So what do you think? I think that they have good intentions, and they haven't done too badly so far, but to be quite honest, I think we have a long way to go. So congratulations on making Kony famous – you’ve achieved your goal. Now to actually find him. Good luck, Invisible Children.

DISCLAIMER: I didn’t actually want anyone to be offended by this post. As I said above, this post is my opinion on what the world does.
Love,
ScotsGirl x 

Monday 2 April 2012

ScotsGirl's Survival Guide to Dating

Hello everyone! How are you all? Me, I'm great, thanks for asking.


Today's blogpost - I've decided to write another "ScotsGirl's Survival Guide!" I know how popular that post was - trust me, the stats went up through the roof.


So, I present to you my "Top Five Tips" to dating successfully, some very cheesy pick up lines, and how to survive a breakup.
First of all, my "Top Five Tips":


5) Make sure you both have lots in common. Seriously, folks, it is no use settling your heart on the best-looking guy on the rugby team if you hate rugby, and just generally hate sports. I know it sounds cliquey but you will have a much better chance of finding the one you will want within your own social network.


4) Don't be clingy... Girls, this one is for you. Just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean he's going to shower you with gifts and text you every single second of the day. Trust in the fact that he's not likely to go running off to someone else at the first sign of oppurtunity. Guys like their independence, trust me on this.


3) But don't ignore them! Girls like to chat about their day – sometimes they want to know that someone is going to be there for them when they need them but often it is just nice to share one’s day.  And if they do need support, in return they will be there for you – no one expects a one way street. Girls want to know that someone is going to be there for them when they need someone and in return they will be there for you too – no one expects a one way street. If you think they're being clingy, tell them! We girls would much rather know what we're doing wrong before it's too late. And, before I forget, don't, repeat don't give them radio silence for days on end. Then we end up calling and messaging even more, because we don't know what's going on! Just take it from me - girls like to feel wanted, especially by someone who's their partner. If you don't feel capable of that, then it's simple as. Don't date until you do!


2) Tell the truth. Neither guys nor girls like being lied to. It could be simple things, such as "I'm sorry, parent's said no to Saturday" when really, you couldn't be bothered to ask them. Or it could be big issues such as "I can't, sorry, I'm going to the dentist" when in actual fact you're meeting someone else! Just don't lie - you always get found out and it just leads to tears.


1) And finally....COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER! I seriously don't understand why people just don't seem to understand this. Relationships are built on trust, and communications. If the other guy/gal is doing something wrong, let them know. They'll forgive you for pointing out their flaws far easier than when you break up with them for it. And if you haven't got the guts to tell them that, then it's simple as. Don't date until you do!


And now, after my Top Five Tips, it's time for some cheesy chat up lines. Even if they don't work - which is very probably - they might make them laugh which is always good when trying to chat someone up. Then I guess you can talk about it, get to know each other, and bada bing, bada boom, as they say - you've pulled, as they say in good ol' London Town!


For Guys:
1) Do you have any raisins? How about a date then?
2) I lost my phone number, can I borrow yours?
3) Your eyes are blue like the ocean, and I'm lost at sea.
And finally...
4) Hi, I'm doing a survey, would you mind answering a few questions? So, what's your name? What's your phone number? Are you doing anything next Saturday?


For Gals:
1) Were you in Boy Scouts? 'Cause you sure have tied my heart in a knot.
2) You know, sweetie, my lips won't kiss themselves!
3) I never do this, but I think you're cute and I got tired of waiting for you to talk to me.
And finally...
4) Hi there, I'm really sorry but my friend over there wants to know if you think I'm cute.


And now, you've read my Top Five for being in the relationship...but WAIT! What do you do AFTER the relationship has fallen apart?


5) Make sure you see as many people as possible. Yes, I know, sometimes the last thing you want to do is let people see you in a state, I get that - but by busying yourself and surrounding yourself with friends and family, you'll have something to distract you from your misery. Or at least a load of people telling you how rubbish your ex was, anyway.


4) DON'T WATCH SAD MOVIES AND GET FAT. As tempting as this sounds, it's really not the best thing you should do in this situation. Instead, watch lots of funny stuff - this will make you laugh and generally happier, and hopefully will remind you of all the stuff you took the mickey of in your ex. Plus, who actually wants to get fat after you've broken up? No, the best thing is to do exercise as much as you can - apart from the endorphins which will make you happy anyway (NERD ALERT), just imagine the look on your ex's face when they see that you have dropped a few pounds. Trust me, the look of jealousy will be all the healing you need - from them, at least. Plus, it will be a massive boost to your ego - feeling more confident will help you in meeting and dating other people later in life.


3) Write. Alright, alright, I hear you groaning at me, but writing can really help. If you're having second thoughts about breaking up then write a couple of lists - one being all the good stuff about your ex, and the other being all the bad stuff. I guarantee that this will help you define whether you want them in a relationship or not. Or, write creatively, like me! It provides both an emotional outlet and it genuinely is fun (for me to write this blog, I mean. I enjoy writing it :) But do you enjoy reading it? Therein lies the question, methinks).


2) Don't be a rebounder. I know it's tempting, both for emotional and jealous reasons, but all you do is end up transferring your affections for your ex onto the new girl/boy friend which, early on in your relationship, will just scare them off. Instead, comtemplate your future and how that somewhere on this planet is someone who is going to fall completely and utterly in love with you for the rest of their life. When you think of it like that, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to wait for a while.


And finally...
1) Try not to talk to them unless absolutely vital. I don't like this one particularly, but I do think it's important that you both have some space. You probably will both have said some hurtful stuff to each other, therefore you need to give each other time to cool off. Don't text. Don't call. Don't tweet. Don't facebook them. Don't email, don't write, don't skype, DO NOT TALK TO THEM. After a while it will seem bearable to talk to them. Start with a gentle 'hey' and take it from there. Build it up to a friendship, nothing more - if you were planning on getting back into the relationship - well, not cool. You guys broke up for a reason, however sad or horrible you were to each other or stuff.


Hope this was both an entertaining and informative post. I had fun writing and researching it so hope my effort didn't go to waste. Right now, however, it's about 10:30pm in the UK so I shall make myself a cup of tea and get to bed. Night!


ScotsGirl x