Tonight's Nightmare Fuel

This 1990s-era Canadian public service announcement....scares me.

Seriously.

(Although cold beet soup is rather awesome)

Surviving Snowmageddon: Important Announcement

As I'm making my way through a plethora of reading, promo items, and work for the blog (if you've e-mailed me, trust me, I'll be posting shortly), I wanted to bring this important piece of news to my regular readers:

For more information, visit DoomedTheMovie.com...and watch the trailer on the site.

(Due in late spring/early summer. Trust me, I'm working my blogger mojo on this one, folks)

A Very Important Announcement from Blog THIS, Pal!

With everything that's been happening, it would be easy to miss the fact that a very important - and critical - task needs to be performed. So important, in fact, that your very lives can be affected if you do not take action.

And that action, of course, is the purchase of a calendar.

I know, you're wondering why you should purchase a calendar now when the new year doesn't start for another five months. However, I am a strong believer in proper time management, and I would be remiss in not reminding my readers to purchase their calendars. And with Border's going out of business, there will be ample opportunity to save money when purchasing a calendar.

But some of you may not be able to use a calendar - in that regard, I have embedded the following education film at the top of this post as a public service. Perhaps this will help you sharpen your calendaring skills, and ultimately, make your life easier.

Once again, I do this to help you, the reader of this blog. Because I want you to never miss an appointment or an opportunity to "play hooky" from some unpleasant task.

Enjoy!

I Know Cool People - Follow Up

Awhile ago, I featured the work of Mr. Joey Pants, whose organization No Kidding, Me 2 is working on destigmatizing mental illness. As a guy with a psych degree (two, actually), I am a firm believer that the more we can do to break this down through education, outreach and advocacy, the more we can accomplish.

I am offering this YouTube video (found via Facebook) for your pleasure - and please, if you're a blogger, feel free to embed it. Because quite frankly, in these troubled times, the last thing we need is to trouble each other.

Making Chicago COUNT

So you're a non-profit that wants to improve your tech capacity? Or you're in the tech biz - IT, social media, coder - and you want to get involved in the non-profit sphere in Chicago.

If you're interested, have I got an event for you.

On Sunday September 12th, the first ever Chicago COUNTS conference will be held at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 9 am to 5 pm. Trust me, folks, this is the first conference of its kind in the Chicago area, and it is a big deal. Just look at the keynote speakers we have lined up - it's a veritable non-profit Justice League:

• Geoff Livingston, who consults with non-profits on how to get their message across;
• Nate St. Pierre, who works to mobilize others on the common good;
• Chris Jarvis, who helps businesses and non-profits set up employee volunteer programs, and 
• Estrella Rosenberg, who's done a lot to set up and maintain non-profits.

( In the interests of full disclosure, I'm not only helping organize, but I'll also be presenting. Yes, friends, you have the chance to see me in my full-on sexy community organizing mode.)

It's a very small admission ($25 until 9/5, and then $30 if you prepay after that), but be sure to buy a ticket. Sure, you could just join the Facebook page, but why settle? Why not engage in a great chance to learn more about how you can use these cool online tools towards the social good? You or someone you know wants to be part of this event. It's more than just a conference - it's the beginning of a movement.

Go ahead. Buy a ticket. Attend the conference.

Like Robert Conrad, I dare you, but with tongue firmly in cheek.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It....

As many of you know, since I am a single male with - let's face it, so significant other - I spent an inordinate amount of time volunteering for noble causes, hoping to find....that significant other.

But enough of that - what I wanted to do is take a little bandwidth and talk about a cause that I am helping with - and by "helping with", I mean, "running the Facebook page".

That cause is, of course, the American Red Cross and the upcoming "Mission: Red" Fundraiser.

Mission: Red is a fundraiser that will be held on September 24th, but with a difference - it's an experience auction. Unique experience packages will be available for some lucky individual to purchase. And all proceeds go to the Chicago Red Cross.

For example, you can bid for lunch with an actor from a famous TV show. Take you and a date on a helicopter ride to Milwaukee for a Brewers game. In short, there are some cool opportunities for someone to not only have a great experience...but help a great cause, the American Red Cross.

So, Gordon, how doI help?, you may be asking, dear reader.

Here are a few suggestions:

• If you're on Facebook, visit the fan page at http://www.facebook.com/MissionRed. If you're planning on attending and/or need to practice your mad Facebook skills, like the page.
• If you are not in the Chicago area and cannot come, please feel free to Tweet/Facebook/blog about Mission: Red. Pass the link on because quite frankly, we would love to have some strong support.

In all honesty, this is only the second year the Chicago Red Cross has put on this event....but quite frankly, it's a unique idea, and one which I'm surprised nobody's thought of before. Yes, I have a vested interest...but for those of you who read this blog regularly know that I tend to support causes that truly help people, and I think this is one that deserves it.

So please, feel free to spread the Facebook love about Mission: Red, as it will do two things:

1. Keep me from writing the obligatory "I-hate-Wonder-Woman's-New-Costume" post; and
2. Encourage me to step away from the keyboard and engage in a social life.

Thank you for your patience; we now return you to your regular blog.

A Life Saving Post (In More Ways Than One)

"I'm the boy they can't ignore/for the first time in my life I'm sure/All the love sent up high to pledge/Won't reach the ledge


This is the crisis I knew had to come/destroying the balance I kept....

Unfortuntely, one of the more distressing trends within current popular culture is the increase in coverage of celebrity suicides. So much that, ironically, no coverage is being given to a man who has helped promote the idea of suicide prevention.

(And to answer your question - no, Robert Litman did not commit suicide. Shame on you for even thinking it. And the two quotes above are from songs about suicide, and one from a band whose lead singer hung himself, and yes, they're affiliate links.)

Being the public health advocate that I am, I wanted to chime in and be part of the solution. I seriously thought about this - I didn't want to be morbid, and as someone who's never known anyone to commit suicide, I've never been particularly affected by it.  But I did want to reach out - call it the power of the Internet. This is my attempt to share some resources, to help educate, and more importantly, to hopefully assist one person who's in pain, and who needs it.

First, I'm going to advise anyone who's thinking of committing suicide to please read this first. Don't worry, the blog will still be here. I love how the author puts the main motivation for suicide as:

"Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain."

Amazingly simple yet incredibly powerful. You feel alone with, in reality, you're not. You're overwhelmed, and you feel you have no way out.

The next, hardest step is to reach out - find someone to talk to, someone to share your burden. Many cities have low-cost or sliding scale mental health centers. There are even hotlines that you can call in order to talk it through. (And in the UK, there's even people you can send e-mail to in order to share what's going on).

Also, educate yourself - the AFSP has a Twitter account that shares information and attempts to engage people in advocacy. You can find some good information about suicide through the National Institute of Mental Health. It speaks volumes that there are organizations that are spreading a message of hope.

But more importantly, there is another message that needs to be heard - it's easy to fall into the trap of taking people for granted, of treating them maybe less than respectfully. To not reach out and see how people are doing. Admittedly, this has been a tough week - not because of my birthday, but some health issues with Mom and some other matters that are best handled privately.

I'm eternally grateful for friends who have been there, and who legitimately wish me well. Somewhere, out there, is somebody who (for whatever reason)  is not as fortunate, and that person needs help.

Suicide should not be the hottest thing in pop culture. Let's work hard to keep it that way.

For Chicago and Democracy, Part Two

(Warning: Chicago-specific content to follow. Most of you, however, will still bear with me, so please enjoy the picture on the left)

For many of us, today is going to be critical day as we will have elections in the city, both for state governor, as well as critical state House and Senate seats. It will be a day like any other - you go in, vote (if you haven't done so already), and move on towards your day.

But every once in awhile, I like to engage in some public service, to remind everyone who's reading that democracy is not a spectator sport, and that quite frankly, our responsiblity does not begin and end with punching a hole in a ballot. It means dedicated, consistent effort to work within your community, to become solution-oriented, and more importantly, become aware and involved in local issues.

Thankfully, the Chicago Tribune has put together an online election center, where you can go and catch up on political news, as well as create a printable ballot (at least, in Cook and Kane Counties). A special thanks to
Joe Germuska for announcing this at last month's Chicago Net Tuesday. It's a great resource for you to use to educate yourselves about the candidates, and quite frankly, will make voting a little easier.

But more importantly, an effort that I had blogged about awhile ago is being revitalized, and we're making more of an effort to engage people, to provide them tools to begin getting more involved in discussions and involved in their community. As my co-organizer Michael Maranda so aptly points out, this is a great opportunity to find out about local initiatives, build collaborations, but more importantly, to really empower people within their communities.

Many of you who live in Chicago may cynically say, "But Gordon - Chicago is a politically corrupt town, why bother? After all, everyone's it it for themselves". Much like Conan O'Brien, I find cynicism the easy way out - it never needs to be justified, rationalized, or explained. It tends to be a self-imposed impediment that only results in nothing getting done...except being cynical.

So for my Chicago readers, please feel free to distribute this via Twitter, Digg, or whatever platforms. But more importantly, join the e-democracy forum. As a great band once remarked in its liner notes, revolution begins at home, preferably in the bathroom mirror.

Quitting's Never Easy

Most of my life has been drenched in alcohol and tobacco.

Most of my childhood I lived around adults who smoked, seemingly at Mad Men levels. Tried it a few times, and it never really took. My mother quit when I was about ten years old, and my father passed a few years ago from complications from smoking (and when you pass away three weeks after a triple bypass....that's not good). In fact, later in my professional life I worked towards clean air ordinances - so much that I attempted a few blog posts, but nothing came of it.

I am writing this because today is the Great American Smokeout, an effort by the American Cancer Society to encourage smokers to quit for at least one day. (Or more accurately, those smokers who want to quit). Admittedly, tobacco use and secondhand smoke are emotionally charged issues...but as long as states are putting in the effort to prohibit smoking in public places, let us also put the effort on them to fund cessation efforts. If you want to do something in support of the Smokeout, but do not know anyone who wishes to quit...my suggestion is to get involved in helping fund and promote cessation as an option. Tobacco use will not ever go away, but having a balance in providing resources - always a good thing.

(Hard to believe that the old community organizer spirit hasn't gone away).

On a related note, part of my previous professional life also involved work with substance abuse treatment & prevention. As I've stated before, I have never been a member of AA, but have plenty of friends in the program, so I've received second-hand recovery. (How's that for a transition?) So I was quite surprised - shocked, quite honestly, when Roger Ebert broke his anonymity on his blog.

Part of it, admittedly, is the whole I-can't-believe-he-had-a-problem-he-seemed-ok-to-me syndrome...but much of it is that to do so in a public way, and not avoiding directly addressing AA. (The only other person to "say it without saying it" is Craig Ferguson in a popular You Tube video). But there's something extremely powerful - in light of his other health issues - about admitting that he has had an issue, and that he's not cured, he's recovering.

Pop culture often glamorizes substance use, and then trivializes treatment (Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew anyone?). Having lived through others' use, as a blogger, I think it's important to not only educate myself, but also work towards encouraging others.

Today is the Great American Smokeout. If you're looking for help, click on the link.

Hopefully, I've done my part.

Thanking Len Wein

A tip of the shot glass to Mr. P.J. Perez for tweeting this.

Admittedly, I've been slow to respond to this - mostly because, well, my mind's been on other things.

But when I heard about the fire that cost comic writer Len Wein his home - and his comic collection - I wasn't sure how to respond online that didn't seem....well, overly fannish.

When Giant Size X-Men # 1 came out, I immediately pored over it, my youthful mind taking in the luxurious genius that was the "new X-Men", with the obvious return of Wolverine. Much of my childhood comic reading came through the 29 cent, three-pack of coverless comics available at Tony's Grocery store, located at 33rd and Halsted (and which is, sadly, no longer there). But in all honesty, even though I may never have paid much attention...Len Wein helped shape, much like Fred Hembeck and a few others, my early comic-loving tastes.

However, I was recently surprised to learn (through the Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter DVD, of all things) that he edited Watchmen. Yes, I knew he had written Swamp Thing...and a ton of other comics that everyone else has sung the praises of...but in all honesty, I never knew he edited that series.

But to the point - many comics blogerati (most notably Mark Evanier) are encouraging people to check their collections to help Len rebuild his comic collection. (Obviously, it's books that he has had a hand in writing or editing - and quite frankly, who wouldn't want to take pride in such a diverse collection of work) It's as easy as checking out this PDF, seeing what books you have, and then sending an e-mail to comix4len (at) pvonline (dot) com.

(The rest of the post cited includes a physical address to send the book - make sure you've e-mailed before sending the book, to avoid duplicates. Also, please feel free to use the "Share This" button below to submit to all those wacky social networking sites we dig so much. And retween the bejeezus out of this post).

Granted, this is an unusual request - it's not my typical go-here-and-save-the-world cause. However, it is a small - but meaningful - way to repay a debt for years of comic enjoyment.

At the very least, it's the decent thing to do. Thanks for reading.

Coming In November to "Blog THIS, Pal!"

There's going to be a big announcement in November, but rather than just hint, here's a pictorial riddle. How do these all relate? What do they mean? How do they relate to the blog?

More forthcoming....

Mandatory Reading

Probably one of the few times I'll come close to a public service announcement.

Many of you know of my love and admiration for Bully the Little Stuffed Bull - however, his pal John is his human equivalent. Helping Bully out with his blog, sending me some Dark Horse Peanuts compilations along with some Robert B. Parker books he gave - that's the kind of person I strive to be.

Other bloggers have posted this; granted, I'm pretty much joining in with the choir, but quite frankly, it needs to be said. Repeatedly.

And as a favor - please feel free to socially bookmark this. I hate asking people to do so - in my head, it violates the rules of social media. But quite frankly, I think the word needs to be spread. Or better yet - bookmark the original.

=======================================================

Overheard at San Diego Comic-Con while I was having lunch on the balcony of the Convention Center on Sunday July 27: a bunch of guys looking at the digital photos on the camera of another, while he narrated: "These were the Ghostbusters girls. That one, I grabbed her ass, 'cause I wanted to see what her reaction was." This was only one example of several instances of harassment, stalking or assault that I saw at San Diego this time.

1. One of my friends was working at a con booth selling books. She was stalked by a man who came to her booth several times, pestering her to get together for a date that night. One of her co-workers chased him off the final time.

2. On Friday, just before the show closed, this same woman was closing up her tables when a group of four men came to her booth, started taking photographs of her, telling her she was the "prettiest girl at the con." They they entered the booth, started hugging and kissing her and taking photographs of themselves doing so. She was confused and scared, but they left quickly after doing that.

3. Another friend of mine, a woman running her own booth: on Friday a man came to her booth and openly criticized her drawing ability and sense of design. Reports from others in the same section of the floor confirmed he'd targeted several women with the same sort of abuse and criticism.

Quite simply, this behavior has got to stop at Comic-Con. It should never be a sort of place where anyone, man or woman, feels unsafe or attacked either verbally or physically in any shape or form. There are those, sadly, who get off on this sort of behavior and assault, whether it's to professional booth models, cosplayers or costumed women, or women who are just there to work. This is not acceptable behavior under any circumstance, no matter what you look like or how you're dressed, whether you are in a Princess Leia slave girl outfit or business casual for running your booth.

On Saturday, the day after the second event I described above, I pulled out my convention book to investigate what you can do and who you can speak to after such an occurrence. On page two of the book there is a large grey box outlining "Convention Policies," which contain rules against smoking, live animals, wheeled handcarts, recording at video presentations, drawing or aiming your replica weapon, and giving your badge to others. There is nothing about attendee-to-attendee personal behavior.

Page three of the book contains a "Where Is It?" guide to specific Comic-Con events and services. There's no general information room or desk listed, nor is there a contact location for security, so I go to the Guest Relations Desk. I speak to a volunteer manning the desk; she's sympathetic to the situation but who doesn't have a clear answer to my question: "What's Comic-Con's policy and method of dealing with complaints about harassment?" She directs me to the nearest security guard, who is also sympathetic listening to my reports, but short of the women wanting to report the incidents with the names of their harassers, there's little that can be done.

"I understand that," I tell them both, "but what I'm asking is more hypothetical and informational: if there is a set Comic-Con policy on harassment and physical and verbal abuse on Con attendees and exhibitors, and if so, what's the specific procedure by which someone should report it, and specifically where should they go?" But this wasn't a question either could answer.

So, according to published con policy, there is no tolerance for smoking, drawn weapons, personal pages or selling bootleg videos on the floor, and these rules are written down in black and white in the con booklet. There is not a word in the written rules about harassment or the like. I would like to see something like "Comic-Con has zero tolerance for harassment or violence against any of our attendees or exhibitors. Please report instances to a security guard or the Con Office in room XXX."

The first step to preventing such harassment is giving its victims the knowledge that they can safely and swiftly report such instances to someone in authority. Having no published guideline, and indeed being unable to give a clear answer to questions about it, gives harassment and violence one more rep-tape loophole to hide behind.

I enjoyed Comic-Con. I'm looking forward to coming back next year. So, in fact, are the two women whose experiences I've retold above. Aside from those instances, they had a good time at the show. But those instances of harassment shouldn't have happened at all, and that they did under no clear-cut instructions about what to do sadly invites the continuation of such behavior, or even worse.

I don't understand why there's no such written policy about what is not tolerated and what to do when this happens. Is there anyone at Comic-Con able to explain this? Does a similar written policy exist in the booklets for other conventions (SF, comics or otherwise) that could be used as a model? Can it be adapted or adapted, and enforced, for Comic-Con? As the leading event of the comics and pop culture world, Comic-Con should work to make everyone who attends feel comfortable and safe.

Channeling My Inner Bruce Wayne

Consider this a kind of experiment in determining my social capital in the comics blogosphere.

This is a post that's the result of a lot of things - my recent experiences at Wizard World Chicago; meeting the staff of the Hero Foundry at Wizard World; my activities with e-democracy and Net Tuesdays; the fact that economic times are tough; and the fact that I am considered by many a "non-profit guru".

I want to engage in an experiment in transformative philanthropy - I want to do more than just give money to decent causes, or even time. I want to help facilitate their development, or at the very least - to give them a little more presence. As a comics blogger, I get at least one e-mail every week that's basically a press release saying, "Please post about my product". I have no problem with that, but I would rather dedicate some space to entities which may deserve the attention, but who may not necessarily have access.

So, this is an open-ended offer to any non-profits, with a special emphasis on those dealing with the comics industry, like the Hero Foundry or the Hero Initiative: for no cost whatsoever, you can have an ad placed in the sidebar of my blog for four weeks. (A sample is the cute kitty picture that, when you click it, links to Golfwidow's blog). The only thing I ask from the agencies in return is some data - how many people visit their site, and/or donation information. I also may request your 990 Tax Form and/or perform an appropriate search on Guidestar for more background information. (Unless I want this to happen - my blog, my decision)

If you're a fellow comics blogger and/or site administrator (like Chuck at Comic Related), you have my permission to reprint any and all of this blog entry with full attribution. (And to my fellow comics bloggers - please feel free to link away). If you belong to various social networks (like Digg, Twitter, Delicious, Facebook, and others), please eel free to click on the green "Share This" icon and socially bookmark like you've never socially bookmarked before.

For the more cynical of you - yes, this is a blatant attempt to drive traffic to the blog. But it's also, in these times, a good way of trying to create some positive buzz for some worthy organizations. I've always been a kind of community development wonk - and quite frankly, I firmly believe that if the least action can bring about the greatest good, it's worth taking that least action.

I hope anyone who's reading this will join me...and thanks in advance.

5 Easy Steps to Becoming a Better Comics Advocate

Recently, there's been a lot of brouhaha over...well, it seems like you can't surf the comics blogosphere more than five minutes without some controversy arising. In fact, it seems like any discussion degenerates into name calling, trolling and flame baiting, and just plain rude behavior.

Reminds me of some of my adventures in St. Louis....so much so that I am here to provide some insight. Normally, this kind of training would cost some money, but for you, the reader, I am providing these insights free of charge. (Besides which, what kind of blogger would I be if I did not provide actual content). So consider these my five rules for becoming a better advocate for comics.

Normally, I start my trainings with an interesting video, and here's a clip that, I think, will help teach you the difference between an argument and a rant:

Now that we've established what an argument is, we can move to the five basic rules:

1. Always argue facts, not feelings - If you are discussing hot button issues, it helps to have some idea of what you are talking about. When discussing an issue, it is always easier to come from a rational, more fact-based perspective, which is much harder to argue.
2. Never get personal - When it comes to opinions, it is easier to substitute a title or insult than go for a rationale. After all, on the Internet, we're not facing each other, but a blank screen. If someone got in your face and accused you of, say, owning Jim Nabors records, would you flame back....or slowly walk away? It should be about the argument, not your character.
3. Study your opposition - This is where it gets kind of cool, where you learn how to deflate any counterpoints by knowing what your opposition will say before they say it. But Gordon, you may ask, isn't that rather too much for discussion on the Internet? Not at all, especially since you can find most attack tactics right here.
4. Stay focused - after all, if you don't stay focused, Mike Sterling will be able to raise enough funds to allow Communists to smuggle puppies. This is where you would remind me that this is about comics, not about Mike Sterling. He's a big guy, and can defend himself. You can see this in blogs that, well, lump a certain category of comics fans in a specific category. You know where and who they are.
   
5. Finally, always act in a way that attracts allies - The main difference between two people in a knock-down, drag-out fight and one person ranting at another? When both people fight, nobody wins. When one person rants, the other naturally acquires allies...because they're taking the moral high ground.
   

Admittedly, I've adopted a semi-patronizing tone in the above note, but it's to make a point. The blogosphere is big enough to encompass every kind of belief, from the most insipid to the most inspired. Disagreements are bound to happen. But it doesn't mean that we, as bloggers, comics fans, and human beings, decide to let our worst impulses run rampant.

Thanks for allowing me to share, and I return you to your regular blog enjoyment.

In the Spirit of One of My Childhood Heroes....

aka "Lech Walesa", I would like to publicly support the WGA Writers strike, and encourage you to read their blog and twitter updates.

And what would life be like without writers? Watch - and learn....



EDIT: Here's an interesting Flickr set...and fans4writers.com

Click here if you would like to put up a distinctive banner for your favorite show. (I'm planning to add one to the sidebar - want to make sure I credit the right person).

P.S. If you want to support the strike, you are more than welcome to link to this article. Please feel free to e-mail me at blogthispal (at) gmail (dot) com for the exact address.

You Tubey Goodness

Ok, let's see....

Mike gave you....a dramatic hamster.

Eddie presented....cats flushing toilets.

And now, I give you a piece that asks the question: Parody...or Propaganda

Yes, it's safe for work...but you'll die of embarrassment if you're caught watching it. And also (I'm surprised Sterling didn't find this), a mashup of two geeky obsessions.

5 Better Alternatives to David Hasselhoff

Dear Blogosphere,

Recently, I have become increasingly distressed at the attempts to make David Hasselhoff a kind of hipster icon. No, not because of the infamous video, but because - at his cold, dark heart - Hasselhoff demonstrates nothing more than a relatively inflated ego, sharply defined lack of talent, and poor taste in plastic surgeons.

(However, the recent release of his autobiography does nothing to settle the dread which is creeping in my heart - if anything, I am increasingly unsettled).

However, as a public service to you, the reader, I would like to suggest five other men who are worthy of public, hipster recognition. (I can't think of five women, and encourage female bloggers to take this on as a challenge).

1. Tom Jones - Unlike many hipster icons, this is a man who truly deserves adoration. He has one hell of a voice (don't believe me? Listen to these tracks, and watch as he makes the crappily written theme to Thunderball sound sexy). By comparison, Hasselhoff's singing sounds like an asthmatic death rattle. This is the man who wrote the book on reinvention - he deserves more love.
   
2. Robert Conrad - Although 70s hipsters dug his Eveready commercial, there's one key scene that determines Mr. Conrad's coolness. On an episode in the The Wild Wild West - The Complete Second Season DVD set, Mr. Conrad takes out a bunch of bad guys...with a bowl of fruit. If they weren't focused on comics, you know these two would be all over this.
3. Avery Brooks - Ok, he was pretty intimidating on Spenser: For Hire; however, he played the greatest Star Trek captain - a man who combined Picard's tendency towards contemplation and diplomacy with Kirk's cowboy diplomacy, willing to make tough ethical choices. Plus, he was a tenured professor, has done Shakespeare...and doesn't toot his own horn. I mean, if that doesn't scream cool, I don't know what does.
4. Graham Parker - I've posted about him before. Do a search yourself. Better yet, buy his records, and thank me later.
5. Tom Baker - Finally, a man who in many ways is like a British William Shatner - well known actor from a pop culture phenomenon - only Mr. Baker is more eccentric, and doesn't quite take himself so seriously.

So, readers, just remember - just say, "Hell, no!" to the Hoff. Show your colleagues that we have taste and restraint.

Obligatory Paris Hilton Post

As many of you are aware as of this writing, Paris Hilton was "released" from jail. Now,I could go into a rant about 1) how there's two sets of justice (but Greg beat me to it), or 2) how Paris Hilton is nothing more than an attention-seeking, spoiled brat...but that would be too harsh. (Plus, you can easily go to Podcrapular and submit your own Paris Hilton jokes).

So I'm going to take the high road and bring attention to the reason why Ms. Hilton was jailed - reckless driving and violation her probation on a drunk driving charge. In that spirit, rather than criticize her, I would rather educate on drunk driving.

That's right - as a public service to you, the reader, I'm including some links on drunk and drugged driving. I know, it's not the usual pop culture shtick you're used to...but in a way, maybe, just maybe, one of Ms. Hilton's "fans" will read one of these sites and realize the big deal.

It's not just about her, or her popularity or lack thereof - it's about frickin' public safety.

(And for an obligatory comics reference, you can get tons of information on the net Iron Man movie at Screen Rant. Much of it is spoiler-free, and it's also a really cool site. Check it out after reading this entry).

MADD (who started doing a lot of public education about drunk driving)

Wikipedia Entry

About.com article

AMA information sheet

NIDA Infofacts

DSM - 4 Criteria for Alcohol Abuse (yes, it's relevant)

CDC Information

National Safety Council

Now I realize that I may sound rather shrill, but I'd rather not do the typical "I-hate-Paris-Hilton" post. Rather than give her more coverage, I would rather focus attention on something more important - encouraging people not to get behind a wheel after consuming a lot of alcohol. (I'm not talking one or two drinks - in fact, a member of the St. Louis Cardinals died in a drunk driving accident, and the aftermath is a real mess, folks)

Here's my challenge to the blogosphere - either head to Podcrapular and make a joke about Ms. Hilton, or feel free to use the links above to educate. Rather than give Ms. Hilton more air time - let's make sure that the public is reminded why she was in jail in the first place.