Posted 04/09/08 by Ryan Morris
Just a few moments ago, my co-worker Robin got a text from a friend stating "2-year olds in Crocs make me laugh." This made Jenn, Robin and I all giggle for a bit and opened a brief discussion on how silly or awesome we think the trendy rubber clogs look. Just then, Jenn mentioned an article she had read about a toddler who's foot got stuck in an escalator while wearing the holey footwear. We started searching the Net for the article, digested it and then moved on to the Croc Web site. In one of the product testimonials, Jenn noticed there was an endorsement written by a child:
''I am 5 years old and I have been wearing Crocs for one year now. It is the only shoe my mom can get me to wear. Everyone asks me all the time "where did you get your shoes?" I have red and navy blue, the red is my favorite. I am looking forward to getting more colors of crocs."
Photo Source: http://www.hegemonyrules.net
We've got nothing against the Crocs company, but this testimonial started to raise questions in my head related to child exploitation:
1) How far is too far when using minors to pitch a product?
2) Is this instance OK, or just a precursor to more marketing by the youngest marketing segment, to the youngest marketing segment?
3) Several iterations and evolutions later, does this turn into things much, much worse -- like child labor?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below, or in a discussion board.
Posted 09/14/07 by Ryan Morris
Mood: Quiet
Listening to: Robin clicking her mouse.
I know the title sounds kind of nutty, but it's true. According to the study I came across:
"Twice as many girls as boys are being born across much of the Arctic because of pollution from industrialised countries, scientists have found. The study also found that in parts of Russia many newborn boys were sickly or underweight."
Just goes to show that we need to continue trying to respect the planet we live on. If we don't, it will make us extinct...literally.
Special shout out to Robin Nixon's blogfor bringing this study to my attention.
Posted 08/08/07 by Ryan Morris
I came across a very interesting blog entry which highlights the positive story of a man named Russell and how he changed the lives of 10 at-risk, homeless youth.
"When Russell received money for a gift from a friend, he chose to use it to take these ten kids out to a local restaurant for a meal. It turned out to be a tremendous experience."
The experience encouraged Russell to do more, prompting him to create a non-profit called Invisibile Youth to rescue the at-risk youth in his area.
I think Russell's story is an amazing one, so I'm going to invite him to become a member of Razoo.
Do you know someone like Russell? If so, have you invited them to Razoo?
Posted 08/01/07 by Rebecca Carpenter
It’s been 3 years since Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole and Jason Russell got stuck in the midst of one of Africa’s longest running civil wars. They went to Uganda to see what they could find—what they could film—what stories they might encounter…and instead found themselves sleeping on the streets and in public structures with thousands of children each night. These children were leaving their villages to walk into the heart of cities surrounding them in order to find safety and sleep without fear.
With the Lord’s Resistance Army still controlling Northern Uganda after an on-going twenty year war, the children were forced to leave their homes to avoid kidnapping that happened at night. The LRA was infamous for storming villages and abducting children, some of the youngest around age 5, and forcing them to become child soldiers and mistresses for the rebel leaders. Bobby, Laren and Jason had found their story, and would soon find themselves thrown into the midst of a conflict that would change the course of their lives and the composition of their hearts.
Each story they heard, stories of fear, of loss and of stolen childhoods, came home to San Diego with them and was turned into Invisible Children: The Rough Cut . The video inspired and impassioned people as a grassroots campaign spread the DVD worldwide. With the impact of the DVD growing quickly, the guys formed the non-profit organization Invisible Children, Inc. and set out on a media blitz campaign to make the stories of the voiceless heard. Through the organization, the IC team is able to direct funds into valuable and creative programs on the ground in Uganda.
Since its inception, Invisible Children has seen incredible success in raising media, governmental and public support for the cause of the children and others suffering as a result of the ongoing wars in Northern Uganda. Their greatest success throughout all of this has been raising an army of passionate young people who are determined to get involved and make a difference. The Global Night Commute, during which people left their homes and traveled to a centralized location in their city, had 80,000 youth participate in solidarity with the night commuters in N. Uganda. Displace Me, this year’s major campaign, boasted 70,000 people peacefully protesting the situation in the Internally Displaced Camps as they built their own makeshift displacement camp in the downtown of 15 major US cities. The Schools-4-Schools Campaign had 580 American schools participate in fundraising for 10 schools around Uganda, raising a total of $1.2 million dollars through the fundraising efforts of participating schools. These initiatives, creative and youth-oriented, have generated significant media buzz for the organization but have also allowed anyone and everyone interested in the cause to get involved.
Because Bobby, Laren and Jason were college students who stumbled upon an incredible story and wanted to make a difference, Invisible Children encourages participation at any level. Donations have flooded in from cities around the world, with testimonies from children all over the US who have deeply responded to the Rough Cut DVD and have committed to doing all they can to make a difference. Invisible Children actively encourages contribution in any form; from young kids holding their own fundraisers, to hosting an Invisible Children viewing party, to volunteering with the Acholi people in Northern Uganda. The point is simply to get involved, give what you can and tell the stories of those who cannot tell their own.
In June, peace talks finally began between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army, including its leader, Joseph Kony. Kidnapping and violence rates have dropped significantly because of these peace talks and the international community is hopeful that this will signal the end of the longstanding conflict.
With a feature length film close to release, Invisible Children continues to raise awareness and further the cause of the northern Ugandan people stateside. As I write, Bobby, Laren and Jason are in Gulu, Uganda with the top fundraising winners from the Schools-4-Schools competition. Those who were passionate and engaged in the plight of their peers in Uganda are now able to stand side by side with them in solidarity and share with one another beyond boundaries, beyond language, and in love.
Check out the trailer for the feature film.
Posted 04/20/07 by Robin Weekley
In 8 days, Invisible Children is hosting an event called Displace Me. The goal is to recreate, for 24 hours, what the 1.5 million internally displaced peoples in Uganda have suffered over the past 20 years of their civil war. Starting before 3 pm on Saturday, April 28th, participants will leave their homes to walk to the location of their displacement camp for the night. The event is happening in 15 cities across the US and, as of a few minutes ago, approximately 50,000 people have committed to join in, be displaced and push for peace in Northern Uganda. People are asked to bring: a sealed bottle of water, a bag of saltine crackers and enough cardboard to build a tent of sorts. Through this movement of solidarity, we will ask the government to support peace talks in Uganda and help end the war that has been ravaging the country for 20 years.
Often, people limit the consequences of war to the number of deaths associated with it and forget the lasting effects of violence and terror in long-term civil wars. In Uganda, IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camps are rampant, filled with unsanitary living conditions, extreme poverty and the ever-present fear of more attacks by the LRA, the rebel group responsible for the civil war. But there is hope: these camps, although crowded and haunted by the past that led them there, are filled with a sense of community and love that often overshadows fear.
Last year, Invisible Children held a similar event called the “Global Night Commute,” where participants were asked to walk to a central location in their city and sleep outside for a night, representative of what the child Night Commuters do each night in N. Uganda. More than 80,000 people ended up attending the event and just two weeks later, a bill was passed in Congress supporting the peace movement in Northern Uganda. I was in Los Angeles last year for the GNC and I can attest to the power of participating in an event like this. Hearts and lives were changed both here and abroad by the information, bonds and prayers that were exchanged throughout the course of the night.
Change is coming, so please check out Invisible Children’s website , spare 24 hours of your time to reach out to those who are hurting miles away and let your heart be changed by the stories you hear. Be a part of the movement…and displace yourself.
Breaking News on Peace Talks between the LRA and the Ugandan government
