Friday, June 11, 2010

BP Spills Coffee

I ran across this video during my morning internet surf. The BP oil spill is a tragic disaster that will have far-reaching consequences for the environment and everyone and everything in it. Like any effective piece of satire, this is extremely funny, but also makes you think about a serious issue. As you're laughing, and maybe crying, think about the greedy profits-first mentality that allowed this to happen. THEN think about how our own actions contributed and what we can do to help fix it. For example, I've heard a lot of outraged people talking about boycotting BP, which punishes local business owners and really does nothing to BP itself. Getting your gas from a different place (Exxon, perhaps...remember them?) changes nothing. Riding your bike to work (or otherwise reducing your gasoline consumption), demanding renewable energy, using less plastic--these are things everyone can do that MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

So, join me in laughing at the pure idiocy of the corporate mentality and then add a few environmentally friendly habits to your own life.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Geek Humor: Librarians Go Gaga

Who better to make a parody of a Lady Gaga song than a bunch of librarians? I found this hilarious!

Librarians Go Gaga

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

SNL - Golden Girls Remix

Tonight some skaters from another league joined our practice, partly to see what we're all about and partly to help us improve what we are already doing. It's always a blast to skate with new people because you learn so much and it just injects practice with a shot of energy.

I wanted to post a video of the new fall we practiced, the figure four, but, alas, no videos are available yet. Apparently, the fall we have been calling a baseball slide is actually called something else and the figure four fall is what WFTDA considers a baseball slide.

Confusing? Oh, yeah. But it's something new to practice and I think everyone had a pretty good start by the time we moved on to whips. We also got some solid technique tips and I'll be adding whips to our practice plan more regularly now that I have a better understanding of how to do them effectively. Tried a belt whip for the first time tonight and couldn't believe how much faster I was able to go.

Plan B for tonight's post...

In case you missed Betty White on SNL a few weeks ago, take a look at this tribute to The Golden Girls. Make sure you watch to the end, because it really gets good when Betty starts to thrash.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Cheerios Roller Derby TV Commercial

I realize that not everyone is excited about roller derby becoming part of the mainstream, but this commercial, with it's taste of derby on a non-practice night, cheered me up.


Thursday, June 3, 2010

Roller Derby Explained

I just love this animated video, created by the Gem City Rollergirls, that clearly explains the basics of roller derby. Check it out.