Sunday, July 28, 2013

'Blackfish': The Documentary That Exposes SeaWorld

'Blackfish': The Documentary That Exposes SeaWorld

Gabriela Cowperthwaite's critically acclaimed documentary Blackfish centers on a captive orca named Tilikum. He was torn away from his family and ocean home when he was 2 years old, and out of frustration caused by nearly 20 years of intense confinement, isolation, and lack of emotional and intellectual stimulation, he has killed three humans. Hear what she has to say about her journey, her hope for captive orcas, and how you can help animals in the exclusive video interview below:
In her documentary, Cowperthwaite pieces together Tilikum's story with shocking film footage, expert testimonies, and heartbreaking interviews with the people who know Tilikum better than anyone: his former trainers. Watch the trailer now:

Astonishing Animals

In the wild, orcas swim upward of 100 miles per day. But at SeaWorld and other marine parks around the world, orcas are forced to swim in tiny circles to amuse tourists and spend the majority of their lives virtually motionless in concrete tanks that are the human equivalent of a bathtub. Their important matriarchal bonds are broken when babies are taken from their mothers and sold or transferred to other parks, and captive orcas live only a fraction of their average life span.

See the Movie That Is SeaWorld's Worst Nightmare

Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films will be opening Blackfish in select cities starting July 19. Please go to a showing in a city near you—preferably on opening weekend. Then, go back again and take everyone you know! For a complete list of cities and release dates, please visit the Blackfish movie website.

Pledge to Help Tilikum and Other Captive Orcas

The easiest and most effective way that you can help orcas such as Tilikum is to refuse to visit marine parks. Sign the pledge below and promise never to go to SeaWorld!

Thank You for Your Pledge!

Please help us spread the word about how orcas such as Tilikum suffer at SeaWorld by sharing this information with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Syrian Crisis Is Rapidly Becoming The World’s Crisis

The Syrian Crisis Is Rapidly Becoming The World’s Crisis

The Syrian Crisis Is Rapidly Becoming The World’s Crisis
Syria is a country in crisis, and that crisis is rapidly becoming the world’s problem.
The civil war in Syria began over three years ago, in March 2011, with popular demonstrations that quickly grew nationwide. The demonstrations were part of the wider Middle Eastern protest movement known as the Arab Spring, and protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has held the presidency in Syria since 1971.
What Has Happened Since March 2011?
*  More than 100,000 people have been killed, according to United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. That number is 7,000 higher than the number issued by the UN last month.
*  Almost 2 million refugees have fled from Syria in the past two years. This situation is starting to resemble what happened in 1948 and 1967, when Palestinians were forced out of their homeland permanently. According to UN and other humanitarian officials, this has serious implications for countries nearby such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, where most of the refugees have found shelter.
*  One in six people in Lebanon are now Syrian refugees, while in Jordan the biggest camp has become the country’s fourth-largest city. This huge number means that these countries are becoming overwhelmed, and Western countries may be asked to accept tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, according to the UN’s refugee chief.
* At least 4 million Syrians have been displaced within the country, in addition to the 2 million who have fled Syria, meaning that a quarter of the population of Syria have now been driven from their homes.
The Syrian Crisis Is Rapidly Becoming The World’s Crisis
From The Guardian:
“We are facing in the Middle East something that is more than a humanitarian crisis, more than a regional crisis, it is becoming a real threat to global peace and security,” [UN High Commissioner For Refugees António] Guterres said.
Guterres compared the Syrian refugee issue to that of Iraqis during the last decade, when more than 100,000 were resettled away from the region. “If things go on for a prolonged period of time then resettlement will become a central part of our strategy,” he said. “We would like when the time comes … to be able to launch a resettlement programme as massive as the one for Iraqis.”
Moving Forward?
Speaking in New York at the United Nations headquarters on July 25, both UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon and U.S. Secretary John Kerry stressed the urgency of finding a political solution to the conflict.
This was Kerry’s first visit to the UN as the top diplomat for the U.S., and he seized the opportunity to call for Syria’s opposition coalition and President Bashar al-Assad’s government to commit to negotiations on a peaceful settlement to the country’s civil war, saying there “is no military solution.”
“There is only a political solution, and that will require leadership in order to bring people to the table,” Kerry told reporters.
However, the Syrian opposition, which remains deeply divided, has so far refused to participate in peace talks without an assurance that they would result in Assad’s exit from power.
But while these negotiations appear to be at a stalemate, is anyone noticing that this is the world’s most serious refugee crisis in a generation?
And as more and more Syrians flee their homeland, the effect on neighboring countries is inevitable. However welcoming they seek to be, the overwhelming influx of people into Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey has put pressure on local services such as schools, hospitals and job markets, and has created tension and hostility.
As a result, these countries are understandably starting to regulate and limit the number of refugees they can accept.
But no one knows when it will end. Have we learned nothing from the past?

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/almost-2-million-refugees-have-fled-syria-this-is-a-world-crisis.html#ixzz2aNNH01VD
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Avenged Sevenfold Announce Tour Dates and Venues with Ghost B.C. and Deftones

Avenged Sevenfold Announce Tour Dates and Venues with Ghost B.C. and Deftones

| Jul 25, 2013 | 1 Comment and 0 Reactions | Tags: , , ,

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Avenged Sevenfold have announced dates and venues for their upcoming tour with Ghost B.C. and Deftones. The dates are below.
Avenged Sevenfold will be releasing their new album, Hail to the King, on August 27. The band appears on the cover of the next issue of Revolver, on newsstands on July 30 and available now from the Revolver online store.


10/3 Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
10/5 Indianapolis, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
10/6 Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
10/8 Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
10/9 Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/12 Bloomington, IL @ US Cellular Coliseum
10/13 Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
10/15 Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena
10/16 Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
10/18 Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
10/19 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
10/20 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
10/22 Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center
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Killswitch Engage Premiere New Lyric Video, “Always” Revolver Magazine | Jul 26, 2013 | 2 Comments and 0 Reactions | Tags: Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage Premiere New Lyric Video, “Always”

| Jul 26, 2013 | 2 Comments and 0 Reactions | Tags:

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Killswitch Engage have released the official lyric video for the song “Always” from the metalcore stalwarts’ latest album, Disarm The Descent, which is in stores now. Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.
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Parents Upset Over "My Little Pony" Makeover

Parents Upset Over "My Little Pony" Makeover


It isn't the first time that a girl's toy has received a "makeover" to look sexier. But parents are up in arms over My Little Pony's disturbing changes, the Huffington Post reports. The new "Equestria Girls" are designed to expand the My Little Pony franchise and depict the characters as "glamorous" teenage girls in high school, toy maker Hasbro says. Yet parents say the toys look less like ponies and more like sexified teenage goth girls.
To view My Little Pony's evolution, read the whole story on the Huffington Post.
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