Please Help

I know this is completely off topic but....

"As some of you may have already heard, two U.S. journalists were arrested in North Korea. I met one of the reporters, Laura Ling, only a few months ago.
Laura is a news reporter for Current TV. Her sister is journalist Lisa Ling (of Oprah Winfrey's show and The View).
On March 17, Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested for alleged, unspecified "hostile acts" after reportedly crossing the border into North Korean territory from China. The families have stated that the reporters did not embark on their trip with intentions of entering North Korean territory (see video below). An associate of the two reporters says they were in the area to report on a piece regarding North Korean refugees. Reporters Without Borders claims: "It is by no means clear that Ling and Lee were arrested on North Korean territory." (see link to their press release below)
Laura and Euna are scheduled for trial by the North Korean government this week, on June 4th. If convicted, the women could end up in one of North Korea's notorious labor camps.
Some analysts believe this arrest plays a role as a "bargaining chip" in the bigger picture of an ongoing North Korean / American nuclear weapon debate. The U.S. government does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, where the women are being held.
Laura and Euna's families are struggling to spread word about their situation. The more world focus there is on the subject, the more pressure there will be on the North Korean government to treat these two young women with care--and hopefully return them safely to their families.
There are a few ways for you to help.
Firstly, a candlelight vigil will be happening on June 3rd. You can find out how to join that movement by going here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60755553149&ref=ts. U.S. vigil locations are on this page.
Another option: I am asking for the help of our fans all around the world--particularly those in Eastern Europe, China, and South Korea-- to spread the word and post messages of support and hope for these two young people--and make sure to let the community on the above Facebook page know you've posted. Their families beg for your help. The more positive noise you can make for them, the more helpful you will be."
- Mike Shinoda at http://tinyurl.com/kj5nct

I know I just copied and pasted from another website but this is one of the fastest ways I can think of to spread the word. If you live in the States and can attent a candle light vigil please do so and if, like me, you live outside of the US visit the facebook group to find out how you can help. Also visit http://tinyurl.com/kj5nct for more information.

Screenwriting

Seriously. Save the cheerleader. Save the world. Lucy, you've got some `splaining to do. That's what she said. Live long and prosper/Beam me up Scotty. They're more than meets the eye. Why so serious?




Whether it be Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, I Love Lucy, The Office, Star Trek, Transformers or The Dark Knight television and movies almost always have that one line that will stick with viewers even after the show or movie is over. You hear most in everyday conversation, or see them plastered over t-shirts and other memorabilia. Even after shows become popular many viewers will start to talk like the characters (see The O.C. and swarms of people talking like they're from the Valley). That's not the actors, it's not the directors; it's the writers.





Pre writers strike nobody gave much credit to the writers. I know I didn't, the most I cared about was the actors. The writers are responsible for making you laugh (or cry), making you talk like your favourite characters, creating the characters and let's face it, they're even responsible for portraying what "real" life looks like on The Hills. This was painstakingly obvious with the aftermath from the November 5, 2007 to February 12, 2008 strike, when there was nothing on but mind-numbing reality television.



Personally, I watch around 11-12 hours of prime time TV a week (during the normal TV season). These past two weeks I've been re watching Season One of Chuck and Seasons One & Two of Heroes. Many shows hit what is known as the "sophomore slump" (many artists also get this) where if a show has a really good first season then the second season seems impossible to live up to. I don't think Chuck was subject to this, if anything Season Two was better. It's unfortunate, though, that the first season was during the writers strike and the show lost many viewers because of this. I personally feel as if it's the best written show on television. Out of all the shows I watch I've never seen a show blur the lines of comedy and drama as well as Chuck has managed to do. One of the best examples of this is Chuck Versus the Nemesis. In this episode, Chuck's old college roommate (Bryce; who got him kicked out of Stanford and whom was presumed dead) returns and it's all crazy spy stuff ... But in between we go back to the Buy More and they're preparing for the most notorious shopping day of the year, Black Friday. Normally preparing for Black Friday would be crazy; but when paired with the idiots that work there it is pure comedic genius. Not to mention, their "safety word" is pineapple and yes, it gets used for a "gas leak". One of the other gems in that episode is Bryce asking Chuck if he's wearing a Kevlar vest, in Klingon :)

Movie wise I haven't seen anything lately that screamed "good writing". Even my favourite movies aren't that well written (all well directed and acted though). That either means that movies aren't that good today, or I haven't seen very many new movies