YouTube's Contest before Permanent Shutdown! (...April Fools!)

With the rise of Social Media, there also comes the expansion of connectivity that allows practically everyone to participate in worldwide campaigns.  These digital mediums have garnered support by the millions for movements such as Bully-Prevention, Natural Disasters Recovery, Cleaning the Earth Initiatives, and more.  The ability to easily bring so many people together has also opened the path for multiple cultures to share in the celebration of various holidays.  For example, we can always depend on Google to modify the design of its homepage in conjunction with a multitude of events throughout the year: from the birthdays of famous people like Jim Henson and Dr Seuss, to more popular dates like Valentine's Day and Christmas.  This year it was YouTube, one of the more world-renowned branches of Google, who rang in April Fool’s Day with perhaps the most creative prank on the internet.  

 YouTube's administrators released a video stating that the website’s launch in 2005 was all part of a contest to find the “Best Video” in the world.  After reviewing every video ever uploaded, they would narrow down the nominees before deleting everything and shutting down the website for good.  The winner of the contest would be announced years later in 2023, when the website would re-launch with a remarkable depletion in content, save for one…special….video.

Needless to say, YouTube users were quite aware that this announcement was obviously a ruse.  Still, the sheer amount of realism and effort that went into crafting the joke is enough to give the website high accolades for being a Master-Prankster this year.

UWG Alpha Lambda Delta Newsletter- 2008

   
     Below is a link to one of the issues of the Alpha Lambda Delta newsletter that I was in charge of editing, publishing, and distributing to the organization's members when I was a student at the University of West Georgia.  At the time, I served as the Chief Editor of the newsletter, and was also the Secretary of the organization.  My responsibilities included ensuring that members were informed of our meetings-schedule, upcoming events, and meetings minutes via our electronic list-serve.

 

*Click the picture below to view the full 2-Page File*

Pedal Pushing Pooches (Dogs can Drive)!

            
-By: Brittany Reid

Dogs have been man’s best friends for centuries.  They have operated as hunters, security guards, and service dogs for those who are handicapped.  So, what’s the next step for our canine companions?  How about seeing these furry, four-legged creatures driving next to us on the highway?  Well, it’s highly possible!  According to recent studies conducted just this week, it has been proven that dogs have the ability to drive! 

            New Zealand’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) recently rescued three abandoned pups and spent two months training them on how to operate buttons and gear shifts similar to that of a car.  Monty (an 18-month-old giant schnauzer), Porter (a 10-month-old beardie cross), and Ginny (a 1-year-old whippets cross), were the lucky pups chosen to take part in this experiment.  After mastering the control of various buttons and levers, the animals were put behind the wheel of a specially designed test vehicle to practice what they had learned during training.  Then, the dogs were taken to a wide field for a rehearsal run.  There, they garnered worldwide recognition when footage of the rehearsal made headline news on renowned networks like CNN.  This Monday, the dogs were taken to the racetracks for their official solo performances.  Monty and Porter’s successful test runs were broadcasted live on New Zealand’s 3 News TV station.  Ginny’s test was not aired.

(Highlights of Porter's test shown below)

            The purpose behind this experiment was to increase promotion for adopting dogs from rescue shelters by showing that they are highly capable of being trained and tamed.  Many people opt to purchase well-bred dogs when the rescued ones are in need of a home too.  All it takes is a lot of Tender Loving Care, along with patience, and they can do anything (like drive a stick-shift)!  But the possibilities of how this could directly affect our society are endless!  Dogs already aid humans by performing duties such as leading the blind and sniffing out drugs for law enforcement.  Could you imagine them driving around the visually impaired or taking part in a high-speed chase alongside their human police-partners? …okay, so maybe that is a stretch.  But hey, after Mishka the Talking Husky went viral showing that dogs can imitate human sound, just about anything is possible!  The world may be “going to the dogs” a lot sooner than we think!
            So the next time you’re training your pooch to “sit,” “speak,” “roll-over,” or “play-dead,” you may want to start adding the phrases “drive,” “turn,” “put it in neutral,” and “park,” to your list of dog-commands!


For more information about the SPCA and their efforts to encourage the adoption of abandoned canines, visit their Facebook page here: DrivingDogs.

DEXTER’S RUDE REMOVAL: THE LOST EPISODE…FOUND!

By: Brittany L. Reid

“Enter at your own peril, past the vaulted door where impossible things may happen that the world’s never seen before!”


            You know this infamous phrase.  This is the first line to the ending theme for Cartoon Network's classic animated series, Dexter's Laboratory.  But, did you know there is an episode of this cartoon that showcases Dexter and his sister, Dee Dee, as you've NEVER seen them before....LITERALLY?!  Recently there has been a bevy of activity online about an unaired, “lost episode” of Dexter’s Laboratory entitled, “Dexter’s Rude Removal.”  But “rude” would be putting it lightly.  Apparently this episode is so vulgar that it would make a sailor blush.
            Research indicates that the episode features Dexter performing an experiment that goes horribly wrong due to Dee-Dee’s interference (so what else is new, right)?  The result is the creation of devilish personalities who cause chaos, and whose language rivals that of South Park!  This particular cartoon was created to be viewed by those who were 18 years of age or older at special events.  There are accounts that the episode once aired at a Californian comic convention in the late 90s.  However, this was the only time that the taboo episode ever went public…until now!
            In October, there was an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit.com that was hosted by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter’s Laboratory.  During the session, someone made a post questioning if “Dexter’s Rude Removal would ever see the light of day again.  Mr. Tartakovsky (account name- iamgenndytartakovsky) confirmed its existence, and there was an online movement via Tumblr, Twitter, and a multitude of other social media sites urging for a public release of this episode.  It wasn’t long before Adult Swim, the late night programming block on Cartoon Network, picked up on the fans’ pleas.
            The block went to work updating its viewers on progress with obtaining the episode and somehow getting it to air.  Their hard work paid off!  According to one of the network’s recent late night bumps (title cards shown between commercials), they will be broadcasting Dexter’s “lost” episode on the Internet sometime this week.  The announcement that Adult Swim aired is shown below.

 So adult fans of the show should keep a sharp eye out for this debut!  

…But, make sure you keep your kiddies or little siblings out of the room!  Needless to say, “viewer discretion is advised.”

Can you Afford a Ford....Stock?

-By: Brittany L. Reid

Considering the recent recession, one may wonder if taking interest in the Ford Stock Price is a wise investment.  The Ford Stock Price is the price or value of stock in the Ford Motor Company.  Before one can consider investing in this automotive corporation, it is important to have a basic understanding of the stock market and how it affects one’s finances. 

                  In the stock market, people buy shares of a company so that when the value of the company rises, investors receive a profit.  When the stock prices continue to increase over a long period of time, buyers refer to this as a Bull market.  When the stock prices decrease, it is a Bear Market.  So now, the question is whether or not the current economy has resulted in the Ford Stock Price being a Bear Market, or a Bull Market.

                  The cause for the current state of Ford’s stocks can be traced back about eight years.  In 2004, Alan Mullaly was brought into the Ford family.  He made wise decisions concerning the financial aspects of the company while simultaneously brainstorming to reconstruct some crucial areas of the corporation.  In the early stages of the recession, Mullaly opted to drive Ford down a different route than its competitors by providing the company with billions in finances as a safety net.  Chrysler and General Motors, in contrast, gassed up their engines by accepting federal bailouts, which ended up giving them car trouble.  Alan Mullaly was later appointed as the chief executive and president of the Ford Motor Company in September, 2006.  Since then, the Ford Stock Price has continued to maintain fairly high value.  This can be attributed to the company analyzing various benefits of smaller, more energy-efficient vehicles, as well as investigating various methods of cost reduction.  The company’s Ford Motor Credit branch is also a top contractor of auto-financing.  However, comparing Ford’s business in the United States to its global competition highlights other defining factors for whether or not it is a good investment.  China, South America, and Europe are just a few of the leading contenders that serve as healthy competition for the company. 

                  In conclusion, the Ford Stock Price has had relatively moderate to strong buys over the past few months.  One might say that the stock is in the green zone.  It’s not a Bear Market, but it is not quite a Bull Market either.  In the end, when it comes to the stock market, whether or not one decides to invest in a company depends on the stock buyer’s personal research and analysis of the corporation.

FOX- 25 YEARS AND COUNTING

-By: Brittany L. Reid
        
           It began with a new television station's struggle to find just the right type of entertainment to bait its audience hook, line, and sinker.  Who would've thought that the wrong content would be what they were looking for....or perhaps we should say the most unorthodox content?  The year was 1987 when FOX, a novice network practically out of the womb, premiered a show about a family of underdogs that would slowly begin winning the hearts of Americans.  A shoe-salesman, his fashion-forward wife, his ditzy daughter, and his wannabe-player son would spend the next few years taking the television audience on a journey of the rarely acknowledged every day life of the unconventional family.
            The context of this show, “Married…with Children,” would begin a tradition that seemed to be the key for future hit shows on FOX.  The network would go on to syndicate programs with the pitch of the "underdogs struggling to achieve."  FOX would utilize real life scenarios in both factual and fictional settings, and play on the opinions and sympathies of America to debut the oddest elements of television programming, from attacking animals, to focusing on taboo subjects like drugs, sex, sexual orientation, and more.  The network would become renowned for cultivating shows like “The Simpsons” (following a similar foundation of “Married…with Children,” but in an animated format), “Beverly Hills 90210,” “In Living Color,” “Malcom in the Middle”, “American Idol,” and more.  From reality competitions, to pushing the patience of the FCC, the network became its own type of Underdog, one that would go on to even make fun of itself in the programs it featured throughout the years.
            While it's only been a quarter of a century since the debut of this network, there is no doubt that FOX has become an integral part of the American family, simply because everyone has someone in their family with that same attitude as FOX: the reckless, over-dramatic, leap before you look type of relative who takes chances and somehow, always seems to still come out on top.  Now, at the brink of young adulthood, the network celebrated its 25th Anniversary on Sunday, April 22, 2012, with a look at its history.  Such a nostalgic sendoff allowed the audience to see how it has grown with FOX over the years.  It is only natural to wonder just what the next 25 years will have in store for the underdog that always seems to be.....as Charlie Sheen would put it, “WINNING!!!!!”  

THE WORD, IS BIG BIRD!

-By: Brittany L. Reid

       
          It looks like the “Bird is the Word” for the 2012-2013 season.  Big Bird, one of Sesame Street’s mascots, recently garnered national attention when Republican Governor Mitt Romney mentioned cutting government funding to PBS as part of his fiscal plan to help manage the debt crisis.  The social media world went insane with YouTube videos, Memes, and even fake Twitter accounts expressing their opinions on Romney’s statement.

            But the six-year-old bird remained as innocent as a child when he responded to the issue on an October 7, 2012 Saturday Night Live skit.  “I feel like I’m famous now,” he said.  “It’s so weird to think that just a few days ago, I could just blend in like every other perfectly normal 8-foot tall talking bird!”  If Big-Bird is feeling the publicity now, he’ll feel even more famous next year.  Or at least…his Muppeteer will.

            The man behind Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, has been providing the voice and motion for the walking puppet since Sesame Street’s debut in 1969, and he’s still going strong.  The 78-year-old Muppeteer will give insight to his life as the lovable, yellow fowl in a documentary set for release some time in 2013.  The film is titled, “I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story,” and is produced by Copper Pot Pictures.  The film comes following the success of the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey,” which chronicled the life of Elmo’s puppeteer Kevin Clash and was Directed & Produced by Constance Marks.

          For more information about Caroll Spinney's upcoming documentary, visit Copper Pot Pictures' website at www.iambigbird.com. 

Reid Wins at Georgia Golden Olympics

This post features an article that I recently wrote and was published in my local newspaper.  The paper was printed and distributed on October 2, 2012.

REID WINS AT GEORGIA GOLDEN OLYMPICS

By: Brittany L. Reid