Susi Rajah

Free Hugs

There once was a man who returned to his hometown of Sydney (after a life upheaval) and noticed that everybody else getting off the plane had people waiting for them with hugs and smiles. He had no one.

So he sought out a busy pedestrian intersection, standing there with a sign that said " Free Hugs". For fifteen minutes everyone ignored him. But then a woman tapped him. Her dog had died that morning, and that morning was the first anniversary of her daughter's death. She needed a hug.

Since then, Juan Mann, has been handing out free hugs every Thursday, inspiring others around the world to do the same. He has even hugged Oprah.

Of course, it hasn't all been smooth hugging. The authorities, at one point, decided there must be something wrong with what he was doing. They banned the hugging. But the people spoke. And hugging prevailed.

Watch the hugging prevail.

Get a "Free Hug" t-shirt from the Remo General Store.

Visit the official site of Free Hugs.

The Remo General Store

I liked this store when it was a real store with walls and a door but I like it better now it's a virtual store because you can shop from anywhere. Check it out. There are neat t-shirts, Aussie things and stripey things. You'll like it. And there's still time for Christmas delivery.

Go Windows Shopping.

A World Without Writers

This is a little video in support of the Hollywood writer's strike. As you probably already know, they are striking because they want eight cents from the sale of every DVD of their work (they currently get four cents from a twenty-dollar DVD). The AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) think this an unreasonable request.

What I can't understand is why all other creative people in Hollywood, who interpret the original material, are treated better than the people who create the original material.

I think the fair thing to do would be to let the consumer decide where the money goes when they buy the DVD. I'm guessing that then the writers would get paid for their work and ideas, and the producers would find themselves in a position where they have make do with last year's boobs on their girlfriends.

Watch A World Without Writers.

 

Ricky Gervais Does Charity

A new, more honest take on the celebrity-does-charity genre. It is about eight minutes long and is well worth watching until the end.