Sundance Twenty Ten

I just realized this week that I never posted my SUNDANCE pictures!! What the?! Well.. here they are, just, oh ya know, two months later - oops.

We had a lot of fun, and saw a lot of celebrities. I think my all time favorite was Robert Redford. We were so close to him.. and all I could do was point and say HEY! But I didn't even say HEY to him, I was saying hey to Ashley and Timmy to try to get them to realize and celebrate with me that we were in the presence of greatness. Silly, sad, but true. We didn't even get a great picture, but I know for sure I will be returning to that same spot next year, just in case he decides to go that way again. Ashley tried to take a picture, but in our frantic frenzy of excitement she didn't realize her camera was in video mode, so its a video..





You can even hear me say ROBERT REDFORD! I couldn't stop saying it, I was so amazed.

We also saw Jon Gosselin from Jon & Kate Plus 8, but we didn't get to take a picture, him and his newest girlfriend ran away from the paparazzi (and us) too fast. Oh well.

I love Sundance.. but I wish it wasn't so damn cold. The weather was so much better last year!

As far as movies we saw..

We saw The Dry Land, a movie about some returned soldiers from Iraq. It was sad, and eye-opening (the scene where they slaughtered the cow.. oh. my. hell, every time I think about it I almost become vegetarian. Almost). It had Wilmer Valderrama in it - Fez from That 70's Show, and it was actually kind of nice to see him in a more serious show. America Ferrara and Ryan O'nan were the main characters.

Our last day at Sundance we saw Bhutto. I loved this movie. So educational, and so very inspirational. Benazir Bhutto was a very awesome woman, with a tragic life, and a very tragic ending. Yet, this movie actually made me feel some hope for Pakistan. The film makers were awesome.

The craziest part about the Bhutto screening was who was in the audience. I was initially bummed because Bhutto's children and sister had been at the opening screening, so we didn't see them - how cool would it have been to see them? But instead, Ashley and I had the honor (if you can call it that) of watching the movie with the former President of Pakistan's son. Yes, you heard me right, former President Pervez Musharaf's son was in Salt Lake City, watching a movie that practically condemned his father's government for involvement in the awful death of Benazir Bhutto. During the Q & A session, Bilal Musharaf stood up and said "I wasn't going to say anything, but.. President Musharaf is my father." The air was sucked out of that small theatre within seconds. And I, with almost every one else in the room turned their heads super fast, to look at him. Wow. He basically said that the current President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's husband, was also corrupt and is losing support in the country. He also accused the film makers of skewing the movie. Wow.

We also went to the Snowboarding Half-pipe Olympic Qualifier in Park City, where the best American snowboarders were at their last competition to qualify to compete in Vancouver. We literally froze - if we go next time, we'll be more prepared, I don't know what we were thinking this year. But.. all in all, I was in the presence of Shaun White, Lindsey Jacobellis, Hannah Teter, and other greats. So all in all it was a great week!

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Friday!

Doesn't it make you excited for Spring?

I can't wait.

(picture source: blisstree.com)

I'm so excited it's Friday, that I decided to use bullets. Fun, right?

• I have a cold. How un-cool is that? Last Friday I decided that I was going to have a stomach flu.. or something, and as soon as I started to feel normal, I even posted on twitter that I was starting to be okay again.. Then, my dad decided to share his cold. People think about getting sick, and I get sick! Ach!


• Today is Friday. And that makes me happy, no, not because I get to sleep in tomorrow, I have classes in the morning (where I have a midterm I haven't yet really studied for, oops). But I also get to go out to Dinner with some of my favorite people tonight! At Jason's Deli.. which is awesome, because the food is good. But do you know what the best part is? Complimentary Ice Cream Cones!


• Tomorrow.. after the midterm that I need to study for.. I am going for Pizza with my High School friends. I'm excited for that too. I hope everyone can come! I'm hoping that it doesn't snow so Suzanne can come.. yes


• The Olympics are so good. I'm kind of sad that they're almost over. Some of my favorites have been.. Apolo Ohno, for sure! Shaun White. Lindsey Vonn. Joannie Rochette, that won the bronze medal last night. That was so touching, I felt so bad for her, but I think its awesome the way the whole world pulled behind her and really supported her after her mother's death. So hard.


• And the Canadian girls Hockey team. I know they beat us so I should be mad at them. But how cool is it that everyone in the stands sings along to Oh Canada?! We don't do that... and they've won the gold like that, three times. three times! in a row! Talk about some major girl power.


• The Healthcare Summit: all I have to say is wow. It was historical, but I don't know that it got us anywhere.. can we make it a weekly thing for a few weeks? And that exchange between Obama & McCain "we're not campaigning anymore, John" wow. (quote may not be exact, don't hate me)


• I'm also back on Twitter. Blame Lina Buchanan for that. Silly, silly Lina.. was all excited when she joined Twitter a few weeks ago, and I was all "I did that for awhile, but got sick of it" and then I decided to log back in and see what was going on. Welll.. that was weeks ago, and I'm still addicted. And I've met so many new friends, and have really decided that I want to join some of the weekly chat things that they do. Yeah.. I like it. Again! So check me out @nicoleeelkington, if you want have a tweeterati part-ay.

Yay for Friday! What are you doing this weekend?

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It was a good Olympic Weekend, if you ask me.

Congratulations are in order for Canada's Alexandre Bilodeau, he is the first Canadian gold medalist to win on Canadian soil. How cool is that?

And, he seems to be a pretty good guy as well. Reading this story about his older disabled brother, and how he inspires Bilodeau, is beautiful.. and why I really like the Olympics.

Félicitations Alex!
(picture from Vancouver Sun)

And.. Apolo. Anton. Ohno. Congrats Apolo! And Good luck with the rest of your races! I hope those are a little bit less.. scary, lets knock the Koreans out of the race before the final lap! Eh? Or.. maybe not, maybe that's what makes it exciting, but my goodness it makes me so anxious watching him! I can't believe he almost got 4th!

I hope you get the gold in your next race Apolo!

(picture from the LA Times)

I've been tweeting quite a bit lately, most especially about the Olympics, so if you want some more Olympic commentary, by yours truly, or if you want to talk about them, check me out at: twitter.com/nicoleelkington.

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"Made in China" makes me nauseous

Today, I decided to write a post about why I don't like China. After writing about Sudan, like a week ago, I was like "man, I need to tell everyone why I don't like China. People probably think I'm mean." However, I DO have reasons to not like them, but I also have reasons to like China. For instance, I love Chinese food, I really do. I'm not so sure how much I would love it in actual China though, since they have a lot of fish and things I wouldn't like (besides, I suck at chopsticks). I still remember when my friend, Carmen, thought it was hilarious when she ordered CHICKEN FEET one day and I was completely disgusted by it! That's another thing I like about China, it is where my friend Carmen was born, and I like my Carmen. Haha. Except that she is from Hong Kong... and that's different. (right?)

However, the reasons I can't stand China, overwhelmingly outweigh the reasons I like it. China offers very cheap labor, and strict-and sometimes nonexistent - labor laws, so many corporations go to China to have their products made for cheaper. I personally don't think that this should be allowed in the United States.. these products to be allowed to be made overseas, with less than perfect standards on not only work conditions such as child workers' ages, as well as no regulation for work shifts, and dirty conditions; but also because of the National Security risked by these products. It is not right that there have been so many breaches in recent years. Remember all the pets that died because of the tainted pet food with the common nauseating sticker of "Made in China"? or the lead paint found in toys, where some children died and many more became seriously ill! That is not okay, to risk America's children and loved ones to such dangers. Moreover, more recently, the baby formula crises in China, killed many infants because the workers were trying to make the formula stretch further - to make a better profit, those babies DIED because of money. Fortunately, none of it made its way to the United States, but still! These were innocent children.

I am a big supporter of the Endangered Species Act, and the prevention of poaching and illegal fishing. I don't believe that just because something tastes good, or is a traditional medical treatment, that it is okay to kill animals that are endangered. I believe in respecting the animals. I am not a vegetarian by any means, I believe in eating protein ;) but I don't understand why many people in China are adamant about killing certain animals, such as bears. This is uncalled for, and makes me really sad. It is going t be awful to have to explain to my Grandchildren that there used to be certain bears and wildlife, but they were pointlessly killed. I don't understand that.

Speaking of Oil.. I am now to the issue that probably pulls at my heartstrings the hardest: Darfur. I don't blame China for the fighting. I don't blame China for the killing directly. There were problems and issues in The Sudan long before China had any interest in the area. However, the part I don't understand, is the Chinese government is well aware of what is going on in Darfur now, and they have yet to join the forces with many in the International Community to try and stop it. I don't even care if they never have any interest in Sudan again. I just want them to leave. I want them to stop buying Sudan's oil, because by buying the oil from the corrupt Sudanese government, they are literally fueling the crises. And not only are they continuosly buying the oil, but they are rumored to be providing modern strategic weapons to BOTH SIDES of the conflict. How great is that? Unfortunately, China has their hand in many conflicts on the African continent. It does not stop in the Sudan.

But again, why should I be surprised? I know how China is when it comes to provinces in their own land, think: TIBET. Remember those protesting monks, and how the Chinese guards trounced on them in March? That was great, wasn't it? It was kind of reminiscent of Tiananmen Square. What is it about Tibet that the Chinese need to hold on to? What's in it for them??? (I want to know this answer.. I will find it, one of these days!)

Sigh.. China, China, China. They also ruined one of my favorite things: The Olympics. I have to give it to them though, they had a really awesome Opening and Closing Ceremony in Beijing, it was awesome. Nevertheless, what was up with them cheating when it came to ages I mean, did you see those gymnasts? There was no way that some of those girls were any older than 12. And I could go off about why didn't the IOC find anything in their research, and blah blah blah, but I won't. And i won't go into how there were also rumors about the divers' ages too. I really just don't understand it. Why would you cheat? Especially when it was held on your home stage? Many Chinese viewed Beijing 2008 as a great way of welcoming the world to their land, to showing off the wonder of it. In many ways, I think they succeeded. I still want to walk on the Great Wall, and I still really love Disney's Mulan. I just don't understand how they can be so ruthless. What happened to honor?

To rap up my very long ramblings (OOPS! Sorry!) I would like to say just one more thing. Lin Hao, the very awesome little boy that walked with Yao Ming during the Opening Ceremony in Beijing. He was a little hero during the Sichuan Earthquakes, I think that what he did was very heroic, and very awesome, and perhaps, just maybe gives me a little hope for the future of China. Maybe it's not all bad, Right?

This is why... "Made in China" makes me nauseous.

Maybe I should read this book: A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy

Disclaimer: in no way do I blame the Chinese people. I have friends that are Chinese.. I just have some issues with their government. Which, I have issues with my own government as well.. so no need to feel bad.

For an interesting read also check out this article: China's year of tumult and triumph, from BBC News, published Dec 26th of this year.

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Darfur, and the Olympics

"I am saddened not to be able to attend the Games. The Olympic Games represent something powerful: that people can come together from around the world and do things that no one thought were possible. However, the denial of my visa is a part of a systemic effort by the Chinese government to coerce and threaten athletes who are speaking out on behalf of the innocent people of Darfur."

,says Joey Cheek, after at the last minute, he was denied his visa to goto Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.

Joey Cheek, who was a 2006 Olympic speed skating gold medalist has not been shy about his opinions of China's contribution to the violence in Darfur. So what? They put a muzzle on him? Joey Cheek is the president, and co-founder of Team Darfur, an international coalition of athletes dedicated to raising awareness about, and bringing the end to the violence in Darfur.

But why should anyone be surprised? China has been supporting the Sudanese acts of genocide in Darfur for years now. According to one report, from save darfur.org, "Sudan buys 90 percent of its small arms from China, as well as big ticket items such as A5 Fantan ground-attack fighter jets. Despite an existing UN Security Council arms embargo for Darfur, China and Sudan are working together to exploit a loophole to keep the arms flowing. Specifically, China argues that it sells weapons to the Sudanese regime in Khartoum, and that it cannot be held responsible if Sudan then sends those weapons on to Darfur in violation of the embargo" Cannot be held responsible? C'mon, SERIOUSLY?!?

This is what Joey says, on his blog.

"This account was actually set up so that I could blog from Beijing, but as many of you have probably seen my visa was revoked by the Chinese government less than 24 hours before my flight was to depart. It is of course disappointing to me, but I am not alone. Brad Greiner, Kendra Zanotto, and Chris Boyles all had visas revoked or denied. I find this very concerning because I believe that it is an effort to silence anyone who is even suspected of disagreeing with the Chinese government.
I remain a huge believer in the power of the Olympic Games to bring people together and to be a force for conflict resolution around the world. The athletes that have joined Team Darfur did so out of a sense that the more than 2 million men, women, and children, who have been driven from their homes in Darfur deserve protection. Brad and I founded Team Darfur because we feel trying to stop conflicts such as the one in Darfur are exactly what the Olympics are about.
The recent media attention that has been paid to my situation has given us a spotlight to focus on the plight of the people in Darfur, but we must continue to fight to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis. The story of this Olympic Games is certainly not finished, but I want to personally thank the more than 25,000 people who wrote to support the athletes competing in Beijing that are members of Team Darfur. I am moved by your words and I know that the athletes are too.
Best of luck to all the athletes - even though I am not there in body, I am rooting for you with all of my heart here in the States!"

Click here to donate to SaveDarfur.org, and wear the wristband.

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August: much better than July!

I am employed! Yay. It took me awhile.. yes. But I think I have now found a job that I will really like. I am going to be an America Reads Tutor through UVU, where I will go to an Elementary school and help kids between Kindergarten and first grade with their reading skills. I am excited! It will only be part time - Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but this gives me time to goto school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am going to be looking for a way to make some extra money. My friend, Amanda and I might go down and work for the Desert Star playhouse. Or I might be working as a part time evening and weekend Nanny. Either way, I am excited because it means August has been much better than July. There is also an Internship with the IRC - International Rescue Committee, that I really REALLY want to be a part of, and now that I most likely won't be working on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, I really could do it! I just need to try not to bite off more than I can chew..

OH and I also get to take my Grant Writing class that I've wanted to take for a few semesters! Somehow it opened up the other day after I found out I got my job.

The other great thing about August: The Olympics! I love watching the Olympics. I truly do. I'm a little miffed that the little "I say I'm sixteen, but I really just lost a tooth" girls from the Chinese Gymnastics Team won the Gold ahead of the Americans. Since, apparently, the Americans are playing by the age rules, and the Chinese.. Aren't. It's International Gymnastic Competition Law, to compete in a "senior level competition" (i.e.: Olympics, World's), that the Gymnast must be 16 at the time of competition, or turning 16 within the same calendar year. The Chinese got caught falsifying a girl's age in Sydney! The other stupid part is even after they got caught the girl still got to keep her Bronze medal. Sigh...

They are not 16!

But other than the Chinese Gymnastics's age problem, which in all honestly, that Alecia Sacramone basically messed up any chance of gold for the Americans anyway, we can thank Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson for the silver. I have loved the Olympics. My favorites are the swimming, and gymnastics, and I am excited for track to start. The best all-time moment, behind little Lin Hao, so far has to be this look on Michael Phelps' face.. Gotta love it! =)

Yay Go Team USA!

And the best part about August = it's almost Fall, and that my friends is the best season.

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Lin Hao, a Real Hero

Olympics, Beijing 2008

“The corridor collapsed as I was walking. Two of my classmates were trapped beside me. I tried as hard as I could to climb out, and after I had climbed out I pulled a classmate out.” - Lin Hao

The opening ceremonies are always fun to watch. But this year in China, it was a little better. The Chinese really know how to put on an artistic show. However, my favorite part was Lin Hao. The little boy that walked with the flag-bearing Yao Ming. This little boy was in the Sichuan Province earthquake back in May, he was buried under the rumble but he fought his way out. This in itself, is a pretty cool accomplishment. But Lin Hao didn't stop there. He then went back into the rubble to help not one of his classmates, but two, pulling them each out separately. When asked why he went back in twice, little 2nd Grader Lin Hao said that he was the Hall Monitor.. and that he was just doing his job.

I think that is a very Special Kind of Awesome.

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