Journalism Research and Random Meanderings

Thursday, December 16, 2004

IFILM - Online Short Films Channel:  

I stumbled across this treasure trove of films and clips on the web because I'm a Daily Show fan and wanted to watch Jon Stewart's interview on CNN's Crossfire.

IFilm is ad-supported but you can buy a subscription that has no ads, faster streaming and premium content. However the free content is so diverse and intriguing you will end up seeing a lot of (mercifully short) ads. My only beef is the lack of variety in the ads and the AOL pop-ups. The same few ads rotate over and over and it gets old fast. Wouldst the ads they carry were as diverse as the films.

IFILM - Short Films Channel says on their help and FAQ page "Short films are what got IFILM into the online-media business, and we love 'em. Today's short filmmakers are tomorrow's festival darlings, commercial and music-video directors, and video-game developers. We provide a worldwide forum for the work of the most independent of independent filmmakers. In our search for good shorts, we visit and provide information on film festivals. Consequently, we have a huge library of good shorts to watch—including early and independent work from big names like Ben Affleck, Kate Hudson, Kathie Lee Gifford, Jonathan Liebesman and many more."

They even have CNN's Bill O'Reilly's alleged phone sex call.

Budding and established filmmakers can showcase their films on IFILM for a reasonable price as long as they "own or hold the rights to the film and have all the rights and clearances (music, etc.) [and] have not granted exclusive Internet rights to any other company."

See the IFILM submission FAQ for details.

PB

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Protecting children or covering their butts? (2) 

If you're walking down the street in most democracies you have protection against unwarranted search and seizure. Apparently it doesn't extend to the classroom. Somebody swiped something from the teacher who decided to search everyone's personal belongings resulting in this story.

Girl, 10, Cuffed for Scissors in School

"Sat Dec 11, 4:03 PM ET Strange News - AP

PHILADELPHIA - A 10-year-old girl was placed in handcuffs and taken to a police station because she took a pair of scissors to her elementary school.

School district officials said the fourth-grade student did not threaten anyone with the 8-inch shears, but violated a rule that considers scissors to be potential weapons.
Administrators said they were following state law when they called police Thursday, and police said they were following department rules when they handcuffed Porsche Brown and took her away in a patrol wagon.
'My daughter cried and cried,' said her mother, Rose Jackson. 'She had no idea what she did was wrong. I think that was way too harsh.'
Police officers decided the girl hadn't committed a crime and let her go.
However, school officials suspended her for five days."

===End of Story===

It doesn't sound like she was even running with them.

==PB==

Protecting children or covering their butts?  

School officials in the U.S. are a pretty powerful bunch. Canadian elementary school teachers and staff that I've dealt with while raising three kids are generally a fairly competent and caring bunch but I'm not sure that extends to forensics. They not only suspend this child but are testing her hair for drug use.

CNEWS - Weird News: Girl suspended over 'Jell-O shots': "

By DOUG SIMPSON - Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) An 8-year-old girl was suspended for nine days for bringing to school what appeared to be about 30 Jell-O shots though it was unclear whether they contained alcohol.

The incident occurred Nov. 29, as the girl stood after classes outside Geraldine Boudreaux Elementary School in Terrytown, a New Orleans suburb.

====deletia====

The girl was suspended for violating school rules against possessing or trying to distribute a lookalike, or something that appears to contain drugs or alcohol.

====deletia====

"The mother must also allow school officials to test her daughter's hair for signs of drug use," [school spokesman Jeff] Nowakowski said.

===End of Story===

You'd think they'd keep the child in school to keep her away from her bootlegging mother.

==PB==