Invisible Children

The real story behind Invisible Children

The video above is part of a campaign by the charity Invisible Children and has become somewhat of a viral sensation online. The campaign aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice. While I’m sure their intentions are admirable it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not doing it for large personal gains.

A user by the name Lord_Cade made the following post on Reddit which in turn led me to look into it some more. his post alone is enough but there’s more, the way Invisible Children go about solving the issues is plain wrong as pointed out by pussyhands in this thread on Reddit. While I concede Reddit is not the most reliable source of information, both posts have plenty of sources to back up their information. For example:

Theres ALWAYS two sides to every story. this viral film has caught the attention of heaps of young folk but you are all far too late. Watching that Kony video is essentially watching old news. They started filming in 2003, and northern Uganda has been free of LRA violence and war for over five years. in fact, the LRA have signed a peace accord! They are rebuilding and are restoring the peace.

Yes the leader is still out there however the recruitment of children has decreased 80%. this isn’t due to the Invisible Children organisation, its because Ugandan military and the ICC have intercepted. The Invisible Children group are trying to pass a bill that allows America to militarise the region… They are providing misinformation to woo idealistic followers. The group have combined multiple regional conflicts to make it appear that this is one rapidly increasing issue. When confronted about their dodgy tactics, the head spokesperson stated;

“I agree with you that leading people to believe that the war is still happening in Uganda is not ethically right. It’s something we’ve been addressing internally, focusing on getting all staff and supporters on the same page (of communication).”

That’s a quote from the second Reddit post, here’s one from the first regarding the Charity’s finances:

First of all, the guy who made that film get’s paid $90,000 a year. That’s for him and his family. this does not include him paying costs for film equipment, video editting software, nor does it cover travel or accomodations whilst in anywhere else. Those are all covered under the ludicrous budgets that the Invisible Children organization actually deal with.

If you go to the thread on Reddit he continues to breakdown the finances of the Charity. still not convinced? Thankfully Grant Oyston, a student at Arcadia University, has grouped a lot of information with sources over at visiblechildren.tumblr.com. He goes over some of the points above as well as adding in some of his own personal views and thoughts. It’s definitely worth reading along with the two Reddit posts linked above.

Naturally this video has created a buzz on the internet with celebrities flocking to be seen to be supporting the latest great cause. Celebrities such as Piers Morgan and Derren Brown have already linked to the video. Thankfully Derren Brown later tweeted the other side of the arguement, but never fully retracted his apparent support for it.

This leads nicely onto my main point: people on the internet are too quick to jump on the bandwagon. If they see a nice-looking video they post it on their status, their friends get a hold of it without thinking things through and they repost it. this is what’s happened in this case; people have been too quick to get on board with this campaign when there are major underlying issues.

Hopefully this post opens a few eyes and in future will lead to greater personal scrutiny before everyone jumps on the bandwagon.

Invisible Window Guards For Your Children’s Safety

In most of the big cities, the numbers of theft cases are getting higher and higher each day. This is the main reason why we need security protection installed at our home to prevent intruders from breaking into the house. So, one of the easiest ways to achieve this objective is to install window guards. This guard plays an important role not only to avoid intruders breaking into your home but also to safeguard your children and pets from falling off from the window.

Since the installation of window guards is important, why are there still houses without this safety protection? The answer is simple. Some people prefer to keep their houses look beautiful and having these window guards might look ugly to the overall outlook of the house. In order to make your home looks nice and at the same time doesn’t compromise your home safety, there is one new innovation called invisible window guards. it looks simple and appealing.

Once installed on your window, it is not easily noticeable by people from outside. due to this reason, it has been a popular and high demand product for years until today. Intruders might think that there’s no security bars but actually they are wrong because it looks like a normal window from far.

What are the advantages of invisible window guards?

1.First of all, it provides the safety measure that you need for your home. it prevents burglars from breaking into your home easily while you are away.

2.Secondly, it maintains your home beauty as it is invisible. you don’t have to worry that your home may look ugly and messy.

3.although it is invisible, there are lots of frame designs for you to choose from. you can also have your own designs to fit your house theme. it is usually custom made to fit your window dimensions.

If you are interested to get this product, start searching in the Internet to look at the designs offered. Browse for a few and look at the description as well as the price displayed. Then, you can try to called up or visit the shop directly to negotiate further on the price. Make sure you look at the real product before making your decision as it might look nice in the picture but not for the real product.

Now that you have known this, start making your research and get the best invisible window guards for your home

Columnist Corner: Showing children that germs do exist

I have tried everything that I can think of to teach my children about germs, but children just don't comprehend things like adults do. The concept that something invisible makes them sick seems like pretend to them. they are certain it is just something that I've made up to make them wash their hands. I suppose that is why they don't understand why I get squeamish when they share their lollipop with the dog, or bring the cat poo that they found when they were digging in the dirt, or ask for a snack while they are still holding some pet worms. a friend of mine tried showing my son pictures of bacteria so he could have a better idea of what we were talking about. being a boy, he thought that those brown, spotted, amoeba-like bacteria were pretty cool. I was disappointed that it didn't deter him from eating cheerios off of the floor. how else do you teach a little boy about germs? Boys just are fascinated by all things gross. Even my daughter who dresses up each day as a princess, and loves all things beautiful doesn't mind the dog licking stickiness off of her face and fingers. In fact, one day she walked into the bathroom where I was doing my hair and set her cookie on the toilet so she could lick the chocolate off of her fingers before taking another bite. I tried to control my gag reflex and took away her cookie. She was so upset that she refused any other cookie. I don't remember how old I was when the comprehension of germs kicked in. I would imagine that it was probably around the first time that I really remember having the flu. The time a person spends doubled over a toilet bowl is good reflection time on how they got into that predicament, and how to never get there again. I'm pretty sure that it was in one of those moments that I realized that it was germs making me feel that way. Recently we were all sick at our house. It had begun with me, and even though I made sure to wash my hands frequently, as well as use Purel at liberty, every one else still got sick. My kids were thrilled to have that as evidence that I have no clue what I'm talking about when I tell them to wash their hands so they don't get sick. on the bright side, I know that exposure to germs helps to build their immune systems, so I try to remind myself of that as I watch my children dig in the dirt, especially when I notice traces of mud around their mouths. The protective mommy in me wants to make sure they don't ever have to get sick and be miserable, but being cooped up all day away from dirt and fresh air and other kids is just no way for a child to live. so, until my children taking biology and get to understand the concept of those amoeba-like germs, I'm stuck controlling my gag reflex and hoping they don't eat anything too gross off of the floor. ***Celese Sanders is a wife, mother of three, and a syndicated columnist. Please feel free to write to her with questions or comments at .

Three questions on education for the GOP presidential hopefuls

Americans must demand from candidates concrete ideas on how to prepare our children to thrive in a global age.

UNTIL FORMER Sen. Rick Santorum called President Obama “a snob” last month for wanting all Americans to attend college, education had been practically invisible in this presidential campaign. only 1 percent of the time and questions in Republican debates have touched on schools since an education forum I co-moderated in new York in October.

This is crazy. Does any parent or CEO in America think education is 1 percent of the agenda in an age of global competition? unless voters insist that candidates give education the attention it deserves, this will be another political season in which both sides offer pablum without seeking a mandate for the ambitious reforms our schools require.

New research shows that only one-quarter of America’s 52 million K-12 students perform on par with the average performance of the world’s five best school systems — which are now in Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland, Taiwan and South Korea. The United States spends more on schools than most wealthy nations as a share of GDP yet ranks in the middle to the bottom of the pack on international comparisons. McKinsey estimates that the cost of this achievement gap vs. other nations is up to $2 trillion a year — the equivalent of a permanent national recession.

The conventional wisdom holds that education “doesn’t work” as a central issue in presidential campaigns. What little talk there is on schools aims to shore up union support (among Democrats) and demonstrate “compassion” to independent voters or anti-federal credentials (among Republicans). meanwhile, the countries out-educating us view education as central to their success. When the future of our economy and society turn on our ability to dramatically upgrade the skills of all our children, how can we view it as anything less?

Americans must demand from candidates concrete ideas on how to prepare our children to thrive in a global age. a serious debate would compel all seeking the White House to explain how they would do three big things:

* Accelerate common standards. most of our industrial competitors have rigorous national standards in education. The United States has a patchwork of largely inadequate standards whose expectations for student learning vary wildly depending on whether children live in Albany or Albuquerque. (This because, the joke goes, the right hates “national” and the left hates “standards.”) The accountability regime set up by no Child Left Behind likewise left the design of standards to the states. The result has been what many consider a “race to the bottom,” as states eased requirements to create the illusion of progress. State leaders have recently forged a consensus on a path to Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics.

My question: do candidates support the push for Common Core Standards (as President Obama does)? although adoption is ultimately a state decision, how would the next president speed implementation so we don’t lose another decade without the rigor our competitors insist on for their children?

* Professionalize teaching. there is almost universal consensus that effective teaching is the most powerful way to improve student performance. But we’re not serious as a nation about making teaching an attractive career. Finland, Singapore and South Korea recruit 100 percent of their teachers from the top third of high school and college students. By contrast, only 23 percent of new U.S. teachers come from the top third of their high school classes, and they are trained mostly in open-enrollment institutions seen as second-rate.

My question: How do candidates propose to professionalize teaching and make it the career of choice for our most talented young people?