RANDOM BUT INTERESTING TWITTER...ISH

Random but interesting twitter ish is a lot different to anything else I have posted thus far. It still focuses on things that pertain to writing but it also focuses on stuff that we did in class and also things that are just too darn cool not to mention.

Everything in this post was tweeted or retweeted by authors I follow and all of today's screen shots are courtesy of the screen grabber app on my phone. Now that, that's out of the way, on to the topic at hand.

First tweet up has to do with writing, well writers actually as it focuses on the fact that they are two times more likely to commit suicide than non-writers. Naturally, my eyes bugged out while reading this, I mean what the hell, this is so not what I signed up for when I decided to be an author, back in primary school.

Now don't get me wrong, I knew there were writer's who had killed themselves but I wasn't aware that being a writer actually put one at risk of being two times more likely to commit suicide.

Armed with this new knowledge, I couldn't help but think that writing needed to come with some sort of warning label (giving voice to those stories in your head can lead you to take your own life) so that potential authors knew upfront the hazards of the trade. Just an aside, it would not have changed my path then or now knowing what I know now but for arguments sake let's roll with this train of thought.

Some of you all may be wondering why put a warning label on a career? My response, they do it for cigarettes and technically for the protective services so why not do it for writing too? Everyone knows that smoking can kill, just like they know that joining any one of the protective services can lead to death as well but how many know that writing, something that keeps you for the most part indoors, behind a desk and in front of a computer, supposedly out of harm's way, also has the potential to kill? Honestly, how many people would believe that? I rest my case.

Yes, I am aware that I am being a tad melodramatic and yes, I know that not every writer will be affected by this but it had me wondering why an author would take his or her own life in the first place?  I want to say writing is a double edged sword but it isn't really that, it is more of a Harvey Two-Face, meaning it has a good side and a bad/messed up side to it just like most everything in this world.

Most persons put pen to paper to exorcise "demons," I must admit I have used writing as a form of therapy and I must say it is quite an effective catharsis. However writing is in no way, shape or form a substitute for professional help because there are some demons that writing just cannot exorcise no matter how many times or ways you write it. As Nathan Branford said in his blog, " If you feel yourself struggling, please, find the help you need,"  and I will add to this, leaving it untreated will lead to depression and eventually suicide.

Depression from a writer's stand point in my opinion stems from two things, one of which is "demons" that the individual carries with him/her from past experiences, be it from childhood, or adulthood; the second one stems from not having your work recognized or received the way you thought it would and not having your career take off like you envisioned it would.

Depression and suicide are not to be taken lightly, if you or anyone you know are having these feelings or thoughts please get help and remember that admitting you have a problem is not a weakness, trying to cover up said problem is when weakness steps in.

Note: I am not a mental health or any other type of health care professional, these are just my thoughts and opinions. Below is the link to Nathan Bransford's blog, for those interested in reading it.  

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2012/11/writers-and-suicide.html

On a lighter note, from the too darn cool not to mention tweets, is an unmanned library located in the Tokyo subway. Seriously how cool is it that this library does not have a librarian or a library assistant yet is fully functional? How does it work, well there are bookcases that look like "an old fashioned metro train filled with books. When commuters use the subway they can browse the bookshelves for a book they would like to read, then they borrow the book and return it to the shelves when they are finished. It is truly amazing to me that they understand and respect the way a library should work, meaning they understand that library books are for everyone to read and enjoy not like what happens here in Trinidad and Tobago where you borrow a book, love it and steal it thus robbing everyone else of enjoying that book as well.

A library like this would be a nice addition to City Gate but sadly Trinbagonians would not appreciate it and use it the way it should be used. I am pretty sure that within ten minutes of the library being set up all the books would be gone never to be seen again...tells us a lot about ourselves doesn't it?

http://popupcity.net/2012/11/a-free-library-in-the-tokyo-subway/

After Barack Obama was re-elected to office some teens posted hate tweets as well as put up hate statuses on Facebook. I had seen references to these tweets but it was only when Lauren Dane retweeted an @Jezebel tweet that I actually saw what everyone was tweeting about..

I knew after seeing the "N" word in this tweet that I should not click on the link but my curiosity got the better of me. You know that curiosity that does not heed warnings even when there are clear indicators (like the "N" word in this case) that tell you, you will be disgusted, angry, annoyed and sad if you watch this, kind of like watching a gory accident you know it is going to gross you out and upset you but you watch it anyway, yes that was me. Even though I knew it would disgust, anger and annoy me, plus make me sad, I still clicked on the link, I could not help myself.

The things that really got to me the most, besides the obvious was the fact that they could not spell and also that they were quoting their parents. Why oh why are they still preaching hate five hundred or so years after slavery was abolished? I will never as long as I live understand it.

I contemplated tweeting a response to them but in the end I realized it was not worth it and besides that I could only see things getting worse and it did get worse. I saw this tweet a few days later

This tweet brings us to one of the topics we discussed in class, cyber-bullying. While I would not exactly call what happened so far cyber-bulling since it is nowhere near what was done to the guy who abused the leather-back turtles, I think it has the potential to get to that level.

After reading the article I am of two minds, I believe there should be some sort of consequence for their actions but I am not sure that making fun of the fact that they cannot spell or that reporting them to the schools they attend is the right type of punishment. Then I think maybe reporting them to the schools is the right thing to do because their parents probably won't discipline them since they are spewing the hate they hear at home, plus the fact that they used their real Twitter and Facebook accounts to post shows that they believe there is nothing wrong with their behaviour, so maybe being thrown off the football etc though I doubt it, might actually make them realize that they did something wrong. What do you think?             

http://jezebel.com/5958490/twitter-racists-react-to-that-nigger-getting-reelected/gallery/1?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_twitter&utm_source=jezebel_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

http://gigaom.com/2012/11/09/when-does-shaming-racist-kids-turn-into-online-bullying/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I am ending this post on a high note, with something that I think is innovative and sheer brilliance and a bit gross too. This is from the too cool not to mention tweets, what is it? It is a urine powered generator. It was invented by four teenage girls from Africa, the oldest is just fifteen years old.

Anytime I hear about Africa it is always about Aids, or malnutrition, or poverty, or drought, the list goes on and on. When I came across this tweet I knew I had to mention it in a post, I knew I had to salute these four girls for creating something that has the potential to help millions all over the world. They took something  that is seen as waste, that is flushed down a toilet and made it into power, that deserves an award of some kind in my opinion. Since I don't have any have those to give out I dedicate this post to their brilliance...Well done ladies, well done indeed!!!

http://io9.com/5958887/oh-this-just-some-teenage-girls-from-africa-who-invented-a-urine+powered-generator?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow