Hug the Rhino: Miscellaneous

Sunday, December 9, 2012

The 8 Best Videos of 2012 - Lincoln Awards

Ladies and gentleman, Happy Holidays! Welcome to Hug the Rhino's first ever "videos of the year list". And what's a great awards show without the well-known name? If you were wondering, it comes from the famous Lincoln quote:

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my ax and one watching videos on YouTube."

Here are the categories for 2012:

Most-Unappreciated Video (#starthome)
Best British Oddity Video
Best Poetry Video
Best Music Video
Best Inspirational Video
Best Cheesy Inspirational Video
Best Gay Marriage Video
Best Overall Video

Some of these have around 1,000 views. Only 1,000?!? For the best of the year in this category in the whole world? That's outrageous.

To be clear, they don't have to be new this year, just ones that we've watched for the first time in the last 12 months. All videos also come with instructions. These will help you get the most of the viewing experience.

Most Unappreciated Video - Orphan Eyes - Mi Hogar, Home Sweet Home

All we can say is, why isn't this a viral sensation? It has a cheesy saxophone melody, stellar cinematography and some of the best slow motion we've seen in years. The three keys to great videos!

Really though, we want you to take some action taken and popularize the most unappreciated video of the year. If you love it (and you are going to), tweet #starthome with a link to this video or my blog, or share it with that hashtag on facebook (or both). Notice the connection to #stopkony? Well, yes, we are trying to make someone famous. These guys.

Currently it has 1,950 views on YouTube. Want to try and hit 10,000 by Tuesday? Maybe a 100,000 by New Years? Well, it's worth a try.

(Update - We added about 1,000 views. Not bad!)

How to Watch

Go into a forest with your favorite instrument and pretend to play it along with the music.

Seriously. Wasn't that amazing? My favorite part is 2:50. #starthome.

British Oddity Video of the Year - The Way of the Bells

A short ethnographic film about bell ringers of the UK. It's just so properly British.

How to Watch

Quickly sign up* for your nearest bell-ringing group. (*May need to move to the UK)
Grab some tissues. It's a tear-jerker.

Poetry Video of the Year - Sarah Kay - If I should have a daughter

We are HTR are such suckers for beauty! And poetry, especially spoken word poetry delivered by captivating speakers makes life a little brighter. Thank you Josh Cleary for showing me the light. This last only for about the first four minutes of the video.

How to Watch:

Get out a note pad and a pencil. You are about to learn how to be a great parent.

A close second is Shake the Dust, by Anis Mojgani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDtHdloK44

Music Video of the Year - Antwon - Helicopter (warning: explicit language)

This video is simple, beautiful, and straight up gangster:

How to Watch

Grab a stack of pancakes and pour Sriracha sauce and Olde English on them just like Antwon.
Pause the video when Antwon and his posse are chilling on the apartment steps and appreciate their superb ethnic diversity.

Inspirational Video of the Year - Adora Svitak - Learning from Kids

Now, this isn't traditional "inspiration". But it's an invitation to think differently, rediscover the joys of youth, and learn a lot from a 10 year old.

How to Watch

Try not to feel too bad that you weren't speaking at international conferences at the age of 10.
Listen to what state she is from... And if kids from there are like this, imagine how cool kids from Oregon are!

Cheesy Inspirational Video of the Year - How Great I Am

HTR is no unconditional lover of inspirational sports movies, but we've been known to "Remember the Titans" a time or two. Here we present a montage of some of the greatest lines from those movies, mixed with inspirational sports figures. Yes, goosebumps be a coming.

How to Watch

Set your running shoes out for the morning. You'll be a training fiend by the end.
Grab a bottle of arsenic and drink every time they feature a female athlete (hint, you'll survive, and the lack of such figures is a travesty)

Best Same-Sex Marriage Videos of the Year - John Corvino

Really want to thank Emily Lindgren for sharing these videos with me after the Gay Marriage blog. They are just gems! Here's one on the definition of marriage.

How to Watch

Keep on for the after-credits joke. There's one in each video in the series.
Post some YouTube comments about the video! It's a good place to have reasonable discussions about the issues....

Best Video Of the Year- Sir Ken Robinson - Changing Education Paradigms

How do we decide the video of the year; humor, significance, potential for impact? Well, we've decided to go with all three. This video is Sir Ken's extremely meaningful, funny, and engaging evisceration of our education system.

How to Watch

Remove socks and fold, placing them nearby. They'd be blown off anyway.
Graduate school before watching. Otherwise, you might be encouraged to doubt the system. (Or change it.)

-----

#starthome

Hug the Rhino Team
For a better life

3 comments

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Why Oregon is the Best State in the US

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 40 seconds.

Oregon has it rough. People from the East Coast can't usually produce our name (it's Ore-again, not Ory-gone), some think we still use covered wagons, and even Jon Stewart once commented that Oregon was “California’s Canada, Washington’s Mexico, and Idaho’s Portugal.” It's time to set the record as straight as the southern border of Oregon: We are #1.

Proof of Oregon's greatness

Why make this bold statement? One, it's something that people in the US need to know. Two, I’m officially fed up with people from the UK not knowing about the glorious fountain of wonder that is the state of Oregon. Here’s a common example:

UK Person: Whereabouts are you from in the States?
Me: Oregon! Have you heard of it? It’s only the coolest state in the union.
UK Person: Ya, Oregon, umm, that’s umm… near Minnesota? Midwest somewhere?

Yep, totally Midwest. Really, what’s a few thousand miles between friends? I don’t blame them though, there are 50 states to remember, and these people are not originally from the US. In fact, they'd probably score better than most Americans on a similar test. To turn it around, how many Americans could name any one of the 48 counties in the UK? (Nope, London isn’t one, nice try).

So I don't care if you don't know all 50 states in the union. But you should know Oregon. Oregon is different. Special. Unique, Brilliant. Forget about all of those other states, and memorize these two facts:

West Coast Best Coast. It’s simple, and oh so true. Why do you think so many left the East Coast and took the Oregon Trail? Because they wanted to get to someplace awesome.
Oregon is the best state on the West Coast.
Therefore, Oregon is the best state in the US.

And this proof would hold up to the highest levels of academic scrutiny. Well, assuming the academic is from Oregon. Let’s dive a bit more into the specific reasons why.

1. We have the best beer city in the US

Could there be a better place to start? I actually have facts to back up this assertion! Portland is ranked as the best beer city in the US, and is consistently ranked in the top 5 of beer cities in the world, with over 50 microbreweries within the city limits. We are have big beer names, with Deschutes, Rogue and Widmer all birthed in Oregon. But in the end, it’s the not the number sold, it’s the quality of the beer (call this the Coors Light proof.). If you’ve ever tried Rogue’ All American Amber or Oakshire’s Espresso Stout, you know the kind of quality I’m talking about. And this is only the beginning…

2. We are the goal in the game “The Oregon Trail”

If you haven’t played The Oregon Trail before, I demand that you whip out a ’95 Macintosh computer with MSDOS and buy a CD Rom copy off ebay. Or for less dedicated players, you can read about it here.

This game may have been the most exciting yet tragic offering for kids under 10 ever conceived. Here is a quick review:

The premise: Load up a wagon with your friends and family and head west, toward the wonderful state of Oregon.
The actions: Ford some rivers, hunt for some food, and soon you’ll be in the paradise of the West Coast.
Any risks? Not really. Only that at least 1 member of your family will drown or die of typhoid or cholera, and there is about a 50% chance that your venture will end in starvation or your own death. But no, no big.

Again Nicole? Really?!?

3. We invented the freaking bottle deposit… and more

Ya, you’re welcome. Actually, Oregon has been at the forefront of a number of cutting edge social or environmental programs. According to former Oregon senator Frank Robert, Oregon was also the first to grant widespread public beach access, the first to have statewide voter registration, and the first state to celebrate Labor Day. Boom.

This picture is literally how I feel, and is available for purchase from these wonderful artists.

4. We don't use umbrellas

Who needs them? Not using an umbrella comes down to simple pride, and is a perfect example of Oregon's resilient and wacky spirit. We are one with the rain. If you can't handle it, grab an umbrella and move to Washington. If you are a true Oregonian, but on a rain coat, some boots, and tough it out.

Try graduating while holding an umbrella in Oregon... Not going to happen.

5. We have the most applicable state mottoes

“She Flies With Her Own Wings.” Yep. It says it all. Progressive, daring, independent, Oregon. And when did we come up with that motto? Freaking 1854. That's right, we've been doing it right for over 150 years.

The most recent Oregon tagline is "We Love Dreamers." I think this picture tells you about all you need to know: