I've been neglecting this blog. I apologize. I'm going vow to update at least once a week.  In the meantime, you can read some of what I've been up to at Slackerwood.com.

I would like to call your attention to a little story about Twitter for good.  Scott Nuemeyer, a friend of several of my friends and someone I follow on Twitter.  Most of us are somehow connected to film, from critics to makers, to enthusiastic fans of moving images.

Scott decided to try for 2,000 followers by Friday April 17th.  At one point he offered a DVD to one of his followers. It evolved into 100 DVDs to troops, then friends and followers got into the spirit, and operation #TroopFlix was born.  This campaign, done solely based on twitter connections, has resulted in pledges of nearly 1,000 DVDs in total. At some point over the weekend, it was over 850.  With so many film associations, even film companies have gotten involved, donating an undetermined number of DVDs. It's been hard to track down numbers.

The DVDs are not going out to the soldiers in the field, but to the Warrior Return Unit, which, according to the official US Navy website, has a mission to "maximize the quality of life for service members of coalition forces during the period of convalescence, expediting return to duty or transfer to definitive care." These are troops with time on their hands and in need of distraction.  It's also location based, with a high turnover of troops, so the DVDs are gifts that keep on giving.  Duplicate DVDs will be sent to other units at the discretion of Scott's contact at the WRU at Camp Arifjan.

If you would like to participate, let Scott know, and send your DVDs (gently used are OK) to:

c/o LCDR Tim Drill
Camp Arifjan, EMF Kuwait (Navy)
Warrior Return Unit
APO AE 09366

My package was under four pounds, but because it was going to an Army address, a special customs form had to be filled out (2976-A), and it had to go priority mail.  It's a bit more paperwork, but the good side is it will get there sooner.  Make sure to indicate on the customs form it's a DVD donation. 

No matter your political views, it shouldn't be hard to support such an effort.