Sam’s random musings

Guerrilla News Network

So on the eve of one of the most spirited elections in recent times, it’s time to try and turn out the vote. As a music video director, ideas for videos usually come independent of the song and are then adapted to fit the timing and lyrics of the featured track. I initially developed a concept for this video in June 2004 and contacted Interscope shortly after to find out what artists in their roster would be releasing albums near the election. The goal was to make a video that inspired young people to vote because they too often disregard it as a powerless exercise. To show them that political decisions do impact their daily lives and that voting is the most powerful act we all have to voice our opinion and effect change. And to educate and reiterate the point that whether or not people want to accept it, there are forces in play that attempt to suppress the youth and minority vote.

Now, it’s up to the broadcasters. Will they ban the top selling musical artist for being anti-establishment while they allow other propaganda to air? Or will they finally allow an artist who has the courage to speak out to take center stage and utilize the airwaves for something other than typical celebrity fodder?

i wish that i was able to make a persuasive argument to help undecided people to see the the reason for the conviction that others feel.

WordPress : Tackling Comment Spam:

WordPress : Tackling Comment Spam: Podzs’ WordPress Comment Spam Prevention writeup. Includes some stuff such as .htaccess and PHP methods besides the stuff I have listed already.

(Via Weblog Tools Collection.)

Presidential Enblogments 2004 :

An interesting idea of Larry Lessig (law professor at stanford) To use the power of google and blogging to investigate the meme of a candidate. I find that the current administrations ’staying the course’ to be a failure to learn from mistakes, they are going down a road with such strong blinders on that they will do anything including undermining liberty, causing our election process to become beholden to the highest bidder.

Times Online.UK::

Researchers claims that 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died in war. Here’s a bombshell for the election. “Statisticians who have analysed the data said last night that the scientists’ methodology was strong and the civilian death count could well be conservative. They said that the work effectively disproved suggestions by US authorities that civilian bodycounts were impossible to conduct.” My italics. And they didn’t count Fallujah in the number, yet.

(Via Dangerousmeta.)

AP: “The FBI…:

AP: “The FBI has begun investigating whether the Pentagon improperly awarded no-bid contracts to Halliburton Co., seeking an interview with a top Army contracting officer and collecting documents from several government offices. The line of inquiry expands an earlier FBI…

I really can’t wait until december when this election is sorted out and we can move on to making this country the respected leader that we have been in the past.

(Via Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall.)

Thanks:

to Mathowie (and Karl for an equals sign), here’s the Economist’s endorsement of John Kerry for President. Lackluster in praise for Mr Kerry; expected, from a very conservative financial organ. It’s a grudging recommendation at best, using old arguments against Mr Kerry that have long-since been debunked. But scathing to our President: “If Mr Bush is re-elected, and uses a new team and a new approach to achieve that goal, and shakes off his fealty to an extreme minority, the religious right, then The Economist will wish him well. But our confidence in him has been shattered.” My italics. The underlying sticking point, in my view … the fiscal conservative angle. Mr Bush hasn’t met a species of pork he didn’t sign. Fiscal conservatives will never forgive him.

(Via Dangerousmeta.)

Red Sox Erase 86 Years of Futility in 4 Games:

The Red Sox, the team that perfected heartbreak, silenced the Cardinals, 3-0, in Game 4 to win their first World Series since 1918.

(Via New York Times: NYT HomePage.)

Eminem Aims at Bush:

Has Eminem–the poster child of American disenchantment–become the new face of activism? Those who are accustomed to Eminem’s gay-bashing, gun-toting antics will hardly believe their eyes, as they watch his new video in which the top-selling rapper and his posse file into the voting booths, the words “Vote Tuesday, November 2″ fading into the screen.

Ok I admit it, since hearing Eminem’s song “Loose yourself” at my brother’s graduation, I actually find myself listening to some of his other songs…

(Via Booknotes.)