Media
Oh my goodness . . . I think I have peed my pants! That's what I thought after listening to the intoxicating and addicting album released by Girl Talk. Greg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) is the genius behind this well produced mashup spanning over 3 decades of music. You will experience anything from Twisted Sister to Jay-Z.
All I can say is "wow." This is hands down the best mixtape mashup I have heard in my life. Believe me I look for good ones as well. If you are not into hip-hop let alone the mixing of it into rock or pop then you may be turned off. For you others willing to expand your musical palate then I recommend getting this digital download. Each song transitions into the other seamlessly creating the illusion of one long track, perfect for any party situation.
Feed the Animals is following the trend of allowing the end user to decide the price of the album. Technically you can download it with out ever having to pay for it, but believe me by the time you are done listening . . . you will be donating at least $5. Do what the cool kids will be doing in 3 months and download it now and pay for it later. Customer satisfactions guaranteed!
The Boston Herald reported yesterday that a local TV journalist on CN8, part of the Comcast network, has been effectively terminated after a two-week paid suspension. The shennigans began after Barry Nolan publicly protest the decision by the local Emmy Awards to honor Fox News' Bill O’Reilly.
CN8 released a statement claiming, "Effective May 20, Barry Nolan is no longer employed by CN8, The Comcast Network." Although, they did not indicate why they fired Nolan, it does not take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.
I have taken matters into my own hands and have terminated Comcast as well. They no longer provide Cable, Internet and Telephone services in my domicile. Comcast may have the last say in the career of Nolan but I will have the last say in choosing to do business with Comcast.
I do not support nor endorse the manner that Comcast decided to handle this given situation. Regardless of Nolan's opinion towards O'Reilly, it was his right to protest and as journalist it is his requirement to inform the public about the nonsense that may be occurring. Bill O'Reilly is not a journalist. He is parrot with talking points spoon fed to him from the GOP. Any human being with a functioning brain that can send electric synapses and can make logical/rational decisions would know better.
I recommend everyone and anyone that currently is subscribed to Comcast or knows someone that relies on Comcast for services to cancel as soon as possible. I have sent Comcast a personal email indicating my decision and I recommend you do as well. Comcast . . . you are fired!
Chip Heath and Dan Heath of Fast Company Magazine wrote an interesting piece offering great social commentary the way ad agencies implement and sell their propaganda in this consumer world. I had always contemplated the ethics of the manner that ad agencies pushed a clients agenda for the all mighty dollar. Pharmaceutical adverts come to mind as attractive people share their experiences of a medical condition and how that given medication has improved their life.
Heath approach this article by explaining how adverts create social stigmas that otherwise did not exist before that given ad. There is the infamous VISA ad that portrays individuals that pay with cash not as hip as those that slide their card during point of sale transactions. The subtle commentary that they are trying to indoctrinate in the masses is that cash is a hassle and paying with a card is not. The sheeple seem to buy it as revenues have climbed for VISA.
Then there is the way that they sold the Chinese people on the stigma of dandruff. Procter & Gamble scored when they were able to market Head & Shoulders in a non-existent market. Before this propaganda, Chinese culture did not associate any negativity to individuals with dandruff.
From tanning, to straight white teeth, the media has been successful in pushing certain messages of how individuals of that society should be or behave. The impact on society may not seem detrimental on the surface but one may experience backlash when they accidentally violate a societal norm that they otherwise did not know existed. I recommend checking out the article “Dirty Marketing Campaigns” for some insightful observations.
The Public Broadcasting Service in cooperation with Frontline have developed a two part documentary that outlines the Iraq War called Bush's War. There were over 400 hours of footage shot to produce the account of fabrication, escalation, invasion and subsequent aftermath of the United States occupation of Iraq. The best thing is that you do not have to set your DVR or take time out of your schedule to view this masterpiece. It will provided online for free via the Frontline webpage on the PBS website. It is a media rich content that is dynamic and is controlled by the end user. As you watch the film, you are given option to explore more in-depth analysis of particular clips and additional information that may not have fit into the original film but did not deserved to be cut. I recommend spending a lazy Sunday tomorrow checking out the film. Plan on spending anywhere from 2 hours to 5, depending on how much you wish to learn.
Today has been a busy day and I did not expect to make a post. I will most likely forgo my daily "Around the World" post for the day. I have personal projects that I have to attend to.
Nonetheless, I was forwarded a clip of the independent movie "The Job" which was created by Screaming Frog Productions. One their website they claim, "the immigration debate just got a little funnier," which I do not deny with this snippet. I have now become interested in the movie myself.
The Job offers a different view on the immigration debate. As one can tell from the trailer, that it provides its opinion about the immigration issue pretty well. Other than winning many awards and gaining great press, I have not been able to determine exactly what the film attempts to portray. I will surmise from the trailer that it juxtapose the stereotypical role of "careers" with those of "immigrants'" and entertains the stigma Americans have created about day laborers.
The Job has been showing at Film Festivals around the world. The next one shall be at the Florida Film Festival in Orlando today and they move onto Phoenix this weekend for the Phoenix Film Festival. There is no word about distribution on DVD or its future endevors.
Screaming Frogs Productions originated in Chicago but now call Los Angeles home. They have other films and projects in their portfolio. There genre of choice seems to be witty satire with a mix of social commentary on contemporary American culture. Enjoy!
Files Released by Colombia Point to Venezuelan Bid to Arm Rebels - Files provided by Colombian officials from computers they say were captured in a cross-border raid in Ecuador this month appear to tie Venezuela’s government to efforts to secure arms for Colombia’s largest insurgency.
Clinton rejects calls to quit Democratic race - Sen. Hillary Clinton on Saturday rejected calls by supporters of rival candidate Barack Obama to quit the Democratic presidential race, and Obama said Clinton should remain in race "as long as she wants."
Blu-ray copy protection 'cracked' - A company claims it has cracked the anti-piracy technology on Blu-ray discs. Slysoft says the new version of its AnyDVD programme allows users to make "backup security copies" of high definition movies. The claim is a blow to Sony which developed the Blu-ray format.
Sadr Makes Truce Offer - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is offering to pull his fighters off the streets of Basra and other cities if the government halts raids against his followers and releases prisoners held without charge. The offer is contained in a nine-point statement issued by his headquarters in Najaf.
'Open Skies' heralds new era in air travel - The first plane has landed under the "Open Skies" agreement between the United States and Europe, heralding what many hope will be a new era in air travel. The Continental Airways flight from Newark to Heathrow touched down under rainy London skies at dawn on Sunday morning.
Clinton, Obama offer economic recovery plans - Democrat Barack Obama said today tougher government regulations that reflect the realities of modern finance are needed to get a grip on the economy before it gets even worse. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton said Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain isn't prepared to handle a call about an economic emergency.
Thousands in Baghdad Protest Basra Assault - In direct confrontation with the American-backed government in Iraq, thousands of supporters of the powerful Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia took to the streets of Baghdad on Thursday to protest the Iraqi Army’s assault on the southern port city of Basra, as intense fighting continued there for a third day.
Dollar gains on weak economic growth - The dollar gained against the euro on Thursday as data confirmed that the United States economy was still growing in the fourth quarter, albeit weakly. The euro bought $1.5784 in afternoon European trading, down from $1.5815 in New York late Wednesday.
Oil hits $107 on pipeline blast - Oil prices touched $107 a barrel after one of Iraq's main export pipelines was blown up. The rise extended Wednesday's gains of $4 a barrel after a US report showed lower-than-expected petrol stocks.
YouTube Feature Tells Video Creators When and Where a Clip Is Being Watched - In a move to provide better data to its users, YouTube formally announced late Wednesday that it had added a free feature that will show video creators when and where viewers are watching their videos. With this, the company hopes to turn YouTube from an online video site into a place where marketers can test their messages, Tracy Chan, YouTube product manager, said.
I love to share my music. Perhaps because the artist I like are underground or their music is a tad bit hard to find. Nonetheless, Muxtape makes it easy for anyone to share their mixtapes composed of their own music for FREE via their website. It takes longer deciding which 12 tracks to share with friends than it does to signup. The playlist is presented in a beautiful minimalist fashion and playing the songs does not take a rocket scientist to figure out. I created my own playlist which if I could title it would be "On the Grind." It is music that makes me work hard and keep me motivated on my end goal. I also run to this type of music. Nonetheless, you can check out my playlist here and don't forget to signup and share your music with friends as well. Muxtape launched yesterday and they are already receiving the press and traffic they deserve. Join early before the fun is over!
[Update] Due to the music that I uploaded being .m4a, there are technical difficulties in listening to my playlist. Rest assure for those that only have .m4a like myself that the fix is just around the corner. If you just can't wait then I recommend converting your songs to .mp3 with your favorite music player.
What is link tv? Link TV is a television program that you can feel good, not guilty about watching (unlike your secret addiction to The Hills). Why? Because it has no corporate advertising, and much like public television, gets donations from regular people to meet their 7 million dollar a year budget. The programming on here is great -- right now they're running a fundraising campaign, but their still running they're programming as well. They have Democracy NOW! which is a local New York run news program, hosted by Amy Goodman, worldly music videos, and awesome documentaries that everyone should watch. Because it's not corporately sponsored, they can question things in their news program that they can't on CNN or FAUX. For dish owners, you can watch on either channel 375 (direcTV) or 9410 (DISH), and you can also check here if you have cable -- http://www.linktv.org/reception.
