Category Archives: Media

Was it Something I Said?

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So here’s the scenario.  A media company broadcasts something the Federal Communications Commission deems indecent.  The FCC decides to revise its’ policy in response to the broadcast and then fines the media company for it after the fact.  Make sense?

Supreme CourtThe U.S. Supreme Court didn’t think so.  In a rare unanimous ruling, the high court threw out the fines and sanctions issued by the FCC.  The court concluded that the broadcasters could not have known in advance, the broadcasts would later be deemed indecent and subject to fines.  In other words, they said it wasn’t fair to change the rules in the middle of the game.

 

NYPD BlueThe indecent broadcasts included a brief display of nudity on ABC’s “NYPD Blue” and several obscenities uttered by Cher and Bono during different awards shows.  In case you’re having trouble remembering; The “NYPD Blue” episode “Nude Awakening” aired on February 25, 2003.  Yes, the wheels of justice do turn very slowly.

What the court did not do is free “over the air” broadcasters from the regulations that other media outlets (Cable, The Internet, etc.) are free from.  While that argument may be compelling, the government still controls the airwaves and can dictate different rules, even if many viewers don’t realize they are switching back and forth between a cable channel and a broadcast channel. It appears that, for now, broadcast outlets (television and radio) will still have to adhere to the current policy.

janet-jacksonIn case you were wondering, the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction was not part of this ruling.  That case is currently making its way through the judicial process.  The government has appealed a lower court’s ruling that threw out the fine in that case.

In regards to the case just wrapped up by the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy said “it is unnecessary for the court to address the constitutionality of the current policy” which means we might get to relive the Super Bowl half-time show from Reliant Stadium all over again.  Anybody want to place on bet on how that ruling will come out?

Now granted, the faster technology moves, the harder it is for laws and regulations to keep up.  Social standards can also change, causing even more confusion as to what is, and what is not acceptable.  Still, it seems like we just wasted a bunch of money.  In the last month, the Government has lost its case against John Edwards, Roger Clemens and now this.  With a record like that, they very well might end up replacing the Astros for last place.

I am the DJ on the Radio

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Video Thumbnail copyI had written and recorded this song a while back.  I really liked how it came out, but felt it would be interesting to find a way to mix it with video.  I played around with several concepts, but nothing felt right.  I came across a website that hosted a ton of vintage film clips and discovered several films that featured radio broadcasting.  I started to download and insert the clips.  While browsing, I also came across some great clips of women doing burlesque.  I thought it fit perfectly with the bridge in the song that featured hand clapping and scratching.  I don’t think I’m every completely satisfied with any song I’ve recorded, but I was pretty happy with this.

Democracy Makes My Head Hurt

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EgyptEgypt recently took another step towards democracy.  The country just held elections to determine its next President.  It’s an exciting time, listening to citizens take pride in the right to vote.

 

 

president-andrew-shepherdIn the movie “American President”, Michael Douglas (who plays President Andrew Shepard) said “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship”.  Johnny Cash once said; “I love the freedoms we got in this country, I appreciate your freedom to burn your flag if you want to, but I really appreciate my right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine”.

Let’s face it; democracy is not easy.  Consider these hot-topic issues dominating the news…

  • The right of the church to exercise their belief vs. the right of women to have access to birth control?
  • The need to build the Keystone Pipeline vs. the right of property owners who say they don’t want it on their land?

“In Egypt we’d like to bring a new form of democracy where all can work together and in spite of our differences” said Abdul Mawgoud Rageh Dardery, who won a seat in the Egyptian parliament.

Work together?  That does not sound like the democracy being practiced in America today.  Both parties seem more interested in appealing to the base and would rather point out everywhere we disagree rather than focus on what we do agree on (we do still agree on something right?)

How do we put compromise back into the vocabulary?  In the good old days, politicians would enter a “smoke-filled room”, haggle, twist arms until both sides felt a little pain and made a little gain, but those days, like VHS tapes and the Walkman, seem like a long time ago.

Dalia Ziada, the Executive Director of Ibn Khaldun Center for Democratic Studies in Egypt said “Time by time, democracy fixes itself”.  I for one, hope she’s right.

Before & After

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Houston SPCA Make OverHad a lot of fun with “Snoop-Dog” today.  He had a make-over done and so we posted before and after photos for everyone to check out.  We had over 66 like and 10 comments in the 1st hour of it being posted on the Houston SPCA Facebook Wall.  You can see more of my posts for them by clicking here.

It’s the End of the World as We Know It…I Feel Fine

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The End is NearMuch ado has been made about the year 2012 and the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world.  While Doom’s Day prophecies are as common as failed weddings from the Bachelorette, they are largely ignored by most sane people.

Remember Minister Harold Camping?  He went out on limb, not just once, but twice (I think there was a rounding error on his 1st prediction) urging us to empty our 401k’s and get ready for the big end.  Sadly for him, he was proven wrong on both occasions.

halleys-comet-end-world_11617_600x450Other near-famous unsuccessful prophecies include…

Haley’s Comet 1910…Stories abounded about a horrific gas cloud called Cyanogen that trailed the infamous comet (which incidentally was not named for the early rock ‘n roll star, but for some astronomer). Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and years later we eventually were able to “Rock Around the Clock”.

Heaven’s Gate 1997…It’s obvious that Comets play a big role in determining the end of the world.  The Heaven’s Gate cult believed that an alien spacecraft was following the comet Hale-Bopp.  Sadly, the members of the cult put their money where their mouth was and committed suicide fearing it was their only chance to survive before the Earth was “recycled”.

Y2K…Many feared computers would fail to understand the change from 1999 to 2000 causing massive blackouts, nuclear weapons launching and toilets to stop working.  Thankfully, we were able to still flush in the new millennium.

snookiI personally never held much stock in these predications until I learned that Snookie’s due date is December 21, 2012; the exact same date as predicted by the Mayans.  Now I always considered “Jersey Shore” to be some kind of preview as to what the end of the world would look like, but I ask you; what are the odds?

You may think I’m being foolish, but I for one plan on cashing in my IRA and heading to Belize to party with the Mayans.  If the world is going to end, I want to be with the folks who got it right.

More Fun w/ Photoshop

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It’s been a few days since my last post.  I guess the holidaze gets in the way of my writing, so I thought I would share some new images I made.

The photo was taken by either me, or my wife (probably my wife since it came out so good :0).

Venus Collage

Yes, I know it’s kinda hokey, but I have seen similar prints in Hobby Lobby and other craft stores, so who knows, maybe I can have a 2nd career as a graphic artist.

Could Someone Please Explain…

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Let me start off by admitting I am not an expert in the world of high finance.  How bad I am?  I still take off my shoes off whenever I try to balance my check book.  (OK, that’s a bit of a stretch, but it is true that I took Algebra twice in college and not because I had enjoyed it the first go around).

Still, my head spins around like Linda Blair in the movie “The Exorcist” whenever I hear someone try to explain the economy to me.  The pundits claim our economy is fragile and teetering.  The Stock Market reacts to Europe hiccuping and the Dow drops 320 points, but then retailers break all sales records during “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” and the Dow ends up gaining 400 points back.  Lets face it, it’s easier to make sense of a Kardashian wedding than what Wall Street likes and doesn’t like.

Today the news is all about Citigroup getting a slap on the wrist (if you consider a $285 million settlement small potatoes)  because they misled (allegedly) investors in a $1 billion CDO linked to sub-prime residential mortgage securities. Investors ended up losing about $700 million.

Why is Citigroup getting off so easy?  Because the SEC does not have the money and/or time to prosecute them, and if they did decide to take them to court, they would not have the resources to go after other institutions that are violating the system.  In other words, it’s easier for us to settle then to punish.  And the worst part is that Citigroup does not have to admit any wrong doing under the terms of the settlement. I’m sure Bernie Madoff is fuming that he didn’t get to make the same deal.

I would love to know how financial institutions plan a budget for when things like this happen.  Let’s see, we better put 5% of the revenue generated to the side in case we get caught and have to settle.  Who needs less regulation and government interference when you have a system like this in place?

What really gets me is when my 401k takes a nosedive because some A-Hole throws a Molotov cocktail in Syntagma Square in Athens because they want to retire with a full pension when they turn 12 (or something like that). I’m still waiting for an economist to explain why I need to pay for that.  Some people will suggest the world is simply becoming smaller, and I’m beginning to think that is not such a good thing.  I say let Greece drown itself with self inflicted wounds and keep their problems over there (but make sure we keep those yummy Spanakopita pies and dreamy Frappe drinks coming).

It’s been 10 years since the collapse of Enron, and what exactly have we learned?  It appears not much.  I read somewhere Presidential contender John Huntsman, who has as much of chance of winning the Republican nomination as Barney Frank does, believes banks are too big and should be made to be smaller in size and scope.

I have to say I agree with Huntsman.  Any financial institution that can bring an entire economy down is too damn big, but then again, I may be wrong; after all I didn’t end up taking Algebra II in college.