Get In On It!

I'm not sure this is what city tourism officials had in mind when they launched visitmybaltimore.com and asked residents to:

(Baltimore Sun, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 10--Most cities rely on marketing professionals, some on celebrities, but Baltimore could become the first destination to ask regular folks to sell the city.

[...]

It's a new way to market a destination, a new way to sell Baltimore," said Tom Noonan, BACVA president and chief executive officer. "Rather than it being a scripted, highly produced thing that the bureau is doing, we think it's more powerful to have it coming from independent people."

Here is the full article on this shooting that occured at Park & Mulberry. These boys were stupid enough to set up shop under one of Baltimore's 400 cameras accross the city..that has a blinking blue light on top.

Speaking of Waterfall...

Shenanigans!

I should have gone out tonight.

Instead, I watched the Democratic CNN/YouTube debate and the subsequent self-fellatio of CNN talking about how revolutionary it was. All night long guests appeared, from the founders of YouTube to people who asked debate questions, and everyone praised the debate for allowing "real people" to ask questions from their living rooms.

And yes, sure enough, there were some people in costume and some one-line jokes embedded in the questions, and that was a change, but CNN is missing the point: content!

If I was to read a transcript of the Q&A, with no access to video or audio, I'm willing to bet I could barely tell the difference between this debate and the others. According to CNN, about 3000 video questions were submitted on YouTube. Thirty nine were aired. And there is no doubt in my mind that CNN's selection panel chose the most watered-down questions available, content-wise. Some were emotional, yes, and some were slightly amusing, but this is a matter of delivery only. A melting snowman asking about global warming... yeah, fucking cute.

So if anyone was not disappointed by this debate, please comment and tell me why.

If Ron Paul doesn't get a drug war question in the September Republican debate (and you know there will be hundreds submitted), I will lose all respect I have left for CNN. I knew it was going to take a lot on their part to make up for Lou Dobbs, but they didn't even come close last night.

YouTube Debates

I'm looking forward to the CNN/YouTube debate on Monday. I like the idea of having the general public submit questions for the candidates rather than the same old politically correct questions that seem to come from reporters and moderators. It has potential to be a great step forward for presidential debates.

However, I say "has potential" because it also has potential to be pretty disappointing. The questions will be screened by a CNN VP and Political Director.

So the big question is: How much different will the selected questions turn out to be? Of course, many will consist of the same topics found in any of the debates: health care, immigration, abortion, the war, and so on. But I'm sure YouTubers are also submitting questions on the drug war, decentralization of education, and separation of church and state. I especially hope for more meaningful environmental questions (e.g. "How will your plan for cutting carbon emissions affect the economy, and do you think the benefits outweigh the costs?")... the kinds of questions that demand a stronger response than the usual sugar-coated but content-free responses to environmental concerns.

There is no doubt in my mind that the general public will think of better questions than those who have moderated debates in the past. The success of the CNN/YouTube debates will depend on whether the selected questions are clever and new, or whether they are the same old questions asked by different people.

I'll be at work during the live debates, but I plan to watch the entire thing on rerun. Whether the format of the debate is revolutionary or just a gimmick will determine the anger level of my Tuesday post. See you there.

Reporter Goes Apeshit On Scientologist

John Sweeney, a BBC journalist, was working on a documentary about the CoS because the group/church/cult/whatever they are is apparently working its way into mainstream England in ways some Brits find chilling. Over time, things got testy, as is oft the case when anyone pokes around the Xenu destroyers and it looks like Sweeney was poking really hard. Then again, if he's like most journalists who've poked at the cult, he went in with his mind very made up. Anyway, the whole thing exploded into a scene of Sweeney going nuts on a Scientologist. Of course, it's on YouTube. As a journalist, it's fun to watch one's peers turn into fools. (Watch the YouTube here at Andrew Sullivan.)

Of course, Sweeney has issued a response.

"While making our BBC Panorama film "Scientology and Me" I have been shouted at, spied on, had my hotel invaded at midnight, denounced as a "bigot" by star Scientologists and been chased round the streets of Los Angeles by sinister strangers."

Travolta and Cruise calling someone a bigot? Sinister strangers in Los Angelese? Where can I get in on that?

Joking aside, we are at a very odd tipping point moment in psychology and psychiatry in the US and Britain and in other lands Western and high-tech. One that affects millions of people and billions of dollars and raises all sorts of uncomfortable questions about individual freedom--the psychological and behavioral kinds, at any rate--in modern urban America and elsewhere. But that's for another day.

Deutsch Bag A, Meet Deutsch Bag B

Wait until a minute or so in. It becomes an Instant Classic. I'm not sure if I ever thought it would happen; but I side with Gerlado Geraldo.

"Vulva, is what Girls Have Down Below"

I really need believe that Banjo Man is doing child birthdays and bar mitzvahs right now somewhere in this country.

It's a catchy tune. Wait a few hours and tell me you aren't walking around your office belting out, "Vulva, when she's naked it will show".....Banjo Guy can put together a tune, I'll give him that.

Can You Tell I'm Hungry?

Today's lunchtime links are chock full of all that McDonald's goodness.

Battle a dolphin in a game of sea tennis. Test your wits by headbutting a McFish.

Watch a crappy VHS copy of a McRib commercial from the mid-1980s.

Relive Bird v. Jordan in their insane game of Big Mac horse.

Check out this funny McDonald's training video from the 1970s.

Gadgets Kill the Earth

Gold star for the reader who makes it through the entire six minutes. Two minutes is probably enough to make you want to kick the kid in his balls, and have a hearty chuckle.

All I can say is lucky him and lucky us. Our markets afford this kid a chance to spend his days and nights worrying about the destruction of the planet due to the over packaging of gadgets and widgets, instead of I dunno, worrying about where his next meal will come from or if his family will die from dysentery because of a lack of sanitation and clean water. Enjoy your middle class, American existence duetchbag.

Via The Corner.

Danger Exposed: Search Engines

From Jersey 101.5 FM

Lawmaker Demands that Youtube Yank Huffing Videos
"It's very hard to watch. While parents are not watching, the kids are," said Fisher. "The problem is [YouTube] isn't removing the videos fast enough. It's exposing it to millions more people around the globe who, just by typing in a word, can see all this dangerous behavior."

Fisher said YouTube has agreed to pull the videos. However, it may be hard to catch them all considering thousands of new videos are posted on YouTube every day. YouTube is a democracy of sorts on the internet. Usually it takes users objecting to a video for the website administrators to respond by yanking the offensive material.

I'm guessing the State Assemblyman has never googled "horse fucked guy to death". Now that's dangerous behavior.

Update:There is the snuff video from that Seattle farm incident (which was my point about dangerous content on the internet); but I'm not in a place where I can access and post a link to it.