The Youtube Vote

Dear 2008 Presidential election Candidates,

I am sorry to be the one to tell you, but your time is over. Pack it up, write your thank you notes, kiss your spouse and start your lonely drive back to the old farm. Because if your name is not Barack Obama, then you have no chance of winning the presidency in 2008.

Sincerely, Your internet watchdog.

According to USAToday.com Obama leads the "youtube" vote by an astounding number. The Obama campaign's Youtube channel has had over 620,000 views compared to runner-up Hillary Clinton's paltry 51,000 views. In this online popularity contest, Obama is the Brad Pitt of the online political world. With Clinton playing, lets say...Alec Baldwin.

Now seriously. I understand that "Youtubers" and "Myspacers" will have an impact on the election, but the fate of Youtube still has not been decided. Everyone thought that Howard Dean's web-campaign would push him into the Democratic nomination in the last election, but we all know how that ended up for him. "BYAAAHHH"

While the Youtube Presidential Candidates Channel is a great place for politicians to attract voters and also a place where voters can learn, but we still do not know the fate of the website. How will a small and devoted internet following turn in to real votes? I guess we will see.

Hillary's 1984 Video

We are living in a very precarious political landscape at the time. I am not specifically talking about the fact that someone took the famous 1984 Apple Computers Ad that debuted during Super Bowl XXVIII and superimposed Hillary Clinton into the video. While the video was done very well and seems, to this point, not to be an attack by a presidential rival or political group, the surrounding controversy does bring up one question in my mind. Click here to watch the ad.

What happens when the media becomes the news?

This controversy took shape after one person decided to get creative with some video editing software and posted his work for millions to see via Youtube. What happened next is what concerns me. Most major news companies including NBC, FOX, and CNN aired the video and reported on it.

This scares me. The fact that, within a blink of an eye, Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity may report on something that was put-forth from the far reaches of the internet with out fact-checking is something that I can see happening very easily. It is a slippery slope between reporting an issue that started on the internet, and giving wide and, some would say, more credible exposure to this.

News media are scared of the internet and trying to keep pace, instead of realizing that people turn on their evening news programs because they trust what is being said, not because the information is instantaneous. TV, radio, and print news will never be able to compete with cellphones and laptop in the breaking news department.

Sad to see it end.

Well, it is now the end of my vacation. My parents, girlfriend and I are about to leave for the airport, and I have this overwhelming feeling of depression creeping into my body. But thus is life...I guess. I know that I have not been keeping up with my posts, and they have strayed a bit, well completely would be more accurate, from my original topic, but none the less, here are some more pictures from my trip. Maybe looking at these while I am stuck at work or school will help me get through the day.


Lombard Street, the "crookedest" street in America.

Just a cloud.






The view from the "Sky Deck" at Squaw Valley.









A view of the Redwoods at Muir Woods national park.

Still...On Vacation

I do realize that it is not very fashionable to go on Spring Break with your parents. But hey, when they offer you and your girlfriend a free room in Lake Tahoe and San Francisco, who would refuse? I didn't, and I am not regretting it. The trip so far has been amazing, and although we left the ski slopes, meaning that my ski season is most likely finished until next year, we are all having a blast in San Francisco.

This is my mom, on the way out of Tahoe we spotted a bear on the side of the road. Honestly, I did not believe it myself. It is not easy to see, but she is standing about 25 feet away from a very groggy grizzly bear that has just woken up and is munching on some bird feed.


Oh, and I still have not watched the news or read a newspaper all week. I am on vacation after all.

On Vacation

It is hard keeping up with the news while on vacation. I know that it sounds pretty pathetic to be whining when I am in BEAUTIFUL Lake Tahoe, CA. It really is difficult to keep up with things when I am running around taking in the sights and skiing. If only I could do this for a living, I wouldn't have to worry about a blog or a website or homework at all, for that matter. Well, anyways, I have included a few pictures from my first few days here in Tahoe.

300

I know that I have focused the majority of my posts on the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton presidential campaigns, but I just saw 300...and wow. Yes, the plot was rather thin and and gratuitous violence and sex could be a drawback for some people, its not a movie I would suggest taking a child to see. But the visual effects and cinematography along with well coreographed fight sequences were amazing.

As a poor college student, sigh...I do not get to splurge on $10 movie tickets often, but I definitely got my moneys worth on this outing. If you are in for a good old fashioned action movie that is easy to follow with great special effects and dialogue that will amp you up for a fight go see 300, you won't be disappointed.

What is REALLY in a name?

UHH OHH! Watch out folks, I have just discovered that Barack Obama, my current favorite for president in '08 has a dirty little secret. His middle name is Hussein. The Illinois Senator sure did draw a short straw when it comes to names, sharing names with a former dictator and having a last name that sounds very similar to the leader of Al-Qaeda.

Anyways, on to the real story. I have found a site that is maintained by the Center for Media and Democracy, that gives accurate information on presidential candidates. I am including the link because I feel that to make an informed and responsible vote, it is important to have an accurate and unbiased view of each candidate. I have read articles by the Center for Media and Democracy, and trust the majority of the information to be true. There is also information on past campaign contributions given to the candidates.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=SourceWatch:Find_Senators_and_Representatives