CNN Watch - Popular Stories

What kind of disgusting shit is this? As you may have noticed, CNN revamped their Web site for a cleaner, leaner look. The site also now features a prominent position for 'Popular News,' a portion of the front page devoted to most-viewed stories. Surely this is generated by an algorithm, but what does it say about CNN's readers/viewers that one of the most popular stories is 'Girl disemboweled in pool'? With video no less?

The fact that CNN even allows such lurid headlines over the transom suggests tabloid sensationalism. And its juxtaposition with the story 'Men, women about equally chatty' gives a powder-puff of a story the same weight as one family's tragedy. The accidental placement in 'Popular Stories' of a story that shouldn't have been covered at all, is offensive and disgusting. CNN may want to rethink it's section designation if stories like this are going to end up under such an unfortunate label.

Consumer Digest

Click To Play

Down near Manhattan's Union Square I happened by a shoestore that had this shoe in the window. It took me surprise.

When I was a youngster, punk rock stuff was hard to find, you had to go to strange stores in far-away places in order to get it. When I finally could drive I would go all the way to Zed Records in Long Beach, California...an almost hour long drive from Buena Park. But it was worth it. It was worth it.

Zed's had the best punk rock records around, the only store where you could get esoteric 7" records and demos from bands that played around, but didn't have a label yet. It was awesome. So, it's pretty strange to see a Circle Jerks shoe in a Manhattan store window. Even stranger when I think that the record cover it's based on is over 25 years old.

The Item that Adds to Your Personal Comfort

Click To Play

This is a quick mix of two advertisements I found on the Internet Archive. It is the begining of a larger project, but I just wanted to play around with archive footage and its corresponding sound to see what would result.

We Hate It When Bigots Become Successful

I was working to perfectly match the font, but then I realized that it doesn't matter. Here's hoping that Mel's new movie tanks big time.