Early this morning I arrived back in New York City from my trip to Washington D.C. I was there covering the National Equality March for EndOfTheDial.com and it was a thrill to be a part of.
In my last post, I excitedly reported that there was up to 500,000 people there. According to Time magazine, there were around 200,000. So, even though I'm still not completely sure, sorry for any inflation on my part.
I had a hard time find an official number. I suppose I can't fault any media sources because of how hard it is to look at a large crowd and actually figure that out. Also, there has been a lot of heat on media outlets about the amount of people at Glenn Beck's 9/12 rally. Beck claims there were up to 2 million - the local fire and police departments said 30,000-70,000.
I'm writing to you live from the National Equality March in Washington D.C.
As my fellow journalist, Ryan McClendon, and I sit in a coffee chop, we are still trying to come to grips with the events here in the capital.
My rough estimate is that there are around 250,000 - 500,000 people here protesting for LGBT equality. The excitement and the enthusiasm here is insane. People are chanting, carrying signs, and flooding the streets of D.C.
I've uploaded a bunch of my pictures to Flickr (see below).
Ryan and I got into the press area and were only a few feet away from all the speakers, including Lady Gaga. We were sitting there directly in front of the Capitol Building - loving every minute of it.
After hours and hours of footage, I have created my first short film. I'm lucky enough to be taking a class at NYU with two of the top multimedia journalists, Matt Rivera and Adam Penenberg, and this is what I've come up with. I have two more videos to go, so I hope I continue to get better. Thanks for your support and please check out the website I set up for their class: The Comic Book Times.
I'm not sure what makes great photography. Sometimes, I think it is being at the right place at the right time. Other times, I think it is just taking a fantastic photo - regardless of the subject.
As a journalist, I take my camera with me every time I cover a story. Of the hundreds of photos I have taken, only one ever got published. Still, I think I have produced some good stuff over the years.
I have posted above, what I believe, to be my best photos.
Sort of a follow up to my Best YouTube Conspiracy Videos post, I recently came across a video about John Titor, a time traveler. The stories of Titor on the internet are cool, but a lot of his predictions never came true (like the Olympics ending in 2004).
It seems like a lot of Titor's advice to people had a right-wing agenda. You can view all of his predictions here.
According to his fans, Titor came from a different dimension, so that is why several of his prophecies never came true.
My favorite thing about the theory is that there is actually a real Florida family with a young boy named "John Titor" who has hired a lawyer. Pretty funny stuff. I couldn't find any other talk of the young John Titor, besides the one radio program fueling much of the story: Coast to Coast AM.
I was reading an issue of Marvel Comics' Cable (a time-traveling mutant) and thought to myself, "I wonder if there are any time travel theories on YouTube?" It's amazing what you can find on that site.
It seems like a lifetime ago now, but back when I was at Northern Michigan University I had my own radio show called, "The Philly Philmore Show." From 10-Midnight for two and a half years I played my own brand of rock on WUPX FM.
NMU's radio station was different than all others in the state because DJs were allowed to play whatever they wanted (with me it ended up being a lot of White Stripes, Flaming Lips, and Elliott Smith). Another great thing was that we had an extremely strong antenna (second of all college radios in Michigan, except for MSU).
This semester, my last at NYU, I decided to take a radio journalism class. It's not the kind of radio I'm used to, and it is way harder to do, but it sure is a lot of fun.
“I hear her voice, in the mornin' hour she calls, The radio reminds me of my home far away, And driving down the road I get a feelin' That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday” - John Denver
I have been reading about foreign immigrants moving to New York City all morning and I've started wondering about how many Michiganders have moved here.
My roommate and I (both from Michigan) keep running into people from our home state in the Big Apple, so I have to guess there are a lot of us. Before we both moved here, we lived in Chicago where it seemed like every other person was a Michigander.
Does anyone know how many Michiganders live in New York City? Also, a larger question, with the highest unemployment in the country, where are Michiganders moving?
My guesses would be 1) Chicago, 2) New York City, 3) Indiana, 4) Florida, 5) Ohio.
I have been unable to find any hard data on this, although this article touches on it a bit. I feel like this would make an excellent article, so please pass forward any information you can find. Thank you!
Somehow, I got really into conspiracy videos on YouTube. It started with "Obama Anti-Christ." At first, it was so stupid that I just laughed. But, as I watched more and more, before I knew it I had spent hours on YouTube.
Then, I wanted more. I got into the some of the big conspiracies of the day. The majority of conspiracy theory movies are horrible, but I have found a few that are pretty entertaining. These are the best of the best:
The Obama Deception:
This video by "infowarrior" Alex Jones is a great New World Order/Global world government theory. It is really well done and hard to stop watching. The movie kind of falls apart at the end with Jones going on a rant outside a federal reserve building, but, for the most, this is one of the best.
Denver Airport:
There is some crazy shit going on at the Denver Airport. Seriously.
Obama Antichrist:
None of the Obama Anti-Christ videos are that great. But, this one is okay.
...And this one is a little more thought out.
Georgia Guidestones:
There a lot of good videos about the Georgia Guidestones. This is not one. But, this video is worth watching...Once you get past the music, it is just gold.
A little explanation: This guy named R.C. Christian hired a granite company in 1979 to build these stones. Nobody knows anymore than that.
The guidestones have a sort of "10 Commandments" for the New World Order. The first is, "Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature." So, basically, they'd have to kill a few billion people.
Reptilian Illuminati:
David Icke, a former English footballer, came up with this conspiracy theory that all of our rulers are actually reptilian. I know, I know. But, it is surprisingly thought out and he finds a lot of facts to back it up. Judge for yourself.
Lots of people believe him, including this guy, in my favorite conspiracy video:
9/11: If you haven't heard that people think 9/11 was an inside job then you are living under a rock. Loose Change is the best video.
Also, the picture on the top left has a hidden Satanic message in it. It is not a doctored photo. Good luck finding it :)
