Anti-Apocalypse

Its been awhile but I'm back with more ramblings about world events and other things that concern me. Things that I can do very little about. But comment I will. This time I'll start from back to front:

I've been trying all kinds of strategies to jump start a PhD in the social sciences and I'm pushing my own proposal about Filipino migrant organizations and their political impact on Philippine democracy. There's more to it of course, but there it is for now.

But then it turns out there are other PhD openings in the neighborhood that interest me too, like one I found today about the impact of media on religious belief. Finding that announcement must have been in the stars after just finishing a short video focused (with some blur) on the rapture and apocalypse for chichiandco.net. Its a rough vid hammered together from archival material, it speaks for itself.

For the Phd position I have to demonstrate a "proven" interest in the study of religion and the media. You think this would rate as a "proven" interest? (updated version)

iraq docs

...and the war rolled on&on&on without rhyme or reason, inspiring indignant doc filmmakers the world over to bring attention to that house of horrors that never seems to stop haunting our 24 hour news channels..."Iraq in fragments" and "My country, My Country" are just the most recent films up for oscars in what's becoming quite a lineage of docs stretching waaaay back to F911. Maybe there were some before granddaddy Fahrenheit, I'm not sure if MM's film was the chicken and the egg...frontline have some of the best I've seen.

It seems like everyone has an Iraqdoc now...so let me throw in another man's two cents from an interview I shot for the big guy. Wasn't included in the end. It seems the movie was getting too long and it was believed that American audiences wouldn't be too keen on hearing from the global street about America's business in Iraq. But in case you're interested in what an Iraqi (who I caught with Sas in front of the Dutch Parliament) thought of what was happening in his country (end 2003) have a peek at this vid.