The english version of Si, Se Puede Cambiar with lots of new footage (specially the later part). Please help us share this video and spread the word. OBAMA 08!
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Download my new pro-OBAMA song for free and help spread the word: OBAMA/BIDEN 08..
I just uploaded the new English version of my pro-Obama song Si, Se Puede Cambiar , you can hear it and download the MP3 here:
http://www.virb.com/useche
It's the first song.
Special thanks to Ben Joseph for flying in from Chicago to record this, getting us a studio and being my ideal collaborator. Thanks to Tom Vondoom for playing bass.
hope you guys and gals like it and spread it around... we are almost there! Election's coming up around the corner!
Will try to edit a music video and have it up soon! GO OBAMA!
http://www.virb.com/useche
It's the first song.
Special thanks to Ben Joseph for flying in from Chicago to record this, getting us a studio and being my ideal collaborator. Thanks to Tom Vondoom for playing bass.
hope you guys and gals like it and spread it around... we are almost there! Election's coming up around the corner!
Will try to edit a music video and have it up soon! GO OBAMA!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
After Debates OBAMA/BIDEN come out on top! + My views on KCAL news and CBS2
According to CBS, CNN and FOX Obama WON the final debate by the biggest margin yet. Click here for CBS link
Watch the FINAL Obama/McCain debate HERE
Before that, i was interviewed by KCAL News / CBS about the Palin-Biden debate ( a few days ago while that debate was happening ):
Link to the video:
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=79092@kcbs.dayport.com
(more about that below).
I watched last night's presidential debate at Boulevard 3, in Hollywood (Thanks Becca and LACYD for the invite).
AFter the final debate:
"90 Percent," which features footage from the final debate, highlights how McCain voted with Bush 90 percent of the time. Click to WATCH
To see McCain defend his allegiance to Bush on Fox news, CLICK HERE
Back to Palin: On the VP debate we learned that can recite a memorized script and read her answers but it became obvious she couldn't articulate her own ideas. She avoided questions, often saying "what i want to talk about is blah, blah blah". There were no follow ups from the moderator(Republicans arranged this beforehand) so she could stick to her talking points. Her only spontaneous answer was that non-sense about the role and powers of the VicePresident. Her answer was not only wrong, unconstitutional but also dangerous, going further than Cheney has done so far. Even with her parroted talking points she was unable to articulate anything of substance, a health-care plan, an exit plan from Iraq, nothing, and I'm glad Joe Biden called her up on it.
If she doesn't show her own grasp of the issues, how could anybody feel comfortable about being a 72-year-old's heartbeat away from the presidency? She certainly hasn't done anything to erase these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrzXLYA_e6E
Biden on the other hand hammered home the importance of really changing the party ruling Washington and hit a home run revealing their Maverick claims for what they are, hollow political slogans to try divert from the fact that John McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time.
Thanks to Becca Dotten and LA County Young Democrats for inviting me to the debate-watching party. Here I'm pictured with her and State Controller John Chiang.
Just for fun:
What if McCain was elected and god-forbid something happened and Palin
became president? Click HERE for the answer (scary and hilarious).
Watch the FINAL Obama/McCain debate HERE
Before that, i was interviewed by KCAL News / CBS about the Palin-Biden debate ( a few days ago while that debate was happening ):
Link to the video:
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=79092@kcbs.dayport.com
(more about that below).
I watched last night's presidential debate at Boulevard 3, in Hollywood (Thanks Becca and LACYD for the invite).
AFter the final debate:
"90 Percent," which features footage from the final debate, highlights how McCain voted with Bush 90 percent of the time. Click to WATCH
To see McCain defend his allegiance to Bush on Fox news, CLICK HERE
Back to Palin: On the VP debate we learned that can recite a memorized script and read her answers but it became obvious she couldn't articulate her own ideas. She avoided questions, often saying "what i want to talk about is blah, blah blah". There were no follow ups from the moderator(Republicans arranged this beforehand) so she could stick to her talking points. Her only spontaneous answer was that non-sense about the role and powers of the VicePresident. Her answer was not only wrong, unconstitutional but also dangerous, going further than Cheney has done so far. Even with her parroted talking points she was unable to articulate anything of substance, a health-care plan, an exit plan from Iraq, nothing, and I'm glad Joe Biden called her up on it.
If she doesn't show her own grasp of the issues, how could anybody feel comfortable about being a 72-year-old's heartbeat away from the presidency? She certainly hasn't done anything to erase these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrzXLYA_e6E
Biden on the other hand hammered home the importance of really changing the party ruling Washington and hit a home run revealing their Maverick claims for what they are, hollow political slogans to try divert from the fact that John McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time.
Thanks to Becca Dotten and LA County Young Democrats for inviting me to the debate-watching party. Here I'm pictured with her and State Controller John Chiang.
Just for fun:
What if McCain was elected and god-forbid something happened and Palin
became president? Click HERE for the answer (scary and hilarious).
Friday, September 19, 2008
Will.I.Am and Andres Useche: Yes we Can meets Si Se Puede Cambiar
Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and yours truly. He first came to know me from my pro-Obama video Si, Se Puede Cambiar, which he put on his website DipDive long before he met me. This is the link www.dipdive.com/dip-approved/?p=15
He also put me on the hope.act.change poster and their website...
http://www.hopeactchange.com/media/view/4319
Will, a multiple Grammy award-winner, is the creator of the Wonderful YES WE CAN Obama video and a great, down to earth guy with a heart in the right place. In the photo up top we were throwing up peace signs but, alas, we were framed too closely.
We connected because we see eye to eye on the crisis this country is going through and agree on the way we can all help to move it forward. Obama 08 is an impotant part of that.
Here is his video Yes We Can and mine Si Se Puede Cambiar below
Yes We Can by Will.I.Am
Si Se Puede Cambiar by Andres Useche
and as an extra, here's Will.I.Am's and the Black Eyed Peas' "Where is the Love?" which he put out after we begun unjust and deceitful war.
We're doing all we can to make sure that we're all focused on the critical issues, the war and the economy and not he pity attacks the Republicans are using to try to distract the population. Time to think more about our economy and less about lipstick.
Si Se Puede!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Newscast video of Andres Speaking live about Barack Obama
Here's the link:
http://www.mega.tv/EkEFEFkZVVutcLgLMP.html
It will stream in windows media, I'll try to upload a flash version at some point.
Here are some stills and a rough transcript English translation for non-Spanish speakers:
Maria Regina:
And now we go to Los Angeles where
we have singer-songwriter Andres Useche who supports
Barack Obama and demonstrates it clearly with a
song he composed about the senator.
Welcome Andres, tell us what drew you to Barack Obama's candidacy?
Andres:
Thank you Maria Regina, the first thing that made a big impression on me was his early opposition to the war in Iraq. He displayed very sound judgment regarding the global situation when he foresaw what would happen there and also what would happen with Al Qaeda in the surrounding countries, also I thought he came across as a very honest person, who, for example, defended Latinos in front of a predominately African-American audience at Martin Luther King's church, as well as in the debates seen around the world, which led me to believe that he wasn't just fishing for the votes of whatever audience happened to be in front of him, but that he stood for what he believed was right, which is that we should accept the great diversity in this country and around the world, and reach a greater understanding among all nations and that he was communicating this attitude to the different groups.
And regarding the economy, he's shown he doesn't want to just put a temporary band-aid
to try to solve our grave problems which include the gasoline prices rising, and the economy declining, but he wants to follow through with a true energy revolution which is possible and he's figured out how to pay for, it seems to me that he can accomplish it if we all get involved. An important aspect of Barack Obama's candidacy is that he has brought in a lot of people into the fold that were never part of this process, like me, I never thought I would get involved politically, I was more or less well informed but a figure like him, honest, clear and eloquent, was needed to galvanize this young community from around the US who are struggling and are the ones who are going to make sure that all these promises are kept.
Camilo: I want to ask you, sorry to interrupt you... You've made an extraordinarily positive analysis of Obama, but we have to remind of viewers, to provide full disclosure, that Mr. Obama is in favor of building the wall along the US, Mexico border and that he would require that illegal immigrants learn English as a condition to legalize their situation. But aside from that, I want to ask you how how it's going for you with this song for Obama, popularity-wise...
Maria Regina:
Yeah because, it's one thing to support
(Camilo: Is that a fly? It's John McCain. McCain sent a fly in here! LAUGHTER)
It's one thing to support a candidate but to actually write a song for him and put it out there is something else, how is it going with that?
Andres:
The truth is that I'm not the only one, and it's to Barack Obama's credit that he's inspired so many of us to use whatever talents or abilities we have to push this movement forward. It's also important to mention, regarding what you said before about immigration, that we have two options right now, Barack Obama and John McCain.
And as you can see McCain has devolved, he has regressed to the far right to cater to that group with xenophobic, we could say, anti-immigrant tendencies, his perspective has changed so much, so sincerely I think, right now the clear choice, for us Latinos is Barack Obama.
Maria Regina:
Andres, to return to Camilo's question... is it going well with the song?
Camilo:
Have they played it on the radio?
Andres:
They have played it on the radio, and there are opportunities for me to write other songs for other causes I think are very important, but to me more than a professional accomplishment I had something to say and had to find a way to say it,
Often times we think we can't do anything, we let cynicism overcome us and we stay static, and truth is that there is so much we can do, whether you can sing or not, if you can stand up and join a group, it doesn't have to be Barack Obama's, whoever it is that you support, I think every person has the power to do something, make a call, invite or take someone to vote, it is something very important we can do, to get involved to achieve a better democracy.
Camilo (to Maria Regina):
It's cool that young people are doing this uh? People say that young people are apathetic, but here's an example of the youth getting involved in the electoral process.
Maria Regina:
And it's very true, what he is saying that no matter who you are going for, it's important to come out, to vote and that our voice is heard. Andres, I think that if someone from the Obama campaign is listening to us right now, they should get in touch with you, really.
Camilo:
Or from McCain's, you never know.
Andres:
No, no, not McCain.
Camilo:
No, but if democracy...
Maria Regina (to Camilo):
But it became perfectly clear that McCain isn't... at least to him... isn't an option.
Camilo:
I'm just saying... they might say they didn't like that, and they would like another...
Andres:
Maybe another against McCain.
Camilo:
Thank you very much
Andres:
You welcome, thank you Camilo and Maria
--
Upon watching it I also realize that I should have found a way to talk about my collaborators, Eric Byler, Warren Fu, Annabel Park, Loni Pham etc... or at least bring up the name of our song which the anchors never mentioned... but I'm happy I got out some of the more important stuff i wanted to say.
Go Obama
http://www.mega.tv/EkEFEFkZVVutcLgLMP.html
It will stream in windows media, I'll try to upload a flash version at some point.
Here are some stills and a rough transcript English translation for non-Spanish speakers:
Maria Regina:
And now we go to Los Angeles where
we have singer-songwriter Andres Useche who supports
Barack Obama and demonstrates it clearly with a
song he composed about the senator.
Welcome Andres, tell us what drew you to Barack Obama's candidacy?
Andres:
Thank you Maria Regina, the first thing that made a big impression on me was his early opposition to the war in Iraq. He displayed very sound judgment regarding the global situation when he foresaw what would happen there and also what would happen with Al Qaeda in the surrounding countries, also I thought he came across as a very honest person, who, for example, defended Latinos in front of a predominately African-American audience at Martin Luther King's church, as well as in the debates seen around the world, which led me to believe that he wasn't just fishing for the votes of whatever audience happened to be in front of him, but that he stood for what he believed was right, which is that we should accept the great diversity in this country and around the world, and reach a greater understanding among all nations and that he was communicating this attitude to the different groups.
And regarding the economy, he's shown he doesn't want to just put a temporary band-aid
to try to solve our grave problems which include the gasoline prices rising, and the economy declining, but he wants to follow through with a true energy revolution which is possible and he's figured out how to pay for, it seems to me that he can accomplish it if we all get involved. An important aspect of Barack Obama's candidacy is that he has brought in a lot of people into the fold that were never part of this process, like me, I never thought I would get involved politically, I was more or less well informed but a figure like him, honest, clear and eloquent, was needed to galvanize this young community from around the US who are struggling and are the ones who are going to make sure that all these promises are kept.
Camilo: I want to ask you, sorry to interrupt you... You've made an extraordinarily positive analysis of Obama, but we have to remind of viewers, to provide full disclosure, that Mr. Obama is in favor of building the wall along the US, Mexico border and that he would require that illegal immigrants learn English as a condition to legalize their situation. But aside from that, I want to ask you how how it's going for you with this song for Obama, popularity-wise...
Maria Regina:
Yeah because, it's one thing to support
(Camilo: Is that a fly? It's John McCain. McCain sent a fly in here! LAUGHTER)
It's one thing to support a candidate but to actually write a song for him and put it out there is something else, how is it going with that?
Andres:
The truth is that I'm not the only one, and it's to Barack Obama's credit that he's inspired so many of us to use whatever talents or abilities we have to push this movement forward. It's also important to mention, regarding what you said before about immigration, that we have two options right now, Barack Obama and John McCain.
And as you can see McCain has devolved, he has regressed to the far right to cater to that group with xenophobic, we could say, anti-immigrant tendencies, his perspective has changed so much, so sincerely I think, right now the clear choice, for us Latinos is Barack Obama.
Maria Regina:
Andres, to return to Camilo's question... is it going well with the song?
Camilo:
Have they played it on the radio?
Andres:
They have played it on the radio, and there are opportunities for me to write other songs for other causes I think are very important, but to me more than a professional accomplishment I had something to say and had to find a way to say it,
Often times we think we can't do anything, we let cynicism overcome us and we stay static, and truth is that there is so much we can do, whether you can sing or not, if you can stand up and join a group, it doesn't have to be Barack Obama's, whoever it is that you support, I think every person has the power to do something, make a call, invite or take someone to vote, it is something very important we can do, to get involved to achieve a better democracy.
Camilo (to Maria Regina):
It's cool that young people are doing this uh? People say that young people are apathetic, but here's an example of the youth getting involved in the electoral process.
Maria Regina:
And it's very true, what he is saying that no matter who you are going for, it's important to come out, to vote and that our voice is heard. Andres, I think that if someone from the Obama campaign is listening to us right now, they should get in touch with you, really.
Camilo:
Or from McCain's, you never know.
Andres:
No, no, not McCain.
Camilo:
No, but if democracy...
Maria Regina (to Camilo):
But it became perfectly clear that McCain isn't... at least to him... isn't an option.
Camilo:
I'm just saying... they might say they didn't like that, and they would like another...
Andres:
Maybe another against McCain.
Camilo:
Thank you very much
Andres:
You welcome, thank you Camilo and Maria
--
Upon watching it I also realize that I should have found a way to talk about my collaborators, Eric Byler, Warren Fu, Annabel Park, Loni Pham etc... or at least bring up the name of our song which the anchors never mentioned... but I'm happy I got out some of the more important stuff i wanted to say.
Go Obama
Friday, March 21, 2008
RICHARDSON endorses BARACK OBAMA
"This is a man who understand us and will respect us" Said Richardson in Spanish ("Este es un hombre que nos entiende y nos va a respetar") in his glowing speech endorsing Barack Obama's candidacy for the presidency of the United States. As a former member of the Clinton administration this was an extremely difficult choice to make for the Governor of New Mexico, but his choice reflects what he believes is "best for the country". Governor Richardson also credited Obama's recent "historic speech" on race and unity as a factor that "cinched" his decision.
"He's a really good guy" "Who could've thrown me under the bus but he stood behind me" referring to a question Richardson missed on a debate, and Obama whispered it to him.
Richardson, part of the 90's Clinton administration and with impressive foreign policy experience said to Barack Obama: "You are a leader who has shown courage, judgment and wisdom throughout the years, you understand the security challenges of the 21st century and you will be an outstanding commander in chief. Above of all you will bring all America together. Your candidacy is a one in lifetime candidacy and you are a once -in-a-lifetime leader. You will make every American proud to be American, and I am proud today to endorse your candidacy as President of the United States of America ".
Wow! Watch the crowd go absolutely ballistic, chanting "Yes we Can" and after Richardson, "Si, Se Puede".
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Meeting Barack Obama and other recollections from Houston, TX
My friends from United for Obama were kind enough to get me to Texas, for the first time in years, to campaign for Barack Obama. It was an exciting whirlwind of activity which still seems like a blur: I hadn't gotten out of the airport when we hooked up with Obama volunteers coming from all over the country, ( one of them, Rob, gave us tons of cool Obama buttons and t-shirts that even the rental car guy wanted to wear... we gave him some) I met with Senator Cedillo and the people of the HQ, some of which knew me from the Si Se Puede Cambiar video. There was the canvassing and precinct-walking : we were welcomed by some people but some tall white guy walking his dogs in a very affluent neighborhood warned us that "people 'round here don't like Obama, they got shotguns and will shoot you". HE actually said that, no Kidding. We kept going and laughed it off, sure the guy was a strong conservative doing his bit to try to derail the huge, record-breaking democratic turnouts, which was probably the case, but later on the car radio we heard a report of someone actually getting shot for walking through somebody's lawn while the shooter was talking to 911. Crazy. I also did some press, gave interviews, performed live, made some great new friends. Will post links later on. We also got some good footage but haven't uploaded it yet as Eric and Annabel are in Japan, and I'm just trying to catch up here in LA.
I have to say one of my fondest memories from this trip was seeing my brother who is thirteen but since last I saw him has grown from a kid to a deep-voiced , sweet-natured young man! He knew the lyrics to my song better than I did. It was a bit embarrassing that I wrote the song, granted very recently, but quite a few people know the lyrics already and I still rely on the the printed words every now and then. My little brother (or not so little anymore) joined me for a whole day, always helpful , and got a glimpse of this flurry of grassroots activity in what will no doubt be remembered as a historic time in US politics.
I got to see my dad and his wife but unfortunately didn't have time to see more of my extended family or friends. However it was also great to connect with strangers on the street for a common cause, the ideals and dreams that unite us deep down. It was specially touching to be greeted so warmly by the Obama supporters who recognized me on the street as the guy from the video, I have this particular woman in my mind right now as I type this, a large African-American woman who was driving out of a parking lot when she saw me from the window and slammed on the breaks. Screaming to her friend, she got off the car which was now blocking the entrance to the lot, rushed up to me and gave me one big, long hug, "You brought tears to my eyes" she kept repeating, she was so excited, her friend too, I was speechless. It is very humbling to think that whatever you are feeling at any given point in time, whatever you're trying to express, that there are so many people in the world feeling the exact same way, that we're all connected, and all we have to do is to discover that thread to find each other again. This song has been such thread for me.
Another great connection where the two great guys who interviewed me for the Brazilian magazine Veja, who I'd keep meeting over and over again on the campaign trail and kindly gave me a ride when Eric took off with the car to help out in another district in dire need of Obama visibility. Hanging out with Eric and Annabel was a treat as was meeting their friend Duarte and fellow volunteers Quan, Gerry, K.S. and Joanne.
I also did a live translation of Barack Obama's touching, rousing speech when we joined him at the George Brown Convention Center and we'll post some video from that at some point. Another memory that stands out is my brief interaction with Barack Obama after the event, with the enthusiastic crowd surrounding us, this was truly the eye of the hurricane but these things stand out for whatever reason: the genuine sense of honesty and down-to-earth recognition in his gaze,( he struck me as such real, genuine individual). Also his uncannily soft, skinny hands. You'd think they would've hardened by so much contact with his followers. The apparent ease of pronunciation of the few words Obama spoke in Spanish, and most of all, his Chanting "Sí, se Puede" with me as cameras flashed (except ours, Eric and company where still at the opposite end of the stage!), Anyway, now I have a better grasp of the man, not only the ideas that moved me into action, but also great attitude and energy of the man in person.
Quite a trip indeed.
I have to say one of my fondest memories from this trip was seeing my brother who is thirteen but since last I saw him has grown from a kid to a deep-voiced , sweet-natured young man! He knew the lyrics to my song better than I did. It was a bit embarrassing that I wrote the song, granted very recently, but quite a few people know the lyrics already and I still rely on the the printed words every now and then. My little brother (or not so little anymore) joined me for a whole day, always helpful , and got a glimpse of this flurry of grassroots activity in what will no doubt be remembered as a historic time in US politics.
I got to see my dad and his wife but unfortunately didn't have time to see more of my extended family or friends. However it was also great to connect with strangers on the street for a common cause, the ideals and dreams that unite us deep down. It was specially touching to be greeted so warmly by the Obama supporters who recognized me on the street as the guy from the video, I have this particular woman in my mind right now as I type this, a large African-American woman who was driving out of a parking lot when she saw me from the window and slammed on the breaks. Screaming to her friend, she got off the car which was now blocking the entrance to the lot, rushed up to me and gave me one big, long hug, "You brought tears to my eyes" she kept repeating, she was so excited, her friend too, I was speechless. It is very humbling to think that whatever you are feeling at any given point in time, whatever you're trying to express, that there are so many people in the world feeling the exact same way, that we're all connected, and all we have to do is to discover that thread to find each other again. This song has been such thread for me.
Another great connection where the two great guys who interviewed me for the Brazilian magazine Veja, who I'd keep meeting over and over again on the campaign trail and kindly gave me a ride when Eric took off with the car to help out in another district in dire need of Obama visibility. Hanging out with Eric and Annabel was a treat as was meeting their friend Duarte and fellow volunteers Quan, Gerry, K.S. and Joanne.
I also did a live translation of Barack Obama's touching, rousing speech when we joined him at the George Brown Convention Center and we'll post some video from that at some point. Another memory that stands out is my brief interaction with Barack Obama after the event, with the enthusiastic crowd surrounding us, this was truly the eye of the hurricane but these things stand out for whatever reason: the genuine sense of honesty and down-to-earth recognition in his gaze,( he struck me as such real, genuine individual). Also his uncannily soft, skinny hands. You'd think they would've hardened by so much contact with his followers. The apparent ease of pronunciation of the few words Obama spoke in Spanish, and most of all, his Chanting "Sí, se Puede" with me as cameras flashed (except ours, Eric and company where still at the opposite end of the stage!), Anyway, now I have a better grasp of the man, not only the ideas that moved me into action, but also great attitude and energy of the man in person.
Quite a trip indeed.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
United for Obama's "Si Se Puede (cambiar)" Press Release
By Eric Byler
For Immediate Release
February 25, 2008
LATINO, ASIAN ARTISTS UNITE FOR OBAMA VIRAL VIDEO
***Spanish Language Obama Video Goes Viral With Mainstream Audience
LOS ANGELES, CA -- A pro-Obama music video intended for
Spanish-speaking voters in Texas has caught fire with a mainstream
on-line audiences across America, racking up over 56,000 hits in less
than three days, primarily from English speakers.
"Si Se Puede Cambiar" (Yes We Can Change)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ky8Hvq-F0U
"For too long we have been sleeping, but we have been afraid to
dream." So begins the Spanish language song "Si Se Puede Cambiar"
(Yes We Can Change) by Andres Useche (30), an immigrant from Colombia
living in Los Angeles. The song's emotional arc expresses Useche's
despair over the failures of the Bush administration, and the feeling
of empowerment and civic responsibility inspired by Senator Barack
Obama's candidacy.
"The lyrics were thoughts that have been growing within me, and I'm
sure, many others," explained Useche, who is fluent in both English
and Spanish. "Volunteering for this campaign focused my thoughts into
words that came out in a matter of hours."
The video was produced by "United For Obama," a team of Asian American
and Latino volunteers who have organized road-trips, canvassing, and
in-language phone calls (over 20,000 to Virginia from cities around
the nation) on behalf of Sen. Obama. Shot in five different states,
the video documents a wave of boots-on-the-ground volunteerism spurred
by its producers, Eric Byler (36) and Annabel Park (39), both Asian
American filmmaker/activists who work closely with Latinos on the
immigration issue. A swish-pan dissolve links Useche's Latino
outreach in East Los Angeles with Park's Korean American outreach in
Northern Virginia. The video was also shot in Maryland, New York,
and Nevada and features brief cameos by Asian American celebrities
Kelly Hu (X-Men 2), Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar), and Ken Leung (The
Sopranos).
"We don't want our communities to be the last to embrace this
movement," said Byler, a mixed race Chinese American best known for
the indie hit Charlotte Sometimes. "For various cultural reasons, we
probably will be the last statistically. But every person we bring
into the process is precious to us and precious to America, so this is
a precious time."
The video was co-directed and edited by Chinese American filmmaker
Warren Fu (32), who, like Useche, connected with Byler and Park
through YouTube. Fu, who directs music videos for such bands as The
Strokes, sent a YouTube message to YouTube.com/UnitedForObama after
seeing a video featuring actress Hu. Park responded suggesting he
edit the video being shot by Byler and Useche.
Fu points to unity across ethnic lines as an essential goal in his
artistic and political life. "We're Asian Americans collaborating
with Latino Americans with the goal of electing an African American
President," he said. "That in itself speaks volumes about the power
of this movement."
Webcastr CEO Tim Devine promised to promote the video sight unseen
based on a chance encounter with Useche. "I recognized his passion
for what he was doing, which I knew would show through to our Webcastr
viewers in the video he made," he said. Thanks to English subtitles,
the video received more than 19,000 hits on webcastr.com over the
weekend, and more than 36,000 on YouTube (despite the fact the video
sharing website was inoperative most of Sunday). The largest number
of hits were from English language websites like DailyKos.com.
"Although our target was Latino voters, it's exciting to see so many
English speakers embracing the message and sharing the video with
friends," Park said.
For Immediate Release
February 25, 2008
LATINO, ASIAN ARTISTS UNITE FOR OBAMA VIRAL VIDEO
***Spanish Language Obama Video Goes Viral With Mainstream Audience
LOS ANGELES, CA -- A pro-Obama music video intended for
Spanish-speaking voters in Texas has caught fire with a mainstream
on-line audiences across America, racking up over 56,000 hits in less
than three days, primarily from English speakers.
"Si Se Puede Cambiar" (Yes We Can Change)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ky8Hvq-F0U
"For too long we have been sleeping, but we have been afraid to
dream." So begins the Spanish language song "Si Se Puede Cambiar"
(Yes We Can Change) by Andres Useche (30), an immigrant from Colombia
living in Los Angeles. The song's emotional arc expresses Useche's
despair over the failures of the Bush administration, and the feeling
of empowerment and civic responsibility inspired by Senator Barack
Obama's candidacy.
"The lyrics were thoughts that have been growing within me, and I'm
sure, many others," explained Useche, who is fluent in both English
and Spanish. "Volunteering for this campaign focused my thoughts into
words that came out in a matter of hours."
The video was produced by "United For Obama," a team of Asian American
and Latino volunteers who have organized road-trips, canvassing, and
in-language phone calls (over 20,000 to Virginia from cities around
the nation) on behalf of Sen. Obama. Shot in five different states,
the video documents a wave of boots-on-the-ground volunteerism spurred
by its producers, Eric Byler (36) and Annabel Park (39), both Asian
American filmmaker/activists who work closely with Latinos on the
immigration issue. A swish-pan dissolve links Useche's Latino
outreach in East Los Angeles with Park's Korean American outreach in
Northern Virginia. The video was also shot in Maryland, New York,
and Nevada and features brief cameos by Asian American celebrities
Kelly Hu (X-Men 2), Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar), and Ken Leung (The
Sopranos).
"We don't want our communities to be the last to embrace this
movement," said Byler, a mixed race Chinese American best known for
the indie hit Charlotte Sometimes. "For various cultural reasons, we
probably will be the last statistically. But every person we bring
into the process is precious to us and precious to America, so this is
a precious time."
The video was co-directed and edited by Chinese American filmmaker
Warren Fu (32), who, like Useche, connected with Byler and Park
through YouTube. Fu, who directs music videos for such bands as The
Strokes, sent a YouTube message to YouTube.com/UnitedForObama after
seeing a video featuring actress Hu. Park responded suggesting he
edit the video being shot by Byler and Useche.
Fu points to unity across ethnic lines as an essential goal in his
artistic and political life. "We're Asian Americans collaborating
with Latino Americans with the goal of electing an African American
President," he said. "That in itself speaks volumes about the power
of this movement."
Webcastr CEO Tim Devine promised to promote the video sight unseen
based on a chance encounter with Useche. "I recognized his passion
for what he was doing, which I knew would show through to our Webcastr
viewers in the video he made," he said. Thanks to English subtitles,
the video received more than 19,000 hits on webcastr.com over the
weekend, and more than 36,000 on YouTube (despite the fact the video
sharing website was inoperative most of Sunday). The largest number
of hits were from English language websites like DailyKos.com.
"Although our target was Latino voters, it's exciting to see so many
English speakers embracing the message and sharing the video with
friends," Park said.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Si Se Puede Cambiar Launch report
Hi everyone and thank you so much your support for our music video! Thanks for the messages and comments on Youtube. It's very inspiring to connect with so many that like us believe in Barack Obama's quest to stop this war, claim the government for the people, not the corporations, fight discrimination of all kinds, offer better opportunity to the underprivileged and engage with the world in a more humane and honest way.
Friday, January 11, 2008
The US candidates VS Science
Where do the candidates stand on Evolution?
From ReasonOnline
and the Carpetbagger Report
REPUBLICANS:
* Mike Huckabee — Rejects evolutionary biology, but says it shouldn’t matter.
* John McCain — Has rejected, embraced, and rejected again intelligent-design creationism.
* Mitt Romney — Believes in evolution. “In my opinion, the science class is where to teach evolution.”
* Rudy Giuliani — Refuses to say and “successfully discouraged key advisors from speaking to Science about specific issues.”
* Duncan Hunter — Told the Creation Studies Institute that he would “support and encourage a more open approach to education in the presentation of scientific facts that contradict the theory of evolution.”
* Ron Paul — Rejects biological evolution as “a theory.”
* Fred Thompson — Has apparently never said publicly either way.
DEMOCRATS:
* Hillary Clinton — Believes in evolution.
* John Edwards — Believes in evolution.
* Barack Obama — Hasn’t been quoted on modern biology, but rejects intelligent-design creationism.
* Dennis Kucinich — Hasn’t been quoted on the subject.
* Mike Gravel — Has been rather emphatic on the subject. “My God, evolution is a fact, and if these people are disturbed by being the descendants of monkeys and fishes, they’ve got a mental problem. We can’t afford the psychiatric bill for them. That ends the story as far as I’m concerned.”
From ReasonOnline
and the Carpetbagger Report
REPUBLICANS:
* Mike Huckabee — Rejects evolutionary biology, but says it shouldn’t matter.
* John McCain — Has rejected, embraced, and rejected again intelligent-design creationism.
* Mitt Romney — Believes in evolution. “In my opinion, the science class is where to teach evolution.”
* Rudy Giuliani — Refuses to say and “successfully discouraged key advisors from speaking to Science about specific issues.”
* Duncan Hunter — Told the Creation Studies Institute that he would “support and encourage a more open approach to education in the presentation of scientific facts that contradict the theory of evolution.”
* Ron Paul — Rejects biological evolution as “a theory.”
* Fred Thompson — Has apparently never said publicly either way.
DEMOCRATS:
* Hillary Clinton — Believes in evolution.
* John Edwards — Believes in evolution.
* Barack Obama — Hasn’t been quoted on modern biology, but rejects intelligent-design creationism.
* Dennis Kucinich — Hasn’t been quoted on the subject.
* Mike Gravel — Has been rather emphatic on the subject. “My God, evolution is a fact, and if these people are disturbed by being the descendants of monkeys and fishes, they’ve got a mental problem. We can’t afford the psychiatric bill for them. That ends the story as far as I’m concerned.”
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday, November 10, 2006
Torture, Religion and the Mid-term Elections
I didn't mean to imply in my last post that criminal activity should be accepted, or that one shouldn't protect one's own in self-defense, I wanted to merely point out that these two arguments are often abused in the name of further atrocities.
The methods employed for achieving what are usually lofty goals are what makes one's actions either solutions or complications or even greater crimes than the instigator's. Waterboarding or any kind of torture contaminates any claims to a higher purpose, as does any action that undermines human life, dignity or wellbeing. Pre-emtive strikes, attacks on foreign soil, these are the things we often condemn when launched by "the other side". What differentiates who's who is not who's labeled as part of some "axis of evil", or who's a "demonic imperialist empire"... These are oversimplistic terms. In anybody's view "we"(meaning us or they)are always the "good guys"... So it is through our actions that we define who we are.
Unfortunately, here in the US, as in other countries, deep-rooted and easily manipulated xenophobia sometimes lurks under the veil of faith. But if one believes one's god to be generous, pure, understanding, and above all else good, wouldn't He despair at our discrimination and our hostility towards other human beings? Wouldn't He, (I'm using the Christian religion as an example) in his infinite kindness, encourage our benevolence towards our fellow men and women, no matter their color, their race or even religion?
I don't think it's very pure, benevolent or compassionate to consider anybody who doesn't share one's religion a sinner who should be looked down upon, or worse prosecuted. Even if you were the type of Christian, for example, who considers believers of different religions a lesser kind wouldn't isolation, discrimination and prosecution go against Jesus's treatment of Mary Magdalene? (Please note, I myself wouldn't make such comparison in the first place. Also, I don't want to point the finger at Christians in particular, it just so happens it is the predominant relgion where I live and as such the first example that comes to mind.) My point is that those who are worshiped were and are often revered because of the way their goodness and compassion exemplified their holiness. Isn't that at least part of what elicited adoration? Their goodness and purity, their ability for compassion?
When Einstein said that patriotism or nationalism was a dangerous human folly, or
something to that effect, I think he wasn't referring to how terrible any sense of belonging is or how terrible it is for us to love those close to us, it's not, but rather to how terrible it is when that love turns into hate towards those different than us, sometimes through the manipulation of power-hungry leaders. Hitler and the Nazis were more than likely in Einstein's mind when he denounced this.
Such tyranny, the intention to homogenize and control the world, obviously generates
resistance and if superficially successful would still leave an eternal resentment and widespread anger that would constantly pop up in a violent manner. Except for arm dealers no one would benefit from eternal war.
Since any unilateral action into foreign soil is charged with all sorts of subjective economic and political interests, it would take a more impartial multinational body representing the whole world and the common good, such as the United Nations, to prevent injustice by launching the initiatives deterring governments from invading or attacking other countries.
For one country to assume the mantle of world police would/or has led to the oppression of less powerful nations and ensuing resistance.
To blatantly bypass the United Nations, to shun the more impartial position of the international community when launching a preemtive strike without solid proof of an offense, for example, is to become the perpetrator, the offender in the eyes of the world, and even when one's economic power affords a certain degree of diplomatic immunity, the initial justification erodes, corrupted, resulting in worldwide animosity and distrust: not only abroad but also within the invading country.
I think this inner distrust was glaringly evident in the recent mid-term elections.
The methods employed for achieving what are usually lofty goals are what makes one's actions either solutions or complications or even greater crimes than the instigator's. Waterboarding or any kind of torture contaminates any claims to a higher purpose, as does any action that undermines human life, dignity or wellbeing. Pre-emtive strikes, attacks on foreign soil, these are the things we often condemn when launched by "the other side". What differentiates who's who is not who's labeled as part of some "axis of evil", or who's a "demonic imperialist empire"... These are oversimplistic terms. In anybody's view "we"(meaning us or they)are always the "good guys"... So it is through our actions that we define who we are.
Unfortunately, here in the US, as in other countries, deep-rooted and easily manipulated xenophobia sometimes lurks under the veil of faith. But if one believes one's god to be generous, pure, understanding, and above all else good, wouldn't He despair at our discrimination and our hostility towards other human beings? Wouldn't He, (I'm using the Christian religion as an example) in his infinite kindness, encourage our benevolence towards our fellow men and women, no matter their color, their race or even religion?
I don't think it's very pure, benevolent or compassionate to consider anybody who doesn't share one's religion a sinner who should be looked down upon, or worse prosecuted. Even if you were the type of Christian, for example, who considers believers of different religions a lesser kind wouldn't isolation, discrimination and prosecution go against Jesus's treatment of Mary Magdalene? (Please note, I myself wouldn't make such comparison in the first place. Also, I don't want to point the finger at Christians in particular, it just so happens it is the predominant relgion where I live and as such the first example that comes to mind.) My point is that those who are worshiped were and are often revered because of the way their goodness and compassion exemplified their holiness. Isn't that at least part of what elicited adoration? Their goodness and purity, their ability for compassion?
When Einstein said that patriotism or nationalism was a dangerous human folly, or
something to that effect, I think he wasn't referring to how terrible any sense of belonging is or how terrible it is for us to love those close to us, it's not, but rather to how terrible it is when that love turns into hate towards those different than us, sometimes through the manipulation of power-hungry leaders. Hitler and the Nazis were more than likely in Einstein's mind when he denounced this.
Such tyranny, the intention to homogenize and control the world, obviously generates
resistance and if superficially successful would still leave an eternal resentment and widespread anger that would constantly pop up in a violent manner. Except for arm dealers no one would benefit from eternal war.
Since any unilateral action into foreign soil is charged with all sorts of subjective economic and political interests, it would take a more impartial multinational body representing the whole world and the common good, such as the United Nations, to prevent injustice by launching the initiatives deterring governments from invading or attacking other countries.
For one country to assume the mantle of world police would/or has led to the oppression of less powerful nations and ensuing resistance.
To blatantly bypass the United Nations, to shun the more impartial position of the international community when launching a preemtive strike without solid proof of an offense, for example, is to become the perpetrator, the offender in the eyes of the world, and even when one's economic power affords a certain degree of diplomatic immunity, the initial justification erodes, corrupted, resulting in worldwide animosity and distrust: not only abroad but also within the invading country.
I think this inner distrust was glaringly evident in the recent mid-term elections.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Our Means should Reflect our Ends: The non-Violent Answer
Yesterday the Democratic party took control of
Congress. After much patronizing and self-
delusion, Rummy had to step down.
Bush's impopular Iraq war and the recent
Republican corruption scandals antagonized
enough voters for the Democrats to "whoop" the
asses of their opposition.
I was
*almost* starting to feel like Mark Twain, who
stayed in the country only as to avoid its
foreign policies.
The US should not act like a spoiled
brat bullying in the complicated, delicate tapestry of the world
stage. To lead, your
demands should be encouraged by example?
our actions should reflect our expectations.
But most of the weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq right now are the bombs being dropped by US
war planes. Should e battle some
local tyranny by violently and needlessly inflicting a rule from outside?
You can't enforce "freedom", a contradiction in
terms, or impose your beliefs on others. Sadly,
people can be antagonized and terrorized,
oppressed and enslaved. But that won't
necessarily affect what they believe in. If your
beliefs are reasonable all they'll need to
flourish is free expression, the means themselves can
bring strength to your argument. If you're
feeling particularly righteous in your stand why
not sway more people with the example and purity
of your own behavior?
This is my opinion on any belief. I think it was
Bertrand Russell who said that the least
reasonable your argument, the louder you are
forced to shout. When we use violence to drag
some message down people's throats we're
revealing the weakness of our own arguments.
Russell did say that "The stupid are cocksure,
and the intelligent full of doubt". My
interpretation of these words is not as negative
as his,( he started that thought with "What's
wrong with the world is...") as I think doubt is
an important antidote to close-mindedness. Your
thoughts and beliefs could earn their stay in
your mind by facing your constant probing and
reflection. Faced with this adversity, ideas
will evolve and our most valuable and essential
traits will remain.
My belief is that violence begets violence and
resentment. It's a cycle that's very difficult
to break, a conflict that often isn't overcome,
it merely lies dormant in the hearts and minds
of the survivors and their future generations.
Being born into this cycle makes it even harder
to stop or "turn the other cheek". But it's a
worthwhile aspiration to try to become the best
we can be, to overcome those harmful desires for revenge
Even if we believe in an after life, or in
another world, whatever our religion or
convictions are, isn't this earth and its beings
part of that creation? ... Wouldn't we more
likely gain access to that future, peaceful
bliss some call heaven if our actions on the
ground truly reflected those same ideals?
Of course the world would benefit from equality.
I think no matter your nationality the basic
needs of all people could and should be met.
And some think that violence is required for a
successful revolution, that it is necessary to
change the unjust conditions and corruption
which may run rampant under certain regime,
national or international. But sometimes those
that acquire power through violence hold on to it
through violence, even inflicting it upon the
people they initially, supposedly, fought for.
More than the other way around, our means
justify, and reflect, our ends. Our actions
reveal our objectives. Our methods reveal our
nature.
The idea of our own welfare depending on the
physical or ideological oppression of others,
will always fuel conflict and instability.
Underneath it all, what we all need and desire
is not that different. Our long-term survival,
our safety, our equality, are all more likely to
be achieved through tolerance, dialogue and
cooperation than through violence and
brutality.
Congress. After much patronizing and self-
delusion, Rummy had to step down.
Bush's impopular Iraq war and the recent
Republican corruption scandals antagonized
enough voters for the Democrats to "whoop" the
asses of their opposition.
I was
*almost* starting to feel like Mark Twain, who
stayed in the country only as to avoid its
foreign policies.
The US should not act like a spoiled
brat bullying in the complicated, delicate tapestry of the world
stage. To lead, your
demands should be encouraged by example?
our actions should reflect our expectations.
But most of the weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq right now are the bombs being dropped by US
war planes. Should e battle some
local tyranny by violently and needlessly inflicting a rule from outside?
You can't enforce "freedom", a contradiction in
terms, or impose your beliefs on others. Sadly,
people can be antagonized and terrorized,
oppressed and enslaved. But that won't
necessarily affect what they believe in. If your
beliefs are reasonable all they'll need to
flourish is free expression, the means themselves can
bring strength to your argument. If you're
feeling particularly righteous in your stand why
not sway more people with the example and purity
of your own behavior?
This is my opinion on any belief. I think it was
Bertrand Russell who said that the least
reasonable your argument, the louder you are
forced to shout. When we use violence to drag
some message down people's throats we're
revealing the weakness of our own arguments.
Russell did say that "The stupid are cocksure,
and the intelligent full of doubt". My
interpretation of these words is not as negative
as his,( he started that thought with "What's
wrong with the world is...") as I think doubt is
an important antidote to close-mindedness. Your
thoughts and beliefs could earn their stay in
your mind by facing your constant probing and
reflection. Faced with this adversity, ideas
will evolve and our most valuable and essential
traits will remain.
My belief is that violence begets violence and
resentment. It's a cycle that's very difficult
to break, a conflict that often isn't overcome,
it merely lies dormant in the hearts and minds
of the survivors and their future generations.
Being born into this cycle makes it even harder
to stop or "turn the other cheek". But it's a
worthwhile aspiration to try to become the best
we can be, to overcome those harmful desires for revenge
Even if we believe in an after life, or in
another world, whatever our religion or
convictions are, isn't this earth and its beings
part of that creation? ... Wouldn't we more
likely gain access to that future, peaceful
bliss some call heaven if our actions on the
ground truly reflected those same ideals?
Of course the world would benefit from equality.
I think no matter your nationality the basic
needs of all people could and should be met.
And some think that violence is required for a
successful revolution, that it is necessary to
change the unjust conditions and corruption
which may run rampant under certain regime,
national or international. But sometimes those
that acquire power through violence hold on to it
through violence, even inflicting it upon the
people they initially, supposedly, fought for.
More than the other way around, our means
justify, and reflect, our ends. Our actions
reveal our objectives. Our methods reveal our
nature.
The idea of our own welfare depending on the
physical or ideological oppression of others,
will always fuel conflict and instability.
Underneath it all, what we all need and desire
is not that different. Our long-term survival,
our safety, our equality, are all more likely to
be achieved through tolerance, dialogue and
cooperation than through violence and
brutality.
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