Wednesday, December 5, 2012, is National “Demand Radio Diversity” Day. What is that? Well, I’m glad you asked. Inspired by the documentary film “Corporate FM” (www.fmfilm.com), Soundtrack of the Week has decided to put together a day where everyone calls their favorite local radio stations and demand they play more local and indie artists. Essentially, quit playing the same shit over and over again! Corporate consolidation has run “Mom & Pop” radio stations into ground. Radio stations like the former 105.9 The Lazer in Lawrence not only exposed local and indie artists to a mass audience, but they also helped the local community in many other ways. Now that those types of radio stations are a thing of the past—thanks to a few corporations taking over—we are left with a watered down version of radio that consists of nothing but the same major record label artists hour after hour after hour. On-air personalities have little to no freedom over what they play or even what they can say. Why should you care? Two reasons: (1) you’ll be exposed to great musicians in your area that you can see live. Musicians you otherwise would never know about it. (2) Your local community will also benefit. Local charities and the like have dwindled since corporate consolidation took over radio. Wouldn’t it be nice to turn on the radio at work or in your car and hear something completely different and cool?!?! Wouldn’t it be nice to NOT have to hear Nickleback, Creed, or Mumford and Sons 2-3 times an hour on the same station?!?! Then on 12/5/12, call and/or email the program director* of your local radio station and demand whatever it is that you want to hear. Hell, go ahead and call or email the big radio corporations like Clear Channel, Entercom, Cumulus, CBS Radio, etc. The only way to make change is to let those in charge know that the majority DEMANDS change. You can also go here to download the above flier and distribute them in your area. Radio is dying. WE have the power to save it! Let’s get this going! SPREAD THE WORD! DAMN THE MAN, SAVE THE EMPIRE!!! Good example of what you get when The Man isn’t keeping you down: THIS WEEK’S ROUNDUP!

* Don’t call the DJ hotline/request line. It’s not their fault.

This year’s presidential election is getting a little nutty…more nutty than usual. About half the country will hate their commander-in-chief next year. Some may even lose their jobs, and not because of economic policies, per se. Koch Industries Sent 45,000 Employees a Pro-Romney Mailing. Here’s a quote from the mailing:

While we are typically told before each Presidential election that it is important and historic, I believe the upcoming election will determine what kind of America future generations will inherit.

If we elect candidates who want to spend hundreds of billions in borrowed money on costly new subsidies for a few favored cronies, put unprecedented regulatory burdens on businesses, prevent or delay important new construction projects, and excessively hinder free trade, then many of our more than 50,000 U.S. employees and contractors may suffer the consequences, including higher gasoline prices, runaway inflation, and other ills.

Enclosed with the letter was a flyer [PDF ] listing Koch-endorsed candidates, beginning with Romney. Robertson’s letter explained: “At the request of many employees, we have also provided a list of candidates in your state that have been supported by Koch companies or by KOCHPAC, our employee political action committee.

Why is there no law making it illegal for employers to persuade their employees who to vote for? A similar thing happened when David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts, sent out an anti-Obama email to his employees. Even though his email specifically said, “Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose,” in so many other words, he did exactly that. A CEO of a major company holds a lot of power. That power can easily manipulate employees to vote for the candidate of that CEO’s liking. Not cool. Employers should keep their politics and other beliefs to themselves at the workplace and stop being such Kochsuckers.*

* Did you think I wasn’t going to make a cock joke with that last name???

By now, I’m sure you are quite aware of Felix Baumgartner’s skydive from space. You can watch it here. Everybody is very impressed with Baumgartner’s amazing accomplishment and Red Bull’s sponsorship of the feat. Well, everyone except Gawker. Their write-up about the event paints Red Bull as an evil corporation that used a man’s life for a “heartless marketing stunt.” Shut. The. Fuck. Up. C’mon, really??? Gawker is the Fox News of the left minus actual reporting. They comment on other news outlet’s reporting. When they do break news, it’s usually because it fell on their lap, rather than the result of actual investigative reporting. Did Red Bull get a lot of publicity from this? Absolutely, as they should! Red Bull spent many years and millions of dollars to make this project a reality. Baumgartner was not forced to do this; he volunteered to do it. Red Bull and Baumgartner accomplished more in the private sector than NASA could do on the government’s budget. Private sector innovation like this will not only benefit NASA and other government agencies in terms of the technology created, but this “marketing stunt” will also encourage other private companies to explore science and technology. To get their money’s worth, Red Bull did indeed whore out their name. Who cares?!?! Gawker is turning into Rush Limbaugh in the fact that there is no way they actually believe half of the shit they say; they just say it to please the far left or for pure, entertainment shock value. People like them are why we cannot have nice things.

College is a place to learn about stuff that will benefit you throughout life…so they say. What kind of stuff? At Miami University of Ohio, you can learn about the Top 10 Ways to Get Away with Rape. Here they are (*drum roll*):

Let’s be honest, this is all common knowledge. It was sort of funny until the “slit her throat” thing, then it got a little weird. Okay, a LOT weird. The flier was placed on top of a school sanctioned “Top 10 Ways to Prevent Sexual Assault” flier in the men’s bathrooms. As sick and disgusting as this is, it’s still some guy playing a joke. If you can’t figure that out, then I’m not sure how you got into college in the first place. The university and the local police are investigating who created the fliers. Why? To start, it’s a waste of taxpayer money and resources to look for a guy who enjoys crude rape humor. If they do find him, I’m guessing expulsion is all they can do. What crime does this commit? Based on the above list, this guy isn’t the brightest, most well rounded person, so he’ll end up dropping out anyway. We have created a society where we are so butt-hurt about EVERYTHING and feel the need to go on a witch-hunt for everybody who expresses a sense of humor or opinion that we—individually—are morally against. If it isn’t against the law, man the fuck up, go about your day and move on with your miserable life!

If you bought an iPhone 5 within the first few days of it being out, you’re a hipster asshole. If you actually waited in line for it, you’re the worst type of human being. The iPhone 5 aside, Apple has some of the best products out there. They may be expensive, but they could cost a LOT more. Foxconn Admits To Underage Interns Working In Factories. Foxconn is the Chinese factory that makes damn near every Apple products. They have been in the news many times for the multiple suicides that happen at the workplace. It is reported that the factories have “suicide nets” to prevent such accidents. Foxconn employs about 1.2 million Chinese workers. Many of the factories have their own resident halls, which basically makes Foxconn locations their very own city. The average employee makes around $400/month; low by our standards, high by Chinese slave standards. Now, they have admitted to using children as young as 14. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are younger children working there that Foxconn has not admitted to. This is how capitalism works. If you want to buy your iPhone for ONLY $500, we have to exploit Chinese workers and children. If you don’t agree with outsourcing our factory jobs, then that means you agree to pay $1,000 for your iPhone. Oh, you don’t agree to that? Exactly. Everyone wants to take the moral high road on this issue, but no one wants to pay more. In our capitalistic society, our cool shit is worth more than moral integrity.

Hide your children, lock the doors and lock and load, because U.S. Violent Crime Is Up For First Time In Years. Data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics reveals a 22% increase in assaults. The data was collected via telephone surveys. I repeat: TELEPHONE SURVEYS. You know, rather than police reports or anything far more reliable. First of all, who owns a landline nowadays? People who need to be assaulted, that’s who. In addition to that, how many of those surveyed are honest and/or accurate about violent crimes against them? We live in a society where brushing up against someone in a crowded concert can be considered assault. I am quite aware of how wildly inefficient our government is, but telephone surveys for data that is IN THE BOOKS?!?! #SMH

Kids say the darndest things. Like 14-year-old from New Zealand:

Where do I start? First, someone against homosexuality used evolution to prove their point, which is weird considering they do not believe in evolution. I understand the strategy, but apparently, they don’t teach you about logical fallacies when homeschooled. Major points for originality with comparing homosexuality to the intelligence of ancient Romans and future duck overlords! It takes a “special” type of person to cross those lines. It’s good to see that the U.S. isn’t the only country with homophobic morons who don’t believe in evolution. Also, never trust someone who was homeschooled. More of than not, mom and dad are crazy assholes who don’t believe in science, logic, facts and reasoning. Therefore, they remove their “superior” children from the school system to teach them the “truth.” Eventually, they go on to being regulars at gay bars and doing scat films.*

* If you don’t know what scat is, DO NOT GOOGLE IT.

On the same topic of homophobes, ‘Mix It Up Day’ is Attacked as Effort to Promote Gay Agenda. “Mix It Up Day” is a national campaign organized by the Southern Poverty Law Center that forces children to sit with a different group of kids during lunch on certain days. It is an effort to promote diversity and tolerance. In other words, we’re trying to make our children not be dicks. As usual, the American Family Association is making sure we can’t have nice things: “The Southern Poverty Law Center is using this project to bully-push its gay agenda, and at the same time intimidate and silence students who have a Biblical view of homosexuality,” the AFA wrote on its website on Oct. 1. Here’s a quote from Bryan Fischer of the AFA: “The problem is pushing the normalization of homosexuality in schools…it winds up being used as a hammer to silence Christian students who oppose normalization of homosexuality. If you say a word criticizing homosexual behavior, you get accused of hate speech. This is a thinly-veiled effort to promote homosexuality.” Again, replace the words referencing homosexuals with “blacks,” and it is EXACTLY like the crap we saw with a racist, pre-1964 America, and look how history has treated that era. Should we silence Christians who “oppose normalization of homosexuality?” Yes. Fuck ‘em…in the ass. Then again, they will probably quietly enjoy that.

Dude! You just dropped that apple! QUICK! Five-second rule! Or is there a five-second rule? Scientists Have Debunked the Five-Second Rule. Thanks, assholes. Long story short, germs will get to your dropped food quicker than you can. The science behind it: who cares?!?! The real question is WHY ARE WE STUDYING THIS?!?! Let’s investigate, shall we. “The study, co-funded by Clorox…” There it is! Whenever you read about any scientific study, read the fine print. More often than should be allowed, research is backed by a corporation that will benefit from a certain conclusion. This particular study worked in Clorox’s favor, so they published it. What we will never know is how many other studies were done that didn’t go their way that they shredded. I’m glad companies like Clorox are wasting our scientists’ time with the Five-Second Rule instead of, you know, cancer and AIDS. The next time you drop your Snickers bar and your friend drops the Five-Second rule, tell him or her to “Fuck off,” lay down some science on them, and accuse them of trying to kill you with their lack of education. Or just eat the damn thing.

What To Look Forward To On “Episode 113: The Pop Culture Debate” of Soundtrack of the Week:

• Gay Porn Actor Claims He Isn’t Gay (Part I)
• Woman Scared To Death…of Mayonnaise (Part I)
• Presidential Debate Summarized In Under Two Minutes (Part I)
• Lotto Winner Has Unluckiest Ex-Girlfriend (Part I)
• Police Release Names of Johns to Gain Publicity (Part I)
• Lance Armstrong’s Fall From Grace (Part I)
• The SOTW Pop Culture Debate!!!!!! (Part II)

For more news and commentary that both Romney and Obama can agree on, listen to Soundtrack of the Week on www.soundtrackoftheweek.com, iTunes, and on your smartphone via Stitcher Radio (Twitter page at @SOTWpodcast). Also follow Ty on Twitter at @TySOTW. If you don’t, Romney wins…unless you like Romney, in which case, four more years of Obama. We lose either way, so just follow the Twitter accounts.