John Ashcroft will be releasing a new song, which is destined to fly higher than his last. This latest Ashcroft offering is to be titled Biometric Control Waltz or simply Biometric Waltz. According to John, he was inspired to pen this ditty upon learning of his former boss’s announcement of the intended use of biometric employee id cards for temporary workers. Upon the realization that this would mean that all citizens would soon need to have biometric cards, John was ecstatic. Mr. Ashcroft says that his former boss will be joining a group headed by Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, William Jefferson, and Scooter Libby that will produce biometric identity cards and readers for the government. These National Identity Cards, which will be necessary for employment and National Security, will offer full auditability every time an individual transacts with the system as well as the management of identities throughout their life cycle. Governments do have a requirement to implement accurate authentication for all citizens and employees in their countries utilizing systems independently assessed and proven able to handle large population groups using multiple methods of authentication. As Mr. Ashcroft so aptly put it, fear of immigration will allow our government once again to foist an unnecessary control technique upon our citizenry especially when fear of terrorism is engendered by it. John’s new release, sampled below, will be available upon passage of immigration reform mandating biometric identity cards.

Just click on "Read the full article... " below

SIUC Cinema and Photography has organized a visit by this Los Angeles/New York based collective Ultra-Red this semester. Ultra-Red will be in residence at SIU for a week to work intensively with students to prepare a new iteration of their ongoing performance series SILENT/LISTEN," a sound performance that live-mixes sound and interviews regarding the ongoing AIDS/HIV crisis. The piece seeks to explore questions like "Where has the AIDS crisis been?" and "Where might it be going?" by listening to the voices of people who have themselves been affected by the pandemic and the shifting politics surrounding it or active in confronting them. Ultra-Red has conducted iterations of the project across the U.S. and Canada and we are excited to welcome them to SIU.