acquired taste project

Lately I’ve been filled with lyrical juices; I’ve been writing a lot and might record soon.  It’s a great way to get your emotions out there, and relieve stress.  It’s crazy how some of these rap celebrities go out there, and construct these one syllable raps that have absolutely no meaning.  I mean guys, this shit is fun; why wouldn’t you wanna try harder in your raps?  Afraid your head might explode?

Anyways, I’m getting off topic.  I love writing; hopefully i can record – if not, this is enough.  Here’s the first bar from a new track I’m working on entitled “The Recipe for Ignorance”:

ignorance is america’s new disease, and it spreads faster than swine flu

symptoms include a fog that drapes over and blinds you

the number infected is rising at an alarming rate

all you need is a couple empty words, and a charming face

some cases reported a loss of hearing

which was typical amongst the belligerent and god fearing

don’t blame yourself, it was in your rearing

your thought process is a bunch of recycled words, and conventional

i’m always surprised when I meet folks that are more than one dimensional

Weezer’s Raditude (Review)

Tomorrow, Weezer’s new record “Raditude” will hit stores.  I’ve already listened to the whole album and I gotta say: Weezer still keeps it real!  Despite having a more ‘pop’ sound, Raditude keeps the nerdy Weezer feel.  I was fazed to see Lil’ Wayne on a track; despite my hostility to the idealized rapper … it somehow works.

So far, they’ve released the single “If You’re Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)“, which has to be the longest title for a track I’ve ever seen.  It’s vibing pop track that somewhat strays away from Weezer’s sound.  But have no fear, this is not a reflection of the entire album.  The second single on the album, which has to be my favorite number, “I’m Your Daddy” brings back Weezer’s nerd-rock flavor.

As a whole, this is a well-comprised album.  I listened to the whole thing through and I enjoyed it; It’s not my favorite album by them, but it’s dignified.  If you aren’t a Weezer fan, you might wanna check out their earlier stuff – like The Blue Album – before giving this a listen.  If you’re already a Weezer fan, you’ll love it.

• Feel: B+
• Hook: A
• Lyrics: B-
• Overall: B+

Favorite Tracks: “I’m Your Daddy”, “Put Me Back Together”, “Trippin’ Down The Freeway”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A7OruAFESw

Republicans divided

Last week, Dick Cheney criticized President Obama for his indecision on the troop increase in Afghanistan.  The former vice president said that the Obama was ‘dithering‘, and needs to move forward with the troop enlargement.  This weekend, on CBS’s “Face The Nation“, John McCain (R-Ariz.) was asked what he thought of Cheney’s comments.  ”I wouldn’t use that language” said the former presidential candidate.  There seems too be two Republican parties; one that is filled with bitter who criticizes every move Obama makes, and the other is occupied by more moderate, independent conservatives.  There needs to be an overthrow in power in the Republican party; the moderate conservatives need to take charge, or else the party does not stand a chance in the 2012 elections.

Personally, I would love to see someone like Newt Gingrich or Olympia Snowe run for president.  Either one of these strong politicians would prove a strong opponent to Obama.  It won’t be long before we’ll be hearing those announcements to run for president; Tim Pawlenty has already given some hints for his 2012 bid.  The Minnesota governor came out earlier today, criticizing the president.  He also has announced that he will not run for reelection.

Hopefully we’ll soon see where the Republican party is going, and whether it will hold any substance in 2012.

• http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28700.html

Interest groups, and the HRC

Haven’t had a lot of creative ‘juices’ lately, but I just posted a blog for my Political Science class (dealing with interest groups).  So I thought I’d show ya’ll that …

Interest groups are a collection of people who try to influence the government. A lot of times, these interest groups are influenced by public and private corporations who persuade politicians to act in there own interests. Public officials often feel pressured to act on these urges because these ‘lobbyists’ provide them with financial contributions. 
The difference between interest groups and political parties is simple. Lobbyists are simply groups of people who coerce politicians in their favor on a specific issue. Political parties, on the other hand, are huge groups of people who have a collection of different beliefs. They often focus on a vast amount of different issues, rather than focusing on just one. 
In a pluralist democracy, there is a multiplicity of interest groups which create a balance of power. Which means, because there is always one or more interests groups fighting against an opposing one, no lobbying group can ‘monopolize’ or take control over power.
Personally, I would join the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which is a highly influential lobbying group that strives for gay rights. If i was a member, I would attempt to show American citizens how/why gays/lesbians deserve civil rights, such as marriage. I would do this by putting them in the mind of someone who does not have the same rights as they, and asking them how they would feel if they were denied rights which every other American enjoyed and abused. There is so much hypocrisy occurring when gay marriage is argued – many of the same men who argue against it are ones who have gone through several marriages themselves, and have cheated on their spouses. But it is hard of course, to get people out of a certain mindset – and that will be the biggest difficulty moving forward.

Rock Band: The Beatles (Review)

Now I’m not the biggest Beatles fan; so right off the bat you would think this wouldn’t be appealing to me.  But a friend and I were in GameStop and we started playin’.  I gotta say, this wasn’t half-assed.  This is the ultimate tribute to The Beatles.  Between the layout to the the song selections – this screams Beatles.  I was amazed with the improvements in graphics, menus, and ways you sing and play the songs.  You feel like you’ve just entered a time traveling hippie van, and you are now in the 60′s.

The other great thing about it was – I didn’t get tired of it.  The more I played, the more I enjoyed and understood people’s love for this band.  Another great part about this game is that it doesn’t just give you the most popular songs; it gives you an average of five songs per album.  And it also covers their array of genres, from their earlier rock and roll to pop songs.  If you’re a fan of Rock Band – check this out, regardless of your feelings to The Beatles.  This game is the real deal.

Where the Wild Things Are (Review)

So today, my mama and I saw Where the Wild Things Are.  It was a visual masterpiece; too bad I can’t say the same for the dialogue.  Don’t get me wrong, the film was great.  That kid was cracked out though…  I thought it was funny that the main ‘wild thing’ was Tony Soprano.  There are moments where the film will jerk you around and leaving scratching your head, but your eyes will be so happy you won’t give a damn.  The film does follow the latter, the book (although the book only had ten sentences).  Overall it was a lighthearted, feel-good, visually breathtaking film; I recommend it.

Story: A-

Dialogue: C+

Visuals: A+

Acting: B

Overall: B+

Making the ‘big leap’

My mind is made up; I’ve decided to move to Virginia in summer.  Over the past few months, this has been the number one thing on my mind.  The hardest part about this will be the loss of my dear friends.  But I know we will keep in contact, and I will always be there for them.  Although this is a big step, I’m very excited.  All of my close family lives in the area, and I’ll get to see them often.  Sorry for the formal talk ….  I can’t wait for the cooler weather, the nicer people, and just a scenery change in general.  This ignorant, inconsiderate, egocentric town is boring me.  Boca is so sterol; the abundance of nature in Roanoke will be nice.  Well I don’t know what else to say but I got no regrets.  I’m definitely gonna hang with everyone as much as possible before I move!

‘Free Your Mind’

Just started working on a new piece today entitled ‘Free Your Mind’.  This is actually the first piece I’ve done that actually focuses around … well .. me.  It focuses on my racing mind and constant need to overanalyze.

But wait, I know it sounds like a bit of a downer but the message is uplifting.  The message is as simple as the title ‘free your mind’; let go and don’t let the little things bother you.

I might actually finish it at some point tonight but I’m stumped on the amount of detail I should put in it (due to the way it is drawn).  It’s very difficult for me to show adequate detail in an ink drawing, but hopefully I can figure out all that crap before the sun rises.  I don’t want to rush it though; too often I have a great idea that is ruined by my impatience.  But on a lighter note, it’s looking decent so far.

GOP 2.0

Recently, the Republican party has revamped their website – www.gop.com.  The site prides itself in its diverse supporters, which actually has been a big problem for the party in the past years.  A lot of the ‘supporters’ are questionable; for example – Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, but over the past hundred years the parties views have switched.  Modern conservatism is adjacent to past liberalism.  This may leave you with scratching your head; to put it in lamens terms – if Lincoln lived in this time period, he would be a Democrat.  Furthermore the site goes on to say, on it’s ‘who we are’ page:

“It all started with people who opposed slavery. They were common, everyday people who bristled at the notion that men had any right to oppress their fellow man. In the early 1850’s, these anti-slavery activists found commonality with rugged individuals looking to settle in western lands, free of government charges. “Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men,” went the slogan. And it was thus in joint opposition to human enslavement and government tyranny that an enterprising people gave birth to the Republican Party….”

This is misleading because of what I said before.  The site also bashes liberals and the current administration; this doesn’t bother me but I would also like to see them offer up some of their own ideas.  I don’t have a beef with the party; I have a beef with the way the party’s leaders are presenting themselves.  The Republican party has some great views and I don’t understand why they’re not conveyed to potential supporters.  Everything’s about opposition and pessimism; that isn’t attractive to the average American citizen.

As cliche as it sounds, congressional Republicans have become the party of ‘no’.  The narrow-mindedness is at an all time high.  But there is glimmers of hope; there are some great members of this party that need to seize power and become leaders.  People like: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senators John McCain & Olympia Snowe, and even McCain’s daughter Meghan McCain.  I would love to see these people and others take action and control of their party.  All they need to do is push their broad views and dumb down on the radical agenda.  Although a lot of conservatives believe the only way to get supporters is to push a radical-conservative agenda, it would be best at this time to push for a more moderate agenda.  Conservatism is a great thing and that is what needs to be presented to the American people.

Snowe votes ‘yes’!

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-MN)

Today, the final vote for Senator Baucus’s healthcare bill was made in the Finance committee.  A shocking moment came as the republicans started to vote all their ‘nays’; Sen. Olympia Snowe voted ‘yes’.  Disgraced republicans glared at Snowe with grimaces on their face.  This is going to stir up some party infighting – exciting.  I believe the biggest conservative opposers of this bill will bash Snowe for her ‘defiance’.

Being a moderate, I love seeing congressmen/women break from their parties popular opinion.  This may push Snowe to eventually run as an independent, maybe even switch parties.  Olympia Snowe is the last of a dying bread, being one of the few moderate republicans left in the Senate.  Hopefully this bold move will push senate republicans to take a more moderate approach on coming issues.  Although, it is likely they will be the ones pushing Snowe – out of the republican party.