S-Curl Accident

Jake Plummer's Retirement

2007-03-05T18:34:00.001-05:00

Jake Plummer was a great college QB, leading an average ASU team to a Rose Bowl. This guy should have been a star in the NFL but was a chronic underachiever in the pros. I liked the way he played but he ruined no fewer than 2 fantasy football teams for me, so I wasn't a Jake Plummer guy. Until I saw this interview that he did with Peter King, then I became more sympathetic towards his on field struggles because he was dealing with some serious off field issues.
I'm talking about the Pat Tillman situation. I hate to invoke the name of Pat Tillman, because I have been very critical of people (NFL, John McCain, US Military) who have done the same in politicizing his death. But seeing how upset Jake got in an interview discussing the way the military and government handled Pat's death made me pretty sympathetic towards him and his struggles on the field. I began to root for Jake Plummer because I respected that he lost a friend which is always hard. And how he is using his platform to speak out for the family and to honor his friend.
After 10 seasons in the pros, at the age of 32 and fully healthy Jake decided to walk away from the NFL. He's come under fire because he said that he's going to go backpacking and traveling. Obviously he's searching for some personal truth and I can completely understand that after what he's had to deal with. Check the video below.

Bored Yet Busy: On Hiatus

2007-03-03T00:24:00.000-05:00

Yeah I haven't posted in here for over a month, which I'm sure has disappointed my 3 loyal readers. But I'm planning on revamping this whole blog, once I get my affairs in order. Until further notice consider consider s-curl accident is under construction. But don't worry we'll be back and bigger than ever soon enough.

Olbermann: Mad As Hell, and Not TakingThis Anymore

2007-01-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

KO starts the New Year off right with a blistering special comment on the proposed new strategy of 'sacrifice' in Iraq.

Aparently against the advice of the Iraq Study Group, the advice of the joint chiefs of staff, the advice of generals on the ground, the opinion of the American public and all common sens,e George W. Bush is about to put more troops in Iraq (the estimate is anywhere from 20,000-40,00). Bush is calling this a sacrifice. I call it dillusional. Clearly GWB must have watched Apocalypto over the Christmas break and thought that 'sacrifce and accelerate' would fit right in with 'shock and awe', 'mission accomplished', 'stay the course', 'adapt and win' and all of the other hollow sloganeering of this ridiculous war.
Here is a video of a Special Comment from Keith Olbermann. In rare form, as incensed as I have ever seen him. And rightfully so. Keith is the only commentator in the MSM who is courageous enough to hold the adminsitration to account and say what we all want to say but are too afraid to. Thanks Keith.

Video

Bigotry in American Politics

2006-12-22T00:03:00.000-05:00

After Lewinsky-gate, the conservative rallying cry was a pledge to usher in a new era of civility and dignity in Washington. I'm not even gonna waste my time explaining to you how and why this pledge has been a colossal failure. Although Plamegate, Ambramoff, Swiftboat ads, Tom Delay, Foleygate, Ted Haggard and the litany the lies come to mind. In fact you don't need me to do that, the tenor of the political discourse in America has become so polarized these days, that it speaks directly to the lack of civility brought by the divise policies of the Bush administration. But no matter where you stand on the issues, we should be united in the idea that bigotry and intollerance has no place in politics.

With this war on terror, there has been a lot of xenophobia and islamophobia. Many in the media and in government have chosen to counter extreme jihadist Islamic fundamentalism with extreme islamophobia and hateful rhetoric. I must say that moderation and understanding on both sides is the only way to resolve this 'clash of civilisations' as Fukuyama might call it. There are moderate Muslims, and they must stand up for their religion in firm opposition to the Islamic extremists who have highjacked their religion. We moderates in the west must also stand in opposition to western imperialism, xenophobia, ignorance and intollerance.

Now I know some of you are like: Chief, your exaggerating. We aren't that intollerant in a Western Liberal democracy. In fact we are very tollerant and accepting of other religions and cultures. Well Jerry Klein perfomed a very interesting sociological experiment on his radio show to expose anti-Muslim bigotry.
Check the video here.
I thought what he did was genius, but still pretty scary as to how a large subset of our population feels about Muslims.

Nowhere is this bigotry and intollerance more evident than in the case of Keith Ellison who was the first muslim ever elected to the US house of representatives. The abbreviated story is that he wants to take his private oath and swear on the Islamic holy scripture, The Qur'an. This has draw criticism from those on the extreme right. Scratch that; the word criticism some how implies that the vitriol is somewhat legitemate. Xenophobic conservatives have exposed themselves and their own bigoted agenda. None are worse then Glenn Beck, Dennis Prager, Sean Hannity and Virgil Goode. Glenn Beck essentially calls on Ellison to prove that he is not a traitor. Hannity equates the Qur'an with Mein Kampf. Prager says that the use of the Qur'an will embolden the terrorsits and turn America into an Islamic theocracy. Virgil Goode says that allowing Ellison to use the Qur'an will lead to an influx of illegal Muslim immigration. This shit is so ridiculous, all the guy wants to do is serve his country and take and oath on his holy book (in private, I might add) Check the videos below.

Glenn Beck
Dennis Prager
Virgil Goode

I have to say, if I were Keith Ellison, I don't know if would have the restraint or the patience to respond with the class that he did.

Keith Ellison

Soundtrack for 2006 (Songs of the Year)

2006-12-21T15:40:00.000-05:00

(in no particular order)
*Songs that didn't come out this year, but were part of the soundtrack of this year

Ricky Fitts-Let's Dance in Blood and Pretend its Snow
The Pack-Vans
Young Dro-Shoulder Lean (Fractured Elbow Remix) I haven't even heard the original, and don't want to This remix is killin' it
Plastic Little-Now I Holler ft. Spank Rock
AvA-Distraction
Madvillain-Monkey Suite
Justice vs. Simian-We are Your Friends
Justice- Waters of Nazareth (Erol Alkan remix)
Papoose-50 Shots Excellent Protest Rap on the Shawn Bell murder
(+44) Make You Smile
Jay-Z-Hot 97 Freestlye
Nas- Black Republican ft.Jay-Z
Spank Rock-Bump
Spank Rock- Put That Pussy on Me
Bloc Party-Hunting for Witches
Morningwood-Nth Degree
Ratatat-Nostrand
TVOTR-Wolf Like Me
TVOTR-A Method
Uffie-Hot Chick
Alexisonfire-Crisis
Dead Prez-Afrika*
Free Speech-I Don't Know
Lupe Fiasco-I Gotcha
The Roots-Long Time
Nirvana-Nobody Knows I'm New Wave*
Curb Your Enthusiasm Theme*
Schooly D-Aqua Teen Hunger Force*
Hollywood Divorce-Outkast
Corrine Bailey Rae-Put Your Records on
3 6 Mafia-Stay Fly
The Dears-Ticket to Immortality
DangerDoom-Space Ho's (Madlib Remix)
Billy Talent-Pins and Needles
Pearl Jam-Comatose
Billy Talent-Pins and Needles
MSTRKRFT-Neon Knights
Gnarls Barkley-Just a Thought
Ghostface Killah-Charlie Brown
Ghostface Killah-Clipse of Doom
Spank Rock- Back Yard Betty
The Strokes-Vision of Division
MIA-XR2
Clipse-Ride Around Shining
Arctic Monkey-I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Peaches-You Love It
Eagles of Death Metal-Shasta Beast
The Zutons-Tired of Hanging Around
Wolfmother-Dimension
The Deadly Snakes-Can't Sleep at Night*
Shout Out Out Out Out- Chicken Soup for The Fuck You On the title Alone
Lilly Allen- Smile (Aaron La Crate remix)
Snoop Dogg-Vato
Pase Rock-Lindsay Lohan's Revenge ft. Spank Rock

Top Albums of 2006

2006-12-20T00:52:00.000-05:00

The 2006 Music Report

Am I the only person who finds that I listen to music differently in 2006? With leaks, the internets, terabyte hard drives, torrents, Ipods, blogs and message boards I found that I was inundated with access to new music. My appetite for music has become insatiable. I always want to be the first person to hear the newest release (or I should say soon-to-be released), I want to have the illest playlist. Basically I want my beat to be correct. And it is correct. But I used to have a few discs on repeat and let albums grow on me and fully digest them, now its like: ‘oh the shit leaked? I though that album doesn’t come out until Feb. 2007? Ah well, I have 14 minutes of free time to download the torrent.’
Honestly its not the same as when I was in junior high and waiting impatiently for months for the Tuesday when my album gets released. You would be begging your mom to drive you to the mall so you could go to Sunrise or HMV and buy your CD (or cassette). In some cases when your mom refused to drive you, waiting out in the rain for the #4 bus to take you to the mall so that you could get your tunes. Then riding back on the bus and ripping open the packaging and reading the liner notes. With all this new technology, we’ve gained an immediacy where you snap your fingers and you can have anything you want within a half hour, but I think we kinda devalued the product and more importantly the restless emotions of anticipation that came with buying records.
I’m not decrying the practice of downloading, because I download more than anyone out there. But I also buy records that I feel are worth buying. I just feel a little ambivalence is all. I actually don’t have and Ipod….yet. Not because I am fundamentally opposed to them, but because they are pretty damn expensive, also I get the whole ‘it holds 4.5 million songs’ thing but really you can only listen to one at a time so what’s the rush. That’s why I still fuck with cassettes (I like making mix tapes) and why I indulged my nü-retro tendencies and bought my first vinyl LP this year. My collection is slowly growing, but it will help me balance my impulse to download every new song, when I can just throw on some wax and vibe to that. Anyways, that’s how I feel about the state of music in my life in 2006 and here are my lists.

Best Albums of 2006

#15) MF DOOM-Metal Fingerz Presents: Special Herbs the Box Set vols. 0-9
Terrible Way to start off my list seeing as how this was essentially a compilation album of instrumentals of old material. But I don’t care, this 3 disc box set has 80-plus tracks of DOOM’s genius. I love him as an MC, but this record highlighted, and made me appreciate his production skills much more.

#14) Pearl Jam S/T
They were one of my favourite bands right when I was just getting into music around grade 4. I was one of the fans who didn’t have the attention span or the patience to bear with them in the post Vitalogy era. But this album picks up where Vitalogy left off, and is filled with political vitriol for the current state of the world. Against all odds Pearl Jam managed to become very relevant again.

#13) The Dears-Gang of Losers
I never really got into The Dears until now but this album is great. I don’t think that the Morrissey/Damon Albarn comparisons are necessary. Murray’s song writing and voice are strong enough to stand on their own two.

#12) Billy Talent-II
This was a great album filled with lots of nervous energy and songs about not being comfortable about where you are. I should really give this another listen. It a lot harder and more urgent sounding than the first Billy Talent record.

#11) J-Dilla- Donuts
Have I become one of those muppets, who laud the genius of an artist after they pass away, while basically ignoring their brilliance while they were still here? I guess I am. The truth is that J-Dilla’s production is ubiquitous throughout the catalogue of many of my favourite hip hop records (De La Soul, Tribe, Common, Erykah Badu, Busta, Mos Def, Pharcyde, GURU) but I just didn’t realize it was him until after he died. It’s a shame that many talented artists receive more praise in death than they did in life. Even worse how we try and piggyback on their legacies. With all that aside, this collection of instrumental shards is amazing. And even more amazing that he crafted most of these tracks on a hospital bed. That’s passion. R.I.P. Dilla.

#10) Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Show Your Bones
Not as good as Fever to tell. It kinda feels like YYY-lite. This is still good because Karen O’s voice is equal parts serene and chaotic, but some of the more up-tempo tracks suffered from over-production, that was too slick.

#9) Nas- Hip Hop is Dead
Upon further review, this one could either drop off the list (like Street Disciple did) or go higher. It doesn’t even come out until this Tuesday, but I gave it a few spins and really like the production. ‘Black Republicans’ is a crazy track that officially puts the Jay-Z beef to rest. ‘Who Killed It’ is hit or miss, I think that it is extremely creative. But does have ‘cringe-worthy’ potential. The Dre track is wild but unfortunately he decided to have Gayme on it. My main critique was on the decision to use the same Iron Butterfly sample on the lead-off single as he did on the last album. I like this one, I thought thief’s theme was kinda whack. Either way, solid record.

#8) MSTRKRFT-The Looks
Yeah I was pissed when DFA1979 broke up. But when I heard that JFK and Al-P were releasing an LP for their electro-house outfit, I was interested. This record will destroy your tweeters. Only 8 tracks, but it pumps from start to finish. This album reintroduced me to electro and opened a whole new door of house music to me. I’m serious these tracks will make you wanna dance and they will wreck your speakers.

#7) Ratatat-Classics
My 3rd instrumental album on the list? (4th if you count MSTRKRFT) How pretentious. In all honesty, this record is funkier than the first Ratatat joint but doesn’t flow as well. Nostrand is far and away the best track on there, absolutely perfect for cruising. Again one of the most unique sounds you will ever hear.

#6) Gnarls Barkley- St. Elsewhere
Suicidal ideation, necrophilia, societal alienation, psychopathology and depression. Who would’ve thought that the year’s most accessible album would be one with lyrical content that dealt with such macabre subject matter? I’m not too cool to admit that I liked Crazy (aka: Hey Ya! 2006). Yeah this became the pop record that united indie hipsters and soccer-moms alike. But I’m not too cool to admit that the songs were brilliant, the production was avant guard and Ceelo’s falsetto was dominating. How cool can I be? I’m writing my favourite album list for the 3rd year in a row.

#5) TV on The Radio-Return to Cookie Mountain
Some bands and their sound suffer from more intense, higher quality production (YYYs) and some bands benefit. Guess what side TVOTR fall on. The percussion on this record fleshed out what was missing on the first record. The thing that I like about this band and this record is that they are able to create an atmospheric sound with songs and melodies that draw you into this weird place but lets you explore different layers of the songs. The interplay between the vocals (both lead and background) and the guitars are amazing.

#4) The Roots-Game Theory
?uestlove is one of the best drummers alive. All of these tracks are driven by the percussion and Black Thought’s lyrics weave in and out of the drumbeat. Its too bad that the band is so good, that Black Thought's skill as an MC gets overlooked. A very political record but also a bunch of introspective tracks as well. Released on a monster label, but it stays true to rest of the Roots’ catalogue.

#3) Ghostface Killah-Fishscale
Tony Starks frantic lyrical delivery with DOOM’s production? It’s a wrap. This was by far the best rap record of 2006. And some of the best tracks (Charlie Brown) didn’t even make the final cut. The thing that prevents this from being the best album of the year are the cover (shoulda stayed with the original), the sequencing (I start the album at track 12 and repeat it all the way back to 11) and like most rap records, a few skits too many.

#2) The Strokes-First Impressions of Earth
A lot of people hated on this record. This is ironic, because the critique was that the 2nd Strokes album sounded too much like the first. And the common critique was that this one didn’t sound enough like its predecessors. Which is true, but different is a good thing in the case of the Strokes. The songs are all crafted without regard for the classic ‘verse-chorus-verse’ song structure and free of any cliché. I think it was a triumph. The guitar work was a lot more sophisticated and Jules Casablancas actually sang with some emotion on these tracks. This might (MIGHT) be the best Strokes album to date.

#1) Spank Rock-Yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyo
I wanna be clear: this record was without question the record of the year. Nobody else was even close. Once I heard it, it was a competition for second. The most exciting thing to happen to music in a long time. The production is wild: funky and grimey yet fluid and fresh. That description made absolutely no sense. But it’s not because my vocabulary is weak, but because Spank Rock is so good that no written description can do it justice. You really have to hear it to understand what it’s all about. But one thing is clear: it is fun, dirty, and phat. I think that their myspace describes their sound like: Fat Girls popping champagne in a Jacuzzi. That is so accurate it’s not even funny. These songs are perfect for every scenario: clubbing, cruising, shagging, head nodding, working out, whatever. Basically perfect for living. Perfect for everything except studying, and that’s only because when you hear it, you wanna shake your shit. Honestly Spank Rock is killin’ it. Yoyoyoyoyo holds the crown because it is completely original, nothing out there sounded like it, and the songs never got old and never failed to put a smile on my face.

Worst Albums of 2006
Audioslave-Revelations
12 tracks, one listenable one. Did I mention, that I REALLY miss Rage Against the Machine?
Outkast-Idlewild OST
As much as I miss RATM and Face to Face and Death From Above 1979, at least those bands had the courtesy to break up rather than staying together and putting out shitty records. I mean this album has what 20 tracks and only 2 where they rap together (along with Snoop and L’il Weasel to serve as a buffer). Oh yeah and the title is ‘Hollywood Divorce’? Just break up already, fuck.
Angels and Airwaves-We don’t Need To Whisper
Tom promised his new band would have the ‘conceptual depth of Pink Floyd and the anthemic architecture of U2.’ Really? Word? This is coming from the guy who ran all over town naked in his video, titled an album ‘Take of Your Pants and Jacket’ and wrote Ben Wah Balls? I haven’t heard anything more pretentious in my life.
The Streets- The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
This hurts me because the two previous Streets albums are two of my all time favourites. But I just can’t relate to this one. I can relate to being broke, drunk and feckless. I can’t relate to cocaine binges, buying Ferraris or dating models and pop stars…although if you know anyone….
(+44)-When Your Heart Stops Beating
Not as bad as AvA, but not as good as Blink 182 was. Yeah that’s right I liked Blink-182. After all, I was once in high school. There is one good song on this record: ‘Make You Smile’ sounds like a mixture of The Postal Service and Blink which is what I was told this record would sound like. But I guess when Carol Heller left the band, they just got 2 of the most ‘punk looking’ guys that they could find and decided to re-name their band Blink-226.
Clipse-Hell Hath No Fury
This was the most over hyped hip-hop album of all time. It has been shelved for 3 years and all we were told is that it was a classic. It was just so hot they couldn’t release it because of the hotness. After the mixtape, that was a realistic expectation. But it really seems like the Neptunes just kept all of their minimalist beats from the past 3 years and Clipse threw some lazy rhymes about selling dope behind them.
Jay-Z-Kingdom Come
Great production. Lazy rhymes about being the Mike Jordan of Rap and the new darling of the corporate world. Why don’t you stop making records and go back to hanging out with Fall Out Boy, Rhianna and Louis XIV.
Beck-The Information
I almost bought this, just so that I could play with the stickers, but then I listened to it and was so bored that I realized I wouldn’t be able to stay awake long enough to create my own album cover. Boring.
RHCP-Stadium Arcadium
ZZZZ boring. I mean I like Tom Petty too, but a double album of Tom Petty covers? Actually this album was so boring that i couldn't even listen to the whole thing, maybe I just caught the boring songs.
Foo Fighters-Skin and Bones
Obviously Dave Grohl thinks that a live acoustic record means playing the soft songs at a slower tempo. This doesn't work, B its just boring. The only arrangement on this album that I can stand to listen to is 'Next Year'. I am weary of comparing Foo Fighters to Nirvana, but Unplugged Live in New York was good because it gave the songs a new light and showed a haunting, darker side of Nirvana that was burried under layers of distorted guitars. Skin and Bones reveals how boring Foo Fighter songs are when you play them slowly.

Some more Good Records
Alexisonfire- Crisis
I was never big into AOF but I heard the first single thought it was good. And the rest of the album is even better. I like the fact that AOF has 3 different vocalists with three different sounds, its like having 3 diferent bands in one. Something that QOTSA perfected.
Arctic Monkeys-Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I am Not
Seeing as how these blokes are only 19, this album is solid. Call it what you want: post-punk, garage rock-britpop. Just call it good cuz that's what it is.
Sway-This is my Demo
Hillarious, witty British rap with a very smooth flow. Its great to hear a British Rapper without gimmicks (like trying to be über-british or trying to be American). Sway is what he is, a second Generation East Londoner (via Ghana) with a sick flow.
The Coup-Pick a Bigger Weapon
Proof that ultra-political music can be be funky. Boots Riley kills it as a lyricist. And no album cover drama this time. (album art was created in June 2001, months before the September 11th attacks)
Peaches-Impeach My Bush
Best Album Title Ever. This album had some really great cameos (Josh Homme, Joan Jett, Feist), and Peaches minimalist production is creates a very sexy, aggresive sound. Her lyrics are intimidating though. I like her, but I'm pretty sure I'm afraid of her. She really doesn't give a fuck. On this album she really bridges the gap between sexual dissent and political dissent. Her originality and fearlessness is what I like about her.
Eagles of Death Metal- Death by Sexy
'It ain't Bible Study, it's rock 'n roll'-Jesse 'The Devil' Hughes. Truer words haven't been spoken.
The Zutons-Tired of Hanging Around
I like the Zutons. I like this record. I like the fact that they have a saxophonist in their band. And I like the fact that they play psychedelic funk, and mix it with birtpop. Just a good record.
Boot Camp Click-The Last Stand
The best hiphop supergroup of all time. (Sorry Wu-Tang). These songs are raw, gritty, authentic street hiphop. Unrelated but this was also the best rap show I've seen in a long time these songs sound even better live.

Meh...the rest of them
These are OK albums that weren't great, weren't bad. They just didn't inspire me or draw my ire. But I might throw 'em on if there's nothing else to listen to (which never happens)
Lupe Fiasco-Food and Liquor
Should be called Oatmeal and Water cause it is so bland.
Wolfmother-
Yeah I like to cover Led Zeppelin songs too. But I didn't build my whole public persona around that fact. Oh yeah, and just because you are a white guy with an afro, doesn't mean that your band sounds anything like Mars Volta.
Ludacris-Release Therapy
The cover looks like an R+B record.
Thom Yorke- The Eraser
'Radiohead-lite and electrolycized.' Got that out of your system Thom? Good, now get to work on the new Radiohead album.
The Raconteurs-Broken Boy Soldiers
Oh Jack White's in theis band? And he's got a real drummer? Great, these songs are still kinda boring.
Busta Rhymes-The Big Bang
Touch it, Move it, Play it, Watch it.....for the millionth time.

Stuff I downloaded, but haven't really listened to yet (tell me if its good)

Mylo
Jr. Boys
Hot Chip
Mogwai
The Black Keys

OK I think that outta cover it. Until next year. (two weeks)

Eagerly Anticipating

Bloc Party (even though I've had it for a month)
QOTSA (is JFK on this or what?)
PJ Harvey
The Good The Bad and The Queen

Top Live Shows of 2004

2006-12-20T00:49:00.000-05:00

Originally authoured December 12th 2004

OK Friends, as you all know from my previous e-mail 2k4 has been a good year for music. I've made it a point to check out a lot of concerts this year because to me, the mark of a good musician is the ability to play their material live for a crowd and have that crowd go nuts. I also have made it a point to not waste time with music that I don't like, so everybody who I saw this year are artist that I love and respect. As many of you on this list know from last nights Nas show, I wasn't impressed in the least. I will go as far as saying this is the worst live show that I have ever seen (I will explain further below). He're how it stacks up to the rest of the live shows that I saw this year.

But first let me just say that a concert is a very personal experience, it is between you and the artist on stage so everybody's experience is different. To me a good concert must entail the following criteria:

* a good setlist (the right mix of old and new songs)
* The ability to move the crowd
* The ability to perfrom the songs at a level that is better or equal to the quality on the record (why should I pay money to hear a show that is below the quality of the album? If thats the case I'd just rent a karaoke machine)
* the cost ratio (I'm not tight when it comes to money, but it is important when you sacrifice a week's worth of grocery money and pay $50 for a show that you get your moneys worth)
* ability to work with the venue (this is kinda outside of the artist's control but you have to be able to work with the space=> a good artist can rock a dank alleyway if that's what's given to them)
* crowd ( I'm probably contradicting myself because earlier I said that its between you and the band, but admit it, it makes a difference when everyone around you is singing the songs word for word and going nuts)
* To a lesser extent: the quality of the opener. ITs a full package. (ex: the best show that i've ever seen was Rage Against the Machine- my favourite rock group and who opened for them? Gangstarr, my favourite rap group..... and Queens of The Stone Age, who I hadn't heard of at the time, but are sick: don't sleep on their 3 albums)
* Ability to meet or exceed expectations (if you are like me: all week before the show you are anticipating what to expect. You have a vision in your head of what the show should look/ sound/ smell like)

#1) The Streets (June 25/ Mod Club/-$20/ opener: DJ sassale)=> I really expected the show to be him up there 'rapping' with a little mpc box providing the beats. But he came with a tight 4 peice band and the beats sounded so much bigger and more epic. He performed mostly stuff from the OPM album (which is miles better then the new record). But played the best half of the new record. And then finished with a cover of RATM-Freedom. Mod club was a sick venue to see a show, and I was able to score tix for the afterparty and chill with the band. He performed at a level that was way above the record, and before ' Too much brandy' he took out a bottle of brandy and poured 6 ounces down my throat. Awesome. Moreover, the show was only 20 bucks. Top this: you can't.

#2) Face to Face (Aug 24/ Kool Haus/ $27/ opener: my chemichal romance) Fare well tour. LAst time to see Face perform and they stepped up to the plate. They played all the best songs from S/T and HTRE. The crowd was on point, singing every song word for word. The pit was rough but, controlled: if anybody fell down someone picked them up. The band was up on stage joking and smiling the entire show. Honestly, not as good as the first Face show (legendary, Jordan you know the stories), but good enough to be the 2nd best show that I've seen this year.

#3) Dizzee Rascal (March 5/Mod Club/ $15/ opener: DJ Sasalee) Apparently this was Dizzee's first show in North America. He was on point. His lyrical flow is dangerous and he doesn't just stand there and yell into the mic like most rappers. He only had his debut record out at this point so the set was a bit short (45-1 hour) but he had some nice 'freestyles' over shitty L'il Jon beats.

#4) Franz Ferdinand (June 14/ Kool Haus/ $25/ opener: sons and daughters, we missed controller.controller) They only had material from the debut album and a few B sides. SO the show was short (45 mins) but it was sick. THey sound so much better live then they do on record.

#5) Beastie Boys ( November 8/ ACC/ $55/ opener Talib Kweli) 'In keeping with the 'George W. Bush is a dick theme', this next song is called SABOTAGE!' That line summed it up and helped me get over my post election blues. I'd been waiting 5 years for this show after the Rhyme and Reason tour got canned; and they came correct. They played alot of material off of the old records, even some choice stuff off of Paul's Boutique (their best album,also their most slept on album). The best part about this show was that they did 2 instrumental sets to calm the crowd down and set the vibe. The only cons about this show were the venue and the price. But it was still worth it.

#6) THe Roots (May 13/Kool Haus/ opener: Jean Grae) The Best Live Hip hop group of all time. Not beacuse of the 10 minute guitar solo. Not beacuse of the 12 minute percussion solo. Not because Black THought is probably the most underated MC. But simply because everytime they perform live its something fresh and new. And the covers that they do are sick.

#7) Mos Def (Oct 27/Docks/$45/ opener MOP) Mos was on stage for close to 2 hours and gave it his all. By the end he was visibly spent. He played material from the Black Star Album, Black on Both SIdes and a couple of tracks from the new record. THe only low points were: that stupid second vocal mic and when he brought Esthero on for that one song. Other than that it was flawless, but where was Q-Tip at? And he really needed a live band instead of a DJ to perform some of the Black Jack Johnson stuff.

#8) DJ Premier (Feb 21/ SOund Emporium/ $15) The Greatest Producer in the history of rap. Any DJ that can play Biggie/Mobb Deep/MOP/ Steve Miller Band/Nirvana/Eurythmics/Prince/Rick James/ and James Brown in the same set and not have people all confused? Deserves all the praise in the world.

#9) Gift of gab (Sept 25/ Kathedral/$15 opener: DJ Mike Relm) A tight hip hop show in a hole in the wall club. THis what i'm talking about ability to work the venue. THis guy pretty much performed while standing on top of a milk crate. And Gift of Gab is a big dude, he's gotta be about 240 lbs. ANd the opener Mike Relm, had a disgusting set. Started off with Jimi Henderix-Fire and then Mixed in Simon and Garfunkel-Sound of Silence with Neptunes-Light Ya Ass on FIre. All without headphones!!! Stop and think about what that means for a second.

#10) Jeru the Damaja w/ Special Ed (Some time in the Summer/ Some park in Toronto/ Free!) Free hip hop shows are usually a bad idea. But this one was on point. Jeru and SPecial Ed showed all of these whack New School cats how to rap correctly. None of this screaming into the mic shit (all you gotta do is speak into it, there is a reason why it is amplified). I could actually make out what each lyric meant and I didn't even know all of the songs.

#11) AB/CD (SOme time in the Summer/ Wing Shack/ $5) ACDC cover band were awesome! The venue was weak and the crowd (aside from the 10 of us going nuts) was weak. But the band ruled. If you closed you eyes you would've thought that it was ACDC. They prettty much played a 3rd set just for us.

#Dead Last) Nas (Yesterday/Kool Haus/ and arm and a leg/opener: Royce da 5 '9- oh wait where was Royce at????) The Nas show can be discribed in 3 words: Dissapointing. Extremely Dissapointing. I think it takes a lot of guts to step out and say 'yeah I payed $50 for a concert and it sucked' BUt this is the truth. I could just lie and be like ' yea the concert was great!' But Nas isn't going to get off that easy. The first show sold out in like a day, so then they added a second show at 5:30. First off, this was quite possibly the worst idea i've ever heard. A double header? This is a bad idea in baseball but possibly a worse idea in rap. HIs new album is absolutely bananas! (that's for you Aku) SO my question is: why didn't he play anything from it ( he played 4 songs from a double album that had 25 tracks on it) I could rant on this for days so I'm gonna just go through the criteria and show how Nas failed to meet them

* The setlist sucked. How are you gonna perform snippets of Oochie Wally and Nastradamus? Theses are widely known to be some of your worst songs. The good thing is that he played a lot of shit off of Illmatic, but where was the New Material at? When you just released your best album in 10 years, you have a duty to play some of it.
* The quality of his performance was weak as hell. He yelled into the mic. He used a backing track. And he didn't even rap properly=> he would just rap some of the words and let the crowd do the rest of the work-laziness.
* Where the fuck was Royce at? I though he was supposed to be opening?
* The bouncers took my ticket stub. I asked for it back and they told me to fuck off. I argued with the guy for a bit and he was on the verge of thorwing me out, so i just let it go. I like to keep my ticket stubs as a memento. Not that this night was that memorable, but still, i paid $50 bucks for this, can I have something to show for it?
* Final question: how necessary was it for Nas to take his shirt off? Don't take yourself too seriously, buddy.
* For $50 this wasn't at all worth it, If i could demand my money back I would.

Maybe I'm really bitter because I've been waiting 3 years for this show. I'm not even going to get into what happened 3 years ago, since that was one of the worst nights of my life. But last night was a collossal dissapointment. I wish I had gone to see the $10 Clash Tribute Band instead.

Obviously I'm not 'Rich Uncle Skeleton', so I can't go to every show and there are a few that I missed and regretted missing because I heard good things afterwards:

* Kanye West (His album had just some out and I didn't think he would be good, but I heard he killed it)
* Yeah yeah yeahs (They were still on the verge of blowing up and I didn't think the show would sell out so quick- the lesson is: don't hesitate)
* Metric/Billy Talent (Another example of hesitation leading to masturbation, the show sold out quickly)
* Ratatat/ Mouse on Mars (Same day as the Mos Def, I think I made the right decision but I still wanted to se Ratatat)
* Green Day presents: American Idiot (Matt: this is entirely your girlfriend's fault: she is a fucking loser. Seriously, she sucks.)
* The Killers (First time i've ever won anything free in my life, and I couldn't go. This is a real shitty story)
* Peaches (I heard that this show was spectacle- strap-on and all)

OK I'm sorry that this e-mail was so long, but I had a lot to get off my chest and I didn't want to have the same conversation 20 times trynta explain to each of you why the Nas show sucked so badly. Its a tough position to take but someones gotta say it. Take it at face value, at the end of the day, its just my opinion. Let me know what you think, and if you actually enjoyed the show tell me how this was possible.

Top Albums of 2005

2006-12-20T00:46:00.000-05:00

Originally authoured December 15th 2005

Uh, I always like making lists, and writing long op-ed peices about music. I'm soo tired and lazy right now that i can't even fuck with that. I couldn't even narrow it down 10 so i got 15+ albums that were part of the the soundtrack of my life this year. but 2005 is almost over so here's my abreviated list. If you wanna hear in depth commentary, lets all get together of a beer or twelve. PS I want to hear your lists, word of mouf is the best way to hear about good music. I'm sure there is plenty that i've missed, lemme know.

top 10 (or 15) albums + extras

#1: Bloc Party Silent Alarm- No question about it. Indie/Britpop/No wave might be a fad right now, but this band and this album stand above everybody as the absolute truth.

#2: Gorillaz- Demon Days- Yes the geo-political system is very depressing post 9/11 and this album cryptically articulates exactly how i feel about it all.

#3: Little Brother-The Minstrel Show- I love Hip Hop. I will always love hip hop. But fuck BET (who refused to play Little Brother's vids because the were deemed 'too smart' for the BET audience). And fuck commercial radio for snubbing these guys. But honestly who has time to watch tv and listen to the radio? Just tune into the minstrel show. Best rap record of 2005 by far.

#4 QOTSA- Lullabies to Paralyze Best Rock Record of 2005. BEst Rock Band out right now, period.

#5 MIA- Arular- This CD is so good that I lent it to a friend and she never gave it back. SHe said she 'lost' it, i don't believe her.

#6 Dangerdoom- The Mouse and the Mask- I just bough it on Monday so I might be a little biased but MF Doom is one of the best MCs alive right now, and Dngermouse's production is nuts. If I listened to this album longer it might have gone a bit higher

#7 Damian Marley- Welcome to Jamrock- Like Mandeville said Bob can finally rest in peice. This album is just unbelievably versatile. The show was even better.

#8 Common- Be- Great Record. Great MCing. Great Production. This is real Hip Hop. Only complaint is that it is too short. But than again Dark Side of the Moon is only like 39 mins.

#9 Beck -Guero LTD ed.- Beck is awesome, this record is awesome. His beat is correct. The remixes up the bracket on this one.

# 10 Beanie Sigel- The B. Coming- This is how good B. Mack could be. Great record.

#11 Kanye West- Late Registration- Many people automatically put this album at the top of their list. Its good, but I mean its not better than the Common album. Kanye made all the beats on Common's record but Common is a 100 times a better rapper than Kanye so that makes common's album better. But adding Jon Brion to the production made this one more melodic than the first Kanye, and there was now workout plan on this one, so it gets the nod.

#12 LCD Soundsystem S/T- This album is so funky that even white people can dance well to it.

#13 Buckshot/9th Wonder- Chemistry - More under the radar hip hop doing it for me.

#14 The Mitchell Brothers- A Breath of Fresh Attire. Like the Streets but better rapping and more Drunken Escapades.

# 15 Foo Fighters- In your Honor- Not Quite Physical Grafitti, but still an ambitious, classic rock record. The Acoustic side will surprise you (Jon Paul Jones/Josh Homme/Norah Jones all make appearances)

more records that I like
-NIN-with Teeth- Never was a NIN fan but this album is good and i got into it
-Missy- the cookbook- she's awesome. Some of her lyrics are absolute gibbereish, but she's an innovator and I respect that
-SOAD-Mezmerize

Some Terrible Albums (that I wasted my time actually listening to)

* Audioslave- Out of Exile
* Weezer- Make Believe

Stuff I haven’t heard yet but I know I will like (please lemme know)

K'Naan- Dusty Foot Traveler

SOAD- Hypnotize

Sufjan Stevens-Illinoise

Fischerspooner-Odysey

Metric-Live It Out

Test Icicles- For Screening Purposes Only

Babyshambles- Fuck Forever (is that even what its called?… Oh wait ‘Down in Albion’. Just doesn’t have the same ring as Fuck Forever)

Stuff I am eagerly awaiting in 2006

* OutKast- Idlewild Soundtrack
* Strokes- First Impressions of Earth
* New Eagles of Death Metal
* New Yeah Yeah Yeahs?
* New DFA1979?
* New Bloc Party?
* New PJ Harvey?
* New Desert Sessions

corrections to my 2004 list. (Upon Further review.)

two albums that were on my stuff i haven't heard yet list were definately 2 of the best of 2004

-Ghostface- Pretty Tony LP: can replace # 9 Beastie Boys- To the 5 Boroughs which isn't nearly as good as I thought it was.

-DFA1979- Your a Woman I'm a Machine: this Record was #3 of last year replacing Street's Disciple. This Album may prove to be on my 25 favourite record of all time. Its fierce.

peace out

PS send me your lists. I'm interested.

Happy Kwanzaa and Prosperous New Year

Top Albums of 2004

2006-12-20T00:40:00.000-05:00

Originally Authoured Dec 9th 2004

Peoples,
Since its December, I'm done exams, I'm bored and my brain is still throbbing, I thought I'd put the brainpower to good use and share my list of top 10 albums released in 2004 with you.

1) The Streets-A Grand don't Come for Free (The ultimate concept album, amazing storytelling ability; full of things that I can relate to: mainly being broke and feckless)

2) Dangermouse-The Grey Album (singlehandely made me appreciate Jay-z and the Beatles more at the same time. Wow.)
3) Death From Above 1979- You're a Woman, I'm a Machine (Fucking Fierce. Never heard anything like this before. Heavy Distorted, Dance Punk. Sounds like a damn army, but only two guys on Bass and Drums)
4) Dizzee Rascal-Showtime (Simple Beats and Intricate rhyme scheme=> very good combo, sick production)
5) Ratatat- S/T (An instrumental synth-electro rock record. Digusting.
6) Green Day-American Idiot (A punk rock opera with two 9 minute epics- green day's best album yet-'yes its better than Dookie')
7) Mos Def- The New Danger (The most ambitious record of the year- beautifully fuses all elements of black music: Rap, Soul and Rock n Roll)
8) Franz Ferdinand S/T (Stylish art-rock=> where did these guys come from)
9) Beastie Boys - To the 5 boroughs (15 song love letter to NY=> authentic Hip Hop done right)
10) Kanye West- College Dropout (substract 'workout plan' (one of the worst songs of the year) from this album and it might have cracked the top 5)
HM) Metric-Old World Underground Where Are You now? (Nice mix of Garage Rock, and synth pop)
HM) De La Soul- The Grind Date (one of the most consistant groups in all of music come correct as always)
HM) The Roots- The Tipping Point (probably their weakest album, but still sick and better than 90% of the stuff out there)

Special Releases (Live Albums, Re-Issues, Box Sets or Greatest Hits)
The Clash -London Calling 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition
HM) Miles Davis- Seven Steps

Most Experimental Album (A great album, that doesn't sound at all like anything else out there)
TV on the Radio-Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Some diverse, robotic, soulful ambiant rock)

List of ALbums I haven't heard, but have been told to check out because they are good
Ghostface Killah-The Pretty Toney Album
The Zutons-Who Killed the Zutons
Jean Grae- This week

alright folks that's all for now, obviously I'm bored and interested in what you guys think so if you have as much time as I do (doubtful) send me your list.

Keith Olbermann speaks the truth

2006-10-24T00:45:00.000-05:00

I live in Canada and up here we don't get EPSN or MSNBC, so I'm late to the Keith Olbermann fan club. But I've gotta say he's my favourite person right now. He's absolutely fearless in taking on the Bush Administration and their riculously destructive policies. Too many people in the media have given Bush and his ilk a free pass, but KO speaks the truth and is passionate about democracy and the world around us. Here are a few videos in which KO speaks about the governments faillure since 9/11, how they've eliminated habeas corpus and how they have tried to use fear to control us into supporting them. Since 9/11, neo-cons ave tried and succeeded in manipulating us with lies. KO seems like the only person in the media willing to call Buch and co out on their transgressions. Olbermann should keep fighting the good fight.

Olbermann on GOP Fearmongering

Stop Actin' Like a Bitch and Put Yo Hands Up!

2006-10-06T17:52:00.000-05:00

Spank Rock and Dr. Octagon Tonight @ the Opera House. Recognize, fool. I haven't put up a concrt review in a while (even though I've been to The Streets, Ratatat and BCC amongst other great shows), but I'm pretty pumped about this show so, I'll try and fill you in. Holler.

'For One Night Everything was Normal Again...'

2006-09-26T22:21:00.000-05:00

My last post was extremely ambivalent about the re-opening of the Superdome and as I put it , it was 'The Most important game in the history of Monday Night Football'. I must say that I was extremely sceptical at the ability of ESPN to put things into perspective, but to their credit they actually did a great job. They used their forum responsibly and struck a ballance between entertainment and awareness. Edutainment was the term I used.

Tony Kornheiser made a great point in his opening remarks when he said that 'the outcome of this game is irrelevant, this game is about symbols.' He was completely right the symbolism that for 4 hours everybody can use sports to just feel normal again, to feel human again. To forget about the destruction and the despair of the past 13 months and just enjoy something positive that everybody can root for. ESPN did a great job of reminding everybody that while it is great that the Saints are back in New Orleans, the city is still years away from being back and that a tremendous amount of work still needs to be done. They reminded us of the horrors of Katrina and reminded us that there are people who lost everything who still need our help. Hopefully this galvanizes people to get out and do something to help those who are still suffering the effects of Katrina.

They also brought in Spike Lee into the booth for a few minutes, and talked with him about his impression fo the game and Spike echoed the sentiment of the night that 'its great that for 4 hours we can all come together and enjoy the game, but for many people after the 4 hours its back to their FEMA trailer.' One highlight was when Tony Kornheiser tried to coax Spike into a making a political statement:

TK: Spike, you've seen all of the damage of Hurricane Katrina on this community, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of New Orleans.
SL(laughing): 'I'm not gonna pull a Kanye.'
TK (laughing): 'Politically correct Spike Lee, I've never seen that before'

Either way, Spike didn't have to say anything about Katrina because his documentary speaks for itself. (more on that later).

Green Day and U2 performed, which was whack. I still maintain that they should have gotten some native New Orleans musicians to perform. But Thed Edge from U2 has a fundraising project to to get new instruments for musicians who lost theirs in the storm. I can respect that. I'm still ambivalent about the future of New Orleans, and there is much cause for concern. But yesterday's football game did a fantastic job of showing the power of sports. This game was bigger and more powerful than any SuperBowl I've ever watched, it had an underlying emotion and like Kornheiser said: had symbolism behind it that I've never seen before. If you have anydoubts about the power of sports, watch a replay of this game. But understand that its not the end all and be all. So much needs to be done still and this game was just a something to make people happy and make them feel normal again.

More on Katrina and Spike Lee's doc soon.

The Most Important Game in the History of Monday Night Football

2006-09-22T17:17:00.000-05:00

For almost 4 decades, Monday Night Football has been a staple of American television. With an average viewership of 9 million households every week, MNF is a slice of modern Americana. This Monday, ESPN will broadcast the most important game in the 36-year history of Monday night Football. This week 3 divisional match-up between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints isn’t important because it pits two undefeated teams against one and other. It is important because it marks the re-opening of the Louisiana Superdome, just over a year after the horrendous tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

There is no doubt that this is a great opportunity for America to stand up and show its resilience and will to rebuild in the face of tragedy (remember that in the weeks following Katrina, there were many calling for the structure to be demolished). This is also an opportunity to show that the city of New Orleans has a long way to go as far as rebuilding. The MNF broadcast is high in production value and has gone beyond simply being sport, it is entertainment. However the scale of it audience demands that they use this opportunity as a forum for ‘edutainment’.

This weeks broadcast of Monday Night Football is an important showcase for the city of New Orleans. However, one has the right to be sceptical about whether the NFL and ESPN will present it with a level of perspective. New Orleans is rich in its musical culture, and yet who do they have performing at halftime? Green Day and U2: two bands from San Diego and Dublin, respectively. Why not have artists who represent the rich cultural mosaic of New Orleans’ musical heritage? Why not have Wynton Marsalis or Fats Domio or the Neville Brothers?

The NFL and ESPN are using this game to show that New Orleans is back, but it begs the question: one year after Hurricane Katrina, is the city really back? Is it even on the right track to being back? How many citizens want to return to their homes but can’t because they haven’t rebuilt the social infrastructure? They haven’t rebuilt the schools, the hospitals, the churches and most importantly the peoples’ homes. It is estimated that only approximately 170,000 of the 434,000 residents of New Orleans have returned to their homes.

We all remember the dreadful sights, and the stories that came from within the Superdome a year ago. We recall seeing the roof of the structure ripped open, the washrooms overflowing with human excrement. All of that can be repaired, cleaned up, painted over and washed away (at the price tag of 187 million, no less). But what about the people? We should not wash our collective memory clean of the people who bore the brunt of this tragedy. The memory should still be fresh in our mind of the 2 elderly people who died inside the Superdome because there were no designated medical staff and no established sick bay to accommodate the vulnerable. We remember the man who jumped from the balcony because the squalid conditions in the Superdome triggered post traumatic memories of the war. We recall the tens of thousands who sought refuge in the Superdome as a shelter of last resort, but were helpless to find that there was no water purification equipment on site, no chemical toilets, no anti-biotics, no anti-diarrhoeals, no electricity. The people who carried on for 4 days without food water or basic amenities should not be forgotten, because these are the people who are struggling to get their lives back together today.

One of the most memorable moments of MNF was when the tragic murder of John Lennon was announced live on the air-this had nothing to do with football, but rather with the climate of current events. The broadcast of this game between the Falcons and the Saints has nothing to do with two undefeated teams but rather with the soul of an entire city that was abandoned and deeply scarred a year ago. As a society, we should not be fooled; the healing process is moving along very slowly. America needs to be reminded of that.

The NFL has a wonderful ‘socialist’ revenue-sharing system that has enabled the Saints to rebuild their home. Who or what is enabling the tens of thousands of Katrina evacuees to rebuild their homes, and their schools, and their hospitals, and their churches, and their businesses? A year on, there is no portable water, no electricity no plan to rebuild parts of the 9^th ward and St. Bernard Parrish. Public town housing areas such as the Lafeyette housing project that weren’t even affected by Katrina has seen its residents locked out and boarded up by the city, because it is prime real estate for the ‘new’ New Orleans. This is the human toll, which has seen people rendered homeless unable to return to their houses and seen their city turn its back on them.

The people of Houston, who generously opened their hearts and homes to the New Orleans evacuees, have lost their patience and are calling for the New Orleans evacuees to leave their city and return home, I only assume that an unbalanced, superficial portrait of a rebuilt, refurbished Superdome as a symbol for the city will mislead Houstonians to thinking that the entire city of New Orleans is rebuilt as well.

Ostensibly, the NFL announced that the Saints have sold out its entire home schedule for the first time in franchise history. This coming barely a year after the largest natural (and partially man-made) disaster in American history. If you believe that they truly sold out the home season, what does this say about our society and the importance that it places on sports? Make no mistake, its great that the Superdome is rebuilt and that football is back in New Orleans. God knows that the people of that beleaguered city need something to lift their spirits. Just as it was important that Mardi Gras went on as scheduled 5 months after the storm. Last year’s nomadic 3-13 team only played 4 of their 8 games in the state of Louisiana and that didn’t help much. The Saints belong in New Orleans. Culture is very important to New Orleans, but we shouldn’t forget about the real priorities, which are the people. Sports and entertainment pale in their significance when measured up against the incredible human toll of a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina. It is of the utmost importance that Monday’s broadcast of the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints clearly underscores this point.

Dan Patrick+ Keith Olbermann ESPN podcast

"I don't think today is the day for a political discussion...."

2006-09-17T22:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't had time to speak on the college shooting at Dawson College in Montreal earlier this week, but I gotta say that it is a terrible tragedy. My immediate reaction is to ask why this happened and how this happened. Apparently the gunman had several firearms registered in his name. Its very hard to make sense of why this happened but my head tells me that logically if this guy didn't have access to firearms, whether they be assault rifles or handguns, this would not have happened.
Whether you are liberal, conservative or whatever, we can all agree that assault rifles and hanguns don't serve any useful purpose in our society. The pro-gun lobby says, well we need guns to hunt for sport. Well you don't go hunting elk with an AK-47. And you don't hunt ducks with a Glock. Handguns are meant to be concealed and they serve one purpose, to kill other people. Conservatives say that they are hard on crime, but I think that is a joke because when asked about re-opening the gun control debate Mr. Harper said that it would e a knee jerk reaction, and that it isn't time to talk about gun control.
OK then, Mr. Prime Minister. I ask you: if when a crazed gunman storms a college classroom randomly shooting 20 innocent people and killing 1 young woman isn't an appropriate time to talk about gun control, than when is? Oh right I know the answer: when your party doesn't form the government. Because when Jane Creba was shot on boxing day in broad daylight on Yonge st. and you were the leader of the official opposition it seemed like a fine time to raise the gun control issue.
Gun control isn't a partisan issue. We all want to live in a safe society, where we don't have the live in fear. The best way to stop the killing is to keep guns out of peoples' hands.We need to analyze the gun control issue because safety of all Canadians is beneficial.

Here's another point that just came to me. People in the gun lobby always say 'well the majority of violent crime is perpetrated by the use of illegal guns, law abiding citizens should have the right to legally own guns to protect themselves.' Fair enough, but what if my neighbours, Mr. and Mrs Johnson are both law abiding citizens who legally own 3 hanguns and .22 calibre rifle. Lets say that they go away to Florida for a few weeks summer vacation and when they come back home, someone broke into their house, stealing their 70 inch plasma screen and also making off with their small arsenal of legally owned/registered guns that had safely stowed away in Mr. Johnson's study. Now you have legal guns in the hands of the wrong people.

Requisite 9/11 Post

2006-09-11T00:45:00.000-05:00

These five years have gone by very fast. Time in general seems to have been moving forward faster and faster. In fact the events of September 11th 2001 are so fresh in our collective conciousness that it seems like it happened only a few days ago. I'm sure that everyone reading this post can remember where they were when they heard the news of what had taken place, and the emotions that they felt. The day is so fresh in my mind because it was my 2nd day of University, and studying Political Science meant that everything I learned for the next four years was filtered through the lens of that morning. But you don't have to have a degree in Poli Sci to feel the same way. Everything that we in the Western world have learned about the world around us has been filtered throught the lens of 9/11. And everyday the whole world deals with the consequences of what happened.
I'm not going to use this place today to go on my usual rant because that would be using 9/11 as a platform to push my own agenda, which would be in poor taste. Rememberance of what took place that morning should lead us to sober thought about what is important about life. How sacred it is, how fragile it is and how we should understand that we are all connected in this world. There are many lessons to be learned from 9/11 and we are still learning them everyday.
September 11th 2001 is one of those days/events that define a generation. I feel that unfortunately our society is spectating; viewing 9/11 it as a history that we are seeing unfold infront of our eyes like a sort of production. When the truth is that we are living that history, and we are that history. For us to truly apply the lessons that we have learned from 9/11, we must think and act with the understanding that every thought and action is affect the course of history.

Is there anything they can't do?

2006-08-17T00:24:00.000-05:00

I try to stay away from the pedestrian run-of-the-mill trashy blog news, but I couldn't resist this one. In Israel breast implants saved a woman from a Hezbollah rocket attack.

The New Danger: The Project For The New American Century

2006-08-14T23:01:00.000-05:00

So if you need anymore evidence that neo-conservative American imperialists are plotting to take over the world, I direct you to this site. The Project for The New American Century is a think tank run by the people who run America and have been running it since 2000. Their mandate is essentially to achieve the goals of Pax Americana and Manifest Destiny . They believe that since America is the only superpower left in the world (at least it was at he close of the 20th century), they should spread their ideals across the globe through economic, military and diplomatic influence.
I know I may be biased so lets try this: the PNAC is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to a few fundamental propositions: that American leadership is good both for America and for the world; and that such leadership requires military strength, diplomatic energy and commitment to moral principle. That ialicized part comes straight from their own website, I didn't change a word. I first discovered PNAC in 2002, not too long after 9/11, which they have used as a springboard to launch their agenda. The thing I find interesting about PNAC is that they are so blatant about what they do, and yet they are so clueless that 'trying to take over the world' is a terrible ideathat won't work. The Iraq war was their first real experiment to spread democracy and American ideals and it has been a collosal faillure.
I find it funny that even conservatives are uneasy to the idea of PNAC and its mission. I remember a few years back when I was talking to my good friend (who happens to be a conservative) and asked her what she thought about PNAC. Well no surprise she hadn't heard of it, or that all these guys (Jeb Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld) who founded PNAC were the ones who were directing American policy. I told her that that they are spreading American ideals all across the globe and that it is all clearly written on their website. She incredulously dissmised my 'facts' as left wing conspiracy theories. I told her I'd send her the URL and she was like I don't wanna waste my time with your internet hoaxes, such a thing doesn't exist. So that was the end of that. No discussion, no clue. But yeah we have all lived through the New American Century for the Past 6 years and in the spirit of the man who inspired the PNAC I have to ask: 'Are you better off then you were 6 years ago?'

Here's a great interview with William Kristol (director of PNAC) on the Colbert Report. Although its a comedy show, it gives you an idea of what they are all about (if it wasn't already clear enough).

Cold as Ice...

2006-08-13T22:15:00.000-05:00

So, the 16th annual International HIV/AIDS conference is being held in Toronto this week and our Prime Minister was nowhere to be found. The first time in the 16 year history of the conference that the head of government declined an invitation to attend. Why? Because Harper decided that defense of our Arctic border was a bigger priority. I have to say that is utterly disgraceful. HIV/AIDS is the largest global epidemic, and it is still a problem in Canada among many disenfranchised groups (women of colour, gays). With Harper running off to the Arctic, he's essentially saying that AIDS is not a priority of this country.
The truth is that for Stephen Harper, it isn't. Every decision that he has made as PM (caving on softwood, extending Afghanistan mission, limiting press coverage, not denouncing Israeli offensive in Lebanon) has been to repair our relations with (re: suck up to) the Bush administration. The Bush administration have repeatedly shown that AIDS is not a priority of their government. So since Canada no longer forges its own foreign policy, AIDS isn't a priority to this government either. Whether you are a conservative or a liberal or whatever, as a Canadian, you should be offended by Harper's actions today. AIDS is the global epidemic of our time, and for our head of government, to be complacent about it is deplorable.

"The Purpose of Art is to Provoke Introspective Thought"

2006-08-11T05:15:00.000-05:00

About 3 years ago I got very bored with movies, which is weird because I used to be a comic book nerd and they've come out with movies for some of my favourite titles and I've been pretty disapointed across the board. This is because studio movies, in general are brutally devoid of any depth or artistic merit. Or, maybe it was because I was a broke Uni student who could only afford to see Free Friday Films. Either way the couple of times I went to to FFF I caught some of the best movies I've ever seen (Memento, City of God, Afropunk). The latter movie is a feature doc and I really enjoyed it. In fact I realized that I enjoy feature docs moreso than theatrical movies. They tend to be more artistic and make you think more in depth about any given subject. I think I enjoy them for the same reason that I enjoy non-fiction books. Unlike some theatrical movies, they tend to be more effective at provoking introspetive thought. Here are a few that I've caught as of late that are really worth checking out.

Afropunk- This movie is wicked. It explores what it is like to be black in the punk/hardcore scene. Basically what its like to be an outsider in an outsider community. But its deeper than racial identity: the movie explores issues of isolation, social exile, black power, defying stereotypes, appropriation of culture, the hisory of black music, interracial dating, cultural aesthetics, political music, individuality, rebellion and a million other issues. I really loved this movie, partly cause I love punk music and can relate to being the only black guy at the punk show. But more than that, the movie addresses the larger issues of community and identity. And the sountrack for the movie is killer.

Just for Kicks- I've established that I'm a sneakerhead. I love sneakers, this documentary breaks down what sneaker culture is all about. It gives an insider look as to the nuances in styles of sneakers and the lengths that a true 'sole collector' will go to for his kicks. Also it goes into the history of the sneaker phenomenon and how Hip Hop culture (think Run-DMC) and basketball (think Michael Jordan) influenced corporate America and made sneakers a billion dollar a year industry. The movie is funny and very entertaining but more than anything you don't realize how big of an effect hip hop culture has had on corporate America. It begs the question, is it a cultural exchange or is it exploitation?

Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme- Basically the best documentary ever made about rap music. This movie breaks down the lyrical art of freestlying. I like it because it took the contrarian view of rap music: that when you boil it down to its essence, freestlying is about artistic expression. Pretty much everybody that they feature in this movie isn't rapping because they want the bling, benzes, bitches and Bacardi. They are rapping out of passion for the music and because they need an outlet for their expression.

"They Should've Just Left...."

2006-08-11T04:09:00.000-05:00

If you are paying attention to what's happening in the Middle East right now then you have undoubtably heard every possible opinion on the Israel-Lebanon story. But here's a new one and I can't believe I heard it. Two weekends ago Israeli forces launched an attack on a Lebanese village, killing 56 civilians (mostly defensless women and children). The Israeli government justified such an abhorrent act by saying that flyers were dropped hours before the attack was launched, and the people were warned as to what was coming. That may be tue but it by no mean justifies what took place.
I got into an argument with a friend of mine who likened the Lebanese victims of this attack to the victims of Hurricane Katrina last year. She said that she didn't understand the mindset of these Lebanese villagers, that they are unwilling to leave their homes and basically stopped short of saying that it was their fault for not leaving their homes. I personally was disgusted by this mode of thinking. First off you can't compare a deliberate act of war to a natural disaster. Secondly, my friend totally takes for granted that when you are impoverished and beleagured it is difficult to just leave your home in such chaotic circumstances. It is difficult for a number of reasons: 1) you don't have the means to leave: If you are a poor Black family of 6 on wellfare in New Orleans you can't just pack up all of your Louis Vuiton bags in your SUV and go and stay in a hotel for a week. You probably don't have a car, you don't have money to be on the run for an indeterminant amount of time, and you don't have the resources to take care of your family's health and wellbeing without any support structure. 2) Where are you supposed to go? You and your family are not a nomadic tribe. If you have nowhere to go and nowhere to stay, why would you risk all the uncertainty only to become more vulnerable 3)All you have is your house and separation anxiety sets in and you may have trouble letting go and leaving.

The same goes to these Lebanese villagers: how were they supposed to get out? where were they supposed to go? who was gonna help them get out? No amount of flyers could answer these questions.

With Katrina, the US government was complicit because they knew that the storm was coming and they should have sent the national guard in to assist people with the evacuation. They should have ensured that people had the means to get out safely and take care of their families.
The Lebanese government has a responsibility to denounce Hezbollah, but the Israeli side must also realize that if they are fighting the war on terrorism, this is an unconventional war. They can't use conventional war tactics to fight an unconventional threat. Indiscriminant carpet bombings of a country is only killing innocent civilians. If they want to 'break Hezbollah' they should employ counterintelligence programs and halt their reactionary military response, because that is only provoking Hezbollah to respond with their own attack.

edit: And yeah the people in New Orleans who did evacuate and go to the Superdome and the Convention Centre as they were told were not better off. So yeah: 'They should've just left. Right?'

The Art of Boycotting Pt. 2 Companies concentrate on your camp like IBM...

2006-07-27T00:43:00.000-05:00

So as I was saying in the first boycotting post, I am boycotting SONY because their customer service game me the old 1-2-12 on my laptop (partly the reason why my blog content is so mediocre). And also because of that racist and bigotted PSP advertisement (refer to Pt. 1). So I'm looking for a new computer what about IBM? They make great computers. Well, acutally I'm boycotting IBM too because of their involvement in the Jewish holocaust.
This an old story, but it is a story that hasn't been told to the masses. I myself only learned of it after I watched 'The Corporation' two years ago. Anyways let me give you the abreviated version right now: IBM built their profits by providing Hitler and the 3rd reich with the punch cards that they used in the concentration camps, thus enabling the Germans to process the victims in the camps more efficiently and exterminate them with ease. IBM cannot claim ignornace on this because the president of IBM is seen here enjoying tea with Hitler. Also, IBM regularily sent technicians to the camps to service the machines during the holocaust. So IBM got what they wanted:madd loot. And Hitler got wat he wanted: 6 million dead Jews. So, fuck IBM.

Here's a song by Cadence Weapon where he raps ambivalently about the whole boycotting quagmire. My favourite line is the last one:
'I won't say stop buying, cuz it isn't realistic. Or cop 'em, cuz you wanna make your own damn decisions.'

Cadence Weapon-30 Seconds

Reading is Fun...damental

2006-07-26T23:44:00.000-05:00

Due to my hiatus, I haven't been able to fill you in on what I'm reading. Here's the latest book report:

Tom Wolfe-I Am Charlotte Simmons

This year I’ve been trying to read a lot more, and I’ve found a great love for books. I used to stick pretty strictly to non-fiction and biographies and what not, but this year I’ve read quite a few novels and I’ve gained a greater appreciation for story telling. Apparently, Tom Wolfe is one of the great writers of our time. I saw documentary on Marshall McLuhan that he hosted and I liked what he had to say. I’ve never had the pleasure reading Wolfe, so I thought I’d start with his latest: I am Charlotte Simmons (all 676 pages of it).
This book is basically a detailed survey of what life is like on the campus of an elite, big time American university (think Duke). Even though I’m a recent graduate of a big-time Canadian University, movies like Animal House, Van Wilder and Old School have assured me that it is a completely different reality from anything I experienced.
The difference between those movies and this book is that those movies are hilarious and celebrate the supposed best 4-7 years of your life. I Am Charlotte Simmons took another view; that the moral decay on the modern University campus is indicative of the greater erosion of societal values. That’s fair enough; I don’t think that Wolfe came to any earth-shattering conclusions. It is pretty common knowledge that college students binge drink, swear profusely, have promiscuous sex, experiment with drugs, cheat on schoolwork, listen to objectionable (?) music and crave popularity or some combination of any or all of the above. But 676 pages of it? Ironically, the best part about reading the book is that Wolfe has an incredible talent for description, and his descriptive, literary techniques stretch the book out farther then it needs to be. But also keep the reader’s interest and keeps the reader’ eyes glued to the page. He also challenges the reader with his impressive vocabulary and idiosyncratic word choice.
One beef I had with I Am Charlotte Simmons is that it is supposed too be very accurate, based on research that Wolfe did at a handful of American Universities (Stanford, Michigan, UNC, Penn), but one of his markers of moral decay is rap music. He continually brings up this preposterous caricature of a fictional rapper named Dr. Dis who everybody on campus listens to. And the even more preposterous lyric that recurs no fewer than 6 times: ‘Suck on my testiculls like a popsicle.’ I mean c’mon there is some very bad Hip Hop out there, and I’m sure that Wolfe could have used a real-life example. But the truth is that as bad as rap music can be sometimes no rapper that is that obscene is as ubiquitous as Dr. Dis was in the book. I think it just underscores the fraudulent perception that rap music is the reason for moral decay in our society. I also thought it was kind of weird since Wolfe freely employed real life examples of Britney Spears, Ben Harper, Dave Mathews and OAR throughout the book. Had he replaced Dr. Dis with someone like Ludacris the reaction would have been ‘hey Ludacris’ lyrics really aren’t that offensive.’ Had he replaced Dr. Dis with an equally obscene rapper like Necro the reaction would have been ‘c’mon nobody listens to Necro.’ Is it an example of Wolfe’s inability to hide his conservative bias or is it simply that he (like most middle aged white adults) is out of touch with youth culture when it comes to music?
Anyways, the book was just okay, some parts were as cheesy as a harlequin novel and some parts were such an enthralling read that you couldn’t put the book down. By the time I realised that it wasn’t a great book I was already 400 pages in and I had to finish it. I wasn’t going to wait a year and a half for the movie to come out. (They are making a movie out of the book due for release in 2007.) The truth is that a movie of this book will be a fucking disaster (but hey Wolfe got 5 million for the rights to the book).
Books are almost without fail superior to the movie adaptations (Da Vinci Code anyone? Edit: I read the book but won’t even bother with the movie). And a movie of I am Charlotte Simmons will be whack as hell and entirely ineffective. I’m assuming that it will be marketed as a warning to incoming naïve college freshman about the ‘realities’ of university life. But the truth is that the movie won’t even be for 17-19 year olds, it will really be for parents to get worried about what really goes on when they ship junior off to university. It will be as sappy as a teen movie but will have too many ‘mature themes’ that an R rating will keep its intended audience 17-18 year olds out of the theatre. And 19-22 year old will be too broke and disinterested to bother going to see it. I think that I should have skipped Charlotte Simmons and gone straight to the Electric Kool Aid and Acid Test.

Here’s a boring interview with Tom Wolfe and John Stewart on the Daily Show.

http://video.lisarein.com/dailyshow/nov2004/nov102004/

Sam Smith-The Jordan Rules

I won't get to in depth about this book because unless you are an armchair jock like myself you won't find it too interesting. This is a great book about what really went on with the 1991 NBA Champ Chicago Bulls. Beyond all the glory and champagne, Smith does a great job of describing what really happens behind the curtains of the production that is pro basketball. The reader learns that although Jordan is the greatest player of all time, his competitiveness drives him so far as to insult his teamates and even punch Will Perdue in the face in the middle of a practice. Sports is one of my hobbies so its always great to learn about what happens in the locker room and what drives pro athletes. This book garnered major national attention when it was released and was a huge hurdle for the Bulls in the 1992 season, it was great to read it and get the backstory. All first hand accounts so you know it was legit. And Michael Jordan punched Will Perdue in the face!!!!

Mumia Abu-Jamal-Death Blossoms

I've heard a lot about Mumia and his case (thanks to RATM). But the truth is I didn't know much about the man himself and I wanted to learn about him from his own words. For those of you who don't know Mumia is a journalist who is on death row for a crime that he most likely didn't commit. The claims are that he made so many political enemies due to his association with the Black Panther Party and MOVE that he was framed through COINTELPRO. He's been on death row for over 25 years and his appeal for a fair trial has become an international cause. But that's not what Death Blossoms is about.
Death Blossoms is a collection of short essays about race, politics, the media, poverty injustice in America, faith, family, redemption and introspection. These vignettes are truly an amazing read. Its incredible how someone who is about to be sne t to death can write with such lucidity and an honesty that a free man could never write with.
Mumia's writtings really makes you think about the world around you and how you conceptualize it. Even the title Death Blossoms speaks to this: that out of imminent death his thoughts have bloomed into something truly beautiful. He writes his prose with poetic language that is neither pretentious, nor verbose. Here's an excerpt that I enjoyed:

"At first, the differences between a mighty oak and the tiny green acorn seem humongous. But upon reflection, one sees that the only real difference between them is time. You are living acorns in the forest of life, with all the potential, all the powers of the most massive oak tree that ever grew. You are in the process of becoming."

So yeah that is my book review for now. I'm already digging into a seminal classic with Zinn. This one's about 750+ pages so I'll fill you in on that, when I'm done.

The Art of Boycotting pt. 1

2006-07-26T01:24:00.000-05:00

I don't wanna sound overly preachy or self righteous, but as a consumer its important to support companies that are morally defensible. And companies who have moral transgressions should be made to pay. The easiest way as a responisble consumer to affect these companies and their bottom line is by boycotting their products. Only when their bottom line is compromised, do they start listening to the public. The only problem is that boycotting isn't so simple, or effective for that matter. Corporate malfeasance is so widespread that if you boycott all companies that are irresponisble in some way, shape or form you may find yourself without any products to buy. For example I have a big problem with Nike, due to their labour policies in developping countries. They manufacture $200 sneakers for less than $5 in east Asia and pay the workers a pittance to do it. But what is the alternative? I mean Adidas, Reebok, Puma, And 1? They're all do the exact same thing. In fact the only major shoe company who I can think of that manufacture their shoes in North America and pay their employees a fair wage is New Ballance. I have a decent sized shoe collection and ask me how many pair of New Ballance I own: Zero. The truth is New Ballance are a great quality shoe, are reasonably priced and are really comfortable. But they just aren't stylish enough, which is what attracts me to sneakers in the first place. I am a hypocrite. We're all hypocrites. With globalization so widespread it is impossible to live in the 21st century without being a hypocrite.

But boycotting some companies is a must for political, and more importantly personal reasons. My newest personal consumer vendetta is against SONY. They make great electronics and I have so much SONY product in my house it is ridiculous 3 SONY TVs, 2 Sony headphones, 1 Soundsystem, man....I even have 2 minidisc players!! Honestly, who owns a minidisc player, let alone 2? My allegiance to SONY ran so deep that I recieved a SONY VAIO laptop as a gift from my family. But after 7 months the laptop broke down and SONY's customer service put me through the ringer even though I had the extended warranty too. I'll spare you all the details but after 2 months of wrangling with SONY head office they offered to cover 1/2 of the estimated damage. Unfortunately the estimate had doubled from the original price of $800 to $1600 which put me back to square-1 and they had the nerve to act like they were doing me a favour. This experience was enough to sour me from ever buying another SONY product as long as I live. I thought that I might just be being petty and that 1 very negative experience shouldn't sour me from patronizing SONY but then I saw this ad for the new white model of the SONY PSP and it confirmed to me that SONY wasn't a company that I wanted to deal with. This ad dipicts a white woman grabbing a black woman's face. I found the racially charged subliminal messages in this ad appauling. So FUCK SONY.

Here we go again....

2006-07-26T00:21:00.000-05:00

After a lengthy month long break from blogging I'm happy to say that the hiatus is back off again. I'd like to apologize to my loyal readers for being AWOL. But I'm back and will try my best to post more frequently.

The Clock Strikes 12

2006-06-28T23:52:00.000-05:00

So with the 3-0 loss to Brazil, Ghana's miraculous World Cup run is over. I'm dissapointed, but still proud of Ghana because they had a great tourney. Definately the Cinderella of the World Cup. It was their first tourney and they drew the toughest group (Italy, Czech Rep. and America) and they still reached the round of 16.
With regards to the game, I thought that 3-0 doesn't show how close the game was. Abbreviated comments:

Ghanaian players looked nervous during the anthems and it showed because it took them about 10 minutes to get stuck into the game. Once they started to believe, they controlled the rest of the first half.
Mensah's header off the corner and the incredulous save from Dida was the turning point of the match. If Dida doesn't get down in time 1-1 is a completely different game.
Adriano was offsides. 2-0 down at half as opposed to level at 1 is a huge difference.
The coach (Dukovic) getting tossed outta the stadium at half probably didn't help matters either.
Ghana's lack of discipline was an issue again. Way too many bookings and wayward challenges. It completely ruined the flow of the game.
Ghana weren't accurate enough, they had a couple of solid chances, but couldn't put it away.
The offsides trap didn't work and after the first 2 goals they should have made the adjustments. All three goals were a result of a weak trap. Against a team like Brazil you just can't gamble.
Kingson, made some big saves at the end that kept the game respectable.
Brazil are the #1 team in the world, so there's no shame in losing but i think Ghana could have done better. Oh yeah and Michael Essien (their best player) was suspended.

So now that Ghana is on the football map, we can look forward to a number of things:

Loans/Transfer for Ghanaian players to bigger and better clubs/leagues. A few players that might have proved their worth are Appiah, Dramani and Muntari. Apparently, Appiah is being courted by Rangers (who I can't stand) hopefully Celtic or better yet, Arsenal can pick him up instead.
African Cup of Nations 2008. Ghana have won this tourney 4 times and they are the hosts for 2008 so maybe they can win one for the thumb.
South Africa 2010. Ghana have to qualify for the next tourney and prove that this wasn't just a fluke. There are some good countries that didn't make he cut this year who will be hungry (Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal). Ghana will really have to earn their spot. With only 5 spots for the continant, and 1 automatically going to South Africa it will be a hard road.

We Are Going Through!!!

2006-06-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm a little late to the blogosphere with this post, but on Thursday Ghana beat America 2-1 to clinch a spot in the final 16 of the World Cup. Basically the whole country shut down. Now we just gotta beat Brazil and we are in the quarter-finals. After winning the under-17 youth championship 2wice, Ghana is now firmly planted on the global football map. First-time in the finals and they made it out of the toughest group in the whole tourney. They've already made history, but a solid performance against Brazil tomorrow, will really cement it. Hey, if Greece can win Euro 2004 whose to say Ghana can't win the World Cup? Tomorrow (without Essien) will be the biggest test.

Go Go Gadget Ghana!!!

2006-06-17T16:31:00.000-05:00

Yeee-uh!!!
The Black Stars just finished putting a hurting on the Czech Republic for their first ever World Cup finals victory. After a good performance against Italy there was no doubt that this side could get it done, but I was really nervous because to me the Czechs are the best team in Group E. Now with a win Ghana controls its own destiny and can go through to the round of 16 with a win against America.
I'm too excited to type up a proper write up of the game so here are my abbreviated thoughts

Petr Cech is the best goalie in the world. Ghana should have had 5 or 6 goals that a lesser keeper wouldn't have stopped. Although the Czech took the L, I give man of the match to Petr Cech
Ghana didnt play a disciplined game. They got 5 bookings and will be without both goal scorers against America.
Gotta finish your penalties.
Ghana were in control for most of the match. Pretty patient when the wanna be.
Kingson looked much sttronger, especially at the end making 2 HUGE saves.
How mental will it be if Ghana go through?
GO BLACK STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Music Mon….er… Tuesday Vol. 6: Impeach the President Edition.

2006-06-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

Electoral fraud. No WMDs. No imminent threat. No Saddam-9/11 connection. CIA spy leak. Electoral Fraud. Ignored News Orleans. Unconstitutional NSA wire-taps. It keeps on going and going. His blatant lies have cost tens of thousands of lives. The only man to enter the office of President with a criminal record has broken the law so many times since taking office, with so much ease, that he says that the law no longer applies to him. And he’s right. The guy is like Teflon because nothing sticks to him, although he’s the worst American President since Warren G. Harding.
Anyways, recently there has been a push to impeach Bush, which is fully justified, but I say too little, too late. The American people had their chance to impeach Bush on November 2nd 2004 and with Diebold’s help in Ohio, they squandered their chance.
Instead of focusing on Bush, since he is a lame duck, progressive America should get its act together and reclaim the country in 2008. But that isn’t looking too likely if they insist on running the other Clinton. But more on Amurricah later, back to the music:

Dead Prez is gangsta. Real gangsta. They bang on the system with an incredible amount of social consciousness and revloutionary, politically charged lyrics. More importantly than that, they are dope and their production and lyrical flow is top shelf. You know who else is gangsta? Neil Young is gangsta. Neil Young has been putting out quality records since the 70’s. Last year he suffered a life threatening brain aneurysm and with his legacy in mind, churned one of his best albums to date. This year Neil Young put out ‘Living With War’ which captures what life is like in these strange days and times.
Dead Prez and Neil Young have very little in common sonically. But the common thread is that they are both 'the Truth' and they are both very gangsta. Here are two songs that, while completely different, have the exact same message.

Dead Prez- Impeach The President (ft. Immortal Technique and Saigon)
Neil Young- Let’s Impeach the President

Don't Call It A Comeback

2006-06-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

Yeah Its been a while (3 weeks) since I put in an entry. I'm sory to dissapoint my faithful readers (all 4 of you). But dont worry cause I'm back. I just needed a timeout. Still don't have a laptop (more on that later), so the aesthetic quality will be fluctuating between poor and just sad. But I promise to have some incendiary content for you in the coming days. In the mean time check out www.realgmfootball.com I hear they have an amazing new writer. He wrote a pretty cool peice about the Joey Porter situation(if you can call it a situation). The mark of a good writer is the ability to make a story out of nothing.

New Music Monday vol. 5: Sway Dasafo

2006-05-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

During that 2 weeks where grime and UK garage was fashionable, there was a lot of attention on MC's from Britain. One such guy is Sway, although his flow and production can't really be categorized as grime or UK garage or two-step, the attention was well deserved because he does have skills. He's also hillarious (re: Flo' Fashions). He doesn't take himself too seriously in his lyrics or his skits. Either way, I like him and I like the fact that he's repping for the Ghanaian diaspora. Check out his 1st release, the aptly titled: 'This is My Demo'

I'd like to thank Nick over at bootisconnex for posting this on his site, so that I could post it on mine. (In the blogosphere this known as leeching, but its cool since Nick is my homey) If the .rar file requires a password, it most likely is: www.bootisconnex.blogspot.com
Enjoy

Sway-This is my Demo

The New Ish

2006-05-10T23:11:00.000-05:00

Malcolm Gladwell: Genius

If you've been paying attention to the sidebar on this site, it gives you an idea of what I'm listening to and what I'm reading. This week on the literature front, I finished the Chinua Achebe book 'Things Fall Apart.' This book is THE seminal book in African literature for good reason. Its pretty deep with lots of inferences that can be drawn from the impact (that is still felt today) of colonialism, and the importance of the family unit and the importance of community. I really enjoyed it and its a well written book with a glossary at the back with explantion's of the all the Nigerian vernacular.
The most exciting part about finishing a book is starting a new one. I picked up Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. This book is about the power of thinking without thinking. Gladwell refers to it as 'rapid cognitian' (the decisions that we make in a blink of an eye). The idea is that the snap judgments that we think are spontaneous and random, are actually a very complex and deliberate process. In understanding the nature of rapid cogintian we can make better decisions, understand our decisions and biases and understand the world around us. Gladwell is a brilliant man and a great read, and I recommend you also pick up 'The Tipping Point'. The best thing about Gladwell is that he can write so clearly about something that you have never even thought about before and make you understand it perfectly.

Also new on the music front is the new self-titled Pearl Jam. This is the first Pearl Jam album that I've bought in over 10 years (since Vitalogy). Aside from Yield and maybe the acoustic record I didn't miss much. But this new record is pretty sick. They pick up from where Vitalogy left off. The lyrics are so politicially charged. It really just a great record.

Pearl Jam-Comatose

Happy belated Birthday (May 9th) to Ghostface Killah. Its a toss up between him and MF Doom as to who my favourite MC is right now. He's really one of few holding down real hip hop these days. He has some pretty harsh words for New York re: the state of hip hop.

New Outkast!!!-The Mighty O

2006-05-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

New Outkast has leaked. Still waiting for the Idelwild soundtrack. But this is enough to hold me over until then. The best thing about Outkast is their ability to sound like no one else out there. Their sounds is completely original. This sounds something like what Cab Calloway would sound like in the 21st century like after drinking purple stuff and taking a deep fried tour through the south. That doesn't make any sense when I read that back, but it makes sense when you here the song.

Outkast-The Mighty O

Steve Nash: Weapon Alpha, AKA Vindicator, AKA Captain Canuck, AKA Guardian, AKA MVP

2006-05-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

See, white guys can 'pop' their jerseys too.

The quality of NBA basketball is so bad that when someone comes along and play the most important position the way it was meant to be played, he outshines every other player in the league. That fact aside, Nash is sick and he derserves all the praise he's getting. Last year it was close between him and Shaq, but this year it wasn't even close. Not only did Nash do it without QR, Amare or Joe Johnson; but he did it while making guys named Boris Diaw and Raja Bell look like viable pro players.

It took me a while to come around, but I love Nash he's a selfess guy on and off the court. Not only does he play unselfish basketball, he also donated his endorsement money to help pay for a new pediatric cardiology ward in a Paraguayan hospital. The only guy who you can compare him to is Vindicator(left, not Wolverine). Steve Nash truly is a Candian hero. When he retires from balling, maybe he can join Alpha Flight.

New Music Monday vol 4: Mashed up May 5th Edition

2006-05-08T20:52:00.000-05:00

Alright, I had a wild weekend. Well, a wild enough Friday so this feeble one song post is dedicated to Friday May 5th 2006.

We made it to the MSTRKRFT and Tiga in Mod Club in quite a state at 12:30. Since our unit mashed it up, here's a mash-up of MSTRKRFT's Paris with Sean Paul's Temperature. I know what you're thinking: Sean Paul??WTF?? Somehow this mashup is pitch perfect. Although, this beat is so wild that you can lace any acapella over it and have an instant classic.

Dj Soup-Temperature in Paris (MSTRKRFT vs Sean Paul)

better posts are coming I promise.

"I Speak My Mind Because Biting My Tongue Would Cause My Pride To Bleed"

2006-05-03T20:48:00.000-05:00

NBA Basketball sucks now. It used to be fun to watch , but now its brutal. It's unwatchable. Team play and five-man fastbreak basketball has been substituted with weak-side isolation and one-on-one play. The officiating is ridiculous, players take cheap shots instead of playing real defence and the commissioner runs the league as if he's the godfather.
Usually when you lose interest in the quality of play on the field you can at least take comfort in the stars because they are great personalities off the field. But you can't even take comfort in that any more. The too-much-information age has revealed things about players that I don't want to know. Players are little more than dumb jocks, spoiled multi-millionaires and wannabe rappers. There are relatively few guy to admire but one such guy, and my new favourite NBA player is Etan Thomas.
I know what you are thinking: why admire a guy who only averages 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds a game? This guy refuses to conform to the stereotype of what a young pro-athelete, and more importantly what young black male is supposed to be. He is outspoken, thoughtful and has some very erudite ideas about poverty, politics, social injustice and personal reposibility. He published a book of poetry in 2005 and was been an outspoken critic on the war in Iraq. He uses his platform to actually be a positive role model and speak about whats going on in the world rather than how many TVs he has in his Escalade. In fact he probably doesn't even drive an Escalade because he is cognisant of the realities of foreign oil dependancy and global warming.
While Michael Jordan shied away from being controversial and remained A-political, Thomas makes it a point make sure his voice is heard. He says that he refuses to reduced to an entertainer. Even if you may disagree with some of his opinions, you have to respect the fact that he is bold enough to put them out there. His is definately a voice worth listening to.

Decepta-Cons: The Art of Self-Preservation

2006-05-02T11:15:00.000-05:00

The thing that bothers me the most about Canadian politics right now is that the motivations of all the parties are so transparant, that we can blatantly see their self-preservation instict at work.
Under Paul Martin, the Liberals were so determined to survive at all costs that they didn't actually accomplish anything in parliament during their 17-month tenure. Every single move that they made, whether it was luring Belinda Stronach over with cabinet post, conceding to the NDP budget demands or addressing gun violence by pledging to ban handguns was enacted in their own interest in order to hold onto power at all costs. If the Liberals were serious about issues rather than power for the sake of it, they might still be in power. If they had committed to public health care, the NDP would not have voted against them, and their government would not have fallen.
The Conservatives aren't much better, because there is an inherent hypocrisy in their self-preservation attempts. Apparently, the 'decepta-Cons' tried to lure the NDP with a promise to deliver the same budget demands that they themselves adamently opposed last year, if the NDP would prop them up for 2 -years. They say politics make for strange bedfellows, but that's only true if you are sleeping around. The NDP rejected the deal on the principle that it would be political suicide. More importantly, Jack Layton has too much integrity to support a Conservative government whose policies stand for the exact opposite of what his party does. Yes, the funding for post-secondary education, public transport, low income housing and foreign aid would have been nice, but they would have come at a greater cost when the NDP would be forced to support legislation that stands in opposition to their party platform. The most important thing is the issues and the second most important thing is loyalty to your constituants. Thank God that someone in Canadian politics still has some integrity left. Even though his party has no chance of winning an election in the forseeable future, Layton and the NDP don't seem desperate. Their dedication to the issues will sustain them.

related: Stephen Harper (AKA Megatron) doesn't eat babies. Way to go Toronto Star for putting this on the front page of your newspaper. Ridiculous.

"He Believes the Same Thing on Wednesday That He Believed on Monday No Matter What Happened on Tuesday"

2006-05-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

So, I've made it a concerted effort not to write about Bush jr. on my blog. The world is a big place and there is more to talk about than Bush jr. He is an easy target and most of what I would have to say about him is boring because I've said it all before. In fact when dealing with such an easy target, you have to be creative about your criticisms for them to be effective or memorable. I guess I'm just not creative enough.
I'm sure you've heard about Stephen Colbert's speech at the white house correspondants dinner. It was satirical genius. His whole bit is that he is the ultimate right-wing pundit, but he uses this position to show how backwards it is to blindly follow conservative ideology. I wasn't the biggest fan of the Colbert Report-the schtick is funny for a 5 minute segment but to draw it out into a 30 minute show, 5 days a week seemed like a bit much. Then again, Bill O'Reilly does this everyday for real so I guess its not that far-fetched. Anyways, what Colbert did at the correspondents dinner took HUGE balls, he absolutely killed the president and his administration straight to their faces and didn't even flinch once. The crowd reactions are the best part. People in the audience are like: 'Ohhhhh Snap!! Did he really just say that? Damn!!!' Even better, Bush's reaction at the beginning was to laugh, but half way through, when he realized what Colbert was doing he was not amused. This performance instantly makes Colbert a comedic legend. Anyways, check the videos and judge for yourself.

Edit: YouTube have suspiciously taken down these videos (hmm......i wonder why). Anywyas they are all over the net and I could find them if I get any requests, so let me know.
Edit 2: Check it out here, while I work on my code skills and find a way to embed this on my site.

New Music Monday vol 3: Canadian Content Edition

2006-05-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

For a while now it has been my assertion that the best music in the world is coming out of Canada. This post is for the new Canadian ish that I'm rocking right this minute.

A lot of people are polarized about Billy Talent. I personally think they are a good band, at first the lead singer and his antics kind of annoyed me, but I got over it and realized that they are legit. Their first album was solid and their second album is coming out in July. Here's a track from the new record:

Billy Talent-This Suffering

Canadian Hip Hop is no different from Canadian politics at the moment: it suffers from a massive inferiority complex. We look too hard to what is happening below the 49th. Canadian MCs try too hard to sound like Americans and it ends up sounding like a cheap imitation. That's where Cadence Weapon is different. This guy is a young (20) MC from Edmonton. He sounds nothing like an MC from Edmonton should sound like (whatever that is). His style is pretty original and his delivery is crystal clear. He ues synth beats chopped up on Fruity Loops to sound like a mix of hip hop and electroclash. It is original and something fresh which is exactly what Hip Hop is lacking these days. He has a good blog that he updates frequently. I missed him when he played the Horseshoe with Spank Rock last week, but maybe I'll catch him on May 19th.

Cadence Weapon- Oliver Square

I've been getting into MSTRKRFT lately. This is the Jessee Keeler(bass) and Al-P (producer)-of Death From Above 1979 fame and their electro-house project. The album is called The Looks and it drops sometime in June. I've been to a few MSTRKRFT jams and they put on a good show. I might check them out this Friday with Tiga at Mod Club. Anyway here's a demo of Paris. This track is nuts, the kicks are out of control. Be sure to get the finished version when it comes out because the post producstion will most likely fatten out the sound (if that is even possible).

MSTRKRFT-Paris (demo)

Is This a Good Deal? You be the judge.

2006-05-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

So let's say that five years ago, I sold you a stack of papers for $1.00 and you refused to pay me. Five years have gone by and you refused to pay me, although for no good reason, you've been spending 20 cents a week for 3 years (about $10.50) to buy stones to throw at the guy's house down the street.
So I come up with a deal in which you only have to pay me $0.80 of the $1.00. Even better, is that you can underpay me over a period of seven years (just over $.10 a year). Would you say that I won or lost that deal?
According to the Globe and Mail, I won the deal. So much for the liberal bias in the media, eh? (BTW the idea that the media has a liberal bias is proposturous) The media are making it seem like Canada won in the softwood issue. I disagree, just because its over doesn't mean it is a win.
You heard it hear first: the Conservatives are going to win re-election. As long as the media refuses to take this guy to task on all of his transgressions (media ban, half mast flag-flap, Emerson hypocrisy, softwood loss), it doesn't matter whether that Harvard guy, or that Hall of Fame Goalie win the liberal leadership, the Canadian people are going to percieve his tenure as a success, and he will be re-elected.

"I Put My Money on the Long Shots..."

2006-04-30T19:04:00.000-05:00

I've made it clear that I'm a big Ricky Williams supporter. I like him because he doesn't fit the stereotypical mold of today's ego-driven, arogant, invulnerable pro-athelete. The average modern day pro-athelete is a very alienating figure, and the more I learn about him the more I hate pro-sports and the people inside of it. But Ricky is different, the more I learn about him the more I like him and the more faith I have in sport and the ability to learn life lessons from it.
He's a pretty remarkable guy if you take the time to listen to what he's got to say. Basically, he's a star football player who doesn't want to be defined in 'dumb jock' perameters. He wants to explore deeper into himself. He just wants to be free to find his true self. So in this search for himself he walked away from millions and the structured life of the NFL. He then started a new life studying hollistic medicine. At the end of the day he wanted to learn more about himself and be free. The reason why I admire him is because most of us don't have the courage to walk away from our dreary lives and pursue introspection and freedom. This is precisely what he did and the NFL screwed him.
For deserting his team, he was ordered to pay $8.6 million dollars, he then came back and was a model citizen. He earned the respect of his coach and teammates (the very people who he deserted). He even won the good guy award- awarded to the player most co-operative with the media. He was tested more than any pro-athelete (randomly 10 times a month), and passed all the tests during the season. As soon as the season ended he failed a drug test for a drug other then marajuana. Hollistic medicine uses alot of alternative medicines and herbs. It is rumoured that something that he took unknowingly was on the banned substance list. He appealed the league's decision to suspend him for the 2006 season and he lost the appeal. His coach fully supports him.
Personally I think something is fishy, I mean if he really took something to jeopardize his career, the coach wouldn't stand up for him. I think that the NFL (No Fun League) is trying to stick it to Ricky and show him what happens when you don't tow the line. When he walked away he basically told the league: "I don't need you anymore" and that offended a lot of people. Someone wanted revenge. Which is a shame because the NFL, and professional sports in general, needs more guys like Ricky.
I hate how Ricky is being portrayed in the media. Almost everything I've read about him has portrayed him as a selfish burnout. He's become a punch line for wannabe comedic hacks. To me he's pretty courageous, and I'm rooting for him. I don't know if he will be succesfull in the NFL again, but I think he's got a chance at happiness if he continues to follow what he thinks is right for him.

Here's an interview that he did when he left the game (before he made his comeback).
Ricky Williams-60 Minutes Interview video (14 mins)

New Music Monday vol. 2: Late!

2006-04-24T20:49:00.000-05:00

This post sucks. I have nothing to say. And no time to type. I need my laptop back immediately. Here's what I'm listening to these days.

Bloc Party- 2 More Years (MSTRKRFT remix)
The Strokes-Vision of Division
Ghostface-Charlie Brown
MF Doom-Live from Planet X (Full Album)

next monday i promise it will get better.

Two Thousand Words

2006-04-23T16:20:00.000-05:00

My one weakness is sneakers. I'm addicted to buying new kicks. There is nothing better than a crispy pair of new shoes. LowTops, High Tops, Leather, Patent Leather, Canvas, Nubuck....All styles, all brands, all colours...I could go on for days.
On the right is a pic of my new Ben Sherman's. On the left is a pic that I stumbled across. Absolutely terrible. It made me feel queasy. I could write a long sermon straight from the church of self-righteousness about globalization and its casualties. I could write a million words on the juxtaposition of the two pictures. However I think that these two pictures speak for themself. If a picture is worth a thousand words, there's two thousand.

Check back on Monday where I'll post some new music. I'll have a little something for everyone.

Where The Streets Have No Shame

2006-04-20T21:29:00.000-05:00

I've been listening to the new Streets record for about 2 weeks now and I'm just not sure about it. It didn't grab me immediately upon first listen like the first 2 records, so it could be a grower. Or it could be a collosall dissapointment.
For me, the first two Streets records are classics because I can relate to the stories that Skinner is telling. The first two albums are about being young and shiftless, excessive drinking, degenerate gambling, missadventures with the opposite sex, being broke, and constantly taking L's. Whereas this new album is about dating a popstar- and watching her smoke crack, being strung out on coke, trashing hotel rooms, running a record label and dealing with fame. Aside from being strung out on coke, I can't really relate to much of what he's saying. That was a joke by the way (....wow.... tough crowd). The album covers really tell the story: leaning on a Rolls Royce vs. leaning on a bus shelter.
But I really can't fault Skinner for his success, the reason I like his songs so much is that he is brutally honest and completely vulnerable. He just talks about what's going on in his life. After selling 3 million records I guess he can't rap about not-having-money-for-rent-because-he-bought-new-trainers anymore. But that whole 'every-man' underdog persona was part of his cache and some of the appeal is lost.
I dunno, I think that Skinner has stepped up his production game since he's not using a laptop in his bedroom and probably has an entire studio to work with now; but some of the beats are way too 'pop' (ie: when you wasn't famous). And the choruses have way too much 'sing-songing' going on. I know that its fun to sing when you are tone def, but Skinner over did it on this record. There are some highlights, though 'We Never went to Church" is a ballad a la "Dry your Eyes" in which he talks about losing his father. It shows that the Streets can still be emotional without being sappy, since the listener can relate to the theme of loss. I'll give it 6/10 which is pretty low since i gave the first two 9.5 and 8.5, respectively. If you want to hear recent material from the Streets that is alng the same lines of the first 2 records checkout The Mitchell Brothers- A Breath of Fresh Attire. Skinner produced all the beats on it and appears on half of the tracks.

The Streets-'Never Went to Church'
Mitchell Brothers-'Excuse My Brother'

edit: Although, the genius of this record is that by airing out all of his 'rock-star cliche' transgressions, Skinner has circumvented the tabloids from writting stories about him. Its not a controversy if Skinner talked about it in the song lyrics.

"I'm not trying to avoid the fame, I'm trying to avoid the corruption'

2006-04-18T18:30:00.000-05:00

Today in the mail, I got the new Esquire with Dave Chappelle on the cover. Unlike last month's Blender cover story which Chappelle didn't pose for (they photoshopped it), this article gave everybody a better insight as to what Chappelle is going through. The great thing about the article is that for the most part it is Chappelle in his own words telling what is going on with him and his thoughts on the intersection between art and commerce.
I liked reading about it because it showed that Chappelle has more depth to his personality than the buffoon that some people take him for. He is serious about his craft and his art, and wants to be free to make his art without corporate interference (..ahem....Viacom) but most importantly without sacrificing artisitic crdeibility or creative control.
He seems somewhat uneasy with the environment in hollywood. The article talks about him feeling kinda of out of place at Prince's post Grammy party (no, Prince didn't beat him and Charlie Murphy in a game of pickup basketball). But the most important thing that comes across to me is that Dave Chappelle is a very talented, intelligent down-to-earth guy with strong principles and he's gonna do things on his own terms. And the guy is fucking hillarious. When asked what he want's to do next his answer was "I want to SPIT HOT FIRE!!!" He wants to get back to doing stand up which is his frist true love. And he mentions that it gives him more time to spend with his fam. I'm definately rooting for Chappelle on this one since he refuses to play the industry Sambo. The article he says how the only movie-role he was being offered was Soul Plane and he turned down the role numerous time. Instead he put out Block Party, and that was the most fun I think I've ever had in a theatre. Another great thing about this article is that Dave says that he doesn't want to look like a victim, he takes some responsibility for the way things broke down. But its sad that it had to come to this. Comedy Central had said that they are going to put out the season 3 sketches (which do look pretty funny) sometime in July. I hope they don't since Dave left the show for a reason. Plus they will probably further alienate Chappelle if they do.
If you can find it, get Chapelle's interview on Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton. It is an awesome, hillarious interview and Chappelle comes across like a true genuis in it. Above all it underscores how seriously Chappelle takes his art. You realize that his craft, and the message contained in it is the most important thing to him. Chappelle's example of walking away from his show is a good example of when keepin' it real goes right.

Simpler Times: A younger (18 or 19), and broker Dave- check out the Cross Colors, very early 90's.

Democracy 101: Ideas vs. Marketing

2006-04-17T22:15:00.000-05:00

For a while there I stopped reading Time magazine because it was a sensationalist news rag that didn't advance the discourse on politics, but rather added to the superficial nature of politics. On second thought, they are still sensationalist and still write superficial, pseudo-intellectual articles. In fact, I try to avoid Time when I can, but its hard when your parents get a subscription.(Note to self: move out of parents house ASAP). Anyways, I was flipping through the current issue and read an interesting book excerpt from Joe Klein's new book 'Politics Lost'. The excerpt talked about an issue that I've shooting around in my head latetly; that politics (election campaigning in particular) are becoming less and less about ideas and more and more about marketing.
Klein argues that it is the consultants, focus groups and marketing gurus who package the message and tailor it precisely for a target demographic. All of this makerting has ruined politics. Amidst all of this advertising and marketing, the ideas and the message get diluted into a bland 'porridge-like substance' with no real flavour or politically-nutritional value.
This is kinda what I was trying to get at in my first post about democracy. Democracy means that participation through representation, but election campaigns have now become less about ideas and more about advertising a politcal product. That's not democracy. I don't wanna participate in an advertising campaign, and I'm not buying what they are selling me. This is why when I do watch TV, I channel-surf. Advertising is fake, whereas ideas are real. I want to be able to explore ideas. The truth is that democracy means participation through representation, so the best way have your ideas represented is through active participation in civil society. Its one area in the political arena that the marketing gurus haven't taken over yet.

New Music Monday vol. 1: Don't Drink and Blog

2006-04-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

After a few posts, I'm starting to get the hang of this. After reading my last post (written after a friends birthday party) I realized a few things: 1)my grammar sucks 2) my writting skills are shoddy at best 3)I shouldn't post when I'm drunk. Alcohol is like truth serum, but I don't have time to bullshit on this blog, so the drunk post reads like my alter ego: 'Angry Black.'
With that said on mondays I'm gonna try and post some new music thatI happen to be listening to at the particular time. Here's today's edition:

Busta Rhymes ft. Swizz- New York Shit
Busta against all odds is finding a way to stay relevant (after 2 very weak albums). Although this songs is really like a 5 minute musical interlude, this beat is crazy. (big up to reg)

Biggie Smalls and Frank Sinatra-Nasty Boy/FOr Every Woman There's a Man Mashup
I never got around to hearing that Biggie Duets album (because it was most likely a disaster filled with recycled verses). And this track isn't that new, but this 'Blue Eyes meets Bed-Stuy' mashup album is disgustingly good and I know its new for most of y'all so check it out and enjoy.

um, I promise Mondays will be better than this once my laptop situation with SONY gets sorted. Until then my new music game will be on the IR.

Democracy 101: Stand up for your Canada.

2006-04-16T02:35:00.000-05:00

First off I wanna make it clear that this incarnation of the Canadian goverenment doesn't represent me or my values, principles or my morals (not that the last one did either). 3 cheers for democracy!!! (BTW feel free to throw your middle fingers up at any time) Great, now that we got that out of the way I can get on with this post. I'm gonna speak on the issue of censorship. The other day I heard that our exceptionally qualified minister of the environment, Rona Ambrose decided to stop a governmental scientist from speaking about his new FICTIONAL novel on climate change. Censorship for the most part is ridiculous, especially when the whole point of literature is to advance the discourse on issues that affect us all. If Ms. Ambrose is worried about us confusing truth with fiction, she should give us a little bit more credit, and realize that this book is an artistic (original) way of expressing the seriousness of climate change. And she should realize that the truth is stranger then fiction. First off: climate change is a reality. Second off: fresh water reserves will be a major natural resource that WE WILL HAVE TO DEFEND AS CANADIANS in the not to distant future.
I don't care who you voted for in the last election, but I want everybody to think about the Canada that you want to live in. Do you wanna live in a Canada where your ministers tell you what you can and can't talk about or listen to? Or do you wanna be free to explore your ideas about what might happen in the future? After all, this is yours and my future (and our children's future). No matter how bleak it may be, let's not sweep it under the rug. Let's talk about it and make a change right now.

here are a couple of songs that articulate how I feel about this issue: enjoy

Bad Religion-Truth is Stranger than Fiction
Mos Def-New World Water

Oh shit! That is still going on?? vol.1

2006-04-15T17:10:00.000-05:00

Darfur, Sudan: genocide and ethnic cleansing are a stark reality. After WWII and the Jewish hollocaust, the international community stood up as one and said NEVER AGAIN. But today in Sudan, the international community are silent and doing nothing to stop the Jajaweed militia from persecuting the Black African Sudanese.
Somewhere between 70,000-350,000 people have died in this genocide. Now I know what you are asking: how in the hell are you gonna have a range between 280,000 people that have died? Can't we narrow that number down a bit? Well the problem is that the media aren't covering this story so nobody really has any clue. The ethnic cleanising that is taking place is so blatant: at least 2 million people have been displaced from their homes and women are been raped mercilesly as the rebels are using rape as a weapon. And many are dying a slow painful death from starvation. The Sudanese government are complicit in the genocide as they have refused a UN humanitarian chief entry into Darfur or the capital.
Either way it is a saddening tragedy and the media are also complicit for not adequately reporting on whats going on. The UN are complicit for not taking action in Darfur. The developped, industrialized nations of the world (that means you Canada) are complicit for attempting to pass the buck to an underfunded, undertrained and underprepared African Union force. Remember the world community stood up as one and said NEVER AGAIN. That statement applies to Africans as well not just Europeans.

Concert Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Kool Haus

2006-04-14T15:26:00.000-05:00

10/4/06

This Monday, Yeah Yeah Yeahs rolled though the Kool Haus and performed tracks from their sophmore album 'Show Your Bones'. I've never seen YYYs before but Karen O and co. didn't dissapoint. She was intense and clearly having a lot of fun onstage. Whether spraying out her beer everywhere fountain-style , trying to eat her mic during 'Art Star' or wearing a half a disco ball as a hat; the show was great. The opening band were the anti-YYYs, Blood on the Wall were a greasy-haired stained-T-Shirt-wearing garage rock band who were actually pretty good.
YYYs have added a 4th member, Imaad Waasif, who played acoustic guitar for all the new songs. Although Karen gets all the attention (and deservedly so), you gotta give the drummer some. Brian Chase is an amazing drummer who fuses jazz style syncopation with the necessary hard rock crash and fills. The highlight for me was during Art Star when Nick's guitar shorted out on him during the soft part and he just kept the distortion going. It was definately a fun, high energy show. Here's the setlist:

Gold Lion/Honeybear/Black tongue/Fancy/Phenomena/Mysteries/Cheated Hearts/Dudley/The Sweets/Y Control/Miles Away/Turn Into/
Encores:Maps/Warrior/Tick/Art Star/Modern Romance/Date With The Night

R.I.P. DeShaun 'Big Proof' Holton (1973-2006)

2006-04-14T00:52:00.000-05:00

Detroit Hip Hop lost another son this week when Proof was tragically gunned down in a Detroit night club. Another young brother is victim to the gun violence that has plagued the black community. Gun violence is a huge problem in the community. Too many mothers are losing sons and babies losing fathers. A change has to be made because too many lives are being ruined.
I always liked Proof, I thought that aside from Em, he was the only one in D12 with skills. My earliest introduction to Proof was in 2000 when I got this 7 minute freestyle with him and Em ripping it. It was hillarious and you can tell that it was just two good friends having fun on the mic, enjoying a cipher together. Its awesome. I am sharing that song with y'all here today.

Big Proof and Eminem-7 minute freestyle

R.I.P. Proof

"...911 is a Joke in Yo' Town"

2006-04-14T00:15:00.000-05:00

Here's the scenario: A 6-year old's mother collapses and is unconcious. The young boy, realizing that something is seriously wrong, calls 911. The 911 dispatcher tells the kid to stop playing around on the phone and refuses to send an ambulance. The boy calls back and the dispatcher ignores his pleas again. The woman dies. Had 911 sent an ambulance the woman would have lived and the boy wouldn't have lost his mother. I read this in the paper on Monday and thought it was fucking ridiculous. I wonder whether if Robert Turner were calling from Auburn Hills or a predominantly white suburb in Detroit, the dispatcher would have been so insistant on refusing to sending help. 911 has been known to be very reluctant to enter black neighbourhoods. Here's a Public Enemy song that speaks on the issue.

Public Enemy-911 is a Joke

Welcome!

2006-04-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to S-Curl Accident. This is my blog, I'm using it to invite all of you into my world of politics, music and sports. I've got a lot to say and this blog is definately gonna be my forum to say it. Stay tuned....