Moving Blog: New Location is Now Up and Running

As much as it pains me to leave this blog behind, I have decided to relocate my attentions elsewhere. I will be writing for a new blog started by a good friend of mine under the title 'The National Something'. As well as starting my own new blog entitled "Brewed Wisdom", which is now officially up and running. For those of you who have been reading my block since the beginning, you will find a few old favorites reposted for your consideration as well as some new entries that I had neglected to make available until now. Below is the link to both the page that I currently contribute to, as well as my own blog. Feel free to visit both and as always, comment, share and be aware !

http://thenationalsomething.com

http://brewedwisdom.wordpress.com (Brewed Wisdom)

7 Ways Society is Becoming Dumb(er)

Yes you read that correctly, that's fifteen ways that you (society as a whole) are becoming more and more stupid. If you're sitting there scratching your head as to why with all the technology and innovations we have in this world, we are becoming stupider, than you, good sir or madam, are part of the problem. Exit stage right. So without further ado, here is your list you impatient fuck.

1) Our society is in the death grip of Big Corporations: 
               "No way!" say the mindless drones who spit processed meat from their cake holes. Ahh but wait I'm not finished. You see, there was a dream where companies strived to better the lives of their customers and create a product that improved one's livelihood exponentially. This was in an alternate universe where advertising hadn't become so ubiquitous and nauseating to the point where even visiting a website didn't open the floodgates of promotions, pop ups and commercials that invaded your home telling you why you were such a loser for not buying 'x' product. We live in a country where big box marts like Walmart are able to treat their employees like indentured servants and enslave them to a minimum wage job where a single mother of two can't support her family on full time/overtime pay. Yet, this is the same company who tries to pull the wool over the eyes of consumers and convince them that the people who shop at their stores are posh white women who are just 'amazed' at all the deals they were able to get for their families. Sure, Walmart luckily I have a tool called the internet and have seem more than my fair share of bearded women and an assortment creatures found south of Virginia, who are your 'real' consumer base.

2) Our Children are Shitheads who are Useless in the Real World 
              As someone who has both experienced and worked in the wonderfully enlightening world of public education, I think I know a little something about the future generations we are rearing. Not only are they wildly irritating on the whole, but they have the attention span of a crackhead who's looking for his latest fix. They fidget and look for any excuse to whip out their smart phones and electronics the second they think an adult is looking, their lives are dictated by the latest social media drama or fad that has been deemed 'cool' or 'swag' (don't get me started on twerking) and they all seem to dress in a manner that walks the thin line between streetwalker and mentally challenged. Any attempt to drill into their heads that there is an outside world out there beyond the pearly gates that is their high school diploma/GED is quickly disregarded as being 'negative' or 'adult bullshit'. What little work ethic they have is only seen as a means to an end which for many of them is just being able to afford that new miscellaneous product or being viewed as 'popular'.

3) Music has deteriorated to the point of no return 
           I can't tell you how many times I've heard self proclaimed music aficionados proudly announce that rapper 'x' or artist 'y' is "like the best thing ever", and most of these people are under the age of 21. Listen shithead, you will never convince me that rapping about 'popping bottles and bouncing that ass' is a form of art and musical talent that rivals that of geniuses like Mozart and Beethoven. Sitting on your pandora account and partaking in the latest pop culture circle jerk that hails retards like Jay-Z and Katy Perry as the equivalent of the second coming only proves that you've drank the kool aid, asphyxiated it, and proceeded to regurgitate what's left of your taste in music all over the floor.

4) We don't care to learn about other cultures 
           And no scientology and mormonism doesn't count....I'm not sure if it's just us living in a bubble of self righteous shit/religious dogma/social spheres etc. that causes us to be so uneducated about the rest of the world, but boy I can see why the majority of the world thinks we're stupid. The best examples lie in those late night segments where the host asks basic geography or current event questions to a passerby and proceeds to the get the usual nervous laughter combined with a dip shit response like, "three?" to the question, "how many world wars have their been?" American's for the most part, have a world view that can be akin to a fat kid admiring an ant farm or an exhibit at the zoo. They pound on the glass and sayt 'ooo look at that' and then proceed to busy themselves with guzzling the latest morsel of fatty first world treats they pulled out of their pockets. If the phrase, 'the world is your oyster', is meant to be taken literally, than most American's just suck what little greasy nutrients can be gained and toss the rest away.

5) We continue to elect Bigoted Charlatans who Prey on our prejudices 
      I'm talking to you Southern States.....Yes, the civil rights movement came and went with little to no effect other than to throw minorities a bone to chew at for a little bit until corporations could buy up so much space where they would be forced to work as slaves to evil companies who care not for that mother of two mentioned above who is still struggling to pay her mortgage and put food on the table. It's 2014, we have a congress which is deadlocked in it's extreme hatred for a man who has managed to pass a health care act that actually works and provide help to those in this country who so desperately need it. We have politicians whose sole purpose is to veto and block any attempt by the president and house democrats to pass any useful legislation because, "you're a big poopy head who we don't like because you voted for the black guy!" In all honesty, I don't seriously think that the only reason Washington is ineffectual is because they're racist. They're also really stupid.

6) We're a nation of 'Responsible Gun Owners', who occasionally forget that the Glock we're cleaning is loaded. 
       In the light of the recent pow wow that Texas gun owners had at their local chipotle in support of the NRA and the small penis society, I thought it was a good idea to bring this up. Ahh, who am I kidding the number of mass shootings and 'firearm related accidents' this country has, will most likely continue to make this topic relevant til the day I die. We are a country that not only worships the invisible all seeing sky god but also the constitution, but more importantly, the 2nd Amendment. That's right, the part of the constitution that people highlight and bothered to read incessantly, because nothing says 'well organized militia' like having you and your buddies from the group home collect every friggin' assault rifle and shotgun, "just in case King Obama decides to send the government boys after your cotton fields."

7) We let a 3000 year old book that promotes abuse of women and the belief that the earth is the center of the universe. 
        That's right our god is better than yours and he's white! You heard it here first ladies and gentlemen, Jesus Christ (our lord and savior amen) was not only a long haired white guy that occasionally sold tie-dyed shirts down by the beach but he hated gays and wouldn't raise the minimum wage even if that black single mother of two dedicated all of her free time to helping out at her local parish! Because if there something Jesus hates more than people day trading at a house of worship it's poor people trying to get a bite of the same pie us hard working trust fund kids struggled so hard to attain. And don't forget, the earth is flat, the virgin birth really happened, a snake can talk and 'everything happens for a reason'.


There you have it assholes, a top to bottom list of why this country mainly and most of society for that matter, is stupid! If you disagreed with anything I had to say feel free to submit a comment, retweet, share or do whatever it is you losers do when you want your shitty opinion to be heard. Good night and good luck!

        

The '2 Billion Dollar Man' : Donald Sterling profits from Racist Remark

For those of you on the interwebs that have staunchly defended Mr. Donald Sterling since his recorded racist outburst a few weeks ago, it should please you to know that your 'free speech champion' just made 2 billion dollars from the sale of the LA Clippers. Yes, the man who's tirade spawned yet another misguided debate on what the first amendment means and a trillion hours of redundant coverage on cable news networks, has finally gotten just desserts. Not only has he successfully been able to thumb his nose in the face of black people but he gets to do it while riding off into the sunset two-billion dollars fatter. So in case you had any doubt of society's inability to right its wrongs in the twentieth century, look no further than the NBA. Congratulations Mr. Sterling, I hope that money is enough to cushion the blow of your battered civil liberties.

Why 'The Big Bang Theory', is the worst comedy on television.

Oh yes, 'The Big Bang Theory' aka "Primetime's most watched comedy, winner of (insert #) Emmy awards!", or better yet, 'the most overrated piece of network tripe that has managed to spew out from the ass of Chuck Lorre' aka "The man who killed formerly prime times most watched comedy: "Two and a Half Men". Not a lot of positive things can be said about TBBT but if I was pressed to compliment an aspect of the show it would be as follows:

1. Yes, Jim Parsons is a good actor and is seemingly made for the character of Sheldon Cooper, which can either be a pro or a negative depending on how you look at it.

2. Kaley Cuoco is hot.

That's it.

Now for the bad. What I find irritating about the TBBT it's the type of show that you could watch once, get whatever entertainment you're going to get out of it and never watch again, like most of Chuck Lorre programs. It's a program that relies on gimmicks, not good writing, and brings to mind that annoying friend who does the Steve Urkel impression or the Uncle who makes the same tired crack at dinner to get a laugh out of the younger kids. The humor is lazy and uninspired, it perpetuates the growing trend of picking a clique from society, writing stereotypical dialogue and beating it into the ground. "Two and a Half Men" does the same trick BUT was funny because it essentially could be called "The Charlie Sheen Show" and maintain the same comic edge, as the show is more or less a parody of the real Charlie Sheen's playboy lifestyle. TBBT right from the get go seemed to be a limited engagement, a daring attempt from the CBS executives to touch upon an audience that hadn't really been done yet: Nerds, really annoying ones.

I am confident that the conversation when coming up with show was about as inspired as a Seth Rogen comedy, with frat boys sitting around a table drinking and eating cheetos "brainstorming" how to devolve American comedy even more. In fact it probably went a little something like this"

"So let's see, what do we need in order to make an easily accessible comedy about nerds that won't be viewed as a too science oriented or too dorky? I know! Let's think about every nerdy kid in high school who we used to tease and compile them into the most stereotypical caricatures so that the audience can get the jokes without even having to think! We need the straight laced nerd, who the audience can relate to on a very limited scale (Leonard), we should have an ethnic nerd with a funny accent who we can kind of relax with, because foreign people are funny (Raj) oh, and the super creepy nerd who thinks he's a casanova with women (Howard) but let's make have him live with his mother and Jewish, because who likes them anyway right? Hmm and finally we need somebody who we can market to death and use to sell t-shirts/cups/posters/etc. Who could it be? I got it! Let's all brainstorm the worst things we hate about nerds and what we think they're really like without consulting any actual geeks and make like a 'super nerd' with no social skills (Sheldon)....Oh yeah, and a pair of boobs too, we need that because no one is going to tune into these four clowns without some tits to look at. But we can handle that later...who's got the tylenol, boy that was a rough meeting!"

So yeah, that's probably (definitely) how the show was written, and like my 8th grade teacher told me, "the quality of your work is equal to the amount of effort you put in", and it definitely shows. So what is it about these anal retentive individuals that somehow clicks with so many viewers, other than the fact that they're such an easy target for ridicule? Is it the fact that the show is just so passively written that it reeks of sophomoric humor and one liners? Or perhaps the fact that we like to watch people less socially adept than ourselves fail in the most simple social interactions on a weekly basis? The sad truth is probably all of the above. It reminds me of the kid who hikes his pants up to his armpits, throw on a pair of glasses and a goofy lispy voice and make fun of the nerd in the corner. But as we all know, not all nerds are geeks and not all geeks are nerds. The show likes to pretend that the two are indistinguishable , further illustrating their ignorance on the subject matter. If you were to ask Chuck Lorre what the definition of a nerd was he'd probably tell you the following, "A nerd is like, a guy who is obsessed with star wars, star trek and lord of the rings and likes to pretend lightsaber fight with his friends and play Halo til all hours of the night. Oh, and doesn't get any girls, because the only girls that like guys like that are butch and weird...because they're nerds yuk yuk".

Yet despite this obvious affront to the nerd community, which while I am not a part of that group, consider myself somewhat well versed on the most accessible of pop culture science fiction lore and terms without ascribing it to social awkwardness or being a 'dork'. The show at heart is mean spirited as the audience is always at arms length from the characters just due to the fact that they're caricatures, you never really connect with them and even the non nerd characters are stereotypes, so there is nothing for you to relate to, just laugh at, not laugh with. Characters like Penny are very one dimensional, she's the 'pretty, ditzy blonde',  who along with the audience, gets to poke fun at the main characters short comings and social awkwardness. There are no in between or real characters, they're all either nerds or jocks.

It's a shame that TBBT is so well received because it continues the trend of doing a disservice to the comedy genre by dumbing it down to nothing more than high school humor based around lazy writing and uninspired characters which are used as nothing more than to sell t-shirts and posters. It's no wonder why many are turning to BBC for their comedy or abandoning network television all together.

Watch Dogs Gameplay ~ Preview

The last couple of months have left much of the gaming world speculating over the heavily anticipated release of Ubisoft's next open world game, Watch Dogs. Much of the buzz hasn't been positive with many questioning the integrity of the developer's statements earlier this year which proclaimed that the graphics would not be downgraded by any means. However, much of this was scrutinized with footage being leaked that suggested the gameplay had been drastically downgraded from the much talked about E3 2012/2013 footage. Much of the gaming community was set into a frenzy upon this "discovery" prompting many to liken the latest gameplay to that of early PS3 and even Sims-like graphics. It had appeared that the future of Watch Dogs was uncertain and with the developers suffering a huge blow with over a month til launch. 

Flash forward to late April 2014: Ubisoft releases brand new footage that showcases the multiplayer aspects of the game on the PS4. Many over the past few weeks had speculated that only PC gamers would reap the benefits of true 'next-gen' graphics, as latest news had suggested that the graphics would look the best on PC hardware which would be capable of rendering top notch shadowing and Anti-aliasing. However, with the latest footage showcasing graphic quality just slightly below that of the much acclaimed E3 2012 graphics, the gaming community could finally breath easy for the time being. 

There hasn't been much talk about the multiplayer other than a quick gameplay that suggested gamers could enter one another's game sessions seamlessly without any hiccups. How does this work? Well, the head of development has the 411 on everything you need to know so far. In theory, a gamer could enter the session of another in three separate fashions: 

1: Come into another's session surreptitiously disguised as an NPC and 'hack' into the host gamers in-game cellphone to pull what information they can without being detected/killed. The success rate varies on the ability of the hacker to be stealthy and outwit the other player(s) in a deadly cat and mouse chase around the city. Rewards include new ranks, city information, notoriety increase and other benefits which have yet to be fully detailed.

2: A mobile user who has downloaded the Watch Dogs app can enter via their personal smartphone or tablet and take on all the powers of a faceless CTOS operator, controlling the police, traffic lights and the entire city in theory to trap a console player. How successful you are depends on your wits and the speed of how quickly you tap around a map of the city as you send waves or law enforcement agencies after a player.

Note: I wonder how much this method of gameplay will be utilized beyond just a quick dabble to see how it works. 

3: Players can team up in squadrons to steal information from another groups hacker utilizing both driving skills and gunplay to obtain the sought after information. Again the reward(s) vary based on how well you and your teammates work together to kill or incapacitate the other team members and achieve your goal. 

Note: Unfortunately this was the shortest amount of gameplay that was discussed in the video with some gamers, including myself, questioning the driving mechanics and gunplay. 

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, a quick run down of all the multiplayer has to offer to date. Now for my opinion. While the graphics have me a less weary on buying the game I am still skeptical about the actual gameplay and mechanics. First off I thought the lighting was pretty darn good all things considering, especially since I had seen many videos and testimony that indicated to the contrary. Secondly, I like the idea of other gamers entering your session without you knowing which could prove to be a lot of fun if done correctly, although I can't comment as positively on the silly Taco truck which is about as subtle as a kick in the head (see above video). Lastly, the city looks more alive then some of the gameplay elements of other sandbox games such as GTA V and Saints Row which always bothered me, as driving around with only a handful of pedestrians and cars on the road gets a bit eerie at times. 

Now for the bad. I disliked the way the driving aspect of the game worked, which I imagine you'll be doing a lot of. There didn't seem to be much if any in the way of damage when barreling your vehicle at breakneck speeds down Chicago streets and sidewalks with the front end looking brand new and shiny by the time the chase had ended. The car's also give the impression that driving is almost as smooth as driving a boat or a vehicle in Crazy Taxi which seemed very irritating. I also was a little perturbed by the gunplay which seemed lazy and uninspired at best with lackluster sounds and responsiveness. Hopefully, theses aspects will be ironed out and that the final version will be just as good the early footage promised or close to it. 

In the end I was surprised by the fidelity at which the gameplay looked and while we didn't get to see a whole bunch of the city it's nice to know that there will a lot to explore and figure out for yourself come May. As always please leave all comments or questions that you might have in the section below and feel free to follow me for more relevant and irrelevant news stories! 

World's Apart: Society's Mental Block

'Selfie'. The term has become commonplace among social network aficionados and casual facebookers alike. It is a jargon that has come to represent an entire generation due in part to it's ubiquitous nature. This week the word found it's way into the Oxford Dictionary as the publishers declared it the 'culturally defining word of the year'. While largely looked upon as a throw away pop culture story that typically falls under the radar with most of the 'yahoo' and Huffington post-type articles, it is a story that has more depth and serves to shed light on the inherent flaw of such innovations.

The story is the answer to the often posited question: What have we accomplished technologically to better aid our daily lives and stay more connected as a species? When the smart phone came about in the early 2000’s they were hailed as the dawning of a new age of communication, allowing us a society to close the gap between the disconnected and the connected.  Apple cashed in the biggest on the first of such phones and marketed accordingly with the selling point that their products were essentially the ‘bentley’ of the cell phone universe. With such convenience and new innovations came the rise in social networking domains most famously, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Phone companies caught on fairly quickly the cash cow that could be created with little more effort than an app that would revolutionize how we stay in contact with loved ones and friends with a tap of a finger. Phones had become the gateway to a world of dreams with limitless possibilities.  Little More than a decade later Apple and Microsoft unveiled their tablet companions which substituted as ‘mini laptops’ and their latest in high tech phones accompanied by HD resolution and larger capacity much to the glee of tech wizards and app lovers alike. 

It is now 2014 and it is almost impossible to find someone who doesn’t own some sort of tablet, smart phone, or high powered computer. We are infinitely connected to one another at a click of a mouse or keypad with the world at our fingertips, whether we like it or not. However, in doing so we have become more aloof and alone, losing what makes us human in the effort to create simplicity. Infinite information is an app away and has dulled our minds into accepting the idea that we need not stretch ourselves further than technology allows. As such society has become stagnate in our ability to form electronic relationships that simulate human connection very well without the physical bond that has driven us for centuries. Today’s youth have never known a world without the internet, cell phones or Facebook and thus have little to no appreciation for imagining the absence of such. What we have created are a generation of socially inept individuals who live vicariously through the inter webs and online personas. Distraction levels are at an all time high with the rate of cell phone related accidents on the road climbing and showing no signs of dipping. Schools are forced to combat such issues with little to no avail requiring one more obstacle (and a large one at that) to be tackled on a case to case basis. And with an economy already in the toilet and a limited employment market awaiting our children on the other side of a 4-year undergraduate degree, we have only crafted our own doom. It is not difficult to imagine a world where physical connections are viewed as an inconvenience entirely with large wall screens providing sustenance for any desired human contact. 

In the end it is up to us as a culture to mediate and curb such behavior in our children and more importantly ourselves. It is often posited whether environment or heredity has a greater effect on our upbringing and I feel it could be said at this juncture that the choice is ours as a species and should be taken more seriously than it presently is. 

Music of the Week.

This above is a piece that I wrote using Garageband. Let me know what you guys think if anyone is interested. Cheers!

Video of the Day

Have always loved Julian's solo work. Nice to see him still doing stuff. Check it out.

No Turning Back: Syria in Focus

                                                                                                                         
With the present state of affairs both domestic and abroad, I would say that there is much to be discussed as America once again approaches the threshold of yet another international military debacle that never ceases to captivate both the media and small town diplomat alike. Alas since facts and truth seem to be two very different items these days it is nearly impossible to shed light on anything long enough to see every tooth and nail of whatever monster it is we are hunting.

What is evident is that no one seems quite to know what is going on and would rather lob accusations and shake fists because you know, that's what civilized governments do. Today's world is one that resembles more of a 'cowboys and Indians' manner of dealing with international relations rather than aiming to root out a problem before brashly yanking it by the stalk. But then again, this is nothing new so I suppose I shouldn't be too heavy handed in my critique of the Obama Administration's course of action. However, once again I must again admittedly give some leeway to our shirtless friend in the East, President Putin, who surprises me with his rather well thought out look at the situation in Syria. Mr. Putin recently released a statement that stated that it would be smart to disarm the country of any chemical weapons rather than facilitate any unnecessary military incursion, a statement that even President Obama admitted was a 'potential breakthrough'. In other words, "why didn't I think of that?". Which raises another important question, why are we so gung-ho to get involved in what would most certainly turn into another mass deployment of troops and UN peacekeepers when there isn't hard evidence to really suggest that Al Asad himself ordered the usage of chemical weapons on his own people? Am I saying that it's not very likely that he did give the military permission to utilize such weapons against Syrian citizens? No. Is it also likely that the rebels might have done it themselves in the hopes that the US would and at this point probably intervene and usurp Al Asad out of power? Yes, I think it is. But is this discussed on the nightly news across our country? I think you know the answer to that my friends.

Nope, not even a little. Instead we are bombarded with bullshit small town America Q&A's that seek to illuminate the hidden political geniuses that blue-collar workers at crummy diners possess. At this point I guess I shouldn't be too surprised as American's have enjoyed sucking at the teat of the misinformation hub that is broadcast news. But that's a story for another day and another drink.

While this situation most definitely is in it's downward spiral towards almost certain disaster, I would like to hope as I always do, that the fine people who lead our beloved country can surprise me by doing something that I have yet to see become a trend: Common Sense. Don't fall into the trap of living beyond your means America, you're a deadbeat, a broke and an economic cripple, don't go taking a swing just because you're angry and need someone to fight.  With that I leave you with the following advice Mr. President.

 There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.

Note: Photo originally published on usatoday.com

'America' Or Why You Can't Fix Stupid

In the wake of the recent 'not guilty' verdict for the Trayvon Martin murder, I felt it necessary to comment on the general state of affairs rather than a case anatomy that many professional and non-experts feel so inclined to do at the drop of a hat.

With every big media trial that occurs, usually for murder or the occasional infanticide, it appears that every person; male or female, black or white, and self proclaimed expert alike come out of the woodwork to lay their opinion on the table for all to hear. What usually amounts to this potpourri of (mis)information, is biased and nonsensical arguments that devolve into hours upon hours of quarrels and 'he said, she said' statements that make the 'highlight reels' of the web. As per usual, the media will of course hyper-inflate what could easily be considered junk swept under rug of the chopping room. In the end those precious few who opt to take a neutral stance on such issues are greeted with a circus that seems to grow only stronger as fuel for minute to minute updates run dry. Rephrasing and repetition become ubiquitous as news stations are forced to use recycle footage and old 'post 9/11' terminology to strike fear in the hearts of the less attentive viewers. Thus those on the lower end of the spectrum get a 1st grade book report summary of the 'truth', which takes liberties with the facts and turns opinions into causes and bullet points into long winded odes to justice and civil rights. The point I'm trying to make is that many of American's tend to take what should be obvious social problems and run with them to the point where they plateau into matters of 'race' or 'gender'. While these issues are good and all, at least for social media, they don't strike hard at the matter at hand which is something more serious and socially unacceptable. Cases like the Trayvon Martin case highlight such issues and shed light on human's inherent ability to leech off social issues and use them as a soapbox of sorts to bandwagon their own opinions which they tout as research or fact. It's a shame because it discredits those who really do look at both sides of the coin and formulate well educated responses to the social failures that are looked upon as social norms. Violence is so widespread that it has been relegated to the 'inner city' and minorities in the lower income neighborhoods. The media for all it's power and expert analysis has been directly responsible for the dumbing of America and the novocaine for an ailing citizenry that forgets the uneven plane it stands upon everyday.

We are a nation of the contrary, a country that looks through all the grim and grit and looks for reasons to disagree with social reform. Gun control is a serious part of this as is abortion and the improvement of daily life. On one hand we push for reform and call those who seek to block such changes fools or lazy. Then on the other hand, when reform or change does take place that can really make a difference we disagree with that and shout blasphemy or sacrilege when it threatens our faith or moral fiber. We are stuck in this hamster wheel of progress that amounts to nothing in the end. History is unfortunately written by the victor and as of late, the winner is awfully good at pretending that mediocrity is an achievement. With every verdict and with every bill we lose a sense of where we are and where we are going, and thus are forced to wander through this endless desert of misdirection. Progress only comes to those who with the desire to be progressive.

The God Suppository: Side Effects May Vary.

Assuming that my absence has been greatly noted and that the multitude of my readers have avidly been searching for any substitute to satisfy their well developed palette for brilliant insight (you're welcome), let me say that I sincerely apologize for the shortage in recent posts. However, today I have a spicy subject that I hope riles even those of you who have a strong stomach for controversy and salty language. Let me begin by saying, that I again do not propose to have all of the answers to the inner workings of the universe and would not expect of any of you to argue that I am some sort of genius on my behalf, although the thought is well received. I am going to maintain my staunch stance on religion and the notion that it poisons the well of society to a point that exposes even the most reasonable individual as a 'god fearing' cretan that acts purely out of self preservation. 

I want to start my article, which will continue into future segments on religion and the supernatural should cooler minds prevail when the dust settles. So let's dive into it shall we; Do we need God to exist to make our existence significant? I think most of the individuals that attend church on a daily basis would agree with that notion whether it's internally or vocalized. Why do I say this? Mainly because many of the weekly churchgoers* these days and years before like to think themselves as the highest form of intelligence bar none and thus are worthy of the term 'god's greatest creation.' Now these are the same individuals who will argue that the birth of a child is a 'miracle of life' thus drawing a line that separates the sacred from the rest of the world's inhabitants. How is childbirth a miracle? If we were the only sentient being that could reproduce at will then perhaps I might argue on the side of the 'pro lifers' that have to turn every cause into a bumper sticker. However, we know that this is not the case, in fact animals were producing millions of years before humans even existed and managed to survive without the means of any sort of 'lifelines' that support our own existence. I would say that the fact that evolution is a reality that any idiot with half a brain that paid attention to 6th grade biology could figure out, I would say that the ability of dinosaurs and ocean dwelling creatures to adapt and survive for millions of years qualifies as more of a 'miracle' than say,  a species who consciously reproduces in the hopes of having their own 'mini-them'. Plus if life is so sacred than why do we relegate the word 'sacred' to only human life? The same people that will argue for the sanctity of a human embryo are the same individuals that ingest young calves by the quarter pound patty and subsequently argue over the evils of experimenting on unborn fetuses. "Two different things!"you say as you spit out chunks of processed meat across the table? Are they really? I call bullshit on that two faced view of 'sacred life'. 

Do you know why humans take precedence over other creatures? It's for the simple fact that humans are the only creatures that can talk and present a personality through language. Human beings view animals as menial creatures that eat and overproduce and thus need to be tapered back, this is a common argument used to describe the need to hunt deer. Hmm an overpopulated, over eating species that serve no purpose other than it's own self preservation? That sounds an awful lot like umm... humans? Do animals have the potential to destroy ecosystems and become over populated? Yes of course they do, were you not paying attention in 6th grade biology again?! But let me say this: no other animal outside the human race has ever consciously made another creatures life miserable in the hopes of some sort of personal gain. We are an inherently destructive race that knowingly feels the need to piss our name in every inch of grass we see and plaster concrete over any low lying swamp land that could be better utilized as a 'housing complex' for minorities. And all in the name of religion and 'progress'. I'd like to pinpoint the exact moment when progress stopped being about helping others and more about a nice car and a paycheck. I guess those guys in the flat earth society who wrote the bible forgot to do a little bit surveying before they decided to build a religion out of the human misery around them. 

So in closing, Do we need God to exist for us to feel important? For the puritan that needs that reassurance whenever they look in the mirror before they go out into the world, I'd say the answer is indisputably yes. But for those of you who have no need of fairy tale mythology to explain why your neighbor is fucking your wife beyond the fact that she's a whore, than good on you for not following the rest of your species of the cliffs of delusion. 

*Let me clarify that by churchgoer I mean those that make the conscious effort to go to church every week. Not like those once a year fucks that hog the pews on Christmas Eve. 

The Wayward Generation: A Portrait of America's Youth

What does it say about the current state of affairs when the younger generations are aptly named "The IPhone Generation"? The moniker suggests a hip, trend setting youth that defines what sort of direction we're going, both on a technical and cultural plane. However, as the world becomes more connected with each and every invention that allows us to communicate from the comfort of our homes, the world becomes that much smaller. We lose the ability to 'touch' and feel one another on a physical basis and become so detached from the desire to go out in the world and make connections on a 'person to person' scale. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, make it so effortless to immerse oneself  in the day in and day out happenings of complete strangers. What used to be private has now become public, with such sites become hubs of social commentary and pop culture mavericks. We are a society bombarded with screens and ads that dog us at every step, telling us what to like and reminding us of our exposure just through a simple click of a mouse.

The internet has become the new area to showcase one's talents, for better or worse, and a stage for the ego to elevate itself above its peers. It is almost impossible to be on facebook, twitter, or instagram and not find countless images of friends and acquaintances misadventures that are updated at a seconds notice. I find myself going from amused to overwhelmed, to finally disgusted and mortified at the sight of what some people find to be necessary to share. Is it really necessary to post pictures of your pregnant stomach every few days just to remind your friends and family that 'you're really a mature woman, ready for the responsibility of "adulthood"? It is imperative that young girls no younger than 13 have such shallow impressions of themselves that they have to uphold 'racy' pictures of themselves to their facebook wall just for the reassurance that they are indeed 'attractive' and worthy of the men they aspire to be with. We are a people that are slowly finding it increasingly difficult to maintain concentration at even the most serious of moments. I find myself ranked and riled at the sight of a young person sneaking a look at their phone during a college lecture or writing a status that degrades the persona of a friend or classmate.

Perhaps I am indeed a fighter of the future that pines for a return to a time when people wanted to be out and about and learn for themselves rather than aspire to have every answer at the press of a button. When I hear individuals stumble at even the most obvious of questions that should be taught at a grade school level, it frightens me to think where we are and where we are headed.

Hollywood: The Sodom of the Art World

"Yeah well, your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should." 

For those of you who don't know the source of the above quote it comes from none other than Dr. Ian Malcolm played wonderfully by the always quirky Jeff Goldblum in The Lost World. It is this statement that is used to hauntingly remind the powers that brought dinosaurs into re-existence that their attempts at playing god should've thought ahead before dooming themselves to their own imminent undoing. It is this common sci-fi theme that is commonly used as a warning to 'think before you act', and ironically be used to describe Hollywood today, particularly within the realm of remakes and reboots. 

With so much money in circulation within Hollywood and the corporations of America it is easy to look past the greed and the wealth that we suspend disbelief just long enough to stand in line for the latest blockbuster or long awaited sequel. These days we are bombarded with ads for movie tie-in products some which deserve more scolding than others such as: Man of Steel's Gillette razor commercials and McDonalds for pretty much every Disney movie that hits the circuit. Are we as a society so dumb that we really need the product affiliations to make us feel that much closer to fame and fortune. I can tell you that on the rare occasion that I feel the need to shave do I instantly think "I really want to look like Henry Cavill from Superman today!"

Either Hollywood has grossly misjudged the effect their film has on the general public or they know us to be the mindless sheep that we are who will bite at anything that looks remotely shiny or tasty. Sadly I have to say the latter is most likely the reality of it all. In reference to the quote above do we come to the phenomenon of remaking classic films or television shows to reroute generations who were a. not around to appreciate the originals when they initially came out or b. don't appreciate the originals because they're minds are so tailored to the sensory overload type of film making that substitutes as a filler for real creativity. Did we really need a Spiderman reboot less than a few years after the original trilogy ended? Was it really necessary for Hollywood to dive into every comic book series no matter how shitty they were in the hopes of garnering a smooth paycheck for the already rich executives who could give a fuck about the art of filmmaking? A lot of people will argue with me and say 'oh but Robert Downey Jr. and Christian Bale are so good in Iron Man and Batman'. First of all, they're not that good in those roles, they're acceptable because the characters that they're playing are such unrealistic, fun ideas that serve as symbols of the golden age of comic books rather than as fictitious beings with deep personalities that deserve shakespearian interpretations. It's hard to see them as anything more than fun comic book characters because that's what they were intended for, granted hats off to Frank Miller for his gritty interpretation of Batman, but that was when it was something new and original. Anybody could've played Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark, they're one dimensional characters that over the years have been tweaked so much that we forget the source material that they originated from. If Hollywood wants to be taken seriously then it needs to support the people that make films possible (i.e. the writers) and worry less about being hacks and pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into shitty live action retellings of men in tights. One critic recently noted that the budget of Christopher Nolan's Man of Steel could've been better utilized in the field of cancer research or some other noble cause rather than to line the pockets of executives who don't need it. 

Movie making has gone from a legitimate art form with real potential to tell a story through creative techniques and innovation, to a perverted, twisted spawn of big business and computer generated shit that continues to 'captivate' audiences everywhere. Method acting has been replaced with warehouse produced set pieces and storytelling exchanged for cheesy plot devices glossed over with shiny special effects that are no longer 'special'. You really lose the magic of filmmaking and the joy of creation when everything is so effortlessly manufactured behind a computer screen. When Blade Runner and Star Wars came out, they were noted for their unorthodox methods in bringing fantastical set pieces to life with neat special effects that came out of models and camera tricks that made them possible. Blade Runner today still has an amazing feel to it when watched today, just in its ability to maintain that film noir vibe while painting a not so distant dismal future. Films today don't put that same thought and care into their final products and prefer to promote 'star power' over 'storytelling' in the hopes of making a quick buck off of promotional advertising and hyper violence. I agree that graphic violence can be a good plot device in telling a story but when it's so ubiquitous that it desensitizes the going public it loses it's intended effect. Films like the "Saw" series are famous for such things but at the same time have successfully desensitized an entire generation to violence in a way that makes them numb to non empathetic to the harsh grim reality around them. These are the same group of teenagers who go to see such blood fests and could give a rat's ass about the violence in third world countries because they're so immune to it. Therefore such facts make it hard for me to stomach some dipshit who claims that 'The Dark Knight' is "the best movie ever" and call movies like "Chinatown" or "Curious Case of Benjamin Button" boring. Are we such a blatantly stupid and ADD society that we constantly need the stimulation of sex and violence to wrap our heads around an idea, that we forego even attempting to grasp a higher mode of thought? I'm afraid that this is a result of the harsh 'dumbing of society' that many have predicted. 

So again Hollywood just because you can doesn't mean you should. If you really care about promoting yourselves as a center of innovation and ideas, than stop appealing to the idiot base who can't focus without an explosion or tit flash to grab their attention. American society is dumb enough that you don't need to go to such efforts to make a quick buck, remember many of us believe in the garden of eden and voted for Bush twice.

Common Sense 2013: Dead Notion or a Lost Ideal ?

Like many people with a higher sense of being, I like to consider myself a connoisseur of all things fashionable and classy. Sometimes that means caving into the latest fad and throwing a lot of money on an otherwise unnecessary item of clothing or entertainment system. Other times it means having a wide variety of music at my immediate disposal during the occasional times when I have company. I'll tell you right now that the second one is a more difficult trend to stick to. Why is music so bad these days? I wish I could tell you that it had to do with reality television, teenage pregnancy, or consumerism that collides with our daily lives day in and day out. I even wish I could tell you it had to do with lead in the water supply, but unfortunately for those of you who come to my blog for an ounce of 'grandfatherly' wisdom, I cannot provide you with such in this regard. What I can provide you with is an opinion with a 'matter-of-fact' undertone that disparages the hardworking members of the music industry, while putting down the majority of the population of this fine and well developed country.

For one, the music industry attempts to promote its musicians as 'new and unique' with a fan base to match. From talents such as Lil Wayne to Mylie Cyrus (to cover the color spectrum), the powers that be in the music industry like to tout their top acts as being pioneers of trendy social events and as 'good people' who hold similar values to their fan base. If 'values' include drug abuse, being arrested for domestic abuse, and acting like idiots, then sure I guess those are some moral virtues that the general population should look up to. I find it hard to feel bad for the majority of society particularly because we're the same society that likes to frown on other countries for being 'primitive' and 'immoral', and yet shells out millions of dollars to Nicki Minaj and the majority of the 'hip-hop' artists who view us as nothing more than open wallets. I wish the majority of American's were intelligent human beings, as much as I hate the 80's (mostly for it's contribution to music) I feel like the joke is on us, at least in retrospect. I say this because there are so many parents who grew up during this period that seem to think that modern music is great and will sing along to shit like "Party in the USA" or any crappy pop tune that their dipshit children will throw in on their way to the mall. There's nothing worse than a parent who thinks he/she can fit in with their children, especially when they attempt to mimic a 13-year olds fashion taste or lingo. It's enough to make you wish for a strain of plague to wipe out a good percent of the populace just so those with half a brain can get some sort of a say in the direction society is headed.

We live in a society where we are told that things are bad for us and yet decide to do them anyway, either out of not caring at all or simply because some egghead will figure out the solution to the problem sometime soon. The go-to example for this sort of mentality would be Climate Change, which for some reason is considered a myth by many, specifically in the parts of the country where it was legal to own slaves and marry your cousin. It's scary to think that many adults who like to think they care about future generations continue to flaunt common sense and assert that Global Warming is a "cycle" or worse, a fabrication by the liberal media to trick people into voting Democrat. This isn't one of those '3 out of 5 doctors agree'  situations where you can afford to forego being proactive, it's the entire scientific community that unanimously agrees on this conclusion, which as of late has evolved from "we're screwing ourselves" to "we're fucked are you happy assholes?" For those of you who believe in some higher form of intelligence that watches over you while you sleep and cheat on your wives, please pray in my stead that no human being ever gets off this planet. Because if it does you can be sure that it'll repopulate somehow and trash whatever other planet it can breathe on.

Homicide and Other Haberdashery

I'm not quite sure what it is about professional football that drives its players to commit murder and in a heartbeat throw away millions of dollars and any fame that they may have earned. News today of former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez arrest raised eyebrows in the sports world as the 23 year old tight end was brought in on counts of first degree murder and five firearm charges. According to prosecutors Mr. Hernandez killed 27 year old semi pro football player Odin Lloyd and covered up evidence in the hopes of evading arrest. This news comes a little over a week after Lloyd's body was discovered on the early hours of June 17th. The murder itself is said to have arose over a dispute that took place a few nights earlier that erupted being the two men. Mr. Hernandez was subsequently released a few hours after his arrest earlier today.

What is all the more disturbing in a case such as this is the premeditated nature of the murder itself. Lloyd had texted a friend in the early hours of Monday the 17th, stating that he had been picked up by Hernandez and some of his compatriots. A few short hours later Mr. Lloyd was found dead by two gunshot wounds. If Hernandez is indeed guilty his financial woes will be the least of his problems unless sometime in the near future he decides to plead guilty to the six charges brought against him today. I hate to say it but it's almost comical that people in such states of financial comfort still decide to commit such crimes and risk everything in the process. Plus I have to admit that the above picture is pretty funny itself, like what on earth was going on that Hernandez had to be arrested with his arms inside his t shirt? Did the prosecutors catch him coming of the shower or in the midst of a bow-flex routine? Petty humor aside, it would appear that the 23 year old is in for a large helping of shit in the months to come. Let's just hope the jury doesn't mind the notion of a 6' 1'' guy with tattoos covering his arms giving a tearful account of events leading up until he iced his bud during the inevitably televised court room drama that is sure to unfold. I tell ya, I never get tired of seeing these idiots who thought they were bright enough to conceal evidence from investigators and yet were dumb enough to commit murder in the first place. Mind boggling, let's hope that justice is served and we don't have another O.J. on our hands.

In other news, is anyone other than me really fed up with the filth that Yahoo.com allows to hit the web? I realize that the majority of people that read online news tend to have the attention span of a ten year old, but seriously Yahoo, if you want to be considered as a legitimate news source than stop allowing every story about social networking trends and celebrity wardrobe faux pas's to be printed. Granted what does this say about me as a member of rapidly dwindling news going audience, but I'd like to be able to read a concise article that is at the very least grammatically correct with my morning bowl of Captain Crunch. In music news it would appear that Kanye West's new album 'Yeezus' is quite the hit among those who like to think that Kanye isn't an insufferable ass but rather a 'musical genius' with his incorporation of electronic "melodies". Is that what it takes these days to be considered a versatile musician? "Let's record a few songs in a different musical genre and make tired statements about social issues that don't effect the artists themselves. Yep that'll win some grammy's and get some kids to research American slavery." I'd also like to note that the Grammy's haven't meant shit in many a year, especially when it hands out awards for literally every insignificant musical 'achievement'. Gosh, even the paper plate award that I got in middle school serves as a better indicator of talent than a Grammy.

That's the problem with American society, it likes to pretend it sets high standards for its citizens and then proceeds to diminish every single achievement it has to offer. The United States has a sub par education system, winning the award for having the most high school graduates unprepared for first year undergraduate classes. Sure you can belittle China and Japan for having weird fetishes and questionable ethics when it comes to devouring household pets over some fried rice, but you can't say they don't encourage a strong work ethic and a vigorous education program. While you middle age mothers sit there and read the latest Oprah book club novel and pretend to give a shit what your kids are doing, there are children overseas working 10x as hard as your pot smoking dipshit of a son, who understand the value of the dollar. For the amount of energy we spend asserting to the rest of the world that we're civilized we seem to be spending an unequal amount of time legislating against the social problems that result in gun violence and climate change, which the south brilliantly refers to as 'hogwash'. So in closing I'd like to thank the rest of the world for giving us shit all the time for being idiots because as a famous character once said, "stupid is as stupid does".

The Spy Who Came in On the Redeye: Putin Rears His Head Over Extradition

Today was a busy news day with breaking news stating that Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, announced that he had no intention of turning over the fugitive Edward Snowden to the United States. Putin issued a formal statement during a press conference in which he made the firm claim that, "We can extradite foreign nationals only to those countries with which we have relevant international agreements on the extradition of criminals." This press release in particular was in direct response to Secretary of State John Kerry's claim that Russia should lead by example and turn over Mr. Snowden to face charges of espionage and treason. Mr. Putin's response today served as a reminder of the international hostility that many countries hold towards the US, despite efforts to maintain friendly relations between Russian and the States. Washington responded in turn by asserting that the US had no desire to create tension between the two nations but hoped rather that Russia would continue to provide information about Mr. Snowden's whereabouts. This news comes a few short weeks after initial reports out of China that Edward Snowden; an IT contractor for the NSA had revealed sensitive material about the capabilities of US intelligence and had violated various laws that prohibit the leaking of details surrounding mass surveillance programs. As with most instances of disgruntled employees leaking information to the press, this recent development appears to be no different in its ability to incite national debate over surveillance techniques, which as of late is a much talked about issue that has no foreseeable end in sight. 

The question remains however: Was Russia too bold in it's chastising of the US for making such demands? Or was it a reasonable denial that illustrates the growing resentment towards the US manner of asking for help only when it affects us? It would appear after combing through many of the political blogs on the web, that Putin issued a powerful statement that served to highlight Washington's failure to quell an issue that only exacerbated its controversial stance on government spying and invasion surveillance techniques. Looking at this from an international point of few, I can't blame Putin for not wanting to 'play nice' with the US, due in part to the fact that the US likes to play the victim when it comes to issues of national security. And it's even more difficult considering that the US is now in full panic mode now that it knows that its NSA has been caught with its pants down and nowhere to hide. Say what you want about the Media when it comes to sensationalizing reality, but when it has information about the US looking stupid it really knows how to turn on the heat. However, I am in agreement that being an employee of any intelligence agency comes with a laundry list of responsibility and to reveal any sort of sensitive information is treason. Period. Do I mean to say that Snowden deserves to disappear into a black bag and never seen again for what he did? No. I think that the issue at hand shouldn't be national security, it should be that the US needs to formally address why it feels the need to set up various programs that invade the privacy of its citizens. I believe that any nation has the right to monitor its populace to a point but there's a fine line between abusing power and using power in a just and right manner. In the wake of the drone program, wire tapping, snatching up of records from the internet such as Google and Facebook by PRISM, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened on a grand scale. 

I encourage everyone to read the NYTimes article about today's press release and I hope that even those of you who disagree with me seek knowledge on the matter at hand, even if it means doing a little bit of research. I will post the link to the video I discussed briefly this morning but for now I really wanted to discuss the latest developments out of Washington. 

As always any questions or comments are welcome and encouraged!

Intros and Inklings

 

For those of you who are still awake (in the states at least), let me begin by saying that this opening post is by no means going to be neither the best nor worst of my writing, nor is it the product of an individual who wishes to provide you with anything other than simple entertainment and opinion. Now given that this is the case and the fact that I am extremely tired at the moment; allow me the courtesy of stating that I am both new to the blogosphere and not used to the format of such an informal medium. With that out of the way I will commence with formal introductions and various (un)interesting facts about my life as of yet.

My name is Mike, I am 22 years old, a recent graduate from a University that I am not going to reveal at this or any other predetermined moment of time. I graduated this past May with a degree in History and a humble but still noticeable amount of deb, which will most certainly be a growing pain that will have to acclimate myself to as I continue along my journey into what will hopefully amount to a career that I will find myself content with. Being a history major allows one the ability of noticing certain developments both new and familiar as one can distinguish through the scope of the past century and those before. While I'm not going to get into the particulars of this assertion I am merely noting the fact that my specialization in history, albeit limited, is going to be the prevailing theme of this blog. Now for those of you who will or might read this blog, I'm more than happy to read any contributions to correct or debate any sort of research or notes that I will be discussing either formally or informally. However, and a big however at that, I am not here to argue or nonsensically bicker over the ins and outs of whatever points both controversial or "politically correct" that I may bring up. In the end what I hope to have happen is allow for an intelligent and intense conversation on topics both contemporary and in the past. Now that the ground rules have been laid, let's get to the really important stuff, which is more or less what I have to say. Which will be initially addressed here and then expanded on in the following post(s). 

At the moment I am almost two-thirds of the way through a debate between Christopher Hitchens and Frank Turek on YouTube, which is aptly titled "Does God Exist?". The debate in question took place a few short years ago at VCU and discusses both religion (mainly Christianity) and the various theories that both 'prove' or 'disprove' the existence of some higher intelligence or force. Hitchens as always provides an intelligent and eloquently iterated assertion that looks to both the scope of history and science to counter Turek's argument that the universe was created out of 'nothing', by some sort of force that had to be there in order for any sort of rhyme or reason to be present in the natural order of things. It is an interesting argument albeit tainted by the religious 'fairy tale' nonsense that is used to support it. Here lies a tired yet all the more infuriating standard of argument that for one reason or another allows for the majority of society to rationalize the irrational. While Turek himself admits that he is a fan of Hitchens work and concedes his agreement to some of his points, he soon devolves from all the hanging of laurels into drunk faith that aspires to have all the answers to ALL of life's questions in the notion that the science only supports creation through evolution to a Point A and no further. Now do I mean to say that Turek should be viewed as a nut and placed along side the religious screwballs that propose that miracles happen everyday and that the Ten Commandments are a universal law? No. But I do mean to say that he is a reminder that there are many otherwise reasonable people that truly believe that on Sunday's they are drinking the blood of a three-thousand year old man. Granted there are many good people who do believe in such ridiculous things, but that is not to say that their moral grounding is based on anything either reasonable or based on anything other than the fear of being punished...

I do plan on continuing with this discussion on the above topic as it provides an endless point of interest to my mode of thought. But before I turn in, I want to encourage everyone reading to please look at this debate, it's on YouTube and you can find it quite effortlessly. I also want to give note to the above photograph that was recently submitted to National Geographic magazine. It piqued my interest due both to it's very gritty realism and subtlety of human nature but also to it's simplicity insofar that it provides a candid look at modern society through the lens of time. Which in my mind is due to the black and white coloring or the photo itself and the fact that it quite literally mirrors the outside world, a world that is both in your face but fenced off through generations as depicted, in my mind at least, by the choice of the subject matter: an older gentleman casually reading a book caught off guard by the photographer, while gripping a cigarette holder in his lips. The image brings to mind the passage of time but the gritty realism of society, which highlights the urban 'man' or the modern dandy, who idly watches but engages in the world around him through observation.