Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I might hate CNN...

So I read a lot of CNN online. Its on my bookmarks bar next to my email, wikipedia and facebook. I am starting to really hate it. There is so much exposure of injustice and wrongdoing but rarely a solution offered. If CNN spent half as much time and money promoting feasible solutions to the problems they illustrate, this world could be a vastly better place.
I suppose I didn't think this entry through well enough to have a good example (or at least one that wouldn't make me come across as a bigoted, insensitive, pretentious prick)

Still, when you read the news, spend as much time as it took to read the article reflecting on what you can do to fix a given situation. If you read an article on the horrors of racism, make a point of forgetting about race. If you just heard about the latest natural disaster, discourage people you know from moving to naturally dangerous areas, or at least educate yourself as to where the dangerous areas are. There just seems to be so much whining in the news about how bad things are. I understand that in journalism there is a desire to present the facts as they are, but journalism has changed throughout it's existence. There were times when opinion was considered taboo, and other times when it was commonplace to make serious judgments.
One thing that has remained constant, at least in our society though is the notion that there are only two sides to any argument. This is ridiculous.
If there are 100 people in a room, there will be 100 different opinions on any given subject. Polls serve to stupify the american public. If the choices are yes, no and somewhat, how is anyone supposed to figure out how things will actually be. If polls were to ask "how would you handle the current economic crisis in regards to the energy industry?" we might get some really bright and exciting ideas. Of course, there would be plenty of morons and plenty of ideas that seem totally unacceptable by todays standards, but today's standards are currently not doing anyone any longterm favors.

I'm not having kids if the world looks this glum later.

Blahhhhh download this album (click the lyrics). the opening line really captures how I'm feeling right now.




Verse - Aggression

They’ve got themselves a new spin on the story,
twisted for one-sided glory.
Devastation soon becoming fuel for the masses new fury.
A greedy hand in the guise of a good man.
So threatening. So deafening.
So silencing, that familiar stance.
The burden now passed to us,
we lose our footing but still try to stand.
No control.
No more rules.
“Perpetual war for perpetual peace”,
turn a blind eye to poverty while manufacturing new enemies.
The new slave’s south of the border, murdered or overseas.
We still struggle with the fact that one percent has ninety-nine on their knees.
Washington’s drawing up war plans,
while there’s still no hope for the homeless man.
No one should have to live under these men, iron fists with gun in hand.
No more control.
No more rules.
They try to make you and me live life by their design:
No free thought. No free speech. No peace of mind.
They make a move to confine.
But they’ll never silence me as long as I can breathe.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

The internet is a great place to find many useful pieces of information

What the hell am I doing here?
Waiting, for what? Why?
Like catching bullets in the wind
Watching answers fly
These are darkened times
An inner light still shines
This pool of wax is old and wide
a fox tail dances, slowly now
His body hides, underground

Only looking out
Or looking in

Surgery, mask up, dust ruffle tucked
Luxuries not luck,
Can't be counting chances
While we tickle out your guts
While I'm tugging for your secrets
and your sights unseen
I watch a mine collapsing
as these last coals are cut

I left that candle where it sat
What's more I left it's shell
I would have had my truth
And then boredom and horror

Feathers lacking capillaries
Found grounded where they fell
Drained of nothing special
Still, I'm apt towards burial.





I thought it would be fun to post some of my lyrics here. These are pretty much brand new. Describes a lot of how I've been feeling lately. I wish I had other ways to bide my time right now. Also, Achilles Just came on to my iTunes, so I think that means I should post their second album, Hospice. This album really kills. Heavy, melodic, aggressive, emotive and generally just great songs.
I often have trouble remaining loyal to bands because I'll love one release and not care at all about any of the others, Achilles managed to have me hooked from the first time I put this disc in my CD player. Despite my worries they wouldn't live up to The Dark Horse
I remember the show I got it at. It was at the Westcott Community Center in Syracuse, NY and Damiera, Lemuria, Showdown at the Pier and Pantera II. It was Damiera's first show with the new line-up as I remember it.
Anyway, the guy from Hex records was there (his band played too, but I can't remember their name for the life of me. I remember the crowd really dug the set. Hometown hero maybe, but he was honestly a great guy, we talked for a while outside the venue after. He had this disc in a bin, I bought it. My brother bought a Damiera shirt. It was a pretty cool day. Also, I happened to see Hart there, before I knew him. He was the drummer for showdown at the pier, now he is the guitarist and part-time mastermind behind The Environment, which I am in and go to our myspace.
Http://www.myspace.com/theenvironmenttheband

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

How wrong is it

To use violence not as a solution, but as an attention getting device? Would that be called terrorist? If you never actually hurt anybody (physically) that should be the most ideal form of terrorism. Isn't the whole point of terrorism to scare you straight? Isn't that how parents and teachers try to educate, through fear?
Maybe someday you'll see me with an unloaded machine gun in the oval office.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

I know how to fix the music industry.

Become not-for-profit.
Lets look at why this is awesome.
Only the people that are in it for the music will be involved. Sure, you still get a salary when you work not-for-profit, but that salary could be huge, I just feel like it would be a very variable part of the budget. Who needs money anyway, there's a chance that soon, it won't be worth anything, so you had better invest in something that you love (because that's all that you'll have left).
Next - people can just download your music. They would still have to pay, (maybe not, but bands going places still need money, because gas is expensive)
blah blah blah, here's the goal
Live in a house, with a recording space and a rehearsal space as well as a venue space also gallery space. big haus. Create a company, not-for-profit as a space where bands/people can:
Practice for free (with limitations, "for the sake of fairness". Maybe multiple practice spaces?)
Performance space with low cost shows, as well as housing for bands and artists.
Gallery space, for gallery like things. You know, like a gallery?
Thinking now, money would need to come from somewhere, so it might have to be a little more costly to use, but I guess the point is to make everything work with whatever you have.

This is starting to sound like I'm confusing myself, so I will let this sit and revisit it later.