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Pretty Lights' Filling Up the City Skies

If I was forced to live on a deserted island and had to listen to one album 24-7 I would choose Filling Up the City Skies by Pretty Lights, released in 2008. This album is beautiful, soft, calm, and expressive. I find myself listening to it for hours and it is one of the few albums I have come across that does not contain a single song I do not enjoy. I would find it easy to sleep, work, eat, and lounge to this album all the time. My favorite song on this album is Solamente, which is a beautiful, soulful song. None of the songs from Filling Up the City Skies have any lyrics, they are all classified as electronic music, and much like Skrillex, do not fit neatly into one subgenre. The music is slow-paced, and some of it has a sound of glitch-hop to it. I don't know if I could stand to listen to any other album for days on end and at every hour of the day and night. I would say I would want to hear Skrillex, but I would never want to ruin one of my favorite artist's albums for me. If I were to listen to Skrillex for hours on end, not only would I be unable to get any sleep but also the music itself would be ruined for me forever due to the constant repetition. If I have ever heard any album that would be soothing to listen to all hours of the day and night, it would definitely be Filling Up the City Skies by Pretty Lights.

Preventing Animal Abuse in America

In America today, there are an estimated 164.6 million cats and dogs owned as pets, and around 20,000 reported cases of animal cruelty each month. This statistic puts the number of animals abused in our country each year in the hundreds of thousands, not including cases that went unreported. I believe animals are God’s innocent creatures and that we are charged with their care and well-being, and that abusing an animal is one of the most heinous crimes one can commit. Despite increasing criminal penalties, animals continue to be abused and neglected in record numbers, suffering everything from dog fighting and beatings to starvation and filthy living conditions. Dealing with animal abuse and implementing a community-based system of prevention is essential to growth, health, and greatness of America.

Preventing animal abuse in America starts with creating awareness of animal cruelty and providing communities with the necessary tools to fight it. The timely reporting of animal cruelty cases to the authorities is essential to saving the lives of animals involved and bringing perpetrators to justice before any evidence disappears.  If an incentive were offered to crime stoppers and reporters of animal cruelty, more individuals would come forward with potentially life-saving information. Economic incentives to report crimes are an invaluable tool to police and the community. However, even an incentive as small as one’s name featured in the local paper would still encourage more people to come forward with reports of abuse.

Skrillex has Haters

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/nov/17/skrillex-review
Unfortunately for Skrillex, he has a decent amount of people who hate on his work. The reviewer claims that Skrillex's sound cannot really be classified as dubstep, and in that aspect he is absolutely right. Skrillex is not dubstep because he does not neatly fit into one subgenre of EDM. His varying rhythms, sounds, and BPMs of his songs are a mixture of electro-house, dubstep, drum and bass, and even the latin-inspired moombahton. Part of the reason so many people hate on Skrillex is because he came from absolute obscurity to world-wide famehood in just 2 years. Originally a member of the hardcore/emo band "From First to Last," Sonny Moore AKA Skrillex started his journey as a DJ in east Los Angeles where he would play at underground events. Just 1 year and thousands of followers later, international superstar DJ Deadmau5 signed Sonny Moore to his label, Mau5trap and Skrillex released his first EP entitled "My Name is Skrillex" which quickly rose to the top of the Beatport Top 10 list for EDM. Many people hate on Skrillex because his sound is unique, raw and un-classifiable  Others hate on Skrillex for being signed to the Mau5trap label. However, anyone with an eye for talent will see that Sonny Moore is an extremely gifted artist.

Eating Disorders

My best friend lay on the couch next to me, wilted and defeated looking, sobbing quietly into her hands.

                “I’ve been dealing with it for so long, it’s like a drug, it’s an addiction…”

Lost for words and clueless how to comfort her, I held and reassured her, promising that I would always be there, promising my shoulder to cry on and my unconditional love.

                “I just don’t understand,” I stammered, “you’re so beautiful, why? Why would you do this to yourself?”

My best friend that I’d had since I was 12 and the strongest, most resilient person I had ever known had just confessed to me that she was struggling with bulimia nervosa, a life-threatening disease that affects millions of young girls throughout the country. Bulimia is a diagnosable medical disorder which causes the sufferer to eat large quantities of food in a short period of time (known as “bingeing”) and then force herself to vomit (known as “purging”). Anorexia nervosa (commonly known as anorexia), another potentially life-threatening disorder, causes the sufferer to eat unhealthily small quantities of food and become obsessive and secretive about eating food. It has been estimated that more than 10 million young women struggle with eating disorders. Despite this information, research on eating disorders remains underfunded, insurance covering treatment remains sparse, and unhealthy body images among girls remain rampant.  Although the number of people with eating disorders is more than twice the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s research receives almost 54 times the amount of funding as does research on eating disorders. Anorexia is the most deadly psychiatric disorder, claiming nearly 15% of its victims within 12 years. For girls affected by this disease, their eating disorder becomes an addiction, and the road to recovery can be as long and painful as the reform process for drug addicts. 

Conspiracy Theories

I believe that the public loves conspiracy theories because they are used to explain phenomena that we may otherwise not understand. Conspiracy theories are fun to hear and read about, whether they are true or not. People tend to be superstitious which is why the 11-11-11 date garnered so much media attention. I believe that the existence of a powerful, wealthy group of individuals controlling the world is not impossible. However, if such a group exists and said group really does control the entire world, then no meaningful information connecting the group with world occurances would be readily available. I do not believe that the vast majority of what we are fed through the media and government accurately displays even half of what is going on in America and around the world. I also do not listen to the radio and watch TV only sparingly due to my disdain for commercialism, mainstream entertainment, and the media as a whole. I do occasionally get the feeling that such media often attempts to brainwash viewers into believing a set of beliefs without offering alternative viewpoints. I believe is is up to every individual to resist these forces and to become more educated about the world and their surroundings.

Selling One's Soul to the Devil

I do not believe that if you go to a crossroads late at night in the south and play your guitar, the devil will show up and offer guitar playing skills in exchange for your eternal soul. I do, however, believe that it is possible to sell your soul to the devil. One can have a conversation with the devil just as one would have a conversation with God through prayer. The devil can offer you power, money, talent, and social status in exchange for following his evil agenda and doing evils things. This, in my opinion, is how one would sell their soul to the devil. Whether or not Robert Johnson actually sold his soul to the devil is between him and God. A listener can usually tell whether or not a musician has soul their soul to the devil by listening to the lyrics of their songs. Songs that glorify pain, evil deeds, greed, money, power, etc are influenced by evil forces whereas songs that contain good messages are influenced by God and good forces. I also like to refer to an artist selling their soul to the devil as selling out, or abandoning personal integrity for musical fame and fortune. Unfortunately, most popular artists today have sold out, as is evident by their increasingly depraved and degrading lyrics. This is one of the reasons why I prefer to listen to underground music, music I find on the internet, and music from obscure artists. It actually tends to be better quality due to the fact that the artists have not watered-down their musical talent to conform with the mainstream.

EDM Genres and the Importance of Diversity

In electronic dance music, all genres sound better when played alongside other genres at shows and events. That way, the listener can see their relation to each other, how they compliment each other, and how they are made to affect the listener differently. Subgenres of EDM are all different and will affect the listener differently throughout the night and cause different emotional responses. When the listener is exposed to different genres in one night, trance music will elecit chills and goosebumps while uplifting the listener's mood, drum and bass will fill the listener with power, dubstep will twist and wobble the otherwise stable atmosphere of the event, electro has an electrifying, dizzying effect on the listener, breaks disrupt the listener's sense of rhythm and has a tendency to elicit feelings of wittiness and cockiness.
A real fan of EDM and someone who loves the entire rave scene, supports the rave scene as a whole, can see and appreciate the beauty of all the genres and see them as the many beautiful facets of our culture, rather than seeing them as a multiple choice question of which side are you on or not on. One genre could never support this entire culture. If only one genre's producers and DJs and parties are supported, then all the rest have to quit producing and DJing and promoting and have to drop out of the scene and get normal jobs. Then, when the dubstep fad subsides and everyone is off to the new hot radical little thing, so will go their producers and djs and promoters and then the scene will be empty and extinct. So in conclusion, support your local EDM DJ and all genres of electronic dance music.

Early American Music

Native Americans were the first inhabitants of America and brought with them the first music. Early European settlers also brought over new styles and instruments. African American slaves brought over their own unique music, and all of these musical influences were ingredients in the melting pot that is American music. Some of the first genres of American music were the blues, jazz, gospel, and folk music. Black musicians in the south gave birth to the earliest forms of uniquely American music, such as jazz, blues, and gospel. In addition to jazz,  country and bluegrass music was also a popular form of music in early American history and helped shape the history of music in America. Spirituals sang by African Americans as slaves were some of the earliest forms of purely American music. These spirituals spread across the country during the great spiritual awakening, and eventually evolved into jazz, blues, and ragtime music. In the Appalachian regions, hillbilly white people created jug bands, honky tonk and bluegrass styles of music, which helped shape the developing genres of country and rock and roll. Brass band marches were also very popular in America during its early history of music. American music has been influenced by people from cultures all over the world and, in this way, is like no other country's type of music.

The Tripping Dachshund Stories

These two articles present the same story: a couple ate acid, fed their dog acid, and all 3 ran outside to disastrous consequences. The poor dog was hit by a car and put down and the couple went to the hospital and then to jail. The first article has a more sad tone than the second article, and features a cute picture of a dachshund dog for visual effect and perhaps to evoke emotion from the reader. The second article features the two mugshots of the couple involved, and also mentions that the man was also charged with battery because he pulled the woman's hair, a detail that was not mentioned in the first article. The second article also mentions that if the dogs autopsy determines the dog was fed acid, the owners will be charged with animal cruelty. Both articles mention that the poor dog got hit by a car and then bit the owner's relatives. Neither articles report why the dog was put down, which could have been a result of its car crash injuries or its permanently damaged temperament because it was fed acid. However, the first article hints that the dog's injuries led it to be euthanized whereas the second article leaves this fact open to question. The mugshots included in the second article add to its accusatory and demonizing tone, whereas the dog picture in the first article attributes to its softer tone.

Desegregation of Public Schools in Commerce, GA

My dad grew up in the tiny GA town of Commerce during the 60's, when the public school system began to desegregate. He remembers one day in 6th grade, all white students, including himself, were required to attend a presentation at school the day before class officially started. He recalls the school’s principal announcing to all white students that black students would soon be attending classes with the white students the following day. The principal told the students before the conclusion of the presentation:

            “One day, General George Washington was reviewing his troops one night when he passed a black cook, who tipped his hat and saluted the president. The president then saluted and tipped his hat back to the cook. Later, one of the president’s officers asked him why he had shown the cook such great respect. The president replied: ‘Because, I would never be less polite than a n----r.’”

            This quote from a school principal spoken to a group of students is a reflection of the collective disdain from the white community about the desegregation of public schools, even eleven years after the Brown v. Board of Education court ruling. Ironically enough, due to the influx of black students attending the Commerce public school system, the word “n----r” was henceforth banned from being spoken by students or teachers at the school. 

Wealth Disparity in Atlanta

As a lifelong resident of the metro-Atlanta area, it is not news to me that there is a giant amount of wealth disparity in and around the city. We have Bankhead, which is famous nation-wide for being one of the filthiest, most ghetto, crime-ridden areas in the country. In Bankhead there is a considerable amount of housing projects and public housing, all of which are riddled with crime and poverty. Then on the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Buckhead, which is one of the nicest, richest and most extravagant areas in the Southeast. Buckhead is a small city in and of itself, which small sky-scrapers and its own downtown district just north of downtown Atlanta. Near downtown Buckhead is Westminster, which is the nicest (and most expensive) private school in Georgia. Around Buckhead is a large area of gigantic mansions, each more lavish and spacious than the one before. Our poor are extremely poor, and our rich are extremely rich. I believe that it is easy for the rich to become richer and almost impossible for the poor to gain any sort of meaningful wealth in America today. For these reasons, I support certain aspects of the Occupy Wall Street movement and believe that wealth disparity in Atlanta and all across America is an issue worth discussing.

The Abortion Debate

As a Christian, I believe that abortion is morally wrong. I myself would never get an abortion unless my life was in danger if I continued the pregnancy. However, I do not believe it is the function of the government to impose restrictions on abortions. This unsettling amendment would make the morning after pill illegal. It would also threaten the lives of women with deadly ectopic pregnancies and force victims of rape and incest to carry their abuser's baby to term. In my opinion, this amendment is a horrible piece of legislation and a horrible idea in general. I do not believe that this amendment is Christian or morally right because if voted into implementation, it has the capacity to threaten the lives of many women with potentially dangerous pregnancies. There are actually so many things wrong with this amendment that it would be very difficult for me to list them all. I believe that women's rights in our country has slipped backward since the reform movements of the 70's and 80's. If abortion is banned, we will see another influx of risky, back-alley and coat hanger abortions that could take the lives of the women involved. Worse, if morning-after pills are banned, we will see an great influx in unwanted pregnancies and teen pregnancies. And worse still, if procedures to save a woman's life during a dangerous pregnancy are banned, women will be forced to carry their dangerous pregnancy to term and slowly die because of it. In my opinion, there are few things less Christian than that.

Occupy Atlanta

 I believe that the Occupy Atlanta Protesters have a right to protest whenever they choose and for however long. I do not believe, however, that protesters have the right to squat on government-owned property for extended periods of time. In the past, protesters have marched to get their point across, not camped out in a public park. Although I do believe that park of Major Kasim Reed's reasoning for forcibly removing the Occupy Atlanta Protesters from the park is a political means to an end, I also believe that the protesters should not be allowed to squat in the city any more than homeless people have the right to live in the park. I agree with the protesters that the financial institutions and the bankers are in charge of Atlanta and not Mayor Reed. I also agree that the wealth disparity in our country is growing and is an issue worthy of attention and even protest. However, I believe the protesters are angry, provoking the police and the mayor, and do not have the right to squat in the park. Honestly, I am surprised that Mayor Kasim Reed has allowed the protesters to spend as much time in the park as they already have. In addition to squatting in the park being illegal, it is also unsanitary and already there have been reports of diseases spreading throughout the camps. This poses a public safety concern and should be addressed immediately by the City of Atlanta (which it already has).

The Trial of Senator Ted Stevens

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/opinion/woeful-cynical-misconduct.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
In this article published in the New York Times, the 2008 trial of Senator Ted Stevens is analyzed and criticized for prosecution misconduct. Apparently, the Justice Department helped intentionally conceal evidence that would have helped Senator Stevens prove his innocence. He was accused of failing to report a gift from an oil company executive and, as a result, lost his bid for re-election. Unfortunately, Senator Stevens died in a plane crash last year. Because of the controversy of the trial, one of the prosecutors committed suicide. I agree with the article in that I believe the Justice Department should seek to rectify the situation immediately as well as taking a closer look into evidence laws used in trial. In order for nothing like this trial to ever happen again, prosecutors should be required to turn in exculpatory evidence even if not order so by the judge. Unfortunately for many powerful figures and politicians, untrue accusations brought against them will not always be easily dispelled. In the case of Senator Ted Stevens, a great deal of injustice was done to him, his campaign, his career, and his reputation. It is unfortunate that Senator Stevens did not live to see this injustice be undone or corrected by the Justice Department.

The OWS Movement

The Occupy Wall Street Movement is unlike any political movement that has occurred in America in the past. It does not have a single, unified goal like the protests and marches of the 60's and 70's. Instead, the movement is scattered, un-unified, disorganized with multiple, often conflicting political goals. In a way, Occupy Wall Street is more like the internet than a book. Occupy Atlanta has 3 specific goals: rename the park "Troy Davis Park," a promise from Mayor Reed to not be kicked out or arrested, and for Mayor Reed to spend a night in the park. Unfortunately for the protesters, none of these things happened. I believe that in order for the Occupy Wall Street movement to be more effective, they need to have a few solid, unified goals and a step-by-step program for reaching those goals and bettering the community. Also, Occupy Wall Street protesters need to gain more knowledge of our country's policies and the true reasons behind wealth disparity in America and address those causes head on instead of flailing around in the dark. Protests are still an extremely viable source of change in the United States an always have been. However, if the American public along with the government and policy makers in our country are to take the Occupy Wall Street movement seriously, some serious changes must be made to the way the protesters are approaching their causes.