http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Fri, 2 Sep 2005 14:22:04 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/02/142204.php DewI live in Jackson, Mississippi about 300 miles north of Gulfport and New Orleans. Whenever storms hit the coast, the effects we feel here in Jackson are minimal. This is no longer true. Monday morning we reported to work as usual; an hour later we were all dismissed. There have been so many times we have been told to take precautions and be careful because the 'storm could reach inland as far as Jackson'. Yea right! I watched the wind torment trees outside my third floor apartment for an hour. I sat at my computer playing dominoes and listening to music. It was rainy and windy and they let me off work for this, cool. At 12:03PM my cable and roadrunner went out. No big deal, I have DSL and plenty of DVDs. At 12.05PM my lights went out.Still it was nothing major, I'm sure the lights will come back on shortly, I guess I'll take a nap. Two hours turned into twelve as the lights stayed off and boredom set in. Thank God the phones still work. In the midst of disaster people find the oddest things to discuss. It helps to distract from the impending doom that's about to overtake them.Trees start blowing a little harder, unexpected but still ntohing big. Tuesday morning, as the cool air left over from continuous running of the AC seeped out and the sun came up, we ventured outside. I expected to see water and a few broken limbs because this was Jackson and we never got weather that bad here. What I saw were trees twelve feet high and three feet wide toppled over in the middle of major roads. Metal street signs bent completely back or broken from their posts completely. The only thing that broke my shock was the ding of low fuel in my car. It never dawned on the genuis I pretend to be that without power you can not run gas pumps. As many people search for water, ice, milk and bread, I search for gas. As we come to an area of town that has power and gas stations (simultaneously), we head to Pilot, the truck stop that has twelve tanks of fuel and over 200 cars waiting. We sat in line over three hours waiting for gas. Where we would have paid $2.45 before, gas was now $2.75 and this was for regular. We watch as people march back and forth wit fuel tanks, some taking advantage of those who have limited options selling 5 gallon jugs of gas for twenty dollars. A curfew is imposed for citizens to stay off the streets between midnight and 6AM. I must report to work Wednesday at 9AM so it doesn't really affect me. What does affect me is the mandate to shut off the city's water because it has been contaminated. So people with power now have no water and those with water have no power. Conditions continue to worsen and the storm is long gone. I did not get power back until late Thursday evening. The only reason I am not at work is because I had vacation time 9/01 and 9/02 ironically to go to New Orleans or the coast. There is no such thing as normal here. Where I am used to pulling up to a pump getting gas and heading home, pumps are scarce and gas is rare. Normal has become a two-hour wait to get gas or food. There are still people without lights or ice. There are strangers walking the streets because they literally have no where to go. We have shelters to meet every kind of need there is but they are full. The population has doubled in 48 hours. My little sister's boyfriend, a native of New Orleans here for school, has not talked to his mother or siblings since Sunday night when they told him they were going to the Superdome; today is Friday. There is no more Mississippi Coast, it has been obliterated. Entire buildings were picked up and moved like Legos. I spent just over three days miserable because I had to stay with my mom until my lights came back on. I understand how foolish and selfish that is now. But, the sentiment still applies. As much help as there is available for the wanderers created by Hurricane Katrina, it can not replace the fact that people have suffered a loss. Books can be replaced, televisions, camcorders and cars can be replaced, but homes are made. There is nothing quite liked feeling displaced, and I can only relate on a small scale having experienced only a modicum of the separation 'the wanderers' are feeling. There is a general discord here in Mississippi about the help we will actually receive. The rest of the country looks down on us. We are the uncle in the back who you keep the door closed to. There is no doubt in my mind had it been New York or Cali we would not have waited this long for the President of the UNITED States of America to survey the disaster sites. Why?There are all races displaced in the Superdome but there is no doubt the majority is black, and again I must ask why the delay? No, everything isn't about race. The old-heads know Dew is the last one to pull the race card, but when Bill O'Reilly makes the statement that 'we know why they are there, these people live hour by hour', I have to wonder exactly who 'these people' are. After 9/11 I did not think I would see something so devastating occur and so close to home. Times are changing, signs are showing themselves as the domino effect begins. All it took for me to get back to 'normal' was having my power back. Having to wait for gas is annoying but nothing I can't deal with. I am one of the lucky few. I have a home and a full tank of gas. Soon, though, gas will not be available for regular citizens but only emergency vehicles and utility trucks. I still have a job to go to and bills to pay. I do not live in the city limits therefore I use quite a bit of gas in my daily commute. Its easy to say don't go anywhere unnecessary but I was already doing that. Today gas is at $3.29/gallon, for us that is beyond exorbitant. Hurricane Katrina created more than wreckage, she created lost souls. People who only had a little now have even less. Families have been literally ripped apart. People were forced to decide between their spouses or their children. Throughout the state, people are rationing everyday items we take for granted. Where gleaming casino lights once draped Biloxi's ports there remains only despair. No, Jackson never gets weather as bad as they say, but we still share the aftermath. My testimony is a soft one. Although affected, I am not the one who needs relief or telethons but I am close enough to the problem to see how bleak the solution really is. Casinos can be rebuilt and water can be drained, but what donation or celebrity outcry can salvage lost souls? Ed:LM Culture35350@blogcritics.org Fri, 2 Sep 2005 14:22:04 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/12/18/135149.php DewThis was the year of elections, opinions and rights. We all played a role in the movement but what about the motivations behind all that we felt and did this year? My list of ten favorites are the things I took with me everywhere, kept track of my opinions, garnered opinions for or just plain really liked. 1. Moleskine Plain Pocket Journal - These handy little journals are billed as being essential to greats from Van Gogh to Hemingway. How much of it is true I don't really know but I know for me, the woman who refuses to carry a purse, these little journals are life savers. They only costs about $9.00, they hold tons of info, they aren't very bulky in your pocket and with the little pocket in the back you can keep a business card tucked tight just in case. 2. Nokia 3300 - This is the cell phone that saves my life. When my tire caught on flat in the middle of Friday-after-Thanksgiving-shopping I was all but too happy to have it near. When a writer interested in submitting a poem to my magazine was no where close to a computer and I had a deadline to reach, the record feature on my cell saved us. Currently priced just below $200.00 it plays MP3's, local radio stations and it comes with its own memory card to expand how much media it can hold. 3. HP Photosmart Digital Camera - Since my Nokia cell can do everything but take pictures, I'm not to worried since I have this lil puppy. This camera can hold 328 good quality pictures or 26 excellent quality. It has 3.1 megapixels and it is excellent for taking melodramatic black and white pictures. It was fairly priced at $164.00 and it can record up to three minutes of live conversation. 4. The L Word - With one of the primary ballots being gay-marriage in 11 states it is only right that this series be on my list. Long have I been a fan of Queer as Folk so when I heard SHOwtime was starting a Lesbian version I was disappointed. The last thing I felt we needed was overkill at least that was until I actually watched the series. It is nothing like its counterpart. Where Queer as Folk is over the top and provocative in its nature, The L Word is more emotional, like women, and focuses on the struggles and drive of its main characters bringing home the on-going struggle for homosexuals in today's society just trying to love and live. 5. The Golden Girls Season 1 - The gods smiled upon me when they FINALLY released this DVD set on November 23, 2004. Although the Bonus features (or lack there of) completely suck, the actual show more than compensates. These four old broads have cultivated a cult like following and I have no problems admitting that I am a Sophia-phile - you Bojagaloop!6. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - This is one thing Nintendo did right. I'm not sure what they were thinking when they decided to forego the online revolution but with the release of the sequel in this dazzling franchise, they managed to stay afloat for one more quarter. The game captures you with wonderful graphics and a step ladder plot which creates easier game play. This way you spend less time figuring out where to go and more time trying to whoop some bad guy butt. 7. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Kojimo once again makes it look easy by giving us what is rumored to be the final installment of the Metal Gear franchise. I admit at first glance I was disappointed, I don't like being outside in real life so I definitely don't like it in my games. But, I get it. It makes the game more interesting and the gameplay that much more enthralling. Still I'll hold my breath for the next one and it better be in somebody's building where I can hide behind a wall and not in the grass. 8. Remote Control Vehicles - I don't know the difference between a Hemi and 5th gear but what I do know is how much I love playing with remote control cars. In 2004 I have acquired an Escalade EXT, Hummer H2 and Artery Flash. The SUV's are 1:6 models while the Flash is 1:10 now that means nothing more to me than their size. These are great for getting outside. If you have more than one the obvious task is to race a friend in real life. I love video games, writing and exchanging ideas but when the sun is shining and free time is abound long live the kid in me. 9. Uni-Ball Deluxe Micro - Do you need the perfect writing tool for your Moleskine? I did. So as always I went on the search for the right pen. This pen writes beautifully. Despite it being a roller ball it does not have much bleeding, which means it doesn't get away from you while writing over smooth surfaces. Until I get my first Waterman Leman this lil diddy will have to do. 10. Evian Spring Water - Most people can not fathom why I pay 9.00 for water but I attempt to explain to me it's the difference between Grey Goose and Taaka Vodka. I can tell the difference between Dasani, Tap, Aquafina and Evian and like anything else you pay for what you want. It may just be water in your eyes but to me it's better than a bottle of 1955 Chateau Latour. Culture23406@blogcritics.org Sat, 18 Dec 2004 13:51:49 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/12/07/221708.php DewWhen I first heard Jacki-o's Slow Down produced by Timbaland I thought it was unlike anything I had heard before. At least that was until I heard the rest of the album. Jacki-O comes in to pick up where Trina left off, who grabbed the torch from Lil Kim. The saddest part to the line of hip hop divas is that Jacki-O actually has the skill to stand apart.The first six tracks including one skit all center around sex and how Jacki's sex is the best. Yet later on the album it is said that there is no niche for Jacki-O to fill. Au contraire. I did not hear anything to set her apart from the sex selling vixens before her except Slow Down where her lyrical prowess shines most. Slow Down trips over Timbaland's trademark complicated beat where creativity had to be used in order to make the song a success. Little did I know her first single was actually Nookie (the clean version) and the song had absolutely no buzz which more than likely attributes to several pushed back release dates. Had someone on her staff sat her down and made her actually create an album, this would be a success story. All the proper elements are there to create a new star. Instead TVT chose to take the road far more traveled and sell their vixen as a man using, sex swinging, female thug with money on the mind. Because that's exactly what the world of hip hop needs more of. I'm sure the genral goal here was to appeal to the streets, which is completely understandable but even the streets are ready for something new fromt the women, hence Trina's and Lil Kim's last poorly received albums. I have to process this album as thumbs down because there is no originality here, sure she can rhyme words but the story is old and now it's just boring. Music23036@blogcritics.org Tue, 7 Dec 2004 22:17:08 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/08/131253.php DewI had been listening to him for almost a decade before I knew who he was. It was Scarface's Diary and Devin the Dude sang the tune "don't believe that song, gangstas don't live that long." It was a short part but most of The Dude's guest spots are. He only sings a hook or spit a few bars. He has a slow flow that insinuates he's high as he raps which fits nicely since most of his songs are about searching for a high. In my yearning to say here we go again another rapper who need his weed, money and sex, I have to give Devin the Dude some merit for the way he goes about it. He explicitly explains he is not condoning his behavior, he's only telling you what works for him; in turn, find what works for you. On his first album simply titled The Dude, Devin explores the trivial day to day tasks of jobless potheads, probably why I missed it, although one of his most powerful songs comes from that album. "Do Whatcha Wanna Do" was a hit in the Hip Hop world because it accentuates the conscience mind of most people (not just hip-hip-hoppers) who delve into vice and live with the battles of the real world saying - you're going to hell! His second effort Just Trying Ta Live, showcased his strong points. Devin doesn't have the best voice, he's no Luther, but he does offer a very mellow and laid back harmonic flow when he sings that fits perfectly over his beats. Doobie Ashtray is a perfect example of this. Don't be swayed by the song's initial content where he sings about the party being over and someone stealing his last doobie. If you look beyond what you will see is he is talking about living a life surrounded by people almost in cloud of smoke and when the smoke clear, you're really alone. How will you deal with the reality? Devin delivers good messages about loving his woman and himself and life all in the realm of dealing with human emotion. I love it. He is also the Jester of Hip-Hop as seen in songs like Zeldar where is an alien on this new planet; or Go Somewhere where he spit "I ain't as think asy you drunk I am/and I'm still keep drinking and I wouldn't give a damn/no do any beer wanna another body?"; or R&B where he teaches a white security guard how to say the N-word without getting his ass kicked. Poetic.His newest attempt is classic Devin to the point I'm so what disappointed. I was looking for growth, some sort of expansion into new territory but the dude stay on his same path true to his word, do whatcha wanna do. Music20760@blogcritics.org Fri, 8 Oct 2004 13:12:53 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/08/27/233715.php DewNormally I don't read contemporary literature because it leaves nothing to the imagination, in my opinion at least. How many times can you hear about my baby daddy not paying bills, men cheating, women cheating and finding love and contentment somewhere in the middle? Obviously one million and one time is the record. Darren Coleman sprinkles the male triflin' factor all through his novel. I assume in attempts to give some insight to the male psyche. Whatever the reason, the novel was a good read. Why? Because I flew through it. I wanted to believe that at the end waiting on me would be growth but Darren left me hanging. Hanging hard. By the end of the novel I am more agitated than when I started. There is no closure only more questions and frustration at men who can't make decisions. Do I feel that way about all men? No, but Darren's novel left nothing to improve such a train of thought. The book follows three Black young professionals, Cory, the-born-to-be-a success type fellow. Brendan, the good-guy-who-just-wants-to-make-it type fellow. And Nate, the lead-you-to-kill-a-muthafucka type fellow. They all have some type of moral principle they abide by, but of course that moral principle is based on a foundation that caters to them getting laid. For example, Cory, the professional often refers to family and being a role model but it is always in the context of how it makes him look to others, mainly women. Brendan is just all around confused, he's a sweet guy, but he is lonely and misguided. The women in his life seem to use him and lie to him, the only one who didn't was of course Renee the one whose heart he broke in the end. Nate is the dog in every sense of the term. And that's all I can say about that. If a good book is measured by how fast you read it, then this was a good book. The depth was lacking but that's only for my personal taste. I know loads of people who would love this book because who doesn't love drama? Books19154@blogcritics.org Fri, 27 Aug 2004 23:37:15 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/08/07/224844.php DewIn approximately 2hours my Monday morning work day will be decided. BellSouth is currently in talks with the Communications Workers of America. Bell is reluctant in spending another 1 billion dollars per year for the next three years for healthcare. BellSouth wants craft employees to pay a monthly premium for their insurance and in turn they will increase salaries by one percent and give a three percent bonus. The union is also in talks securing jobs but job security, BellSouth says, is up to the BellSouth customers, that position I actually agree with. At last reporting BellSouth had changed its last proposal. Employees were instructed on Friday to make everything all nice and comfy for the managers coming in having to do the peons work. Techs leave your trucks gassed up, reps check your voicemails, leave our badges don't give us any greif you little ingrates.Will I strike? I will. If for no other reason than I need a mini - legal -vacation. I can endure most corporate blood sucking but being that my main job is to create revenue for the company so the manager hierchy can live far more comfortable than I am presently, I feel they have no room for complaining. Maybe after a few days of doing the job (again, in some cases) they will see or remember we actually deserve some or most of what we ask for.Realistically I feel with Time Warner's new digital phone service being released and BellSouth going into Satellite tv they can not afford the bad press. It won't look good that the big bad company won't keep paying for health benefits for it's employees and with new competition and new service PR is everything. So all odds point to me having to go to work monday. Damn. Culture18390@blogcritics.org Sat, 7 Aug 2004 22:48:44 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/29/192104.php DewI understand where she was trying to go I just choose not to follow her there. This bluesy tale would have been impressive had there not been a younger American version by the name of Joss Stone. Even so Gretchen Lieberman has explored this territory a tad bit more conventionally. What I hear in Katie's music is Ella and Billy but I can not identify exactly who Katie is and more importantly her message. Is it pain? Is it misdirection? Is it love lost? Been there, done that and not looking for the sequel. She has the formula down packed. She's young, soulful and singing the blues. The lyrics are sad, wandering and they call to the longing masses but so do all blues, hence the name. The potential is there, that's without question but Katie's sound is such a mesh with bluesy artists, I can always listen to the original instead of her. Music18032@blogcritics.org Thu, 29 Jul 2004 19:21:04 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/12/214130.php DewWhile sitting at my desk Thursday unsuspecting I received an email from a Team Leader in the office. The message read: Let's all get out and vote. It happens soon. Let's join together and save the sanctity of marriage, please sign the ongoing petition www.nogaymarriage.com I have no vested interest in gay life or marriage, period. Although what I do have is a sincere annoyance for people who choose to impose their traditions on others. What you and I believe marriage to be could be and more than likely is completely different. This is the reason we have terms like 'open marriage' and 'marriage of convenience' because the sanctity of marriage is very superficial universally and can only be substantiated individually. SO why oh why oh why do we run around force feeding our large doses of insecurity on others? Besides looking at the last 40(00) years who has desecrated the 'sanctity of marriage' more than HETER-O-SEXUALS? Culture17372@blogcritics.org Mon, 12 Jul 2004 21:41:30 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/05/125130.php DewI'm staring out of the bay window of my apartment wondering about the human experience. For three days I have craved nothing more than getting out of this apartment and doing something constructive, yet I have spent the entire time inside. Why do we go against what is best for us? I know tomorrow when I'm back at work I will hate having not used my time more wisely. I'm looking at a list of things I need to do right now including a story I need to finish and yet I am not doing those things. I have had the desire to write in this blog for months and though I could come up with anything to write about I used the excuse that I had no time. Like now I am using the blog as a way to ignore the list sitting in front of me. I guess it's a cycle of procrastination that catches up with us. As the backlog grows longer we begin to shorten it in an effort to avoid it all together. Amazing! I have a wonderful article about Gastro By-Pass Surgery that I will be posting. Not right now though, maybe later. Culture17117@blogcritics.org Mon, 5 Jul 2004 12:51:30 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/25/101424.php DewNo, I have not seen it yet. Between work and school I still plan to see this film before the day is out. What movie? The Passion, of course. I have seen and heard several reviews for this film and most have been, to say the least, quite horrible. Despite the reviews this movie will open in more than 2700 theatres and I can pretty much bet the farm that Mel will make a lot more than the $30 million he spent to produce this film. There truly is no such thing as bad publicity. Daily News critic Jami Bernard said: “No child should see this movie. Even adults are at risk. Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’ is the most virulently anti-Semitic movie since the German propaganda films of World War II.”New York Daily News called it an anti-Semitic work with violence that was ”grotesque, savage and often fetishized” in slow motion.Bernard called it “sickening” and “brutal” and though she conceded the film was undeniably powerful, she said it “feels like a propaganda tool rather than entertainment for a general audience.” She said “Jews are vilified, in ways both little and big, pretty much nonstop for two hours, seven minutes.” Seeing as though I am not Jewish, I probably would not understand the sentiment of fear this movie allegedly engenders, BUT I have read some/partly/most of the Bible and from my understanding ~ SPOILER ALERT~ the movie is just like the Book. C'mon people!! The movie is supposed to be brutal, it's putting you in that place. It's asking you to understand what such a torturous and dreadful event that must have been for The Christ. You are not supposed to see the murder of Jesus and walk away going that was pleasant!! It was murder people!! When has or will murder of any sort EVER be pleasant? I think its redundant for these 'critics' to sit and judge this film as being anti-Semitic, ummm, shall we say thy truth does sting like thy crowneth upon thy dome or thy spikes upon thy hand or thy faithlessness upon thy heart'!! I'm guessing here but if you read the Bible and you're not already anti-Semitic then peace be still (let it marinate). ~SPOILER ALERT~ it-is-just-like-the book. I think it is easier for us to create in our minds a picture of Jesus literally as a sacrificial Lamb instead of God in skin. It helps our human brains rationalize torture. We don't think of the Terrorists as being people when we are cutting them up to obtain answers, excuse me I mean delivering them to the butchers to be cut up, but we do want the answers. As long as the means justify the ends we tend to rationalize it as being acceptable. It was ok for Rodney King to get beat to a pulp, he was breaking the law, right? neg-a-tive. I can not speak for everyone, only myself when I say, I really could care less about the Jews or Christians for that matter. I'm not going to see the movie to get a history lesson (let's not debate the history issue right now people, focus!!). I am going to see the movie in hopes of putting a name with a face. By that I mean, I want to be one of the people who's standing in the crowd who wants to help, who wants to scream this is not right, someone do something, but can't for fear that I will become the next sacrifice. Because isn't that what it's all about? I'd rather it be you if the alternative is me. I don't want to see what happened then, if it means hurting now. I don't want to understand their plight if it doesn't free me from my own. I want to be the saved not the Savior and I would rather watch such a feat if the alternative is to live it. Reviews: Courtesy of CNN Video13121@blogcritics.org Wed, 25 Feb 2004 10:14:24 EST