tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-134233812024-03-19T14:28:44.026-07:00Bowl Of OrangesNorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-24314316077611071082010-08-17T08:12:00.001-07:002010-08-17T08:21:22.088-07:00bilal - restart<div class="topspin-widget topspin-widget-email-for-media"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="80" width="300" id="TSWidget31868" data="http://cdn.topspin.net/widgets/email2/swf/TSEmailMediaWidget.swf?timestamp=1281979642" bgColor="#000000"> <param value="always" name="allowScriptAccess" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <param name="movie" value="http://cdn.topspin.net/widgets/email2/swf/TSEmailMediaWidget.swf?timestamp=1281979642" /> <param name="flashvars" value="widget_id=http://cdn.topspin.net/api/v1/artist/2952/email_for_media/31868?timestamp=1281979642&theme=black&highlightColor=#c9c9c9" /></object></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-47243511453275015932010-07-07T07:07:00.001-07:002010-07-07T07:07:39.893-07:00<embed src="http://www.npr.org/v2/?i=128114562&m=128009968&t=audio" height="386" wmode="opaque" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" base="http://www.npr.org" type="application/x-shockwave-<br />flash"></embed>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-51064261791092824402010-06-28T12:06:00.001-07:002010-06-28T12:06:41.281-07:00<embed src="http://www.npr.org/v2/?i=128114562&m=128009968&t=audio" height="386" wmode="opaque" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" base="http://www.npr.org" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-33248074232759739582009-02-20T10:01:00.002-08:002009-02-20T10:02:22.101-08:00Finale Game<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,19,0" width="586" height="500"><param name="movie" value="AG.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><embed src="http://www.imculture.com/_superfinale/AG.swf" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="586" height="500"></embed><br /></object>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-67864579498527087662009-02-20T10:01:00.001-08:002009-02-20T10:01:54.193-08:00Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-51867205502036738412008-11-16T01:01:00.000-08:002008-11-16T01:03:25.343-08:00Donny Hathaway "Jealous Guy"This is real soul my friends. <br />This shit gets at the core of my every time.<br />Let Donny show you the way.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/65WexbsVs40&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/65WexbsVs40&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-43764775275508932492008-11-16T00:32:00.000-08:002008-11-16T00:57:07.419-08:00Ol Skool Minute: De La Soul "Tread Water"One of my favs of all time<br /><br />"But one thing we all must heed <br />Sony Walkmans keep us walking <br />De La Soul can help you breathe when you tread water'"<br /><br /><object width="300" height="110"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/GKNqhbI6QL/aus=false/"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/GKNqhbI6QL/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://www.imeem.com/cdonuts/music/SVnF6btb/de_la_soul_tread_water/">Tread Water - De La Soul</a></object><br /><br />Check out this feature article on Smoking Section from my boy Gino<br /><a href="http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/?p=6204">Part 1</a><br /><a href="http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/?p=6205">Part 2</a>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-19358942957559222632008-11-12T10:41:00.000-08:002008-11-12T10:43:22.787-08:00Jay Electronica<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-rgfRbrFsIwFYg8jv-BPeeQlX2Bgs5rqMT894Dm_6XQ9FOiKIB9F2vuvez7_xQvj6Nzp1-cmAu7zKShOiDyN58EtLsXcbueFnTG_sN1jIAJO241C2Jjwf3_diQYBQaCuYeY4/s1600-h/jayjust_exhibita.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-rgfRbrFsIwFYg8jv-BPeeQlX2Bgs5rqMT894Dm_6XQ9FOiKIB9F2vuvez7_xQvj6Nzp1-cmAu7zKShOiDyN58EtLsXcbueFnTG_sN1jIAJO241C2Jjwf3_diQYBQaCuYeY4/s320/jayjust_exhibita.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267843447013480658" /></a><br />This got me all smiley like the first time I heard Nas as a youngster.<br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="300" height="110"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/iYg61EsMNV/aus=false/"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/iYg61EsMNV/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://www.imeem.com/onsmash/music/9O3NrTKP/jay_electronica_exhibit_a_transformations/">Exhibit A (Transformations) - Jay Electronica</a></object>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-80878608483985180922008-11-07T16:34:00.000-08:002008-11-07T16:43:27.110-08:00My Current Jam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhSx_JU1VBl-fMLdkxzuPoea1Q0vZzi-6bfzSdznZRkJojO7S1Og9Z8woM3u70TYT3JvDbQFiyjbtP6RwqT-7BjA4ESACbNHIKy-ezVbnnEe1uucof9uB5ADSzY217BDJo1SZ/s1600-h/hd-flyinglotus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhSx_JU1VBl-fMLdkxzuPoea1Q0vZzi-6bfzSdznZRkJojO7S1Og9Z8woM3u70TYT3JvDbQFiyjbtP6RwqT-7BjA4ESACbNHIKy-ezVbnnEe1uucof9uB5ADSzY217BDJo1SZ/s320/hd-flyinglotus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266079152020020978" border="0" /></a><br />For all you hip-hop heads that like to dabble in trippy/electro, try this on for size.<br />This is a track from Flying Lotus, from his latest album Los Angeles<span style="font-family: lucida grande;">.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/-Ne2V7lkCA/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/-Ne2V7lkCA/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed><a href="http://www.imeem.com/dwada/music/YmfbW4I0/flying_lotus_parisian_goldfish/">Parisian Goldfish - Flying Lotus</a></object>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-35025585805911463622008-10-29T16:26:00.000-07:002008-10-29T16:36:16.348-07:001994 was a good yearI apologize for the long hiatus. The CMJ (College Music Journal)Music Festival rolled through New York and my culture-feening sensibilities got the best of me. I tried to go to as many shows as possibly, leaving my baby of a blog crying for it's mother! Well, I'm back and determined to give you some goodies more often than not. (How's that for a promise? ha)<br /><br />Now for this entry I want to bring to your attention a long-forgotten video from what I consider to be the golden age of hip-hop/R&B. The Early 90's. The good Stuff.<br />This was directed by Michel Gondy, the same guy who directed everything from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to Dave Chapelle's Block Party to some of Gap's holiday-themed advertisements. It's pretty safe to say Michel can conquer nearly any aspect of the videography spectrum. <br /><br />Check out this video: Lucas- Lucas with the Lid Off. 1994.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5n852arn6uw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5n852arn6uw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-30576925113560626282008-10-19T18:07:00.000-07:002008-10-19T18:09:08.829-07:00Bentley Green is my booUmm this kid is better than most rappers on the radio. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jadj6kz5CnU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jadj6kz5CnU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-46758604774775109912008-10-19T17:46:00.001-07:002008-10-19T18:07:09.580-07:00I'll give you the shirt off my backBjork and Joanna Newsom had a baby and CocoRosie popped out!<br /><br />For me the verdict is still out because I haven't yet given myself the time to lock myself in a room with their albums, and perhaps only a sole candle (for dramatic effect of course), but what I've heard so far definitely intrigues me.<br /><br />Check out this fan-made video for their track "Florian." Man gives shirt off his back to save a poor woman that is drowning and in the process loses his love and his life. Why is life so hard? the aggooonnnyyyyyy. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J4vmAV4OdbM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J4vmAV4OdbM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This track "By Your Side" has a hypnotic sample that sounds like it was recorded on tape in a dusty haunted basement. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JPrZCkzhTL8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JPrZCkzhTL8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-68360656872943894382008-10-16T23:25:00.001-07:002008-10-16T23:28:24.703-07:00Question of the Day: Is is possible to get drunk off change?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7THwG_wEzgtWMCsqU5BjPJdG65bLEis70NIwQYhB6oVCDERBOaFQ42GkgoR94xGXWfDbsPCp_hfSESlMZJcW_85LJORt4slZUkeA_ohfbUOpcM1IMNsqHVxSFNC4w0pF5FfL/s1600-h/obama3_lo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7THwG_wEzgtWMCsqU5BjPJdG65bLEis70NIwQYhB6oVCDERBOaFQ42GkgoR94xGXWfDbsPCp_hfSESlMZJcW_85LJORt4slZUkeA_ohfbUOpcM1IMNsqHVxSFNC4w0pF5FfL/s320/obama3_lo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258005333357212610" /></a><br /><br />If so, I'm currently feeling pretty damn tipsy.Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-27903060688001642822008-10-16T21:11:00.000-07:002008-10-16T23:31:42.414-07:00Back from the Dead Part DeuxIn the spirit of my previous post, and the fact that I am in the mood for some emotional/nostalgic music before I hit the hay for the night, I have brought some goodies back from the movie soundtrack graveyard. <div><br /></div><div>First up- The oh so sweet and quirky Amelie:</div><div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aip3836VtZ0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aip3836VtZ0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Jon Brion's subtle brillance on the Eternal Sunshine soundtrack:</div><div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gkDSoqujtdQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gkDSoqujtdQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /></div><div>and Beck's attempt to turn me into a puddle of tears by the </div><div>time my head hits my pillow tonight. This one has a special </div><div>place in my heart. </div><div><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wSq_EwEYwEI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wSq_EwEYwEI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-404834550740787882008-10-16T20:55:00.001-07:002008-10-16T23:05:28.775-07:00Back from the DeadWell I've been out of the blogging world for over two years now. (my last post referred to the onset of Facebook...an addiction that as we all know is now a full-blown epidemic, akin to the plague in 28 Days Later, yet in this version we are the walking zombies eating each other alive with an overwhelming influx of information.) <div><br /></div><div>Alas, information is fun--and blogging gives me the outlet to spread my thoughts on culture/art/politcs as well as posting those from others. So let the madness ensure.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm back from the dead my friends- so stay tuned for mover-shakers-writers-exciters. Right here on this blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>Holla !</div><div><br /></div><div>-Nora<br /><div><br /></div></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-1156402222705216822006-08-23T23:43:00.000-07:002006-08-23T23:57:11.680-07:00fucking computers.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Each morning I roll out of bed with the impetus to make something of my day; take a run through town, read the rest of Ulysses(I’ve been stalled on page 25 for months now), do some much needed laundry, or change the disastrous current political climate one person at a time.<span style=""> </span>As I’m opening my eyes and my room starts to take focus my eyes lead to the grey little box in the corner of my room; the dark corner that holds my addictions.<span style=""> </span>Instantly my big plans for the day begin to fade away and I’m racing over to the computer to check my Facebook home page.<span style=""> </span>I wonder what photos have been added of my friends or who has written on my virtual wall or how many people have responded to my invitation for the party at my house this weekend.<span style=""> </span></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style=""> </span>For those of you who have been stuck under a rock (or are over the age of 24) I’ll give you a little background on the phenomenon that is Facebook.<span style=""> </span>Started in February of 2004, Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg, a computer programming dork from Harvard (reminiscent of Shawn Fanning from Napster fame) who decided it was time that Harvard had a directory allowing students to connect with each other, a tool to strengthen the Harvard student community.<span style=""> </span>Anyone with a valid Harvard e-mail address could join Facebook.<span style=""> </span>Within a few weeks of creation, almost half the student body at Harvard had registered with Facebook.<span style=""> </span>As popularity of the website spread on the Harvard campus, Zuckerburg expanded Facebook to include other Ivy League schools.<span style=""> </span>Currently 882 colleges and universities are registered under Facebook.<span style=""> </span>To give you an idea of Facebook’s explosive growth, within two years of its launch Facebook has grown to 7.5 million users. 60% of these users log in daily (some hourly).<span style=""> </span>85% log in at least once a week and 93% at least once a month.<span style=""> </span>Facebook is not only an extremely popular site, but also one in which its members are extremely active (I openly admit this is a euphemism for addicted).</span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style=""> </span>What is it about Facebook that causes it to be so addictive?<span style=""> </span>Facebook, and all social networking sites for that matter, hone in on something almost all of us are interested in, ourselves and our friends.<span style=""> </span>Essentially, Facebook allows each user to relish in the joy of yearbooks; looking at photos, signing yearbook pages, remembering memories and events, but this time it is in the context of the internet in which the “yearbook” is constantly changing and interactive, allowing each user to create and control their own media experiences.<span style=""> </span></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style=""> </span>At first glance, Facebook seems strikingly similar to MySpace.<span style=""> </span>Each registered Facebook user creates their own personal profile just as a user would on MySpace.<span style=""> </span>These profiles include the user’s relationship status, activities, quotes, musical interests, summer plans, photo albums, virtual walls and the groups that they belong to.<span style=""> </span>Posts on my virtual wall say things like: “heyyy.howz your summer. Call me soon.”<span style=""> </span>or “hey its joe from 9<sup>th</sup> grade English.<span style=""> </span>Seeing how you have been.”<span style=""> </span>(Those are the more generic ones.<span style=""> </span>I’m trying to keep this article PG.)<span style=""> </span>A fabulous feature of Facebook is photo tagging.<span style=""> </span>This feature allows creators of a photo album to “tag” the individuals in each photo.<span style=""> </span>This tag is then directly linked to the individual’s Facebook profile page, allowing users to see an endless amount of photos of an individual person, some taken by the person, but many more taken by others.<span style=""> </span>With 1.5 million photos updated daily Facebook beats out even photo-specific sites likes Flickr to be the number one photo site on the Internet.<span style=""> </span>One photo album can lead you to many more, simply by clicking on an individual’s name.<span style=""> </span>You can begin to understand how the addiction of Facebook breeds.</span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >The most important difference between MySpace and Facebook, and for me, Facebook’s best feature is that profiles are hidden from those that are not your “friends” or those that do not go to your college or high school.<span style=""> </span>In other words, you can surf Facebook profiles, and others can surf yours, with the comforting knowledge that you all belong to a certain community or institution.<span style=""> </span>You can join groups that are titled “Professor Smith is the Devil” or “I’m about to graduate and have no idea what I’m doing with my life.”<span style=""> </span>You can find that attractive member of the opposite sex from your English class and drop them a message or you can organize an event by sending all your friends messages notifying them of events ranging from campus protests to a kegger for Kathy’s 21<sup>st</sup> B-day. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The fun features do not stop there.<span style=""> </span>I told a friend recently I had reached the lowest form of human communication; virtual poking.<span style=""> </span>What is this virtual poking exactly?<span style=""> </span>In Facebook any registered user can “poke” a friend.<span style=""> </span>It is not clear if this poking has sexual intentions or not and it doesn’t seem to matter.<span style=""> </span>My friends and I just poke each other just for the absurdity of it.<span style=""> </span>My Facebook homepage notifies that “You have been poked by (insert name).<span style=""> </span>Although I don’t necessarily know what it means I have to admit, it feels good when I wake up to a friendly poke on my Facebook page.<span style=""> </span></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">All in all, so many of us are addicted to Facebook because it allows us to escape our real responsibilities; work.<span style=""> </span>One quick walk around the UMass library basement during finals week shows this to be true.<span style=""> </span>I recall last semester walking desperately through lines and lines of computers, praying that someone would sign off so I could print my paper that was due in 15 minutes.<span style=""> </span>About 1 in 8 of the students that were taking up the computers were obsessively staring at their screen, smiling in delight at their Facebook page.<span style=""> </span>Although in this moment I scorned Facebook, moments later, after having printed my paper I became part of my statistic and my addiction continued.<span style=""> <br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-1139889200822595272006-02-13T19:50:00.000-08:002006-02-13T19:53:20.833-08:00A Million little lies<p class="MsoNormal"> This past month a whirlwind of commotion stemmed from the James Frey scandal.<span style=""> </span>Readers were angered that they had been lied to, Oprah was angered that she has been made a fool of in front of millions of televisions, and <span style=""> </span>James Frey was jumping for joy as his books flew off the shelf and buckets of money flew into his pockets. <span style=""> </span>As the scandal grew and grew, and Frey hit up all the daily talk shows, I was brewing. <span style=""> </span>Is this really what people are mad about, that an author lied about his life in one memoir? <span style=""> </span>As soon as the story hit the presses our media experts acted shocked by Frey’s untruthful nature. <span style=""> </span>No one seemed to believe that an author, a bestselling author, would have the audacity to lie in his book.<span style=""> </span>“He turned 3 hours of jail into 3 years!!.” Why was the media obsessed with the truthfulness of this author? <span style=""> </span>His book had not caused a social revolution.<span style=""> </span>It had not caused anyone to kill themselves and it most definitely did not find out the meaning of why we all here. <span style=""> </span>Why were we obsessed?<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">My theory is that the media has a conscious, a pathetic whimpering weak conscious.<span style=""> </span>Media outlets had finally realized the errors of their ways in the past years. <span style=""> </span>They realized in the past years they told biased stories.<span style=""> </span>They realized they shaped stories that would lead readers to connect 9-11 with Saddam Hussein. <span style=""> </span>They realized they had downplayed when it was evident that our leaders had lied to our nation.<span style=""> </span>Where was the media when the government lied about the war in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>? <span style=""> </span>Where was the media hoopla for that?<span style=""> </span>The James Frey story was the media’s chance to show that they indeed were committed to truthfulness in print. <span style=""> </span>It was the media’s chance to show to the American public that they once again held the values of freedom of press and truthful reporting in high regard.<span style=""> </span></p>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-1138436073306516902006-01-28T00:04:00.000-08:002006-01-28T00:31:23.910-08:00You are what your cable box says you areHere's my more scholarly stuff. Let me know if I’m a bullshit artist.<br /><br /><br /> Since the late 1940's Nielsen Media Research has tracked the popularity of television shows by having families agree to attach an electronic monitor to their TV. Families also agree to track what shows they watch in a diary. Viewers are classified by age, sex, and race. The findings are then sold to corporations who determine how to market their product during advertising blocks and to television stations who determine advertising rates. Recently an even newer development is being tested called P.P.M, or portable people meter. P.P.M meters have the ability to understand exactly how much television and radio programming a person was exposed to through an intricate system of digital sound detection. The newest models of P.P.M will be able to track the music you hear in the grocery store, the cable channel you are watching on television, and the billboards you see driving on the highway.<br /><br /> Apart from the mind-blowing technological feat of this device, there are serious implications to the understanding of knowledge and power within our society created by these portable people meters. In NYC when Nielsen introduced new electronic TV meters there was a barrage of criticism from FOX news heads because their shows had a huge dip in ratings. When you change the way you count, or change the constitution of knowledge, you potentially change the value of entire genres or cultural norms. Because the business of mass culture relies so heavily on the classification and cataloguing of the desires of a population, a change in the knowledge of what is popular changes the entire system of the creation of culture. This poses serious questions about the nature of popular culture. Who is actually deciding what is popular?<br /><br /> The advent of constant surveying, polling, and monitoring of our society's population has created a connection between the knowledge that comes from classification and the interests of businesses and corporations. These classifications have created a form of power that reaches into our individual and collective consciousness and that suppresses our ability to resist. Our understanding of who we are has been fundamentally distorted by who we are told we are by the creators of culture. Our knowledge of norms has shaped the way we live and how we act. "Marketing is now the instrument of social control and produces the arrogant breed who are our masters.¨(Deleuze, 181) According to Steve Morris, Arbitron C.E.O., "Every age group, every cultural group and every demographic group is in the process of getting media packaged expressly for its members.¨ America is becoming a web of data about who we are and how we behave with no real concern for our actual selves. Our classification or demographic group determines our behavior. Because we are told that those like us act a certain way, we tend to fall right into line. Are you what your cable box says you are?Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-1118900996067154872005-06-15T22:18:00.000-07:002006-01-31T12:37:13.040-08:00What's Michael Jackson got to do with politics?I have often wondered what it would take to stop New Yorkers from being so busy. Have we developed into strange new creatures in which time is our enemy and the subway is our savior?? Have we forgotten that life is better slower? Do we remember what it is like to wake up without an alarm clock?<br /><br />With these questions floating through my head, I walked into Times Square on a recent extremely hot NYC afternoon. Entering this hub of pop culture I felt a sudden feeling of comfort. It was just as I remembered, full to the rim with a sense of excitement, consumption, and glitz. The ads beckoned me into their world of safe consumption and the masses of people excited my senses.<br /><br />But something was different about today. People weren't bustling through Times Square as usual. People weren't moving. People were watching TV!?!<br /><br />As I looked around I felt as though I had stepped into another world. Hundreds and soon thousands of New Yorkers were outside in the steamy 95 degree weather watching the final verdict in the Michael Jackson case on a massive screen. These Manhattanites stood and stared at the screen.<br /><br />Does it take something as absurd and irrelevant as Michael Jackson to stop New Yorkers in their tracks?<br /><br />This got me thinking. When/how was it that pop culture became news and how does this affect politics? As the day progresed my thinking began to take form. I cycled through the liberal rhetoric in my heard-- the right wing bias of the media, the evils of FOX News, and the stupidity of George Bush. They all center around a lack of public debate in the media and the constant buying and selling of information and news which shapes our media.<br /><br />----"Ok, rightt,I've heard all of this before." Where does Michael Jackson fit into this?<br /><br />The Jackson story fits into a new way that we need to think about media and news. I am going to title this new way of thinking "poser news." "Poser news" is popular culture or entertainment buzz "posing" as news. Although this has been an ever increasing trend, in the past 5 years "poser" news has begun to take hold of our entire understanding of news and the world around us.<br /><br />Our media has become obsessed with celebrity,popular culture, and sensationalism. This has caused a change in our population. A change in which people care more about a deranged celebrities future than the future of healthcare in American. A change in which people tune into MTV to watch arguments in an RV, as opposed to music videos. And the startling thing is that no one seems to care !!Perhaps these are broad generalizations. Perhaps I'm not giving my fellow Americans enough credit. Perhaps I'm being dramatic. But perhaps we really need to think about these issues and how they are affecting our understanding of the world.Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-1117949617093693172005-06-04T22:19:00.000-07:002005-06-04T22:34:46.103-07:00Fiona and her unreleased gemFiona Apple's new album, <em>Extraordinary Machine</em>, is full of lush and rhythmic orchestration, intricate melodies, and happy lyrics from Fiona??<br /><br />Why haven't you heard of it, or listened to the new single on the radio, or seen the new video on MTV?<br /><br /><strong>Fiona Apple's third album, completed in May 2003, was shelved by her record label, Sony, for lack of an "obvious single</strong>."<br /><br />But this is only the beginning of the story..<br /><br />In January 2004 DJ Andrew Harms from Seattle's 107.7, The End, played songs from Fiona's unreleased album live on the radio station. Listeners from across the country recorded and downloaded the music. The sweeping Fiona internet music frenzy began.<br /><br />An April 05' Wired News reported that 38,000 users in the United States were sharing at least one track from the Extraordinary Machine album.<br /><br />The album is available for your listening pleasure at a peer to peer network of your choosing.<br /><br />Now here's a sampling of lyrics from the album:<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Red, Red Red</strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I don't understand about complimentary colors</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And what they say</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Side by side they both get bright</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Together they both get gray</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">But he's been pretty much yellow</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And I've been crying blue</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">But all I can see isRed, red, red, red, red now</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">What am I to do</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I don't understand about</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Diamonds and why men buy them</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">What's so impressive about a diamond</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Except the mining</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And it's dangerous work</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Trying to get to you too</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And I think if I didn't have toKill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill myself doing it</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Maybe I would glisten so much for you</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><strong>Waltz</strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">If you don't have a song</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">To sing you're okay</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">You know how to get alongHummingHmmm</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">If you don't have a date</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">CelebrateGo out and sit on the lawn</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And do nothing'</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Cause it's just what you must do</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Nobody does it anymore</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">No I don't believe in the wasting of time,</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">But I don't believe that I'm wasting mine</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-1117934153088982172005-06-04T18:10:00.000-07:002008-10-16T23:15:15.699-07:00Crash into MeOn a recent Wednesday evening, nestled in the seats of the local independent theatre here in Albany, I tuned into the racially driven "movie of the moment", Crash. The script includes many characters, each somehow linked to one another through situations of crime, relationships, politics, and love. The characters in this movie are drawn from a wide range of social groups- a white LAPD police office, a Persian corner store owner, a waealthy African-American couple, a DA and his emotionally supressed wife, a young locksmith, and a police chief.<br />The first scene opens with the notion that in L.A. people do not look at one another or touch one another. They just walk by each other, each individual always trapped in their isolated world of drama, problems, and dreams. Don Cheadle ( of Hotel Rwanda) tells of how this isolation builds up and finally forces us all to eventually " crash into one another, just to feel something." It is based on this premise that the characters collide throughout the movie, learning more about themselves and others. Overall this movie receives dues for having the balls to address issues of race and socio-economic factors in modern sosciety. It does not shy away from drama, and causes the audience to focus in on issues of race that are embedded in every aspect of our society. An impressive script connects the characters through a multi-layered plot in which characters meet in life changing circumstances. Impressive performances by the entire cast, expecially Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock, and Terrence Howard engage the script to its fullest potential.<br />The one fault that could be attested to this movie is the scripts reliance on coincidences and "crashes", and their role in shaping the beliefs and identities of the characters in the movie. It is through these coincidences that many of the characters realize that they based many of their opinions on stereotypical views of other people. Through their life-changing coincidences the characters begin to challenge their pre-conceptions. Although this notion fits well into the imaginative sphere of Hollywood, it is these forced chance meetings that do not happen often off-screen, in the real world.<br />It is essential to note that this is one of the first movies in recent history that has so bluntly and dramatically addressed the issue of racism in our society. This movie provides a beginning groundwork for movies to address taboo issues that many in Hollywood have been yet too scared to discuss.Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13423381.post-1117924349581661192005-06-04T15:29:00.000-07:002008-10-16T23:14:29.546-07:00What is this blog all about?capturing the moments of creativity/art/music/poetry/politics that breathe some life (with a full resounding whoooosh) into our daily existence. hopefully these instances of creativity will inspire, fascinate, engage, and inspire some food for thought.<br /><br />"But if the world could remain within a frame like a painting on a wall.<br />Then I think we would see the beauty.<br />Then we would stand staring in awe at our still lives posed like a bowl of oranges,<br />like a story told by the fault lines and the soil."Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02889201271682787683noreply@blogger.com0