Not The Last One Off?

This Italian cruise director is too much for me. Not to be racist but this is about as stereotypically Italian as it gets. His actions are borderline French even! However I have to give him props for going out in style. He didn't even announce that the passengers should abandon ship. What a guy. It takes a real man to wine and dine a lady not thirty minutes after you crash your cruise ship with thousands on it. Every one keeps talking about how captains need to go down with ships. Screw that! that guy drives a cruise ship man, he obviously has a higher net worth than most of the people on that boat. if people didn't turn into chickens with their heads cut off when they heard the boat was sinking then maybe they could have all got away. Just saying.

The article is an interview with John Maxtone-Graham, the authority on ships with over 25 books published on the subject. I actually just skimmed the article as I am a very lazy guy, but I don't think that matters anyway. I write about what I think when I see the articles. That's what the articles are supposed to do anyway. Get people to think. At least that's what they should be about. Ron Paul 2012.

Article: The captain who wouldn’t go down with the ship

My Memior Choice Pt. 1

For my next outside reading endeavor I will be reading Townie By Andre DuBuse III. I am one chapter in and so far it seems like an interesting read. That is all.

The Worst Thing Ever

As some of you may have noticed or at least heard about sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Etsy are shutting themselves down today to protest SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act). Both of these acts would severely limit the freedom that one has on the internet. My faithfuls may already know that I do not support the acts one bit because if these acts go through, where will I get my free music? That isn't what I want to talk about however. I want to talk about how outrageous it is that this deal was even able to be proposed in the first place. Congress seems like a school administrative board sometimes. They only pass things because nobody goes to the meetings to object their crazy ideas. How is it that the only thing congress wants to try and pass is this act when there are soooo many more things they should be focusing on? It seems like these Conservative Republicans are always contradicting themselves. If they Support SOPA doesn't that mean they are basically using their almighty constitution as toilet paper? I present to you that special interest groups are behind all of this because in the end politicians will do anything for a buck. It's a shame to see something like this even be considered. America as a whole was doing so well embracing the progressive lifestyle and then the Tea Party came in and sent America back sixty years. When you think about it it's all Sarah Palin's fault, but maybe that's just my opinion.

Article: Internet blackout!

Santorum on the Rise

Just when Americans thought the old school Republicans were back, Rick Santorum has risen to the front of the race with talk of faith, gays being bad, and how Jesus should live in the White House. I used to think it was funny when Michele Bachmann and rick Perry would say crazy things about how much more faithful they are than the next candidate, but with the primary's so close I really can't laugh anymore. Santorum has been rising in the polls thanks to his latest endorsements from major Christian groups. The only funny thing I can see coming out of his recent surge is the result of googling the word "Santorum"and looking at the first result. Haha Rick haha. The irony is hilarious. If you don't know what I'm talking bout I recommend you look it up, but only in your home. It's not quite safe for work. Unlike the other extremely conservative Christian candidates Santorum actually has a chance in the race for GOP candidate thanks to his great showing at the Iowa caucus, and now that it's time for candidates to start dropping out of the race Santorum will be able to pick up the voters from other conservative candidates like Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. That, my friends, is a scary thought. I'm not particularly worried about Santorum though because Mitt Romney is going to take the New Hampshire primary and after that he will be off to the races.

The article I read has nothing to do with Santorum's recent rise. It's about his stance on birth control, but I didn't really want to talk about that because it's boring. If you want to read the article you can. It is riiiiiight here.

Article: Rick Santorum really is after your birth control

F****d Up (The Band)

Spin magazine has announced their 50 greatest albums of the year and I am pleased with the selection. It definitely isn't a comprehensive list there are many albums that were left off (Adele-21, The Strokes-Angles, and Tyler, the Creator-Goblin) but they did their best and I respect it. Now I'm sure you're all wondering why I chose this article to blog about because I know how many people wait patiently every Sunday for my latest update to Bloggystyle, so let me enlighten you! The number one album was "David Comes to Life" by Canadian hardcore band F****d Up. A band which I happen to be a fan of. Before I went to see them with Wavves in September I had no idea who they were, but after the wildest performance I had ever seen I was hooked. The lead singer, Father Damien, yells, but it's a powerful punk rock roar not a sissy I hate my parents screech that seems to infests the punk rock scene today. On back up vocals and bass is a girl (really, a girl) that goes by the name "Mustard Gas" her vocals go surprisingly well with Damien's scratchy roar The other members aren't all that interesting. To be honest F****d Up would be nothing without the on-stage antics of Damien. To say he is the most energetic performer I have ever seen is an understatement. He could make a crowd of paraplegics start moshing. It's safe to say F****d Up reignited my love for someone yelling in my face/ears and i brings me joy to see their work finally acknowledged, but it also brings me sadness to learn that they will be on hiatus while Father Damien raises a family with his baby boy and wife Lauren.

The list was expertly compiled by the Spin staff. There is a possible bias however. The staff, I would imagine, consists of elitist music snobs who don't respect anyone on the radio besides Lady Gaga, Kanye West/Jay-Z, and Britney Spears. Honestly I was actually surprised to see Britney Spear's album on the list at all. I'm not going to cry about it however since it's number fifty anyway, but that doesn't take away from the list because I would rather have people like that compile a list rather than say the people who plan "Now That's What I Call Music 25." With that said I still never would have thought that F****d Up would get the #1 spot considering the fact that they have been operating quite under the radar since around 2001. Maybe they shouldn't have gotten the number one spot, but I like them so I don't really want to argue. If my article has piqued your interest at all I recommend you download their latest album as soon as possible.

Article: SPIN's 50 Best Albums of 2011

Bless Me, Ultima Chapters 17-22

Well the book is over and I am relieved, but I'm also very disappointed. My top prediction about Antonio becoming an "Ultimo" was completely wrong. I clearly have not been using my clues well enough. The ending is not surprising though, and now that I have thought about it I feel like it was probably the best choice for an ending (aside from my prediction). The story ends like it begins, with uncertainty. Toni never knows what he wants to be and by the end surprise, surprise he still doesn't know. I'm all for the coming of age novel, but I thought that this one was not that great. I didn't care for how much emphasis was placed on religion, but I can live with it because I'm sure early twentieth century Mexico was intensely religious. Antonio places a whole bunch of significance into his first communion, thinking he will have a new found connection with god. This shows how immature Antonio really still is. When Toni is disappointed by the communion it shows that he can't just go with his mother's views like that. I would rate this book with a 6.5 out of 10, but that is just my opinion. Many people seem to like it.

Bless Me, Ultima Chapters 13-16

By the end of chapter 16 Antonio's innocence is lost. When Antonio goes to Rosie's with Narciso and the woman replies, " Which Marez," (Anaya 164) when Narciso asks to speak with the Marez. Antonio's mother wants him to keep his innocence, but it seems to be impossible. Everyone loses their innocence it is a fact of life, but it is not always a bad thing. Antonio's loss of innocence seems to make him a wiser person. He is already and incredibly mature individual, but after witnessing two deaths and now the incident at Rosie's perhaps Antonio now sees the true colors of the world. Toni's early maturation only helps to strengthen my prediction that Antonio is going to become the male Ultima or "Ultimo" if you will. This is the only one of my predictions that has come true however. It seems that Gabriel will never get to take the family out to California like he wanted which forces him to drink even more, and that is never good. Along with growing up/losing one's innocence the theme of forgiveness is evident throughout the book, but it is most apparent in these chapters. With all this said, don't start thinking I like this book because it has been an absolute chore to read. I will march on against all odds to finish this book.