I've been going through a phase where I puchase all the cds I should have, but didn't. The latest is "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." Here are the lyrics a track titled "To Zion." Like many Fugee songs, it has plenty of biblical allusions. Check out the lyrics, then listen to the song. It's a haunting combination.
"To Zion"
Unsure of what the balance held
I touched my belly overwhelmed
By what I had been chosen to perform
But then an angel came one day
Told me to kneel down and pray
For unto me a man child would be born
Woe this crazy circumstance
I knew his life deserved a chance
But everybody told me to be smart
Look at your career they said,
"Lauryn, baby use your head"
But instead I chose to use my heart
Now the joy of my world is in Zion
Now the joy of my world is in Zion
How beautiful if nothing more
Than to wait at Zion's door
I've never been in love like this before
Now let me pray to keep you from
The perils that will surely come
See life for you my prince has just begun
And I thank you for choosing me
To come through unto life to be
A beautiful reflection of his grace
For I know that a gift so great
Is only one God could create
And I'm reminded every time I see your face
That the joy of my world is in Zion
Now the joy of my world is in Zion
Now the joy of my world is in Zion
Now the joy of my world is in Zion
Marching, marching, marching to Zion
Marching, marching
Marching, marching, marching to Zion
Beautiful, beautiful Zion
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Export What Doesn't Work
Cowboys don’t stay in one place for too long. Indeed, the very nature of the cowboy is motion. On the occasion that some rogue decided to break the pattern of moving by settling in a new town, they were inevitably run out of town by the local sheriff.
So make public opinion the sheriff. The cowboy; cowboy diplomacy.
The Bush administration’s plan for eliminating terrorism was originally supported by the American people (as long as by ‘American people’ we mean at least some of them). Like President Bush’s approval rating though, the administration’s policy of action > nonaction has lately begun to suffer. Americans are tired of loosing people in Iraq, especially when the war actually ended years ago. Worse, the once left-wing idea that we should attempt to negotiate with countries which we believe are a threat (North Korea and Iran top the list currently) has found support within the president’s own administration.
Now that the sheriff is effectively removing the cowboy from the states, where will it go? Neoconservatives, the main proponents of cowboy diplomacy, are not through with the Middle East. The popular opinion amongst neo-cons seems to be something like ‘An Islamist state is not a free state, however, it Is a threat to the Unites States.’ Without pulling punches, this roughly means “Sunni states are fine. Shiite states are terrorist threats.” Consisting of Syria, Iran, and Palestine, these Shiite states must, according to neoconservative thinking, be dealt with as soon as possible. But the cowboy was moving.
Proponents of cowboy diplomacy couldn’t have wished for more than what happens next in our story. The cowboy moved to Israel. Even though American public opinion has begun to frown on preemptive attacks, neo-cons might get their war with Syria, and if things go extremely well for them, Iran.
Recent statements by the newly elected Israeli prime minister bear the form of President Bush’s statements immediately following the attacks of 09/11/01. While the president has not publicly backed Israel’s attack on Beirut, he has stated that he would not deny a country the right to defend itself.
I hope nothing I’ve yet written reeks of conspiracy theory. I don’t go for them. I do believe, however, that, all things being equal, people tend towards their best interests.
Right now, the best interest of several large American corporations is to stay at war with someone. As the spending of money to influence political action is free speech, those who spend the most tend to get their wishes more often than not. If this is true, and I believe I am not off the mark, then right now, cash is being promised and spent by these corporations to encourage the Israeli government’s aggression.
I really hope the follow does not happen:
The Israeli prime minister decides to treat any country that aides Hezbollah as a threat (similar to the US doctrine that ‘any country that harbors terrorists will be treated as a terrorist itself’). Israel declares war on the two largest supporters of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran. As Israel cannot possibly win a three-front war, the United States decides to come to the aide of Israel. More troops are sent to the Middle East in order to fight two countries that have never threatened the United States. Taken as an attack on the Muslim world (which I believe it would rightly be reckoned), Islamic leaders declare the US enemies. The 130,000 troops in Iraq become hostages in a foreign country overnight
So make public opinion the sheriff. The cowboy; cowboy diplomacy.
The Bush administration’s plan for eliminating terrorism was originally supported by the American people (as long as by ‘American people’ we mean at least some of them). Like President Bush’s approval rating though, the administration’s policy of action > nonaction has lately begun to suffer. Americans are tired of loosing people in Iraq, especially when the war actually ended years ago. Worse, the once left-wing idea that we should attempt to negotiate with countries which we believe are a threat (North Korea and Iran top the list currently) has found support within the president’s own administration.
Now that the sheriff is effectively removing the cowboy from the states, where will it go? Neoconservatives, the main proponents of cowboy diplomacy, are not through with the Middle East. The popular opinion amongst neo-cons seems to be something like ‘An Islamist state is not a free state, however, it Is a threat to the Unites States.’ Without pulling punches, this roughly means “Sunni states are fine. Shiite states are terrorist threats.” Consisting of Syria, Iran, and Palestine, these Shiite states must, according to neoconservative thinking, be dealt with as soon as possible. But the cowboy was moving.
Proponents of cowboy diplomacy couldn’t have wished for more than what happens next in our story. The cowboy moved to Israel. Even though American public opinion has begun to frown on preemptive attacks, neo-cons might get their war with Syria, and if things go extremely well for them, Iran.
Recent statements by the newly elected Israeli prime minister bear the form of President Bush’s statements immediately following the attacks of 09/11/01. While the president has not publicly backed Israel’s attack on Beirut, he has stated that he would not deny a country the right to defend itself.
I hope nothing I’ve yet written reeks of conspiracy theory. I don’t go for them. I do believe, however, that, all things being equal, people tend towards their best interests.
Right now, the best interest of several large American corporations is to stay at war with someone. As the spending of money to influence political action is free speech, those who spend the most tend to get their wishes more often than not. If this is true, and I believe I am not off the mark, then right now, cash is being promised and spent by these corporations to encourage the Israeli government’s aggression.
I really hope the follow does not happen:
The Israeli prime minister decides to treat any country that aides Hezbollah as a threat (similar to the US doctrine that ‘any country that harbors terrorists will be treated as a terrorist itself’). Israel declares war on the two largest supporters of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran. As Israel cannot possibly win a three-front war, the United States decides to come to the aide of Israel. More troops are sent to the Middle East in order to fight two countries that have never threatened the United States. Taken as an attack on the Muslim world (which I believe it would rightly be reckoned), Islamic leaders declare the US enemies. The 130,000 troops in Iraq become hostages in a foreign country overnight
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Screw A’s. Strive for F’s (E’s @ UK)
That is to say, there are rules. Perhaps these rules were not meant to be broken after all. Then again, I’m having a great time.
Rule #1 Fred is a Fucking Idiot.
Rule #2 When presented with two paths, all things being equal, Follow the Hot Chicks.
Rule #3 Play games to your heart’s content. But never, under any circumstances, should one Purchase game pieces.
Yeah, it’s that third one that got me. Here’s the deal though. An addendum, if you will, to Rule #3: When an item may be used by a group of players, the item may be purchased. This excludes items such as ANY Magic: The Gathering card. These cards must be used by one person in their own deck. This does not exclude items such as support figures in the Wizkids game Heroclix.
One may apparently spend almost two hundred bucks on ‘support characters for the group.’ Whether or not this rule is being followed when a $120 Jean Grey Phoenix is purchased is still in committee (consider the scenarios! Dark Phoenix then Phoenix vs every other click created! Yes. I know you are tiring of the escalated level of Geek at this point).
Justification of one’s own silly actions aside, I have been playing Heroclix about once every two weeks for the last couple of months, and really enjoying it. The group of friends that I play with, has for a time, filled the social void left by school’s intermission. If you have Geek tendencies, especially if you like comic books, check out Heroclix. Do not violate Rule #3 though.
Rule #1 Fred is a Fucking Idiot.
Rule #2 When presented with two paths, all things being equal, Follow the Hot Chicks.
Rule #3 Play games to your heart’s content. But never, under any circumstances, should one Purchase game pieces.
Yeah, it’s that third one that got me. Here’s the deal though. An addendum, if you will, to Rule #3: When an item may be used by a group of players, the item may be purchased. This excludes items such as ANY Magic: The Gathering card. These cards must be used by one person in their own deck. This does not exclude items such as support figures in the Wizkids game Heroclix.
One may apparently spend almost two hundred bucks on ‘support characters for the group.’ Whether or not this rule is being followed when a $120 Jean Grey Phoenix is purchased is still in committee (consider the scenarios! Dark Phoenix then Phoenix vs every other click created! Yes. I know you are tiring of the escalated level of Geek at this point).
Justification of one’s own silly actions aside, I have been playing Heroclix about once every two weeks for the last couple of months, and really enjoying it. The group of friends that I play with, has for a time, filled the social void left by school’s intermission. If you have Geek tendencies, especially if you like comic books, check out Heroclix. Do not violate Rule #3 though.
A leave of absence of mind. (In binary form)
I’m not a fan of puns masquerading as titles. On occasions when I encounter punny titles I generally feel that the author is condescending. Or worse: being cute. I swear I have been none of the above. Rather, I have been brutally honest. I could have chosen, “A leave of absence An absence of mind,” this would not capture the duality of the absence which I have taken.
The last year has been one of many changes. For starters I put my overly substantial undergraduate studies behind me. At the same time I left a city and community that I was growing to love. I lost two relatives, one of which was my last remaining grandparent. I then left friends and family behind to move across the country. This trend of Changes did not cease in California. My vision of playing in orchestra full time has been lain to rest; the more precise vision of freelance music (oxymoron?) replacing it. Finally my journey to enter ministry has halted, for I have begun falling in love with a young lady. This will not be my last year of changes, but it certainly has been the most drastic to date.
The California Institute of the Arts
This Los Angeles art school is where I have chosen to pursue a graduate degree. My time here has been one of finding ways to tap into creative abilities. I have tried composition and song writing. I have engaged in deep consideration of composer’s intentions. I have even collaborated with artists from other métier. While each of these experiences have been valuable in some way, the greatest path to the expression of musical ideas has been one of improvisation.
The improv I have discovered is neither the improvisation of jazz musicians nor of classical cadenzas. It is contemporary free improv. Unlike more traditional forms of improvisation such as those based in jazz or ethnic musics, there are no fast rules to follow. Performers must make decisions on traditional things like intonation and volume, but they also make decisions on whether or not to play, what instrument to play, etc.
My time at Calarts has focused on small improvisation ensembles. Unless they use a form such as the jazz standard “trading-eights”, free improvisers must rely on their ears and their intuition to tell them when to play. When one has decided to play, they must then make a decision on each of two subjects: whether to play in a complementary fashion to the other performers, or to go against the other sounds, and whether their idea is what should be heard as a melody, or a supporting figure.
Performers generally play someone else’s music. Therefore, creating is something performers don’t experience in abundance. Within this style of improvisation a performer must make many decisions based solely on their musical intuition. Herein the performer is also creator.
Note: I am publishing for the next few weeks simply to get used to writing once again. To this end I will be resurrecting unfinished entries and posting them even if they still suck. Case in point: the second half of this one
The last year has been one of many changes. For starters I put my overly substantial undergraduate studies behind me. At the same time I left a city and community that I was growing to love. I lost two relatives, one of which was my last remaining grandparent. I then left friends and family behind to move across the country. This trend of Changes did not cease in California. My vision of playing in orchestra full time has been lain to rest; the more precise vision of freelance music (oxymoron?) replacing it. Finally my journey to enter ministry has halted, for I have begun falling in love with a young lady. This will not be my last year of changes, but it certainly has been the most drastic to date.
The California Institute of the Arts
This Los Angeles art school is where I have chosen to pursue a graduate degree. My time here has been one of finding ways to tap into creative abilities. I have tried composition and song writing. I have engaged in deep consideration of composer’s intentions. I have even collaborated with artists from other métier. While each of these experiences have been valuable in some way, the greatest path to the expression of musical ideas has been one of improvisation.
The improv I have discovered is neither the improvisation of jazz musicians nor of classical cadenzas. It is contemporary free improv. Unlike more traditional forms of improvisation such as those based in jazz or ethnic musics, there are no fast rules to follow. Performers must make decisions on traditional things like intonation and volume, but they also make decisions on whether or not to play, what instrument to play, etc.
My time at Calarts has focused on small improvisation ensembles. Unless they use a form such as the jazz standard “trading-eights”, free improvisers must rely on their ears and their intuition to tell them when to play. When one has decided to play, they must then make a decision on each of two subjects: whether to play in a complementary fashion to the other performers, or to go against the other sounds, and whether their idea is what should be heard as a melody, or a supporting figure.
Performers generally play someone else’s music. Therefore, creating is something performers don’t experience in abundance. Within this style of improvisation a performer must make many decisions based solely on their musical intuition. Herein the performer is also creator.
Note: I am publishing for the next few weeks simply to get used to writing once again. To this end I will be resurrecting unfinished entries and posting them even if they still suck. Case in point: the second half of this one
Page 123 Sentence 5
Page 123
The rules:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
"Frau Stoehr, sitting just a little behind him, had an expression on here face revealing such ignorant ecstasy that it was pitiful to behold, while Fraulein Levi of the ivory complexion sat leaning back in her chair with half-closed eyes and hands resting palms-up in her lap-and one would have taken her for a corpse if her chest had not risen and fallen with such striking regularity, although Hans Castorp thought she looked more like a mechanically driven wax figure he had once seen in a sideshow."
did i mention that it's extremely difficult to read these sentences when you're dyslexic?
The rules:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
"Frau Stoehr, sitting just a little behind him, had an expression on here face revealing such ignorant ecstasy that it was pitiful to behold, while Fraulein Levi of the ivory complexion sat leaning back in her chair with half-closed eyes and hands resting palms-up in her lap-and one would have taken her for a corpse if her chest had not risen and fallen with such striking regularity, although Hans Castorp thought she looked more like a mechanically driven wax figure he had once seen in a sideshow."
did i mention that it's extremely difficult to read these sentences when you're dyslexic?
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