It's called journalism

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a growing problem that is devastating an area that was just only getting itself back on its feet after Hurricane Katrina. Kevin Pereira (of G4's Attack of the show) ventured south to talk to the victim's of the oil spill, see it's horrific effect and saw the oil's impact on the fragile wildlife. He learns about the techniques used to clean up the oil and save the affected birds.

Spread this around, this is something we haven't seen much of in a very, very long time. It's called journalism.

Credit to Attack of the Show.

It's mine, all mine.

This entry is regarding the Obama Administration Announces Massive Piracy Crackdown

This will pass eventually, too much money is being lost in taxes and within certain industries. Personally, I think this bill will cost the tax payer more in several ways: Makes the government some money, make some rich people richer, and make the people who used to be rich but weren't creative enough to update their business models rich again.

I don't really see this as an obama thing, it was inevitable. People think this red and blue balloon choice is really so different. It's not. wake up. C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything around me.)

Calling people a thief to me is just having a superficial opinion/understanding. You could say it was the market correcting itself.

This is a decision that should be made case-by-case by the artists themselves, not some production-company corporate nobody with a stick permanently grafted into his ass. I'd rather my music be made freely available than punish the fans like this. Some people- I'm looking at you, Lars Ulrich- might think it's a good idea, but frankly, this isn't doing anything but hurting the industry. No one will want anything to do with the record companies who are paying off the politicians to put such a ridiculous policy into action, and furthermore, I think that the administration has been very poorly advised on this matter if they think that allowing record companies to tighten the noose like this is going to foster any kind of approval from the general public... OR is right.

Sorry. I've always been a proponent for making music freely available, and suppoting the artists who actually deserve the money by paying to see them perform or buying merchandise, etc. Record companies exploit musicians, charge exorbitant prices, and use their leverage as large corporations to crush anyone who cuts into their profit margin, however minuscule a difference these individuals may have made. Sure, I can understand that they're running a business, and that it's a simple economic principle- but that still doesn't mean I find anything redeeming in that fact.

In conclusion... We're living in an absolute police state. I'm not surprised by this proposed bill at all.

Art: It's a wonderful thing

One should not be afraid, when it comes to writing, to take a trip into all things relentless, horrific, dark, and all things forbidden. To be with a character who is going to do nothing but descend and descend and descend, and are you going to take that journey with them? One of the things that writing does is allow you to face your fears in a safe form, and survive.

I Love to draw, and I love to write. And I love to do those two things because I have total control over them. I now keep to myself at times in the upstairs bedroom to continually process such ideas and images without the fear of being disturbed, questioned, without anybody saying 'why?' The great enemy of Art is 'why.' Art should be its own justification. It requires no questions and it requires no answers. It is its own answer. And if it isn't its own answer, then it isn't art.

My head is like a jug, in which I'm pouring ideas out through drawings and writing in any way imaginable. I've got so much I want to say and convey. The things that mean the most to us are the things we're afraid of speaking. Drawing and writing, for me, allows me in some way to channel them all.

The work takes time, you can't short change this stuff. You can't do this stuff half heartedly. You either give your heart, gut, and balls, and soul to it... or don't do it at all. Why bother? You have to give everything to art. Otherwise, it's not going to be worth a damn. It's not going to linger, nor be there after you're gone. I would love to someday make work which lasts beyond me. The best of what I know about the world, or the ones I imagine.

To someday have someone sit down to read something I've done, study drawings, or even watch it...I'll take them from the beginning, without breaking the surface of their known reality and violating their understanding of what 'the real' is, slowly coax them. Seduce them, into a place which is richer, darker, more mythic, more full of echoes and mysteries, profound innocence and profound guilt and evil. And finally oneness which is right at the heart of things.

Everything we make, is based upon things we know. There is no such thing as originality. What we must take are the things that move us most profoundly, move our hearts, move our souls. Places you go, faces you see, make a catalog in your head constantly of which charge you up like a battery. And normally you could carry around, or have, a notebook which could contain anything. Because you never known when something you see will eventually mean something. So, I keep a notebook beside my bed. And anything that occurs to me, it can be a little sketch, a turn of phrase, or a random mental image, I'll jot it down.

It doesn't matter how benign, odd, simple or stupid it is. I think artists are more vulnerable. And living from day to day. To me, what I thought as I was a kid, that I was an odd child because I felt things deeply. I was shy, fat, had terrible sight, bullied. I found as I grew older that, where as I expected to grow out of this, it didn't "pass away." So, I had to find a place to put these feelings. And, where does someone young tell someone they're having these weird and strange dreams involving creatures and strange imagery...who could I tell? I didn't trust anybody. The only thing I trusted was a piece of paper. So, the piece of paper became my father confessor.

And what do you do with that confessor? You are honest. The thing you have to be is honest. There is no use lying to the piece of paper. No use telling the untruth to the piece of paper. Just say what is in your heart. And something emerges when you start to tell those honest confessions. Over a period of years, something appears that is yours and only yours.

I never think that I want to be (fill in the blank.) All I wanted to do was be sane. And the only way I could be sane was by allowing these dark and complex thoughts have a voice. And what I discovered was when I started to create stories or draw around those voices, that I could find so many others who lived in this "world."

Care about your life through your mind. When we think, or imagine, we can put it all down, and not think whether it'll make us money, or the next big thing. Just caring about the love or hatred you feel, anger or loss you feel...then that is a sacred art.

Think about the word imagination. Think about the number of wonderful roots in that. The word magic is in there. The words "I am" are in there. There are all kinds of wonderful things in the word imagination. And it is used in the most trivial fashion. It is used to describe Spielberg movies. *gag* We have to protect the sacred right of each talented individual to pursue their imaginations into the most private and profound parts of their souls.

We have to be ready to stand up for who we are as human beings with unique imaginations. There is only you. There is only one of you. It doesn't matter how many times you have been regimented, pushed around...YOU are YOU. And that is the artist's motto. I am who I am who I am. And if you don't listen...go fuck yourself. We're all spiritual beings on our own quests. Whether it be an Artistic one or it's a quest to make life. It has to be something that you give everything to. There is no half measure, no compromise.

It is important to speak what is in your heart...and not bullshit. Life is not a rehearsal. It is important as Artists to celebrate everything in our lives that is sad, happy, transcendent, trivial, and we embrace. And that we throw nothing out. We have what we have.

If the Artistic spirit moves in you...you fucking allow it. Make poems, songs, stories, drawings. Don't worry if they're good or bad. Don't worry, just make. Just do. Just be. Don't apologize. Don't worry if your neighbor thinks your an asshole or not. You are responsible for one thing and one thing only: that spirit that lives in you. I choose to say that spirit is put there by everybody and everything, not God. It makes us unique.

Live your life through Art. That's all you. I still love to smile...it's an Art form.

I'm not Googoo for GaGa.

I once read that "Lady gaga is like that High School kid that was so outragiously obnoxious that nobody liked or talked to her. Somehow, everybody loves her... Go figure."

Now, I understand that everyone out there has a wide variety of tastes when it comes to music, and they can go on listening to whatever they want, whenever they want. But...when it comes down to it all, I will never understand the sensation that is Lady GaGa or why so many people view her as an idol or some form of entertainment. To be perfectly honest...I can't stand her. My level of hatred towards her, her style, or whatever god awful "message" she's trying to get out there is JUST ABOUT on the same level of hatred I have towards Miley Cyrus.

People will countlessly say that "she's so different and creative!" Bullshit. I am, nor have I ever been, wowed or impressed by any of the things she done whether it be her "fashion statements" or her attempt to shock people. I'm not buying it, as I see it merely as a ploy to get more sales towards her garbage. She's so different because she lacks creativity and talent and has to find some way to convince the moronic general public to buy her garbage....and man, do they gobble that shit up like hot cakes.

Maybe I just don't get it. I don't know. I really don't see the fascination with her. But by all means, if that's what you like, go ahead. I'm not stopping you...just merely adding my two cents in on the matter.

(Updated: 6/27/2010) What makes me so mad about Gaga is that she's literally just mashing together bits and pieces from established pop acts to create her gimmick. Madonna, for sure. Ace of Base even beyond 'Alejandro', and a few other one's I can't quite put my finger on.

If you find videos of Gaga prior to her blowing up, she wasn't anything like she is now. She played simple keyboard tunes, a Michelle Branch almost. Dark hair, conservative dress. But then she grabbed shit by the balls and went all out. So to me, that makes her a phony. What makes it even worse in my eyes is that she'll sit there and say "Oh, this is just me; this is just how I am..." -- no it's not. You're a little Jewish girl from Yonkers who found a way to get imbeciles who don't now their ass from their elbow to worship you and think you're the next deity of Pop.

Her songs are catchy (and annoying) as hell, but it should stay at that. Not to mention her videos are just plain stupid. She just takes the (apparently) most shocking, eye catching imagery and uses it to cause controversy and a buzz. She's just a fake bitch who needs to go away... NOW.

She's just playing the game. She isn't this persona she puts out, this creation. She actually has musical talent and could make something different as herself.

However, she became "Lady Gaga" awhile back to sell music & records. She is tearing it up right now, playing to the lowest common denominator and getting the views on YouTube, etc., because that's what sells. She knows what she's doing. I'd like to see her doing her own thing, creating her own kind of music; because I think that would be different from what she's putting out now...which is terrible bullshit that people with no taste in ANYTHING flock to.

You're entitled to what interests you, what you like, listen to, read, etc. But, as the point of this blog site is... IT'S MY OPINION.

Normal, Not, and More.

As humans we tend to tolerate a lot. Too much, actually. And for the poor bastards where that goes horribly wrong, there are "those stories" that exist.

We all know someone that has played some sort of role in our lives in which they've made either a positive or negative impact, or they're just someone you know of via all the stories and things that were said about them that were passed out in a hushed whisper to your friends. And what was it all for, and still brought up for to this day? Something ridiculous that happened in the past that holds no merit whatsoever to the present. Yet...there are people out there who feel that regardless of what period of time it is...they're still living in the past, and refuse to move forward.

And those people can kiss my ass. Move the f*ck on. Oh No, your boyfriend (at the time) cheated on you. Are you still with them? No? You broke up years ago? Well, then holy damn...WHY THE F*CK DO YOU STILL GIVE A SHIT?!

So and so said this and that about this person, blah blah blah, SHUT UP. This isn't High School or Elementary School for that matter. Gossip and Drama only exist for people who have nothing else going for them, so the only satisfaction they get out of life is trying to continuously make other peoples lives miserable. F*ck that.

I can also do without Talentless people who instead of raising their game, seek to pull others down to their level through pettiness, backhanded compliments, vindictiveness, and underhanded shenanigans. Really, get over it F*ckwit - not everyone is a star. Either improve or find a new game. And people who offer constructive criticism. Whenever someone says that? What they really mean is "Do you mind if I insult you to your face while you just stand there and nod politely as I tell you what a retard you are?".

Don't even try to shock me. Hey morons, we live in the 21st century. With all the violence, murders, sex, and drugs that we've been exposed to in movies, television, radio, and Internet; we've gotten really f*cking jaded and numb as of late. I mean once you watched Two Girls 1 Cup, there's no going back, ya know? But if you truly want to shock me? Try acting like a decent, clean, human being. They're so f*cking rare nowadays, your jaw would hit the floor if you saw one. Also I hate These uber-civilized twats that do their best to live the life they see on their television screens. Their whole life is a check list of cliches.

-Cell phone? Check

-Cup of coffee? Check

-Credit card? Check

-Latest mall fashions? Check

-Hybrid subcompact? Check

-Liberal sensibilities? Check

Know what? I don't buy the act one bit. They can smile all they want, but I know they're not that damn polite. They can bullshit us with flattery all they want, because we know they cut us to shreds behind our backs to their friends. They can act so prim, so proper, so socially conscious all they want; but I know this weekend they're going to smoke a pound of hash, get high, laugh at racist jokes and engage in all kinds of weird and kinky shit they would die if anyone would ever find out. So damn phony, the whole lot of them.

Finally, people who act like they got nothing to lose. Trust me Pablo, you got an awful lot to lose. Sitting there in your warm cozy home surrounded by your dvds, video games, World of Warcraft, bottles of yoohoo, and pop tarts; you got an awful lot to lose. I won't even mention your friends, family, or your health; but bottom line? You're just as fragile as everyone else.

You're entitled to what interests you, what you like, listen to, read, etc. But, as the point of this blog site is... IT'S MY OPINION.

Make the most of it

I am all too familiar with letting time pass me by. I spent far too many years just letting things go on with no hope of trying to become something or even make any attempt at it.

I had no drive, no ambition, but most of all...I just didn't really care. And that, my friends, is a big no-no. Don't sit around and wait for something to come along just so that you can take a stab at it and see if it works out in your favor, because if you do that? The waiting will outweigh the work. And before you know it...4 years will have gone by in an instant, and the first thing you can think of is "I wish I hadn't done that."

Nothing will ever happen in your life unless you do something about it. Anyone reading this who feels as if life has either treated them unfairly, they don't really get what they want out of the world, etc...make it happen. It's all up to your own actions and decisions to make something of yourself and get something out of the world. Don't be picky when it comes to jobs, just go out and look all over the place, apply anywhere and everywhere. The more you do this, the more determined you'll be to further yourself. It doesn't matter what the job entails, a job's a job. Just think that you'll be getting paid out of it and you can use that to further yourself a bit more. Get your own car? Save up for an apartment? Regardless as to what it is you want out of life...you have to work your ass off to get there, and not mooch off of others to do so.

All I do these days is work. I don't really have time for a social life anymore, as work is constantly on my brain, as well as to what my money is going towards/saving up for. It's called having responsibility with the afterthought of knowing what I am working towards. Everything takes time, no matter what, I know I have to keep on working towards to goal I've set for myself. And I'm in it for the long haul.

You're entitled to what interests you, what you like, listen to, read, etc. But, as the point of this blog site is... IT'S MY OPINION.

Just let it go.

I have come across many people in my life that have had this strange mentality to always hold a grudge. Something may have happened to them during their High School years, the situation happened, then years passed... yet they still hold onto it all like it was yesterday, when everyone else has completely forgotten about it and moved on...or they at least try to forget about it but the person who still (for asinine reasons) refuses to let things go and bring it up all the time, even at random moments.

I think people like that thrive on the negatives of any given situation. I honestly feel that people like that love to be in terrible moods, and when the people around them are perfectly fine...they'll go out of their way to try and make you feel the same...then they feel better because Misery loves company. I've known quite a number of people who do this to the point where it's pretty damn obvious that their goal in life is to make every one around them feel like total shit, regardless as to what it may be, and they practically thrive on confrontation and arguments.

It's called moving on. The past is the past, live in the present. If you hold onto too many things that have happened to you 5 or more years ago, you'll notice that you've missed out on a lot of things happening NOW in your life, simply because you choose to live a life of pessimism, self induced heartache, etc.

Then there are those in the world who have no problem whatsoever with being a cold hearted prick towards everyone in the world simply because of the way they see the world. They hate everyone whose not white or straight. That infuriates me. Everyone is an individual with different traits, thoughts, emotions, feelings, interests, etc...but apparently to some people? That doesn't mean jack shit. I just don't understand it.

I know many people who live their lives day in and day out with nothing but negativity on the brain, pessimism out their ass, and living a life thinking that nothing positive will ever happen. Hell, I even once thought that way. But you know what? It'll always be that way until you yourself do something about it. Don't expect things to change...MAKE THEM CHANGE. You want to do something with your life? Get the hell out of there and make it happen. You want to live where and do what? It's up to you to work your ass off to get to that point.

Yes, nothing happens overnight. Everything takes time. EVERYTHING. But it's only up to you to come face to face with yourself and realize that where you're at now...isn't who you want to be or where you currently live. It's up to you and only you to live the life you want to live someday, It's going to be an arduous process, but if you're willing to stick it out, thick and thin, all of the hard work will pay off someday...and you'll definitely feel better about yourself.

But...you could also love being an arrogant, egotistical, maniacal little prick who enjoys sitting on their ass all day making nothing of themselves. But hey, if that's how you enjoy your time...be my guest. Just don't try and drag me down with you.

You're entitled to what interests you, what you like, listen to, read, etc. But, as the point of this blog site is....IT'S MY OPINION.

Understand.

This entry is for those of you who only know of my writings at my other site "Running over Cujo with Christine."

I don't adopt the popular view just for the sake of popularity, and above all - I'm telling you exactly what I think. No filters, no censoring, no worrying about who I offend. 100% raw and unrefined opinion.

Some may think I am probably bragging whenever I post something insightful. That couldn't be further from the truth. What I am trying to do is encourage. To show you all that yes, there is a market for Truth and Honest Opinions and that in these times. There is nothing more refreshing, more honorable, more enthralling than standing up and speaking your mind.

Don't worry about people not reading what you write. I have found out one thing is this strange little cyber journey of mine - if it's real, if it comes from the heart - people will read and they will respond. In the beginning? Things were slow at my Horror Blog. But as I continued to post, people took notice, and I thank those of you who actually enjoyed whatever I had to post. You will find yourself with people who will read what you write.

Trust me, I am nothing special. I have no higher education in writing or political science or philosophy. I never traveled abroad and I never met anyone famous. I'm just an ordinary guy who has taken the time to put his thoughts down. If I can do it? You can too. Just be fearless in what you write and be honest.

Now not everyone is going to agree or like what you have to say. That's cool. You can't blame or hold their opinions against them when you are voicing yours. You can either choose to show their comments or deny them, after all it is your page. Me? As long as they're not calling me a dick head or just leaving stupid trollish comments I allow the comment. But you have to learn to have a thick skin and continue to write honestly. You can't write anything in the hopes that it will please somebody or some group because when you do? You have lost the whole point of why you're writing and it's this:

In an age of bullshit and propaganda, of people allowing themselves to be buffaloed for fear of not wanting to rock the boat - you can be that one person in the crowd to break free from the herd and raise your fist to the man, and your middle finger to the status quo. By yourself - you are only one person; but who knows how many your words will reach... how many your words could affect.

You're entitled to what interests you, what you like, listen to, read, etc. But, as the point of this blog site is....IT'S MY OPINION.

A few things.

I will never understand societies fascination with certain things. Now, I understand that everyone has varied tastes whether it be in Music, Television, Movies, etc...but some things I will never understand how or why they can possibly enjoy them.

This new crop of kids (the current generation of teens) have no idea how easy they have it. They get practically everything handed to them, whether it be a car, the latest wave of technology, etc. The music and television shows geared towards them are horrid beyond belief, and I see no entertainment value from them whatsoever. They really must think that kids today are brain dead morons who find people acting like total failures at life must be entertainment. They inevitably are blinded by all of this nonsensical crap it's maddening.

Hell, shows today for older teens or people in the early to mid twenties....I see no value from them either. I hardly, if ever, watch current television shows, and if I do, they're more than likely shows that have been around for quite some time. Anything that is churned out these days, I often wonder if the creators and television big wigs even know who they're targeting.

Then, there are those shows and movies that you can automatically understand who they're geared towards. The kinds of people that thrive on T&A, Explosions, terrible acting, Michael Bay, Nicolas Cage, Dick and Fart jokes. Those are the kinds of people I cannot stand.

Now, I am always open to whatever is out there, but the moment I see something, hear something, or even bare a small glimpse at what is offered to today's audience...all I can do is shake my head. I shake my head not just at how stupid American entertainment has become....but how I miss actually being entertained by the films and television shows I once grew up on. NOW THAT WAS ENTERTAINMENT. Not any of this crap you see on television now.

I don't watch the news. It's pointless. I don't watch any Celebrity news shows like 'Entertainment Tonight, TMZ or The Insider.' I don't care.

I could give a shit about sports. The countless amount of posts I see involving the Bruins, Red Sox, or Celtics that clutter my Facebook feed...I don't care.

I am still a die hard fan of going out and catching a flick, or finding some hidden gem that I have yet to see. It's just that as of late it's really been a rarity for me to find something that grabs my attention.

Good movies are in the eye of the beholder. Most critics give praise to certain movies for being "bold and brave," but really they have to say its good, either because they're paid off or because they don't want hate mail from the gay, black, or jewish community. I despise any movie that's about some "forbidden love, we must cheat on our current lovers to be with each other in THROES OF PASSION AND WILD LUST and then go back to our spouses and live out the boring existence because we're chucklefucks with no spines."

You're entitled to what interests you, what you like, listen to, read, etc. But, as the point of this blog site is....IT'S MY OPINION.