Myths and Legends about Musicians ~October 26, 2009

The link to watch the YouTube presentation on Sidney Bechet did not work. However insanity is often liked to success in the music realm. Linking all the way back to Beethoven, it is seen that the “insane” people often come up with the best music for that time as an entertainment fad. So what makes this statement true? And why do the psychologically unfit people always seem to come out as more creative? For me there are two simple answers to this. One that they don’t care what people will think about what they write or make up. And two, because since they are insane, they can focus on one thing and work on it until they have perfected it. Usually, society already rejects the mentally corrupt because they are not like others in society so they stick out. Using this pre-determined judgment that others will discriminate against them anyway, they use this to their advantage and do whatever they want to do. Also, the “mad men” of society tend to focus on one thing until they perfect it because they have no other motivation to work outside of their talents. Seen through the recent day research of autism and other mental disorders, there is often one subject that these people are drawn to. With that curiosity, their mind takes off and creates their own meaning and sound according to what they are hearing. If society calls the most creative “insane” because of their perfection of their art, I think that insanity needs to be applauded. In working through the mental imperfections and still coming out to be considered a genius, I feel that that is more of an accomplishment then being sane and doing the same work.

That's all for now!

~Ali

Whatever ~ October 23, 2009

Seeing my daddy right next to me, red rings around his eyes from being so exhausted with worry, somehow made me feel a little better. My dad is my best friend. I need him to get through not only the big things but also smaller things. After all the blood I needed was successfully transfused, I knew that the wait had just started. All I could think about was getting out of this sickly place and having the opportunity to keep living my life one day at a time. My doctor continually came in to check on me, pulling on the I.V., seeing if I was comfortable, and making sure I was still psychologically ok. I hate getting sick and every time I am, it makes me up set and discouraged that I could not fight this battle I have been fighting for the past 5 years. My doctor knows this is discouraging so that is why he checks on me. I don’t get very hungry usually after a blood transfusion so this time when I had an appetite my nurse jumped all over it. She brought me all sorts of hospital food. Big blobs of jello cubes floated around an oversized pale blue bowl, next to it were something that resembled potatoes I think. These “potatoes” were so watered down that I swore I could look into the potato lake and see my reflection! Seeing my disgust with this hospital food and wanting to encourage my appetite, my dad went to get me my favorite thing, a baked potato from Wendy’s. Even though I ate only half of the potato, I was praised for trying to eat and to try and continue.

That's all for now!

~Ali

Stax Records ~October 22, 2009

Stax Records. This recording company is very important to music as a whole. According to my research, the owners of Stax records were both white and started out recording country music. However when they moved to a bigger studio, they then refined their sound and started recording rhythm and blues. This was a big deal because most of the musicians who played these genres of music were black. This stepping stone opened up cross cultural deals and work. Also the recording of blues and jazz was a big deal because not many jazz musicians had recorded at this point in time because no one thought that Jazz could sell. Stax Records was taking a giant leap of faith financing the recording of Jazz music. The owners stood firm in their decision because jazz was a brand new genre and it was important to the American people because this was the first genre America had come up with. Instead of listening to someone else’s work and reworking it, America, for the first time, finally had something to call their own.
I have heard of the musicians that Stax Records produced. My family is very musically oriented and I was taught to listen to every genre and appreciate what they contributed to the rest of the music we know today. As a result of the musical presents in my life, I was introduced to Booker T and the M.G’s and also Otis Redding. My favorite song of Booker T is Green Onions, also the most well known song they did.

That's all for now!

~Ali

Anything ~ October 19, 2009

Stepping in through the sliding glass doors, the smell of rubbing alcohol and sickness worked its way into my nose. Making a trip to the emergency room at 1 o clock in the morning is not my favorite thing to do, but sometimes is unavoidable when living with Ulcerative Colitis. My mother, though exhausted, is wide awake with worry written all over in her sleep deprived eyes. As we sign in and hand the impatient nurse my medical cards, she quickly jumps to work when she realizes I have lost an incredible amount of blood. Thinking I was just an over reactant child, she explained to us that she didn’t realize that I was really in need of a doctor. She placed us in a room in the middle of the hall way and informs us that she is going to stay with us until the doctor can make it to the room. Shortly my doctor comes rushing in. I could tell that we woke him up with the phone call on the way to the hospital by the rumpled clothes that seemed to have been hastily thrown on his body. As I explain to him what has been going on for the last couple of days, he quickly calls a nurse in and tells her to book a endoscopy for me within the next couple hours. Since I can’t remember the last thing I ate, they want to make sure I can be put under safely, and that means more waiting. I become very week and can barely lift my arms and my doctor asks if I have been losing a lot of blood. As soon as I answered, I was whisked off to the surgery room for my upper and lower GI. I feel a slight prick and then inhale the gases that were being pulled through my mask. Waking up after what seems like only two minutes, I try to see past my blurry vision and see what was hooked up to my arm. As my vision get clearer, I see my dad’ s head right next to my arm that had 2 iv’s in it, one giving me fluids the other transfusing blood into me.

That's all for now!

~Ali

Challenging the main stream media~ October 16,2009

Jon Stewart is one of the funniest people I have seen on TV. Usually I am not entertained by anything that these government satirists or anything that they have to say about our country that always seems to be falling apart. However, Jon Stewart, and those who work for him, always seem to find the most outrageous piece of news for the nation at that point in time and come up with the most snide remarks about it. I can only hope that some of these reporters, or their bosses, watch Jon Stewart at night and see how ridiculous some of these stories they choose to report on really are. Although some of the issues are news worthy stories, it really makes America look like idiots.
I watched the Jon Stewart episode entitled Rape Nuts. This episode deals with Frankin’s appeal to the government to get the consensual rape clause taken off of the companies contracts the government uses to get things done. I think that there shouldn’t have even been a rape clause. Rape is illegal period. I think it is ridiculous that it is even an issue and therefore I don’t think that Franklin has to even fight this battle, much less be losing the fight. The rebuttal argument is that the government doesn’t want to get involved in personal companies’ contracts. In a way I see where they are coming from, but at the same time the government has the option to choose to use that particular company. In choosing to use that company they agree with the company’s rules and I don’t think that its anything to support.

That's all for now!

~Ali

Quality music~ October 14, 2009

What makes a bunch of instruments combined into a sound music? According to this article, whatever has a mathematical combination of rhythms and beats. I can see both sides of the argument. In the first argument, I agree that it would help the pop chart lists out if each artist went by this computer program. Also, it would possibly help brand new artists to get into the music industry much more easily because if they could start out by producing a hit on the charts, they would make a name for themselves right off the bat.
However, as a musician myself, I do not like this new computer program. First off, if all of our music was made by this one formula for “successful music”, then we as the listeners would become tired of the same beats and rhythms time and time again. This also would not encourage musicians to go out on their own branch and create possibly a new genre of music because it would not be pleasing the computer system. Without musical pioneers, we would not have the genre rock, pop, or any other genre except classical music. Another reason why this program would not be a good investment in the musical system is because when a new artist does make his or her first hit, it isn’t such a big deal. It is not a big deal because any one can do it. With so many people having this program, everyone would be producing hit records and then the music industry would become so big that it would not be as much as a honor as when someone today makes it into the industry.

That's all for now!

~ Ali

Art 21: Power ~ Octobe12, 2009

Art. At the end of the segment on art in the 21st century, the way they defined what art is really stuck out to me. It started out with the audience seeing an older man fall asleep. Then a younger man comes up and asks the older one how he would like it if he could take what he was feeling right at that moment before he was about to dose off, and hold on to it for forever. In a way that was the best way that anyone could ever describe art. The artist’s goal is to make the audience feel the way that they are feeling at that point in time when they first feel the emotion they want to portray through their work of art.
I chose to watch and write about the Art 21 segment on Power. I chose this particular section because I wanted to see how certain artist portrayed the emotion/ feeling of power. I found out that each artist relays the feeling of power in many different unique ways. The first artist, Cai-Quo-Qiang, described the way he often thought about the feeling of power. Through the use of gun powder, he delicately made works of art by blowing the right amount of gun powder and the use of color. He said that this use of gun powder made him feel like he was conveying the feeling of power because of the power the gun powder gave him. The second artist, Laylah Ali, often thought that creating characters without hands shows power through what they still can do without them. Also in using a belt in some of her work also displays power. She described it as in having a belt; it equals power because of domestic violence. Also when you go to prison, the belt is one of the first things they take away from you because it gives you power. Finally another artist used the very simple body movements and simple words to display power. The artist Krzysztof Wodiczko used the art form of projection to project very simple hand gestures of the person who is telling a very touching story in order for the message to be powerful to the audience. Whether an artist uses different elements to make their art, the absents of human features, or the examination of subtle gestures, each artist has his own way to relay messages through their work of art.

Thats all for now!

~Ali

My favorite work of Art ~ October 7,2009

My work of art that I think influenced the world the most is The Bodies Exhibit. This work of art contributed the most to America and all across the world too because it has helped develop research on the human body. People from across the world decided to take a stand for human body research and signed their bodies over to researchers when they died. In doing this, the researchers could then dissect the body on their time and develop theories and help solve medical mysteries. Some of these bodies even have diseases like lung cancer or arthritis. With these bodies, we, as the normal population can see the effects of smoking and what the cancer really looks like in our bodies. Also in the exhibit you can see each stage of pregnancy. This is my favorite part of the entire exhibit! For those who believe that the fetus is not a human until it takes its first breath, this part of the exhibit can be a real eye opener. At each week during the pregnancy, the display has a new visual of real fetuses. Also they arrange the bodies in such a way that you can see how the muscles look and the way they work in certain of stages of movement. They can even cut the muscles in half or take a chunk out of it so you can really see the effects of each movement on each part of the muscle. If any other piece of art, this is the most effective work of art because people can actually take something away from seeing this. Medical researchers can discover new ways to heal the body and you can discover more about your body than any other piece of still art.

That's all for now!

~Ali

Blue Words ~ October 5,2009

Oxford Union- the world’s most prestigious debating society
Mr. Stewart- Political Satirist
Mayor Rudy Giuliani- Governor for New York, ran in 2008 for president
Mick Jagger- Famous song writer and musician, sang in Rolling Stones
Deadpan -is a form of humor where the comic tells a joke without a change in emotion or facial expression
Copper bottomed- Reliable, genuine, trust-worthy
Cronkite- Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. he was most known as the Anchorman for CBS Evening news for 19 years.
Gore Vidal - author, playt writer and polical activist. Outraged many because of his use of unambiguous homosexuals in novels
Jon Stewart-The Daily show Host
Steven Colbert- a Professional Political Satirist. Has a show named The Colbert Report.
Emile Zola-major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the falsely accused
Al Franken- American Politician, ran for senate in 2008 and won. He was also was a well known writer for Saturday Night Live
Swift- Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication: supplies secure messaging services and interface software to wholesale financial entities.
Glibly- Performed with a natural, offhand ease: Characterized by fluency of speech or writing that often suggests insincerity, superficiality, or a lack of concern.
Connoisseur- A person with expert training or knowledge. Especially in the fine arts department.
Swiftian Maxim- relating to Jonathan Swift ,like Swift's writings in tone or outlook; often, specif., sardonic, caustic, pessimistic, etc.
Bernie Goldberg- Emmy Award winner. Writer, correspondent, journalist and commentator. Currently works for Fox news and HBO
Heritage Foundation- A conservative think tank promoting public policy research and analysis based on free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom.
Moveon.org- a way for busy but concerned citizens to find their political voice in a system dominated by big money and big media.

That's all for now!
~Ali