Wikipedia again (attempt at creating an article after suceeding with editing one)

In my attempts at trying to add onto an existing Wikipedia article I also tried to create a new Wikipedia article. This is my first attempt at creating a new article about a comic book guide called Slings and Arrows. I met with an attempt to delete this article because of biased language that wouldn't fit in an encyclopedia and altered it, which seems to have stopped its deletion. Check it out at

Slings And Arrows

Wikipedia and The Wire part two

I have tried a second time at contributing to a Wikipedia article after the last time I tried to edit the page on the HBO series, The Wire. This time I decided to contribute to the description of the soundtrack to the show. I had recently bought the album, loved it, and saw that the section devoted to its description was not completed. I attached the track listing and added to this page. You can find it at:

The Wire...and all the pieces matter

Theatre of the Mind

Ludacris' new album Theatre of the Mind was another solid release by everybody's favorite rapper of the South. In an album jam-packed with guest rappers Ludacris still stood out in every track. And speaking of guest artists, Luda managed to bring high quality talent to every song. Industry greats Nas and Jay-Z join together again to light up a track the way they did on "Black Republican" and "Success", on Nas' Hip Hop is Dead and Jay-Z's American Gangster, respectively. Concerned artists Spike Lee and Common join Luda for a socially aware "Do the Right Thang". These are only the tip of the creative talent that help boost Ludacris' new titanic album.

As expected, Ludacris provides many fun and funny tracks on this album, most notably "One More Drink" and "Everybody Hates Chris". This entire album isn't all light material though. As already, mentioned Luda and Common spark up a hot track that is incendiary in its material and message. Overall, Ludacris released an entertaining album full of creative rhymes, beats, and stories...as he promised in the opening track and through his consistent repoirtoir that could "fill up a CD-changer" as the Southern Gangster would put it.

Mixtape Madness

Recently a friend of mine made me aware of a great site for downloading free mixtapes of hip-hop artists. There is a great variety of artists, from the popular Weezy, Jay-Z, and Kanye West to the more obscure artists, such as the rising D.C. artist, Wale. I would heartily endorse Wale as an artist to watch. He combines a blend of hip-hop and go-go music to create a unique sound that will soon take the nation by storm.

You can find these mixtapes at

Datpiff

Wikipedia, The Wire, Barack Obama, Omar Little, and Robin Hood

Recently I came across a quote by Barack Obama comparing the Wire character, Omar Little, to Robin Hood. Obama also said that Omar was his favorite character on the Wire, possibly because he fights for the poor, little man. I added this tidbit to the Wikipedia article concerning The Wire. You can find this article at:

The Wire

A brief excerpt of my addition also follows:

Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), a renowned Baltimore stick-up man robbing drug dealers for a living, was a frequent thorn in the side of the Barksdale clan. In an interview with The Las Vegas Sun, when asked who his favorite character was on 'The Wire' Barack Obama quickly answered, Omar, saying

"he's a fascinating character...he's sort of a Robin Hood."

A Touch of Evil

For those of you who haven't seen Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, you should check it out. It's a great film noir with Welles, Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh. I recently wrote a review for it on Amazon under the title:

Welles and film noir: a perfect combination

It's one of the best films ever. Check it out.

A Song of Ice and Fire

One of the more popular ongoing epic fantasy series that has caught my interest is the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. It takes the fantasy elements normally associated with epic fantasies (such as magic, dragons, otherworldly creatures, quests, etc..) and pushes these ideas into the background, if they are incorporated at all. Instead the plot focuses more on creating a believable political, geographical, and historical reality for the realm of Westeros. In order to do this, Martin draws heavily on medieval and other historical events (the War of the Roses) to create a story that focuses more on political intrigue, competition between noble families, and competition over the throne of Westeros. While there are still some fantasy elements spread throughout, most of the novel deals with the fighting that occurs between rival factions and their armies. Basically it's Lord of the Rings meets Braveheart/any Shakespeare play about royalty. Recently I joined a forum that focuses on this series which can be found at:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?act=idx

Check it out if you're interested.

Not new but new to me (and maybe you too)

Recently I have become obsessed with Solomon Burke, one of the unsung kings of Rock and Roll/R & B. He has been in the music business since the 60's, making him one of the oldest and longest practicing singers of soul in the U.S. His songs have been covered by renowned artists including Otis Redding and The Rolling Stones. Lately he has been finally receiving the recognition he deserves. In the early 2000's he even received a Grammy for his lifetime of dedication and his recent release of a modern masterpiece, Don't Give Up On Me.

In 2002 Solomon Burke released this album, putting his own powerful spin on songs originally composed by industry greats Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, and more. Burke puts on a dazzling display of his wide range in this album, covering the diverse tastes and talents of each of these different songwriters. Burke goes from a wonderful blues croon on Dylan's "Stepchild", a haunting soulful scream on Costello's "The Judgement", the church-inspired gospel of his organ-laden "Fast Train", to a lively heart-filled plea on "None of Us Are Free". This album illuminates what the rest of the world should know: that Solomon Burke has more talent, more range, and more soul than most popular singers of Soul and Rock and Roll. No matter what your taste in music is, you are bound to find a song and genre on this album that will rattle around in your head for days, leaving you empty when it finally fades. With an album this good the only solution to this problem would be to pop the CD back in and explore the soulful landscape of Solomon Burke.

You can find this album on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Give-Up-Solomon-Burke/dp/B000068CTE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1224032866&sr=1-3

The Wire

You may have noticed my link to the HBO show The Wire's website. Quite simply put, it's the best television show ever. I recently wrote a review for it on Amazon, which you can find at:

It's not TV, it's not even HBO, it's better,

Poptopia

I'm not really as serious as the last post made me seem. While I do actually feel the way I professed in the last post, I don't really like discussing politics too much. What I do love is simple: music of any kind (seeing through the eyes of Stevie Wonder in particular), literature (from Potter to the Invisible Man), movies (Orson Welles through Will Ferrel), sports (Twins just forcefully swept the Chi Sox!), and, as Matthew McConaughey would say, "Livin'. L-I-V-I-N"!

So most of my posts will deal with things of that nature rather than politics. Until then I'll leave you with a simple cliche that still has a ring of truth to it: "Variety is the spice of life!" So kick it up another notch!

First Post!

A first post should be cause for celebration. And yet I am about to start this blog off with a post dealing with spiteful comments. Specifically, I'm speaking of the comments during the RNC by Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani mocking Senator Obama's past service as a community organizer.

Despite Sarah Palin maintaining that the war in Iraq is "a task from God", her comments against Senator Obama run contrary to this religious compassion. In response to her comments against Senator Obama the Catholic Democrats released a statement to the press (which can be found at http://time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/what_a_community_organizer_doe.html) stating that:

"Catholic Democrats is expressing surprise and shock that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's acceptance speech tonight mocked her opponent's work in the 1980s for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She belittled Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer in Catholic parishes on the South Side of Chicago, work he undertook instead of pursuing a lucrative career on Wall Street. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Palin said, "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities." Community organizing is at the heart of Catholic Social Teaching to end poverty and promote social justice."

Trying to end poverty and promote social justice...definitely not Christian values, let alone admirable ones.

Continuing unnecessary violence...God would definitely approve of this...or so Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani would have you believe.