I miss hip hop.

Back in the days when I was a teenager
Before I had status and before I had a pager
You could find the Abstract listening to hip hop
My pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop
I said, well daddy don’t you know that things go in cycles
The way that Bobby Brown is just ampin like Michael
Its all expected, things are for the lookin
If you got the money, Quest is for the bookin
Come on everybody, let’s get with the fly modes
Still got room on the truck, load the back boom
Listen to the rhyme, to get a mental picture
of this black man, through black woman victim
Why do I say that, cuz I gotta speak the truth man
Doing what we feel for the music is the proof and
Planted on the ground, the act is so together
Bonafied strong, you need leverage to sever
The unit, yes, the unit, yes, the unit called the jazz is
deliberatley cheered LP filled with streeet goods
You can find it on the rack in your record store (store)
If you get the record, then your thoughts are adored
and appreciated, cause we’re ever so glad we made it
We work hard, so we gotta thank God
Dishin out the plastic, do the dance till you spastic
If you dis… it gets drastic
Listen to the rhymes, cuz its time to make gravy
If it moves your booty, then shake, shake it baby
All the way to Africa a.k.a. The Motherland (uh)
Stick out the left, then I’ll ask for the other hand
That’s the right hand, Black Man (man)
Only if you was noted as my man (man)
If I get the credit, then I’ll think I deserve it
If you fake moves, don’t fix your mouth to word it
Get in the zone of positivity, not negativity
Cuz we gotta strive for longevity
If you botch up, what’s in that (what?)
A pair of Nikes, size ten-and-a-half (come on, come on)

Got the chance to do more painting today at Habitat. I have so far to go, my 3D, can control and fills need so much work. Still, super fun and looking forward to going back. Got to put up a quick throwie and rep AB/SEVS/UNTK.

I’m writing this in response to last week’s article by Robert Sinners entitled “Republican candidates should balance science, beliefs”. Mr. Sinners raises a few objections to the views represented by Republican presidential candidates in recent debates, and I was very disappointed with his commentary – both in writing style and content. Right or wrong, his arguments are ill-researched at best, and rely on a few fairly large assumptions that require further thought.

Mr. Sinners first states that Republican candidates “reject exploring scientific principles and demonize any sense of progress” by their views on climate change, same-sex marriage and evolution. This seems to suggest that a disbelief in his own views is a staunch rejection of truth – that there are not two sides to any of these issues. What evidence, you may ask, does Mr. Sinners have concerning climate change? This is answered (I think) when he urges all those who don’t believe to “inhale exhaust fumes, and report back to me on their findings”. What’s your point, Mr. Sinners? There may be a logical connection, but if you’re going to write an open letter to students at such a large university, please expound.

Playing devil’s advocate, I would also argue that a removal of constraints and clarifications from a right qualifies more people for that right. In the case he presents, marriage. Will a redefinition of the word “marriage” open the door for a horse-man union? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it affects our day to day life as American citizens, and must be discussed. Mr. Sinners, I think, is absolutely wrong in calling this a threat to progress. For starters, belief in progress itself is ridiculous (like, let’s say, progressing towards the edge of a cliff). If our end goal is a safe and prosperous nation, then an in depth, transparent discussion of controversial topics among our nations leaders is the type of progress we should crave as American citizens.

Lastly, we arrive at what I believe to be the most glaring issue with this article – his claims about evolution. Sinners claims that creationism is actually not contradictory to evolution at all! In fact, it…wait – in fact what? This shocking statement is followed by no explanation, other than saying that humans are evolving all the time – a statement that has absolutely no bearing on the topic at hand, at least without context. Is Mr. Sinners suggesting that humans are evolving, but were also created by an intelligent designer? That’s a debate worth having.

The fundamental problem with Sinners article is that he fails to see the correlation between beliefs and his political views. Sinners actually states that he believes candidates should have both faith and a scientific understanding – but should still think a certain way. So are faith and science mutually exclusive? What, I might ask, would you say to a person whose faith and scientific observations and research have persuaded him to believe in creationism and against evolution? What about someone who aligns their views with the many climate change scientists who disagree with global warming? Is it possible that there might actually be candidates, with different views than yours, who back their beliefs with both faith and science?

All of these are currently looking for a good home. They actually look a lot nicer in person than they do in these terrible quality cell phone pictures. If you think you have that home, or know someone who does, please contact me.

I visited the ReStore several weeks ago and was given the opportunity to paint a wall (pictured below). It was a lot of fun, and I look forward to going back. This Saturday, I will be there from 10am until 2pm, painting boards, doors, etc outside, as well as selling palmetto canvases. There will be food, giveaways and special sales, as well as a few other invited guests with displays. Find more info and RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Come out and say hi, donate or shop!

If you know me personally, there are a few things you have probably realized about me. There are certain things that I love very much, and I tend to be somewhat obsessive about them. In addition to graffiti, Lord of the Rings, Smurfs, and old-school hip hop, one of these things is Harry Potter. I consider myself well-steeped in the books. I picked up the first book when I was in 3rd grade, and the obsession has not stopped since. I have read through each book numerous times, and I regularly listen to the Jim Dale readings. I would estimate that, during the average year, I listen to or read every book around three times. Long story short, I love the Harry Potter lore.

As a book snob, I have, over the years, been apathetic about the movies.  They aren’t the books, they aren’t supposed to be, and I can’t fully enjoy them knowing that.  Since the first movie, I have had issues with the acting, the lack of depth, etc.  However, I realize that they are to be viewed as separate entities from the book, and I have tried to appreciate them as such.  The following review, including spoilers, is my attempt to fairly judge the cinematic representation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.

At the time I write this, I have seen the movie twice.  First in IMAX 3D, second in a traditional theater.  While the IMAX was incredible, due mostly to sheer size (I had to turn my head to see both sides of the screen), the 3D was nothing spectacular.  Yes, it added depth to the characters, and yes, it was pretty cool to see a 3D dragon flying around.  However, besides the Gringotts cable car scene, the dragon and the Nagini/Snape scene, I thought the best part about the 3D was the Happy Feet 2 trailer before the movie started.  Seriously, do you want to see pieces of Voldemorts dead flesh waft towards you?  I thought not, and that was one of the only seriously 3D scenes in the movie.

All that said, here are my thoughts about the movie – things well done and things lacking.  Enjoy.

The Good

Acting

While still not incredible, the acting was noticeably better than previous HP movies.  The trio meshes well, though I still think some of their lines come across as very forced.  Daniel Radcliffe, however, did a great job, and really sold me on the Resurrection Stone scene, solemnly asking his parents and departed friends to stay close to him through his certain death.  We also saw much more of Alan Rickman, who has portrayed Severus Snape for the last decade, and it was good to see emotional acting (during the memory scene towards the end) from a generally solemn character.  Pay close attention to Domhnall Gleeson, who plays Bill Weasley in the first scene, for some of the most awkward acting I’ve ever seen.

Harry Death Scene

For the most part, I thought this scene was well done.  I know this is a review that is mostly separated from the book, but I will say I was very happy that the movie stayed very close in this scene.  As it is the post-climax of the entire series, this scene needed to deliver.  The Forbidden Forest bit was well done, sufficiently somber and climactic.  I was, however, most pleased with the post-death, King’s Cross scene.  It was unexpected for viewers unfamiliar with the books, it included somewhat sufficient explanation, the wretched baby, and Dumbledore.  In fact, I think the the only thing that could have been better with this scene is a bit more explanation and a different Dumbledore.  Michael Gambon, for me, has always been sub-par, and one of my greatest disappointments with the series.  In addition to other shortcomings, he doesn’t deliver any sense of wisdom or reason to be respected.  Richard Harris, I thought, did a much better job, but that’s another discussion for another day.  Either way, it was a good scene.

Action

The fighting, save for the climactic duels which I’ll discuss in a few paragraphs, was also excellent.  The attack on Hogwarts was very reminiscent of the attack on Minas Tirith in Return of the King.  The unity of the school and outside aide was great, and the end result was a real sympathy and sadness for the characters who die in battle.

The Bad

Flow of Story

I thought there were several flaws with the story itself.  As this is the 8th movie, I feel like it should sufficiently answer the obvious questions that the casual, non-book viewer would raise.  Not only did it fail with this, it raised unexpected questions for even die-hard fans.  For starters, I thought that there was a serious lack of explanation when it came to the Hallows, and why it was that Harry could come back from the dead.  While this was somewhat left up to the reader to figure out in the book, I thought it should have been a bit more obvious in the movie.  The cloak, for example, is only used in the Gringotts scene, and its importance seems muted by the other Hallows, to the point one forgets it is even a Hallow.

The biggest issue, however, is one I did not realize until a few other people brought it to my attention.  Snape, it seems to the non-book reader, is portrayed as either Lily Potter’s husband or secret lover.  I know this sounds crazy, but think about it.  James Potter is pictured several times in the memory, but the only evidence we have that he is married to Lily is that he was in the house the night Voldemort murdered them both.  Thinking back on it, Harry also has pitch black hair – like Snape, not James, and not Lily.  Snape also is on the verge of tears, pleading with Dumbledore, and later is shown holding Lily in a tight embrace, crying about her death.  To one not familiar with Rowling’s books, this could be very confusing.

Wizard Duels

As stated above, I thought the action scenes were pretty good.  However, there were a few wizard duels that I thought were less than admirable.  The much anticipated duel between Bellatrix and Mrs. Weasley, for example, was a bit of a letdown.  While the “Not my daughter, you bitch!” drew an applause from the theater, the actual fighting was nothing special.  To Molly Weasley, this is a Death Eater who has tortured and killed close friends, now attempting to kill family.  The anger and hatred should be clearly visible and the dueling extravagant.  Likewise, many of the teachers battled Death Eaters, though the actual duels were never seen.  I think David Yates would have benefited from expanding some of these duels and giving the viewers the satisfaction the just anger the viewer has held for 7 movies.

The Ugly

The Final Duel

I cannot sufficiently express my disgust with the final duel between Harry and Voldemort.  It was horrible.  In all honesty, it made the scene where Harry confronts Snape the most triumphant moment in the movie.  You would think that a multi-million dollar, eight-series finale would spend time crafting the climax to the entire series.  But no, fans must settle for a secluded duel, ending with pieces of Voldemort floating away through the air.  To make matters worse, there is practically no Hogwarts celebration about the fact that the mortal enemy of all that is good in the world – the enemy that has tortured and killed innocent people for the last few decades – is finally dead.  Yay.

All in all, I thought it was a good movie.  One of the best Potter films, a good film by itself, but by no means an incredible film – definitely not worth the 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Been working on this project with Kevin for a while now. If you’ll remember, he dropped a few singles for this a while back, linked here. Today, the full album is dropped – be sure to download it for free now!

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