Alone

Being alone is rather vague; the term may refer to isolation or simply being different within a crowd that may seem so close. For some people, being alone may even be a good thing, though for everyone, being alone every now and then is vital. It gives us a chance to be with ourselves and discover ourselves who we truly are. When we are with others, we tend to act in a manner that pleases them. By being alone, we are free to do as we truly wish.

It should also be kept in mind that sooner or later those around us may not be there; having prior experience will help us.

Save the Earth

I personally feel that global warming is a major issue in today's world, but is also one that has occured throughout the past billions of years. Not global warming per say, but rather rapid changes in the environment, only once again for the earth to renew itself.

Humans are a part of the world and is growing rapidly; there's no solution to this sooner or later unless one were to commit massive genocide or competition resulted in in a decline in population.

Invisible

Invisibility refers to the state of being unaware or unnoticable. Often times, people use the term to refer to ideas or events that may be unknown the the majority of people, especially negative situatuions that many people would rather not realize. This often relates to non-American situations such as in Third world countriesm, an example being kid soldiers in Uganda.

As such, the "Invisible Children" take name from this idea and use it to represent their organization.

A Book to Read

My favorite book has always been a selection of one of the Lord of the Rings trilogy series. The details within the book are very equisite, as in the the Universe and timeline portrayed by JRR Tolkien. One would even consider it to have enough detail and plot to create a whole 3 movies off of it, all of which won awards and one winning an Oscar.

Movie Review

My favorite movie as of recently has been Good Will Hunting. It portays Matt Damon as an orphan, born and raised in poverty who undergoes a life of criminal and "bad" behavior. He works as a janitor at MIT and often does math problems there, even without formal education within the field. One day, he solves something that would be near impossible for even the brightest student, and he is considered a genius.

The movie seems to take on from this place, but has a great plot while many would agree that it is a classic. IMDB has rated it above an 8.0, which I also consider to be a great score.

Art Review

The Art selection I picked for this review was "Scream", by Edvard Munch. I've known of the existance of the painting for quite a while, ever since I first saw it as a kid on the hit TV show "Arthur". The color blending within the picture is very well blended and gives a very unique vibe. I've honestly never seen something similar to it and it "mesmerizes" me every time I take a look deep into it.
Another picture I've always liked is Time; it seems to portay it as slowed down within the wild west and is very interesting.

We Have the Right

To contrary belief, it seems as if most societies are democratic, even when a dictatorship prevails. Sooner or later, the people that are governed realize that they are unsatisfied, prompting revolutionary change as throughout history. As such, it's safe to say that we do have rights, but those rights are chosen by the society as a whole rather than meeting the benefits of a single person.

Another example is the prohibition era. Alcohol was prohibited by the full extent of the law, but sooner or later, the desires of the people rather than the government arose and alcohol soon became legal again. Sooner or later, the true rights to appear whether or not that is the present being.

X is known

Whereas X marks the spot in terms of finding the nation of islam and becoming a part of it, Malcolm seems to find a second calling, one that calls for true path. After his trip to Mecca, Malcolm sees the truth in terms of unity, rather than segregation. He sees Elijah Muhammed for who he truly is and how wrong the Nation of Islam truly was.
He calls upon unity and the support of white people to an extent, even if it meant creating peace between African Americans first. It represents a second revelation for him, and his 3rd and final phase before his early death.

X marks the spot

The 'X' surname Malcolm takes up represents a variable, a blank, just like in math. It represents the change from him embracing Islam and releasing himself of his slave name, Little. He seems to finally be able to fit in, regardless of whether it is society in terms of American, but rather the society based around The nation of islam.
He has found his calling and has relieved himself of all past moral issues and other issues that he once faced, especially as a youth. All in all, X is a marker, a new change for him, and shows the second phase of his live.

Track review: MGMT - Kids

I discovered this earlier last year and was astounded by the feeling it gave me; the one that gives you goose bumps through uniqueness and puts a chill through your spine. Some may consider it a cheer happy song, whereas others may consider it an analogy of growing up.

At first thought, (based upon personal reasoning) the lyrics of the song seem to be an analogy; referring to growing up. When you take a closer look, certain lyrics may seem to talk about drug use as well, such as controlling the needs and only using what you need from it. The band is psychedelic rock and thus my understanding I would say, was altered.

I know this means something

It seems as if the goals of life are simply going to school, getting good grades, playing sports and getting a job. Society has set these goals for us as a basic standard and barely anyone will argue with this goal. In fact, every single person in the school building is a part of this system and follows it otherwise they would not be in here to begin with. Whether they be teachers, students or assistants, they are followers of what life supposedly means.

However, it can be argued that only a few people really do find their own meaning in life; the one setup by society is simply a back end for those who have yet to discover one or are satisfied with ones setup previously.

Good Food Review

Food has always been a delicacy; one which I have looked at with great pleasure. One of my favorites restaurants has always been Wok 'n Roll, located on 53rd and Blackstone, in Hyde Park. I suppose it's safe to say that not everyone's tastes match, and what we find delicious may be in part due to how we've grown up or how often we've been exposed to a certain type of food.

For me, I've been accustomed to this restaurant for as long as I can remember, so it's a fact that my review will hold some level of bias. However, what I can say is that the service is terrific, and they hold a great variety of foods. You can find anything from noodles to fried rice, to dishes containing seafood and friend appetizers. If you're ever in Hyde Park and need somewhere quick and easy to visit, Wok n' Roll is a great choice.

Sports in my life

For the first 14 years, sports has been a part of my life. I have played various sports for leisure since the age of about 6, playing soccer, basketball and baseball. As of recently however, I would say that sports isn't as major as it once was, especially since I've played competitve soccer since the age of 6. For me, sports is more about a pick up game and having fun than that of grinding time with a team, running many many laps, and trying to "defeat the opponent".

The pressure was also evident, and slowly, I think my connection with competitive sports, more specifically soccer, diminished.

Cormac McCarthy: A letter to you

Dear Mr. McCarthy,

It seems that the work of literature we refer to as "The Road" portrays mankind after an unfullfilling apocalypse. The world does not come to an end, but rather is placed in a state of destruction and chaos; one that leaves few survivors and many traitors to what we call society in the present. As any realistic fictional novel, your story has it's flaws, but presents itself to be interesting none the less. We could come up with many ideas for how the members of society would react if the base of society were to be anulled; 'The Road' just happens to be one of those that show humans in a terrible light, but also one that sheds good will every now and then.

The only issue I see would be the way the story is told. It may be confusing at times, but nevertheless, the basic ideas behind it are more than adequate for the recognition it's recieved.

Regards,

A fellow reader to your novel

Defend the Poet

It seems that because of the ill and harsh perspective Bukowski holds, many people dislike his poems. They show a degree of pessimism and hatred, whereas human nature seems to aim towards positive success in life. I'd say that even though poems by Bukowski represent such, they still provide a perspective of life and society that one could really imagine.

He shows the worst outcomes and possibilities and opens our eyes towards them. When one has seen the worst, he can very easily imagine even the least undesirable, and that's what Bukowski seems to be aiming for. It might not occur to people as easily, but maybe Bukowski aims for something people dislike. A work of literature can be disliked for many reasons, including that of the topic. Dislike that literature, and chances are people will dislike the idea behind it, such as an agonizing future.