The New York Post(ed)... something stupid

So recently The New York Post ran a cartoon which caught a lot of flack from the public for its racist overtone. The paper ran an apology to the public (which I was reading about... which is why I decided to blog on it) in which they do apologize, yet they also defend themselves.

Here is the cartoon...


Now I understand where people are coming from saying that the cartoon can appear to be racist, but I think that in the time we live in now, this is just crazy to accuse a paper like this of racism. The New York Post said that the cartoon was "meant to mock an 'ineptly written' stimulus bill." The theme of racism struck most people and have caused an outrage. The cartoon is also taken from an event from this previous week where a woman was mauled and nearly killed by a chimpanzee. The paper did apologize for their accused racism, but they also defended themselves by saying, "However, there are some [people] in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past -- and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon -- even as the opportunists seek to make it something else."

I feel that, though this could be taken as a racist cartoon, you should really take into account the situation as well, such as social, political, and public climates. While I stand by my decision saying that I wouldn't consider this a racist cartoon, I will say this... the people who let this cartoon run in the paper were just down-right stupid. They had to be very naive to not think that this cartoon would raise a lot of red flags.

Let me hear what you think about it...

Where did all the Instruments Go?

While I was recently wandering from video to video on YouTube this past week, I found quite the interesting video from a guy named Corey Vidal. He created an a capella video of John Williams theme music using lines from the Star Wars Trilogy. The video was taken down because the whole idea was created by another group, yet it was put back up since viewers liked it so much. So here's the video...


After watching this video, I remebered another great a capella video. I find this kind of music very interesting since its all voice and no instruments. This video was shot on a subway and went viral when it hit the internet. The group is called Naturally 7...

He Usually has Trouble with 1977

As the Academy Awards is approaching I am always reminded of my friend Joe. Now before I tell you why the Oscars remind me of him let me give you some background. I met Joe my second semester of college when I was trying to join a my fraternity. He seemed very laid back and genuine. Joe has an extensive collection of movies, in that he has more movies than every person in the state of Massachusetts combined (and he's watched them all). Now as I was getting to know Joe, I learned that he had a secret talent. The talent, which amazes me to this day, is that he can remember every Oscar winner for Best Picture from the latest winner all the way back to 1958! Yes, that's over 50 years of Best Picture winners to remember. On top of that he can also remember various year prior to 1958. To keep him fresh, I like to quiz him randomly and watch his genius go to work. The most amazing thing about this is that if he can't remember the winner for one year, he'll skip it continue to the next year, and the one he had trouble with will pop into his head. I think something like this is just incredible! Of all the different things that people can do, I still think that Joe's talent truly astounds me.

He also has a knack for choosing who will win best picture (according to him he picked Crash, The Departed, and No Country for Old Men in 2005, 2006, and 2007 respectively.) And if you're wondering who his pick for this year is? .....Slumdog Millionaire

Tales from the Mid-West

So this past weekend I was in St. Louis, Missouri for Mid-Year Leadership Conference for my fraternity, Sigma Pi. The whole experience was just absolutely amazing!! I got to meet brothers from all over the country and some from the northeast as well. It was great to be close and to make connections with people from all over America. The whole time I did not sleep once because I was having such a good time with brothers from Illinois, West Virginia, California, Missouri, and more (for the sake of time I will have to spare the stories, but definitely ask and I will tell you all about it).

One thing that I did notice during the actual conference (when I wasn't indulging in adult beverages... don't worry Bjorn, I'm 21) was how technology has helped disperse information. There were many powerpoints used, as well as P.A.'s and microphones and such. I learned so much on how to be an effective Sage (I'm the president of the Bridgewater chapter) and I noticed that technology help the facilitators educate the throngs of Sigma Pi's in attendance.

This is a picture of me (bottom left in the black) with the brothers at University of Missouri-St. Louis in front of their house.

Patriotic Lighting and Exploding Babies

Last night I was watching TV and caught the end of the movie Eagle Eye. As I sat there watching the movie, they had a group of kids playing The Star Spangled Banner for Congress. While my roommates were captivated by the story and the going-ons in the film, I could only think of the one thing I think of whenever I hear our national anthem... How many times I used to screw it up when I was a kid. No one really ever taught me the song when I was younger, I just kind of mouthed words and listened until I thought I knew what I was doing. As a younger, curious child, I had questions that needed answers about what I thought was our national anthem...

"Jose, can you see? By the Donzerly Light..." Who the hell is Jose and why do we care if he can see? Also, how did everyone seem to know Jose except for me? I used to think that he couldn't see because he was being blinded by the Donzerly Light, whatever the hell that was. Which reminds me, when I was younger and would go to the store with my Dad, I secretly would look for Donzerly lights. Never found a single one. "Oh the red parts we washed..." I never washed anything red when I was a kid and I kind of felt like I was lying in tune with everyone else because there was no way that my first grade class did their laundry either. "And the rockets red glare, the moms bursting in air..." When I actually asked my teacher what the song was about so I could get some clarity, I always felt bad for the burtsing mothers in the Revolutionary War. I could only think about pregnant women hurling through the air exploding randomly and taking out the British Navy.

Well now I know just how naive I was as a kid and I laugh from time to time when I think about it. I eventually figured out the real lyrics and can now belt out the anthem with everyone else. There is one thing that still bothers me to this day... where can I find those damn Donzerly lights?