Aristotle - "Man is by nature a political animal."

~~~

WORD UP! HA HA:

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A "surge" of overused words and phrases formed a "perfect storm" of "post-9/11" cliches in 2007, according to a U.S. university's annual list of words and phrases that deserve to be banned.

Choosing from among 2,000 submissions, the public relations department at Michigan's Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie targeted 19 affronts to the English language in its well-known jab at the worlds of media, sports, advertising and politics.

The contributors gave first prize to the phrase "a perfect storm," saying it was numbingly applied to virtually any notable coincidence.

"Webinar" made the list as a tiresome non-word combining Web and seminar that a contributor said "belongs in the same school of non-thought that brought us e-anything and i-anything."

Similarly, the list-makers complained about the absurd comparisons commonly phrased "x is the new y," as in "(age) 70 is the new 50" or "chocolate is the new sex." "Fallacy is the new truth," commented one contributor.

Some words and phrases sagged under the weight of overuse, contributors said, citing the application of "organic" to everything from computer software to dog food.

In the same vein, decorators offering to add "pop" with a touch of color need new words, the list-makers said.

Such phrases as "post 9/11" and "surge" have also outlived their usefulness, they said. Surge emerged in reference to adding U.S. troops in Iraq but has come to explain the expansion of anything.

Other contributors took umbrage at the phrase to "give back" as applied to charitable gestures, usually by celebrities.

"The notion has arisen that as one's life progresses, one accumulates a sort of deficit balance with society which must be neutralized by charitable works or financial outlays," one said.

"Back in the day" raised hackles for being applied to recent trends rather than historical events.

Other teenage linguistic indiscretions such as the often meaningless use of "random" and "sweet" raised the ire of list-makers, as did the pointless "it is what it is."

Reporters were chided for skipping out on detail by describing an event or parting as "emotional," and for misapplying "decimate" when they mean annihilate or destroy, not the word's true meaning of to lose a fraction.

Sports announcers were urged to drop "throw under the bus" when assigning blame to a player. "It is a call for the media to start issuing a thesaurus to everyone in front of a camera," a contributor said.

And finally, any self-respecting writer would groan at being labeled a "wordsmith" who engages in "wordsmithing," the list-makers said.

~~~

UNDERGROUND RAP IS OUTTA CONTROL:

In retrospect, I should have known better.

Hanging all of my hopes for a good evening on a DOOM performance is like getting excited for a rendezvous with a really easy girl. Sure, you hear she's good... but she's probably got AIDS.

I should have known better than to think that a guy in a mask wouldn't try to cheat me out of an evening. Especially since I've heard that he's been doing just that since August. According to reports from concertgoers at Rock the Bells in San Francisco, Mr. Doom either sent a masked imposter to do the show for him or he chose to lip-synch his entire set himself. Similar stories have been recounted, posted, and blogged about since that initial disappointment.

Some die-hard Doom fans still don't believe it. They say that he's simply changed his mask or that he's got some kind of cordless microphone built by weeded-out space aliens that makes his voice sound exactly like it does on recordings. Others, particularly those who have attended one of these recent shows, still try to give him the benefit of the doubt. They say that maybe he's in the clutches of addiction again, going through one of the very same dark periods that changed Zev Luv X into Doom in the first place.

...or maybe I made up all these theories so I wouldn't have to believe it...

Even in the hyper-masculine world of hip-hop, where the macho ideals of the mainstream ethos is almost finished crushing the enlightened safe space of the underground, I am willing to admit (without the obligatory "no homo") that Doom was one of the last rappers that I looked up to. I realize that its dangerous to submit that kind of deference to an alcoholic in a Halloween costume, but every movement must have its leaders. Granted, the movement of post-modern, lo-fi, cartoon-character rappers is not a movement with a capital "M", but Doom does represent the last vestiges of imagination in rap music.

Many of his fans are refugees from different eras of hip-hop that all got smashed together once white America decided it would only validate scary-black-man rap.

As one of those fans, I really hoped that he would know better than to try to pull it with L.A. fans... on New Year's f'n Eve.

Fortunately it was a stacked line-up... 2Mex, Casual, Scarub, Grouch & Eligh and Haiku D'Etat were also on the bill, but when the host would ask if the crowd was ready for Doom, the place erupted everytime. Even the fifteen or so timed he had to do it to keep the crowd hyped during the tell-tale awkard pause that preceeded Doom's set. In some of the other reports I'd read, there was always a long delay between the last act leaving the stage and Doom taking the stage. A long delay... with no music playing...

When he finally did take the stage, it didn't take long to notice that at the very least it wasn't him rapping live. He spoke no words to the crowd, he kept the mic completely over his mouth the whole time, and his vocals were studio-quality in a warehouse with more than 500 people in it. Each of his four hypemen could be clearly heard projecting through their microphones. The other thing he may or may not have realized was that there was a video camera right next to his face the entire set. The close-ups from this camera were shown on two 25-foot screens. One was right behind him and the other was in the middle of the warehouse.

His jaw was clearly not moving.

This was a farce that took some enormous balls to pull off. As egocentric as this might sound, it's one thing to pull this in Nebraska or Idaho or North Dakota. Not only is it easier to fill a room with a recorded vocal in a small club, its also not going to unilaterally destroy your fanbase in one fell swoop. Why he would come to the second-largest market, gather all of his fans and then proceed to shit on them like that amazes me.

It's also an insult to rappers that work hard to put on shows. 2Mex ripped that night, as did Casual and Haiku D'Etat. The host even brought up KRS-One to do the countdown and rock a couple of his classics. Luckily they put on the Legends after Doom's abortion of a set. I've never really been a huge Legends fan but they put on capes and saved hip-hop that night. There were a few occasions while they were doing their thing that they reminded crowd that this is how it's supposed to be done. They started a new chant that night that re-invigorated the crowd and probably saved the venue from owing fools money:

"This is L.A., and we do not f*ck around on microphones!"

http://machinegunfunk.insidepulse.com/articles/72811/2008/01/02/letters-from-freakloud-ithe-disrepectful-alcoholic-that-stole-new-yearsi.html

and the remix that P. Diddy didn't invent:

As a way of profiling three artists who made three solid hip-hop albums this year--Turf Talk, Prodigy, and Project Pat--the New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh has written another entry in the "hip-hop: possibly dead, definitely changing" trend piece parade. The reasons, in case you've been otherwise occupied: sales are in the crapper, hip-hop sales are really in the crapper, one-hit ringtones rule, albums by former backpack outliers are (shockingly, right?) selling better than albums by the one-hit ringtoners, and the genre's mainstream is taking the reality of the new model harder than most thanks to its longstanding "if you're not getting money, you ain't shit" philosophy. The difference being, Sanneh argues, that the rappers themselves are (sometimes) finally realizing the need to scale back their ambitions and "keep grinding" on the indie circuit. But what if hip-hop's multitudes can't be contained by the indie circuit alone? What if the genre needs the money men to foster creativity? What the underground needs the promise of the giant gold tank to keep that grind rolling?

Under-the-radar releases, weird tour schedules, modest sales figures: none of this is new. The success of Southern hip-hop in the last decade was built on a foundation of independent and independent-minded rappers, many of whom worked with the scrappy regional distributor Southwest Wholesale, which is now closed, like many of the little shops it used to serve. In an earlier era these regional scenes were farm teams for the industry, grooming the top players and then sending them up to the big leagues. But what if there are no big leagues anymore? What if there's no major label willing or able to help Turf Talk get his platinum plaque? Would his next album sound as brash? Will his musical descendants be as motivated? The mainstream hip-hop industry relies on a thriving underground, but isn't the reverse also true?
Eventually, a (new?) group of executives will find a business model that doesn't depend on shiny plastic discs, or digital tracks bundled together to approximate them. But for now the major league is starting to look a lot like the minor one. And in ways good and bad and utterly unpredictable, rappers may have to reconsider their place in the universe, and their audience. Some will redouble their commitment to nonsense, like Project Pat. Some will wallow in their misery, like Prodigy. Some will merely revel in their own loudmouthiness, like Turf Talk, hoping someone will pay attention. But if sales keep falling, more and more rappers will have to face the fact that they aren't addressing a crowd, just a sliver of one.

Well the second graf kinda undercuts the questions raised in the first by basically chalking up the future of the biz to "who knows," which is probably sensible response at this point and the major headache/obstacle in writing any state-of-the-industry article these days. But the one thing Sanneh's article ignores almost entirely is the hip-hop underground that never saw itself as a "farm team" for the industry but as a refusenik/D.I.Y. wing of the genre itself, a market smaller than that mixtapes-to-riches model that folks like Project Pat and Turf Talk once followed but even more tenacious and unlikely to abandon hip-hop for accounting when sales dip below 25,000. Cross-genre comparisons are always imperfect, especially given the whole "who knows" aspect, but if the major-label market for Daughtries dried up tomorrow, it's unlikely rock's underground would suddenly decide the genre was creatively bankrupt, just as it's unlikely their rap peers will either. And if there's a possibility that the lack of renumeration means Turf Talk's "musical desecendants" be less "motivated" or "brash," there's also the possibility they will take the genre further out aesthetically, become even more committed to producing interesting (if commercially unviable) regional variations, or (less excitingly) find a way to mimic the stagnant post-gangsta landscape on a smaller scale. Or perhaps ringles or the killer comet will mess up everything up even further. Who knows!

http://idolator.com/339448/can-hip+hop-still-be-artistically-viable-when-its-getting-spanked-by-the-arcade-fire-sales+wise

~~~

This song is awesome. One of 50 Cent's BEST disses ever!



~~~

Relationship Knowledge (cause you can never be too perfect with the opposite sex):

How To Bring Up Issues With Your Partner

Sometimes the truth hurts, but you can soften the blow.

You love him or her a lot right? The majority of the time he or she is the sweetest boyfriend or girlfriend you could ever ask for and you’re so grateful to have him or her around. Of course! But, there is also that other side of your relationship that your subconscious nags you to pay attention to, but for the most part remains hindered by the rest of your brain, so everything is fine.

Now, as unfortunate as it might be, sometimes we have to face these nagging thoughts and work through them in one way or another. There are many ways to go about this, but in the end, I have come to the conclusion that being honest and open with your significant other is the best approach. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that the minute you have an issue with your boyfriend or girlfriend you should run up to them and spill your guts. I repeat, do not proceed directly to the person you are upset with to vent your frustrations. Instead, consider these strategies and tips as your crash course in how to incorporate honesty and open lines of communication in your relationship.

Third Party

Yes, I understand that the first thing I mentioned was that it is important to be honest with your significant other, so going to talk to a third party may seem a bit off. However, this is one of the most crucial steps of all. In order to be able to be honest and reasonable when you speak to your significant other about issues you might have in your relationship, I recommend you try to explain how you’re feeling to a neutral third party. Seek out a level headed and unbiased friend who can help sort through the jumble of emotions going through your mind. If anything this will help to clarify exactly what is upsetting you which can (believe it or not) be the difference between a discussion and a full blown fight.

Reconsider for Yourself

After your vent session, take a few minutes to contemplate the situation for yourself. Perhaps your friend has managed to impart some sort of wisdom to help guide you along your path of honesty. This chance to clarify the situation for yourself should motivate you to reconsider your game plan.

Instead of going on the offensive, bringing issues up as neutrally and as calmly as possible can only work in your favour. Making a rash decision and jumping into a touchy subject can make a somewhat unpleasant element of your relationship much worse in a matter of seconds. If anyone knows the extreme difficulty of stopping yourself from attacking, it’s me. I also know that not taking the time to make sure you can clearly explain what you are thinking can result in some disasters, so really, what do you have to lose?

Choose your Words Carefully

Like I mentioned before, starting off in an offensive manner will do nothing to help the situation. When anyone feels as though they are being attacked, the most natural and common response is to jump right into defensive mode and attempt to pass the blame to the person doing the attacking. When you’re upset about something in your relationship, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s the problem, not necessarily the person in front of you, that is causing you the pain.

The solution should not be to make the other feel your pain directly, but to explain how you’re feeling using your words. Just the other day my boyfriend confessed that during a recent fight, he tried to make me feel what he was feeling, instead of dealing with the original issue that was raised. This created a chaotic rage (and I mean rage) that is unbearable when caused by your other half. My point is, try to work out what you want to say before you actually broach the topic.

Have a Calm Discussion

Finally, once you have chosen your words carefully (write them down if you need to - it seriously works), take a few deep breaths and say what you feel. Don’t mask what you have to say with allusions or metaphors, be honest and direct. I don’t want to build off the stereotypes of either gender but ladies, we have a tendency to drop hints that guys just don’t get. It’s not their fault, our veiled statements and sometimes misleading words can really make it hard. I have a tendency of relying on my non-verbal actions to convey how I’m feeling and that too is a huge mistake. The main thing here is that you need to discuss. Don’t argue or blame, but just lay your cards out there, because if you can’t be honest with this person, chances are your biggest problem is not that he forgets to call when say he will…if you catch my drift.

_______________________
no pain no gain

No matter how many words of encouragement I put out there for you, I can’t promise that it won’t be hard. Looking at someone you care about so much that you know cares about you too and trying to tell them they’re doing something “wrong” is incredibly heart-wrenching (at least for me). Like the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger, so give honesty a shot. Trust me when I say, if you make it through the rough patches, it’ll only make you appreciate their effort a million times more!

~~~

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMMM.... PART 1:



PART 2:



~~~

I'm still healing, still struggling, still focusing forward, still concentrating, still cleaning up my head. I HAVE TO STOP SMOKING WEED AND TOBACCO FOR 2008. PLEASE DO NOT PEER PRESSURE ME TO LIVE A MOMENT THAT WE SHARED FROM OUR PAST. I NEED TO EVOLVE INTO MY FUTURE NOW.
word to Tupac Shakur and his blessed killers. (I just want to know your names before I leave Earth. I still believe Amir Muhammad killed Christopher Wallace and can feel secure in that knowledge. Karma's justice can do what the government can't.)

Thank you.

Adhimusic Mindbender Supreme