How to raise a mogwai?

Step 1: Don't get your mogwai wet, when they get wet they multiply faster than rabbits man Don't spill any kind of liquid on them, or you'll have a whole bunch of mogwai's running around



Step 2: Under no circumstance should you ever feed a mogwai after midnight, no matter how much they cry, never feed it. If you do, the next time you'll see your mogwai it will get uglier and uglier.
First it'll be in a nasty looking lizard egg thing

 

Second, not only will they be all nasty looking, but something far much worse...



They will be... GREMLINS... which is...

PURE EVIL!!!!





And they will try to kill you...





They'll probably succeed...





But not always...





And your last step to follow. Mogwai's are extremely sensitive to bright light, keep them out of it. Fail to do so and they will melt, therefore they will be no more.





But its not a bad idea if they're gremlins.




So there you have it, follow these few simple rules and you'll be able to raise your own little mogwai. Piece of cake right?

Enjoy!








And remember, never feed them after midnight, no matter what!

Coffee like the drink, but spelt different

What would you do for that coffee?

An argument broke out between two women just outside the Tim Horton’s located in the Brandon Regional Hospital yesterday morning. The women argued furiously until local Police showed up to stop the spat before things got out of hand. When police arrived on the scene and began assessing the problem, they had reached the conclusion that the argument between the two women was about reasons for parking in the ten minute roundabout parking lot located just outside the Tim Horton’s in the Regional Hospital. The parking lot at the time was only a portion filled of vehicles.  

The Tim Horton’s pit stop is a busy and steady attraction. People from the hospital and as well as that part of town, stop for their morning kick start and there is usually a rush to grab your coffee then head off or back to work.

Well parking for the area can often be a hassle for patients and staff having to attend the patients, the busiest point is the ten minute roundabout located right near the Tim Horton’s just inside the Hospital doors. Some coffee getters park right in the roundabout that is designated only for patient drop off and pick up only and parking is hectic to begin with.

“Can you read?” is what Haley Smith, who was one lady involved in the argument, asked the other woman when confronting her about the parking policies in the roundabout area.

“This parking lot is for the sick and dying, for people who actually need it,” said Smith. “You can park further away where you’re supposed to and have a two minute walk.”

The other woman involved gave no comment.

This is not the first time problems like this have arose, Hospital workers often too complain about the ten minute parking lot not having enough openings for people bringing in and picking up patients. This results in staff having to take time of their already busy schedule in order to aid and assist the patients while drivers have to go find somewhere else to park.

Smith has also added that she will be writing to the Brandon Courts and that this city needs to address the issue of parking in the roundabout and that more steps are needed to ensure that patients that are actually in need of the Regional Hospital services should be looked after first and more properly upon entering and exiting the pickup/ drop off doors.

Smith, who didn’t realize there was also a small chunk of the street designated for Tim Horton’s parking, also said that she “thinks there shouldn’t even be a spot for people wanting stop and get coffee. It’s hard enough to get parking at this hospital already.”

Police say no charges were pressed and the situation defused itself so no harm was done.

What's gonna happen?

Media is everywhere. People use it to pretty much do everything now a days. Its pretty clear that its here to stay. All forms of media and news rely heavily on social media and are frequently having to change to adapt to stay in the race of the social media world.

It will continue to always be apart of everyday life and a huge impact on the internet.

So what will the future bring? Let's say 10 years-ish from now...

What do you think will happen?
How is the media on the internet going to change?
Will Facebook and Twitter even exist?
What will be the next form of 'social media'?

I predict it will be something that involves being able to simply interact and share with hands free devices. Maybe some crazy touch screen stuff, but for the most part everything will be so digital that involves easy convenience to access the internet and make people that much lazier. Sure it will help with jobs and convenience in finding out news and being able to aid in career related tasks. But there will be huge percentage of the population that will spend countless hours sitting  in their home doing nothing and using social media to either do their job or spend it doing nothing.

I'm sure there will be lots of ways that a change in media will better aid society. I'm just not sure what that'll be. But I'm just old fashioned that way.

But with advances in media, technology will also adapt. Some for good, some for bad. What will it be?? Will we turn into blobs or will we find a way to cure deadly diseases and make clean drinking water for everyone in the world?

Let me know your thoughts.

1286 words later...

Back in the late 90s when I was just starting to walk about, I loved to listen music at all hours of the day. However, my original choices of music may have been a bad taste, it wasn’t till later on that I began to find a style that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Here’s my story.

There I was enjoying the days of being a wee tike, not having a care in the world, or what was going on half of the time, a free spirit if you will.

With my little Walkman and various tapes I would carry around with me at all times. I had a couple of my Fathers old tapes like Boston, Def Lepard, and ZZ Top, but the one tape that I myself owned and played probably 90% of the time was the album Black & Blue, by the boy band group, The Backstreet Boys. Yes, Backstreet Boys. I too hate to admit it, but what young child at that time didn’t listen to the Backstreet Boys, or at least know a few songs by heart.  

Night and day I’d be blasting that tape listening to the Backstreet Boys. Then one sad night after leaving my Papa and Grandma’s place after supper with my dad, I had left my apple juice in the seat, where it sat next to my Walkman. It had tipped over and completely destroyed my tape as well as my beloved Walkman.

So what did I do next you ask?

I saved up my chore money for months until I was able to by myself the new thing on the streets,

… The Discman…

I felt like the coolest kid in town, I was unstoppable.

But there was one problem; I hadn’t saved up enough money for a CD as well, not one of my brightest moments. But my Mother, who was so very kind, helped me out and bought me a Backstreet Boys CD. However I cannot actually remember what album it was, I was ecstatic and began listening to it everyday.

My music choice began to improve as I was getting tired of the ‘Boy Band’ people; I began to turn to a sound that would captivate me.

Rock n’ Roll.

My Father and Mother had always listened to Rock n’ Roll and by now my older brother was also beginning to listen to Australian rock band AC/DC. My good buddy at the time (he still is today), who is considered chosen family, was a son to huge KISS fan, so he began to show me the ‘heavy’ and groovy music of the legendary group.

So by the time I was probably 8 or 9 I had forgotten all about the Backstreet Boys and was all over the Rock n Roll scene with Bands like KISS, AC/DC, Bryan Adams, and Def Lepard, just to name the bigger contenders. This style opened many doors with listening to the local rock station, as well as a competition between my Dad and I to see who could name the song and the band on the radio first. He would win most of the time at the start, before I caught on.

After years of listening to KISS and getting influenced by North America’s Rock. My friend and I broadened our minds once again, but this time to a heavier more modern side of Rock n’ Roll.  By then I had begun to listen to bands like Weezer, Velvet Revolver, Buckcherry and legendary group (the greatest rock n’ roll band of all time) Led Zeppelin. I even experimented in listening to Country Stars like Willie Nelson and Toby Keith.

When the very first X- Fest came to Brandon Manitoba about 7 or 8 years ago now, my buddy and I went and experienced it all. We saw Default, Hedley, and our favourite at the time, Buckcherry. Buckcherry remained my favourite for years; I’ve seen them in concert at least 5 times (I think). And it was after that very first X- Fest that we decided to start a band.

So with the band my preferred music genres changed drastically. There were bands like Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, and even the headstones.

But my favourites at the time were still Buckcherry, but bands like Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine were sneaking in.

After years of not really having any specific favourite band, I began to focus on songs that would be good for the band and what kind of sound we were striving for.

Then one day, when a couple of my friends and I, one who was also in the band, use to work for my friends Dad cutting grass all around our home community and surrounding area’s. He showed us an album called ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’. It had a really weird sound that I never heard before with a funky folky southern type sound and a scratchy-ish kind of almost bad sounding vocalist. The band was Kings of Leon; the first song I’d heard was Day Old Blues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=degITDd2ePY&list=RDdegITDd2ePY

I knew of Kings of Leon from songs like Sex on Fire and Use Somebody, but never really liked that sound. But after my buddy’s Dad playing this album day after day while driving somewhere to cut grass, I began to like it. The weird unpredictable style with lyrics that made me stop to think what the f*** he was talking about. So it wasn’t long before I bought my own CD, however it was their latest album at the time because it was the only one I can find, Come Around Sundown. I listened to that album thousands upon thousands of times in my CD player until I purchased a live DVD of Kings of Leon live at the O2 London Arena. That DVD has honestly been played probably a million times. Everyone who has ever came to my garage has seen the DVD at least five times. I listened to every song from that DVD, and it wasn’t long before I had collected every album by Kings Of Leon. This group was the favourite I had been looking for those previous years.

It wasn’t long until lots of friends were listening to the band; even my parents and siblings began listening to it. My own Mother now owns three of the Kings Of Leon albums and they seem to always be playing in her car.

This band remains my favourite today, and I’m sure everyone knows it as I’m pretty well always listening to something by them.

But the main styles I listen to now a days’ is Southern Rock, and a Folky type of Rock.

My favourite bands would probably be KOL, The Weeks, Deep Dark Woods, and The Head and The Heart. Other favourites that aren’t under that music genre are bands like The Band, Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, Led Zeppelin, and various other groups that I stumble upon and find interesting. Of course there are many other bands that I listen to but that would take awhile to get through.

This music genre ‘Southern Rock’, is what our band used as our goal type of thing (the style we were striving for) to helps us create and play our own material.

http://vimeo.com/87306877

http://vimeo.com/79832544

https://soundcloud.com/facingthefloor

So be sure to broaden your music selection, find new sounds. If you have a favourite band, find out what that band’s favourite band was or what they listened to when inspiring to be musicians, you’ll learn a lot and maybe you’ll even like the music.

I’m glad my music selection turned out the way it did, even if it started with the Backstreet Boys, but hey, there’s only one way to get where you wanna be.

CJ Fair Day 4

Hey there, it's Braden Dereniwski here down live on location at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. Its day four here down at the Keystone Centre.
I'm just at the Westaman place taking in the Team four horse pull before we head on down to the Kinsmen to check out the superb, SuperDogs!
The SuperDogs have a ton of cool new tricks this year, with a bunch of new faces as well. Did you know the SuperDogs have been entertaining people for over 30 years?! I didn't, that's insane. Last night they had some of the dogs jumping up to five bars high! While racing against jumping horses! It was an awesome show.

Come on down tonight and check out the legendary SuperDogs, or dozens of the other events going down. Either way you won't be bored, and don't for come to say hi to us here at the CJ106 station set up just next to the main arena. For CJ106 Your Alternative Edge, I'm Braden Dereniwski. Back to you.

CJ106 Fair Day 3

Hello there, For CJ106 I'm Braden Dereniwski live from the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair being held right here in Brandon at the Keystone Centre. Today is the third day of the fair and it will be here all the way until Saturday night, so hurry and take in all the great attractions happening down here at the Keystone Centre. There's ton's going on again, Thru the farm gate is happening from 11 AM - 7 PM in the curling club. Bring the whole family so you can all learn about agriculture and the food you're putting on the kitchen table, and right next to that is the phenomenal Royal Petting Zoo. I'm right next door in The Royal Farm Yard right now about to get my hands dirty and learn about different types of crops. Come on down say Hi. At the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, for CJ106, I'm Braden Dereniwski.

CJ106 Fair Day 2

Hello Braden Dereniwski here at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. The fair's going on all week and there are lots of things going down. I'm just taking a break from the horse jump in the main arena to watching Ted Outerbridge the illusionist in the convention hall using his skills to put on a good show, next up is musical sensation Razzmatazz and after that there's Doodles the Clown. Not to mention all the merchandise booths full of jewelry, cowboy hats, and a lot of cool toys. And of course, the legendary fair food. Mini do-nuts, caramel apples, and tons of candy. CANDY! Oh, did i forget to mention... fudge. Anyway there's lots of great food and attractions happening here all day and tonight as well. If you feel like letting your hair down and kicking your heels, the barn bar is open all day and stays open well into the night. Come say hi to us here at The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, we'll be here all week. For CJ106 Your Alternative Edge, I'm Braden Dereniwski.

CJ106 Fair Day 1

Hey there this is Braden Dereniwski here live on location at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair for CJ106.
We just finished the annual western breakfast, and it was delicious. So good I had to go for seconds.
 The opening ceremonies start off tonight at 6:30pm at the Westman Place. Following the ceremony the Brandon Sun Four Horse Tandem Team, the Single Roadster Pony open, then the calf scramble, Canadian Tire Barrel Racing, followed by some Mini Chuck Wagon Races, and lastly the President’s Choice SuperDogs presented by Manitoba Hydro.In the convention hall, Doodles the Clown starts at 5:45, Ted Outerbridge with Pure Illusion at 6:30, Razzmatazz at 7:30, and at 8:15 Amanda Stott hits the stage. There's lots going on so come on down. 
Right now I'm just chilling out right outside the main area chatting with some excited fans and taking in all the events. The 107th Annual Winter Fair is just getting started and you'll be hearing from all week. So if you're down at the fair don't be afraid to come say hi. 
For CJ106 I'm Braden Dereniwski at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

Double Double

In today's class our topic was to understand and elaborate on the meaning of double standards. Double standards is the concept of applying different norms to different circumstances. It is applied by groups of people regarding another's actions, however the said groups opinions can change when facing a different person and or circumstance, but dealing with the same basic issue.






lately on the news the story of Nick Cannon's latest twist has swept the social media world with regards in promoting his new album, "White People Party Music" which is released on April 1st. The stunt he pulled was to dress up as 'white faced' and post pictures, videos, and tweets about being white and all the updates that went along with it. Nick Cannon is an African - American actor, singer, comedian who is also married to singer Marah Carey who is half white and half African American. Cannon dressed up as an alter ego, Connor Smallnut, and began to take update the world on how his new stunt had been going.




Is this a Double Standard?




Yes, if a different artist who pulled a stunt like this and happened to be white dressing up as black face, sh*t would hit the fan.




Do you think the controversy would be LESS or MORE if Nick Cannon was white and used "black face" to promote his album?




More. It would have been more severe and treated much more differently if that were the case. Words like racist and hate crime would be tossed around as well.




What do you think Nick Cannon was intending to accomplish with this publicity stint? And do you think he accomplished it?




It's just as it was. A publicity stunt that grabs attention from the media to him. He became a hot topic and everyone quickly knew the story. He was promoting his new album "White People Party Music", which is being released in the following weeks. It was simply to grab attention to himself to advertise himself and his new album that will be hitting shelves soon.




Would this make you NOT want to buy his album? (If it were an album you'd be interested in, in the first place.)


If I was interested in this album and he pulled a stunt like this, I'd most likely but it anyway. If it was an artist I enjoy and an album I am waiting on, I'd go purchase the music and listened to it. However, that doesn't mean I'd agree with a stunt like that.


Are you offended by it?


To be honest it doesn't really bother me. All I've seen is that some people have way to much time on their hands and the money to back it up. And the other people who feed the fire by giving this uselessness more and more attention have no desire to change anything, they'd rather just complain about it. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a wrong thing to do, but the part that I am offended by is the fact that issues like this is where our main focal point of a society is today. I don't mean hate crimes or racism, I mean that people can pull stunts like this and simply laugh it off when there's real problems in the world regarding these issues.




Do you think that putting on "white face" or "black face" is offensive at all? Does the intention behind the make up change your opinion?


Yes, its offensive to people who are that race, although everyone may not be offended by it, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. . Even if the intentions are not meant to be harmful or negative.



Infer as to whether or not "we" as a society are overly sensitive to racial issues.


Yes, we are sensitive to these issues, but I believe for good reason. In parts of the world it isn't a huge issue and everyone respects each other equally. But lots of the world is the exact opposite, its a serious issue that affects millions. Maybe at specific times and specific places we are too sensitive, but I don't really have a clear answer for that.


How would you feel if you were Julianne Hough?


I'd feel like I'd been treated pretty unfairly, if it was an African American person who put on a white face, it wouldn't be as a big of a deal. It was Halloween and the actions were not meant to be expressed in a wrong or disrespectful way.



If you were reporting on these two stories, in which light would you present each? Be honest. Does your race influence your choice?




Sensitively, but i would address how Double Standarding is an issue here. I would relate stories to the facts to back it up and talk about how if the races were swapped in these roles, the outcomes would most likely be different.

But she was walking on dangerous territory as this an extremely sensitive subject surrounding the media.



And i guess my race effects my choice, I've never been another so I couldn't really tell you what would go down.

So a Mac, some Audio, and a piece of Video all walk into a bar...

This has nothing to do with a bar. 

Now a days, people can find a way to make money by just about doing anything. Lots of people turn to the media and the internet in order to use the skills they have that pertain to their interests. Blogs, videos, and posts; these are just some of the methods people use to update the world of what there up to and how they do it. Some people have channels that connect to the average family life, gamers life, or a cooking page. It doesn't really matter, you can make it about anything. 

If I were to start my own business using the internet to channel my media, it would be a YouTube channel where people could post their songs and videos too. Now I'm not talking about a kid sitting in front of a camera singing Taylor Swift, I'm talking about aspiring artists that are wanting to get the word out and show their stuff. As well as people being able to posts camera work with things like documentary's, music videos, and various types of films. 

The music aspect will have to consist of original material composed by either individual artists or a full band. Music genres could consist of pretty much anything, as long as it has original music created throughout and does not consist entirely of overused artificial effects. 

If a song reaches a particular amount of views, the band will have the option to either get sponsored to create their own video for the song, or go through my channel to work with them to create a video in accordance with the song and the artists. 

And if the channel gained enough popularity, artist recording could also be an outcome, once the artists featured reached a designated amount of views. 

If videos also reach high popularity, deals will be made to try and feature the specific video on a film distribution type company to be able to air on their program, whether it be a documentary, music video, or various types of short films. 

This would help my channel to receive money so not only that I could make money, but so I could help other eager artists to have the chance to make some as well. Plus both parties would get the shot at doing something that they love. (The music and video part, not the making money part... don't be so greedy.)

Music is the one thing I would really like to have a future in, a site like this would be able to give aspiring artists like myself to have that chance of to create content that they like and have chance to be able to have an outlet for that content. After going through the IMA program at ACC so far, I have also learned that i have taken a big liking to the world of film. This would give me the chance to be able to be in a spot where i receive the best of both worlds. 

The Gatekeeper

A Gatekeeper is a term that has been around for years. It originally started out as the obvious, a Gatekeeper. This person's job was to decide what will be let in or out through the gate. Today it has evolved to almost every aspect of everyday life, whether it's coaching a sport, addressing a nation, or teaching people.

Gate-keeping refers to who controls what will be done and not done. Someone decides whether or not a story will be told to the people, and what the people are going to hear and how they will hear it. So in the media industry for example, a reporter decides what aspect of the story will be addressed, a cameraman decides what shots will better describe the story, and an editor decides how the story will be put together and aired.

If a person is filming a documentary in another country and the hardships of the people of that country are caused by say a company or country that the person who is filming the documentary is associated with. They have to decide what should be told.
 Should they leave that part out?
Should they address it and see what happens?
If they tell it could it cost them their job, client/friend, or career?
Would it change the situation in that country if he did tell the truth?
So basically what this person has to decide is if it's really worth it, what they think is right, and what helps them to sleep at night.

In the case that shook Brandon Manitoba back in 2002, the case of Erin Chorney was quite a mystery indeed. She went missing in April of 2002. The last person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Michael Bridges, who she also laid assault charges on, before she went missing. Police had ruled Bridges as a main suspect, but could not find any evidence to prove conviction.

Police developed a plot to obtain a confession from Bridges which took place in 2004. Multiple RCMP officers posed as undercover criminals who loured Bridges into joining their gang, but first he had to confess all his crimes, and the more detail he gave the more 'The Boss' would be impressed.
During the confession, a hidden camera caught the whole thing. The body of Erin Chorney was found by RCMP exactly where Bridges had described it to be.

Michael Bridges was convicted of first-degree murder in June of 2005.

If I was the reporter on this case, therefore I am also the Gatekeeper of this story, I would do a number of things given the circumstances.

First off, this is a hard news story, so its going to be reported not only locally but nationally as well. While I have to deliver the information required and relevant to the story, I must do so with care and sensitivity in mind. Brandon's a small City, so people know other people far better. In addressing this story, respect would be given to the victim pertaining to her family and friends, and being sure to deliver the news while being mindful of their situation as well. Also respect to the offended, even though they may be guilty and the crimes quite gruesome.

When releasing this story, emphasizing will be given on the plan of the operation to get a confession from Bridges, as well as the confession itself, but cut down and censored with respect to the family of the victim. A main focal point will be that justice has been served, and the accused is going to serve a life sentence in jail.

De-emphasizing will be addressed on the specifics of the murder given in the confession, as well as giving a censored bio of the report and people involved, given by the police.

Gatekeeping is the process that outlines what information should be released, regarding the Media Industry.

This story will be either written in a newspaper article and read by read by all who take interest. The story may also released as a newscast, so it should be read by an announcer who presents respect and sensitivity. People that are reading this story are going to be from all over Canada, so not only will Manitoban's be reading the story, but more importantly Brandonites. So again, the story must presented with care and sensitivity to those who know the victim, and especially the family.

So when reporting the story, factors that affect my reporting would be the family and friends of the victim, as well as the specifics of the case.

 A Gatekeeper would filter what will be told in this story, so in this case, those facts you just read are what I would have filtered.

Tell me how you would have reported the story.

Music History - 2006 - 2010

Music had changed drastically throughout the years, from folk to rock n' roll to Hip Hop. But the tunes keep on going. And each new style that emerges speaks to an audience, applies to an individual, and creates an inspiration for future artists. For the last several years, the most widely known and 'popular' genre of music has been Pop music. Music that can be hard and fast with a catchy beat, it can be soulful, it can make you laugh, make you cry, inspire you to do something good, or try something bad. This music appeals to us in ways that only that music is responsible for. It also uses a lot of dancing when performing it or songs that are about it or its main focal point. This Pop Music is so incredibly diverse that it can create new sounds and sights that make an impact, and help the music world to grow even further along. 

At the turn of 2006, Music had all ready been well established in North America for decades, but the best was yet to come. Just kidding, the best has come and gone, or isn’t famous on a global stage like the World Wide popular music is today. The style of music was so very broad and so very different, whether it was unforgettable bass slapping from Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, or the un-mistakable whine/singing of Justine Bieber. But let us not forget how huge the music world has really gotten, how many genres and styles are present. How many different bands and artists appeal and speak to a generation. Or how many artists are still going strong and making that music we can’t seem to get enough of. Its more than just writing music that appeals to targeted demographics, it’s about moving people, helping people to make a difference, trying to make the world a better place. Now of course this all isn’t true about every artist from this time. Lots of them just partied hard like there was no tomorrow, probably did some things many of our mothers wouldn’t approve of, but they didn’t care. They were famous. On top of that writing songs changed drastically, from where one single man could write a song like bohemian rhapsody, and where 9 people had to write a song that’s chorus went “Baby Baby Baby OH!”… And repeat.

But all in all this still was a great time period in music. Artists emerged that left their mark and guaranteed they will not be forgotten so easily. The legendary ranges of female artists like Pink and Rihanna, the duos of groups like The Pussycat Dolls ft. Snoop Dogg or Kayne West ft. Jamiee Foxx, just to name a few.

06 & 2007 stars like Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Maroon 5 and Akon all made impressions in the music industry with their songs. Pop music was still in the lead for the style of music that was most popular in that year. Pop derived from Rock n’ Roll. Pop music is very eclectic, which means it grabs ideas, style, or taste from a wide range of sources and mash them together. It ‘borrows’ from genres like dance, rock, urban, country and Latin.

Pop was influenced by youth as a way to express the subcultures with the need to be heard. It is also a sort of channel to really vent thoughts of everyday people and social issues around the world. Typical Pop Music aims to an appeal to a general audience, rather than a particular subculture. Great deal more effects put into recording and production. It also encourages dancing, or uses dancing in its expressions. 2008 - 09 brought up musicians like Leona Lewis, Katy Perry, Finger Eleven, Kevin Rudolph, Jason Mraz, and of course Taylor Swift. Lady Gaga, Shine Down, Miley Cyrus, and Kings of Leon.

A lot of Pop Music derived and style of music like Post Beatles, R&B, as well as Boy Band influences. The name Pop Music was derived from the word ‘Popular’, back in the 1920s. It simply meant music that had a ‘Popular’ feel or appeal.

Fun facts: - Led Zeppelin and REM have never had a number one signal. Rihanna has 10 or so. Music is written not only by artists performing the songs but fellow artists, as well as designated writers. It is usually a collaboration of a team of writers. Some of which are also well-known artists and performers, ex) David Foster. Social issues that are around the world, Government, and economic struggle or power, these are just some of the topics put together in today’s songs. Of course there’s always songs about love, somebody’s feeling sexy, some player’s walkin’ all up in da club, or some other random jazz. There is a lot more freedom when writing this era’s style of music, if its catchy and has a beat, people usually don’t care what the actual song is about, sometimes it’s not even about anything anyway. Interesting Facts: 

-       Taylor Allison Swift is born 1989

-       Legendary Pop icon Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009

2010 brought sensations like Kesha, Lady Antebellum, Bruno Mars, and our own, Michael Buble.

Music is an international language, and there’s no stopping it. And if someone somehow ever did, the entire world would riot against it. It’s here to stay, so my advice to is to go live it, be apart of it. Listen to it, play it, embrace it, and love it.

Here’s also some links to check out.

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/top-100-songs-of-the-year/?year=2006

http://top40.about.com/od/popmusic101/a/popmusic.htm

http://www.citelighter.com/music/overall/knowledgecards/history-of-pop-music

What is Rape Culture?

Ever heard the term rape culture and actually know what it means?

I never did till I actually looked up what it was all about.

Rape Culture is a concept where members of a society believes that rather than blaming just the rapists, that there is a link between the victims as well. So blaming the victim rather than the person who committed the crime.

Do you find that true? Or is it just plain B.S.?

There are several cases where the convicted have not received sentences for the crimes committed, strictly because of the victims more or less 'asking for it'.

I for one think it does exist, many people, including judges and those working the case, favour the convicted because the victim's did not act like a typical rape victim. Rape culture tells the world that there is a certain set of 'norms' that have to be followed for a victim to be considered raped. So when certain victims, which is almost always women, don't behave this way, the case is pretty well overthrown and discarded that it is in fact the victims fault.

Rape Culture influences the way people are supposed to think about rape, although sometimes the final decisions are a complete load of shit.

What do you think when you here about a girl being raped who dresses very provocatively?
Does she have no one to blame but herself?
Does that not even matter and have nothing to do with the rape?

It's not only women this affects, although it primarily is, men are are affected as well. maybe not in everyday society. But places like prison. Males get raped and yet there is no charges or action being done. So if a criminal gets released that had raped in prison. He goes back into the world without being labelled a sex offender. This is another issues that needs to be addressed and not defined by Rape Culture. Just because they're criminals doesn't mean that they too don't deserve justice.

Let me know what your thoughts are?

Too much information

Your favourite virtue?
Perseverance. 

Your chief characteristic? 
Honesty.

Your idea of happiness?
Doing what you love.

Your idea of misery?
Caught up in something you hate.

Your heroes in fiction?
Arrow, John Wayne in every movie ever, and Iron Man.

Your heroes in real life?
My Father, Caleb Followill, Robert Plant.

What you hate the most?
Snakes.

What fault do you tolerate the most?
Saying like 'like' to much.

Your favourite motto or inspirational quote?
Chicks are for fags.

Your favourite food and drink?
Ice Tea & a Steak Sandwich 

Your favourite qualities in a man?
Easy going, not a d-bag

Your favourite qualities in a woman?
Sense of humour, kindness, honesty

If not yourself, who would you like to be?
I don't know, never been anyone else before.

Natural talent you'd like to be gifted with?
Being able to play any musical instrument with ease, if not that then flight.

Your main fault?
Being disorganized

The characteristic in yourself you admire most?
Sense of humour.

Where would you like to live?
Somewhere warm in Europe, next to a lake or ocean.

The first memory you have?
The family farm.

The biggest regret you have?
Coming to the IMA program! Just kidding I don't know yet.

The biggest triumph you have?
Being able to play music for years.

What do you appreciate the most in your friends?
Humour, easy going, kind, know how to have good times.

How would you like to die?
Peacefully as an old man, but not in an old folks home.

What defines love to you?
Happiness, trust, and being able to have fun with that person. 

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A kick ass bird or a farm dog.

On what occasion do you lie?
Only when I think its needed.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Music

What is your most treasured possession? 
My car, and the 'Garage'.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
I don't know.

What is your greatest fear?
Snakes

What do you like most about your appearance? 
Smile :)

What turns you on?
Easy going, and a good personality

What turns you off?
Feet.

What's your favourite word?
Word

What's your least favourite word?
Moist

Days of being a wee tike

So there I was, playing with my toy trucks and tractors. Not a care in the world. I was a free spirit. Life was great.

Hold on a tick, something isn't right. Where's my soother? (when I was a little toddler I could NOT live without my soother. It was also called soozie, because everybody knows that.)

So what did I do?

I cried like a champ until I got said soother.

Unaware of what happened to my soozie moments before...
Ever had those things called pee pots? We did. My soozie happened to be sitting on the wooden hamper next to the pee pot. My brother, who is only a mere three years old than myself, thought it was about time that I outgrow having to use a soother. Of course he still states today that it was an 'accident'. But we both really know the truth...

Anyway, somehow my beloved soozie that I cherished dearly ended up in our little pee pot. After the catastrophe took place, my brother snachted the soother out of the pee pot and set it right back where he found out. So to anyone else, soozie never moved.

After I got my way from crying like it was nobody's business, I got soozie back. Over come with joy, I quickly plopped soozie back into my mouth.

"YUCK!"

After a desperate scream of pain, I chucked soozie as far and hard as I could across the kitchen floor.
My mother (who is a saint) instantly knew something was wrong, for I would never treat my soozie with any disrespect.

My Mother went to pick up the soother off of the floor and as she was returning it to me, she realized an awful pee like smell coming from the soother. After a slight disgust look and a chuckle, she threw away soozie.

Soozie and I were done for good that day. There was no way I could ever trust her again...

I never used a soother again after the day.

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