the muse

Often times my brain is too tired to even produce a thought  so the medium I usually turn to is music. audio makes me wonder at times: is this mainstream or not? is it a distraction or escapism? to what extent does it define me? but certain songs at times are something else it can make me dance, sing along, as accompaniment, and inspire me to create.

The most common phrase i hear a lot is "I listen to everything" that kind of bores me, I do as well and it might as well be a response to everything "I'll eat everything", "i'll watch anything", "I read everything", "Ill wear anything" it doesn't sound entirely true to me, not everything has a grasp on you. continue the phrase or simply start by naming artists and concerts you recently went to. there will always be praise and criticism for the specific music choices you have but be proud to deliver your style. I Prefer Rock!!!

  My favorite song recording of 2013-14 would have to be "Hypocrite" by Cage The Elephant. the song rushed through my ears while i was on the bus headed to De Anza: the clouds and every bodies faces spoke and meant something as emotions spewed into my brain when this song played. it deserved to be played on my guitar once i got home because listening to it just wasn't sufficient. the drums in the back round rumble through this melodic voice that is accompanied by five guitar chords and contributed with a deranged trumpet. 

other honorable mentions for 2013-14: Knee Socks (Arctic Monkeys), Put a Light On (The Generationals), Stolen Dance (Milky Chance) 

I'm not really sure what is considered  "oldie" i assume its a song before or during the 70's I'm not too sure. But if so i would have to choose "Sweet Jane", poetry being sung by the most avant-garde band The Velvet Underground. the song is four simple chords intertwined by an extravagant solo which is Lou Reed's voice. once I got bored of the Beatles, Rolling stones etc. the velvet underground just satisfied and lead me to a different path of music.  

Other honorable mentions for Oldie: A Day In The Life (The Beatles), Disorder (Joy Division), The End (Sibylle Baier)

"Magazine please"

Concept: as a young adult it seems that most individuals need to find themselves not just in college/academics but in their community. this magazine is different because it focuses here in the Bay Area where the youth who are on a low budget can gather fashion, access to local events, inspiration, and ideas. It also promotes local businesses, artists,gay rights, going green, European and eastern perspectives, and especially income inequality in America!

Readers: young adults living in the bay area. both genders and every ethnicity between ages 16-28 years old. targeting low income individuals.

Competition: Believer Magazine

Advertisers: AirBnB, The Starving musician, Domino Recording company, Amazon, Converse


Featured articles:

1. Haight street- loaded with plenty of thrift stores so you can fill up your home with furniture and your closets with vast attire. 
2. Gentrification in the Bay area-  24 year old single working mother says "I wanted to stay near my family in the city i love and i could have if wages were higher, if job opportunities were available,and if housing was more affordable".
3. Weekend adventures- your $20 can get you hours of spontaneous entertainment at these local EDM events. come for the modern music scene happening and listen to Dj's displaying their wicked sound. 
4. City Lights- an independent book store in S.F. with some of the rarest books on display categorized under labels such as spiritual traditions, sociology, Marxism, animation, theater & film, Punk etc.. upstairs is a room commemorated to the beat Authors.
5. Safe Sex!- check out positive.org for tips and advice

 

books

Books don’t just give me pleasure; they calm and comfort me. I feel that no time is being wasted and no harm or dangers are being caused when I pick up a book. To be able to articulate every emotion and scene that occurs is the greatest skill one obtains when reading books. Why anyone would attempt to ban books may seem ridiculous to us westerners who consider ourselves liberals and open minded. But any time someone has a solid perspective on life and feels that it is being threatened he will more than likely retaliate; some more maturely than others by putting themselves in the other group’s shoes than give a counter argument. However there are those who are stubborn and retaliate by putting a stop to it; such as silencing and banning a book. Some attempts are foiled but others do not go in vain, considering that there are countries that have much higher censorship than others. Sure a few people in those countries will secretly obtain those books and get away; however there are others who are not as fortunate; they are unaware and convinced that censorship of certain material and information is right, never obtaining such books. I believe books should not be banned because when or wherever there is a person who seeks new, change, different, pleasure, etc. they should not be denied.

It wasn’t until I was 18 that I actually chose and completed a book on my own without skimming it or being assigned it and began to feel those feelings I described earlier. One of the first books I thoroughly enjoyed was “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. It was a kick starter in the right direction of pursuing literature. It was very influential to me because I also completed the nine books that were assigned to the main character during the story. There have been attempts to ban this book and the reasons are pretty simple. It contains minimal affiliation with sex and drugs. It’s a young adults book so it contains all the typical things a bored suburban boy, coming of age would attempt if the opportunity was handed when facing uncharted territory.  I liked it because the early 90’s is a period of time when rock was great and young romance was still delivered in letters. For those who enjoy nostalgic moments I recommend this book.

            A couple of reasons to ban a book are sex, drugs, violence, homo sexuality and many more. A book that comes to mind is “Naked Lunch”. Such intense graphic detail is displayed in this book by William Burroughs of pedophilia, heroin addiction, and taboo culture. It was influential to me because it taught me that there are no such things as limits and one should not be ashamed to expose what one considers their deranged thoughts to the public. Art is art.

Another book that I enjoyed and is also considered amongst the list of banned books is “1984” by George Orwell. A book that scared, puzzled, and entertained me.  If totalitarianism continued after WWII or even still today in any other country that embodies this government: a story of the horrors and dangers these tactics of propaganda and censorship could instill. A book that would be a great read especially since this class topic is media and the one thing that an authority knows is that if it wants to maintain power by force it’s through the media.