Hello Bloggonians! Howdy y'all as we often say in my native North Carolina. Just a little birthday edition, (I turned the big 42 on the 20th), to entertain and inform you this fine morning. Peyton Manning is officially a Denver Bronco now, I suppose. At least if the Broncos beat my Steelers in the playoffs again, we won't get "Tebowed"! The NCAA tournament is down to the Sweet 16, and my beloved Tarheels are still in it, although two of our starting lineup are a bit banged up with wrist injuries. "The Hunger Games" will be opening in theaters on the 23rd also, me and my family have been anxiously awaiting this movie every since we heard they were making it. We've read the three books, and they are outstanding. I literally had to pry myself away from them, I wanted to sit and read them all in one sitting, but alas sometimes I do have to work, or eat, or shower...seriously they are very well written books that keep you on your toes the whole series. Luckily I read all three of them recently in succession, because I don't think I would've been able to wait on the next ones to be written, they're that good.
Enough of the fluff and stuff. I have been debating over a couple of different things I wanted to rant on today, and it came down to why I think "Gone With the Wind" is the best movie EVER, or how unhinged I become sometimes with the way movies and television, (and the majority of the world at large), portray Southern people. Although I can make a very good case for the first, I think I'll go with the latter.
I especially despise fake Southern accents that some actors use, the over-emphasized twang and way too long drawn out drawl is like nails on a chalk board to me. I often wonder if some of the actors/actresses have ever even been to the South or done any kind of research on dialects and what-not. I usually automatically assume it's going to be a crappy, low-budget movie if they can't even afford to hire a true Southern actor/actress for the role. It's not like there's not plenty of them out there; Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Luke and Owen Wilson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Billy Bob Thorton, Kim Basinger, Dakota Fanning, and Zach Galiafinakis (who hails from my native Wilkes County, North Carolina), just to name a few.The South has produced a multitude of respectable, intelligent actors/actresses over the years.
Which brings me to the next item, intelligence. It seems that a great deal of the rest of the world automatically deducts 100 IQ points when someone is from the South, especially if you're a rural Southerner like I was raised. Country people may live simpler and at a slower pace, but let me assure you they are just as sharp as anyone else, and a whole lot sharper than a lot of non-Southerners I can think of. Many of the products and services we enjoy were invented, or perfected by Southern men and/or women. Herman Lay and the Frito Lay Company, Pleasant Hanes and the Hanes Corporation, Caleb Bradham and Pepsi Cola, and T.W. Garner and Texas Pete were all just from my home state of North Carolina alone!
The most disturbing to me and the one that infuriates me to no end is the stereotype of Southerners as uneducated hillbillies, hicks, racists, and poor barefoot, ridge running, collard green eating, rednecks. This doesn't even represent 1/1000th of true Southerners. The rural Southerners I grew up around were hard working, confident, Faith based people who looked after one another for the most part and helped out neighbors and people in the community in times of need. I know that there are elements of Southerners that do fall under some of the negative stereotypes, but to say we're all that way is like saying everyone who lives in L.A. is in a street gang, or that all Italian people are in the Mafia, it's just simply not true. Maybe I'll start a Southern Cultural Outreach Program to enlighten all the poor misguided souls as to our lifestyles and heritage. I chuckle...
On a parting note, I'll leave you with some of the Southerners who've given us some great music over the years. So many people say "Southern Rock" when they refer to so many bands from the South, but the fact is that Rock and Roll was born in the south, the bastard child of Jazz, Blues with a touch of Country. I believe it was Greg Allman who said that calling it Southern Rock was redundant like saying Rock, Rock. Besides the obvious "Southern Rock" bands like ZZ Top, Lynerd Skynerd, Allman Brothers, and the Marshall Tucker Band there are also the likes of REM, and the B-52's, and heavy hitters like the metal band Pantera, just to name a few. In the last decade the Southern Rap scene has exploded with the likes of Goodie Mobb, Outkast, Ludacris, Lil' Wayne, and too many others to name.
Here's a nice thick slab of Southern Goodness, Allman Brothers "Whipping Post", one of my personal favorites. Dig those 70's duds and hair styles also, good stuff. I chuckle again...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6up076lSH8
Until next time "Y'all come back now, here?", sorry, I couldn't resist!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Some Truth and a Whole Lot of Lies
Hello fellow Bloggonians! I don't have any pressing issues that are on my mind, so I'll just share a little of what's been going on in my world as of late. My beloved Carolina Tarheels fell to the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC tournament, Peyton Manning is still window shopping for his next team, Randy Moss is going to be a Forty-Niner, politicians are cranking out the promises and lies, and I'm roughly thirteen weeks away from being a dad again! I did, however exercise my right to a little mid-life crisis tomfoolery by getting my first tattoo. It was a good experience, but I'm not sure if it's addictive as everyone says, or maybe I just started too late. I think compared to some of the things I've seen men, (as well as women), do in their mid-lives, that a tattoo is pretty mild, especially these days when everyone and their brother has one.
There is one topic out there now in "current events" that troubles me somewhat. The whole "Kony 2012" craze that's sweeping the internet and world at large under the guise of human rights activism. For anyone who may have not heard, a video went viral on Youtube a couple of weeks ago, NGO Invisible Children's Kony 2012 tells of Joseph Kony a devious Ugandan warlord who is notorious for kidnapping children and forcing them to serve in his Lord's Resistance Army (LRC).
The unfortunate fact is that Kony hasn't been in Uganda for at least 5 years and is believed by many to be dead. So why would one exiled, possibly dead, evil warlord suddenly be cast into the forefront of media attention and is now being compared to Hitler and Osama Bin Laden, and being called on by the usual array of "humanitarian" celebrities demanding that our government intervene and become involved in yet another conflict when there are still numerous warlords in Uganda that are very easily found operating in the same way that Kony has? Is it possible he is the new "smoking gun" that will never be found, like the WMD's in Iraq?
Could it be that the land he's supposedly still in control of is rich in oil and "blood diamonds", or that it is a good central-command jumping off point for the re-colonization of Africa. I guess I can hope against hope that there is a legitimate effort going on in this situation, but it smells a whole lot like Iraq, Bosnia, Serbia, Libya, etc.etc..
In closing I'll leave you with an article from my favorite news outlet, infowars.com which has several other very informative links attached on the subject and ask that you, the free-thinking Bloggonians at least read it with an open mind and not the mind that has been force-fed by the government controlled media for so long.
Also, here's a little Tool with a song that I believe is relevant with this topic, "Right In Two" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzB9XCrwvMk&feature=related
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Fare Thee Well Mr. Manning!!
I actually got the idea for my little rant tonight from a Facebook post by one of my friends saying that he believes that the Colts are "traitors" for letting Peyton Manning go in order to get Andrew Luck in the draft. I'm not a sports writer, that's my brother Bryans niche and he's more qualified to comment, but I believe my friend to be correct in his outrage.
Personally I sincerely hope that Luck ends up being a lame duck like Ryan Leaf, (no personal offense to either individual), and that Peyton goes on to bigger and better things with a more appreciative franchise. From what I've heard several people have came back from that same neck surgery that he's returning from and gone on to have many years of productive play. Who and when I can't recall, again that's not my area.
I just think that free agency has pretty much ruined sports today, especially my beloved football. I can't count the times that I've shook my head in disbelief at some of the people my personal favorites, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have let go over the years for salary cap or whatever reasons. Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene in the 90's as well as Rod Woodson. Don't get me started on how they did Kordell Stewart, who I still think created the modern mold for the mobile quarterback, but I AM biased. Most recently the decision to release three older players, Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, and James Farrior, who were all relatively still productive. There seems to be a lot more player loyalty toward the team than the other way around.
I understand that it is a business and the powers that be in the organizations have to make decisions based on what they believe to be the best for the team, but I think if a player is willing to take a salary cut just to finish his career with the team that he's fought, and bled for for years, then arrangements surely could be made. If a player has been injured and makes a full recovery and is deemed playable by all the right medical authorities, such as Peyton Manning, then he ought to be at least given a chance to compete for his job with a rookie, if need be. I'm no expert, but I personally believe he's got at LEAST 3-4 good, productive years left in him. Colts fans should be disgusted and angry at the ownership's decision.
Teams owners expect results and success immediately, that's why they can't wait to see if a returning legend is capable of playing at his former level, and why coaches tenures are shorter and shorter. It takes more that a year, even two for a system to develop, in most cases. Their are times where newcomers like Jim Harbaugh, and even my Steelers Mike Tomlin, come in and hit the ground running and have success, but usually there is a core team there either on defense, offense, or both that make that possible. Although I'm not a NFC fan, after the Steelers got "Tebowed" in the playoffs, I was glad to see Tom Coughlin and the Giants take the Super Bowl. One of, if not the main reason, was that earlier in the season, all you heard was Tom Coughlin is done in New York, blah, blah, blah! It did my heart good to see someone with a tenure of almost 10 years and a team that has had it's share of ups and downs with pretty much the same core of veterans get it done and take it all.
I suppose we as sports fans will just have to deal with decisions of our teams owners and management no matter how much it ticks us off, because as I said, it is a business and nowadays everything is determined by businessmen. If it's not profitable, they get rid of it, players are products nowadays in the purest sense of the word. We'll continue watching, however, as always no matter what foolishness they do, because we are the epitome of loyalty, we are the fans.
I'll leave you with a little musical goodness of Pink Floyd at Madison Square Gardens in 1987 singing about what makes it all go 'round...Money! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MGzVVI-onE&feature=related
Personally I sincerely hope that Luck ends up being a lame duck like Ryan Leaf, (no personal offense to either individual), and that Peyton goes on to bigger and better things with a more appreciative franchise. From what I've heard several people have came back from that same neck surgery that he's returning from and gone on to have many years of productive play. Who and when I can't recall, again that's not my area.
I just think that free agency has pretty much ruined sports today, especially my beloved football. I can't count the times that I've shook my head in disbelief at some of the people my personal favorites, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have let go over the years for salary cap or whatever reasons. Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene in the 90's as well as Rod Woodson. Don't get me started on how they did Kordell Stewart, who I still think created the modern mold for the mobile quarterback, but I AM biased. Most recently the decision to release three older players, Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, and James Farrior, who were all relatively still productive. There seems to be a lot more player loyalty toward the team than the other way around.
I understand that it is a business and the powers that be in the organizations have to make decisions based on what they believe to be the best for the team, but I think if a player is willing to take a salary cut just to finish his career with the team that he's fought, and bled for for years, then arrangements surely could be made. If a player has been injured and makes a full recovery and is deemed playable by all the right medical authorities, such as Peyton Manning, then he ought to be at least given a chance to compete for his job with a rookie, if need be. I'm no expert, but I personally believe he's got at LEAST 3-4 good, productive years left in him. Colts fans should be disgusted and angry at the ownership's decision.
Teams owners expect results and success immediately, that's why they can't wait to see if a returning legend is capable of playing at his former level, and why coaches tenures are shorter and shorter. It takes more that a year, even two for a system to develop, in most cases. Their are times where newcomers like Jim Harbaugh, and even my Steelers Mike Tomlin, come in and hit the ground running and have success, but usually there is a core team there either on defense, offense, or both that make that possible. Although I'm not a NFC fan, after the Steelers got "Tebowed" in the playoffs, I was glad to see Tom Coughlin and the Giants take the Super Bowl. One of, if not the main reason, was that earlier in the season, all you heard was Tom Coughlin is done in New York, blah, blah, blah! It did my heart good to see someone with a tenure of almost 10 years and a team that has had it's share of ups and downs with pretty much the same core of veterans get it done and take it all.
I suppose we as sports fans will just have to deal with decisions of our teams owners and management no matter how much it ticks us off, because as I said, it is a business and nowadays everything is determined by businessmen. If it's not profitable, they get rid of it, players are products nowadays in the purest sense of the word. We'll continue watching, however, as always no matter what foolishness they do, because we are the epitome of loyalty, we are the fans.
I'll leave you with a little musical goodness of Pink Floyd at Madison Square Gardens in 1987 singing about what makes it all go 'round...Money! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MGzVVI-onE&feature=related
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Gift of Youth
Of all the promises that I said that I would keep in my life, I think the one that I've lived up to the most, (sometimes maybe a little too much), is the promise that no matter how old I get that I would remember how it feels to be young. I entered my 40's, (kicking and screaming against my will), almost 2 years ago but I can still remember some of the events, experiences, emotions of my late teens and 20's.
I'm not going to pretend that I was the smartest or most responsible person in my youth, but I will say that I lived it to the fullest. I cannot bear to see young people these days living like shut-ins glued to the "boob-tube", video games, and what-not and never get out and experience the joys of being young outdoors. Even when I was a full-time party machine, we would spend countless hours of the day playing basketball, going to the mountains, or some sort of outdoor activity. Society is getting more and more geared to being indoors anchored to the computer, television and video game. There are still the fun-loving adventurous souls who brave the big bad world and experience more than the inside living side of life, but they are getting much more scarce.
Some more young folks that trouble me are "the angry-for-the-purpose-of-being-angry" kind of people. I am aware that every generation has had the teenage angst and rebellion to deal with, but it seems that it has evolved/devolved into a pure rage, and hatred of anything positive or good. I was a huge fan of punk as well as rap in my youth, not the r&b rap crap, or the commercialized, manufactured punk of today, and both were teeming with rebellion against a system that was unsatisfactory and is not any better nowadays, but even those had undertones of unity and a desire to make things better. It's as though there has been a wedge driven between the young and anyone over 25.
The youth that upset me the most though, are the ones I see that seem to have no drive for anything, and that is coming from a pioneer in the Slacker Generation. The pseudo-emo-ultra-depressed kids are the ones that break my heart. All that the world has out there to enjoy, all the experiences of youth and being young in general being ignored in favor of self loathing and social detachment. Get out and meet a girl/guy, join band, go on a road trip, just do SOMETHING! I just don't get it. I fear that in modern times the old quote from George Bernard Shaw rings true, "Youth is wasted on the young".
As I stated in the beginning, I'm not directing this to all the young people, because there are some that do tend to break the mold and do their own thing. I'm not saying for young people to become the conformity minded masses that I see every day either, because the death of individualism is the greatest tragedy of them all. I'm just trying to make a point that life is entirely too short, and being young is just a fraction of that, so live each day fully, and create those memories that you can look back on and smile and reminisce when you're an old fart like me!
Until next time, here's a newer song from one of my favorite bands of my 20's. "Sunset in July" by 311. I have found that it is LITERALLY impossible to be angry or in a bad mood when listening to 311, so smack those blues, foul moods or general anger away and enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkKy3E5Rx2c&feature=related
I'm not going to pretend that I was the smartest or most responsible person in my youth, but I will say that I lived it to the fullest. I cannot bear to see young people these days living like shut-ins glued to the "boob-tube", video games, and what-not and never get out and experience the joys of being young outdoors. Even when I was a full-time party machine, we would spend countless hours of the day playing basketball, going to the mountains, or some sort of outdoor activity. Society is getting more and more geared to being indoors anchored to the computer, television and video game. There are still the fun-loving adventurous souls who brave the big bad world and experience more than the inside living side of life, but they are getting much more scarce.
Some more young folks that trouble me are "the angry-for-the-purpose-of-being-angry" kind of people. I am aware that every generation has had the teenage angst and rebellion to deal with, but it seems that it has evolved/devolved into a pure rage, and hatred of anything positive or good. I was a huge fan of punk as well as rap in my youth, not the r&b rap crap, or the commercialized, manufactured punk of today, and both were teeming with rebellion against a system that was unsatisfactory and is not any better nowadays, but even those had undertones of unity and a desire to make things better. It's as though there has been a wedge driven between the young and anyone over 25.
The youth that upset me the most though, are the ones I see that seem to have no drive for anything, and that is coming from a pioneer in the Slacker Generation. The pseudo-emo-ultra-depressed kids are the ones that break my heart. All that the world has out there to enjoy, all the experiences of youth and being young in general being ignored in favor of self loathing and social detachment. Get out and meet a girl/guy, join band, go on a road trip, just do SOMETHING! I just don't get it. I fear that in modern times the old quote from George Bernard Shaw rings true, "Youth is wasted on the young".
As I stated in the beginning, I'm not directing this to all the young people, because there are some that do tend to break the mold and do their own thing. I'm not saying for young people to become the conformity minded masses that I see every day either, because the death of individualism is the greatest tragedy of them all. I'm just trying to make a point that life is entirely too short, and being young is just a fraction of that, so live each day fully, and create those memories that you can look back on and smile and reminisce when you're an old fart like me!
Until next time, here's a newer song from one of my favorite bands of my 20's. "Sunset in July" by 311. I have found that it is LITERALLY impossible to be angry or in a bad mood when listening to 311, so smack those blues, foul moods or general anger away and enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkKy3E5Rx2c&feature=related
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