Author: smackyjackjack

Beach Boys -> Punk -> Metal (fiddle) -> Tech no

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Having been to many different schools I have  seen, and been a part of, many different music scenes. I grew up in the South Bay of California, or to be more specific, Manhattan Beach. The growing beach town used to be the place to go and soak up the beach life. Now however, it is a rich, very conservative, oddly out of place city.

While I was growing up there, the main music everyone from Jr. High to College were listening to was Punk.  Bands like the Circle Jerks,  Bad Religion, NOFX, and my favorite, Pennywise, were all from the South Bay. These are some of the most famous punk bands on the West Coast, ergo every kid from 13 to the early 20’s wanted to be just like them. I did for a while, then I moved to Ojai.

I moved from Manhattan when I was 12. I went to Oak Grove School for about a year. The music scene there changed from Punk, to Metal. At first, I didn’t find much music in the loud clanging of metal, but after a while, and a little pressure, I did. That went away quickly. The thing that ruined it may have been the “fiddle” immersion in one of the high schoolers metal bands. 

Once I came to OVS, the scene altered dramatically into electronic. This is the one genre that I could never like. Dubstep, tech no, drum and bass. I never like any of them. To me, the music has no soul.

There you have it. Music timelne according to Jack. Beach Boys -> Punk -> Metal (fiddle) -> Tech no. What will it be next?

Puppy Bowl

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Today, the most important football game in American history took place. That’s right, the 2011 Puppy Bowl. The Puppy Bowl, hosted by Animal Planet, is a football match that has puppies for players. The objective is to have the puppies carry the stuffed toy shaped like a football to the other side of the small stadium.

This wasn’t any Puppy Bowl though. This was the 7th annual Puppy Bowl with the Kitten Halftime show. They were better than the Black Eyed Peas though. One of the puppies was called for a call of “excessive cutness”. Which was a bummer because that puppy had a lot of potential.  If anyone were to stray from their couches and change the channel during the really important super bowl, the Puppy Bowl VII would have been the best choice.

Hurricane Yasi

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The massive hurricane hitting the coast of Eastern Australia is getting worse and worse. It has been named the worst natural disaster in Australian history. The storm is now much bigger than hurricane Katrina, and it also has a better name. Winds have been reported to be as high as 183 MPH, with waves as high as 30 feet. Flooding is once again a major factor in Australia because of the rain. An area the size of the U.K. has been covered in water.

Scale of Cyclone Yasi imageThis natural disaster in Queensland comes on top of the immense flooding in and around Brisbane. Flooding has just recently becoming a big problem in mainland eastern Australia.  Hopefully, once the cyclone has passed, the government can help with the multi billion dollar recovery.

Gregg Allman

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A big surprise came this month when Gregg Allman came out with his new solo album, “Low Country Blues“. This album is a mixture of blues and, well, country.   The key track is “Floating Bridge”. This is a slow smooth southern blues song, that, of course, is about someone drowning. It’s pretty happy stuff.

Another key song is “Rolling Stone.”   The producer, T Bone Burnett did a great job with the album, but especially this song. The drums are great at the beginning, and add to the tense effect.

All in all, this is a great album. It shows Gregg Allman’s talent as a solo artist. Allman’s voice is key to the success of this album. So if you are in a Barnes & Noble or a Starbucks anytime soon, be sure to pick up this album.

Soccer?

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Just the other day, my dad and I were talking about what were the most valuable sports teams in the world. He said Lakers, and I said that it had to be the Bulls. When I looked it up, I got a bit of a shock.

With Lakers being worth about 600 million dollars (according to Forbes), and the Bulls worth about 500 million, I figured that not a lot of teams could get much more valuable.  But boy was I wrong.

What I didn’t take into account was the world’s ridiculous obsession with soccer. Manchester United is worth a whopping $1.89  billion. $1.89  billion! How is there a single family owned team that is worth so much?

The answer lies with the strange relationship the world has with soccer (sorry, “futbol”)If you go anywhere in the world other than the US, then you can see what I mean. In places like Spain and Italy, soccer is huge. Why is that? It’s easy, can be played anywhere, and doesn’t require a lot of equipment. 

The one thing that the US has right is that soccer is a bummer. It is really boring to watch, and is frustrating to play. Whenever I play, I just wanna pick up the ball and throw it into the goal.

I guess I’m the odd one out.  The whole world cannot be wrong….usually. But a sport that’s played with your feet? Really?

Australia

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Way down under (Waaaay down under), there is a country called Australia. I know what you’re thinking, Fosters’, Abo-digenies, “The Dingo ate my baby” (that actually happened by the way) and kangaroos.

Surprisingly, there is a more to that landmass that makes up most of Oceania. It’s home to one of the world’s greatest Reefs, and the world’s largest rock. Yeah, the biggest one. It’s pretty dope.

You like surfing? We’ve got surfing; just don’t let the sharks get you down.  Some of the best surfing in Australia is in Byron Bay.  You know, that’s the beach break just west of Widow’s Rock  (Side note; It’s called “Widow’s Rock” because of a shark attack that left a woman widowed).  Hey, if you don’t like sharks, just head down south and chill with the penguins. The water’s a little cold, that’s all.

Traveling in the central mainland can be pretty phenomenal. When my family drove to my mom’s hometown, Pyramid Hill, we saw some pretty cool stuff.  The first thing that catches your eye is the 300-foot tall Pyramid Hill. That is literally the only change in elevation for miles around.  And hey, if you don’t like hills, there’s a lot of sand around. A LOT of sand. It’s red too.

The small town that surrounds the hill is very interesting. However, it has been going downhill due to drought. The drought is causing the salt to rise to above ground, killing most crops. So that makes for an interesting landscape.

 

All Stars

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With only 4 days left to vote, the NBA All Star Teams are coming together. Usually the most popular players get picked, but this year, I hope to see some of my picks on the team…

West

As one of the forwards I have to pick the amazing rookie sensation Blake Griffin. The toughness and raw power of the 21-year-old Clipper is too good to not make the team. With his strong defense and amazing dunk, Griffin will hopefully make to team.

Since I’m a Laker fan I have to go with Ron Artest for the second forward (sorry Durant). He may be the craziest player in the NBA, but Artest shows great heart. With great defensive and solid offensive skills, Artest definitely makes the team.

For the point guard I have to pick the toughest, most determined player in the NBA, Steve Nash. To me, Nash commands the most respect out of any player. That’s not just because of his skill, but because he wants to win.   In the last playoffs, Nash had his nose broken on a defensive play. What did he do? He pulled it back into place and kept playing.

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For the next guard, I pick Kobe. Do I have to explain?

The West team’s center? Andrew Bynum. With his imposing bulk, and skill, Bynum is the obvious choice. Bynum is easily the best center in the West, and maybe the league (maybe Noah. More on him later).

East

The obvious choice for one of the East’s forwards is Amare Stoudemire. This is the player that has single-handedly turned one of the worst teams in the East into a solid 5th place team.  With power and skill, Stoudemire is a great choice.

The next pick is a little strange because I refuse to pick anyone on the Heat (lookin’ at you Bosh). It’s weird too because I hated the 2000 Sacramento Kings, but I have to pick Hedo Turkoglu. The only reason I’m picking him is because I have a grudge against everyone else (“cough” Bosh”cough” Garnett “cough”). Having said that, he is a solid player.

The point guard for the East would have to be Derrick Rose. This player has shown prowess and ability since the start of his career.  He is on one of the up and rising teams, the Chicago Bulls. I hope they can get a ring before too soon. Just not this year because the Lakers have to get another 3-peat.

The next guard is the rookie John Wall. Not only has he mastered the fine art of Dougie-ing, but he can also play a good game of basketball. Sadly this player may not get the rookie of the year trophy because he is on one of the worst teams ever.

Saving the best for last, the East center would have to be Joakim Noah. Not only is he one of the best centers out there, but he makes everyone around him better.  This is the type of player that can be an asset to any team.

So that’s it. Hopefully Noah and Wall can make it on the team, because they are my favorites. Go Lakers.

Favorite Players

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If I had to pick my favorite team sport, that would be easy; it’s basketball. But if I had to pick my favorite athletes, that would be harder.  I have a lot of favorite athletes, but most of them are basketball players. Right now, I really like the Washington Wizards‘ point guard, John Wall.  John Wall is a rookie this year, but has all ready proven himself to be one of the better players in the NBA, and he can only get better. In just his second game in the NBA, he was one steal away from getting a triple  double. In my opinion, he deserves the rookie of the year trophy over Blake Griffin.

Switching to soccer, my favorite player is Carles Puyol. Puyol is an aggressive, long haired defender for Barcelona. He is most famous for his incident with the Queen of Spain in which he was unaware of the fact that she was in their locker room, and came out in his towel.  He is the best defender on any soccer team in the world.

But above all, my favorite player in any sport is Joakim Noah. Noah plays as the center for the Chicago Bulls. Noah may not have the most talent in the NBA, but he defenetly has the most heart. He will never give up until he can’t play anymore (which is what he has been doing recently due to an injury). 

Australian National Disaster

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Many parts of the world are being hit with large and unforeseen storms, but none can match the devastating floods in Australia. The unprecedented amounts of rain have caused major floods that are devastating the country’s economy, environment and society.
The floods in the south of Australia have been going on for  a while, but it just got much worse. One city named Toowoomba has been one of the hardest hit. The floods there all started when a small valley got 6 inches of rain in 30 minutes.  The water then funneled out of the valley and caused a 25 ft. tall tsunami of water to go rushing through the surrounding area.  It rushed through Toowoomba and killed at least 2 people and 70 more are missing or injured.  The worst is still to come, however, because the water is headed towards Australia’s third most populated city: Brisbane.

The floods are also pounding other towns in the north. An area roughly the size of Texas and New Mexico is underwater (That includes many small towns and cities).  The water also is causing environmental disasters. The water has picked up pesticides and other toxic wastes and flooding them into the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s largest and most prolific reefs. The floods have also washed away farms making the cost of food go up a whopping 30% in Australia.

Julian Assange

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One of the world’s most controversial people, Julian Assange, was arrested on tuesday in London on sexual abuse charges. Julian Assange is the founder of Wikileaks. Wikileaks is the website where anonymous sources can post information that has to do with confidential American intelligence. The posting of this information has started heated debates about whether or not it is okay to post information like this on a public website.  One side argues that it will compromise America’s security,  and the other argues that it is freedom of speech.

Now that Julian Assange has been arrested, it has sparked a huge war between Assange’s followers, and his prosecutors. Some of his lawyers’ bank accounts have been hacked, draining their accounts.  The hackers have done this to protest the arrest, and emphasize freedom of speech.