I’m sure that plenty of people will be blogging about this soon, but last week eighteen students, including five students from this blog, went on the honors ski trip.
We all packed up Monday morning and made the six hour drive to Yosemite in two school vans filled to the brim with snacks and camping equipment. I hadn’t been to the snow in five years, so needless to say I was ecstatic.
I had also never skied before. Here is where my actual blog starts.
Female artists always inspire me and Lykke Li is no exception.Li’s music is classified as indie.
Originating from the small european country of Sweden the female artists music has now progressed world widely. Through her songs we see influences of her european heritage and swedish roots.
Lykke Li’s music is excellently varied. She has slow songs such as “Tonight” for those who need to relax and quirky up beat songs like “Get Some” for those who prefer the busier melody. Thousands across the world enjoy her music with it’s soothing tones and quirky attitude.
Her became known after her song “little bit” in 2007. The release of the song followed on to numerous remixes which included a debut by the well-known hip-hop artist Drake.
Although Lykke Li has had many of her own songs she has also collaborated with many other artists such as Primal Scream, Kleerup and Royksopp.
Releasing her new album “Wounded Rhymes” on the 25th of February 2011, her latest single “I follow rivers” is proving to be a hit among indie lovers, appearing on popular blogs and sites.
In my opinion Lykee Li is different from artists and that is what I love about her. She’s unique and doesn’t try to impress or conform to the stereotypes, releasing great songs that are easy to listen to and put one in a great mood.
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In the past 5 days I have seen some of the most magnificent sights I have ever seen. India, Africa, Egypt and Europe have all hosted idyllic spots for my eyes yet none of these places compare to Yosemite.
After a cross country skiing trip into the beautiful peaks of the Sierra’s I can now express my happiness to be living in California.
The looming granite structures dusted with snow and blanketed in pines have made me realize the expansiveness of the state and the beauty that exists in our world.
My trip to Yosemite has opened my eyes to the life that my parents have chosen for me and although I miss the old times, I can safely say that I am happy to be here.
As much as I do not like to admit it, I can now say that I am pleased to be an inhabitant of America.
She was at the top of her game. When she stepped out onto the stage the audience roared with excitement, but most of all inspiration.
Christina Aguilera’s career started off at the top of charts with consecutive hit singles and
She began, at an early age, as a member of the world famous Mickey Mouse Club and blew everyone away with her “powerhouse” voice. Almost instantly her career built up to complete stardom. The Latina songstress caught everyone’s eye, or ear, when asked to sing the theme song for the 1998 Disney cartoon, Mulan and the publicity led to a successful debut album and suddenly she was the girl that everyone wanted and wanted to be.
After her fame had been set in stone she continued to come out with songs that blew our minds and wrenched our hearts. One album entitled Stripped featured poetic lyrics that reassured an unsure and self-conscious crowd of doubtful
Every time she opened her mouth the most beautiful, powerful sound came out.
Imagine a crowd of guys shouting and pumping their fists in the air, circled around a meaty, muscular goon and a buffed out Brad Pitt covered in sweat and blood. Now, imagine those same guys but a little bit shorter, with higher voices, and the [former] Justin Bieber haircut.
Moms all around the country are always bragging about how proud they are of their sons. “Oh! My boy is so smart! He makes me so proud. He makes so many good choices, he’s just so perfect!” Well, that may not be the case in Tacoma, Washington. Nine proud mothers discovered that their “perfect” little boys were not so flawless after all.
Sure! You should absolutely be proud of your kid if he knows how to defend himself physically. You don’t want your kid to get hurt do you? But, maybe it’s not so impressive when he’s bashing another kid’s brains out.
Recently nine pre-teen boys were expelled from their school because they were part of their very own Brad Pitt flick. Oh, and I would just like to emphasize the words “pre” and “teen”. Seriously, these guys are in sixth grade! Anyway, these nine prepubescent middle schoolers decided it would be cool to start a fight club. Underground gatherings, secret membership, blood, sweat, and soap, the whole shabang.
In 2006, Lupe Fiasco released his first album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums.
In 2007, Lupe Fiasco released his second album, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums as well.
Lupe Fiasco then moved on to his next project, his third album. That was 2008. It’s been almost three years, and only recently (i.e. October 2010) did Atlantic announce a release date for Lupe Fiasco’s third album, Lasers.
Coming out on March 8th, 2011, Lasers has been an intense effort. Fans have created countless websites, signed petitions, and even demonstrated in front of Atlantic’s office’s to get the album released.
Now, Lupe is ready to reclaim the charts, and the world seems more than ready for his return.
Lil’ Wayne released a track this past week titled, “I Hate Love,” that is, for a comeback, quite dark. I’m not sure if anyone remembers 2008’s mild musical disaster, Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak, but when I heard this new style Weezy’s picked up, I immediately flashed on that. It’s dark, it’s passionate, and it’s auto tuned.
That’s really all there is to this track. Like 808’s, it’s very repetitive and not very catchy. Overall not a bad song, but when Lil’ Wayne is trying to come back from something like “Rebirth,” it’s gonna take more than just a song like this.
Lil’ Wayne is almost always upbeat and funny, so to see his music shift in this direction is quite a surprise. The only thing to do now is sit back and see how it pans out for the usually robust rapper and his up comeback album Carter IV.
Jack’s Movie Pick of the Week
The documentary The Art of the Steal is the story of the struggle to control the late Albert C. Barnes’ priceless collection of post-impressionist art.
Albert Barnes was born into a poor Philadelphia family on January 2nd, 1872. He worked his way out of the slums by inventing Argyrol, a drug used to protect babies against venereal diseases. The drug was mass marketed and Barnes made millions.
Around this time, a new type of art was starting to become popular. This art was called post impressionism, or early modern art. Popular artists in this field were Henri Rousseau, Van Gogh and Paul Cézanne to name a few.
Barnes noticed that this would eventually become famous and stocked up on as much of it as possible.
He started the Barnes Foundation as a place to educate people about the wonders of art. The building was designed to teach, not to show. He started several very successful art classes based out of the art lousy building. Just how much art was there? It is appraised at over $25 billion dollars worth. And that isn’t even counting the priceless and un-appraiseable art such as Van Gogh’s “Postman”.
When Barnes died in a car accident in 1951, he made several things very clear in his will. First of all, the art was to never be removed from the walls of the Barnes Foundation. Secondly, the art must be used to educate. And most importantly, he said that the art may never be sold. He also did not want the Foundation to become a museum.
After a series of rather bad managers, the Barnes Foundation was in dire need of money. The art was eventually sold to many of Barnes’ old nemeses. It was sold to museums and the art was squandered to many different museums.
As of now, the city of Philadelphia has ignored Barnes’ dream to create a peaceful location to learn about Pre-modern art. The Foundation is set to move to the center of Philadelphia to become a museum. This is being done to boost the tourism of the city.
Final Verdict
WATCH THIS MOVIE!! It is a great documentary that shows the heist of a multi-billion dollar collection of art. The more people who watch this movie the better.
Although I’ve done lots of music blogs I’ve realized I haven’t done one about an all time favorite bands of mine. Bloc Party.
Bloc Party are described as British alternative rock. Although classified as this, in my opinion the band’s music is not one specific genre. The group’s music explores different melodies and styles adding to their unique sound and on going success.
Forming in 1999 they made their break into the industry in 2003. They got their voice by throwing a demo onto the stage of Scottish band Franz Ferdinand who backed their music along with BBC Radio DJ Steve Lamacq.
In 2005 they released their first album Silent Alarm. Since then the band have progressed and grown to become a world renowned act.
After seeing them live in October 2009 the band sadly decided to take an extended break. Luckily for me I managed to see them on their sell out tour at the Brighton Centre, Brighton, witnessing an otherworldly performance.
Although the venue was full of moshing teenagers and Indie kids the concert was still amazing and these features just added to the atmosphere. Kele (lead singer) was an amazing stage presence awing the crowds with his voice and attitude.
Since taking a break Kele Okereke continued his success releasing solo album “ The Boxer” in 2010. Other members took the opportunity to explore doing their own projects, enjoying life and having fun.
I can’t help but hope that they will once again reunite in the near future, creating more great music and filling my iPod with more of their songs.
On Thursday, February 10th, 2011, Justin Bieber as the world knew him died. He shaved his head… or so we thought. Bieber, teen pop sensation and major promoter of having incredible hair, went on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and staged a segment in which host Jimmy Kimmel shaves the young singers head.
When I first heard the news, I have to admit, my heart was broken. “Why would he do it?” was all I could say. “Beiber’s hair is of the gods.” Then it struck me that I should at least look up a picture of his new hairstyle, or lack of one.
This is where I found out the truth. While Bieber did get a slight hair trim, his hair remains present. Again, I was heartbroken. “This means I still can’t claim to be better looking than him.” I moped for a bit, and then, again, decided to look up a picture of his new “trimmed” hair.
I wasn’t heartbroken. I was furious. It looked really good. I sat in front of my computer for a second longer, and then said to myself, “Well, at least he’s still Justin Bieber.” (i.e. a tool)
Even this thought, however, was only reassuring for a fraction of a minute. The sense of security rushed away when I realized that if I had the chance, I’d trade places with the Biebs. Well, maybe not that far, but I’d at least kick it with him.
Either way, I was ashamed of myself for even getting into this whole ordeal. In a matter of minutes, my manhood was destroyed, my looks were questioned, and all off it was done by my very own actions.
I’ve dug myself a hole that I don’t think I’ll be able to easily escape, but I don’t have the focus to write an alternative post to this one, so for now, I have to say, I’ve come down with Bieber fever, and it can only get more intense from here.
OVS Journalism Blog 
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