Discovery Journal #10

I chose to do my research paper on the connection between fast food and obesity in America. The fast-food industry is usually the blame for the large population of obese Americans. I completely disagree. There are many more causes as to why America is so big other than the local burger joint. People have become so convinced that fast-food is the cause of the weight problems that the fast food industry had to go so far as too creating a law that protected it from lawsuits. I just think it is ridiculous for one to say, "It is not my fault that I am obese, it is Ronald McDonald's!". Now I am not saying that the two are not related, but one definitely does not cause the other. It is about time that people stop finding excuses for their problems and start creating solutions.

Word Count: 156

DiscoveryJournal #10

It really doesn't matter whether Tupac is dead or alive. Either way, it is he or some other person (such as his producer) making the money that his infamous songs rake in. I don't consider myself a of fan of Tupac, but their are a few of his songs that I am fond of. I wasn't really interested in him until the whole "is he dead" situtation. As mentioned in the article, this entire scenario is a great way to pull in some extra dollars. With all the controversal songs and whatnots, Tupac, dead or alive, had the worlds' attention. There is evidence proving his death and there is evidence of contradiction. Who are we to believe? Will we ever find out the truth? I don't know, but I do know that a person is never completey gone until they are forgotten.

Chrisette Michele's "I Am"

Rare is the singer who can successfully incorporate R&B, hip-hop and jazz into their work, but Chrisette Michele gives it a whirl on I Am (2007). The 23 year old got her break while working with musical heavyweights by appearing on the chorus of Jay-Z's "Lost Ones" and on Nas' "Hip-Hop is Dead". Despite being signed to a label distributed around hip hop (Def Jam Records), Michele has defied expectations and delivered a very old-fashioned R&B album. Her album carries a heavy jazz influence evocative Erykah Badu and Billie Holiday. She has put together an album that contains the fresh, sunny optimism of the young, but is wrapped in an old-school sound and style.
For instance, on "Golden", she sings about yearning for a committed relationship: "I'm so ready to be like the olden days when commitment was golden," she sings. Messages of love and commitment are plentiful on the album, especially on "In This for You", where she sings about her loyalty and dedication to her partner through the words: "I love you more than money." If you are anti-love, this album is not for you. Michele sings of relationships in a way that is different form the usual odes that we hear on the radio nowadays. Her album is packed with a feel of sincerity and truthfulness instead of lust and infidelity.
Unlike most songs that are popular today, Michele's lyrics have purity and meaning. She refuses to make music that is at odds with her strong Christian moral code. Chrisette Michele establishes herself, not as a superior version of the R&B singers already on the scene, but as the kind of artist who is, quite possibly, one-of-a-kind. Although her album is jam packed with melodies of love and fidelity, there are a few tracks that stray away from the concept. For example, one could easily bob their head to her song entitled, "Good Girl". This hip hop based tune not only has a catchy beat, but the message that it delivers is at odds with the rest of the album. Through this song, Michele tells her female audience that a man of wealth is not needed as she belts the words, "Simple love money just can't, but simple love is hard to come by, I don't' need no sugar daddy".
It is so easy to relate to the songs that Michele set out. It is nicely produced and well put together. "I Am" was the perfect title. Michele's voice is immaculate; it just floats and rides on every single melody. I'm pretty much sold on her. Her sound is different, her material is appropriate for her voice, and anything that I can just vibe and groove to always does it for me. I'm simply in love with the fact that she's not your typical "neo-soul" artist. I would recommend this album to anyone who loves R&B soul.

Discovery Journal #9

I completely disagree with the article about muscial cheese. I believe that the music has nothing to do with upholding Generation X. Music in movies is used to eject emotion into an audience. For instance, depending on how fast or slow the tempo of a song is, it can promote a feeling of anxiousness or sadness. I also don't agree with the idea of the 1970s attempting to make a "comeback". It is true that a lot of songs from that time are used in movies or whatnot, but I don't think platform shoes will ever return to the market (unless for halloween purposes) .Going back to the word "cheese", I thought it was funny. I never knew that that would be the term used to describe that "back in the day" song that you haven't heard in ages.

Now for the article about Ice-T and his highly debated song "Cop Killers"...I say, " SO WHAT!!! " .There are far worst songs out there that need to be debated. Songs about sex, adultery, suicide, drugs and homicide flood the radio. No one has tried to ban those from the radio and if they have, they were not successful. Explicit songs that contain the the words "bitch" and "hoe" in every other sentence would cause more damage to society than a song about killing cops would. Think about it: How many times a day to you here a kid, a teenager, an adult call someone (especially women) a "bitch" or "hoe"? How many times a day do you hear of someone killing a cop? The first definetly outweights the second.

Discovery Journal Response #4

I found the article by Clint C. Wilson and Felix Gutierrez to be very interesting. I always knew that advertisements could be very stereotypical when it came to people of color, but I never paid that much attention to it. It may have been that companies don’t directly misrepresent a certain people. There is always some underlying message or tagline that has to be “read” other than just looked at. As wrong as it may be, these types of tactics are becoming old news. The world will never change if people continue to have these false perceptions of one another. Even people of the same origin buy into the stereotypes set in television, music, and everyday life. Wilson and Gutierrez provided a lot of examples of how people of color are used in advertising. Those examples were somewhat shocking because the average person, me included, would think nothing of them. It makes me wonder: Do I not notice these stereotypes because I don’t want to or do I ignore them because they won’t go away.

Word count: 175

Visual Narrative: My Favorite Place

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Loose

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Hospital (padded room), Byron, 1927
Safe Haven

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Control

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Pleasant Nuisance