On Sunday, President Bush held his final press conference in Iraq before he is escorted out of office in January. During the press conference, and Arab journalist took off both his shoes and chucked them one at a time at the President's head (aren't journalists supposed to write the news, not make the news?). Bush ducked, Matrix style, and narrowly missed both times being hit in the head with the shoes. The journalist apparently screamed "This is a farewell kiss, dog" at the President as he was tackled by security. The whole incident was caught on video (for our entertainment) and I was able to easily find it one YouTube. Question is, will this be the last of unconventional farewells for our beloved (sarcasm) president? Apparently George Bush reported, jokinly, that the man's shoes were a size ten. Check out more on the New York Times.

Subway Art

Artists and twins Doug and Mike Starn have been working on their latest work at the South Ferry station and will be opened to the public in January. "See It Split, See It Change" is a creative piece that features, "curved floor-to-ceiling glass walls laced with silhouettes of trees, a marble mosaic of a vintage topographic map of Manhattan, and other imagery drawn from nearby Battery Park." Their goal was to make the last stop on the Number 1 train a little more welcoming. They artists are sponsored by The Arts of Transit program of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Starn's are very excited about their work and look forward to it being there forever, untouched by man.

Bedouin Soundclash

At my retail summer job in the mall, we're allowed to play our own music as long as its "customer friendly." Mostly people put on their IPod's and just let random songs play. However, one day my manager John put on a CD of this band he's been raving about. When I first heard the reggae pop chilled out beats I assumed it was 311 and asked John if that's who it was. He immediately rolled his eyes and was angry that I even compared them to 311. He played the whole cd through and I absolutely loved it (being a huge fan of reggae and bands like 311 and Sublime). When I asked him the name of the band he told me and I honestly didn't know what he said and asked him to repeat it a couple of times and write it down for me. Bedouin Soundclash; what a powerful name, I thought to myself. The name hails from Israeli fusion artist and producer Badawi’s release in 1996, which pays homage to nomadic Arabic poet tribe called the Bedouins. The three Canadian guys in their early 20's first formed the group in 2001 and have since been a hit in Canada. There song 12:59 Lullaby was ( to my disgust) featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy. There new album Street Gospels will hopefully gain some notoriety in America so they will expand their Canadian-only tour to America so I can see them live! I can't really explain how much I love this band in just this blog, but it's rare for me to like new music ( I'm a huge classic rock fan) so this to me means a lot. Check them out for yourself: http://www.rhapsody.com/bedouin-soundclash-2

SNL Skit about Blind NY Gov. Paterson

It's argued that it wasn't nice, and it's argued that it was humorous. I'll remain neutral but I will say this ... One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Brown Baggin' It

In a New Yorker article written by Lauren Collins, she describes the rise of shoppers using brown recyclable bags rather than flashy name brand shopping bags (such as the well known turquoise Tiffany's bag). This is partly because of the recent rise in "going green" and brown bags are as mentioned recyclable, and in addition, plastic bags are extremely bad for the environment, and we use way too many of them, in my opinion. Collins feels that this is due partly to the economy crash. She mentions that the wealthy don't exactly feel guilty about parading around with their Gucci and Prada shopping bags with overly priced cargo, but being wealthy isn't exactly as "popular" as it once was. Exploiting the fact that you have money during these times is fair game for snarls and a good deal of eye rolling. To read more about the brown bag craze go here: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/12/22/081222ta_talk_collins

How Ironic

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- An American anti-kidnapping consultant was kidnapped in Mexico, according to the Houston-based security firm he works for.

Felix Batista was abducted outside a restaurant December 10 in Saltillo, the capital of Mexico's Coahuila state, the firm said.

The former U.S. military officer is a contract consultant for ASI Global LLC and was in Mexico "on personal business," ASI Global President Charlie LeBlanc told CNN.

He said the FBI is investigating the incident along with Mexican authorities.

Kidnappings and violence reached record levels in Mexico this year.

Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said this month that organized-crime killings soared to 5,376 in 2008, more than double the 2,477 deaths in Mexico in 2007.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon met over the summer with the country's 32 governors to unveil a plan to combat the nation's staggering rise in kidnappings.

The plan includes building special prisons for kidnappers, bolstering the justice system, cleaning up corrupt police forces and clamping down on kidnapping tools such as prepaid cell phones and money-laundering.

Are You Nice If You Yawn?

As we all know, yawning is contagious but what we may not have known (until now) is that yawning during a conversation may mean so much more than a reaction to someone else's yawn or boredom, it could mean that you are able to "understand and connect" to someone's emotional state. Recent studies shows that the action is linked to empathy, so when you're yawning in the middle of someone's speech, let him or her know it's a good thing. To be able to back up this argument or cover up your boredom, read this.

New York Music Festival Promotes Homegrown Artists

There's a new kind of music festival in town. For the first time on December 12, The New York Eye and Ear Festival was held at Vanishing Point in Bushwick. Creator Todd Brooks (who is also an artist and head of Brooklyn's Pendu Organization) decided it was time to support local bands, get the word out and help them get signed by record labels. Brooks hopes to continue to have these festivals every six months, one in the winter and in the summer and at each new festival, there will hopefully be a celebration of a band being signed.

Just a little promotion...

I really wanted to let everyone know about my friend Jason Carpino's upcoming art show. It's a little bit of a drive and an adventure from New Paltz, but the show is in Port Jervis and is entitled "The End." I did my arts piece on Jason and his work is amazing and the artists he brings in are great too. Check out his MySpace page and check out his tattoo art and some of his photography. If you know anyone who likes alternative art and beautiful photography, let them know about this show. It's tomorrow night, December 13th at 6pm, check it out, it will definitely be worth the hour drive.

Psychopaths being evaluated in Correctional Facilities

I chose to post this article because, first off the title " Suffering Souls : the search for the roots of psychopathy", and second because of its detailed, very descriptive and visually stimulating lead. It starts off by describing the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility. Through out the entire piece he is constantly using very specific details which, after the entire semester of feature writing, i have learned really helps to enhance a story. I found the descriptions particularly helpful in this story because it was taking place at a correctional facility, somewhere i have never been, but yet got kind of interested in reading about as i read further. He described a scene of a conference room where confiscated items from inmates were displayed, and immediately i could only imagine seeing some of the kinds of weapons that were found or created within the jail. I also found his background and historic information to be clear enough for me to understand. He goes into detail about lots of things involving psychology and he does his best to describe in terms that the readers would understand. I thought this feature story was well written, and interesting.

Article.

And the best recordings of 2008 are....

Well respected writer of the New Yorker Sasha Frere-Jones just released his short piece titled
" The Best Recordings of 2008, " and the list is far from anything you would have expected. He starts of by announcing how happy he is that Busta Rhymes has finally fell into a category of his liking. Unpleased by how he started, his song "Dont Touch Me" has entered the level of respect as far as recording, according to Jones.
Others that appeared on the list were The Raveonettes “Aly, Walk With Me”, John Legend “Green Light” f/Andre 3000 (Afroganic remix), and even Jessica Simpson's song " Remember That". He points out her change in brand of music and acknowledges the job well done ( lucky for her).
I enjoy how Jones did not limit his picks to any one genre or pick bands that maybe most people wouldnt know. He put the thought into his picks and did a good job at explaining the sounds of the music that he liked most to explain better why they made it onto his list.

Link to the List.( article)

Books, Drama, and Economy

Everyone imagined drama and gossip to be over after middle school or high school, but women today are having drama over book clubs! The New York Times had an article on December 5, about the craziness of book clubs today. Ann Kent the founder of Book Group Expo said that books groups are rapidly growing, especially now since the economy. Women and men are now  looking for forms of entertainment that are affordable. But the drama now spills over which authors to read about, which genre to read about, and the fight to even talk about books over their own personal lives. It is key to find a book club that fits your personality the best. But for some of these women, they just need to stop complaining about their personal lives and other women need to learn that they are not always going to read what they want to or prefer.

Knights and Whos

The release of The Dark Knight and Horton Hears a Who came out on DVD yesterday. The Dark Knight was released in theaters July 18 and set a record of $18.5 million. With great performances by Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger, this movie has set the bar high for the next action packed film.

Everyone remembers Jim Carrey as the Grinch but now he is the voice of the elephant that hears the voices of Whoville in a speck of dust. This version of a Dr. Seuss classic is digitally animated by the same producers of Ice Age. This is another great film for the family especially around the holidays!

No Chance

For first two years of my college career The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York has been a great venue to catch very talented alternative rock bands such as Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, Jack's Mannequin, and one of my all time favorites and the best concert I have ever seen Third Eye Blind. However this year has been a disappointment to me. The Chance's stage went from being graced with the likes of Andrew McMahon and Stephen Jenkins to cover bands and bands that might how been success full in the eightes, but have long over stayed their welcome. Even though I almost lost hope completely when I saw that dirtbag rap/rockers Shawyze, who writes each one of their songs about smoking weed and getting girls, were playing a show, but I still held up hope that someday soon a good show would be posted. Then the final nail was driven into the coffin. On December 15th Metrostation, possibly one of the least talented bands out there today is coming straight out of the pages of tiger beat to play to what I can only believe a crowd of screaming 12 year old girls all giddy at the fact that the band's lead singer is America's sweetheart Miley Cyrus' brother. Hopefully The Chance will someone resurrect it's reputation and one day be the host to a decent show, but going by their current schedule of shows I wouldn't put any money on it.

Ludacris Drops New Album

Ludacris, Rapper/Actor, has dropped a new album, Theatre of the Mind, and this album steers away from his past productions with him taking full control of production. The album features many artists and includes one track, MVP, that is produced by DJ Premier which is amazing where Luda flows perfectly on Premiers unique beat. Ludacris has been busy filming Max Payne with Mark Wahlberg in previous months but has found some time to bang out a another classic album with all the trimmings. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think.

Crime

Whether it's good or bad I usually don't pay attention to the crime stories which typically appear on newspapers like the New York Post. Although I wouldn't go as far as exploitation, I find that stories which fill there front page with sensational crime stories are insensitive, and draw to many conclusions from to little facts. None the less, I couldn't help but notice a story about the disappearance of Laura Garza, a girl from Manhattan, by ways of Texas. Although not charged with anything other then patrol violation, the focus has been on Newburgh resident Michael Mele. This case caught my eye not only because Newburgh is where I live, but I used to see him in school all the time and know many people who knew him well. As the details and facts from this case unfold, it's a scary thought to think that you went to school with a killer. Frankly, I don't have to much to say about this case. I hope shes found safe and if not I hope who ever harmed her is caught and punished. Reading about his sex offender past, it just goes to show that even those you might not look like they seem aggresive or strange can be different people, and to be weary when you go out to have a good time. It's also particularly sad that Newburgh has been getting such bad press lately, since I know a lot of good people from there, and cases like these that are some of the most despicable things to read about.

CNN's "Planet in Peril: Battle Lines"

At the end of my last post I said I was anxious for CNN's "Planet in Peril: Battle Lines," which premiers this Thursday at 9:00 p.m.  So, I figure I'd blog about it and hopefully encourage others to tune in.  'Battle Lines' is a squeal to last year's series, which reported on global warming, overpopulation, and habitat and species loss.

Dubbed a 'worldwide investigation', CNN revisits these issues, exploring the conflicts between humans and the environment. Anderson Cooper and CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will team up with Lisa Ling, a special correspondent for the National Geographic Channel.  

Featured in the documentary will be a report on the poaching of elephants in Chad and Sudan by rebels involved in the conflict in Darfur, among other things.  

Make a Difference while Holiday Shopping

Photo from http://jamestravels.com/uploaded_images/IMG_9031-773316.jpg

Holiday shopping can be tough, but most of us have never gone through the hardships that the Acholi tribe has been through in Africa. By purchasing jewelry that these women have made you can help support them. The website has a lot of information about this wonderful idea, here's a bit, "Acholi Beads are made by a group of women living in the Acholi Quarters slum, who were forced to work long hours breaking rocks in a stone quarry for $1 per day to support their families. Now, through the income they earn making Acholi Beads, these women are rebuilding their lives." The website has pictures of the bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that are made. The jewelry isn't just beautiful but also handmade from recycled paper. This business is being called a Socially Proactive Business and it would be great if it would become more popular, especially in the United States.

The site makes a good point:
When you give Acholi beads, your gifts make people smile on two continents.

Wanna make some money!?

Photo from Google Images

I found this really interesting and bizarre article title on CNN.Com called Unusual -- and legal -- ways to make money. When I first saw it I had no idea what sort of things a person could do that was strange and make money. The first person featured was a woman from Phoenix, Arizona who wasn't doing too well economically and needed money to buy her kids Christmas presents. Some friends advised her to sell her hair on a website, it worked out well for her, she got $1,200 for selling 27 inches of her hair.
Other people in this article participated in medical trials or sold their gold jewelry at a gold party, to find out more read here.

Blink 182 - will there really ever be a reunion?

Photo Courtesy from Google Images

This may not be of interest to many, but the fact is that Blink 182 is one of the most famous pop-punk bands with three very talented musicians. They had a messy split in 2005 and have all stayed within the music scene - Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus play in +44 while Tom Delonge is in Angels and Airwaves. However, once they had their "indefinite hiatus" there was barely any communication between the three of them except for Travis and Mark. Finally in late 2008 they all began talking again after Travis' plane crash and the death of their Blink 182 producer.

Many of their fans are very excited because they are in contact once again, but unfortunately that doesn't mean that they will reunite. This article is about them talking again but I have found many blogs and other sites that state that the actual guys have denied a reunion...

All blink fans just keep your fingers crossed ... anything can happen ...

SIGN-A-RAMA

* picture of the store used from http://www.sarorlando.com/web-content/images/Sign-A-Rama-STOREFRONTWEB.gif

For my local economy piece I have decided to do a profile on sign and t-shirt screening store Sign-A-Rama/Hudson Valley Impressions in New Paltz. I chose this store because I found out that the owner is a young, late twenties early thirties, and started the business with her husband in their basement and know they own three stores. I want to see how there company is being affected by the current recession and try to see what their connection is with the college. I am currently unsure what the story is but I look forward in discovering it.

The Muddy Cup - local business

Photo Courtesy from Muddycup.com

For my local business article I have decided to write about The Muddy Cup. It is a popular place located on Main Street and I would like to write about its history and what makes it so different from other coffee shops.

OJ Simpson Goes To Jail

In the month of October, I had posted a blog about the 12 charges of armed robbery that OJ Simpson was facing and the risk of him actually going to jail. Well, last week he was sentenced to a maximum of 33 years in jail with the possibility of parole after nine.
Prosecutors alleged that Simpson led a group of men who used threats, guns and force to take sports memorabilia from dealers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley. Simpson claimed that he was attempting to recover items that belonged to him.
Even though, it is somewhat unfortunate for him to go jail for such a long time, I honestly believe he deserves to go to jail whether it was for the armed robbery charges or the murder charges from 1995.

Book Groups Generate More Dissatisfaction Than Discussion

I've never been in a book group, and from the looks of this article I don't think I want to. We all may know someone who has been in a book group and has been dissatisfied with it for one reason or another. I personally know my mother has joined and quit a number of discussion groups for many different reasons: disagreement over book choice, personality conflicts and lack of commitment from group members. I kind of always thought it was just my mom, but apparently nationwide people have found becoming a member of a book group unsatisfactory.  This article published in todays Times talks about some extreme cases of such, even groups that went so far as to demand that it members make elaborate tea spreads or ban political discussion.

Newburgh Police look for Murder Suspect

The City of Newburgh Police are searching for the last of three murder suspects dating back to a homicide that occurred on November 16, 2008. David M. DeLaine is wanted for a robbery that ultimately led to the stabbing and killing of a 31 year old man. DeLaine is only seventeen years old and the other two assailants are 15 and16 years old and now they are facing second degree murder. This is happeneing more and more with the youth in crime ridden areas and there has to be more control and responsibility held against those who commit these crimes. DeLaine is still on the run and the City of Newburgh Police are looking for him. To find out more about this incident click on this link.