Iron Man 2 Makes a Big Splash (at least with me)

I love superhero movies, especially good ones. When I saw Sherlock Holmes over winter break, I also saw a preview for a movie I knew I had to see.

Dubstep & DnB: Changing the Music Scene, Forever

On Friday, April 30, three dj’s took the stage of Webster Hall in New York City to perform a gritty, bass-heavy hybrid of techno music called “Drum and Bass” (or DnB for short).

For those who do not know, Dnb and Dubstep began in the early part of the new Millennium, as beats for really fast UK rappers. Originally called grime, this music soon spread throughout Britian and soon enough even came overseas to the US.

Popular UK-grime rappers have frequently attempted to bring over their music, but it was to little or no avail. Some grime artists who have tried to make it big in America include, Lady Sovereign, Dizzee Rascal, Kano, and Lily Allen.

It wasn’t until about 2002, when Dubstep and DnB really took off. Starting underground in the UK, this style of music was very unique but didnt have the same following it does today. With frequent “womp” noises from the bass, different lines from popular movies and songs, and various other remixes it is easy to see why this genre of music took off.

First Impressions of the Motorola Droid

Everyone knows the iPhone is the king of the moutain when it comes to cell phones. It basically does everything. But what if you don’t have AT&T? Then what? Tell me! Maybe the Droid?

Droid Does

Review: Cypress Hill – Rise Up

When I heard this album I couldn’t believe my ears. Never in all my years of listening to Cypress Hill’s music, have I ever heard such a rock influenced rap album.

Rise Up, the bands first studio album in six years, hit stores last Tuesday. Subsequently the album dropped on the same day as a very momentous green holiday, and I don’t mean Earth Day.

In addition to being released on a holiday that Cypress Hill has shown frequent passion for, the album features quick little clips from old-timers Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.

Some other guest artists on the album include Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, hip-hop artists Evidence and the Alchemist, Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, Daron Malakian from System of a Down, Everlast, Pitbull and Marc Anthony.

The first single from the album is called “Rise Up” featuring guitarist Tom Morello. In a song that sounds like a B-Side for Rage, Cypress Hill really manages to keep the flow.

Immigration Argument in U.S. Needs a Dose of Fact

When Americans complain about immigration, the problems attributed to migrants, particularly illegal ones, tend to be stolen jobs, crime and the importation of foreign culture.

A common counterargument seems sensible enough: America is a country built by and comprised of the descendants of immigrants. Yet this fact fails to persuade those with anti-immigration views.

A Day at the Newseum

Over spring break I went to Washington D.C with my dad to visit family and graduate schools. While most of my time was spent touring campuses, talking to admissions counselors and professors, there was some down time to explore the city. Like almost any other city, you can spend numerous days in D.C. without repeating a thing. On this trip, I made a point to do something I hadn’t done before.

This made the decision to spend a little extra dough on tickets to the Newseum pretty easy. I must say, I was happy with our decision.

New iPhone may end AT&T’s exclusive agreement with Apple

I found an article in The Wall Street Journal talking about how Apple plans to produce new iPhones this summer that run on CDMA networks.

When segregation surrounds us

Taking a walk through the streets of Smithtown may seem relatively safe, but may prove dangerous for a person of color.

Netanyahu’s Stubborn Stance a Detriment to Israel

The announcement last week of a plan for hundreds of new housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem has set off a diplomatic spat between the White House and Israel that the world media has been watching closely. This development has positive and negative implications.

The negative is obvious, at least to the White House. The plans undermine the ever-so-delicate peace process, potentially offending and angering Palestinians and the rest of the Muslim world. The settlements are not just an affront to what the White House wants out of Israel; they are an affront to Israel’s supposed commitment to peace. The move clearly says, “We are trying to improve the situation here for all, but we will meanwhile continue to act in our own interest despite the consequences.”

Fareed Zakaria’s op-ed piece on Newsweek’s website this week gives a simple but sound argument against Netanyahu’s handling of all this. Zakaria writes that these plans, especially at this time, betray what the Israeli government has said are is its chief concern – Iran. He says they have prioritized “petty domestic considerations” over relations with their strongest ally, the U.S., and that this puts Israel’s security at risk.

Journalism? Will it survive?

Journalism has forever been and will forever be about making money. The question proposed right now however, is whether or not this industry will adapt to the changing times in order to continue to create a profit.

With a downturned economy and new technology on the horizon, tough decisions are being made about how to deliver the news. What will the new format look like? We will soon find out.

One large factor affecting the world of journalism today is advertisements. Last week a Nielsen report showed just how badly the economy has effected advertisements. “U.S. ad spending dropped 15.4% from the first half of 2008,” Nielsen said. This is the biggest dive since figures were first calculated in 2002. What does this have to do with newspapers and the news business. Every news outlet whether it be television, radio, print or online, survives not only on revenues from readers, but mostly on ads. Without ads, profits drop dramatically.  

Whether we know it or not this has changed how our news is presented to us. Though we may not believe the ad business has anything to do with the average reader, it really has everything to do with us. With news outlets scrambling to cram more ads into newspapers and tv shows, less time and page space is spent on the news. 

As stated at the beginning, journalism is a business; but will it slowly lose it’s integrity along the way. The press serves as a watchdog on the government. Can it do it’s job well whilst it worries about profit margins for the next week?