Gun Control is Futile! …according to The Clash

Gun Control is Futile! …according to The Clash

The Clash had gun control pretty well summed up back in 1977; recent gun death statistics and NRA funding figures proves the Brits wise with their old adage "Police & Thieves":

"Police and thieves in the streets…Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition...From genesis to revelation...And all the crowd comes in, day by day, No one stop it in anyway. All the peacemaker, turn war officer, Hear what I say" 

(further remarks below the video)

There is a chilling resonance with the 2012 Trayvon Martin shooting in the lyrics "all the peacemaker, turn war officer". However, my deeper appreciation for these words and The Clash's insight developed after NPR's May 2nd edition of To the Point. This particular segment begins 24 minutes into the show with a variety of contributors in the discussion: Lois Beckett (ProPublica), Mark Rosenberg (Task Force for Global Health), Philip Watson (Second Amendment Foundation), and Cliff Schecter (Libertas). At one moment, this broadcast becomes very contentious; however, the rest of the segment brings up fascinating discourse that will encourage your opinions to evolve throughout the conversation. I found the discussion compelling, gritty, and eye-opening to the array of factors in this complex debate. 

The summary for this gun control segment is detailed below:
"In the 1980's, gun violence was declared a public health issue, but Congress blocked research into prevention by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. In 2012, after the Sandy Hook massacre, President Obama proposed to resume that effort, and some Republicans agreed. What's happened since? 

Since the first of this year 5,823 people have been injured by guns and 3,479 have been killed. That's according to the Gun Violence Archive. Is there an "epidemic?" Could efforts to stop it stop short of gun control?"

Gun violence and accessibility to weapons goes beyond safe storage and gun practices, as the right to bear arms exacerbates the pre-existing condition of mental health in our nation. However, both mental health and gun violence protection would be exceptional tandem efforts to improve our society. 

"Incremental change yields exponential results." 

A "Prisoner" to Har Mar Superstar

Interestingly enough, this video is enjoyable to watch with or without audio. However, let it be known: I'm captivated by this track. I'm not certain whether it's the horns, the powerful vocals, or the feel good lyrics, but I Shazamed it on three separate occasions and finally gave in. 

"Prisoner" - Har Mar Superstar

In addition to Fabrizio Moretti's participation on the track and Juliette Lewis' cameo in this video, Sean Matthew Tillman, or Har Mar Superstar, has had more famous females faces appear in other music videos as both Eva Mendes and Alia Shawkat are featured in "Tall Boy", a track originally written for Britney Spears. I stumbled upon an interview with Sean Matthew Tillman which features official video footage for the "racey" track. 

Sean Tillman talks "Tall Boy"

 

(Note: Apologies to Eva Mendes fans for the video-poster's misspelling of her name)

Wikipedia reports that Har Mar Superstar "bears several behavioral and physical similarities to porn star Ron Jeremy" and "...often performs his shows nearly nude, and appears obsessed with his sexual prowess". Naturally, a Google image search was in order and allow me to share a bit of the bounty:

If you aren't amused by the persona of this humorous, gender bender diva, then I hope you can at least enjoy the song, "Prisoner".

An Unexpected Turn, Again

Remix Artist Collective, referred to as RAC, is a compilation of producers with few original tracks; yet, ironically, the original tracks are impressively stronger than the remixes of other artists' work. 

One track I recently took to was "Let Go," initially hearing an encouraging, pop-sensible song destined for the stage of "So You Think You Can Dance". However, when I saw the official video, I was aghast and, thereafter, haunted.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the song. The video's bizarre context took me from light-hearted to creepy then, fear not, this scary downturn took a more metaphorically relevant turn! I interpret the video as a satire in direct response to the below "New Girl" quote about PMS...

RAC - "Let Go" (feat. Kele and MNDR)

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

He gently held the porcelain urn in his hands; it was small. He thought of how small her hands were in his; always with her large, blue, glassy eyes peering up. He knew this was the last time they would hold each other. He looked down at the vast expanse of the water through the window, unaware of the swirling wind and deafening roar of the helicopter. He gripped the decorative white and blue porcelain tightly, closing his eyes as they began to well with tears.


George thumbed through the paper - on his iPad, of course - getting butter smears all over an already smudged screen as he devoured toast and the morning news from the Boston Globe. He stopped and chewed his bread slowly, wiping crumbs and butter from the left side of his mouth. "Hey, hun?"

"What is it, George?" faintly heard from the sitting room down the hall.

"Hun, did Marj or your brother phone last night?"

"No. I'm in the middle of something here..."

George hesitated. "The BG reports Now City had a helicopter crash about 1 mile off the coast yesterday; two dead and one of the pilots in critical care at JRI. You better call Marj or Danny to make sure everything's okay. I'm sure Marj would have called if something was wrong."

Silence rang out from the sitting room.

After staring at the photos of wreckage for a moment, George remarked: "I'll just go ahead and call to see what they know."


Inspired by: "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" - Neutral Milk Hotel

PINNING! Pinterest...where it's at.

I am currently obsessed with Pinterest. Browse your friends' favorite photos, fashion, crafts, recipes, projects on the internet. Or you can check out what is trending in a certain genre. My selections will be preludes to posts as I pick up blogging more in days to come.

With many awesome and (ahem) wholesome categories, this site is for the visually stimulated and insatiably creative.

Follow me at http://pinterest.com/daniellekkelly/

Other great oasis for taste and style...
Colleen Gurney, my crafty sister: http://pinterest.com/cgurney/
Natasha Kidman, author of SchueLove.blogspot: http://pinterest.com/schuelove/

Wasn't it Charlie Sheen who said "PINNING!"? ...Close enough!

Disclaimer: Haters are going to hate..."I can already tell I am disPinterested in this", as my boyfriend so humorously stated, so don't neglect your loved ones with this addiction. 

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Best Vegan Mac and Cheese in the entire world...seriously

THis is the recipe title from the website, I cannot wait to try this tomorrow night and will give you the low down.


Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 1/2 pounds pasta, preferably macaroni

"Cheese" Sauce:
1 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 (12 ounce) block firm (not silken) tofu
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon vegesal or in lack of fancy product, just use salt
1 dollop mustard, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil water in a big pot and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Add all of the "cheese" sauce ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Once pasta is cooked, drain and put it in the baking pan (about the size of a brownie pan). Pour the "cheese" sauce over the pasta.

3. Bake until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy, about 15 minutes.

This is very simple and tastes amazing! If you are cooking for yourself, it will last about 5 days if you eat it for all three meals of the day.

Serves: a lot; Preparation time: about 8 minutes; Cooking Time: 15 minutes

"Duke of Earl": Past Vs. Present

After hearing a neighbor's radio streaming the oldies doo wop classic, "Duke of Earl", I went on YouTube to learn the name of the artist and view a performance. Gene Chandler is the vocalist and what I found were two very different videos of the same man: one when he was young and the second, a more recent performance. 

The two different videos are really great to compare. The one from Chandler's youth is very solemn and a deliberate drama to his performance. He almost looks like he is lip syncing because he - and the audience - appear to be very serious until the applause.

Now, in this next video, there is vibrant energy and fun throughout the performance. To see a before and after of a musician does not always turn out so favorably. However, in this video, Gene Chandler hits the high notes like a eunuch. This performance has seasoned flare and panache that retains the drama, but in a more interactive way. 

I thoroughly enjoy these examples from YouTube, as the website acts as an public library of pop culture artifacts. I was inspired to research this song as it is a great wedding track. Which I will be posting my growing wedding DJ song list in an upcoming post. 

Have a great day!