(Jean Michel Jarre, from his 1984 album Zoolook)

Today is a day for a rant. Not that it is in any way atypical for me to be exasperated with the stupidity and sensationalism of the media, but today it's just to the point of utter intolerability.

"News" stories of note in the last couple of days:

#1 - Mark Sanchez Hot Dog

Not that this really merits further discussion. Apparently, eating hot dogs now requires an apology. I suppose it's a good thing that I don't eat hot dogs, lest I draw the ire of the public. At this time, however, I would like to apologize for the Brussels sprouts I ate the other night. I know how sensitive some of my readers are about these midget cabbages, and I was entirely wrong for eating them. Seriously? I guess the stone-throwers have finally gone off the deep end. I mean, before NFL players had to at least do something more notable like rape women or run illegal dog fighting rings to get publicly shamed.

#2 - America's Next Top Model - "blackface"

This one really gets my goat. This is about the third time in the media recently that they've tried to invent a blackface scandal. Seriously? Blackface? Do they even have any concept of what this means? Historically, blackface was a terrible form of comedy, racist to the core. Performers would don, and I emphasize, poorly made up costumes of southern poor blacks, basing their entire routine on portraying them as poor and stupid and ridiculing them in a not-so-wholesome manner. Let me emphasize again, the key element of blackface is the ridicule and denigration of blacks. If you watch this video of America's Next Top Model and look at the photo shoots, they are nothing but tasteful and clearly celebrate the target cultures. I see no way to derive denigration of any kind.

The real irony is that the actions of the media bear an uncanny resemblance to blackface, because although not comedic, they use gross exaggeration and untruths to unjustly damage the public's opinion of others.

(Amorphis, from their 1992 debut album The Karelian Isthmus)

This past Monday was a great day for metal! I finally got to see Amorphis live! That is, after travelling through the grime of south Chicago to reach a suburb called Mokena... (hence the title of this post). The show was supposed to be held at a small venue called The Pearl Room, but for some unknown reason the venue was closed and they moved the show next door to a place called Capone's. And it was, well... small. Very small. In spite of the small venue, the acoustics were actually not half bad, and you can't beat seeing a band you love playing 5 feet in front of your face on a floor stage!

Having never seen Amorphis before, I wasn't sure what kind of show we'd get. I was hoping for a mixed show with both some rockers and some of the more progressive material such as that on Elegy and Far From the Sun. What we got was a rocker only (no acoustic or heavily progressive selections), but they still put on a good set list with solid choices from both the latest two albums that their current singer Tomi Joutsen originally recorded, as well as several of the classics, which Joutsen did a good job of covering.

I'll see if I can recall the set list, though not in order:

• I of Crimson Blood (Silent Waters)
• Silent Waters (Silent Waters)
• House of Sleep (Eclipse)
• The Smoke (Eclipse)
• Alone (Am Universum)
• Against Widows (Elegy)
• Into Hiding (Tales From the Thousand Lakes)
• Black Winter Day (Tales From the Thousand Lakes)
• Misery Path??? (The Karelian Isthmus)

I know they played something from The Karelian Isthmus, and I think it was "Misery Path" but I'm not entirely sure. It might have been "The Sign From the North Side". I'm also probably forgetting one song or another. I'll update the list if I have some kind of revelation or something...

I was just thrilled they came out there so I could finally catch a show of them! They don't do that many locations on their U.S. tour usually, and this was almost certainly not even worth their plane tickets based on crowd turnout. It was weak. Either Chicagoans have no taste for metal, or they're a city of 8 million top-40'ers who don't stray from what MTV tells them to listen to. Or maybe they're all gay and only go to Rod Stewart and Elton John concerts (in defense of this, I did get caught in the middle of a big gay pride parade the previous time I was in Chicago). Who knows...

(Drums & Tuba, from their 2001 album Vinyl Killer)

Some people see the martial arts as combat training. Some see self defense. Some see a personal physical challenge. Still others find mental focus. There are many possible reasons why a person would become interested in the martial arts, but for all of them equally there is the same potential benefit of increased physical and mental discipline and the ability to achieve that which even the practitioner once thought not possible.

With so many different systems and styles that are taught, there is almost certainly at least one system that is in tune to the desires of any potential student, whether his goals are to become a strong fighter, an artistic performer or just to improve his physical and mental state. For example, Tai Ji and Yoga can provide fantastic health benefits to someone of any age, by increasing joint mobility and flexibility and increasing effective blood flow throughout the body.

I have been practicing Shaolin Lohan Pai Kung Fu for some years now. There is no question that my training has helped me to achieve "the development of the mind through the discipline of the body", one of our core goals. It has been integral for me in maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle, especially in today's world where one can very easily slip into a pattern of continued physical inactivity.

Being able to directly measure the results I personally have achieved through the martial arts, I strongly recommend to anyone and everyone to seek out the available martial arts in your community, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle and feel that you need something to "jump-start" your activity level and get you back on the path to health. Remember, it won't be easy at first. "Kung Fu" itself loosely translates to "hard work"! But the most important thing is to get out there and get started today!

P.S. For more in-depth information about training and the martial arts, visit Dai-SiHing Matt Talbert's blog.

As an introduction to my personal blog, I ask the same question that Maximum the Hormone did: What's Up, People?!

Good music is very much a part of my everyday life. I have a true love of music of all kinds. Well, most kinds... The truth is, great musicians can be found spanning all genres and generations. Musical talent and creativity can shine through any music, regardless of the particular stylistic medium that is employed. That means there are gems to be found in everything from bluegrass to opera to death metal to eurodance. Keep your mind and ears open and give everything a fair listen. Never dismiss anything because of it's genre. You never know what you might discover!

I've decided to attempt to title every post in this blog with a song name, so I can always have a "hook" in each post to hint at some good music.

Thanks for stopping by my site. More to come!

P.S. A high quality version of the above video can be found here. You will need the Xvid codec.