Which Is Better: Rap Or Metal?

I don’t believe there is one end-all way to answer this question and it depends greatly on what aspect of each genre you are measuring. Mortality rate, for example. Metal is leaps and bounds ahead of hip-hop when it comes to the extermination of its own fans. Not a single week goes by that I don’t hear about some metal club or concert venue where show-goers are trampling each other at the entrance, at the exit, in line for the pisser, blasting each other’s junk in the mosh pit, or burning the building down where the show takes place. The fires usually start after the emergency exits are so choked with dead metal-fan corpses that the women, children and Somali refugees are unable to escape. More buildings have been destroyed by fire as a result of metal concerts than for any other reason in the history of mankind. A lot of people don’t know that. Rap fans, on the other hand, are the reason that hip-hop artists are about to be added to the endangered species list. Is there another genre of music out there whose fans are more responsible for the deaths of its artists? And just to clarify, I count any talentless hack who can’t get a record contract and blows some artist away in a drive-by as a fan. The one thing you can say about rap violence, though, is at least it is usually intentional and targeted at one individual, or in some cases, one individual and his crew. Sometimes a few bystanders are unlucky enough to stop a few caps with their large intestine, but usually that happens outdoors in a well ventilated area instead of choking off emergency exits with rank, smelly metal bodies. Talent-wise I think it’s a push. Both have a few really good artists, and a whole lot of really, really, really, really shitty ones. I don’t think I’m exaggerating, but the ratio between good artists and bad is something like 1:48,562,878,214,951. And you know, I’m fine with people making bad music, since it gives them something to do where I don’t have to look at them. All I ask is that they don’t offend my ears with their aborted fetus made audible. So what makes music good anyway? Drugs, of course. And who does more, rap or metal? Certainly rappers smoke weed by the bail, but I think the fact that they talk so much about it gives the edge to metal. Drugs are so much a part of the metal lifestyle and culture, they’re not even worth mentioning anymore. While marijuana may be a rapper’s best friend, speed, meth, coke, heroine, and basically anything else you can smoke, snort, inject, or take as a suppository are metal’s ambiguously gay uncle. I think this is where you’re expecting me to give the final edge to one or the other. Well, I can’t really decide. So, I don’t think there is any better way to end this debate than with me getting a hand job. AAAAAAHHHHHHHH... There we go.

Aishwarya Rai And The Lotus Flower

Aishwarya Rai is one of the latest beauties to come out of India. She burst into the spotlight twelve years ago when she competed in the 1994 Miss World pageant as a representative of India. After winning the pageant, she went on to become a very successful model and actress who has been dubbed "The Queen of Bollywood." But, Rai isn't the only beauty to come out of India; the gorgeous and exotic lotus flower is an ancient flower so revered in India that it was named their national flower. The lotus flower has been given a sacred place in Indian culture. It plays a huge role in the art and mythology there and has done so for centuries. In Indian society, the lotus represents divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge, and enlightenment. Perhaps the reverence of the flower stems from the fact that is an unquestionable beauty despite the fact that it grows out of murky waters and mud. Because of its ability to grow in the water, the lotus is often referred to as the water lily. Though they have an exotic look, lotuses are actually fairly simple to grow. However, first time lotus gardeners should be aware that the lotus is a very invasive plant that can take over your entire water garden if not tended to carefully. Also, you'll notice that lotus plants may not bloom during their first year-don't be discouraged, the plants will almost surely blossom in the second year. As you watch your lotus plants grow and blossom, watch for yellowing foliage and faded blooms; you'll want to remove them to allow other leaves and blossoms to grow healthy and strong. Lotuses come in a variety of types that include small plants with one-inch blossoms and larger ones with blossoms as big as your face. Lotus colors include red, yellow, white, peach, violet, and cream. The lotus plant loves the heat-the hotter the better! In fact, the hotter it is at night, the bigger the flowers will be. During the winter you'll need to make certain the lotus tuber doesn't freeze or it will die. If you're growing them in your garden pond, the pond will need to be at least three feet deep so that it doesn't freeze solid, which will jeopardize the tubers. If you're growing them in pots, bring the pots inside for the winter. With proper care, your lotus flowers will grow to exotic and fragrant flowers worthy of their status in India. They're exquisite beauty will rival that of fellow Indian Aishwarya Rai.

Angelina Jolie Receives Sunflowers From A Rock Star

What do rock stars buy for their mega-movie star friends after the birth of a child? Well, rocker Gwen Stefani recently answered that question when she and her husband, Gavin Rossdale, brought an enormous bouquet of sunflowers to actress Angelina Jolie after the birth of her daughter with her boyfriend, actor Brad Pitt. Sunflowers are aptly named since their enormous golden blooms closely resemble the sun. They also, quite literally, follow the sun; their blossoms turn to follow the sun as the day goes on. Sunflowers come in several varieties, such as: * Autumn Mix: These are the giant plants that grow over six feet tall. They come in yellow and rust colors with blooms five or six inches wide. * Teddy Bear: This variety is a smaller type that has a full, fuzzy bloom. It grows to around 18 inches tall. * Italian White: These sunflowers aren't the typical sunny, golden color; they're a creamy whitish color. The plants grow to a height of approximately four feet and produce small blooms. * Large Varieties: These varieties include the huge 20-inch blooms of the Russian Giants and the ten to fifteen foot tall plants of the Kong Sunflower. Sunflowers are an ancient flower, used by Native Americans as a medicinal flower and food source since as early as 2300 B.C. They provided early Americans with medicines to treat warts, snakebites, and sunstroke. They also provided oils used on the hair and were ground up to create face paints. Foods made from sunflowers included seeds roasted and ground to meal for baking, seed balls much like today's peanut butter, and roasted hulls steeped in water to produce a hot beverage. Today sunflowers are a very popular garden flower loved for their big, beautiful blooms as well as the ease with which they're grown. They should be planted in full sun after the threat of frost has subsided for your area. If you're starting them from seeds, plant the seeds about one inch deep and six inches apart. If you're planting seedlings, plant them about eighteen inches apart (twelve inches for the smaller varieties). Give them a good dose of water after they're planted and keep seeds damp until the plants pop through the ground. You may need to stake the plants as they grow to provide support and keep them from bending or breaking in the wind. Even if you choose not to grow your own sunflowers, you can still enjoy them or given them to friends to enjoy just by visiting your local florist who is sure to have these gorgeous flowers on hand. So, go ahead, send some flowers to the movie star in your life-or just to your best friend or mom-she'll appreciate them as much as Angelina Jolie did hers.

The Ultimate Love Story

Away From Her is an English-Canadian film which debuted at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and also played in the Premier category at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The feature-length directorial debut of English-Canadian actress Sarah Polley, the film is based on Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." It was executive produced by Atom Egoyan and distributed by Lionsgate Films.The cast also includes Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson, and Kristen Thomson. The film stars Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie as a couple whose marriage is tested when Christie's character begins to suffer from Alzheimer's and moves into a nursing home, where she transfers her affections,after loosing all memory or her husband, to another man,Aubrey, a wheel chair-bound mute who also is a patient at the nursing home. This film starts out as we are observing Fiona [Julie Christie] and her retired husband Grant [Gorden Pinsent] have just returned home from a cross country skiing vacation andthey are doing one of the many necessary everyday tasks of washing dishes. Grant hands hiswife a frying pan and Fiona puts it away, right into the freezer. She is slowly slipping away into the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease.After she gets lost near her own home she makes the decision that she will check herself into an institution. To Grant's dismay Fiona is not allowed any visitors for the first 30 days. Unbearable as it is, Grant drops her off at the institution and then he returns 30 days later. At first everything seems to be okay with her until he discovers that his wife actually doesn't recognizes him. This film is a generous and a deceptively simple portrait brought to life. During thefirst few months of her confinement she keeps on slipping further and further away, andyou can see that distant look in her eyes. Then one day when Grant is visiting her henotices that she is wearing a garish sweater, something that he knew she would neverwear. At that point, Grant knows that his wife is gone forever. Not physically but still gone. This was Sarah Polley first directorial debut and she did a amazing job with sucha delicate subject matter. And I say Bravo to the cast and crew for turning in sucha superb performance. This film was a true ode to the realities of true love. The film received vastly favorable reviews from critics and earned Julie Christie the 2007 Critics Choice Award as well and a best actress nomination for the 65th Golden Globe awards. This was in so many ways a true love story.

Katherine Heigl: Most Desirable Woman of 2008

Katherine Heigl plays a girl who's always the bridesmaid and never the bride in her new movie, 27 dresses. But off the silver screen, the actress is not only a blushing newlywed, she also seems to have captured the hearts of American men. On Thursday, the lifestyle Web site Askmen.com named Katherine Heigl the year's most desirable woman. The site — which boasts seven million readers a month — said it polls users annually for a list of 99 women who best embody the qualities of an ideal girlfriend or wife, as judged by intelligence, humor, charisma and ambition. "This year's list really goes to show who our users relate with and find beautiful, charming and personable," Editor-in-Chief James Bassil says. It's been an amazing year for Heigl, 29. She received acclaim for her role in last year's runaway hit Knocked Up and won a Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her work on the television series hit Grey's Anatomy. Heigl's personal life has also played out like a fairy tale. Her wedding earlier this month to musician Josh Kelly — featured exclusively on the pages of OK! — was set in a...

Your Music Industry Future

Are you considering a future in the music industry? Has the lure of the performing arts or music called to you and you are now trying to establish your place there? It can be overwhelming to say the least and without the proper aid or assistance you might find yourself confused, lost, and beginning to falter in your dream. Don't let go or give in, simply look for the help you need and let them help carry you on toward your dreams. If you are just entering into the music industry and have no idea about who or what you should be contacting, your first move should be to arrange a meeting or interview with a music industry consultant. These people know the industry inside and out, and they are trained on how to manage it while aiding new up and coming actors, musicians, etc. By securing the help of one, you are insuring your place in music and you will be able to begin your move toward the top. By hiring them you are showing that you are willing to learn, and that you are serious about accomplishing your dreams. Trying to handle the business aspect of the music industry can be demanding and wearing on your nerves. Hiring a music business consultant could save you both time and money, leaving you to focus on your career and your dreams. Your consultant will be ale to achieve order and practicality concerning the business end of your work and they are qualified to keep things running smoothly and in control. Don't place more stress on yourself than is necessary, let them carry the business. Confused about what music you should perform? A music consultant can give you a fresh perspective on what is popular and what is not, as well as help you find your best performance material. No matter what you are doing, you will need music, be it singing, dancing, or acting and these people will help you find the best music there is. As with any endeavor, music is no less difficult. There will be highs and lows, happy and sad moments but depending on your determination and your hard work, you may find yourself rising quickly to the top and achieving your goals and dreams. Keep them in your mind, and follow your dreams the practical way -- get help from people that know the industry.

The Use of CD’s and their future?

CD’s initially started off as music on discs or audio format in the mid-to-late 1980’s. CD-R’s (R means recordable) then became popular when being produced cheaply. CD ROM’s (ROM means Read Only Memory) then shortly followed to provide data discs for computers which can not be written on. CD-Rs – written to once only. This obviously didn’t help if you had made a mistake in creating your CD and was a waste of a disc, which was expensive back in those days. Unlike a cassette, where you could record over and over (do you know anyone who still owns a cassette these days?). Therefore, the CD-RW (CD-Rewritable) was created which means you could write over the data several times. The discovery of CD duplication and CD copying has also helped to keep the compact disc alive. CDs today are used in all sorts of industries today. Obviously, the music industry is the main source of most of the discs we have around the house. However, over the past 5 years, CDs have become an essential tool for marketing, selling, promoting, learning, informing and many, many more. Examples are: # Promotional CDs – marketing companies use them as handy aids to distribute either by post, or to hand them out at conferences # Music/Audio – Artists use them to record albums and also use as language learning aids. # Training – You can put a whole training manual onto 1 CD which is far cheaper to produce and much easier to send. # Software – This is the most used second to music. These are but just a few uses for CDs. We all receive CDs in the post as part of product recognition or sales. Newspapers give us freebies with either music or software. CD printing has allowed these forms of marketing to be customized to improve the effectiveness of the overall campaigns. At the moment the demand for CDs is on the increase and looks to remain that way for the next few years anyway. However, just as it’s predecessor, the cassette, the CD may be superseded by the USB stick.