The KU Double Standard

Several University of Kansas football and basketball players were involved in two separate fights over girls on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and someone even got pushed down some quite steep stairs behind Budig Hall by one of the Morris twins.

And all they got was a slap on the wrist.

Three basketball players (not included: the twins) issued a "formal apology" this morning, but the only punishment that we know about is that the basketball players had to start their "boot camp" two weeks early.

Herein lies the rant.

Are you serious, Bill Self? Two weeks of practice? That's your punishment for illegal activity? Pushing someone down stairs, especially the horrendously steep ones behind Budig, is a jail-able offense. And instead of getting arrested or getting kicked off the team (both of which should happen), they have to practice a little more.

Bull crap, I say.

There's a serious problem at KU. The basketball players, and even the football players to some degree, are invincible and worshiped. They can do no wrong, they are better people than the rest of the students, and they are given special treatment right and left.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still root for the Jayhawks during any game, no question about it. I'll still try to make it to a football game this season or a basketball game later.

But the treatment they get is sickening.

I lived in the Towers for two years, and all I saw of these guys was them thinking they were the big dogs on campus. They would throw parking tickets on the ground. They would have fights in the parking lot (yes, this has happened before). They would expect people to know who they were, and if they didn't, the players would be upset or even offended. I worked at the Towers, and the players were the worst residents. They would steal lockout keys for months on end. They would have parties with booze and pot every week. The Morris twins even shot someone with a BB gun.

And what's happened as a result of all this?

Nothing.

Extra laps, maybe.

But mostly, nothing.

They are made to be gods at KU, and if you try to punish them, you are accused of being anti-KU or something. I swear, it's like the McCarthy era.

I'm not anti-KU. But the only right thing to do at this point is to kick everyone involved off the team. No questions, no whining, no formal apologies. Let them know the consequences of acting like a bunch of thugs. If any other student had shot someone with a BB gun, they'd be expelled in a day. If any other student had pushed someone down the stairs in a fight, they'd be sent to jail and heavily punished.

What's the standard here, Bill and Mark? What will it take, Lew, to punish an athlete accordingly? What will it take? A death, maybe? Something you can't bury?

Let's not let Lew and his cronies bury this one, KU fans. Pester him, call him, wait outside his office. Demand action, and let them know we won't stand for these ridiculous double standards anymore.

Shuffleboard 4

1. "Killer Joe" by Quincy Jones from Walking in Space

Classic Quincy. Smooth jazz at it's finest. Great mellow trumpet work, unusual and welcome flute solo, and a wonderful muted trumpet solo from Quincy.

The vocals are distracting and little out of left field, but otherwise this is one of the standards for a good reason.

2. "Han Solo Returns" by John Williams from Return of the Jedi

Ah yes, good ol' Williams. This music is from when Leia thaws out Han in Jabba's palace, but we think it's the other bounty hunter, so there's some suspicious music until she takes off her helmet.

Great suspense building up to the classic Jabba tuba music. Some of the great themes in this track.

3. "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow (Instrumental Version)" by John Hartford from O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Such a great movie, such a great soundtrack. This, I think, was played when the guys were on the road or something like that. Anyways, it captures the classic song from the film in a classic bluesy country style that couldn't define the movie better.

And you can't help but sing along in your head.

4. "The Confrontation With Ogilvy" by John Williams from War of the Worlds

Say what you will about the movie, but this scene was creepy and disturbing. Locked in a basement with his scared daughter and a crazy man likely to get them killed, Tom Cruise finally has to kill the man, Ogilvy, with a shovel behind closed doors.

Creepy stuff.

And this track is no exception. Williams opts for the smaller-sounding, but way more creepy tone for the War of the Worlds score. This track oozes foreboding and unpleasantness. While his daughter sings a children's song, he kills Ogilvy. Afterwards, an alien finds them and his daughter runs outside, which triggers some classic Williams chase music. Add in some creepy ascending strings, the cue for the horrifying tripods, and you've got a great chunk of the War of the Worlds score.

5. "Never Be The Same" by Red from Innocence and Instinct

Red's one of the better new bands around today. Just out with their second album, they're in the same vein as The Myriad, Skillet, and secularly, Linkin Park (shudder). Heavy stuff, but the guy can sing as well as scream.

I haven't listened to this album very much, but I'm liking it more and more. This song seems more like a second-tier one on the album. Throwaway lyrics but entertaining music. Oh well.

Muse: The Resistance

Awww yeah. It's here, and it's awesome.

I won't post youtubes for all these, because you should just go buy the album. It's that awesome.

I've only been a Muse fan for around two years now (thanks Zach!), but I already like the direction they're going.

They're categorized as "Epic Rock" in my iTunes, and I can't really think of a different classification for them.

They consistently come out with outrageous and huge-sounding music, and each song sounds like it is made by waaay more than three guys.

"The Resistance" is no different.

With "Black Holes and Revelations," Muse cemented their reputation as a decidedly non-U2 and non-Radiohead band (despite what the idiot iTunes reviewer said). Sure they had the electronic experimental nature that made Radiohead famous (and rightly so, Thom Yorke is a genius), and sure they had a grandiose and over-the-top sound that allowed U2 to stick around so long, but they also had a conspiracy-theory tinged, hard-driving lunacy that Matt Bellamy communicates all too well.

TrackByTrack

1. "Uprising"

I've already reviewed this track in my album preview, but it bears a reanalysis. It's a great album opener, with a pumping bass and drum line and sparse but distinctly Bellamy guitar riff. Muse's standard conspiracy theory lyrics are prevalent, but more accessible. It's quite anthemic, and you can't help but shout the chorus and the "Hey!"s along with the band, feeling quite rebellious and fired up. Great opener, but some may argue correctly that it's a little more poppy than their previous offerings.

Also, the Doctor Who-ish synth is great.

8/10

2. "Resistance"

It starts off very reminiscent of other Muse ballads (eerily similar chords to "Citizen Erased"), with spaced-out synths and piano arpeggios and blistering drums, but then the chorus starts. Matt trades a call-and-response "Could be wrong, could be wrong" exchange with the band, and then breaks into a great "Love is our resistance" hook that is in no way cheesy. It soars, and the listener is easily reminded of Muse classics like "Bliss." Overall, it's a great title track, and breaks away from the normally dark and weird lyrics with hopeful and soaring words. One of the best on the album.

9/10

3. "Undisclosed Desires"

Wow, is this still Muse? It's not something they've ever done before...synths blended with pizzicato strings, along with slap bass and pumping drums. But it works, and lays down a great head-bopping track. The lyrics are okay, and the chorus is better than the verses.

Bellamy's vocal style is not my favorite on this one. Chris Wolstenholme's bass line is one of his best, and certainly makes this track stand out. And the strings mixed with it certainly make it quite catchy. But overall, not one of their best.

6/10

4. "United States of Eurasia"

Ah yes, my first exposure to the album. Still rocks. I reviewed it in my preview, but it's still great. The Queen-ish beginning is really the only hint of Queen on the album, so iTunes reviewers, PUT A SOCK IN IT. The random Arabic jam fits in the middle, and makes this orchestral conspiracy theory a Muse classic. Bellamy's piano skills really shine on this one, as does his orchestra-arranging skills, which certainly come into play later in the album.

Great song.

7/10

5. "Guiding Light"

Despite having the name of a bad soap opera, it's still a good tune. Great opening 80's drum riff from Dominic Howard, one of the most underrated drummers out there today. The synths and vocals are very 80s, but with a definite Muse tinge. The guitar riff in the middle is also quite 80s, but with Bellamy's signature heavy fuzz and "sheets of sound" Coltrane-on-guitar arpeggios.

Despite the great musicianship, the song is one of the weaker ones on the album. While catchy, the 80s style gets a little repetitive (there's a reason it went out of style), and the lyrics are forgettable.

Oh well. Can't win em all.

5/10

6. "Unnatural Selection"

Starts with an organ. Heck yes. Huge "Megalomania" church organ sound, straight into a heavy rock "New Born"-style riff. The lyrics are some of the best I've seen from Bellamy, and deal with injustice and the sort of put-downs the ruling class foists upon the underclasses. The guitar work is outstanding, and it's nice and long at 6:55. And it's especially awesome with it's repeated chant "I want the Truth!" at the end, making it an instant anthem for people who distrust media and politicians in today's climate.

With it's unusual beginning, awesome guitar work, and outstanding lyrics, it's one of the best on the album.

10/10

7. "MK Ultra"

The weird title refers to a World War II-era military project on mind-control, and the conspiracy-theory lyrics are in full swing here regarding the same.

I'm not the biggest fan of the synth opening, but I guess it's alright.

The post-chorus delay of Bellamy's "They're breaking through...ooo...ooo..ooo" along with a fuzz guitar and string riff makes the middle of the song the stronger part. The rest is standard Muse heavy-rock style, but the chord progression is unique enough to keep it interesting.

8/10

8. "I Belong To You/Mon Cœur S'ouvre À Ta Voix"

Yes, Matt Bellamy sings in French in this one. Don't ask me why.

The intro is slap/clap with a catchy piano riff that goes into a light drum beat and a weird bass line with some sort of strange effect...I don't know. It's catchy though.

The chord progression is entertaining and reminds me of the early "Showbiz" era stuff. Nice and weird.

Before a piano interlude and French stuff, Bellamy almost mentions the name of his own band, a Muse first.

The French part, which is from an opera I think, actually works well over Bellamy's piano work and then a building epic few chords, when he then sings over a choral synth and some more epicness from the rest of the band.

The ending is what makes this song. It's just Matt and his piano, and then back into the light drum beat and weird bass effect, with Matt playing a bass clarinet solo.

Seriously.

Is there an instrument this guy can't play? He makes the rest of us look bad.

A little too long for the content, but still great.

8.5/10

9, 10, 11. "Exogenesis: Symphony Parts 1, 2 and 3: Overture, Cross-Pollination, and Redemption"

I'm combining the last three because they belong together.

And holy crap.

This is Muse's most ambitious and out-there track they've done yet. It's jaw-dropping.

It starts off with a full orchestra introduction, then has Matt singing in his "Micro Cuts" falsetto.

Powerful chords, great use of synths, and Chris does a great job doing his constant thumping eighth-note bass line in the background (I've never understood how that guy is so good, he's like a human metronome sometimes).

Halfway through, a great guitar solo and lyrical reference to Absolution's "Stockholm Syndrome."

After four minutes that seem like one, the second part starts with a very Rachmaninoff-ish piano part, with eerie string and choral melodies.

The Rachmaninoff-ish-ness continues with great orchestration, and then dies down to only the piano and low strings in a dark waltz.

The lyrics are dark, mysterious, and a little inaccessible. But then again, no one knows what 80% of Coldplay's songs are about and they're one of the biggest bands ever.

Then, halfway through, the guitar comes back with a great vocal backing part, before dying down to just the eerie strings, choir and piano.

After a quick four minutes are up, the third part starts.

The piano part dies, and then quits. It starts again with a mellow waltz melody. It's actually giving me some chills right now. The bass and higher strings gently come in a minute in, adding to the great orchestral feel. Drums start ticking off quarter notes, things start speeding up, and an almost orchestral version of "Bliss" starts, with piano, strings, and light drums and bass. The vocals are restrained, but soar above the strings quite well. Chris and Dom shine as backup vocals (they are severely underrated singers). It falls back to piano and low strings again, and gently ends with a few low digital effects on the piano.

A perfect ending to a great album. The only thing that I find fault with is that it could have been longer.

10/10

They will never again duplicate "Origin of Symmetry" or "Absolution." But they know that and have continued to evolve their sound into the experimental crazy epic rock group they are today.

Awesome album.

8/10 Overall

Upcoming Posts

Somehow (I'm still not sure how), I got an email interview with composer John Murphy. He's composed the score to great films like Sunshine and 28 Days Later, and for some reason, he agreed to answer some questions I had. He's not done yet, so I'll post the interview later, but in the meanwhile, here's some videos to get you hooked.

Our Post-Apocalyptic Fascination

28 Days Later.

Dawn of the Dead.

Mad Max.

The Postman.

I Am Legend.

Cloverfield.

They all start when our world ends.

I just finished reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (I didn't get to the end; halfway is more than enough of that depressing weird book) and noticed that our society as of late has a strange obsession for the Apocalypse and what follows. Who knows where it started (perhaps the original zombie movie in 1985, Day of the Dead), or even why it started.

But our society today has a penchant for thinking about what happens next.

-It could be a morality tale: if we continue on our destructive paths, who knows what happens next. If we try to play god via science, it could backfire on us (28 Days Later, I Am Legend). If we just nuke everyone and everything, what would be left (Mad Max, The Postman)? What can be done to prevent such a horrible fate?

-It could be a fascination with the unknown. We don't know how our world will crumble, or how many times it will sort of crumble before it is truly done. It's the same reason we love ghost hunting shows and The X-Files. For all the time we spend trying to know everything, we sure love not knowing something.

-It could be, and this seems like the most likely option, that we have just played too many video games. Dead Rising, Fallout, Left 4 Dead, anything that lets you kill endless waves of zombies.

Against violent video games? The same rule that apparently applies to Nazis also applies to zombies. So it's all good.

All in all, it's an interesting thing to consider every once in a while, but not something good to dwell on (hence why I stopped halfway through The Road).

"Isn't it a good thing to be prepared for all possibilities?" you may ask.

You can't be prepared for nuclear winter, zombie infestation, alien invasion, and superpollution.

My point is, only God knows how this world will end. He alone knows the day and the hour, He alone knows how it will all play out.

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. -Matthew 24:36

The book of Revelation talks about a period of tribulation for our world, in which many horrible things will occur. It also speaks of the Second Coming, or the Rapture. It's not clear which comes first, and some believers side on either the Pre-Tribulation (believers will be taken to heaven before the horrible crap) or the Post-Tribulation (after the crap) viewpoints.

My former pastor in Minnesota said it best. He believes in Pan-Tribulation. "We'll just see how it all pans out."

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.

-Isaiah 40:8

The Obama Poll

I just set up a poll on facebook asking about Obama's leadership.

Take it here: http://apps.facebook.com/realpolls/m/tsiw5dn93.

Words We Can Use Today

"Black Hawk Down" and "Saving Private Ryan" are the movies for military people.

"Miracle" is the movie for hockey players.

"Rudy" is the movie for football players.

Everyone has their movie, the movie that speaks to their profession and represents it.

Mine, as a journalist, is "Good Night, and Good Luck."

It tells the story of Edward R. Murrow and his fight against the crazy and illogical actions of Sen. McCarthy during the Red Scare in the 1950s.

And it tells the story of Murrow completely and utterly OWNING McCarthy.

True, Murrow and the CBS crew that helped bring McCarthy down were "liberals," and true, McCarthy was "conservative," but to all who point to that, let me remind you that definitions of those two words change almost weekly.

Anyways, the movie details how Murrow and CBS took on the "junior senator from Wisconsin," and is a rallying cry for journalists everywhere. Corporate is pressuring the reporters not to get too heavy, McCarthy is attacking everyone (he picked the most convenient cause; anyone that disagreed with him was automatically a communist), and one of their own snaps under the pressure and kills himself.

Not exactly a easy story.

But they pursued it. They went after what they knew was wrong, what they disagreed with, and sought the truth.

And reported it.

This is something the journalists of today can take to heart. Today, much like in the 1950s, people are happy with their lives (for the most part), and don't want bad news.

"We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late." -Edward R. Murrow

He of course was referring to television itself, but the quote is easily extrapolated to news itself. Instead, people whine when FOXnews covers the anti-Obama things. They just want happy things, they want Biden saying the stimulus is working (it's not, and the AP even fact-checked Biden's speech), they want Obama telling them the economy is fine.

They don't want the Truth.

God forbid we should give the people information they need to know about their world.

"Let us dream to the extent of saying that on a given Sunday night the time normally occupied by Ed Sullivan is given over to a clinical survey of the state of American education, and a week or two later the time normally used by Steve Allen is devoted to a thoroughgoing study of American policy in the Middle East." -Edward R. Murrow

This movie, even though it is a few years old at this point, still applies to us today.

Journalists, don't be pansies. Seek The Truth, And Report It.

My Favorite Photo of the Day

This is one of my favorites simply because of it's randomness. That's Philip Gardner's unicycle. I worked with him at a camp in Colorado called Bear Trap Ranch, and he loved to unicycle off road (don't ask, it's as weird as it sounds). I saw his unicycle just resting against one of the cabins and decided it would be a great shot. And great it was.

Once again, here's the link to purchase an 8x10 glossy unframed print of it.

The Problem With Prosperity Preachers

I'm sure you've all heard them. Whether it's by word-of-mouth, flipping past TBN, or hearing them in megachurches, Prosperity Preachers are out there.

And allow me to be blunt right away.

They are lying to you.

They are wrong.

They are false prophets.

They tell you that you have enough faith, God will give you money, possessions, and arrange circumstances in the way that you want. Sometimes that faith is accompanied by a suggestion to send money to their ministry, which is another problem, and one that the Senate likes to get involved in.

These Prosperity Preachers spout a message of flowers and sunshine, telling you to "live victoriously" and then defining what they think that victory looks like. Their definition. They tell you that God doesn't want us to be uncomfortable (even though Jesus never even had a permanent bed), and that he will take care of you monetarily.

They often flout the last part of John 15:7 which says: "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." They leave out the whole remaining in Him.

This magical view of prayer makes us the boss of God.

Let me tell you flat out, your life will NOT become easier the second you become a Christian. In fact, it may get "worse" according to your own definition, but therein lies the problem.

When we define what "victory" and "better" mean, we are going off our own interpretations. Our own ideas. In reality, when we become Christians and pledge to follow Christ, we are forsaking our old selves and the old definition of self we had. We are no longer our own, we are His. We are no longer living for ourselves (what would be our purpose, anyway?), but we are living for Him.

Our purpose is to glorify Him, not to glorify ourselves. When those Prosperity Preachers say that if you have enough faith, all your problems will be solved, they are halfway right.

Your problems will be solved, but they will be solved God's way, and sometimes you may not like that, even though it is best for you in the end.

The Prosperity Preachers apparently missed the following verses. (Note the recurrence of the word "suffering.")

1 Peter 4:12, 13

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Romans 8:17, 18

¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. ¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Romans 5:1-5

¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Hebrews 2:10

¹⁰In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

There were dozens more passages talking about suffering, but these prove my point. There is going to be suffering, and what's more, we as Christians should embrace it.

By suffering, we realize our state as sinners. Yes, that's right, that's something you won't hear from Joel Crest Whitening Strips Osteen.

We Are Sinners.

When we suffer, via hard times or persecution or whatever, we are struck with the realization that we are not in control of our own little world. Someone else is, and we don't know what He has in mind.

That's the problem people have with Real Christianity. That's why Osteen and his crew pipe up with the Prosperity Gospel drivel.

We are not in control.

The Matrix can sum up my point about the state of our society and why people like Osteen are so popular. The whole premise, for all three of you who haven't seen/heard about it, is that Neo learns that he can influence the computer program humanity is subjected to living in. He can fly, dodge bullets, and kill without consequence.

This exchange with another character, Morpheus, explains everything.

Morpheus: I imagine that right now, you're feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole?
Neo: You could say that.
Morpheus: I see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, that's not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Neo?
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.

And there you have it.

He, and most of modern America, doesn't like the idea that he's not in control.

Prosperity Preachers thrive because people love the idea that there's something tangible they can do to better their situation. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying just sit on your butt and expect God to do all the work. It's a active relationship between God and us. We listen and meditate on His Word, and we follow what He says, either through others, His Word, circumstances, or a "still, small voice."

We don't better our circumstances simply by following a single preacher.

We don't better our circumstances by sending someone money.

We better our circumstances by surrendering.

We better our circumstances by realizing that God is in control, and has what's best in mind for His children.

Romans 8:28

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

On a related note, I'm not convinced Osteen himself is even a Christian. Just watch this video of him on Larry King.