To This Day & Slam Poetry Podcast

In this podcast, David and I give some reactions, thoughts, and opinions on Shane Koyczan's slam poem "To This Day". Below is the link to the YouTube video

To This Day Video

Slam Poetry is a style of delivery, as well as a genre of poetry. Slam poetry relates to either the originality of the work being presented by the author, and to the style in which they're delivering it. The authors tone and message in the poem are most important. Usually slam poetry is used to convey a message, such as Shane Koyczan's message in "To This Day" which is anti-bullying. Slam poetry is pretty recent to the scene, as it became more popular amongst teens because it it a fast paced, emotion fueled way to convey the deepest parts of ones soul. Slam poetry is now a competitive sport, where contestants are judged based on the poem, it's originality, as well as it's structure, tone, and feel. “A poetry slam is a competition at which poets read or recite original work. These performances are then judged on a numeric scale by previously selected members of the audience."

Even though it is a competitive scene, Slam poets are known for the compassion and their humility, as well as their tenacity, and ability to touch on hard subjects without seeming condescending or rude. Poets, such as Andrea Gibson, use personal stories to fuel their poetry, adding a human element to the story. All slam poetry must be original, which puts a lot of stain on the poets because they want to avoid sounding cliche or monotonous. But because Andrea and Shane both underwent so much opposition and hatred as children, their poetry, in my opinion, is raw and breathtaking; it forces one to self examine their stance, either as a victim or the antagonizer. Both Andrea and Shane use their work to inspire those around them, to share a message that may not be pleasant, but certainly is necessary.

1-10 Spanish/French

Spanish & French

Rough Outline Podcast

To This Day Project is the focus of my podcast

 Shane Koyczan wrote “To This Day” as a poem to raise awareness about bulling. In our podcast we will discuss if the impact created by this video is productive, effective, and well-balanced, or if it relies more on the shock and awe of the animation.In the podcast we will discuss;

 -personal opinion of the video; what we liked, didn’t like, how it made us feel, ect.

 -reference “pork chop”, “beware of dog”, ect -discuss how his personal experience set the tone; his experience mirrors that of so many others

-the vivid imagery that Koyczan, as well as his tone and pace really grasps the reader, and forces them to self examine

 -in most cases, people will fall into two different categories; the listener will either relate to Shane, or relate to the bullies. In the case of the latter (if one relates to bullies), this video can open their eyes and show them a new perspective

 -because it is presented in such a visually stimulating way, it hooks the listener in and doesn’t let them go

 -compare this video with other spoken word artists and see who did better and why

Soulful Jams

Podcast Review

Boiler Room

The Boiler Room podcast is a weekly release of a compilation of music from new and upcoming dubstep, trap, or electronic artist's. They bring together music from all over the country, and have actually accepted and signed one of my friends Hobbz. I really enjoy listening to this type of music because it makes me want to dance, and have a good time. Boiler Room brings well-made music into a beautifully orchestrated set ranging from half an hour to an hour and a half. These sets range in not only artist and their location, but also in their variety of music styles, and the pace and tone of their music. This variety is sweet, but its poison; it kills you to wait that week to hear it again ;) My personal favorites are RL Grime and the Salva Boiler Room LA set. Around 10 of these podcasts are downloaded onto my laptop because they're too big of files to put on my IPhone.

Low End Theory

I also subscribed to the Low End Theory podcast, which is the same concept at Boiler Room, except LET (Low End Theory) is much more underground music; its full of artists that would make hipsters go "You probably haven't heard of them". The Low End theory is actually them name of a club, where people will come to do live sets, which gets turned into a weekly podcast. LET also mixes in sets of very famous artists, and the tone and pace of the music changes drastically throughout the set. LET picks favorites, like Gaslamp Killer, who has been in the game for quite some time. He's one of my personal favorites, so I listened to episodes 19, and 21, because they're my favorites, and have the most variety and in my opinion, the better mixes. Again, this type of set belongs on a laptop because there is too much data for a MP3 device

Writing Exersize

Hunting Accident Escalates into Aggravated Assault (Albany, VT)

Conrad Masse, 76, of Craftsbury is one of two men investigated in a hunting related shooting accident in Albany Vermont, has been issued a citation to appear before the Orleans Supreme Court on the 28th of February to answer the charges of Aggravated Assault. 

In addition to his appearance in Court, Masse was also issued tickets by the Fish and Game wardens for shooting from the Road, Having a Loaded Rifle in his Vehicle, and Not Having Proper Display of Permits for the bear hounds he and his accomplice, Wayne Goff 58 of Wolcott, were in possession of.

The two men were hunting bear together, using radio telemetry and GPS to track their dogs who had been previously set on the bears scent. The two men drove down Urie Road in an attempt to head the bear off as it was forced to cross by the dogs.

Goff exited the car first, and positioned himself on the road where he could see if the bear was crossing, while Masse drove exactly 541 feet away and parked the car, also positioning himself where he could see the bear as soon as it emerged. Both men were facing each other, with a large gap between them to channel the bear.

When the bear did cross the road, it did so between the two men. Masse fired his Remington .30-.60 rifle about three times, one bullet striking the bear, one hitting a tree, and the final bullet penetrated Goff's stomach and became lodged in his pelvic area. 

Goff was rushed to North Country Hospital, and then was moved to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for surgery and treatment. However, Goff was released and is reportedly in stable condition, but will give no comment at this time.

This investigation was the joint efforts of the Vermont State Police and game wardens from the Vermont Department of Fish & Game, which has been ongoing since October of last year, is finally coming to a close.

TV Website Assignment

The first TV Website I looked into was CBC News Canada, and I was very impressed with their website. They have ads located on the top of the page, and subtly throughout the site, which draws attention to the ads, but doesn't detract from the news. They also have a sidebar with links to specific regions and territories of Canada and their respective news. They have many videos, however they're all located halfway down the page in one small sidebar, which could be greatly improved. However they do update stories as more details are revealed, keeping their news current. The headings are bold and grasping, and the blurbs provide a nice hook, giving the critical information just like we learned but also tempting the reader for more. Although the highlights on the page are about Canadian news, at the bottom of the sight there is worldwide news stories, including the Sochi Olympics.
CBC News Canada

The second was Sky News Australia, one of the main sources of online news for Australia. Their page is grabbing, with a headlines bar at the top for breaking news, and a huge slideshow of all their most recent news stories. Next to the slideshow is a sidebar with links to their top stories and videos. And under that is their top watched/most important video clips, which is placed very clearly in the viewers sight. Then, the site goes through several subgenres, shall we call them, of news, from "World" to "Sports" and so on. There are sidebars for "Latest News" and "Most Popular", as well as links to their online Sky News merch shop and one that will bring you directly to sign up for their daily newsletter. This site if FULL of links and videos and their writing is crisp, clean, and to the point, albeit the site does have a flair for the dramatic. Overall, I was much more impressed with Sky News
Sky News AU

Where Am I Going?

Lately, I've been feeling sort of aimless, like I'm drifting through my day to day activities, mindlessly.
Like I've lost that spark, that fire that makes people reach for their guitar or their sketchpad; I no longer have something that I'm "good at".
People are good at things, whether it be baking, or taking apart a bike, or painting. There's a certain activity that makes one feel good, to feel whole, and I've lost that.
Walking the halls of HAC, I see all this beautiful artwork, all this flowing creativity, and I feel like theres a wall in my mind between my creativity, and myself now.
I want to get back to doing what makes me feel good, something that makes me tick, something that puts the fire back in my belly.
I want to create, I want to become a God of fine jewelry or of short stories so intense that grown men weep.
I want to feel at home within myself once more, and I think the first step is reigniting my "pilot light" so to speak
I need to get out there, and find myself and my passion

Shocking Death in Car Crash, Lyndonville VT

Minor Car Accident Turns Lethal in Downtown Lyndonville 

Tragedy struck Lyndonville VT this afternoon, as Annie Coulter, 82, lost control of her car and crashed into the front window of local eatery Central Restaurant, leading to the unexpected death of a patron.

Mrs. Coulter claims that she swerved to avoid a pedestrian heading south on Depot Street, and that her brakes failed before she could stop. Mrs. Coulter's car broke through the front window of the restaurant, injuring Mr. John Barker in the process.

Although Mr. Barker's injuries from the impact were not fatal, he was reported to have suffered multiple lacerations from the shattered glass.

Witnesses say that Barker approached the car with the intention of helping Mrs. Coulter out from the driver's seat, she had suffered minor lacerations and bruising, when he began complaining of pain in his chest, which ultimately lead him to collapse.

EMT quickly arrived at the Restaurant but were unfortunately too late to save Mr. Barker, who died from a heart attack at the scene.

John Barker, aged 59 from Concord VT, was known by friends, family, and the community as a kindhearted, loving man, remembered for his honorable service in the Middle East and as a member of his Neighborhood Watch Program.

Mrs. Coulter is expected to testify in court tomorrow about the events of the case, as Barker's family is attempting to sue her on the grounds of Vehicular Manslaughter.


Below is a link which highlights the death toll on average due to automotive accidents
List of Car-Related Deaths

Pimp My Blog

I've had the idea for an inspirational blog for some time, and adding links to the page wasn't very hard.
I chose the background because it's subtle, and calming, but also very upbeat and positive; we can all visualize our struggles, fears, ect. as a huge mountain looming over us, yet it is one we must overcome, and eventually one will discover the beauty in our fears.
Because I've used blogger before, I was familiar with setup and style, so customizing the font wasn't hard at all.
Also, adding the slideshow on the top to filter in some positive, calming pictures brings the page together nicely.
By offering a list of my favorite links, it promotes not only my blog but others as well.
The medias attention towards positivity and good body image is on the rise which is such a good thing; together we all can raise awareness and our own personal vibrations

#loveandlight

Some Websites for Healthy Mindsets

Daily Affirmations

Buddhist Quotations

Positive Body Affirmations

Help or Be Helped Online Therapy

Rechoosing Yourself

I believe that we are our own Universe; we are the masters of all we see, feel, and smell. As light, sentient beings, we must embrace our powers in order to fully achieve happiness and complete unity of the soul and mind.
By choosing to stay on a path of fear, anger, and depression, you become scared, depressed and angry; your choices, conscious and unconscious, greatly affect your outlook and your perception.
By choosing to be accepting, positive, and warm you will soon notice yourself embodying these ideals.This switch in paradigm is very difficult, because for many people they've been stuck in the same mindset for too long, so the change may seem impossible.
But once you've broken free from your negative shackles, one may begin to dance in the light of happiness
"We do not have the ability to imagine ourselves as something we cannot become"

Rechoose Yourself

Vulnerability

This video is one of the Ted Talks, a medium for great minds of our nation to come together and voice their opinions, and what they've learned whilst on their life journey.
This talk is about vulnerability, and how as humans, in order to a whole, happy, functioning human being, we must accept our flaws and be open with one another, despite our fears and misconceptions.
I find this video to be very motivational and educational and I encourage you all to watch it
 #loveandlight