Daily Delver 2nd News Tease - Bryan Lloyd Good morning, I’m Bryan Lloyd, broadcasting from Morgan State University, with your latest news from the Daily Delver. President Obama has vowed to help Mexico, along with their President, Felipe Calderon, fight its war against drugs."We are going to be dealing not only with drug interdiction coming north, but also working on helping to curb the flow of cash and guns going south," Obama stated. This U.S. offer of aide could not come at a more urgent time for the neighboring country, as it has been reported that Mexican gangs have implemented something of a drug cartel draft, recruiting innocent civilians by force. The international drug war, recently fought a local battle, when Victoria Carter, the head of a Baltimore city high school's special-education department was arrested on felony drug charges, after police seized at least $4,000 worth of cocaine from her home. In non-drug-related news, NBA champion, Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, who led the franchise team to victory last year, could be out for the playoffs due to a knee injury. Lastly, will celebriality-mania hold up once Solange, Keisha Knight Pulliam, and Michael Vick all join the long list of stars, or former stars, who have their own show? We will have the details on that story and more when we return after these brief messages.
Daily Delver News Tease - Bryan Good morning, I’m Bryan Lloyd, broadcasting from Morgan State University, with your latest news from the Daily Delver. First off, the Obama administration plans to improve diplomacy by joining European and Asian allies in talks with Iran to block their development of a nuclear weapon. However, Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has stipulated, “If a hand has truly been extended with sincerity, based on justice and respect, Iran will welcome it. “If it’s a hand that is sincere in appearance and deep down dishonest, Iran’s answer will be the same as the one given to Mr. Bush.” Moreover, we have an update on the hostage situation where Somalian pirates are holding American Captian, Richard Phillips captive. In sports news, former star college basketball player, Marvin Webster, of the Morgan Bears, sadly passed away, just nine days shy of his 57th birthday. In local news, Baltimore’s oldest hospital, Bon Secours, which was first established in 1919, is facing closure. And in entertrainment news, did married-athlete Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat, impregnate actress Gabrielle Union? We’ll have the details of that story and more when we return after these brief messages.
Najia McLean is a junior at Morgan State University. She is an English Major, with a concentration in journalism. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Najia found it easy to adjust to Baltimore. She says that the urban environments are similar, both positively and negatively; since she points out that each city has a high crime rate. Although she will always prefer her hometown; Najia has stated that she is considering a permanent residence in Baltimore. Najia plans on making journalism her professional occupation; she has already written for the "Union County Local Source" in NJ, and Morgan’s "The Promethean". I picked her brain with ten simple “either or” questions: 1. Democrat or Republican? Democrat 2. Basketball or Football? Basketball 3. NCAA or NBA? NBA 4.Morning classes or Evening Classes? Morning Classes 5. George W. Bush or George H. W. Bush? Neither 6. Mayor Sheila Dixon or Governor Martin O’Malley? Mayor Sheila Dixon 7. Newswriting I. or Newswriting II.? Newswriting I 8. English or Journalism? Journalism 9. R&B or Hip-Hop? R&B 10. Reality TV or Scripted TV? Reality
"Padded Room" Review - Bryan Joe Budden? The "Pump It Up" guy? He's still rapping? Typical responses from hip-hop listeners unfamiliar with the mixtape scene. However, due to the critical acclaim of Budden's mixtapes, "Padded Room" was a highly anticipated release for his small cult-following. Overall, "Padded Room" is one of the best albums of the year thus far. Yet it suffers from one of the typical shortcomings that prevent talented underground artists from making quality CDs. Mixtape artists tend to have strong punchlines and verses, but lack in songwriting ability. Budden has no problem with conceptualizing original topics, and showing levels of vulnerability rare in rap; but he seems to struggle with choruses. Three of "Padded Room"s tracks completely skip any attempt at a chorus. Then again, unique songs like "In My Sleep", "Do Tell" and "Pray for Me" are so engaging that a chorus would probably only be disruptive and distracting. Five of the songs' choruses are supplied either by a sample or a featured singer. It occasionally works with cuts like the aggressive, experimental hard-rock fusion, aptly-titled "Adrenaline", which features the Junkyard Gang band. A song that audiences who can appreciate Linkin Park, should love; but it will probably be too grungy and hardcore for most of Budden's fans. On the other hand, R&B tracks like "Happy Holidays" and "The Future" feel too safe in their commercial attempts. In fact, the latter, which was the failed first single featuring Game, sticks out as the only song that is completely irrelevant and unfitting for this concept album; clearly the worst tune in the "Room".
"Now I Lay" gives the album a strong start; an up-tempo, high energy track, driven by the enthusiastic delivery of Budden's baritone vocals. This first track brings listeners up to speed on who he is and what he's gone through since releasing his only Top 40 hit, "Pump It Up". Throughout the album, Budden describes his unstable mind-state, using psychological self-evaluations. He explores his characteristics of insanity, via lucid dream analysis on "In My Sleep", and symbolic personification on tracks like "Exxxes". On the former, he recounts "Stuck in a room with [an] elephant, opened the closet and dappped up my skeleton." He shares his inability to fully understand the world, and vice versa. Furthermore, he describes his suicidal contemplations, feelings of guilt, and fears of death. The last three tracks are exceptional. "Do Tell" is something of a will of messages for people and things that he will leave behind once he dies. He says "They say I'm difficult, so to put it simply, tell the world I never cared it was against me." "Angel in My Life", a dark, sinister track with haunting strings, best illustrates what the album is about. It features Budden rapping from a padded room in a straight jacket, frustrated about where his decisions have led him, expressing his fear that his end must be near. This is simultaneously the most serious track and the most amusing. The moody song features sound-bites of a conversation between two of Budden's friends describing the absurd situations that have led him to his insane asylum. The "Room" closes with "Pray For Me", a song that finds Budden facing "a Man with no face". He engages in dialogue with the Voice of God, as they discuss whether or not he deserves salvation. The scenario is supported by the song's echoic and atmospheric, organ-driven music. They converse, (God charges) "You robbed people, stole", (Budden answers) "Yeah, and You made me see jail", (to which God replies) "But I've also seen you lay your hands on a female." Budden's openness and vulnerability help to make this an intriguing and enjoyable, focused work. 8.5/10
While the legalization of marijuana is still a highly controversial issue; a recent incident suggests that some police departments actually believe that harsher punishment should be administered to offenders. 20-year-old Grand Valley State Univ. Student, Derek Copp, was shot after being suspected of smoking marijuana in his off-campus apartment. Five West Michigan Enforcement Team Officers, who obtained a warrant to search for narcotics, raided the apartment last week at 9pm. An unnamed, 12-year-veteran deputy, shot the young man upon entering the apartment's sliding door. According to his parents, Copp was shot when he raised his arm, shielding his eyes from a flashlight, unaware that it was an officer. Only one shot was fired but it left a life-threatening wound. Neither the victim nor the shooter were arrested. Police have not revealed what drugs were searched for (or found, if any), nor have they explained the deputy's reasoning for opening fire on the unarmed man. The deputy is currently on paid leave. Copp's parents stated, "From what I understand, half the kids in the school may smoke pot..." "but he's not a drug dealer. He's a good kid and he shouldn't have been shot for that." While it is unlikely that smoking marijuana in the U.S. will be legalized anytime soon, taking a bullet is far too severe a punishment.
The latest piece added to the Chrianna puzzle, is Brown's manager, Tina Davis. According to TMZ, sources have ID'd Davis as the home-wrecking texter responsible for the three-page message sent to Brown's cell phone. The 39-year-old manager was rumored to have had a relationship with the singer at the beginning of his career, and the message in question discussed her hooking up with Brown later. This presumably led to the "SOS" singer's slap, which then resulted in Brown's brutal beat-down. Whether or not Davis served as the catalyst for the star couple's tumultuous tussle, the ensuing incident cannot be justified. However, this new element may provide insight into Brown's psyche. He is not the first young singer who's manager has been suspected of sexual coercion. The former managers of B2K and 'N Sync have been similarly accused. Brown, currently an accused felon, is clearly the perpetrator in his case with Rihanna, but he too has possibly been victimized. While that possibility should have no affect on the verdict of his current trial, it should affect the public perception of Brown. Davis' relationship with Brown should be investigated. Cases of coercion in which boys are subjected, must not be trivialized because the consequences can be catastrophic.
Veteran actor, Sean Penn, won his second Oscar on Feb 22, for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, San Francisco's first openly gay city supervisor. Penn, who is also a political activist, partially used his acceptance speech to voice his opinion on the controversial passing of California's Proposition 8. "I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban on gay marriage, to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes, if they continue that way of support. We got to have equal rights for everyone," he asserted. The passing of Prop 8 on Nov 4, 2008, stirred much controversy and prompted several protests from gay-marriage supporters. Although media attention had drastically decreased since the initial response, Penn's proclamation has revitalized the Prop 8 controversy. Currently the California Supreme Court is hearing a legal dispute over whether or not the proposition was unconstitutional; if determined to have been, it shall be overturned by early June. Moreover, a new petition that aims to reverse the Prop 8 decision by replacing every instance of the word "marriage" with "domestic partnership" in California Law, will qualify for the ballot if it acquires the signatures of 694,354 registered voters by Aug 6, 2009. While gay marriage is a provocative issue to which every individual is entitled their own respective opinion on; Sean Penn is the latest high-profile advocate to attach false assumptions to the opposing side. By stating that opponents will bare shame in the future, he suggests that anyone who voted in favor of Prop 8, only did so out of an unapologetic disdain for and or an irrational fear of homosexuals. This has been a popular generalization used in the attempt to attack the credibility of opponents to same-sex marriage. It conveniently denies any possibility that an individual can actually believe that "marriage" as an institution, in its true and original denotation and connotation, can only exist between consenting members of opposite gender.
The notion that opposition to same-sex marriage is indicative of homophobia, is invalidated by the fact that even some homosexuals are against gay marriage. According to the CNN exit poll, 4% of homosexual voters were in favor of Prop 8. Elton John, perhaps the most prominent and well-respected openly gay artist, was adamant in expressing his disapproval of the gay marriage rally. "We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership," he shared, describing his relationship with longtime partner, David Furnish. "What is wrong with Proposition 8 [attackers] is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage," John concluded. "I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership. You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships." John acknowledges the significance of the word "marriage", and hints at the connotation that it was implemented exclusively for man and woman. Secondly, he expresses his graciousness for having a civil partnership, because he realizes how generously accommodating such unions are. Civil unions were first established in Denmark, 1989, for the sole purpose of affording some of the rights, benefits, and responsibilities designated for married couples, to homosexual couples. Though marital benefits were originally only intended for wedded straight couples, the specifications of civil unions in some countries provide the exact same benefits as those granted in marriages. Despite the accommodating efforts of civil unions, some critics, such as activist, Dr Marilyn Waring, have highlighted the close similarity between civil unions and marriage, to argue that civil unions exemplify a "separate but equal" practice. Technically, however, this equality argument, which Penn echoed, does not correspond to the marriage issue. A straight man has the right to marry a woman with whom he has a consensual and mutual relationship; but at most he would have the right to create a civil union with another man. A gay man's rights would allow him the exact same options; therefore, this cannot be considered a division or separation of rights. Another pertinent offense Penn made during his speech came in his reference to President Barack Obama. "I'm very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man president," Penn added. By "elegant man", Penn of course meant a "qualified black man". This tactic of relating African Americans to homosexuals, and assimilating their respective struggles, has long been overtly misused by supporters of homosexuality. Seemingly whenever a "gay rights" issue arises, an advocate argues by substituting "gay" with "black", based on the belief that race relations have progressed farther than sexual relations. Nevertheless, this is an unbalanced comparison, due to the debate over whether or not sexual orientation is a choice. As a straight man, I could argue that I choose to be interested in women, as opposed to inheriting a yet to be scientifically-identified heterosexual genotype from birth. Contrarily, I could not debate over whether or not I was born black, because that is a fact. In conclusion, the issue over gay marriage, and marriage in general, is highly controversial, and will likely continue to be provocative. Presently, same-sex marriage is not lawfully recognized anywhere in the United States except for Massachusetts, but that is subject to change. Regardless of what the future for American marriage holds, it must be understood that respectable stances can be taken on either side, and bigotry should never be an assumed motivation for either stance.
