Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Hilarious Aries Spears Impressions

Aries Spears is probably best known from Fox's sketch comedy show MADtv. Listen to Spears imitate Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and DMX. This is truly a case of life imitating art, or is art imitating life, or art imitating art?

Monday, December 15, 2008

Kanye on SNL

Kanye West performing "Heartless" on Saturday Night Live.

I admire his passion--a lot of people say that he's got an attitude problem, but I think it's just an extreme love for creation.

I love the Pinocchio story. So, he's saying that in order to be a "real boy" he needs his soul mate. Famous psychologist Carl Jung also wrote about this in theory and called it the anima and animus. The unconscious male seeks to find his anima, which is his suppressed feminine side. And women are in search of their animus, which is their suppressed male characteristics. Jung believed that we are constantly in search of our opposite to feel complete. Read more HERE.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Why America May Go To Hell

This is an interview from April 4, 2008. I'm not sure how I missed it, but nevertheless it's fascinating. Michael Eric Dyson discusses his latest book, April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America.

In this Today Show interview Dyson talks about Martin Luther King Jr.'s last sermon he ever wrote, "Why America May Go To Hell." King was depressed, tired, borderline narcoleptic and a smoker. I can only imagine the frustrations he must have felt.

Read more HERE.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Biggie Smalls--UPS

UPS is hiring! I'm sure a lot of people would be happy to work for UPS right now (including myself)!


Deconstructing Biggie: UPS is Hiring from jeff on Vimeo.

Christmas Tree History Lesson

So, I've been wondering why we have Christmas trees. I don't really understand what it has to do with Christmas. Within the past week a couple people (women) asked me if I would be getting a Christmas tree. When I responded, "no, what for?" I got very peculiar looks...like I'm the strange one.

I started to do a little internet research and came across the story of monk Crediton Devonshire. In the 7th Century he was traveling around teaching the word of God and would use the fir tree to explain the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

The fir tree became an adopted symbol of Christianity and in the 12th Century Europeans would hang the tree from their ceilings. Read more HERE.

Another story suggests that the Ancient Egyptians started the Christmas tree trend when the winter solstice came (around December 20-23), Egyptians would bring palm leaves into their home to symbolize the victory of life over death. Read more HERE.

Some believe the Bible points to the origination of the Christmas tree:

Jeremiah 10:1-5 (King James Version):

[1] Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
[2] Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
[3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
[4] They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
[5] They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

There are many more cultures that were speculated to use the "Christmas tree." Regardless, I think it's lost meaning in our current society--seems like people just do things and buy things because it's "tradition."

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Happy Days for Gays (almost)

Prop. 8 The Musical featuring Jack Black, Margaret Cho, John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Rashida Jones, Allison Janney

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

This Dude Is A Great Impressionist!

This guy is hilarious and he Obama down. I love David Blaine Morgan Freeman, Borat and John Legend.

Rosa Parks

Yesterday marked the 53rd anniversary of Rosa Parks' famous arrest in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 1, 1955 Parks refused to move to the back of the bus. Her refusal to get out of her seat spawned a 381 day bus boycott throughout Montgomery. Then in 1956 the Supreme Court banned segregation on public transportation.

What' s remarkable about this story is that Parks never intended on changing the law. "I did not get on the bus to get arrested; I got on the bus to go home," said Parks.

Daoists believe that water is the perfect symbol for change because although water seems soft, it will eventually erode stone. Parks was already part of the river. She worked as a secretary at her local NAACP chapter, worked with the NAACP Youth Council as well as the Voters League. If she wasn't apart of this river chances are nobody would have cared that she got arrested for not moving to the back of the bus. So, if we all find our rivers and stick with them you never know what you can personally alter in the future.