The Beatles: A History of Music

During the early 1960’s some of the most influential music began to bloom. Artists such as The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan were entering the beginning stages of their musical careers. One of these bands in particular, whose music would inspire a generation, was The Beatles. Although they were earlier dismissed as an average band, with every new album and song they released their ability to create and inspire would improved. With an insatiable desire to be creative and improve their music, the Beatles music was fluidly evolving. The Beatles created music that was unique, and they would become one of the most culturally and musically influencing bands of all time.

The Beatles’ rise to fame rocked the foundations of music and culture in the 1960’s. For instance, they were a primary proponent of the British Invasion, which was the musical/cultural migration, of British pop and rock music, from Britain to the United States. The Beatles’ effects reached farther than music. After the release of A Hard Day’s Night feature film, the film industry began implementing techniques used in the film. With their straggly hair, they were able to help create a sense of cultural identity for youths in the 1960’s, which would later evolve into the counter-culture movement. There popularity was further portrayed with the help of millions of screaming girls, in what we know today as “Beatle-mania”. No where in recorded history has there been as much excitement generated by a single band before or after the Beatles. The excitement unfortunately made touring difficult, so they subsequently vowed to never tour again. This, in all actuality, was a major benefit to the future of the Beatles. With the Beatles making no money on the road Parlophone Records gave The Beatles full access to their recording studios. With an unlimited amount of recourses, combined with their love and skill of and for their trade, the Beatles were able to create the most original music.

Although The Beatles are typically credited for their role in music as a group, each member donated major contributions to the success of the band. For instance, John Lennon developed a unique style of songwriting in the 60’s that he contributed to his music with The Beatles as well as his solo work. Lennon was a pessimist at heart and that developed itself in his music. The style that developed in his later years with the Beatles was a unique blend of psychedelic and folk lyrics. Due to his work with the Beatles, Lennon is credited as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He is forever caricatured as a “live and let live” artist. His work with “Flower Power” and numerous Anti-Vietnam War protests led to a cultural revolution in the 1970’s. Paul McCartney was the other half of the McCartney/Lennon writing team that spanned eight years and over 150+ songs. He was a perfect balance to the team, adding optimistic and often quirky strings and lyrics to Lennon’s more melancholy method. It was this songwriting combination that made The Beatles unique. George Harrison is, in my opinion, the most under-rated of the four. His musical peak was evident in the 1969 album Abbey Road. One of the most innovative and influential guitar players ever, he helped to pave the way for years of great music. Songs like “Something” will forever rank him among the most creative guitarists. At the time of the Beatles creation Richard Starkey, better known as Ringo Star, was already a member of a successful band. Star was the drummer of the band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes which played a few gigs with The Beatles when they were originally known as The Quarrymen. What attracted the Beatles to Star was his proficiency with drumming. His innovative drumming style would later lead to songs like “Rain”.

Due to The Beatles popularity they have become one of the most successful artists in history. As of 2009, The Beatles have sold over a billion records worldwide, and due to their contributions to music The Beatles are often referenced for their impact on future musical talent. The band Oasis, the artists Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, David Bowie, Keith Moon and Peter Sellers, among thousands of others, all considered The Beatles to be a primary influence in their music and life. Rolling Stone Magazine named them the greatest artist of all time, and four of their albums were ranked in the top 10 of the “500 Greatest albums of All Time” as well as Sgt. Pepper’s… being ranked the #1 album.

The Beatles are likely the most recognized band in history, and for good reason. They were the pioneers of “think outside the box” music. They demonstrated the necessity of experimentation in the pursuit of fresh music. Whether or not The Beatles were the greatest band of all time is still up for debate, the fact that they have a major influence on music is not. They had a unique opportunity to influence music for the better and that is what they did. They helped music to change and become something better, which is why I have such respect and love for these guys.

The Truth about Abortion

Of the many issues that are controversial in our society, none affect me quite like the abortion issue. Although, I am obviously not a woman, this issue is still very important to me. Being one of the most emotionally appealing issues to attack, it makes defending difficult. Nonetheless, the abortion issue deserves my support, and I would like to inform those who are against abortion why I so strongly support it. Although pro-life advocates claim that abortion is the murder of a human being and should be illegal, scientific evidence and logic say otherwise.

The most important piece of information that you need to have on the abortion issue is that a fetus is not a human being. The neocortex, the region of the brain that enables consciousness, does not develop until late in gestation. That means that from fertilization to near the third trimester what is inside the womb is nothing more than an organism in a persistent vegetative state. Now that that is understood we must begin to define the human condition. The human condition is one’s perception of life through natural and inevitable events. Basically, it is the general term used to describe how we perceive the metaphysical, biological and sociological events in our lifetime. Fortunately, the only word you need to understand is perception. Perception is a subcategory of cognitive science or the study of the brain. The brain provides perception and is the key to the human condition. Basically what I’m saying is without a brain you don’t think; therefore, you are not a human being.

Still, pro-life advocates will rant about how abortion is wrong and that every child should have a shot at life. It is because of this that I must tell you the story of Jacob. “Who is Jacob? He is nobody, and he had nobody to care for him. The fatherless son of an HIV positive prostitute, he lived five excruciatingly painful years before the multiple drugs used to take the pain away stopped his heart. Jacob’s suffering was inevitable because he was born an AIDS baby. It was known that he would die young, yet some pro-life advocate thought that he should get a shot at life. Jacob didn’t deserve the life he was forced into” (Kincaid). “He should have been aborted” (Kincaid).

To give perspective on this issue from a pro-life point of view I will provide some counter-arguments. The following arguments against abortion were taken from Abort73.com, a popular pro-life website: “A new human being comes into existence during the process of fertilization. It is false to claim that no one knows when life begins and dishonest to argue that abortion does not kill a human being” (Jones). It is true that fertilization is the creation of an organism and abortion is the removal of set organism from its host; however, that organism is not a human being. If you were to look at a recently fertilized egg in a microscope you wouldn’t see a baby with little feet and a large head, you’d see a little blob inside of a bigger blob. What constitutes the human condition is the ability to think. Thinking is a function given to us by our brain, something a cell doesn’t have. Therefore, abortion is not the killing of a human being. “The differences between embryos and adults are differences that don't matter. Human beings inside the womb are smaller, less developed, and more dependent than human beings outside the womb. These are differences of degree, not differences of kind. We can all point to other people who are bigger, stronger, smarter, or less dependent than we are, but that doesn't make our life any less valuable, or any less deserving of protection” (Jones). An embryo is no more a Human being than a seed is a blooming flower. Similarly, a caterpillar isn’t considered a butterfly before it enters its cocoon stage. Being larger or smaller means nothing in the grand scheme of things. What matters is what you are, and in this instance you’re either an embryo or you’re a human. “It is reasonable and necessary for society to outlaw certain ‘choices’. The only way people can successfully live together in a community is to give up a measure of personal freedom. Personal choices that infringe on the life or livelihood of another human being must be legislated against. Therefore, it is impossible to justify abortion by simply arguing that women should be ‘free to choose’” (Jones). The fully grown woman’s health and opinion must take precedence over the life of a cell. Moreover, the ability to choose should take precedence over other’s opinions. A cell will live or die by the decisions of the carrier, whether it’s a regular menstrual period, an accidental miscarriage or an abortion. Therefore, the burden must be on the woman to make that choice and not for society to make it for her.

Whether you are like me and support abortion and reproductive justice or you don’t, it doesn’t matter. There will always be situations were abortion is necessary. Objective scientific evidence and logic support abortion, and to eliminate it, just because of your personal bias, would be foolish. It is because of these foolish actions, made to eliminate abortion as an option, that the world is so grossly overpopulated. Thousands of unwanted children are the result of pro-life advocators, and that is not justice. At the same time, a cell that would have eventually had a loving family and lived a great and meaningful life is killed before it even knew it existed. What can we deduce from this situation? Perhaps the issue is just too complicated for us to be able to say that one side is right and the other is wrong. Maybe this will be the one issue that will remain a moot point for all time, and perhaps it’s best that way.

Let the Right One in

America is a grand blank canvas for talented film makers to convey their imagination upon. Venues such as the Sundance & Tribeca film festivals allow great talent to be introduced to the general public mainstream. Unfortunately, some of the most promising talent never truly gets recognized by the American mainstream. This is undeniably apparent in award ceremonies like the Oscars where a movie so artful and beautifully well made can be completely excluded. The movie I am referring to is Låt den rätte komma in, or in English, Let the Right One in.

Let the right one in is the story of Oskar and Eli, young love and their tale of adolescent uncertainty. The story does diverge from the relationship between the two children often, only to enhance or spice the main dish that is their past, present and future. Oskar overcomes relentless bullying on a daily basis. When the sun vanishes he plots his revenge, for he wishes ill of his tormentors. Eli is a strange girl with a voice not as high pitched as one may think a girl her age should be. And she only appears at night. Her past is riddled with sorrow as is Oskar’s present, and in a way they help to heal each others wounds. The story is much too complicated to fully represent in one page, and I’d prefer it if you went to see it yourself. This movie deserves that much. This movie weighs heavily on my mind and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it. Although I didn’t connect exactly to the characters I envied them and pitied them, for their relationship was a bittersweet.

You have to see this movie. The sound was perfect. The pacing was perfect. The acting performances were perfect (Note that I rarely give out perfects). The narrative is one of the most unique ever assembled. I can easily say this is the best modern Swedish film and one of the most positively unforgettable foreign film in years.

Defining Moments

Human beings are typically unaware of defining moments in their lives until they think back on these events. With a bit of extra knowledge at hand, more accurate assumptions can be made about the importance of such experiences. Recently in class we were asked to bring in an item of great importance or meaning to us. The majority of the class brought in items that either reflected people that were important to them or helped them remember a better time in their lives. My item was different but just as important to me, symbolizing a change in perspective that I have recently acquired. The item I brought in was an essay I wrote my senior year of high school, on the topic of the Holocaust. When I first wrote the essay it had no symbolic meaning to be, but it would later define me.

The year was early 2007, and we high school students were all very enthusiastic about returning from winter break. I was in the process of re-adjusting myself to high school life. The waking up unnecessarily early every morning, the boring calculus lectures, and the off white brick shaped halls that smelt of freshly used cleaning products and decade-long old air freshener was the typical essence of high school life. The only part of this tedious schedule that was of any interest to me was my English 12 class. I was always ignorant about my affinity to literature, reading, and writing until my teacher Mr. Jones opened my eyes to what I was ignoring. Mr. Jones was probably the best teacher I will ever know, no offense to you Mrs. Lewis. He had a way of making learning fun and interesting to select people, and I was one of them. It’s difficult to explain just how he was able to obtain such a feat, but I guess that’s a testament to his skills. Unfortunately, not everyone in my class had such a positive opinion of him. You see, Mr. Jones’s class had a reputation, among the student populous, of being the most difficult to pass. I’ll admit I was a bit reluctant to take his class, but that changed once I became more comfortable in his class. Although my fellow pupils thought of him as a mean and arrogant man, he always seemed very reasonable to me. He was always more than ready to help us with anything that we needed, and that made the time in his class so much easier. It was because of his help that I was able to properly prepare myself for the final essay assignment. A giant of an essay worth half of the year’s grade, it could make or break your entire final grade and determine whether or not you graduate that year. We were given ample time to complete the essay, but it was disorienting to think that this could keep me from graduating high school. I knew what I had to do, and that very afternoon I began to write what would later become one of the most important pieces of literature of my life.

I was assigned to write a portfolio of essays that convey different perspectives of the Nazi Concentration Camps: Dachau and Auschwitz. The completed portfolio included: A research paper on the holocaust, an essay in response to a film about the American troops who discovered the death camps called Nightmare’s End: Return to the Camps, an essay in response to a book about a man who survived Auschwitz called Night, and an essay in response to the film Schindler’s List. I was also assigned to display photos and charts about the Holocaust and to write a fictional journal of a holocaust survivor. The research paper was very basic and easy to write considering there was a lot of information on the particular subject. I did enjoy writing responses to the movie Schindler’s List and the book Night as well, but the journal was definitely my favorite part to write. It allowed me to experience, first hand, the destruction of innocence and to see through the eyes of one of these poor people. The child in the story went from a care free individual to a depraved and depressed adult. I wanted the reader to see subtle changes in the child’s words and actions to add to the experience of reading it. The child would begin young, playful, and blissfully ignorant. He would gradually begin to mature until he was practically an adult by the age of sixteen.

To my relief, I did pretty well on the assignment. I put a lot of effort into the essay and my teacher thought similarly. I eventually graduated high school, and it was subsequently shelved. The only inclination I had about completing it was simply to pass the class, so it meant very little to me at the time. The essay would remain in a box for weeks, then months, and then years until I was cleaning my room last Christmas and rediscovered it. I then sat down and read through the entire essay with a completely different perspective. Because most of it was written out of pure emotion, due the subject matter, I cannot remember why I wrote what I did or what was going through my mind at the time. Perhaps that is the essence of literature, to express oneself in the purest form on to paper. In retrospect, I realize what the essay did for me. It unveiled my interest in literature and history that I never realized I had. Now whenever I write for school or in my spare time I am better at organize my thoughts, work effectively, and procrastinate less. In the process of researching, reading, and writing I went on a personal journey of understanding about the world and myself.

At first, I was completely unaware of the significance of the essay. With the addition of time and, more importantly, perspective, I was able to better understand what drives me. I never would have imagined that the essay would have such a binding and lasting influence on me. My experience with writing the essay was important to me, and I believe it helped to define who I am today. I am glad that I brought it in and at least attempted to discuss its symbolic meaning to the class. I am also glad it was assigned to me, and I am proud of myself for completing it.

Shame on you Israel!

When I was first informed of the situation, with mere bits of misleading information, my first impression was to blame Hamas for it's "wrong-doings". Although terrorism, however you may define it, is wrong and unjust it is still important to know the facts. A great example of what happens when people jump to conclusions; the Iraq War. The facts: The Israeli Palestinian seize fire was broken when Israel attacked an underground tunnel that Hamas uses to smuggle weapons into the country. Hamas was shooting rockets without explosion caps at Israel for a few days which is why America still supports Israel. Because Israel is fight "terrorists", no matter how ruthless they go about doing so, the United States will all ways blindly support them.

If you know me you probably know that I am critical of religion, religious organizations and the evil souls responsible for using religion to brainwash people into doing their will. This conflict is a great example of why religion is destroying us. On one side you have the Jews who basically ride on their holocaust trump ticket, which is one of the many reasons they are hated in the Middle East. On the other side you have the Islamic and Muslim extremists who follow a convenient interpretation of the Koran which states that you must perform a painful chastisement upon the western infidel. Your probably saying, "Now, Marc the holocaust was a terrible event that we cannot forget, so why not leave the Jews out of it?" Yes it was, which is why we must learn from that mistake, and obviously we haven't. The holocaust did happen and it was the greatest human error in recorded history, but with the Israeli Palestinian conflict its shows how the human race continues to repeat the mistakes of the holocaust on a daily basis. "But why are you still critical of the Jews, Marc?" Well, to put it as clearly as I can, because they are religious. Even though they are not a historically violent religion like Christianity and Muslim they are a religion non the less. I am not antisemitic when I say they are foolish to believe in a personal GOD. It's a fact that 90% of all wars are religiously based.

In all honesty, Israel actions are wrong and foolish and because the United States will all ways blindly support them they are given pass to do whatever they want in the Middle East. This is bad and is why I say shame on you Israel!

Nuclear holocaust can be funny!

To follow up on my previous post about nuclear weapons I recently watched an amazing movie by my favorite director. The movie is called Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and it was released in 1964 by the genius director Stanley Kubrick. It stars Peter Sellers as 3 or 4 different characters including Dr. Stranglove whose character appears to be an oddball former Hitler supporter turned Nuclear informant for the United States government. This character really won me over and I think this is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen despite being about a taboo subject like nuclear holocaust. The synopsis of the plot is as follows in my opinion. "An insane general starts a process to nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop." All in all I loved this film and I highly recommend anyone to what it.

Mutual Assured Destruction

I recently ran across this word in an essay written for the New York Times called "Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy". the definition of mutual assured destruction, or MAD, according to Wikipedia.com is "...doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender." Could you imagine that? With weapons like the Russian Tsar Bomba out there we could virtually end our species overnight.

This is not the first time I've come across this word in my lifetime, however. While reading "When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism" which is a great book BTW. In it he mentions as follows ," Mutual assured destruction, keyword assured. Rest assured if you kill a lot of us we'll kill all of you." I couldn't help but chuckle at that.