Comm

I'm taking three communication classes this semester: Comm 361 - Online Journalism, Comm 352 - News Editing and Comm 454 - Free Speech and Ethics.

My online journalism class is giving me plenty of work to do. My news editing course should more intensive, I think, but much of the class is having the same problems I am.

For our news editing course, the class was broken down into pairs. The teams are then supposed to interview foreign correspondents based here in the United States and get their perspective on news.

Easier said than done.

Out of the three stories my partner Nicole and I should have done, we turned in only one story about a correspondent from Der Spiegel. Needless to say, we're a little behind.

My other communication class, Free Speech and Ethics is very abstract in that the concepts we're learning are not concrete.

Right now, I'm editing my presentation about personal privacy and safety within public demonstrations.

Exciting. I know....

Once I get these medial tasks out of the way, I can work on my final paper for the class which is about the Constitutionality of the Mapplethorpe case back in 1989. It's an interesting topic and I'm very excited about getting it completed.

If I can find the time. Ugh.

Lamb of God 2 and Horse The Band

I just wrote up the Lamb of God/Machine Head interview. Hopefully it went over well.

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to the show on Monday evening, so I had to cancel on some passes.

Lame, I know.

However, Adrenaline PR sent out a press release of the new Horse the Band cd that's set to be released in June.

Next week the HtB is playing in Baltimore at the Ottobar.

I must say, however, that I'm not sure if Horse the Band can top "Cutsman."

Take a listen for yourself.


But that's just my opinion.

Machine Head and Lamb of God 1

Today I was scheduled to interview both Dave McClain from Machine Head and John Campbell from Lamb of God.

Needless to say I was terrified only because these guys are both a part of two huge bands in the metal community. A lot of my friends back home have worshiped LOG so this was not only terrifying because of the idol status the bands hold for me, but they are also known for having some pretty savage stage shows.

Until fairly recently, Lamb of God used to do what is called "The Wall of Death". The song "Black Label" is perfomed towards the end of LOG's set. During the perfomance, the crowd divides, and then on Randy Blythe's direction, run wildly towards the other side. Blythe is LOG's lead singer. Due to concert-goers getting hurt, and the threat of many lawsuits, Blythe no longer orchestrates the Wall of Death during "Black Label." But sometimes fans still do it regardless.

But you can sure bet there is footage of it online!

Either way, it was a humbling experience to talk to these metal gods. I've told many people that I've always wanted to be a music journalist - going to shows, writing reviews, what have you - but actually speaking with these musicians has sealed my fate.

This is something i can do for the rest of my life.

The Harbor and PA

This week is Mason's spring break.

Thank goodness.

I've been working myself to death this year. Luckily, I'm almost finished with this semester and school all together.

I went to the Inner Harbor for a few days earlier this week. The weather was beautiful; the crab cakes delicious and the seagulls plentiful. I had no idea, however, that the National Aquarium in Baltimore was sooo expensive now. Almost $22! I couldn't believe it! (I went anyways..*shrug*)

I did manage to come back home Monday night really late. I had an interview on Tuesday at WGAL 8, one of the local TV stations. We'll see how it goes.

I've been doing a lot of relaxing since I got back and visiting some old friends. I really needed it. Colin, my brother, will be back home on leave on Friday.

This should be a good week.

Americone Dream

Last night on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report", Stephen Colbert debuted his new ice cream, "Americone Dream".

And let me tell you, I'm excited.

The press release said, "To a Fair and Balanced Freezer Section". Ben and Jerry have traditionally been known as Liberals and even some of their ice creams have promoted liberal ideals, including the ever popular Cherry Garcia.

I'm neither liberal or conservative, which many have said led to my indecisivness on political issues or even political apathy.

I'll tell you one thing, I love me some Stephen Colbert. I realized last semester in my Comm 300: Rhetoric class when my professor played a clip from his The Word segment, I have quite a "news anchor" crush on Mr. Colbert.

Some may disagree with his politics and his brazen disregard for opposing views. But honestly, truthiness and strong reporting makes him a staple in so many American homes every night.

I for one will sit down tonight to watch Stephen and his brand of right-wing reporting and comedy. And, like many I will agree that "It’s the sweet taste of liberty in your mouth."

TV on DVD

I just finished Seinfeld Season 5 on DVD. It's amazing how technology has changed.

Seinfeld just ended in 1998. All seven seasons are available now on DVD. I already have watched 1-5. I need to get 6 and 7.

But thinking about it still amazes me. My entire family owns several different series on DVD, and sometimes I'm shocked thinking about how much money we've spent on them.

My brother is a big fan of *gag* the OC. He and his old roommate bought up until the current season that just ended. Thank Goodness. He also loves King of Queens. Colin owns several of the seasons and he laughs so hard all of the time. "Oh that Arthur!" he says.

He's even gone out of his way to tell me, "The second season is when the cool theme song comes into play. Just thought you might like to know."

Thanks, bro.

My roommates are head over heels for Grey's Anatomy and Lost. I will admit, they've gotten me hooked on Lost, but Grey's is fleeting.

Some of these shows will stand up for years to come and families can watch them together. I know my dad and I love watching the old Muppet Show on DVD.

But then again, who is going to want to watch Flavor of Love Season 2 again and again?

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah boooooooooooooooooooooooooi.

Recognizing the Forgetfulness of Facts and Acceptence Absurdities

I have been browsing the web as of late (as I do all of the time when I'm procrastinating) but something has peaked my interest.

Lately I've been finding scores of online articles, book references, and comic references to the Nazi Party and Hitler. Now I understand that it is a very sensitive subject for most, but how many references do we see in our day to day lives?

Just think about it.

No. Really think about it.

Once you become aware of this trend, you start hearing and seeing references everywhere. They may simply be offhand remarks like "Oh that professor is such a Nazi about grading" or it may be one of the many documentaries on the History Channel. It's unbelievable to see how such a travesty in European history has become a joke.

However a lot of the articles I have found are scholarly articles. Thank Goodness. But there has been a controversy in Germany about a new film that was released depicting the dictator as a Bed-wetting, illiterate, erectile-dysfunction suffering, man whose every problem is blamed on his parents.

Now being a German scholar, I've read a lot and studied a lot about Germany, the Third Reich, just about anything you can think of. World War II is a very interesting subject once you delve beneath just the war and the Holocaust.

I also, like many other German scholars I've talked to, get almost offended when people make very uneducated remarks about the Nazi Party and Germany. We're not necessarily defending them, but we would rather have you get your facts straight instead of looking like an idiot. Granted, the point of the film is to poke fun at Hitler, which is an almost brand new concept in Germany, at least in cinema.

But my main problem is, well, I look awfully Aryan.

With blond hair, blue(ish) eyes and a knowledge of the German language, I get instantly labelled as a Nazi if I try and correct these uneducated people.

It gets tiring.

With all of the resources on the web now, why don't people take more time to learn about the war? Why not learn about the Regime and realize that there's more to it than what they teach you in your high school's World Cultures class.

I was astounded today when I read Slate.com's reporter Clive James' article, "Adolf Hitler: How the intellectual climate in Germany shaped the future Fuhrer".

In the introduction, James said, "Statistics suggest, however, that a large proportion of young people now emerging from the educational systems of the Western democracies either don't know who he was or have only a shaky idea of what he did. One of the drawbacks of liberal democracy is thus revealed: Included among its freedoms is the freedom to forget what once threatened its existence."

Which brings me to another point.

In my German 415: Advanced Grammar class (I know, exciting right?) we've been discussing the idea of German guilt (Schuld) and remembrance (Erinnerung) of the atrocities that have happened.

At least in American pop-culture, it's near impossible to forget completely what has happened with so many references that happen every day. But what has been forgotten are the facts.

Facts.

Who knew a five letter word could be changed or forgotten so easily.

But then again, what about Nazis?