2012

Having a blog gives me the license to make one of the best of lists. But, always the pessimist, I'll start with what sucked

The Worst

Dwight Howard
Remember that time Van Gundy was being interviewed about the problems with Dwight, and he was being pretty candid about the rocky relationship, and then Dwight popped up, put his arm around his coach without any knowledge of what was being talked about? That was hard to watch.

The Hobbit
Okay, I haven't seen the movie, so this isn't a critique on it's quality, the point is... I haven't seen the movie. The guy who attended the midnight showings of the last two Lord of the Rings films. The guy who was inspired by Aragorn to grow his hair out. The think is, when news broke that The Hobbit was going to be a trilogy, it was like a balloon was deflated. It feels like a cash-grab, and one that I can avoid, for the time being. I'm sure I'll eventually see it, and that it may be pretty good, but it won't be the whole story; just a tease.

The Public
Blaming mass murders on video games. Backing religious extremists politicians. Letting Chris Brown be relevant. The sad state of social media. George Carlin once said, “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”

The Meh

Superhero Movies
The Avengers, Spider-man, Dark Knight Whatever... While all commercial successes, failed to excite. They all, kind of, just lived up to expectations. If this was the 90s, that would be more than enough, but I want something more. If you're not going to inspire or do something different, what's the point?

Streaming Services
Netflix stayed more expensive. Hulu has commercials even if you're a paid user. Content owners still make their content difficult to get to. Who cares, anymore?

The Walking Dead
Season 3 started out pretty great; it moved at a faster clip and had some seriously freaky moments, but has since become bogged down in it's own lore. Some characters act without motivation and often, the show just feels trite. If it didn't do so many cool, nasty things you wouldn't normally see on TV, it wouldn't be worth watching.

Video Games
Nintendo came out with a new console, which has failed to garner excitement. The 3DS and Vita are just kind of there. All the big games were part 3s or 4s, so if you weren't already invested, there wasn't a lot to be excited about. The saving grace, for me, were downloadable games, like Rock Band Blitz and The Walking Dead. The new systems can't come soon enough.

The iPad Mini
A retina screen away from being on the next part of this list.

The Best

Perfume - Fake It

This song may have been a B-Side in 2010, but it became a single this year... so... it's my list, anyway.

CM Punk
This year he became the longest reigning champ of the past 25 years, even surpassing the golden boy, John Cena. He had great matches with Ziggler, Jericho, Cena, Henry, Kane, Bryan, Ryback, Big Show, and even Vince. He was hilarious and threatening. The Rock's stint at WrestleMania may have been what lured me back to wrestling, but Punk is what kept me here.

Boardwalk Empire
Somehow, this show got even better. It was always good, although a little light on plot. The first two seasons were about character development. Season 3 was about turning points and consequences. The show was made by Bobby Cannavale's portrayal of Gyp Rosetti.

Gangnam Style
I don't need to link to it, I just had to bring it up so I could say, "I told you so!"

Smart Toilets
My biggest revelation of 2012. In the future, our grandkids are going to say, "You did what with paper?"

Republicans

How do they convince so many poor people to join them?
Is it really just about religion?
Can't we have values without religion?
Look, if you're loaded, I can somewhat understand; you don't want Uncle Sam reaching into your pocket.
But come on, Middle America, you're not in the same boat.

♫ Let's Get Political ♫

Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President

David Bowie - Young Americans

Green Day - American Idiot

West Side Story - America

Pearl Jam - Masters of War (Bob Dylan Cover)

Public Enemy - (Medley)

Middle Ground

People are sick of the two party system. They wish the candidates could put agendas aside so they could come to an agreement.
This agreement occurs at a mystical land called the "middle ground."
The middle ground represents the median, in America's case, the middle class. The problem is, the middle class is disappearing. We have a lot of poor people and a handful of rich people. The middle ground serves no one.

A New Approach to the Judicial System

What if we let the Judge decide innocence and guilt, and let the jury decide on punishment?
Judges understand reasonable doubt, while jurors often act on emotion and intuition. Perhaps there should be a panel of judges, who, upon hearing the evidence, decide if the plaintiffs proved their case of not.
The jurors, who represent the community at large, can decide the severity of the punishment. There will be parameters, of coarse, so car thieves don't get the death penalty.
The problem with the current system is that it relies too much on the jurors ability to understand legalese. Lawyers aren't trying to prove their case, as much as they're trying to manipulate perception.
Perhaps it's time to try something different.

Introducing...

The Silver Line

Designed to promote interaction amongst Chicagoans.
Make it happen, Emmanuel.

What $30,000 of Multiple Sclerosis Medication Looks Like

Fork for size comparison.

Bring Back The Draft

The majority of our army are the poor. People without well-paying jobs, higher education opportunities, or even reasonable aspirations. The army has targeted these individuals because they are easily swayed. They take advantage or their situation. They don't recruit at Ivy league schools.

I speek from first-hand experience; I would often be targeted for recruitment, approached by military personal.

"What are you doing after you graduate, son?" they would ask.

"Well, I was accepted at De Paul."

"Okay, then."

That's it. I had other options. I was not a prime candidate.

This isn't new. Nearly every war has been fought by the poorest citizens. Unfortunately, they are never the ones to decide if going to war is the best coarse of action. It is "The Haves" who make this decision.

So, in the interest of fairness, let's bring back the draft.

Let every able-bodied young man and woman be eligible to serve our nation. No exception. The poor working man's son should fight alongside the Senator's. Everyone's life should be on the line, not only those without means.

 

My Favorite Movie About 'Merica

1776

The Digital Divide

We're nearly two weeks past the "Internet Blackout," when many popular sites (including this one) went dark to protest damaging government legislation. In many ways, the protest was a resounding success. SOPA and PIPA, in their current forms, were defeated. However, it is already evident that this was only a temporary victory. New legislation is currently being formed overseas, in an attempt to do many of the same things those American bills intended to.

Although the fight has left our home front, for the time being, it still poses a huge threat to our liberties and freedoms. The internet is the last horizon, with endless possibilities we've only scratched the surface of. A threat to any part of this medium is a threat to all of it. It has to remain free or it will become useless.

How can we be sure we can keep the net free? How can we protect it from lobbyists, corrupt industries, and ill-advised politicians?

We may just have to wait it out.

I've come to a belief that The Digital Divide, the difference between those who understand the internet and those who don't, may be too wide. On one side, stand the patriots of the internet. Those of us who understand the true potential in the ability to communicate and share ideas. We are the last explorers. Opposing us are those who just don't get it. I don't aim to stereotype, but these are typically people of an older generation, who have not embraced the internet. This is either out of ignorance or lack of exposure. I feel bad for these people. Unfortunately, these seem to be the people in power.

For now.

We are on the precipice of a change in power. A changing of the guard between the old way of doing things, protecting ancient copyrights and corporate interests, and a new ideology of embracing the cutting edge and the exciting. I don't know how long it will take, 10, 20, maybe 50 years, but soon enough we'll have a whole new set of people in charge. People who grew up with not only and understudying of the internet, but an appreciation of it.

Wishful thinking?

This Makes It Quite Clear

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.