Beats, Rhymes, and Life

I just finished the doc Beats, Rhymes, and Life which profiles on of my favorite hip hop groups A Tribe Called Quest. This movie is directed and produced by Michael Rapaport a fine actor and New Yorker who has stared in Higher Learning, Friends as Phoebe’s cop boyfriend Gary and my favorite Beautiful Girls. I have loved hip hop since I was in elementary school. It was in 5th grade when I was first introduced to “Explicit Content” rap. I would buy any tape (a tape was a music album that followed A-track and preceded CD ‘s for anyone under 30 reading this) with a black label on it. My collection consisted of anything N.W.A , Geto Boyz, and Ice T but I didn’t discriminate there I also listened to Kid n Play, M.C. Hammer, and Run DMC. So I became a certified hip hop fan and by high school was searching any used record store (a record store was a store that sold music tapes , records, and cd’s for anyone under 30 reading this) for underground hip hop music. I have discovered a lot of fabulous music and I am happy to present to you my All Time Top 10 Hip Hop Albums

#10 Murs and Ninth Wonder: Murray’s Revenge

Murs name means "Making Underground Raw Shit,” which should tell you all you need to know about this MC. His brand of music is just fun, catchy, hip hop. Think driving on the PCH on a summer day with the top down. You could blast this and wouldn’t be considered an obnoxious douche. The song L.A. is perfect for this kind of leisurely drive.

#9: Pharoahe Monch: Desire

Pharoahe Monch has been a mainstay in the Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing Compilations. He was originally a member of the group Organized Konfusion and went solo when he signed with Rawkus Records. He is a unique dude and worth researching on the internet. His best work is his second album Desire and the title track sets the precedent for the whole album

#8 The Roots: Things Fall Apart

Similar to Common I have to bring down this group a peg or two because they sold out on me by becoming Jimmy Fallon’s late night shows house band. But they still are a innovative hip hop group. They are one of the few hip hop bands that uses a full band in their music. They also have two members who act as human turn tables, Scratch and Rahzel. Famed music produce Scott Storch (Brittany Spears , Justin Timberlake) got his start with the Roots. I recommend any early album by The Roots. Things Fall Apart his my favorite and features the track You Got Me featuring Erykah Badu

#7 Common: Like Water for Chocolate

Let me first just say that Common is my all time favorite hip hop artist. I celebrate his whole catalog. I m putting him number seven because he has gone Hollywood on me and I just have to dock him a few points. Before he dated Serena Williams, became a Gap spokesman, and starred in television shows and movies (Check out Hell On Wheels on AMC, my new favorite show starring Common), he was making pure hip hop. It was hard to pick this album or One Day It Will All Make Sense as my favorite album but I m going to go with this one because it has three classic Common songs. The Sixth Sense, The Light, and Thelonious. I have had the privilege of seeing Common in concert along with all five of the Marley brothers. Its hard to see rap live sometimes but Common was phenomenal.

#6 Danger Mouse and Jemini the gifted one: Ghetto Pop Life

Before Danger Mouse became part of Gnarls Barkley he produced this album from the mc Jemini. I remember picking this album out in Borders because I thought the album art was cool. I was not disappointed. I love each and every song on this album. Its hard to find Jemini’s other albums on the internet. This is the only full album offered on ITUNES. Check out the track Don’t Do Drugs.

#5: Jedi Mind Tricks: Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell

I m not exactly sure how to describe Jedi Mind Tricks. They are hardcore, horror-core, with extremely violent lyrics rapping about anything from Islamic terrorism to the Vietnam War. They mix hard and catchy beats with very complex lyrics to form a unique brand of hip hop that I have never heard from anyone else. They have numerous albums always staying true to there sound. It was hard to pick a favorite album but Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell has two of my favorite JMT tracks on it Razorblade Salvation featuring the GZA from the Wu and Uncommon Valor featuring R.A. the Rugged man. Uncommon Valor features an unbelievable verse from R.A. which tells the true story of his fathers history in Vietnam and his death due to Agent Orange.

#4 Digable Planets: Reachin (A New Refutation of Time and Space)

Anyone from the 90's knows the song Rebirth of Slick(Cool like Dat), but the whole album is worth a listen. They were the quintessential jazz hip hop group. This album was my jam in middle school and I play it every time I get nostalgic. Nickel Bags is my favorite tune on the album.

#3 K’Naan: My Life is a Movie

A Somali born rapper, K’Naan having spent his childhood enduring the Somali Civil War (think Black Hawk Down). K’Naan left Somalia at the age of 13. He eventually moved to Toronto and established himself as a important part of the Canadian hip hop Community (no thats not an oxymoron, check out K-OS for some other good Canadian hip hop). This is one of his early albums and features my favorite K’Naan track Voices at the Crossroads which he samples the Tracy Champan song by the same name.

#2 A Tribe Called Quest: The Love Movement

The reason I love this album is because of the large presence of Busta Rhymes. Busta is another case of a rapper gone bad. Before he started collaborating with P-Diddy and Will I. Am , Busta was part of the group Leaders of the New School and unofficially part of A Tribe Called Quest. This album is one of the more mellow and jazzy albums that Tribe released. It is also their last album before they split. The song Steppin it Up is Tribe at its best with guest spots by Busta and Redman

#1 Deltron 3030: Deltron 3030

Besides Common Del the Funky Homosapien has to be by next favorite MC. This collaboration between Del and Dan the Automator is the most far out and creative album I have ever heard. Its a concept album in which Del raps about the world in the world 3030 behind the Automators futuristic beats. The album needs no more explanation, download it, buy it, pirate it, JUST GET IT. I have seen Del in concert and it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. Favorite song on the album is Things You Can Do.

Side-fact: Del is the cousin of N.W.A founding member and now Hollywood sell out Ice Cube. Cube tried to make Del mainstream with the song MistaDobalina which had some commercial success in the 90’s. The song is NOT a good representation of Del. Soon after that song Del decided to say F it to fame and resumed making pure hip hop.

Songs I dig...ya heard!

Songs I dig...ya heard!

I m a music junkie and I wanted to share some of my favorite tunes with y’all. So maybe once or twice a week I ll post something old or something new from my ECLECTIC music COLLECTION. Enjoy! And remember always pay for music unless your poor then download it for free...

Artist: Handsome Boy Modeling School. I heard of this group years ago when I first started listening to underground hip hop. The group is a collaboration of producers Prince Paul (of De La Soul fame) and Dan the Automator real name Daniel M. Nakamura (Del the Funky Homosapian). They released two albums, White People being my favorite. Their albums are a mix of rappers, rockers, and soul singers singing over beats produced by Handsome Boy Modeling School. Guests have included Cat Power, Hall and Oats, Del the Funky Homosapien, Jamie Cullum, and Jack Johnson.

Song: A Day in the Life/Good Hygiene featuring RZA, Mars Volta, A.G.

This song is one of the top three songs on the album. It combines the unbelievable flow of the RZA and A.G. with the unique voice of Cedric Bixler Zavala from the Mars Volta. You can listen to the song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHwxwhYHhlE

Enjoy homey

Kids! Stop studying so hard

Kids... Stop Studying So Hard!

I recently read an article on the crackdown of hagwons also known as private tutoring schools in South Korea. After reading the article it is impossible not to draw numerous comparisons to the education system in South Korea with that of Japan. I ve been in Japan a year and a half now and I have thought about the education system here almost on an hourly basis. I don’t want to draw too many generalizations on the education system in Japan because I only have a small sample size to form an opinion on. My experience as a teacher in Japan is with a high performing academic high school where most of the students will attend university. This is why the article resonated with me so much because I see so many similarities between my students and the students referenced in the article.

The synopsis of the article is basically that the police are now enforcing a studying curfew for after school tutoring academies. The academies are not allowed to be open passed 10 pm and therefore students are not allowed to study past 10 pm. South Korea felt this was necessary because of the exorbitant amount of pressure high school students are feeling to pass university examinations. What university you attend in South Korea is strongly correlated with the type of professional success you will have.

(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2094427,00.html) The same can be said for Japan.

In the states this idea is only partially true. If you attend Harvard, Stanford, or Northwestern most likely you will be a success in your chosen career (what defines success...money in this case) However students who attend the average state school, start at community college , or take another alternative path to college graduation can also be successful monetarily. (I think success is measured by happiness and satisfaction with your job but I am also an idealist)

What I see in my school is high stakes testing putting too much pressure on the students and teachers. In the states the argument is over how much a students academic success should be measured my standardized tests. Well in Japan there is no argument , everything is tied to the entrance exams these students take. A typical week for many of my students goes as follows

M-F Saturday

School 730-430 9-12 extra classes

After School Club/Sport 430-630

Commute Home 30 minutes to an hour

Studying 2-3 hours a night

You can make an argument with the exception of Saturday that this is a schedule many U.S. high school students have. But this is the minimum, the majority of the students at my school are pulling more study time. Many students feel that their quality of life is determined by these test. I have never witnessed this kind of pressure in my students in the U.S.

Because of this focus on exams and tests I see a lack of creativity and various learning strategies in the classroom. This is very different than what we are taught as teachers in the U.S. We are taught about differentiated instruction, cooperative learning, and various teaching methods that encourage students to be creative and problem solve. At my school in Japan there is a lot of text book learning, notes on the blackboard and lecture.

There are benefits to both ways of teaching in learning. Japan has some of the highest test scores in the all important subjects of science and math. The work ethic instilled in these students which carries into adulthood is phenomenal. They are much more disciplined than the average U.S. classroom. On the other hand the U.S. education system promotes diverse ways of learning, various teaching methods and learning strategies but you also have a lot of classroom management problems not seen in the Japanese classroom.

The ironic thing about the South Korea article was the statement that SK is trying to adapt educational practices that are more similar to the U.S and the U.S is applauding SK for its education practices and trying to adapt some of their methods. I think we can learn a lot from the Asian educational model and I think it would be advantageous for them to adapt some U.S. educational practices.

“When the dance is over, you stop dancing.”

A great follow-up story to my last post, this article is on the recent election in Zambia. I was really enthralled by this article in particular...

1. The influence of China in Africa

2. The reasons for Zambia's relatively conflict free modern history

3. The new vice president...

Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/world/africa/zambia-peaceful-after-president-hands-over-power.html?_r=1&ref=africa

Pedro Pires

The other day I was listening to a BBC story (so intellectual I know) about Pedro Pires the newly former president of Cape Verde in Africa. Pires was awarded the 2011 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The prize was awarded in recognition of Pires role in making Cape Verde a "model of democracy, stability and increased prosperity"

(The prize is supposed to be awarded each year to a democratically elected leader who has voluntarily left office.There has been no winner for two years.)

I mention this story because it is too infrequent that we hear a positive story about an African leader. Most people, myself included usually associate Africa with more macabre stories of genocide, civil war, and gruesome sexual assault. The media inundates us with these stories on a daily basis. Usually the backdrop of the story is about some African leader who has directly contributed to the conflict. Bashir, Mugabe, Museveni, the list goes on of African leaders who have held promise at one time only to become the stereotypical African dictator. The Pires story was a stark contrast to the aforementioned leaders. In short, he came to power in 2001 and left in 2011 when his term was up. The Guardian UK sums up Pires achievements by writing Cape Verde, a country of 500,000 off west Africa's coast, achieved middle-income country status in 2007. The World Bank said good governance, sound macroeconomic management, a responsible use of donor support, and the adoption of effective social development policies produced impressive results throughout the archipelago. Growth in real income per capita reached more than 5% during 2005-08, well above the average for sub-Saharan Africa and for small-island states.

As an educator and someone who is very passionate about Africa I am guilty of falling into the trap of educating students on the negative side of Africa...Darfur, The Congo, Mugabe etc. Pires should be an inspiration to myself and others to seek out the positive things coming out of Africa, I believe there are many. Pires can also be an inspiration to the future leaders of African countries. Paul Kagame , president of Rwanda was quoted recently in a Time article as saying "A lot of what happens in Africa has a bearing on the past when the West had a hand in there for decades." While I partially agree with Kagame, it is time to break the cycle of dictatorship and for the other "Pedro Pires" to rise and take control of their countries.

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart”

When I look at you while you lay next to me on this rainy day I realize how truly lucky I am to have finally met you. Rumi says that lovers don't finally meet somewhere, they're in each other all along. I cant help but feel that I ve been waiting to meet you my whole life. All my mistakes and experiences, everything that has led me to become the man I am today was so when we finally did meet, I could open up my heart to love. I didn't believe in love before I met you, I thought I was destined to live my life selfishly like Chris. But even he realized that happiness is only real when shared. Sometimes I think if someone asked me what I love about you, I would sound like a generic hallmark card because I could list a thousand things. I love how sometimes you understand me better than I understand myself, how you comfort me when I haven't told you that its needed. I love the feeling of just holding you and kissing your forehead. But I think my answer would simply be I love you for who you are and how you make me feel. Because right now and everyday after that we are perfect for each other.

"Alaska, Alaska? Or city Alaska?"

Chris: No, man. Alaska, Alaska. I'm gonna be all the way out there, all the way fucking out there. Just on my own. You know, no fucking watch, no map, no axe, no nothing. No nothing. Just be out there. Just be out there in it. You know, big mountains, rivers, sky, game. Just be out there in it, you know? In the wild.
Wayne: In the wild. ?
Chris: Just wild!
Wayne: Yeah. What are you doing when we're there? Now you're in the wild, what are we doing?
Chris: You're just living, man. You're just there, in that moment, in that special place and time.

Since I was young I ve been fascinated by Alaska, its vast open space, its isolationism, its over whelming beauty and adventure. It seems like the perfect place to escape to for self reflection I guess its kind of a generic thought, since there have been thousands of lost souls who have traveled to Alaska in order to find truth or themselves. But Alaska I guess is also a metaphor for me. It symbolizes an abstract place where I can go to escape, to be on my ownm and only worry about myself. Human relationships have always been tough because there is a fear of getting hurt , of letting someone into the depths of your soul and mind. Your most secretive thoughts are exposed and your vulnerabilities are revealed. So I think its easier to put up a wall and to only let people in a little bit.

Its no way to live though, to be so selfish as to not let yourself feel love, to not let others be loved by you. Its not fair to friends and family to have them not experience your true self.... "but what is the most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel.”

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.

Into the Wild will always be my favorite book and film. A part of me will always relate to Chris. He is a character that can be both admired and criticized. Someone who gave out so much love to strangers yet had so much hatred for those who loved him. I ve felt this way at times, pushing the people closest to me away because I felt like I didn't deserve love. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when Chris is sitting with Rainey and they are watching Jan wade in the water. Rainey is trying to explain the wedge that is starting to form between Jan and him... Chris says "Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past." Chris could be absolutely selfless when it came to passers-by in his life, yet so selfish with the ones who loved him most. I ve always been someone like Chris who is seeking something greater through isolationism and selfishness. Like Chris I believe changes within come from experience, and I ve believed those experiences are best endured alone.

I came to Japan with the mindset that this would be the next step in my great adventure. First Uganda, then Japan, and I could only imagine what was next. But slowly I began to realize how much I appreciated my family and friends back home. I began to understand that my heart was filled with so much love for them, so much more than I was aware of. I have once in a lifetime friendships, people I have known for 25 years. But I took those friendships for granted, I never opened up as much as I should have. I never allowed them into my heart as much as I would have liked. But these friends have always been there for me, they understand me so well. Sometimes I am in awe when I hear them say things that prove how well they know me as a person. I think to myself how to do they know this about me, I ve never shown them that side of me? I also began to realize how much I miss being away from my mother and father. I moved away from home six years ago and it seems like I am only getting farther away rather than closer. I decided very soon that I was coming back home to the states after the year, I decided that I didn't want to live abroad. I was content traveling in the summer and returning home. It was the best of both worlds, I can see the world and always have a place to call home....

Two weeks ago I found out that I don't have a job back home. I was "guaranteed" a job upon my return to Arizona but was informed via email that there are no positions for me. I felt helpless and scared. My whole life came crashing down. Teaching was not just a job it was a career, it was more than a career, it defined who I was. And suddenly I was without that. My whole mind was in shock, for the last 8 months all I wanted to do was to come home, to see my friends, to see my family, and to return to a job I loved more than I knew.

Now I feel I am in life purgatory, I have no idea what this next year will bring. I don't know where i ll end up in a year from now, who I ll be with, or what I ll be doing.

Hibernation

Well for my three avid readers its been awhile. I am a writer that needs to be inspired and the winter in Omagari just wasn't that inspiring...that doesn't mean it wasn't fun/interesting. It was filled with lots of skiing, parties, and drinking. I am anxiously awaiting the coming of spring or nice weather. I used to think nice weather was 75 and sunny without a cloud in the sky. At this point I ll take 50 and partly cloudy. It is almost the beginning of May and it was a frigid 40 degrees and rainy in Omagari today. F'in A!

I am headed to Vietnam and Cambodia tomorrow with Maggie. We are headed to Ho Chi Minh City for five days then to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh for four days. Before I came to Japan I had a list of five places I wanted to visit. Okinawa, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Hiroshima. I think i ll have four out of five before I leave here... not bad.

Our trip will be field with visits to museums, temples, the Mekong Delta, and of course lots of bars to hang with the locals and ex pats.

I have a goal as a history teacher to visit all the places I teach about, I am slowly beginning to achieve this goal!

I hope by the time I get back, I ll have lots to write about, the weather will be getting better, and I will be inspired again to write about my remaining time in Japan.

How many people find this....?

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life." BM

The Ups and Downs of Winter in Akita

The Ups and Downs of Winter

I feel like its been a long time since I blogged about my experience in Japan, it seems like since winter started there is never enough time in the day to get everything done....

Winter in Akita: The first snow hit while I was on vacation in Okinawa, so coming home to 5 feet of snow was quite surprising. To best describe the winters here in Akita....treacherous, uncomfortable, quite, picturesque, pensive, fulfilling, skiing/partying.

Treacherous: The idea of snow removal must of skipped the south block of Akita. It snows almost everyday and never gets warm enough to melt. So the sidewalks become mountains of snow, the roads become sheets of ice, and the drivers somehow decide to drive faster and more recklessly

Uncomfortable: I don’t have a car, walking everywhere is not that fun when its bitter cold, icy, and your face is getting pelted with snow. I have slipped and fell on the ice many times, have gotten sloshed with water and snow from oncoming cars. When I finally get home to my apt it is colder inside then it is on the outside. For some reason these apartments do not believe in central heating or insulation.

Quite: I have to say I do enjoy the quietness of the winter here. It is so nice sometimes to be walking through town, or laying in bed and just sit and enjoy the sound of silence. Living in a concrete jungle at home, you always here the white noise of cars, people, and business at all hours of the nice. This quite is not eerie or lonely it is just tranquil.

Picturesque: I have always loved the snow, the type of snow that stays white for a long period of time and is not ruined by the dirt and sand from the plows. The type of snow that blankets the landscape and covers the mountains giving them that majestic Ansel Adams look. One of my favorite parts of the day is when I am walking the halls at school and I catch a glimpse of the mountains. I just stop and stare for a few minutes and truly take in the scenery and appreciate just how magnificent nature is.

Pensive: There is a lot of time to think during the winter, especially at night. Its easy to just come home cuddle up in your blanket , get warm, and let your thoughts wander. Sometimes they wander to places of harmony and elation and other times they can turn to somberness and worry. I am by nature a thinker and very goal oriented, I am always looking for the next opportunity to fulfill my personal goals. I wrote awhile back I have five things I want to accomplish in the coming years. I think about these constantly and sometimes it makes decisions difficult. I never want to miss an opportunity to achieve my goals but I also don’t want to miss a chance to seek new adventure. I have always been sure of two things in my life, I wanted to become a teacher and I wanted to travel the world. I have done both and I want to continue to do both, in what avenue is the choice I have to make.

Fulfilling: Most ALT’s will tell you that the job sometimes can be pretty easy which also means pretty tedious. I think most teachers want a sense of gratification and fulfillment. To see that they are making a difference with their students. I know I do, I don’t think there is a better feeling for a teacher then witnessing learning in action. True learning, not memorizing , not repetition, but grasping concepts, understanding themes and topics. I finally feel like I am seeing that with some of my students. I teach three after school discussion groups, an hour a day from 4-5. Although I want nothing more than to go home after a long day, these discussion groups make me so happy. The students that come have such a strong desire to learn and I see such potential in them. I really hope I am able to give them the help they deserve.

I also have started to study the language, it took me a while and I did it half ass for a few months before. But I am making a serious effort to learn, its tough learning a language (duh). I ve never tried before, but once you get started and you start to recognize words and sentences at work or in the community, you feel so accomplished. I was at the gym yesterday and I actually understand what the gym trainer was saying to me “Are you still working out on this machine” which is Japanese is ? But I knew what he was saying. Baby steps as Dr. Leo Marvin would say...Baby Steps

Skiing/Partying: What would the winter be without skiing and drinking...boring. My weekends have been awesome. I went to see Donavon Frankenreiter , who is one of my favorite musicians on my birthday (the big 30). I have skied more times here ,then I have in three years in Arizona, I celebrated a Dirty Thirty Worst Taste Party with all my friends here in Akita, and I will be traveling to Nagano next week to ski one of the best mountains in Japan. I can really describe in words how much fun these weekend get togethers are...so look at the pictures on Facebook :-)

You always make me smile...

I don't know why, I love you.
I just know I can't stop thinking of you
OH WAIT....
It's cause you make me smile
You always make me smile

I think true love can not be described, when we find that person it just feels right. No list of things or words can define how we feel. That person is not perfect , they are just perfect for you....

La La La

I took a calligraphy class today, I tried to learn and write the Katakana symbol for Love, I practiced for almost an hour, then I said fuck it! I created my own symbol, which I thought was much more beautiful.... It took all of five seconds to create.

I won second place in the calligraphy contest with my version of calligraphy...

The other person who voted for me must of understood exactly what I meant.

Jackson Pollack would of been proud.

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.