Deep Something

Buju Banton Coming to St. Petersburg Venue

October 16, 2009September 29, 2018 506 Views 1 Comment Murder, Hate Speech, Buju Banton, Janus Landing, John Bodziak, Jack Bodziak

Buju Banton is a Jamacian Reggae star who riled up the gay community with songs like “Boom Bye Bye” which calls for gay people to be shot in the head with automatic weapons, have acid poured on them, and be burned “like an old tire wheel.” He currently has an American tour being roundly opposed by the gay community, and a number of events have been cancelled. Unfortunately, the owner of a concert venue in downtown St. Petersburg, Janus Landing, feels no responsibility to help build an inclusive community.

Culture Entertainment

Because Sometimes You Never Know What Someone Can Do

October 12, 2009 B. John 366 Views 0 Comments New York, Hope, Basketball, Autism, Glory

I saw this story of New York High School student, Jason McElwain, when it first aired and was touched by the story. After serving many seasons as the team manager, Jason, a person with autism, was allowed to play the last four minutes of the last game, and wound up scoring 21 points, most from outside the three point line. It’s kind of old news, but someone posted it on Facebook, which brought it back to mind, so I thought I’d link to it here. So this is your chance for a nice feel good story for the day.

Culture Movies

Goodbye Solo – A Movie Review

October 10, 2009August 10, 2015 372 Views 0 Comments Diana Franco Galindo, Red West, Ramin Bahrani, Blowing Rock, Winston-Salem, ouleymane Sy Savane

On the lonely roads of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, two men forge an improbable friendship that will change both of their lives forever. Solo is a Senegalese cab driver working to provide a better life for his young family. William is a tough Southern good ol’ boy with a lifetime of regrets. One man’s American dream is just beginning, while the other’s is quickly winding down. I never saw a trailer for it, so it was taking a risk. I liked the movie a lot, Lay not so much.

Fun Stuff General Culture

Why Are Left Handed People Called Southpaws

October 5, 2009August 10, 2015 3268 Views 1 Comment left-handedness, southpaw, southpaws, baseball, boxing

This entry is part 3 of 40 in the series Deep Questions

Over the weekend, I heard the term “Southpaw” used. Now I know it means a person who is left-handed, but never understood where it came from. So, I decided to find out.

Culture Technology

Shift Happens

October 1, 2009August 10, 2015 B. John 330 Views 0 Comments

This is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist.

Culture Music

A Still Moment for Your Afternoon

September 22, 2009 B. John 359 Views 0 Comments Crooks and Liars, autoharp, Jo Ann Smith, Amazing Grace

As if ‘Amazing Grace’ were not a lovely enough song, Jo Ann Smith takes a simple backdrop and a lot of talent and makes the song soar higher still.

Culture Music

Love This Song and This Rendition

September 21, 2009 B. John 279 Views 0 Comments Highland Cathedral, Bagpipes, Pipe and Drum Corps, Tattoo

Don’t ask me to explain why, but I just love this song, most especially this particular rendition. The song is “Highland Cathedral” and is a popular bagpipe tune written by German musicians Ulrich Roever and Michael Korb. This recording is from a Military Tattoo Bremen in 2008, and is conducted by Captain Lutz Bammler (German Navy Band “North Sea”).

Culture Movies

Informant!, The – A Movie Review

September 20, 2009 B. John 407 Views 1 Comment Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Steven Soderbergh, Matt Damon, Mark Whitacer, ADM, Scott Bakula

What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion. But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn’t been quite so forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers. This was another movie Lay and I both enjoyed.

Culture Movies

9 – A Movie Review

September 20, 2009 B. John 329 Views 0 Comments 9, SiFi, Alan Oppenheimer, Tom Kane, Shane Acker, Action, Adventure, Animation

The time is the too-near future. Powered and enabled by the invention known as the Great Machine, the world’s machines have turned on mankind and sparked social unrest, decimating the human population before being largely shut down. But as our world fell to pieces, a mission began to salvage the legacy of civilization; a group of small creations was given the spark of life by a scientist in the final days of humanity, and they continue to exist post-apocalypse. We were both impressed.

Culture Music Featured

Thank You To Mary Travers

September 17, 2009August 10, 2015 405 Views 0 Comments Peter Paul and Mary, 1960s, If I Had a Hammer, Bob Dylan, Mary Travers

In a sign that I’m certainly getting older, now I’m reading about people I remember mostly as being young and exciting dying in their 70s. Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary fame died at 72 after several years of battling lukemia.

Culture Movies

Actors from the Old B and White to Present

September 12, 2009August 10, 2015 296 Views 0 Comments Actors

Here are a series of actors from the old Black and White film days morphing to more current actors. How many of them can you name.