Clean Fighters

This past weekend had one of the biggest fluxes of high level competition in all combat sports that there has been in a while. I made it a point, after talking about the matchups at work, to watch all of them in their entirety. Among these fights was; Terrence Crawford vs. Thomas Dulorme; Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold; Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Adrezj Fonfara; and Lucas Matthyse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov. Those were the main cards that I made a point of watching, and in every one of those fights except for the Crawford and Chavez fight, I felt like there were question marks.

 In recent times, I've been going into research and analysis of the corruption behind sports, and the fact that Mayweather, a fighter that I admired to a great degree, while having the tools to dispatch of Pacquiao, shows that today fighters see boxing more as a racketeering business than a sport.

  I gained a huge amount of respect for Crawford in his win, as he showed an amazing ability to adapt to a very skilled opponent in Dulorme and turn the pressure up at will. He has the aura and attitude of a perfectionist when he fights, and I can see him dominating this division or even moving up one weight class in the near future. He is going to be able to do things similar to Mayweather  in this sport due to his skill and athleticism. He won't be bothered by size often in his career.

 In the Machida vs Rockhold fight, I just shook my head. Luke Rockhold was almost certainly juiced the heck up for the fight. From the opening bell, he was eating clean counter shots from Lyoto and showed absolutely no concern for any assault from his opponent. When a fighter is juiced, there is not only physical things in their body that give it away, but also certain behavior. A juiced fighter will show no fatigue, or concern at all for pain or danger. There is a natural reflex that the body has when it is assaulted, even if clean shots aren't being landed. When you watched that fight, Luke Rockhold taunted Lyoto while taking direct punches to the front of his face, without even moving an inch. It was over before it started. He eventually muscled Lyoto over and got a submission.

 In the Chavez fight, the issues with Chavez's defense and technique surfaced again. He has moments where he looks impressive, but he wasn't able to overpower the bigger Fonfara, and eventually had to quit on his stool.

 The Matthyse vs Provodnikov fight was strange. Everyone picked Ruslan to win by brutal KO in this fight with good  reason. He is the naturally bigger powerhouse, and we all saw Matthyse get hurt by a small Danny Garcia. However, in this fight, Ruslan's output was way lower than usual, and he seemed to lull several times in the fight. Lucas looked very sharp and good with his offense, mixing it up beautifully, but it didn't look natural to see him be the first person to take almost no damage at all from Ruslan over a 12 round fight. I'm not sure what that was about, but Danny Garcia's stock rose with that win.

 Not one fight was in question this weekend. There were upsets, but none of them were close. Now we look forward to May 2nd, where many predict a KO for Manny Pacquiao, and many a KO for Mayweather. That fight has me annoyed. When you hear Floyd's family and fans talk about the fight, it makes you wonder why they wanted it in the first place. They don't see Manny as a challenger at all. That is sheer stupidity, and a part of me is hoping that Bob Arum's prediction of a KO for Manny is correct. I'm sick of the easy street that Mayweather's career has been. The problem in this fight, is that while Manny is the perfect opponent for Floyd, he just happens to be in an undersized body. That, as Floyd pointed out in an interview earlier, will play a major role. I think Manny was smart to work on his speed. He had an edge before, but now it is apparent. The way I see things playing out is still a Mayweather KO, late in the fight or perhaps the middle rounds. However, I'm rooting for a great Manny performance, and even an upset. I think as the fight starts, Mayweather fans and his uncle and father are going to be struck speechless, as they have to come to terms with Pacquiao's underrated boxing ability, which they refuse to respect. The question is can Pacquiao sustain that pressure and keep Mayweather from resetting and figuring him out. If he doesn't stay on Mayweather like Maidana did, Mayweather will set traps and move, looking for counter shots.

  Floyd senior says that Alvarez, Guerrerro, and Maidana would destroy Pacquiao. Therefore, he feels like this is an automatic stoppage. However, for everyone that will look at this KO and say that Floyd's training is the key; think about something- when he fought Maidana the second time, he had taken on Alex Ariza as his conditioning and dietary trainer, when he was already peak human. Let's not be stupid and forget that Mayweather always pushes himself to the limit. He pushed himself just like he is doing now, in fear of another tough fight. The first thing I said going into the rematch was, " I hope Maidana is ready. This is not going the distance." And what happened? Mayweather showed that he is out of gears and showed up with an inflated belly, taking much of the same damage if not more. He didn't rise to another level. He only looked slightly more durable and gritty in that win, going to the body with hooks and straight with some success and damage. That's all. I remember feeling for the first time, that what Freddie Roach says about his legs being gone, is true. He showed that a lot of his tough talk is simply posturing. So why do you fans think that a devastating KO in this fight for him would be natural. Why do you suddenly believe that he can create another gear after failing to do so in his last fight. Remember, he predicted a devastating domination in the Maidana rematch, and then backed up with excuses when he couldn't deliver.


  What we seem to forget about Manny Pacquiao in our degradation of him, is the fact that he has faced bigger punchers and bigger opponents than Floyd. If anything, talk about Floyd's speed and how Manny hasn't faced than yet. But to suddenly act as if Floyd's size is going to overwhelm Manny, when a tougher Clottey, Margarito, and De La Hoya didn't, is just being ignorant. But at the same time that I say that, this is the one fight where Mayweather is going to be depending on his physical advantages to win. All of the talk about how much smarter he thinks he is, is mere posturing. He fears Manny's intellect. If it weren't for those physical advantages that Floyd has, he probably would have never agreed to the fight. I want to see a natural boxing match on May 2nd. Let the best man win. I'm hearing that the fix may be in for the judges to give Manny the fight. Oddly, I'm happy to hear that. Because at least I know that if that's the case, it can tip the scales even, since Mayweather is clearly going to do whatever it takes to win, including cheat with steroids. I'm not demanding an outcome, but I must say that if Pacquiao wins on May 2nd, I will officially back off of my conspiracy theories in boxing for the foreseeable future.


  We have to wonder how clean fighters today really are. Whether it's throwing a fight like Nonito Donaire's opponent did a few weeks ago, or a fighter walking into the ring juiced up like Rockhold most likely did. Often, the upper powers of the fight organizations will cover it up, in the name of money. I watched Nonito Donaire's opponent cover up and refuse to fire back, under an onslaught of haymakers, until the fight was stopped. No sane human with boxing knowledge can look at that and not see it was fixed. Unfortunately, people turn a blind eye, and while the former is rare, the latter is completely lacking amongst the fans of the sport. He didn't even think of returning fire in that fight, and to make matters worse, the fool peeked over his gloves when Donaire stepped back to wait for him to continue. It was one of the worst acts I've seen in a while, and it's in a period of time where people are so stupid that it goes right over their heads. And who knows if Rockhold's test will come back positive. In sports today, it's getting to the point where the eye test is the only thing that will ever give it away. Fighters like Marquez can cheat, and ride off into the sunset. I just hope that for just this one fight, on May 2nd, that crap can be put on hold, and I can see the so-called greatest fighter ever, be truly tested.

The 2015 Car Show

Hey everyone. I'm uploading the latest episode of, "The Beast," where this time around, the beast - Jokatech, takes in some great attractions at the annual Car Show at the Jacob Javits Center. There was a great variety of cars there, and some I really wanted to take home. My personal favorites were the "2016 Ford Focus"- slated for U.S release in January, the "Toyota Mirai"- coming out next year as well, and the "Toyota FT-1"- my favorite car period, and proof that Toyota is taking over.

Alundra - Game Review

 Alundra came out in 1997, during the height of the golden era of gaming, where the Playstation was battling the still potent Sega Saturn. There were so many rail shooters like Panzer Dragoon, and RPG's like Final Fantasy and Star Ocean, and Shining Force 3 that were blessing the market for avid gamers of the time. Among those games was Alundra. It had some cinematic stuff to compete with, but like Golden Sun would do later on, it found a way to stand out.

  Alundra uses a very vivid and colorful, hand drawn style, that conveys an anime setting. The story starts with the hero washing up onto the shore of Inoa village. This village is a coastal town, where the residents have experienced much loss. The cry about having lost their ability to create, due to defying the gods. The characters have a very twisted and warped religious sense, that I had to roll my eyes to several times, but I got the gist of the story. The god that they were praying to, was really an evil villain who was trapped years ago by a former king. Their prayers were strengthening him all along. After a huge amount of calamity, the game climaxes with a final battle. The dialogue is at times deep, but overall, very comical and witty. Its humor holds up well over all these years. In fact, I was almost on the floor laughing during one of the last scenes in the village when the townsfolk realize what must be done and meet in the mayor's house. One of the village wino's, whose daughter you saved earlier, goes on some of the most classic and hilarious rants I've ever heard in gaming.

 The graphical style is very much like Golden Sun. It doesn't use cinematic scenes. It uses the lush, in game graphics, with a few pretty effects to convey the story to you. And it shines in this. You never feel robbed by the presentation. Other games in this era that amazed me were games like Star Ocean. That game had a beautiful cartoon style. Another game that was pretty was Albert Odyssey. However, Alundra actually rises above those games. It's simply gorgeous. The trees and different climates, such as snow and rainfall, as well as falling leaves in the mountains, are so lush and tangible. They have a lot of pop to them. The overall world map isn't huge by today's standards, but it's big enough. I remember another game from this era that didn't do the world design well. That game was Chrono Cross for the Playstation. Many list that game as their all time favorite. Personally, I liked the gameplay a lot, but the world was way too small and repetitive. Alundra does have a reused world map like Chrono Cross, but it isn't overly done. It's just right.

  The music in this game was composed by Kohei Tanaka. I had totally forgotten that he was the composer for Gundam, Dragonball, One Piece, and many other masterpieces. His work is simply marvelous and speaks for itself. The soundtrack for Alundra is perfect for the game. Every tune fits perfectly in place and does a great job conveying emotion. The catchy tune for the world-map and main village, are well done, and don't get annoying, even though you have to hear them constantly. This takes great composing. Then, in certain dungeons, the emotion and suspense will pick up, and have you on your toes. The music is right there to meet that emotion, down to the very last dungeon and boss. Even my wife leaned over during the game one time, and remarked about how emotional the music was. That's saying a lot, for someone who normally doesn't even notice video games. Games have to do a lot to bring those emotions out of such unsuspecting viewers, and Kohei gets it done.

   When it comes to the gameplay, that is where I find myself very confused in writing this review. The gameplay is what keeps me from being able to say whether I love or hate the game. I hear so many people talk about how much they love this game, and I just found myself scratching my head at times. There were several instances where I swore I'd never play this game again after beating it. In this game, you start with a simple dagger. You get boots and some simple armor shortly after. Later on, you acquire a simple magic spell, and later magic books, and a variety of weapons. However, make no mistake- this is not an open equipment game. You do not buy weapons at the store, and manage your arsenal. There is a set, and limited range of items in the game. You get a flail, for instance, to break certain obstacles in the game. Later on, as part of the story, it's upgraded, and automatically replaced the old one. All of the items are like that. They are for a purpose and replace each other as you move on. The only things that can affect your defensive stats with any kind of control, are 2 or 3 secret special items that you can get in the game, only if you know what you're doing. They come in handy. You gather little items that increase your health by one block at a time. It takes finding several of these to make any difference. You get stronger swords later on, but for the most part the majority of your equipment, is elementally and or task specific, not empowering.

   The difficulty of the enemies, who are adequately varied, was decent. The boss fights were insanely difficult. In fact they were so difficult at just a couple times, that part of me wanted to say that they were the problem. But it wasn't them. It's the depth perception and puzzles in this game, where the problem lies. The gameplay in Alundra is like Zelda, and focuses more on platforming and items than equipment and battling. The view is similar as well. It utilizes an angled overhead view. The problem with this game, is that the raised platforms and obstacles are not only misleading much of the time, but sometimes they are outright wrong. There are puzzles and parts of the plot in this game where it is almost impossible to know where to go, what to do, or who to talk to. I could go on for hours talking about that. The game requires you to platform in all of this chaos. Alundra is a big footed character, with the classic superdeformed head, and jerky movement. Many times, you are placed into a puzzle within a dangerous dungeon, where you have to figure out what to do with convoluted clues, or lack of any clues, surrounded by dangerous enemies who can kill with a few touches. You will have to perform complex jump sequences in some of the most crazy places. It felt like there were some puzzles  that you had to rely on a glitch to complete. There are pathways in the forests and dungeons that you will need to walk through, that you will never see without chance. This is due to the way the game displays depth, as well as the occasional design flaw of just blocking a pathway with a platform of some kind. That is a very big issue. I often felt like I was permanently stuck in the game. In the last dungeon, there were 2 rooms with raises switches that required you to nail the art of jumping perfectly with Alundra for 16-20 consecutive jumpes, while jumping diagonally, up and down. That task was even harder than it sounds. Alundra's jerky movement and big feet, make him stick on walls when trying to walk between objects, and fall off of platforms prematurely, or jumping way too early, due to appearing to be where you are not. Even the shadows of floating objects don't know where to fall, and will often bounce around as the object moves. It's ridiculous. Somehow this game was left with these glitches as if they aren't a problem.

  I beat this game with some tips on using spells on the last boss. It's a game that you can get permanently stuck in, if you are not careful. With that being said, I have to say I did love the game. The music, atmosphere, lush graphics, and challenge are all memorable. The ending was beautiful, and brought back memories of how far you came in the game. It was beautifully animated, and had wonderful music to close it out. The amazing thing is that I logged over 55 hours in this game. I wasn't loitering either. It 's a rare mark for a Zelda style game, to take Final Fantasy time to beat. That alone speaks of how much content is in this game. The game, unfortunately, didn't have that emotional pull on me that some of my favorite classics did, due -in part, to the wonky and ambiguous story behind it, that had you wondering what exactly, the characters thought evil and good were. But it was still a great game, and one that I'm glad I took Johnny Millenium's advice on, and played.

9/10

World Update

I'm a man of my word. I've been slacking a bit. The latest news has been going so fast, that I've trailed off into a trance. You have spreading ISIS alliances throughout western Africa, and large numbers of people being slain in Nigeria and Kenya. Many cells are awakening in unaware regions, and perhaps may be ashore in the states. That's serious stuff, and speaks of the times that we live in, as well as the chickens that are coming to roost for the sick regime that this country has implemented under the sheets. Many are unaware that these actions spawn from brutal maneuvers that the USA hides and has been hiding for decades.

 On another note, I have to congratulate Duke and coach K on their great National Title victory. I hated Wisconsin, and I'm glad they were sent home. I also find it funny how there is still denial that fixes are put on in almost all sports. They wanted Wisconsin to win. It angered me that they were even in the National Title game. Not only because it killed my bracket, but because they cheated Kentucky to get there. The refs clearly had an agenda in that game. Then they even tried to give the title game to Wisconsin, but Duke shot that down. Then coach Ryan sulks about the refs. In the end, justice was metted out to some degree.


  On to boxing. I've seen a lot of updates posted by the faithful Fight Hub newscast showing Floyd Mayweather training like a juiced boy should. He's hitting the heavy bag, and air shield like an animal. I always knew he had the conditioning to be a more busy fighter if he wanted to. But, you can see in the power, and in the drop in speed, that he's doing things a different way. Whether or not it's a legal way, we will see on May 2nd. Bottom line- right now Manny has a tremendous speed edge. Not only did Manny get faster and more explosive, but Mayweather has slowed down noticeably, making the difference apparent. If all things are fair, Manny should be able to tee-off on Mayweather in the fight. Like I was telling people, Floyd isn't going to have Manny running into shots all night. He's aiming to have him run into an ender shot one good time. Manny has to watch out. I like the medicine ball drill that I saw Manny doing to build explosion on his punches. It's a very simple, yet effective drill, that not many fighters do, where you shuffle pass a 5 pound ball to a partner non-stop, with one arm at a time. It looks like Manny is also working on counter techniques. He could explode on Floyd's face come May 2nd and surprise us all. I would like him to work on those chopping foot feints more. Floyd can time those, and make him pay. Other than that, he looks great. Floyd looks like a stronger, and slower version of himself. He isn't sharper on the mitts, or slicker with his moves. In fact, he was eating punches  more than usual in sparring. All of that footage points to the almost obvious truth, that he is juicing and aiming for power. I won't say on the internet, how I plan on seeing the fight, but it just doesn't feel worth $100. We'll see.

 I like the fact that CBS is taking boxing back to the public, and just signed Virgil Hunter on as an analyst. They need to streamline their fight crew. Virgil will bring meaningful education and conversation to the broadcast. I will enjoy that. This is one of the only good things Al Haymon is a part of. I give him that. But when you sell your soul to  the devil- in his case himself, you have to do something good to sleep at night. He already has Peter Quillin ducking GGG, with lame excuses, like, "the money isn't right."

 On a final note, I'm calling it now, that Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor will be a bigger shock fight than Mayweather vs. Pacman. It will also be bigger in the meaningful sense. I can't wait for that in July. Goodnight. Enjoy the art.

"Into Me"- Art Series update

He everyone. This is another update to my ongoing art series - "Into Me." I encourage everyone to subscribe and tune into my blog. Not only do I cover my projects,  but also new topics, sports, etc. I think you'll thoroughly enjoy it


This next series is a case of me doing something new. I always find my mind racing off, yearning to do things I haven't done before, or seen before. I did this next series of pieces all simultaneously, which is art in itself, if I only recorded it. I painted, wrote, and constructed all at one time. I really enjoy it. Art is one of the only hobbies I have that can fully distract me. I would have composed a short tune at the same time, but I just thought of that now. Oh well. I wonder if that would be in the Guiness Book of World Records......Anyway, without further ado, this first piece is called:

Like Free

I was going for simple without sacrifice. There is a lot of symbolism in this one.

The next piece is:  

Like Me

I've  been wanting to do a "Physical" piece for a very long time. I was lost at first, and then my hands began to move all by themselves. I anxiously awaited what became of that. Walla.


Finally, I did a literary piece that accompanies the two pieces. It's short

Like ME


..Like Me


Like me- a jet-powered butterfly with wings,

Because it's never enough for me to just be king.

Like Free- patch made to ever adapt,

Because it's never an ending for me to just be trapped.

No words could ever be enough- destined for dust.

Life formulates sinking equations and I rise up.

With each sunrise, I am born clay, and strong in the moon.

There's eternity in a moment, yet it ends too soon.

New Music- "Bring Back the Bop" project

Jason's Music



This is the link to my music page. Some new tracks as part of my project.

Update - "Into Me" Art Series

This is "Back to the Center"

I hit a wall with the concept, and it's a piece I pretty much didn't really finish.

The Emptiness of Updates

I have another art gallery update in the works, but in the meantime, I have to comment on something I think is historically stupid. It's the topic of system and firmware updates on our devices. I've watched this process deteriorate and corrupt over the years.

 I remember the fact that updates, be they system updates or software updates, go back decades. However, in the beginning, they were not only optional, but for the overall benefit. Even Windows updates were not overdone back then, but only when necessary and provided greater service for your computer. We all agree that Windows 97 and XP were 2 of the best operating systems in history. This is sad, being that they are nearing 20 years old. I remember having to update my computer no more than 2 or 3 times back in the 90's, when I was actually making an effort to be a PC gamer. That was an interesting era where I played games such as "The Secret of Monkey Island," "Jazz Jackrabbit," "Kings Quest 7" and "Duke Nukem." I really enjoyed PC gaming at that time, and I remember my parents having a salesman over to explain the benefits of purchasing an ACES computer to help us kids study and do better in school. I laugh thinking about that now. I was already a bright kid, and still am. However, I have to applaud those efforts as well. I remember my parents purchasing the computer, as well as an Encyclopedia collection for me and my siblings to study with after school. I used them. I've always been that type of kid. I still remember mapping out the nervous system and the Brain in detail from studying the Encyclopedia, and playing some of the learning games that came with the computer. I wasn't a kid who totally wasted that stuff. However, I also recall when I first went online with AOL, and that famous dial-up jingle that we all know ringing in my ears. I immediately went to the free-game Arcade, and that's where I downloaded several games to play. I only had 1 or 2 issues where I needed to upgrade my software to run certain games like "Quake."

  Then we fast forward to the early 2000's when you still had updates that were optional and that provided programs to benefit your use. This transitioned over to gaming devices around 2005. I remember when I had the PSP at launch, and you had to have the latest firmware in order to run the current games. If you didn't have it, whatever game you purchased had the firmware upgrade built into the disc to be installed. These updates  brought us software that was cool, like the comic book viewer, the online radio, the Senseme Music app, etc. They were for a reason. Even in the early Xbox 360 days, the homescreen got a facelift with one of the updates and several apps as we know them today. But then after a few years, there was a transition. Suddenly, with one of the system updates on the PSP, it was announced that they would stop supporting the Radio function for the system, as well as ceasing the release of digital comic books. That sucked, but if you had the comic reader on your system, you were good with what you had, as long as you didn't erase it, which I stupidly did.


 Today, almost completely without the notice of people, updates have officially degraded to anti-piracy, and bullying technology. When you get an update these days, features that you like are often removed by force. You get no noticeable upgrades or software at all. In fact the only thing that your screen does is flicker. And they have consumers convinced that this is enhancing the performance of their games and software. No it isn't. It's the companies way of keeping track of your system, and maintaining the power to shut you down whenever they feel the urge. This bothers me moving forward in gaming. A lot of people keep asking when I'm going to get the new Playstation 4, and I can't seem to get it through to them the fallacy in gaming today. They are so convinced they are making out like a bandit. I explained to a gamer today, that Microsoft announced that they would be revamping the usage of the systems processing cells to promote enhanced gaming that can compete with the PS4. What this is an example of, is the ability of companies to avoid making new hardware. They have most people convinced that  they needed to upgrade systems to the new generation. The truth is that they could have squeezed today's graphics out of the older systems if they wanted to. To profit, they make new hardware, and charge insane prices for them. Also, today's software is hardly secure- and not from pirates, but from the companies. The other day, I went to transfer some pictures to my Vita, and got a message that I had to get an update to continue. It's the same message I get on my 360 from time to time. I have to accept the update, or I cannot continue use of my system. What bothers me is that this nonsense has now transitioned to offline. I'm okay with being blocked from online servers if I decline an update, but to tell me that I can't sit in the corner of my dungeon with my system and play solo to my heart's content, unless I let YOU- the developer, into my house and console for routine checks. I have a huge problem with that, as well as the fact that most of you don't have a problem with that. The government loves the fact that you all acquiesce to that crap. This is part of the motion to eventually lock down on every person like a prisoner in the near future. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but many feel that the fact that systems come with an onboard camera and a demand for constant online activity, is a passage for you to always be seen and monitored. There is something to that, especially when today's televisions also have online and camera support. And if you notice, tweaking these features has become less and less doable. Many times, features like online connection and cameras can be somewhat locked in on the device. Because of the convenience, most don't mind though. I personally have a problem with that, and because of that, I don't think I'll be moving forward in the gaming race. I don't mind missing out on the new horde of war and demon games anyway, so have fun with that kids.

 I just wish that there was a way to refuse these updates. The answer in the end may be to revert back to non-technology. Anyway, that was my little piece on this matter. Stay tuned for updates on the "Into Me" art gallery series. Peace.

Boxing Update: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

Here we go again. As we near the middle of training camp, more nonsense surfaces from the Mayweather camp. For years, I have tried and wanted to respect and like Mayweather. Each time, he shows himself to be a sniveling coward, who will do anything to look after himself, and win.

 Earlier this month, we heard reports about the Mayweather camp, under the tutelage of Mayweather's father- Al Haymon, paying sparring partners to avoid going to Manny Pacquiao's camp and stay home. We already knew that Mayweather began working with Alex Ariza during his war with Marcos Maidana. Apparently, Ariza just gave him some diet and stretching tips. Yeah, I believe that. It's now obvious to me that he did that to avoid having a second tough fight with Maidana. He "developed" the power to keep Maidana away from him with body shots. Now, he has reportedly begun working with Angel Heredia- the man who juiced Marquez. Marquez ran to Heredia in desperation, to avoid losing the 4th match to Pacman, which would have essentially ended his career. The funny thing is that Heredia and Ariza are the very people that Floyd has acted as if he is against his whole career in his little so-called pioneering campaign to clean up the sport. Also, according to sources, The Mayweather boxing camp has been working with the two of them for quite some time, with several Money Team fighters being busted for doping under USADA regulations. As a Youtube commentator brought out, Floyd is surrounded in the very filth he claims to fight against. Ask yourself, what prevents a baseless lunatic from joining the fray of filth he helped build in an organization he controls whenever he sees fit? Sudden morals?


 Now, in a fight that, in his own words, Floyd has never been more hungry for a victory in, he goes down the same road. People keep wondering why he would be caught dead with these guys. The truth of the matter, is that Mayweather has always cared more about victory and himself than what people see and think. He's said that time and again. The point that I emphasize, is that now I honestly believe that he was scared of this fight immensely. I now believe that Pacquiao is the better fighter, in terms of overall integrity, and Mayweather just can't handle facing an opponent on his level. He doesn't like fighting unless it's a clear victory ahead. And people think that him testing means something. My question to those people is, "Did they catch Marquez yet?" I thought so. EPO, which is one of the specialties of Heredia, is almost impossible to catch in an athlete after competition, or even in training. If Marquez got his dirty win and ran, only to use possibly again after refusing the VADA testing in his fight with Bradley, how much moreso can the highest paid athlete in the world dodge a positive test. I've said many times that Mayweather could have been dirty most of his career, and we wouldn't be able to catch him. He practically has Las Vegas in his pocket. That's part of the reason for his allegiance to fighting in that venue. All of the reasons that I hear about fighting in Vegas, such as the history etc. is such crap. Pedal that on some idiot, not me. Madison Square Garden, the Staples Center, Dallas Arena, Macau. There are several historical sites to have a big boxing event in. Betting is legal in Vegas, and Vegas is the arena of choice for fights that are rigged and need to go off without a hitch. Just like a juiced Anderson Silva having his positive test results put on hold and beating Nick Diaz in Vegas. Suddenly, for that fight, it had to take place in Vegas. Even when Jon Jones spared the life of Daniel Cormier, refusing to tee off after screaming about how personal the feud was. That fight had to be in Vegas. Even after the brawl at the conference. Vegas is the seat of corruption- Floyd's womb. One thing I do know is that I can spot a fighter who is heavily juiced and seeking a KO. I knew early into the 4th Marquez vs. Pacquiao fight, that something was up with Marquez. If you couldn't tell after the first knockdown, that sent Manny across the ring, then stick around- you have a lot to learn in this sport.

  A Youtuber made a very good point. He said that with the experience and team behind him, there is nothing that Mayweather stands to gain from non-boxing minds such as Ariza and Heredia, except for drug enhanced performance. That's what they do. I can't have the blind faith in Floyd that Stephen A. Smith has. I look at that now, with pity. I really want to feel like Stephen does about Floyd, but there is too much I would have to ignore, and I refuse to do that. I've watched the media turn this into a race war, and in the end Floyd is a disgrace to his. Someone with so much talent and passion should not allow fear to blight their career. In the end, simply the fear of loss will drag him to the lowest of lows. I made a prediction about the outcome on May 2nd, and it's identical to Stephen A. Smith's. However, now that I see how Floyd is going about it, I will have no respect for it. Now if I see the KO that I predict, I'm going to know what empowered it. I have a good mind to boycott the fight and the sport, but I'll reserve my feelings for now. This brings to mind Lance Armstrong. Both he and Floyd inspired me greatly as an athlete. Both of them had supreme control and power as well. In fact, they're perfect examples of untouchable athletes. For years, Lance denied using any steroids, and I honestly believed him. I wanted to believe he was that great. I watched a documentary movie on Lance Armstrong called, "Anything to Win." They showed how hard it was for those who knew of his cheating, to do anything about it, due to the power and influence he had. He even had the court system eating out of his palms. It sickened me to find that he cheated from the very beginning. It wasn't until he broke himself down, that it all came down for him. Floyd my end up being the exact same. Over the last few years, society has had to come to grip with finding that almost all of its great athletes are in fact not. The trend has been so strong, that it has made people rightfully question greatness in its entirety. I have a bad feeling about Floyd Mayweather. It looks like this trend is starting again. I thought Lance had passion, and I thought Floyd did too. But what we often find to be the case in the end, is that the great athletes, are just great actors, performing an elaborate role.

Update: "Into Me" Art Series

This wasn't exactly what I envisioned before the drawing, but it made sense at the end. I might do something similar again.

Race Relations: Essay 2

This is another foray into the world of race relations. I didn't have a whole lot that I intended to say about this. However, I was definitely motivated to speak. The other day, I was reading a thread online about Muhammad Ali. In fact, it was a discussion started from a comment that I made. I find it very odd that recently, there was an article talking about celebrities with Irish heritage, that pulled several strong black figures such as Ali into the mix. This is coupled with the constant race arguments I hear at work, where Gennady Golovkin and other boxers from Eastern Europe countries being used as "White Power" enforcers. Then, the other day, a person made a comment that Kim Kardashian is one of the only white celebrities built like that. At first, I paused. Then, a short debate was started, which shocked me completely. I find it very hilarious, that today, the scope of race has changed, or shifted to a state it perhaps was in long ago. Now, in the age of Zimmerman and company, anything that is off-black, is accepted as white. Years ago, Jews and Italians were scolded as tanned skin minorites, by the controlling white supremacist hierarchy of the country. Today, it seems as if, seeing their numbers suppressed, and feeling outnumbered, there's been a gradual recruitment of sorts, as if it's an attempt to isolate the black race as some outlandish race.

 I've said it before, and will again; even if you look at it from a physical standpoint, it looks dumb to call a people who are by large, a tanned skinned and ethnic people -white; simply because they're agreeable. Suddenly, race has become based on social status and acceptance. I've heard constantly Anderson Silva, who identifies as a Brazilian descendant of slaves, referred to as non-black. And the reason is simply because he is such a high profile figure. The minute a prominent black celebrity becomes influential beyond a certain point, an attempt is made to isolate them from blacks. Even look at how Cleopatra was portrayed in the movies decades ago. In fact, there are people today, who still refuse to believe that Egypt is in Africa, simply because it houses so many prominent things that they respect.

  The sad thing is that the targets of this metamorphosis play into it often times. The reason is simply that society has been largely brain-washed to  subconsciously look at this so-called "white opinion" as the baseline for all thought. This is not to attack or berate any race. This is simply the result of malicious cowards who have wanted respect and dominance for ages. That psychological tactic has caused minorities to look down on themselves, even when they are in instances where they are the majority. It's amazing to watch. But of course, if you're Kim Kardashian, or Tiger Woods, or Kris Humphrey, or many other celebrities, you're going to play by the rules that you have been programmed to believe exist. So as far as their concerned, they are white. As long as that gets them protection and acceptance, they'll take it. Very few have the backbone to see reality. People have been taught to think, "Of course. Why wouldn't I want to trash on the filthy black race. That's what they're there for." If you're hopelessly black, you hate yourself, and accept less. If you're attached in any way to another race, and see an opportunity to be accepted, you'll spit on the black race if need be, simply because it feel like the safe thing to do.


 That's not to say that everyone does that. In fact there are a lot of mixed blacks who go the opposite route, and are afraid to acknowledge any mixed roots for fear of ostracism from the black community. That's where Tiger Woods falls in as well. He has tried to, under pressure, play the white card at times in the past. However, at the center of it all, he acknowledges his blackness. Where blacks got up in arms, is simply the fact that he embraced his other roots. They took that, in their insecurities, as him disowning them. I disagree with that immensely. It seems like individuals can't find a middle ground. Nonetheless, I find it amazing that middle eastern and Asian races are now considered white. As more Zimmerman crimes are committed, and black lives treated as less and less, expect to see more osmosis of the races to the opposite direction. And it's sad, because race should not even be an issue. Inside of the human races, all colors and nationalities came from one source. Science has found that there are greater variances within races than there are outside of them. Yet this tells people nothing in their blind nonsense. I always shake my head when I see Jewish people, who were supposedly oppressed and killed numerous times in history, go off on racist white-power kicks. That's the crap that is facilitated by the times. I've seen Asian's look down on and mistreat blacks with Asian roots, completely unaware, simply because they think that behavior gets them a good seat at the almighty White table. It's pathetic. That's very much at the heart of the Zimmerman murder, and it all stems from people who lack self esteem leaving their homeland and seeking to conquer those they admire.

  That is the gist  of what was on my mind regarding that topic over the last few days. Anyway, until next time.

Magnum Opus links &Additional Art Series Pictures

I'm back again. This post is to add some images from the Art Series, "Into Me." These few pictures, were also in the novel, "Magnum Opus: Reminiscer." Since I haven't done so, I'm going to include a link for my novel, so you can purchase or download it. The album, "Magnum Opus: Res Ipsa Loquitur," goes together with the novel, and this art series will tie into both of them. It's an ongoing thing I plan on doing, that's a cross between a comic series, and art gallery. It feels comfortable. I'll be uploading more soon.

Magnum Opus: Reminiscer
Those Silent - Book 1 of Magnum Opus

The Machine - Finished

Working on some techniques. Here is the finished painting of "The Machine," from the novel, "Magnum Opus: Reminiscer." I think the novel is quite well done, and not just because I wrote it. I suggest it as a breeze read. It's only about 160 pages, but has a lot to it. It's very cheap to purchase, and I believe it's free to download as a PDF. Anyways, this is sort of the cover picture to the Art Series I'm doing

Into Me: New Art Series by Jason K. Addae

Hey wassup guys. This is a preview of something I'm working on. My "Into Me" Art Series. It might be continuous. I'm capturing a lot of the turmoil going on right now. The Piece, "I Know Who You Are" was inspired by what I think was an amazing movie, and one I relate to somewhat - " The Machinist."

What happened to the Bop?

I was brainstorming the other day, or rather, just daydreaming, and something occurred to me about the state of art and music. Whenever you hear reference to older generations of music, they're mentioned as if music has moved forward so far since their inception all those years ago. Today's R&B, Rock, Pop, and Hip Hop, pretty much look down on the eras of the 1940's and 50's. To be truthful, a lot of that is flawed and defensive posturing.

 Much of today's portrayals will glamorize and exaggerate today's music, amplifying it above the norm, in comparison to yesterday's music, to make it stand out as superior. But aside from the black and white caricatures that you see painted, if you were to take music venue scenes from the 40's and play them side by side with today's music scene, you would see quite a different picture. I have had a blast going through old film of Muhammad Ali interviews in his prime on talk shows like Sammy Davis Jr., and Nikki Giovanni. What it reminds me of is how hip they were back in the 70's and prior. There was such a bustling art movement across the country at that time, as well as very deep conscious thinking. Today's society would like you to forget that. They act as if in those days, people were rigid and today's people are very intellectual and advanced. That couldn't be more wrong. People have never been more rigid than they are today. There has never been such a lack of thought, let alone original thought.

 If you take open rhythm in music and free-thinking, scientific conversation that was the norm back when Miles Davis played, or when Jimi Hendrix was rocking, people today would be so out of their element and lost, it would be comical. Rather than admit that it's all been simplified and dumbed down, they'll just say that up is down and down is up, and move on, as if that cures it all.

 I was having an artist moment the other day- the only way I can describe it to you laymen, and a rhythm came into my head. It was a hard-bop kind of rhythm. I kept hearing it, even in the shower. As it filled my head, I began to lay a bass line, and eventually a melody that I forgot over it. It was so hip it isn't funny. Before I knew it, I was bopping back and forth, and just imagining how much fun it would be to perform the tune on stage. That's when a sad thought hit me. Music is totally devoid of that today. People have no idea how empty and whack music has become. Not only are the tempos today held below 100, but also the rhythmic structures are retained to simple 4/4's and the occasionally used 3/4. That's become the simple safe zone that everyone tells themselves is Nirvana. The complex and moving rhythms and melodies of the 40's would blow today's music out of the water, if the sound quality was brought up to speed. These clowns don't know a thing about real BOP. I mean nothing about bop- period. They tell themselves that it's some archaic nonsense that their ancestors listened to. They'll swear Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are on the next level. What do these fools know about chamber music for real? Not the negative connotation that's been put on it. What do these idiots know about totally vibing off on a sick Bop-vamp, getting lost in the solo? I'm talking about the music that had you hypnotized and sweating after about 20+ minutes of a sick beat and solo!! Even today's jazz has lost that in large part. And that's due to the modern influence. When I was doing my residency of sorts as a music student around 2007-2008, that's when alot of that scene was beginning to become rare. I remember nights of sick jam sessions with some cats I used to play with. There were solos that went on for 30 minutes, with a rhythm section so energetic, you would never have known. Bop got its name from the motion it produced in the listener, and music today could never match that energy. Predominantly, it used a 2/4 beat pattern with frequent accents. This allowed you to fill out the drum pattern and make even ballad tunes sound high octane when needed.

 Look at a well known song like "Take Five," by Paul Desmond. Today, it's used in segues and as background music. If that song were fleshed out and performed for real, these dudes wouldn't know what to do with it. So my idea was to do a track similar to the Bop era, and give it some modernized amplification. It should be interesting when it's done. Another thing that I want to do is a tune that has no repetition. When you think about that, it is much harder than it sounds. I was thinking about an experiment. I wanted to ask a bunch of people to grab a few items and go into a silent room. Then I wanted them to allow me to record them as they play around and make noise for as long as they can without repeating any patterns or melodic fragments. You will be surprised how just about everyone will struggle with that. I want to take that on as a challenge to myself. I've always respected Free Jazz for that. It is so much harder to have no patterns. If you noticed conversation over the last decade or more, most people repeat themselves several times in conversation. Ask yourself when the last time it is that you or someone you spoke to, had a complete conversation without going back over a point, or repeating a statement. It's amazing to think about, but a denser society has gradually, over the years, become reliant on repetition. That's why the crap music today gets over. It super repetitive, and would have been booed out of the studios and clubs decades ago. But like I said, that's back when conversation was more fluid and deep. You will find that people did not repeat themselves nearly as much several decades ago. Investigate that for yourself. Even in the Ali interviews that I watched, even when punch-drunk, he almost never went over a point again and again. His thought were clear and concise. When you see that for yourself, you'll really think about things.

Announcement of the Big Fight- Mayweather vs. Pacquiao - May 2nd

I would be remisced not to discuss the announcement of what is most likely the biggest fight in the history of sports. We have just heard the announcement of the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight finally happening on May 2nd of this year. We have waited over 5 years- close to 6 years for this fight to finally happen. To be honest, if you've read my posts and my comments over the last few years, you know that initially, I didn't really have a lot of interest in this fight from a tactical perspective. I felt that Manny was too reckless for my taste, and undersized as well, for a matchup with Floyd. At the time, I didn't have a lot of respect for Manny. However, over the years, watching his mastery of his style, and his dominance of an array of different opponents, as well as his resurgence following a devastating loss to a juiced Marquez, I began to appreciate Manny as a very special boxer of this generation, who could have held his own in the previous era. I also formed a huge amount of respect for Freddie Roach- the student of Eddie Futch. He has shown himself, through his resume' to be one of, if not the greatest preparer of all time. He knows how to study his fighter's opponent, and get them ready to be competitive and effective against whoever they are facing- even in mismatches. That has impressed me immensely over the years. He is a master tactician.

 When it comes to this fight, part of the reason I want to see it is because of Freddie Roach. I know, and Mayweather knows, that he is going to get Manny physically, and mentally prepared for this fight. That has been part of his reservations. Floyd Mayweather does not like to enter into a fight unless he is in control before entering the ring. Whatever he can't determine prior to picking the opponent, he likes to iron out during pre-fight antics. Manny Pacquiao is the first person that Floyd is facing, who will not be rattled whatsoever entering the ring on May 2nd. He will be fully prepared to do his best, and will not be out of the fight at any point, other than being stopped. He will be game, and thanks to Roach, he will adapt. These are things that Floyd doesn't like.

 I still feel that this was a fight hyped more than necessary to build interest and money. It's a fight that Floyd can win relatively easy. But there is a level of intrigue there, that Manny can beat Floyd. I told my coworker that this is actually a fight that Floyd has to score a KO on. His usual strategy of having better speed, stamina, and footwork than his opponent, and lacing them with shots all night, outlanding them, is out of the question this time. Manny will definitely not allow himself to land less than Floyd, and Floyd cannot be busier than Manny. If he were to try, he would really open himself up to a bad upset. He has to keep Manny off balance, and on the outside, and hurt him in the process early. Then, he can pick off a wounded Manny with a heavy shot later on and stop him. That's somewhat how he took care of Hatton. However, it will be very difficult to do that, and to silence a busy Manny, who has deceptive defense and footwork that is as good as his, if not better. There is a big difference between teeing off on an opponent and standing on the outside until you go for the kill, and teeing off on an opponent in spurts while taking shots and damage along the way. Mayweather has never had to deal with the latter. In his fight with Manny, if he takes shots and is put on the retreat at any point, the needle will tilt towards Manny heavily. He has to come into the ring as the big man,stylistically, but he can't afford to be the lumbering lunk in this fight though, otherwise he risks Manny circling him and picking him off with clusters of shots. So look for a surprisingly strategic fight.


 On that note, I must say that when I think about it, the pressure is really on Mayweather. This is not the last fight of his contract, but it's the biggest. If he should win big and dominantly, many will clamor to see a more competitive opponent, and feel they were duped with this matchup. He may end up in a position similar to Larry Holmes, who was 1 win away from tying Rocky Marciano, before he lost in a controversial and pressure filled match. Don't be surprised if Floyd loses his next fight after winning this one. He may have all kinds of insecurities and pressures surround him, that he picks the wrong opponent for his last fight, and gets knocked out. It may even end up being what people will call Karma. That isn't what it is, but in a way, it's set up. He's spent so much time trying to control every second of his legacy, that his last moment may be a tragedy. Where do you go from an overhyped Pacman fight- if that's what it turns out to be? The answer is that we don't know.

 Floyd is turning 38 in a few days. One thing about him is that he has always had the physicality to turn up his training to meet a challenge, if he ever faced one in an opponent. However, I noticed a shift during his little war with Maidana. He was roughed up far more than he expected in the first fight, and then he trained like a madman just to be underwhelming in the rematch, and look pot-bellied, slow, and beatable. He has fooled fans for years, into thinking that he could stop his opponents if he wanted to. I personally knew he had no shot at stopping Guerrero or Canelo, regardless of how the fights looked to people. He cries about his hand constantly, as his excuse for his performances, going back to his LOSS to Castillo in their first fight. At this age, he is having difficulty "getting up" for fights. He knows that for this fight, he has to bring the best Mayweather that he can muster, but the odds are that in all of his efforts, he will produce an underwhelming shell of himself on fight night. Look for a power-hungry, KO seeking Floyd on May 2nd. He knows that is his best chance. His movement is still solid, but it won't be as impressive against Manny. I can't wait to see what happens. Stay tuned.

The Modern Fool

I've recently dove back into the arts from years gone by and artists who I had forgotten. Lupe Fiasco is one such artist who I owe tribute to . My brother- Wasulu Mohammed Jaco, is a deep dude. His first few albums reek of depth beyond even "Illmatic," and I dare you to go to Rap Genius.com and test that theory out. He talks about everything that matters. At work, a few knuckleheads had a discussion with me about each of our top 5 lyricists. It seems that no matter how much people think of themselves as purists, their opinions and taste are blighted by a modern, biased stupidity.

 Another thing that really annoys me is the landscape of video game reception. Games have never been more shallow, or aimed at the common baseless idiot. Yet, still, as accessible as they are in 2015, most of those same idiots still look at video games as childish, and ignorant pastimes that a mature individual should grow out of. The only time they restrain those idiocies is when someone they already deeply respects approves. It's funny to watch. At work, there were 2 different conversations going on- 1 about video game direction today and the diminishing direction in artistic expression, and another about ISIS cells spreading in African countries. I engaged in both, but as the 2 groups that alternated between talking to each other, I got caught in the middle taking a lashing for the video game discussion. The political discussion participants went on a 5 minute rant about how you have to outgrow video games, and they rob you from being a productive and loving husband. I shook my head at the points they made. While balance is needed in anything you do, these same clowns will have no problem gambling, cheating, and smoking with that same time, over playing video games. They don't see at all, and perhaps will never see, how stupid they are and sound.

  Video games have been proven though science for many decades, to enhance and sharpen the mind, keeping neurons firing at a high level, and coordination intact. Evidence has shown for quite a while, that the kids who read comic books, and play games, versus the kids who don't are vastly more literate and competent. They also possess far more artistic prowess. And it shows in conversation. When you talk to people who are anti-video games about anything, you notice this reserved, and incompetent nature that you can detect. They are the ones that are afraid to have original thoughts, or dare. And part of that is due to subtle conditioning. I pity these idiots. I like being a gamer, and some of the coolest older people I know, are the ones who held onto that passion. There is no coincidence.

New Poem- Here in this Moment

Here in this moment 

I never imagined I'd be here in this moment.
The artist feels,
Yet many assume I'm simple because I remain calm.

Every poem was an adventure.
I travelled so far from where I sat,
Thinking of the world we live in.

You're always handed a tougher trial than you overcome, So at times this makes me afraid to escape.
But I saw and learned.
Look at you wise sages.
They'll see you and call you an old man or a weak woman,
But I see you and I see greatness.
Here in this moment,
I'm not caught up in it's common intrigue.
You know what I'm caught up in?
Life.

I'm so overwhelmed by everything that I am
Through the eyes of the boy that I was.
In visions staring through the third person,
I find myself screaming at a reflection of my father,
"When you were younger, you used to freeze in place. Don't panic! You are a king!"
There's so much promise I'm seeing wrapped up.
Almost exposed, I want to break it open,
But I remember the course of the flower in bloom.
We are naked in the eyes of God, so why are we pressed in the eyes of man?
Why are we squeezed into these small and frozen hopes With little bits of love  advanced in tight kept spaces, Reserved for the explorer?
Perhaps they were stumbled upon by the hillside as a child.
Maybe their disappearance is a perception.
Nevertheless, The vast expanse just isn't big enough for our true insides.
A heart could only dance where it truly resides.
In this breached vacuum, those are the laws imposed.
This is what makes me aware.
That is my fear and my intrigue, here in this moment.

Hope for the Playstation Vita

I know. I could have gotten on here and given an update on the Mayweather vs. Pacman negotiations, or the sad fact that Anderson Silva tested positive for 2 steroids prior to his comeback fight with Diaz, which further my arguments of how little of the so-called great we see is actually great, and also, there is a reason that big fights "have to" take place in Vegas. But I won't go there. I just don't feel inspired right now to talk about all of that.

 What came to my mind right now, is the power that consumers have for once, and don't realize. Back when the PSP was still alive, developers were in talks about releasing Oblivion for the PSP, and then there was also talk about a Shenmue remake on the portable console, or a carry-over to test the waters for a long awaited sequel. Neither of those happened, for various reasons. However, during those last few years, there was a site known as PSPminis.com, that I frequented along with many huge fans of indie projects, which were thriving at that time on the PSN market. This site, as well as a couple of other sites, were also frequented by the accessible Indie developers.

  I remember watching an Indie Developer movie on Netflix, and seeing the passion, and talent that these accessible people have. Some games, such as Meatboy have taken off and become huge franchises, which I'm sure encourages other small companies. At that time, on the Mini site, I asked around about a Shenmue spinoff possibly being made on the PSP by an Indie development group. They said that the idea was something that was somewhat going around, but that due to the limitations that Sony placed on the size and scope of the Indie market games, the games would remain limited, and projects like that wouldn't happen.

 Well, since then, the PSP mini website, which I think was huge in advertising and advocating the indie community, has been shut down. But also, in that time, we have seen the rails taken off of the developers. This is a time when the iron is hot. Sony, and it's main developing companies are lazy, and nonchalant about any big-time releases or exclusives for the handheld, and have relegated it to an accessory like the Wii U gamepad. Indie games have their own platform now, and are not restricted. They can be any size, and utilize the system as much as they want. Now is the time to stand up for the gaming community, and for the Indie developers to be the white night of this scenario. Games like Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect, and Oblivion, are what is missing from the system, and now they can have them. No carry over titles. This is the time for Indie companies to step up and make something exclusive for the Vita. And nothing can block that.

 I've seen some games on the marketplace that are free, and have a ton of work put into them. I want to see more of that from these companies. I also want to see them become accessible again. We live in a celebrity society, where people don't want to be accessible and reasonable. They want to cut off fans to a degree, to avoid negativity. However, I think there was more hope when sites like PSP minis.com existed. You could give an idea to a developer directly, and have it considered. I saw a video the other day about the Pier Solar project that some developers embarked on for the Sega Genesis. I think things like that are awesome. I've heard about developers making games for the SNES, Genesis, and Dreamcast down to this day. That is a huge freedom that I think can produce great things once it's properly appreciated.

Superbowl Prophecy

You're friendly neighborhood Pariah checking in. This is once again, why you should tune into this blog and my other endeavors. Nobody is giving you the raw and true, the low down, and the unpretty like me these days. Let me briefly touch on this Superbowl before I hit the sack.

 Weeks ago, you can run back film on me and see me telling several people after the Patriots vs. Colts game, that the Patriots had something filthy up their sleeves, and there was more than just that team behind it. Once again, I was at my conspiracy theories. I wasn't very flagrant about it, but I did have a gut feeling that there was a reason for Deflate-Gate. Let me make this very clear- I suspected and stated that I suspected foul-play the minute I saw the blowout win over the Colts. This was before the deflated balls were discovered. And as usual, everyone looked at me like an idiot. The Patriots liked how they matched up with Seattle, as did I, and figured it would be an easy Championship, as long as they got past the tougher matchup in the Colts. That's where they were willing to cheat to succeed. One thing that I realized was that Tom Brady is now 37, and reaching the end of his career. He has always had a hype to live up to- being greater than Joe Montana, which I always thought was laughable. Until recently, I put Peyton above him by a margin as a quarterback. He has won all of his superbowls by a fieldgoal or less, and I've watched as each one was a borderline gift. Tonight's championship, which the Patriots won, was a flat out gift, but I wasn't surprised.

  I said, going into the game, that the Patriots wouldn't deflate footballs just to win 1 lousy game. They did it because they liked the way they matched up with the Seahawks- was my initial assumption. However, then I saw the constant Montana comparisons to Brady throughout the game, and a tight first half that became a see-saw battle. I told countless coworkers that I envisioned the Pats winning, and everyone looked at me baffled and saying that the Seahawks were going to blow the Patriots out. During the 4th quarter, after the Seahawks still had a 10 point lead with little time in the last quarter, Russell Wilson took the field. He only had to move the ball and run the clock. I specifically stated that the game was set up for the Patriots to win, and looked at my father-in-law and some other guests at the house to see their expression. They gave me this little side-eyed grin that made me laugh. And they did it several times, almost like everyone knows that I'm right deep down, but has to keep up appearances. It's no mystery that I predicted the game that far out, even before Superbowl week. It's also no mystery that I kept my prediction, even with the Seahawks were in clear control. In fact, after the Patriots took the lead, and the Seahawks marched down to the goaline with 2nd and goal and 40 seconds on the clock, you know what I said? I said, "Don't be shocked when something crazy happens right now." The room was almost silent when I said that, but no one payed me any attention. All they had to do was punch it in with Marshawn Lynch for a Championship. Yet, I knew that wasn't going to happen. Not because I'm a prophet, but because the script has become all too readable. The Patriots had to win, so that Brady can go out as an icon. They weren't going to let another cheating scam go by unrewarded. They cheated for a reason, and they had the game in the bag.

  So once again, like I said, I don't really ache over watching contests these days, because they've become very easy for me to read. However, for amusement, I will occasionally humor myself with watching the show.

Game Review: The Con

THE CON

Wow. This game is a throwback for me at this point. I just finished it. Believe it or not, I actually logged over 200 hours into this game before I beat it. I must say that I not only enjoyed the game, but I grossly disagree with the reviews that I've seen out there on the internet.

 The Con was a launch title for the PSP back in 2005. At the time, I was working at Modell's and going to X-ray school. I was graduating that year, but determined to get either the PSP or the Nintendo DS at launch. For long months, I looked at every game magazine I could, comparing both of the upcoming handheld consoles. I really was a Nintendo fanboy at that point, and wanted a reason to get the DS at launch, but I saw such a weak launch line-up and no real guarantee of system quality. I had the Gameboy Advance SP before that, and I was actually angry at how fast the game industry started to move at that time. That marked the end of the era where consoles were long-term investments by design. I also remember how at that time, video game magazines actually had information worth reading that you wouldn't see on the web. The internet, during the early 2000's, up until past 2005, was still somewhat limited. Social media wasn't fully in control yet. In fact, it's still amazing to think back to the fact that while I was in high school, none of that existed at all. We went online during those days, to take care of business, chill on chat rooms for a minute, play a few PC games, and then we were off. In those days, our lives weren't tied yet to computers or smart phones which didn't really exist yet. As a student in school, I remember selling a huge amount of my games to get the money ready to get one of the handheld consoles. I was mad that the SP was dead, and for about 2 years, Nintendo had been announcing the upcoming DS, and we all speculated as to what it would be like. I liked the library for the Gameboy Advance, especially towards the end, and I remember Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories being the last game I beat for it. I sat in awe, watching the ending, and hearing the entire them song being played during it. What an experience.

  I looked at the footage for the PSP launch games, and it seemed more honest. They were also honest with their only weakness, which was the battery life. I soon found that it wasn't that big of an issue. That was the first time in history that Sony, a company I had hated, was actually the well wishing company. Nintendo was so used to dominating the handheld market, that they put little effort into the process of the release. They showed very little footage. None of it looked impressive to me, except for what looked like a cutscene from a slated Sonic game, which wouldn't actually be released until years after the system launched. It looked cool, but I knew it was a farce due to the scant images. Ultimately, I decided to get the PSP. I was super excited when I finally had the money together. Among the titles I got when it launched was Metal Gear, Wipeout, and I got "The Con" a bit later. When I got it, I was drawn in by the graphics and the very detailed combat I saw. Like other PSP titles, I didn't get into it until later. When I did, I didn't understand the mechanics or the betting system.

  The game teaches you about the odds system, and how to bet against and for yourself in matches, and take dives, or pull out upsets. It follows a surprisingly deep story of a combatant who comes to the aid of gang leader who is nearly killed by an underground lord who runs a fight organization. The entire game is based around getting enough money together to climb the ranks and compete in his tournament. The ultimate plan is to then take him down. The way the cutscenes and story unfold are very good, and that will surprise you for the kind of game that it is. Also, the customizing options are very elaborate and involved.

  I created my fighter, assembled and named my team, and began putting together my arsenal of moves. The game has very deep mechanics that will seem simple at first glance. That's the same thing that is the case with Smash Brothers Melee. I hear a lot of simple people state how simple Super Smash Brothers is, and also say that The Con isn't a full fighting game, due to your feet being planted during combat, and being unable to jump. If that's the case, then the deepest fighting game that I've ever played is shallow- UFC 3. There is no jump option in that game, but I can guarantee you that a button masher will not play that game long. The Con is exactly the same. you have the 4 face buttons that correspond to  each limb, like UFC. pressing two buttons along with a direction, does one of a number of super specials. Tapping the face buttons during attack and specials, adds damage. The face buttons are pressed in various set sequences to perform combinations. You have to know your moves. That system reminds me of an early Xbox game by the name of "Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus." In both games, you cannot freely press random sequences and expect combos to flow out. I like that. It can take getting used to, but it requires you to develop skill. You can perform custom combos to a degree, but there is no getting around learning your character's style and moves. You have a reversal system where tapping the shoulder button at the right time can perform a parry which gives you a window attack, or if done right, a perfect parry, with performs a counter combo that you can add damage to by tapping the face buttons with the hits. You also have a grab move. The other shoulder button performs a "Con", which either makes you take extra damage to throw a fight when timed, or do very little damage with your attacks to fake a fight. Each style also has a specialized short combo move that is good for quick damage. Those have set button patterns. All of your other combos are made by you. You have to remember the sequences. In the game you have several styles represented- Street Boxing, Jeet Kun Do, Kickboxing, Wrestling, Tae Kwon Do, and 1 more I believe, that I can't remember. Each style is drastically unique as it should be.

 As you work through each league, you have to build up $100,000. At first, that seemed impossible, but as you advance to higher leagues, you can wager bigger bets and place bigger cons. This game taught me about odds. I never understood how that math worked. I always hear gamblers talk about it like it's nothing, but I'd just sit there confused. Now, I understand better about underdogs stuff like that. Not that it's super useful knowledge. At the end of each league, you face the boss. That fight is not open to bets, and is for superiority over the league, so it's last man standing rules. The game was very hard at first, and remained very hard until the end. It was only after I was very powerful as a team, that I was able to handle the tough CPU fighters that were thrown at me. In fact, the last boss was no problem. Getting to him was something else though. As you go through the game, you unlock clothing and custom items to use in other modes. This is one game that I feel it is too hard to unlock things in. The requirement you have to meet are ridiculous. You have to win fights as a huge underdog at one point, or beat a tough boss without using your left leg or left hand. Or you may have to beat a certain character while using a certain technique a given amount of times. It was beyond impossible to me. I definitely has me wanting to come back though. The ending was pretty poetic and the game allows you to continue your new game where you left off, so you assemble another team and try to get items again. The only gripe I can think up is that it would have been nice to do other activities in the game, like minigames to break up the fighting action. The bottom line is that the game is very solid. It reminds me of Samurai Warriors for the PSP. That was another game that got very few ratings, and of the ones it got, they were all ignorant and biased. These games deserve better that that. The Con is definitely a must own for Vita or PSP owners. Don't listen to the idiots who played 20 seconds of the game when it came out, and wrote their reviews off of that. Check it out.

8.9/10

Art Appreciation- Aziatic: by AZ

I'm going to do another review of an underappreciated album that came out in 2002. It's "Aziatic." This was a hip-hop gem by an artist that I grew to appreciate more years later.

When I was in high school, in 2002, that's when I got my first job. I was 17 years old and busy playing sports such as wrestling, and weighlifting, as well as juggling a side job as well while looking at colleges and getting priorities in order. I used to cut school on occasion to play games at the arcade from time to time, and I wrote a few of my poetry collections back then. I channeled a lot of my inner rage and frustration into my poems, and my teacher- who Magnum Opus is dedicated to, used to keep me fired up about that passion and encourage me. He himself was a fan of Eminem and used to break down and analyze the depth in his lyrics and other literary works. In fact, that was the nature of that course he taught.

 Late in that year of 2002, I remember watching MTV and VH1 when I was home from school, and looking for the eclectic music to pop up that I appreciated more. Almost every day, the music video for, "I'm Back"- the first single from the album, would play on TV, and I liked it so much, I would wait to see if they'd play it again before the end of the music segment. It wasn't played a lot, but I knew I wanted to hear more. Even though, I worked, I have to admit that I tended to be a bit cheap at times. There was a bootleg man that came to the Chinese food store by our house at that time. You had to be intuitive to catch him. One day, while me and my brother were in there, perhaps scamming the restaurant, he came along, and I made off like a bandit, because all I probably paid for was a bootleg copy of Aziatic. Of course I'm telling on myself here, but it's funny anyway. See, during  those days, mostly back in my earlier teens, my parents would lock this door at the bottom of the staircase that connected our basement from the rest of the house. They did this because they felt we were going through the kitchen too much during the night hours. Basically, we were locked out of the house at night. In fact, when I think back, it was somewhat cruel. If we needed anything, which we often did, it was too bad until the morning came. I took advantage of this though, and pretty much hung out as long as I wanted during those days. The only thing is that I had to make sure that my brother was there to open the door leading outside from the basement into the back of the house. Otherwise, my parents would leave me out there for punishment. What we would do for years is go to  the Chinese food store during what we lovingly called "Lock Down on cell block 99," at night, and order a couple of items. We would go outside and walk around to the other stores until the order was ready. When it was time to pick up our order, one of us would go in quickly as if in a rush, and tell them that we had paid already. With the heavy business that they got, it worked like a charm. I'm not sure when we stopped doing that, but I do recall that the restaurant, and perhaps many Chinese food store chains changed their policy completely because of us. In time, we couldn't pull it off anymore, and it was LOL hilarious the day we got ultimately caught. It was an awkward moment with a store full of people. and almost like a scene from COPS. I'll talk about that later maybe.

  Anyway, when I got the album, I went home and listened to it over and over. I liked it a lot. There were a few tracks that were favorites of mine, and the others I skipped occasionally. It wasn't until I went to College that I heard more of him. One of my classmates in Xray school was a hip-hop and Kung-fu fanatic. He put me on to a lot of things. He let me hear a lot of underground rappers who I enjoyed. I also go to hear some of AZ's greatest hits album. I've lost alot of the music he gave me. We used to sit down and talk about lyrics and art for hours after and before class. He pretty much took me under his wing. It was during those college years that I was getting more lyrical myself and did most of the writing for my first album- "Pariah." I entered a bunch of National Poetry Contests during those 2 years, and used to collaborate with a friend at the time, doing mixtapes and recordings in another friend's basement. We discussed AZ and Nas, as well as Common, Mos Def, and many other rappers who were sidestepped for not being mainstream. I really didn't see yet how much I related to AZ. I just knew he felt familiar. Around the time I got the album in 2002, a best friend of mine came to visit, and talked with me for hours upon hours about how much he loved and appreciated the endless treasures that were AZ's lyrics- not in those words. That visit stuck in my mind, because it not only reinforced my love for his music, but kept me thinking about the album over the years.


  After graduating from X-ray school, I went through a phase of downloading a lot of music online. I got a lot of Cassidy, as well as AZ material that I hadn't heard. I also had a Wu-Tang cassette album that I got from my brother that had the song, "Whatever Happened," on it. That was a collab between AZ and RZA. It was a song I would quote for years, in fact I still recite AZ's verse from time to time. It was that verse that opened me up to who he really was as an artist. It wasn't until after my first album was done as well as more work, that I realized that he and I shared a very similar writing style. We both waste no words. In so few words, AZ can paint an entire story and say so much, and I found that I had that same affinity as an artist. And it wasn't a copy-cat thing. The same way it used to bother me when people ragged on Kobe as an imitation of Jordan, when in truth, he just had a similar style by nature. The thing about writing like that, is that it can take years before what is said is appreciated. It was all of those years later, that i went back and listened to the Aziatic album in silence without skipping tracks, and was speechless, just the way I was when I first took home and listened to "Pariah," after I finished it. The only difference is that after "Pariah," I was in tears. He says so much on that record in tiny places, that you wonder how you missed all of that. Just phrases like, "Freedom at death," stick out in your mind as one of the few phrase bombs that are quotables in themselves. I would go on to do that myself, and I always credited AZ with inspiring that to a degree.

"The Focus is back. I play a part in this culture of rap, plus I'm real, so I relate on how these voters attack.." - I'm Back


"Gucci slippers, who can diss? 40 deuce movie pictures. What other way but poetically can I prove these scriptures? Drugs sold em'. Cars rode em'. Gun near my scrotum. Got locked. Got right out. Gave what I owed em." - Wanna Be There

"I stay in tune with the stars, sun, and the moon. Cause behind bars you're doomed if your mind can't consume. Plus spiritual pain can bring forth physical reign. And without knowledge of self, how else can a criminal change?" - Your World Don't Stop

Review of Phantasy Star Portable 2

This is a game review for Phantasy Star Portable 2- or as we call it- PSP2. This game was released in North America in September of 2010, a year following the first game on the Sony Playstation Portable- PSP. I remember getting this game around the time I began to transition my library over to the PSP Go. After much debate over physical and digital media, I concluded that streamlining my library and inventory made sense, and was the way the future was going. When the Playstation Network announced the library for the PSP being available for download, I was eager to download the first Phantasy Star Portable, as I loved the game. I played it right after I finished Phantasy Star Universe on the Xbox. Before I go on, it's important that I give a brief history of how great of a franchise this has been to me.

 I was raised on Sega, but not in an RPG household. As a child, I was reared on shooters and racing games starting from the Master System. It wasn't until my pre-teens that I got to find that RPG's were my niche- at least for a period of time. I had a friend who was into them as well, and we both fed each other's love for the genre. I loved that golden era. However, I missed out on the original Phantasy Star. If I had any exposure to it, it was not any I can remember. In fact it's only years later, today, that I'm getting into the first games. What I came to find is that it's one of those games that had a deep story from the beginning. After my teenage phase of Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy, and other legendary RPG's, I eventually got a Sega Dreamcast when in Highschool. I'm proud to say I still have my Dreamcast, although almost none of my original library. I had Grandia 2 as one of my loves for that system, which I may review later, but I also purchased Phantasy Star Online: Part 1 and 2. They came together as a double disc set, and at first, I got the impression that it was a game that was to be played solely online. I was prepared for that, as at the time, online was accessible to me and I had the set up to do it in my basement. Then, I started to play episode 1, and enjoyed the dialogue and cool missions. Episode 1 was very short from what I remember, and I though Episode 2 was only online. When I put it in, I was treated to a continued story and a lush world that unfolded. The story got even better, and the journey was much longer. At this point, I became captivated by it all. That's when I truly started to fall in love with that kind of dungeon grinder/customize RPG, After that game, I would specifically hunt those kind of games down. It just felt so Japanese, and such a treat to have a game like that over here. I had alot of imports during those years, including Shenmue 2. I had no idea of the gems I let slip through my idiotic fingers at times. The last boss in Phantasy Star Episode 2 was Dark Falz. He is the reason I never forget that game. I remember having my customized android character all geared up, and wondering if I could beat the game. I started to hate the mechanics of the game. They were worse then. You couldn't roll or do anything, even block if I remember correctly. I spent hours beating Dark Falz. I almost broke my whole system that day. But after it was over, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the ending. The music in Phantasy Star is one of the things that will blow you away the most, and it emphasizes  how important music is to an experience.

  Then, a couple of years later, I got Phantasy Star Universe for the Xbox. When the game opened up, I was surprised at the different look, and the focus on the presentation this time around. It looked like the story was more of the focus this time around. You had a nice character and good voice acting to go along with a surprisingly long and involved story. I still remember being blown away by the cutscenes and the graphics. I don't remember the game being legendarily hard. It was very good though, because at that time, with so many RPG's on the Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube not really having long playthroughs, it surprised me how long Phantasy Star Universe was, and how much time they took developing the story. It was a great experience and when I got the Playstation Portable continuation, I was confident in it being great as well. It was. The first game was very entertaining, and took right over from the Xbox as if it didn't skip a beat. I did notice a bit lacking as far as customization, and gameplay. I don't recall alot of super cutscenes.  I loved the game overall, and then got part 2 for Download on the PSN. When the game started up, I was immediately awestruck by how the presentation jumped in detail. The ability to customize as well as the story and everything else took a huge step up from even the Xbox game. That is a very serious statement. It is that good of a game. I noticed the new mechanics that allowed evasion and blocking, as well as intricate usage of weapons and abilities, including special moves that could be learned. The combat was so refreshing and action-packed. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the older games in the series.

  I enjoyed going off on the side quests and talking to the NPC's in the game because there was always something new to see, and the game treats side-quests like they matter. I put over 60 hours into the game before facing the last boss. He was quite epic. He was very hard. He wasn't as hard as the great Troika from "The Red Star." But then again, not many are as hard as that fool. He's part of an elite club who you deserve a T-shirt for beating. PSP2's last boss was however, very hard. Make no mistake, he can have you break something. In fact, that game had some moments where I flared up on violent rage. I also beat Killzone Liberation, and both games took me there. The only thing about Killzone is that it's ends so abruptly that the rage can't fester. Anyway, in the end, the music was amazing. The game gives you these simulated game discs that let you play the music in your room. But unfortunately, they don't give you copies of some of the best songs. During the credits, the music that played was absolutely epic. It was like Kingdom Hearts, in that it played out an entire song arrangement with backing vocals. I really liked it. The ending was great, and the game continues afterward. There is so much to do in that game. It sucks that it hasn't carried over to the Vita's library. I"m currently trying to transition all of my stuff to the Vita.