The Jungle Book- review and reflection

 I just had to write a review about what was a great film in chains. I'll try to explain what that means in this post. The film was the new reiteration of Disney's "The Jungle Book," a film of a Rudyard Kipling work.


 Growing up, I was a fan of the movie. It has always been a favorite of me and my dad. In fact, he used to call me "Mancub" which was the nickname of the main character- Mowgli. In fact, that was a working title of one of my earlier records. In the film, it follows the story of Mowgli as his is found abandoned in the jungle and raised by Bagera the panther and Baloo the bear. As he presents a danger to the jungle in his being a human child, he is eventually cast out by the jungle that raised him. The real tyrant is found to be the Tiger Shere Khan who terrorizes the jungle inhabitants. After standing up to him as a team, Mowgli, Bagera and Baloo defeat him. In the original film, Mowgli eventually chooses to leave for the village to the sadness and relief of his friends.

 This was a Disney film redone by Disney. There are zero excuses for any inaccuracies, and yet, they were right there. And this happens for a reason I've stated years ago. In this film, Mowgli stays in the jungle, and there are moments in the film that have a fan of the original like myself rolling their eyes. The reason this is the case is because The Jungle Book is a true musical film from a jazzy era in Disney history. People know Disney has memorable tunes, but most people forget that they were very authentic. Similar to the movie Aristocats, The Jungle Book was a move that music aficionados  would appreciate. Scatman Crothers did the voice for King Louis the ape, and the entire film was full of rich compositions and stand up and dance jazz tunes.

  2016 has no one like that. I personally would have loved the opportunity to have played King Louis. You can't do a Jungle Book movie right without powerful music being the centerpiece, and music of that caliber has no value today. We live in an auto-tuned, tone deaf, simplistic generation, where people like myself and scatman Crothers are considered either cornballs or useless enigmas. And while people like to wave me off whenever I say things like that, the proof showed in the film. With the technology today, and how nicely the film was made, it could have been even more gripping than the original. But that musical passion wasn't there and left you with a film that was cheesy in spots where it could have shined. Remember, on my first Magnum Opus album, I stated on the final track that today, the definition of connoisseur  has changed? Today, even a company like Disney is guilty of that, when a film that is their own, looks as if they only loosely know about it in reproduction.

  Two of the most memorable scenes in the Jungle Book original, are the scenes where Mowgli is singing with Baloo about the Bear Necessities, and the scene in King Louis' castle where the go to rescue Mowgli after Louis is attempting to learn the secret of making fire. Those scenes are musical and powerful. In this film, as a fan I was expecting the film to catapult off of those scenes, and yet they ended up being very transient. It left an empty feeling in the scenes. There is no longer the mentality in films, for music to be the foundation. And with that thinking, films like this will always underachieve. And what's so frustrating, is that it was beautiful in every other aspect. The acting of the boy was spotty at times, but if the film was more gripping, I feel like that would have been fixed. There were tear-jerker moments in that film that were as amazing and moving as scenes from "The Secret Life of Pi." There were also powerful undertones and messages that could have made this film bigger and more global than the first film by far.

 I really liked the movie a lot, but I would love to have seen it done more passionately. But honestly, given the times we live in, I think it was sadly as good as it possibly could have been. It just reminds me of the eras and great things that have been lost over the years I give the movie a 8.5/10

Jokatech Podcast- Episode 10- Passion

  Sadly, I must once again break the podcast up into parts. This time, it's 2 parts. Youtube is really on my last nerve. It seems that until August, I won't be able to upload videos longer than 15 minutes at a time. It's whatever though. These are the 2 parts to the Jokatech podcast, episode 10. This way you don't have to pull up 2 separate pages.

Part 1

Part 2

The Development of Gaming

 I told someone that I was thinking of doing a research project on the history of gaming. I wanted to at first, but then I realized that the history is not as important as contrasting it's peak with it's current state. I've already spoken at length over the years about my childhood and history with the many games that I've played and how I've seen the industry come along.

 I was going to get on here and give a history lesson, and I also contemplated bashing current generation projects. But, I'm choosing to focus on the gems that keep hope alive. Before I get into that, let's go back if you will in time.

 Let's step back in time for a moment to the late 80's, early 90's. I was a very young kid at that time, and Nintendo was still a big thing. The Super Nintendo would launch at the beginning of the decade and usher in creative new ideas. One game that was a huge rage on the Nintendo was Ninja Turtles. It was designed similar to Super Mario Brothers 3, with very challenging and creative levels. It was also known for it's difficult boss fights. From childhood onward, I never gravitated to the mainstream games. I felt they were mostly overrated. After the fact, I did find some big hits to be great games. One of them was Super Mario Brothers 3. Another game that was worth the praise was the original Zelda on Nintendo. I will never understand for the life of me, how they crammed such huge and lush adventures into those tiny 6mb cartridges. I still haven't found everything in SMB3, and that's the game that made me really fall deeper in love with the Mario universe. I was a huge fan of Super Mario World on the SNES, but after playing SMB3 on the Nintendo, I found that it was actually bigger in its own way.  Zelda also has a huge map and so much to discover and do in the game. I found myself mystified playing the game the other day for about an hour without realizing it. The soundtracks from both games are so well done as well.

  When it comes to sound, that's a whole other area that deserves so much credit. The digitized and compressed sound kits that the developers had to work with were so limited back then, and yet we got such amazing tunes and sound effects. I really think a game that showcases the golden era's potential well is Donkey Kong Country. The series itself is absolutely ahead of its time. Not only is the music amazing in the series, but the graphics and level design stand up to the test of time. It still looks amazing. In fact, the series is comparable to some Playstation1 games of that era.

 The series that somehow ties all of that history of Nintendo together is Super Smash Brothers. To really take a look at the detail that they put into the game is staggering. And it doesn't feel rushed or vague. From the settings and music in the game, to the move sets for the characters, every detail is conveyed from the individual series. Super Smash Brothers Melee was one of the most amazing and detailed games that I've ever played. When it came out in 2002, I didn't fully get it at first. I felt like there should have been different modes in the game. It was after that, when I began to really appreciate the nuances, which is what that game is all about. Each level is such a deep world of Nintendo history, both visually, and musically. Then you have the elaborate trophy system, that has even more information and depth. It's amazing to think that handheld gaming has come so far, that we now have that experience on the Nintendo 3DS. And it's actually the deepest Smash Brothers yet. I didn't get it at first, with some of the imbalanced characters, but there are so many variations to each character, and strategies open to them. I still think that certain characters are perverted Japanophile fan servers though. Bayonetta is ridiculous, as she basically is designed to be untouchable. It's annoying having to rise to the occasion to beat her with Little Mac. You have to be so much better than your opponent to beat her that it almost disgusts me.

  I really appreciate the Indie market that the PS Vita has brought as well. These kick-starter projects that have graced this generation of gaming, have really been the adrenaline shot needed in the industry. My only wish there, is that they were more available across the main platforms, including handhelds. Indie games are keeping the market alive for the purist. To me, the PS Vita is the quintessential Indie game system. It really shocks me that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Vulgarr the Viking aren't on the network for the Vita.

 Of course, another avenue I'd be remiss to not mention, is system hacking. While many frown on that topic, I think it's been essential to getting many classics exposed to an otherwise distant audience. It also has breathed life into dead consoles. I was skeptical for years about that, but then when I experienced Sony's tyrannical behavior, in refusing to release games like Crisis Core, Kingdom Hearts, Bounty Hounds, Coded Arms 2, etc. on the Playstation Network just because, I grew very disgusted. If I didn't hack an old PSP, I would never have experienced Crisis Core.

  Gaming right now, is at the end of a long road. Retro projects are the only thing keeping the industry from spiraling into a pit of gimmicky virtual reality ploys, and demon and war sim clones. Eventually, the retro era will be completely phased out though. When that happens, gaming will be the least of our worries anyway. Just enjoy it now.

Jokatech Podcast - Episode 9- Art and Fear: MMA and Boxing

I was doing an in depth analysis of the sports game today, and also the upcoming UFC 196 event. Actually, after watching the press conference for 198, I think it might be epic. Each and every matchup has a history of beef behind it. You could feel the energy at the table between not only Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, but also Weidman and Rockhold, as well as Dominich Cruz and Urijah Faber. It was all genuine beef between guys at the absolute top of their game.

 Anyway, before getting into the podcast, I wanted to bring out the fact that I think left uppercut will probably put away Nate Diaz tonight, and the back kick to the body will set it up. His midsection is a bit soft, and the thing about it that Connor is constantly bringing out, is that this generation doesn't train on the fundamentals and the nuances of technique and movement. They don't throw proper uppercuts these days, and they don't see them thrown proper enough, at least when conscience, which makes it hard to practice and prepare for it. Anderson also showcased the flaws in a lot of the so called top athletes as well. If you noticed, in his fight with Bisping, he varied the jab on several occasions and went clear through an ill prepared guard of Bisping each time. Once, he threw it like a cross after stepping to his left, and clipped Bisping. Then another time, he did a low-high jab, where he ducks forward and slides it in under the guard. They were well thrown, and set up well. But these days, you can see fighters with just basic understanding of fundamentals do tremendous damage. One combination that both Canelo and Andre Ward like to utilize is the 2-3 combination, where instead of head hunting like most fighters are prone to, the throw the 2 to the body, and come up with the 3 like a hybrid hook. Canelo killed James Kirkland with that, and Ward broke Chad Dawson with it. It's effective, simply because anything beyond the basic jab attack and straight combinations catches a lot of fighters today.


  I did a Podcast for the events and upcoming joke cards, and unfortunately, Youtube is on a vehement mission to eventually collapse my channel. They gave me a strike for using a Kanye West song for a tribute video, when the youtube video that inspired it, was also a 3rd party utilizing the track, yet had no repercussions themselves. As a matter of fact, ironically, the podcast I just did was flagged because the artist Jokatech has copyrighted that I used in the video, and it was reported to CD Baby by Youtube. I let you marinate on that for a few seconds.

So I've been downgraded and can only upload 15 minutes at a time, which I realized too late. I had to break the video up, which I barely had time to do, so it's all pretty sloppy. I'm going to do my best to compile it all here so you can check it out. I wanted to put it out before tonight's event.

Part 1

 

Part 2

 

Part 3

Anderson Silva and a Dying Breed

 There was just more proof last night of what I've said before about the death of the artist. It was the long awaited match between Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping, on Bisping's home soil in the UK. I have been a longtime fan of Bisping, and Anderson, and I wanted Bisping to finally get the title shot that has eluded his illustrious career. The outcome was a sour victory for Bisping. And it cost a legend in Anderson Silva, what may have been his last shot at UFC gold in the middle weight division. The sad thing, is that you will talk yourself hoarse trying to explain what he did in that match, and how effective he was being. To this generation, what Anderson did, is senseless dribble, and nothing else. The crazy thing that occurred to me while watching the fight, was that you won't ever see that passion in any sport again, after this last generation. He was literally in the octagon painting like an artist. He was exploring different techniques and body movements like a child with an arsenal of tools he's mastered. He wasn't looking for a KO, yet you could see he was well aware of each one that he allowed to pass him by, as he continued to explore. It was amazing to see such boundless potential. He showed that he hasn't lost a step.

  I like Bisping alot, but I'm honest when I watch a contest. He clearly didn't have the tools necessary to even hold a conversation on the canvas with Anderson. Anderson showcased defensive techniques just to entertain.  To elaborate a bit, before people misread my comments, I can understand in lay terms how a judge would give a slight nod to Bisping. He was utilizing forward pressure and volume of strikes, while employing decent defense for the majority of rounds. His pressure can easily be mistaken at times as ring generalship. However, on principle, you have to admit that he clearly looked outclassed skill wise. Anderson could have pulled the trigger at any time, and you knew Bisping didn't have an answer if he did. It's hard to see someone like that as the winner sometimes. As a judge, I could not bring myself to giving the nod to the mangled Bisping at the end of that fight. Anderson was expressive in everything he did. Even when on the back foot, he was clearly in control.

 Today, that type of thinking is archaic and just about dead. It's frowned upon. The very few who have the ability to paint like that, like Jon Jones and Connor McGregor, won't, due to lacking the drive for that. They want to win and to be accepted by their fans to a degree.  Anderson was out there like a child prodigy only wanting to enjoy himself. It was amazing.


 With that said, it's getting harder to respect records and  the hall-of-fame induction processes as a whole. I told a few people that the concept of "elite" has been completely lost and warped. For instance, everyone has heard of the acclaimed New York Presbyterian Hospital. They hire, according to them, only the elite of healthcare practitioners, in order to upkeep their standard of elite care. Yet, I personally know of a few employees of theirs- some who I've taught on different occasions, who are not fully competent, yet have been offered several positions from the hospital. I myself, have been turned down at least twice by the hospital, when I have the credentials and experience that put me at the top of my field. In the end, if someone is lying on their resume as I know some are, as an elite institute, it's your duty to iron that out, and maintain your standard of care. If that gets past you, while you pass up on solid talent, that's a stain on YOUR institution. But people don't think like that anymore. The loudest mouth is the greatest.

 That's why you'll see more and more greats snubbed for HOF inductions like Terrell Owens, and more generic athletes produced and hailed. Majority wins. Not to get back to talking about myself, but just to make a point- I see this behavior first hand. I released a lot of work over the years. But specifically, I put a lot of thought into the "Coming of Age" series. It was an art gallery exhibit at first, then a movement of sorts that I was chronicling. It then became an art project that resulted in 3 albums and 2 novels, which I believe are very enlightening. When my coworker saw me proofing a copy, he called me arrogant for reading my own work. But I'm going to touch on something for the first time here. He's masking the fear most people have. It's not about me being self centered. If I see a work that is well done, whether it's mine or anyone else's I take it in and advocate it as well. What the problem is, is that people are locked into the designated respect they have to have for each individual person, and if they don't see anything worthwhile coming from you in their own preconceptions, they are blind to seeing any in real life. It only bothered him to see me doing that, because he can't see anyone, or himself doing it. But rather than call your own fears for what they are, you people will always make it a case of something the artist is doing.

  But when I see displays like those of Anderson, or even Floyd Mayweather, go completely over the heads of viewers, including those involved in the boxing world, it answers so many questions, and it all makes perfect sense.

Music Video from Pariah

I'm posting a link to my new video for "Science of Combat." I remember back in 2006 when I completed the album, always wanting to do a video for the theme track and never getting to it. I had a lot of things I probably should have been doing, but the feeling really gripped me to get this done, as it's the 10 year mark since I first started. It's cool to see how far I've come, and how my work holds up.

Music Purchases and Artist Support

I just wanted to stop by here to leave a specified Facebook note. This is to address what some might not be familiar with when it comes to the music industry, and my material. I’ve been involved with music at a serious level for close to 10 years. My first copyrighted album “Pariah” was released in September of 2006. But I don’t count that as the start of my serious work. I did what could be called more like “promo” work from that point until about late 2009, after I went to school, and when I began networking with producers and technicians to work on future projects. Pariah was a good and passionate album, but I wouldn’t push it at this point, as a professional release. I got professional backing on “The Turning Point,” “I Don’t Believe in Rome,” and “If.” While I had numerous other works, they weren’t professional releases. On the “Magnum Opus” series, I launched official campaigns and had professional teams come in and tighten it all up. The process is exhaustive.

  The other day I was reading some of the lyrics from Alessia Cara, who’s single, “Here,” along with Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” is becoming the most overplayed pair of songs I’ve heard in my life. I really appreciated the effort that went into the lyrics and production for the songs, but I must admit, I was ready to bash them for the over exposure. Then I read about how much footwork Alessia put in, at her young age to get the work in and to the point she’s at, and I could relate instantly. I had to respect that. I said in an interview that I did recently, that I would love to work most of all on a collab with David Bowie because of his creativity. This was about 1 or 2 days before he died. I watched people bash what they thought were filler tracks on his last album, “Black Star.” When I sat back and thought about it, I said, “This dude was dying of cancer the entire time he made the record.” Yet, there are people who find the album meaningless.
  People sometimes don’t know how much work goes into putting together music projects. Even I made some mistakes in the past. After several months, my last album is about to be on Itunes. It took so much money and effort to get to this point. When you see someone with a music project that they are presenting professionally, give them a chance and an ear, whether it’s me or anyone else. Listening is so important. Never think that because you don’t know them, or because you know them personally from somewhere in either school or work, or because they’re a Triple A star, that work didn’t go into that project like any other. Please support these projects just like you would your friend who’s a tax preparer, or barber. These are professional pieces. David Bowie didn’t just make filler tracks. No one knows how much sweat and blood went into that last record.

Racial Idiocy

I'm extremely disgusted with the current face of stupid, backwards, and scared racism in America. Today, they are more pathetic than they have ever been. It's like I said and observed years ago, when 50 cent revitalized the gangster rap movement. The people immitating him and idolizing him, were worse and more erratic than he was by far. The reason is that people don't know how to properly immitate. So they do the few things that stand out to them, to the extreme to compensate. Many people in school at that time, would walk around, starting  beefs and altercations, even sometimes with firearms, thinking that its exactly how he would behave, when as I've said countless times, a real gangster moves when necessary, not to demonstrate how tough his wishes he was.
 That example is a very small one, as it didn't reach the expansive level that white racism has. When I see these offspring, they are like sick and retarded, inbred vermin. They are retarded and misguided children who have no idea why they act like they do. They've told themselves that it endears them to their brethren and forefathers. I was talking to a friend of mine who notices it too and experiences it according to him. The problem is that nobody speaks on the deep aspect of it. Yeah, we acknowledge racist behavior, but it usually just ends there.



 Its amazing how stupid these people are willing to look, to do what they think is elite. They don't know a thing about me. What their beady disgusting, animalistic eyes see from a distance, makes them group me and quickly revert into thier fearful idiotic behavior. I was watching the Geraldo episode with the racists the other day- the one with the riot. The thing about that episode was that I gathered something about white racists. In the end, they are a scared people, who feel threatened by the crowding out from minorities. It has been a fear for many years. It has been discusses several times in public forums.  What do you hear as far as terminology in a coloquial sense though? They are the majority in the US and other major countries. Also, if you noticed, like I brought out in a recent blog post, today you see far more non-white minorities than ever before, who identify as pure whites, and are accepted, as long as they join the cause. Some of the minorities on that same Geraldo episode are among them.

  But I could also understand some of what the Neo Nazi's were saying on the episode. Not that I agree with them in principle, but I can respect some things about them, that completely differ from the racists I've come in contact with in the New York area. You see, the Neo Nazi's would in large part be disgraced by these people. If you go into the history books, you'll see that there were documented and photographed meetings between Marcus Garvey, who was black as night, and White Supremacists groups during his "Back to Africa" campaign. Why? Another question for you to ask yourself if you are uninformed. That's because, those groups have always been about instilling pride in their people. If they agree on a point with a minority, they have no problem voicing it. The educated ones don't lunge into violent and scared behavior the minute they see a black. They know, and anyone with sense knows, that it's only a sign of fear, incompetence, and weakness. You don't show any superiority by doing that. The idiots I've come into contact with go into convulsions when a black enters the room. No matter what, when you flip that around, I've never seen even the most racist black get that flustered when a white is around. Why? Because apparently one has something or somethings to fear, while the other doesn't. Those aren't assumptions. Do the math in your head and use sense. Why wouldn't that be the face. Have you ever seen someone break into a sweat and shiver when they gain control of a tense situation. Never even once have you.

Another problem too, is that as a society, we give these filthy animals way too much of a pass. I don't mean a pass in being a racist, but a pass in there being some legitimacy to their claims of superiority. It's like Donald Trump said about his opponent, there is plenty of subject matter to counter that stupid claim. We often mindlessly treat them like the old person in our office who we have to flatter for the sake of respect. But when that person crosses a line, it has to be addressed. They hate for a reason. That's the bottom line. For some reason, that hatred is focused on blacks. Ask yourself why. Really ask yourself why. If I enslaved a race, and see them as inferior, and they've never been in position to be anything but beneath my boot, what cause would I have to still have a seething hatred of them? You see, nobody seems to ask that question. Everyone just assumes there are just legitimate claims they have to superiority. The claims of higher intellect- debunked. The claims of better physical skill- debunked. The claims of better strategic thinking- debunked. These myths were put in place for a reason. Throughout history, these same biggots have covered up inventions, theories, sciences, and even the existence of blacks throughout the seven continents. Why? Ask yourself that. Then you look at the lie that blacks often eat up, which is that they are physically wreched compared to whites, and that whites are the standard of physical excellence. I'm not here to bash them as a race, but to expose lies.

  Military strategies, advances in technology and science, and the ability to possess a wide range of skills including writing. These are all demonstrated by a race that's advertised to be idiotic and inferior. Why? I'm going to attach a link to this blog, of a video by someone I follow on Youtube. In it, you'll here him lashing out at "blacks" for the "lie" that people have been fed about them being athletically superior. Watch how he begins to lump other minorities into the argument- a technique that I mentioned earlier in this post. I don't have a grudge against him personally. He's a boxing analyst who has been apparently agitated by some of the abrasive and stupid "black" members of the Youtube boxing community. I know where he's coming from. Personally, I know how stupid people like Dontae's Boxing Nation are and can be. Those are the kind of mindless blacks that are a disgrace themselves. However, read the comments below the video as well. Look how easily those who are on the fence when it comes to race relation issues, can often end up becoming the voice and platform for ignorant and scared racists.

  For example, one commenter went on a rant exclaiming that he thanked the poster for the video, and that he has found research showing that blacks are just scared mentally, and that they have narrower hips for moving faster and climbing faster, but whites have larger craniums for holding bigger brains and higher IQ's according to scientific findings.  Do your research and read this blog post a second time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT5ft9hszhg

Album Review is in

Album Review- Magnum Opus book 3- Coming of Age

My Nintendo 3DS Review etc.

Nintendo means "In Heaven's Hands." I always thought that was a powerful title for a company. I've been a Nintendo fan since the very early 90's. I was originally born into a Sega household, and had the MasterSystem as a child. I first played Nintendo at friends' houses and then got my own Gameboy in 92' or 93'. I loved playing Mario and the Fifa series. Back then, all the way until today, Nintendo had one thing cornered, and that was the handheld market. I didn't mind. I was a fanboy, and I believed they deserved the throne, because they were the best. But then something  changed.

 As the years went by, it became more apparent to fans that Nintendo was content with lagging the technology for their systems in general. It wasn't all at once. When it came to home consoles, Nintendo was actually leading the pack up until a few generations ago. The Super NES is still a marvel, that had so many upgrades and features that it was making impressive games all the way up until the turn of the century. The Nintendo 64 was actually groundbreaking for its generation and had several innovations that made it amazing such as 4 player games and 64 bit graphics run from a cartridge that needed no loading. The Gamecube is still beyond amazing, and does things graphically that current gen Nintendo systems still can't do. Imagine that. However, with handhelds, Nintendo was technically weak for a long time. The reason we didn't notice, was because everyone else did such a horrible job of supporting their consoles, and making ones that stuck. After a while, because of the weakness of Nintendo handhelds, me and several fans began to fantasize about getting more. The Gamegear, the Lynx Atari, the GameCom, the Nokia NGage, and the Neo Geo Pocket among several other handhelds, all fell before the insane power of the Nintendo Gameboy.

  I watched in awe, as I was a Nintendo fanboy all those years. I had every Gameboy there ever was. Then in 2005, Sony showed something amazing in the PSP. Nintendo recited their usual crappy act, but that time, I couldn't buy in. I was tired of being robbed of high quality experience on the go, and Sony was pushing to deliver that. I was moments away from getting a DS after deliberating for literally years, when I decided at the last minute in Gamestop to get a PSP. I still remember seeing a Puerto Rican dude with his baby in the stroller talking to the counter about what he was doing with his PSP that he just bought. I looked at the pictures he stored on it, and I just had to get the PSP. But, then over the years, the DS, even with its crappy games, still began to take back over. People are mindless drones. Once they get into a routine, they stick to it. It was years before they realized Nintendo was cheating them with another crap handheld. I officially moved over to Sony after that. I still got a DS years later to add to my collection, and it did have some great games that I liked, but felt underwhelmed. I traded it in for something important that I can't remember. Then when the 3DS came out along with the Vita, I hesitated to get either for a long time. I loved my PSP. I got a 3DS first, with Samurai Warriors (which I'm a huge fan of), and Super Street Fighter 4. The games were good, but it bothered me my PSP had graphics that were almost on par. My coworker bugged me to sell it to his kid, and after resisting for a while, I acquiesced and sold it to him. I sort of regretted it, but then moved on. After debating for a long time, I finally got a Vita. The price and compatibility were my main questions with it. Once I found that it's a PSP on steroids, I was all in. Of course, I love it to this day, and it is still my favorite console.

  But when they announced the New Nintendo 3DS I was interested. It had improved processing, extra buttons, a C-stick, and most importantly, it heralded the release of Smash Brothers. I said for years that if they put a Smash Brothers on the 3DS, that would warrant a purchase. Once that was affirmed, I was very interested, but I still hesitated, because it seemed the 3DS and the Vita clashed a bit too much and release a lot of similar titles. When I saw more of the library, I was intrigued by Mario 3D Land and Xenoblade. Those were original titles that the Vita didn't quite have. I decided slowly to get a 3DS.

  I got it, and was very disappointed in how kidified the system is on the menu. Apparently, some pedophile caused the Japanese to do away with the messaging system. There is no way to contact friends. I do love the system itself though. I don't like the C-stick much. Nintendo is so much against making a second analog that they made it a nub that tries to be one. I would have rathered they made it like the original c-stick on the Gamecube. This one is pressure sensitive and doesn't move at all. It senses which way you're pressing and how hard. I downloaded a shooter that was developed to use that feature, and it was a mind-numbing experience playing through the demo level. Super Smash Bros. is exactly what it always is- a single game reason to own a console. Since the game first came out, it has been that for each of its systems. You could own only that game and be content with a system. They neutered some of the controls that made Melee amazing such using evasion to set up attacks, but the game is amazing. Mario 3D land is also stunning. I love it.

  My issue with the system is the company itself. Nintendo seems to be straddling the fence with the old 3DS market. If you release a new console, move forward with it. Don't hinder the potential of the new system to cater to compatibility with the old one. I say that instead of wasting money, Nintendo needs to kill the old 3DS and kill the stupid Wii U, instead of forcing it down our throats. They need to focus on the Wii U as a console more than a gimmick with a 20 pound tablet if they're going to keep it going. But they need to focus on making progressive games with the New Nintendo 3DS hardware.

Game Review: Final Fantasy Crisis Core

This review is almost a decade in the making. I have been an avid supporter of the Playstation Portable since it's birth in 2005. I purchased almost every launch title, and am still blown away today by the dream system that it is. 2005 was an amazing year, and the gaming world was looking up for both handhelds and consoles at the time. That didn't change over the next few years, and during a rush of great RPG's for all consoles, in 2008, Final Fantasy Crisis Core was released for the PSP amidst several Final Fantasy remakes and reiterations on the 3DS and the PSP. What set it apart, was the fact that it was a brand new story this time around, setting the events that lead up to the world famous Final Fantasy 7. I personally was never a huge fan of 7. I had it back in the day, but I always loved 8 way more. I recall getting past the first section of 7 and getting stuck. It did have a darker story than some other games in the series.

  The turn based combat was always interesting in the Final Fantasy series, but the fact that Crisis Core was introducing a real-time system of  combat surprised me. At the time, that style of RPG hadn't yet caught on. The "Tales" series utilized it, as well as Star Ocean and Grandia, but those were considered cult games. Little did we know that Crisis Core would have such an impact on the approach to RPG's. Not only did it implement a real-time system, it did it amazingly. Not long after its release, another side story to FF7 came out on the Playstation 2, which mimicked it. Since then, almost every RPG today draws from what Crisis Core did. What threw me off was the fact that you leveled up and used limit breakers via a roulette system. A roulette wheel randomly spins in the upper corner, which occasionally unleashes a Summon, or limit breaker special. This can be effected and altered by purchasing these specials in one of the secret stores. The stores are also accessed through the menu, but have to be found in various secret missions in the game. I took me a while to get used to it, but the fighting system was actually very cool. The action was intense and it felt good having control over fusing and creating special moves and powers, similar to Kingdom of Paradise. The one gripe I did have was the fact that the blocking mechanic is way too slow to be useful.

  The music in this game was good. It didn't blow me away, but it was moving and effective when it needed to be. I prefer more powerful and varied music, but it sufficed. Sound effects were done well also. I can't complain there.

 I'm not usually drawn into the story of Final Fantasy games. I even had the anime from back in the day, and it was horrible. Final Fantasy has always had a wonky story that tries to be serious. Or rather a serious story that is tripped up by wonky dialogue and cutscenes. The male characters were always a bit androgynous for my taste. That's why I fell in love with so few of them. They've always been gorgeous games, known for their cinematics, but I rarely felt drawn into playing them a lot. I was drawn into games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Lost Odyssey, and  Mass Effect, because the worlds and the stories were compelling. What got me to continue playing was the fact that Crisis Core had a hero I could respect and relate to. He was goofy at times, but he got the job done and he was serious about his ambitions. The story shows how Shinra comes to be what it is in the later games, and you get to see a more naked aspect of the entire Final Fantasy story. This was very poetic and was the kind of prequel that adds several layers of depth and meaning to the sequel. I respect Final Fantasy 7 tons more because of this game. Much of the plot revolves around the villain's obsession with the meaning behind a play called "Loveless." I really like how beautifully the play is written, and you hear pieces of it throughout the game, recited and written in various places. Honestly, I found myself wanting to find a copy of it to read, because I appreciate things like that.

  The way the play ties into the game in various ways and sums it up at the end, really impressed me, because it was bigger than I thought. This game was so moving, especially towards the end. What really made it awkward for me, was that I found out through a spoiler, that something dramatic happens at the end that causes the Cloud we know to pick up the story in Final Fantasy 7. I would rather have not found out, but it still didn't ruin the experience. The relationship between the hero and his girlfriend is corky at first, but then really becomes special, and a tear jerker at the end. It was a very action packed experience. It wasn't as nail-biting as it could have been, due to the fact that I got an OP(over-powered) attack spell near the end that allowed my to pound out my enemies without much worry. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I personally am all for real-time RPG's. In fact, I think they are the way it should be done here on out. However, it seems like balance can be an issue in these games at times, because if I did't get the super attack I got, I think the game would have been ridiculously impossible. Yet, with it, it felt almost anti-climatic. In the game, leveling up doesn't empower you like other RPG's. Not only do you need to land 7-7-7 on the roulette to level up, but it only raises your HP slightly. To raise stats, you have to dive into a deep Materia-Fusion system, which lets you modify items and skills. The process is demanding and very convoluted. It does still manage to maintain it's challenge even if you are OP though, which is nice, as most RPG's, especially turn-based, become no more than a movie, once you grind to max stats. That's why I got turned off to them.

 As an ending note, I have to touch on the presentation and visuals, because that is where Square-Enix really brought it home. Oh my goodness! You see, whenever I tell people about the sham that current gen consoles and the entire concept is, it's games like this that I refer to. Not long ago, I purchased "Fight Night: Champion," and "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" for the XBOX 360. I had all of the previous games in both series and already felt they were good looking games. Around the time Champion came out, the XBOX One and PS4 had just about dropped. Everyone was on board with them, swearing that the old consoles were obsolete, and couldn't give you the full experience. I watched gameplay from several new gen games, and I laughed at the fact that the same glitches were still there in almost every way. Also, the games simply looked like a few coat of paint thrown on what was already there. When I played Fight Night Champion, it looked like real boxers were standing in the ring. It was the quality of a cutscene, only in real-time. I, as well as others who played it, were shocked at how advanced it looked. Assassin's Creed was the same. The world was huge, colorful, and lush. The only thing separating that game from a PS4 game would be probably the scope at which the world can refresh and spawn. And when I thought about all of this, it brought me back to the game "Black" on the Xbox. That was one of the last XBOX games, and it looked about as good as almost any XBOX 360 game would for the next year or so.

 When it comes to handhelds, I've always asked the question, "What is good enough?" The Nintendo franchise has always held back in hardware specs, until the 3DS. But when it comes to Sony, the first time the approached a handheld, it was everything I dreamed of as a kid. Games like Crisis Core and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, will make you rethink how much you respect handheld games. If you've seen the Final Fantasy movies, you know how gorgeous they are. And if you've played Final Fantasy 10, you know how cinematic Square can tend to be. People have been trained for decades to expect less from a handheld. What I love about Sony, is that they dared to refute that when no one else would. People still sit in shock when they see games on the Vita and PSP. Most of the time, they'll find something to nit pick at, due to being in shock and denial at how that caliber of quality is in the palm of their hand. Crisis Core will leave you just like that, when you are done with the game. You will stand, looking at your PSP screen wondering the same thing the gaming industry wondered in 2005- How did I just get all of that from a handheld system? No corner is cut. Back in the day, on Gameboy Advance, you occasionally got a good looking game like Medal of Honor or Kingdom of Hearts, that would wow you for a bit. But then it would kick in that the game was exponentially shorter, or lacking menus and options, and several aesthetics. When Tekken came out on the Gameboy Advance, we were blown away by the full 3D presentation. But then we saw the empty mode list, and the fact that the only character fleshed out was King.

  Final Fantasy Crisis Core is amazing from beginning to end. While the main story lasts around 20 hours or so, I don't hold that against the game itself. That has become the new standard length for the genre since the mid 2000's. It's actually very rare to get a good 80 hour RPG these days. With all of the side missions and quests, you can easily log 80 hours in Crisis Core. When it comes to environments, at first it seems that you don't visit many locales, besides the Shinra building, the slums, and Midgar, but you'll find that the missions you go on, take you to some very lush and beautiful landscapes with many areas to explore. Often, I just lingered in an area, just to look at the background. And there is no shortage of cutscenes. There is a lot of dialogue, but there is also a huge amount of voice work in this one, and it's done quite will. The ending, I didn't see coming. The game was so huge, and so much happened, that I assumed it would be a moderately long cutscene and then credits. Even with that, I would have been impressed. But no. You get an ending worthy of a console RPG. In fact, I started to think of Lost Odyssey during it. It's an ending with so many scenes and parts. There are so many plot twists, and interaction, drama, and combat. And the whole time, it just gets more and more beautiful. Someone said that they don't think the PSP gets any more beautiful in it's lifetime, and as the ending unfolded, I saw what he meant. I thought I saw games on the system that were up there, and then as the ending kept unfolding, I kept eating my words. It was absolutely amazing. You will be more than rewarded for the time you spent.

  All in all, whatever gripes I could find with the game, they are just about washed away by how it all came together. When it ties into the beginning of Final Fantasy 7 at the end, the first thing you think, is not just about how this game almost outdoes that game, but how Final Fantasy 7 wouldn't be the same without this game. It means so much more now. Not only would I more readily play 7 now, but I would definitely play this game again. It's earned a high score in my book. I rate it 9.5/10

Venting and Ventures- Couldn't think of any other title....

 I'm so disgusted with society today. Just Monday, there were 6 US soldiers killed in Afganistan, while the US continues to exacerbate the ISIS issue while occupying the region. Yet, while trying to mediate the world, here on American soil, the racist bigots of society still can't get past coexisting with minorities- namely blacks.  Then you have the Sunday game of the Panthers vs. the Giants which you had several brawls in. The thing that sparks the talking among the league, is that gay slurs were thrown at ODB- Odell Beckam Jr. The hits that Odell launched were uncalled for period. Now, former players jump to his defense. There is a backlash over hits like the one he put on Norman's chin being routine pile clearing plays, when that is a lie. I was ashamed to hear Ryan Clark and company talk  like that on Sportscenter. I played the game for years myself, on the semi-pro level, where rule-sets trickle down from the pros, and even there we knew that it is never okay to blindside someone helmet to helmet, while performing a spear move. That is an automatic ejection, even before the rule changes of the last few years.

  The reason that I bring these topics up, is because the priorities of the US are ridiculous. It doesn't really shock me, but it's worth noting. I just brought it to an associate's attention that in today's world, a gay slur is more egregious than a racial one. That's where society is at. Yet they want you to mourn missteps by the government and military in foreign affairs that they have no business litigating. I still walk into establishments today, even in these turbulent times, and see the local racists unable to adapt to a minority having a meaningful presence in any business dealings. There are still people that backwards and stupid, as progressive as this generation claims to be. I contest this still, that how does a country that isn't a country hope to stand up under duress when facing a world war. For years, the answer has been simply money, but this time around that won't suffice. They'll never crack down on terrorism, when they are so focused on maintaining the segregated and fearful atmosphere that's present here today. That's why brother Bashir is knifing you in the side in your shop while you eye and try to sling offenses at me. You get what you deserve.

  This continuing behavior, coupled with the fact that transgender individuals are treated as more sacred than blacks is a small piece of the problem. Mistreatment is never right, but the fact that an entire race is pushed to the bottom of the stack, beneath alternative lifestyles is very telling. People think less today, and when they do, more ridiculously.

  When it comes to my plans, Coming of Age was my best project. It is also probably the last public effort I'll make. It's still going to be available globally, and will be reviewed and publicized, but after this campaign, I'm not doing any more projects. People have no idea how much money and time go into presenting a piece of art to the public, when it comes to an actual artist. The people you respect, like Iggy Azelea, Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber and Chief Keef, put no real effort into the simplistic stuff they give to you. Yet, you purchase anything they churn out, all off of a name. It's insulting to those of us who slave over our work. People don't even listen to entire works anymore. This generation is all about skipping track to track, content with rubbish and filler tracks from their favorite artists. I'm not trying to bash these performers. Each one has their own thing going, and they have some notable work here and there, but why do the people who give you a single with fillers get more respect than the artists trying to give you complete masterpieces? That's how you choose to spend your money?


  One of the last straws was something I didn't even want to mention, but have to for this post. I let someone older than me, who I respected as an artist and purist, listen to my latest work. I also gave them an early listen to the first Magnum Opus album. They regurgitated the same impression from 2 different works. I told them its 69 minutes long, and to get some time, and space, and turn the bass and volume up. That was my way of hinting to make sure you have time, and don't bother sitting down to listen to the record if you're going to track sift. They claimed to listen to the work, and yet compare it to an end-of-the-club, mellow mix from the 90's. Then they pointed out 1 track that caught their attention. Instantly, I knew that they didn't listen to the entire album. There is no way a person could listen to the entire work, and get that vibe. They also referred to it as mellow, and low tempo, relaxing music. I'm not knocking this person. To be clear, I've got much love for this individual, and respect. It's just in the plane of music, that I draw question marks now.  I'm just saying that it's sad that people's ears for music have been that badly destroyed. They see things in association. Because I'm an instrumentalist and a jazz player, and fan, they immediately associate me with what they think jazz is all the time- mellow. What I mean by that is this- play a track from "A Love Supreme" by Coltrane for the average person. The minute they hear a jazzy sound, or one not familiar to them like the club mixes they listen to, they group it right with Kenny G, assuming that it's the same thing that he does. That's a very revealing issue with the limited ears of today's music listeners. Coming of Age is loaded with energy. Mellow is the last thing it is, but that never gets to the closed ears of today's listeners. Both Magnum Opus albums are heavy on drums, like I always am, and the tempo fast on many of the tracks. But when they here complexity in the notes, and themes, rather than dive into it, they block it off.  I come from the old-school of music. I can listen to  a Schubert or Bach piece right now, and tell you which ones are exciting, and which ones are melancholic. It isn't because I've heard the pieces before. It's because I know what moods in a piece are. They're called motifs. People will play other things, or even television over classical or jazz music, or turn the volume way down, to avoid getting into it, or giving it a stage. I've seen this behavior, and it shows me how desperate they are to cling to their disillusions.

   Apparently I'm alone in this, but I still have a CD player, and a vinyl player. I truly feel the need to give a dedicated listen to a record to enjoy it. I listen from beginning to end. That's the way music used to be played. It used to be about telling a story from beginning to end with the album. But now, when you do that, people will skip through your CD for tracks that remind them of what they usually listen to.  It's only now that you have this sifting through tracks to find one that you want to hear right now, which is usually close to what you choose to always listen to. That's such a childish way of listening to music, and it's become the standard behavior. I actually sort of wish I made the album a literal Concerto like I did with "New Music Eternal Love." Then it would be 1 track only, where you are forced to follow the story. And the thing is that it would have fit. I'm thinking of going back and doing an Opera mix of all the records in the series. I at least have to respect the opinion of the listener that I asked, for saying something in response, because most people are too afraid to try to give an opinion or a listen, because they know they're incapable of forming an opinion of their own.

  It's times like this that I read comments online about how people miss the old days of meaningful music, and I just shake my head and long for the days when I used to collaborate with my musical buddies. I really miss one in particular. He was one of the only people I could show this piece and get true feedback. Everyone else is closed minded and locked into what they have to hate and what they think they love.

  When the review is posted, I'll put a link here, as well as a link to the album, when it is finalized, but as far as ventures, I can't say there is a reason to continue. I feel like Howard Hughes. I feel like Miles Davis, trapped in world that doesn't get it, where I don't belong, except I never got my message fully heard. And it's fine. I couldn't care less. I'll keep conversation and any ideas I have to a minimum, unless it's with those with artistic and open minds.

Fixed Sports

  Myself and a few associates have speculated for years that sports are fixed. However, looking at things lately and looking back at some fights, I'm seeing things I missed. Did you know that for all the loss of power Pacquiao is accused of, he actually knocked Chris Algieri out in their fight in the 9th round? I was caught up in the fight, and the moment, but when I went back, it was like seeing it for the first time. Chris got laced with a clean left hook I believe, and it snapped his head back. He crashed down and smashed his head into the mat. Chris was dead to rights when he hit the canvas. His eyes were glazed over, and he looked like Roy Jones twitching out on the mat. The fight should have ended without a doubt period. The referee actually stopped counting and let Chris take about 20 seconds to get up. When he was at the 8 count, Chris was still on the mat doubled over. I've never seen that before, except for the Tyson versus Douglas fight. No one protested. Then when Pacquiao goes to finish, several times he has Chris out on the ropes, and the referee plays a game where he shuffles his feet and acts as if he's going to jump in  if it continues, assuming it won't, and then he stayed frozen while Chris got laid into, exposing himself. There was even 1 or 2 instances where the referee shoulder charged Pacquiao while he was teeing off, and angrily threw him away to the ropes to protect Chris. There was no foul Pacman was committing at all. He was simply overwhelming Chris, who wasn't supposed to get knocked out according to the agreement. Go back and watch this, and you'll see that he actually grunts something angrily to Pacquiao while he does it, that only Pacquiao can hear. I can't believe this has never come up in discussion. He literally saved an investment in Chris Algieri, and all of the big wigs supported and demanded that.

  Then you have the recent comeback fight of Nonito Donaire. That was a true spectacle. If you know fighting, there is no way you could miss that, and yet so many still do. Nonito's opponent clearly held back throwing any power shots, while being laced for 12 rounds. No human, as I stated before, is going to get laid into like that, and refuse to return fire at all. Your human survival instincts will never allow you to. I watched a few fights like that, and it really disturbs me, because the sports have become like the WWE, where you wonder what it is you're really seeing.

  Even watching some of the major tennis matches, it feels like points are shaved, and some games given up at times, to draw matches to  5 sets when they don't need to be. And yet, with all of that, they just declared Pete Rose ineligible for the Hall of Fame indefinitely. Over the years, they demonized him on the basis that he bet on games as a manager. Somehow, the biggots of the sport justified that he didn't deserve induction as a player because of that, which always looked, sounded, and was retarded. Many of the old-timers that I argued with would just recite over and over how egregious it is to bet on the holy sport of baseball, like cultish robots. I always asked them, that if character is the question, what does the hall of fame mean. I also asked them if they would respect the hall of fame if Michael Jordan wasn't in it, simply because he had a gambling issue. We don't even know for sure if he didn't bet on basketball games. The bottom line, is that often the issue raised was character, and I continue to argue that I thought the Hall of Fame was about the greatest players, not the greatest fakers. All of the commissioners, writers, and panel members are disgusting, filthy individuals, and that's what angers me. The NBA flames and destroys Tim Donaughy for filthy referee tactics, yet they continue to rackateer off of the same thing.


  Shortly before they passed this recent decision, the Major League began accusing Pete of betting as a player. And instantly, I knew they did that because they were tired of how stupid they looked banning someone for life, for betting as a manager, when they were the greatest player of all time. How would the Hall of Fame look years from now with that over their head? But while everyone eats that up, I simply ask one question- How in the heck did he achieve his stats as a player, by manipulating games as a player? The man has 4,000 plus hits. The greatest players today can only dream of 3,000. You're telling me that he did that, while winning championships and other awards, and he was shaving points the entire time as a player?! Does anyone actually think about that?! Too often, people mindlessly follow the nonsensical rhetoric that they're fed. It's annoying. Sport today are filthy, and the ones vilified are sadly the cream of the crop.

Latest Projects completing

I've been away for a while now, absorbed in completing my latest album and novel in the "Magnum Opus" series. The 2 works entitled "Coming of Age," are both being released now. I look forward to getting them reviewed, as I think both the album and the novel are much better than the already solid predecessors. It's always good to see growth as an artist. Check out some samples

https://soundcloud.com/jokatech/zechariah

http://www.lulu.com/shop/jason-addae/magnum-opus-coming-of-age/paperback/product-22461668.html

Calling them Elite

There is a problem in sports that I'm going to address. I understand that each sport has betting, and has cash cows, along with marketing and politics, but there has to be a line of integrity there as well. Just this past weekend, the indominable Ronda Rousey, was not just defeated, but pounded out ridiculously by a seasoned former world champion in Holly Holm. Now of course, we brush this off as something that "happens," but the imbalance of the fight, and the surge of so-called elites is a problem that should not be ignored. If she performed well and lost, even by KO, it wouldn't be such an issue. The problem is that you create doubt in the entire fanbase, when you build a fighter up to that point, doing movies, commercials, having sponsorships, and being touted as a basic hall-of-famer, so fast, only to face a solid competitor, and be completely outclassed. Where is the high caliber that was once expected of champions. As much as I depise some things about Floyd Mayweather, I have to say he has the pedigree of a true elite champion, as does Pacquiao. They have what it takes to make even a losing effort worth the suspense. And that's because they were trained the right way, and cut their teeth along a hard fought path, gaining experience. Now, today, as Max Kellerman so aptly stated, people want to be great without having to do great things. And the media proports it. You have very good talents like Errol Spence, who could be great, but are in an era where they are catered to, and pushed to the top before blooming, only to be cut down due to weak roots. And much of this is to blame on Mayweather to a degree, as well as Vegas, Bob Arum- in the past as Mayweather's promoter, and many others. They are the ones that manufactured and fixed up Floyd's career, to market perfection. It was never a coveted thing until he came along. So now everyone wants to stay undefeated to be marketed as a cash cow, and if they lose, it's an even bigger challenge they face to build up the illusion, thanks to the shadow left by Mayweather.


  If you want to be elite, you have to have not only elite talent, but an elite mind, and team behind you. I worry about Canelo because of that, as he heads into a very motivated Cotto this weekend. In a fight like that, the trainer makes all of the difference. Cotto is going for the KO, even at his age, because he's gameplanning  with the greatest boxing stategist- Freddie Roach. You can't just hit the bag and come in big and hydrated for the fight. It's a high level championship match. With that in mind, it brings us back to Rousey. She was a decorated Judo champion who had the tools to dominate from the outset. Yet, she was facing fighters who were not cradled in combat sports from birth. Fighters like Correia and others, were soccer moms who went to the gym to lose weight after pregnancy, and then decided to try out MMA. Leila Ali dominated boxing, in part, because of the same reason. Holly Holm is like Ronda. She grew up with a long career of high level combat experience, and a legitimate world champion pedigree. Her skills are real, and if you doubt it, look at some of her fights, and her sparring with Jon Jones before this fight. That's how a champion should think and prepare. Mayweather covers all bases in his training. If he's derailed, it will look close no matter what, and competitive, because he's a legitimate champion. Rousey learned some striking, but as her mother stated, it is from an inept coaching staff, and it finally showed. Someone once said that anyone can look good while hitting the mitts. That is a very nice quote that has a lot of truth to it. The truth is that it means that even bad strikers can have a mitt holder build their confidence by letting them look flashy wailing on mitts. If you are a trained and seasoned artist like myself and others though, you can see when the mitt work is rudimentary, simplistic, and filled with holes. Ronda never learned how to box, or kickbox properly. She learned how to throw her strength into simple straights. No head movement, no angles, no defensive posture, no distance control, no setting up power shots off of a good jab, no leg kicks, no singles or doubles, no feints. And if you watch her training footage now, after the loss, it will pop out to you.

  Holm stepped to her right often in the fight, and as a southpaw, found an easy home for her straight left. Ronda doesn't keep her hands high at all, and eats shots. People fear Connor may have a problem with that as well, but you have to give Connor the credit that technique wise, his standup is legit.
There is still a problem with anyone who rests on the strength of their chin. It is a recipe for disaster. One point that analysts don't mention much is timing. Holm wasn't alway retreating or working an angle. In fact, for much of the fight, she was in front of Ronda with her weight on her back leg. She baited Ronda in, and would counter over the top, or up the middle over Ronda's slower punches and lazy guard. There was even one point where she came over the top with an elbow. She used a lot of pull counters, or step-back counters. And the thing that struck me the most was footage I watched last night of Holly Holm. If you look at her highlight reel, she does the same exact sequence of offensive techniques in all of her big wins. Even the spinning back kick to the abdomen. She works the jab, thows in the back kick, steps back to hook off of the counter, sidesteps to her left with a wide step, and winds up, a head kick. She does it almost the exact same way in every fight. And she did it the exact same way when she fought Rousey, leading to the same KO result. Think about that for a second.

  Ronda's been champion for a while, with challengers looking to dethrone her left and right. All the while she's faced media pressure for her to be challenged or beaten. She has a team behind her that she trusts, and she seems as if there is no concern  before fights. If your team's job is to do reconnaissance on your opponent's fight films, and they claim to do that, don't you think it's odd for you to be caught off guard with an exact replica of the footage. If you watch the footage of Holm and rewatch the Rousey v. Holm fight, the first thing you will say is that there is no way, they possibly studied Holm before the fight. Holm didn't even add a single wrinkle. She just did what she does, well. Ronda looked too unskilled, yes, but she also looked very unprepared. Even if she lacks the skillset to compete with Holm, she still should have been prepared to anticipate some of Holm's assaults. She missed everything, and looked out of shape, like she had no training camp at all. Maybe it's the movie deal and sponsorships, but she has to really reconsider her work ethic.


 I expected Stephen Curry to be similar, but he is taking a different approach. I still believe they were gift wrapped the championship last year against an ailing Cleveland Cavaliers team. However, Stephen is making a statement this year, because he knows that's what some people feel. And he also saw some of the holes in his game that they attacked with success, such as his conditioning and mental toughness. He shows that he wants to stay elite, and he knows that he has to work to do that. The results are a 12-0 start this season, with Steph scoring 40 here, and 50 there, instead of getting stunned by a league that's waiting on them. Mayweather sent a very nice statement out to Ronda, and the UFC, saying that she shouldn't be vilified by the organization, and that she's accomplished a lot in such a short time. He even offered to help her with her boxing. In all honesty, the statement was very good and sounded very genuine, and if you want outstanding results at the elite level of competition, you usually have to make radical moves. The worst thing Ronda can do is stay with her camp and training as is, assuming this was just a blunder loss. It was an eye-catching, eye-opening, and brutal beating. She has to make huge revamps or else retire. If I were her, I would take Mayweather seriously up on his offer. George St. Pierre was on the top for a long time. When he saw holes in his game, he didn't just train harder, he recruited Freddie Roach, and has trained with him ever since, adding a stiff jab, intelligent movement, and conditioning to his arsenal. It helped him in his later fights, and it's why we talk about him as a champion and the best, and not a star who go pounded on until they retired into a nursing home. You have to adapt. Bruce said it, "Be like water."

Project Update

It's been quite a while. My apologies for the inconsistent content lately. I've been very busy, and struggling to work further on the album and the novel. Both will be released in the near future, perhaps early next year. I wasn't really a fan of my last post. It was a spur of the moment thing due to the debate that was online for years.

  Anyway, the novel is nearing the quarter point. I'm about 30+ pages in, and I'm not sure how much further the chapters will go, but it could be a more lengthy book than the prequel- Reminiscer. It's actually coming together even better. What I like is the fact that as you get to this point in a novel, it becomes less of a chore, because the foundation is established. I'm having a lot of ideas as well, regarding way to promote it. I'm currently learning animation in an online course, so I've had ideas about some kind of visual presentation. One thing I'm definitely trying to do more with this book, is tie it to the album. I want both of them to make more sense when put together. I don't think I did that like I wanted to in the last album. I've done a similar thing before with the play/album - I Don't Believe in Rome. That wasn't well integrated at all, but I've learned how to go about it.

  I expected to be done with the music CD part of the project by now, but I've had a couple of ideas that I needed to try out before finalizing. It's in the last stages now. I don't want to get lazy, and crop ideas off of the album, so I'm taking my time. Hopefully, there will be more to update soon. If anyone gives me ideas, maybe I can release some stuff sooner. I'm not sure how I would go about it. Maybe chapter previews or something. Stay tuned. And thank you for tuning in.

Superman vs. Goku Debate- Culturally and Racially Charged.

 I'm going to include some excerpts from my commentary on a heated dispute between who would win between Superman and Goku. I believe it is a very culturally and racially charged debate, and that's part of the reason why it reveals so much. Apparently, it's been debated for years. Finally, a group of guys put a fake simulation together on Youtube. The problem with things like this is that algorithms should be used. When you are trying to account for several variables, a biased human is going to put together an animation where they have a winner in mind from the start. A simulation would have an unbiased computer monitor all factors and decide a winner, even factoring in chance. In my opinion, that's how debates like this should be settled.

 The problem, is that honesty is hard when it comes to Superman. You see, he's a hero of Jewish origins, who has somehow come to symbolize "White Hope" over the years. Therefore, rather than be the symbol of hope he was meant to be, many openly refer to him as a god-like symbol, which reveals how they feel, not anything the comic itself infers. In his comics, he has lost. He has faced adversity. He has shown resilience and the ability to rise to the occasion, but he has even tasted death. Goku was a character that was created, and then adapted to fit the Japanese version of Superman. He has similar limits and accomplishments. A battle between these two would be epic, and very even. Rather than call that as it is, the 2 guys who did the video, referred to the energy blasts done in the Dragon Ball Z universe, as weightless air, when it levels mountains, and thus had Superman walk through it with ease. They also disregarded any inconvenient parts of the Canon including the power level system, referring to it as nonsense. Yet, they pull incongruent parts of Superman's story from every crevice to argue that he is stronger than infinity. The funny thing, is that several of the feats he accomplished were done either at the same time with assistance, or on separate occasions, by other heroes such as Wonder Woman and Thor.

   Goku's son Gohan, performed a kamehameha strong enough to disintegrate the villain, "Cell," in Dragon Ball Z. Cell was strong enough to destroy the planet earth, and threatened to do so several times. Vegeta almost destroyed Majin Buu, who was several times as strong as that. And they are arguing that Superman would easily crush and walk through a Goku, who is dozens of times stronger than that generation of DBZ, and infused with the power of a celestial being. It speaks for itself. In the end, all reason and ration is thrown into the garbage, when racial pride is on the line.

 These are the excerpts from my discussions:



A lot of people think they know Superman through and through, but aren't aware that he does have limits. In Superman Exile, those limits were tested. In comparing Goku, from what I've seen, that entire universe is capable of destruction on a higher level. This episode hurts the credibility of the series. It has nothing to do with being a fan, this battle just looks like typical Western bigotry at it's finest.
   Example.Do you recall that he- Superman raced the Flash at top speed and lost by a narrow margin on more than one occasion I believe. Yet he travels, when convenient, 25 light years in a few minutes in another recent comic book. Any idiot can see that there's picking and choosing when it comes to Superman.  His comic has long had the issue of adjusting to whatever allows him to dominate. If you went by the same inconsistencies, Goku would have no limits. He wouldn't even need his "god" mode. He's performed feats without thinking, that have taken extreme effort from Superman. Superman also needed to wear a mask in his Exile comic, as he was traveling from planet to planet, losing fights along the way. You can call me a fanboy, but when it comes to Superman, for some reason, you people are all something even worse.
Another example is the fact that you guys choose the "Canon" that fits your argument, yet call the power levels of the DBZ Canon- nonsense. It speaks for itself. I was hoping stupidity would get in the way of actually solving the debate. so much for that
  It takes simple sense to see that. Not only Superman and DBZ, but most comics are constantly pushing the limits further and further, contradicting previous issues. Nobody does it like Superman. Then when something shows him being weaker, it's dismissed as a spin off that doesn't count by someone saying exactly what you are. If you remember in DBZ, there were times that Saiyans flew and battled in outerspace. And there were times when Superman wasn't able to comfortably do that. And the bottom line is that he HAS lost. The fact that they refute that speaks volumes in itself. I've always seen him and Goku as unkillable, so while I don't dispute Superman winning, I don't think it would have been like that, and there is also no factual proof at all that Superman would walk through a Kamehameha that would level several mountains, when he's been moved by Batman punches.

 The episode reaches, and is one sided. I actually wasn't even expecting the SSGSS Goku at all. Regular Goku has done feats that are parallel to Superman. Both have died. If anything, to proportionately translate what Goku would be with his power multiplied that many times, it would be impossible for anyone to walk through him. The Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and all of these others have stood with and given problems to Superman, even with some of them beating him at times. If any of those other heroes, including Wonder woman, were to face Goku, you would all be shouting that he would decimate them, which would show that you elevate Superman for no good reason.

 It shows that they have little regard for Anime. They seemed to be comparing the Kamehameha to flames, when it is solid force.
He did not beat the Hulk handily, because while he is strong, his strength is not as limitless as the Hulk's is. If you read, you'd know that.
And for a laugh- Goku once punched a mountain, and lifted it up with his hand casually. Let's forget about the SSJ Goku who destroyed mountains like paper during combat, and did destroy planets. You honestly can't see where the dismissal is of DBZ abilities? Even reading and watching DBZ years ago, as many of you refuse to, we used to wonder how normal people could fight them because they were on such a ridiculous level, capable of destroying cities in moments. Superman has tangled with humans, tediously, and while he is destructive, he has never destroyed such vast landscapes as quickly as they do in DBZ. And let's not forget, they're choosing the SSJGSSJ form for whatever reason. It's easy to see things the way you are when you solely focused in on the Superman comics where he holds limitless pages, and contains infinity. Those are story progressing Canon. If they're going to mindlessly apply that to combat, we would have to go on forever adding in feats from DBZ as well.


  Anyone neutral introduced to both universes, would see the difference in power scale of the two. Superman is a symbol of hope who overcomes, in the eyes of readers and fans alike. He's only an unbeatable god-like symbol in the eyes of biased and jaded people who need him to be that. People like that have no place in this debate or doing a battle video.

Drug Use in Sports and The Con

Years ago, Lance Armstrong fooled the entire country, including me, into believing he was a clean, and dominant athlete. He even used social causes and campaigns to profit off of his claims. Before he was outed, several people who watched him in competition first hand, stated how obvious it was that he was a user. The media, and general public, at that time wanted to hear nothing of that. Then, when he was exposed, and came forward, the whole country was in shock.

 Now, years later, athletes all over are juicing to get ahead, and win at all costs. Some are caught, but there is still a reluctance to believe that the ones at the top are involved. Those are the very ones that are the deepest, is what people don't understand. Even outside of drug use, The Patriots are a shining example of how easy it is to fool the public. They have developed a system in which they cheat by a variety of means in order to solidify their dynasty, and it completely goes over the heads of those observing. Then when they are caught and prosecuted by the commissioner, the public cries for them, and they end up being let off by the judge. The truth is that it was always planned from the start. Commissioner Roger Goodell had no intention of hanging that team. The charges were trumped up, just so that they would be dismissed. Just like he destroyed evidence for them, when they did their spygate. It's called chess, not checkers. That's what Mayweather says. And as long as you play it well, the ignorant public will never even know you sat down at the board.

  Mayweather was just revealed to have been using an illegal IV before his fight with Manny Pacquiao. The funny thing is that this was known  days later, but somehow, is just coming out now. No one seems to question that. They also don't seem to question the fact that he was working with PED pushers for years, not just his last couple of fights. He has been linked to Heredia and Ariza going back almost a decade. When athletes stay in shape to the highest degree, it seems like the public is selectively suspicious. Because he doesn't get KO's often, no one questions his conditioning methods. However, if you look at the KO artists that he has stood toe-to-toe with, and hurt, coming off of their own respective explosive performances, it should be just as eye-catching. But the obvious is the visible. As my dude Precise Presenter brought out on youtube, he hurts and stands with Mosley and Guererro, after each one came off of brutal wins.

  Virgil Hunter said where there is smoke there is fire. I have no doubt that more will come out. But the thing is that its shouldn't take that for people to see what's going on. They went as far as fixing the Compubox numbers in the fight with Manny Pacquiao, to ensure a win. Everything Floyd does is slight of hand. The time that will be interesting, is when he goes to break the record. When the all-time mark is involved, it will be interesting to see how things go his way. I'm looking to see if he would dare to fight outside of Vegas for the 50th fight. I know that he won't. And even the media is ordered to direct Floyd's attention to the new building that was just constructed in Vegas. His only chance of being catered to for the record breaking fight, is if he funnels the money back into Vegas. Even then, I'm sure he's aware, that it may not be enough that time. Fans- use your heads. Imagine I'm a member of the media who has covered Floyd Mayweather for the 19 years he has faithfully fought in Vegas. Why would I ask if he would please have his last fight right where he always fights, in the new building just erected, when for years he's been asked to fight in MSG, and overseas? Obviously, there is an agenda there.

 Berto and Floyd apparently have a woman feud going on, as to why Mayweather chose him. Whether or not that is true, I don't know or care. Berto does pose some threats in the ring, as far as athleticism, but you can take that as you will, when he was almost stopped by the Guerrero that Floyd toyed with. I don't think he has the power people think, and certainly not enough to hurt Floyd. Floyd knows that. He doesn't have the length to fight at a distance with Floyd. While Floyd doesn't have the best jab in the world, it is serviceable, and will set up the left hook, which lands often on Berto. Footwork is key, and the only opponent who could match Floyd there, was Pacquiao. Floyd will use movement and the straight to the body, to dictate Andre's movement, and step to the right. The left uppercut and hook will come into play, when Berto over commits to the right hand and falls into a trap. Floyd won't need many combinations in this fight, but he has the conditioning to push the work rate and stop Berto.

 One of the ways to imbalance Floyd is to have an erratic work rate. For that to work, you have to have a punch he respects. You have to have accurate combinations and cardio. You pressure to get him in the shell, and return to working the jab and circling, keeping him honest by setting traps. Maidana did that very well in their fight. The only alternative to that is to box like Pacquiao did, but you not only need excellent reflexes and speed, but you also need commentary and judges that are unbiased, as you saw that fight called a slaughter win for Mayweather.

 I am intrigued to see Mayweather get hurt, but I know how this will likely end. It's all a con. And slowly, he will be revealed. Years from now, when there is a CBS special on the Mayweather deception, and the Patriots scandal exposed, I can't wait to see the millions of stupified faces.

I want to add an update, which is that Tom Hauser, a reputable reporter, has written extensively on the track record of Mayweather's drug use. In his report, there was a red flag test with high testosterone before his fight with Robert Guerrero. Stephen A Smith leans on the fact that nothing has come to light. It's ignorant to think someone who has a close relationship with Golden Boy, USADA, and Las Vegas, along with an enormous revenue, can't hide things, when we saw a positive Anderson Silva test be hidden until after his comeback fight with Nick Diaz. PED's are not only for power, they are also for recovery and endurance. I ask again, that you look at the fact that Mayweather has competed with an incredible gas tank and has recovered very well from any hand injuries that he has sustained, well into his  late 30's. To say there is no evidence in the ring is ludicrous. He also has been able to take shots from heavy hitters without much wear at all. Stephen A says he took 2 punches in his career, further showing ignorance. If you watch his fights, all the way to the Pacquiao fight, he takes not only more shots than you think to the chin directly, but he takes a heavy pounding to the body in the large majority of this fights. Fans are so busy being mystified by his so-called masterclass, they aren't seeing what's happening. He has likely been masking some drug use all along. The reason the records stretch so far back, is possibly because his dealings with drug pushers goes back quite a ways too. As more leaks there will be more pathetic excuses from his supporters, but in the end Skip Bayless looks more and more in control in the First Take discussions.