The Paw Print

What is music? I believe music is basically the combination of a rhythmic beat with lyrics. There are many different types of music. Everyone has their own taste in a certain type of music. Like myself i find country, reggae, and the new rap, not to my liking. Others will disagree with me but that’s how it is.$0Each type of music gives you a different type of satisfaction. Like there’s that slow music you listen to when it’s raining. Also there is the fast-paced hype music you hear at a party. Music comes in different genres like rap, r&b, hip-hop, rock, folk, country and reggae, there’s so many types and some I might have never heard of. Personally i listen to old school rap, rock, electronic pop, jazz, and more. $0$0There are some types of songs that are in a certain genre but don’t sound like they are. Like there some acoustic songs that sound like rock, some rock songs that sound like rap, and it keeps going. Technically i have one main thing about music, if i like a band. song, etc i’ll listen to them if i don’t……… well you know the rest.    $0$0$0

$0Zooey Deschanel is adorable and the token hipster darling of Hollywood. She nails every role that she is cast in. The thing is, she plays the same character type in virtually every role: the free-spirited, quirky beauty. As it appears, this is essentially her off-screen persona. There is a slew of actors whose character’s personalities are nearly identical in each film, yet they are phenomenally successful. Take for instance, Jennifer Anniston. No one, including critics, seem to have any complaints, simply because the characters they embody are just so charming. Maybe it is ok to like them though, if people accept them for who they are. They aren’t acting but they are still delightful.$0

I’ve always been considered one of the guys. I can act like a girl, dress like a girl, and talk like a girl, but my guys sometimes forget I’m a girl! I take that as a compliment. I don’t know what it is: I just simply can’t make many girl friends. I have my girlfriends but that’s only two or three. Most of my friends are boys. The ones I can talk to about sneakers and not get bored. The ones I can talk to about cars and learn more. The ones I can help with girl problems. The ones I can connect with. My girls are there for my girl-talk, but I won’t get into that now.

I can’t deal with catty chicks, emotionally unstable people, and emotions in general. I think like a guy, but don’t get me wrong: I’m straight. I’m just so laid-back and less clingy unlike most girls. I mean, I grew up with tough love, man! I grew up in an Asian family; how often do you witness an Asian parent telling their daughter they love them? Almost never! Well, unless of course they were born in America, but my parents weren’t. I can’t really be emotional, because that’s not going to help me move forward, y’know. So I just skip that part. That’s beside the point.

Regardless, male or female, everyone has someone who’s basically their brother (or sister). That one person that’s your live diary. That one person who doesn’t change how they look at you regardless of what happened last night. That one person who will stay sober just to look out after you. That one person who will pretend to be your lover so the ugly ones can back off. The ones who let you crash when you get kicked out. The ones that talk you into returning to your family. The ones that urge you to do well in school. The ones who really care about you.Those are the friends I’m talking about.

Not those hoes who call you up to hit the club and disappear the second they step foot on the dance floor. Not the fake beezys who bail out when you need support. Not the jankys who put on a façade and feign that they care, but the second something more interesting rolls around, they dip faster than lightning. And most definitely not the busters who say, “he’s not worth your time.” Then turn around and hook up with the dude.

I’m talking real people. The ones who tell it like it is. The ones who keep it real. The one that’s worth sacrificing for because you know damn well he’d do the same back. That’s a best friend.

Sure you’ll have a boyfriend or girlfriend, whichever you please. As much as you’d like, your boyfriend will never be your best friend. The technicalities are much too complicated. If the relationship doesn’t go down well, neither will your friendship. Life just doesn’t work that way.

“We’d still be best friends if love were enough.”- Abi, of Girls Are The New Boys Blog

Friends are there to care for you and support you. For all you know, your tender-lovin’ boyfriend could be cheating without a trace. But be careful who you call “friend.” A friend is not someone who there once,and gone the next. A friend is someone who’s there to help you see reality. Someone who encourages you at the right time tries to turn your course when you’re heading in a downward spiral.

Let down your boyfriend before you let down a friend. Because your friend will be there regardless when your boyfriend might just up and leave.

$0 Last week I donated blood for the first time and discovered all the hoops and discomforts of paperwork they make the good Samaritans go through, as is the Government’s way. After scouring through the scores of requirements for suitable donors, I came across one rule which in no uncertain terms stated that gay or bisexual men cannot give blood. $0$0 Well, I don’t want to make a sweeping generalization which might paint the government as bigoted. If a gay or bi man has had a dry spell that has been going on since 1977, there is absolutely no issue. Excluding that clause though, the beggars are choosers. In the eighties when technology was less developed and the AIDS epidemic was taking hold and just getting acknowledged in the mainstream, diseases like AIDS could be spread and were in some tragic incidents through blood transfusions. The disease was associated with gay men in the beginning, but it now affects many people. $0$0 There are many questions one must answer before giving blood, such as if they use condoms or have multiple partners. A condom works just as well on a gay man as it does on a straight one. I feel this bias feeds off of outdated stereotypes of gay men. Additionally, all donated blood is screened for abnormalities and diseases such as AIDS before it is used in a transfusion, which deems such thorough background checks less than crucial. $0$0 The government needs to get out of the eighties. These are the kind of subtle yet high-profile jabs which make it difficult for gay people to get out of the ditches dug for them by the very society they seek to belong to as equals.$0$0$0$0$0

    The internet has allowed so many people to become famous without having to go out and work for it. All you have to do is get your camera or webcam, perform your talent, and post it up on YouTube. The advancement of technology has really impressed me. To have the liberty to show your talent without having to physically be in front of others is amazing; to be able to get feedback from complete strangers is amazing.$0    With all the technological advancements that have occurred, I’ll be surprised and very impressed with the new inventions people come up with within the next ten years. The internet has opened so many doors for the typical people that haven’t been able to show their talent, get a record deal, etc.$0$0    Technology has definitely done its duty although it may take over and conflict with our natural abilities. In the future, if some of us haven’t already, we will become so dependent on technology that we won’t even need to go out and communicate with others.$0

$0The Google map satellite can locate any area in the world. A person can circle the globe in less than a minute and see close-ups of places too. This is great, but does this mean we have no privacy? $0$0The minute someone searches an area or address on Google map, they are immediately connected to Google’s server. This gives any individual information on the geography, social data, and political data of that area. It also includes crime statistics and population data. Along with those features, a person can zoom in or out and tilt or rotate the area in order to get a view from all different angles.  This software can be accessed by anyone, anywhere for free, as long as that person is connected to the Internet. $0$0What people may not know, is that the satellite is not a live camera. Many of these images are photographs taken by the satellites and aircrafts at all different times. For example: There could be a building under construction across the street, but on the Googlemap, there may be an image of the building before it was under construction. Many of the close up photos of construction and people are taken closer to Earth, on aircrafts throughout the world.  $0$0A person can travel down many roads and discover many places but it is mainly all photographed. There are other Googlemap softwares that have a general fee and consist of more benefits but none include video. This makes it impossible for anyone to spy on any area in the world. This also makes the Google maps helpful to people who need directions or people who want to look up other regions but keeps it safe for all individuals who need their privacy.  $0

$0Yesterday, August 5^th 2009, newspapers put an end to the mystery about the woman who drove the wrong way up the exit ramp on the Taconic Parkway. $0$0Of course, she was drunk. $0$0The media released that Diane Schuler drank the equivalent of 10 vodka shots and was high on marijuana – with five kids in toe.   $0$0But the mystery does continue. Schuler must have exhibited signs of reckless drinking earlier, and her husband must have known she was intoxicated when he bid her goodbye at their summerhouse; her husband may hold responsibility for allowing his wife to drive off with his two kids and three nieces. $0$0But if he didn’t know she was impaired, Schuler must have chugged the vodka and smoked marijuana with the children in the back seat, turning this tragedy into a murder. $0$0No one can truly believe that they could get completely intoxicated and make it across a highway doing 60 mph.  She must have been insane, and obviously dangerous.$0$0Hearing what caused the accident is like mourning all over again. A new type of anger must have surfaced when the families who lost their children and loved ones heard that drunk driving was responsible for the accident.  Yet, there is nothing you can do. They are all gone, and the woman is too. $0$0I anticipate pieces of Schuler’s past that will surface this week. So far, Schuler’s old drinking buddies from the bar have come forward and told the police about the whiskey shots she would down and her complaints ofher marriage.  $0$0It’s impossible her family had no idea that she had drinking problems; I confidently say that no one (who normally doesn’t drink) wakes up one morning and decides to chug a vodka bottle. $0

I sat watching last night’s show titled “Great White Appetite” in a mix of excitement and fear. My heart was pounding as I watched the show’s host basically dive for his life as one of many Great Whites off the coast of Australia ripped a huge hole out of his inflatable boat which he mistook for a seal. $0$0The program is one of many showing this week and is part of Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week where programs explore the eating habits, behavior and future of the shark species, most specifically Great Whites.$0$0$0$0Like most people, the idea of sharks–with what one fisherman said are “teeth the size of a man’s fingers”–scares me ridiculously. But something about them is fascinating all the same. Maybe its because I’ve lived in New York my whole life and have never actually seen a Great White shark or maybe it’s because the idea of sharks has been romanticized since movies like “Jaws” and “Deep Blue Sea” came out. However, there is no doubt that watching Great White Appetite, my favorite program of Shark Week thus far, kind of changed my mind. $0$0In my opinion, it’s somewhat interesting to watch a species that may be on the verge of extinction in action because it feels like you’re capturing a memory of an animal that may not be around in the next two generations. You’ll be able to tell your kids, “Oh yeah, I remember when we had sharks.” $0$0$0$0$0I also thought it was interesting to see the host of the program put his life on the line, by sealing himself in a Plexiglas box and being lowered into the sea, to prove that sharks were more attracted to fish than humans as prey. Obviously the world is such a huge place and beyond it being interesting to know that there are billions of humans from all different colors and creeds and walks of life out there, there are animals among us that we’ve never heard of or seen or have been too scared of to investigate. I’m not suggesting that anyone go to the dangerous reefs of Australia and coasts of South Africa where sharks are the majority. Yet, take into account what’s out there beyond people who look like you and I. $0$0$0

$0$0$0$0            Everyday,14.6 million commuters navigate through the tangled and intricate realms of the NYC transportation system. Whether the train is rumbling its way to the office buildings of Midtown, or the bus is edging closer to the Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn, or the railway is slithering through Staten Island, each one of these14.6 million people rely on certain transportation lines to carry them away to their next destinations. $0$0            As for me, my allegiance lies with the N and the R trains. I guess one can say that over the years, I have even developed a special “relationship” with them. They have spent their time with me and have watched me grow. $0$0 They were there when my mother had to open the black and barred emergency door so that the carriage I was in could enter the station. They were there when I was big enough to walk and small enough to sneakily go under the turnstiles. They were there when I first proudly used an orange student Metrocard as a middle school student. And they are there now, still observing me swipe my green student Metrocard (when I wasin 7^th grade, the card was awesomely upgraded to a green color). $0$0            And I have seen how they have grown…or not grown as well. Differentiating themselves with huge black letters in yellow circles, the trains used to have faded orange, yellow, and red chairs that were placed in pairs or triplets. Windows were decorated with scratchitti and floors and seats alike were adorned with antique, blackened gum that was once young, beautiful, and colorful. $0$0 While the R train is still somewhat like that, the N train was promoted. The yellow circle is now gone and has been replaced with a neon red color. $0$0The chairs have now transformed into long and slender rows of blue seats. The conductor’s voice has even been replaced with much clearer and understandable recordings from a mysterious man and woman. $0$0            But while all of our appearances have changed throughout time, the N and the R trains have not forgotten their purpose or function and I have not forgotten their meaning to me. They still dutifully take me to school, Coney Island, Chinatown–anywhere that I need to go. And after a long day, I still trust them to bring me home as they still rock me to sleep, with their raucous engine (and the inscrutable recorded voices) as the lullaby.$0

Pop sensation Lady Gaga has recently sat down to do an interview with a Norwegian TV outlet. Footage of this video has been making the rounds online.

In this interview, she was asked about something that is often questioned, something she is infamous for: the way that she expresses her sexuality in her work. The journalist goes as far as to imply that her disregard to modesty can result in an audience’s disrespect or lack of consideration of her as a serious artist.

To which she replies, “You see, if I was a guy, and I was sitting her with a cigarette in my hand, grabbing my crotch and talking about how I make music ’cause I love fast cars and f—— girls, you’d call me a rock star. But when I do it in my music and in my videos, because I’m a female, because I make pop music, you’re judgmental, and you say that it is distracting. I’m just a rock star.”

Does she have a point? Is this a sexist remark on the part of the journalist?

I believe it was not consciously done. This question has been posed to her numerous amounts of times. She does have a reputation of being known for as a very sexual artist.

However, her sexuality should not be controversial. She is not an artist that caters to the same audience that artists like the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus cater to. She has not radically shifted her image to sell sex.

As Lady Gaga, she has always pushed the envelope. This is part of her attraction. To some, she represents a strong female who is comfortable expressing her sexuality the same way some men do. (Although whether she does adequately embody that persona, is questionable.)

After this remark by Gaga, the interviewer asks her whether she is a feminist. She responds, “I hail men, I love men. I celebrate American male culture, and beer, and bars and muscle cars.”

I admit that I had a problem with her response. Being a feminist has nothing to do with hating men. Why does the word ‘feminism’ have such a harsh connotation?

Surprisingly, she has gotten a lot of backlash as a result of this. Many in the blogospehere have lashed out at what they perceive to be ridiculous comments. .

However, I still do believe that she has a point. There are plenty of artists that do make similar work without being questioned. We should not hold her to a higher standard than we do any other artist. I doubt that her male peers get half the criticisms that she does when they pull the same shenanigans.

Sure, she is over the top, but, again, it is part of her charm. I’m sure that she humors herself by saying that she is just a reflection of the state of pop culture at the moment. This does have shades of truth to it.

Obsession with fame and sex is something that dominates mainstream culture and she is a reflection of that fixation.

But, let’s be reasonable, with lyrics like, “Love it when you call me legs/In the morning buy me eggs/ Watch your heart when we’re together/ Boys like you love me forever”, she’s an entertainer, not a philosopher.