If you spend more time on the internet than you do watching T.V.; if you get a major chunk of your media input from YouTube, you have no doubt heard of Internet sensation Antoine Dodson.
Dodson (up until recently) lived in the projects in Huntsville, Alabama called Lincoln Park. One night, while he was minding his own business hanging out on Facebook, he heard his sister scream. He ran to her room and saw her struggling with a bed intruder, a man who was trying to rape her. The rapist was scared away before he was able to carry out his sexual assault.
When news cameras arrived at Dodson’s doorstep, he was still angry, scared and worked up over the ordeal. He was very animated on camera and it was entertaining to watch. So entertaining that the Gregory Brothers, who are known for auto-tuning the news made a song of it and took it viral. At this point in time the Antoine Dodson Bed Intruder song has about 14.5 million views on YouTube. At one point, it was #3 on the iTunes popularity list.
Today I heard a little bit of the story that put a twist on things for me. Dodson’s sister has a 2-year old daughter. The daughter is aware of the trauma and tragedy and she is scared. She is scared for herself and she’s scared for her mom.
I am currently teaching a class about Victimology at Long Beach City College and we talked about sexual abuse just last Thursday. We watched a video by Marilyn Van Derbur called “Once Can Hurt a Lifetime” and we talked about all the ways sexual abuse impacts the survivor. Here’s what we came up with (click on image to enlarge):
Despite all these known consequences for sexual assault survivors, resources to help people are a very low priority on our list at voting time. The impact of lack of funding is evidenced by the closure of Sexual Assault Crisis Agency in Long Beach. For those who need support with overcoming the impact of sexual assault, a good place to start is RAINN (Rape Abuse and Incest National Network).
In class we also talked about some of the ways abusers wield power and control over others. Here’s our list (click on image to enlarge):
We discussed how gaining personal power was a positive step to avoid falling prey to victimizers. If you want help to strengthen your mind, visit icreatehabits.com for a free hypnosis MP3 titled Create The Life You Want. Or, visit Start a Master Mind Group.com to find out how to use group energy to strengthen and improve yourself as a person.
Every musical act has influences. The Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest influenced each other. Punk bands from the U.K. influenced garage bands in Southern California and vice versa. Reggae and dub influenced each other.
What are your influences? That’s what we talked about in Helping and Listening Skills this week. We came up with a great list and I liked it so much I took a picture of it.
I asked the students to tell me about the things that influence them. What do they value? Why do they do what they do; love what they love? This is the list they came up with:
Parents
Environment
-Friends
-Neighborhood
-Peers
-Religion
Culture
Schools
Food/Nutrition
Media
Mental Illness
Life Experience
-Observation
Socio-Economic Status ($$$)
Books
Music
Relationships
Friendships
Family
-Uncles
-Aunts
-Brothers
-Sisters
-etc.
Role Model
-Coach
-Minister
-Teacher
Law
Government
Health
Medication/Drugs
Language
Sleep
Fashion
Freedom
Travel
Pets
Sex
Arts
-Pictures
-Painting
-Dance
Entertainment
Perception
The point I want to make in this class is that you cannot know any of these things about yourself or anyone else unless you first learn how to listen.
A great Master Mind group is one that’s committed to honoring and respecting each other and that includes listening unconditionally and without judgment. It is honoring a person to trust that they know what’s best for their own life.
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When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin’ things happen in your life.
Do you have a creative project you want to complete? Do you want to find a purpose for your life?
If so, I invite you to come over to my brand new page called Start a Master Mind Group.com. I’m offering 4 freebies to get you started so you can get a sense of what the Master Mind is all about.
I was driving down PCH on Sunday, listening to some vintage tunes and remembering the “good old days” when all I needed to be happy was music and a drive in the car. In fact, I actually relived the feeling and felt appreciation for the fact that I live in Southern California. I decided to capture my summer drive down PCH on video for a few reasons.
One is: at this time there is no Devo Blockhead video except a few live videos with poor quality and one with just a picture of the album cover. The other is, I figured, “hey, I’m not the only teenager from the ’80s who cruised up and down PCH in the summer listening to things like Devo, maybe someone else will want to remember the feeling with me.”
PCH has changed so much since 1983, in fact, everything has. I have found that I can be happy if I accept and appreciate the changes or I can be miserable and uptight thinking that things should be different. On this Sunday, I just decided to go with the flow and make the best of my ride. If you need a little mental get-away, this video might help. By the way, post a comment if you’re one of those people who is soothed by getting in the car, listening to music and driving along the coast. Beep Beep.
When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin’ things happen in your life.
Do you have a creative project you want to complete? Do you want to find a purpose for your life?
If so, I invite you to come over to my brand new page called Start a Master Mind Group.com. I’m offering 4 freebies to get you started so you can get a sense of what the Master Mind is all about.
Lindsay Kasting, 23-year-old singer for Vancouver-based garage punk band, ‘The Living Deadbeats’, has been compared to Exene, Penelope Houston, and Mia Zapata. Today, Dirty Water Records in the UK will release the tracks “Hey Girl/Liar Liar” as their single of the week.
Other members of The Living Deadbeats include London-born, Pete Fiend (previously the lead singer for legendary ’80s powerpoppers The FINKS) on Bass/vox, Dirty Swagger – Guitar/vox; and 19-year-old female drummer, Nadja. Band influences include Stooges, Cramps, The Gits, Jawbreaker, Detroit Cobras and X.
Here’s a video of The Living Deadbeats performing Hey Girl / Liar Liar in a parking lot.
When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin’ things happen in your life.
Do you have a creative project you want to complete? Do you want to find a purpose for your life?
If so, I invite you to come over to my brand new page called Start a Master Mind Group.com. I’m offering 4 freebies to get you started so you can get a sense of what the Master Mind is all about.
What a crazy weekend this has been. Actually, it started on Thursday with The Sheri and Erin Show. I’ll fill you in on the details later. But let’s just say that after a wild night at Funk Fest, a fun day in L.A. for a photo shoot and a Master Mind breakfast with Erin, I am pumped up.
When my energy is too intense to contain, I put my iPod on shuffle and go for a walk. It’s awesome how the songs that come up at random are always in line with where things are in life right now.
Here’s what I heard today on my walk, do you notice a theme? (Click on links to preview or buy these songs on iTunes).
(If you don’t see the video above, click here to go to YouTube)
On Tuesday morning my husband came into the bedroom, where I was comfortably sleeping and proclaimed “road trip”. We got in the car and drove to a destination that was a surprise to me. We ended up at the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley.
Along the way, we listened to music non-stop and documented the day with photos and video. In a sense, this is a mix-tape of our trip. All the car shots have music in the background.
We listened to Q-tip, Gary Numan, drum and bass and The Fall. We traveled from the 710 in Long Beach to the 5 freeway at Castaic Lake. Then, we took mountain roads all the way to the poppy fields. I hope this video inspires you to get out on the road or out in nature. I think we all truly need this type of rejuvenation for our sanity.
Today I got an e-mail from Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys (read it below). He’s calling on all fans to meditate twice a day and visualize “smashing apart all of the cancer cells in the world.” Hmmmm. That would be nice. For those of you who don’t know, Adam Yauch was diagnosed with throat cancer in July, 2009. Below is a video of his public announcement.
hello,
wanted to send this out to you guys in case you were into it, or wanted to give it to anyone who you think might be.
a few friends and i are meditating at the same time twice a day. 9:30am and 6:30pm eastern standard time, for about an hour and half.
we are picturing smashing apart all of the cancer cells in the world.
we are visualizing taking the energy away from the cancer, and then sending it back at the cancer as lightening bolts that will break apart the DNA and RNA of the cells. if you have the time, please join us in whipping up this lightening storm. mind over matter……
if you prefer to sit then sit, but if you are not used to meditating, or sitting quietly doesn’t sound like fun, put on some music and dance while you do the visualization, and if you want to do it at some other time, or picture curing some other illness that’s fine too. yoko will be joining the meditation by visualizing all of us dancing with joy to celebrate the world without cancer. all variations are welcome. this is really just being done with a wish for all beings to be cured of all illnesses and to find true lasting happiness.
i’ll also be saying prayers for the earthquake victims in tibet, so join in on that if you can too.
please feel free to pass this onto anyone who you think may find it interesting.
with all my love,
adam yauch
P.S. Another great way to shield yourself from cancer cells is laughter. Here’s a YouTube link to one of the funniest Beastie Boys songs there is : Netty’s Girl. Enjoy and don’t forget to meditate.
I’m gonna break out of the city
Leave the people here behind
Searching for adventure
It’s the kind of life to find
Tired of doing day jobs
With no thanks for what I do
I know I must be someone
Now I’m gonna find out who
Why don’t you ask them what they expect from you ?
Why don’t you tell them what you’re gonna do
You’ll get so lonely, maybe it’s better that way
It ain’t you only, you got something to say
Do anything you wanna do
Do anything you wanna do
I don’t need no politicians to tell me things I shouldn’t be
Neither no opticians to tell me what I oughta see
No-one tells you nothing even when you know they know
They tell you what you should be
They don’t like to see you grow
Why don’t you ask them what they expect from you ?
Why don’t you tell them what you’re gonna do
You’ll get so lonely, maybe it’s better that way
It ain’t you only, you got something to say
Do anything you wanna do
Do anything you wanna do
I’m gonna break out of the city
Leave the people here behind
Searching for adventure
It’s the kind of life to find
Tired of doing day jobs
With no thanks for what I do
I know I must be someone
Now I’m gonna find out who
Why don’t you ask them what they expect from you ?
Why don’t you tell them what you’re gonna do
You’ll get so lonely, maybe it’s better that way
It ain’t you only, you got something to say
Do anything you wanna do
Do anything you wanna do
Do anything you wanna do
The song of the week is brought to you by Michael Zampelli, former owner of Southern California punk rock icon, Zed Records. For almost 30 years, this mecca of punk and alternative music kept Southern California enthusiasts adequately supplied with unique, original and innovative music.
Currently, Zampelli manages a hockey fan message boards at www.letsgokings.com with thousands of subscribers. He takes photos for the LAist and the LA Derby Dolls. Each week he will contribute a song with a theme, a message and a beat. Enjoy and stay tuned.
Words and environment impact your life. In this speech from the Toastmasters manual, The Entertaining Speaker, I outline a musical anthology of my life starting in childhood with weekly immersion in Soul Train, moving to age 11 and the purchase of Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder.
