So.  I decided to enter a competition called HB:BX Building Cultural Infrastructure.  I worked pretty hard on the competition and unfortunately, I didn’t win.  But, it comes with the territory.  I don’t enter competitions for the possibility of winning money, even through it would help.  This competition was a great opportunity for me to experiment with graphic rendering techniques and challenge myself to design in a complicated area.  This will be added to my portfolio with a full description, etc, soon.

HB:BX Competition from 21Ronin on Vimeo.

Ronin

HB:BX Competition Entry from 21Ronin on Vimeo.

ISOAR #14, Kofie Graffiti. I can’t tell you how amazing some graffiti artists are.  Many of them have created styles that the most educated art student can’t even comprehend.  Kofie One is one of those graffiti artists.  I just came across his work and I’m blown away.  The depth, geometry, color, composition are all truly unique and the fact that he’s a fan of architecture shows up in his work.  It helps that I’m an architect because the lines, compositions and colors are music to my eyes.  I saw that he’s influenced by Lebbeus Woods, who is a theoretician, architectural professor at Cooper Union in NYC and a wizard with graphics.  Woods is someone that has greatly influenced me and I have researched for my graffiti/architecture project that I have been working on for some time.

Kofie is one artist that I would want to do a piece in projects that I work on or my living room.

Check out his website, Keep Drafting.com, there is some amazing work on there!

Ronin

S P A C E S #4, SUPERFRONT. I think it is funny how there can be so much outside your door and  you will never realize it until you start to explore.  SUPERFRONT is a gallery space dedicated to architectural experimentation.  Did I mention that it is less than two blocks from my apartment?!!!  It’s crazy how things like this can go completely unnoticed.  It  has a really interesting mission statement and I will definitely be looking into this organization more.

As you can see by my interests, I like to mix it up (graffiti, architecture, urban design, urban planning, sustainability, painting, photography, graphic design, etc).  This doesn’t always produce the most comfortable or recognizable architecture for most people to relate to.  I have been developing ideas for a conceptual architectural project for a while and it has repeatedly been made the next priority.  Having a wide variety of interests can be distracting, but I will definitely have to frequent this gallery.  How can I afford not to?  It is just down the block!

Ronin

I recently heard that Guru (from Gangstarr) suffered a heart attack and is in a coma in NYC.  I don’t care about the status of his career and this is not a tribute.  I hope that he can make his way through this.  So, I just thought I would take a second to share some of his music.  Guru, our best thoughts and wishes go out to you!!!

He always has been a ground breaking MC.  I still listen to the classic Gangstarr albums all of the time.  From Jazzmatazz to Mass Appeal, Guru always had something to intelligent to say.

Guru on MySpace

MTV Article

Respect!

Ronin

GANG STARR – Full Clip from IrefutabilNews on Vimeo.

GANG STARR – TAKE IT PERSONAL from IrefutabilNews on Vimeo.

Guru & Solar from Earwaks.com on Vimeo.

Guru “Lost And Found” from East Coast Digital Radio on Vimeo.

None Shall Pass by Aesop Rock from OrdinaryKids on Vimeo.

IF you haven’t picked up this album,  you need to.  It was 2 years ago now, but I listen to this album all of the time.  From front to back, its a unique album.  But this isn’t Fonix, this is about the video.  Not too many MC’s make videos that don’t have a party, cars, etc, but not Aesop Rock.   Aesop has a couple videos, but you won’t see them on BET or MTV.  You won’t even see them on VH1 Soul!  If you want to see more, you will have to search him yourself.  But, here’s a first glimpse of one of his videos.

Ronin

cRC Office, Serie Architects

This is the second time that I have come across some really interesting work by Serie Architects.  The first time, I saw something that I really liked from Serie Architects was on a DesignBoom blog post about their “tree” structure in their Tote project.  I was really impressed in the intricacy of the structure.  Structural design is usually brutal and the tree canopy really created a beautiful and interesting space.  Check out the link to that project on their site, but here are a couple pictures.

So the second project that I saw from this architectural firm based in London and Mumbai was a project they call the RC Office.  The first image that I saw didn’t catch my attention at first.  The outside of the building is simple (as a wall system and aesthetically) and beautiful and almost minimal.  The exterior envelope of the building has a series of screens that vary metal mesh density to control daylight.  These screens are outside the glass floor to ceiling walls.

The interior space of this project is what really caught my eye.  It is really graphic, beautiful and spatially interesting.  There are angled walls that create a series of internal spaces over a central courtyard-like space in the center of the block.  While the exterior of the project is glass and metal mesh screens, the interior courtyard is angular, more dynamic, planar and much more graphic than the exterior facade.  They are obviously sensitive to the environment because the exterior of the building will not strongly draw too much attention away from it’s neighbors, but the interior courtyard/atrium has the star architect touch.

Here is their description of the project on their website.

RC Office Complex, Mumbai.

The ongoing transformation of Kurla in north Mumbai is characterized by the relentless proliferation of new office blocks, where the typical 5-6 storey blocks adopts the exclusive corporate lobbies as a strategy to import the image of the CBD into this former small industrial area.

Our project seeks to resist this tendency to create clear separation between the public and the existing city and the projected and exclusive corporate entity. To articulate this strategy our proposal begins with the rethinking of the Lobby and Atrium of typical office blocks.

The RC Office can be seen as a single office block, sliced open into 2 smaller blocks but brought back together by a public void. The main atrium and lobby space as the new public void is conceived as a series of rotating volumes articulated by ruled surfaces. At each different rotation, the atrium and lobbies takes on a different programmatic role.

Starting from the ground, the typically exclusive corporate lobby is transformed into a public promenade, connecting LBS Road on the west side of the site to the existing lake on the north.

As the atrium rotates upwards, it dispenses other public program along its ruled surface – cafes, gym, roof decks and lounges.

The rotational atrium also acts as a light catcher, drawing light along its rotation, illuminating the ruled surface and reflecting light into the heart of the building.

Total Area: 10,000 sqm
Client: RC Group India
Date: Commission. Ongoing

Design: Chris Lee / Kapil Gupta

One thing that interests me about this firm is the organization of their project on their website.  They break their projects down into “types”.  I’m curious to know what it is that makes each one of their buildings fit into their graphic “types”.  Here is their description of their process, approach and their practice.

Practice:

Serie Architects is an international practice based in London, Mumbai and Beijing. Serie works in the diverse field of architecture, urbanism and design.

The practice is fascinated by the evolution and mutation of building types in today’s cities and the projection of these forms of intelligence into spatial solutions. Working typologically, or in our terms, thinking and exploring in series – harnessing the cumulative intelligence of building types – is key to the work of Serie.

The practice consistently pushes the boundaries of architectural and masterplanning projects worldwide and provides full architecture and masterplanning services for private and public sectors.

he work of our practice is closely linked to the research conducted in the renowned Architectural Association School of Architecture, London where the practice’s principle, Christopher Lee holds the position of Diploma Unit Master since 2002. He is also a visiting critic to various universities including the Berlage Institute, University College London and Cambridge University.

Kapil Gupta, principal of Serie India, is also director at the Urban Design Research Institute in Mumbai, which is leading several research projects on the City.

Another thing I like about this firm is the way that they describe their projects.  Their writings are simple, to the point, clear and unpretentious.  It also helps that their work, from what I have seen, is varied, versatile, customized and un-stylized.  By this, I mean that it doesn’t look like they are pushing for an aesthetic that will work everywhere.  They adapt to the site that they are working with and it is an important skill as architects.  I know that after time passes, some of their work will start to resemble each other, but that is the story with any architectural firm that gains notoriety.  I will keep an eye out for more of their projects.

Ronin

Pretty interesting work.  It is a whole city scape that an architect/artist created.  You can navigate through it like Google Maps.  Click on the image to visit the full scale image/map.

Ronin

I heard about Ayn Rand the way that I usually hear about everything else: word of mouth.  I heard the name referenced in several discussions on and offline and they were always political.  I will begin by stating very clearly I HAVE NOT READ FOUTAINHEAD OR ATLAS SHRUGGED.   I have never really been interested in reading fiction.  In the case of Ayn Rand, I would like to read one or both of these books in order to be fully up to date and completely supported before I completely form my opinion.  But since Rand’s writing is fiction, it would be my interpretation and I would have to weed out her Objevtivist philosophy from the literature to discuss it in this entry anyway.  In this blog entry, I will focus on the philosophy of Ayn Rand and “The Collective” theory of Objectivism.  Also, I will list some of the political implications that are gaining popularity under the libertarian and republican parties.

The Objectivist Movement

The Objectivist Movement was conceived by several people that were inspired by Rand’s writings.  They urged her to extend her writings into a philosophy, comprehensive belief system to create a new political movement.  These people soon became known as “The Collective” and it consisted of Nathaniel Branden, Barbara Branden, Leonard Peikoff, Alan Greenspan, Allan Blumenthal, Harry Kalberman, Elayne Kalberman, Joan Mitchell and Mary Ann Sures (Rukavina) and Ayn Rand.  Obviously, their name was a joke because the basis of the philosophy was that it is man’s individual destiny to pursue what satisfies his/her happiness.

I think the process of researching the Objectivists and Ayn Rand has shed light on some of the points of the theory.  First, I researched the term “Objectivist Theory’ on Wikipedia.  The theory was defined as follows:

“Objectivism holds that reality exists independent of consciousness; that individual persons are in direct contact with this reality through sensory perception; that human beings can gain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation and inductive and deductive logic; that the proper moral purpose of one’s life is the pursuit of one’s own happiness or rational self-interest; that the only social system consistent with this morality is full respect for individual rights, embodied in pure laissez faire capitalism; and that the role of art in human life is to transform man’s widest metaphysical ideas, by selective reproduction of reality, into a physical form—a work of art—that he can comprehend and to which he can respond emotionally.”

Additional points were inserted into the theory by whoever has access to a keyboard and mouse.  The theory on Wiki does not match Ayn Rand’s personal writings on Objectivism.  I wonder what Ayn Rand would say about tools like Wikipedia.  It is a document that is edited by an undetermined number of people and is supposed to be factual and used for reference. Anyone that logs onto the website can change the facts, details and content of the page.  It is more evident now, that if you are looking for what someone thinks, you have to go to the source directly.  The Ayn Rand Institute has Ayn’s writings on Objectivism on their website.

“My philosophy, Objectivism, holds that:

Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears.

Reason (the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses) is man’s only means of perceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival.

Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.

The ideal political-economic system is laissez-faire capitalism. It is a system where men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit. It is a system where no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others. The government acts only as a policeman that protects man’s rights; it uses physical force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use, such as criminals or foreign invaders. In a system of full capitalism, there should be (but, historically, has not yet been) a complete separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church.”

Ayn Rand Institute, www.aynrand.org

Deconstruction of the Theory

1. Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears. I agree completely.   Many things go un-noticed and misunderstood.   Many things are hidden, covert and still greatly affect people’s day to day life without knowing it.  I am an architect and my profession designs spaces and the interface of our civilized world (on several scales).  The reality of your surroundings is independent of your awareness of it.  Since reality is independent of conciousness (taken from the theory), interpretation of this reality does not influence or change this reality.
2. Reason (the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses) is man’s only means of perceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival. I agree 100%.  It is pretty self-explanatory.  We experience the world around us and learn by using our senses.  We learn through our senses and survive on our knowledge.
3. Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.  I think there are really good points in this part of the theory.  I don’t think that people should be forced into sacrificing their own happiness.  I think this comes from her philosophical opposition to religion and communism.  Just about every religion requires some type of personal sacrifice.  In the business world, I think this point of the theory is more relevant than the spiritual world though.  In business, if you sacrifice yourself for the benefit of others, your own aspirations and goals will fall behind.  In the business world, if you let a supervisor, president or another employee put your goals to the backburner, you lose the ability to demand this respect down the road.  This does apply to everyday life as well, but I get the impression from Rand’s words that this is about the world of business.  I think the second part of this concept is a little more complicated though.  To say that the absolute highest moral purpose of a person’s life is to pursue their own happiness is a little self absorbed and self centered.  This is true unless individual happiness is included in helping other people.  While the objectivist theory concentrates on the individual, I think that it lacks social awareness and consideration for other people.  Some people are more attentive and careful of others.  I don’t think that Rand had any children, but this could be in response to the historic and stereotypical role of women of her time.  Regardless if she had children or not, to determine that it is the highest moral purpose for all people to pursue individual happiness is not for anyone to determine other than the individual, so it is curious that she would make this statement.  Some people may actually want to help other people.  This statement is also not very objective.  It is her opinion and while it may be said with the best intentions, it can not be objectively proven or observed through the senses or sciences.  Subjective is defined as “existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective )” and/or “relating to or of the nature of an object as it is known in the mind as distinct from a thing in itself.”  My summary of these two synonyms is: subjective information forms opinions or conclusions and objective information creates facts (easy way to remember).  Objective is defined as “not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion”.  Who in this world has no bias?  Her authoritarian statement leaves no room for interpretation or for an individual to make up their own mind.
4. The ideal political-economic system is laissez-faire capitalism. It is a system where men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit. It is a system where no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others. The government acts only as a policeman that protects man’s rights; it uses physical force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use, such as criminals or foreign invaders. In a system of full capitalism, there should be (but, historically, has not yet been) a complete separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church.  I don’t know if there is enough computer memory in the world to store all of the text that I could write about this.  She comes to this conclusion and says that it is the ideal political-economic system that is consistent with the objectvist theory. Laissez-faire means “allowing industry to be free of government restriction, especially restrictions in the form of tariffs and government monopolies.”  It is French for “leave it alone”.  While this point is probably the most controversial point of the theory, it is clearly an opinion.  I guess when discussing philosophy or politics, the most sensitive areas hinge on these subjective statements.  I guess I should expect it, but in the end, it is just her opinion.  The libertarian party is utilizing Rand’s theories and is gaining political power in the US.  I will get into it more later on in this entry though.

My Interpretation of Objectivism

I know that politics can be very emotional.  My understanding of the objectivist theory is completely prefaced by my life until this very second.  But these political movements usually have more to do with policy differences than anything else.  I find it really interesting that the combination of Libertarian popularity, economic conditions in the US and the disintegration of the Republican Party are all playing into the shifting political landscape.

I can appreciate the desire to limit the government in the day to day life of people and business.  It doesn’t make sense to me that the government takes so much of my check two weeks.  And as I said before, I completely agree with specific parts of the objectivist theory.  But there are other parts that I disagree with.  Specifically, points 3 and 4 from the theory above.

First, I will expand on point number 3, which was: “Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.”

Initially, I was surprised by the amount of courage it must take to define the meaning of life in one statement.  It is almost impressive.  As I said before, this is not an objective statement.  By simply looking at the antonym of objective (the root word of their theory, objectivism) you can see that this is an opinion or at at best a subjective statement.  So, for me, it weakens the strength of their overall theory.  If each person is to pursue their individual happiness, they must also be able to define their own meaning of happiness.  A proclamation like this only allows an individual to believe this version of happiness without freedom to decide for his or herself.  So for me to completely agree with this, each individual must be able to define what it is that makes them happy.  If a person decides that they want to help other people, sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others, then they should be allowed that opportunity.

While it sounds like the part of the decleration of independence that guarantees life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it sets a completely different tone.  The declaration of independence guarantees that right to everyone that is a citizen of the United States of America and that the government, individuals or organizations can’t infringe on that right.  The objectivist proclamation, on the other hand, only recognizes the individual. Understanding Rand’s opposition to religion and communism explains this point of the theory.  Many religions worship a figure that that lived for the benefit of others; a martyr.  Most religions depend on an act of selflessness to reinforce their rituals, rules, regulations and demand similar acts of selflessness in return and guilt reinforces the desire to follow the lead.  So, the root of this statement makes sense, but not all of it.

I can agree that my pursuit of happiness is partially based on what I accomplish on a professional level, however, there are other factors that determine my happiness and can only be determined by me.  These are my morals and the way that I treat other people.  Principles and morals are very important to me and it is one reason why I will debate until the sun rises if I feel strongly about something.  There are no morals in the world of the individual.  It is impossible to create a social system by only recognizing the individual.  Religion and government have nothing to do with an individual being careful, mindful or respectful of others.  So, in a way, it makes sense that government should not try to enforce laws that do not affect other people.  But, at the same time, there are some definite examples that contradict this as well.

I think the over reaction of the United States with respect to the Communist Revolution also plays a strong role in the acceptance of this theory.  Communism has seen its share of dictators.  Nowhere in communism, does it promote dictatorships.  As a theory, communism aims to treat every person with the exact same respect, rights and privliges as everyone else.  I don’t believe communist theories were properly implemented and they do not represent all interpretations of the theory.  The problem with communism has been that it allowed its leaders to abuse their power in a way that cannot be checked by anyone else.  Che Guevara is a figure that people should learn more about.  He definitely has a violent history but that is due to his involvement in leading a revolution in Cuba to overthrow the existing government.  Che was a medical doctor and studied medicine across South America.  While he was leading the military, he would not accept anything that made him more important than others.  He saw himself as a superior officer that recieved the same benefits as his soldiers.  The only token that he kept was a watch that he kept from the revolution.  His acceptance of something that was excessive was a symbol of the struggle that he believed in.  In the end, Che Guevara did not play a role in the ongoing relations of the Cuban government.  He was more a Maoist than a Stalinist and the politics in Cuba helped him decide to lead revolutions in nations across South America and Africa.  Considering the relationship of the United States and China versus the United States and Russia, I think he was on the right side of the theory.  Socialism is alive and well in Europe, but it has been adapted to fit the European lifestyle.  Universal health care and education are two areas where countries like Spain, France and the Netherlands show that these concepts can strengthen the health and minds of their citizens.  There was extreme paranoia in the politics, media and day to day life of someone being a communist.  When you know what communist theories are, it just sounds ridiculous to think that the desire to treat workers fairly and rid themselves of social hierarchy would be cause for demonizing a person or a country.  We still have our symbolic foot on Cuba’s neck because of our overwhelming reaction to Communism and our imperialistic desires.  I do not mean to minimize the threat that the Soviet Union posed to our country though.  The struggle between Russia and the US was over power and expanding alliances with other countries as a means of self defense.

The other point of the theory, that I find troubling, is point #4, which states:  The only social system consistent with this morality is full respect for individual rights, embodied in pure laissez faire capitalism.

Where do I start?  The pure “let it be” attitude toward capitalism can explain why some individuals cannot pursue their own hapiness in 2010 (even if it is only in their own minds).  Today more than ever, lobbyists and politicians have created an atmosphere in our federal government that is as close to this “pure laissez faire capitalism” as this country has ever seen.  Our military “protects our international interests” (oil), tax payers pay for the security of the banks and lobbyists have great influence on the passing of important laws/bills on a day to day basis.  The banks demand money from tax payers who they would otherwise reject for home or student loans 6 months prior.  Politicians are equally corrupt for allowing this to happen.  It could be intepreted that in a world where the individual is more important than the collective, slavery could be legal.  Ayn Rand specifically addresses this and it is clear that it is not what she intended, but the pure lassiez faire capitalist system requires the complete separation of government and business, but the complete separation of these two worlds is impossible.

Property taxes pay for schools.  Those who cannot afford to own a home cannot control the quality of their schools (financially; and money is power).  Therefore, schools in poor districts do not prepare students to succeed in the professional world or in college.  Colleges are increasingly expensive and if poor people decide to go to college, they will financially struggle with the loans if they can leap frog their previous exposure to school.  Education is the key to professional success in the pursuit of happiness.  While Rand’s objectivist ideal is for the individual, they do nothing to identify the inequalities that exist in the world.  Many tax payers already complain that they should not have to pay taxes for schools when because they send their children to private schools.  Paying taxes for schools is something that everyone can appreciate (to varying degrees).  But the desire to not contribute taxes to schools only exposes the inequality of school funding, the ever growing income gap between the poor and the desire to let the poor fend for themselves.  It is subtext for the republican attitude that everyone has to pull themselves up by their own boot straps.  Many successful people were born poor and/or rich.  Opportunity creates success and the poor have fewer opportunities to succeed.

The reason why I think that this point of Objectivist theory is so dangerous is because it doesn’t mention who prevents this free market from abusing or taking advantage of the public.  On one hand, Rand says “The only social system consistent with this morality is full respect for individual rights, embodied in pure laissez faire capitalism”.  And on the other hand, there are corporations that our country hires to train military and perform military operations overseas, i.e. Blackwater.  I’m not trying to say that the government is full of overachievers.  In my opinion, government regulations on business only limit extreme corruption, like mafia influence, corporate monopoly and fraud.  If you removed regulations, there is nothing preventing the mafia or other organized crime from running rampant.  I don’t doubt for a second that organized crime is still influential, but there are clear signs that it does not operate the way that it used to.  There needs to be regulating bodies that are held responsible for their decisions.  Private companies only worry about their bottom line.  This is evident by mass exporting jobs for cheaper wages, abusing natural resources in other countries and the role of lobbyists in the government.

I am sure some people will say that I have taken this to an extreme.  Ultimately, a law doesn’t stop people from committing crimes, but consistent enforcement deters others from committing these crimes.  An obvious example is Bernie Madoff.  He has been made an example what happens to people when a person puts his (in this case) own happiness above others.

The Libertarian Party

The Libertarian party is gaining popularity in this country.  On the surface there are really good points that I can agree within their platform.  There are other points that are slippery slopes or do not fully define the role of the government for a political reform platform.  The difference between Ayn Rand’s Objectivist theory and the Libertarian Party is that the Libertarian platform is current for the issues of our political times.

“A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.” (Libertarian Party Platform.  Item 2.0, Economic Liberty from www.jp.org/platform)

While some points of their theory may sound reasonable, for example;

“We support the protections provided by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.” (Libertarian Party Platform, Item 1.2, Personal Privacy form www.jp.org/platform)

Given this point of the platform, who determines what infringes on an individual’s rights?  A person has the right (in their platform) to use drugs recreationally, but they say nothing to the affect that it may have on the children of the parents that exercise their right to recreationally use drugs.  So where do individual rights end and others rights begin?  Things are never this clear cut and this very idealistic approach to contemporary political problems does nothing to clarify the role of the government or to solve these problems.  Also, “Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes”….is not broad enough to cover the range of possibilities.  For example, the US government exploits natural resources of other countries on a day to day basis.  Importing and exporting goods determine foreign policy positions and how we will handle international policies.  Who protects the rights of other countries that do not follow the libertarian platform?  You can see my point.  Another example is the natural environment.  While they try to address this issue in point 2.2 of the platform (Environment), they claim that it is not the role of the government to intervene.  Why?  If the government is to protect individual rights, natural light, ventilation, etc should also be protected.  They claim that it should be left to the individual to create “social pressure”.  I think this is basically a way to dodge the important role of environmental protection and nature preserves (which are protected by law and are created by our government).  I wonder if in the libertarian platform, they believe that land should be protected by the government.  Based on their platform, it doesn’t exactly infringe on the rights of others.

“Silence is argument carried out by other means.” Che Guevara

My Perspective

I can see how certain drugs (marijuana, Psilocybin mushrooms and other non-addictive drugs) may be acceptable for being used for recreational use, there are other drugs that I think should still be illegal (crack, cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, etc).  Why?  Because it is psychologically and scientifically proven that marijuana is not physically addicting.  Other addictive drugs like cigarettes and alcohol can be purchased at any corner store or gas station, but a person will be arrested for having or using marijuana.  Also, the government should also remove itself from punishing people that have children, but are not married.  Tax benefits are given to married families and unmarried families are punished by not receiving these same benefits.

In the end, I can only say that a world where everything is based on individual rights, leaves little hope for the future.  While there is validity in some of the libertarian and objectivist concepts, many of their theories are dependent on the existence of the same government that they try to eliminate from day to day life.  Recreational drugs, abortion, environmentalism, religion and many other aspects of our life are left to the individual and it is rational to try to limit that.  I can appreciate and agree that the government interjects itself into our everyday life too often; but I don’t think that the proper reaction is to try to eliminate it completely.

Public funding should be given to public institutions and it should be illegal to provide public funding to private institutions.  Beyond the fact that this is how lobbyists and special interest groups affect policy decisions, it isn’t logical.  Public money should be put to public use, for the benefit of the public.  I don’t think that terms should be malleable.  It is much more straightforward than our government makes it.  They complicate the issue, because they benefit by its complexity.  When legal agreements are complicated, the media coverage dwindles and it fades out of the public eye.  They use the limited attention span of the American public against them and it has been working.

I came across these rankings and I thought it was really interesting with respect to the health care debate and how it relates to the objectivist theories and the libertarian platform.  This is the top health care systems ranked by country.

Health Care Systems by Country

1. France
2. Italy
3. San Marino
4. Andorra
5. Malta
6. Singapore
7. Spain
8. Oman
9. Austria
10. Japan
11. Norway
12. Portugal
13. Monaco
14. Greece
15. Iceland
16. Luxembourg
17. Netherlands
18. United Kindom
19. Ireland
20. Switzerland
21. Belgium
22. Colombia
23. Sweden
24. Cyprus
25. Germany
26. Saudi Arabia
27. United Arab Emirates
28. Israel
29. Morocco
30. Canada
31. Finland
32. Australia
33. Chile
34. Denmark
35. Dominica
36. Costa Rica
37. The United States of America

When you compare the USA to the rest of the world, you can see that we have fallen behind in many areas.  Education, health care, scientific research and technology are some of these areas that we have fallen behind.  You can not blame our slack on the social systems implemented by the government or the constant flow of immigrants into our country either.  Many other developed countries, like Spain and England, deal with similar immigration problems, but do not have the same problems.  If you look at the countries that have passed us, they have socialized health care, education, etc.  So, the argument that the government is doing too much does not hold water.  The fact that the countries that we trail also do not have similar debt only reinforces the fact that our lack of domestic attention is causing problems.  People just do not like to think that their money will be used for something that they do not believe in, even if that includes providing health care for your neighbors or education for the kids in your neighborhood.  If anything, our government hasn’t done enough.  I fully believe that socialist countries have the upper hand.  Privatized education, health care and military can very easily be to blame for the inequalities and our failing systems.  When money is donated privately, there is a vacuum effect because the public system falls instantly behind.  “The rich get richer, while the poor get poorer” is not just an expression.  It is the ugly truth about our system.  Also, it is not just an accident or the natural way of life.  It is designed this way so the rich stay rich, expand their wealth and prevent the masses from it.  There is a reason that 10% of the worlds population holds 85% of the worlds wealth; because they will pay so the bottom 90% of people don’t have access to it.  It is the same cycle that led to the communist theories and political revolutions faced almost 100 years ago.

While it is obvious that most Communist regimes of the past have not succeeded, other than the current global leader (China), the theories were based on repealing the staus quo that created unequal wealth distribution in Russia.  I don’t claim that Communism is the answer.  But, I believe that the libertarian and republican party in the United States are trying to take our country in the opposite direction (down).  I agree with Ayn Rand that every person should have the opportunity to pursue their own happiness, but not at the expense of everyone else.  I also believe that income should not determine a person’s ability to pursue their own happiness.  Our capitalist system favors those with money and whether the privileged want to believe it or not, not having access to proper education, health care and nutrition makes it more difficult for those without money to succeed.

“That old law about an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love.” Che Guevara

Ronin

Does One is a graffiti artist with a crazy graphic style.  Everything I have seen of his is always pushing the envelope.  Check him out at his MySpace page or his Flickr page.  Inspiring work.

Ronin

Fonix #5, Get hooked on it! Fonix #4 is coming soon, but I have to dig up some more info first. So, number 4 is coming after #5. Anyway……within the past two weeks, I decided to download 30 albums. I am not sure if this was a subconscious cry for new music or some sort of change, but I’m pretty happy with what I have found so far. The albums in the fifth Fonix entry are 2 of the 30 albums from this recent music binge. The two albums are FELT 3, A Tribute to Rosie Perez (MURS & Slug) and Blue Scholars self titled album, Blue Scholars.

FELT 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez, FELT, 2009

The other day, I checked out Aesop Rock’s Myspace page.  The album cover for FELT was the profile pic.  So, I looked into it. Before I downloaded the album, I didn’t know that Slug & MURS officially teamed up on an album. What’s worse is they had already made two albums before I heard anything about it. Well…..they did and the name of their group is FELT. I was born and raised in Minneapolis, so I had obviously heard of Slug, but never really got into Atmosphere. It’s odd because they are the most popular hip-hop group in and from Minneapolis.

Minneapolis/St. Paul (aka the Twin Cities) has its own underground hip-hop scene. If I had to try generalize the scene, it’s is a blue collar, smart, story-telling lyrical style and the music is diverse but it’s raw, grass roots and instrumental. After grabbing this album, I figured out what prevented me from getting into Atmosphere. Slug is a talented MC. Don’t get me wrong. The thing that bothered me was when he would sing. He “sings” for a lot of the choruses and they usually continue the story until the next verse. I couldn’t put my finger on it before. But now that I have figured that out, it doesn’t bother me anymore. Enough of that. I like K-Os (Toronto) and sometimes he sings. I don’t always like when K-Os sings, but it doesn’t bother me. I have come to expect it from him, so don’t let it prevent you from grabbing this album.

MURS & Slug make a good team. I have been a fan of MURS for a while and they complement each other well. MURS is from LA & you can tell in his flow and in his accent. There’s times when I think I hear Del, but its MURS’s west coast flow. I don’t say that to typecast MURS, but it’s common if you listen to hip-hop from different parts of the country (or world). I walk away from this album being impressed by MURS lyrics. I think he has improved a lot. MURS: 3:16 was a great album and it put MURS on the map. I knew then that he was talented. In the fall of 2005, when I was in Paris, I was surprised to hear Bad Man in a cafe near Notre Dame. I was shocked because it wasn’t edited and everyone in the cafe didn’t even look surprised by it. But his lyrics on this album have moved him up in my top mc’s list.

Slug has a completely different style. Slug fluctuates the pitch of his voice up and down more than most mc’s on the east coast. He’s a good storyteller and his lyrical talents earned the hip-hop worlds respect. Slug is from Minneapolis and he represents it often and well. A lot of people in NYC don’t know where Minneapolis is or what state it’s in. I gave up explaining to people where it is. I just say, “Northwest of Chicago!” Anyway, Slug is one half of Atmosphere. The other half of Atmosphere is Ant (as corrected by Kris)……my bad.  They run Rhymesayers and are affiliated with Brother Ali, Aesop Rock, Def Jux and the 5th Element. They can pack 1st Avenue with loyal fans whenever they feel like it. 1st Avenue is the club where Prince filmed a good portion of Purple Rain in downtown Minneapolis. Also, it is a really good venue for music. I have seen Erykah Badu (performing Mama’s Gun) Mos Def (performing as Black Jack Johnson) at 1st Ave, among others. 1st Ave also has other genre performing all of the time. The monthly schedule always has a diverse line up. If you’re ever in Minneapolis, it’s worth it to check out who is performing.

After listening to this album a couple more times, I realized that I just found another classic album! MURS, Slug and Aesop Rock make a great team. They can switch from tag team, individual verses, solo songs or instrumental tracks seamlessly and effortlessly. The tracks from Aesop add a diverse, quirky and complimentary bonus that completes the trio. An easy way to tell that I think it’s a classic is that I have 16 out of 21 tracks as top tracks.

STYLE
As a group, the style is balanced, down to earth, proud to be indie, real life and deliver nothing to prove lyrics. They rap about anything from the music industry, girls, relationship, partying, tour stories, fictional stories or fan appreciation. They’re diverse and accessible. Their lyrics are not simple or elementary though. I didn’t say they were commercial. They can appeal to people that typically don’t like hip-hop. You won’t see them on TV much, so to stay up to date on them, follow them online (MySpace, Twitter, etc).

From what I understand, they have guest producers for each FELT album. The reason why the album cover was on Aesop Rock’s MySpace page was because he produced the album. Listening to the combination of bass lines, dirty drums, random voice samples, scratching, synthesizers, voice effects and heavy, head bobbing beats, it makes sense. Listen to None Shall Pass and you will know what I’m talking about. Aesop Rock didn’t produce all of None Shall Pass, but you will see what I mean. Aesop Rock is one of my favorite artists. He has a unique voice, rhyming style and sound. He adds some vocals to the chorus of Give It Up, but he doesn’t have a verse in the 21 tracks.

Lyrics

The song that I chose for lyrics is Give It Up. It is a great song where MURS and Slug play a great tag team game. They throw one verse after another & they do it well. Aesop Rock throws in a tight chorus, the beat is hard and the guitar and keys are perfect.

(Slug in tag team)
I sit in the back of the chamber
away from the strangers
like I’m a big banger
fuck your theories
clearly its a myriad
of weak characters
and second to last periods
put the asterisk by your name
with a footnote explainin’ the shattered glass frame
the gas came
the smile was afflicted
they called it fame highly addictive

(MURS in tag team)
I graduated like a cylinder
my signature
can’t be recognized by the miniscule minature
consumate con artists
conning all you conformists
pushing my penmanship
pinnacle performance
a peg leg
a prophit through piracy
I still sell
indulge in the irony
and I will be
the last man standing
screaming land ho!
and sink you damn planning

TOP TRACKS
Protagonists, Felt Chewed Up, Bass for Your Truck, Permanent Standby, Kevin Spacey, Ghost Dance Delux, Revisiting the Styleetron, Whaleface, Henrietta Longbottom, She Sonnet, Deathmurdermayhem, The The Prize, G.I. Josephine, The The Clap, Give It Up, Paul Reubens

Blue Scholars, Blue Scholars, 2005

Apparently, there is a hip-hop scene in the Northwest that I’m just catching wind of. Just this past year, I heard about Jake One from a neighbor that I always talk to about music and basketball. He’s a producer from Seattle and now I’m stumbling on another group from the Northwest that deserve respect, Blue Scholars. New Years Eve (2009/2010), a good friend from high school put me onto Common Market as well. I haven’t had an opportunity to really listen to them because I am trying to make way through those 30 albums that I was talking about before. But, I believe Common Market is from Portland. So, look out for the artists coming out of the Northwest.

I get the impression that Seattle is similar to Minneapolis. There have been several really well respected artists that have come out of both cities. There is a strong musical influence that often goes unnoticed in the everyday life in the contemporary music scene. There is a strong sense of humility and respect for music as an art and not only a means to earn a living.

STYLE

The album, Blue Scholars is a collection of consistent, clean, sometimes spiritual and intelligent beats and verses. The mc, Geologic, is Filipino and from Seattle, WA. He mentions Manny Pacquiao and shows some nationalist pride every now and then. I didn’t know it existed before the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight. I guess every country has nationalist pride, but I haven’t heard it from the Philippines until this past year. He reps the Northwest just as much as he does the Philippines. His lyrics are political at times, but not in an arrogant way. You know when someone tries to make up for personal insecurities? There are some underground artists that preach for the sake of being true to the art. I am most interested in political hip-hop when there is a combination of talent and a message that sounds genuine and creative. With this album, Blue Scholars achieve that with laid back, home grown and sometimes nostalgic lyrics. The production compliments the lyrics with clean guitars, pipes, keys and drums. The music is analog mixed with the last instrument created before the digital revolution hit music: turntables.  All of the production is created by a dj that goes by Sabzi.

LYRICS

The song I chose from this album is the Inkwell. It starts off with strings and acapella intro lyrics. The beat comes in slowly and then the lyrics come in after it. There is a guitar riff that adds a little funk to the song.

In a city that’s been waiting to blow since big butts and teen spirit,
many make music, you hear it
secluded in the upper left
predominantly gray shades of sky
every other day
sort of like the bay
just a little bit wet
and cold in the winter
proximity to water makes the soul a gentler
out of towners don’t be knowin about the best kept
ain’t nothin better than the summer in the Northwest
microphone check, 1, 2, 06
buhdda smoke, who to smoke
can I get a quick fix?

Ronin