Boyz in the Hood

    Boyz in the hood is John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles which takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions. In the end the movie shows the story of life in South Central Los Angeles, following the fortunes or otherwise of a group of young blacks. Struggling to escape the violence and drugs, some of them opt for education, pinning their hopes on college, others are caught up in the violence that is endemic to the neighbourhood. The justice issues concerned in this movie deals with guns and violence, gangs as well as murder. Its crazy that kids in high school in that area are like that. They have the choice to either go to college or join the gangs and violence. In the end this is a great movie for any one to see.

the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4sKiGkzKJo

Justice Issues in Music

"Dance With the Devil"   By: Immortal Technique
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]I once knew a nigga whose real name was William
His primary concern, was making a million
Being the illest hustler, that the world ever seen
He used to fuck movie stars and sniff coke in his dreams
A corrupted young mind, at the age of thirteen
Nigga never had a father and his mom was a fiend
She put the pipe down, but every year she was sober
Her sons heart simultaneously grew colder
He started hanging out selling bags in the projects
Checking the young chicks, looking for hit and run prospects
He was fascinated by material objects
But he understood money never bought respect
He build a reputation 'cause he could hustle and steal
But got locked once and didn't hesitate to squeal
So criminals he chilled with didn't think he was real
You see me and niggas like this have never been equal
I don't project my insecurities at other people
He fiended for props like addicts with pipes and needles
So he felt he had to prove to everyone he was evil
A feeble-minded young man with infinite potential
The product of a ghetto breed capitalistic mental
Coincidentally dropped out of school to sell weed
Dancing with the devil, smoked until his eyes would bleed
But he was sick of selling trees and gave in to his greed

[Hook]
Everyone trying to be trife never face the consequences
You probably only did a month for minor offences
Ask a nigga doing life if he had another chance
But then again there's always the wicked at new and advanced
Dance forever with the devil on a cold cell block
But that's what happens when you rape, murder and sell rock
Devils used to be gods, angels that fell from the top
There's no diversity because we're burning in the melting pot

[Verse 2]
So Billy started robbing niggas, anything he could do
He'd get his respect back, in the eyes of his crew
Starting fights over little shit, up on the block
Stepped up to selling mothers and brothers the crack rock
Working overtime for making money for the crack spot
Hit the jackpot and wanted to move up to cocaine
For filling the scarface fantasy stuck in his brain
Tired of the block niggas treating him the same
He wanted to be major like the cut throats and the thugs
But when he tried to step to 'em, niggas showed him no love
They told him any motherfucking coward can sell drugs
Any bitch nigga with a gun, can bust slugs
Any nigga with a red shirt can front like a blood
Even Puffy smoked the motherfucker up in a club
But only a real thug can stab someone till they die
Standing in front of them, starring straight into their eyes
Billy realized that these men were well guarded
And they wanted to test him, before business started
Suggested raping a bitch to prove he was cold hearted
So now he had a choice between going back to his life
Or making money with made men, up in the cife
His dreams about cars and ice, made him agree
A hardcore nigga is all he ever wanted to be
And so he met them Friday night at a quarter to three

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
They drove around the projects slow while it was raining
Smoking blunts, drinking and joking for entertainment
Until they saw a woman on the street walking alone
Three in the morning, coming back from work, on her way home
And so they quietly got out the car and followed her
Walking through the projects, the darkness swallowed her
They wrapped her shirt around her head and knocked her onto the floor
This is it kid now you got your chance to be raw
So Billy oaked her up and graped the chick by the hair
And dragged her into a lobby that had nobody there
She struggled hard but they forced her to go up the stairs
They got to the roof and then held her down on the ground
Screaming shut the fuck up and stop moving around
The shirt covered her face, but she screamed the clawed
So Billy stomped on the bitch, until he broken her jaw
The dirty bastards knew exactly what they were doing
They kicked her until they cracked her ribs and she stopped moving
Blood leaking through the cloth, she cried silently
And then they all proceeded to rape her violently
Billy was meant to go first, but each of them took a turn
Ripping her up, and choking her until her throat burned
A broken jaw mumbled for god but they weren't concerned
When they were done and she was lying bloody, broken and bruised
One of them niggas pulled out a brand new twenty-two
They told him that she was a witness of what she'd gone through
And if he killed her he was guaranteed a spot in the crew
He thought about it for a minute, she was practically dead
And so he leaned over and put the gun right to her head

[Sample from "Survival of the Fittest" by Mobb Deep]
I'm falling and I can't turn back
I'm falling and I can't turn back

[Verse 4]
Right before he pulled the trigger, and ended her life
He thought about the cocaine with the platinum and ice
And he felt strong standing along with his new brothers
Cocked the gat to her head, and pulled back the shirt cover
But what he saw made him start to cringe and stutter
Cause he was starring into the eyes of his own mother
She looked back at him and cried, cause he had forsaken her
She cried more painfully, than when they were raping her
His whole world stopped, he couldn't even contiplate
His corruption had successfully changed his fate
And he remembered how his mom used to come home late
Working hard for nothing, cause now what was he worth
He turned away from the woman that had once given him birth
And crying out to the sky cause he was lonely and scared
But only the devil responded, cause god wasn't there
And right then he knew what it was to be empty and cold
And so he jumped off the roof and died with no soul
They say death take you to a better place but I doubt it
After that they killed his mother, and never spoke about it
And listen cause the story that I'm telling is true
Cause I was there with Billy Jacobs and I raped his mom to
And now the devil follows me everywhere that I go
In fact I'm sure he's standing among one of you at my shows
And every street cypher listening to little thugs flow
He could be standing right next to you, and you wouldn't know
The devil grows inside the hearts of the selfish and wicked
White, brown, yellow and black colored is not restricted
You have a self destructive destiny when your inflicted
And you'll be one of gods children and fell from the top
There's no diversity because we're burning in the melting pot
So when the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never
Because the dance with the devil might last you forever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WgWcI7xKSU

Throughout this song there are multiple justice isssues. One main thing is that this person the song is about, William, is conforming to the popular and cool thing to do, as well as an easy profit. In the ghetto where this guy lived this was a popular way of getting rich and for someone who did not have a lot of money this was what he thought he should do. He wants to join the drug dealing world and a gang as well. He has the dream of being the biggest "Huslter". He did not have a dad and his mom was a fiend. She became sober and his mind more corrupted. Throughout the song it tells how this kid started dealing cocaine and crack and how he got good at it. Then it tells how he wants to get in good with this gang and what they want him to do. He started beating people and stealing before as it says in the chorus. They want him to rape and kill a woman. They go out looking for one, they beat her and rape her after putting a shirt over her head. Before they are about to kill her, he thinks about all the things he is going to get. He points the gun at her head and pulls back the shirt and sees it is his mother. He had just done all those horible things to his own flesh and blood. His mom was killed by the other guys. Immortal Technique was with William when this happened. The justice issues hear are: drug, crack cocaine, distribution, assault and battery, rape, possesion of an illegal firearm, and murder. All those things makes this guy either on death row or life forever.

Suicide

Suicide is a very serious topic. In recent news college students our age have lost their lives due to suicide. There have been multiple suicides due to teasing, manipulation, harrasment and embarrasment. My question why would any one push someone so far as to make them kill themselves? How would you like it if someone did that to someone in your family? I think people need to talk to someone if they have suicidal thoughts. Also it is good for people to know a lot about suicide and prevention. Many lives can be saved if people know what to look for in friends and family members.

Halloween Blog

I found a brief article by Inland News Today, that acounts for five people dead on Halloween or right before this crazy day. The article states,

INLAND EMPIRE – Five people are dead and at least four others injured in a series of Halloween incidents across the Inland region.

In Riverside, off-duty fire fighter Nick Barrios was shot and killed by a Moreno Valley man who took his own life in what police described as an ‘ambush’ in front of Barrios’ home.

Riverside police are looking for a hit-run motorist who struck a 14-year-old girl in a Halloween costume. The girl suffered several broken bones.

In San Bernardino, a teenage boy was killed and another injured in a drive-by sidewalk confrontation. Four suspects are being sought.

Another shooting at a Halloween party in Indio left two men dead.

Stabbings at parties at Panorama Park in Cathedral City and Chino Hills injured two people. Three suspects are being sought. (http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=16656)

 

It is crazt to think that all these horrible crimes can happen on one night/weekend. Are the law enforcement officers not doing there job? Are there not enough officers to work over that weekend?

Free-Bee

The trial date as been set for Jim Leyritz, once baseball star now charged with DUI involuntary mansluaghter. While driving a friend home shortly after 3 a.m. ET on December 28, 2007, his red 2006 Ford Expedition hit the vehicle of 30-year-old Freida Veitch, a Fort Lauderdale police report stated. She was thrown from her dark green 2000 Mitsubishi Montero, knocked unconscious and pronounced dead at 4:08 a.m. Blood drawn from Leyritz three hours later showed he had 0.14 percent blood alcohol level, above the 0.08 benchmark in Florida. He also failed field sobriety tests, according to police. The funny thing about this case is that the victim, Freida Veitch, was also drunk, with the blood alchol content of .18%. So the question at hand is, is that enough evidence against the victim that leyritz could get off? If convicted he faces up to 15 years in prison.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/28/florida.leyritz.drunk/index.html

Bill Curtis

This video was very interesting. I would have never known about some of the cimes in the video and the mvies that they drew a lot of their actions from. I mean there were so many movies that were referenced, most of them I have seen. I watched most of those movies and you do not see me going out there and committing those crimes. I mean the viewer has to realize its just a film and one should not follow actions performed in that film. Like the Set It Off example. This lady instead of making tenants pay rent she made them help her rob a bank. After watching that movie and pulling the job exactly like they did in the movie. The whole copycat phenomenom is crazy. I still can't believe that people would copy actions thats are illegal and stupid from a movie. Those people should be highly prosecuted not the studio.

Copy Cat

One thing I copied from TV and movies when I was a kid was the baggy clothes. When my generation started getting into hip-hop and rap baggy clothes became the new fad. I would see famous people, even some that were my age, and they were wearin these baggy clothes. I told my parents that I had to have them. So I used to have the really baggy jeans, shorths and my shirts were always XL. I do not know what was up with me, but I saw people wearing them and I copied them.

Another Free Bee

Reacently Federal agents put a stop to a two-year investigations, which resulted in dozens of arrest. This bust has broken open a marijuana smuggling operation which has dominated New York for two decades. An interesting fact was that his investigation started in July 2008, and used more than 20 separate wietaps to infiltrate the crews suspected of runnig the operation. Search warrants were executed in NY, NJ and Florida. In the end law enforcement took possession of nearl $2 million in proceeds from pot sales and more than 225 pounds of pot since July 2008.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/15/florida.drug.bust/index.html

Article Post

I thought this was a good article because the author brought up some good points, which make  you think and put into question a lot of things you have done. Some of these cognitive biases are definitely ones that are easily to relate to. For example how many sports bandwagoners are there where they liked and believed in a team due to the fact of friends or they were the best. I believe that confirmation bias happens a lot as well. Many people hear things that are rumors or lies and then maybe they will hear a false statement in a magazine or from tv and they will continue to believe it. Cognitive dissonance happens all over, like people of the church are against many normal mainstream and okay things because of their religion says its wrong. I am no better, I believed that Israel was a somewhat unsafe place, due to media influence and rumors. After I went to Israel this past summer, I got to form my own opinion and it was the complete opposite of what I believed before. I believe that concept that influenced me was partly the Bandwagon effect as well as confirmation bias. As far as the department of information goes, I believe that will never happen. Even though we need people that look up all the facts and make better decisions in our government. The Department of information would be a good idea if there was a way to make it extremely professional.

Free Blog

One of my favorite shows on television today is the show It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. This show is about three friends, one of thier sister and the brother and sister's step dad. The whole show is about these five people going around and doing what ever they want with barely any consequences. Throughout the show these characters, Dennis, Mac, Charlie, Dee and Frank, go around hurting people, causing mass caos and issues, and not once do you see any of them get arrested. There are episodes where they deal with the justice part of society but for their gain. I truly recommend everyone to see this show, its is extremely hilarious and entertaining.

Crime Blog

 A Colorado father was arrested for allegedly smoking marijuana with his daughters ages 6 and 7. He was arrested after one of his daughters was caught in school trying to start a fir in the bathroom. When confronted she told staff about smoking marijuana with her father and him blowing it in her face when she didn't feel good. Authorities claimed that this girl knew more about smoking pot then some adults do. She told authorities that she had smoked with her dad before. The father, identified as Jack Duke, 27, faces charges of marijuana possession, distributing marijuana to a minor and child abuse. The children have been placed in there grandparents custody for now. It is kind of weird that until a negative act was commintted by the daughter this was never found out or fixed. No one said anything just like in the CJ article.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/08/colorado.dad.pot.arrest/index.html

Afghan War

I had trouble finding the same kind of article on all three websites, so I only used one that I found on CNN and MSNBC news. Both the articles are about US soldiers murdering innocent and un threatning civilians. The CNN article mainly focused on a specific account with not a lot of background detail unless you watch the video for the article on the website as well. The dialogue in the article was about a soldier who is being charged with murder and talks about how one of the guys they killed. THe man was not armed or dangerous and he was not a threat as said in the article.
The MSNBC article is about the same soldier mentioned in the CNN one and this one is less direct dialogue but more details and facts about the case and whats to be expected. They talk about the soldier, Jeremy Murlock, and what he faces for what he did, which was mentioned, and why he did it.
I don't think that Fox news had it because I don't see a lot of specific war articles on that website so maybe its not a big story for them at this time. In the end this is a big story because if we have US soldiers doing things like this, things we are trying to prevent, what progress are we making?

http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/?iref=allsearch
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39375104

The Media Free-Bee

In Ohio a 21 year old mother is charged with teaching her 2 year old daughter to smoke marijuana. There was a video released on CNN and on HLN's Private News. Jessica Gamble, the mother, is charged with child endangerment, evidence tampering and "corrupting another with drugs. If convicted she is faces up to 11 years in prison. Joe Deters of the Hamilton County Prosecutor's office reported that Gamble was indicted after a video she sent, of her daughter smoking,  to a friend, who then reported her to the authorities. This is a crazy story, because how stupid does a parent have to be to let and advocate there infant 2 year old daughter smoke pot. Hopefully her daughter is taken away from her and she is put in prison.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/16/ohio.toking.toddler/index.html?npt=NP1

Serial Murder

Is This Ohio Gardener the Latest Serial Killer?

    This article is about Nolan Ray George, a garderner  at an Amelia, Ohio, apartment complex. He is a convicted felon, for multiple murders. Now he is said to be the killer in 5 recent homicide cases in Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio, according to the Oakland County, Michigan prosecutor's office. The police forces from all states are investigating and hoping to bring up enough evidence to send this guy away for ever. This article mainly focuses on George due to the fact that these recent murder cases kind of have his signature on them. He was convicted of murders, which involved strangulation. These recent cases do as well. Some other facts about the suspect is of his past murders of two young pregnant women, named Cindy Rose and Francis Brown. Other than that they just mention some details about his recent activity.

http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/10/nolan-ray-george-serial-killer-ohio/

Current Event Story

As recent news has shown there have been really bad hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. One of which has hit a major tourist site, as well as home to many. That wonderful place is Bermuda. Igor really lashed Bermuda as recent news stories have shown. As all the stories: one from yahoo news, one from MSNBC, and one from CBC news, all said that this was a very big hurricane. All the stories remain consistent in the facts of the hurricane and the damages. Hurricane Igor, said to be a category 1 hurricane, had winds up to 75 mph and gusts up to 93 mph. This hurricane caused many trees and branches to come down, destroyed streets and property as well. The common link to this story is that all the sources seem to want to excentuate the facts of the story and the harm it as brought to Bermuda.

Graffiti Creator

http://www.graffiticreator.net/

    This website advocates graffiti. Graffiti is also known to some people as vandalism. To others like the people who started this website, and its fans and followers, graffiti is known as art. This site shows interested people different forms of graffiti, different styles, different artists, and espeically how it has changed over the generations. It also has a part where you can make some graffiti of your own and even send it to people. It also has different links to a variety of paint can stores and different graffiti links. This site is also informative in the way that is has news articles about the site and the graffiti world. The purpose of this site is show the people who think graffiti is just vandalism, that it is not. It is a form of art, the art that is just expressed on buildings, walls, signs, trucks, etc. It is an expression of someone and how they see the world. This activity should not be labeled as deviant but just as art. Expressionist art that people can start to observe and feel what the artist is feeling, like they already due in the art community. Another interesting reason why this should be just considered art is because as one can see, this is not easy at all to do, it takes a lot of time and effort. It also looks amazing...

9/11 Anniversary: Media Manipulation and Lies

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.7354/pub_detail.asp

     The critisim in this article is towards the citizens. How people on such a mournful day act like immature savages that do not know how to behave themselves. Few actually participated in the negative aspect of the whole day was burning pages of the koran. The only reason for doing this is due to the mosque that was said to be built at the site of ground zero. A lot of people are protesting this and many discussion all over and in Washington D.C. are still continuing on this topic. The level of critisim in this article is pretty high, and it juts out at Imam Rauf and talks about how much of a negative person he is. "If Imam Rauf were more honest, he would also admit that this project has also been useful for his own political ambitions. And as such, these ambitions are more about Islamism than they are about Islam." Obama on 9/11 memorial day this year he and his wife both gave speeches, explaining that America is not at war with Islam. It has never and will never be at war with them. Also that the Islam community might think America is at war with them but Obama assures them they are not. This mosque idea has brought so much controversy in America, obviously most of America does not like that idea. Nothing against Islam but maybe the memorial site should be one of the people who lost their lives that day.

Media Fast

Friday 7:30 p.m. --Saturday 7:30 p.m.

This media fast was hard. To try and not use media when the world that we grew up in is a media savvy one. I chose this day and time because it was right after dinner, I was going out that night and then I would come back and go to bed. I woke up late on saturday around 12:30 p.m. Waking up and remembering that I was avoiding technology all day seemed like it was going to be a challenge. Instead of watching t.v. and eating breakfast, I ate my breakfast/lunch and then started doing my homework. I did a lot of reading and then after that me and my friends went to play basketball. I did have to use my car together but it was a small sacrifice. I did check and somewhat use my cell phone more than I should of but its hard to just ignore family and friends when they keep texting you. The hardest thing to give up besides the phone was television. After I got back from the gym that was the hardest, not being able to watch t.v. until 7:30 p.m. I was so tempted so I just read more. After the whole experience its hard to imagine life without media and technology, especially when I've grown up using it. I know its better to go out and do things more than sit inside and watch t.v., go on the computer or play video games, but life without media and technology would be a very intense thing to get use to.

Media Day 9/2/10

11:00 a.m. - Turned of my alarm and checked my cell phone, cell phone use will continue all day.

12:00 p.m. - Watched t.v. for one hour.

1:30 p.m. -Drove to class.

2:00 p.m.- teacher used projector in class.

4:00 p.m. -Drove home

5:00 p.m. -Went on my computer and and then played video games for an hour and a half.

6:30 p.m. - I cooked dinner i used the stove and the microwave.

8:00 p.m. watched a movie with my roommates.

10:00 p.m. went on my computer for 30 minutes.

10:30 p.m. watched t.v. for an hour.