My Friend Oscar

Here are my picks for the big awards tonight. They're listed in order of preference.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There – Haven’t seen it. But she plays a dude, and that usually goes for a lot. Plus, the dude she plays is Bob Dylan. So, we have a chick playing a man in a biopic. She’s the favorite.
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone – REALLY good character. People from Boston are crazy.
Ruby Dee in American Gangster – Plays the mom of the gangster. Throws some punches too.
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton – Pretty good character.
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement – Haven’t seen it. Can’t really say anything about it.

Actress in A Leading Role
Ellen Page in Juno – Cute character, but I have the feeling this is just her in real life. That doesn’t really make it acting .
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Haven’t seen it.
Julie Christie in Away From Her – Haven’t seen it.
Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose – Haven’t seen it.
Laura Linney in The Savages – Haven’t seen it.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men – One of the creepiest characters I can remember. He should win, simply because I like his character the best. This category is so close that I think the only one who shouldn’t win is Hal Holbrook.
Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton – Should be on equal billing with George Clooney in Michael Clayton for the role he plays in the movie. A really good character.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War – Plays the ying to Tom Hank’s yang. Great character played well by a great actor.
Casey Afflek in The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford – He plays Robert Ford in the movie. And, he plays the character well. Not better than Wilkinson or Seymour Hoffman though.
Hal Holbrook in Into The Wild – Plays the old man in the movie. You know, the guy who teaches the you young boy about the world.

Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood – I really, really like this character. Similar to his Bill The Butcher character in Gangs of New York. Well similar to the character in that they are both super creepy.
George Clooney in Michael Clayton – I feel like this character wasn’t that much of a stretch for Clooney. It’s very Clooney , just without the humor.
Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises – He plays a Russian. And he has a knife fight in a bath house while naked. There are just better characters.
Tommy Lee Jones in In The Valley of Elah – Makes the movie go. I know this was supposed to be his big anti-war statement. The very last scene of the movie is Jones raising a flag, and I remember thinking, “That wasn’t an antiwar movie. “ Then you see the flag and it’s upside down. Then I remember thinking, “That’s just dumb.”
Johnny Deep in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street – I hate musicals. I bet it’s a dark character though.

Emile Hirsch in Into The Wild – Should be up for this award. In fact, either him or Day-Lewis should win this award. He almost made me cry. Almost.

Best Picture
No Country For Old Men – Sara hated this movie. I loved it. It’s really dark. Even the humor is dark.
There Will Be Blood – I wouldn’t be upset if this one instead of No Country, but I don’t think it should.
Juno –Probably didn’t live up to the hype that it received, but that’s probably more to the fact that there was too much hype. It was a pretty good movie though. Michael Cera is so awkward that I can’t help but love his characters.
Michael Clayton – A really good movie. I wouldn’t say a great one. I think I saw this and American Gangster on back to back nights and liked American Gangster more.
Atonement – Haven’t see it. But, someone told me they fell asleep during a war scene. That’s all I need to know. Eric told me it wasn’t bad, but I could tell he didn’t really mean that.

Mother Teresa or Dell Computers - Who do you think helped India more?

My generation has a much easier time distinguishing India as an emerging economy than my parent’s generation. We don’t remember it for the disaster that it used to be. We don’t remember that what Africa is today, India used to be. And so, the question has to be asked. What helped India turn the corner? Was it foreign aid/charity or was it Dell Computers? Are Indians empowering themselves and growing their middle class by me giving them money or by Dell Computers giving them jobs. I think it’s the later, and I think it’s going to always be the later.

Does me handing money to someone that is hungry get them food? Yes. Does it get there children food? Yes, maybe. Does it give their children’s children food? Undoubtedly no. So, I’ve provided temporary relief but not cured the problem. What if someone close to you had a treatable form of cancer and the doctor told you that instead of treating the problem they were just going to provide relief? You would be livid. Poverty is a treatable (but not curable) problem. It’s being treated right now in India and China. But, instead what, if we instead gave that person a loan. And they used that money to start a business. And that business provided their children with money and food and education. And when I say business, I’m not saying that they build a telecommunications company. But maybe they do. Africa has had the highest growth rate for mobile phone users the past 10 years. Someone has to sell the the hardware. Someone has to provide the services. There are woman in India who sell sachets (think smaller than what you get in a hotel) of shampoo and soap they purchased using loans of $200 in rural areas. There are people in Brazil who sell the minutes on their sell phones. What if we helped people buy and cultivate land to grow coffee that rich Americans will pay outrageous prices for?
We (the US) have spent close to $2.5 trillion (and remember generally no more than 40% of money that is donated actually the reaches those that need it, the other 60% is sunk into administrative costs) on foreign aid the past 50 years, with little to show for it. Why? One, is because it makes us feel good. Giving money makes us feel like better humans and is the lowest cost denominator in appeasing our soul. Two, it helps the American economy. When the US pledges to send food to XYZ country, almost all that is sent on US produce. When the US pledges drugs to be sent to ABC country, those must be FDA-approved. That’s big business, especially for industries that are heavily subsidized and need buyers for products. Three, it’s a way for the US to spread their power across the globe.

I don’t think all of societal problems can be solved with capitalism. In fact, I don’t think that most of them can. Really, only poverty. That’s not to say that I think we can make it where no one is poor. Socialism does not work. If you took a group of the ten richest people and put them on another planet. The 10th richest person would not be considered the 10th richest. That person would be considered the poorest.

Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.

Song Recommendation – Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife by The Drive-By Truckers
(Who I’m going to see next weekend at Headliners. Get your tickets fast because their sure to sell out. DMassey might have an extra one, let me know if you're interested.)

Thinking about all this made me think about one of my experiences in England. The experience has no no bearing on the previous situations, because the circumstances are completely different. This is about a bum. When I studied in England they put us up in this flat in a super nice part of town (when you have the word Royal in the name of the borough, you know you got it made). This guy used to sit in front of the store on the corner (across from the Lamborghini dealership) and ask for change every time you walked in and out. Would give you a dirty look if you didn’t give him money. Everyday. Sitting there. Asking for money. So, the last day we are there (not kidding, the very last day), I see this guy count his money, run down the street (first time I’ve seen him move), buy a beer, chug the beer, and sit back down in his spot to start begging for another beer. So, I went back to America angry that I thought I was helping this guy out all summer, when in actuality he was getting drunk off of my money.

If you wanna read more about this topics from this post you can check out:
The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid by C.K. Prahalad
Bill Gates Calls For Kinder Capitalism
The White Man's Burden by William Easterly

Another Day, Another Birthday

Tuesday was my birthday. The 24th of my life. Big props go out to Mama Haywood for coming through and getting through the birth process back in 1984. I couldn't have done it without you. I certainly didn't do anything exciting. Went to class, went to meetings, watch Purdue let IU win, just the normal here and there of life. The family and I and Sara celebrated on Sunday with lunch at PF Chang's and Ice Cream Cake and Daytona 500. What can I say, we like to party.

One of the present's Sara got me was a subscription to Netflix (which is amazing on her part because I asked for it for Christmas but didn't get it, she didn't even know I wanted it). Now, I've been skeptical about Netflix and its utility for a while. I watch a lot of movies and TV shows because I don't get any television stations, and I kept debating on whether I wanted it or not. The thing that changed my mind about renting movies was when I went to rent a movie and they charged me like 4 bucks. 4 bucks for 2 hours of fun. No thank you. I can drive across the street and get one from the RedBox at McDonalds for $1. That is, if they aren't all gone. Well, after having it for 3 days I love it. For one, there are a good number of movies that you can just watch streaming over the internet. You don't even have to wait the 1 day it takes to receive them in the mail. SWEET. Second, they have this feature where you rate movies that you've seen and they make recommendations based on that. The more ratings you make, the more accurate the recommendations become. I'll rate a bunch of movies, and then it will make a recommendation and it'll be a movie I really like. Good stuff.

One of the shows I've been watching over the internet is a Showtime show called Dexter. Dexter is the story of a serial killer who works for the police department down in Miami. The show has the best of both worlds. It's a crime drama (Dexter is infatuated with blood, and as such is a forensic expert) in the mode of CSI with clues and crimes and bad people and good people. But it's also creepy (in the mode of a nightmare) because the main character kills at least one criminal in every show. How can you not love that?

Speaking of nightmares. Sara told me that she recently had a dream about being pregnant (don't worry, it wasn't mine.....or maybe that means I should be worried). Except it wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. Why was it a nightmare? Because she wasn't taking baby vitamins. She called it her "scariest dream ever." I told her that my scariest dream ever happens every day when I wake up and realize that she and I are still dating. She wasn't too happy about that. I thought it was funny.

My cast got some snow water in it walking from my house to the car, and so I had to use a blow dryer to dry it out. Good news. It's dry. Bad news. Based on the smell, my leg is rotting inside the cast. I also developed a new sleeping move. Instead of the dead frog, I've been going with the upside down waterslide. It's very similar to normal sleeping on your belly, but you cross your feet at the ankles.

Song Recommendation - Pearls On A String by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

EXCITING NEWS!!!!

Well, I have some exciting news. Since, I was working in Louisville this weekend and wasn't going be able to see Sara on Valentine's Day I stopped by Btown on Wednesday to celebrate the worst holiday this side of President's Day. Well, Sara cooked this fabulous meal (I'm talking pretty close to GourMan...4 courses) and afterward I knew I couldn't wait any longer. With Sara sitting on the couch and the lights dimmed, I got down on one knee, reached into my bag, pulled out the...DVD and put it into the player. Seriously, you seriously believed that? Come on. Whenever and I do decide to propose it definitely will not be on a holiday. Especially a holiday as cheesy at Valentine's Day. It will be something good like Christmas or the lucky girl/boy's birthday. That way I'm only buy ONE present instead of two. See how I do that. You can say whatever you want about ol' Nick Haywood, but you can't deny that he's a thinker.

But yea, we watched The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. If you didn't know, movies about murderers and robbers make GREAT Valentine's Day movies. Casey Afflek (yes, Ben's brother) was pretty impressive in his role as Robert Ford. Probably deserving of his Best Supporting Actor nomination. In my opinion, that category is the hardest to pick a winner from. All five of those guys had great roles. But we'll talk about that at a later date. I still have a couple more movies to watch before I can give my predictions.

Take a minute to imagine a dead frog. The frog's lying flat on it's bell with it's legs out behind it, kind of bent out wide.....Ok, got it. Now, take a minute to think about how you sleep.............Ok, got it. I sleep on my stomach. And since I don't like to suffocate with my face down in the pillow I turn my head to the side. The issue is that to turn your head to side you have to also turn your hip. Nick, that's not an issue! You're right. Normally it wouldn't be an issue. Except that when you turn your hip you also turn your ankle, and the way you want to turn your ankle is the way that is restricted when your wearing a cast. That leaves to way to sleep. With your foot dangling off the bed, or like a dead frog. I choose dead frog. My boss also suggested I tell me that I hurt my ankle because a party I was at got busted, I ran from the cops, jumped over a fence, my belt got caught (?????), I was hanging from the fence (Is this possible??), and eventually fell off and broke my foot. Basically, my boss wants me to be irresponsible. Everyone knows that if I was at a party that got busted, I'm shooting the cop and calmly walking away.

Boy, do I have a song recommendation for today. It's not my normal genre (you know, sad, depressing, semi-country stuff) but I have to give Kayne West credit for his performance at Grammy's. I did not know this, but he sampled a Daft Punk song with his hit Stronger. So, he invited Daft Punk (and their pyramid) to perform with him. Daft Punk is huge in Europe and was a headliner at Bonnaroo last year, yet are adverse to being in the spotlight (Search for a picture of them on internet without their helmets). They're hard to find. The Grammy's were their television debut. 15 years of hot beats and they've never been on TV. Plus, I want me some of those sunglasses. If you don't wanna watch the Kayne part just go to the 2:40 mark.

Song Recommendation - Stronger by Kayne West

Based on that video, I bet those who made the mistake (I guess that's a point of view word) before Daft Punk's set at Bonnaroo were freaking out the entire time.

South America

As per Adam’s request I procured an updated itinerary for the South America trip that is quickly approaching.

The trip starts with a red-eye flight (why don’t people just carry some Visine or something, then it could be called an all-night flight) from DFW into Santiago, Chile (SCL for those playing flight simulator) that arrives at 10 AM on March 5th. That afternoon there is a trip to the Concha Y Toro Winery and the itinerary says,

Depart Santiago towards the Maipo valley, one of Chile’s most important wine producing areas. Founded in 1883, Concha y Toro is today the largest wine exporter in the country. The tour includes a full visit to the extensive landscaped gardens, the plantations (some of which were planted by the founder of the vineyard, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro), the modern plant and the old cellars. There is a tasting of different wines during the tour.

To say I don’t like wine is an overstatement, I hate the stuff. But when in Chile, do as the Chilean do. That is, take touristy wine tours. No, I’m sure it’ll be pretty neat. I like the process of making things, often times more than the actual product. And, the wine tasting can’t be worse than drinking whiskey at the Dewar’s Distillery in Scotland. That stuff was firewater, and the Master Distiller recommended we hold it in our mouths for the full flavor. Yikes. That evening, as well as the next two days we are on our own to tour Santiago. Well…kinda….see…the point of the trip is for the IU students to make company visits and learn “how to do business” in South America. Everyone is obviously just using that as an excuse to tour Chile and Argentina. So, half of one of those two free days is going to be touring Chilean companies.

On Saturday the 8th, we catch a flight down to Puerto Montt. Puerto Montt is located in the Patagonia Region (that’s what the company is named after) of Chile (most of Patagonia is located in Argentina, but Patagonia National Park the company is founding will be located in Chile), and because of that I’m expecting it to be downright beautiful. That afternoon we are going whitewater rafting in a glacial river. Hopefully wetsuits are provided.

Set off on a class III-IV rafting trip down the clear, azure waters of the Petrohue River. The mighty Petrohue is one of Chile’s most beautiful and exciting glacial rivers in the Lakes District.

That evening is free to check out the city and the next day involves a lake crossing to the Argentinean city of Bariloche (I’m still not sure how this is possible considering there is a mountain range between Bariloche and Puerto Montt, but I’m going to assume our tour guide knows this). We spend a day and a half in Bariloche; with one afternoon spent horseback riding. Again, sounds cool.

The Fortín Chacabuco Estacia ranch is 25 km from the centre of Bariloche and offers everything we need – excellent horses and native bilingual guides who’ll lead us into places beyond our imagination, with panoramic views of Bariloche and the Andes beyond. We’ll hope to see plenty of deer, Patagonian hares, perhaps some red foxes and all the bountiful flora of the area. We’ll ride for two hours in the morning and at lunch share a typical Argentine barbecue, an authentic asado criollo. In the afternoon, we’ll take a ride through swamps, canyons and valleys. Before heading back into Bariloche, we’ll have a break for yerba mate tea and homemade pastries.

On Tuesday the 11th we fly from Bariloche to Buenos Aires. The pattern for travel days usually includes travel in the morning and a group activity in the afternoon. This day will be no different as we get take a guided city tour in the afternoon (the explanation of the tour isn’t well written, but I think you’ll get the main idea).

In order to introduce this magnificent metropolitan city, we will be visiting the main points of interest of Buenos Aires such us the historical complex of Plaza de Mayo (May Square) where you can see Government House, the Casa Rosada (Pink House), which is the site of the Argentinean National Government. Next is the Cathedral, where there is a mausoleum dedicated to General San Martin, the greatest national hero in Argentina. The historical Cabildo is a beautiful building dating from the 18th Century, and the site of the first Government introduced to the country. The imposing building of Congress, the colonial church such as Santo Domingo.

La Boca District with its famous and pintoresque Caminito Street. The next point of interest to be visited is an area called La Recoleta , where the French cultural influence can be seen in the design of the many buildings, apartment houses, palaces, shops, streets, cafes and restaurants, all of which offer a very lively and colourful background to the Quarter. A short walk into La Recoleta Cemetery offers a surprising discovery of sculptural and architectural treasures. On either side of the narrow walkways there are monuments and mausoleums which look just like the houses in town. It’s a miniature village dedicated to the departed.

That evening there is a group dinner and tango show. The next three days are free for us to take company visits (one afternoon) and explorer the city (the rest of the time). The last day of the trip there is a Delta River cruise, which is described as:

A pleasant journey along the River Plate's coast and through beautiful residential areas in Buenos Aires: private neighborhoods, sailing clubs, marinas and slips. The enchantment of the renewed old English train stations allows visitors to enjoy one of the most modern trains in the country and a great variety of entertainments. At Tigre Port we’ll visit the open market and its handcraft shops. On board of a Catamaran we’ll navigate through a labyrinth of islands and small barren islands intercrossed by rivers and streams.

Depart towards north district . This tour comprises a tour through the elegant northern riverside suburbs of Vicente Lopez, Olivos, where the Argentinean President's residence is located. You’ll also visit San Isidro, with its gothic Cathedral, and San Fernando before proceeding to Tigre, where you’ll embark a private boat and will set sail . You will see why the labyrinth of rivers and channels of the Tigre Delta have been a favorite weekend getaway for porteños. We’ll explore the maze of channels and streams, islands, riverside villas, Victorian docks, English gardens and traditional rowing clubs along the Parana River Delta. The nearby Lujan, Sarmiento, Tigre and San Antonio rivers are all part of the excursion.

We’ll arrive to Gato Blanco Restaurant, after about 45 minutes of navigation, located in one of the Delta’s Island where lunch will be served. After some free time to relax, we’ll navigate the catamaran back to Tigre Port.

That evening we catch our flights back to the US. Things on the trip that I am particularly excited about is the horseback riding in Patagonia and the lake trip from Puerto Montt to Bariloche. I need to pick up guide books for both Santiago and Buenos Aires. Actually having a detailed itinerary in front of me is getting me pretty excited for the trip. I think I’m going to go start packing right now.

Song Recommendation - Daddy's Farm by Shooter Jennings

Bonnaroo Line-Up Announced (Sigh of Relief)

So, the initial Bonnaroo line-up has finally been anounced and I can travel in peace this summer. Why? Because no Led Zeppelin in Manchester. Highlights of the line-up DO include:

My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam
Metallica
Jack Johnson
Kayne West
Plant & Krauss
The Allman Brothers Band
Death Cab For Cutie
Iron & Wine
Robert Randolph's Revival
The Avett Brothers
The Bluegrass Allstars
The Swell Season (the characters from Once)

My prediction is that MMJ is going to rock it hard on the 2nd stage for a late night show. I don't like Death Cab at outdoor festivals, so not sad about that. Strangely enough I would like to see Metallica. Iron & Wine and The Avett Brothers are favorites. Kayne, PJ, and ABB are take it or leave for me (meaning it would be fun, but I'm not going to be sad about it). The Bluegrass Allstars line-up looks pretty strong (Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, etc.) and I'm sure Krauss will sit in if they are preforming the same day as her and Plant. Overall, I'm sure it will be fun for those who go, but I'm not going to be missing much by skipping it.

Song Recommendation - Nothing by I'm In Class

Don't try to Google that song. It doesn't actually exist.

All Over The Place

So, I just finished the season of CSI I had been watching (the Miniature Killer was a woman!!!) and I noticed that they listen to Sinatra a lot on that show. The thing is, I've recently been to Las Vegas and didn't hear Sinatra once. I'm beginning to think the producers of CSI are full of it. All these lies. I bet no one even dies in Vegas.

The Barbaro leg is going fine. No laminitis or anything like that to cause me to be euthanized or anything like that. One issue I’m having is that I no easy way to get to and from class. It’s a pretty far hobble from school to home. I could drive my car to the parking garage. The problem with that is that I can only hide my car on the 7th floor of the parking garage and the elevator is broken. It takes forever to walk up and down a flight of stairs when you have to go one at a time (the problem with the cast is that I can’t bend my leg so that I have a normal gait….I kinda walk like Woody from the Toy Story with my led swinging out sideways….on narrow stairs I can’t swing my leg up so I have to go right foot up, left foot up on same stair, right foot up on next stair, forever). The only other issue is the shower issue. Leg hair is designed really well for draining water off the body. Because of this it also drains water into casts under rubber bands holding plastic bags. Learned from that first shower. So, now I have two trash bags on my leg with a wash cloth around the top of the cast. Let’s just say that I don’t take showers until when needed.

I went and saw There Will Be Blood last night, and there is no doubt in my mind that Daniel Day-Lewis will win the award for Best Actor. The only other nominee I’ve seen is that category is George Clooney as Michael Clayton but there is no doubt. No doubt. His character is out of control. Almost as creepy as Javiar Bardem (Best Supporting Actor) in No Country For Old Men, and he isn’t even an assassin….he’s an oil man.

I also recently saw Cloverfield. It’s a mix between Godzilla and The Blair Witch Project. In other words, it is first person view of running from Godzilla. Sara and I both thought it was a cool perspective. Apparently, they’re making a sequel. I don’t know how that is going to work.

One thing that has been getting on my nerves lately is when you see an alcohol-related article and they mention that the legal limit to drive a car is .08. Cool. Thanks for the info, but I don’t see how a person who is found dead in an alley from alcohol poisoning has anything to do with the legal limit for driving. Obviously, they were above the legal limit for living. Obviously they weren’t driving. They were walking in an alley. I know that it is done to provide perspective. It might better to say that the dead body had a BAC of .37 and that can result in loss of blatter function, difficulty breathing, and heart failure. That’s better than saying the dead body found a BAC of .37 is more than 4.5 times the legal limit to drive.

Did you know they have Who Wants To Be a Millionaire in Ireland? I wanna be on that version. They pay in Euros. Gotta love that exchange rate. Oh, speaking of exchange rate quit complaining. It’s all cyclical. This is America. These colors don’t run. The exchange rates today are equal to what they were before the tech bubble. It happens. Let’s just hope were the leaders in the biotech bubble. Oh, and quit talking about recessions. That’s a self-fulfilling prophesy. The more you talk about it, the more likely it is to happen. If everyone talk about a recession, businesses are less likely to hire workers or make investments in plant/equipment because they expect future demand to be low. Then when people here on the news that unemployment is high, they have further proof that a recession is coming. If everyone would just stop, it would all pass. The news would think of some other “tragic” topic to talk about.

All you Indy people need to go to the Tom Petty concert when he comes to Verizon on July 3rd. He put on a pretty good show at Bonnaroo a couple of years ago.

Song Recommendation - Saving Grace by Tom Petty

I Feel Like Barbaro

Hour 28 of this cast on my left leg. It has been a tough 28 hours. Even though my leg is in the same condition it was in 1 minute prior to getting my cast on, once I got it on I felt like it was broken. I feel like I have to be super protective of it. Even though, it is fine. This is just procautionary. Sleeping with it sucks. Going up and down the stairs with it sucks. Explaining the story really sucks (mainly because it isn't that exciting). But, like Micheal Scott when he George Foreman-ed (I used that as a verb) his leg I will be a beacon of hope for the disabled. Since I've gotten this cast, I've did my own laundry. I've driven myself to Bloomington. I WILL go to the MBA Gala and cut a rug on the dancefloor. I will show people with disableness that they too can go to dances with super expensive tickets (where none of the money goes to charity, like the Purdue Gala) and perform on the dance floor. I will be there hope.

I was talking to the doctor (who works Tuesday through Friday in the afternoon) about Las Vegas, and I made the comment that I previously went to Vegas when I was 12, and that I didn't fully understand just what they were selling. Consequently, we began to talk about the seven deadly sins. He told me he was always able to remember the seven sins because of Gilligan's Island, and that all the characters protrayed one of the sins. I told him I remembered them a much darker way (the movie Seven, which is super creepy), but for your enjoyment:

Gilligan - Gluttony
The Skipper - Anger
Thurston Howell - Greed
Mrs. Howell - Sloth
Ginger - Lust
The Professor - Pride
Mary Ann - Envy (wanted to be Ginger)

Watch the show again, you'll see.

Sorry Sara, the rest of this one isn't as light and airy as you would probably like. Congrats on the internship with Eli Lilly in Switzerland though. That goes in the category of super sweet.

I've been watching this VH1 show The Drug Years and aside from being on a station with Rock of Love and America's Next Top Model, it's a pretty fantastic educational special. One of the segments was about cocaine. So, as the story goes, cocaine can be turned into two super-potent forms. Freebase (for the rich) or crack (for the poor). Now, what's interesting is that when crack hit the streets the show claims that this is the first time that the ghetto started to go downhill. Because most ghetto families are matriarchial (without a father) when mothers started using this cheap, new drug no one was around to raise the family. It also was the first time drug dealers started making REAL money. Consequently, they started buying guns. Consequently, they started killing each other. Consequently, that was the start of gang violence. Ronald Reagan also started the "Just Say No" campaign about this time. The interesting part, is that it focused on the ghetto and the effect that cocaine was having there. In reality, 75% of the cocaine users of that time were white. Super interesting to think about.

Song Recommendation - Shake What Yo Mama Gave You by North Mississippi Allstars