Troy Davis Execution

I'll try to stay as objective on this subject as possible, considering that I'm ignorant to the details of the case.
One thing I have observed however is the constant correlation and comparisons people are making to the Casey Anthony case, where there seemed to have been ample evidence...to this case where the evidence was not so clear and several witnesses withdrew their testimonies.

Aside from the moral, ethic, and legal implications of the results of this case, bottom line is that capital punishment is devastating (guilty or not). I mean, he potentially murdered an officer and he dies for that potentiality. Is the appropriate approach to setting an example performing the same act back to an individual? If you shoot up my school, shall I shoot up yours? If you brush my shoulder on the side walk, shall I turn around to catch up with you and then brush you back? I don't know, these are just questions..but there are serial rapist and mass murders who still possess the right to life, living in jail, right?...

What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment.

P.S I failed miserably at objectivity.

RIP to Troy and any other individual that was a victim of capital punishment.

Read the CBC News brief if you're interested.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/21/troy-davis-deathrow.html

Feel Good Music for the Day

Inspired by a good friend. The video is just as captivating as the song actually. I hope you enjoy is just as much as I did.
Have a great day! 

President Barack Obama

I've been an Obama fan from the very beginning to be honest. I was initially drawn to his advocacy of 'hope' and his fresh ideas. Although his time in office has not been operated 'smoothly' (just like every other American president), and although there are many, including me, that do not agree with all of the decisions he has made, President Obama has definitely come a long way. 
I think the beginning of this speech exemplifies exactly what his difficulty has been for the majority of his time in office so far: partisan politics has become the forefront of the agenda as opposed to the most necessary mobilization and togetherness of the two parties for the sake of passing bills and making a change for the people of America.
President Obama talks on the economy, job creation, taxes, infrastructure, health care and more.
I love the clarity and organization of his speech here, and I hope both Republicans and Democrats put most of the competition aside for the time being so that progress can be made.
What do you think about the speech or about Obama's presidency?

Ms. Lauryn Hill

If you're unfamiliar with her work, I highly suggest you GET FAMILIAR. A couple Christmas's ago I begged my best friend Julian to get me her MTV Unplugged album/DVD from HMV. He tricked me and told me that the one I had found online (which was the last one in the GTA) had just been bought before he got to it. Then on Christmas day I saw this little rectangular gift under my tree...OF COURSE it was the DVD (and Ju Boo I'll forever love you for this!)
My point is, this album of hers is quite unheard of to the general public but it is definitely something special. Listening and analyzing the lyrics and the meaning behind the lyrics in this album will help one to understand much of her rebellion against the music industry. People say she "fell off" or "went crazy" but no one knows what she's been through.
the MTV Unplugged pieces expose the corruption and politics of the media and of the music industry that caused Ms. Hill to step back and look at the bigger picture of life. I'm in love with politics of all kinds, and listening to her music from the MTV Unplugged 2.0 (although quite cryptic) has opened me to a whole other arena of politics that is present in the lives of young artists especially.
Below are two of my favs from the album, enjoy and please don't hesitate to comment, respectfully of course. God Bless.

This song in my opinion and understanding, is about God, and how he can give you peace of mind as a woman when males in your life or even Satan leaves you feeling crazy. One many mistake it for being about a male a female is in love with, but my personal interpretation of it has allowed me to reconnect with God at a time in my life when I was most definitely drifting.

This is one of the more cryptic pieces, listen to it a couple times if it helps. It talks about her escaping the bondage she encountered belonging to a demanding record label and being a part of an industry often filled with corruption and lies.

L BOOGIE!

Hello my fellow bloggers, all I'm here to say this morning is AMAZING! My throat and voice box have both just charged me with assault. I abused the heck out of them last night at the Nas and Lauryn Hill concert!


ONE thing you should all know about me is that I absolutely LOVE Ms. Lauryn Hill. From her appearance on Mary J. Blige's album in 1994 when she was only 19, to her most recent singles like "Repercussions" (2004 I think), I have the most utter respect for the original L Boogie as an artist. Despite all the controversy about her mental instability and her diva antics, I'm a devoted fan nonetheless. If there's anything I've retained from her music it's that no one is perfect, no matter how cliche that may sound right now...
What got to me the most about last night is the queen L just had a baby on July 23rd and she looks fantastic! She's still in shape, and still has so much energy for her fans.
Here's one of my fav performances of hers, not that you get to hear much of her amazing vocal abilities in this performance, but her personality shines through in this performance and her friendship with Ms. Blige is so apparent! LOVE YOU L BOOG.
Enjoy.

Law School- UofT

Fellow UofT students and aspiring law students, check this out:

http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/legalfeeds/437/U-of-T-law-program-wins-kudos.html

YES, I am very prideful of my school! It's nice to see things like this. Kudos to us!
Still contemplating (although it's kind of late) whether or not to go down that route.

On a side note, I secretly think Osgoode Hall is still the best law school in Ontario. Shhhhh.

"Islamicism"

I want to hear more about what people think about Harper's comment on terrorism as a threat to Canada. In a nutshell, our PM identified "Islamicism" as our biggest threat in relation with attacks. I'm pretty sure you can see where the controversy came in:


"Islam" is an entire religious community. Some of it's members have polluted the reputation of the religion by adding violence and aggression to it, allowing politicians such as Harper to draw such a broad generalization.


On the flip side, when people inquire about how relevant terrorism threats are now and who we are threatened by, a decade after 9/11 by the way, the PM has a responsibility make a classification...


What about the moral implication of the term "Islamicism"? Combining the terms 'Islam' and 'terrorism' is to brand a religious group as one associated with violence, bombs, and attacks which I think is completely prejudice and morally incorrect. However, as a realist, I also have the ability to accept the reality of every situation. If in fact threats towards our country have been directed from countries in the Middle East such as Afghanistan, which all have the only commonality of representing the "Islam" nation, I'm able to understand PM Harper's rationale behind his (probably rash and impulsive) choice of terminology.
It's  bittersweet entertainment for me that he is getting eaten alive for it though :)
But what do YOU think?
Click the link below to view CBC's article on the subject:
 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/09/06/harper-911-terrorism-islamic-interview.html

Theophilus London

Music to my ears. Literally and figuratively. Thank God (and yes I'm a believer) for friends who also value good music to introduce me to new artists (this is not gospel music by the way). Go to YouTube and search "Theophilus London" or even just search his lyrics on Google if you're more of a visual person. I'm in love with his aura and his vibe; my personal favs are "Why Even Try" and "I Stand Alone". Music is power, and despite the common view of some politicians, power should be shared. Enjoy.

Back to School

Alright, so we all know the big hype about back to school: new friends, new courses, new profs, new opportunities, blah blah blah. But really, what does back to school mean for you individually? For half of the people I know, school is simply a time occupying mechanism as well as a handy tool used for a sense of belonging. Don't get me wrong, these things are important, however, I cannot personally throw thousands of dollars down the drain just so that my time can be occupied.
The fact of the matter is that half of us undergraduate students are still unsure about what we what to do with our lives once we get our shiny degrees, and even if we do have an idea of what we want to do, we may be unsure of whether or not our decisions and especially our programs will take us there. "Back to school" each August  should be a moment of cultivation: planning and preparing the grounds upon which you will make your next step towards growth and development. In simpler terms, DO YOUR RESEARCH. It's never too late to change, tweak, or modify your plans. Goal-setting towards your desired destination should be maintained and updated each "back to school" period to ensure that school isn't just other time-occupant in your life.