NMM: Blown Away

Carrie Underwood is back with a vengeance with the release of her first studio album since the 2009 double-platinum hit Play On. The highly anticipated album, called Blown Away, has a great contrast of serious songs and ballads as well as more lighthearted, foot tapping tunes. The album showcases Underwood's songwriting and vocal skills and should definitely be a hit with fans.

Exclusively on Reflections you are getting to listen to one of the songs off the new album, "Thank God For Hometowns." The song allows you to think of the subtleties of Americana and go back to a simplistic side of life that gets you out of "this crazy world." Have a listen and make sure you buy the album Tuesday!

Video and Music Not Owned By Reflections
℗19 Recordings, Limited / Sony Music Nashville
Video courtesy of Youtube

Know Before You Go

The Weekly Salutes are taking a little siesta but I have another interesting topic to discuss. As many of you know, North Carolina voters will decide whether to adopt an amendment that would make marriage between one man and one woman the only legally recognized marriage in the state. At first, I was going to vote for the amendment but I think I've changed my mind to either vote against it or abstain.

Here's why: people have been saying how this amendment would define marriage and nothing more. As per my skeptical self, I knew the law had to do more than just that. I've never heard of a law that solely covers one item like people claimed this amendment does. So, I did some further research and found a non-partisan organization, Democracy NC, and a publication they created that's directed toward voters. 

Here are the key points about the amendment you may want to consider before heading to the polls on May 8, according to that publication:

1. "North Carolina law already defines marriage as between one man and one woman. A gay couple can not marry in North Carolina. The Amendment does not change the law about marriage itself."

2. "The Amendment changes what counts in North Carolina law as a 'family' or 'domestic relationship.' This change threatens the rights of ALL unwed couples [regardless of sexual orientation], their children, single parents, widows, and single women."

3. "It also affects their insurance, child custody, visitation rights, social security benefits and protection from domestic violence. Grandparents raising a grandchild and a woman abused by her boyfriend can lose legal rights."

I know many people who read this will completely disagree with what I've said (and I respect that) but these are the facts. You're not going to sit there and tell me this amendment is only concerned with defining marriage. There's simply no way that's possible. It's one thing to define marriage, it's an entirely different thing to take away rights to health care insurance, visitation in hospitals, etc. regardless of sexual orientation. That's where I draw the line.

Watch the video below. This is one of the "untold stories" of what this amendment can do.

Two Beefs

After President Obama's trip to UNC on Tuesday, I have two beefs. First, the president talked about student loans and how the interest rates on these loans will double if Congress doesn't act by July 1st. As a college student with loans myself, I know exactly how this increase will affect me. Quite frankly, it pisses me off that some old fogies in Washington can't simply pass legislation to help college students! What do they say instead? That we (college students) should "make the rate increases work." One of North Carolina's very own members of Congress, Virginia Foxx, said she had "no tolerance" for students who come out of college with a lot of debt because "it shouldn't happen." She went on to say that this is a country of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and we shouldn't "sit on our butts and have things handed to us."

Well, let me tell you lady, there may be a select number of students who do that but I know neither I (nor any of my friends) fall into that category. As far as I know, my friends and I either work (or have worked) some type of job, are involved in multiple extracurricular activities, and are still able to maintain a 3.7+ GPA. I was offended by that comment because I work my tail off everyday in school. Just because we're college students doesn't automatically mean we waste that loan money out partying and doing other things. 

Foxx's statements were apparently based on the fact that it took her seven years to finish her college education and how she didn't borrow any money during that time. Here's a newsflash: this is not the 1960s when you were college, Mrs. Foxx! You guys want to know how much Mrs. Foxx paid to go to UNC in 1961? Well, according to The Quick And The Ed, Foxx paid $87.50 per semester. If you adjust for inflation, the actual dollar amount today is a whopping $671.30! I wish I only had to pay that much a semester! Instead, in-state students at UNC are paying three times that amount now! The bottom line is this: nowadays, some people simply have no choice but to take out student loans. It's not because we're lazy and just want things handed to us it's, unfortunately, a fact of life!

Look, this is not a Democrat/Republican issue, this is an American issue! I'm sick and tired of people treating this as a political issue and doing zilch to change it! If you're a college student and you don't want to see your rates double on your loans this summer, do something about it! Write, call, email, or tweet your Congressional representatives to stop this outrage!!!!

Okay, next, I want to address all the negative commentary on President Obama's visit to "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." What's wrong with him being on the show? Haven't presidents, vice presidents, first ladies, and candidates been doing this kind of thing for years? I've been hearing over and over about how this was a political ploy for the president. Uh, duh! It is election season after all! That's just as obvious a statement as saying "Late Night" did this show for a ratings boost. It's common sense people! I think some people honestly hate to see a president who's down to earth and willing to have some good, clean fun rather than being a stick in the mud like some previous presidents.

Enough is enough! I've never seen so much disrespect in my life! Like I've said over and over again, I may not have liked or agreed with President Bush but I, at the very least, respected him because he was the leader of our country. It's negative commentary like this that is splitting the country further and further apart and I'm SICK OF IT!!!! Why don't you guys just shut your mouths and help our country get back on its feet instead of criticizing every move our president makes? Show some freaking respect!

Metta...What?

Okay, I'm a little confused. I thought Ron Artest changed his name to "Metta World Peace" to try and show a "friendlier" side. After all, his first name, "Metta," means "loving kindness towards all." Well, I think the Ron Artest we all knew came back during the Lakers vs. Thunder game on Sunday when he elbowed James Harden. He was ejected and suspended (and did apologize) after the incident but he may want to consider changing his name...again!

NMM: Love Come To Life

The Christian band, Big Daddy Weave, is back with a brand new album entitled "Love Come To Life." This album has a mix of some great songs, including the song below called "Give My Life Away." I think this is my favorite off the whole album. Check it out!

Two Fun Men

Most of my "Weekly Salute" posts are on more serious things, so I decided to change it up a bit this week with a salute to Two Fun Men. Who are they? They're these two guys who were on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and did a fake fight with sound effects. It's hilarious but I find it amazing how they can time everything just right with the sound effects (and keep a beat too). Just watch the video and see what I'm talking about!

UNC Tarpeggios

A friend of mine from high school, who's a member of this group, asked if I could publicize them on my blog...enjoy!

The UNC Tarpeggios are a new, co-ed acapella group (formed in 2010) at UNC-Chapel Hill. They have covered everything from Mary Wells & The Temptations, to The Beatles, to Adele, and beyond. If you're a music fan of any kind, you need to check them out!

Below is a sample of their music: "Carolina State Of Mind" a play on "Empire State Of Mind" by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. You can check out more info on the group here: http://tarpeggios.com/ or the group's Youtube.

Not The Coat

Josh Miller, from Atlanta, is already in the doghouse before he even marries his bride. Miller bought a beautiful (and expensive) engagement ring and hid it in a winter coat pocket for two months before finding the "right time" to propose to his girlfriend, Cara Epstein. When the time came, Miller went to get the ring but couldn't find it. After a frantic search, he discovered what happened: he had accidentally donated the coat (ring and all) to Goodwill! 

When he told Epstein about what happened, she thought he was joking. But this was no joke. Miller called the Goodwill store but they said they couldn't locate the coat after putting it on the shelves earlier in the week. As Miller and Epstein can't afford such a ring on a daily basis, they hope a Good Samaritan will return it to them.

Okay, I hate this happened but, come on dude! Of all the places to hide an important thing like an engagement ring you hide it in a winter coat? Why not a drawer, a box, a safe, anything but a winter coat! And, as for the Good Samaritan idea, I highly doubt it! It would be amazing if the person who bought the coat returned the ring but I don't see that happening!

NMM: Musical Revival

Some of you may have heard of this group called foreverJONES. If you have not they are a Christian band formed by DeWitt and Kim Jones and their five kids. Nominated for two Grammys and three Dove Awards in 2011 (and rightly so) their new album, "Musical Revival" is great. There's one amazing song on it called "Hold Me Still." Have a listen!

Driving The Bus

I've seen a lot of conversation on Facebook and elsewhere about this story, so I decided to give Jeremy Wuitschick my Weekly Salute. In case you didn't hear about this, the seventh grader is being praised by local police and many others across the country for his heroic actions after his school bus driver fainted. According to Good Morning America, the bus driver started to "grasp for hair, waving his hands frantically in the air, and losing control of the bus." That's when Wuitschick stepped in. 

He jumped from his seat, took the wheel, and pulled the bus over on the side of the road, saving what a, possibly, horrific scene if nothing had been done. Wuitschick said he was "acting out of instinct" and one of the assistant superintendents of the school district said that students are "trained for emergency situations on the school bus, including how to shut them down."

This only begs the question: should all school districts have this sort of training? I think schools should do something like this because it could really save lives!

Dial A Star

I love watching The RidicuList on Anderson Cooper's CNN show "AC:360." This week's Oops Award comes straight from one of those segments with this brand new online sensation called Dial A Star! Check it out!

NMM: Changed

My next enstallment of New Music Monday focuses on a brand new album from my favorite band of all time: Rascal Flatts. The album, called "Changed," has already debuted #1 on numerous charts and is probably my favorite Flatts album of all eight studio albums they have recorded. The band has a nice mix of fun, upbeat songs (like "Banjo" and "Next To You Next To Me") coupled with powerful ballads (like "Changed" and "Come Wake Me Up"). They even go back to classic country roots with "Next To You Next To Me."

I think this album will propel the band to the top of all the charts (like that's anything new) and I also think they'll win many awards for this album. Maybe even a Grammy or two!

Below is a video of their song "Come Wake Me Up."

Brotherly Bond

I'm a big fan of those "E:60" stories that are on ESPN, so this week's salute goes out to the Long Brothers, Conner and Cayden, and their remarkable determination to bond.

Mannequin Madness

What would you do if someone dropped a mannequin head? You might think twice after seeing this! Check it out!

Chris Hughes Lecture

I had the great opportunity to see Chris Hughes in person here at NC State! In case you didn't know, Hughes is most recognized for co-founding Facebook while at Harvard. In addition to that, Hughes worked on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, integrating social media for the first time, and bought The New Republic, where he became editor-in-chief in March of this year. All of this amounting to a net worth of $600 million, according to Forbes.

Chris talked about many various topics but focused his lecture on investing in media that is considered “old and outdated” today. For example, The New Republic is a very historic publication. However, it is still able to maintain its readership because it can adapt to the digital changes that come along with social media and other technologies. Hughes also encouraged everyone to invest in these “big idea” journals to get away from the daily headlines and news feeds we see. I found it really intriguing how Chris said that these journals are, truly, the basis of our democracy. He went on to say that these journals keep us informed on a broader range of topics than the regular news does.

He also addressed how many believe Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of digital media are taking over traditional forms of media. He cited a recent Pugh survey which concluded that social media outlets are actually complementing traditional media and older forms of journalism instead of taking them over. However, he said that the actual “newspaper” has seen its better days and more and more news websites (such as Politico and Huffington Post) are flourishing. He said that people tend to be turning toward more direct, shorter forms of journalism. I found it interesting that Chris predicted that the era of “Nightly News” will end in the next decade because of this turn toward more direct journalism and not having to wait until the evening to hear someone read off the news.

He talked about the “Social Network” film and said that it had many exaggerations in it and romanticized what he, Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, and Dustin Moskovitz actually did at Harvard. Despite what many experts say, Chris said that Facebook is more akin to telecommunications than a form of media. In other words, he said that the conversations we had on a daily basis are the same now on Facebook as they were before it.

During the question and answer session, Chris was asked questions on various topics. One in particular regarded privacy and how should we handle it with the digital boom. Chris said that privacy is not disappearing. Instead, the cost of privacy is increasing structurally. In other words, it’s harder and harder for us to keep things to ourselves. However, Hughes said that we need to be smart when it comes to our privacy and don’t do anything stupid. I took it as we have an individual responsibility to protect our own privacy.

Since he was on the Obama campaign, he was asked his opinion on how the president was doing overall. He had a pretty long response to the question but one thing that stuck out was his use of the term “armchair quarterback.” He said it’s easy for everyone to be an “armchair quarterback” and it does seem to help the administration figure out what it is doing right and wrong. Hughes also talked about how technology has enabled grassroots political efforts. He cited the Romney campaign as one of the best at doing this and also by using “digital targeting” to place ads on videos and other media voters use on a daily basis.

Overall, I found the lecture to be really interesting. I learned a lot from Chris and I will definitely take what he said to heart. Chris was right in that we should invest in these “big idea” publications because they keep us informed on a wide range of topics and allow us to cultivate our sense of curiosity and investigation as American citizens.

New Music Monday: Clear The Stage

Since I'm a big music fan, I've decided to start a series where I profile some new music (hence the name). Some of the songs will be top new hits and some others lesser known. I plan on profiling various songs from all different genres so stay tuned!

Kicking off this new series is a song called "If I Ever Needed Grace" by Jimmy Needham. The song really speaks to different situations going on in a person's life and how they need God's grace to get through them. The song is from Jimmy's new album, "Clear The Stage," which was released last week.