MEET MACBETH

We are introduced to Macbeth in a way that makes him look like a ruthless, bloodthirsty killer. But when we actually meet him, he doesn't seem to necessarily exhibit the traits of your typical fear-inspiring soldier. When the witches tell him he will become the thane of Cawdor and then subsequently the king, Macbeth shakes this off and is cautious of this, exhibiting signs of humility. This is something that would seem as an uncommon trait in a supposed discriminant killer. The witches also tell Banquo that he will be "lesser than Macbeth, and greater,” and “not so happy, yet much happier,” which gives us a sense of foreshadowing. Shakespeare does this foreshadowing in such a way that the reader must read between the lines and get the references he makes in order to see the foreshadowing. The whole "fair is foul and foul is fair" line is a bit of a foreshadowing that the reader should not come in with any prior expectations but at the same time, expect the unexpected. The characterization of Macbeth reflect a sense of a dark and ominous tone.

NEW MUSIC

Lately I've been lacking in the music department of my blog and I'd like to apologize for those of you who visit and haven't heard any new songs in a while. With this in mind, I have decided to expand the music selection on my blog to a whopping 80+ songs encompassing a wide variety of music tastes (except for country). I have added sixteen songs to the rotation and I plan on expanding this list as more new music comes out. The new music is as follows (with the format "song - artist"):

1. Limited Edition - Bones
2. Kyoto - Yung Lean
3. Mon corps - Ariane Moffatt (Tommy Kruise Remix)
4. U.O.E.N.O. - Rocko  (feat. Future x Rick Ross) (chopped and screwed by Tommy Kruise)
5. BLEACH - BLADEE & ECCO2K
6. Dis Ain't What You Want - Lil Durk
7. Right Thing To Do - SBTRKT (Feat. Jessie Ware)
8. Living Like I Do - SBTRKT (Feat. Sampha)
9. Trials of the Past - SBTRKT (Feat. Sampha)
10. Hold On - SBTRKT (Feat. Sampha)
11. Who Dat - Lunice
12. Tha Doorz - Lunice
13. Just - Joey Purp
14. Save Point 2 - Plue Starfox
15. Gold Eater - Plue Starfox (Feat. Muzzy Legault)
16. Sirrah - Plue Starfox

I hope you enjoy the new music on my blog and I'll be sure to add more!

IS THERE AN EXPERT IN THE HOUSE?

So for my expert, I've chosen Vice correspondent and journalist Thomas Morton. I've been reading Vice articles and watching their documentaries for a couple of years now and I've been fascinated with their style of immersionist, ganzo style of journalism. Vice covers topics that are often left unnoticed by the bigger mainstream media and reports on the crude underbelly of world society. Thomas Morton's series Chiraq has been one of the best series of documentaries I have seen. I believe that Mr. Morton has the expertise that I seek, as he has written articles that cover the topics the mainstream media doesn't address. This is something I've been planning to do with In Loco Politico so I believe Mr. Morton would be able to give me tips and pointers on how to better develope and refine my journalist skills.

On the Oppressive and Totalitarian Structure That is the American Public Education System

School. The one thing teenagers dread the most. For eight hours of the day, 180 days of the year, we are confined within the steel bars of these indoctrination centers, forced to learn a pre-approved curriculum with very little variations allowed. The parallels between the American public school system and oppressive totalitarian regimes are both uncanny and worrisome.
The school administration established the puppet government that is known as ASB (Associated Student Body), to give the populous of the school the illusion that they have a say on the affairs of the regime. The regime stages so-called free elections, which are more popularity contests than they are actual elections. The electorate does not know the position of the candidates, nor knows what they are going to do different than the previous puppet government. The elections are anything but close; for the most part, there is one or two candidates per position and it often comes down to whoever has the most money and/or party influence (popularity). Nothing the ASB puppet government does is law unless approved by the higher ups, including our Dear Leader (often called the "principal") and his council (the vice and assistant principals).
Freedom of both speech and the press is heavily restricted. The school newspaper, much like the state media, is heavily monitored and anything written must first be approved by an instructor and the regime reserves full rights to not publish anything that is deemed "offensive" or "inappropriate", both of which often arbitrarily defined. The regime also reserves the right of prior restraint to prevent any unfavorable material to be produced in the newspaper.
The regime also forces its members to adhere to a certain dress and conduct code. When a party member does not fall in line with the dress and/or conduct code of the regime, the regime will send its form of the secret police, called security, to neutralize you as a threat and force you to change into more party-appropriate clothing.
Despite the fact that both technology and social media are seeping into every facet of life and society, the regime frowns upon the use of cellphones during instruction time. These primitive and barbarian restrictions are clearly an anachronism in a society in which  is increasingly becoming more and more technological savvy. Instead of encouraging proper use of technology and social media in the indoctrination rooms (often referred to as classrooms), they outright ban them. This is an indication that the regime does not want its party members to have contact with the outside world or to the virtually endless well of knowledge that is the internet.
Our Dear Leader and his council often stage what are referred to as "rallies", which are very similar to military parades and political rallies that totalitarian governments (such as North Korea and Nazi Germany) stage to flex their military and political might. During these rallies, everyone is required to attend and many are also encouraged to wear the party color (purple in the case of Ernest Righetti High School) in order to be fully assimilated into the culture. Many times, the reasons for these rallies are before a big sporting event, such as the football (American) match between our dear Ernest Righetti Warriors and our mortal enemies from across the street, the St. Joseph Knights. In a sense, it is very much like preparing the students to go to war with an opposing nation.
Why do we hate them so much? No one really knows, it's just something we are indoctrinated to believe from the time we first set foot into the confines of the oppressive land we call school. We just know that they embody everything that we are against. This is much like the propaganda that many totalitarian governments have spread to pit one their society against another, or against a minority group, simply because we do not share the same beliefs that we do. This can be seen in the treatment of the Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, crippled, mentally retarded, and anyone else deemed inferior by the Nazis and also the Red Scare that gripped the United States for the better part of the 20th century. The denizens of Nazi Germany did not know why they hated these minority groups other than what their government told them.
This blind, unreasonable hatred is a result of indoctrination that comes as a result of the course work we take. We are taught things that don't interest us and when we ask why are we learning this, we are met with a scowl and a simple answer of "because".  The instructors do not ask or allow student input on what they are doing. The "teachers" give us very strict guidelines which we must follow in order to succeed; if we do not fully follow these guidelines, we are destined to fail. Curiosity and individuality is frowned upon; if you do not conform to the norms of the party, such as wearing the right clothes or having "Warrior Pride" (which is akin to extreme Nationalism), you are ostracized and become a pariah. Asking too many questions gets you labeled as "weird", "annoying", and/or "nerd" by party members. Collaboration, often labeled as "cheating", is seen as devil work and is often met with the worst possible punishment, expulsion from the party.
Just like in a totalitarian government, the  American public school system is divided into castes, with Freshmen being at the bottom of the social pyramid and Seniors being at the apogee. The higher caste, naturally, has more rights than the lower. For example, Seniors are permitted to escape the confines of the prison during lunch if they have the right documentation. Seniors are also allowed to attend prom, which is very similar to the soma-induced orgy-porgies present in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.
The American public school system has joined the ranks of nations such as North Korea, Cuba, and Belarus as being an arbiter of oppression and indoctrination. Party members enter big-eyed, curious, and full of curiosity and ambitions but leave an empty shell of their former selves, ready to participate in a society in which we work, buy, consume, and die.

What if Drake is always sad because When he was in Degrassi, he got shot in the spine?
This led him to become paralyzed from the waist down and confined him to a wheelchair.

Because of this, he could no longer attract women. This made Drake very sad and affected him in his future life as a rapper, which can be seen in Drake's sappy, tear-jerking, no-I'm-not-crying, type of lyrics.

I was listening to Drake when I was in the shower And after I was done, I realized I never really turned on my shower and that the water was my tears. 

Russian Intervention in the Ukraine

From In Loco Politico

What started off as anti-government protests have escalated into a foreign occupation. Earlier last week, unidentified gunmen took over various government buildings in the southern part of Ukraine known as Crimea. Once the gunmen established control of these buildings, they quickly raised the Russian flag.



This comes after a majority of members of the president's party either defected or fled from Parliament in mid-February, giving the opposition enough political power to pass laws that removed police forces from Kiev, restored the 2004 constitution, and deposed President Yanukovych from office. A new intern President, Oleksandr Turchynov, was also appointed and Parliament said elections would take place in early May.

A warrant for Yanukovych's arrest was issued and he promptly went missing, though many in the media speculated he had fled to the Ukrainian-Russian border town of Kharkiv. From there, he fled to Russia, where in a February 28 press conference, he denounced the revolution as illegal and illegitimate. He also called on Russian intervention to help restore peace and order in Ukraine, saying  "I think Russia should, and is obliged, to act, and knowing the character of Vladimir Putin, I am surprised he is so restrained and keeping silent." 

Putin apparently heard Yanukovych's plea for help, as approximately 16,000 Russian troops were mobilized around the Russian-Ukrainian border. Russia's Defense Minister defended this action, stating that it was simply a military exercise meant to test Russian troops' "readiness for action in crisis situations that threaten the nation’s military security.” Putin has claimed that many of the activists in Ukraine and Crimea are actually "neo-Nazis" and that Russia needs to "protect the welfare of the local population". 

The situation only worsened from there as the 16,000 aforementioned troops flooded the Crimean peninsula at the end of February and took over complete control without a singled shot fired. While both the intern government and Russia have stated that they do not want to escalate this conflict into a full-on war, neither side has yet to show compromise.

Why this Matters

Russia being a provider of 30% of Europe's natural gas, coupled with the fact that many of the pipelines connecting Russia and Europe pass through the Ukraine, this revolution and subsequent occupation by Russian forces could have lasting impacts in Europe.

Map showing the vast amount of Russian pipelines that run through the Ukraine.

Russia's actions have made the situation between the West (especially the United States) and Russia more tense than previously. Some speculate we are entering a second Cold War due to Russia's actions. The United States has already cancelled trade talks and military-to-military engagements between the two countries and has also threatened to boycott the G8 Summit held in Sochi Russia as well as economic sanctions against Russia. Both France and the UK have already pulled out of the G8 preparatory talks. The economic sanctions threatened by the United States seem unlikely, considering that Russia (and its ally, China) are both permanent members of the UN security council and any proposed economic sanctions would be vetoed. 

Background Information on Crimea

Many have compared the Russian intervention in Crimea to both US led-intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. Much like the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia has both economic and strategical interests in Ukraine, especially in the Crimean peninsula. The Crimean peninsula is home to Russia's Black Sea naval fleet so it is obviously important to Russia. Russia has also been weary of NATO and its positioning of anti-missile shield in countries neighboring Russia, Ukraine not included. Because of this, some see Russia's actions as a justified protection of economic interests as well as curtailing expanding NATO presence in Eastern Europe.

 Crimea is somewhat of a tough spot for either Ukraine or Russia. It was given to the then Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic by Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, in 1954. It has some autonomy but is still part of Ukraine. 58% of the population of 2 million are considered ethnic Russian as opposed to the 24% labeled as ethnic Ukrainians. Most of the pro-government protests have taken taken place in Crimea and a majority of Crimeans support closer ties to Russia, if not full blown annexation. 

A Social Experiment

So my friend got a pair of deadstock (brand new) Air Jordan VII "Bordeaux" (picture related).

I'm somewhat of a "sneakerhead", but I don't have the money to buy every release or re-release that comes out.  In my opinion, the Air Jordan VIIs are some of the coolest shoes out there, with most colorways being extremely "trill". These Air Jordans are highly revered and sought after in the sneaker community and a pair can easily go for over $400.
So I thought to myself...
What if I were to get a pair of deadstock Air Jordans. Perhaps one of the more recognizable and sought-after pair, such as the Bordeaux, the Raptors, or the Gamma Blue XIs.

Jordan VII Raptors

Jordan XI Gamma Blue

What if I were to get a pair of these highly-coveted, tie their shoe laces together, and fling them on a pair of power lines, preferably in a neighborhood with people that know what these shoes are and would want them.

Would people try (or rather, how long would it take) and get them , despite the clear and present danger of being injured, perhaps even killed, by the power lines?

I wonder...

Super 5

1. Anderson Cooper: Host of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, journalist. As one of the most respected professional in his Field, I feel as if Mr. Cooper would be able to provide the needed tips and constructive Criticism that I would need in order to Continue and grow In Loco Politico.
2. Cornell West: Philosopher, activist, public intellectual. I have known about Dr. West since middle school and since then I have admired him. Preaching on a base of love and understanding, Dr. West would provide the needed inspiration and can serve as a guest author/commentator on our blog. I believe any reader of ILP will benefit from his presence. 
3. David Preston: English teacher, Creator of Open Source Learning. Dr. Preston is my AP English teacher and one of my mentors. His ideas of open source learning have been vital to the creation of ILP and its use of crowdsourcing for information. Dr. Preston has an extensive network of colleagues that I can take advantage of.
4. Rachel Maddow: Political commentator, host of MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show. Ms. Maddow is another well respected and experienced professional in the field of journalism that I feel will be able to help me further develop my journalistic skills.
5. Izamar Diaz: Fellow student. Izamar has been my friend since middle school. Much like myself, she also shares a passion for politics and current events. She is one of the few people I can have proactive discussions with on these subjects. She is already part of the ILP group and is already writing articles for it. I am excited to see what future contributions she makes.