Fact: there has been no concrete proof offered so far that music downloading has caused financial loss for musicians. Behemoth record companies (like Sony and Arista) are suggesting that music downloads via the Internet is degrading the quality of music artist produces and they are loosing sales and millions of dollars of revenue through music piracy- a completely gobbledygook and misleading statement. Top artist like “50-Cent”, Christina Aguilera, Justine Timberlake, and others still sold over a million albums the past year (even though music downloading was at its peak and the average price of a CD is enormously high) resulting in billion of dollars revenue for music companies. Music downloading is good for the art of making quality music since it would force artists and producers to make a high quality over a high quantity album. The truth is that if the whole album has good tracks, music lovers would buy it instead of downloading it via the internet.

            File sharing is not destroying the integrity of music by discouraging new artists from emerging. 85% of the music market is controlled by a small cartel of five major labels which “bribe” radio stations to play hits of their artists and not of independently produced record in order to suppress music that doesn’t flow through their system. Independent labels don’t bribe radio stations; they can’t force musicians into contracts, and they don’t sue independent hip hop producers for sampling their records. The only reason the major labels have managed to stay alive is through anti-competitive bullying and collusion. With the help of  the Internet, Peer-to-peer networks and home CD-copiers, the monopoly of the music industry by colossal labels is ending. Music Fans, no longer held captive, have no reason to keep paying into a corrupt system. Meanwhile many independent labels and musicians are thriving: the cost of recording an album is plummeting, and musicians who want to book a tour or sell music directly to their fan base have more options than ever before. This would ultimately create diversity of music selection that fans could listen too and bring an end to the monopoly of music.  

            The greatest contradiction in music downloading is the giant corporation that monopolizes the music industry and whines about not making “enough” revenue also assists in music downloading becoming more convenient and user friendly. Sony for example is the one of the biggest music company in the world. However, Sony is also one of the leaders in the manufacturing and developing of hardwares that makes music downloading effortless and easy to use. Sony is the biggest producer of MP3 player that plays MP3 files, CD and DVD burners that make it easy to create and copy CD, and computers that makes the whole file sharing possible. If these companies were the one making the tool to make music downloading possible, why are they the one suing people for using their product?

            Internet downloading should continue. If it is theft, then it’s theft in the tradition of Robin Hood, and the results is the natural exchange of ideas between people that make music what it is. The record companies only care about power - they have it and don’t want to lose it. If power is decentralized, and you and I are the ones who control what we hear, and more importantly the medium and means by which we hear it, than the cream really will rise to the top, the artists that get recognition are the ones that will deserve it, not the ones we are told we should recognize. Downloading is not a crime; its fighting oppression, and insuring that the future will be a place where the unhindered exchange of information will lead to inspiration and vibrant, powerful music for us all.  

Timothy Pabustan

Per. 2

AP Language

Sober Drunkenness: Bootlegging in 1920s America

            “Everybody is calling me a racketeer. I call my self a businessman. When I sell liquor, it's bootlegging. When my patrons serve it on a silver tray on Lakeshore Drive, it's hospitality.” These are Al Capone’s words on Prohibition and bootlegging (Bailey 751).

            The 1920s was an era of great change and hypocrisy in American society. Prohibition, also known as the “Noble Experiment”, made it illegal to distribute, possess, and consume alcohol in the United States (Danzer 455). The success of the bootlegging industry showed the contradiction and change in the morals of society and the changing attitude of American people: fundamentalists and conservatives degrade alcohol consumption as the work of the “devil” himself, while the American public as a whole let the Bootlegging industry, led by the mob, grew into a multi-billion dollar empire. The irony was that while fundamentalist and conservatives celebrated Prohibition, common Americans drank at speakeasies and celebrated the works of bootleggers as heroes.

            Ever since the first settlers landed on America, laws were tried to pass to limit alcohol consumption, since excessive drinking or drunkenness halted the work done by citizens. New York and Virginia, for example, passed a law that made drinking in Sunday illegal because, on the Lord's Day, “people should be worshiping the Bible not the bottle.” These were the first laws enacted with the supervision from the church to favor abstinence from all alcoholic beverages. Through the beginning of the 19^th century up to its end many more laws were enacted by different states against drinking (McWilliams)

            Finally, on January 16, 1920, Congress, with the pressure from crusading churches and women, passed the 18^th Amendment that prohibited the selling, manufacturing, and consumption of alcohol. (Danzer 455) The day also marked the beginning of bootlegging and speakeasies, and signaled the rise of organize crime into a powerful institution of violence never before seen. The “Noble Experiment”, as conservatives, politicians, priests, and God-fearing Americans called it, was destined to fail from the beginning due to the unprotected border, political and police corruption, and the sheer number of people fond of drink who could not be controlled by the 25,000 agents of the prohibition bureau (Kallen 97).

            The Bootlegging years reflect America’s diversity and intolerance to immigrants and blacks. The abolition of alcohol was fairly popular at the bible belt South and Midwest states because of strong fundamentalist feelings and white people wanting to get the liquor out of the hands of blacks. (Bailey 749) White people in Southern and Midwest states felt the need for Prohibition because their “God” told them to do so, ironically even Jesus drank alcohol as he turned water into wine. (McWilliams)  However, large Eastern cities hated the Prohibition because of the large European immigrants residing on this cities resented to abandon their “wet” tradition. Irish, Germans, Polish, Italians, and other European immigrants were used to drinking in the “Old World” and felt the Government betrayed them because of Prohibition. Also feeling betrayed were many of the veterans returning home from World War I.  In Europe, they had seen that moderate daily alcohol consumption and ordinary life could co-exist, and drinking helps them cope through the hardships of war. (Bailey 750)

            The failure of the 18^th amendment was imminent from the start, as any entrepreneurs with some money could open an underground pub or “speakeasy” that supplied “dry” America with alcohol. Bootleggers then supplied speakeasies. The most infamous of all bootleggers was Chicago based mobster Al “Scar face” Capone.  He ran distilleries and breweries that made a profit of over 100 million dollars. Capone’s bootlegging business embodied the ruthlessness of gangsters competing for business deals; evident to this was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre where Capone men slaughtered 7 rival gangsters.(Kallen 98)  The bootleggers showed the great contradiction in American society. While prohibitionist and moralist hunted bootleggers, the common folk and immigrants hailed them as the “new Robin Hoods” of the 20^th century. The ‘20s is an era of transition from a fundamental society to a more liberal. (McWilliams)

            Prohibition did not cure the alcoholism of America; instead, it make it worse. During Prohibition, only rich people had access to expensive imported alcohol from Mexico and Canada. Common folk used grain alcohol, which was legal when sold for "industrial use only” to create their own bathtub alcohol. If not mixed right, the “bathtub alcohol” could be deadly, but with the right formula, however, it became safe to drink and occasionally palatable. Evident to the deadliness of the homemade alcohol was during the Noble Experiment, more than 10,000 people died from alcohol poisoning. (Kallen 139) Prohibition did not stop people from drinking instead it motivated them to find an alternative to illegal alcohol. The ‘20s society showed how Americans would find a way to have what they want, even if the way can be life threatening or illegal.

                        The Prohibition did not cure alcoholism instead it just made it worst. It did not cease immorality instead it led directly to an unparalleled explosion of immorality: unregulated speakeasies led to sex mingling freely that led to increase in unmarried sexual activity during the 1920s, gangsters became even more violent, it corrupted the police and penal system, and “dries” became more thirsty (McWilliams).

Although banning drinking, selling and transporting alcohol was supposed to reduce crime, poverty, death rates, and improve the economy and the quality of life the "noble experiment" only caused to do the opposite.

DECA SPEECH

            America is the land of the Free, the land of Democracy, and the land of capitalist propaganda. Yes, propaganda it might sound absurd that there is a need for propagandas in a free nation, but our beliefs, cause, and attitude is all due to the propagandas spread by corporate moguls. The scary part is that it all started from the day we open our eyes until the day it closes.

            From the day we are born, our desires to be better than another human beings and consume everything in our path started. When our minds are still pure, we are bombarded with capitalist propaganda. Our parents bought us branded clothes and branded milk in order to keep us happy. Happy we don’t even know what happiness means by then! Our blind parents force us to watch “educational” TV shows such as Sesame street, Mr. Rogers, and Telletubbies to stimulate our developing brain. The stimulation educates us to be consuming machines. There are constant advertisement of toys that we hoard. We hoard toys that is basically useless and not necessary for survival: We can’t eat it or it wouldn’t even keep us warm.

            Then as we escape our preschool years we move to the elementary for more mind “stimulation”. We watched TV shows that has more complicated plots- basically more violence, anger, and greediness. Shows that introduces fashion and collectibles. What we see in these shows we copy in the playground. We want to have every toy in the ads- I mean kids crazy to have the gameboy advance, Barbie dolls, pokemon cards in order for them to say to their friends “You aint got this, I'm better than you, you’re my subordinate.” Have you saw the cartoon Pokemon, the plot of it is to have every pokemon in there is- it even has the theme song “ Gotta have them All.” Subconsciously the innocent kids that watch the show are force to buy in to the capitalist system of greediness. “I got to have everything.”

            Then after elementary we move on to Junior High and Senior High school. We believe we are more sophisticated, so we the TV programs we watch have more complex plots. Well it’s the same thing! MTV poisons the mind. Its shows us the life of the rich and the famous that we are so foolish to imitate. TV shows such as the real world makes us real fakes, and the Osbornes expands our vocabularies.

            After we receive our HS diploma, we get a job or get a degree in manipulation, I mean college degree. Why? to have more money, because since program to do so. what can I say - Propaganda in action.

            After all the years spreading the tenets of the corporate moguls, we can finally get a retirement plan. The irony is we again is manipulated to have this plans because we see the glamour of having free time and fun in leisure channel.

            After enjoying our selves in retirement, our heart will stop to beat, lungs fail, we die. but even in our death, the effect of the propaganda still lingers. What outfit should I wear in my coffin? would I look good in open casket? If I am cremated should my ashes be place on a gold or porcelain jar? and boy it should be fabulous to have Kurt Cobaine or Tupac Shakur as a neighbor.

          Timothy Pabustan

Per .4

English

Great Gatsby Essay

          Critics said that great literature produces a “healthy confusion” of pleasure and disquietude within the reader. In the Fitzgerald classic, The Great Gatsby, the central character, Jay Gatsby, produces this sense of “healthy confusion” in the reader. Readers are confused on whether to categorized Gatsby as a sinister villain or a romantic hero. Because of the ambivalence in Gatsby’s persona, Fitzgerald created a masterpiece in which he shows the death of the American dream because of hedonism, greed, and materialism.

          To expand the reader’s ambivalence towards Gatsby, Nick Caraway, considered as the moral voice of the book, shows ambivalent feelings towards Gatsby. In the first chapter, Nick “exempts Gatsby from my [Nick’s] reaction” to the East way of hedonistic life, however he also said that “Gatsby… represented everything…I [Nick] have an unaffected scorn.” The oxymoronic idea creates the ambivalence and it makes Gatsby’s character more memorable and interesting.

          One reason for disquietude in Gatsby’s character is his shady underworld connections. Gatsby is a part of the infamous sinister gangsters of the 1920s, which included Al Capone, and the Italian mafia. Gatsby is believed to be the right hand man of ruthless gangster Meyer Wolfsheim, an allusion to the real Arnold Rothstein the man who fixed the 1919 World Series. On one occasion, Wolfsheim is described wearing a cuff links made of human molars. Gatsby and Wolfsheim are involved in illegal activity such as bootlegging and the trade of stolen bonds. Gatsby’s baleful business connections and lifestyle discomposes the reader in assuming the Gatsby is a typical hero.

          Another source of disquietude in Gatsby’s character is his lying about his past and creating an ideal image of himself. The reader is amused and at the same time disturbed by Gatsby’s portrayal of himself. Gatsby claims to be the scion of a prominent Midwestern family; however, when Nick asks him which Midwestern city he comes from, Gatsby falsely says "San Francisco." He claims to have studied at Oxford and lived in all the capitals of Europe; then he enlisted in the war effort, where he was rapidly promoted to major and decorated by every Allied government. In contrast, he was born to an impoverished farmer in North Dakota. Though he did attend St Olaf's ­ a small college in Minnesota ­ he dropped out after two weeks, as he could not bear working as a janitor in order to pay his tuition. Gatsby’s untruthfulness disquiets the reader because the “typical ideal hero” is always truthful and has the courage to be himself.

          Another source of disquietude in Gatsby’s character is his vulgar display of materialism. The best example of Gatsby showing off his wealth is in his extravagant party. Gatsby’s party is almost unbelievably luxurious: guests marvel over his Rolls-Royce, his swimming pool, his beach, crates of fresh oranges and lemons, buffet tents in the gardens overflowing with a feast, and a live orchestra playing under the stars. Liquor flows freely, and the crowd grows rowdier and louder as more and more guests get drunk. Another way Gatsby display his wealth is in his house. He has an enormous library where books are left “uncut”. Gatsby’s extravagance turns off the reader. It makes them think Gatsby is mocking them of his enormous wealth.

          Lastly, we are disquieted by Gatsby’s unwillingness to accept that he is committing adultery by having an affair with Daisy and Gatsby’s reluctance to accept that Daisy is not worthy of his love. Gatsby’s blindness to see that Daisy is not worthy is appalling to the reader, since the readers are able to see every aspect of Daisy’s personality. Gatsby is willing to commit one of the 10 mortal sins in the 10 Commandment – adultery – to fulfill his dream.    

          The confusion in Gatsby persona is further distorted by the pleasure that he create within the reader. Beside from being a sinister villain, Gatsby is also a romantic hero. This is the reason Nick says that Gatsby is “worth more than the whole bunch of them put together.” Gatsby’s love for Daisy, although maybe unworthy, is sincere. The day after the Daisy killed Myrtle, Gatsby is patiently waiting for Daisy to come back to her. He is genuinely concerned for the welfare of Daisy, even willing to risk his own safety by selflessly admitting that he is the one who drove the “death car”. The reader is enchanted by Gatsby’s courage for his love.  The idea of a romantic dreamer fascinates the reader. Gatsby’s selfless act to save Daisy makes him different from the rest of the “rotten crowd” of the East.

          The idea of a self-made man, a man that came from rags to riches also intrigues the reader. Gatsby is the perfect example of a man who has nothing and becoming a man that has everything money can buy. Gatsby’s humble beginnings and belief he can have the life of a wealthy man is fascinating. Gatsby is the predecessor of Scarface Tony Montana- also a man from rags to riches because illegal activities.  Gatsby like Tony Montana creates a sense of ambivalence with audience. They love them for their courage, yet they hate them because they are the “bad” guys.

          Timothy Pabustan

Per .4

English

Great Gatsby Essay

          Critics said that great literature produces a “healthy confusion” of pleasure and disquietude within the reader. In the Fitzgerald classic, The Great Gatsby, the central character, Jay Gatsby, produces this sense of “healthy confusion” in the reader. Readers are confused on whether to categorized Gatsby as a sinister villain or a romantic hero. Because of the ambivalence in Gatsby’s persona, Fitzgerald created a masterpiece in which he shows the death of the American dream because of hedonism, greed, and materialism.

          To expand the reader’s ambivalence towards Gatsby, Nick Caraway, considered as the moral voice of the book, shows ambivalent feelings towards Gatsby. In the first chapter, Nick “exempts Gatsby from my [Nick’s] reaction” to the East way of hedonistic life, however he also said that “Gatsby… represented everything…I [Nick] have an unaffected scorn.” The oxymoronic idea creates the ambivalence and it makes Gatsby’s character more memorable and interesting.

          One reason for disquietude in Gatsby’s character is his shady underworld connections. Gatsby is a part of the infamous sinister gangsters of the 1920s, which included Al Capone, and the Italian mafia. Gatsby is believed to be the right hand man of ruthless gangster Meyer Wolfsheim, an allusion to the real Arnold Rothstein the man who fixed the 1919 World Series. On one occasion, Wolfsheim is described wearing a cuff links made of human molars. Gatsby and Wolfsheim are involved in illegal activity such as bootlegging and the trade of stolen bonds. Gatsby’s baleful business connections and lifestyle discomposes the reader in assuming the Gatsby is a typical hero.

          Another source of disquietude in Gatsby’s character is his lying about his past and creating an ideal image of himself. The reader is amused and at the same time disturbed by Gatsby’s portrayal of himself. Gatsby claims to be the scion of a prominent Midwestern family; however, when Nick asks him which Midwestern city he comes from, Gatsby falsely says "San Francisco." He claims to have studied at Oxford and lived in all the capitals of Europe; then he enlisted in the war effort, where he was rapidly promoted to major and decorated by every Allied government. In contrast, he was born to an impoverished farmer in North Dakota. Though he did attend St Olaf's ­ a small college in Minnesota ­ he dropped out after two weeks, as he could not bear working as a janitor in order to pay his tuition. Gatsby’s untruthfulness disquiets the reader because the “typical ideal hero” is always truthful and has the courage to be himself.

          Another source of disquietude in Gatsby’s character is his vulgar display of materialism. The best example of Gatsby showing off his wealth is in his extravagant party. Gatsby’s party is almost unbelievably luxurious: guests marvel over his Rolls-Royce, his swimming pool, his beach, crates of fresh oranges and lemons, buffet tents in the gardens overflowing with a feast, and a live orchestra playing under the stars. Liquor flows freely, and the crowd grows rowdier and louder as more and more guests get drunk. Another way Gatsby display his wealth is in his house. He has an enormous library where books are left “uncut”. Gatsby’s extravagance turns off the reader. It makes them think Gatsby is mocking them of his enormous wealth.

          Lastly, we are disquieted by Gatsby’s unwillingness to accept that he is committing adultery by having an affair with Daisy and Gatsby’s reluctance to accept that Daisy is not worthy of his love. Gatsby’s blindness to see that Daisy is not worthy is appalling to the reader, since the readers are able to see every aspect of Daisy’s personality. Gatsby is willing to commit one of the 10 mortal sins in the 10 Commandment – adultery – to fulfill his dream.    

          The confusion in Gatsby persona is further distorted by the pleasure that he create within the reader. Beside from being a sinister villain, Gatsby is also a romantic hero. This is the reason Nick says that Gatsby is “worth more than the whole bunch of them put together.” Gatsby’s love for Daisy, although maybe unworthy, is sincere. The day after the Daisy killed Myrtle, Gatsby is patiently waiting for Daisy to come back to her. He is genuinely concerned for the welfare of Daisy, even willing to risk his own safety by selflessly admitting that he is the one who drove the “death car”. The reader is enchanted by Gatsby’s courage for his love.  The idea of a romantic dreamer fascinates the reader. Gatsby’s selfless act to save Daisy makes him different from the rest of the “rotten crowd” of the East.

          The idea of a self-made man, a man that came from rags to riches also intrigues the reader. Gatsby is the perfect example of a man who has nothing and becoming a man that has everything money can buy. Gatsby’s humble beginnings and belief he can have the life of a wealthy man is fascinating. Gatsby is the predecessor of Scarface Tony Montana- also a man from rags to riches because illegal activities.  Gatsby like Tony Montana creates a sense of ambivalence with audience. They love them for their courage, yet they hate them because they are the “bad” guys.