ChristopherChandler.net

Now, I just don’t get this. This has been in the news all weekend, and still all week. Basically the way I understand it, is the Bush Administration wants to rush in a bill that allows major financial institutions to be injected with taxpayer dollars due to failed mortgages. $700 Billion to be exact. Where I get angry is the statements made by the Bush Administration, clearly stating that no changes be made to the bill, and all actions are not supervised by Congress once this bill takes effect.

Stop right there.

You are telling me you want to take $700 BILLION dollars, approximately $2000 from every man, woman, and child here in the United States (Yes, do the math) and just “let this one slide”.  I don’t think so! This kind of thing needs to be monitored, even IF we allowed it to pass, to make sure that the funds are being used responsibly.

Okay, well maybe we can add some things to make the bill justifyible for the common middle-class worker! Democrats in congress responded that it would like to help the American people by providing them with some relief to those who had been hit hard financially because of these sub-prime mortgages.  However, Bush wants nothing of that as he made in a statement yesterday:

“Obviously, there will be differences over some details, and we will have to work through them. That is an understandable part of the policy making process. But it would not be understandable if Members of Congress sought to use this emergency legislation to pass unrelated provisions, or to insist on provisions that would undermine the effectiveness of the plan.”

So basically they are saying, “Please pass this bill, but don’t you DARE make any changes, because you will be labelled un-American if you do.” But wait, there is more!  Check out this paragraph (now famously known as Section Eight) in this bailout plan:

“Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.”

Wait what? Not only can Congress NOT have any part in monitoring this, no matter what happens, no matter how those funds are used, no judge, no jury can EVER hold those people making these decisions responsible if they decide to do something that may even be unlawful.

The real kick in the pants:

All CEOs of these major financial institutions, that have made poor decisions by giving ridiculous loans to homeowners (that they never could afford in the first place) are still going to be rewarded according to this bill, and the Bush administration. Not only that, but check out the bonuses that were given out last year by these firms, even though we knew that there was issues with the mortgage industry:

 

“In 2007, Wall Street’s five biggest firms — Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley — paid a record $39 billion in bonuses to themselves.

That’s $10 billion more than the $29 billion loan taxpayers are making to J.P. Morgan to save Bear Stearns.  

Those 2007 bonuses were paid even though the shareholders in those firms last year collectively lost about $74 billion in stock declines — their worst year since 2002.”

What the heck is going on?  Do we really need to keep funding bad decisions with no repercussions?  I don’t understand how the administration could think they can pass this bill with no incentives for the common middle class worker, and get away with it?  The only logic I have is that since is was brought to the table on a Saturday, they were hoping Congress would mull over it on the weekend, come in Monday and vote almost blindly, because of the “urgency”.  Fine, yes we need to do something about it, but we don’t need to reward CEO’s who make terrible decisions, nor do we need to watch this money go down the drain in unregulated investments.  We really need to keep people in check, and make sure that the ones controlling our money are making good decisions with it.  Having CEOs being bailed out, and not the people affected the most by these investment failures is just plain wrong. -C

This past week one of the 80s most exceptional tunes is available for Rock Band for FREE! That’s right, it’s Stephen and the Colberts famous love ballad “Charlene (I’m Right Behind You)” Enhancing Rock Band parties everywhere, this short but sweet tune is becoming one of my favorites to sing.  Check out the full music video below:

Genius. -C

I just got me some Rock Band 2 this past weekend, along with a new set of wireless drums.  The graphics are cleaned up, everything is easier to navigate.  A main gripe I had with the first game was that the menu system was a bear to get through, adding and signing in and out band members was a chore.  But no more!  MTV / EA / Harmonix has heard your gripes and has made everything superior to the original!  

All 84 tracks are original master recordings, no more “as made famous by” cover tracks.  In addition, if you pay $5.00 you can import your entire Rock Band 1 song library (minus 3 or 4 songs due to licensing rights) into Rock Band 2.  So that expands upon your library, plus the whopping 84 songs on the disc (list below)  The drums are quieter, and allow for cymbal expansion (which is awesome) The biggest surprise for me though was one that no one could have predicted.  On the back cover of the instruction manual, there is a code for 20 free downloadable songs, putting the total song count for the game to 104.  I am excited for what the future holds for what could possibly be the best party game of all time. -C

Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List: 

Rock Band 2 Special Edition (XBOX 360)

Artist Song Title Decade
1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Not Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s

Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

Note: This is one of few reviews that were on the old site, but I want to import it to the new site for consistency. Enjoy! -C

Super Mario Bros. 3

The best selling game of all time. Over 18 million NES cartridges sold. Yeap. Were you surprised? I picked this masterpiece up at Toys ‘R Us following an elementary school Family Fair on a Saturday. I had reserved it, and I plopped down my $49.99 that I had saved for months with absolutely no problem in February of 1990. I knew this was going to be good. There was no question. This was MARIO 3. I mean come on, I had technically already played the game on a Playchoice-10 machine at a now defunct Ligi’s Deli down the street. I had seen the movie “The Wizard”. I had read Nintendo Power, I knew this was THE game to have of 1990.

Super Mario Bros. 3 may be not only the best selling game of all time, but also the

World 1-1

 BEST game of all time. This game has it all. Multiple Power-ups, mini-games, multiplayer, warp zones, perfect controls, beautiful graphics (for the NES), and a great storyline. So why is this so great? Everyone already had Super Mario Bros. because it was packaged with the system, and the 2nd one was different but still good. This 3rd title in the series took the first game and made it larger, better, but with the same Mario style that everyone loved. Mario and Luigi are in the Mushroom Kingdom when Bowser the King of the Koopas appears, snatches Princess Toadstool, and transforms the 7 kings of the land into Bowser’s villains. Bowser sends each of his seven kids to guard the magic wands of each land, whom Mario and Luigi must defeat before facing Bowser himself.

So the game plays just like the original Super Mario Bros. utilizing your standard run & jump platformer movements. However, a big twist in the game play is the new abilities Mario can gain when using the appropriate “suit” Mario can fly like a Raccoon, swim like a Frog, turn into a statue (Tanooki), and even throw hammers like the Hammer Bros. along with tried and true favorites like the Fire Flower, Star Man, Super Mushroom, and more. This game is easy for anyone to pick up, but difficult for anyone to Master. The later levels in Worlds 6, 7, and 8 get extremely difficult and present a challenge to even the most veteran players. The music has new catchy tracks, and remixed versions of the old tracks from the previous Mario games.

World 3 Fortress

On first play, there is something new always around the corner. Another secret to be had. Just when you think you have seen it all, this game surprises you. This game is still highly sought after, even being the 2nd or 3rd most common Nintendo game out there. A true piece to always have in any collection for collector or gamer alike. Remixed versions with additional features can be found on Super Mario All-Stars (SNES) and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Game Boy Advance) and eventually will come out on the Virtual Console for Nintendo Wii. If you have never played this game. Track it down, and treasure it. It truly is a work of art. -C

Rating: 10/10

Brand new Quantum of Solace trailer.  I for one am looking forward to this new movie that picks up where Casino Royale left off. I am glad to see some more original ideas with this one, and I love the title of the movie, which comes from one of Ian Flemming’s short stories.  Looks like tons of action, stunts, and a plot to keep you guessing. See you in the theater on November 14th. -C

Pet Sounds Album Cover

Every time I open my iTunes, I try to select something I haven’t listened to in awhile. My iTunes currently consists of 4237 songs, which doesn’t even scrape the surface of my CD collection. Now, that doesn’t even begin to compare to the music library of some of my friends (Scooter, Weigel, etc.) I tend to get something different each time. Today, I will be examining the critically acclaimed album “Pet Sounds” by the Beach Boys.

Let me start off my saying I own 5-6 full length studio Beach Boys albums, and numerous compilations and live albums. Nowhere near their complete discography, but you get my point, I like the Beach Boys. The thing about Beach Boys music is it is short, catchy, and to the point. They are a pop group extraordinaire and they do music well. One day I get a recommendation from Weigel to listen to his CD of Pet Sounds in my car, and instantly loved it. There were a few songs I recognized from the Greatest Hits collections I own such as “Wouldn’t it be Nice”, “Sloop John B”, and “God Only Knows”. Many others that were pretty catchy, I remember liking at the time. I never purchased this album instantly, but a few years later I would have the opportunity to purchase the special edition reissue via a music club as a “free” selection. One of the best selections I may have ever made.

The bulk of this album was recorded in late 1965 and early 1966 during which Brian Wilson had listened to the Beatles “Rubber Soul” Album, and taking several trips to places in the far east to tour, and examining their music and culture while there. Although many of the other members of the Beach Boys were dissatisfied with the direction Brian Wilson wanted the album to take, (less surf & sun, more introspective) ultimately it created their best album, and one of the best albums of all time.

Let’s start out with those singles shall we? Obviously “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” is a catchy teenage love song, that tugs on the heart strings when heard. “God Only Knows” has been cited as Paul McCartney’s favorite song of all time on more than one occasion. “Sloop John B” recorded in a Caribbean style, works well, and I especially like the bells in the beginning. That’s another thing about this album, the different sounds that Brian Wilson has put together amazes me. I hear different instruments on this album every time I listen to it. Trains, bicycle horns, whistles, and other unordinary musical instruments are prevalent throughout this unique masterpiece unlike anything else in their catalog.

For some other songs that I absolutely like, we have “I Know There is an Answer” / “Hang Onto Your Ego” (Read about the title / lyrics change due to LSD references) and “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” both songs that have lyrics which I can relate to at some point or another.

“Now how can I come on
And tell them the way that they live could be better

I know theres an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself”

However, “Here Today” may be my favorite song on the entire album. I love the way it is organized, and how it starts and finishes strongly.  It’s catchy, and the lyrics are just awesome:

“A brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing
But if you’re not careful think about the pain it can bring.”

Finally let’s talk about the title track “Pet Sounds” for a moment. This instrumental master piece summarizes the whole album as music being artwork. Just listen to all of the different sounds that this song brings to the table, and it makes you wonder how Brian Wilson had held back this musical genius in some of the other previous albums…

Overall, Pet Sounds is my “go to” Beach Boys album. I have never gotten tired of it, and my ears hear something new with each listen. This is one of those albums that is a true “classic” and if you have never heard Pet Sounds to its entirity, you definitely should give it a listen as it has influenced countless artists, and helped shape pop music. This is a perfect album, and a great way to show my blog visitors what I consider a “perfect” album. 10/10

Random Fact: Originally the hit song “Good Vibrations” was intended for the Pet Sounds album. Even though it was completed and ready to go by the release of Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson had decided to hold off on it for the next album, Smiley Smile. -C

This is EXACTLY why I have said Biden should be on the ticket for almost a year now.  I look forward to Joe’s debate against Republican VP Sarah Palin. This video is a speech he gave the day after McCain gave his speech at the Republican National Convention:

In the Poconos for the weekend, Erin’s brother is getting married.  Below is where we are staying.  Pretty nice resort.  Expect a fun post this weekend. -C

Shawnee Inn

Again, another phase of ChristopherChandler.Net takes shape.  Something I have been wanting for awhile now, a way to easilly connect with everyone, but not sacrificing content.  Almost all posts will be made available via archive pages that I will setup on the side bar.  A more professional look is what I am going for, with a look into what I like to talk about.  I enjoy reading everyone else’s stuff, so I need to get back into writing after a year! I hope you guys enjoy reading this site as much as I will put into it. -C