Movie Review

He Got Game is one of my favorite movies of all time. I pretty much like all Spike Lee joints and this one was no different. The main characters of the movie were Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) was pushed to be a basketball player by his father Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) ever since he was born. After Jake murdered his wife and went to prison Jesus hated him. When Jesus becomes a great high school basketball player about to go to college, Jake is let out of jail and is told that he has a week to convince his son to sign the letter of intent to play at the school of the governor's choice. If he completes the job he will be let out of prison early. This is one of my favorites because basketball is my favorite sport and it shows what it is like to be one of the top high school prospects in the country. It is a very interesting story to see what Jesus will decide to do, if he will listen to his father or do something else.

Art Review

This is a painting named Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. It is one of the most well known paintings in modern culture and everyone has probably seen this at one time or another. I think Vincent van Gogh is one of the greatest artists that ever lived and this is my favorite painting of his. When I look at it I think of the beauty of a night sky filled with stars. I have at ease when looking at this. Also looking at this, it also comes out to me as a mystery. The way the the clouds and stars swirl and the big dark structure on the left of the picture. I think it is like a mountain looking down on the town. I used to imagine me standing on top looking down, wondering what went on at night in the city. I still don't know for sure if it is a mountain or not but that is what I interpret it to be. This painting is one of the best and I think this is true art. That's why I love this piece of art.

We Have the Right

I believe we should have the right to live freely and pursue whatever it is that we want to do in life. As of right now I am not sure that people are always able to pursue what they want. Society feels that everyone has to go to college and complete their education to become what they want. That route is perfectly fine, but college is not for everyone. If someone doesn't go to college than they are looked down upon and it is much harder for them to do what they want. Sometimes even if you want to go to college, you may not have the money. So they can't go and they are in the same position as the others who didn't go to college. It will be much harder than if they went. Also to live freely people have to have money. If they aren't able to pursue what they want they won't be able to make a really decent living and in a since they won't be free. So I think we should find a way for everybody to pay for college or not look down on people so much if college is not for you. People should do what they want and be able to make a living doing it.

McCarthy’s Birthday Week

I really don't know what to say except happy birthday. I always enjoy birthdays and I hope you enjoyed yours with your family and loved ones. I bet it was very philosophical and fun. Also next time you should have a party in the class to celebrate.

X Is Known

Well my name is Xavier and everyone calls me X. So I figures that I would make this blog about me. I would like to believe I am known by a lot of people. I have a lot of friends and family, so I think am known. However if you do not know me I am 18 years old. I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago and I feel like it is the best city in the world. I have three sisters, no brothers and I live with my mom and dog. I like to play sports like basketball, listen to and play music in my spare time. I like to think that I am a good student and I am going to Howard University next year. I think I said enough, so I now anybody reading this should know a lot more about me. So now X is definitely known.

X Marks the Spot

I like the statement X Marks the Spot. I agree with it all the way. If you put a X over anything, you know that you are supposed to go or look in that spot. The example everyone knows is pirates looking for treasures and they find it with the X. This can also be used as a comparison to life. If you are looking for the right direction in your life and need to find the way just look for something marked with a X. If you find that X then you will be able to accomplish what you want so it is very important. So that is why I love the statement X marks the spot and remember just look for the X.

Words I Never Said

One of my favorite artists is Lupe Fiasco and that is why I chose this song. It is his newest song and his second single on his next album Lasers. The first time I heard this song it instantly became of of my favorite Lupe songs. The lyrics are somewhat controversial, but powerful at the same time. For example he says:

I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bulls**t
Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets
How much money does it take to really make a full clip
9/11 building 7 did they really pull it
Uhh, And a bunch of cover ups
Your child's future was the first to go with budget cuts
If you think that hurts then, wait here comes the uppercut
The school was garbage in the first place, thats on the up and up

Even though I may not agree with everything that Lupe said I still respect the fact the he wasn't afraid to say what he felt. That is the thing I love about music, that you can express how you feel. You can just hear his passion in this song and that is also refreshing. Most music that we hear nowadays like on the radio lacks that passion and I feel like people just do it for money instead of art. I will definitely go buy his album because if all of his songs are on the level of this one then it will be one of his best. In my opinion he is one of the few artists keeping hip-hop or music in general alive.

Good Food Review

One of my favorite places to go eat breakfast is the Original Pancake House on 10437 S Western. I go there at least a couple of times a month. I usually go after church on Sunday morning and it is the best. Thier specialty is the apple pancake and that is my favorite thing on the menu. It is pretty big, it is oven baked and has apples and cinnamon glaze on top. I also order other things on the menu, for example the eggs or the patriotic pancakes, and they always taste good. So it really doesn't matter what you order because everything is good. It isn't really that big of a place so there is almost always a long wait. That is the only thing that I really don't like about it, but the food is well worth the wait. There hasn't been one time I went and wasn't satisfied with the food. The service is usually good as well. The waiters are nice and always around when you need them. Overall it is a great place and I would recommend it to anyone and give it five out five stars.

Defend the Poet

Charles Bukowski's Dinosauria, We poem was very interesting. It felt like he wrote the peom yesterday, even though he died in 1994, because of how how current everthing he said sounded. Reading this peom really got me thinking about what the future will hold and maybe that was his sole purpose in writing the poem at all. If everyone that read it tried to change that could help save the world. He compared us to Dinosaurs and that we are going to be extict just like them. I'm not sure if I agree with his prediction at the end of the world ending though. He just sounded very mad at the world and like he was going through something. I don't believe that the world will ever get so bad that men will have to start eating other men. Still that doesn't mean that Bukowski's prediction isn't correct because it could happen.

King Still King?

Martin Luther King Jr. left a big imprint on this world in the little time that he was on this earth. I believe that he was one of the best leaders this world, not only this country, has ever seen. It showed in the way he was able to lead several marches and influence a group of people that we shall overcome. He opened a lot of doors for people of color in this country as well. I don't think that Obama would be the president today if it wasn't for King. Another thing I admire about him is that he always did things non-violently. Other people would always try to phyically harm him and through all of that he never resorted to violence as an answer. I think that if he was still living then things in this country would be better. He really wanted to see his dream come true and it still hasn't. There is still a lot of racism in this country and a lot of people still judge others by the color of their skin. I think we still have to continue working toward fulfilling his dream and if we do the country will become a better place. I hope a lot of people will think about that during this holiday. I think that everybody should take at least five minutes to reflect on what he did for us and what he stood for.

I'm A Shoe

If I was going to be a shoe, I would be an athletic shoe. Athletic shoes are made to be light, hold up under a lot of activity, and also look good. More specifically I would want to be the Jordan 23s. I say that because it was the last number in the series and I think the most anticipated. When it came out everybody loved them and wanted some. The design was very different and the stiching on the sides of them were very intracate. I would want to be that shoe because I feel that I am different from everybody else just like the shoes were different. Also they were loved by a lot of people. I feel that I have a lot of friends and everybody loves me and that is also how I am like the shoes. So I think that would be the shoe that I would be if I was a shoe.