Weekly Written Analysis 3-1

Kurt Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington. Cobain dropped out of high school after realizing that he did not have enough credits to graduate. His mother gave him a choice: either get a job or leave. After a week or so, Cobain found his clothes and other belongings packed away in boxes. In late 1986, Cobain moved into the first house he lived in alone and paid his rent by working at a coastal resort twenty miles from Aberdeen. For his 14th birthday, Cobain's uncle gave him the option of a guitar or a bicycle as a gift; Cobain chose the guitar. He started learning a few covers and soon began working on his own songs. Cobain struggled to reconcile the massive success of Nirvana . Courtney Love seen Kurt on Saturday Night Live and instantly fell in love and soon was having Cobain's kid. Later The two of them were married and Frances Bean Cobain was born. Kurt couldnt of been happier at that moment. Cobain battled chronic bronchitis and intense physical pain due to an undiagnosed chronic stomach condition. His first drug experience was with marijuana in 1980 at age 13. Cobain's first experience with heroin occurred sometime in 1986, administered to him by a local drug dealer in Tacoma, Washington, who had previously been supplying him with Percodan. Cobain used heroin sporadically for several years, but, by the end of 1990, his use had developed into a full-fledged addiction. Cobain claimed that he was "determined to get a habit" as a way to self-medicate his stomach condition. Related Cobain, "It started with three days in a row of doing heroin and I don't have a stomach pain. That was such a relief. Kurt Cobain had many problems in his life, just like most of us do, he let them get to him to quick and at a young age. Kurt Cobain will be missed by many die hard Nirvana Fans. I am one of them.

Weekly Analysis Assignment 2-1

Korn formed after the group L.A.P.D. folded, due to singer Richard Morrill's drug addiction. Musicians Reginald Arvizu, James Shaffer, and David Silveria wanted to continue, and recruited guitarist Brian Welch and vocalist Corey Cinque and started a new band called Creep. Corey was soon dropped due to the band being dissatisfied with him.
In early 1993, the band took notice of vocalist Jonathan Davis after seeing his band Sexart and attempted to get him to join Creep. Davis initially did not want to join the band, but after consulting a psychic he decided to audition and then joined the band. The band soon changed their name to Korn.

In April that year, the band began a working led to their first demo tape entitled Neidermeyer's Mind. The band had problems getting signed during its first year. After many attempts at a record deal, Paul Pontius from Immortal/Epic Records heard the band in a nightclub and was so impressed, he signed them on the spot.

Musically, the album was a mix of heavy metal, alternative rock, hip hop, and funk the latter elements encompassed in the rhythmic approach to the band's compositions. "Blind" was the first single from the album, which got a decent amount of airplay and attention. Once Korn saw a release on October 11, 1994, the band toured incessantly with no support from radio or video stations. It was through the effort of this fanbase that helped push Korn onto the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at #72 in 1996 with "Shoots and Ladders" being their first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

On their first large tour, Korn opened for Danzig alongside Marilyn Manson. Other bands for which Korn opened in 1995 included Megadeth, 311, Fear Factory, Flotsam and Jetsam, and KMFDM. However, the first tour that widely exposed the band was opening for Ozzy Osbourne alongside the Deftones.

Many albums they have: 1994: Korn, 1996: Life is Peachy,1998: Follow the Leader, 1999: Issues, 2002: Untouchables, 2003: Take a look in the Mirror, 2005: See you on the other side and 2007: Untitled.

Icon Analysis

The three icons that I choose are Gi Joes, The rap group G-unit and The New York Giants. I choose these 3 Icons because I know a lot about these things and they all have influenced my life someway. What do these icons mean to me?


GI Joe’s

These toys were the most popular thing growing up back in the 80’s. While the girls had Barbie, the boys had the combat action figure with attitude. The Gi Joe always had to go up against the evil cobra no matter what the objective is. This icon meant to me that one day I could be a true leader and always do the right thing no matter what and no matter who is looking. I think Gi Joe also was the reason I joined the army.

G- Unit

This Rap Group came out around 2005 and from that time on they landed a ton of records. Looking at G-Unit’s past he grew up in a bad part of New York and had a dream to be a rapper. Even though he had that dream a lot of people thought that he would end of on the streets selling drugs just like most of his friends. This icon means to me the ambition to set your dreams high and never let go of them. If you feel something deep down inside go for it and if you don’t succeed try and try again.

New York Giants

I have been a fan of the New York Giants since 2001 when they had Kurt Warner as the QB and I believe Kerry Collins. They been so close to the wild card in different years and just didn’t seem to reach there goal. Last year They went into the same dilemma starting at the wild card, playoffs, until finally reaching the super bowl. Everyone thought it was a sure win for the Patriots but New York showed them that their hard work wasn’t going unnoticed and they in fact are super bowl champs. This Icon means to me that even when people say its over or it can never happen prove them wrong and take the extra drive to show them not only it can be done but with ease at any given time.

Weekly Written Analysis " A Scanner Darkly"

Bob Arctor (Reeves) is an undercover agent assigned to infiltrate the drug supply chain. Arctor and his housemates live in a poor Anaheim, California neighborhood. They are heavy drug users. When Arctor is at the police station, he is codenamed Fred, and hides his identity from his fellow police officers by wearing a high-tech scramble suit, that changes every aspect of the wearer's appearance. While posing as a drug user, Arctor becomes addicted to Substance D. Arctor befriends an attractive young woman named Donna Hawthorne (Ryder), a user of cocaine, Arctor's supplier of Substance D, and part of the drug scene. Arctor hopes to buy so much Substance D from Hawthorne that she is forced to introduce him to her supplier. Hank orders Fred to step up surveillance on the members of the Arctor household. Hank assumes Fred is one of the drug users in the Arctor household, but does not know which one, and actually orders Fred to focus the surveillance on Arctor. Meanwhile, Arctor's housemate Barris (Downey Jr.) secretly contacts the police and tells them he suspects Hawthorne and Arctor are part of a terrorist organization. Barris unknowingly tells this to Arctor himself at the police station while Arctor is wearing his scramble suit. Arctor is no longer able to distinguish between his roles as a drug user and undercover policeman, which makes him incapable of performing his job. Hank reveals to Fred that he has figured out, through the process of elimination, his true identity, and that his identity is indeed Arctor. Hank phones Donna, and asks her to take Arctor to New Path, Arctor is renamed Bruce and put through psychological reconditioning treatments. Arctor has serious brain damage from his withdrawal from Substance D. New Path is responsible for the manufacture and distribution of Substance D. Donna was part of a greater police operation to infiltrate New Path, and Arctor had been selected, without his knowledge or consent, to carry out the sting. It is revealed that the police had intended for Arctor to become addicted to Substance D; his well-being was sacrificed so that he might enter a rehabilitation center unnoticed as a real addict in order to find conclusive proof of New Path's crimes. New Path sends Arctor to work at an isolated New Path corn farming prison. Arctor spots rows of blue flowers hidden between rows of corn. These flowers, are the source of Substance D. Arctor hides one of the blue flowers in his boot, so that when he returns to the New Path clinic during Thanksgiving he can give it to his "friends" undercover police agents.

Popular Culture

Popular Culuture- The shared knowledge and practices of a specific group at a specific time. Because of it's commonality, pop culture both reflects and influences peoples way of life, because it is linked to a specific time and place, pop culture is transitory, subject to change and often an initiator of change.

Popular culture means to me stuff from your childhood either media, television, art, or music plays a vital role and can change how people growup or act in the future.

Popular culture is relevant in my business environment because with the military, many things change for example presidents, uniforms, different paperwork and even squad leaders. The main focus is that we must use the past pop culture to expand and help ourself and the soldiers under us accomplish the mission.

I would choose the simpsons because they are a popular television show from the late 80's that always had a show on the leading topics and make humor of some sort to that topic so kids can understand and parents especially adults can get a laugh and help to better tell the kids the basic of what they just seen and why.