For many years Las Vegas has been my home away from home, it’s been my favorite vacation spot since I turned 21. The nightlife, the gambling, and the luxury have always drawn me there but most of all its always been a fun way to catch up with the friends I grew up with from my hometown. Lately Vegas has been far from my mind in the midst of this global pandemic, civil unrest, and...
With no preseason this year it has been a difficult task assessing how it will go. Week 1 had a some upsets, under-performers, and veteran standouts. Now that we got the first game out of the way here’s one thing about every team going forward. NFC East New England Patriots – The Perennial AFC East Champions are going to be tough to knock off even after losing walking Hall of Famer Tom Brady. The always...
Since the beginning of the pandemic the perspective on what is normal has changed across many different cultural behaviors. For single people one of the most glaring changes is the immediate transformation of the dating world. All of the precautions that came with social distancing affected many different facets of the already complicated dating landscape. Now more than ever the importance of apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge have never been more paramount. Not to...
The Sopranos on the surface was a mafia drama but it captivated viewership and a cult following by showing the emotional depths of complicated characters put in compromising situations. Contrasting the world of organized crime with the troubled family issues in the life of New Jersey Mob Boss Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, made the show relatable while presenting a powerful character who had to reveal vulnerability to regain control of his life. Culturally,...
Looking back at Pop Smokes short but legendary career feels like it was over before it really even started. In the posthumous release of his first commercial album Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon Pop delivers a complete album from start to finish and is a showcase of the lost potential of one of rap’s quickest rising stars. The album is a meld of the grungy bangers of New York’s drill scene, slow...
CHOP formally known as CHAZ was an occupied protest zone in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood that was created after the public outrage that came following the killing of George Floyd. This change was born out of that chaos that followed the police’s excessive use of tear gas and flash bangs repeatedly. The protestors chose to occupy the area surround the Seattle Police’s east precinct until the department caved under public pressure to leave the zone...
Spike Lee’s latest movie Da 5 Bloods has come straight to the streaming titan Netflix, it is equal parts heist film, history lesson, and social commentary who’s timing couldn’t be better. The film follows four Black Vietnam War Vets on the search for the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold riches he helped them hide in the jungle years ago. The film takes risks in the way it was shot through multiple...
Baseball is part of America’s DNA, it captivates us with its mythological tradition and tales of superhuman feats that the average man can only dream of. Lone Gone Summer is a documentary about Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire chasing Roger Marris’ home run record in the summer of 1998. The same record held by Babe Ruth for 34 years, 60 home runs. This record is one of the many reasons Babe is a legend bigger...
It is safe to say that George Floyd’s death has caused a ripple of racial consciousness throughout the world unseen since the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s. In the past being a non-black minority (Latino & Native American) has made my feelings complicated during these times of racial unrest. I would post on social media but that would be the end of my “activism.” I chose not to protest, I chose not to march,...
I woke up to a text from a friend that said “America is on fire” last Saturday morning, I thought he was over exaggerating and speaking in hyperbole. I was wrong. Last weekend’s protests are a stark reminder of how fed up Americans are with racism and police brutality. This generation has been raised with the internet giving us visibility to worst policing our country has to offer. This current chaos is reminiscent of the...
