The war in Iraq raises many moral issues, however, possibly the biggest of these moral dilemmas is whether of not it is our duty as Americans to interfere with the lives of the Iraqi people in a misconstrued search for terror. Black Elk and Dostoyevsky, although very difficult to compare, both would have the same general outlook on the moral dimensions of this war.
The United States is no doubt a super power in the world and has a responsibility to help out other nations in need, we have the resources and manpower to make things happen and many of the worlds conflicts in the past have been solved by United States intervention. Although we have the ability to change the world, especially smaller third world countries, the question arises whether or not it is our duty to intervene with the lives of people halfway across the world because we believe that their way of life is not right. The Iraqi people have been in conflict for hundreds of thousands of years over religion, their lifestyle revolves around religion and defending those beliefs. This defense comes with violence and death and will most likely never be settled no matter how much the United States or any other country for that matter tries to mediate. The biggest moral issue in this conflict arises when the United States sends thousands of troops halfway across the world to fight a war that can not be won. This is not to say the United States doesn’t have the power to change their lifestyle because this is undoutoubly not the case, the problem is what are we trying to change? The obvious answer is to end terrorism and violence and make them a civilized society, but this is no closer now then it was over five years ago when we began our crusade. We have also lost track of our initial intentions of finding and stopping terror. The search for Bin Laden and other terrorists’ organizations has been abandoned in a search for what appears to be power or in turn, oil. By changing our intentions in this war we have drastically changed the moral issues. When starting off trying to stop terror and save the lives of the innocent we were doing just that, trying to at least mildly disrupt the organized terror in the Middle East and save lives. This has now been lost in translation somewhere along the way and we have attempted to set up an entirely new government in a society that it appears we know nothing about.
Black Elk believes that it is morally wrong for us to try and change the culture of another civilization. He believes that we must fight for what we believe but not to attempt to conquer and control another’s lifestyle. Black Elk says that “there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.” This means that we will never be able to have peace in Iraq until we know and understand the culture in which they live, which at this point we do not so we will continue to fail until we can agree and understand.
Dostoyevsky believes that we must act with our hearts and that only irrational acts are free, because of this Dostoyevsky would decided that we morally should be in Iraq because we are acting irrationally and this in turn makes us free. He does not believe that acting irrationally means that you may act out of ignorance or that it is necessarily the right thing to do but does believe that it is acting freely. He also says that “a just cause is not ruined by a few mistakes” so just because we have gotten off track, does not mean we are not still fighting for a just cause of stopping terror.
It is very difficult to say how this issue is to be resolved; we are currently so deeply involved in the Iraqi society that pulling out completely could quite possibly crumble their entire civilization. Since we have arrested and killed Saddam and taken him completely out of the government they are currently in the process of designing an entirely new political system, this change is not going to be successful without the help of the United States. This does not mean that we should continue to intervene in the Iraqi everyday way of life, but does mean that we can not simply pull out our entire operation before we have completed the job. I believe that the best way for this situation to be resolved is to begin pulling soldiers out of Iraq slowly and stop making any attempts at causing any more battles with the Iraqi people. Our presence there is obviously going to upset many people and we are going to find ourselves in compromising situations, but we should not search for them. Instead we should use our power to build their government back up and teach them able to run it themselves, in their own way. This is the best way to go about it because they are not going to like the western influence running their lives but we can not simply just pull out or all of our work will crumble and we will be left in the same situation as we were before. Hopefully, we will be able to completely leave Iraq in the next few years, at least leave as much as we are present in any other country in the world. We do not need to focus on stopping the violence because we simply do not have the power and respect of the people to make that work.
The war in Iraq has brought about many moral dilemmas and it is difficult to come to a definite answer on what the right thing to do is, however, by studying the works of Black Elk and Dostoyevsky we can see peoples different views on the war and attempt to find common ground so we can make an effort to end this misguided war.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Love
Love Screenplay
Setting: A fancy Italian restaurant at a private booth, a male and a female are eating and talking
Brian: Sarah you know that you mean the world to me and that I would do anything for you
Sarah: of course Brian, I feel the same way
Brian: Well I have been thinking that we are so perfect for each other and I love you so much that we should make things more permanent
Sarah: what are you thinking?
Brian pulls a ring out of his pocket
Brian: Will you marry me?
Sarah looking extremely shocked
Sarah: Of course I will!
Brain: Oh Sarah I love you so much, we are going to be so happy together
Sarah: I love you too, I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her
Setting: A fancy Italian restaurant at a private booth, a male and a female are eating and talking
Brian: Sarah you know that you mean the world to me and that I would do anything for you
Sarah: of course Brian, I feel the same way
Brian: Well I have been thinking that we are so perfect for each other and I love you so much that we should make things more permanent
Sarah: what are you thinking?
Brian pulls a ring out of his pocket
Brian: Will you marry me?
Sarah looking extremely shocked
Sarah: Of course I will!
Brain: Oh Sarah I love you so much, we are going to be so happy together
Sarah: I love you too, I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her
Pans Labyrinth
Foreign Film review
I chose Pans Labyrinth by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro as my foreign film, its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno, which refers to the faun of Roman mythology and directly translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun". The story takes place post-Civil War in Spain in 1944, after Francisco Franco has come into power. Ofelia, a young girl, absorbed in fairy tales, travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather and father of Carmen's unborn child.
On the way, Ofelia discovers a large insect resembling a praying mantis and she believes it to be a fairy. The creature follows the family to their new home, where it leads Ofelia to an ancient labyrinth. Before Ofelia can enter the labyrinth, she is stopped by Mercedes, one of Vidal's maids and a spy for the rebels, who are led by her brother, Pedro. That night, the creature appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it morphs into a fairy and leads Ofelia through the labyrinth into a small clearing. There, she meets the faun, who recognizes her as the long-lost Princess Moanna and assigns her three tasks to complete before the full moon to ensure that her "essence is intact". Meanwhile, Vidal becomes increasingly vicious in his methods, torturing a captured Republican and killing a doctor who puts the prisoner down because of his injuries at his request. Ophelia’s mother develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to a son. Vidal discovers Mercedes is a rebel spy, and he captures her and Ofelia as they attempt to escape. Ofelia is locked in her bedroom, and Mercedes is taken to be tortured; however, she frees herself, injures Vidal and flees into the woods, where Pedro and the rebels rescue her. Vidal finds Ofelia after she takes her brother and runs to the Labyrinth, he takes the baby and shoots Ofelia. As he staggers out of the labyrinth, he finds the rebels waiting for him and, after handing them his son, is killed by Pedro. As Mercedes enters the labyrinth and mourns over Ofelia's dead body, Ofelia is reunited with the king and queen of the underworld and is found to be the true Princess Monna. There were several points in this movie that truly intrigued me, the first was the ability of the movie to bring fairy tail and post war violence together in one film and make the two flow so well together. I also learned a lot about the Spanish culture while watching this film. The film takes place almost a hundred years ago but still is extremely rich in Spanish heritage. The culture is very well portrayed throughout the movie, from the Spanish speaking to the wardrobes of all the characters. The entire movie is in subtitles which was new to me, I have never had the patience to watch an entire movie in subtitles before but this was an extremely intriguing movie that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. When comparing it to an American film there are several large differences, the biggest of these would have to be the way that they show violence. It appeared that the Spanish allow much more uncensored violence then might be accepted here in America. I truly enjoyed watching this movie and it has opened my eyes to foreign films and the different stories that they can tell.
I chose Pans Labyrinth by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro as my foreign film, its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno, which refers to the faun of Roman mythology and directly translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun". The story takes place post-Civil War in Spain in 1944, after Francisco Franco has come into power. Ofelia, a young girl, absorbed in fairy tales, travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather and father of Carmen's unborn child.
On the way, Ofelia discovers a large insect resembling a praying mantis and she believes it to be a fairy. The creature follows the family to their new home, where it leads Ofelia to an ancient labyrinth. Before Ofelia can enter the labyrinth, she is stopped by Mercedes, one of Vidal's maids and a spy for the rebels, who are led by her brother, Pedro. That night, the creature appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it morphs into a fairy and leads Ofelia through the labyrinth into a small clearing. There, she meets the faun, who recognizes her as the long-lost Princess Moanna and assigns her three tasks to complete before the full moon to ensure that her "essence is intact". Meanwhile, Vidal becomes increasingly vicious in his methods, torturing a captured Republican and killing a doctor who puts the prisoner down because of his injuries at his request. Ophelia’s mother develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to a son. Vidal discovers Mercedes is a rebel spy, and he captures her and Ofelia as they attempt to escape. Ofelia is locked in her bedroom, and Mercedes is taken to be tortured; however, she frees herself, injures Vidal and flees into the woods, where Pedro and the rebels rescue her. Vidal finds Ofelia after she takes her brother and runs to the Labyrinth, he takes the baby and shoots Ofelia. As he staggers out of the labyrinth, he finds the rebels waiting for him and, after handing them his son, is killed by Pedro. As Mercedes enters the labyrinth and mourns over Ofelia's dead body, Ofelia is reunited with the king and queen of the underworld and is found to be the true Princess Monna. There were several points in this movie that truly intrigued me, the first was the ability of the movie to bring fairy tail and post war violence together in one film and make the two flow so well together. I also learned a lot about the Spanish culture while watching this film. The film takes place almost a hundred years ago but still is extremely rich in Spanish heritage. The culture is very well portrayed throughout the movie, from the Spanish speaking to the wardrobes of all the characters. The entire movie is in subtitles which was new to me, I have never had the patience to watch an entire movie in subtitles before but this was an extremely intriguing movie that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. When comparing it to an American film there are several large differences, the biggest of these would have to be the way that they show violence. It appeared that the Spanish allow much more uncensored violence then might be accepted here in America. I truly enjoyed watching this movie and it has opened my eyes to foreign films and the different stories that they can tell.
Institutions in my Life
Everyone has driving factors or institutions in their lives that shape the way they grow as a person. These institutions can be anything from family, friends, school or life experiences. All of these things play very big roles in making someone who they are, especially when they are all put together.
Over the years there have been many institutions that have shaped the person I am today. The first and probably largest of these would have to be my parents; they have always been there for me, helping me out with what ever it is that I throw at them. Having parents that both work, it is hard to find time when all of us are able to be together, but somehow they were always able to do it, at least to the best they could. They have always helped me in school, even when I didn’t want them to, and helped me get to and from my practices after school, although they were supposed to be at work. My dad has especially been a big role model for me ever since I was a kid; he has helped me through countless incidents even if the family shouldn’t know. I always try to model him in almost anyway I can, and so far it hasn’t led me wrong. He has always helped me and supported me through some hard times and done everything in his power to help me. I also have a younger sister that I think a lot about and try to be a positive role model to whenever possible. She needs to have a positive role model to help her make the right decisions while she experiences all of these institutions. My family as a whole has shaped me from a child by teaching me the lessons of life while allowing me to figure things out myself and I am grateful for them.
My second institution would have to be high school; I attended a high school of over four thousand kids in the middle of south Denver. Needless to say it was a very different atmosphere then here in Bozeman. Going to a school of this size in a busy city shapes people in many ways that many, at least myself, are unaware of until they have graduated and left. A school like this prepares you so much for college that the transition doesn’t seem so huge. Because the school is basically a small college, classes, teachers, friends and almost every other aspect are far different then that of other people I have met from smaller schools. There were so many different groups of people at my high school that it was easy to make friends with a group that fit you. There was basically a group for everyone, which gives you a very wide perspective of people. Even though I have a very wide perspective of people, coming to Montana State has opened my eyes to a completely different atmosphere. A few of my classes were lecture classes, just like here at MSU, where one teacher would teach fifty or more students. This style of teaching was extremely important because it taught me how to listen to a lecture and realize what the teacher actually wanted us to get out of it. Each one of my classes was in a different building sprawled across a campus that is a half mile by half mile. We had an open campus meaning you could leave during the day at anytime and go basically anywhere you wanted. Although many abused this privilege and skipped class, it gave you a glimpse at real life and made you have control of your own education. I believe this has drastically improved my college experience because I know how important class is to success. We also had to register for all our own classes in almost the exact way we do here, and it was not unusual to go an entire day without seeing a good friend because of the amount of people wandering the halls.
During the summer after high school I tried to prepare myself as much as possible for college, but nothing could prepare me for the first day in the dorms. Even though my high school is very similar to a college campus, the transition from high school to college did come with some very big life changing differences. When I first came to college I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I have always heard of the big party and school in there somewhere, but after spending a semester I have matured and realized the true importance of college and why it is important to go. The biggest change so far has been moving away from home to a completely different lifestyle. The dorms are a very unique place and I have realized that they force people to mature, even if it is in a transitional way. I believe that this move for me means so much because I have never moved before period, let alone by myself. It is a very cool, but intimidating experience for me moving out of state. Moving from the city where I was surrounded by millions of people on a daily basis to a town like Bozeman is much different in almost every way I can imagine compared to where I used to live.
My first yeas here at MSU has changed who I am dramatically. I have grown up a lot just in the last few months and have a much better understanding of life, at least I think. Living on your own for the first time, even if it is just in the dorms, is a very big change from anything I have experienced. I now understand the work and money that goes into supporting yourself. I have met many other students who are much different from kids in my high school, and I have made better friends in the past few months then I have possibly ever made.
I also believe I have figured out what my major is going to be, after taking Intro to Global Markets with Mike Gold I have realized that Business Marketing should fit me very well. Gold’s class is fun and exciting as he teaches us business not only out to the book but from life experience. He is a retired marketing president for several big companies across the world, including M&M’s, Heineken, and Mars Bars. With these positions comes some very interesting everyday advice that he passes on to the class very well. I have also made this decision based on the strong interest survey that we took in class. On the survey all of the career suggestions were in some way related to a business degree, which is exactly what I was aiming for before taking the survey.
The overall experience of college so far makes you grow up quickly and realize the real world much more then I ever thought it would. I now know how to budget my time effectively and manage when I need to go out with friends, and when I need to do my work. This took me several weeks into the semester, but has basically clicked now as we reach the end of the semester. Classes are extremely important, and they teach you the basic knowledge of life, however leaving the house and living on your own teaches you far more then the class room. I have learned so many lessons, even in the last few months and I now hopefully know a little bit more how life works.
If I was going to give any advice to incoming freshman, there would be a few big issues I would try and make them understand. I first would tell them that going to class is absolutely essential to passing class. If you don’t go to class there is no way you are going to get the information out of the class, even if you do all of the reading. The second thing I would tell them is to learn how to manage their time. You don’t always have to go out with the boys and have a good time. It is a very big part of college, but also needs to be enjoyed in moderation. If you are out late every night you are not going to be able to pay attention in class the next day. Finally, I would let them know that there are countless resources around campus that offer help, resources I didn’t find until late in the semester. Using the writing center, library, and teacher’s office hours give a huge advantage and can literally help your grades by entire letters.
There have been many institutions that have helped me though my life so far and there will no doubt be many more. It you are able to use these advantages and put them towards your life, you will have a step up on everyone else and hopefully succeed.
Over the years there have been many institutions that have shaped the person I am today. The first and probably largest of these would have to be my parents; they have always been there for me, helping me out with what ever it is that I throw at them. Having parents that both work, it is hard to find time when all of us are able to be together, but somehow they were always able to do it, at least to the best they could. They have always helped me in school, even when I didn’t want them to, and helped me get to and from my practices after school, although they were supposed to be at work. My dad has especially been a big role model for me ever since I was a kid; he has helped me through countless incidents even if the family shouldn’t know. I always try to model him in almost anyway I can, and so far it hasn’t led me wrong. He has always helped me and supported me through some hard times and done everything in his power to help me. I also have a younger sister that I think a lot about and try to be a positive role model to whenever possible. She needs to have a positive role model to help her make the right decisions while she experiences all of these institutions. My family as a whole has shaped me from a child by teaching me the lessons of life while allowing me to figure things out myself and I am grateful for them.
My second institution would have to be high school; I attended a high school of over four thousand kids in the middle of south Denver. Needless to say it was a very different atmosphere then here in Bozeman. Going to a school of this size in a busy city shapes people in many ways that many, at least myself, are unaware of until they have graduated and left. A school like this prepares you so much for college that the transition doesn’t seem so huge. Because the school is basically a small college, classes, teachers, friends and almost every other aspect are far different then that of other people I have met from smaller schools. There were so many different groups of people at my high school that it was easy to make friends with a group that fit you. There was basically a group for everyone, which gives you a very wide perspective of people. Even though I have a very wide perspective of people, coming to Montana State has opened my eyes to a completely different atmosphere. A few of my classes were lecture classes, just like here at MSU, where one teacher would teach fifty or more students. This style of teaching was extremely important because it taught me how to listen to a lecture and realize what the teacher actually wanted us to get out of it. Each one of my classes was in a different building sprawled across a campus that is a half mile by half mile. We had an open campus meaning you could leave during the day at anytime and go basically anywhere you wanted. Although many abused this privilege and skipped class, it gave you a glimpse at real life and made you have control of your own education. I believe this has drastically improved my college experience because I know how important class is to success. We also had to register for all our own classes in almost the exact way we do here, and it was not unusual to go an entire day without seeing a good friend because of the amount of people wandering the halls.
During the summer after high school I tried to prepare myself as much as possible for college, but nothing could prepare me for the first day in the dorms. Even though my high school is very similar to a college campus, the transition from high school to college did come with some very big life changing differences. When I first came to college I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I have always heard of the big party and school in there somewhere, but after spending a semester I have matured and realized the true importance of college and why it is important to go. The biggest change so far has been moving away from home to a completely different lifestyle. The dorms are a very unique place and I have realized that they force people to mature, even if it is in a transitional way. I believe that this move for me means so much because I have never moved before period, let alone by myself. It is a very cool, but intimidating experience for me moving out of state. Moving from the city where I was surrounded by millions of people on a daily basis to a town like Bozeman is much different in almost every way I can imagine compared to where I used to live.
My first yeas here at MSU has changed who I am dramatically. I have grown up a lot just in the last few months and have a much better understanding of life, at least I think. Living on your own for the first time, even if it is just in the dorms, is a very big change from anything I have experienced. I now understand the work and money that goes into supporting yourself. I have met many other students who are much different from kids in my high school, and I have made better friends in the past few months then I have possibly ever made.
I also believe I have figured out what my major is going to be, after taking Intro to Global Markets with Mike Gold I have realized that Business Marketing should fit me very well. Gold’s class is fun and exciting as he teaches us business not only out to the book but from life experience. He is a retired marketing president for several big companies across the world, including M&M’s, Heineken, and Mars Bars. With these positions comes some very interesting everyday advice that he passes on to the class very well. I have also made this decision based on the strong interest survey that we took in class. On the survey all of the career suggestions were in some way related to a business degree, which is exactly what I was aiming for before taking the survey.
The overall experience of college so far makes you grow up quickly and realize the real world much more then I ever thought it would. I now know how to budget my time effectively and manage when I need to go out with friends, and when I need to do my work. This took me several weeks into the semester, but has basically clicked now as we reach the end of the semester. Classes are extremely important, and they teach you the basic knowledge of life, however leaving the house and living on your own teaches you far more then the class room. I have learned so many lessons, even in the last few months and I now hopefully know a little bit more how life works.
If I was going to give any advice to incoming freshman, there would be a few big issues I would try and make them understand. I first would tell them that going to class is absolutely essential to passing class. If you don’t go to class there is no way you are going to get the information out of the class, even if you do all of the reading. The second thing I would tell them is to learn how to manage their time. You don’t always have to go out with the boys and have a good time. It is a very big part of college, but also needs to be enjoyed in moderation. If you are out late every night you are not going to be able to pay attention in class the next day. Finally, I would let them know that there are countless resources around campus that offer help, resources I didn’t find until late in the semester. Using the writing center, library, and teacher’s office hours give a huge advantage and can literally help your grades by entire letters.
There have been many institutions that have helped me though my life so far and there will no doubt be many more. It you are able to use these advantages and put them towards your life, you will have a step up on everyone else and hopefully succeed.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was an English rock group that formed in 1968 and featured the members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. They were considered to be the first true heavy metal bands because of their heavy guitar driven sound. This sound shaped the new face of rock and roll, adding a new genera of music to an era desperate for a new sound. They were also very big in producing album orientated rock and not simply releasing singles like many other bands of the era.
The early days of Led Zeppelin was actually not Led Zeppelin at all, Jimmy Page played bass in “The Yardbirds” in 1966 with Paul Samwell Smith, McCarty, Relf and Jeff Beck until Smith left the band and Page took over second lead guitar with Beck. The Yardbirds began to break up over the next year or so and Page decided he wanted to start a “supergroup” with himself and Beck on guitar. After touring and playing shows for some time, Page and Chris Dreja got permission from the rest of the group to use the name “Yardbirds”; and to fulfill the bands previous obligations of a Scandinavian tour. From this point they began to build a new band and found Robert Plant, a singer from Birmingham and John Bonham from near by Redditch. After a short time Dreja left the group to become a photographer leaving an open space which was filled by the final piece of the band, John Paul Jones.
The band completed the Scandinavian tour as "The New Yardbirds" before changing their name to "Led Zeppelin" which was chosen as their new name after a newspaper review predicted they would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term used to describe a bad gig. After some discussion, the band decided to stick with it thinking that it fit their newly found style of music, but decided to drop the “a” to keep from “dumb Americans” calling them leed. Their manager Grant secured an advanced deal of $200,000 from Atlantic Records in November 1968, which at that time was the biggest deal of its kind for a new band, especially when they had never seen them. With their first album not yet released, Zeppelin made their live debut at the University of Surrey in Guildford on October 15, 1968. This was followed by a U.S. concert debut on December 26, 1968 before moving on to the west coast for dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities.
The success of Led Zeppelin's early years would be categorized by a five year period in which the band would release their best selling albums and ascend to musical success in the 1970s. The band's image also changed as members began to wear elaborate, colorful clothing and jewelry similar to other popular performers of the era. If the band's popularity on stage was impressive, so too was its reputation for off-stage wildness and excess partying. Led Zeppelin began traveling in a private jet airliner, rented out entire sections of hotels, and became the subject of many of rock's most famous stories of unrestrained, self indulgent behavior.
By 1976, Led Zeppelin was becoming increasingly popular, having outsold most bands of the time, including the Rolling Stones. Their live shows increased even further theatricality, featuring larger stage areas and complex lights shows. While there were still massive musical and commercial successes for the band during this period, problems such as the 1977 death of Robert Plant's son, Jimmy Page's heroin use, changing musical tastes, and John Bonham's 1980 death would finally bring an end to Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin changed the face of rock as we know it and they continue to be one of the most influential and known bands of all time. They currently have three songs on the top ten rock and roll list of all time, including “Stairway to Heaven” which sits at number one. Zeppelin changed the face of music and gave a new name to rock and roll, their talented guitar and incredible vocals alongside their notorious partying will forever hold a place in the world of rock and roll and bands in the future will have a hard time matching the social influence that Led Zeppelin gave not only the United States but the rest of the world as well.
Led Zeppelin was an English rock group that formed in 1968 and featured the members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. They were considered to be the first true heavy metal bands because of their heavy guitar driven sound. This sound shaped the new face of rock and roll, adding a new genera of music to an era desperate for a new sound. They were also very big in producing album orientated rock and not simply releasing singles like many other bands of the era.
The early days of Led Zeppelin was actually not Led Zeppelin at all, Jimmy Page played bass in “The Yardbirds” in 1966 with Paul Samwell Smith, McCarty, Relf and Jeff Beck until Smith left the band and Page took over second lead guitar with Beck. The Yardbirds began to break up over the next year or so and Page decided he wanted to start a “supergroup” with himself and Beck on guitar. After touring and playing shows for some time, Page and Chris Dreja got permission from the rest of the group to use the name “Yardbirds”; and to fulfill the bands previous obligations of a Scandinavian tour. From this point they began to build a new band and found Robert Plant, a singer from Birmingham and John Bonham from near by Redditch. After a short time Dreja left the group to become a photographer leaving an open space which was filled by the final piece of the band, John Paul Jones.
The band completed the Scandinavian tour as "The New Yardbirds" before changing their name to "Led Zeppelin" which was chosen as their new name after a newspaper review predicted they would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term used to describe a bad gig. After some discussion, the band decided to stick with it thinking that it fit their newly found style of music, but decided to drop the “a” to keep from “dumb Americans” calling them leed. Their manager Grant secured an advanced deal of $200,000 from Atlantic Records in November 1968, which at that time was the biggest deal of its kind for a new band, especially when they had never seen them. With their first album not yet released, Zeppelin made their live debut at the University of Surrey in Guildford on October 15, 1968. This was followed by a U.S. concert debut on December 26, 1968 before moving on to the west coast for dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities.
The success of Led Zeppelin's early years would be categorized by a five year period in which the band would release their best selling albums and ascend to musical success in the 1970s. The band's image also changed as members began to wear elaborate, colorful clothing and jewelry similar to other popular performers of the era. If the band's popularity on stage was impressive, so too was its reputation for off-stage wildness and excess partying. Led Zeppelin began traveling in a private jet airliner, rented out entire sections of hotels, and became the subject of many of rock's most famous stories of unrestrained, self indulgent behavior.
By 1976, Led Zeppelin was becoming increasingly popular, having outsold most bands of the time, including the Rolling Stones. Their live shows increased even further theatricality, featuring larger stage areas and complex lights shows. While there were still massive musical and commercial successes for the band during this period, problems such as the 1977 death of Robert Plant's son, Jimmy Page's heroin use, changing musical tastes, and John Bonham's 1980 death would finally bring an end to Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin changed the face of rock as we know it and they continue to be one of the most influential and known bands of all time. They currently have three songs on the top ten rock and roll list of all time, including “Stairway to Heaven” which sits at number one. Zeppelin changed the face of music and gave a new name to rock and roll, their talented guitar and incredible vocals alongside their notorious partying will forever hold a place in the world of rock and roll and bands in the future will have a hard time matching the social influence that Led Zeppelin gave not only the United States but the rest of the world as well.
The Legend of the Band
The Legend of the Band
Music has always brought people together for celebration, and in Denver Colorado there is no exception. Music is a way of life for many people in Denver and is a way of meeting new people of all kinds. One night The Mad Caddies, a local rock band, were playing at the Lodo bar and dance club on Colfax Avenue; this was their favorite small venue to play because the audience was always stoked to have them there and packed the place with good energy. Because of this energy from the audience they played an incredible show that left the entire place screaming for more every time. During the second set, Tyler, the lead guitarist and vocalist locked eyes with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had long blond hair, light blue eyes and was jamming her heart out loving every riff, Tyler was instantly in love.
During a quick intermission between the second and third set Tyler searched the entire club trying to find this gorgeous girl, but he was unable to find her. He spent the next couple hours on stage trying to find her in the crowd but she was not to be found. He even asked around after the show in an attempt to get any information about her but no one had anything to tell him, it was like she didn’t even exist. He left that night wondering if he would ever be able to find her again, not believing he could let her get away without meeting her.
A few weeks later there was a battle of the bands at the Denver convention center and The Mad Caddies secured a spot in the competition. This was a huge competition for amateur bands because the winner was given free studio recording time with Virgin Records, the biggest recorder in the nation; if they could get a record with them then they could make it in the business. Mad Caddies was set to be the last band to perform that night so they watched the rest of the bands in the competition very intently.
The first two bands were pretty good but didn’t pose too much threat to Tyler and The Mad Caddies, but then Janie and the Monsters, a new band to the Denver area, took the stage and started to rock the entire event. Tyler was getting a drink at the bar at the time when they first began to play and he instantly made his way to the front of the stage as soon as he heard Janie and the Monsters start to play. Once he pushed his way to the front of the stage he made a discovery that left him absolutely speechless, Janie, the lead guitarist and vocalist was the girl he had tried so hard to find weeks ago at Lotto during his own show! He couldn’t believe it, she was incredible, she could make the most incredible riffs he had ever heard and had a voice of an angle. After her set he made his way backstage to try and find her, he was able to push through the crowds trying to talk to her and introduced himself at which point she pretty much dismissed him like he was just one of the crowd, since she obviously had no idea who he was. Tyler knew exactly what he had to do; he had to play the best show he had ever played to win her over.
He immediately went to his dressing room and started to practice before his time on stage. In this short time he was able to come up with what he thought was the perfect solo for one of their songs. After a short practice session he was told he was on in five minutes and to get backstage immediately. Right before he went onto stage Janie was standing next to the stage door, as he walked through she wished him good luck on his set, it was all the confidence he needed to put on an incredible show. Tyler and the rest of The Mad Caddies took the stage and played what they felt was their best few songs. During the third song Tyler let loose and started really jamming, the whole venue erupted in cheers and it appeared they just might win the battle. They continued to play their set and when they finished everyone was cheering, it was incredible.
After a short deliberation from the judges, all of the bands were called back onto stage where they named the top three bands in no particular order.
“Janie and the Monsters” one of the judges called out.
“The Exiled” another judge said.
And finally, “Mad Caddies” a third judge proclaimed. The three bands stood on three corners of the stage, all anxiously awaiting the judges’ decision.
“And now for the winner” the first judge says. After a long pause, “Janie and the Monsters are your 2007 battle of the bands champions!”
Tyler and the Mad Caddies hearts instantly sunk but they managed to keep a good smile and shook the winner’s hands. Tyler couldn’t believe he had lost the competition, now he was never going to be able to win over Janie or get the record deal he had worked so hard for over the past few years.
An hour or so after the competition all of the bands and their friends had a big after party at the Bluebird, a club a few blocks away from the convention center and wouldn’t you know it, Janie showed up. She made her rounds talking to people all around the club until she eventually made her way to the bar where Tyler was standing talking to some people from other bands about the night when he was tapped on the shoulder; he turned around slowly and once again locked eyes with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Before he could say anything Janie said;
“You were incredible tonight, that solo you had blew me off of my feet”
Tyler, stunned managed to work out “thank you, you were incredible yourself, congratulations!”
“Well thanks” she said “but I need a new guitarist, would you be interested in playing with me next weekend at the Ogden? I think the two of us could really tear it up”.
“Are you serious? I would love too!” Tyler exclaimed.
“Well how about we go get a table and talk for awhile, I would love to get to know you and talk about what we need to do”.
“Sounds great, let me grab us a drink and we will find a table”
Tyler and Janie talked all night that night and started practicing the next day; they played the Ogden the following Saturday night and made Denver history. It was the first truly successful band with two lead guitarist and vocalist. Neither of them played backup, they were able to play with each other very naturally and knew exactly where the other was going all the time. They soon became the most sought after band in Denver and everyone kept talking about their shows. They even ended up recording an album together which is now on the top 100 in Rolling Stones. They have also been dating since that night and travel the country playing sold out shows at some of the largest venues in the country.
Music has always brought people together for celebration, and in Denver Colorado there is no exception. Music is a way of life for many people in Denver and is a way of meeting new people of all kinds. One night The Mad Caddies, a local rock band, were playing at the Lodo bar and dance club on Colfax Avenue; this was their favorite small venue to play because the audience was always stoked to have them there and packed the place with good energy. Because of this energy from the audience they played an incredible show that left the entire place screaming for more every time. During the second set, Tyler, the lead guitarist and vocalist locked eyes with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had long blond hair, light blue eyes and was jamming her heart out loving every riff, Tyler was instantly in love.
During a quick intermission between the second and third set Tyler searched the entire club trying to find this gorgeous girl, but he was unable to find her. He spent the next couple hours on stage trying to find her in the crowd but she was not to be found. He even asked around after the show in an attempt to get any information about her but no one had anything to tell him, it was like she didn’t even exist. He left that night wondering if he would ever be able to find her again, not believing he could let her get away without meeting her.
A few weeks later there was a battle of the bands at the Denver convention center and The Mad Caddies secured a spot in the competition. This was a huge competition for amateur bands because the winner was given free studio recording time with Virgin Records, the biggest recorder in the nation; if they could get a record with them then they could make it in the business. Mad Caddies was set to be the last band to perform that night so they watched the rest of the bands in the competition very intently.
The first two bands were pretty good but didn’t pose too much threat to Tyler and The Mad Caddies, but then Janie and the Monsters, a new band to the Denver area, took the stage and started to rock the entire event. Tyler was getting a drink at the bar at the time when they first began to play and he instantly made his way to the front of the stage as soon as he heard Janie and the Monsters start to play. Once he pushed his way to the front of the stage he made a discovery that left him absolutely speechless, Janie, the lead guitarist and vocalist was the girl he had tried so hard to find weeks ago at Lotto during his own show! He couldn’t believe it, she was incredible, she could make the most incredible riffs he had ever heard and had a voice of an angle. After her set he made his way backstage to try and find her, he was able to push through the crowds trying to talk to her and introduced himself at which point she pretty much dismissed him like he was just one of the crowd, since she obviously had no idea who he was. Tyler knew exactly what he had to do; he had to play the best show he had ever played to win her over.
He immediately went to his dressing room and started to practice before his time on stage. In this short time he was able to come up with what he thought was the perfect solo for one of their songs. After a short practice session he was told he was on in five minutes and to get backstage immediately. Right before he went onto stage Janie was standing next to the stage door, as he walked through she wished him good luck on his set, it was all the confidence he needed to put on an incredible show. Tyler and the rest of The Mad Caddies took the stage and played what they felt was their best few songs. During the third song Tyler let loose and started really jamming, the whole venue erupted in cheers and it appeared they just might win the battle. They continued to play their set and when they finished everyone was cheering, it was incredible.
After a short deliberation from the judges, all of the bands were called back onto stage where they named the top three bands in no particular order.
“Janie and the Monsters” one of the judges called out.
“The Exiled” another judge said.
And finally, “Mad Caddies” a third judge proclaimed. The three bands stood on three corners of the stage, all anxiously awaiting the judges’ decision.
“And now for the winner” the first judge says. After a long pause, “Janie and the Monsters are your 2007 battle of the bands champions!”
Tyler and the Mad Caddies hearts instantly sunk but they managed to keep a good smile and shook the winner’s hands. Tyler couldn’t believe he had lost the competition, now he was never going to be able to win over Janie or get the record deal he had worked so hard for over the past few years.
An hour or so after the competition all of the bands and their friends had a big after party at the Bluebird, a club a few blocks away from the convention center and wouldn’t you know it, Janie showed up. She made her rounds talking to people all around the club until she eventually made her way to the bar where Tyler was standing talking to some people from other bands about the night when he was tapped on the shoulder; he turned around slowly and once again locked eyes with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Before he could say anything Janie said;
“You were incredible tonight, that solo you had blew me off of my feet”
Tyler, stunned managed to work out “thank you, you were incredible yourself, congratulations!”
“Well thanks” she said “but I need a new guitarist, would you be interested in playing with me next weekend at the Ogden? I think the two of us could really tear it up”.
“Are you serious? I would love too!” Tyler exclaimed.
“Well how about we go get a table and talk for awhile, I would love to get to know you and talk about what we need to do”.
“Sounds great, let me grab us a drink and we will find a table”
Tyler and Janie talked all night that night and started practicing the next day; they played the Ogden the following Saturday night and made Denver history. It was the first truly successful band with two lead guitarist and vocalist. Neither of them played backup, they were able to play with each other very naturally and knew exactly where the other was going all the time. They soon became the most sought after band in Denver and everyone kept talking about their shows. They even ended up recording an album together which is now on the top 100 in Rolling Stones. They have also been dating since that night and travel the country playing sold out shows at some of the largest venues in the country.
Epictetus
Epictetus’s The Handbook discusses the stoic belief about how you should live your life. According to the stoic view, you are responsible for your own life and your own actions. A stoic believes you should detach yourself from distracting emotions which in turn allows you to become a clear and level headed thinker. The Handbook explains how some things are up to us and others are not. We control our opinions, impulses and desires. Anything that is not our own doing is not up to us and should not be sweat over. You cannot let other people or other things dictate the way that you live your life, when something bad happens the only person you can blame is yourself. It is not the fault of others when something happens to you. You also cannot let things outside of your control get to you and control how you live. If someone dies it is important to remember them, but you should not let it change your life. When something or someone has left you, according to Epictetus, you should not say that you have lost it, but that you have given it back. This to me is an interesting point of view because stoics seem to believe that they are in control of their own lives but still believe in some type of higher power. The stoic belief to me seems to be putting your life into your own hands. If you want to be happy you must make that happiness yourself and the only way to do that is to not let anything get to you.
I enjoyed reading this book and talking about different schools of thought. It is interesting to me, especially listening during class discussions, how everyone’s views are so different on how you should live your life. There are such contrasting views between individuals about what is right and wrong and the way that they see the world. I think that I fit into the stoic school of thought in a few ways. I don’t let things get to me very easy, I almost always let things roll off of my back, which is good and bad in different situations. I think this is a good way to live life because you can’t change things that you’re not in control of so why make a big deal about them. I can however see that this would be a difficult way to live life everyday for many people because they are unable to let things go. If you can completely detach yourself from the world you would not do very well in today’s society because it is not possible to find a significant other or make money when you are detached from anything that might hurt you so I believe that although it is a good idea and good way to attempt to live your life, it is not possible in today’s society.
Epictetus’s The Handbook discusses the stoic belief about how you should live your life. According to the stoic view, you are responsible for your own life and your own actions. A stoic believes you should detach yourself from distracting emotions which in turn allows you to become a clear and level headed thinker. The Handbook explains how some things are up to us and others are not. We control our opinions, impulses and desires. Anything that is not our own doing is not up to us and should not be sweat over. You cannot let other people or other things dictate the way that you live your life, when something bad happens the only person you can blame is yourself. It is not the fault of others when something happens to you. You also cannot let things outside of your control get to you and control how you live. If someone dies it is important to remember them, but you should not let it change your life. When something or someone has left you, according to Epictetus, you should not say that you have lost it, but that you have given it back. This to me is an interesting point of view because stoics seem to believe that they are in control of their own lives but still believe in some type of higher power. The stoic belief to me seems to be putting your life into your own hands. If you want to be happy you must make that happiness yourself and the only way to do that is to not let anything get to you.
I enjoyed reading this book and talking about different schools of thought. It is interesting to me, especially listening during class discussions, how everyone’s views are so different on how you should live your life. There are such contrasting views between individuals about what is right and wrong and the way that they see the world. I think that I fit into the stoic school of thought in a few ways. I don’t let things get to me very easy, I almost always let things roll off of my back, which is good and bad in different situations. I think this is a good way to live life because you can’t change things that you’re not in control of so why make a big deal about them. I can however see that this would be a difficult way to live life everyday for many people because they are unable to let things go. If you can completely detach yourself from the world you would not do very well in today’s society because it is not possible to find a significant other or make money when you are detached from anything that might hurt you so I believe that although it is a good idea and good way to attempt to live your life, it is not possible in today’s society.
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