All the way... or not?

As most of you will know, I am a big supporter of music. This is quite obvious, since all my friends know I want to turn it into a job, wether this be behind the scenes or being on stage myself does not really matter to me that much. To me, music is music.

So, I've had this idea for a while with a friend to start a label. Rather for us really than as a goal to make it big with it and sign a lot of new acts. (This is ironic since I'd love to be an A&R-manager).

But this evening I was watching a talent show with my parents while at the same time surfing on the web and realized something I have been contemplating for some time but not until now realized the seriousness of it; over saturation of the music industry!

Sure this doesn't sound like anything too serious, because after all, we can make, produce and release our own music, go look up some random label and let them do it, or we enter some TV-Show that claims to have THE new talent of (enter the year). It makes me happy that so many people these days get a chance to express themselves and make it a hobby that pays off. On the other hand it frustrates me that it has become so easy for people to release a single on the air. Where are the blood, sweat, and tears that used to go into this? Where did the authenticity of the artist go? Not everyone may know, but as soon as you win Idols, Popstars, Starmaker, X-factor, (Your country) has got talent you end up singing other people their songs! And usually, you're as good as over after your first album...

I find it saddening that there are so many one hit wonders out there, that there are so many bands out there that you would not be able to distinguish if you did not know them by heart. I love music, and, granted, it's a shady business. I would love for all people to get an opportunity. But driving in that white van that keeps breaking down during the cold winters of Minnesota, or the warm summers of Nevada, having to carry your own drum cases, and playing with earplugs instead of in-ear monitors make great bands to what they are today. Blood, sweat, and tears is what it takes to create a bit of sound... I guess... it just shouldn't all be made too easy, because then you take it for granted too easily.

When you truly want this, one rejection isn't going to mean anything, neither will two, three, or twenty. Dedication is what it takes. And I guess, if you really want to enter in some type of talent show, that's fine with me, I won't judge you for it, but do ask yourself this; do you want to be associated with that? Because in my opinion, the truly talented and passionated, will make it... one way or another

JA-internment vs. EU-internment

I love "Kenji" by Fort Minor. First time I heared the song, I was completely blown away by its heavy beats, knock-out lyrics and strong bass. I'm sure anyone who's heared the song will agree. The song really got my interested in Japanese American Internment. Before the song (and before Modern American History) I never knew that during World War II there had been internement camps inside the United States, especially for their own people! The innocent Issei and Nissei who lived in the US doing their jobs.

The Japanese Americans even tended to do their jobs a lot better than the average Americans, which lead to a lot of intimidation. After the bombing on Pearl Harbor--which had been a mission of the Japanese to make sure the US wouldn't get involved but backfired--president Roosevelt had been more than happy to sign Executive order 9066. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, is a president that still to this day is seen as a powerful leader and succesful president. Unfortunatly I have learned that the president was biast. FDR had always resented the Japanese Americans and therefore did not blink twice when the singed the paper which would put thousands of innocent people in camps.

Manzinar, as Mike mentions in his song, was one of the biggest camps. Most of the camps were located in California and some in Oregon and Arizona. The camps were wrong of course, but not as horrible as most of the Nissei and Sanssei made or make it out to be. People had, however small, a roof over their head, small gardens, sports clubs and were even allowed to leave the terrain to attend college and university. I am not saying what Roosevelt and his followers decided to do was the right thing, but it could have been way worse.

Because while the Americans put Japanese Americans in camps, in Japan there were camps for Europeans, and in particular the Dutch who have had a lot of colonies in the east. Those camps, in contrast to American camps, were truely horrible. People hardly had any shelter against the weather conditions, were starved and had to do backbreaking work. Women had to be put on a leash and were taken out "for a walk" by the Japanese soldiers, often kicked in the genitalia untill they bled and could walk on no more. People who have lived in the camp still find themselves severely traumatized by their experience in those camps. A famous Dutch writer admids that he can not look at woman without feeling abusive towards them, since all the males in the camps were encouraged to abuse woman. Internees were abused even more severely when the Japanese had suffered from a loss again. The most horrible thing described has to be what happened at the end of the war; people were starved and malnourished. The Japanese soldiers came in with food and the people were happy to finally get food. The soldiers made the woman dig a 7 to 8 feet deep hole, made them dump all of the food in there and fill up the hole. Only than the people could start digging for food.

Second World War has done way more damage than we believe. German American, Itallian American (although those two hardly existed), Japanese American, European German and European Japanese camps were horrible and should not ever be seen on the face of this planet ever again. Appologies and retributions have hardly been made. US government has offered 40 million to give to the victims, while over 300 million damage has been made. While the Japanese government merely have appologized to the Dutch.

People are never to be tortured again.