Before this documentary film has even made it’s way to the general public, it has already cause a huge stir among hardcore Darwinists and Creationists. Special interest groups have been trying to put pressure on movie theaters to not show the film. Hate mail, even death threats have also been part of the stir among those who oppose it’s position on creationism. Ben Stein a well know actor in the twilight of his career, has also been a target for hostility for endorsing Creationism in the film. Movie critic Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel purposely avoided signing a disclosure agreement which was being passed out. He then screened the film and decided to write a poor review about it.

This movie has exposed censorship to a certain degree,and the peer pressure associated with it. Also, it reveals valid points in challenging the very core of evolution. Darwinists have been fearful of the impact this movie might have on questioning evolution in general. You see, like Christians believe in the final authority in the Bible, Darwinists believe in the final authority of everything that stems from neo-Darwinism.

One of the major criticisms of this movie and Creationism in general is claiming that there is no science involved only religious ideas. Nothing can be further from the truth. Let’s say for the sake of argument that a man walks up to you, and tells you he can produce a ball of energy out of thin air and this source of energy would grow into all kinds of things as it changes structures and chemicals. “Are you serious?” would most likely the response. But in this case, the man is dead serious about his claim. Most people including creationists and evolutionists would laugh in disbelief at this notion. Christians would think as just a belief in witchcraft, and believe the man has no power to create energy out of thin air. A Darwinist would think that’s impossible.

However, evolution takes that claim two steps further. It says that the beginning of the universe came from nothing by chance. By eliminating God, or an intelligent being, it claims that is science from a human perspective. But in reality, the occurrence of creating something out of nothing is supernatural. Because it defies the laws of physics. How can a humanistic hypothesis begin by supernatural means? The answer is, it can’t, and no neo-Darwinist has ever come up with a suitable scientific explanation on how random chance could produce energy out of nothing to create the big bang.

On the other hand, creationism goes by two basic laws…

THE FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

Defines energy as a mass which cannot be created out of nothing, and can be changed from one form to another but the total amount remains the same.

THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

All systems will tend toward the most mathematically probable state, and eventually become totally random and disorganized. Albert Einstein said this law would be impossible to eliminate.

Whether you agree with the statements or not, science can be use to discredit evolution which promotes the idea of intelligent design. This is what the movie is trying to imply, this is what is upsetting to some neo-Darwinists. It’s not bringing religion per say into the debate as it would be a bad idea to do that in the public school system with so many different beliefs about Christianity and the influence of special interest groups, but it’s basically bringing another view of science that comes to a different conclusion. Once this movie comes out in April as the average person can only view a trailer of this movie, it will be interesting how the public reacts to the challenge of Darwinism.

By: Mike Deubig

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As time passes ,people begin to desire new ways of doing things. This is because people are increasingly becoming more enlightened and as it happens the old ways of doing things become primitive and unpleasant. Sometimes it is just that people are tired of old things and desire something to take away the boredom they bring.

It is for the same reason that music must change or evolve to conform to these changes in what is desired. If this fails to happen there is the danger of old music style getting abandoned. Where the new forms are not invented the people face the danger of losing their music identity. In Jamaica, reggae music never got abandoned. It only evolved. Hence when one listens to today’s forms of Jamaican music he still can hear elements that link them to the old styles such as ska, rude boys, rock steady and the peak of Jamaican music Roots and Culture that remains the axis of the Caribbean Island’s music In the US, it is still easy to perceive the interrelationship between the old styles and what prevails today. This means that music forms over there are never abandoned. They only change gradually with time. This is also true of South Africa and music from central Africa such as Makossa and sukooz. Hence the music has remained part of the lives of the people in these parts of the world.

In Nigeria it is difficult to say that this is true. Nigeria has some of the richest genres of music known around the world. These of course, are Highlife, Juju and Fuji. Music evolution was however forgotten at some point in the history of the industry. Rather than evolve Nigerian music seemed to have experienced jumps so that one cannot draw a link between what was played then and what is being played now. This has resulted in near extinction of those genres of the Nigerian music

A surviving octogenarian Highlife musician, the Rolling Dollars, once explained that the comatose state of Highlife music was caused by the civil war between 1967 and 1970. This is doubtful. Highlife musicians just continued to play the old thing without changing and this is largely responsible for the near death state of the music As people were becoming educated and life styles were changing, the music failed to change along with the evolving culture. Thus the Nigerian music fans started looking outwards for music satisfaction. At the time, Disco just came handy.

To bring about the evolution of Highlife music to produce a modern version of it will demand a careful study of the music to identify the primitive-sounding elements of the music and then refining them to meet the music needs of today.

Music evolution is a process and not an event. This is because life styles will always change and since music is an extension of the culture of the people, it has to change too. Only then can people relate with the music and the music endures, percolating down to later generations.

By: Yiro Abari

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Personal Philosophy has been a subject that has been hard to define and even harder for those studying it to stick to it. There are so many key factors in the whole picture for someone to grasp the entirety of it without butchering one of the tenets during the process. We will define the key points while attempting to bridge a chasm that has yet to be bridged.

Pascal states:

“All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.”

Pascal believed that EVERY action of man “without exception” was directed toward their own means ultimately. It included those in industries that we may not agree with. It has often been stated that those who chose the porn industry, alcohol industry or tobacco industry must have a hard time living with themselves. The truth is most of them don’t. They are very comfortable with who they are and whom they have become. Mostly as a result of different values. Pascal’s theory matches those industries well.

Have you ever received a call from someone that you really didn’t like that wanted to do something this weekend. You are totally free with no one calling and no scheduled events whatsoever. How does that make you feel? Is your stomach churning? Is your mind struggling with what to say? Initially, we have a problem psychologically. However, if we do not resolve the problem, that issue will begin to affect us physiologically.

The reason for this is personal congruence. Personal congruence is an alignment of values, morays, goals and desires. If they are aligned, the person will be able to move socially through any setting. When you were in math in Jr. High or thereabouts, you learned about congruence -vs- incongruence. For me, it didn’t seem that hard a subject to grasp. In fact, it was a simple equation with a simple answer.

3 ? 7

v(x * 22) ? v(x + 22)

It is a simple equation with a simple answer. However, the incongruence that infiltrates your personal belief system is not so easily identified and will sometimes require a uninterested third party to identify it.

Personal philosophy is made up of these items:

Personal Congruence Desire Commitment Motivation Value Set Personal Definition of Success Passion Life Balance Attitude We can’t address all of them in this article, but we can identify the items that make up personal philosophy.

The conscious mind is very logical. It guides our logic and common sense. The sub-conscious mind is highly emotional. It guides our empathy, anger and other strong emotions. The problem with these facts is that according to research, ninety five percent of our decisions are made in the sub-conscious mind and justified through our conscious mind. This means that we can and should slow down during our decision making process to minimize the emotional affect of our sub-conscious decision making process. The decisions we make must maintain our congruence or we will struggle with them daily or more. Those decisions must align with our personal belief set overall.

The result of not aligning with your personal belief set is chaos. Chaos is the lack of alignment to your personal belief set. It is what happens to you when you tell a white lie or steal a clipboard from work. When you know it is wrong and still do it, then you experience that chaos. Even when you suppose it may cross a line and still do it, your mind tells you it is risky or wrong and will eventually affect your physiological actions and reactions. Those manifestations are sometimes the result of much deeper issues that need to be addressed. They may not be tied to the last incongruence, but rather a compilation of those incongruences over time can ultimately cause the physiological manifestation. To correct this chaos the individual must define who they truly are and align themselves with the values that meet that definition.

Without proper attention to correcting congruence and chaos, the individual will struggle to succeed. This is because the energy is spent on the managing the chaos instead of productive activities. The emotional expense of managing stressful can be much more devisive than physical exhaustion. Much of this is because physical exercise can actually reduce stress, whereas emotional stress usually has no release. Chaos will affect much more than just simple emotion.

By: Robert H. Wheeler

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If you are a music artist with professional aspirations, chances are, one day you will need the services of a personal manager. Hopefully by that time you will have a full and complete understanding of what a personal manager is, what they do and what they don’t do. This understanding will ultimately enhance the working relationship you have with them.

But how do you find a personal manager?

It’s a question that is raised at every seminar that I conduct and posted on many websites that often give vague and elusive answers. Now, once and for all, you will receive an honest and direct answer:

Don’t go looking for a personal manager, let them find you.

Think about it. If you were a manager, what’s the likelihood that you would manage some no-name artist that approached you out of the blue for management? The chances are very slim. The process of a manager courting you is very similar to the courtship that takes place between men and women: The majority of time, the pursuit starts with some fundamental attraction.

The same is true for the personal manager; he/she must find the prospect of managing you to be attractive (i.e. potentially lucrative or professionally advantageous). In the courtship between men
and women, there is a point where attraction breeds desire, and the pursuit intensifies.

For the personal manager, this occurs when the music artist is in a position (financially) to justify their expenditure of time and energy, or has generated a strong “buzz” which makes them attractive and desirable to other prospective managers . Please note: The more attractive and desirable the music artist appears, the more relentlessly they are pursued by real personal managers (i.e. people that manage music artists for a living).

Answer this question before we go any further: How attractive and desirable do I appear to a real personal manager? Be honest with yourself. Having a CD or an unpolished band is simply not enough to make you attractive or desirable. The following are accomplishments that real personal managers find attractive:

a. You have received great reviews AND news stories in the press about your band.

b. You are receiving radio airplay.

c. You are selling product (whether physical or digital)

d. You are building a community of devoted followers.

e. You have been offered a recording contract.

Let’s go back to the parallels between men courting women to drive this point home about the importance of attractiveness. Once men and women develop a mutual attraction, and their desires are firmly established, you know what happens next…they pull on the brakes and ask; where is this going? (At least in the cases with the best outcomes.)

In the courtship of personal manager and music artist, the same thing must occur. The music artist
must literally ask the same question: where is this going? Since the chief responsibility of the personal manager is to provide guidance and direction, it is imperative to find out where they can take you (based on knowledge, contacts, and experience), and how they intend accomplish it. Savvy artists also ask for achievements within a (realistic) specified time frame.

It is this stage of courtship that a personal manager will – and should – get the artist to sign a
management agreement. This agreement officially acknowledges the terms, conditions, and expectations of the relationship. In the courtship between men and women, it is the equivalent of exchanging vows that constitute an official commitment between husband and wife.

So, if you need a manager, don’t resort to asking a friend or a relative who knows absolutely nothing about personal management or the music industry to manage you (although many do because of trust issues). Spend the majority of your time making yourself more attractive and desirable to real personal managers. They are out there. You just have to give them a reason to come looking for you.

By: Gian Fiero

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