Friday, June 6, 2014
Michael Lewis: Flash Boys Reports
Flash Boys is about a small group of Wall Street guys who figure out that the U.S. stock market has been rigged for the benefit of those who control the stock market. The markets have become a lot less free and safe, and more controlled by the big Wall Street banks. Working at different firms, they come to this realization separately; but after they discover one another, the flash boys band together and set out to reform the financial markets. They all eventually come together to make sure that high frequency traders are at no advantage and aren't using the market to their complete advantage.
The characters in Flash Boys are awesome, each are completely different from what you think of when you think of “a Wall Street guy.” Several have walked away from jobs in the financial sector that paid them millions of dollars a year. From their new vantage point they investigate the big banks, the world’s stock exchanges, and high-frequency trading firms as they have never been investigated, and expose the many strange new ways that Wall Street generates profits.
The importance of the light Michael Lewis shined into the financial world shows just how corrupt our Stock Market exchange really is and how much needs to change so that everyone is working on a fair playing field. If you have any contact with the market, then this story is happening to you because even retirement plans are being attacked. In the end, Flash Boys is an uplifting read. The characters in the story are people who have somehow preserved a moral sense in an environment where you don’t get paid for that; they have institutionalized injustice and are willing to go to war to make sure everyone is playing fair.
Following the release of his book an investigation by the FBI into the "black boxes" and dark pools that he talked about in his book showed that whatever he was talking about was getting a lot of traction and of high importance. MSNBC, John Stewart, and Stephen Colbert all had interviews with him as soon as the book came out. It was the number one best seller on Amazon in under 24 hours and became so widely known that everyone knew who he was and what he stood for in a matter of hours.
The chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mary Jo White, stated in Congressional testimony on April 29, 2014 that U.S. financial markets "are not rigged" in response to a question on Lewis's book. On May 1, the SEC announced a $4.5 million fine for the New York Stock Exchange and two affiliated exchanges, on charges related to Lewis's book (high-frequency trading). The exchanges neither admitted, nor denied the charges. While Lewis can only estimate the cost to investors of the abuses, he believes it is over $5 billion per year, perhaps as much as $15 billion per year or even higher.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
The Tonight Show With Steve Allen
The Tonight Show has been airing on NBC since 1954. Currently recorded in New York City, it is the longest show currently running. This is the longest running talk show in television history, it has only gone under minor title changes. First it was "Tonight" now it is "The Tonight Show with *insert host name here* However it has still remained as a talk show ever since then!
The Tonight Show has been hosted by Steve Allen (1954–57), Jack Paar (1957–62), Johnny Carson (1962–92), Jay Leno (1992–2009, 2010–14), Conan O'Brien (2009–10), and Jimmy Fallon (2014–present). Several guest hosts have also appeared, particularly during the Paar and Carson eras. The current host is former Late Night host and Saturday Night Live cast member, Jimmy Fallon.
The longest-serving host to date is Johnny Carson, who hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 seasons from October 1962 through to May 1992, though Leno has hosted the most episodes over the course of his two tenures and guest-hosting for Carson. The most recent host of the show is Jimmy Fallon, who has hosted the show since February 17, 2014.
Music during the show's introduction and commercial is supplied by The Tonight Show. This was a big jazz ensemble until the end of Johnny Carson's tenure. After Carson's tenure, the named was later changed to NBC Orchestra.
When the show first broadcasted, they went live on January 12, 1959. Later, the show began to be videotaped. Color broadcasts went big on The Tonight Show on September 19, 1960.
The Tonight Show became the first American television to broadcast with MTS stereo sound. On April 26, 1999, The Tonight Show started it's first 1080i HDTV showing, becoming the first show to premiere in that format.On March 19, 2009, The Tonight Show became the first late night talk show in history to have the sitting of the president as a guest, when President Barack Obama visited.
Throughout the years, the time at which The Tonight Show aired and the length has changed multiple times. At the beginning of development of the show, the local news had no room to broadcast their 15 minutes of news. This made the show change from 11:15-11:30 to start at. However, people were worried about this time difference because they were worried they were gonna crash and sleep in the audience and in the middle of the tv show!
The Tonight Show has been hosted by Steve Allen (1954–57), Jack Paar (1957–62), Johnny Carson (1962–92), Jay Leno (1992–2009, 2010–14), Conan O'Brien (2009–10), and Jimmy Fallon (2014–present). Several guest hosts have also appeared, particularly during the Paar and Carson eras. The current host is former Late Night host and Saturday Night Live cast member, Jimmy Fallon.
The longest-serving host to date is Johnny Carson, who hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 seasons from October 1962 through to May 1992, though Leno has hosted the most episodes over the course of his two tenures and guest-hosting for Carson. The most recent host of the show is Jimmy Fallon, who has hosted the show since February 17, 2014.
Music during the show's introduction and commercial is supplied by The Tonight Show. This was a big jazz ensemble until the end of Johnny Carson's tenure. After Carson's tenure, the named was later changed to NBC Orchestra.
When the show first broadcasted, they went live on January 12, 1959. Later, the show began to be videotaped. Color broadcasts went big on The Tonight Show on September 19, 1960.
The Tonight Show became the first American television to broadcast with MTS stereo sound. On April 26, 1999, The Tonight Show started it's first 1080i HDTV showing, becoming the first show to premiere in that format.On March 19, 2009, The Tonight Show became the first late night talk show in history to have the sitting of the president as a guest, when President Barack Obama visited.
Throughout the years, the time at which The Tonight Show aired and the length has changed multiple times. At the beginning of development of the show, the local news had no room to broadcast their 15 minutes of news. This made the show change from 11:15-11:30 to start at. However, people were worried about this time difference because they were worried they were gonna crash and sleep in the audience and in the middle of the tv show!
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Sam Cooke's Life and Influence on American Music 50s-60s
Sam Cooke, born Samuel Cook, was an American recording artist, singer-songwriter and entrepreneur. Cooke had 30 U.S. top 40 hits between 1957 and 1964, and a further three after his death. Major hits like "You Send Me", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Cupid", "Chain Gang", "Wonderful World", and "Twistin' the Night Away" are some of his most popular songs. Cooke was also among the first modern black performers and composers to attend to the business side of his musical career. He founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. He also took an active part in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
On December 11, 1964, Cooke was fatally shot by Bertha Franklin, the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled Cooke was drunk and distressed, and the manager had killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide. However since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned.
Cooke was born "Cook" in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He later added an "e" onto the end of his name, though the reason for this is disputed. He was one of eight children of the Rev. Charles Cook, a Baptist minister, and his wife, Annie Mae. He had a brother, L.C., who some years later would become a member of the doo-wop band Johnny Keyes and the Magnificent's. The family moved to Chicago in 1933. Cooke attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, the same school that Nat "King" Cole had attended a few years earlier. Cooke's unique and distinctive vocals were easily recognized. Art Rupe, head of Specialty Records, the label of the Soul Stirrers, gave his blessing for Cooke to record secular music under his real name, but he was unhappy about the type of music Cooke and producer Bumps Blackwell were making. Rupe expected Cooke's secular music to be similar to that of another Specialty Records artist, Little Richard. When Rupe walked in on a recording session and heard Cooke covering Gershwin, he was quite upset. After an argument between Rupe and Blackwell, Cooke and Blackwell left the label.
In 1957, Cooke appeared on ABC's The Guy Mitchell Show. That same year, he signed with Keen Records. His first release, "You Send Me", spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song also had mainstream success, spending three weeks at #1 on the Billboard pop chart.
In 1961, Cooke started his own record label, SAR Records, with J.W. Alexander and his manager, Roy Crain. The label soon included The Simms Twins, The Valentinos, Bobby Womack, and Johnnie Taylor. Cooke then created a publishing imprint and management firm before leaving Keen to sign with RCA Victor. One of his first RCA singles was the hit "Chain Gang". It reached #2 on the Billboard pop chart and was followed by more hits, including "Sad Mood", "Cupid", "Bring it on Home to Me", "Another Saturday Night", and "Twistin' the Night Away".
Like most R&B artists of his time, Cooke focused on singles; in all, he had twenty-nine top 40 hits on the pop charts, and more on the R&B charts. He was a prolific songwriter and wrote most of the songs he recorded. He also had a hand in overseeing some of the song arrangements. In spite of releasing mostly singles, he released a well received blues-inflected LP in 1963, Night Beat, and his most critically acclaimed studio album, Ain't That Good News, which featured five singles, in 1964.
Cooke was widely recognized and loved throughout the midwest and there are still many recognitions of him today. In 1986, Cooke was inducted as a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1999, Cooke was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #16 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In 2008, Cooke was named the fourth "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone. In June 2011, the City of Chicago renamed a portion of East 36th Street near Cottage Grove Avenue as the honorary "Sam Cooke Way" to remember the singer near a corner where he hung out and sang as a teenager.
On December 11, 1964, Cooke was fatally shot by Bertha Franklin, the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled Cooke was drunk and distressed, and the manager had killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide. However since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned.
Cooke was born "Cook" in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He later added an "e" onto the end of his name, though the reason for this is disputed. He was one of eight children of the Rev. Charles Cook, a Baptist minister, and his wife, Annie Mae. He had a brother, L.C., who some years later would become a member of the doo-wop band Johnny Keyes and the Magnificent's. The family moved to Chicago in 1933. Cooke attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, the same school that Nat "King" Cole had attended a few years earlier. Cooke's unique and distinctive vocals were easily recognized. Art Rupe, head of Specialty Records, the label of the Soul Stirrers, gave his blessing for Cooke to record secular music under his real name, but he was unhappy about the type of music Cooke and producer Bumps Blackwell were making. Rupe expected Cooke's secular music to be similar to that of another Specialty Records artist, Little Richard. When Rupe walked in on a recording session and heard Cooke covering Gershwin, he was quite upset. After an argument between Rupe and Blackwell, Cooke and Blackwell left the label.
In 1957, Cooke appeared on ABC's The Guy Mitchell Show. That same year, he signed with Keen Records. His first release, "You Send Me", spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song also had mainstream success, spending three weeks at #1 on the Billboard pop chart.
In 1961, Cooke started his own record label, SAR Records, with J.W. Alexander and his manager, Roy Crain. The label soon included The Simms Twins, The Valentinos, Bobby Womack, and Johnnie Taylor. Cooke then created a publishing imprint and management firm before leaving Keen to sign with RCA Victor. One of his first RCA singles was the hit "Chain Gang". It reached #2 on the Billboard pop chart and was followed by more hits, including "Sad Mood", "Cupid", "Bring it on Home to Me", "Another Saturday Night", and "Twistin' the Night Away".
Like most R&B artists of his time, Cooke focused on singles; in all, he had twenty-nine top 40 hits on the pop charts, and more on the R&B charts. He was a prolific songwriter and wrote most of the songs he recorded. He also had a hand in overseeing some of the song arrangements. In spite of releasing mostly singles, he released a well received blues-inflected LP in 1963, Night Beat, and his most critically acclaimed studio album, Ain't That Good News, which featured five singles, in 1964.
Cooke was widely recognized and loved throughout the midwest and there are still many recognitions of him today. In 1986, Cooke was inducted as a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1999, Cooke was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #16 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In 2008, Cooke was named the fourth "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone. In June 2011, the City of Chicago renamed a portion of East 36th Street near Cottage Grove Avenue as the honorary "Sam Cooke Way" to remember the singer near a corner where he hung out and sang as a teenager.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Earth Day Annotation
Earth Day Annotation
The film, "A Green Fierce Fire" was about how we have evolved our environment to a greener and more environmentally friendly state today. There were two men who saw a whaling boat kill sperm whales. Is was tragic because of how it affected them emotionally, not just because of the killing. There were mass parts of land being taken down by the government. People didn't like this because of the nature the people had right in their own backyard. They wanted clean water as well, because pollution screwed up the water with chemicals in it. It caused a deforming of genes and a lot of people were having genetic mutations forced on their kids which caused an outrage. Eventually they got help, but it took a long time for the government to act.
Some things that stand out to me that involving something wrong with our environment is:
(2). There is a lot of pollution in Urban America and we can't just lie around letting it take over our water and ruin the future of America. Using filters for water and getting extra help from the government to make sure the food and water we're digesting is good for us can help with pollution.
(3). Global Warming is still very much a problem and there are many things we can do to help but we really aren't making the grade. There is a lot to be done to save this planet and we need to step it up to make sure we don't have to leave in the future.
Sources:
1."Watch Film: A Fierce Green Fire." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
2. Whyte, Talia. "Top 10 Environmental Issues Affecting Urban America." The GRIO.
MSNBC, 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://thegrio.com/2010/04/22/
the-top-ten-environmental-issues-affecting-america/
#s:earth-day-at-40-top-ten-environmental-threats-to-black-america-jpg>.
3. NRDC. National Resources Defense Council, n.d. Web. 9 May 2014.
<http://www.nrdc.org/issues/>.
2. Whyte, Talia. "Top 10 Environmental Issues Affecting Urban America." The GRIO.
MSNBC, 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://thegrio.com/2010/04/22/
the-top-ten-environmental-issues-affecting-america/
#s:earth-day-at-40-top-ten-environmental-threats-to-black-america-jpg>.
3. NRDC. National Resources Defense Council, n.d. Web. 9 May 2014.
<http://www.nrdc.org/issues/>.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Earth Day
Earth Day
The film "A Green Fierce Fire" was about how we have evolved our environment to a cleaner state today. There was two men who saw a harpoon that shot and killed many sperm whales. This was a tragic event not just because of the killing, but also the mass amounts of blood coming out of the whale, polluting the ocean. There were mass parts of land being taken down by the government. People didn't like this because of the nature the people had right in their own backyard. They wanted clean water as well, because pollution screwed up the water with chemicals in it.
Some things that speak out to me that tell me there is something wrong with our environment is that:
*Our mass killings of dolphins, this isn't only just illegal to kill them but bad to pollute our ocean with blood and guts.
*Garbage/Liter in the ocean, this harms many fish in the ocean. Fish think this is food when in reality, the garbage chokes them to death. Not only just lowering the population of fish, plus ruining our ocean water.
Sources:
1."Watch Film: A Fierce Green Fire." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
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