We need 21st century leaders. Why the Republican party is doomed for failure.

Things do not look very good today.

Greece is a financial mess, China is a bigger financial problem that few people are talking about. The United States is doing nothing to fight exploding student debt, stagnant wages, and out of control health care costs. The world's population is getting older, and many of the baby boomers are not leaving the work force. The workers of generation x and the millennials are finding it more difficult to grow in their jobs and make more money. Home values do not appreciate at the rate they would 20 years ago. Public school funding is under assault by "tax cutting" politicians. Social services are being devoured by local budget deficits. Black southern churches are being maliciously burned down, and the media stays quiet. The world needs bold leadership.

The modern Republican party is largely responsible for many of the current problems facing the world. Once in power, Republican politicians use code words like "freedom", "opportunity", "small business", and "fairness" to lull the masses into thinking the Republicans are looking out for the normal middle class worker. It is a lie. The Republicans have worked extraordinarily hard to consolidate power into the hands of a very small group of rich white men. Do you think I am exaggerating? If you are under the age of 50, how well off are you? According to latest census data, just under 20% of all people in the US make over $100,000. Sounds good? Did you know because of fiscal policy started under the Reagan administration, that $100,000 is worth half as much as it was worth in 1990. We have been tricked into thinking that is a lot of money. We never took into account that the money is becoming worthless. The baby boomers do not understand the value of money being made, because they are finished with the career climbing point of their career. Their only concerns is social security (enjoy it), Medicaid (you're welcome), and living off their pensions (I know what those are, I just do not believe they ever existed). The government has completely changed our economic system, and it took only one generation.

It is amazing that the Republican party can lure any non-baby boomer to vote for their politicians. I hear from many people that they give support to the republicans because of tax policy. When taxes are cut, the hole has to be filled. Reagan filled it by raiding social security. Every President since then has stolen from one program or another to keep rich people taxes low (or to give them bigger loop holes) and to increase pointless defense spending (see the F-35 fiasco). The Republicans continue to feed the american people, with the help of a broken corporate media, the lie of lower taxes. Your paycheck may be bigger, but everything is cost more and is worth less.

While the Republicans continue to trap people with their failed financial policies, the hate from the party will be their eventual downfall. The current bloated field of Republican presidential candidates seem to always have a racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or good old hateful thing to say. I get that the party is trying to appeal to old white people who are afraid of "welfare queens" and "angry black men". Most of the under 50 people in society see the Republican party's hate filled ways, and we are rejecting them. Religious conservatism is not the majority, the people of earth have been and will always be progressive.

The middle class has always been the great battleground in every election. Outside of the racism and hate, there is no reason to vote Republican if you are the 80% of america that lives in a family who makes less than $100,000.  Just this last week Wisconsin Governor, and Republican presidential front runner, Scott Walker tried to sneak in a provision to the state budget that would help eliminate the weekend. Think I am exaggerating again? Remember that good conservative hero Scott Walker is also advocating using state money to buy a basketball arena so billionaires can save some money. Today's conservatives seem fiscal responsible, yet they act like socialists when it comes to their rich white donors.

What about the Democrats, says you faithful reader? They are not any better when it comes to corporate welfare. Hillary Clinton may be the presumptive nominee (is she?) but she is definitely aligned with the corporate donors. The issues of the Democratic Party and their lack of support for the middle class will be addressed at a later date, but I will say the big issue that separates the Democratic party from the repubs is the hate. Democrats spent the last few weeks preaching about how #lovewins. The repubs have been falling all over themselves to see who can be the most hateful. 

Right now the Republican party controls the US House, Senate, and most of the state governments, how can I say they are doomed to failure? The recent world events show that we need innovative and bold leadership, that is not in the Republican party DNA. Making old white men even richer is not the future. Hating people who are non-white christian heterosexuals is not the future. The weakness of the local Democratic party is a temporary thing. Many local parties are gearing up for the 2016 elections, and hate is not on the agenda. Entire voting blocks are being energized for the Democrats (LGBT, millennials, non-hateful people). The Republicans are counting on the same people to turn out that they have been counting on for forty years. The Republican tactics are 20th century, the new leaders will be elected by 21st century minded voters.

The world needs bold leaders. The ideas from the modern Republican Party are without vision and without hope. Cut taxes, hate others, and forget about how we devalued the lower, middle and upper-middle class - that is the modern Republican platform. Their ideas are dying on the vine, and no growth will happen until they learn to grow the voter base. The Democratic Party will take the White House in 2016. We can only hope that the new President will see the 21st century problems of the world and tackle them with 21st century solutions. The world needs bravery, compassion, and innovation. Today may be dark, let tomorrow bring in the new light. 

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for Seed Sing. He is looking for the 21st century minds who can participate in finding a New Way Forward. Contact him at seedsing.rdk@gmail.com.

Marvel v DC part 2: I disagree with Ty

This is a rebuttal to Ty's article from yesterday where he talks about the greatness of Marvel heroes over DC

Well Ty thinks the current new hot Marvel heroes are better than the dependable characters established in DC.  The word wrong is not strong enough to express my thoughts on Ty's opinions.  Let us begin to take apart is non-reasoned argument.

Marvel may be hot and sexy right now, but it is just a passing fad.  Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic 4, the X-men - they are all just flashes in the pan compared to the influence and excitement of the DC pantheon.  Superman is supreme.  His list of powers is so extensive that the weakest ones would bring any middle of the road Marvel hero (super ventriloquism could easily knock out most of S.H.E.I.L.D).  Superman is not only powerful, he has the most heroic soul.  The idea of goodness, along with greatness, separates Superman from all other comic book heroes. The truth that Superman can own anyone, and still chooses to be the protector of humanity, is unique to his story alone. Look at a book like Red Son or read the story from the Injustice video game. When Superman wants to take control, it takes all the heroes (plus some luck) to take big blue down. In terms of secret identities, Clark Kent is the best (I will admit that Peter Parker is a close second).

Moving away from power and heroism, and transitioning to straight up badassitude, DC has Batman.  I personally enjoy Superman stories more, but Batman is the granddaddy of all modern superhero stories.  He has the best outfit, vehicles, and bad guys.  In addition to the richness of Batman's world, he is a non super powered being.  Marvel has many Batman clones, but none of them could beat up Superman.  Batman can, and has done it.  There is very little emo feelings on why Batman put on the costume, he is just pissed.

Marvel has some ok women super heroes, but they have nothing on Wonder Woman. She is the equal third part of the DC holy trinity.  Wonder Woman does not cry out for help when she is in trouble, she is the trouble.  Take a look at the graphic novel Kingdom Come. Batman and Superman spend most of the book in a petty macho argument while Wonder Women whips everyone into shape and takes on the conflict like a boss.  There is no woman (or many men) in the Marvel universe that can compete with Wonder Woman's independence or toughness.

Looking at the lesser DC heroes, I believe you still find them to be better than their Marvel counterparts. The Flash and Green Arrow have great outfits, and tend to lighter in tone than the big time heroes. The teen titans created incredible characters who can easily carry on their fore bearers adventures. The world of Green Lantern reflects a cosmic scale more interesting than that of Marvel's Thanos and Galactus. Hawkman, Nightwing, Power Girl, and more add to a world more robust and interesting than the one Marvel has cultivated.

The one area people say Marvel is better than DC is film, I do not agree. The Marvel movies are fun and a nice diversion, the DC movies change cinema. The Avengers  was cool, The Dark Knight was the greatest comic book movie ever.  Casting a Marvel hero makes a little news, casting a DC hero dominates the news cycle. Marvel actors get some praise, DC actors win Academy Awards. On television DC is far outrunning Marvel. Arrow and The Flash are critically acclaimed and create cool worlds for lesser properties. Marvel has a couple of shows a few people watch because ABC owns the property.  Batman the Animated Series is listed as one of the greatest cartoons ever, Marvel has cartoons that are mocked in their own comic books.

Ty did not talk about villains.  Good thing because DC has the best ones, outside of classic Darth Vader of course.

Do you choose to disagree? Bring it.

Thanks to Cracked.com for the knowledge of Super Ventriloquism and Marvel comics making fun of Marvel cartoons.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head editor for Seed Sing. While he does not agree with Ty, he knows Superman defends all peoples right to be wrong. He did see Man of Steel and choose to keep its name out of his DC defense.

Marvel v DC: Ty has his favorite

I'm by no means an expert when it comes to comic books and super heroes.

My knowledge has recently been expanded since I've met and married my wife. Our three year old son has only made me more knowledgeable. So, I've had a good nine year crash course in all things super heroes. I'm here to tell you today why Marvel super heroes are so much better than DC super heroes. They each have some great heroes, but, when it comes down to it, Marvel is leap years ahead. Sure, you have what many people consider to be the best and strongest hero on team DC in Superman. Superman is cool, but compared to any one of the Avengers, I don't think he stacks up all that well. I mean, first you have Ironman. He's a super smart, rich inventor that creates all of his own gear. He created a suit that flies and shoots repulsor blasts. How awesome is that. I'd take that over X Ray vision any day. Next, we have Thor, who's a God. He's the only one that can lift his mighty hammer, save for Vision, and he's an awesome fighter. Superman may be an alien, but a God he's not. Then there's Captain America. He was created in a lab to be a super soldier and his shield is made of the strongest medal in the world, vibranium. He's also the greatest team player of all time and the world's best leader. He may be, for all intents and purposes, as strong as Superman. The final, main Avenger, just happens to be the best, in my opinion, the Incredible Hulk. This is a guy that, when he gets angry, turns into a huge, "hulk" of a man that can beat the hell out of almost anybody. He's super strong and the Avengers count on him to take on their toughest competition. He is stronger than Superman and he looks way cooler. Like I said, Superman is cool, but compared to the four main Avengers, it's not even close.

I like Batman a lot. I love all the movies, except for the horrible "Batman and Robin", and think he's really cool. But, when I want dark, dangerous superheroes, give me the X Men and, especially, Wolverine. Wolverine is just as dark, if not darker than Batman. Where Batman is a rich orphan who creates his own equipment, Wolverine is a mutant that can heal himself and never dies. He also has claws made of adamantium. Claws that, literally retract from his hands when a fight is about to happen. I will take Wolverine 100 times out of 100 if the question is, Would you rather be Batman or Wolverine? I'd even go as far to ask if it's a rhetorical question. That's how much more I like Wolverine.

Even when you get to the lower, some might say lamer, super heroes, Marvel is so much better than DC. DC has the Flash, Aquaman and Robin. The Flash can run really fast, pretty boring if you ask me. Aquaman lives in the sea and fights from the water. Yawn. And Robin, he's just a sidekick to Batman that's kind of good at karate. Big deal. Marvel on the other hand has the Fantastic Four. They may not be as cool as the Avengers or X Men, but they are much cooler than the three DC characters I just named. You have Mr. Incredible who can stretch his body to help save victims that may be falling or can't get out of a bad situation. He's a super genius too. Sue Richards, aka the Invisible Women, can turn invisible and also makes force fields. That's pretty dope. The Human Torch's body turns to fire when his powers are activated and the fire power also helps him to fly. Pretty cool, right? Then there's The Thing, a huge man made out of rock that can destroy the bad guys, while also protecting your everyday citizen. He's almost as cool as the Hulk. Almost.

There are many more super heroes in both the DC and Marvel world's, but I wanted to focus on the most popular, in my opinion, ones out there right now. There's also some pretty cool bad guys on both sides, but I say again, I only wanted to focus on the good guys and why I like Marvel more than DC. Please, let me know why, in your opinion's, that I'm wrong in the comment section, but Marvel is so much cooler.

I'm sorry, but it's true

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing.  The head editor strongly disagrees with this post and will send a rebuttal soon. Follow him on twitter @tykulik

Ty takes a cromulent view of "The Simpsons".

I'm a huge fan of "The Simpsons".

I've literally learned more things from "The Simpsons" than I ever did while in school. I know what schadenfreude is, German for shameful joy because of "The Simpsons". I know more about presidents, laws, famous people, etcetera because of "The Simpsons". I know how hilariously hard it is to put together a grill just like Homer found out when he became an avant garde artist. I now know who Jonathan Franzen and Thomas Pynchon are since they've guest starred on the show. I've learned that Stephen Hawking has a great sense of humor from his appearances on the show. He let the writers have Homer call him Larry Flynt in an episode. Needless to say, "The Simpsons" is very important and played a very integral part in my life. I still look forward to every episode. Season 28 starts on September 27th, and all the people out there complaining that it's not as good as it used to be are moronic. The show is just as good as it's always been and it's just as funny and witty. Hell, I'd even say it's got more heart than it's every had. Growing up is turning Matt Groening into a softie, in a good way.

Today though, I want to talk about what I feel is the best overall season of "The Simpsons". Every season is great and they all have their iconic episodes and classic moments. But, season seven of "The Simpsons", in my opinion, is the best season of all time. You can watch any episode from season seven and there is one of those iconic and classic moments in almost every single show. Starting from the beginning, you get part two of "Who Shot Mr. Burns". A great conclusion after season six's finale of part one of "Who Shot Mr. Burns". We find out that it was Maggie who shot him by accident, although I think we all thought it was Smithers. That's not what makes the episode great, it's Lisa's sleuthing and the excellent take on "Twin Peaks" backwards talking scene. Look it up, it's awesome. That episode is followed by "Radioactive Man". One of the greatest episodes of ALL TIME. It's a great take on super hero movies and all the absurd, crazy stuff it takes to make a movie. Milhouse being cast as Fall Out Boy was so well written. All his scenes are epic. Next episode is when Flanders goes nuts after losing his house in a hurricane. This episode has one of the best lines ever written in TV. Flanders flashes back to a visit with his beat nick parents and a psychologist and Flanders mom saying, in regards to punishment,  "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas". Hilarious. Next two episodes feature Bart selling his soul to Milhouse and his crusade to get it back, and when Lisa goes vegetarian. In "Lisa the Vegetarian", we the fans get a cameo from Paul and Linda McCartney. Try to tell me this show doesn't have mass appeal. The "Treehouse of Horror" episode is next, with the billboards coming to life and terrorizing the town, their take on "Nightmare on Elm Street", with Groundskeeper Willie attacking the children in their dreams and when Homer gets sucked into another dimension and winds up on planet Earth. Three really funny installments on their "Treehouse of Horrors" episodes. After that, we get one of the greatest episodes of all time, "King Sized Homer". In this one, Homer gets to 300 pounds so he can qualify for a disability and work from home. This episode features the muumuu, Homer's montage of eating to gain weight, Bart's future dream of working at home for being overweight and Homer's size saving the town from a meltdown. This is one of the classic episodes. Next episode we get to meet Homer's mom, voiced very well by Glenn Close. After that is the episode where Sideshow Bob infiltrates the air show and plans to set off an atom bomb, but as usual, his plan is foiled. Then we get a clip show, which I usually don't like, but with Troy McClure at the helm of this one, it works really well. Then the episode where Bart steals the video game and has to earn Marge's trust back. This is one of the most heart felt, sweetest episodes of "The Simpsons" ever. Next, we have Homer's bowling team, with the excellent inclusion of Mr. Burns, much to the dismay of Homer's teammates. Another classic line in this one, 'boy Moe, that team sure did suck last night. I mean they just plain sucked. I seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. I gotta go, my damn wiener kids are listening". Brilliant. "Two Bad Neighbor" is next, with appearances from George HW Bush and Gerald Ford. Next is the episode where Marge wants to fit in with the rich people. There's a great lesson in this one, saying that it doesn't matter how much money you have, it's the happiness of your family that's important. Two episodes, one featuring Bart and one featuring Lisa are next. Bart gets a fake ID so he can rent a car and he, Milhouse, Martin and Nelson drive to the Worlds Fair in Knoxville only to find out that it hasn't been there in years in "Bart on the Road". In "Lisa the Iconoclast", we get the real story of Jebediah Springfield. We find out he was really a ruthless pirate named Hans Sprungfeld and most of his stories are false. We also got the words, embiggen and  cromulent out of this episode. In "Homer the Smithers", Smithers goes on a much needed vacation and Homer takes over his duties. Homer is so furious with Mr. Burns that he punches him out cold, which forces Mr. Burns to do things on his own. He's so independent now, that when Smithers returns, he gets fired. Smithers then starts a fight with Homer, that ultimately injures Mr. Burns again and thus, gets Smithers his job back because Mr. burns is infirm. In the next episode, we find out that someone else created Itchy and Scratchy and Krustylu Studios has to pay the man millions and they have to shut down the cartoon. It's found out later that the US mail service ripped off Krutylu, so they're able to bring back the cartoon, but unlike most episodes, Bart and Lisa didn't solve the problem, it was two different kids that just happen to look a lot like them. Next, Selma ends up marrying Troy McClure, but it's a loveless marriage and Troy McClure only did it to make a comeback. The ending has Selma walking in the night with her one true love, her lizard JubJub. In "Bart the Fink", Bart accidentally reveals that Krusty is one of the biggest tax frauds in history. Krusty loses his fame and eventually fakes his own death, but Bart and Lisa realize that he is really just living on the wharf, pretending to be a fisherman. They eventually convince him to comeback to TV because everyone misses him, but he also really misses the limelight. The next episode is one of my all time favorites, "22 Short Films About Springfield". You get all kinds of different stories from non Simpsons characters. We get a Dr. Nick, Bumblebee Man, Cletus and Chief Wiggum story, just to name a few. This is a must watch episode for all Simpsons fans. Next, we learn about Grampa Simpson's history in the Flying Hellfish episode. Apparently, he was a sergeant in the war and Mr. Burns was the bad boy in his platoon. But, all the other members of their squad have passed on and Grampa and Mr. Burns are left to get a huge payday from the art they stole when the war was over. Then, Apu lives the single life for awhile, until his mother comes to town to tell him that his arranged marriage is about to happen. He's terrified of getting married, but starts to give in when he finally meets Manjula on their wedding day. The last two episodes are classics. "Homerpalooza" is when Homer joins a Lollapalooza type freak show and gets shot in the belly with a cannon. Bands like Cypress Hill, the Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth all have cameos in this episode. Peter Frmapton too. The season seven finale is, "Summer of Four Foot Two". In this episode, the Simpsons stay at the Flanders summer house and Lisa decides she's going to totally change her attitude to make friends, since no one signs her yearbook. She makes friends with her new style, but her dorky ways are found out. She fears she will lose her new friends, but they all like Lisa for Lisa. Heartfelt to end the season. These 22 episodes, in my opinion make up the greatest season of the "Simpsons". There's not a clunker or a boring one at all. All episodes are repeatedly watchable and quotable.

If you feel different let me know in the comments, but it gets no better than season seven of "The Simpsons" in my book.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing. He embiggins everyone around him, especially the smallest man. Follow him @tykulik

NBA offseason part II: Sorry Cleveland, you will again be the runner up.

LaMarcus Aldridge has made the best basketball decision for himself and has, reportedly, signed a four year eighty million dollar deal with the Spurs.

This makes the Spurs the top contender for the title next season, in my opinion. Putting Aldridge in the starting lineup next to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Danny Green and Kwahi Leonard will make this a very difficult team to beat. The main contenders coming out of the Western Conference to the Spurs will be, the reigning champs, Golden State and, if they're at full health, Oklahoma City. It's those three teams and everyone else. Memphis continues to get older and they still have yet to sign Marc Gasol, but that seems like a formality at this point. The Clippers lost their best rebounder and rim protector and I don't think Paul Pierce or Lance Stephenson are going to make that much of a difference. Portland is going to take a huge step back now that Damien Lilliard is the only remaining starter from last season still on the team(Wes Matthews signed with Dallas, Aldidge to the Spurs, Robin Lopez to the Knicks and they traded Nic Batum to the Hornets). The Pelicans will be good again, but Anthony Davis is going to need help from his other teammates. He also needs them to be healthy for an entire season. Houston will be fine, but they'll need Harden to play defense like he did this past season if they want to make the conference finals again. I think it would really help to have Dwight Howard healthy for a full season. Dallas signed some big names like DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews, but they also lost Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler. And if OKC can stay healthy, Phoenix will still be on the outside looking in. So, that leaves OKC and Golden State as the Spurs biggest competition. Golden State is the reigning champ, and until they get beat, will still be champs. They return just about everyone from last year. The lone exception is David Lee and, while he played an integral part in the finals, I don't think he'll be missed all that much. The Warriors are lethal offensively and great on defense. I just think they'll be hard pressed to match up against a huge and very skilled Spurs front court and, as good as a defender Draymond Green is, he can't keep pace with Kwahi Leonard. For the Warriors to beat the Spurs in the playoffs, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will have to shoot about 70% from the field and about 65% from three. Which is pretty impossible. Which brings me to the wild card team, the Thunder. Before last season started, almost every writer picked the Thunder to win the title, but then the injury bug crushed that dream. Westbrook and Ibaka missed extended time and Kevin Durant only played in 27 games all season. They were able to get rid of Reggie Jackson and traded for Enes Kanter and DJ Augustin. It remains to be seen if they'll resign Kanter, he's asking for way too much in my opinion. They drafted Cameron Payne to back up Westbrook. I think Payne is in the perfect situation for him. He will run the second unit with a lot of confidence and the young man can shoot and find the open guy. But, put their lineup against the Spurs and I think they matchup the best with them. Westbrook is better than Danny Green and Ibaka can immobilize an aging Duncan. The best matchup will be Kwahi Leonard and Kevin Durant. These two almost cancel each other out since Leonard is so good on defense and Durant is so good on offense. I think the Spurs just have too much firepower for the Thunder to beat them in a seven game series. As I said before, Aldridge made the best decision for himself and he may just wind up with a title next season.

As for the east (Cleveland), better luck in 2017.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing.  He does not know if LaMarcus Aldridge and his girlfriend will go back to Portland and visit Women and Women First bookstore. Follow him on twitter @tykulik

The good teams get better and the bad teams stay the same. The early story of the 2015 NBA offseason.

With NBA free agency officially underway, we've finally gotten our first bit of big news and a new team for a, some might say, not me, big time player. DeAndre Jordan will be a member of the Dallas Mavericks next season after, reportedly, agreeing to a four year, eighty million dollar deal. He turned down a bigger offer from the Clippers to move closer to home and wants to be "the man". I think this is a great deal for him, but in the long run might not be so good for Dallas. Jordan is a unique player who is probably the best rebounder in the game right now and an excellent rim protector. The problem lies with his offense. Yeah he's an electric dunker, but he's 6'10. I should hope he'd be a good dunker. But, that's all he can really do on offense. He can't stretch defenses because he can't shoot and his free throw shooting is among the leagues worst. But, good for you DeAndre, now you don't have to get thrown under the bus by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

Other than Jordan moving to Dallas, the only other "big" named players that have left for new teams are, Greg Monroe to Milwaukee, Tyson Chandler to Phoenix and Monta Ellis to Indiana. Some may say what about Wes Matthews to Dallas, but he's coming off a torn ACL, so that's a wait and see for me. Other than the six players I've mentioned, everyone else of importance has resigned with their current teams. Dwayne Wade and Goran Dragic are back with the Heat. Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert and soon to be Tristan Thompson are back with the Cavs. Damien Lilliard is back in Portland. Draymond Green is back with the Warriors. Kwahi Leonard is still a Spur and Anthony Davis got paid and then some to remain a Pelican. I'm sure I'm missing some other players, but these are the notable ones and I think NBA fans will agree with me.

The next two dominoes to fall will be David West and the biggest name of all this offseason, LaMarcus Aldridge. David West will be a good get for whoever signs him. But Aldridge, now he's a team changer, depending on where he signs. It looks to be down to three teams, the Lakers, Suns and Spurs. He'd be foolish to sign with the Lakers because that team is going nowhere. Phoenix is still a year or three away from contending. The Spurs seem like the best fit for him and how awesome would it be to have Tim Duncan "pass the torch" to Aldridge and start a new era of dominant Spurs basketball. If Aldridge truly only cares about winning titles, the Spurs are the team for him to go to. If he wants the money, it will be the Lakers. Make the right choice Mr Aldridge and sign with the Spurs. I guarantee you won't regret it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for Seed Sing.  He is skeptical of any players desire to win on the Lakers, including Kobe. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Is piracy helpful? Kirk has some ideas.

Once upon a time, I pirated movies, television shows, music, and software without feeling the slightest measure of guilt. There are many ways that I used to justify this shameless disregard for the artists of the entertainment industry. In some ways I still think that piracy is warranted ethically if not legally. Although I have not given up piracy completely, the media world has changed dramatically and thus negated some of the excuses that I once used.

When I was in college, as I was introduced to piracy through a friend who had a then rare home broadband connection and a piece of software known as Napster, I was poor. I was the typical broke college student. I paid for music from the artists that I already knew about and whose music I knew I would enjoy. What I was downloading was merely for discovery purposes. These were artists that I would never have had a chance to listen to in that era. If anything, it broadened my taste. I probably bought more music as a result.

In the ten plus years since then we have music subscription services like Spotify, Google Play Music, and now Apple Music. I listen to most of the music I want through one of these services and do occasionally purchase an album I would like to own. The fact is, legal music adapted to what the consumer wanted. I could still be pirating music, but the paid alternative is more attractive. Which brings me to another justification that I once used and still, in some respects, do.

The industry has to compete. Prior to high speed internet, folks had to put up with any antiquated system that any of these media companies wanted to use for distribution. There was no alternative and would not have been any alternative without high speed internet. The technology to distribute content in a more user friendly way was there long before the big media companies decided to take advantage of them. I contend that without piracy, big media companies would never have been motivated to offer content on services like Netflix, Spotify, iTunes, Steam, or any of the other digital content service providers that exist in the wake of piracy.

Big media companies are champions of capitalism. In a capitalist system one has to compete with any other service providers. That does include black markets in this case. At first they resisted. They tried to sue their way back into the game. They were used to having control over the method of distribution and did not want to make changes for the kids of tomorrow. Eventually they have started seeing that they would have to offer a more alluring alternative to piracy. It wasn’t hard. Piracy can be clunky. Do you think I am going to pirate a movie or series that I can find on Netflix? Not a chance. It is so much easier to use Netflix and have a library of content at my fingertips. I even tend to choose something that is on Netflix over something else that I maybe wanted to watch which is not. This all because of the efficiency over piracy that Netflix provides. In that light, content providers are losing money by failing to provide it through such a service.

As much as I would like to say that I am a pillar of progress and that through only viewing content which is available through these types of services I am only supporting those content providers, I cannot. I have found that currently airing television series are still served superiorly to me through piracy. I think that network fragmentation is culprit there. Hulu has tried to offer a solution to that issue, but those particular content providers are still too greedy to go for it. I am pretty sure someone could improve on Hulu anyhow. Sorry, but serving ads along with subscription content will not fly.

So, dear reader, what do you think? Has your use or justification of piracy changed with the times? If you were a user of early services like Napster, do you still pirate to the same extent or at all today? Was it ever really justified or would we have progress just the same without it? Let me know your thoughts.

Kirk Aug

Kirk is still the new guy around here.  He is added some gravitas and intelligence to the group. Follow him on twitter @kirkaug

Last Generation Gamer: The cost of love and friendship in Shadow of the Colossus

Last Generation Gamer is Seed Sings way of reflecting on the greatest video games that were released before the current gen systems.  These are not necessarily reviews.  Let's look at these thoughts as a walk down memory lane.  If you have any ideas for Last Generation Gamer contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

So you know there are SPOILERS of the plot to Shadow of the Colossus in this article.

If you truly love someone, is there anything you would not do for them.  Absolute love knows no danger.  You would make a deal with the Devil himself for true love. Right?

Shadow of the Colossus (Playstation 2, 2005) allows you to see the consequences of making a deal with the devil for true love. The game is extremely minimal in its design, story, and game play, yet it is one of the most beautiful, thought provoking, and rewarding games ever made. You play as Wander who is equipped with a sword (never to be upgraded) a bow and your trusty horse Argo. The landscape is desolate and dotted with crumbling structures from a long dead civilization.  The only living inhabitants are the 16 mostly peaceful and isolated colossi. There is no grinding for experience and gear to get ready for the fights. The player uses skill and strategy (plus trial and error) to defeat the colossus and move on to the next. It is apparant very early that the Wander's goal (having the girl Mono revived) is not without spiritual danger. The deaths of the colossi are mournful and the effect on Wander start to become demonic. There is a very heavy price Wander must pay to bring Mono back.

There is never any question to Wander's task.  He never stops to ask anyone (Argo?) if his soul is worth bringing another one back.  I think Wander knew the cost to bring the one he loves back. I know there is a question to what Mono is to Wander, in my game she was his love. His conviction made him carry out the task without regret and with full focused dedication.

Wander only brought one friend on his journey. The horse Argo is more than a tool, he was a partner in this deadly quest. Wander could not survive the wasteland without Argo.  That is not to mean Argo is strategically needed, he was psychologically necessary.  Wander went on the quest knowing he may never return.  It is made clear what Wander did before the game starts is forbidden by his people. Wander had no way to go back, yet  Argo was never meant to be sacrificed to the task.  Before the final colossus the loss of Argo elicits the most shock and sadness from Wander.  Mono was gone, Argo was alive with Wander on this cursed quest. During the end credits when Argo comes limping on the screen with an assist from Mono, I had a true sense of joy. The inclusion of Argo in the game not only added new strategies for the colossi fights, it added a needed friend in the wasteland of the forbidden land. One cannot enter danger alone.  Even in defiance and death, we need a friend.

Shadow of the Colossus is truly a game without equal.  In the ten years since its release, no game has come close to melding video game art with truly unique game play (we will see how The Last Gaurdian stacks up).  Outside of the basic metrics video games are judged on, the thing that sets Shadow of the Colossus apart is how it honors the ideas of love, friendship, and sacrifice.  There are people (and horses) worth any sacrifice. There are things worth more to someone than their own souls.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for Seed Sing. He has never bought a horse because none will stack up to Argo. He does need you to write for Seed Sing.

Ty throws some serious shade at some ESPN talent

With the Colin Cowherd, Jim Harbaugh interview being basically a train wreck today, I'd like to talk about the blowhard, moronic, douche bag, never done anything athletic in their lives ESPN commentators.

I am going to specifically talk about three in particular, the aforementioned Colin Cowherd, Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless. Colin Cowherd is a straight up douche with no talent at all. The only reason why he is on the air at all is, the fact that he can talk with no one in the studio or on the phone. Basically, he's good at talking to himself. I don't see how that's a talent. To me, that just means that he likes to hear the sound of his own voice, which is pretty egotistical. He thinks he's the smartest guy in the room, but it's pretty easy to be the smartest guy in the room when you're the only one there. He's an asshole that likes to hang up on callers. I mean how much of a dick move is that? A caller may have a different point of view than him or they may point out facts that prove his side wrong and what does he do? Does he talk to them and debate them like a gentleman? Nope, he just hangs up the phone. That's about as low class as you can get. How he still has a job is baffling to me. He's also a racist that, to this day, still attacks John Wall for being a thug because he likes to dance. He brought it up during Wall's rookie season and he still harps on it to this day, regardless of the good things John Wall does. Stuff like giving out free shoes to a bunch of kids in the DC area just to name one. Cowherd is a joke.

Next, Stephen A Smith might be the most sexist, holier than thou commentator on all sports television. As recent as a week ago, ;he said, for all intents and purposes, women are no good at sports and nobody wants to watch them play. How can someone, in this day and age, get away with saying something like this on social media and face no consequences. God forbid you call out people like Roger Goodell(Bill Simmons) or a sponsor like Toyota(Tony Kornheiser), because, if you do that, you will eventually be fired(Simmons) or suspended without pay(Kornheiser). All Stephen A Smith does, while on air, is yell at the camera, because when you're the loudest, you must be the smartest, right? I mean, this guy should have no career on TV or as a writer but, since he made friends with some famous people(i.e. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony), he gets to be on shows and rant and rave like he's the best sports commentators of all time. He's not even the best person on ESPN let alone all of television. He'd be hard pressed to get a job on local Philadelphia radio(that's where he is from) because he is so awful at his job. I guess, in ESPN's case, it pays to have rich and famous friends. Stephen A Smith is an atrocity to sports TV and, more specifically, the NBA, the sport he primarily covers. He is truly, truly awful at his job.

Last and most certainly least is the biggest dildo of them all, Skip Bayless. This is the idiot who thinks that Tim Tebow is still a serviceable NFL Quarterback. I heard him on a program say that he'd rather have Tebow over Peyton Manning when the Broncos where trying to acquire Manning. He'd rather have TIM TEBOW OVER PEYTON MANNING! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! He also more recently said that the Golden State Warriors aren't true champs because they didn't beat the Cavs at full strength. Never mind the fact that they won 67 games, had the best overall record in the NBA, ran through the brutal Western Conference and beat the Cavs in six games. That's not good enough for Skip Bayless. According to this moron that has never played a competitive game of basketball in his life, the Warriors aren't true champions. And what exactly are you a champion of Mr Bayless? If you said, being the worst, most unlikable piece of garbage person on ESPN, I'd have to agree with you there. But, that's the only "championship" you deserve you human equivalent of a garbage dump. Skip Bayless is by far the worst "talent" that the horrible people at ESPN have kept on the air. He's a walking, talking piece of trash that doesn't deserve anything he gets. Skip Bayless, you SUCK.

The fact that these three guys still have a job at ESPN and Bill Simmons doesn't is terrible. Bill Simmons questioned Roger Goodell, a thing all sports fans should and need to do, and ESPN let him go. That should tell you something about the morons running things over there. They clearly have no eye for talent and only want idiotic blowhards on their TV shows and radio stations.

Get your shit together ESPN.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing. Not everything gets his coveted 37 thumbs up seal of approval. Follow him on twitter @tykulik

Cloves and Fedoras: Ty encourages you to join "The Meltdown"

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture (or older pieces).  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

Tonight on Comedy Central the second season of "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail" premiers at12:30am/11:30pm central time.

Being a fan of stand up comedy, especially alt comedy, I'm very excited for this show to be back. It's a simple premise. Jonah Ray(from his podcast "Jonah Raydio") and Kumail Nanjiani(from his two podcasts, "Indoor Kids" and "The X Files Files" and the TV show "Silicon Valley") host a standup show in the basement of a comic book store. This is a great showcase for comics that aren't on the level of a Louis CK or even a Nick Swardson, both I'm a big fan of, but for comics that are contemporaries of Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani. That's not to say that pretty famous people don't appear on season one. One episode ended with Weird Al Yankovic doing a pretty awesome and hilarious music medley. Nick Offerman, you may know him as Ron Swanson from "Parks and Recreation", shows up and works on his standup. Marc Maron, the podcaster that just interview President Obama, did two sets on season one. Those are some big time names in comedy. But, while having these famous people on, this show is more for up and coming alt comics. People like Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate did their routine in season one. Neal Brennan CRUSHED during his five minute set. Garfunkel(Riki Lindholm) and Oates(Kate Micucci) did their comedy music on an episode. I'm a big fan of all these comics and this was the perfect showcase for them.

The Meltdown has been going on for a decent amount of time, but Comedy Central decided to make it a TV show last year. That was a great decision by them. Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani make a great team hosting the show. They're both great standup comics in their own right, but the two of them hosting this show as a pair is phenomenal. They have a great back and forth and their "yes anding" is top of the line. They're so funny.

Another cool thing about the show, you get to see the comics hanging out backstage. One episode last season had Doug Benson on and while he was performing, Jim Gaffigan was backstage giving Doug Benson a hard time, totally throwing him off his timing while doing his set. It was hilarious. Backstage, we get to see Nanjiani's wife, Emily V Gordon doing her thing. She basically runs the whole show. She gets the comics on stage when they're up and keeps things fun and loose backstage. She's pretty great at her job. This season has pretty great lineup from what I've seen so far. Comics like, Ron Funches, Brett Gelman, Cameron Esposito, Kurt Braunholer, the girls from "Broad City", and one of my personal favorites, Hannibal Burress. This show is really awesome and it's an excellent showcase for these comedians. Everybody needs to get on board with this show so that Comedy Central will continue to air it. I highly recommended watching it.

It's fantastic.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing.  He practices his stand-up in the basement with his three year old. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: The War on Drugs is examined in the book "Chasing the Scream"

The Seed Sing team would like to welcome Kirk Aug to our little part of the internet world. Kirk will be looking at expanding your knowledge of books, science, technology, and anything else he sees fit to have in electronic print.

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture (or older pieces).  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known. 

Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari is the story of the War on Drugs driven by America and spread to the rest of the world under the fear of retaliation from America. The wage of war began in the 1930s and is alive and well today. Hari begins his book by painting a picture of what it was like before the engagement of this long since failed crusade. You could go to any American pharmacy and buy products made from the same ingredients as heroin and cocaine. The most popular cough mixtures in the United States contained opiates, a new soft drink called Coca­Cola was made from the same plant as snortable cocaine, and over in Britain, the classiest department stores sold heroin tins for society women. In the book we follow the story of so many who were caught up in the drug war starting with the man behind it, Harry Anslinger. He was appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics which was a new role for the people who ran the Department of Prohibition which had recently been abolished. It was apparent to many that this bureau was due to be a part of history at any time. We also learn about Billie Holiday and how the drug war killed her. Anslinger personally saw to it as he made sure she was forbade adequate care to survive her addiction. There was also Arnold Rothstein, the top gangster who immediately saw the benefit of the drug war. Just as prohibition opened up a black market for alcohol, the drug war would do the same for narcotics. Rothstein was all too ready to benefit. And although he was eventually anonymously murdered for his stranglehold on the market, many more rapidly emerged to take his place. Hari then turns to the climate of the drug war today by following a retired police officer who is now fighting to legalize drugs after what she had seen for many years on the force. A New York City street dealer who embodies the modern day Rothstein selling crack on the corner and leading a gang to keep his turf his not because he wants to, but out of necessity. A woman who lost her daughter to a man mixed up in the war in Juarez, Mexico, who marched to her state capitol only to be murdered by the drug cartels who have bought the state right on the front steps for anyone and everyone to see. And so many other victims of the this failed policy intended to remove drugs from society. It quickly becomes more than clear that our prescribed solution to the drug problem is monumentally more of a problem that drug addiction is alone. The author also goes to a few places where things are turning around thanks to a change in policy. Leaving drug prohibition and criminalization behind and focusing on compassion and education seems to be working for places like Vancouver, Switzerland, and Portugal. These places are trying new approaches which seem to be reducing most of the negative side effects that been left in the stain of the drug war leaving us with hope for ways to spread this change of tide.

Kirk Aug

Kirk is the new guy around here at Seed Sing.  We are still evaluating his personality and will let you know some interesting facts soon. In the meantime give Kirk a follow on twitter @kirkaug

NBA Draft Part 2: The disappointment that is the 76'ers

Last week I talked about the NBA draft and left out one team, today I will be talking about what I believe to be the worst franchise in all of professional sports right now, the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76'ers were at one time a very proud, very efficiently and well run team. They've had stars like Wilt Chamberlin, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson and most recently, Andre Iguodala. They've had coaches like Doug Collins and Larry Brown. They've had multiple All Stars, former MVP's, many playoff appearances and three NBA Championships, the last one coming in 1983. But recently, something stinks in the "City of Brotherly Love". Sure, one year of tanking in the modern NBA seems to have some sort of rhyme or reason. You can get a transformative player that will turn your team from also ran to playoffs, a la the New Orleans Pelicans and Anthony Davis. But, what the 76ers are doing is disgusting and a travesty to the NBA. It's embarrassing for their fans too. Most 76er fans that I know are diehard and these last 5 seasons have been unwatchable. They're putting a product out on the court that would be hard pressed to beat a D League team and they're charging top dollar for their tickets. Maybe that's why the arena is almost empty when I happen to see them on League Pass. Sam Hinkie, the GM and President, is a disgrace to his job. He needs to be stripped of all management duties and GM responsibilities. He is single handily running this team into the toilet. They're painful to watch. They're so bad. This all points directly to the players that the GM signs and drafts and trades. He is the one putting the roster together. He is the one making all the decisions and his recent history is atrocious. His draft choices are mind boggling. Three years ago he took Nerlens Noel in the lottery. At the time you thought, okay he's coming off a torn ACL, but at the end of his Freshman season he was coming on as a scorer and he was an excellent rim protector. But, there was the torn ACL, whoever took him in the draft had to have known that he would miss the entire season. Hinkie had to know he wouldn't be available to play until the 2014-2015 season. How much of a bummer is that for a fan? You have to wait an entire season to see, what you hope to be, is your future star at the center position. That sucks.

All was not lost though in that draft. They selected eventual Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. The next season, after tanking hard, hoping to get the number one pick in the draft, Andrew Wiggins, they lost the lottery and  got the third overall pick. So, they miss out on Wiggins, but they drafted his college teammate, Joel Embiid. Only a couple problems with that lottery pick, he plays the same position as Noel and he too was coming off a serious foot injury. Picking him to pair with Noel sounded like a decent strategy at the time, who wouldn't want two great rim protectors that you could mold into offensive stars? But, Embiid was another red flag because of the foot injury. No one really knew how serious it was, but he too ended up missing his entire rookie season and new reports say he may have to miss this upcoming season. So, two high lottery picks in two years that have to miss entire seasons before they hit an NBA floor. What a disgrace to the fans and the team. Also, during the 2014-15 season Hinkie traded reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams, to the Milwaukee Bucks for draft picks. He traded away the only viable NBA player on his roster so he could acquire more draft picks. AKA, you fans just have to trust in Hinkie's foolish process, because one day, long after he will be fired, this team may resemble something that, at the very least, looks like an actual NBA team. Hinkie is a complete MORON.

Last week's draft takes the crap cake. The 76ers were in the lottery again, because that's the only place this team can get a win, and they ended up getting the third overall pick again. Sounds good, because they need Guards and Wings, and there was a plethora of them in this draft. Pick one was Town's, the center from Kentucky and pick two was Russel, the guard from Ohio State. Okay, one guard is off the board, but you still have Mudiay(China), Winslow(Duke), or a real reach at third overall, but a guard nonetheless, Booker(Kentucky). So, with at least three really good guards still on the board, who do the 76ers take, a 6'10 power forward/center from Duke, Jahlil Okafor. It's hard for me to say this, but I actually feel sorry for a kid from Duke. What a terrible situation to get drafted into. Okafor was tops on a lot of people's pre draft lists, some making him the consensus number one overall prospect. But, the 76ers were the one team in the lottery that didn't need a big man. They drafted two in the last two drafts! What do they need another big man for?! Did I miss something watching the entire NBA turn into a space and pace league this season, that all of the sudden, you need three lumbering big men, two who can't score and one that doesn't play defense and treats conditioning as a volunteer choice? This league is turning into a fast paced, helter skelter type game and slow, oft injured big men isn't going to win you any championships. Hell, you'd be lucky to win 35 to 40 games a season with three centers on the court at one time. And, if you don't think Okafor is unhappy with his new situation, watch their most recent press conference where he throws his jersey down in disgust after the interview is over. Hinkie's late first round and the majority of his second round picks are foreign prospects that Fran Fraschilla says are "two years away from being two years away". That's depressing. I feel for you Philadelphia 76er fans. You have the WORST GM in sports, and until the powers that be get rid of him, you will have to continue to "trust the process".

That's a frightening proposition in my opinion.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing.  He plays the bigman role in pickup games at the local rec center. Looks like he will be drafted by the 76'ers in 2016.

Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Republican Hate Trap

It has been a bad week for the Republican Party.

A no good, very bad week.

I am not talking about their failure (once again) to get rid of Obamacare. I am not talking about their failure (once again) to ban gay marriage. This is also not about their victory to eliminate any talk of meaningful gun control in light of another mass killing. The Republican Party's bad week is about how all of those events caused the party's leaders to embrace the typical hate filled white christian majority victim hood that is losing the party voters and any national future.

The Republican party has been fighting the reforms of the New Deal for multiple generations. Their current leaders can not have a meaningful thought about domestic policy without attacking reforms enacted nearly eighty years ago. The programs of the New Deal have been large a part of american society,  removing them would cause a massive  economic crisis. The Republican party has been so invested in dismantling the New Deal,  they have no plan to deal with the catastrophic aftermath of their goals.

These irrational, outdated, tactics infect the current Republican voter outreach strategies. The Affordable Health Care Act was not a perfect law,  far from it. The law did succeed in giving healthcare to more at need Americans. Since the passage of the ACA,  the only action from the elected republicans is to act like petulant children and try to repeal the law. They tried,  and tried,  and tried,  and on and on. There was no plan, only a tantrum. Lower income Americans were beginning to see clearly that the republicans had no interest in helping them. These potential voters were mostly lost to any national campaign by the Republican party.

The need to cater to the outdated and hateful religious right has caused the Republicans to alienate a very powerful and engaged voter group, gay men. The actions of the Supreme Court were long overdue, and many Americans were happy that this embarrassment had been corrected. The response from all the national Republican leaders was predictable, silence or hate. The hate, coming from supposed Christians, was ugly and useless. Christian conservatives always vote in the exact same numbers, and they always vote Republican. If one national Republican realized that gay men tend to be more conservative on fiscal issues,  that person could start to cultivate new voters. Instead the legacy of hate and obstruct stops any movement in bringing in these new, valuable, voters.

Where the Republican hate trap reared its ugly head the most is the aftermath of the Charleston Church massacre. Our government is filled with cowards when it comes to stemming gun violence. The tricky part for the Republicans is they needed a distraction from having to talk about the gun problem in America. The media decided that distraction was going to be the Confederate flag. The hate trap was set, because now Republicans who defended a symbol of hate had to now openly attack it. This was not a good plan to a few deep south Republicans (see Haley Barbour). These politicians defending the Confederate flag kept reminding voters of the parties history of racism. The brain trust that is Sean Hannity even used his tired tactic of false equivalence and demanded rap music be banned along with the Confederate flag. Hannity is whining because he cannot embrace his symbol of hate,  so attacks something else ethnic that he hates. Every single guest on Hannity's radio and television shows will have to defend the Confederate flag and attack rap music. Good bye millennial voters, good job Sean.

The Democratic Party has not been very proactive in creating positive social change. The national leaders usually sit back and wait for social changes to become more viable. This allows the Democrats the luxury to co-opt these movements and be seen as the party of all people. Their biggest asset in claiming the progressive mantle is that the Republicans can not claw out of their hate trap.

Thank God.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for Seed Sing. He enjoys watching hateful people dig themselves into holes. Fox News is one of his favorite entertainment options. He needs you to write for Seed Sing.

The true lottery of the NBA Draft

Last night was the 2015 NBA Draft and 60 players were selected.

In my younger years I used to relish watching the draft. It was a big deal for me to see which college superstars were selected and which NBA team they would be playing for. These guys, for the most part were college graduates or, at the very least, played three years of college basketball. As a fan of the college game is was great to see these players blossom from skinny, baby faced freshman to grown upperclassmen. They were ready for the NBA.

That's the problem I had with the draft last night and the draft for the past 15 years. The picks, especially the first overall pick, have been freshman, sophomores or played zero college basketball. You get no time to know these players. They spend one or two years tops in college or overseas and some GM's risk the next four years of their franchise on teenagers or kids that just turned 20. I wouldn't hire a 20 year old to do my laundry, let alone lead an NBA franchise. Granted, most of these kids are extremely athletically gifted basketball players, but more times than not, a lot of them flame out quick or get injured because their bodies aren't physically ready for the rigors of the NBA. It's a full time job, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You have to be in shape constantly, there's no rest and no nights off. I imagine it's extremely tough.

Now, I'm not saying there's no underclassmen or players with no college experience that haven't thrived in the league. Lebron James is going to go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history. But, for every Lebron James there's a Kwame Brown. A kid straight out of high school, picked number one overall in the draft and now, he's out of the league. No All Star games, no championships. He's an afterthought. Imagine what, at least, three years of college would have done for him. Andrew Bogut was taken number one in 2005. He played three years of college ball at Utah. He's by no stretch of the imagination a star, but he's been an all NBA player, on the all NBA defensive team and just this past season won a championship. Wouldn't you rather have that than the 2006 and 2007 number one picks. The 2006 number one was Andrea Bargnani. He was a sure fire, can't miss foreign prospect. He played fine while with the Raptors, but the team never really took off like they hoped they would when they drafted Bargnani. He was eventually traded to the Knicks and has suffered a plethora of injuries. Then, in 2007 there's Greg Oden. He was supposed to be a non stop offensive superstar and one of the best defenders in the league coming out of Ohio State after his sophomore season. There was another underclassman in that same draft that every scout and GM said was too skinny and his game wouldn't translate to the pros. That guy was Kevin Durant out of Texas. Well, Oden kept injuring his feet and knees and legs over and over again. He never made any impact in the NBA and he is now considered one of the biggest "busts" of all time. I'd take Bogut's career over Oden's or Bargnani's in a heartbeat. Never an All Star, but a consistent starter and contributor in the NBA. Sounds good to me. Then there's the case for Derrick Rose. A slashing point guard that played with reckless abandon and would risk life and limb to get to the hoop. The point guard of the future they said after two seasons at the University of Memphis. In his first couple of seasons he was living up to hype, going as high as MVP of the league. Then, he tears one ACL, then the other and now, he's a shell of his former self, playing with fear of getting hurt again. Imagine what one or two more years of strength and conditioning training in college would have done for him. In comparison, Tim Duncan stayed at Wake Forest for four years and has won multiple MVP awards and five championships, Oh, and he'll be returning for his 19th season next year. Staying in college didn't hurt him at all.

Which brings me to last nights draft. Thirteen Freshman, four players from overseas(one being Emmanuel Mudiay who instead of playing one year at SMU, took a million dollar contract to play in China), five sophomores and the eight juniors or seniors rounded out the first round. That's appalling to me. Only one senior was taken in the lottery and that was the plodding big man that thinks he's a three point shooter and plays no defense, Frank Kaminsky. Four of the fourteen lottery players played for John Calipari at Kentucky. These four, with the exception being Devin Booker, are really going to have to figure it out when they get in the league. Devin Booker already is a pretty good lock down defender and a lethal three point shooter. That will work in today's NBA. But, Willey Cauley Stein is an aberration on the offensive side of the ball and can't rebound, but, he's an excellent shot blocker and that was good enough for the Sacramento Kings to take him sixth overall. Trey Lyles went twelfth overall to Utah, but he's the definition of a project. I didn't see him or even hear about him until the NCAA Tournament. Karl Anthiny Towns was the number one overall pick and he didn't really start to dominate until late in the season. When they first started playing he thought he was a perimeter player. He just learned how to play the low post and he's going to going against much stronger, older veterans. D'Angelo Russel played one year at Ohio State and while he's an excellent passer and scorer, he plays no defense and he has to play with the rotting corpse that is Kobe Bryant. The fourth pick Kristaps Porzingis and the fifth pick Mario Hezonja only had grainy video highlights that I saw for the first time during the draft last night. They are on the same level as Trey Lyles for me. I know nothing about them. Stanley Johnson from Arizona is a tank, but he also moped when he was put on the bench during his one college season. Myles Turner is a great shot blocker and could shoot the three for a big guy, but he has the most awkward running motion I've ever seen. It's jarring. The last two lottery pick, while being young, I do think will be good players because of where they were picked. Emmauel Mudiay was taken seventh overall by Denver. He plays the exact way that new head coach Mike Malone wants him to. He plays fast and he's a slasher. He also spent his one year away from the league playing in a pro league in China. He played with grown men, some that even played in the NBA, so he knows what he's getting into. He reminds me a lot of Brandon Jennings, who I love and think is very underrated. Then there's Justise Winslow from Duke. He's a great defender and rebounder and a lights out three point shooter. He was taken tenth overall by Miami. If they're able to keep their core together from last season, it's a perfect situation for him. He's the next Dwayne Wade, and hopefully for his sake, he will be mentored by Wade. Winslow is my pick for Rookie of the Year. But, I still yearn for the days of the draft consisting of mostly upperclassmen, because like I said before, they were ready for the league. They essentially played four years of semi pro ball and were able to easily transition into the NBA. Let's hope that's one thing that Adam Silver tries to bring back, because basketball is becoming popular again, but it won't be fun to watch a bunch of nineteen and twenty year old kids ruin this beautiful game because of their lack of preparation.

Fix this please.

(ed note: Ty left the 76'ers pick of Jahlil Okafor off of this commentary because he is preparing a column next week where the entire 76'ers franchise will be put under the microscope.) 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing.  He does not want you to know that Kevin Garnett is one of his favorite players ever. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: Ty looks to the future of HBO with a look at two new shows

HBO premiered two new shows this past Sunday night. "Ballers" and "The Brink".

I was excited to watch both shows. "Ballers" seemed like a good idea. It is about an ex football player that becomes a financial advisor for current players. It stars Dwayne Johnson, some of you know him as The Rock, as said ex football player. The show started out okay. A flashback scene to his playing days, hitting a receiver after the catch, they both get dinged up and flash forward to present day and he's taking pain killers, literally eating them like candy, and he has pain in his joints as he exits his bed. Typical stuff to show you that football can cause future, lingering injuries. No duh, thanks for the insight writers of "Ballers". Then we see the building that Dwayne Johnson works in. He's met there by his colleague, played by the hilarious Rob Corddry. They have a decent scene together, but that's all we get in the pilot between the two stars of the show. One scene. They seem to have pretty good on screen chemistry so I hope in the future episodes they have a lot more scenes together. According to the preview of the upcoming season after the pilot episode, that seems to be the case. During the episode, there's a scene with another ex player speeding down a dangerous highway in Miami with his mistress. They get into a fight and during said fight, the guy takes his eyes off the road and gets crushed by a semi truck. Smash cut to a funeral and Dwayne Johnson talking to the widow. She explains to him that the now deceased athlete didn't save any money because he had no financial advisor. See the irony. Later on, a current football player/bad boy gets into a fight with a fan at a bar, knocks the guy out cold and gets cut the next day by his current team. He gets signed by a new team in the next few days and calls Dwayne Johnson to tell him that he needs someone to help him keep his money straight. This couldn't come at a better time for him because, right at that moment, he is unable to withdraw 200,000 dollars from his bank account. At the ATM! How can he take so much money out at one time at an ATM?! This show seems pretty ridiculous and probably won't last for more than one season unless the writers and directors put Rob Corddry in more scenes with Dwayne Johnson. That's about the only thing that worked for me in the pilot. I will continue to watch since it's only been one episode, but "Ballers" is on pretty thin ice.

"The Brink" on the other hand, I enjoyed. The show takes place between a Washington D.C. war room, with Tim Robbins playing one of the President's right hand men in matters related to war, and in Pakistan where Jack Black plays a lower level US Ambassador that has a driver played by Aasif Mandvi. Mandvi is excellent in his role. Tim Robbins character is a sex crazed booze hound, but he's also extremely intelligent in all matters involving when to strike and when not to in war situations. He's playing the role with gusto. Jack Black is playing his typical buffoon. He is a little stupid, but a little smart and he likes to ogle women and get stoned. It's basically Jack Black playing a clean shaved Jack Black. He's still pretty funny because he's a good actor. But, the real star of the show is Mandvi. Like I said earlier, he's a glorified taxi driver for Jack Black, but in one scene we get to see his home and his family. This was great. He lives in a beautiful home, equipped with a pool and many comfortable rooms. His dad is a distinguished doctor and his uncle, that lives with them, is a well respected psychiatrist. He also has a smoking hot sister that, of course, Jack Black wants to hook up with. The topic of war is brought up during unrest in Pakistan over a political vote gone bad. There's a evil dictator type person that wants to get people on his side and the militants are more than willing to help. Jack Black finds out that the uncle has worked with this dictator and declared him clinically insane. Black feels that this info will get him on the good side of the president and they will relocate him to Paris. Mandvi's family catches him trying to fax this stuff over and end communication immediately believing that he works for the CIA and housing a CIA agent will get them in worlds of trouble. Back in DC, Robbins is trying to convince the president to wait on sending missiles because he doesn't want to start World War Three. I know this all sounds serious and dramatic, but it's quite the opposite. The pilot was very funny and doesn't take it's source material too seriously, in a good way. I hope the rest of the episodes follow the same direction as the pilot. That would be great.

Of the two new shows that premiered this week, I have more hope for "The Brink" than I do for "Ballers". Time will tell.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing.  He is shocked the political show is more interesting than the sports show (so far). Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: Ty thinks "A Deadly Adoption" was deadly boring.

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture (or older pieces).  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known. 

I finally got around to watching the Lifetime movie "A Deadly Adoption" the other night.

You know the movie I am talking about, the made for Lifetime movie starring Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. I had huge expectations for this. I thought it was going to be a work of comedic over acting and terribly written dialogue delivered from two pretty great actors.

Well, the dialogue was pretty terribly written and performed as such, but the jokes and Wiig and Ferrell being in on the absurdity of this was missing. This was a pretty straight forward, completely ridiculous Lifetime presentation. It was just like every other movie on that channel. It was melodramatic lunacy and Ferrell and Wiig were acting as if they weren't humongous stars. They acted as if this was a real job for them, like they really needed the work. There was little to no lunacy from the two of them and that was highly upsetting to me. The only humor I really got out of "A Deadly Adoption" was how seriously they tackled the issue of child diabetes. Wiig and Ferrell's daughter in the movie has diabetes and there were many mentions about not keeping real sugar in the house and how she desperately needed her insulin when she was held captive. The movie was insane from start to finish. It opened with a pregnant Wiig hanging out on a dock by a boat and she slips off the dock, can't swim and Ferrell rescues her, but they lose the baby. Fast forward five years and Ferrell is a very over protective father of their one child. He's also a very successful financial author. They take in a young pregnant girl because they want to adopt her baby so their daughter can have a brother. But, a little to on the nose, there's something a little off about this girl. She's clearly hitting on Ferrell's character and wants Wiig's character out of the picture. She also has a bad news boyfriend who is about as white trash as they come. It's eventually found out that the young lady isn't pregnant at all. I know, real shocker right? She and her boyfriend just want ransom money from Wiig and Ferrell since they've decided to kidnap their daughter. At least that's what the boyfriend wants. Turns out that after they lost their child in the accident five years ago, Ferrell's character hit the bottle pretty hard and met a groupie of his on the road and slept with her. You know that common story of a famous author having groupies and a crippling alcohol addiction. Ridiculous. Well that groupie turned out to be, wait for it, the young "pregnant" lady they let stay in their home. Needless to say, she just wants to be with Ferrell and his daughter and have a "normal" family. She tries to kill Wiig by knocking her unconscious and putting her in her car and turning the engine on and closing the garage door. Ferrell comes home after a night of searching for his daughter only to be met by the crazy girl(I can't remember any of the names of the characters because this movie was so stupid) and she shoots him twice in the arm, albeit by accident because she says she doesn't want to hurt him. She flees and Ferrell finds Wiig in the garage. He removes her from the car and gets her breathing again and he's back on the road to search for his daughter. Now, we see the crazy girl and the daughter speeding away in a pick up truck, all the while the little girl complaining that her stomach hurts and she needs her insulin. I say again, ridiculous. Ferrell finds them, confronts the crazy girl, pretends to let his daughter go with her, only to have them both jump in an idling boat under the bridge and before the crazy girl can get a shot off, Wiig plugs her in the back with a bullet. Another flash forward, this time only six months, and all is well. Ferrell has even calmed down on the over bearing parenting and the family breaks out into a dance. Then, end credits.

All I could think of was, WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?! This made me feel like I was going crazy. It was so bizarre. I guess I expected something different, akin to James Franco's role on the soap opera he was on. I didn't expect Ferrell and Wiig to take it so seriously. Maybe it's just me, but I was looking for something way different and therein lies the problem. Don't expect anything good or promising from any programming Lifetime TV puts out there. You will be highly disappointed.

This was a real drag.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing. He is an author but does not have groupies (yet). Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: Ty gives praise to Leon Bridges, the new voice of soul.

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture (or older pieces).  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known. 

This is a follow up an earlier blog post about Leon Bridges.  You can find it here.

The sound of Sixties soul music is back today.

The sound comes in the form of a young man that was born thirty years after Stax Records and guys like Otis Redding and Rufus Thomas were making their strides in the soul music world. He's a twenty five year old music genius named Leon Bridges. His first album "Coming Home" was released today and it is so perfectly a throwback to the golden age of soul/R&B. This record is phenomenal. I didn't think I'd hear an album the rest of 2015 that I liked as much as Alabama Shakes "Sound and Color", but I've already listened to "Coming Home" two and a half times and I've got to say, it's now my album to beat for the year. Leon Bridges vocals are so damn smooth. I like to call this type of music "baby making music". He sounds like a much better version of Raphael Saadiq, and I love me some Raphael Saadiq. His guitar playing and his band are really tight. I seems like they've been perfecting this sound for sometime now, and they hit a grand slam. This may sound like it's from the Sixties because Leon Bridges asked to record on vintage equipment. He was taking a huge chance doing this because, in my opinion, you have to be one hundred percent committed to the equipment being used and you can't succumb to the technology today. That's got to be pretty difficult. But they did a wonderfully masterful job. It sounds like a recording from Stax in it's heyday. I've mentioned Leon Bridges on this site before, stating that I thought he would be the next great soul star, and today has not changed my mind at all. In fact, I feel even stronger about this prediction after listening to his record. He is going to be HUGE. There's ten songs on the album, with the longest being about four and a half minutes. This is great because that's how songs were back in the day. Singers back then only needed two to three minutes per track and they packed each song with as much soul as possible. Leon Bridges is no exception. He effortlessly flows from upbeat, drums and guitar heavy songs to slower songs with horns being his main background music. For example, for the more up beat songs, check out "Smooth Sailin" or "Twistin and Groovin". Both these songs are powered by Bridges vocals and his excellent guitar work. His drummer is superb with the groove of these songs too. With songs like "Shine" he lets the keyboardist take front stage and, accompanied by his vocals, they sing a sweet, slow soul song. My favorite song on the record is a slow song, which is very unlike me. But, "River" is a beautiful closer to this excellent album. It starts out with strumming from an acoustic guitar and soft vocals. It builds until the last minute of the song and it's just Leon Bridges and an all female chorus singing "take me to your river, I want to go". It's beautiful. I literally got goose bumps while listening. I hope his tour brings him to Saint Louis. I'd love to see him perform live. "Coming Home" by Leon Bridges is fantastic.

Go out and get this album as soon as possible.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing. He has made two babies, we do not know what kind of music was on. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

A day in podcasting history. Ty talks about the President on WTF with Marc Maron.

This is a follow up to Ty's piece on WTF with Marc Maron.

Today was the WTF with President Obama and it did not disappoint.

During the historic episode politics were talked about, but that was not the majority of the interview. I'd say about 30 minutes focused on Barack Obama as a person, not just the President. Those thirty minutes will be what I focus on.

 President Obama openly talked about growing up with a single mother, candidly talking about writing a book about his father, commenting on the art and, as President Obama put it, the "knick knacks" on Marc Maron's walls and even talking about which comedians he enjoys. I was impressed with the President's knowledge of stand up comedy. He mentioned that he likes Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory and "newer" comics like Louis CK and Jerry Seinfeld. Marc Maron made a point to say that President Obama saying he likes Louis CK will make his life complete, CK's life that is. To hear President Obama so openly talk about his father being an abuser and womanizer and drunk was very humanizing. I think we see someone achieve the level of president and we think they most likely grew up with a "Leave it to Beaver" type home. This is not the case with President Obama. His dad was not there while he was growing up and becoming the person that he is today. To hear him be so candid was refreshing. Here's a person who had a shitty father and look at him now, he's on his second term as President. This goes to show you that, if you work hard enough, you can achieve a whole lot. He sang his mother's praises throughout the interview as well. He's very grateful and loves his mom a lot.

One of the big things that has stuck with me after listening to the interview was how relaxed and calm and almost carefree President Obama sounded. I have to believe that if I was the President, I'd be terrified every second of everyday and I feel like that would show. Not with Obama, he doesn't sound like every other politician I've ever heard or listened to, he doesn't sound like he's trying to sell me on his brand or fill my head with empty promises. He just sounds like a regular guy. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SOUNDED RELAXED! HOW CRAZY IS THAT! He was so at ease, he was giving Marc Maron advice on how to get over anger and other stuff.

I was immensely impressed with the President's interview today. This made me even more happy that I voted for him and that I support him still. Like I said in my lead up, he knows what the younger generation is in to, and by going on a very popular podcast made himself even cooler. I also want to say thank you to Marc Maron for doing this. This was just as big a deal to his listeners as it was to him. It may not seem like that to him now, but the fact that he got the leader of the free world to be open, honest and talked to him like he would interview anybody else is huge for his listeners. This was a great day for President Obama, Marc Maron and listeners of WTF.

A great day.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for Seed Sing. He is preparing his big debut on the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Problem is Gun Culture

(Ed. note: Seed Sing is a community of voices. The author is expressing his opinion and invites any questions and criticisms. Write for Seed Sing.)

It saddens me to think about the number of times President Obama has had to address the nation after a mass shooting or a race related death. We have nine people dead because in the killers eyes they were a problem. This killer was a racist, a terrorist, and a monster. His motivation was hatred, his tool was a handgun. The same motivation and tool can be attributed to the majority of mass killings in the United States. A large part of my sadness stems from the actual violence and loss of life, but there is another part to my sadness related to modern American gun culture. 

I spent a few years working as an advocate to stem gun violence, or in other words I was a lobbyist working against the NRA. I was somewhat unique in the gun violence prevention movement, I did not have a gun violence victim profile and I was not very interested in banning guns. The primary reason I worked on the issue was the allure of the challenge. I am very socially liberal, but libertarian in my view of personal responsibility. The gun issue stood on the intersection of personal responsibility and social consequence.  I approached the guns as a public relations problem. People either were yes or no on guns. I wanted to make people on the no side become yes on something reasonable. It is always better to argue an issue from the yes perspective. The particular issue I was brought in to manipulate was carrying a concealed weapon (CCW). I would use polls, business testimonies, and advertising to convince the legislators that CCW is not wanted. Never was there a mention of guns, death, or violence. There was some success, and some failure, but the narrative of gun violence prevention was changing.

So I thought. My career did not last long in the gun violence prevention movement. Many of the primary players have been there for years, and the majority were victims of gun violence. More states were passing laws that loosened restrictions on gun ownership. The old guard went back to their old methods. New gun violence prevention groups would rise up after the latest shooting and come up with "new" ideas on curbing the violence. The debate resorted back to yes and no. The media would treat any gun violence news as a debate between an old white guy from the NRA (or the US Congress) and some non-media savvy victim of gun violence. The idea of working to stop gun violence was the most pure Sisyphean task one could image.

My ambivalence to guns changed on December 12th, 2012. The deaths of twenty children and six school staff members at the hands of a person wielding legal weapons caused me to take a side in the gun debate. I started to firmly believe something needed to be done by our government to regulate and ban most firearms. With my professional experience I set out to have a discussion with people on the dangers of firearms.  What I received in return was mostly anger from the pro gun people. The debate quickly turned into why these 26 (28 including the killer and his mother) died and evolved into a discussion about not limiting guns. 

On Wednesday nine people, who were in church, were killed in Charleston South Carolina by a monster with a gun.  It is now Friday and I have heard little about the victims and more about why guns need less regulation. I am confused and pissed off about the society I live in.

The pro gunner's arguments have not changed in the ten years since I left the gun violence prevention movement. Here are some examples of their arguments followed by my hypothetical responses. 

GUNNERS: Guns don't kill people, people do.

ME: The famous comedian Eddie Izzard famously said "Well I think the gun helps". 

GUNNERS: If someone in the church had a gun, this would not have been as bad.

ME: How many times have you heard about a "good" CCW license holder stopping any mass shooting, zero? 

GUNNERS: You are using this tragedy to push your liberal agenda.

ME: I am sorry, tell me once again when we had any kind of reasonable gun control legislation in the last twenty years.  Also when should we talk about gun violence? When everyone has been killed?

GUNNERS: FREEDOM!!!!!!

ME: ???????

There is no way to have a rational discussion with people who use innocent deaths to protect their beliefs. I will admit that guns may not be the problem, gun culture is the problem. Why do we give the gunners a rational position in our society. What is a gun used for. I will give the gunners credit for the hunting argument. Their are a lot of hunters who use rifles.  What about assault rifles and handguns? Those weapons are not used by serious hunters. What in the world are people using assault rifles and handguns for? The answer I normally get is that those guns are for sport shooting and protection. First, you do not need to have those weapons in your home if they are used for sport shooting. Second, what do you need protecting from. Statistics are numbers and have no political motivation.  The incident of accidental death and suicide is a lot larger than the number of people who have successfully used these weapons for protection. We have trained police who can protect you from the "bad guys". I lived in the urban core for most of my twenties and thirties. I know of more people in the suburbs with handguns and assault rifles than I ever knew in the city. 

The best way to approach the problem of gun violence is to marginalize the gun culture. People who make guns a religion need to be treated as non-rational beings. I love Star Wars, yet I do not demean people who do not like it (I privately judge them).  You can love guns, but you do not need to be obnoxious about it. Many people love expensive sports cars, even if they cannot afford them.  One does not need to own a gun to enjoy them. Do you really love guns. Go to a regulated shooting range, play a first person shooter. You do not need to have the extra ability to kill someone with your hobby.

Once the gun culture is marginalized in society, spineless politicians will stop bending over backward for the NRA. Gun manufacturers depend on the NRA to continue a campaign of misdirection, lying, and fear mongering. The fact that the media does not marginalize the NRA makes our congress even more ineffectual. The gun violence prevention movement is way too emotional and fractured in their beliefs to be an effective counterbalance to the NRA. Bringing the gun violence prevention movement together as one voice is a non-starter. Pushing the same boulder up the same hill is going to give you the same results.

The best way to honor the people killed by guns is to do whatever possible to not add new gun violence victims. Forget about the guns and focus on the culture. Once everyone truly sees that the narrative states we honor the dead by demanding more guns, people will wake up and see the insanity. We will demand real discussion, from rational people. Change will start to happen.

Be kind to each other.

RD Kulik 

RD Kulik is the founder and Head Editor for Seed Sing

Cloves and Fedoras: Ty gives praise to Marc Maron, King of the Podcasts

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture (or older pieces).  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known. 

When it comes to podcasting, one of the pioneers has to be Marc Maron.

He was one of the first people out there to start a podcast. His show, WTF With Marc Maron (you can find it here), was there in the beginning and continues to run strong, with two episodes every week. One on Mondays and one on Thursdays. The episodes will be there every week, it's like death and taxes, WTF will be there for you to listen to two times a week. IFC even gave him a TV show which is loosely based on his life as a comedian and podcaster. That's how popular his show is. Marc Maron has had pretty much every important person in comedy, from people like Eddie Peppitone, to heavy hitters like Louis CK. In fact, his episode with Louis CK was voted best podcast episode ever in a publication last year. WTF With Marc Maron has featured character actors like Kevin Corrigan on and he's had huge stars like Will Ferrell. He's had legends like Dick Van Dyke and Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner on. He's also had former big time stars such as Pauly Shore on his show. Some episodes went away from comedy and highlighted musicians. Marc Maron has interviewed smaller guys like Mark Oliver Everett(E from the Eels) to big time rock legends like David Byrne. He's brought on countless other people, he's done over six hundred episodes of WTF.  

This coming Monday, June 22nd, he's got the biggest, most important interview that any podcaster will ever have on their show. This Monday, he will be interviewing The President of the United States, Barack Obama. I cannot tell you how excited I am to listen to this episode. First of all, I voted for and support President Obama. I'm so happy that he's a smart, cool and hip enough President to realize how big a deal podcasts are to a younger generation. I'm also pumped that he's letting Marc Maron interview him. This is huge. People may forget that Maron was a part of the Air America family when they had a radio broadcast. So, he's no slouch when it comes to talking politics, but after at least three plus years of listening to WTF, I'm pretty sure politics will only be 10 to 15 minutes of the hour long interview. I'm hoping he asks President Obama stuff like, if he enjoys stand up comedy, or what it was like being a young kid growing up in the Midwest. Basically, I'm hoping, as hard as it's going to be, that Marc Maron treats this episode like every other WTF. President Obama is the most powerful man in the United States, but he's also a person with a story to tell, just like we all are people with different stories to tell. This is a huge deal for the millennials since the majority of us listen to podcasts everyday. To have someone as important and powerful as President Obama appear on a podcast is a huge deal. I cannot express that enough. IT"S HUGE. Please, if you're a conservative, a liberal, an independent, or whatever else there is out there, listen to WTF on Monday and I think you will see that we are all just people with stories, even if you happen to be the President. 

Thank you Marc Maron for doing this interview, you are a pioneer and you just keep getting better and better. You're the man.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for Seed Sing.  He is getting ready to co-host his own podcast The X Millennial Man. Follow him on twitter @tykulik