What exactly is heavy metal? If you answered with “A chemical substance of sorts”, you’re pretty darn close, but still way off. The correct answer: A usually extreme offshoot of rock and roll that dares to push the musical envelope and redefine music as we know it. For more than forty years (That’s right, 40!) metal has been going strong and bolstering its fan base thanks to its many diverse genres and sub-genres. But as many know, metal has been the subject of harsh criticism and censorship. Why? The most common excuse for metal’s censorship is that it is “Satanic” music that turns people away from religion. That many bands’ lyrical themes discuss Satanism and glorify Big Red are purely coincidence, and it is the artists’ inherent right to speak their mind that allows them to write music about Satan. Another common misconception about metal is that it is music for dullards who are not even basically educated. On the contrary, metal music is written by some of the most intelligent people on the planet, whether musically or lyrics-wise. You don’t hear that sort of thing in modern mainstream music (i.e, pop, RnB, etc…) now do you? Didn’t think so. On that note, metal’s detractors claim that it is music for idiots. Really now? Music that discusses historic events, mythology, and philosophy is for idiots and degenerates? That claim just reeks of irony and ignorance. Moving on, let’s go on to metal’s many genres and subgenres. First off, we have traditional metal (Many colloquially call it “Heavy Metal”), stuff like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Chateau, Motorhead, and Running Wild. An aggressive form of metal is known as Thrash Metal, characterized by its aggressive vocals and guitar riffs and its antagonistic lyrics. The big four of Thrash are Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax but we also have bands like Overkill, Testament, Sodom, Kreator, Xentrix, and Demolition Hammer. Thrash metal also has two very well-known offshoots, Death Metal and Black Metal. Death Metal is known for its guttural, growled vocals, crushing guitar riffs, frantic drumming, and usually very graphic lyrics. However, it is Death Metal that also provides a good number of bands with deep, thought-provoking lyrics. Some well-known Death Metal bands include Death, Dismember, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, The Chasm, Immolation, Incantation, Gorguts, Benediction, and Vader. Finally, we have Black Metal. Black Metal is easily distinguishable for its high-pitched, screeched vocals, rapid-fire guitar riffs, and usually Satanic lyrics. Once again, many Black Metal bands discuss things like philosophy, nature, and mythology. Well-known Black Metal bands include Bathory, Darkthrone, Emperor, Immortal, Summoning, Dissection, and Mayhem. Having said all that, you can pat yourself on the back for taking the time to read this article and educating yourself about the art of Heavy Metal music. I hope that with this article and checking out the recommendations mentioned, you will take a step in the right direction not only in music, but in metal in general.
What do 'lecture', 'access' and 'impact' have in common other than being words of two syllables? Answer: they are used as both nouns and verbs. But the second two shouldn't be.... or perhaps only the third one shouldn't be...... or perhaps none of them should be.
To gain access to something is to.... well, access it, I suppose. The 'gain... to' doesn't really add anything other than ink and reading time. So why not? To have an impact on something or to impact something - hm, it doesn't feel quite as right, especially not when one considers that the stress in speech has moved from the first to the second syllable. But maybe that's my age talking.
Unlike the continental European attitude whereby the meanings of words are decreed, the more practical English attitude is to define words according to how they are used by 'standard English speakers' (whatever that means in practice). The Oxford now acknowledges the legitimacy of using 'access' and 'impact' (with the shift in stress, even) as verbs. Civilisation has truly come to a vainglorious end.
Perhaps we should invent a new category for words that are making the transition from noun to dual noun/verb status. We could call them nerbs or vouns. Maybe we could have both and decide on which to categorise a word in depending on its main use. 'Access' would probably be a nerb (thanks to the computer age) while 'impact' would probably be a voun. For now, anyway.
Well worth looking up is
For a scathing but humorous commentary on directions in modern English in general, consult the BBC's Lucy Kellaway; an example of her wit is to be found at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/25ead124-f70e-11de-9fb5-00144feab49a.html
Norwood, Massachusetts (CNN) -- One-third of America's youth is now overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Norwood, Massachusetts, 14-year-old Maria Caprigno no longer wants to be one of those statistics.
Maria has been overweight since she was about 3 years old and as she got older, she just got heavier. She told CNN her eating habits were to blame.
"I'm a junk-food person and because I'm a couch potato I don't like to get off the couch," she said. "It's also kind of just like my genes: Both my parents are heavy and that's just the environment I was raised in."
Maria said people have stared at her all her life because of her weight.
"The first thing that goes through their mind is, 'Why is she so fat?' And, 'Oh my god, she's so fat. Why doesn't she just hop on a treadmill?' And I think people don't really understand that it's not just exercising ... it's extremely hard.
See Maria growing up in pictures
"I get self-conscious," she said. "I don't like to go to crowded places -- like if a mall's crowded, I'll sit in the car."
The CDC says obesity rates for Maria's age group, those 12 to 19 years old, have tripled since 1980. Maria pleaded with her mother to find a doctor who would perform weight-loss surgery on teenagers.
Dr. Evan Nadler, who started a program for adolescent surgery at National Children's Hospital in Washington, said he felt "compelled" to help Maria.
"Her BMI [body mass index], which is a measurement we use to determine how obese someone is, put her in the highest risk category. Not just morbidly obese but two categories higher than that," Nadler said. "So I felt that withholding a known therapy that works based on her age alone was really almost unethical."
Between 2000 and 2003, some 800 teenagers went under the knife to lose weight, Nadler said.
Before she was approved for surgery, Maria had to meet with a nutritionist, a pediatric cardiologist and a psychologist. In the end, Maria was approved for an experimental procedure known as a "gastrectomy," during which about 80 percent of the stomach is removed, including the part of the stomach that controls appetite.
Nadler said the procedure "basically restricts the amount of food that can come into the stomach at any one time and it really makes the patient have a sense of fullness or a lack of hunger."
Maria had the "gastrectomy" last month and already has lost about 45 pounds. Today she weighs 400 pounds and is down to a size 32. Maria said she would like one day to be a size 12 but isn't trying to reach a specific weight.
"It's not about the numbers; I want to be at a healthy size," she said.
"I want to be able to go into a normal store and buy something and be able to wear it. I want to be able to run. I haven't been able to run since I was 5 years old. I want to be able wear a bathing suit without feeling embarrassed.
"I just want to be normal."
But Dr. Edward Livingston, a Texas surgeon who also has helped adolescents lose weight, said surgery for teenagers can be risky. He has turned away most teens sent to him for evaluation, he said, and has operated only on those more than 500 pounds with serious health risks such as blood clots and congestive heart failure.
I want to be able to run. I haven't been able to run since I was 5 years old. ... I just want to be normal.
My Advice : No WillPower Leaves Nothing To OverCome...:S
What exactly is heavy metal? If you answered with “A chemical substance of sorts”, you’re pretty darn close, but still way off. The correct answer: A usually extreme offshoot of rock and roll that dares to push the musical envelope and redefine music as we know it. For more than forty years (That’s right, 40!) metal has been going strong and bolstering its fan base thanks to its many diverse genres and sub-genres. But as many know, metal has been the subject of harsh criticism and censorship. Why? The most common excuse for metal’s censorship is that it is “Satanic” music that turns people away from religion. That many bands’ lyrical themes discuss Satanism and glorify Big Red are purely coincidence, and it is the artists’ inherent right to speak their mind that allows them to write music about Satan. Another common misconception about metal is that it is music for dullards who are not even basically educated. On the contrary, metal music is written by some of the most intelligent people on the planet, whether musically or lyrics-wise. You don’t hear that sort of thing in modern mainstream music (i.e, pop, RnB, etc…) now do you? Didn’t think so. On that note, metal’s detractors claim that it is music for idiots. Really now? Music that discusses historic events, mythology, and philosophy is for idiots and degenerates? That claim just reeks of irony and ignorance. Moving on, let’s go on to metal’s many genres and subgenres. First off, we have traditional metal (Many colloquially call it “Heavy Metal”), stuff like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Chateau, Motorhead, and Running Wild. An aggressive form of metal is known as Thrash Metal, characterized by its aggressive vocals and guitar riffs and its antagonistic lyrics. The big four of Thrash are Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax but we also have bands like Overkill, Testament, Sodom, Kreator, Xentrix, and Demolition Hammer. Thrash metal also has two very well-known offshoots, Death Metal and Black Metal. Death Metal is known for its guttural, growled vocals, crushing guitar riffs, frantic drumming, and usually very graphic lyrics. However, it is Death Metal that also provides a good number of bands with deep, thought-provoking lyrics. Some well-known Death Metal bands include Death, Dismember, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, The Chasm, Immolation, Incantation, Gorguts, Benediction, and Vader. Finally, we have Black Metal. Black Metal is easily distinguishable for its high-pitched, screeched vocals, rapid-fire guitar riffs, and usually Satanic lyrics. Once again, many Black Metal bands discuss things like philosophy, nature, and mythology. Well-known Black Metal bands include Bathory, Darkthrone, Emperor, Immortal, Summoning, Dissection, and Mayhem. Having said all that, you can pat yourself on the back for taking the time to read this article and educating yourself about the art of Heavy Metal music. I hope that with this article and checking out the recommendations mentioned, you will take a step in the right direction not only in music, but in metal in general.
