oceans Archives

Magna Carta Holy Grail Review

I’m not much of a fan of Jay Z so I didn’t start listening to his newest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, with some sky-high expectations but, I know what he’s capable with his music so I expected something that I’d love to put on my iPod. I was quickly reminded why I’m not much of a fan.

The first song Holy Grail pretty much sets the bar for this album, songs with sick beats, good intros, and good/decent hooks. Jay Z’s lyrics are another story; his lyrics seem uninspired, his flow seems off, and no matter who he has with him in his songs (Justin Timberlake, Rick Ross, Beyonce, or Frank Ocean) the songs just fail to want me hit replay. The entire album seems less of a big money album and more like a quickly done mixtape.

It seems as if Jay Z, who can surround him with the best in the music industry, just sat down and said “this is good enough”. Perhaps Jay Z should really retire from music and focus fully on his business ventures, those seem like something he won’t be happy just at “good enough”

Republicans Decide to Continue Subsidies to Oil Companies

President Obama said it best – its time to subsidies to these highly profitable oil companies, because “Americans are getting hit twice, one at the gas pump, and once more by sending billions of dollars in tax subsidies to oil companies.”

But Republicans will have none if it, as they had an almost unanimous Senate vote yesterday to continue giving $4 billion a year to oil companies.

Moments after Obama made his election-year appeal in the White House Rose Garden, the Senate failed to reach the threshold of votes needed to proceed to a measure that would have ended the subsidies. Obama had argued that Americans are getting hit twice — once at the gas pump, and once more by sending billions of dollars in tax subsidies to oil companies.

“I think it’s time they got by without more help from taxpayers who are already having a tough enough time paying the bills and filling up their gas tank,” the president said. “And I think it’s curious that some folks in Congress, who are the first to belittle investments in new sources of energy, are the ones that are fighting the hardest to maintain these giveaways for the oil companies.”

The Senate vote was 51-47, short of the 60 votes necessary. Two Republicans voted to proceed to the legislation — Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. But four Democrats rejected the effort — Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Begich of Alaska.