Sunday, October 30, 2011

Album Review: Alanis by Alanis Morissette 1991



Alanis Morissette...bad ass rocker grunge chick with a chip on her shoulder right? Well things weren't always that way, she actually started out as a Paula Abdul wanna-be Britney Spears type pop singer. Fortunately for her, back then her music and image was mostly contained in Canada. When she made the transition to rocker and entered the US/World market, people took her new image and style at face value, not knowing what a poser she really was. Not that we're knocking her style change, but it's fun to get a glimpse of the before and after in the midst of someone trying to find an identity that works.

This is Alanis's debut. You can tell by her voice it's still her but it's almost 180 degrees from what she eventually settled on.

Track Listing:

1. "Feel Your Love"
2. "Too Hot"
3. "Plastic"
4. "Walk Away"
5. "On My Own"
6. "Superman"
7. "Jealous"
8. "Human Touch"
9. "Oh Yeah!"
10. "Party Boy"

Most of the tracks sound like knockoffs of other songs that were hits just a couple years earlier. Probably the best song on the album is "Too Hot" and if you listen carefully you'll notice that most of the drum sounds and the guitar samples are the same ones used in Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" which came out 3 years earlier in 1988.

As a pop album of the early 90s we give it 3/5 stars. It's pretty much what you would expect from the genre. Nothing too amazing here. It's almost like whoever produced the music is using hand-me-down samples and keyboards that the major pop artists like Paula Abdul and Madonna were using a few years earlier. Who knows, maybe they sold the songs or sounds to them - which probably goes on a lot more than people realize. What makes it a really fun listen though is just knowing it's Alanis Morissette.




Wow, who knew Alanis had such a nice thick body back in the day?

One fun fact not related to this album, you know that hit rock song "You Oughta Know" from her Jagged Little Pill album (1995), the one where she's all going on about this asshole dickhead guy who left this big mess in her life?



Turns out she wrote it about her relationship with actor/comedian Dave Coulier, the guy who played Joey Gladstone on Full House. I don't know about you but knowing that takes the coolness factor of that song down a couple notches. When I used to hear that song I'd think she must have been with this big badass drunk all the time greaser wife beater type that fucked up the whole family and everyone's life and now she's mad as hell as isn't going to take it anymore. To find out it was that fucking dork Uncle Joey from Full House? Kind of takes the whole bite away from the song.


From the Gag me with a spoon files: Woman offers undercover cop sex for $17



From nwfdailynews.com:

A woman who flagged down an undercover officer and then offered oral sex was arrested.

The officer was driving down Lovejoy Road around 8 p.m. when the 45-year-old woman motioned for the officer to stop, according to the Fort Walton Beach Police Department arrest report.


Could you imagine this going down, a police officer driving home after a long day at work, sees an old raggedy woman flagging him down "hmm what's going on here, I better pull over...maybe she needs help...

WHAT? Sex? with you?? For $17?? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Good God woman.

How come these prostitutes are always so damn ugly? I mean most guys can usually find a way to get sex for free, you'd think if you're paying for it you had better be getting some sort of extra quality to make it worth the money but somehow it ends up bassackwards. It's like trying to compete with the grocery store by selling spoiled meat for double the price.

Dumbass Occupy Protester Pushes Over Police Bike, Gets His Ass Handed To Him

Wow these Occupy Wallstreet protesters are even dumber that we thought. Take your average hippie, subtract 30 IQ points and add a layer of grease - you'll get a occupier. At first we here at People Liking People somewhat supported their cause because there really are a lot of economic problems these days and people are frustrated. Plus we're flat broke here at People Liking People so we can definitely relate to not having any money and having trouble paying the bills. But these asshats are the ones standing up for the cause? We couldn't do any better than this guys?

Exhibit [A] below is the latest example of the lack of brain cells these clowns have:






A biker cop is trying to get through the area and you got these Occupy shmucks standing in front of him trying to block his path. The cop tries to get through and it appears that one of the morons gets his foot ran over. He then shoves the bike to show how big of a tough guy he is before taking off like a little pussy when the cop comes after him. The best part is all the fake outrage that follows from the mass of retards "OMG OMG WHAT ARE U GUYS DOING! POLICE BRUTALITY RODNEY KING OMG" No really, some douche on a bullhorn actually shouts "You guys are fucking NAZIS!". Yeah, the police are nazis because they went after the guy who shoved a police motorcycle.

We're a bit torn right now, on the one hand these idiots should really be shipped off to some deserted island somewhere so we don't all have to smell their stench but I gotta admit they do provide great amusement at their expense. As long as they keep a good distance I say keep it up, it beats watching reruns of Jackass.

Korn goes dubstep for their latest album "The Path of Totality"


From nme.com:

Korn have announced that they will release their new studio album 'The Path Of Totality'.

The band will release the album on December 5 and have confirmed that the album will be comprised entirely of songs made with dubstep producers.
We here at People Liking People were never huge fans of Korn, however their first 2 albums are worth checking out. They helped created the dreaded genre of Nu-Metal that we mostly despise but they were able to pull it off in a way that didn't suck because they had fresh ideas and a unique sound. Now it's years later in their career - at the stage where they'd usually be pretty much over the hill and yesterday's news. But we just checked out a track from the upcoming album and it ain't too bad, check it out:



I think this is going to be very successful actually. There is an area between metal and dubstep that has yet to be discovered and this seems to be a step in the right direction for them. Korn is a type of band that does need to change over time to stay current and I think they chose the right direction here.

Friday, October 28, 2011

From the outrage department: Iraqi war veteran gets severely injured during Occupy Oakland Protest

We've had these Occupy Wallstreet protests going on for quite some time now and it's catching on around the country where we're having everything from Occupy St. Louis to Occupy Dallas to Occupy Miami. It took them a bit of time to figure out exactly why they were protesting but it appears they've agreed on a list of grievances ranging from banks having too much power and greedy capitalism increasing the divide between the haves and the have-nots.

We have our first "casualty" in the fight against the man, and it's Iraqi war veteran Scott Olsen.

From mediabistro.com:

Marines have been flocking to the social networking/aggregator site Reddit to voice their anger at the life-threatening injury inflicted on 24-year-old Iraqi war veteran Scott Olsen by Oakland police during the recent Occupy protests. Video showed Olsen go down after taking a tear gas canister to the head. As fellow protesters tried to assist him, police lobbed a flash grenade into their midst–right next to Olsen’s already fractured skull.

So now everyone is in an uproar about this, and it's working to give the protesters another excuse to be out there protesting. But in a way it distracts from the initial issue, it's a cause within a cause now. And this is very common for a protest of this type, where the protesters aren't so quick to obey police and they're willing to be arrested to take one for the team and for the cause. Things escalate bit by bit day by day, and before you know it someone's injured or arrested and that becomes the new cause "OMG LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO BILLY THOSE EVIL MONSTERS...OK YOU'VE REALLY FUCKED UP THIS TIME".

The thing that makes this a seemingly perfect situation for the protesters is the fact that he's an Iraqi war veteran. If it was just some regular shmuck, they know that story wouldn't really go anywhere. People would shrug and say "eh what do you expect". But an Iraqi war veteran? Apparently we're all supposed to go "OMG WTF SHIT JUST GOT SRIOUS" and get out our pitchforks.

But we're having trouble understanding how the fact that he is an Iraqi war veteran is relevant at all. Sure, it makes for a good headline and it makes for good fodder to fuel the outrage of the cause. But why would anything any of us have done in our past excuse us from anything that happens to us in the future? The guy was clearly in an area with a group of people where police had told them not to be. They refused to leave, so the police escalated the situation and started throwing tear gas. If you stick around at that point, I'm sorry but that's kind of on you now. It's like jumping in a cage with a lion and then getting outraged when he takes a bite out of you. You knew going in what you were getting yourself into. Sure, it's unfortunate that he got injured but again, what does his past have to do with any of this? Did the police single him out and say "ok let's throw the canister right at the head of that veteran over there"?

The only reason it's relevant is because it elicits emotion. That's it. It has nothing to do with the protests, it has nothing to do with the protesters sticking around in an area after they're told to leave. And it has nothing to do with the reasons they're protesting. It's only to stir up outrage, in an attempt to wake up those who could care less about the whole thing and recharge the "troops on the ground".



We can tell this guy is serious because he underlined "brother".

Are we going to have to do this with everyone that's injured in a protest now? If someone who gets hurt happens to be a floor sweeper, are janitors going to come out in solidarity? Actually that would be pretty awesome.

Ohio Gym Teacher Jailed for Sex With Students

From abcnews.com:

A popular Ohio high school gym teacher has been sentenced to four years in jail after a judge rejected her insanity defense and convicted her on 16 counts of sexual battery for sleeping with several of her former students.
This happens like every other day now doesn't it? You gotta wonder who these guys are that keep turning their hot female teachers in. They gave you the time of your life, a moment you'll never forget. And you fucked it up.

Our favorite quote from the story:

One of the victim's fathers testified at the trial of how his son was negatively affected by Schuler's actions.

"He suffered from depression, loss of motivation … almost didn't go to college -- he was angry at home and he didn't want to be around family or anyone -- my son was not who he used to be," the father said.

Hmmm loss of motivation, didn't want to go to college, didn't want to be around family....Isn't this normal for a guy in his late teens? What 17 year old kid do you know loves hanging out with the folks and has motivation?

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Herman Cain's Campaign Ads: WTF?

Well we here at People Liking People really thought it was starting to look like Herman Cain was going to become the Republican nominee. He's the most likable candidate, he offers clear solutions, and he isn't a career politician. We were really rooting for the guy. But we've checked out a couple of the ads he's recently put out and it's got us scratching our heads. Check this out:



Can anybody make sense of this? I think they had a point somewhere in there but I'm not sure what it has to do with Herman Cain. I think what makes it so bad is how poorly produced and acted it is. They're definitely going to need to do better than this if they're going to go against Obama in the general election. This is second rate material. Did the Herman Cain camp just hire the people who worked on Ron Paul's ads last campaign?



"He's catchin' on, I'm tellin ya"

Wow...I forgot how bad that was.

Anyways...Mr Cain we suggest you remove this ad as soon as possible and hopefully everyone will just forget it ever happened.

Showoff Bicyclist Gets Owned

Douchebag tries to show off but wasn't quite as skilled as he thought he was. You know, bikes have 2 wheels for a reason...

Middle-Easterner stuffs camel into the back of his car

Our WTF video of the day....this is both disturbing and amusing at the same time. The camel's resistance in the beginning seems to indicate that he's been through this before. I would think putting him in the backseat would be a more humane way to do it - the camel wouldn't be as scared and there would be plenty of breathing room, he could just poke his head out the window. One thing is for sure: this camel would make a great death metal vocalist.

Are we selfish and evil?

By nature we are selfish but not evil. And when I say selfish I mean we look out for our own self interest. This is not a bad thing, it's what keeps us alive. We aren't that aware of our selfishness because in the modern age most of us have the bare necessities. But take away our food and shelter, put us back into nature like we were a long time ago and you'll see how evident our selfishness is.

"The World Is Crumbling"



Right, because police brutality is some kind of new phenomenon. By this view, our world has been crumbling since day 1 of humanity. We are in fact animals, despite people fantasizing about us being otherwise. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows and it never was.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Healthcare Solution: Everyone Pays Cash

Everyone's always talking about the health care crisis, it's one of the biggest "hot button" issues these days. Some of us here at People Liking People have had major health issues and we know first hand how incompetent the health care system can be. Costs are skyrocketing and health problems are going undiagnosed for years. So when people start complaining about health care, we're the first to agree and say that some changes do need to be made. Unfortunately the solutions most people are proposing and putting into action are dead wrong and are the complete opposite of what needs to happen to improve health care. Everyone is demanding that the government do something about the crisis, and the government is more than happy to oblige because usually their solutions end up giving them more power.

The real solution is for everyone to pay out of pocket 100% for their health care. Now I know the thought of this scares a lot of people. The reason it's so scary is because health care costs are through the roof and most people can't afford health care at current rates, ourselves included (We're not rich here at People Liking People). However, you need to understand that the reason health care costs so much is because of the third party payment system.

The third party payment system effects many factors:

1) The health care provider's real customer is no longer you, it's whoever is actually footing the bill. Their real customers are the insurance companies and the government.

2) People stop paying attention to the real cost. Most people don't know how much their doctors actually charge for visits, they don't know how much a CT scan is, and they don't know much their medication really costs. All they know is that with their insurance card, they pay their $25 co-pay and they're on their way. Nobody prices around looking for the best deal on a health product or service. Our insurance card takes care of that and we don't need to think about it.

3) As a result of people not paying for their health services, people aren't really that demanding with the quality they receive. We are not as demanding as we should be with doctors. We put up with their in-and-out 5 minute visits and we put up with them not always being the most thorough. We don't really make a big deal about it though it didn't cost us that much, oh well it was just $25.

4) Whoever foots the bill has the control. We have to go through their approval process to see whether or not we can receive a certain procedure.

People Liking People's Golden Rule: The more someone else is paying for a product or service you're receiving, the less of a say so you have in it. Also - you cannot complain about something you are receiving for free. Wheres your bargaining power? You have none. You're a liability now.


Imagine if tomorrow someone flipped a switch and all the sudden there was no health insurance. No third party payment systems. All cash out of pocket for doctors visits and procedures. What do you think would happen?

The first thing that would happen is patients would be calling their doctors offices asking what they're charging for a visit. There would be a lot of "WTF? you gotta be kidding me!" moments. For the first time people would be finding out just how much health providers have been gouging us. There would also be a lot of "Uhmm that's the best price you do? I'll have to call you back let me check around". Within a week prices would be driven down significantly by the market. If the doctors kept prices at the same high levels, appointments per day would drastically go down. Doctors would be forced to lower their prices to get demand back to what it was. All of the sudden little by little it would turn into a real competitive market, with the patient calling the shots and having the bargaining power. Doctors would be competing with each other, trying to offer the best quality at the lowest cost, and hospitals would be doing the same with the cost for procedures and tests.

And now that everyone is paying with cash, you better believe people are going to be a lot more demanding with the quality they're receiving. That's money coming right out of their pocket, they're not going to leave that office until the problem is resolved. And doctors and hospitals will work extra hard to keep customer loyalty.

If you were to have a bad experience at a restaurant and you speak to the manager and threaten to take your business elsewhere, there's a good chance they will be very apologetic and maybe even give you a meal for free. Try threatening to take your business elsewhere in a doctors office and see how quickly you get laughed out of there. They do not try hard for our business, they do not care. You're not the one paying them. When you pay for what you receive, that gives you complete control and bargaining power. It gives us the right to be demanding and creates a competitive dynamic among providers. This is how you lower costs and increase quality. Having someone else pay for it puts us completely at the whim of the payer and provider.