Wal-Mart, an Elegant Pandemonium?

The foyer in Wal-Mart is a hectic site. There people of different social classes all plummet to the bottom of the social ladder. Essentially the mayor and the thief become one in the same. The upper and lower hierarchy levels combine to create a pristine race of vulgar individuals.

Through the doors lies an area, simply too outsized than needed. It juxtaposes maybe two and a half football fields and contains the amenities that the greedy desire for a price that doesn’t scathe them. A store- as some call it- is actually a front the Southern hicks (who run the franchise) use to hide their real master plan. Wal-Mart is in all actuality an arena where the brave, the weak, the beggar and the thief all jest off for the entertainment of their fellow horde of scoundrels. Many times over the doctor, the lawyer and the Indian Chief find themselves in  a battle royal over who gets the last box of discounted Cheese-Its. For this reason, Wal-Mart is not for the faint hearted.

The ambiance of this place is that of a dark, smoke- filled bar in the boondocks. The lights are dim, the smell horrendous and the sights one sees horrible. Makeshift shelves, boxes towering over each other-each row higher than the last- and employees- if that’s what you can call them are the essential items that make Wal-Mart what it is.

Thirty- eight isles of organized clutter with shelves incorrectly built, sway as the hoards of Neanderthals shop until they drop. The employees are a spectacle of hard-working five-star customer service representatives who treat every customer as the dirt they believe they are. Their own personal hell, as the workers call it, spawns itself into the lifeless and moral-less beings that walk the structure. “Welcome to Wal-Mart, don’t bother to ask me anything and make my life harder” is the thought behind the insipid greeters that plague the front doors. Cheerful and polite do not coexist with these persons.

Wal-Mart: cheap prices for cheap products, cheap employees and useless patrons. The breed of people that pay visit to this establishment are entirely a race of their own. And it’s these people that attract more frivolous individuals. It’s almost a self-esteem protector. The reputation that Wal-Mart has draws out the inner hoodlum in every person to ever step foot through their doors.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? It’s not surprising since the place is a storage facility of poor quality products and people. Shelves are jumbled with treasures roofed with layers of filth and waste. Half-eaten, unpaid for food that has undeniably expired months ago and not one worker has cared to clean it up, blankets the shelves. The organized muck masks the products that engulf the isles and cause people to simply overlook what they’re searching for.

Wal-Mart: good in theory but not in practice. It takes all types of people to make up the population of the Wal-Mart community. It’s a country in itself with a language and customs of its’ own. It’s not recommended for the faint hearted.

Visit the following link:
The People of Wal-Mart

New Hotels in Asia Embrace Their Local Settings

The new Four Seasons in Hangzhou, China aims to underscore local culture using pagoda-stlye architecture and wok- mannig cooks. Towns in Singapore. Japan, Shanghai, and Vietnam are all embracing their local ,ancient heritage.

 In Singapore, the 1926 colonial building Fort Canning served as headquarters for the British military before the Japanese took it during World War II. Now, it is an urban resort, which features two swimming pools, a spa, an Asian and a Mediterranean restaurant plus a tapas bar, all walking distance from the shops on Orchard Road and the restaurants and bars. Still, Singapore’s cultural accents enterprise.  For example, room service meals come in wooden tiffins, which reflect Singapore’s Indian influence.

In Japan, Hotel Kanra Kyoto was inspired by the machiya. There are wooden town houses that extend from a storefront to a central courtyard. The 29-room hotel has rooms that feature four-poster beds opposite poured concrete washbasins and desks with a tatami-mat-covered living space beyond. All rooms include a Japanese-cypress bathtub, nature-inspired original art and artist-made teacups. In the lobby, ceiling panels cycle through images of the sky, evoking a garden.

In Shanghai, the Fairmont Peace Hotel takes a different spin. over run by communists many years ago, it now represents peace. The hotel is the product of new- age technology and modern day luxuries.


In Vietnam, the new Six Senses Con Dao encourages living close to nature. Each of 50 beachfront villas includes canopy beds, ocean-facing walls of sliding glass doors, private plunge pools and bathrooms featuring open-air showers. Inspired by local villages, a craft shop, art gallery and library line a row of wood-frame dwellings. There's a market-style restaurant nearby that has wok-fried noodles as well as a bakery and deli.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/travel/20openings-asiahotels.html?ref=travel

Drugs, Jail and the Cycle

Drugs are one of the leading causes of incarceration in the United States. Approximately 108,000 people are in federal prisons, 280,000 people are in state prisons and 31,500 people are in California state prisons for drug-related offenses.  It’s determined that 8 out of 10 inmates- who are incarcerated for drugs- will re-enter prison after being released. To prove how senseless these people are, here’s an interview with a convicted drug dealer and addict.

Mohammed is a convict of the illegal drug persuasion. After serving a five year sentence, he’s already back to ‘work’. Standing an awkward 6’3, athletically built from direct Egyptian decent, Moe’s engulfed in with dozens of prison tattoos. Some are big, some are small, but they’re all mostly scary. Before prison, you didn’t know he was a dealer or an addict. Most people thought him as an average Joe but now those tattoos label him.

Moe was a decent student growing up but no does not have much mental capacity. Because of his past he suffers from a short attention span; the most you can actually speak with him is ten minuets or so. While talking it’s difficult for him to comprehend what you’re saying, just as it’s hard for you to decipher his words through his slurred speech. This is no doubt the result of his major drug use since his friends say he wasn’t like this just seven years ago. Many of his friends compare him to Ozzy Osborne, the musician, because of their striking similarities. They all say his condition got worse in jail. Moe’s a nice guy who doesn’t believe in violence, yet he is in one of the most violent occupations. This is his story:

When did you first do drugs? Why?

             Sixth grade Summer going into seventh grade because it was around me. Everyone did them, even my family so it was like I had to do them anyway so why not just start a.s.a.p.

When did you first sell them?

            About 15 turning 16. It just seemed like easy money and it is. There’s always going to be an addict somewhere but there’s not always going to be an employer. You can’t get fired for selling. You can get killed, but in Jersey that rarely happens.

What made you start to sell them even though you knew it was very dangerous and illegal?

            So I could get hooked up for free. Its business but it’s expensive, so you need to have connections.

Has it negatively affected your life? Why or not?

            I think it has rotted my brain a bit. I’m pretty ditsy and air headed but it hasn’t drastically affected my life negatively. It’s all been pretty positive.

You say that it has positively affected your life, why?

            It makes me happy. I truly believe I couldn’t be happy if I didn’t do them. Things are better all around for me. I didn’t flunk out of school and I’m living an average life. So yeah.

You were imprisoned for drugs, and still you say that it has positively affected your life?

            It wasn’t bad, prison; it was sort of like school… kind of like a boarding school. I sort of had fun and I didn’t care that I was in prison. So, why should I? I was fine. I’d go back.

Can you describe your life in prison?

            It was pretty simple. I had no responsibilities. You didn't have to work to get money for food. Life was like daycare. It wasn't bad.

What about the people you served your time with, can you describe them?

            They were just people. Like you and me. They weren't special.

Did you have a cell mate? If so, what was he in for?

            Yes. His name was Chris. He was also in for drugs. My whole cell block was a big wing for us drug people. There was a lot of us. Chris has been there two times before, he always bragged about it.

Do you plan to go back to prison?

            Why not? It’s a joke when they say it’s a punishment. Everything’s easy there. And you can get whatever fix you need from anybody for no fee sometimes.

Will you ever stop your illegal actions?        

            No.

Why?

            Because it’s my lifestyle. It comes naturally to me. And it’s all I have. I love it

Even if your life depended on it?

            I wouldn’t be in that situation anyway but I definitely would find a way around it anyway.

The mentality of those individuals in jail is that of a toddler. Many of these convicted inmates come from similar backgrounds and once they get thrown in jail they loose all sense of caring. It was their decisions to use drugs in the first place, but it was flaunted around them, most of them for all their lives. They’re put in jail as a punishment, not to help them get clean; but is that the problem? Many of the inmates loose their mental capacity and are spoon-fed those same drugs they were arrested for. The addiction continues, their psychological well being depletes and once they’re released; they’re give five dollars and drug dealers lined up to take it from them. They get stuck in the cycle and no one’s there to help them. Why?

*The above interview was much longer but due to Moe’s condition it had to be altered. All questions had to be re-written more simply using only basic grammar, and most of them had to be dropped.

Teira Gosciniak: Interview with Mike Joy- journalist, columnist and die hard horror fan- from Horrornews.net and ObsessedwithFilm.com.

Mike Joy left and Courtney Gains (Children of the Corn) right

Out of all the genres of movies, why horror?

The reasons probably date back to my childhood sitting in front of the television watching Creature Double Feature. I’ve always had a unique relationship with horror movies. As a boy, I used to love all of those old black& white Universal Studios monster moves, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Dracula. You know that, I’m still that same person today.

What makes it appeal to you more than all the rest?

I like to be scared. Any great movie can give you that feeling. You know the feeling; it’s that inpatient feeling while you’re sitting on the last inch of your seat and you’re so sucked into the storyline that it’s becoming real to you. It’s the ultimate escapism. What’s your pleasure? Do you want to laugh? Do you want to cry? Do you want to be angry? The cinema has it all, but for my money, I like to be scared.

What would you say is your favorite horror movie?

John Carpenter’s Halloween

Why?

It’s quite simply the perfect horror movie. It’s not about the individual moments of the movie, but it’s about the collective. John Carpenter takes his audience on a voyeuristic journey and makes them feel what it’s like to be a babysitter alone in a house being stalked by evil. It’s a formula that has been copied many times over, but you can only capture the lightning once. It was the right music, the right actors, the right mask and it was more simply put as the right place and time.

A lot of people believe horror movies are becoming more and more grotesque. What do you think about all of the gore?

I’m not a gore guy, but there are times when it makes sense to use it. A great example of this would be in the movie Alien, when the creature pops out of Kane’s chest. The effect the gore gave was necessary for that scene to work. In recent year, there have been some high profile gore flicks such as Saw and Hostile. If there’s an audience for it, someone will make it.

Thinking about the past decade, what horror movie do you believe is the best of its time?

I’m a huge fan of horror movies that came out in the 1970’s. I think Rob Zombie did an outstanding job paying homage to that decade with The Devil’s Rejects. Other movies that I’ve enjoyed from this past decade include Saw, and the remakes of The Ring, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Dawn of the Dead.

A lot of horror movies are bitting off of older ones. When you look back at recent movies, they all follow the same storyline. Why do you think this happens?

If something works and makes money, then you’re going to see people trying to duplicate it. It’s greed winning out over creativity. Saw sparked the popularity of the torture horror sub-genre, and more recently Paranormal Activity made an impact that has since spawned a sequel and several imitation movies. It’s supply and demand.

What is your opinion of remakes?

In general, I do not like remakes. I think the horror industry is especially plagued with remakes. Hollywood is remaking everything. It’s just lazy filmmaking and the people in charge being afraid to put out money behind new ideas. It’s one thing to want to remake something and take it in a new direction with your own spin on it, but it’s an entirely different thing to just remake something because the movie is a franchise.

Is there any instance where you believe a remake is better than the original?

Definitely. John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing in the 1980’s was much better than the 1950’s original. That is probably the best example I have of a remake being better than the original. I think some movies come really close tough. It’s a matter of opinion, but some might say that David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly is better than the classic version that featured Vincent Price.

Many movies are being derived from books; the most popular one is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. What is you opinion of books being turned into movies?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with books being adapted into screenplays. I think as long as the integrity of the story is kept in tact, then it can be looked as a tribute to the author’s work.

Because of that, do you believe that shows the lack of skill and creativity of today’s directors?

I have great respect for the directors who both write and direct their own material. I think that’s why my favorite director is Quentin Tarantino. He’s an outstanding writer. Now I realize that some directors are just better behind the camera and are not skilled writers. That doesn’t make them any les creative, but maybe just a little less talented.

The horror genre seems to be the only genre there’s always multiple sequels to the original. Movies like Friday the 13^th and Halloween pulled it off expertly, while movies like Saw are just dragging it out. Saw’s ratings have decreased since the third one; where do you believe they went wrong?

Well, I don’t think that Friday the 13^th pulled it off. When you start making movies titled, Jason in Space, you know you’ve hit rock bottom. People don’t seem to understand that when a story runs its course you move on to the next one. In the case of Saw and its sequels, they just don’t see beyond the paycheck. They couldn’t even stop at a trilogy. They overplayed their hand and overstayed their welcome.

It can be speculated that a lot of today’s brutal murders are brought to life from what people see in the movies. Do you personally believe this to be true?

No. you can’t blame movies or television. If someone has the capability to do something evil, they don’t need a movie to tell them how to do it. It’s the people who think like that who want to censor everything. If you banned the movie, then they’ll find it in music. If you banned music, then they’d find in a book. There will always be something or someone to blame. If you start censoring cinema then you’ll end up censoring the Bible.

Not only are you a fanatic, but it’s said you’ve starred in and directed horror movie. Which ones?

In 1999, I was fortunate enough to work on the set of a low-budget horror movie titled, A Poison Tree. It was directed by Kyle Warren. The movie got a lot of local publicity and was covered by the Courier Post. It brought my interest in filmmaking and the horror genre to another level. I’ve dabbed in some experimental horror projects after that but nothing was ever released to the public.

Horrornews.net is a website you write for, so you know what it’s like to interview someone. What would you say is the hardest part for the interviewer and the interviewee?

Yes, I started writing for Horrornews.net in 2008 when the site was created. Our site, while still young has grown tremendously over the last couple of years. I am one of the original three members and our site now has a staff of over 50 employees. We currently get 5,000 visitors a day which is double from where we were one year ago. I am part of the site’s public relations team as well as its senior interviewer. I’ve also done book and movie reviews and covered news topics.

If I record a phone interview, the hardest part is afterwards when I actually have to transcribe it into written words. It’s a real pain. The interview itself is a piece of cake. Now, if you’re talking about trying to get an interview with someone in specific, the most frustrating part can be the waiting game involved. I have a n interview on April 3^rd with former Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura about his new conspiracy theories book. I’ve been trying to get this interview with Governor Ventura for over a year. Being the interviewee is easy.

Not only do you interview actors and directors but you’ve interviewed bands and writers as well. Out of them all, which have neen your favorites?

I’m just breaking into getting interviews from music artists like A Skylit Drive. I’m on a waiting list to interview Slash from Guns & Roses about his new horror production company, Slasher Films. It’s hard to pick a favorite but I’ll pick one from each category: actor, director, and writer. These men have been extremely open and welcome to any question that I asked them, Courtney Gains (actor in Children of the Corn), Tom Holland ( director of Child’s Play), and Tom Malloy ( writer of The Alphabet killer).

Horror conventions are not a common occurrence for most people; can you describe what goes on there?

It’s a meeting ground for horror fans to converge and talk, see, and buy everything horror related. It’s sometimes a place to see screenings of rare horror classics or brand new never before seen movies. In most of our daily live, we don’t usually bump into the entertainers that we see up on the silver screen. At conventions, it creates the opportunity for anyone to meet and greet with some of their favorite actors and directors.

If attending do you have plans to interview anyone in particular?

Yes, I plan to attend the next Monstermania Con in Cherri Hill NJ. I’m going to be meeting up with Bill Apter, who is best known for his works as a journalist and photographer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Bill not only has wrestling connections but also entertainment ties. It’s all about networking. I don’t have any other interviews scheduled, but I am making inquiries.

Your popularity as a horror journalist is rising. You have a fan base, your own website and currently a column you write – Unexplained Confidential. Tell me a little about that and where you got the name?

Unexplained Confidential is my paranormal column. I do a lot of interviews with different paranormal research groups across the country. I’ve also talked to The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) regarding UFO news and sightings, as well as some well known authors on the subject of extraterrestrials. I’ve always had a deep interest in supernatural events, and this column provides a definite outlet. I try to keep the focus more reality based and less on the entertainment side of the paranormal subject matter. You asked how I came up with the name. I put so many combinations of words together trying to find something that fit and Unexplained Confidential just really worked for me.

If you could interview one person, who would it be?

Quentin Tarantino

Why?

The answer is easy. He’s my favorite director. I would appreciate the opportunity to sit down and talk with him about his creative process. He is responsible for a good number of my favorite non- horror movies. Pulp Fiction is a groundbreaking masterpiece and probably the best movie to come out in the last 20 years. In the Kill Bill series, he takes old school martial arts movies to a modern cutting edge stage. I have a long list of who, how, what, where, and why? My questions are endless.

What other websites do you write for?

At the moment, I am only writing for Horrornews.net but have written for other websites in the past. I wrote a horror related column titled, “Joy of Horror” for the UK based movie website ObsessedwithFilm.com.

You used to wrestle in your younger days, can you tell me a little about that?

I’ve had several friends that broke into the professional wrestling business. I’ve always enjoyed the physicality of the sport. I have ten years of aikido training under my belt, along with Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu training. I never made the leap into professional wrestling, but I have wrestled with The Blue Meanie & Mikey Whipwreck from ECW, and Twiggy H. Ramirez & Madonna Wayne Gacy (the wrestlers) form NWA.

It’s surprising that you’re not a wrestling journalist, why is that?

In the early 90’s, I started two separate wrestling newsletters. The first was titled, The Shooting Star Press. It was named after a move the Japanese Wrestler, Jushin Liger made famous. I also started an audio format newsletter titled, Audio Wrestling Report. This newsletter was recorded and sent out on cassette tapes, and focused on the local, independent wrestling scene. I haven’t covered professional wrestling in close to 20 years.

Any plans to start?

I don’t know, it’s a thought. I have recently interviewed a number of personalities from the professional wrestling industry for Horrornews.net. I interviewed former ECW and NWA World Champion, Raven about his movie role in Sleeper. I also interviewed George “The Animal” Steele about Ed Wood, and Ox Baker about Escape from New York. I interviewed legendary wrestling manager, Sir Oliver Humperdink. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be meeting with Bill Apter in a couple of weeks. We’ll have to see where that interview will take me.

So what’s next for you, any exciting interviews lined up?

There is a lot of buzz right now about turning my Unexplained Confidential Column into a podcast. It would be a live show on BlogTalkRadio that would focus on everything paranormal from UFO’s to Ghost Hunters. Right now, it’s about me just finding the time to do a podcast as it will obviously take some serious dedication to make it work.

There’s rumors of you being on the Art Bell Show soon, is this true?

Yes. Art Bell or George Noory. It’s only true if I decide to move forward with the Unexplained Confidential podcast. At that point, Horrornews.net wants to book me on Coast to Coast to really push the website and our paranormal podcast. It’s up in the air at the moment. I’ll make an official announcement on Horrornews.net in the next month or two about those plans.

More Than Just a Tattoo

One by one, Sterling students lined up to be tattooed by a guy they’d never met before, a guy who beknownst to them had only a few needles with him. There was no way to properly sanitize these needles that penetrated many people’s skin causing a lot of bleeding. The man promised them masterpieces for a small price but what they got was more than they asked for.

Tattoos, almost everybody has them and nearly everybody wants one, so much so that people are disregarding the age restrictions at the risk of their health. 

Tattoo parties are a common occurrence for students everywhere. They take place in homes, basements, old warehouses, abandoned houses, parks and in the woods after curfew. And undeniably, the curfew law is not the only law broken at these parties.

In January, over Christmas break, one of these parties occurred in the basement of Joe’s home. There, over fifty kids pilled into the dark, damp room with loud music, hard dancing, “side activities” and a bathroom big enough for two. In that bathroom sat an unknown man with a tattoo gun.

 “These parties,” said one student, “are all the rage. Laws we break can’t be proved and we get a tattoo out of it. Sometimes you pay for them and other times you do something else for them. Everybody wins and we all have a good time.” But now that same student’s views have been changed. Jane now realizes that the ‘good time’ she was talking about caused her judgment to be impaired this last time when getting tattooed.

“Everybody said that [the tattoo artist] was Joe’s friend so I trusted them and went against my better judgment” she said. “I had a feeling about him that just wasn’t right and I wish I would’ve listened to that voice in my head.” 

Three students contracted infections, two developed puss build-up and four student’s tattoos are utterly unrecognizable. Jane was one of these students. She contracted a simple infection but it required hospital attention. Now her new ‘tattoo’ is a painful crater on her back.

 “Kids today” said one person’s father, “they blatantly disregard their own health. There’s reason’s why there’s an age restriction on this type of thing. You’re supposed to go to a reputable [tattoo] parlor with licensed professionals. They are required to have proper sanitation guidelines so infections and diseases do not occur.” But even with the catastrophe that happened that night, students are already planning the next party.

“He was just the wrong guy to bring to the party” said Joe. “Now we’ll find someone else and hopefully he’ll be better.” It’s comments like these that prove kids have no real regard for their well being; they just want have what they think is the cool thing.

But even with the upcoming party, some students have realized that the guy they got tattooed by could’ve caused more damage than he did. Ignorance ran their lives in a painful way but now some students are healing in a smart way. Those students say they will not go to these parties again. They’ve decided to wait until they are legal to get a tattoo from a professional.

But why would students put their lives at risk for a tattoo? What possible benefits arise from them and how can they be so ignorant to the hazards? Some say teenage rebellion but it’s more along the lines of irresponsibility. They think they’re young and indestructible and nothing can stop them but they’re wrong. The only way they’ll learn is when something bad befalls them… and by then, it could be something worse than an infectious tattoo.

*all names were changed to protect the identities and reputations of those involved*

Exoskeletons Walking Their Way to Mainstream Medicine

Pictures courtesy of Argo Medical Technologies Ltd.

A new device called ReWalk can help paraplegics stand and walk is scheduled for release in late January of 2011. The device works when people lean forward and move their upper body in different ways.

Commercialized by Argo Medical Technologies Ltd the ReWalk was invented by Israeli entrepreneur Amit Goffer who was himself paralyzed in a car crash in 1997.

The device, 35-pounds, is worn outside of clothing and consists of leg braces. It is outfitted with motion sensors and motorized joints that respond to the changes in upper-body movement. There’s a harness around the patient's waist and shoulders that keep the suit in place. On the device is a backpack that holds the computer mainframe and a rechargeable 3 1/2-hour battery.

ReWalk, which costs about $100,000, is making it’s début around the same time competitor companies are releasing their exoskeletons. Though it will have stiff competition, ReWalk is expected to break thorough and out shine them all.  This product is said to prevent the costly complications that often arise in people who can't walk, including pressure sores, urinary, digestive, circulatory, and cardiovascular problems.

Those who have tested it say the benefit is more than physical. And after several years of clinical trials in Israel and the United States, units go on sale in January.

Writting an explication

Explication of Mélange Review done by J. Capuzzo

Mélange of Haddonfield is quickly becoming the next best five star restaurant. In her review, J. Capuzzo, gives this five star restaurant the five star treatment. She praises the head Chef’s cooking and states how great it is that"His neighbors’ meals may have made an impression on him, but it was Brown’s mother, born in Tennessee, who had the biggest impact…" She says that Chef Brown is an amazing chef because of his background and the place in which he grew up. Capuzzo gives a brief description of the menu items but maybe conveniently leaves out the prices.

Capuzzo implies that even for the chef’s background, the restaurant has a wide variety of food, and a taste for every mood. She states that the restaurant has award winning appetizers that include a very southern approach. Unfortunately the review tells of extremely spicy food, Capuzzo says "The staff refers to these Cajun-inspired dishes as "aggressively seasoned" rather than "spicy,". Luckily for the customers there is a rather understanding and customer-pleasing chef who says, "Anything can be adjusted to individual tastes." Capuzzo also redeems the restaurant by adding a piece about the amazing deserts and how there is enough provided to count as a meal.

She also provides decent imagery for what the restaurant internally looks like. So while you’re reading about eating you can almost imagine that you’re actually there. She tells of the waiters and how helpful they are and even states how Chef Brown is "a very hands-on person and will greet you and seat you and make sure you’re being properly taken care of".

Though J. Capuzzo provides a proper review and depicts everything properly, she should of written things differently. First off, the review was just a titch too long and really makes the readers loose interest. Also, though she recounts some of the food the restaurant has to offer she does not give and average price range and repeats herself a lot. There’s only a certain amount of times you need to hear about the spicy food and the southern approach; we can come to the conclusion that the food is spicy without it being stated repeatedly.

Capuzzo also takes too much time going into the background of the Chef and his cooking styles. The review was kind of centered on the cook and not really enough around the food and atmosphere, which is the main reason why people read reviews of restaurants.

Favorite Online Magazine

My favorite online magazine is AMP- American Music Press- and is based on all the new and awesome bands that have hit some stage somewhere. The intended viewing audience is anywhere from the teen years to about the 'mid-life' crisis age. The website's layout is basic with a simple white background and black text. There are many photos and interviews plastered about the homepage. The website has a photo loop that introduces the weeks' best new artists. It has alot going on though and can take a while to load.

If the website was less up to date with the whole Facebook/ Twitter phenomenon it wouldn't need to have the moving linkbar and would prove to be beneficial to the websites purpose. The link bar is a distraction and has many people linking almost everything to their social network accounts. It really just takes away from the website.

It is great website though and provides accurate information and is a must read for all music fans of any genre.


To see for yourself try the link below.
http://www.ampmagazine.com/