Art & Culture

Ralph Velasco: The Genius Behind a Lens

Ralph Velasco: The Genius Behind a Lens

Ralph Velasco is an award-winning photography instructor who is based out of Orange County, California.  He leads international tours around the world to the most amazing places including Egypt, Eastern Europe, Cuba, and more.

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Album Review: Madonna MDNA

Album Review: Madonna MDNA

Everyone’s favorite Material Girl has done it again. Madonna has just released a new album titled MDNA, which has already begun to dominate the pop charts. It’s hard to believe this is already Madonna’s twelfth studio album, as it seems like just yesterday the Lucky Star was causing a ruckus in the 80s. Unlike some artists of past generations, Madonna does not let the fame and success of previous work stop her artistry.

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Music Therapy

Music Therapy

One of the best decisions my parents ever made was deciding to sign me up for piano lessons when I was six years old. I would constantly sing and dance wherever I went, so the idea of unleashing another sense of musicality into my young life was ideal.

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Being Female: Far Beyond Pink

Being Female: Far Beyond Pink

Once upon a time there lived a generation where it was idealized to be a princess and chase after the quintessential happily ever after.

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Make Your Home a Place for the Heart

Make Your Home a Place for the Heart

There’s something about big white walls that just make me sad. The way I see it, walls are meant to hold things, bring life, and have spirits. Like it or not, your home is a reflection of who you are. These are the rooms in which you eat, hang out, sleep and are your truest you.

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Women of the Congo Rebuild Their Community One Trade at a Time

Women of the Congo Rebuild Their Community One Trade at a Time

This past year, 30 women graduated receiving a sewing machine, fabric and the skills to start their own business in one of the most economically impoverished countries in the world. The Ushindi Center’s vocational training program is one of several projects started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to empower women and rebuild communities. DRC women are finally given the supplies to overcome the worst of odds in the worst of conditions.

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Podcasts: The New Talk Radio

Podcasts: The New Talk Radio

Music isn’t a big part of my life. I enjoy listening to my favorite song or going to a concert once in a while, but it’d be hard to call myself a huge fan of music. Before, if I needed ambient noise I’d usually pop in a old movie or television box set. Things changed a lot when I started to listen to Podcasts.

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Digital Tickets, The New Concert Experience

Digital Tickets, The New Concert Experience

For the past two years, the band 30 Seconds to Mars has been touring nonstop for their 2009 album “This Is War”.  Next week marks the band’s 300th and final show, which will bring their eventful tour to an end. But also brings a unique accomplishment, as they will be inducted into the Guiness Book of World Records for most shows performed during an album cycle.

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Gaming: Bringing People Together

Gaming: Bringing People Together

It’ll be hard to argue that video games are a staple of our culture. Today, consoles are used for parties, family gatherings, and movie watching. Gaming is no longer a solo activity, it’s an amazing way to get a group of friends to bond. Even though some people swear that online gaming is the way to go, there is nothing like playing with a big group of people in the same house.

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Vibrant Hair Color

Vibrant Hair Color

Dying hair is one of the most popular things to do in the world of beauty and glamour.  From highlights to covering up grey hairs, hair dye can dramatically change one’s overall appearance. It’s most commonly used to transform hair into looking more youthful and natural. However, unnatural colors are often fused into locks as well, which has become a very big trend in fashion.

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Kings of Unusual Hills: Not-So-Common Competitions

Kings of Unusual Hills: Not-So-Common Competitions

Every competition deserves a champion. No matter how unusual a skill is, there’s someone out there trying to be the best. It doesn’t matter if the talent is simple or disgusting, if you can make it into a tournament there’s a good chance someone already has. The following is a list of unusual events that have sparked the interest of a few individuals.

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Hello Holidays, Goodbye Consumerism

Hello Holidays, Goodbye Consumerism

As the saying goes; it’s the most wonderful time of the year. We have entered the holiday season, which means it’s time to bake our favorite treats, adorn our homes in festive decorations, and of course; shop for gifts to give to the important people in our lives. However, as important as all these things seem to be, we can often lose ourselves in the consumerism of the holidays and forget the real meaning of what makes this time of year so special.

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When Smart Phones Become the Average Student: Thinking of What We Take for Granted

When Smart Phones Become the Average Student: Thinking of What We Take for Granted

There are a lot of things we take for granted, but one of our biggest offenses is the modern day smart phone. It’s gotten to the point where the word “smart” isn’t used when describe these mini-computer. Smart phones have become so common that it’s unusual to see a phone without a touch screen.

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Cultural Etiquette: Chopsticks

Cultural Etiquette: Chopsticks

With all the different cultures we deal with on a daily basis, we sometimes make mistakes when interacting with others. Sooner or later there will be times when we’ll eat with people from a different land; sometimes it’s a good idea to have a little background knowledge of their eating habits before you sit down.

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Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation: Promoting Bravery, Acceptance and Love

Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation: Promoting Bravery, Acceptance and Love

Music sensation Lady Gaga is once again using her high profile status to help change the world for the better.  With over fifteen million followers, she announced on her Twitter page the start of the Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit organization created by Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta and in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation and Harvard University.

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The Top 10 Iconic Album Covers

The Top 10 Iconic Album Covers

In this day and age, it’s easy to disregard album covers since the way many of us acquire our music is digitally. However, album artwork is often times just as important as the music, as it’s the physical layer of creativity that encompasses the final package of music into a work of art.

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Bye Bye Bookstores: Saying Goodbye to the Books We Knew

Bye Bye Bookstores: Saying Goodbye to the Books We Knew

It’s hard to argue that bookstores are become a thing of the past. Buying a book use to be something that took little effort. Now, picking up the newest novel may consist of driving many miles and take up a few hours of your life. It’s become such a hassle that many readers have gone against their original stand against digital books and bought an e-reader.

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Tech Addicted

Tech Addicted

As a New York native, there’s not a person I pass by daily who isn’t looking down at their handheld device. Sure I’d appreciate a wave or a friendly hello from time to time, but I find myself doing the same thing so it doesn’t bother me… until my parents do it.

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Tyra’s New Land of Introspection

Tyra’s New Land of Introspection

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Tyra Banks’ book signing for her first book ever, Modelland. And, while the book’s dominant audience was teenage girls, I think those of us way past our teenage years can learn a thing or two from it.

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Why You Should Be In Love With Astronautalis

Why You Should Be In Love With Astronautalis

And How an Indie Rock Loving Theatre Kid is Making His Mark on the Hip Hop Scene

You wouldn’t pick Andy Bothwell out of a crowd. He’s not incredibly tall. The blonde, lean span of him is attractive, but relatively unassuming. He doesn’t usually don expensive suits or sport facial jewelry. No, it wouldn’t be until he stepped on stage, smiled and revealed a row of gleaming gold teeth and started rapping hilariously about Ed Mcmahon and World of Warcraft that he would command your complete and undivided attention.

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