The day is finally here. Chinese Democracy, the long awaited album from Guns N' Roses was release yesterday. I was a fan of Appetite for Destruction, but then again who wasn't? I purchased it yesterday on iTunes hoping for that great sound. I found Axl's voice. Unfortunately not much else. GNR is missing that key sound. It begs for Slash et al. The entire album feels of one long ballad. Individual songs don't seem to stand out. One exception is the third track, "Better". It has a good beat and seems to pull some classic Guns N' Roses. The problem is that is about the only thing that sounds familiar. It's not that the album is bad. This would be a great album if it wasn't Guns N' Roses. It's that we expect more from GNR. The sound is just not there. Sample or buy it here. 
At Cole Field House last night, the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism and the Colonnade Society of the University of Maryland hosted a 3rd Annual Shirley Povich Symposium. This year's topic was Race and Sports Journalism. I was lucky to be in attendance. The panel was moderated by Maury Povich of tabloid show fame and Kevin Blackistone, Povich Chair at the Merrill College. Michael Wilbon, Gary Williams, Sage Steele, Scott Van Pelt, and Len Elmore rounded out the panel. George Solomon, former Washington Post writer, ESPN Ombudsman, and current professor at Maryland, was in attendance as well. The discussion started with a mention of President-Elect Barack Obama. While historic, it does not mean the end of the race discussion in America.
