On the Shelf

In this week’s edition of on the shelf comes another update for the NAVY SEAL hopefuls of class 228 in "Warrior Elite". The boys in uniform had just finished up the inconceivably difficult "Hell Week" of training, leaving only ten percent of the original members of the class. After reading how incredibly intense the hardships of Hell Week were it was easy to believe that these young men were capable of anything. Phase Two then began and so did the many health complications following the long week of torture. Phase Two had the trainees studying the art of SCUBA diving devoutly, and the instructors continued their prescribed doses of physical training and underwater harassment. The combination of sickness and underwater training became too much for some of the trainees, and the group lost a few of their iron men. The strongest candidate, and leading petty officer, had a sinus infection that prevented him from equalizing his sinus pressure with the water pressure. This resulted in an excruciating pain and eventually the loss of a great leader. The resilient majority of the class was able to pull through their individual health complications and advance through the training. The tenacity of these young men is truly something to be admired. The drive of ambition to join the SEAL teams is so powerful that nothing will stop each of these men from achieving it.

On the Stereo

This week I have been listening to Throwdown a pretty good band that I do not think is known very well. Throwdown features a great mixture of multi-part guitar arrangements and heavy rifts base with a great drummer to top it all off. The band’s brings a great deal of energy to their music through their manipulation of volumes. They arrange their music to have a layered effect of different volumes, creating a high energy, fuller sound. If hard rock is something you are interested in, then “Scythe” on Throwdown’s album Deathless should be checked out.