World stewardess Crews

too much...

too much...

talent shows early... a friend forwarded the link to this video, and i just had to share it...this kiddo is only four! and here is his lil 2...

10:54 PM

FUTURE SHOCK: DJ VADIM keeping it alive

check out DJ VADIM (BBE, Ninja Tunes) freaking the beat..NYC's <a href="http://www.myspace.com/djvadim">DJ Vadim</a>, hailing from Russia via London, is part of the new generation of DJ's who are shaping the future sound of hip hop. Along with Yarah Bravo, Vadim is also part of ONESELF, one of the freshest new acts out there. Vadim has worked with my compatriot, SENA, with whom I had an interview here a while back...these guys are definitely peeps to watch out for! <a href="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=8452101">Dj Vadim - Got to rock</a> <embed src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" flashvars="m=8452101&v=2&type=video" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430" height="346"></embed> <a href="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.addToProfileConfirm&videoid=8452101&title=Dj Vadim - Got to rock">Add to My Profile</a> | <a href="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.home">More Videos</a> <a href="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18688335">4 My Writers - DJ Vadim featuring Juice</a> <embed src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" flashvars="m=18688335&v=2&type=video" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430" height="346"></embed> <a href="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.addToProfileConfirm&videoid=18688335&title=4 My Writers - DJ Vadim featuring Juice">Add to My Profile</a> | <a href="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.home">More Videos</a>

FUTURE SHOCK: DJ VADIM keeping it alive

check out DJ VADIM (BBE, Ninja Tunes) freaking the beat..NYC's DJ Vadim , hailing from Russia via London, is part of the new generation ...

1:43 PM

11/17/07 STEVIE WONDER concert afterparty w/ DJ SPINNA

!!!! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_LgAOSwcz8J1ndZnJ63xTWrgzacuDAHHqFO_u3qY9bnnD-XQ-a1XwSo-KbgOk2FVsnOGoPI6TMn91IJLBfnicPiRrqPWtouEMBK0ltWEH93NhTiAzqm5O4MJD37GWjsg3n3eUVDG7bc/s1600-h/Steviecncrtfrnt1117-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131048791950585986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_LgAOSwcz8J1ndZnJ63xTWrgzacuDAHHqFO_u3qY9bnnD-XQ-a1XwSo-KbgOk2FVsnOGoPI6TMn91IJLBfnicPiRrqPWtouEMBK0ltWEH93NhTiAzqm5O4MJD37GWjsg3n3eUVDG7bc/s400/Steviecncrtfrnt1117-2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a> for more info check <a href="http://www.myspace.com/keistarproductions">here</a> if you don't know Dj Spinna, you can get an idea here...soulflow, baby! <object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hMvcI2vthR0&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hMvcI2vthR0&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>

11/17/07 STEVIE WONDER concert afterparty w/ DJ SPINNA

!!!! for more info check here if you don't know Dj Spinna, you can get an idea here...soulflow, baby!

7:24 PM

BROKEN PROMISES:"When I Came Home" a documentary about Iraq veterans, homelessness and the price of peace

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3w_ULQBVmsYeXpU8Q4AuKvbt6S3fya_-Rr5RWkwWJDgTn6bY6bvfTyg995Gm57PFmBkQxXA6LcCay2eOGSCl_ELmt9-277pLcdrEGjo9yNxnrl0r2-1gOz8-Ir6WycHNP_FDBeLCNQY/s1600-h/927.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129167775537439970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3w_ULQBVmsYeXpU8Q4AuKvbt6S3fya_-Rr5RWkwWJDgTn6bY6bvfTyg995Gm57PFmBkQxXA6LcCay2eOGSCl_ELmt9-277pLcdrEGjo9yNxnrl0r2-1gOz8-Ir6WycHNP_FDBeLCNQY/s320/927.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a> Do you find yourself wondering what is going on in Iraq? How many years has it been now? Have the media become too numbed to the news coming out of Iraq that the daily bomb attacks don't make front page anymore? And what has happened to the people who have come back from Iraq? Are we going to see more and more young folks alongside of Vietnam vets on the street? Many people I know are so disgusted by the idea of war that they see soldiers as active part of the evil military machine, so they blame them for even signing up for the army. This is a familiar argument mostly coming from well-off liberals, who don't really want to look beyond the ideological dimensions of the problem at hand. Frankly, I think that to blame soldiers uncritically for being 'guilty by association' in an unjust war is a very simplistic way to approach the problem (or to be a little more forceful, I think it is also partly responsible for many of the vets' failure to readjust to ordinary life and for their eventual decision to becoming homeless). Though in many ways, I'm an idealist when it comes to peace and justice, I can't help but to think that one also has to be a pragmatist with issues like war. First of all, every highly educated middle-class liberal who rejects soldiers for 'signing up for war and wanting to kill', should face the fact that the history of the world has always been a story of conflict and reconciliation. If you don't have a means to protect your country, a more powerful one with an army might take yours out. Look at Europe...have they learned from the two world wars? The recent Balkan conflict proves the contrary. This is not to say that I support the idea of the military. I'm just being realistic. People form communities around an identity or uniting principle (family, tribe, place of origin, ethnic background, political or religious conviction, etc), and in order to maintain the survival of that group identity, they will often use violent means...some group only use it to defend itself, while some create ideologies that justify an offensive use of violence. The fact is that without a military, or an ally with a powerful military, no country can survive today, whether one likes it or not. Of course, I don't like it, but am willing to live with it as I don't think I have any other choice. I think that the more important issue to focus on is how to make sure that the military stays out of war. Having grown up in a country that in the 20th century had gone through two world wars, a civil war, and forty five years of totalitarian government, I have somewhat of a different perspective on the realities of war and the price of peace. The uneasy paradox that anti-military US liberals are turning a blind eye on is that they ARE, in a way, a beneficiary of the military...to have the kind of economic opportunities, education, freedom to travel, or the freedom to criticize the government is partially the result of the fact that this country has a the world's mightiest military. One can try to deny it, but it is nonetheless the case. In fact, I'm willing to push that point even further: the reason why we have this relative freedom and comfort is because there are people out there who have NO CHOICE but to take jobs below the poverty level and have NO OTHER CHANCE to escape poverty but to enlist in the military. Would you ever think of measuring a glass of orange juice in terms of its human cost, or entertain the thought that it may have come from a dirty use of human labor? You don't have to go to China to find sweatshops...in Florida, for instance, you can find illegal immigrants exploited and practically employed as slaves on orange plantations (I don't want to distract from the main point, but you can read up more on this horrifying reality... <a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/moderndayslavery/reports/sex1207.html">here</a> I will write on this later). Most philosophical arguments against the war are fueled by a frustration with abstract concepts...it is easy to blame "the military" and "the government", but when one humanizes these concepts, the issue becomes a little more complicated. Without a doubt, I do believe that those behind the decisions to engage in the Iraq war and the handling of current African and Latin American political affairs should be criticized and made accountable for. The list is endless. But when one is willing to look beyond philosophical abstractions, one can discover another alarming social reality behind the war. Face it, many of the soldiers come from low-income marginalized communities who see the military as the only way to leave the world of poverty, to have a decent education, and in fact have no desire to kill, but are willing to fight and die for a country they love. And if you noticed, the military has no shame in specifically targeting minority youth with their recruitment team. The proliferation of military video games as a conscious recruiting tool is very alarming too. So for me, the question to think about is rather how to maintain my stance against the war, without overlooking the sacrifices that individuals make for my security and comfort. What I'm trying to say is that instead of being an armchair political activist and argue endlessly about corrupt government officials and the evils of the army, one should try to understand the bigger picture. Personally, I refuse to shy away from trying to untangle the complexities that effect the lives of individuals involved in this mess. So here is another slice of the bigger picture. There are more than 1.5 million new veterans in the US and the number is ever growing. Many come back with missing limbs, severe trauma (PTSD-post traumatic stress disorder), and with memories that will leave a scar on their psyche forever. If you think that in exchange for their service, the military takes care of its soldiers...well you should reconsider. Follow-up mental health care for veterans is known to be poor and often non-existent. And now I realize that the situation for veterans from low-income communities is even more dire. Like the illegal immigrants who are forced do the dirty job to keep prices low, many of these vets get rejection and humiliation upon their return to home and are stripped of their dignity. The documentary, <a href="http://www.whenicamehome.com/">"When I Came Home"</a>, is a story of the realities behind the war that was based on lies and faulty premises. It is about Herold Noel (27), a Brooklyn veteran, who after returning from Iraq, found himself homeless because the army that he'd served, decided to turn its back on him. It is a sobering story of broken promises, hypocrisy, and the search for reclaiming dignity. Watch it. Learn. Get out of the ideological armchair and put things in perspective. Dig deeper and ask more questions. Have compassion. Here is a description from the film: "When I Came Home is a documentary film about homeless veterans in America: from those who served in Vietnam to those returning from the current war in Iraq. The film looks at the challenges faced by returning combat veterans and the battle many must fight to receive their benefits from the Veterans Administration. Through the story of Herold Noel, a homeless Iraq war veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and living out of his car in Brooklyn, the film reveals a failing system and the veteran’s struggle to survive after returning from the war. When I Came Home follows Herold’s battle with homelessness and PTSD as he tries to get help from the VA, city agencies, and various veterans organizations." By buying the DVD, you can support select homeless veteran organizations. Click here to read more about it <a href="http://www.whenicamehome.com/whatucando.html">here</a>.) <object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/U1twL3_7GAA&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/U1twL3_7GAA&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>

BROKEN PROMISES:"When I Came Home" a documentary about Iraq veterans, homelessness and the price of peace

Do you find yourself wondering what is going on in Iraq? How many years has it been now? Have the media become too numbed to the news comin...

2:23 PM

MELVIN VAN PEEBLES: televised revolutionary

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxxojMGky6lgQbn1pb_atY9PeG8y0r5flL3cMkPLAOipvpJjDveiNbDgmQpGGiTskjHqrVgmSTHILfs4sQPtwplgvOajWS3eDsyeMz4hjBtKnXW_XtVAH1-S68QtbGpIg-AD-JrgoZjU/s1600-h/watermelon_logo2.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125394655357838498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxxojMGky6lgQbn1pb_atY9PeG8y0r5flL3cMkPLAOipvpJjDveiNbDgmQpGGiTskjHqrVgmSTHILfs4sQPtwplgvOajWS3eDsyeMz4hjBtKnXW_XtVAH1-S68QtbGpIg-AD-JrgoZjU/s400/watermelon_logo2.gif" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a> i recently came across a documentary called<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmnTIXxkmlW0RnY6i9YxGXs0dJtuKzZkO6BlFiThQlYjO-2vyyUZZhd7-apZXYtCM7Xb4XKVOGXm8jbMFvDxEzJBIAPzlhYnS_fZFDphzCZIvtUolVb9J32Vm9vAn2iKBAZmc5wEM4wQ/s1600-h/mvp_ratedx.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125396708352206018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmnTIXxkmlW0RnY6i9YxGXs0dJtuKzZkO6BlFiThQlYjO-2vyyUZZhd7-apZXYtCM7Xb4XKVOGXm8jbMFvDxEzJBIAPzlhYnS_fZFDphzCZIvtUolVb9J32Vm9vAn2iKBAZmc5wEM4wQ/s400/mvp_ratedx.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" /></a> "How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)" about Melvin Van Peebles, one of the most groundbreaking filmmakers in black cinema. i loved his first big movie, 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song...an true gem of underground cinema. this baadasss movie is one of the most surreal, funny, provocative, thought-provoking, liberating avantgarde masterpieces i've ever encountered. Van Peebles's work, which ranges from foundational blaxpoitation flicks from the 70s to spoken word acts, influenced giants such as Gill-Scott Heron, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, and countless others. a true agent provocateur at heart, he revolutionized not only cinema, but was also foundational to hip-hop with his unique rapping style. as the documentary's synopsis points out, "Whether making guerrilla-style films, flying Air Force sorties over the Pacific (ferrying the atom bomb, no less), studying astronomy in Amsterdam, writing novels in self-taught French, composing music (by means of a self-devised notation system), writing musical stage plays (for which he received nine Tony nominations), recording seminal rap albums or trading options on Wall Street, Van Peebles has blazed his own path, making a mark in each endeavor he’s pursued." the revolution might not be televised, but his corpus of work is a true exception to that rule... to read more about the movie, check <a href="http://www.mvpmovie.com/">here</a> <object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mikt0j14yl8&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mikt0j14yl8&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

MELVIN VAN PEEBLES: televised revolutionary

i recently came across a documentary called "How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)" about Melvin Van Peebles...

10:10 AM

IS HIP HOP DEAD?..."werewolves know it better"

so i was asked to submit a piece for a halloween-themed T-shirt design contest sponsored by Red Bull... this is what i came up with...teen eddie munster rocking his halloween outfit (vampires and werewolves're gotta dress up on halloween too, right?)...as far as the whole debate about the alleged death of hip-hop...well, just ask a vampire about the world of the dead...they know it first hand! (....it also helps to have transylvanian roots, haha, though i leave the vampire life to the munsters:) <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Bhv_3U_2hAC7DHqV7PF9jhE1bH_LshUzMJuECrudqGM0DiNDVnl-NaHi0V4cs-qlYT9nyxl-AGJAyX0eeDRs5LTmI4zF9mr4hr2kGwr6QeLkWVOerAPmPJTnXsxFZTYGnRN0QF4qhog/s1600-h/redbullhallowlichiban.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125359840352937106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Bhv_3U_2hAC7DHqV7PF9jhE1bH_LshUzMJuECrudqGM0DiNDVnl-NaHi0V4cs-qlYT9nyxl-AGJAyX0eeDRs5LTmI4zF9mr4hr2kGwr6QeLkWVOerAPmPJTnXsxFZTYGnRN0QF4qhog/s400/redbullhallowlichiban.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>

IS HIP HOP DEAD?..."werewolves know it better"

so i was asked to submit a piece for a halloween-themed T-shirt design contest sponsored by Red Bull... this is what i came up with...teen e...

12:33 PM

SPOKEN WORD:Providence brings heat!

in the midst of all the halloween gore and madness, there is a not-to-be-missed event for all of you out there who love spoken word. on Sunday, October 28th, Providence's Xxodus Cafe will host NYC spoken word poet, OVEOUS MAXIMUS, along with local hip-hop acts, Chachi and Swann Notty. yes, New England, it is worth tracking out to Providence for this...it's the real deal. read more about the event <a href="http://www.prleap.com/pr/99052/">here</a> i always thought that there was a parallel between nomadic tribal societies and communities that have been marginalized by the mainstream establishment. real tribal leaders used poetry to negotiate political deals, preserve their people's cultural memory and to rap about sneaking into some desert beauty's tent... perhaps it is the relentless search for freedom and the struggle for survival amongst the harshest living conditions that bring out a parallel in social patterns, i am not sure (...i could go on, but i don't want to distract from the main point). but like the genuine warrior-poets of nomadic desert tribes whose martial repertoire had to be accompanied by charismatic poetic skills, urban spoken word poets carry on the tradition of giving a powerful voice to the marginalized while fighting to restore the dignity of their people...when it comes from the heart, poetry, like music and other art forms, is a vehicle of social change...one that begins with a transformation on an individual level. so listen... <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrmeMXiejym_ZPprXaXD8Jh71nzF2Q075ZsfKmRC78Av7egHCagtew21cXv8Hesg3grjtuO1s2rgEwhsdwLE197e_wcuxszGdpQXAoQOwxn_Nl4s80lEIExVfGBhj0xBtTUxuhxpb5gw/s1600-h/OveousMaximusShow.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125012806150200050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrmeMXiejym_ZPprXaXD8Jh71nzF2Q075ZsfKmRC78Av7egHCagtew21cXv8Hesg3grjtuO1s2rgEwhsdwLE197e_wcuxszGdpQXAoQOwxn_Nl4s80lEIExVfGBhj0xBtTUxuhxpb5gw/s400/OveousMaximusShow.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> <object height="366" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5UfEzosE0sE&rel=1&border=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5UfEzosE0sE&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="366"></embed></object>

SPOKEN WORD:Providence brings heat!

in the midst of all the halloween gore and madness, there is a not-to-be-missed event for all of you out there who love spoken word. on Sund...

2:02 PM