SF State of Mind..

Jordan Crawford dunks on LeBron James (Video)

2009-07-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

By now you all know the story: Detroit native and Xavier sophomore guard Jordan Crawford dunks on NBA superstar LeBron James during a pick-up game at the NBA superstar's basketball camp. Nike representatives at the camp subsequently confiscate all video evidence they can get their paranoid hands on in an effort to protect the image of their golden boy. The pathetic cover-up prompts widespread ridicule and scorn aimed at LeBron and Nike.

Now after all the hype and intrigue, video of the dunk heard - but not seen - 'round the world has finally surfaced. As I suspected, the video itself is a disappointment and not that exciting - LeBron doesn't get posterized and is in fact coming over to provide help after a teammate gets burned; not exactly humiliating. In fact, this dunk wouldn't have even been given 2 seconds of attention if not for the ridiculous cover-up. This entire situation proves the old adage that the cover-up is always, without fail, worse than the initial action.

Jay-Z x Coldplay - Viva La Hova

2009-06-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

"Hola Blanco"

"Science Is Ignorant"

Coldplay is ablaze right now. The British band's most recent studio album, Viva La Vida, sold over 2 million records worldwide (with 720,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the first week, 316,000 on the first day). Not only that, they were commissioned to perform at this year's Grammy's, and are in the midst of a worldwide tour that has received high praise and is drawing huge crowds (not to mention of course the endless TV appearances and magazine coverage they've received).

The rap industry seems to have also picked up on the Coldplay buzz, and I must say, the results have been spectacular. Drake Drizzy had a bonus song on his recent mixtape ("Congratulations") which sampled "Viva La Vida" and was pure fire. And now we get a second Jay-Z/Coldplay collaboration (Jay joined the group in a live performance of "Lost" at the Grammy's). Ohio-born producer and mixtape "composer" Mick Boogie - along with his partner in crime Terry Urban - have taken Coldplay instrumentals and mixed them with verses from hip hop patriarch and legend, Jay-Z.

[I am really enjoying this album. It is a fresh new mixtape which combines two artists who are at the top of their respective genres; they also happen to be two of my favorite artists in music right now. I had my reservations about this album, but I can say confidently that this album met and exceeded my expectations (it scrapes The Gray Album). Hova's verses are well chosen, taken from songs - i.e. "Takeover", "Ignorant Shit", "Heart of the City", "Song Cry" - off two of his best overall albums (The Blueprint and American Gangster). Similarly, the Coldplay songs chosen represent some of their newest and most well-known material, including "Lost!", "Homecoming", "Speed of Sound", and "X & Y".

Unlike previous mixtapes which pair a rapper with an artist from a different genre (The Gray Album, The Black and Blue Album, etc.), the sound quality on this album is very good. Coldplay's soft melodies compliment Hova's smooth flow quite nicely on this mixtape, and the songs do not sound choppy - a testament to Boogie's and Urban's mixing ability, and the seriousness with which they approached this project. Aside from a couple lame tracks, my only criticism is that the album would have been better if it had more verses from Coldplay, rather than strictly instrumentals.

All in all, Viva la Hova is without a doubt one of the best mixtapes of the year. Do not sleep on this album!!]

Download links here

Nike MVPuppets - "Lil' Dez"

2009-06-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well... The NBA finals are upon us and what do you know? Despite presumptuous advertising campaigns from Vitamin Water and Nike promoting a Kobe/LeBron championship face-off, Bron's overrated Cavaliers were bounced out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic. You may recall a certain blogger (AHEM!) warning against making premature predictions, especially in the midst of two fiercely contested conference finals, but I guess the people over at Nike and V Water didn't hear my warning.

That aside, here is the 2nd to last commercial in the MVPuppets campaign. This one features Lil' Dez - LeBron and Kobe's neighbor's son - an energetic tyke who relentlessly pesters the all-star duo in hilarious fashion ("My bad brotha, allergies!"). Anyone with a younger brother/nephew/cousin will be able to relate.

The ending is great too. Holla!

2009-06-08T01:06:00.000-07:00

Supreme x Budweiser

via Hypebeast

As part of their summer 2009 collection, New York clothing brand Supreme teams up with American beer company and cultural icon Budweiser. This eye-popping collection has already sparked a lively debate on discussion boards and forums throughout the fashion blogosphere.

Personally, I'm not sure what to make of this collaboration. I'm a fan of Supreme but I don't particularly like such blatant product placement and I think some of the pieces in the collection are downright tacky. On the other hand, there are some clean items (I like the bags and a couple of their shirts) and there is something appealing about this campaign. It almost has a kind of Andy Warhol feel to it - pop-art meeting urban fashion. Regardless, I'm sure all the items in this collection will be copped by NY hipsters immediately.

[Click the above link for a look at the entire product line].
.

ALPHABET Drawers

2009-06-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

via LikeCool

A sick chest brought to you by Kent and London. The possibilities with this are endless. You can categorize your possessions by letter, from A-Z, by brand, by color; pretty much anything you want. It's creative, and the even though the solid oak wood design is simplistic, wood is always sophisticated and clean.

.

2009-06-07T17:08:00.001-07:00

Jay-Z - "Death of Autotune (D.O.A.)"

via Google

Jay-Z - "Death of Autotune (D.O.A.)"

Download Here

This is the first single off Jay-Z's upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, slated for release on September 11, 2009. As its title indicates, this track is a response to Auto-Tune (an audio processor which uses a "phase vocodor" to adjust/correct someone's vocal pitch) and it's overuse in the rap game. I'm down with the beat, produced by famed music producer No I.D (Kanye West's mentor), and as per usual, Jay comes hard. Enjoy.

Recipe of the Week

2009-05-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Mexican Ceviche

Ceviche, a staple of Latina American cuisine, is an appetizer consisting of raw fish marinated and "cooked" in citrus (generally lime) juice. Ceviche is believed to have originated in Peru with the Incan civilization. It subsequently spread to the surrounding countries in the region, each of which developed their own unique variation.

When I first tried ceviche I was curious about how the citrus juiced "cooked" the fish. Technically, "cooking" requires heat, so ceviche isn’t actually cooked; at the same time, it's not exactly raw. Both heat and citric acid are agents of a chemical process called denaturation. According to chow.com, as denaturation occurs "the heat or citric acid changes the proteins in the fish, unraveling the molecules and altering their chemical and physical properties." Therefore, as the fish used to make ceviche is marinated in the citrus juice, the denaturation process turns its flesh firm and opaque, giving it the appearance of being cooked.

An important thing to keep in mind is that "cooking" food in citric acid does not kill bacteria the way that heat does. So when you make ceviche for your family and friends, remember to always use fresh fish.

Ceviche is pretty much an amazing dish. It's a great appetizer, especially for the summer months when the weather starts to heat up because it is chilled. It has great flavors, is simple to make and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Furthermore, if you make a bowl of ceviche, your guests will be very impressed by your culinary skills, so be prepared to receive compliments (never a bad thing).
____________________________________________________________
Recipe Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds of shrimp
½ pound of white fish – sea bass fillet for example (dice into ½ inch cube)
3 large limes
1 small lemon
1 medium diced fresh tomato
½ small white onion, finely chopped
½ small green sweet pepper, chopped in cubes
½ jalapeño pepper, chopped in cubes
½ bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
corn [tortilla] chips or tostadas
avocado cut in slices (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, gently mix the shrimp and fish with the lime juice and lemon juice and put it in the fridge for 1 hour or until shrimp and fish are opaque (this step cooks the shrimp and fish).

In another bowl mix the tomato, onion, sweet pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients; cover the bowl and chill ceviche in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve the ceviche on top of chips or tostadas - flat, toasted/fried Mexican tortillas.

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of cevicherecipe.org

2009-05-28T02:01:00.001-07:00

Pixar Short Film - "Lifted"

"Lifted" is the 13th of the 18 short animated films released by Pixar. Since A Bug's Life, the 2nd film collaboration between Disney and Pixar, Pixar has included a short film at the beginning of each feature film (4 were released exclusively on DVD). This particular short was created in 2006 and appeared at the beginning of the theatrical release of Ratatouille. In true Pixar fashion, it's incredibly funny and clever, and was nominated for the Best Animated Short Film at the 2006 Academy Awards.

[Pixar always comes with something super creative and visually stunning!! Enjoy!!]

President Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court

2009-05-26T15:07:00.001-07:00

“The life of the law has not been logic, it has been experience.”
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

President Obama announcing Federal Court of Appeals (2nd Circuit) Judge
Sonia Sotomayor as his nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court (photo courtesy of NY Times).

On Tuesday, President Obama announced Sonia Sotomayor as his nomination for the Supreme Court. Justice Sotomayor is a federal judge from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York and will replace Justice David Souter, who had served on the high court for 19 years. If confirmed, she will be the third woman justice and the first Hispanic justice to serve on the Supreme Court.

Sotomayor was born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican immigrants and raised in a South-Bronx housing project. She was raised primarily by her mother (who was in attendance) after her father, Juan Sotomayor, died when she was 9 years old. In an emotional address yesterday, Sotomayor shared her life story, saying her "heart was bursting with gratitude" for her mother's hard work, sacrifice and unrelenting emphasis on education.

After earning an academic scholarship, Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude from Princeton and earned her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was editor of the Yale Law Journal. In 1991 she was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H. W. Bush (as part of a compromise with New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan). President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Federal Court of Appeals in 1997.

Sonia's nomination is so significant precisely because of the life experience and perspective she, once confirmed, will bring to the Supreme Court; an institution traditionally dominated by older, white men. Her biography truly embodies the American Dream and unlike many of the justices - past and current - she has a true understanding of the hardships the average American experiences on a daily basis. In addition to her considerable intellectual abilities, her Puerto Rican heritage - which she proudly embraces - is a welcome and necessary addition of diversity which reflects the "browning", global society we live in. She will enrich the Supreme Court by bringing a perspective and insight the Court has never had within its ranks.

Indeed, unlike previous minority justices such as Clarence Thomas and Benjamin Cardozo (who, despite his Cuban and Israeli heritage, is not considered Hispanic), Judge Sotomayor has repeatedly emphasized the important role her ethnicity and gender play in informing her legal perspective. In a 2002 lecture she said, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life" (NY Times.com).

Interestingly however, despite her rhetoric, Judge Sotomayor has not ruled on any truly hot button issues in her career and she has been described as a political centrist. According to New York Times legal analyst Adam Litpak:

"Judge Sotomayor has issued no major decisions concerning abortion, the death penalty, gay rights or national security. In cases involving criminal defendants, employment discrimination and free speech, her rulings are more liberal than not.

But they reveal no larger vision, seldom appeal to history and studiously avoid quotable language. Judge Sotomayor’s decisions are, instead, almost always technical, incremental and exhaustive, considering all of the relevant precedents and supporting even completely uncontroversial propositions with elaborate footnotes."

I believe she will display reliably liberal tendences as a Supreme Court justice. In fact, the question of what degree she will allow her personal opinions to shape her legal decisions is at the heart of Republican concern and will be the main point of any potential challenge to her nomination.

Conservative Republican groups have already condemned the President's selection. The Judicial Confirmation Network, a right-wing activist group, sent out an email which labelled Sotomayor an "activist judge of the first order"; a sentiment echoed by ultra-conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh who added his personal desire to see Sotomayor fail in her career on the Supreme Court.

Yet despite the predictable outcry from conservative pundits and interest groups, the Republican Party is in a real bind with this choice (how brilliant of a political strategist is President Obama??), for two reasons. First, the Democrats, possessing 59 seats in the Senate, pretty much have the 60 votes required for breaking a filibuster on lockdown. Thus, as Senate Republicans have indicated, barring some unforseen revelation, they stand little chance of opposing her nomination. Secondly, they do not want to risk the political injury by being perceived as standing against the first Latina justice; a potential risk that is greatly magnified given Republicans' current lack of popularity in the Hispanic community.

Many Republicans, sensing the precarious position they are in, expressed cautious, measured reactions to Sotomayor's nomination. Michael Steele, Republican National Committee chairman embodied this hesitance when asked to comment on Barack's choice: "Republicans will reserve judgment on Sonia Sotomayor until there has been a thorough and thoughtful examination of her legal views.”

[I for one am very excited about the continued advancement of the Barack Era. Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination - and inevitable confirmation - signaled a great moment for this administration and for the country. I am anxious to see her impact on the Supreme Court and to see how she uses her new position to answer the important legal questions of the future.]

.

Drake - "Congratulations"

2009-05-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

photo courtesy of Google

Drake - "Congratulations"

I recently discovered this joint by Drake Drizzy Rogers aka "The Future of Hip Hop" (a nickname I gave him, because he is). This cut - entitled "Congratulations" - is a bonus track on Drake's recently released mixtape, So Far Gone, and features a sample from Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" (off their 2009 release by the same name).

This song is straight nuts! It features crazy wordplay from Drizzy whose swagger is on somewhere between 5 and 10 trillion right now, and it combines the prodigious creative talents of Drake and Coldplay; pretty much a recipe for success as far as I'm concerned.

[The take away from this is that Drake + Coldplay = $. Enjoy]

Nike - "MVPuppets" ad campaign

2009-05-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

Below are "Unstoppable" and "Mrs. Lewis" - part 3 and 4, respectively - of Nike's "MVPuppets" ad campaign. Again, gotta applaud Nike for a creative, funny and smart series of advertisements featuring Kobe Bryant and LeBron James rendered in puppet form. Just as a little background in case you haven't seen parts 1 and 2, each ad features KB and LJ exchanging boasts and trash talking each other about who is the better player.

As I am writing this post I discovered that the voices for LeBron and Kobe are non other than comedians Kenan Thompson (formerly on Nickelodeon and now SNL) and the legendyary David Allen Grier (from In Living Color), respectively. I thought they sounded familiar! Even though the voices don't sound anything like LeBron or Kobe, I think they're good choices. Enjoy.

"Unstoppable": LeBron watches a personal highlight video only to discover an unwelcome surprise from Kobe waiting for him.

"Mrs. Lewis": Kobe and LeBron square off in an epic puppet basketball game to prove who is best. It's hilarious. I love all the jawing that is going on between them. It reminds me of playing against (and schooling) my little brother in the backyard as a youngster.

Jazz Standard of the Week

2009-05-24T18:26:00.001-07:00

Miles Davis - "Someday My Prince Will Come"

Miles Davis performing live at Birdland, New York (1958)
Photo taken by Dennis Stock

Miles Davis - "Someday My Prince Will Come"

This is one of my favorite jazz standards of all time; Miles Davis playing the lovely ballad "Someday My Prince Will Come" - originally from Disney's Snow White but adapted to his Love Songs Vol. 1 album. Love Songs Vol. 1 also features the standards "My Funny Valentine", "Stella By Starlight" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". It's one of Miles' best collections and should be copped immediately.

Shel Silverstein - "It's Dark In Here"

2009-05-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

"It's Dark In Here" is a poem by the immortal children's poet Shel Silverstein, from his seminal book Where the Sidewalk Ends.

I used to read all of Shel's books when I was a youngster and I loved all his poetry. I hope reading this takes you back to when you were a kid and puts a smile on your face. :-)

It's Dark In Here

I am writing these poems
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.
So please excuse the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lion's cage
I'm afraid I got too near.
And I'm writing these lines
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.

LeBron James game winning 3 pointer (5/22/09)

2009-05-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

[Just as a preface, LeBron James is not human.]

For those of you who haven't been following the NBA playoffs this year, you have missed out on some of the most exciting games and moments in NBA playoff history. Saturday night added to the legend with what may be the most thrilling moment of the playoffs as LeBron James hit a 23 foot 3-point shot with 1 second left in regulation and his team down by 2 points. The shot was incredibly difficult, not only given its distance and the time constraint, but also because Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu - who hit the go ahead bucket on the previous possession - was in his face.

Moments like these are why I will always love sports. The impossible can happen. Just look at all the stunned, defeated faces in the crowd before LeBron made the biggest shot of his career. Immediately after he hit that shot the crowd erupted with a deafening roar of jubilation. Sports can transport us to higher emotional heights than is otherwise possible. That is what happened on Saturday night. Anyone watching that game could not help but feel a rush of excitement, regardless of his/her interest in the Cavs or Magic.

Simply amazing.

Music Video of the Week

2009-05-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Snoop Dogg f. The Dogg Pound and The Dramatics - "Doggy Dogg World"

So recently the topic of music videos has come up a lot amongst my friends and I. In particular, my friends and I have discussed how music videos are virtually nonexistent nowadays; shows such as "Total Request Live" and its predecessor "Yo! MTV Raps" which were once staples on MTV (which we forget stands for Music Television) have now been replaced by an endless parade of garbage reality shows. The rise of reality shows is due to the decreased importance of TV and radio as the guardians of fame, and the rise in grassroots avenues for artists to disseminate their music - they no longer rely on MTV for exposure. Ultimately, in this day and age, the considerable cost of producing a music video is not worth it given the lack of benefits.

Those converstions really got me thinking about the old school music videos I - along with the kids from my generation - grew up watching. Not only was the quality of rap music better and more diverse in the early/mid 1990s, but the videos themselves were far more creative; they often contained a narrative of some kind, portrayed the artist as a character within that narrative, and featured a setting which added to and fit within the narrative. Today's videos, in contrast, follow a simple formula: rapper and his entourage are at a club/pool party/house party [insert any potential party location] where they stand around mugging and showing off their material riches for scantily clad women who shake their asses and pretend to enjoy themselves.

Where did rap go wrong? I could go on and on about that topic but that is a conversation for another day. For now, enjoy the video for "Doggy Dogg World" off of Snoop's debut masterpiece album Doggystyle. The song is set in a 1970s style lounge and features the smooth vocal talents of The Dramatics along with The Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz). In 1994 this video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video.

via YouTube

Newsweek: "A Highly Logical Approach"

2009-05-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

President Obama Interview with Newsweek

Below are a few excerpts (The interview itself is very long. Click the link below for the full text) of Jon Meacham's thorough and insightful interview with President Obama which appeared in the latest edition of Newsweek. The conversation mostly covers today's pressing national security issues - Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan - and offers his reflections on past policies.

Meacham: The theme here is what you've learned. What's the hardest thing you've had to do?
President Obama: Order 17,000 additional troops into Afghanistan. There is a sobriety that comes with a decision like that because you have to expect that some of those young men and women are going to be harmed in the theater of war. And making sure that you have thought through every angle and have put together the best possible strategy, but still understanding that in a situation like Afghanistan the task is extraordinarily difficult and there are no guarantees, that makes it a very complicated and difficult decision.

Q. Can you talk about how you reached the surge decision?
A. I think the starting point was a recognition that the existing trajectory was not working, that the Taliban had made advances, that our presence in Afghanistan was declining in popularity, that the instability along the border region was destabilizing Pakistan as well. So that was the starting point of the decision.

We then embarked on a strategic review that involved every aspect of our government's involvement—Defense, State Department, intelligence operations, aid operations. Once that strategic review had been completed, then I sat in a room with the principals and argued about it, and listened to various perspectives, saw a range of options in terms of how we could move forward; asked them to go back and rework their numbers and reconsider certain positions based on the fact that some of the questions I asked could not be answered. And when I finally felt that every approach—every possible approach—had been aired, that all the questions had either been answered or were unanswerable, at that point I had to make a decision and I did.

Q. Are you open to sending more troops in if this particular number can't make the progress you need to make?
A. I think it's premature to talk about additional troops. My strong view is that we are not going to succeed simply by piling on more and more troops. The Soviets tried that; it didn't work out too well for them. The British tried it; it didn't work. We have to see our military action in the context of a broader effort to stabilize security in the country, allow national elections to take place in Afghanistan and then provide the space for the vital development work that's needed so that a tolerant and open, democratically elected government is considered far more legitimate than a Taliban alternative. And the military component is critical to accomplishing that goal, but it is not a sufficient element by itself.

Q. What have you learned watching the Republican party the past 115 days or so?
A. What I've learned, I think, [is] that the Republican Party, like the Democratic Party after Ronald Reagan's election, when it's been in power for a long time, has trouble making an adjustment—not just to minority status but also to self-reflection. I think there's a certain period of time where you insist on talking only to your base instead of to the American people more broadly. And I suspect that they'll make an adjustment. There are some smart people over there and some good people who may disagree with me on specific policies but I think have sincere convictions and want to see the country succeed.

Right now they're sort of trapped in the pattern of having to appeal to the most ideologically pure wing of their party as opposed to thinking a little bit more practically. And that, I think, is putting a lot of Republicans who would like to work with us on specific, select issues—they might disagree with us on one thing but want to work with us on another thing—in an awkward position.

If you start marginalizing too many of those people, sooner or later the party starts figuring out, "Well, you know what, this is probably not going to work for us long term," and the adjustment is made. But it's a painful process. As I said, the Democrats went through it, and I expect the Republicans will get through it as well.

Q. What's your reaction to Vice President Cheney's ongoing [criticism]? He's not quite twittering your administration [ laughter ] but he's coming fairly close.
A. You know, Dick Cheney had a strong perspective about national security. It was tested in the early years of the Bush administration, and I think it resulted in a series of very bad decisions. I think what's interesting is that, in some ways, Dick Cheney actually lost these arguments inside the Bush administration.

And so he may have won early with Colin Powell and Condi Rice, but over the last two or three years of the Bush administration, I think there was a recognition among Republicans and Bush administration officials that these enhanced interrogation techniques that were being applied—that they had applied early on—were potentially counterproductive; that a posture of never talking to our enemies, of unilateral action, of framing national security only in terms of the application of force, often unilateral—that that wasn't producing.

And so it's interesting to me to see the vice president spending so much time trying to vindicate himself and relitigate the last eight years when, as I said, I think, actually, a lot of these arguments were settled even before we took over the White House.

Q. On the subject of terrorism, the Austrian Interior Minister—you may know this—has said if the detainees are no longer dangerous, why don't they just stay in the U.S.?
A. Well, look, this is an example of a hard problem. And I acknowledged this before I was sworn in. You've got a situation where, in some cases, individuals should not have been detained, but after having been detained for six years may not have a very friendly view towards the United States. You have some people who definitely should have been detained and should have been immediately charged, but were not and, in some cases, because of the manner in which evidence was obtained, it makes—it's going to be very difficult for us to prosecute them in Article III courts.

So this is a mess that we've got to clean up and it's not going to be neat. But what we're striving towards is a situation in which Guantánamo is no longer a recruitment tool for Al Qaeda; that we are following core principles of due process; that individuals who are dangerous are still detained, but they are detained and/or tried in some fashion that has international and national legitimacy and is consistent with our Constitution.

And so that's going to require some work and there are going to be instances where not everybody is happy with our decisions, but over time we're going to be able to work through this.

Q. Were you surprised at how quickly your family became part of the cultural iconography?
A. You know, the nice thing is that, partly because of temperament, partly because of Michelle's unbelievable parenting skills, I've just got some happy, normal kids. And all that stuff that's going on around them, they just kind of miss. We have not seen any effects, any fishbowl effects, yet on them. Now, I worry about them when they're teenagers where, you know, you're already embarrassed about your parents and even more embarrassed on TV all the time. And dating I think will be an issue because I have men with guns surrounding them at all times [laughter], which I'm perfectly happy with, but they may feel differently about it.

Q. What are you reading?
A. I'm reading this book called Netherland by Joseph O'Neill … It's about after 9/11, a guy—his family leaves him and he takes up cricket in New York. And it's fascinating. It's a wonderful book, although I know nothing about cricket.

Q. And as you divide up your time, when do you steal the time to do that?
A. I'm a night owl. My usual day [is]: I work out in the morning; I get to the office around 9, 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.; work till about 6:30 p.m.; have dinner with the family, hang out with the kids and put them to bed about 8:30 p.m. And then I'll probably read briefing papers or do paperwork or write stuff until about 11:30 p.m., and then I usually have about a half hour to read before I go to bed … about midnight, 12:30 a.m.—sometimes a little later.

Q. And the last movie you saw?
A. Now, movies I've been doing OK [with] because it turns out we got this nice theater on the ground floor of my house … So Star Trek, we saw this weekend, which I thought was good. Everybody was saying I was Spock, so I figured I should check it out and—[the president makes the Vulcan salute with his hand].

Q. Very good.
A. Yes, absolutely.

The Big Picture: Obama's Notre Dame Speech Part 1

2009-05-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

[This is the first part of an analysis of President Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame, written by "The Big Picture", a friend of mine who is a contributing writer to Strike the Last Word. STLW is a political blog started by "The Strike" whose purpose is "to write about the politics of Congress in the age of Obama, following bills through Congressional action, explaining why things are and are not getting done, analyzing Congressional votes and handicapping political races and such." STLW offers some great insight into every day congressional and presidential politics on the ground level along with sharp political analysis. Definitely worth checking out and adding to your daily political reading. Part 2 will come later today.]

This is the first part of my analysis of Obama's speech on Sunday at Notre Dame, which we once again urge everyone to watch. Part II will be coming tomorrow.

Most of the discussion of Barack Obama's commencement address at Notre Dame on Sunday has focused on the skillful and "quintessentially Obama" way he addressed the hot-button issue of abortion by calling for "fair-minded words" and a mentality and goals that seek common ground rather than polarization. If this speech were only to set us on the path to reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies and taking better care of pregnant mothers, it would be an impressive enough accomplishment. But I hope that we will look back on Obama's speech as something even more consequential: a key moment in an across-the-board leftward shift in the politics of religion and of religious people. I think that the political context, the venue, the messenger, and both the style and substance of the message were almost perfectly calibrated to accomplish the mirror-image goals of disarming culture-wars-based opposition to Obama's agenda while pulling in many of those same "values voters" as allies and even foot soldiers for his agenda.

The context for Obama's "speech to the religious" is that, on the whole, religious voters pull the country rightward. Religious voters are underrepresented among liberal activists, among rank-and-file Democrats, and even among liberal-leaning independents, while they are overrepresented among rank-and-file Republicans, conservative activists, and the politically apathetic. The biggest thing holding liberalism and the Democratic Party back in recent decades has been the sense that its leaders, its spokesmen, areculturally elitist, think they're smarter and more modern and cooler, are indifferent or even hostile to religion and moral values. This led to a bunch of frankly pathetic attempts by candidates like Gore and Kerry to show how "in touch" they were, which only made them look phony. If a prominent liberal/Democrat - and no one is more prominent than the most famous man on the planet - could convincingly, authentically show that he didn't just give lip service to the role of faith and morality and values in guiding his worldview and his policies, but that those things are at the very core of the liberal agenda, than he could begin to shift religious voters leftward. Polls and anecdotal evidence back up the working assumption of Obama and his top political adviser David Axelrod that the strongest force pulling independents and conservatives rightward is not economic conservatism - i.e small government, pro-tax-cuts, anti-regulation, anti-environmentalism, anti-workers' protection, but social conservatism - which goes beyond issues like abortion and gay marriage to include a basic worldview, a perception of the relative morality of the two parties.

The Republican Party and conservatism have so discredited themselves among moderate and even some conservative voters - and currently none of their spokesmen demonstrate any ability to connect on religious issues - that all liberals need to do is disarm any fears these voters have that we look down on their faith and how that they are welcome in our party and our critical to the success of our agenda. In short, polling and analysis show that people are already prone to support the core elements of the Obama agenda - reform and reinvestment in health care, energy, and the environment - that we just need to convince people that liberalism is "safe" on religion and morality.

President Obama: Notre Dame Commencement

2009-05-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

This is the video to Obama's commencement address at The University of Notre Dame. It's a fantastic speech in which he boldly addresses the controversy surrounding his pro-choice stance on abortion. It was also an important speech because it could potentially be the first step in altering the political landscape by opening up an honest dialogue about religion and religious issues within the Democratic party; thereby bringing religious people - usually associated with the Republicans - into the Democratic fold. We will see where this goes, but it was a great speech by Obama.

[Check out the above post for sharp political analysis by "The Big Picture", a contributing writer for the political blog Strike the Last Word.]

via Vimeo

Greg Williams - "007: Daniel Craig"

2009-05-14T00:38:00.001-07:00

Peep these photos from British-born photographer Greg Williams. They are some behind-the-scenes shots of Daniel Craig on the set of the most recent 007 movies, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Gotta love the black and white.

Photography: Greg Williams

Via: Iconography

Nike - LeBron & Kobe Commercial

2009-05-14T00:36:00.001-07:00

via YouTube

This commercial is great!!!

First of all, the use of puppets is always money. Secondly, I love how this commercial contrasts LeBron's fun-loving personality and his youthful exuberance with Kobe's poised, mature demeanor.

Although it is annoying seeing a bunch of companies (Vitamin Water, Nike, etc.) hype up a LeBron-Kobe championship that is by no means a given, I think this commercial is correct in highlighting Kobe and LeBron as the two superstars at the top of the NBA right now (D-Wade is just one half step behind them). And despite my loathing of the Shaq-less Lakers and all the annoying minions riding the LA bandwagon, I can't help but be excited by the possibility of Kobe and LeBron - two basketball goliaths - battling in the Finals. It would be an epic contest between the only two Post-Jordan Era players who have been so consistently dominant, brilliant and scintillating on a level above anyone else in the league that they have merited legitimate comparisons to His Airness.

LeBron in particular has transcended greatness this season, elevating his game to "legend" status: he improved in every offensive category (28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 7.2 apg) while decreasing his turnovers and leading leading the Cavaliers to an NBA-best record of 66-16 (39-2 at home!!). But his impressive statistics don't tell the full story because LeBron's biggest impact on his team is the chemistry he has cultivated with his teammates.

Chemistry is an elusive, unquantifiable, yet crucial element that is highly underrated in professional sports. Teams in the modern, free-agent driven era in sports are pressured to win immediately. To this end, teams often spurn the long-term strategy of developing a core of talented young players for the short-term pursuit of a championship. This strategy means trying to land the highest priced players from year to year with complete disregard to how the assembled players will mesh together (see the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, Oakland Raiders, etc.).

This strategy often fails for a combination of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is because teams bring in players with huge egos who cannot co-exist with their teammates and accept their role with the team. This is a recipe for failure. Look at many of the past championship teams. Even if these teams did not have extraordinary chemistry, they all had players who played together for a while and were comfortable in their given roles (Patriots, Lakers, Spurs, Red Sox, etc.).

It's extremely rare for a franchise to find the right combination of superstars and role players who fit together harmoniously without any bitterness. It's even rarer to see a superstar of Lebron's caliber who can not only raise his teammates to new heights - without making them feel inferior (like Jordan did) - but who can do so while genuinely having fun with them. LeBron's significant talents aside, I think that is a big reason why the Cavaliers have been so successful this season. Please believe, chemistry is truly one of the great equalizers that can get a team to play better than the sum of its parts.

.

Nike "Tennis Ball" HyperMax

2009-05-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

via Hypebeast

The latest edition of the Nike HyperMax comes in the classic neon yellow hue generally seen on tennis balls. I'm not sure I could pull these kicks off, but they definitely are visually stunning. No word yet on when they will be available, so stay tuned...

VIBE Magazine's Top 50 rap blogs

2009-05-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

For all of you up on the blogosphere, here are VIBE Magazine's top 50 rap blogs:

1. Nah Right 2. Kanye’s Blog 3. 2dopeboyz 4. Missinfo.tv 5. OnSmash 6. You Heard That New 7. Cocaine, Blunts & Hip Hop Tapes 8. Ill Doctrine 9. AllHipHop.com Rumors 10. RapRadar 11. Dajaz1.com 12. The Smoking Section 13. Fake Shore Drive 14. Get Right Music 15. World Star Flip Flop 16. Mixtape Monday 17. H.E.R 18. The Meaning Of Dope 19. The MegatronDon 20. The T.R.O.Y blog 21. The Rap Up 22. Beats and Rants 23. SOHH Blogs 24. Vladtv.com 25. Elitaste 26. KidCudi.com 27. Don’t Get Gassed 28. Kim Osorio’s Blog 29. Byron Crawford 30. Hip Hop Is Read 31. Fat Lace 32. Notes From a Different Kitchen 33. Nola Bounce 34. Rosenberg Radio 35. Xclusives Zone 36. DallasPenn.com 37. So Many Shrimp 38. Zilla Says 39. Unkut.com 40. Bust The Facts 41. Uggh…Nice Watch 42. Maurice Garland 43. Slang Rap Democracy 44. Mista Jam’s Blogs 45. Metal Lungies 46. ThePressPlayShow 47. Prancehall.com 48. Straight Bangin’ 49. Passion of the Weiss 50. Twankle & Glisten

"My state of mind all purple..."

2009-05-06T21:09:00.001-07:00

The poem below was written by my longtime friend and aspiring writer, Emil DeAndreis (peep his A-Rod video below). This poem, entitled "Ode to Purple", was inspired by the picture included below. Enjoy.

Ode to Purple
by Emil DeAndreis

Amongst a cratered mass of dream,
Fixated on its Mother's scent
Are cocooned princes, royalty--
The speckles of His laziness.

The color purple--misty haze
Of mischief and promiscuous,
Voluptuous betrayal of
Morals and codes that don't exist

A million branches reach to find
That heaven's something in their minds,
A truth that withers them to bone
And makes them want to stand alone.

Life can spoil under black soil,
That also births the richest oil--
The color of an endless maze
Of glitter and unanswered questions.

Is the water warm, I ask
Across an ice rinc blue with sleep
Where one snap of a finger can
Amount to tidal waves elsewhere.

Who will swim in the warm lake
Or climb the limbs of this bare tree,
Who will dream and fuck and cry,
And live a life against His will?

A cratered glow perched on our land,
That you can pluck with your own hand
Means we're at war with what is dream
And what we fear we've never seen.

.

Drake - (Live) in Atlanta

2009-05-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

Drizzy Drake Rogers touched down in the ATL a week ago for a live appearance. Here is footage from that concert in which Drake performed the main tracks off his recently released mixtape So Far Gone, along with previous material. SF I got you!

[You are witnessing the future of hip hop.. Don't sleep on Drizzy!]

via Nah Right

Drake - Take You Down Freestyle | Mediafire

As a bonus I've included the link (above) to DL Drake's freestyle set to the beat of "Take You Down", originally by Chris Brown. Peep game.

Takashi Murakami billboard shipped to Japan

2009-05-06T18:36:00.001-07:00

via Boing Boing

Takashi Murakami is a famous contemporary Japanese artist who works in a variety of mediums, including painting and digital media. His work is characterized by his appropriation of "popular themes from mass media and pop culture", which he then renders into "thirty-foot sculptures, 'Superflat' paintings, or marketable commercial goods such as figurines or phone caddies" (Wikipedia).

This billboard was put up on the Melrose strip as an advertisment for Murakami's exhibit at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. In December, graffiti artists AUGER and REVOK tagged the billboard (shown above); two days later it was was taken down by the City of Los Angeles. However, Murakami recently saw photos of the billboard online and he enjoyed the piece so much that he arranged for it to be shipped to his studio in Japan.

Gotta say, that's pretty beastie.

.

Rick Ross f. Kanye, Weezy, T-Pain - "Maybach Music 2"

2009-05-06T16:31:00.001-07:00

via Google

Rick Ross f. Kanye West, Lil' Wayne & T-Pain - Maybach Music 2"

"Tha Baauuse" comes hard on this track! Rick Ross is a popular rapper from Miami, Florida who has the build of Notorious B.I.G. and the beard of Baron Davis. Ross claims to have been a certified D-boy (his rap name is taken from "Freeway" Ricky Ross, a notorious cocaine dealer in L.A. in the 1980s) but I'm not sure I believe the hype. Not only did he attend Albany State University, but he was also a corrections officer in Florida in the early 1990s. Not saying that means he didn't slang, but it definitely raises some questions about Ross' credentials. "Maybach Music 2" - a reference to the German luxury car and Rick Ross' record label Maybach Music Group - is a cut off Ross' recently released third album, "Deeper Than Rap" and features the lyrical talents of Kanye, Weezy and T-Pain.

First of all, I love it when rappers at the top of the game collaborate. Whenever I see a song on album that has a bunch of stars on it, my expectations for that song are immediately raised; I expect the beat to be fresh and the flow to be sharp. Part of the reason for my heightened expectations is my assumption that when big name rappers come together, they feel the gravity of the occasion and it adds a little bit of friendly competition to the effort; their pride and ego provide extra motivation to come with the hottest verse. Rappers teaming up and competing with each other on wax is a time honored tradition in rap and has resulted in some truly amazing songs ("2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted", "Ignorant Shit", "I Love the Dough", "Black Republican", etc.).

Unfortunately, that logic does not always hold true. This song is the latest example of a troubling trend I've noticed: whenever Wayne is on a track with other superstars (with the exception of Drake who he collaborates with harmoniously), he doesn't rise to the occasion. In fact, he has a tendency to come with mediocre verses and he is often overshadowed by lesser supporting cast members (i.e. "Swagger Like Us", "Barry Bonds", "Hello Brooklyn", "Black Republican", etc.). This reality, along with others, supports my belief that while Wayne is an incredibly talented rapper and one of the best in the game right now, he is not even in the discussion of the best rappers of all-time; he doesn't even crack the top 10. Top 15, maaaaybe. [what are your thoughts on this subject?]

That digression aside, let us return to this particular song. The flow is pretty nice but not amazing. If I had to rank the verses, I'd say that Kanye has the best verse, followed by Weezy F then Ross. The highlight of this song - and the reason I share it with you - is undoubtedly the chorus, laced by T-Pain, and the beat, produced by the Grammy award winning group of hip hop producers, the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League (which stands for Just Undeniably Some of the Illest Composers Ever).

Enjoy.

.

"SuperJail!" super battle

2009-05-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

After watching this clip, a flurry of words come to mind: Bizarre. Dark. Psychadelic. Funny. Off-the-wall. Those are just a few of the adjectives which describe "SuperJail!", an American cartoon created by Christy Karacas and Stephen Warbrick in 2007 (it premiered on Adult Swim in September 2008).

The show takes place in SuperJail, a super-maximum prison located on a volcano within a volcano. The jail exists in its own reality with unique properties of time and space that are controlled by the Warden, who resembles a perverse, sadistic Willy Wonka. According to the accountant in the show, SuperJail houses more than 70,000 inmates.

via You Tube

This show is simply bonkers, as the clip above illustrates. I love how the creators throw the entire kitchen sink into their episodes, coming up with the most creative fatalities and battles. The animation style - with all of its intricacies, creativity, and yet simplicity - is dope by itself. But at the end of the day SuperJail! is all about its graphic violence and gore. Yet for me, the gore - even though it is abundant - isn't excessive because it's presented in such creative ways that I want to see what they are going to come up with next.

Here is a quote from creator Steve Warbrick which sheds light on the show's crazy, over-the-top style: "I always like shows that when you finished watching you forget where you started - you don't even remember. Super Jail! is like that. By the time that you're done you're not quite sure what you've saw but you wanna see it again just to pick up anything you missed."

[I love the Dracula foot soldiers and the part at the end where Jericho (the accountant) snipes the woman running away with her baby. Haha.. simply genius!]

You can watch more episodes of SuperJail! free at Hulu.

Eminem - "3 A.M." Video

2009-05-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Eminem is back!

This video is for "3 A.M.", Eminem's newest single. It debuted on Cinemax over the weekend (as you can imagine once you see the video, it is a little too extreme for network television) and is the third track on Eminem's upcoming album "Relapse", which is set to release on May 19th. This video, directed by Syndrome, echoes "House on Haunted Hill" with its creepy camera work, quick cuts, extreme gore and its setting in an abandoned mental hopital. It's a pretty creative and disturbing video, but I gotta say, it's not a surprise coming from Eminem who has a track record of making songs in which he plays the role of a psycho and/or killer.

While I enjoyed this video for its visual creativity, that is only of secondary importance to me. Eminem's last couple albums have been lackluster at best and displayed a frustrating lack of effort; it was as if Eminem wanted to find out how far he could dumb down his flow and still sell tons of records (it got pretty ridiculous). Therefore, the bigger question is whether or not Eminem's flow is still sharp - based purely on this track, I'm not sold - and whether or not he cares about making a decent album. This song is a step in the right direction but taken together with his previous single, the jury is still out. The only thing I can say for sure is that I am eagerly anticipating his next album release and desperately hoping the old Em has returned.

via YouTube

Questions about Swine Flu

2009-04-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

via NYTimes

On Wednesday the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the spread of swine flu into a pandemic is very likely. As a result, the WHO elevated its alert level to Phase 5, the second-highest warning level. The global warning system was established in 2005 in response to the avian influenza crisis. Since its inception, Phase 5 has never been declared; Phase 6 means a pandemic is in effect (NY Times.com).

Here is info on the current scope of the disease (as of Wednesday):

In the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 91 confirmed cases of swine flu in 10 states - up from 64 cases in 5 states on Tuesday [Damn, that's no joke!]

Globally, there have been 159 deaths in Mexico directly related to swine flu. In addition, there have been reported cases of swine flu in the United States, Canada, Britain, Israel, New Zealend, Spain and most recently Germany and Austria.

Here are some answers to questions regarding swine flu (from CNN.com)

Q. What is swine flu?

A. Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. Outbreaks in pigs occur year-round.

The most common version is H1N1. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.

Q. Does swine flu affect humans?

A. While the virus causes regular outbreaks in pigs, people usually are not struck by swine flu. However, there have been instances of the virus spreading to people -- and then from one person to another. The only difference is, says the CDC, transmission in the past did not spread beyond three people -- as it has done this time.

Q. What are the symptoms of swine flu?

A. The symptoms are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Q. How does the virus spread?

A. The virus spreads the same way the seasonal flu does. When an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person, the latter is put at risk. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. An infected person can pass the virus to another before any symptoms even develop.

Q. Why is this spread troubling?

A. Scientists are concerned whenever a new virus is able to jump from an animal to a person -- and then spread from person to person. When the flu spreads person to person, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight off.

The World Health Organization has said the current outbreak has "pandemic potential," and has urged governments to take precautions to prevent its spread. If the virus continues to mutate, drug makers won't be able to come up with vaccines fast enough.

Q. Can swine flu be fatal?

A. Just like the regular flu, swine flu worsens pre-existing medical conditions in people. So people with already compromised immune systems can die after contracting it.

Q. What does the World Health Organization mean when it says swine flu has "pandemic potential"?

A. If the virus spreads over a wide geographic area and affects a large segment of the population, it is upgraded from an "epidemic" to a "pandemic."

Q. How can one keep from getting swine flu?

A. There are no vaccines available. But several everyday steps can help prevent the spread of germs: Washing hands frequently; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and avoiding touching surfaces that might be contaminated.

Q. Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

A. Yes, the CDC recommends using anti-viral drugs. They keep the virus from reproducing inside the body. And in an infected person, the drugs make the illness milder.

Q. Can one contract swine flu from eating or preparing pork?

A. No. Pork and other pig-derived products, if properly handled and cooked, do not transmit swine flu. The flu virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F (70°C)

[For a comprehensive video breakdown of the swine flu check out NY Times.com]

Lil' Wayne on "The View"

2009-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

On April 24, Lil' Wayne appeared on the popular daytime talk show "The View". Wayne, along with the show's panel - Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck - touches on a wide variety of topics including his upbringing, tattoos, education, his "dependence" on cough syrup and marijuana, along with others. The conversation is very open and Lil' Wayne answers the ladies' questions freely and articulately.

[My favorite part of the show is their brief discussion on Wayne's upbringing and the path his education has taken. I found it interesting hearing how Wayne was a straight-A student in middle school and how he was enrolled in a variety of artistic classes. I also was impressed to hear that he is currently taking psych classes at The University of Phoenix (after efforts to physically take classes at The University of Houston proved impossible). It was also a trip to contrast Wayne's poised, mild-mannered, articulate persona on "The View" with the super energetic, vulgar, hardcore persona Wayne portrays on stage and in his music.

I can't help but think back to Wayne's song, "Misunderstood". Wayne opens the song with the line, "misunderstood ain't gotta be explained/but you don't understand me so let me explain." Wayne often talks about being misunderstood and this interview illustrates that beautifully. Wayne is definitely much deeper and complex than people understand or give him credit for. I love seeing him on a show like "The View" because it gives viewers (and surely people who wouldn't normally listen to his music) an opportunity to see a different side of him and see that Wayne is more than the average rapper. His appearance on "The View" challenges stereotypes that people project on him, rappers, athletes and young black men in general.]

Emil DeAndreis and Danai Leininger - A-Rod Steroid Interview (Unreleased Footage)

2009-04-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

My two childhood friends Emil and Danai recently discovered some previously unreleased footage from Alex Rodriguez's steroid interview with ESPN's Peter Gammon's. Though this new footage may not come as a surprise to anyone, nevertheless it sheds a lot of light on the A-Rod steroid scandal and reveals A-Rod's true colors. Enjoy.

via YouTube

Snoop Dogg's Top 10 plays of 2008-2009 NBA season

2009-04-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

These are the Top 10 plays of the 2008-2009 NBA season, presented by the incomparable Snoop D-O-Double G. A great video clip of Snoop commenting on some crazy plays from this past NBA season. I'm glad ESPN gave him free reign and let him do his thing because Snoop is incredibly funny and charismatic. His animated reactions to all the plays, his use of alliteration ("Wiggle Wade") and rhyming ("the pass off the glass"), along with his signature vocabulary ("Trey Trevor Ariza..fa shiza") all make for an incredibly fun clip.

My top 4:

1. D Wade's steal which he tips to himself as he's going out of bounds then saves, followed by him running down the court and completing an incredibly alley-oop as he's falling into the crowd. An unreal sequence. [D Wade for MVP.]

2. LeBron blocking shots into the upper deck of the arena. Ferocious defense!!

3. Brandon Roy's game-winning nearly halfcourt 3-pointer (should have been an "And-1") at the buzzer against Houston.

4. D Wade's steal followed by a running 3-pointer that won the game with seconds left in Double OT against Chicago.

"Facing Race in Oakland After Tragedy" by Nick James and Charles McDonald

2009-04-02T16:42:00.001-07:00

[This article is by my homie Nick James and co-writer Charles Mcdonald. It appeared on March 24th, as an Op-Ed piece for Racewire.org, the blog for Color Lines, a "national newspaper on race and politics". Nick has been featured fairly regularly lately as a contributing writer for Racewire, and he is pretty much guaranteed to drop some insightful material. More from Nick to come, but for now, excellent job.]

Wake up, America! Conflict between Oakland’s Black community and law enforcement officials were NOT born yesterday. Hot headed tensions between our community and law enforcement officials predate the 1968 murder of Little Bobby Hutton, have continued to rise throughout the space and time leading up to the Jan 1st, 2009 video recorded shooting death of Oscar Grant by BART police, and have reached new heights in the aftermath of the most recent tragedy: the murderous rampage of Lovell Mixon, who cold bloodedly took the lives of four Oakland Police officers in East Oakland before his life was taken last Saturday.

Indeed, tensions are high, but the stakes are even higher for young Black men in the city of Oakland. Let us be firm when saying Lovelle Mixon is not a martyr. At best, Mixon’s actions defy hope in human life. However, this unconscionable tragedy is NOT an opportunity to further the isolation, negation, and dehumanization of young Black men in Oakland and in cities across the United States.

Throughout the next few weeks there will be much public volleying back and forth condemning the police state in Oakland and the prevalence of crime in the Black community. However, discourse laced with hate and bigotry lends itself useless while the day-to-day operation of the Town continues to be riddled with structural flaws. Finger pointing aside, we must ALL deal with the facts, 17.2% of Blacks in the city of Oakland are unemployed and 24.5% live in poverty. Excuses aside, these alarming statistics perpetuate crime and inequality, and have a profound impact on EVERY resident of Oakland, not simply those within the Black community.

Between the untimely deaths of Oscar Grant, Lovelle Mixon and the four Oakland Police officers recently slain, the city must find a middle ground, better yet a higher calling to stand in solidarity with every citizen. Oakland has the opportunity to view these senseless murders as the apex of terror and fear and dissuade future occurrences through a stringent effort to revitalize and redevelop every community ravaged by poverty and economic inopportunity.

Our socio-political community is full of powerful multi-racial organizers, artists, families, educators, and elders eager to replace Oakland’s national image of violence and political catharsis with our shared values of unity, justice, equity, and inclusion for ALL Oakland residents. This is no small task. It requires the commitment of every one of our community stakeholders to stand together and converge on these values motivated by our potential, sustained by belief, and nurtured through love.

[Nick James is Director of Special Projects for the East Bay nonprofit Youth Together. He was born, raised, and is currently living in Oakland California.

Charles McDonald is the Statewide Alliance Organizer for the Education and Racial Justice nonprofit, Californians for Justice. He lives in Oakland, California.]

The Isley Brothers - "Footsteps in the Dark" & "Between the Sheets"

2009-04-02T16:35:00.003-07:00

via Google

The Isley Brothers - "Footsteps In the Dark"

This track is off the Isley Brothers' 1977 double-platinum album, Go For Your Guns. Go For Your Guns was released in the "3+3" period, as the Isley's reformed their group, settling on 6 members: 5 Isley brothers (Ron, O'Kelly, Rudolph, Ernie, Marvin) and brother-in-law Chris Jasper. Like the other Isley albums released in this period, Go For Your Guns was a departure from their early gospel roots and brief experiments with rock-n-roll and doo-wop, and is characterized by its soul and funk sound.

The song is most recognizable as a sample for Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day". It has also been sampled on lesser known tracks including "Won't Do" (produced by J-Dilla, off The Shining) and "One Day You'll Be Mine" (off Usher's debut album, My Way). A beautiful track.

The Isley Brothers - "Between the Sheets"

This album is off the Isley Brothers' 1983 album Between the Sheets. It was their last recording made in the "3+3" period, as Eric and Marvin Isley, along with Chris Jasper left to form their own group, Isley-Jasper-Isley. The remaining 3 Isley brothers continued on as trio.

"Between the Sheets" has been sampled over 27 times!! What is dope about this song is how it can be broken down into two different tracks. The majority of the song is a laid-back groove that you will recognize as a sample on "Big Poppa" by Notorious B.I.G. and "Breaker 1/9" by Common. However, as the song enters the final third, it climaxes with a syntheziser break down that is essentially a different track. You will hear that portion of the song being sampled by Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, and Drake for "Ignorant Shit", and 2pac for his joint "Comin' On Strong".

[On a personal note, I love how the second part of that song is becoming a hip hop standard which has been used frequently as of late. I think the hip hop game can take a lot of lessons from jazz (article to come), and so I always like to see a fresh song being reinvented by different artists, who each put their own individual touch on it. "Between the Sheets" has a melody that lends itself well to being a fresh hip hop beat. Indeed, some of the illest verses have been spit on it by a collection of hip hop's finest - Jay-Z, Weezy, Drake, Lupe (in that order) all KILL it.

"It's Your World" - Pops verse

2009-04-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Common's album, Be, and this track came on. It's one of my favorites, with beautiful production from J-Dilla and a deep spoken-word poem by Lonnie "Pops" Lynn (Common's father) at the end, reproduced below:

Be.
Be here.
Be there.
Be that.
Be this.
Be grateful for life, be grateful to life.
Be gleeful everyday, for bein' the best swimmer among 500,000.
Be-nign.
Be you.
Be mom's mean pie.
Be Little Black Sambo with bad hair.
Be aware of Willie Lynches.
Be.
Be boundless energy!
Be a four-star ghetto general.
Be no one, except I.
Be a strong academic student, be a A student in sociology.
Be food for thought to the growin mind.
Be the author of your own horoscope.
Be invited, be long-living, be forgiving, be not forgetful.
Be a proud run, only to return to fight another day.
Be the author of your own horoscope.
Be invited, be long-living, be forgiving, be not forgetful.
Be a proud run, only to return to fight another day.
Be peaceful if possible, but justice in ways.
Be high when you low, be on time but know when to go.
Be cautious of the road to college, takin a detour through Vietnam or the Middle East
Be absent of wars at any past or present fought amongst themselves
Be visual of foreclosure over your shoulder while beggin
a nation built on free labor for reparation.
Be a cartopographer.
Be a map maker, be able to find Afro-American man.
Search thoroughly, it may be close to black man.
Be amended 5/5ths, be amended 5/5ths human.
Be the owner of more land than is set aside for wildlife.
Be cupid, to world government.
Be found among the true, lost tribe.
Be at full strength when walking through the valley.
Be not foolish as tender 18 of the mountain tops.
Be a brilliant soul, sparklin' in the galaxy while walkin on Earth.
Be loved by God as much as God loved Ghandi and Martin Luther King.
Be that last one of 144,000.
Be the resident of the Twelfth House.
Be... eternal!

Oakland mourns 4 officers, 3/27/09

2009-03-28T11:29:00.001-07:00

On Friday, over 20,000 citizens and law enforcement officials from around the country gathered at Oracle Arena to honor the lives of the four Oakland Police officers who were killed in the line of duty on what was the deadliest day in department history.

Sgt. Mark Dunakin, Traffic Officer John Hege, SWAT Sgt. Ervin Romans and Sgt. Daniel Sakai were gunned down this past Saturday in East Oakland by Lovelle Mixon, a 26-year old parolee who was linked to a murder in San Francisco and did not want to return to prison. Mixon first shot and killed Hege and Sgt. Dunakin after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop. After being pursued into an apartment complex by SWAT members and Oakland police, Mixon opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle, killing Sgt. Romans and leaving Sgt. Sakai brain-dead. Sakai died a day later after his organs were harvested for donation.

Some personal thoughts:

[This is an incredibly sad incident, and is the latest in a long line of fatal acts of violence Oakland has had to endure. It's indisputable that Oakland is in need of some serious financial help and bold, inspiring, intelligent leadership.

..It was absolutely despicable how people from the BART demonstrations taunted grieving police officers, saying that the killed officers represented "payback" for the Oscar Grant shooting, a completely unrelated event. Those people have no shred of decency and they make me sick. They wonder why their opinions are ignored and they never accomplish anything. Go figure.

..On a positive note, I hope this incident will lead to the re-establishment of a federal assault weapon ban (which the Bush administration allowed to expire), along with a strong enforcement mechanism.

..I understand that for many people the right to bear arms is very important, but assault weapons are a different beast. There is absolutely no need for anyone to possess weapons with that kind of destructive capacity; they are not hunting instruments or legitimate means of protection. They are made for waging war and killing people, plain and simple. Gun rights activists need to be reasonable. Their stubbornness on this issue puts our kids, law enforcement officers and citizens in danger.]

Photography via The SF Chronicle

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the slain officers and to all the families who have lost their sons and daughters in the line of duty.

"Bamboozled" - Blackface Montage

2009-03-26T15:17:00.001-07:00

This is the final montage from "Bamboozled", a Spike Lee joint about the film industry and its treatment and portrayal of black people. This montage displays a collection of racially demeaning portrayals of African Africans from Hollywood movies from the first half of the 20th century. Lee takes clips from several famous movies and shows, including Gone With the Wind, Birth of a Nation, Little Black Sambo, etc. It's a powerful clip that really speaks for itself. It is accompanied by a subtle musical score composed by Terence Blanchard.

via YouTube

[I reflect on this montage and think about some of the images that are used in today's movies, shows and commercials. While nothing is as overtly racist as images in these clips, derogatory portrayals of minorities are still perpetuated today, and some do come close. It's important to always have a critical eye when watching TV or movies and to really analyze what is being shown.]

Richard Pryor stand-up: "Prison"

2009-03-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have never seen or heard the comedic genius that is Richard Pryor, here is treat for you. Pryor is one of the most important and influential comedians, actors and writers of the last generation. Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor started his comedic career in the mid-1960s, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and later as a relatively successful act in Las Vegas. After having an "epiphany" during a September 1967 appearance in Las Vegas, Pryor began to increase the level of profanity and rawness of his comedy acts.

Pryor is the forerunner and inspiration for many famous black comedians, including Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle; you can hear similarities in delivery and content between Pryor, Murphy and Chappelle, including the prevalence of profanity and the unafraid commentary on social issues, specifically race and racism. It's brilliant how Pryor - and later Dave Chappelle - was able to touch on complex topics in a humorous, yet insightful way. In this particular clip about prisons, Pryor spits on both sides of the prison issue - the necessity of prison and the feeling of security it provides versus its racially disproportionate composition and its general inhumanity.

Pryor battled drug addiction throughout his career and died in 2005. R.I.P. to the "Picasso" of comedy.

via YouTube

[My favorite quote:]
"What do you think they'd do to us if we were here Rich?"
"Fuck us."

Mos Def - Cover Art + "Brooklyn (Go Hard)"

2009-03-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is the cover art to Mos Def's new album The Ecstatic which is expected to released on June 9th, to coincide with the 10 year anniversary of the release of Mos' debut album, Black on Both Sides. Mos has been pretty quiet as of late, focusing more on his acting. His most recent album was the unremarkable mixtape True Magic (2006) which came on the heels of the more well-known, yet equally unpopular concept album, The New Danger (2007).

Mos is a thoughtful, creative and incredibly talented MC. I appreciated Mos trying to experiment with a new, rock-inspired style on The New Danger. As a concept it was cool, but it fell flat in the execution, and was met with a lot of criticism (deserved in my opinion). I'm excited for this new release because, based on a couple sample tracks I've heard (including the one below), it seems to be a return to a hip-hop sound that Mos can thrive in.

via Nah Right

Below is one of the first singles that will be on The Ecstatic, entitled "Brooklyn (Go Hard)". Mos is back!!

Mos Def - "Brooklyn (Go Hard)"

2009-03-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

Mos Def - The Ecstatic Preview

I'm incredibly excited for Mos' new release. Here is a cool little visual preview for The Ecstatic. Check the above post for a song preview and more details..

Nike x Kanye West - The Air Yeezy's

2009-03-19T17:56:00.001-07:00

via Hypbeast

The Air Yeezy's bruh!

These shoes are the result of a collaboration between famed hip hop producer Kanye West and Nike. The shoe comes in 3 different colorways and will be released this Spring. The releases will be staggered: The Zen Grey/LT Charcoal color way will be released in April, followed by the Black/Black version in May and finally, the Net/Net color way in June. I like the gray ones the most personally. If the black ones had any other color besides the neon pink I'd definitely feel those the most. The band in the black cement pattern is soooo beastie, but overall the gray ones are my favorite. To make things even more hectic, I just found out these kicks (the swoosh and sole) glow in the dark!?! I wanna rock these in the club and glow!! More info to come soon. Holla at ya boy!!

Here is the Official Press Release from Nikepedia:

[Nike Sportswear and Grammy award winning recording artist Kanye West present the highly anticipated Nike Air Yeezy sneaker in Spring 2009.

The shoe, which takes West’s nickname Yeezy, draws upon the innovations from Nike’s rich sporting history and fuses them with original lines, materials, and design elements that reflect West’s unique style.

The Air Yeezy was developed from a strong relationship between West and Nike. Partnering with Nike Creative Director, Mark Smith, Kanye was taken through the product creation process, the same way athletes have with Nike Design for the past 37 years. This creative partnership of Smith and West’s talents as designers yielded a unique Nike Sportswear sneaker worth the wait. “Kanye is a truly creative talent,” said Smith. “He’s a natural designer—partnerships like this always enhance the creative experience and the end product.” West agrees that the partnership with Nike has been exciting. “Nike is such an important brand to me,” said West. “Whether you are on the court, in the street, in the club, at school, Nike represents excellence, the standard in design. Growing up, we looked forward to the release of new Nike’s the way we would an album by our favorite artist. So the opportunity to collaborate on a design with Mark Smith and Nike Design has been a dream come true, and a great experience.”

From the start, West and Nike’s shared vision was clear: to create a modern classic. An original Nike footwear style, that reflects elements of Nike’s sporting past, and remixes them with Nike innovation to deliver a unique shoe.

The creative process of the Air Yeezy began with the discussion around ideas and inspirations. The shoe began to take shape through a series of drawings and samples, each pulling inspiration and reference from some of Nike’s iconic innovations and rich design history, across both Basketball and Sportswear styles.

A careful balance was sought, each time new elements were added, with existing elements being taken away - a design process Smith refers to as “reductionism”. “Nike shoes need to function and always be innovative,” said Smith. “So the first thing we did was to make sure the design process that Kanye and Nike Design went through, mirrored that of our athletes.” “I’ve been designing Nike’s in my sketch pad since the fourth grade,” said West. “So to say I’ve been prepared for this would be an understatement. The really fun and challenging part for me was learning about Nike’s design process, learning more about fabrics and functions and colorways, and all of the details that go into designing a shoe of this quality.”

Following the fabled tradition of Nike’s design process, West and Smith went through a series of one-on-one design sessions. At Nike the ultimate test is one of performance, where the design meets the athlete’s movements. “Kanye could wear and perform in these shoes and really identify how we could make the shoes perform better.” Supplanting center court with center stage, West provided critical feedback on how the shoe performed throughout the course of his 2-3 hour performance sets, where the first prototypes of the Nike Air Yeezy were seen outside of Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR.

*THE NIKE AIR YEEZY: NEW SCHOOL OF COMFORT.*

Born from Kanye West’s creative passion, built with Nike design and performance innovation, The Air Yeezy was fine-tuned on stages around the globe, challenging convention by remixing the past to create something uniquely new, as only Nike Sportswear can.

West is known for his non-stop energy both on the stage and off so the Air Yeezy had to support and sustain West from start to finish. An almost obsessive focus was put on delivering supreme comfort throughout the development of the shoe. Equipped with debossed ankle collar pods for added support and protection, extra-thick sock liners, a forefoot support strap, original functional tension lace loops, and Phylon tooling taken from the 1987 Nike Air Assault for added performance and comfort—all developed and integrated with one goal in mind: to keep Kanye on lock down in cushioned comfort during his performances during his many notoriously strenuous artistic live performances.

These performance attributes have been meticulously wrapped in premium full grain leather uppers and adorned with original design details that are uniquely Kanye and identifiably Nike. The remastered Nike Air Assault outsole is treated to glow-in-the-dark properties and will illuminate when the light is low. The forefoot support strap is premium grade patent leather and is of no-stitch construction. Clean seams are used throughout except for a premium suede toe wrap feature with visible stitch detail. Emblazoned across the Air Yeezy is an exclusive “Y” repeat pattern, as either a debossed or lasered detail, which takes inspiration from the Jordan brands iconic Elephant print material. This graphic treatment was developed by West and Smith to pay tribute not only to the name of the shoe and it’s co-creator, but also to the various moments in history that spurred West’s initial inspiration for the Nike Air Yeezy.]

So clean!!!

2009 NCCA Tournament Bracket x President Obama (Barack-Etology)

2009-03-19T00:09:00.000-07:00

Here is Prez Obama filling out his 2009 NCAA Tournament bracket on "Sportscenter." As he is with just about every topic, El Presidente definitely knows his college hoops. It may too late for all of you participating in NCAA pools to copy Barack's bracket and submit it as your own, but it's still cool to see him deftly break down the match-ups and offer his opinion. As always, Barack displays his charisma and comes off completely at east; he seems like a normal guy discussing hoops - nothing seems fake about his persona. Plus, how many U.S. Presidents have ever been on "Sportscenter" casually conversing about sports - especially in the midst of an economic crisis?

And that is why he is The Rock of Gibraltar aka Barack of Gibraltar. Enjoy.

[I haven't followed college hoop too closely this season. Every year I say I'm going to keep up during the regular season so that come tourney time I'll be able to make intelligent picks. It never happens that way. I just never get into college hoop.

With that disclaimer in place, let's go! From the small amount of college b-ball I've seen this year (most in the past couple weeks leading up to the Big Dance), and after a couple days of being overexposed to the opinions and "insight" of an endless supply of no-name commentators that ESPN loves to bring out of the woodwork, I'm ready to select.

Here are my picks:

Elite 8:
Louisville v. Michigan St.
U Conn v. Missouri
Pittsburgh v. Villanova
Gonzaga v. Syracuse

Final 4:
Louisville v. Mizzou
Pitt v. Syracuse

Championship Game:
Louisville v. Syracuse

[And your 2009 NCAA Champion will be... Louisville, 82-76.]

Give me your picks for the Final 4 all the way through your pick for 2009 Champ..

To view a printable bracket, click here and hit up ESPN.com

The Hundreds, San Francisco: Post 1 Year Anniversary Party

2009-03-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

For all of those who haven't been able to visit The Hundreds store on Post St. in SF, you should definitely check it out. I'm a big fan of The Hundreds clothing and I was juiced when they set up shop on in downtown SF. This event is being thrown to celebrate the store's 1-year anniversary. It sounds like it could be a dope event.. I may have to attend. Who's with me??

Jim Cramer on "The Daily Show"

2009-03-16T19:46:00.001-07:00

This is Jim Cramer from CNBC's "Mad Money" on "The Daily Show". He gets the straight up 3rd degree from John Stewart who shreds him for his complicity in the whole market crisis. The normally animated and wild Cramer is uncharacteristically cowed and meek in this clip. I almost feel bad for the guy (who is no doubt an economic genius), until I see him in his hedge fund days, sleazily talking about how to trick investors and slip through regulatory loop holes. John Stewart shines in this video and asks some serious questions. A model of what honest journalism looks like. Some real shit.

The video pretty much speaks for itself.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

A.I.G. plans to pay over $160 million in executive bonuses

2009-03-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, the New York Times reported that The American International Group (A.I.G.) will dole out around $165 million in executive bonuses. These bonuses come in the wake of A.I.G. receiving $170 billion of taxpayer money last year in order to save the company from totally collapsing.

The situation is even more odious because A.I.G. - out of all the troubled financial institutions - has received the largest sum of taxpayer dollars and has conducted its business in an especially reckless and embarrassing fashion. Furthermore, the bonuses will be paid to executives in A.I.G.’s financial products division, the same unit that “wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps that protected investors from defaults on bonds backed in many cases by subprime mortgages” (Cooper, 3/16/09) and plunged the company into financial ruin.

The news has drawn widespread outrage and infuriated people on both sides of the political spectrum. Today President Obama delivered a harshly worded statement in which he called A.I.G. a “corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed” (Cooper) and ordered Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to “pursue every single legal avenue” to block the executive bonuses.

“Under these circumstances, it’s hard to understand how derivative traders at A.I.G. warranted any bonuses at all, much less $165 million in extra pay,” President Obama continued. “How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?”

Edward M. Libby, appointed by the Federal government to oversee the progress at A.I.G., acknowledged the bad message the bonuses sent, but maintained that they were necessary. In a letter to Geithner, Libby wrote, “We cannot attract and retain the best and the brightest talent to lead and staff the A.I.G. businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of American taxpayers — if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury." (Cooper)

Despite Obama’s call to block the bonuses, the task may prove difficult, if not legally impossible. The bonuses, covering 400 employees, and ranging from $1,000 to $6.5 million are mandated for in a contract that was written in 2008 before the banking meltdown. In fact, Obama's chief economic adviser, Lawrence Summers said over the weekend that the federal government had reviewed its legal options and concluded that it could not block the payments.

Time will tell...

[My opinion on this bonus situation aligns with the popular sentiment. I am outraged by A.I.G.’s decision to distribute these bonuses – a move I regard as a slap in the taxpayer’s face. While I understand their contractual obligations, I believe that the contract became negotiable the instant the government propped up A.I.G. and resurrected using taxpayer money. At a time when hardworking people across the country are being laid off in waves, and those who are lucky enough to be employed are struggling to make ends-meet, it is simply unjustifiable to significantly reward those people who had a legitimate role in creating this financial crisis. Just despicable. I want this crisis to be resolved as quickly as possible so the Obama administration can begin the process of transforming our economic system.]

Saturday Night Live - "Digital Short: Party Guys"

2009-03-15T23:55:00.000-07:00

This is the most recent "Digital Short" from Saturday Night Live. It aired on the March 14 episode which featured a guest appearance from actor and comedian Tracy Morgan. This Digital Short stars Bill Hader and Andy Samberg as the "party guys", two guys who stand together at a house party people-watching and mocking all the different character types who are there. The flanel-, slim-fitter hoodie wearing duo take turns hating on virtually everyone at the party, calling him or her some derogatory name: i.e. "joker", "numbnuts", "cowboy".

It's a hilarious video, showcasing an array of disses that anyone can relate to; we've all heard people use these words and phrases, and we've all used them ourselves. The party guys themselves are archetypes which is why the video is so funny and why we can all relate to it. We've probably all had our own "party guy" moment where we were at a party or social gathering and hated on someone (or multiple people) there. Human beings are judgemental. It is a consequence of us being social creatures.

The disses themselves are very funny, but what makes this video so clever is how it takes the literal translation of the party guys' insults. It makes you think how, ultimately, the words and the combination of words we use to describe things are odd. It also reveals how language is socially constructed and much of it is symbolic, spoken in code. It's always interesting to examine the way we speak to each other and the roots of the words we use. Anyways that was a serious sociological tangent...

The ending is kind of corny but it's only just to turn the mirror - displayed literally like everything else - on the party guys themselves, exposing their anti-social, negative, and ultimately lame behavior.

But hey, it's still hilarious!!

[My favorites are the "jokers", "what's his face", "turd-burglar", "look who decided to show his face" (the cameo is sooo funny!!) but they are all pretty money. I'm curious to know what other people's top 3 are. Post your list. Holla!]

Steve Cirillo in "Jukebox Deniro"

2009-03-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is my childhood friend Steve Cirillo appearing in his latest short film, "Jukebox Deniro". Steve is an aspiring actor who has appeared in over 20 independent films and plays. Five of his films - "There Will Be Peace", "Auteur", "White Wedding", "Jaguar Hunter" and "Sex Kills" - will be featured in a variety of major film festivals, including the Seattle Film Festival, the SoHo Film Festival and First Run. "Jukebox Deniro" was an entry in Filmaka's Short and Documentary Film Competition, and was directed by John de Menil.

I particularly like the contrast between the upbeat, romantic tone of the film's final third and Steve's portrayal of a conflicted guilt-torn character in the beginning. It conveys the two realities the character is living in. On the one hand, he is seeing women on the side - a lifestyle which doesn't make him happy beyond its physical pleasure - and on the other, he has a seemingly ideal and romantic relationship with another girl. Well done Steve Supreme.

More from the homie Steve to come!

Shakespeare Portrait Unveiled

2009-03-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

via NYTimes

On Monday, a group of Shakespeare scholars and art historians unveiled what is believed to be a recently discovered portrait of legendary 17th century poet and writer, William Shakespeare. The painting was found in the private collection belonging to the Cobbes family, an aristocractic Anglo-Irish family who inherited the painting from Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton, almost 300 years ago.

Until the Cobbes' portrait was displayed, the consensus amongst Shakespeare scholars was that the most authentic images of Shakespeare were a woodcut engraving by Martin Droeshout made in 1632, and a marble bust that has been displayed in Stratford church since the 1620s.

This new image of Shakespeare is significant for a couple reasons. For one, if it is authentic, it will be the only known portrait made of Shakespeare when he was alive. Secondly, it completely changes the commonly accepted image of Shakespeare. The previous representations of him portrayed him as a balding, nerdy looking individual. This portrait presents him with a vitality and appeal never visually attributed to Shakespeare, while at the same time re-opening the debate regarding Shakespeare's sexual orientation:

"In a handout for reporters, the trust said the portrait might open a new era in Shakespeare scholarship, giving fresh momentum, among other things, to generations of speculation as to whether the playwright, a married man with three children, was bisexual. Until now, that suggestion has hinged mostly on dedications to the Earl of Southampton that Shakespeare wrote with some of his best-loved poems and some of the sensual passages in his poems and plays, particularly his sonnets, most of which, the London scholars said, are centered on expressions of love and desire for men, not women." (Burns, NYTimes.com)

However, there is not a unanimous opinion that the figure in the portrait is Shakespeare. Some scholars point to the figure's aristocratic dress, along with the Elizabethan style of portraiture which was more about idealizing a figure and glossing over their imperfections, as evidence that calls the portrait's authenticity into question.

[Whatever the authenticity of this recently-unearthed image, the fact that it contributes to the body of Shakespeare scholarship and stimulates intellectual conversation is a positive. I just think it's amazing that we only have (potentially) one portrait of such a renowned poet, playwright and author. If this portrait is deemed authentic, it will enrich our understanding of one of history's literary giants. Always a good look.]

Thomas Friedman - "The Inflection is Near?"

2009-03-10T00:04:00.001-07:00

This is Thomas Friedman's column from Sunday, March 8.

[Thomas Friedman is a NY Times columnist and author renowned for his seminal work, The World Is Flat, and for his enthusiastic pro-globalization perspective. While he has been characterized by some groups as conservative and pro-business, I have found that Friedman's columns throughout 2008 - particularly during the presidential race - have focused on the central theme of restoring America economically and preparing it for the 21st century. His latest column raises a fundamental question I have pondered for some time: Is capitalism (as we practice it today) sustainable?

I invite the reader to respond to that central question and share your thoughts.]

Click to peep Friedman's column from today about the absolute seriousness of this financial crisis.

"The Inflection is Near?"

by Thomas Friedman

Sometimes the satirical newspaper The Onion is so right on, I can’t resist quoting from it. Consider this faux article from June 2005 about America’s addiction to Chinese exports:

FENGHUA, China — Chen Hsien, an employee of Fenghua Ningbo Plastic Works Ltd., a plastics factory that manufactures lightweight household items for Western markets, expressed his disbelief Monday over the “sheer amount of [garbage] Americans will buy. Often, when we’re assigned a new order for, say, ‘salad shooters,’ I will say to myself, ‘There’s no way that anyone will ever buy these.’ ... One month later, we will receive an order for the same product, but three times the quantity. How can anyone have a need for such useless [garbage]? I hear that Americans can buy anything they want, and I believe it, judging from the things I’ve made for them,” Chen said. “And I also hear that, when they no longer want an item, they simply throw it away. So wasteful and contemptible.”

Let’s today step out of the normal boundaries of analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical question: What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”

We have created a system for growth that depended on our building more and more stores to sell more and more stuff made in more and more factories in China, powered by more and more coal that would cause more and more climate change but earn China more and more dollars to buy more and more U.S. T-bills so America would have more and more money to build more and more stores and sell more and more stuff that would employ more and more Chinese ...

We can’t do this anymore.

“We created a way of raising standards of living that we can’t possibly pass on to our children,” said Joe Romm, a physicist and climate expert who writes the indispensable blog climateprogress.org. We have been getting rich by depleting all our natural stocks — water, hydrocarbons, forests, rivers, fish and arable land — and not by generating renewable flows.

“You can get this burst of wealth that we have created from this rapacious behavior,” added Romm. “But it has to collapse, unless adults stand up and say, ‘This is a Ponzi scheme. We have not generated real wealth, and we are destroying a livable climate ...’ Real wealth is something you can pass on in a way that others can enjoy.”

Over a billion people today suffer from water scarcity; deforestation in the tropics destroys an area the size of Greece every year — more than 25 million acres; more than half of the world’s fisheries are over-fished or fished at their limit.

“Just as a few lonely economists warned us we were living beyond our financial means and overdrawing our financial assets, scientists are warning us that we’re living beyond our ecological means and overdrawing our natural assets,” argues Glenn Prickett, senior vice president at Conservation International. But, he cautioned, as environmentalists have pointed out: “Mother Nature doesn’t do bailouts.”

One of those who has been warning me of this for a long time is Paul Gilding, the Australian environmental business expert. He has a name for this moment — when both Mother Nature and Father Greed have hit the wall at once — “The Great Disruption.”

“We are taking a system operating past its capacity and driving it faster and harder,” he wrote me. “No matter how wonderful the system is, the laws of physics and biology still apply.” We must have growth, but we must grow in a different way. For starters, economies need to transition to the concept of net-zero, whereby buildings, cars, factories and homes are designed not only to generate as much energy as they use but to be infinitely recyclable in as many parts as possible. Let’s grow by creating flows rather than plundering more stocks.

Gilding says he’s actually an optimist. So am I. People are already using this economic slowdown to retool and reorient economies. Germany, Britain, China and the U.S. have all used stimulus bills to make huge new investments in clean power. South Korea’s new national paradigm for development is called: “Low carbon, green growth.” Who knew? People are realizing we need more than incremental changes — and we’re seeing the first stirrings of growth in smarter, more efficient, more responsible ways.

In the meantime, says Gilding, take notes: “When we look back, 2008 will be a momentous year in human history. Our children and grandchildren will ask us, ‘What was it like? What were you doing when it started to fall apart? What did you think? What did you do?’ Often in the middle of something momentous, we can’t see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker — the year when ‘The Great Disruption’ began.”

Daft Punk - "Digital Love"

2009-03-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

via Google

Daft Punk - "Digital Love"

Daft Punk is an electronic music duo made up of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. Daft Punk reached significant fame during the house music movement in France in the late-1990s.

In addition to their uptempo electronic sound, Daft Punk is known for their emphasis on the visual components that go along with their music. In the early-1990s the duo began appearing in public wearing masks to disguise their faces, or they would have their faces "digitally obscured". When not in public, the group preferred to be rendered in animated form; as a result, relatively few photos of the group's faces exist. In the late-1990s/early-2000s, the duo began wearing futuristic robot fits for all public events, including photo shoots, interviews, live events and music videos.

The group has presented a variety of explanations for donning their robot outfits. Bangalter once explained, "We did not choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999, it exploded. When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots." That being said, the group is pretty sick and has put out some classic electronica hits in their day. This cut is from their 2001 album, Discovery. The track is also featured in the animated feature film, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. Peep here for the clip from the movie using this track.

Godspeed.

Credit Crisis visualized

2009-03-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

I came across this video about a month or so ago waiting patiently for the proper moment to post them. Now is that time. For all of you (myself included) who aren't econ majors, and who don't understand some of the vocabulary/concepts being used and the complex processes at work in this economic crisis, this clip does a good job explaining it in a very coherent way. You will have to devote a little time to watch it, but it's worth it if you wanna get a quick overview of the situation we currently face.

Nat King Cole - RE:Generation EP

2009-03-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

picture and tracklist via Amazon

When I saw the headline for this album on okayplayer.com, I was instantly intrigued. Nat King Cole is one of my favorite jazz vocalists of all time; I've often said that if I could have the voice of any musician it would be his. Cole's voice had a velvety quality that gave his music its signature sound and helped elevate him to superstardom.

Whenever I come across an album by some DJ or Producer (often one I've never heard of) that claims to be a remix album of a historic artist, I am immediately skeptical. And don't get me wrong, the prospect of hearing a reinterpretation or reinvention of a famous artist's music is incredibly exciting. I love hearing someone bring in new styles and sounds and completely re-interpret an old classic (i.e. Frank Sinatra x Notorious B.I.G., 2pac Duets album, etc.). However, many amateur producers simply take an instrumental they've downloaded and mash it up with an acappella without regard to how the two sound together and without blending the two harmoniously.

Caution aside, the idea of an album containing a selection of Cole's most popular standards - "straighten up and fly right", "lush life", "nature boy" - remixed with an array of talented artists, spanning different genres and styles, sounds like it could have some very real potential. The "RE: Generation" album will feature guest appearences by Nas, The Roots, Damien Marley, along with production from Just Blaze and Amp Fiddler. If the tracks below are any indication, Nat King Cole's spirit will stay alive on this album.

The album is scheduled for release in late February/early March

Track list:
01. Lush Life feat. Cee-Lo Green
02. Straighten Up and Fly Right feat. will.i.am & Natalie Cole
03. Day In Day Out feat. Cut Chemist

04. Brazilian Love Song feat. Michaelangelo L'Acqua & Bebel Gilberto

05. The Game of Love feat. Nas & Salaam Remi
06. Walkin' My Baby Back Home feat. The Roots
07. Hit That Jive, Jack feat. Souldiggaz & Izza Kizza
08. Calypso Blues feat. Stephen & Damian Marley
09. More and More of Your Amour feat. Bitter:Sweet
10. El Choclo feat. Brazilian Girls
11. Pick-up (produced by Just Blaze)
12. Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere (produced by Amp Fiddler)
13. Nature Boy feat. TV On The Radio

2009-03-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

KAWS - New York Magazine cover

via Hypebeast

Ever since I wrote about him on this blog, Brooklyn-based pop-artist KAWS has straight blown up. Naw, not really. KAWS has been producing his distinctive style of art since the mid-1990s. He has worked with a variety of toy and clothing companies and held art exhibits in Tokyo and Paris. I'd say that he is reaching his highest point in popularity right now, having been commissioned by Kanye West to design a limited edition cover for 808s and Heartbreak. He also recently held the "The Long Way Home" show at the Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles, and received a write-up in the LA Times profiling his commercial appeal. This month he was tapped to design the cover for New York Magazine, pictured above.

2009-03-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

3 Minute Scene from "Watchmen"

via Google Images

In honor of the highly anticipated release of Watchmen - based on the seminal graphic novel by the same name - I wanted to share this 3 minute clip from the new movie.

Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, was released as a 12-issue comic book limited series between 1986 and 1987. The comic takes place in an alternate history United States. In this alternate world, the U.S. and the Soviet Union are poised at the brink of nuclear war, assassination and murder are every day facts of life. Costumed vigilantes - dubbed the Watchmen - are at first an accepted part of society but they become federally outlawed. Watchmen follows the protagonists as they adapt to post-superhero life; some reveal their true identities, some adopt regular jobs, while a few remain active and are contracted by the federal government. When some of their former partners are murdered, the Watchmen are pulled out of retirement to solve the crimes, finally culminating in a shocking climax.

This 3 minute scene follows the dark and mysterious hero Rorschach as he investigates the murder of his comrade-in-arms, The Comedian. Rorschach, whose "face" is a beanie with an ever-changing ink-blot (named after the amorphous forms used in Rorschach ink blot tests), is the story's anti-communist, anti-liberal voice who sees the world through a moral absolutist lens. In Rorschach's eyes, things are clearly good or evil with no gray area, and evil must be punished by any means necessary. Rorschach's story is just one of several threads that drive and enrich the Watchmen story. Holla!!

Young Jeezy - "Circulate" Video

2009-03-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

A month ago, Young Jeezy previewed his Belvedere Vodka ad campaign, shot by photographer Terry Richardson. This music video is an extension of that campaign and features the same sequence. Richardson employs his distinct photographic style, characterized by the use of soft back-lighting on a austere background, and an overall vintage aesthetic. It features Jeezy in D.C. during the inauguration festivities doing what he does.

[Note: This cut is off The Recession and is produced by Don Cannon and features a sample of "Let the Money Circulate" by Billy Paul.]

via Nah Right

San Quinn and Keak Da Sneak Interview

2009-03-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

In an interview with Nah Right, San Quinn and Keak discuss the Bay Area's unique style, the state of Bay Area rap in general and their upcoming collaborative album, Welcome to Scokland. Quinn and Keak are legends in the Yay Area rap game and their analysis of what makes the Bay so distinct, and at the same time, misunderstood is dead-on. A very eloquent analysis from two talented MCs and two of the most important pioneers in the formation and development of Bay Area hip hop.

Bay Area stand up!!!

via Nah Right

Bryan Berg, World's Best Card Stacker

2009-03-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

via Kanye Universecity

This dude is a nut! His card formations pretty much speak for themselves. I just want to know, How does somebody become this good at card stacking? What motivates them to become the #1 card stacker in the universe? I can't hate - I guess it's the same mentality for any other hobby or pursuit. Regardless, the Berg-Man has talent!!

2009-02-25T11:29:00.001-08:00

Fresh new tracks: MF Doom x Blu x Kanye & T-Pain x The Dream

In the last few days, as I have been doing my usual scouring of hip hop blogs, I've come up on a bunch of dope new songs. I was going to release these joints individually but I was too anxious to get them all out to you. These songs are all cuts from upcoming or new albums.

via Nah Right

Doom - "Lightworks" (prod. by J Dilla)

Daniel Dumile - aka MF Doom - the British-born MC famous for his endless number of aliases and fascination with the Marvel comic book character Dr. Doom, is set to release his new album Born Like This on March 29th. The album will be the first with Dumille dropping the "MF" from his monicker - going only by "Doom" - and is billed to be Doom's "definitive album...encapsulating but surpassing all of his previous work" (Crate Kings). The album, Doom's first in 4 years, is being met with widespread anticipation and will feature contributions from the late J Dilla, Dangermouse, Ghostface and Raekwon. "Lightworks" is produced by J Dilla and will appear on the album. Track list and DL link here.

Q. Can you identify the inspiration for MF Doom's mask?
A. Russell Crowe's mask in Gladiator (Highlight this line to see the answer)

Noah f. Blu - "Just Relax" (Dan Aikido Remix)

This track has Blu, the up-and-coming MC out of San Pedro spitting over a jazzy instrumental originally laced by Japanese producer Noah and remixed by Dan Aikido. Blu is one of my favorite young MCs out right now. He's got a Common-inspired flow mixed with an LA sound. The two together equal good music. DL here.

via Nah Right

Kanye West & T-Pain - "Flight School"

As much as I'd like to say that I'm over T-Pain and the AutoTune movement, it would be a lie. I find the AutoTune very catchy when used correctly. In this case, Yeezy and Pain do not disappoint, collaborating on a dreamy track about how fly they are. Standard. DL Here.

The Dream f. Kanye West - Walking on the Moon

Everything I said above about AutoTune can be applied to The Dream. There is something addictive about his music despite its ultra-pop sound. The same applies to this latest track which has The Dream hitting some legit high notes over another dreamy beat. I could honestly picture Michael Jackson in the late-1980s dancing to this song in his Moonwalker movie. "Walking on the Moon" will be released on the Dream's album Love vs. Money that is expected to drop on March 10th. DL Here.

Holla at ya boy! SF I GOT YOU!!

President Obama lays out "blueprint" for America, 2/24

2009-02-25T01:21:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, President Obama convened both houses of Congress and delivered a bold outline for the future of America. Amid a deepening economic crisis, Obama's address sought to respond to critics who accused him of displaying an overly pessimistic attitude about the economy, and to polls that show large percentages of Americans who believe the economy is on the wrong track.

Obama's vision, delivered with his usual oratory brilliance, harkened back to a Reaganesque sense of optimism, promising that "we will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." Obama also went on to lambast conservatives for enacting short-sighted policies meant to maximize "wealth to the wealthy" and minimize regulation "for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market." Obama, drawing on language echoing Reagan, invoked traditional values - hard work, responsibility and thriftiness - to essentially propose a complete transformation of the American economic system. He outlined this agenda by touching on a short list of topics. He began by defending and explaining the necessity of his stimulus package. He then spent the rest of his speech putting forth an expansive "blueprint for the future" that would focus on 3 of America's most vital long-term interests: 1. energy, 2. healthcare and 3. education.

[My thoughts]:

I thought the address was powerful for a variety of reasons. First, I thought Obama explained the credit crisis very coherently and re-framed the discussion of the stimulus bill, explaining why helping irresponsible banks is crucial for reviving the American economy. He underscored the need to impose accountability on banks receiving federal funds, but he emphasized repeatedly that this was not a reward, but a measure meant to get banks lending money more freely again which would allow people to start spending, make payments and investing. In stressing this point he said, the stimulus package was "not about helping banks [but] about helping people." This has been a major misunderstanding of the stimulus package and has led to a lot of popular resistance.

Secondly, I liked the ambitious agenda Obama put forth. All 3 of his topics - education, energy and healthcare - are absolutely fundamental for America's survival and advancement in the coming years. These items have been ignored and passed over (with the exception of No Child Left Behind) during the entire Bush administration, with potentially ruinous effects. It is time we as a nation face the reality that these issues must be confronted head-on, in an honest, creative and intelligent fashion if we are to maintain our position as the most powerful (but not imperious or agressive) nation in the world.

Lastly, I think Obama displayed the sense of strength, confidence and passion that critics and supporters alike (myself included) have wanted to see for some time. There were many times during this address that Obama spoke forcefully and vowed to guide America through this time of crisis. So much of a nation's ability to respond to crisis depends on the public's perception and level of confidence in their commander-in-chief. This Obama's audacious plan, reminiscent of FDR, LBJ and other historic leaders confronted by unprecedented challenges, conveyed precisely the type of swagger and leadership people have been expecting from Obama in this moment and went a long way towards reassuring the public that America will recover and be rebuilt stronger than ever.

2009-02-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

Converse Jack Purcell Match-Point

I've always been a fan of Converse's classic shoe, the Jack Purcell. Originally designed by badminton legend Jack Purcell, this shoe was redesigned and released by Converse in 1976. The biggest change in this shoe and the original JP is the slimmer body and the less prominent toebox. I always was a fan of the toebox on the JP, but I definitely think that this one integrates the toebox with the rest of the shoe very nicely. An oldie but goodie.

Cop your pair at FLAUGE

2009-02-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

Flight of the Conchords - "Carol Brown (Stick Around)" Video

For those of you who haven't had the privilege of wactching this show, Flight of the Conchords is an HBO series about two aspriring musicians from New Zealand - Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement who from the two-man "digi-folk" band called Flight of the Conchords. Currently in its second season, Flight of the Conchords follows Bret and Jemaine around New York as they pursue superstardom. This video is directed by Michelle Gondry and appears in an episode from this season entitled "Unnatural Love".

via Kanyeezy

2009-02-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

The 81st Academy Awards

via NY Times

A day has passed and the 81st Academy Awards is in the books. This year's Oscars had a revamped look to them, featuring a new format, a theater-inspired set design, a new award presentation style and a shift away from the traditional comedian-as-host. These changes were made primarily as an effort to make the show more viewer friendly - in response to plummeting viewership ratings the last couple of years - and an attempt to tone down the excess in response to the country's grim economic state (however possible that is at a Hollywood-centered event). Some of the changes worked nicely, others were puzzling and pointless.

Here are my thoughts on last night's proceedings:

New Format/Design changes:

I enjoyed the theater-inspired stage design. It gave the Oscars a much more intimate feel to them as host Hugh Jackman was much closer to the audience and was able to walk freely into the crowd. The stage sets themselves looked cool and gave the show some flair.

Smaller awards were grouped into categories (i.e. "sound mixing" and "sound editing") with the same actor/group of actors presenting. This minimized the transitions between awards and hastened the pace of the show, which has been the primary complaint about the Oscars.

Former award winning actors commenting on each nominee. This was my least favorite change to the Oscars. I thought this was overly self-indulgent (even more so than is customary for Oscar night) with past award winners fawning over the new nominees. These testimonials were supposed to be personal statements but 1. I don't need to hear overblown rhetoric about a performance or movie and 2. I didn't even know if they were personally written or done with the assistance of some professional writer. In order to make these testimonials possible, the short clips that are played for each nominee were cut. The clips have always been one of my favorite parts, especially if I haven't seen a movie I can get a sense of the performance. I'd rather see a clip of someone's work rather than hear celebrities hype it up annoyingly.

Hugh Jackman was the first non-comedian host in a long time. I was highly skeptical about Jackman's ability to be a legitimate Oscar host, having grown up watching Billy Crystal, Chris Rock and even Whoopi Goldberg. But after seeing how sparingly Jackman was used, I realize he was chosen as host for what he "didn’t do: deride Hollywood. [Jackman] was high-spirited, not mean-spirited" (Stanley, NY Times). In this roll he performed admirably, making an occasional corny joke and lending his vocal talents to a couple song and dance numbers. No harm done.

The Awards:

This was the year of the favorites. Unlike in years past the 2009 Oscars saw no upsets (Crash), no head-scratchers (Shakespeare In Love) and no obviously political choices (Halle Berry). Most of the predicted choices won in all the major categories.

This year I was really slippin' on my movie game despite an abnormally strong crop of movies in the latter half of the year. I saw the two front-runners for "Best Picture" (Milk and Slumdog), but I missed out on Frost/Nixon, Benjamin Button, The Wrestler, Gran Torino, Revolutionary Road (the last 3 all being snubbed on Oscar night despite stellar critical reviews).

Yes, pathetic, I know.

In case you missed the Oscars last night here are last night's winners, with my own brief comments.

Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader)

No surprises in any of the above 3 awards. All of the winners were the favorites and from what I have read and heard from a variety of critics, both Winslet and Cruz shined in their roles. Ledger was never really in doubt as the choice for supporting actor, given his twisted and psychotic performance as The Joker, and the hype surrounding his untimely death before the movie's release. The only bit of drama was the fact that Winslet was nominated for her role in The Reader when many critics said her tour de force was in Revolutionary Road.

Actor: Sean Penn (Milk)

I have a hard time disagreeing with this choice, although I would have liked to see Mickey Rourke win. I know the award is supposed to be given to the (obviously) best performance of the year. And Penn delivered a truly masterful performance, transforming himself physically and emotionally into late-San Francisco Supervisor and gay rights activist, Harvey Milk. However, I can't help but pull for Rourke. I saw part of The Wrestler online and the line between Rourke's performance as a broken-down wrestler and Rourke himself faded away. I acknowledge that "the academy has [recently] leaned toward chameleonic performances" (LaSalle, SF Chronicle), but I think Penn is such an extraordinary and versatile actor that he will get nominated again, whereas I think this was Rourke's last real shot at glory. I was hoping for the underdog.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

So, Rourke didn't win but at least I got Slumdog. This fairy-tale story set in the slums of Mumbai had just an irresistable charm to it, even in the face of arguably the superior film, Milk. I was pulling for Slumdog for its against-all-odds tale of love and redemption even in the most brutal conditions. By no means is Slumdog a bad movie. It's visually stunning, bringing urban and rural India to life unlike any movie I've seen, except the 1956 epic Aparijito. The fact that the movie was filmed on location in Mumbai and starred kids from the slums there only solidified my support (Slumdog filmmakers also made arrangements to bring the principle child-actors in the movie to the event all the way from India). And I'll be honest, the fact that Slumdog features my future wifey and one of the most beautiful women in the world (Freida Pinto) did not hurt.

Highlights:

When Milk won the Academy Award for "Writing (Original Screenplay)", the award was accepted by Dustin Lance Black. At the podium Black delivered an impassioned acceptance speech in which he connected the power of Milk's story with his personal story growing up in a conservative Mormon community and his struggle with being gay. He spoke directly to young gay boys and girls struggling with their identity. A very heartfelt and bold moment at the Awards ceremony.

James Franco, Seth Rogan doing a skit involving their characters from Pineapple Express watching all of the Oscar-nominated movies. Genuinely funny.

Ben Stiller's hilarious impression of Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre interview on the Late Show last week. I still don't know what to make of Phoenix's performance, but I do know that Stiller has re-established himself as one of the best comedic actors in the game right now.

[For the Ben Stiller clip from last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pflgMxxBPuY&feature=related]

Outfits: Freida Pinto (my future wife), Natalie Portman, Beyonce and Penelope Cruz all - unsurprisingly - looked stunning last night.

Marry me?

2009-02-22T16:59:00.000-08:00

Batman: Dead End Video

In honor of the 81st Academy Awards I present to you Batman: Dead End. This is a nice video I stumbled upon years ago in my freshman year at Cal. I was downloading Batman cartoons on DC++ and came across this live-action short video written and directed by Sandy Corolla. I'm a huge fan of the Batman franchise and I think this video stays true to the original comic with its dark lighting and its gritty tone. I also like this video's take on the Joker role. Of course there is no way Andrew Koenig can measure up to the captivating performance Heath Ledger delivered in the epic The Dark Knight, but he holds his own (this video was made in 2003). The movie has a few nice surprises and shows why Batman is so beastie. Enjoy.

2009-02-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

Drake - Complex Interview

photo via Google Images

In an exclusive interview, Aubrey Graham - aka Drake - sits down with Complex writer Damien Scott and discusses his new mixtape, So Far Gone, his relationship with Lil' Wayne, being from Toronto and his place amongst hip-hop's rising young stars. Drizzy the beast. Enjoy.

Q. Many people don't know too much about you outside of your role in Degrassi. Were you alays into music?

Drake: As far as music goes, it’s always been a major part of my life. My uncle is Larry Graham played bass for Prince, my father, Dennis Graham, wrote for Al Green. [He helped] write “Let’s Stay Together” and “Love & Happiness.” My dad drummed for Jerry Lee Lewis. I’ve always been around great music. My family being from Memphis, Tenn, growing up around all the hip hop—Thee Six Mafia, Kingpin Skimmy Pimp, early Yo Gotti, shit like that was kinda what really influenced me.

How I got into rapping was, my dad was in jail for two years and he shared a cell wit this dude who didn’t really have anyone to speak to. So, he used to share his phone time with this dude and at the time I was probably 16 or 17, this dude was like 20-22, and he would always rap to me over the phone—it was Poverty, that was his rap name. After while I started to get into it and I started to write my own shit down. And after a while, he would call me and we would just rap to each other. And after my dad got out I kept in touch with dude and kept writing my shit down and eventually I learned from meeting people who were into music, too, the art of making a song and I accepted the fact that I wanted to be in music.

Q. Not too many people know about the rap scene out in Canada. How's the atmosphere out there? Is everyone cool and supportive of each other?

Drake: I’m cool with everyone out here. One thing I’ll say is, as of late, with everything that’s been happening, we’ve really started to support each other, which is just great. A lot of people have reached out to me and said they’re proud of what I’m doing, and I’m proud of what a lot of these guys are doing. I think we do have talent up here. Someone that I idolize and someone who I think is one of the greatest artists period is K-OS—that’s someone I really look up.

Q. So you really feel like you have the entire city behind you?

Drake: There’s been a certain surge of excitement around my city, it’s just crazy man, everything is just overwhelming. One thing I will say is that with a guy like Kardinal or a guy like Socrates, [who’ve] been around for 10 years, maybe more…a lot of people will tell me, “I’ve never seen a city really support anyone like this before.” And Toronto, they say, is the Screwface capital. They say it’s the city of hate, we’ve never really had that icon, someone where we can say, That’s our hometown hero. I’m not saying that I am that guy yet, but I think that I’m well on my way.

Q. You mention K-OS as someone you look up to, but a lot of people who listen to you say you sound like a mash up of Lil' Wayne and Kanye...

Drake: You know, those are two guys that I definitely look up to and to be regarded as a mesh between those two guys is definitely a good thing ’cause I love both of their music. When it comes to influencing my music, I’m also influenced by just great writers, all the music that’s outside of the rap or R&B genres. People that paint vivid pictures. I like all different kinds of music. I never heavily molded myself after rappers. Sometimes they say when you think something and you go to say it, you lose a lot of color about what you’re trying to say, so to me the best rappers are the people that don’t lose that color. Like, Andre 3000, ‘Ye, Wayne. So yeah, it’s definitely an honor.

Q. Listening to your earlier mixtapes, as well as So Far Gone, a constant them seems to be the notion that "All That Glitters Ain't Gold." It seems like you try to be honest and downplay the rapper lifestyle, like when you talk about buying a Phantom but regretting it.

Drake: Yeah, well, to be even more honest, I leased a Phantom instead of buying one, ’cause I didn't have enough money to buy a Phantom, I leased a Phantom because that’s what I thought I needed to do. And I’ve done a lot of things to just enjoy my nights a little more and to feed my ego. And that’s kinda why I rap about it, because a lot of people are like, “If he ever steps out of line, I’m gonna say Drake’s wack.” So the only choice I have is to be honest with my listeners. And that’s not to say it’s not a glamorous life and it’s not fun, but the reality is it’s great for the average person to hear a musician’s reality because we all seem so unattainable and so out of reach that when you bring yourself back to eye level with a fan and do it in the right way…

Q. Talk to us about So Far Gone. What was the idea behind it?

Drake: It’s basically a story. It starts in January 2008 when I was kinda confused like, What am I really doing? I gave up acting all together to really do this music thing, and I was really truly confused. It’s way different than acting, there aren’t people to depend on, you really have to build your own thing basically from the ground up, you know, so in January not only was I confused about my career, I was also in a very destructive sort of us exhausting relationship with a female and it was just a bad headspace for me to be in. So that’s where the tape starts.

It starts with this monologue, “Lust For Life”, of me crying out, in my head the things that I never say. The things that I was just thinking, that was my mindset. Then it goes to “Houstatlantavegas” which is about what I felt about the girl I was with. I just felt that nothing was ever good enough, and she was always searching for more excitement and then we move into “Successful.” I say at the end of the song, “There are so many things I want to say but I just don’t know how to say it to you.” I know exactly what I want to say, you know, I just want to be successful, but I don’t know if I can do it with you and then it goes into “Let’s Call It Off,” which is the breakup. And then coincidentally when I broke up with that girl a week later I went to Houston and met Lil Wayne and that’s where “November 18″ comes from.

Q. How'd exactly did you wind up meeting Weezy?

Drake: My friend Jazz Prince—J Prince of Rap-a-Lot’s son—he played Wayne a couple of my songs and Wayne called me when I was in the barber chair getting a haircut, and he was like, “Dude, I just heard two songs from you and you got a whole CD of shit here, I don’t even need to hear anymore, I just need you here right now, can you get to Houston?” So I came out the next night. That was my first time in Houston and the culture and the city was so overwhelming. I felt like I hit Houston and got my swag back. I was single, I was with Wayne and it was Houston, I was going nuts, sipping drank, smoking, it was fun to me. And then you get “Ignorant Shit,” which is what came out of my meeting with Wayne.

Q. Where did the title come from?

Drake: The whole tape extends from one of my closest friends Oliver—One night we were having a discussion about women and they way we were talking about them, it was so brazen and so disrespectful. He texted me right after we got off the phone and he was like, “Are we becoming the men that our mothers divorced?” That’s really where the cover comes from, too. It’ just this kid in pursuit of love and money. We’re good guys, I’m friends with some real good people and for him to even text me after we got off the phone it just showed we have a conscience. But sometimes you just get so far gone, you get wrapped up in this shit. The title has a lot of meanings—as the way we carry ourselves, the way we dress, the way people view us, not to sound cocky, it’s just that feeling that we’re just distanced in a good way. You’re just elevating past the bullshit and past all the shit that you used to be a part of and you’re not that proud of, you’re just so far gone.

Q. You have three of the best young R&B artists in the game on this tape, but fewer up and coming MCs. Are you as cool with the new generation of rappers? Were you upset that you weren't on the XXL Freshman 10 cover?

Drake: I’m actually very grateful I wasn’t on that cover, to be honest. I feel like everybody that was on there deserved to be on there; I’m a fan of a lot of those guys. I just think I have a different path, a different story to tell. To be put in that group is a like a gift and a curse. So to be the one guy that wasn’t on there that everyone talks about or should have been in there is kind of a good thing. It kind of creates a little bit of fun tension. I like getting my own thoughts out right now, I have fans to solidify, so that’s why I don’t do tracks with too many younger rappers or newer artists. People may consider me to be a music snob or whatever, but I like to preserve what’s mine and I also don’t just do tracks to do tracks, I make every song with a purpose. But… me and Wale are real close friends, we talk a lot, man. I listen to Kid Cudi’s shit all the time. Chuck Inglish from the Cool Kids hit me up and was giving me all the compliments in the world—we’re real cool.

Q. One of the main criticisms of this mixtape is that it sounds like 808s & Heartbreak lite.

Drake: Right, well, I think any time a rapper sings now, they’re going to say that. Just like whenever a rapper uses Auto-Tune, they say that’s Pain. I’ll put it this way: Kanye West has an amazing mind, but he always has the means that when he thinks something, he can make it happen right away. But I’ve been singing way before 808s and Heartbreak. I wrote all the hooks on every song I’ve done since I did “Replacement Girl” with Trey Songz in 2006. I’ve been in the R&B world for a long time, writing for artists, writing for myself, playing with different sounds and stuff.

So as far as 808s goes, that was a great album, I tip my hat Kanye for making that major release instead of making it a mixtape. But at the same time… people always need something to compare it to. The other thing is, [So Far Gone] is a lot different—it’s real R&B music, that’s why I put Omarion and Lloyd and Trey Songz on there. I’m doing duets with these guys. These are real R&B singers, [and] that’s what I was going for. Kanye was doing something different… I don’t even know how to classify it, I guess he calls it pop art. I love R&B music, man, that’s what you gotta understand, I listen to R&B music more than I listen to rap. That’s kinda my thing. I just want to make genuinely sexy music for women to listen to and for men to play for women.

Q. Is your major label debut going to sound similar to So Far Gone?

Drake: My album is not going to sound like So Far Gone. It’s a well-rounded body of work that—again people will relate to what I’m saying, but the songs are made obviously to be sold to the public, so this was just my chance to think and write freely. It’s a solid hip hop album. I went left before—most go left after—my album comes out, so people will be like, Thank God, I thought he was about to do some weird shit. Some people go left after, when they feel more comfortable, but I feel comfortable with my talent.

Q. There was also a rumor going around that you ghost write for Wayne.

Drake: [Laughs] You know, we’re all great artists, great minds, and we all just contribute to each other, there’s been times when Wayne has helped me out, and I’m sure, I hope, I’ve influenced him to do or say things on tracks. We help each other out, that’s part of being two artists who respect each others creativity.

Q. We all saw him spit one of your verses at the MTV awards.

Drake: Yeah, at the VMA’s. That was just a spontaneous decision on his part. He used to always tell me, “I love that verse,” and just came out on stage and rapped that verse. [Laughs] And the wildest part was I was stuck outside of the Awards. I couldn’t even get into the award show ‘cause they didn’t give me the right pass, so I was stuck outside listening to my verse. It was my Hilary Swank moment.

Q. Before we go, who has the better groupies, rappers or actors?

Drake: [Laughs] I don’t know, I don’t talk to the groupies. I talk to nice, upstanding women. The groupies don’t get my attention. It’s the women that I like.

[Interview by Damien Scott]

2009-02-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

Kid Cudi - "Day N Night" Video

This is the new video from up-and-coming rapper Kid Cudi. It's visually dazzling - featuring some nice animation - Kid cudi has some nice flow, and it's directed by the creative director of Edbanger Records, So_Me.

via Highsnobiety

2009-02-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

2008 Year In Photographs

These photos are only a few from the The Boston Globe's 120-photo series cataloging some of the most important, shocking, beautiful and poignant moments from 2008. Really makes you reflect on this historic time we live in. Enjoy.

Students practice martial arts at Xuecheng Martial Arts School in Zaozhuang, Shandong
province, China on June 11, 2008.

A man runs next to balloons placed at Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The balloons - released by demonstrators - represent the 4,000 people expected
to become victims of violence over the next six months (June 27, 2008).

South Korean firefighters battle a fire as it consumes the Namdaemun gate in central
Seoul. The fire, started by an arsonist, destroyed the gate - the oldest wooden structure in
Seoul, first constructed in 1398 and rebuilt in 1447 (February 11, 2008).

Soccer superstar Ronaldinho attends his presentation at San Siro Stadium in Milan,
Italy after being newly signed by Italian soccer club AC Milan (July 17, 2008).

A U.S. Army helicopter gunner with his helmet face painted as a skull, awaits
soldiers to board his Chinook transport helicopter for transport out of the
Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan (October 30, 2008).

Muslim women pray on the eve of Ramadan - an Islamic month of fasting - at a mosque in
Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia (August 31, 2008).

A Kenyan boy screams as policeman approach the door of his home in the Kibera slum of
Nairobi (January 17, 2008).

Images of books on shelves projected on the walls of the Tower of David in Jerusalem's Old City. The display was part of a show called "Or Shalem, Jerusalem Lights the Night" put on by a group called Skertzò (October 7, 2008).

A man stands in front of the Marriott hotel after a terrorist bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan
(September 20, 2008).

Kerby Brown rides a huge wave in an undisclosed location southwest of Western Australia (July 6, 2008).

The Chinese Shenzhou-7, the Long-March II-F rocket and the escape tower are
transferred to the launch pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu province,
China (September 20, 2008).

U.S. soldiers search for weapons on an Afghan truck driver near Kandahar, Afghanistan
(April 27, 2008).

Then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama waves to the crowd
at a rally in the rain at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. (September 27, 2008).

2009-02-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

Coldplay - Life In Technicolor II Video

via Youtube

I've really gotten back into Coldplay lately. So when I saw this video that features them doing a "live" performance in puppet form, I was sold. I mean, who doesn't have fond memories involving puppets? Sesame Street, Crank Yankers, The Muppets, Team America... all tight puppet-centered shows/movies.

It's actually quite simple.

Coldplay + puppets = quality material.

2009-02-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Obama Sushi Roll

via The Feedbag

I was checking out this random food blog "The Feedbag" and I stumbled across this picture of a maki sushi roll bearing the likeness of President Obama! This is straight hilarious and it looks pretty edible too..

Welcome to the Obama Era!

2009-02-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

Estevan Oriol - Floyd Mayweather series

[Bio]: "Estevan Oriol began his career in the entertainment industry in the late 1980's as a club bouncer at Los Angeles' most popular Hip Hop clubs and infamous Hollywood hangouts. It was there that Estevan first linked up with his Soul Assassin brothers from South Gate, Cypress Hill. Eager to expand his knowledge of the business, Estevan secured a job as tour manager for the rap group, House of Pain, in 1992.

Estevan invoked his unique photography style to catalogue the outrageous experiences he had on tour and began taking pictures of his neighborhood homies and the low rider culture. He had a gift for capturing the raw essence of street life through his photography. Within a short time, he became one of the most sought after photographers of the Urban and Hip Hop community" (estevanoriol.com).

check out more photography by Estevan Oriol

2009-02-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

Kanye West - "Welcome to Heartbreak" Video

via Kanye's Blog

The new video for Kanye West's "Welcome to Heartbreak" single off of 808s & Heartbreak. I think this video is pretty creative, if not the most visually appealing. It reminds me of a computer that is about to crash, or a tripped out iTunes visualizer. The video aside, this song is definitely one of my favorites off Kanye's new album. I like the production which features a variety of instruments, and I think his lyrics on this song are among the deepest and self-reflective he's had in a long time. In the opening verse, he says "My friend showed me pictures of his kids/and all I could show him was pictures of my cribs/He said his daughter got a brand new report card/and all I got was a brand new sports car." These rhymes reveal Kanye's doubts about the glorification of material possessions (the "Louis Vuitton Don") that has been his hallmark nearly his entire career. The recent tragedies he suffered made him more reflective of what is important in life, and I think this song really speaks to that. A new attitude and sound from Kanye, but one I appreciate, even if the production is not up to his usual standards.

2009-02-17T16:11:00.001-08:00

Drake - So Far Gone

Drake - The Best I Ever Had
Drake - Uptown (f. Lil' Wayne & Bun B)
Drake - A Night Off (f. Lloyd)

[Download So Far Gone here]

The new mixtape from Toronto-native, and former DeGrassi star, Drake dropped last Thursday to soaring expectations from yours truly and the hip-hop community in general. It might be an exaggeration to say that Drake is the Truth/Future of Hip-hop, but he has met every expectation so far and so I'm perfectly content calling him that. As I've repeatedly said, Drake is a monster on the mic. He's got some serious lyricism and swag, and every time he gets on the same track as Wayne, he rises to the occassion - no small feat. If you haven't already, get the new Drizzy (click the link)!! I was gonna do an elaborate review of this album but I'm just too excited to get the word out about it and hit you all with some sample tracks. All I will say is that it's a very solid mixtape, features a variety of different sounds and has some very quality cameos (Wayne, Bun B, Lloyd, Trey Songz, etc.). I also have to give Drake props for not being afraid to sing on a track, and having the vocal skills to back it up. SF I GOT YOU!!!

2009-02-16T18:39:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth Mendez Barry discusses Chris Brown and Rihanna

In 2005, Vibe Magazine writer Elizabeth Mendez Barry wrote an article entitled "Love Hurts" in which she explored the prevalence of domestic violence in hip-hop. In her article she exposed the domestic violence perpetrated by deceased hip-hop legend Big Pun along a few other well-known rappers. Her piece generated passionate reactions from both sides; there were those who were supportive and applauded her willingness to confront an ugly reality that exists in hip-hop. There were also those who responded with hostility, upset at Barry for "airing [hip-hop's] dirty laundry" and tarnishing the image of one of hip-hop's most beloved stars (Big Pun). In this video she discusses her article, the dynamics of domestic violence in general and the recent events involving Chris Brown's alleged assault on Rihanna.

via Nah Right

[Final Thoughts:] Domestic violence can never be condoned, and I'm glad Barry took a stance on an issue that is prevalent, yet often ignored - not just in the rap industry, but in society at-large. This latest episode is sad for a variety of reasons. It will most likely ruin the career of a talented young star, Brown, who as a child witnessed the physical abuse his mother suffered at the hands of a boyfriend. I can't excuse Brown for his actions but I will say that he is a 19-year old young man who has faced challenges and pressures that most adolescents have not had to deal with. And while he clearly has some issues to work through and he committed an atrocious act, he is still only a young man. I can only hope that he recognizes his mistake and that he never hits another girl ever again. As for Rihanna, aside from the physical abuse she suffered, she has to bear the weight of this humiliating and painful experience in public. Whenever she decides to return to the public-eye, she will be subject to endless questions about her private life that a 20-year old young woman shouldn't have to face. Furthermore, her future relationships will be negatively affected without question.

It just goes to show that celebrities are flawed human beings just like everyone else. The public persona they put out is simply a highly polished and carefully crafted image, and it must be recognized as such. We never really know what kind of person a celebrity (or public figure) is when the cameras aren't watching. I have found that the best way to avoid being let down is to just appreciate a person's work (because that's what it is, his/her means to supporting him/herself) for what it is and not make assumptions about who that person is in real life. In a world where celebrities are constantly being exposed for some misdeed or failing - Kobe, Will Smith (scientologist), Mel Gibson - what other way is there?

2009-02-16T15:49:00.001-08:00

Cocaine Rap by Damien McDuffie

photography by Terry Richardson
shout out to Max Gibson

Lil' Wayne - Misunderstood

Hip-hop has long had an infatuation with drug-related gang culture, especially cocaine. Many artists reference the drug on a regular basis: Jay Z (‘coke is still my sponsor’), Young Jeezy (‘dope boys go crazy’) and Juelz Santana (‘fiends go to work for the work Im chefin’). But none of them are as notorious for their coke references as Lil Wayne. Two thousand and eight finally saw the self proclaimed Hip-hop messiah Lil Wayne deliver the “third coming” of his Carter series, Tha Carter III. This was definitely the most anticipated album in recent Hip-hop history, validated by its recent Grammy win for best rap album. The albums most controversial track was Wayne’s ten minute monologue, “Misunderstood,” where he stops rhyming 3-minutes into the track only to go on a philosophical rant about incarceration, education, drug sentencing, and politics.

It is interesting seeing Wayne attempting to throw some social consciousness into his work on “Misunderstood.” Save for the Robin Thicke-laced track, “Tie My Hands,” – about the failures of the Katrina relief effort – Tha Carter III, though great, is starved for thoughtful commentary on social issues. Wayne decides to say something meaningful about cocaine’s impact on communities. He says, “the money we spend on sendin’ a muthatfucka to jail…[it] would be less to send his or her young ass to college.” The cost of incarcerating one prisoner is indeed more than the cost of annual tuition at most public colleges. The average prisoner in California alone costs about $35,000 per year and can be almost twice that number for tenured prisoners. This is just one of the many problems that faces our nations flawed prison system.

Although crack and cocaine have the same physical reaction from users, the law has historically assigned far harsher penalties to crimes involving crack, a drug primarily associated with poor people and people of color. In the late-80s, Congress passed a law that created a 100:1 quantity ratio between the amount of crack and powder cocaine needed to receive the same sentencing. These laws made it so that an individual could posses 400 grams of powder cocaine and receive a lighter sentence (1 year) than a crack user that has 5 grams (5 years). Even though the majority of crack users are white, most people imprisoned because of crack offenses are black. Roughly two-thirds of crack cocaine users are white or Latino, but more than 80% of defendants convicted of crack possession in 1994 were black for example.

Wayne goes on to say that prisons are overpopulated because of how unfair drug laws negatively affect neighborhood ghettos versus the suburbs. Stereotypes regarding those who use crack cocaine and who those who use powder cocaine make the drug laws racist. Not only are crack and powder cocaine simply different forms of the same drug, but crack is primarily thought of as a drug used in blacks in urban areas. Wayne draws attention to the cyclical nature of what has become the American prison industrial complex adding, “we probably only selling crack cocaine/because we in the hood…its not like the suburb/we don’t have what you have.” What those in the ‘hood “don’t have” are human resources. These corrupt laws have left poor communities with even less; less workers, less people teaching, less tax revenue, etc. The only thing that sells in these communities is crack.

The drug disparities are only a symptom of the greater prison industrial complex in America. Like every other industry in a capitalist system, the prison industrial complex relies on raw materials – in this case people – to sustain itself, regardless of actual crime rates. Because of this, the prison industrial complex has very real consequences on the ground because the laws fractures black voting power. While registering voters in Virginia for the Obama Campaign, I ran across many young black male that could not vote because they had a drug related felony charge. “I can’t vote,” is a phrase I often heard coupled with a look that suggested that their political reality was especially trying. States like Va restricts former felons right to vote, run, or hold public office forever and as one out of four blacks were disenfranchised by these laws in VA itself! Wayne’s critique of the of the nations drug laws and the structural inequalities are only the beginning of the socio-economic problems facing the nation. Thank God for Hip-hop.

[Damien McDuffie is a Bay Area native and a graduate of Loyola Marymount University. He majored in Political Science, with an emphasis on the prison industrial complex and its effect on AIDS in the Black community. He is the founder of hip-hop based company, ReVibe, whose central goal is to "challenge the Hip-hop community to become more politically engaged by highlighting social issues associated with the Hip-hop generation." Stay tuned.]

2009-02-16T15:00:00.001-08:00

Nike - Air Griffey Max 1 Retro

via Hypbeast

Check the old school Griffey's! These cross-trainers were hot in the 90's and were comparable to the Penny Hardaway sneaks. This version of the shoe comes in the Seattle Mariners colors and is scheduled to be released at select Nike retailers in April. Niceness!

2009-02-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

Harvest Label - 2009 Spring "Free Rider Take Two" collection

Just some fresh little backpacks from Japanese brand Harvest Label. They feature a water-resistant nylon body and a suede bottom and come in a variety of bold colors. They also combine a messenger-bag strap with the traditional backpack style. Available at Coolcat - holler at a translator before you try to cop.

2009-02-15T16:40:00.001-08:00

$787 billion stimulus package approved

On Friday, Congress approved President Obama's $787 billion stimulus package – the Economic Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ERRA). While the vote was a clear victory for Obama and fulfilled the central goal for the early stages of his presidency, it also revealed the extent partisan division remains in Congress. The final vote in the House was 246 to 183, with 7 Democrats casting opposition votes with all 176 Republicans. In the Senate, the vote was 60 to 38; 3 centrist Republicans and 1 Independent joined the 55 Democrats in favor.

I’m glad the stimulus bill was finally passed despite the disgraceful performance by Congressional Republicans who desperately tried to sabotage the stimulus bill at every turn. Motivated by declining popularity nationwide and encouraged by the bill’s slow start and media coverage questioning Obama’s leadership, Congressional Republicans seized the opportunity to make their stand. While political maneuvers are unavoidable, there is a time and a place.

In the face of a historic economic recession, the country needs public servants (Congressmen and women) whose decisions are made with the country’s best interests in mind. This is not the time for posturing and self-serving rhetoric. The stakes are simply too great. Most reputable economists have unanimously agreed that a failure to act decisively in the face of this crisis will result in even more unemployment and a worsening decline. Even with that context, Republican senators refused to deviate from standard G.O.P. talking points, labeling the stimulus package as a pork-laden “spending bill” that will have a negligible affect on the economy. While I strongly disagree with that assessment, given the magnitude of the stimulus bill, a rigorous examination of ERRA is absolutely necessary; any real discussion seeking to understand why and how federal money will be allocated is also warranted.

Unfortunately, many Republican congressmen were not interested in having meaningful conversation. Some of their talking points bordered on the absurd. For instance, G.O.P. chairman Michael Steele asserted “in the history of mankind” no “federal, state or local” government has ever “created one job" (NYTimes.com). This statement is so out-of-touch and ignorant that it’s comical, but it represents the fundamental Republican argument that excessive spending is a useless and expensive mechanism for creating jobs. There are two problems with this position. First, it is imperative for government to spend money during this economic recession in order to create jobs – doing nothing is not an option – and second, Bush-era Republicans have no moral authority to lecture about deficits and fiscal frugality.

Despite Republican opposition, at the end of the day President Obama scored a victory. The American public knows that he made genuine efforts to reach out to Congressional Republicans, listen to their concerns and work with them to hammer out a stimulus package. The Republican spin-machine that painted the stimulus package as a “spending bill” did little to sway public opinion: its approval rating remains above 50 percent in all polls – Gallup, CNN, Pew, CBS – except Rasmussen, which only polls the G.O.P. cites. Secondly, the stimulus package arrived basically in accordance with the schedule and cost Obama had set for it. President Obama’s job approval rating now ranges from the mid-60s (Gallup, Pew) to the mid-70s (CNN). In addition, 48 percent of Americans told CBS, Gallup and Pew that they approve of Congressional Democrats, while only 31 (Gallup), 32 (CBS) and 34 (Pew) percent said the same of their Congressional Republicans (NYTimes.com) In the end, the Republican Party looks out-of-touch and petty.

As for the stimulus measure itself, it combines short-term tax cuts with long-term government spending on public works projects, education, health care, energy and technology. The bill also provides for federal money to be transferred to states. According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than 74 percent of the money will be spent within the next 18 months.

It is too early to measure the bill’s expected impact with absolute certainty. There is lively debate about whether or not it has the power to significantly alleviate the nation’s economic problems and create/save “3 to 4 million” jobs, as the Obama administration has asserted. That is quite a tall order and clearly the ERRA is not a magic bullet. However, the bill is a strong first step towards reversing the current economic decline and fundamentally transforming

America

. Obama must harness the massive amount of public support behind him and act decisively to increase federal spending on public works projects and programs. ERRA’s fast timetable means its initial impact will be measurable relatively soon. The results of that assessment will undoubtedly define Obama’s presidency - we can only hope it is for the good.

For a very comprehensive ERRA breakdown, check out the New York Times:

2009-02-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

KAWS - 808s and Heartbreak cover art

artwork by KAWS

This is the special-edition cover art for Kanye's 808s and Heartbreak album done by Brooklyn-based artist KAWS. KAWS began his artistic career as a graffiti artist growing up in New Jersey. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1996, KAWS became an animator for Disney and then went on to design and produce limited edition vinyl toys. Many of his subsequent art exhibitions and collaborative projects involve playing with cartoon imagery, either transforming a recognizable cartoon figure or producing his own forms. KAWS' unique approach and style is evident in the 808s cover art. I love the cartoon background that plays on the theme of love and heartbreak; it looks like an old-school graffiti mural with all the different colors and shapes. Very clean.

2009-02-14T14:39:00.001-08:00

The Dream - "Rocking That Thang" Video

Via OnSmash

This song is my current guilty pleasure. Like The Dream's first hit single, "I Luv Your Girl", this song has a catchy beat and hook that guarantees it will be played 3,000 times per day on your local radio station for the next few months. For the moment I'm perfectly OK with that.

2009-02-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

Etta James - "My Funny Valentine"

"Your looks are laughable,
unphotographable.
Yet you're my favorite work of art."

via Google

Happy Valentine's Day!

To kick off the Valentine's Day edition of SF State of Mind I present this version of the classic jazz standard, "My Funny Valentine". "My Funny Valentine" is originally from a 1937 Broadway musical entitled Babe In Arms. Since its original release, it has gone on to become one of the most popular standards ever, being performed by hundreds of musicians, each offering his/her own musical interpretation.

This version was released in 1995 and is sung by the timeless Etta James. While James had a storied musical career and is best known for her debut masterpiece, At Last!, which featured the hit single by the same title, I think this is her best song. By age 57 - when she recorded "My Funny Valentine" - James had battled weight issues and drug addiction throughout her entire career. As a result, her voice does not possess the same range and strength that it did when she was a fresh 22-year old on At Last. In fact, the contrast is mind-blowing. However, I think all of that adds a maturity and emotional intensity to "My Funny Valentine" that is not present in her earlier work and which gives the song a deeply pensive tone. In addition, the song's lyrics are so poetic and the trumpet solo is simply mesmerizing. Play this joint to your special someone today if you really are trying to tell them you love them. Enjoy.

Etta James - My Funny Valentine

[as a note: Kanye sampled this song on "Addiction" from his 2005 album, Late Registration]

2009-02-13T01:44:00.000-08:00

Tony Jaa in The Protector (Tom Yung Goong)

This is a crazy fight scene, one of the best I've seen. It comes from the 2005 Thai action movie The Protector (Tom Yung Goong), starring Thai martial arts actor and choreographer Tony Jaa. It's filmed all in one continuous shot using a steadicam and features a unique style of Muay Thai - translated "Elephant Boxing" in English - which emphasizes grappling moves. Jaa deals out some serious damage as he marches up the staircase - he is on a mission!!

Get comfortable for this one.

via Associated Press
and IMDb

2009-02-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Lupe Fiasco

via Google Images

I can't say enough about Lupe. I consider him to be one of (if not THE) most talented MCs in hip hop right now. Lupe's wordplay is simply untouchable; He possesses a sophisticated vocabulary and lyrical eloquence, but he is never one dimensional. He touches on a variety of subject material - ranging from his upbringing in the South Side of Chicago to his mixed feelings about his own superstardom to politics and social issues - and he can adapt his flow to a variety of rhyme patterns. In short, he is a beast!

In the near future I will do a much longer, in-depth profile on Lupe. For now, check the links below if you need proof. I've posted a selection of Lupe tracks. The first highlights his wordplay ("The Pen & The Needlz"), the second displays his intellectual depth ("Dumb It Down") and the last one ("Runnin' Freestyle") is a rare Lupe track that has Lupe spitting over the "Runnin'" beat - produced by Hi-Tek, off The Game's The Documentary. (And for those of you with a keen musical ear, "The Pen & The Needlz" samples "Mercy, Mercy Me" by Marvin Gaye)

Holla at ya boy.

"The Pen & The Needlz"
"Dumb It Down"

"Runnin' Freestyle"

2009-02-12T02:15:00.000-08:00

The Hundreds Spring '09 Cut & Sew Collection

Below are some of my favorite pieces from the Hundreds Spring ensemble:

For the full Spring '09 Cut & Sew Collection: Hypebeast or The Hundreds

A nice little assortment. Bring your wallet when you visit your nearby Hundreds store because you will certainly have to throw down to get fitted.

2009-02-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

SquidLondon Color Changing Umbrella

via Likecool
or check out Squid London Ltd's website for more projects

This umbrella is dope!!! Designed and produced in limited quantity by British company SquidLondon, these umbrellas utilize hydrochromatic inks - inks which change colors upon getting wet. I love how the bottom of each panel - the part which changes color - is designed to look like the silhouette of a city. I have to give SquidLondon props for this one - a very original concept that looks clean too.

For any of you who are feeling down beacuse of the recent rainshowers, I suggest you cop one of these immediately!! (Probably super pricey though)

2009-02-10T18:36:00.000-08:00

Drake So Far Gone release date announced: 2/12/09

via Nah Right

Days ago, Toronto-born rapper Drake announced that his next mixtape, So Far Gone, will be released this Thursday, February 12. Up until now Drake has displayed his skills on two mixtapes: Comeback Season (2007) and Heartbreak Drake (2008). For those of us familiar with Drizzy, this newest release is highly anticipated. Drake's flow contains a level of maturity, raw intensity and sophistication that is virtually nonexistent in most MCs in today's hip hop game.

It's been a long time (aside from Lupe) since I've felt this enthusiastic about an up-and-coming hip hop artist. I can't wait to hear this album and see how it measures up to the hype. I've already checked out "Ignorant Shit" (link below) which will be featured on the album, and if that joint is indicative of So Far Gone's quality, it will be FIRE. For now we will have to wait and see...

Check out 3 of my favorite Drake tracks:
1. "Say What's Real" (samples the beat from Kanye's "Say You Will")
2. "Ignorant Shit" (feat. Lil' Wayne) - off So Far Gone
3. "Give Ya" (feat. Trey Songz)

2009-02-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Coldplay & Jay-Z - Lost (Live), 2009 Grammy's

Coldplay + Jay-Z + Live Performance = Freshness.

via Kanye West

2009-02-10T00:57:00.000-08:00

Sculptor Emil Alzamora

"The human form is a constant within my work.
I am interested in knowing what it means to inhabit one,
often exaggerating or distorting different aspects of the form
to reveal an emotional or physical situation,
or to tell a story about a predicament or an occurrence.
Limitation and potential are as human as the flesh, yet hardly as tangible.
In my works I strive to make visible this interaction."
-Emil Alzamora

Abrazo, 2004

Minotaur, 2006

Shellboy, 2008

Toxiconomist, 2008

Abyss, 2008

King, 2008

via Emil Alzamora

2009-02-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday Night Live - "I'm on a Boat" feat. T-Pain

In case the rainy weather has got you feeling down, this video is a nice pick-me-up. I wouldn't rank it above Samberg's other Digital Shorts ("Lazy Sunday", "Dick In a Box", "Jizz In My Pants"), but it certainly holds its own. You can always expect smart writing, goofy costumes and a hilarious premise in Samberg's videos. The T-Pain cameo takes it to another level, but as I mentioned before, it still doesn't elevate this video above the ones featuring Justin Timberlake.

The fake dolphin in this video, T-Pain's dance at the end and the different wardrobes are my highlights.

peep the Samberg collection at SNL

2009-02-09T23:07:00.001-08:00

Christoph Neimann - "I LEGO N.Y."

"During the cold and dark Berlin winter days,
I spend a lot of time with my boys in their room.
And as I look at the toys scattered on the floor,
my mind inevitably wanders back to New York."
-Christoph Neimann

Acclaimed artist and children's book author Christoph Neimann takes LEGOs – one of the most recognizable and popular toys ever produced – and offers his abstract vision of The Big Apple. While Neimann’s exhibition is visually simplistic, it is incredibly imaginative and he succeeds in capturing some of the NY’s most unique features with striking clarity. Fresh.

Follow the link below for the full "I LEGO N.Y." collection.

via The New York Times

2009-02-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

Interview with Michael K. Williams, Part 1

The first part of the HoboTrashcan interview with New York-born dancer and actor Michael K. Williams. Williams is best known for his brilliant portrayal of the complex -- and often contradictory -- gay stick-up artist Omar in HBO's hit series, The Wire. In true Omar fashion, Williams offers his candid thoughts about his life, his career and playing one of the realest, most talked-about television characters in recent years.

Q. How was the character of Omar described to you? "He's mid-thirties, he's African American, he's a mean motherfucker that doesn't take any shit. He's a gangsta, gun-toting motherfucka and oh, by the way, he's openly gay." They put in big letters: "He's absolutely, positively non-effeminate."

Q. Did you have any reservations about playing an openly gay character? I'm a character actor, I always look for challenges. I look for things that are going to make me stand out. I'm a black dude from the projects of Brooklyn with some talent. It's like, "Get in line." I knew I needed to stand out from all of this motherfuckin' talent out here. When I read Omar, I didn't look at it and say, "Why does he have to be gay?" I said, "Oh, this is it. He's a homo. That's what I need." I took it as a blessing. The minute I read Omar on that paper, I embraced all of him. I never regretted any of it. I fell in love with him on the paper when I read the breakdown, before I even read a script.

Q. What reaction have you gotten from the streets and what reaction have you gotten from the gay community? I've got two words - all love. It's remarkable. If you think about it, Omar is non-traditional. He doesn't dress fancy, he doesn't wear jewelry, he doesn't drive fancy cars, he doesn't live in a fancy place, he's openly gay, he doesn't use drugs, he doesn't sell drugs - this motherfucka doesn't even curse. Why do they love him? All I can say at the end of the day is that you might not agree with his lifestyle, methods or motives, but you've got to respect him. He stands up for what he believes in. He lets you know the game. He lets you know his rules, and he doesn't switch up on those rules. I think that's what the streets love about him.

Q. You mentioned getting cut in your face? For those who don't know, what happened that night? It was my 25th birthday, I was in a bar, shit got hot, drinking, then words got exchanged and bottom line, there was more of them then there was of me, dudes had razors in their mouths and I got cut. Wrong place, wrong time basically. Wrong drink. That definitely woke me up. That definitely was a life altering experience. I almost died that night.

Q. Do you ever worry about getting typecast? I love my thug roles. I love them to death. I’m from East Flatbush, Brooklyn, if you know that area. That's what I know, that's what I do. Robert DeNiro didn't have any problems, Al Pacino didn't have any problems - these motherfuckas got awards for playing thugs. Look at Denzel Washington. Denzel had a career of playing stand up, forthright characters, but his best role [in Training Day] was a thug. Personally, I feel like I'll get my award for playing a thug. It would be my hope to get an accolade for playing a thug - and not a thug cop, I mean a real thug. As long as the story depicts my character as a complete and full human being, I'll take that thug in a minute. I know these people. I'm not a thug, but I know thugs. I grew up around thugs, I can call thugs if I need my thugs.

Q. What do you do to unwind? What kind of hobbies do you have? I just like to party. Life's a party. That's my hobby. My hobby is to always have fun in whatever I'm doing. I love to cook. I love to invite people over to my crib. Making people feel sexy, that's my hobby. Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. Actually, no - sex, drugs and hip hop - how about that? Sex, weed and hip hop.

Click the link below for the full Michael K. Williams interview

via HoboTrashcan

2009-02-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Alife x Casio: "State of Mind" G-Shock

In July 2008 New York clothing company ALIFE hosted a small music session for the release of Untitled, the latest album from hip-hop legend and Queens native Nas. In conjunction with that session, and in honor of my new blog, ALIFE partnered with Casio to create its own version of the classic G-Shock -- the "State of Mind" edition. OK, so the watch wasn't created with my blog in mind, but the all-black with the gold back casing and the red numbers is beastie nonetheless.

via Highsnobiety

2009-02-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to SF State of Mind..

Photography by Jung Kim

Hello friends.

Welcome to my blog, SF State of Mind. This blog is a space to share my thoughts and ideas about an eclectic assortment of topics that I find creative, relevant and/or interesting. The title of this blog, SF State of Mind, is meant not merely to reflect my appreciation and love of quality music, but also to highlight my upbringing in The City by the Bay; an upbringing which has provided me with a unique outlook on the world. Without further ado, I invite you to come inside and stay a while. Welcome to SF State of Mind..

Enjoy.