So So... So Fine

BAD RELIGION

fear not that ye have died for naught, we'll teach the lesson that ye wrought..... so go the final words of the original poppy poem. its a sentiment anyone who's lost someone to war can relate to.. but i get the feeling we haven't truly learned to respect the lessons it spoke of. at all.
i respect the troops.. let me rephrase.. i respect the will and bravery of my grand father and other ww2 vets without whose sacrifice i would be living a completely different existence. i also to a lesser extent respect the heart it takes to put your life on the line and serve ones country, after all i almost did the same.
i do not however respect whats being done overseas today in the name of oppressive freedoms or the position any soldiers out there who are of noble intent are being put in.
it should never be a choice between "supporting our boys" or "condemning warmongers" both causes are one and the same and anyone who tells you different is just another tool of political division. our boys don't deploy themselves to these places and they sure as hell don't tell air command where to drop bombs either.. the pm and politicians do with the help of yours and my taxes. yes. we helped kill all those iraqis afghans and the kids we send out there to fight pointless wars just by being paid, indulging in peaceful riots and sitting on our collective backsides.
imagine the impact if the people who protested against wars joined forces with the ones protesting for the boys stuck out there fighting?
that'd be interesting. but it wont happen. cameron and co. needs you them us at each others throats just long enough so that they can quietly do what they're doing then go on a nice pre-planned million pound spinning book and lecture tour in a few years time while everyone's still scratching their collective heads as to what exactly the fucks happened or changed.

but i digress, putting your life on the line for your country is kinda like going to church. your handing over your body your faith if you will.. to a higher power/cause.. in the sincere hopes and belief your being guided along the right path.. that being the case so far as i can see.. our govt's. been practising some very very bad religion.









Eye Open. Wide Awake.

Pyramids Absynthe & The Tree Of Life

Pyramids


The long awaited music video to the 2nd half of the epic 10 minute single by acclaimed RnB, Hip Hop, Neo Pop Soul, Urban-Folk, Bluegrass artist is finally here, a complex chameleonesque piece of work (not even sure thats a word, but hey wtf)

The action starts thusly, back shots 4x absynthe.. pull out sig, shootup de place.. hop on bmw &ride off into the desert sunrise, no hands, no challenge...

one devils advocate re-run, stripclub slomo &racist-joke tellin shaman guitar solo later (Mayer)we see Frank fall & rise from his vision quest hangover the ONLY way anyone ever should lol.. then continue his journey in search of that lost illuminated pyramid on the edge of the horizon.

No hands no challenge.





Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

Amistad Originals

"The shoe is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott's outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery", Adidas said in a statement.


I was never the biggest adidas fan before this, but now I'm pretty sure they'll never see another penny from me or anyone close to me aslong as they exist. Hopefully others wake up and make the same choice.

They can say they didnt know the significance, but we all know thats ridiculous and we also know theres no way what is also possibly THE ugliest adidas shoe ever should have even made it past design stage.
Meaning this was basically just a cynical shock tactic, a slap in the collective face of every black person who's ever worn the 3 stripes that was no doubt intended to cause a controversial backlash with the sole purpose of keeping adidas "relevant".

Am I shocked a multi-billion pound company has questionable ethics and basically doesnt give two shits about their loyal fashion slaves/customers who they by now must believe will buy ANYTHING they sell them?

No. Im not. And frankly I wouldnt have it even if they give us free...





Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

Let Them Eat Cake............?

Swedish minister of culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth has been accused of participation in a "racist spectacle" where she is seen (above picture) carving up a cake depicting a naked black golliwog caricature has sparked outrage and prompted calls for the minister's dismissal.

"In our view, this simply adds to the mockery of racism in Sweden," Kitimbwa Sabuni, spokesperson for the National Afro-Swedish Association (Afrosvenskarnas riksförbund) told The Local.

"This was a racist spectacle."

Sabuni's comments came following Adelsohn Liljeroth's participation in an alleged "art" installation at Stockholm's Moderna Museet.

As part of the installation, which has retroactively explained as being meant to highlight the issue of female circumcision, the culture minister began cutting a large cake shaped like a black female caricature, symbolically starting at the clitoris.

The artist whom I will not give the satisfaction of publicity by naming & is also strangely enough of mixed origin, created the installation and whose head is part of the cake cut by the minister, allegedly wrote about the 'genital mutilation cake' on a Facebook page bearing his name saying..

"Before cutting me up she whispered, 'Your life will be better after this' in my ear," in a caption next to the partially eaten cake.





"According to the Moderna Museet, the 'cake party' was meant to problematize female circumcision but how that is accomplished through a cake representing a racist caricature of a black woman complete with 'black face' is unclear," Sabuni said in a statement.

According to Sabuni, the mere fact that the minister particiapted in the event, which he argued was also marked by "cannibalistic" overtones, betrays her "incompetence and lack of judgement".

"Her participation, as she laughs, drinks, and eats cake, merely adds to the insult against people who suffer from racist taunts and against women affected by circumcision," he said.

"We have no confidence in her any longer."

Speaking with the TT news agency, Adelsohn Liljeroth addressed the association's reaction, but nevertheless defended her actions.

"I understand quite well that this is provocative and that it was a rather bizarre situation," she said.

"I was invited to speak at World Art Day about art's freedom and the right to provoke. And then they wanted me to cut the cake."

However, Adelsohn Liljeroth said the National Afro-Swedish Association's anger should be directed at the artist, not at her, claiming the situation was "misinterpreted".

"He claims that it challenges a romanticized and exoticized view from the west about something that is really about violence and racism," she said.

"Art needs to be provocative."

But the minster's defence of her actions rang hollow for Sabuni.

"It's extremely insulting for the minister to claim that we've somehow 'misunderstood' racism," he said.

According to Sabuni, the incident is "strange" but "not unexpected" in the Swedish context.

"Sweden thinks of itself as a place where racism is not a problem," he said.

"That just provides cover for not discussing the issue which leads to incidents like this."

While a museum is certainly allowed to do what it wants as long as the laws are followed, Sabuni argued that a minister needs to be held to "higher standards".

"To participate in a racist manifestation masquerading as art is totally over the line and can only be interpreted as the culture minister supporting the Moderna Museet's racist prank," he said.




Ok, since this came out theres been alot of talk about artistic merit &freedom of expression etc many going as far as to say they dont even see the big deal!
I had quite a few very strong words about this issue, over seven paragraghs worth, I erased them.
All I will say in their place is this, IMAGINE for a moment that instead of a Golliwog cake it had been a jewish internment camp cake or perhaps a cake of a little boy in striped pajamas... What would your reaction then be? What would the mainstream reaction to the so called "art" be like THEN?
Im sure we'd be hearing a completely different tune from this ever-growing new species of pseudo-intellectual "Unaffecteditus-Hypocritus" who use increasingly sophisticated artistic media driven agendas to mask growing globally commercialised stealth-racism.
But then as I guess is the norm with most racist hypocrites out there, it will always be a case of having their cake.. & eating it too.




Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

Pretty Girls Driving Sportscars

WHIP APPEAL

"something to drive or jog to" is what Ocean calls this auto-lifestyle piece of a track from his forthcoming as of yet untitled album. When he said he "Always keeps it clean" bredda werent lyin. I predict a summer driveby hit.





Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

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FucKONY 2012

So... I know what your thinkin, Solo's finally joining in with the biggest fastest spreading viral campaign in history &doing his part for the Invisible Children.. right?
Not quite.. You see after I watched the video that got 6 million views in less than 24 hrs.. I did something.. I turned off the sound.. Then watched it again.
Something didnt addup.. You see I had prior knowledge of Ugandas child soldier crisis way before watching this video.. I've made donations to Doctors Without Borders whenever I had the funds to do so for the last 6 or so yrs now.. My ex-wife even attempted to join at one point.

Anyway celebs such as Clooney, Damon, DiCaprio, Pitt/Jolie & the like have been tryin to spread awareness of both the Darfur & Ugandan crisis for yrs now &even with their combined star powers.. Nothing.

So why now? Whats with the sudden push? I turned the sound back on.. &it ALL became very clear.. This is all about THE MONEY.
after a lilbit of research I found out his allegedly non-profit "Invisible Children" organisation gives less than 1/4 of accumalated donations to anything considered charitable, then i found out that as well as other possible residual incomes he earns upwards of $90,000 a yr from invisible children.......NINETY THOUSAND!!!

In 2011 the organization spent $8,676,614... only 32% of that went to direct services.. Charity Navigator rated them 2 out of 4 stars &on top of that they wont allow ANY of their finances to be audited or examined by independent authorities, theyve also declined a number of requests from the Better Business Bureau to examine their facilities &functionality, have u ever heard of a charity that has NO transparency? Even the biggest banks on the planet now have to open their books up to scrutiny these days.. but a "Charity" wont?

So that explains the money motivation right? Nope not even close, the bloated salaries isnt even the tip on the iceberg of whats REALLY going on here.
You see Kony's reign ended in 06 &apart from a few loyal followers has since been disbanded... Yes in 2006!
So WHY are they NOW in 2012 trying to make ONE tinpot Christian Crusader/Despot the most famous man on the planet when this has been going on for 26 yrs?! & EIGHT yrs after Invisible Children has been in Uganda?
I could smell large scale social propaganda/manipulation.. But it still didnt make any sense..

Well theres two things.. Firstly the chinese have recently been showing alot of interest in that area &in Africa in general in fact.. esp in financial &infrastructural development.. but surely even that wouldnt be enough to get the west off their collective asses would it? You'd be right it wouldnt.. But fortunately, late last year massive oil reserves were discovered in southern Uganda... Yeh.. you read me right.. OIL. (cue 'Dallas' opening theme music)

See if the U.S.S.I.G. (US Special Interest Groups) or other concerned govts gave two shits about uganda 10yrs ago they'd actually be sittin pretty now.. But alas they didnt so now, they have to make whatever entry they make seem philanthropic & righteous.

& In the theatre that is modern warfare, nothing beats a good ole pre-cooked pantomine villain to stir up the sheepled masses, whet their appetites for the upcoming feast of oily blood &innocents
Enter Joseph Kony, the prime candidate, nevermind the fact hes been largely inactive since 06, lost most of his power base, is in ANOTHER COUNTRY & could EASILY have been taken out by SAS, SEAL Team 6 or even PMC's yrs ago!!!

The worst thing in all this is, the problems in Uganda go WAY beyond this ONE guy, they stretch far &wide &affect the inhabitants on a profound level &to see it all belittle by this.. gimmick is quite sad
Cause if u can make THE WORLD believe ur going in to get rid of an evil boogeyman that (you'll soon realise) cant be caught..(Deja Vu anyone?) No ones gonna say jack if u hang round & "help develop" some oil to help out the local populations financial situation while ur there.. make no mistake about it.. this is just a more media savvy version of Iraq in the run-up stages..

Friends of mine once asked why they would wait so long to do this? To which i replied:

"Its called strategy bitches, & these hombres are playin chess.. Not checkers."





Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

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The Duggan Deconstruction

when i hear most ppl talk about "the riots" with all the clarity of a drunken homer simpson.. its like they forgot what started all that shit in the first place.. smf'nh




Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

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It Aint No Secret

they forgot one thing.. next level enthusiasm. colour me inspired.




Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

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Food For Thought

Coming straight outa SnakeTown......... Visuals/humor on point.. Director is one to watch.





Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

ಠ_ಠ ┌∩┐-___-┌∩┐ /--\

Amen

k
2 things:
1 hes better than eminem ever was.. (yup yup, i know, for sure..amen)
2 he doesnt know what breathing means




Eyes. Open. Wide. Awake.

ಠ_ಠ ┌∩┐-___-┌∩┐ /-o-\