Chances w/ Wolves

These cats are legitimately cool, and i can over-stand all their sentiments towards their affections of music. When listening to your future favorite song, or a new genre of music you haven't experienced before, and the feelings that are grown out of that... it can't be explained, it can only be felt by someone who loves MUSIC. S/o to Chance with Wolves ㋡

Philip Wang Presents: Strangers, again

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Elie Wiesel's: DAWN

"Night is purer than day; it is better for thinking, loving, and dreaming. At night everything is more intense, more true. The echo of words that have been spoken during the day takes on a new and deeper meaning. The tragedy of man is that he doesn't know how to distinguish between day and night. He says things at night that should only be said by day.”

Charlie Chapman - The Great Dictator (1940)

I'm sorry but I don't want to be an Emperor, that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another, human beings are like that. We all want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone.

The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate;
has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.

We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in:
machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.
Our knowledge has made us cynical,
our cleverness hard and unkind.
We think too much and feel too little:
More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.

Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.

The airplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say "Do not despair".

The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish. . .

Soldiers: don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder.

Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate, only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural. 
Soldiers: don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty.

In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written:
"The kingdom of God is within man"
Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men; in you, the people.

You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let's use that power, let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfill their promise, they never will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfill that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.

Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite! ㋡

Aldous Huxley - Quote

“There will be in the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them but will rather enjoy it."

GQ: The Craziest Jeans in the World Video

 

Brandon Svarc (founder and CEO of Naked & Famous denim) does a video w/ GQ, and breaks down 5 of Naked & Famous' new unique designs. From glow-in-the-dark denim to the heaviest jeans ever created, the passionate Svarc personally delves into each piece’s distinctive elements exploring the unique construction quality and build. ㋡

How To Make It In America Mixtape Vol. 2

The Mixtape: Volume 2 by HowToMakeItInAmerica

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"Self Sacrifice" - Oswald Chambers

"We will never know the JOY of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, “I’ll surrender if . . . !” Or we approach it by saying, “I suppose I have to devote my life to God.” We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.
But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His JOY. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (43.15.13-14). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.
Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He perfectly exemplified, “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . . .” He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy. Have I ever yielded myself in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If He is not the One to whom I am looking for direction and guidance, then there is no benefit in my sacrifice. But when my sacrifice is made with my eyes focused on Him, slowly but surely His molding influence becomes evident in my life.
Beware of letting your natural desires hinder your walk in love before God. One of the cruelest ways to kill natural love is through the rejection that results from having built the love on natural desires. But the one true desire of a saint is the Lord Jesus.
Love for God is not something sentimental or emotional— for a saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing imaginable.
“I have called you friends. . . .” Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God. It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God."

OSWALD CHAMBERS ㋡

Tokyo Rising (Ft/ Pharrell Williams)

Keith Olbermann's: The Four Great Hypocrisies of the Debt Deal

"Our government has now given up the concept of right and wrong.
We have, in this deal, declared that we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all political incumbents are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Re-nomination, re-election, and the pursuit of hypocrisy.
We have, in this deal, gone from the Four Freedoms to the Four Great Hypocrisies.
We have superseded Congress to facilitate 750 billion dollars in domestic cuts including Medicare in order to end an artificially-induced political hostage crisis over debt, originating from the bills run up by a Republican president who funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to the military-industrial complex by unfunded, unnecessary, and unproductive wars, enabled in doing so by the very same Republican leaders who now cry for balanced budgets - and we have called it compromise. And those who defend it have called it a credit to a pragmatic president who wins some sort of political "points" because, having stood for almost nothing here, he gave away almost nothing for which he stood.
It would be comical if it were not tragic.
Either way, it is a signal moment in our history, in which both parties have agreed and codified that the political structure of this nation shall now based entirely on hypocrisy and political self-perpetuation.
Let us start with the first of the Great Hypocrisies: The Committee. The Republican dogs can run back to their corporate masters and say they have forced one-and-one-half trillion dollars in cuts and palmed off the responsibility for them on this nonsensical "Super Congress" committee.
For two-and-a-half brutal years we have listened to these Tea Party mountebanks screech about the Constitution of the United States as if it were the revealed word and not the product of other - albeit far better - politicians. They demand the repeal of Amendments they don't like, and the strict interpretation of the ones they do, and the specific citation of authorization within the Constitution for every proposed act or expenditure or legislation.
Except this one.
Where does it say in the Constitution that the two houses of Congress can, in effect, create a third house to do its dirty work for it; to sacrifice a few Congressmen and Senators so the vast majority of incumbents can tell the voters they had nothing to do with this?
This leads to the second of the Great Hypocrisies: how, in the same breath, the Republicans can create an extra-Constitutional "Super Congress" and yet also demand a Constitutional Amendment to force the economic stupidity that would be a mandated balanced budget. Firstly: pick a side! Ignore the Constitution or adhere to it.
Firstly, pick a side, ignore the constitution or adhere to it.
And of what value would this Mandated Balanced Budget be? Our own history proves that at a time of economic crisis, if the businesses aren't spending, and the consumers aren't spending, the government must. Our ancestors were the lab rats in the horrible experiments of the Hoover Administration that brought on the Great Depression, in which the government curled up into a ball while it simultaneously insisted the economy should heal itself, when, in times of crisis - then and now - the economy turns out to be comprised entirely of a bunch of rich people who will sit on their money no matter if the country starves.
Forgotten in the Republican Voodoo dance, dressed in the skins of the mythical Balanced Budget, triumphant over the severed head of short-term retrenchment that they can hold up to their moronic followers, are the long-term implications of the mandated Balanced Budget.
What happens if there's ever another… war?
Or another… terrorist attack?
Or another… natural disaster?
Or any other emergency that requires A government to spend a dollar morethan it has? A Constitutional Amendment denying us the right to run a deficit, is madness, and it will be tested by catastrophe sooner than any of its authors with their under-developed imaginations that can count only contributions and votes, can contemplate.
And the third of the Great Hypocrisies is hidden inside the shell game that is the Super Congress. TheSuper Congress is supposed to cut evenly from domestic and defense spending, but if it cannot agree on those cuts, or Congress will not endorse them, there will be a "trigger" that automatically cuts a trillion-two or more - but those cuts will not necessarily come evenly from the Pentagon. We are presented with an agreement that seems to guarantee the gutting of every local sacred cow from the Defense Department. Except if the Congressmen and Senators to whom the cows are sacred, disagree, and overrule, or sabotage the Super Congress, or, except if for some reason a 12-member Committee split evenly along party lines can't manage to avoid finishing every damned vote 6-to-6.
We're cutting Defense. Unless we're not.
The fourth of the Great Hypocrisies is the evident agreement to not add any revenues to the process of cutting. Not only is the impetus to make human budget sacrifices out of the poor and dependent formalized… but the rich and the corporations are thus indemnified, again, and given more money not merely to spend on themselves and their own luxuries, but more vitally, they are given more money to spend on buying politicians, and legislatures, and courts, buying entire states, all of which can be directed like so many weapons, in the service of one cause and one cause alone: making by statute and ruling, the further protection of the wealthy at the expense of everybody else, untouchable, inviolable - permanent.
The White House today boasted of loopholes to be closed and tax breaks to be rescinded -- later.
By a committee.
A committee that has yet to be formed.
There are no new taxes. Except the stealth ones, enacted on 99 out of 100 Americans by this evil transaction. Every dollar cut from the Safety Net is another dollar added to the citizen's cost for education, for security, for health, for life itself. It is another dollar he can't spend on making a better life for himself, or at least his children. It is another dollar he must spend instead on simply keeping himself alive.
Where is the outrage over these Great Hypocrisies? Do you expect it to come from a corrupt and corrupted media, for whom access is of greater importance than criticizing the failure of a political party or defending those who don't buy newspapers or can't leap website paywalls or could not afford cable tv?
Do you expect it to come from a cynical and manipulative political structure? Do you expect it from those elected officials who no longer know anything of government or governance, but only perceive how to get elected, or how to pose in front of a camera and pretend to be leaders? Do you expect it from politicians themselves, who will merely calculate whether or not it's right based on whether or not it will get them more contributions?
Do you expect it will come from the great middle ground of this country, with a population obsessed with entertainment, video games, social media, sports, and trivia?
Where is the outrage to come from?
From you!
It will do no good to wait for the politicians to suddenly atone for their sins. They are too busy trying to keep their jobs, to do their jobs.
It will do no good to wait for the media to suddenly remember its origins as the 'free press,' the watchdog of democracy envisioned by Jefferson. They are too busy trying to get exclusive details about exactly how the bank robbers emptied the public's pockets, to give a damn about telling anybody what they looked like, or which way they went.
It will do no good to wait for the apolitical public to get a clue. They can't hear the clue through all the chatter and scandal and diversion and delusion and illusion.
The betrayal of what this nation is supposed to be about did not begin with this deal and it surely will not end with this deal. There is a tide pushing back the rights of each of us, and it has been artificially induced by union-bashing and the sowing ofhatreds and fears, and now this ever-more-institutionalized economic battering of the average American. It will continue, and it will crush us, because those who created it are organized and unified and hell-bent.
And the only response is to be organized and unified and hell-bent in return. We must find again the energy and the purpose of the 1960's and early 1970's and we must protest this deal and all the God damn deals to come, in the streets. We must arise, non-violently but insistently. General strikes, boycotts, protests, sit-ins, non-cooperation take-overs - but modern versions of that resistance, facilitated and amplified, by a weapon our predecessors did not have: the glory that is instantaneous communication.
It is from an old and almost clichéd motion picture that the wisdom comes: First, you've got to get mad.
I cannot say to you, meet there or there at this hour or that one, and we will peacefully break the back of government that now exists merely to get its functionaries re-elected. But I can say that the time is coming when the window for us to restore the control of our government to our selves will close, and we had damn well better act before then.
Because this deal is more than a tipping point in which the government goes from defending the safety net to gutting it. This is wrong, and while our government has now declared that it has given up the concept of right-and-wrong, you and I… have not, and will not, do so.
Good night, and good luck."

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Occupy Wall Street

They continue to ask, "What do they want? What do they stand for? What is their catch phrase?" #OCCUPYWALLSTREET stands for all who feel wronged by our government. They are party-less, because they stand for us ALL. So they stand in the gap, in peace, yet people give them a bad name. #OCCUPYWALLSTREET represents the 99%. They are you, and I. Do not be duped by the foolery you see on the news channel you watch to find answers for the questions that concern you on a daily basis. Have peace of mind in knowing that You are a part of the 99% and a revolution has begun. WE are America. The 0.0002% are NOT America. They have not achieved the "American Dream." Those are the people profiting off of our misfortunes. They do not care about us. If they cared anything about us, the gap between us and them would not be so great. Think about it. There are 400 of the most wealthy in the country that own more than the lower 150 MILLION. Ask some of the 400 to come and see what the 150 million are living in... the schools they attend... the jobs... the homes... experience their everyday lives. I would bet everything i have that most of them wouldn't do it. So most of them don't give a damn about you or I,

and those are the people who own this country!

At times I watch Fox News, and i become extremely angered because of the lies the (Right) carelessly spout out so commonly that it appears they believe them. I had a thought, or a 'Day-Dream,' when i heard Herman Cain actually say he believed #OCCUPYWALLSTREET was setup to take attention from Obama's mistakes. I wanted to grab him and shake the truth out of him. I need to know if these Republicans really believe this, and if they don't, why do they say these things? What are they aiming for that would have them lying to millions of people? What will they gain? Why would they use their influence in this way? Why can't they be real and tell us what they truly think, and why? Why aren't they fighting for the things they believe, and if they believe lies, how did they get there and why can't they recognize or acknowledge truths. If they don't like #OCCUPYWALLSTREET, tell me why. If you feel that way, you are completely entitled to your feelings, and THEY MUST BE BACKED BY SOMETHING LEGITAMATE. Tell me what you disagree with. Tell me what you've heard. If you have a position to speak publicly, or some influence on the public,

Tell US The TRUTH. Stop Lying To Us! 

"WE DON'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU NEED MORE PEOPLE!"  

I was watching Bill Maher earlier, and he asked one of his guests about him blaming the president for "using the last year to destroy the economy," and the guest simply said, "Did i say that? Well I'm a Republican haha... and i was wrong. The president doesn't have the power to destroy the economy(.)"

That meant so much to me... to be told the truth from someone with more insight.

Supermodel's Cover Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind"

Jay-Z’s lifestyle blog LIFE + TIMES has just premiered an alternate music video for his esteemed “Empire State of Mind” record, only this time with the help of some models that are rather easy on the eyes. In no particular order, this ode to New York City features Selita Ebanks, Karlie Kloss, Constance Jablonski, Jourdan Dunn, Daphne Groeneveld, Edita Vilkeviciute, Hailey Clauson, Josephine Skriver, Zuzanna Bijoch, Shu Pei, Kristina Salinovic, Martha Streck, Toni Garrn, R’el Dade, Andi Muise, Ataui Deng, Chantal Stafford-Abbot, Kelsey Rogers, Ashton Phillips, Fabiana Mayer, Sabrina Nait, Sydney Edmonds, Claire Collins, Brenda Mutoni, Naoumie Ekiko, Sonia Niekrasz, Paris, Kaitlin, Lina, & Tian. Enjoy. ㋡

"We only have what we remember."

Bored To Death - Season 3

HBO seems to be the only channel worth watching (minus anything related to sports). Real shows. No "reality" bullshit tv. Just jumped on the fan wagon of another show. Slowly becoming addicted to more and more television will be my ultimate demise. But I'll have alot of funny dialog to laugh about in the after life. So cheers to you Bored to Death, for making sure I'm never..... *you get the point.
The overall humor within the show will not be fully appreciated by one-hundred percent of the viewers, but its able to stay modern and classic... like a functional bi-partisanship of sorts. 

Season premier is on October 10th. Tune in and enjoy. ㋡

No End In Sight

★★★★★

For a complete grasp of what was going on between 2003-06 in the Iraq war, No End In Sight is a perfect depiction. Not only does it put you in the shoes of the political figures in charge (under Bush), and the troops. But it gives you insight into the Iraq citizen who lived in and through this. It answers the question of why there is/was resentment of our American occupation.

To sum up the general feelings of the Iraqi citizen; "Saddam hurt us badly, it's true. This is something we won't forget. But what came is worse than Saddam." «« Listen to the words of the people we went to "help."
How would you feel if another country came to the U.S. and arrested your father, brother, uncle, and nephew because of suspicion, allowed hooligans to destroy and loot Everything, and killed the guilty and innocent? Let's bring it into some sort of perspective.
Take the national reaction of a Police officer, one of our own, killing an innocent man. We'll give that reaction a number: 1. Take that 1 and multiply it by 2, because now the Police officer is no longer one of us, so we are two times as upset. Take the 2 and multiply it by 220,000, because that's how many Police officers (American/Private soldiers) there are suspected of killing/wrong doing. Now our reaction level is at 440,000. Could you imagine being That upset/scared = PARANOID every single day for eight years?
Now let's jump out of the Iraqi's shoes, and let's see what it cost us to go over there and "help" them.
$1.860 Trillion. Along with a couple casualties of our own, caused by militia, and an uprising in paranoid citizens.
All for what?... Saddam Hussein? I thought we started out to get Osama Bin Laden. Eh... two birds, one war. I guess that's winning................. i guess.

Apple iPhone 5 - Oct. 7th

Rumors speculate an extended release date of October 7th. This concept has some amazing features that no other phones out can compare with. I'm excited to see what software makes the cut. ㋡

"BOOM FOR REAL."

Not the number one fan of Jean Michel Basquiat's work, but as a black artist I fully appreciate him. Some of the things he did and what he represented was awesome. A young black man who made his lifestyle into an empire. ㋡

UNDFTD Fall/Winter 2011 Collection

Undefeated finally releasing their fall/winter lookbook. The products will be available online on September 2nd. ㋡

"Christianity is not an ethical code. It is a love affair, a Spirit-filled way of living aimed at making us professional lovers of God and people."

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rock it. ㋡

Don't be so literal... ㋡

1967 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale

A truly EXCLUSIVE CLASSIC Super Car. Only 18 made production, now making them ultra rare, and priceless.
Could you imagine driving this Italian master piece in '67? 242bhp was more than enough in the 60s. #SPEEDIN ㋡

SUITS on SUITS on SUITS.

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Adje x Curren$y: "Great Minds Think A Like"

Curren$y breaks down his come up story. The "why's, how's, and when's." ㋡

How To Make It In America ✞ Season 2

Currently my favorite show. Very excited about OCT. 2nd for the season premier.  ㋡

Nigel Sylvester - All Day Sessions: Bay Area

Dom Kennedy ✖ Nigel Sylvester endorsed by GATORADE.  Riding bikes never gets old. Especially in San Fran. 

"Picture me rollin'..." ㋡

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#NODAYSOFF VLOG: WALE - THE MAKING OF 'AMBITION' PART II

S/o to @WALE. The passion is contagious. ㋡

Rick Mereki's EAT

Three guys took 44 days to go around the world and hit eleven countries by taking eighteen flights and exceeding thirty-eight thousand miles. "All to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films....."
I don't know a single person who wouldn't want to travel and EAT.LEARN.MOVE. But especially EAT. New and beautiful flavors. I need this.  

If that didn't make you want to eat Right Now... I don't know what wrong with you. ㋡

nanamica's fall/winter apparel

nanamica's highlights for the 2011 fall and winter merchandise that are available on their website. Featured brands include The North Face Purple Label, nanamica, Tricker’s, Champion, Mark McNairy and Russel Moccasin. ㋡

 your life is your life

don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in YOU.

-- Charles Bukowski

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Watch The Throne

"And then Watch The Throne drop... niggas kill theyself."  Jay-Z ★ Ye "Ni★★as in Paris"

DOWNLOAD HERE ㋡

☝That's personal style. Not to be duplicated. #BOi☝

There's something about a grey/red combo over something white. It's pleasantly fashionable, because of the pop of perfect color with two neutrals.

Noble Tonic No.1 Maple Syrup

Bourbon infused maple syrup sounds damn tasty. Noble’s Tonic No.1 does it. “To create the Bourbon syrup (a.k.a. Noble Tonic 01), a dash of raw Tuthilltown bourbon is added before the syrup is aged in oak barrels. Smooth and creamy tasting, it’s a grown-up take on maple. Tahitian vanilla beans and apple-scented Egyptian chamomile blossoms are added to the Vanilla syrup (a.k.a. Noble Tonic 02), resulting in a delicately balanced, fruity-floral tasting sweetener.” About $50 a bottle. « I'mma need that. ㋡ frank ocean ✖ thinking about you

It's Kind of a Funny Story ⚡ Under Pressure

Good movie. Great scene. ㋡

Best Lens for the Midnight Marauder

With a maximum aperture of f/0.95, the NOKTOR HyperPrime is the fastest lens designed for Micro Four Thirds and E-mount cameras. At open aperture, the lens renders pictures and video with extreme shallow depth of field for a dreamy and unique aesthetic. In low-light photography and cinematography, the lens exceeds the perception of the human eye. From nightscapes to campfires, now you can shoot in situations that are often impossible to capture with a normal lens. Price tag sits just over a stack. 

#WorthIt ㋡

The worn leather band is the best part about  this timeless  time piece. Freshest Rolex I've ever seen. Typically not a fan. ㋡miguel - vixen

Classic Varsity Jackets

Brooklyn Circus ☝ Varsity Jacket ☝ (2011 Fall/Winter)

 

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Skateboard ⚡ Shades

Big fan of SHWOOD for two reasons… Quality organic product and Unique design.

Not impressed by the first half of this video, but when the second half begins, I understand it. The skateboard shades are not for a skateboarder… that’s merely the heart of the merchandise. Its awesome how they “recycle” a relative item to hand make these shades. 

Gotta luh dat…㋡

The "ecology" of love

The Ecology of Love… From the title, to the use of excessive cameras, to the poor accents, and SHORT lived story; this short film tried too hard and came up short on its meaning.

The phrase “ecology of love” isn’t artistic enough to take away from its miss use. Where was the love? In the 18 minutes, I never saw love. I witnessed the ecology of people… but “The Ecology of People” could be used to describe any movie. Therefore further pushing the point that the content of this short film was all over the place and nowhere. I saw a cause with little result, and then a reflection. I feel the reflection made the immature result even less fulfilling and less to think about.

Generally I’m a supporter of a large amount of Pharrell projects, but I wouldn’t standup next to this one. Maybe that’s why it was never released. All I can presume is, Dania Ramirez must have pushed for it’s leaking, because she was undoubtedly the greatest thing about this short. 

I did actually appreciate the game Andre put on Alila. The shadeless lamps, the music, the use of the thrift store. Very Cool! And s/o to Matthew Jensen. He did an awesome job directing.

★★

My future… a fresh youngster wiping his nose on his 100% wool sleeve. “No worries chap… papa will get you another.”

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Monclear ✖ COMME des GARÇONS

Monclear collabs COMME des GARÇONS (*"fuck yo fresh" word to jigga) again on a selection of basic yet high-design items for this Fall/Winter.  The line is focused around cold weather attire, but I found this t-shirt and thought it was the nicest piece. These high quality brands doing simple, unique designs have lasting power, so the price is no object…

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#Layers = Fall + Winter

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Dating VS. Courting

The secret key to a successful long lasting relationship: COURTING

In these current times it has become natural for a couple of a certain age to practice the characteristics of a “responsible relationship.” Those qualities usually parallel the likes of a marriage. Thus making marriage that much more meaningless. When something as serious and sacred as marriage begins to resemble an everyday relationship between two people getting to know one another, it lessens the value of marriage. Dating now looks dangerously like marriage and marriage looks detrimentally close to dating. We’re all fools rushing in. Going from 0-100 in faster than emotions are able to handle.

Once a couple has reached its “serious stage” and begins to act like they are married, a few things are then damaged. All of your emotions become invested into something casual, which is very much like cashing out one’s 401K, and using the entire lump to buy lottery tickets. Lottery tickets are a casual investment, and your 401K is all you have. Now this casual thing has become everything to you. This possibly temporary situation has now become all you have.

Along with rushing and putting all of yourself into a possibility, dating today leaves nothing left for marriage. Why should we get married? because after sex, and moving in together, what’s left to do other than have a child. Marriage is bigger than a baby. A baby will not make a marriage. It is more likely for a child to break a relationship than to help.

Courting preserves the sanctity of marriage. Not only the image of it, but that image is everything. Divorce is popular because of the casual appearance it has been given. But marriage is a holy thing that should be treated as such. It is not something to be rushed into, carelessly tried, or duplicated. A preferred form of getting to know the opposite sex is courting. Saving the best of each other for the next step.

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Ron English ✖ Culture Jammin

Ron English is a contemporary artist that’s been blending classic brands and imagery along with current pop-culture since the early 80s. Only as of lately have I taken notice of his work in the street art scene. His guerrilla semiotics approach intended to expose apparently questionable political assumptions behind commercial culture in a colorful way grabs the attention of viewers. English uses common tactics including re-figuring logos, fashion statements, and product images as a means to challenge the idea of "what's cool" along with assumptions about the personal freedoms of consumption.

  

(photo-realist technique)

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Time Pieces & Accessories

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Fresh!!

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Attention to Detail

When I see people with fresh looks and a right amount of accessories that are different or dope, I wonder what they were thinking about when they put it all together.

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Jasper's ☞ Slow Smoked Baby Back Ribs

Finally tried the famous baby back ribs at Jasper’s (rated in the top 3 Best in the Country). Not my favorite dish from Jasper’s, but when not taking the rating into consideration, I was not disappointed. Rarely do I eat ribs. Even at BBQs I’ll skip over them and seek out the boneless meats, but on this day I felt compelled to step outside of my usual Seared Salmon & Polenta to try their most famous dish.

There is a perfect amount of meat, with a great infused flavored to be complimented with the AWESOME potato salad, and a side of tangy BBQ sauce. Not the best pairing for a glass of wine, but an amber beer would match it very well.

Best dishes from Jasper’s in my preferred order: Seared Salmon, Bourbon BBQ Pork Tenderloin, **Baby Back Ribs, and then the Grilled Shrimp and Pork Tenderloin Brochette.

 

★★★

Movie Review ✖ Trancedent Man

★★★: Informative & Interesting

Inventor  and futurist Ray Kurzweil is the subject of this documentary that follows him on a world speaking tour in which he expounds on his ideas about the merging of man and machine, which he predicts will occur in the not-so-distant future. Here he raises eyebrows with his wildly optimistic views of a technology-enhanced future.

This is a poorly put together documentary predicting an “iRobot” type theme for the future, which will hold your attention regardless of its chaotic editing.

Kurzweil’s points and opinions around the advancing speed of technology seem to be correct, but you have to wonder how long can it continue to accelerate. When it reaches the point of advancing the human perceptive, I feel there will be a change in the rate technology progresses, or a complete evolving of something new. Perhaps Ray Kurzweil is correct in his predictions of the creation of Artificial Intelligence, but at that point in time I think we will have a small speed bump. The domination of A.I. over the world in twenty years doesn’t seem very logical. People have been predicting these sort of events since the 1960's. Maybe Ray's own intelligence and ego have gotten the best of him. Although this is a wonderful jumping off point in understanding the ideas behind technical advancements and their capabilities. The film isn’t potent or concise enough to really give us the full picture of Singularity.

Jaguar XKR-S

Jaguar not usually known for having fast cars, has introduced this sport edition of the XKR. Other than the aero-kit, the Jag has added a unique exhaust system to the car with a sound of its own. ㋡

Raekwon ✖ "Snake Pond"

Check out the premiere of Raekwon's "Snake Pond" video off of his Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang album, which dropped in March 2011. Directed by Elephilms. ㋡

EDWIN ✖ Factory Video

Japanese brand Edwin has made a fan out of myself, because of the confidence and pride behind the product. Here’s a video showing the detail in their High-quality, HAND MADE denim. – EDWIN has made an excellent choice by showing consumers exactly how much hard work and effort goes into creating one pair of their premium denim. ㋡

Talenti - Caramel Cookie Crunch

Found this at Market Street the other day. A little pricey, but worth every pennie. ㋡

Digitally-Enhanced iPad2 Interactive Chandelier

Last week design firm Rockwell Group's interactive team, The Lab completed their latest project aptly-named The Build Up!. The one-night-only install came in the form of a four-sided hanging screen, designed and built for the 25th Anniversary National Building Museum Honor Award Gala in Washington D.C. Using iPad software and projection apps customized with openFramework for the project, the 18' x 18' geometric structure displayed animated colorful cityscapes high above the guests at the event.

But the installation was more than just a digitally-enhanced chandelier. Guests were encouraged to interact with the skyline (and one another) by using one of four iPad 2-embedded pedestals to create miniature buildings, forming a virtual metropolis of epic proportions. As guests tap and play using the specialized iPad apps, skyscrapers sprout up in bright hues, creating nearly instant interactive gratification. With the proper amount of feverous construction, the cities really come to life as virtual balloons, blimps, and fireworks erupt to celebrate users' architectural accomplishments. ㋡