papa pitt gets all deep : V1N2

i think this is sweet and quite true.

"i'll trade wisdom for youth any day. … it's a tragedy in the sense that any love involves loss, and that's the risk you take. and the greater the love, the greater the loss. i certainly feel that now with the woman i'm with, and the children that i have. But whatever the course may be, this time together is extraordinary."

my ox, o ox : V1N2

2009 is the year of il torino! what's this you may ask? well i consulted the i-ching internets and found some interesting detail to share:

The Year of the Ox is denoted by the earthly branch character 丑.

The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

the current ox birth cycle:

• 26 January 2009 - 14 February 2010: EARTH ox

the polarity of the ox is yin. the gemstone onyx (the color of the bull). traditional element is water. the ox season is winter.

norsk elektronisk jazz: nils peter molvaer : V1N2

everytime i hear something by molvaer i get hyped. i love his rhythms and variation on downbeat jazz. i'm always fascinated to see how musicians from other countries re-invent one of the richest gifts black american culture has blessed upon the world. within jazz there are limitless possibilities to explore. so this norwegian trumpeter comes along, mixing the traditional with electronic downbeat and voila! his music is so sublime that a melodic rhythm will literally wake me up from my sleep and i imagine i'm walking along the beach at the sea of cortez. his music can be transcendent even experimental, but is still very much rooted in the old school of the swirling, abstract brass. i think louis or miles would be pleased.

i discovered molvaer listening to my favorite ambient station groove salad, which podcasts out of san francisco and supports independent artists. you can find a compilation of his works on amazon.com and listen to some samples. his latest releases is khmer. chill vibes, my people!

Nils Peter Molvader - Song of Sand

homage: santa's baby : V1N2`

i heard ms. kitt passed away xmas day. this was a true diva who lived fiercely and was unashamed of flaunting her sumptuous black sensuality.

ms. kitt was born in north carolina to a black cherokee woman (hence those stunning cheekbones) and a white man she knew little about. as a young girl she was sent to live with an aunt in harlem. on a goof she auditioned with the katherine dunham dance company and the rest is history. she carried the legacy of josephine baker, singing sultry songs in parisian cabaret shows and mercilessly slaying men with her provocative, feline allure. in the 1970s she had a big success with the african-themed musical kismet! (this was long before the lion king hit the scene). she had been performing regularly at the cafe carlyle in new york the last 17 years. this is a charming spot for the old school nyc set of giblets and pearls.

i grew up seeing her in re-runs of old variety shows and (my favorite) as catwoman in the 1960s batman series. she was in my opinion the coolest catwoman ever. her campy kitten image was perfect for this role and she worked it. in the early 90s she had me rolling as the cosmetics tycoon lady eloise in boomerang with eddie murphy. as she was seducing eddie's character, marcus graham, she was a riot just simply beckoning him into her boudoir, 'maaaaah-kuhssss.' dude had no chance! i just adored her.

ms. kitt was of the era of the true diva. leopard print + lipstick, sequined satin and stilettos. she attributed her flawless complexion to a ritual of slathering on vaseline every night. this was a beauty secret for several generations of black women. (tip! i wouldn't recommend putting petroleum-based anything on your face. we've come a long way since then). of my favorite of her songs, 'santa baby' is a classic around the holidays. she performed this, half naked except for a stole wrap and high heels. and she purred like nobody's business. wicked, mama, mad wicked!

many blessings, ms. kitt.

encounters at the end of the world: V1N2

about 10 years ago i was fascinated with the idea of packing it in and fall off into antarctica. maybe work as an assistant to some mad-genius geologist or help charter tourists around mcmurdo station. i gathered some information and did nothing. i instead switched up my game and went to visit relatives in italy (a warmer location, no doubt!)

though over the years my interest in going to the vast continent has never diminished. to meditate on the landscape and experience endless day (or night depending on the time of year). i think what appeals to me is being in an isolated place, far removed from civilization. to see how can i cope in such an environment, to mediate on the science of nature and be in silence with myself and the earth.

recently i watched werner herzog's documentary encounters at the end of the world. he got the hook up through the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers Program to make a film on antarctica. herzog does his own narration and at times his own reflections are hilarious (and very german: ' i loathe the sun on my celluloid and on my skin'.), but he is often touched by the people, their ideas, stories, and of course the land and the other-worldly dimension beneath the Ross Sea. antarctica is one of the most fascinating places on earth.

i'm suggesting this film for the next science instructors gathering. it re-affirms my dream to make my way there 0ne day, to marvel at life on earth, and climb the active volcano mt. erebus, its name taken from erebus in greek mythology. he was the son of a primordial god, chaos, and represented the personification of darkness and shadow, which filled in all the corners and crannies of the world.

there is a beautiful saying by an american philosopher, alan watts who said, 'through our eyes the universe is perceiving itself and through our ears the universe is listening to its cosmic harmonies. and we are witness through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory'.

- stephan pashov
philosopher and forklift driver, mcmurdo station.

encounters at the end of the world

big time: jazmine sullivan : V1N2

i've been reading a lot about this emerging diva from philly that mixes r&B (with dub, jazz, and hip hop). she's all over the place, nominated for grammies and got a rave in the NYT for her performance at SOB's in New York. she has a stunning voice and soulful vibe.

good stuff, my people!

Jazmine Sullivan - Need U Bad

my parental Q&A : V1N2

i had this vision that if i could take my folks, seated on a stage and have a Q&A with them. you see, this would be i'm sure hilarious yet revealing. my pops was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the 70s and before that blew up he may have had a type of narcissistic personality disorder. my mother has developed depression; what i think is some form of post-traumatic stress disorder from hooking up with the old fool in the first place.

theirs is quite a salacious tale of chaotic love and betrayal. ma came to california with her first husband, a lounge-lizard piano player of maltese descent. he was 20 years her senior and looked a lot like jean cocteau. they were drawn to the arty beatnik scene of san francisco and left new york city for the brave new world inhabited by ginsberg, kerouac, and espresso.

my folks met at a house party in the fillmore. pops was working on his second bachelor's degree at the catholic university, USF. ma's husband joe played piano bars around the city; spots like the st. francis hotel and occasionally cafes and joints around north beach where all the cool cats kicked it.

well ma fell head over heels over pop. he was (honestly) a strikingly good-looking dude, but worst yet he knew it, which can make a young man unbearably dangerous and arrogant. ma made the first moves and pops was initially apprehensive because she was a married woman. well you know, the flesh is week and desire is strong. they had an affair and she got pregnant with me.

so she left joe and settled in with pops. they got an apartment in the fillmore where we lived when i was a baby. 16 months later my sister nina was born and they took a large flat in an apartment building in the haight where we lived for a several years. the neighborhood at that time was a bizarre mix of russian immigrants, hippies, revolutionaries, and junkies.

the folks had a brief separation around the time i was 5 maybe. then they bought a modest house in bernal heights, a neighborhood south of the mission district. my sister and i had a front yard to play in and we went to a hippie progressive school in the area.

then things fell apart. i can't discern exactly when, but eventually the happy family scene disintegrated into chaos. pops was seeing other women (even at one time took us to visit a girlfriend in the projects). then when ma decided two could play that game, he became abusive and tyrannical. he struck her in front of us, his own children. what kind of man does that? cops came to the house on several occasions and there were many times we went to stay with friends or in shelters to escape the mayhem. i can' t imagine how difficult that must have been for ma. she was from a working class family of italian immigrants. this was a whole new harsh ghetto experience for her; fleeing an abusive relationship with two small children. she managed as best she could trying to keep it together. she had a nervous breakdown when i was about 12, which i think was exacerbated by anguish and overwhelming stress. pops by this time was on the streets, a prisoner of his own demons and incapable of caring for his kids should anything happen to her.

oh yeah. rough times, my friend.

so i would ask my folks why the fuck did they hook up in the first place? what were you thinking to bring children into this mess?

truthfully i know the answers, which are messy, evasive, and maybe even hilarious when i imagine this scenario extrapolated from various conversations over the years and my sense of their personalities:

ma: i got pregnant by accident and i wanted him, so i decided to give it a try. i didn't know him well enough, but i was in love.

pop: i loved you too, norma.

ma: (scowls) yeah, right.

Q: then why did you cheat on her and abuse her, pops?

pop: that was the CIA and the FBI. it was all a conspiracy because they didn't want me with a white woman. they told me: nigger, what are you doing having babies with that white woman? we'll kill you, nigger.

Q: ok, pops. so you're saying the CIA and the FBI made you a cheating, lying, abusive husband?

pops: well....no. i guess that was my fault. but they had me stressed out. coming to the house talking about gonorrhea and the clap. and the homosexuals...they just kept bothering me.

Q: i see. and ma, how did you deal with this?

ma: well, i was really overwhelmed trying to raise you kids and him smacking me around. but anyway...that's all water under the bridge now.

Q: have you forgiven him?

ma: why do you ask me that? have you forgiven him? i did the best i could raising you kids with no support. he really did a number on me.

Q: do you think that is because you're white?

ma: i think that was part of it, yes. i think he thought because i was white i would put up with that crap. i don't think he would have treated a black woman that way.

pops: mmm... i'm sorry for what i put you through, norma.

ma: whatever....it's water under the bridge, howard.

Q: how do you think this relationship between you affected your kids?

pops: well.....i could have done better. been a better father and husband. but i wasn't in a good place back then. people were harassing me about my nursing degree and being a green beret. they were really out to get me. telling me, ' get your black ass outta here. we don't want you in the green berets '. i've been trying to make it up to you and your sister since then. yeah....i was going through some head trips i guess.

Q: and you ma?

ma: all i know is i did the best i could. it was a very difficult experience for me. do we really need to get into this again?

Q: why didn't you move back east where you had more support?

ma: i grew up in a family where you made your bed you lie in it. anyway, i didn't think it would have been easy for you kids living in a small town like dover at the time.

Q: because we're black?

ma: yes. (sighs) i'm really not comfortable talking about this.

Q: don't you think this is in a way healing to talk about it?

ma: healing shmealing. it was a long time ago. you kids turned out fine. i wasn't running around in bars looking for men. you weren't neglected. i did the best i could.

Q: i understand, ma. it was difficult.

ma: wasn't your break-up with christian difficult? or marrying that carlos from belize?

Q: his name was carl. and we're not talking about my relationships, ma. we're talking about you and pop.

ma: why?

Q: so i can get a better understanding about the relationship of my parents as a man and a woman.

ma: what do you want to know?

Q: ma, you just said you didn't want to talk about it.

ma: that's not the point.

Q: ok. moving on! pops how are you feeling these days?

pops: okay i guess. i sit around listening to jazz and smoke my pipe. it would be nice to have a lady friend, but i don't think i'll ever meet a good a woman as your mother. i haven't had very good luck with women since we left the house on elsie street.

ma: (humph) i seem to remember you refused to leave that house. you said it was your house and you were the king of your castle. i had to move out with the kids. what kind of crap was that?

pops: yeah....i am sorry about that, norma.

Q: and you ma? how are you feeling these days?

ma: i'm fine. i like my own company. i read a lot and working part-time keeps me busy. but my knees are giving me trouble since the trip to alaska. i'm going to see a specialist, but i'm a little concerned about whether or not my medicare will cover it if i need surgery. i hope i don't of course. getting old is no walk in the park, lemme tell you. i saw this program on CNN once....

Q: well, my thanks ma and pop for taking the time to talk with me. i love you both.

pop: i love you two, tiks. and nina too. my bambinos!

ma: why do you call them bambinos? where did you get that from?

pop: they're my bambinos and they're italian...like their beautiful mother!

ma: give it a rest, howard.


dedicated to ma + pop

tushte design : V1N2

i was asked by my amigos in guatemala to spread the word about tushte design. tushte is a very talented graffiti and stensil designer; his work reminds me of the graphic urban street art of the 70s and 80s. mutz and i worked together at el buen samaritano a few years ago. he's now an instructor at los patojos in jocotenango, a village suburb of antigua. i gave tushte some work on the side at the time, doing fliers for a friend who got his hustle on taking tourists to el salvador.

you can get t-shirts, ponchos + tunics, or even drop a special request design project (the digital age makes this very fast + cheap!) drop mutz a line (espanol or english) at risingminds@gmail.com to inquire. he will ship to el norte! ground postal takes several weeks to the states and DHL operates within the city as well.

tushte site text is in spanish.

my superstar: majora carter

The Green Power Broker
by Marguerite Halloway, NYT

hype article about the inspired and visionary ms. majora, an environmental activist who, with Van Jones, co-founded Green for All

black people on the move, kid!

link atcha!

ella baker center for human rights
majora carter group

the american experience : the searchers V1N2

i've never been a big fan of westerns, with few exceptions, because i always equated the mythology of the wild west with the decimation of the native american. as a teenager i was obsessed with the (little known) film Windwalker which had dialogue in Cherokee and Crow, no english. i liked Dances with Wolves, which was entertaining, but thematically not very adventurous. wind in his hair was also super fine.

but the classic genre of the john wayne western? - oh no . he represented to me the diefic white american male; nothing i had any interest in exploring. generations were so obsessed in this mythos of the tall, strong, master of the universe, riding a horse, and staying stupid shit like 'pilgrim'. my pops used to love his old WWII movies; 'john wayne was a bad ass dude!' he'd say smiling.

i'd just roll my eyes in contempt.

well as you get older and more sophisticated, you reflect and maybe the adolescent attitude was just narrow-mindedness, that so ain't cool. i've always been a movie geek, just more of the intellectual arty drama, horror-gore, and sci-fi variety. i see everything the cohen bros make, scorsese, antoine fuqoua, spike lee to spike jonze. the magnificent seven was very cool (if for no other reason than re-making kurosawa's seven samurai into a western). i like clint eastwood's collaborations with sergio leone as well. but you see, eastwood was infinitely cooler (to me) than some apple pie john wayne.

but his collaborations with john ford are considered some of the best american westerns ever made. one in particular, even insofar as influencing other filmmakers, is the searchers. recently i was reading about Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Quahadi Comanche Indians. his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, was an anglo-Texan abducted by the Comanche as a young girl. she married the war chief, Peta Nocona with whom she had two sons, Quanah, Pecos, and a daughter, Prairie Flower. By the time the Texas Rangers found Cynthia Parker, she no longer identified with being white and died partly from heart break and ill health, trying to re-assimilate with her family. the novel the searchers, by alan le may was inspired by Parker's story.

so my curiosity was piqued to check this movie out. i was very cynical as classic hollywood and the depiction of people of color tends to be unbearably racist, have the narrowest vision (whites always rule and win) and these characterizations can be downright agonizing to watch; i.e., actors in blackface being chased by the KKK (birth of a nation).

the searchers honestly blew my mind. wayne plays an on-the-verge confederate war vet, ethan edwards. he's got serious issues; racial issues, emotional issues, a man undone by life, war, and self-isolation. his racism grotesquely turns into vengeance when Comanches led by, Chief Cicatrice (Scar), kill his brother's family and burn down their homestead. Cicatrice steals away with ethan's two nieces, lucy, the eldest, and debbie. he finds lucy's tattered dead body in a canyon and spends the next five years tracking the comanche and debbie.

the shots in this film are stunning; mostly shot on location in southern Utah and the painted desert of Arizona. the color is saturated so the earth is this deep red-brown and the sunsets blaze. horses run across wide-frame majestic landscapes. the lighting techniques are gorgeous. there's actual native american actors in it, speaking comanche, not just white actors mimicking. (of course Chief Cicatrice is played by a white actor, in headdress, and his character is relatively two-dimensional. remember, this was 1956).

if you can separate your 21st century mind from the racism of that time and place, the sexism, and patriarchal oppression of the old west; it's a western greek tragedy full of inter-twining characters, subplots, and choruses (the posse, the comanche). it's part tragedy and part odyssey. there are some unsettling scenes, such as when ethan and martin meet several prairie damsels who've been 'rescued' from their native captors. two sisters, huddled together, wrapped in a blanket have red marks across their foreheads, looking wide-eyed and ghastly. like in some permanent state of touched-by-savages shock.

'they don't even seem white anymore.' martin says.

'they ain't.' ethan says.

The Searchers has obsessed many filmmakers, critics, and scholars in a manner unusual even for those with a passionate love of cinema...The Searchers is one of those rare films that reveals something new with every viewing...The Searchers is so dense with meaning the only way to understand it is to slow the projection time to equal the five year diegetic time.

- Arthus Eckstein

spread love + art: V1N2

an email excerpt below from a dear friend in stuttgart who read my 'school daze' post:

I checked your link these days again, and I found your recommendation: Science Arts: Discovering Science Through Art Experiences. Well, I verified if the German Amazon has it and they have at least another experimental / project art book from the same authors. You were saying it is something for middle school and junior high. Max is 12 by now, I guess it would still be something suitable his age? I will order it tomorrow at the book store, either it is for him or for Theo who is 8 years old by now.

afropunk art: takin it to the INTL level! :)

school daze : V1N2

in recent years between criss-crossing several j-o-bs and traveling i started venturing into teaching. i 've taught language arts to high school girls in belize then guatemala as an art instructor. although these experiences were glorious and challenging i became inspired to make contributions at home in my own community.

i'm currently teaching a science program administered through the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley. what impressed me with it was the creative freedom i was given to teach; not only utilizing the program curriculum but integrating that with art. i did some research and got a used copy of Science Arts: Discovering Science Through Art Experiences. this is essentially my bible these days. i can't hype this book enough for anyone interested, especially parents of middle school or jr. high kids. the projects are so fierce!

the ebays program is also lead by a brother, a rastaman, which blew my mind. for real?! dude is a scientist, educator, and administrator in a leadership role? this is a whole new flavor at the table and something i could actively participate in. his teaching philosophy is built on constructivism that is culturally relevant:

Constructivism is a psychological theory of knowledge epistemology, which argues that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences.

The importance of the background and culture of the learner

Social constructivism encourages the learner to arrive at his or her own version of the truth, influenced by his or her background, culture or embedded worldview. Historical developments and symbol systems, such as language, logic, and mathematical systems, are inherited by the learner as a member of a particular culture and these are learned throughout the learner's life. This also stresses the importance of the nature of the learner's social interaction with knowledgeable members of the society.

Without the social interaction with other more knowledgeable people, it is impossible to acquire social meaning of important symbol systems and learn how to utilize them. Young children develop their thinking abilities by interacting with other children, adults and the physical world. From the social constructivist viewpoint, it is thus important to take into account the background and culture of the learner throughout the learning process, as this background also helps to shape the knowledge and truth that the learner creates, discovers and attains in the learning process (Wertsch 1997).

ya feel me?

i work at a school site in the Iron Triangle of Richmond, CA. this area is notorious for being the heart of the hood. it was named for the train tracks that inter-sect this area of the city. historically it was a predominately industrial working class black community, but has changed in the last 15 years to a ratio of 50/50 black and latino. it's relatively isolated from the wider community; far from freeways and bus lines. the percentage of white students at the school site is 1%. 98% speak spanish as a first language or at home.

my motivation is that i feel a responsibility to the youth in my community. i see them in myself and they see themselves in me. i want to support them to think individually, to be self-reliant, to be adventurous, and see limitless possibility in what they can achieve. teaching in these environments can sometimes be chaotic and challenging, but it's never dull and i never fail to be inspired by the youth.

i can be tough, but always with love and support. these are kids who encounter cops on a regular basis; when nothing is going on; cops are just present. their homes and neighborhoods are full of static, limited resources, family and financial stresses. i grew up just in a situation like that and it is a difficult reality for a child to develop in. my intent is to bring balance to their lives on some level. education is freedom and no one owes that to you, you owe it to yourself.

How Important is Cultural Diversity?
by Lisa Rosenthal
greatschools.net

word o mouth : V1N2

a close friend was very hype about this book The Short and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (La breve y maravillosa vida de Oscar Wao) by Junot Diaz. next on my list, peoples! this won the Pulitzer prize for fiction 2008, which is of course all the way ace.

just read the synopsis below. brilliant!

This is the long-awaited first novel from one of the most original and memorable writers working today.

Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fukœ-the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim. D’az immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss. A true literary triumph, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao confirms Junot Diaz as one of the best and most exciting voices of our time.

vive le kambale! : V1N2

listen to my friend kambale on kpfa's flashpoints regarding the situation in his country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. kambale is studying civil engineering at North Carolina A&T and works for the DC based Friends of the Congo. his knowledge and insight into the forces contributing to the calamity in the DCR will blow your mind.

kambale's interview begins at 24:00

flashpoints kpfa

mixed like me mr. prez : V1N2

i'm a serious reader; books, online, mags, zines, scraps lying around the laundromat. in my internets geeking i found an excellent article by Anna Soellner from American Progress Action written before the election. she makes some interesting points here and being mixed race herself (and of my generation) as well as some fascinating statistics thrown in the mix.

my sister and i were born in the late 60s. Soellner states that when she was born in 1970, ' '
.... in the early 1970s less than 1 percent of marriages were mixed.' yeowza. that means proportionately there are much less people of mixed race born 35+ ago than there are now. how amazing it is to me that that's changed.

as a kid i was bombarded with questions like 'are you mixed?' 'who's black and who's white?' and on several occasions 'it must not have been easy for you growing up.'

in san francisco, yes. in america not so much.

at the time there were no words like multi-racial (which in of itself baffles me). i remember doing consensus forms as a kid. the options were white (caucasian) black, native american, or asian. that's it. no subcategories as they exist today (i.e., hispanic of african origin or asian (pacific islander) or assian (non-pacific islander) african american of non-hispanic origin). that shit's insane, but the american landscape i grew up in has changed. when i was 13 i wanted to acknowledge both my black and italian heritage. so i would check 'other' and write in black-italian american, italian-black american, um...mixed: black and italian...um....afro-italian american. truthfully this seemed like a lot of work. in my early 20's i read the book bullet proof diva by Lisa Jones. she opened my eyes to something that i hadn't considered. as the american population grew and was becoming more diverse; those of us of mixed race had to choose (at least statistically) how we identified ourselves. she made a solid point that by checking other or mixed race separated her from being how she identified herself. no matter how you assess it, being mixed in this country; girl, you black. it is our legacy. embrace it, i thought, why would i want to be separated from my own people? i'm black, my mother is not. we have had some interesting discussions on this issue. and she always states emphatically that she thinks of my sister and i as her children before she thinks of us as black, although she acknowledges that we are. as i was getting into the self-expression of my youth she was always waving a picture of sherry belafonte in my face; with her short-cut natural, dashikis, and big hoop earrings. at the time i was so immersed in the punk aesthetic it would be several years before i started rocking turbans, beads and african queen accouterments. but i never forgot that photo of sherry. she was beautiful - and (mixed) black!

it's a complex issue in america simply because of our history and the impact - historically and consciously - of slavery. in 1852 how would i be identified? slave. in the jim crow south what would my experience have been? segregated and unequal. although i am proud of my heritage i am a black woman of mixed race. if you took every black person in america side by side all are mixed on some genetic level; a human color bar from the lightest beige to the deepest blue-black. that's the uniqueness of the american experience.

so now when a consensus comes my way or some survey i check african-american. because i am and so is obama. just call me sistah, mistah!

Mixed Like Me

loop guru

ROOTS*ROCK*REGGAE* HIP HOP *DANCEHALL*JAZZ * AMBIENT * BLUEGRASS* SALSA * SAMBA

in all my sonic explorations i consistently love what i hear of loop guru's 1995 duniya (the intrinsic passion of mysterious joy). sampling and re-work of les voix mysteres de bulgare mixed with middle eastern rhythm, dub and reverb. my favorite track (that i've heard is the third chamber, part 4). it is impossible to find a torrent (other than some obscure domain in russia) so i have duniya queued in my amazon wish list. not even a cheap used CD to be found nowheres.

you can hear it the third chamber in playlist rotation of the groovesalad sation; itunes > ambient.

the congo : V1N2

an interesting article from the Economist about the current situation in the Congo. some interesting points are made about what the UN forces can do, and it does acknowledge America's preference for (Rwandan) President Paul Kagame's administration (politically it is in US interest to remain cool with Rwanda after our disastrous failure to assist during the genocides of 1994) .

however, the issues in the Congo right now go much much deeper from the impact of the colonial oppression of Belgium, which opened the country to international trade, to the economic and political oppression imposed by the US and the West which has been strangling and exploiting the DCR for years. there are US-based publicly traded companies dealing in raw materials for the defense department. the Chinese for example are not mentioned in this article at all, yet they have considerable mining and manufacturing holdings in the Congo in exchange for improving the the country's infrastructure. where is China in all this?

i fear Nkunda is simply preening himself as a successor to Mobutu, another puppet dressed up in a military suit dangling with braids and buttons. (and yes Mobutu was a 'rapacious dictator', placed neatly in power by the Eisenhower administration after the assassination of Lumumba).

Don't Let it Happen Again

the night of the hunter : V1N2

Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter is one of my favorite all-time movies. every shot is stunning; influenced by the German Expressionism of film noir (angular shots, stark black and white contrast interior shots creating fascinating shapes and silhouettes). The acting is ace and I think Robert Mitchum's best work (aside from Cape Fear). The film also stars silent film legend Lilian Gish as Ms. Cooper and Shelly Winters as the widow Powell marries, Mrs. Harper.

The film, originally released in 1955, was ahead of it's time; although it was a critical and financial flop. Images and elements of this film have influenced other directors like Spike Lee (an homage is given to it in Do the Right Thing) as well as Martin Scorsese.

Charles Laughton, a legendary English stage actor, was most famed for his portrayals of Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, my favorite film version of the Victor Hugo novel). Laughton was married to Elsa Lancaster, the actress who played the Queen of all drag queens, The Bride of Frankenstein. Night of the Hunter was the only film Laughton directed and remains an expression of artistic genius. I've watched this movie many times and never see a shot in the same manner, or find a different nuance in the dialogue; there are so many layers to explore. Sometimes i just linger on Gish's expressive face. Mitchum's singing voice as well is as beautiful as it creepy. an absolute classic noir as american gothic.

the world is a hard place for small things.


The Night of the Hunter

happy holidays : V1N2

Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in a holiday humor, and like enough to consent.
- william shakespeare