Sunday, May 26, 2013

The First Sexist Ad to Greet Me Tonight

I've never been one who can succumb to "new normals." I don't tap out easily.

How many years has it been since gasoline has risen beyond $2.00? I'm still not okay with it; I still think gas should be under 2.

Advertising makes me want to scream, and I do mean literally. It makes me angry and often on a physical level.

Billboards existed long before internet advertising; and it certainly is a norm for many. Can you remember a time when the horizon was clear of falsified images -- and before you was exactly what should be? Sky and land. I suppose it depends on when you were born.

I am angered by the commercials that play before the pre-views in movie theaters, and most recently, the advertisements that pop up on YouTube screens as well as commercials that appear before you click play on a video. It takes time and causes frustration that prompts a, "Rrrrrr!" out of me.

Visit a website and you will be confronted -- more like assaulted -- with ads that you must click out of or click to minimize. Some sites will show you how clever and intrusive they are by serving floating ads that you have to chase before exiting.

Tonight I was victim to a side panel ad. In the right hand margin, was an ad for feta cheese.


































Come again?

Your traditionalist, conservative grandmother tells you that you will attract men if you can cook. If you can make a good pie, you will be surely sought. Right?

I have come to the easy assumption that this ad is geared towards heterosexual women. Food ads are almost always meant for women. Sexist, homobphobic norms, tell us that it is women who do most of the cooking in households, and straight women are always in need of mates. Marketing companies capitalize on these thoughts.

Oppressive advertisement is certainly not a new norm, it is the norm.

According to this ad, the elderly woman with a shaking finger knows best. Cook good food, and you'll never be alone. You won't have to resort to the last resort, that is making a fumbling attempt at love via the internet.

Well, I've never had a woman tell me that I can avoid a life-time membership of the Singles Club, if I can spruce up a good lasagna; nor have I tried internet dating. That being said; I am quickly able to recognize that this ad is slung shot, from the soulless, sexist, and homophobic media. A communicative medium that profits off of the anxieties of some, and drives their message home until you buy their product.

I'm not buying the lies and I'm certainly not buying any of that damn feta.

Choice Feminism by Meghan Murphy

A gloriously insightful article by Meghan Murphy; featured in the Summer 2012 Herizons Magazine. I have bolded the passages I found especially pertinent.

To learn more about Herizons (I admit; the title of this mag, is ridiculous), to subscribe, or to make single magazine purchases, click here.



Choice Feminism by Meghan Murphy
HERIZONS SUMMER 2012 Vol. 26 No.1
 
Choice Feminism

HOW OUR RALLYING CRY GOT CO-OPTED (AND WHY WE NEED TO TAKE IT BACK)
Have you noticed that a lot of conversations about female empowerment today seem to be stuck in a discourse of choice that makes it difficult to challenge—well, anything at all?

Falling somewhere between victim feminism and the American dream, choice feminism is the new reigning queen of empowerment discourse. In contrast to political philosophies that explore the ways in which structural inequality limits freedom, choice feminism tells us that every individual is free to choose and that choice is empowering, no matter what the choice actually is.

The result is that the term choice is now employed in feminist debates about everything from the sex industry to marriage and makeup. Choice feminism dictates that any time a woman makes a choice it is an act of feminism.

Because a woman chooses to work in a strip club, for example, the factors that could affect her choice to do this work—which may include class, colonialism, education, abuse or the reality of living in a culture that objectifies women’s bodies—are neatly erased. No one is forcing her to be there, choice feminism says. If men will pay, why not take the cash?

The decision made by Slutwalk DC organizers to hold a fundraiser for an event last year in a strip club invoked this notion of choice feminism. Many feminists balked at the idea of using a strip club for a seemingly oppositional cause. However, the organizers responded in a statement on their Tumblr page stating, “This is a non-judgmental movement that embraces all choices a woman wishes to make.” Really? Since when is nonjudgmental the descriptor of a movement based on achieving collective freedom from oppression and exploitation? What if the choices being made perpetuate patriarchal ideas?

Part of the problem is that all of the well-intentioned talk about female empowerment in the third wave has left many of us fearful of falling into the much-criticized realm of “victim feminism.” Maybe, for some, the empowerment message of choice is simply a reflection of a sense of entitlement to all the world has to offer.
Perhaps, too, liberal feminism, commonly seen as being focused on individualism and on reform rather than on structural change, is as far as some are willing to go. Perhaps some think it is the best they can hope for.

Whatever its origins, choice feminism has co-opted feminist language in a way that takes the political out of the personal. It’s all about whatever makes you feel good—right now!

We need to reclaim the word choice. After all, it is one of the founding philosophical underpinnings of the modern feminist movement and the slogan in the fight for reproductive rights. Choice is the embodiment of the political demand for abortion. Historically, it was a liberating concept that represented women’s freedom and autonomy—not only in terms of their reproductive decisions, but also in more public aspects of life and society. Having the right to choose an abortion allows many women to feel they have a measure of control over their bodies and their lives.

This particular use of choice rhetoric was not without problems, however, since more privileged women always had greater access to reproductive choices compared to more marginalized women. Today, though, choice is no longer a rallying cry for change. Instead, choice has become a gag used to stifle debate.

Denise Thompson wrote about the problem of individualism as a foundation for feminist action in her book Radical Feminism Today. She argues that “if domination is desired, it cannot be challenged and opposed.” So, for example, if sex worker is framed as an individual choice, the system of prostitution can be dissociated from the idea of systematic or gendered oppression. If prostitution is only a personal life choice, it need not have anything to do with patriarchy. It becomes a private issue rather than a public one. And yet, as we all know, private choices don’t provide the basis for a movement. Viewing prostitution as a personal choice frames it as an empowerment exercise and, in so doing, erases the context of male domination and female exploitation in which it typically occurs.

The rise of choice feminism could either be interpreted as a significant weakness of the movement or simply as the effect of postmodernism on feminist theory and women’s studies, an aspect of feminist thought that is often criticized for being too vague and offering little in terms of action. Either way, choice feminism is not furthering debate, but stifling it.

Choice is far more complex than adherents of choice feminism make it out to be. For example, while our freedom to make choices enhances our ability to feel personally empowered, many of the choices we make do not help anyone but ourselves. One woman’s pole-dancing class might be another’s sole method of obtaining an income.

Heaping this decontextualized notion of choice upon the often very limited decisions made by women who are disadvantaged erases the structural inequities that feminism would normally set out to change. As feminists, we need to remember that, in this world, one person’s freedom often comes at the expense of another’s. This includes the West’s exploitation of developing countries as well as issues of class and privilege right here at home. The birth control pill, later hailed as a huge leap towards women’s liberation, was tested on under-priviledged women in Puerto Rico before it was allowed to be sold on the North American market. White middle-class women’s choices have always taken priority over the choices of more marginalized women.

And yet, who am I to tell another woman that she isn’t empowered or that she isn’t really making her choices freely? As one of the founders of Slutwalk Toronto, who appeared in a debate to defend her reclamation of the word slut in 2010 said: “For me to call myself whatever language I want if I find it empowering, for somebody else to say that that’s not a right choice, when this is my choice, I find that problematic.”

If we consider the objections that have been heard by some women of colour—such as a statement by Black Women’s Blueprint that read, “We do not have the privilege or the space to call ourselves ‘slut’ without validating the already historically entrenched ideology and recurring messages about what and who the Black woman is”—the idea of reclaiming the word slut under the guise of choice may not be so radical after all.

For me, it comes down to whether one person’s choice to play with objectification may actually have an impact on other women. Feminism isn’t simply doing whatever we want, whenever we want, without considering how our actions impact others.

If choice is going to continue to be a valuable part of feminist discourse and a foundation for activism, we need to start thinking of it in collective, rather than individualistic, terms.

Individual autonomy and empowerment has been eagerly taken on by mainstream media as an all-too easy way to sell products. Choose to buy whatever you like—it’s empowering! Whether it’s a new vacuum cleaner or Virginia Slims cigarettes, it’s all a choice and, by extension, all feminist.

Sexist media has also caught on to this trend. This kind of language is used to justify the objectification of women’s bodies. Look at the way choice is presented in the show Girls Gone Wild, which has been discussed at length by American feminists Ariel Levy and Karen C. Pitcher. The messages of these videos are that a) this is fun, b) everyone is participating through their own free will and c) this kind of behaviour is inevitable.

One Girls Gone Wild participant is quoted in Levy’s Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture saying, “It’s not like we’re creating this.... This is happening whether we’re here or not. Our founder was just smart enough to capitalize on it.” The message here is that if we make a decision to objectify ourselves, then we can’t be exploited because we made that choice.

We can make sexism fun if we choose it. In fact, we can make sexism disappear if we choose it.
Beyond simply choosing objectification, women are told that if they are compensated, sexism can be all the more empowering. Capitalism, partnered with media and neo-liberalism, tells us that all we need to do is to get paid in order for something to become a feminist act. Famous burlesque dancer Dita von Teese asked, “How can it be disempowering when I’m up there for seven minutes and I’ve just made $20,000? I feel pretty powerful.”

Not only does von Teese ignore the fact that most women who are paid to take their clothes off do not earn that amount of money, but there is also the fact that receiving payment does not negate objectification.
Undeniably, choice is fundamental to feminism. But that does not mean that every choice we make is a feminist one.

Choice, and the feminist context within which the slogan was born, has been de-politicized. Hey, we’re so free and empowered that we don’t even need the feminist movement anymore! See how dangerously easy it is to manipulate this rhetoric into something that actually limits choice for women?

I want real choices. I want to change the system within which those choices are made, not just use the language of choice to benefit or to comfort me. I want liberation from the forces that lead women into strip clubs, stilettos and Girls Gone Wild. I want collective empowerment, not temporary empowerment for only a few. I don’t want fake choices designed by the very mechanisms that oppressed women in the first place.

Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer, a host and producer of The F Word radio show, and the editor of www. feminisms.org. She has a master’s degree in women’s studies and lives in Vancouver.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Ani DiFranco - ABC In Concert - Little Plastic Castle & Gravel - 1997 at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles

Thank you to YouTube user francoapple for posting this. I was at this show in 1997; and how wonderful it is to relive it. I had no idea it was filmed.


Ani DiFranco - ABC In Concert - Little Plastic Castle & Gravel - 5/11/97 (aired in 1998) at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, CA


Sunday, May 19, 2013

Paradigm Magazine Presents: Rear Window with Ian MacKaye




Paradigm Magazine Presents: Rear Window with Ian MacKaye

Published on Mar 10, 2013
Directed | Produced | Edited by Derrick Woodyard for Paradigm Magazine

All Rights Reserved

Interview of Ian MacKaye by Theo Constantinou

Music courtesy of Dischord Records

"Ian Mackaye barely needs an introduction. There might be a young soul out there who has no inkling of what an Ian Mackaye might be , or experienced any of the music he has released into this world. So I will share a few thoughts regarding him." --Ed Templeton (Visit Paradigm Magazine for the Entire Introduction)

http://derrickwoodyard.com/

http://www.toymachine.com/ed/

http://burningflags.com

http://www.dischord.com/

--------------------------------

Rear Window is a visual project developed for Paradigm Magazine, which is a 21st century documentary style play on Alfred Hitchcock's famous 1954 film, starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, without the suspense and murder. 10 years ago, there was a Skateboard video magazine called 411VM. In each video issue there was a segment called, 'Day in the Life,' basically, a 24 hour portal into how famous skaters spent their days. With Paradigm, we wanted to take that one step further, not only showing what a day in life is like with individuals we feature in Paradigm Magazine, but adapt our interview style to those days. Paradigm Magazine will continue to conduct our written interviews, but expect many more segments of 'Rear Window' every month.

a bath




















AdoredVintage

After 30 years, this piece of vintage gets a bath. Pretty imagery from Adored Vintage.

Dove Beauty Sketches


Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Published on Apr 14, 2013
Join the conversation at: #WeAreBeautiful
Watch the whole experience at: http://dove.com/realbeautysketches

Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see.

And don't forget: YOU are more beautiful than you think!

Damn Skippy




















Tattoos and Tattoo Art

Happy 62nd Birthday, Joey Ramone

(May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001)



Monday, May 13, 2013

Lindy Hop at the New York World's Fair 1939


Lindy Hop at the New York World's Fair 1939

Thank you to Sharon Davis  for posting.

Description:
Excerpts (no sound) from amateur color footage in the Prelinger Archives, taken at the 1939 New York World's Fair, showing firstly the Savoy Ballroom exhibit, and secondly jitterbugs dancing to Glenn Gray and his orchestra.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Pandora's Box














(source)

Violence & Silence: Jackson Katz, Ph.D, at TEDxFIDI Women - 2013

The amazing Jackzon Katz, always floors me. Katz, is one of my favorite feminist speakers. A man who speaks humbly and fairly.

Violence & Silence: Jackson Katz, Ph.D, at TEDxFIDI Women - 2013

Description:

Published on Feb 11, 2013

Jackson Katz, Phd, is an anti-sexist activist and expert on violence, media and masculinities. An author, filmmaker, educator and social theorist, Katz has worked in gender violence prevention work with diverse groups of men and boys in sports culture and the military, and has pioneered work in critical media literacy.Katz is the creator and co-founder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program, which advocates the 'bystander approach' to sexual and domestic violence prevention. You've also seen him in the award winning documentary "MissRepresentation."

To learn more about TEDxFiDiWomen, whether to attend, volunteer, speak or sponsor, please click on the following link! http://tedxfidiwomen.herokuapp.com/

To learn more about Jackson Katz, please visit http://www.jacksonkatz.com

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Hello Kitty Breast Implants

I can't imagine that these are safe: perhaps they're not truly implants. They look more like soap bars. Sporting these seem more like an act of devotion than a Hello Kitty tattoo.

















Image from Hello Kitty Hello.

The Beach Boys: The Pet Sounds Sessions

I don't know why it took me this many a moon for me to make this purchase. I was aware of this box set when it dropped in 1997. Pet Sounds is arguably one of if not the, best Beach Boys album.






















Product Description:
A unique retrospective-produced by Brian Wilson himself-that redefines and deconstructs a musical work of art like never before! Here is the first-ever true stereo mix of the album; the symphonic instrumental backing tracks without vocals; the choral-like vocals without instrumental tracks; more than a dozen alternate versions of tracks from the Pet Sounds sessions; a remastered version of the original mono album; a 42-page color booklet with rare photos from the session and ANOTHER 120-page booklet with interviews of the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney and George Martin. God Only Knows; Wouldn't It Be Nice; Caroline No songs so great it's worth hearing them five different ways!























CD One:
Stereo Mix
1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. You Still Believe In Me
3. That's Not Me
4. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
5. I'm Waiting For The Day
6. Let's Go Away For A While
7. Sloop John B
8. God Only Knows
9. I Know There's An Answer
10. Here Today
11. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
12. Pet Sounds
13. Caroline No
Sessions
14. Sloop John B (2)
15. Sloop John B (3)
16. Trombone Dixie
17. Trombone Dixie (2)
18. Pet Sounds (2)
19. Pet Sounds (3)
20. Let's Go Away For Awhile
21. Let's Go Away For Awhile (2)
22. Wouln't It Be Nice (2)
23. Wouldn't It Be Nice (3)
24. Wouldn't It Be Nice (4)
25. You Still Believe In Me (2)
26. You Still Believe In Me (3)
27. You Still Believe In Me (4)
28. You Still Believe In Me (5)

CD Two:
Sessions
1. Caroline No (2)
2. Caroline No (3)
3. Hang On To Your Ego
4. Hang On To Your Ego (2)
5. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (2)
6. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (3)
7. Don't Talk (Put Your Head In My Shoulder) (4)
8. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (2)
9. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (3)
10. That's Not Me (2)
11. That's Not Me (3)
12. Good Vibrations
13. Good Vibrations (2)
14. I'm Waiting For The Day (2)
15. I'm Waiting For The Day (3)
16. God Only Knows (2)
17. God Only Knows (3)
18. Here Today (2)
19. Here Today (3)

CD Three:
Stack-O-Vocals
1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. You Still Believe In Me
3. Thats Not Me
4. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
5. I'm Waiting For The Day
6. Sloop John B
7. God Only Knows
8. Hang On To Your Ego
9. Here Today
10. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
11. Caroline No
Alternate Versions
12. Caroline No - Promo Spot
13. Wouldn't It Be Nice
14. You Still Believe In Me
15. Don't Talk... - Vocal Snippet
16. I'm Waiting For The Day - Mike Sings Lead
17. Sloop John B - Carl Sings First Verse
18. God Only Knows - Sax Solo
19. Hang On To Your Ego
20. Here Today
21. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
22. Banana And Louie
23. Caroline No - Original Speed, Stereo Mix
24. Dog Barking Session
25. Caroline No - Promo Spot #2
26. God Only Knows - With Acapella Tag
27. Wouldn't It Be Nice
28. Sloop John B - Brian Sings Lead Throughout
29. God Only Knows - Brian Sings Lead
30. Caroline No - Original Speed, Mono Mix

CD Four:
Original Mono Mix

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. You Still Believe In Me
3. That's Not Me
4. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
5. I'm Waiting For The Day
6. Let's Go Away For Awhile
7. Sloop John B
8. God Only Knows
9. I Know There's An Answer
10. Here Today
11. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
12. Pet Sounds
13. Caroline No

 















(source)

Pet Sounds made its first appearance in 1966. Younger generations from their hometown of Hawthorne, CA, and South Bay locals, like myself, find thrill in the fact that such greatness comes from lands we know.

You must take your time with this cornucopia. The wonder of the Beach Boy's darling, is broken down into as story that makes sense. 

To purchase the box set, click here.

Miyoko Shida Rigolo

This woman is an amazing storyteller, and it is storytellers who include us and shut us up for good reason. It is storytellers whom I've always cherished: and talk about practice means perfect.



Miyoko Shida Rigolo - 2013

To learn more about this amazing artist, visit her official website, here.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

"Does Virginity Matter Anymore?"

Posting a piece that features, internet friend, Hugo Schwyzer.


Does Virginity Matter Anymore? - The Point - May 2013

From the post: 
Published on May 7, 2013
Have we passed the point in time when virginity was important? In older times, feminine virginity was valued as more of a commodity in trading. The notion objectified women, and actually created a sexist and misogynistic climate in which women equated virginity to their value. So, how does placing high value on virginity measure up today? Is there no reason for the emphasis to exist any more? And can the blame for the overvalue of virginity not only be placed on "commodity" value, but also for men who fear any sort of "competition?"

And what does "virginity value" mean in today's culture? Does it create "slut shaming?" While seemingly innocent and rooted in tradition, honor, etc., does weighting virginity with so much social interest and attention help set a tone for a culture to disparage and degrade female sexuality? Not to mention that women also get criticized for being prudes?

Is there ANY way women can win this predicament as it stands?

These questions and more in this installment of The Point!
Host: Ana Kasparian
Panel:
Desi Doyen (Co-host -Green News Report)
Hugo Schwyzer (Writer, History and Gender Studies Professor, Pasadena City College)

Dave Rubin (Host -Rubin Report)


 

Sh*t Lindy Hoppers Say

Ha! I'd say most of this is true. I imagine each dancer has their own definition of "true."


Sh*t Lindy Hoppers Say - 2/6/2012

Disclaimer from the Youtuber punkassjim:
[DISCLAIMER] This is satire, folks. I don't know anyone who's slept with all the leads at a dance, I think your triple-steps are faboo, and my Aris Allens are holding up quite nicely, thank you very much. 

Filmed, in part, at The 920 Special in San Francisco 

My favorite lines:

“I love her swivels”

“This one time in Herrang”


"Sweaty hug!"


Him: "Duke Ellington? Count Basie? Louis Armstrong? Ella Fitzgerald? None of this ringing a bell? *Sigh. Grimace* Cherry Poppin' Daddies?"
She: "Oh yeah!"


"I am so tired of the Shim Sham!"

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Avocados In Love






















fuckyeahtattoos via loganliketheairport

Sterling Silver Beet Necklace by Lulu Bug Jewelry

I'm glad to see that this necklace is still available on Etsy. I saw this about a year ago and intended to purchase it then. At the time I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend so much money on such a seemingly simple necklace. My overpowering love of the almighty beet, has won.

The below Beet Necklace was created by Lulu Bug Jewelry.

Description From the Website:
A new version of my silver and concrete beet necklace! This one has been cast in sterling silver from my original sculpted beet and inlaid with tinted concrete.

It measures a touch over 1" tall and 1/2" at it's widest point (26mm x 13mm) The finish is lightly polished and it comes on a 16" sterling drawn cable chain. If you'd prefer 18" just note it at checkout and I'll change it, no extra charge. Please note that each piece is made entirely by hand and may vary slightly from the photo. This design is currently made to order and will ship 3-5 days after ordering.

This comes in a recycled gift box tied with a raffia ribbon, ready for giving.

Copyright 2009 Susan Urquhart





















To view more pieces, visit Lulu Bug Jewelry.

a favorite food in ink













(source)


































(jessica brennan's tattoo portfolio) 















(east river tattoo)

  (pikdit)


(vida vegan headquarters)

fake dancing treats





















(the beat that my heart skipped)

good but large

































(source)

invent a slice





















(source)

perfection. does my heart good.

































xaxor

strawberry pop-tart tat





















xaxor

magnificent fuel





















(source: tattoo easily)

vivid















(souurce)

the perfect combination. perfect love.
















(source)

Toast. The Best Stuff On Earth.



































(source: the toast blog)

Beets Ink

The colors brilliant. I'm not a fan of asparagus, but I could eat beets all day.





















(source)

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege ft. Broadway Inspirational Voices - David Letterman

The first track from the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album is the one that shocks the most. No doubt fans are speaking of the bands "departure" from their traditional style, but I think this is a bold and daring move, that works. As long as they haven't completely ditched their roots, I'll be fine. Ultimately it's not up to me or you.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege ft. Broadway Inspirational Voices - David Letterman - 2013


Yeah Yeah Yeahs: http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/yeahyeahyeahs

I've Fallen In Love With Truth - Part 2

Without further ado; Truth Collins.


Leaping into ur Distiny with realistic goal..

Posted 2/24/13

See, Part 1

I've Fallen In Love With Truth

This video was posted on a social media site and I was awakened. The woman is hilarious, but also sincere. Truthful if you will. After watching this, I sought out other videos. The woman is on fire. I don't know if she intends to be such a riot; I don't know if she's aware of her humor, but I think that is one of her draws. I could do without the "bitch" and "ho" epithets, but that aside, she's gold. On a side note; this 26 year old woman impresses me, as she works two jobs. 

Without further ado; Truth Collins.


Needed stuck up folk pluck my nerve 2/24/13

"I'm pissed off to the highest point of pistivity; don't try to play me like no soy bean burger cuz I'm all beef." 

MCA Day 2013

I was painfully surprised when I experienced an adrenaline sourced, pounding ache, when Adam Yauch died. It feels as thought he died moons ago, when in fact, it has only been one. Adam Nathaniel Yauch aka MCA, was an American rapper, musician, film director, and human rights activist. Yauch passed at age 47 on May 4th 2012, after a three year battle with salivary gland cancer.

How strange it is that we mourn for people for the gifts they gave us. A selfish grief that I feel slightly guilty for; but ultimately any death we mourn derives from some brand of selfishness. We miss those who made us feel a certain way.

It is painful to listen to the music he made with the other two Beasties. His gruff voice added a tone of flashy wisdom to the group. Death often feels unfair, and Yauch's passing is no exception.








(source)

Adam Yauch
August 5, 1964-May 4, 2012


Yesterday, May 3rd, the Brooklyn Heights' Palmetto Playground was renamed the Adam Yaugh Playground.  The ceremony took place on the day before the one year anniversary of MCA's death: which as of last year, is also known MCA Day. The celebration was created by Beastie fan, Mike Kearney. As a gal from San Pedro, CA, it was impossible for me to head out to Brooklyn for the event; but truth be told, I'm not sure if I could stomach it -- regardless, I am glad that the day exists. Visit the MCA Day website, here.






















Below is a shot from the 1st MCA Day, featuring Mike Kearney and Adam Horowitz aka Adrock.
 














 (source) 

Mike Diamond aka Mike D, was at the event, however, seemingly behind the scenes.














 (source)

Below is some footage from the May 3rd, 2013 renaming ceremony.


Adam Horovitz aka Adrock Speaks at Ceremony -- May 3rd, 2013

Below is the full text of Adam Horovitz's remarks:
"Seeing Marty Markowitz rap – it was great, but not as great as Adam's parents rapping at Adam and Dechen's wedding. If you were at the wedding, you know that was pretty great.

"I want to thank first the fine people for everything today, everybody from the Parks Department, Adrian Benepe, John Silva, Frances Yauch, Steve Martin; but most of all I want to thank my sister Rachel. She really made this happen, and now she's gonna make me cry.

"It's fitting that we're here today to dedicate a playground to Adam Yauch because like the Wu-Tang Clan, Beastie Boys is for the children. I was trying to think of what to say today, and I was thinking what it means to be a New York kid: People come to New York to be themselves, to express themselves and to be who they want to be. And although Adam's mom Frances is a New York kid herself, his father Noel came to New York to be himself. And together they raised a New York kid, Adam Yauch, and Noel and Frances raised him right. They taught Adam to be curious, thoughtful, kind and just enough crazy – that craziness that is New York. That New York frenetic energy: It's musical, artful and always moving forward. And that's not only Brooklyn, that's Adam Yauch. And Adam and his wife Dechen raised a daughter Losel, a New York kid that's equally talented, curious and utterly awesome. 


"In life you don't really get to chose your family, your siblings – you get what you're given. I got lucky cause I got two great sisters and two great brothers, but I got extra lucky because around 1982, I got the chance to choose two other brothers: Mike Diamond and Adam Yauch. And together our families have grown. I'd like to thank the New York Parks Department and the people of Brooklyn for honoring my friend and brother, and recognizing how cool it is to have an Adam Yauch park for other crazy New York kids."


Adam Yauch's Mother, Frances Yauch, Speaks - May 3rd, 2013

Marty Markowitz Raps at Adam Yauch's Park Dedication - May 3rd, 2013

Below are photos from MCA Day -- May 4th, 2013















 (source)














 (source)

Below is:

Adrian Benepe, Noel Yauch, Frances Yauch, Adam Horovitz, Rachael Horovitz and Marty Markowitz attend the renaming of Palmetto Playground as Adam Yauch Park on May 3rd, 2013 in Brooklyn, New York.
Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images






The three has become two. At this time it is unknown if Adrock and Mike D. will continue on. In former interviews the two have not ruled it out. I'm in no rush to hear new music. 















 (source)
 MCA was a husband, a father, and son. We only know only a snippet of his greatness.





















(source)

Miss you MCA. 

Visit the official Beastie Boys website, here.

Remembering Supa Dupa

I'm not much of a Missy Elliott fan, but I came across the video and had an "Oh yeah, I remember", moment. The album Supa Dupa came out in 1997. I had to look it up as I had no idea. Minus the pot talk, and the stereotypical dancing girls, I'm reliving and loving this song. She can't stand the rain, and I love it, so there's an issue there too.

What makes me lap this up; is the creativity in this video. Elliott, doesn't hide her size, but embraces it. But as I said above, she does add in some half naked dancing girls. There could be a gaggle of reasons for this. Perhaps she felt she did need need to make up for her size, or perhaps she felt it wouldn't be a rap video without dancing girls.

Elliott has plenty of guest stars in this video, some whom I actually recognize. After some digging, I found that the best part of this song is a sample from Ann Peebles' 1974 single "I Can't Stand the Rain." I found some photos of a young Peebles and saw that she actually resembles Elliott. I found my next purchase: the Anne Peebles album by the same name of her famous single.


Supa Dupa Fly by Missy Elliott (1997)

Eat Your Young by Sorne


Eat Your Young by Sorne

Visit Sorne.

Alter Ego by Sorne

From an upcoming album. Certainly a more poppy diddy; but nothing wrote with that. Sorne.


Alter Ego by Sorne

Visit Sorne.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Happy 94th Birthday, Pete Seeger

















Pete Seeger posted this photo on his Facebook page Friday, May 3, 2013, with a message, "Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes." The U.S. folk singer turned 94.(source: upi)

Born: May 3rd 1919