Waiting...

I realize I get a late pass for this one, but I personally think it's still blog-worthy:

FE-LIAB-2

(www.theforeignexchangemusic.com)

Need I say more? me thinks not.

EDIT: it's official! word on the street is that the album drops digitally on October 7th with the double album (w/ instrumentals) hard copy on October 14th

|¢ontinue|

Gay Marriage and Beyond

(Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP - Getty Images file)

It's been a little over 3 months since California lifted a ban on gay marriage and guess what, the world isn't over! (surprising isn't it you conservative you). The world hasn't exploded, the oceans haven't caught on fire, and last time I checked, the sanctity of marriage has not been lost. My parents still love each other and their marriage has not lost any of its meaning in the past 3 months. While conservative groups fight to reverse the decision of the courts, they fail to realize that by saying that marriage is between a man and a woman and that a family is man, woman and child (or children), that they are alienating a large group of people and also taking away the rights to and, if nothing else, the title of "family" from many single parent and alternative households.

Many studies have shown that kids growing up in same sex households are no worse off than those who grow up in more traditional families. Look at the Tanners for instance, they did a fine job raising 3 young women in a house full of men! Even with the research (and 8 seasons of proof), the various organizations against Gay Marriage have come up with Prop 8 which would amend the CA constitution to ban gay marriage.

The original title of the Proposition was a "limit on marriage". The Attorney General Jerry Brown changed the title to "eliminates (the) right of same-sex couples to marry." Although the opposition to Gay Marriage has fought against this title saying it's biased, after losing two appeals, they have dropped the challenge. Although they would argue the title goes too far, I would say it's just right. I think the original title is an absolute farce. Now that I am 21, I really enjoy drinking beer. I can drink as many as my body can handle but there is a limit on how many I can drink and still drive home. Limits like this are imposed so I don't kill anybody or myself. While my rights as a citizen have not been taken away, I am limited in my actions while intoxicated. So while I can't drink and drive, I can still go out, I can experience all the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else. I think this is the most important point, a limit suggests one gets to keep their rights and responsibilities. By banning Gay Marriage, you take away a large group of people's rights and responsibilities. You take away their right to be treated equally among their peers, to be with the person they love legally, and for the child to be taken care of by the second parent if something were to happen to the other.

It's all nice and good that some companies are recognizing and supporting long term partners or that civil union status is being granted so that certain benefits can be shared, but as long as we prevent a group of people from being able to experience the same quality of life and rights as from the majority, we will continue to perpetuate the "separate but equal" stance that America seems to have been built on (from the physical slavery we enforced in our past, to the economic slavery so many Americans experience on a daily basis today, to the blatant laws that prevent same sex couples to marry).

I am personally very proud that I live in a state that has gone against the norm to provide rights to a greater majority of its citizens. My hope is that California's willingness to do this will rub off on other states and eventually the US as a whole. If we can keep providing rights to all citizens in the US and treating each other respectfully and equally, we can start moving towards a way of life closer to the American Ideal. What troubles me the most is how so many people don't care. It doesn't seem to bother them that the person sitting next to them in class, the good friend they have had since high school, or the cook at their favorite restaurant, will never experience the same rights that they have. Empathy aside (because a lot of people don't seem to have it these days), a lot of people fail to see the further reaching implications of such legislation. The same people who are trying to end or prevent gay marriage are the same people who are trying to end the sexual and health rights of heterosexual individuals. As Dan Savage so bluntly (and MAYBE a little vulgar) puts it at the end of one of his articles:

"The GOP's message to straight Americans: If you have sex, we want it to fuck up your lives as much as possible. No birth control, no emergency contraception, no abortion services, no lifesaving vaccines. If you get pregnant, tough shit. You're going to have those babies, ladies, and you're going to make those child-support payments, gentlemen. And if you get HPV and it leads to cervical cancer, well, that's too bad. Have a nice funeral, slut."

In that same article, he references an excellent article written by Russell Shorto that details the conservatives' war on contraception. There are many more freedoms that we, as heterosexuals, stand to lose if these groups against gay marriage start to gain more ground. It's easy to not care about gay marriage if it doesn't affect you or someone you know, but how would you feel if they began to take away a woman's right to choose? How would you feel if they took away the morning after pill, the HPV vaccine, birth control or Condoms? This may be a little extreme but if it was up to some of these "family" groups, that's the way it would be. Imagine where we would be if abstinence only education was the only thing offered in schools? If you don't think your vote counts for president or that it doesn't matter who it is, remember who appoints judges and other high ranking officials, as well as the "experts" to work for them. Under Bush, we spent $204M on abstinence only programs in the U.S. and we also put a clause on the money that we sent for AIDS relief for other countries that a certain amount should be spend on abstinence only education as opposed to condoms, drugs, and safety education.

This concept may seem a little farfetched and a little off topic to some but the two are more related then you think. So if you don't vote or voice your opinion for the rights of others this November, do it for yourself!


|¢ontinue|

"WHY AMERICA IS F*¢KED" - The Draplin Project

America Is F*cked.......(Graphically at least) from Jess Gibson on Vimeo.

Aaron Draplin is my new hero! for all graphic artists, designers, pretenders, wannabees and everything else in between... this is for you... With art and design and time and technology constantly evolving... hell...especially at such an alarming rate... its very easy to forget about tradition, classics, and history and its importance/influence in present day design and art and even leading into the future.



As a fan or timeless design, i applaud Draplin in this little trailer he calls, "Why America is Fucked", and he addresses the current "tragic" state of art and design... pretty much everyone including their momma and any kid armed with a laptop and photoshop ... heck even ms paint... is now a webdesigner... clothing designer... artist..... etc.....

well just check out the video.. get a laugh here and there and see the severity of the situation...i feel that Draplin's video does provide us with an interesting discussion to a bigger story... is our world is doomed not only in just graphical art??. as people and technology goes forward and moves on and expand into the future... it seems that to make room for progress we simply rip anything down that has any historical or cultural content and forget about our past....


btw....
"looooooll at blippo bold.... remind me to use that font in something soon!!!! LULLZZZ"


for more information check out their site by clicking the pic below

|¢ontinue|

Gumball 3000 Does San Diego

On Sunday Afternoon, the Gumball 3000 rally rolled through San Diego for it's 3rd stop on the Rally. Most of the cars were exotics which makes sense since the entry fee is $100k+ (seemed to be a lot of snooty British people). Because there were so many nice cars, even the two Prosche Carerra GTs got lost in the sea of money. The cars that stuck out were the different ones such as the 5&A Dime car (above) which they are racing WITH the bike on top, and the skater Sal Barbier's car (below) which was beat to hell, complete with the Mexican blanket across the back seats. I wish I had caught a picture of the whole car and I wish I could have seen what was inside the hood!

Among my other favorite standout cars was the super stealth Ford GT40:
Some Crazy European Import (the center one)
And this chromed out (yes the whole car, not the wheels) Lambo that some Sheik was driving, hopped out in robe and everything.
And of course Symbolic Auto in SD had to bring some heat so they dropped of a Bugatti just to show off
All in all, it was an interesting spectacle to ride down and see although the Juxtaposition of a a homeless person digging through the trash right next to the chromed out Lambo was a lot more interesting to look at and think about.


|¢ontinue|

A Slice of Bacon a Day...

Matty Sallin, a (what looks to be) multi-medium designer out of New York, has come up with a new alarm clock design. Not content with alarm clocks that only use sound to wake someone up, he has come up with the Wake n' Bacon.

You put a slice of frozen bacon in the alarm clock the night before, you set your alarm, and 10 minutes before your alarm is set to go off, 2 halogen lamps turn on and begin to cook the bacon. From what I have gathered, there is no auditory alarm that accompanies this, you are just woken up by the sound and smell of crackling bacon.

Possible safety issues aside (I would hope they put a timed cut-off for the lamps or something on it so that fires don't start), the design kind of reminds me of some of Furni's creations (mainly just because it's a wood alarm clock). Although my Jewish friends will probably not be big on the design, I bet the hog farmers of America are hoping it takes off!


|¢ontinue|

Nipo-Brasileiro or Japanese Brazillian... YESS PLEAZE!(NSFW)

Ahh yes. Brazil and Japan... Two very different countries...Far apart, many thousands of miles away from each other. On different continents...But...Two very great countries...each with tons of great contributions to our world/life/planet/mankind/etc... you get the picture... For example, Brazil has blessed with pleasures such as us with lush rain forests, great soccer, and Carnival. And Japan providing us with fuel efficient cars, Nintendo, and Ninjas.

So where am i going with this? Well lets just imagine for a second... What if we take two great countries such as Brazil and Japan and take their people and mix them together? What would we get? Well guess what... You dont have to imagine any longer... I am here to show you what we will get... first off we would get a whole new category of great food... Japa/Brazil cuisine....

but more importantly ... Some of the most beautiful women to ever grace this earth..... ahhh yesssss....
click for more ... and yes of course pics....

(NSFW...well kinda... i had to blur out the naughty bits... but just play it safe...and proceed with caution)


Ok so whats so special about all of this? well let me break it down... I know there are tons of exotic mixes in this world... of course... but i would never thing that there were so many Japanese people in Brazil... actually i didnt even know that the largest concentration of japanese people outside of Japan is in Brazil... thats right!!! not the united states!!! wow!

and when i think of brazil.. im sorry i just dont think of japan.... i think brazil.... and booty.... and i dont think japanese and booty... well sometimes i do... ok fine.. i just think about booty... but here are some pics to show you how great this mash up can be...and dat booty... and trust me its alot better than your mommas meatloaf.....

and i could just sit here and explain to you more about Japan and Brazil and how their cultures etc collide.. but let me not bore you with regular details...  read that crap for yourself... ima just let the pictures do the talking... 

Talita Y Tamires (twins... yes twins..)

ANNE MIDORI


SABRINA SATO RAHAL

|¢ontinue|

Be sure to eat your (TOKYO) veg

Ever since architecture school, the questioning of the urban fabric is something me and my cohorts do on a daily if not minute basis. What if human kind took a different route to populate square acres of land? Underground? Underwater? And what if we had somehow failed to maintain our quality of life, and let it decay into some sort of magical forest of metal & concrete...oh, let me introduce you to Tokyo Genso...

[Official Tokyo Genso Blog] By showing a present/future/past of the urban Japan, Tokyo Genso suggests a point in time where something has taken over--other than humans. Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara, are not spared this horrible future, but are portrayed with vegetation, vines, and decay--and done so beautifully. Nuclear Bomb? Fuel shortage? Zombies? Believe it or not there are places in the world as strange as this, and the web urbanist is a great place to start exploring the eeriness of a world devoid of the human soul. Something about the mix of j-pop, art, manga, architecture & disaster makes this so f-ing cool. Reminds me very much of Tekkon Kinkreet, Akira, and all those damn Macross series' that were spliced and mashed, into what we know as Robotech stateside during the 80's.

Oh, and who doesn't like a little green taking back what it lost. It's so hip these days.


(this blog post is recyclable & biodegradable)

[via boingboing and pinktentakle ]


|¢ontinue|

The Lightning - The Supercar Of The Future

The Lightning Car Company, recently revealed what could be the super car of the future. With the rising concern of global warming and the success of the recently released Tesla, electricity might be the new direction for super cars to go. The Lightning sports new battery technology that can be recharged in as little as 10 minutes and has a battery life of 12+ years. With an efficient electric motor powering each wheel independently, it means fewer moving parts in the car. Few moving parts results in less energy loss and significantly less need for servicing (the dealerships will hate that).




The styling is clean, undoubtedly British, and beautiful if you are a fan of the likes of Jaguar and Aston Martin. Boasting a bhp equivalency of 700+ and a 0-60 in 4 seconds, this will be an excellent car for the people who need more car than the Tesla, or the collector who want another pony in the stable. With a release currently planned for UK only, it will be interesting to see if it ever hits our shores.




|¢ontinue|

The International Yo-Yo Open is coming!!! Aug 8-9 2008 NYC!!!

The INTERNATIONAL Yo-Yo OPEN is coming to USA . It's August 8th and 9th and it will be held in New York.. Ok so im prolly the only one in the world who cares.. but Yo-Yos are awesome! so kiss my ass! So if you are in the area and have some extra free time or (have no life) i highly suggest you switch it up for a bit and go check it out..ok so now with that said these guys are totally insane and are my idols.

Now when it comes to Yo-Yo's... Whos the man you ask? One name... Hiroyuki... or Paul Han... well ok fine maybe two names... check out the video above to see how godly Hiroyuki is and how women all around the world just drop the panties and wanna jump his bones...





..... DAMN.. you want more seriously? this freaking post was about YO YOs... aint nuthing really more to report.. ok fine.. you wanna step your YO YO game up? here check this website out.. and cop one for like $100+ not your ghetto around the corner liquor store yo yo huh....

http://www.yoyoguy.com


AND check out TEAM ANTI-YO also.. because they PWN3Z when it comes to the YOz!
http://www.anti-yo.com







|¢ontinue|

5&A DIME Does Gumball 3000

5&A Dime is a street wear store in downtown San Diego's East Village. They have come a long way since being a small store focusing on the likes of vinyl toys to become one of the best clothing boutiques downtown.

The owner, who I have had the pleasure of meeting, and some of his people have been presented with the opportunity of a life time. They are going to be racing a car through 8 cities in 3 countries (US, NORTH Korea, and China)on 2 continents in the Gumball 3000 Rally. The race is $120K to enter and ends at the Beijing Olympics. They got hooked up with a sweet new Lancer Evo MR which they are adding some slight Mods and some dope gfx to.

(Pic Courtesy of 5&A Dime)

Unfortunately, the sponsorships were not enough to cover the full expenses of the trip (shipping a car from China to the US is a GRIP) and so the team has been forced to give up for auction some prize possessions such as a vintage track bike built by the homies over at Veloculture, some limited run toys, and an ultra rare pair of Wu Tang Dunks. The race starts Friday in San Francisco and should be nuts! From what I have heard, there will be daily updates from the 5&A Dime crew on their blog and word is that there will be daily updates of the race from Hype Beast. So check out the nice cars and nutty race path online, and if you're ever in San Diego, drop by the shop, they carry what's hot, the people are chill, and the owner went above and beyond with the design and concept of the store.


|¢ontinue|

Is Hip Hop Going Back To Its Roots?

Not at all, but there has been a recent surge in socially conscious and political hip hop lately. It's not that odd that NAS's new album is full of some good joints like Hero, Sly Fox, and Black President, especially when you have production and writing help from the likes of Dead Prez. But yesterday as I was flipping through the channels, I caught a new Big Boi music video ft. Mary J. Blige, Somethings Gotta Give.

Not that I don't expect Big Boi to put out good and thoughtful music, but I was surprised to see BET giving it some air time and trying to push it on 106&Park (granted the people were cheering more when they heard who he was doing his club joints with). It really shows a difference (no matter how long it might last) in the music industry lately, musicians in the mainstream are starting to actually care and try to take action about the state of America

We saw something similar 4 years ago when diddy started the Rock The Vote campaign, but that was pretty useless. More people were interested in picking up a shirt than actually voting. I think the difference now,besides the fact that our situation is even WORSE than 4 years ago, is that there is a presidential candidate that our generations can believe in. In 2004, many people were voting for Kerry because he was the lesser of the two evils, not because he was n amazing candidate. Now, with a new "hope" for "change" (with Obama), many people see the opportunity for a better future. Even thought I know Marco Polo will beat out Big Boi's new joint on the charts, I just hope that the good music keeps coming!

Step on the stars while you're reaching for the sun,
But never burn the bridge,
Each one teach one,
If you lend a helping hand,
You may never need one

|¢ontinue|

Why I like Obama

I’m not gonna talk like I have been down with Obama since the start. I had been hearing about Obama for a while and then I finally started to learn about him in his article in GQ (September 2007). Not that he was my man then, but I definitely took an interest.

Once the campaigning began and sides were beginning to be chosen, I had a decision to be made (for me it was between Edwards, Clinton, and Obama). I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know the ins and outs of Obama’s policies but my choice was Obama for many reasons. I think Obama is charismatic and has the ability to move people into action more than any other candidate. I like that he’s young and that he IS more in touch with my generation than any other candidate (you can’t hate on that, there’s a lot of people who like McCain for the same reason). Obama has worked for community organizations and understands the importance and impact of individuals and grass roots organizations on the community. Overall, I think Obama has the greatest ability to infect change, to inspire people to live up to their potential and to try to make the change they want to see, as opposed to waiting for someone else to do it.


Now since becoming the presumptive nominee, Obama has been far from perfect, hell, he’s even been quite human. He has tripped up a couple times, misspoke and there are certain policies I don’t agree with (of all the things you choose to highlight in keeping from no child left behind, a useless program, you keep standardized testing?! Really?!). But through it all, I still see the man I supported from the beginning (I sound like I’m writing wedding vows). The reasons I stated before are still the same reasons that I support him to this day, regardless of how he messes up.

I think, as Americans, we are hoping to elect a president who will step up and make all the change we will need. While we sit back in Starbucks and talk on our iPhones, somehow the President will solve the credit crisis, pull the country out of debt, pull out of Iraq while keeping the peace, provide health care for everyone, end our dependency on foreign oil, and give us $600 every time we’re down. America has become too complacent as the “world’s greatest nation” and we, frankly, have gotten lazy. The truth is, no matter who we elect, it’s not going to get your friend out of debt, keep your neighbor in their house, or give your baby cousin the education they need to be successful in life.

We, as Americans, need to start caring again. We need to protect our own, and by that I mean our communities, both on the local and global level. We need to think of the impact of our decisions when it comes to things such as education, dividing up city spending, and speaking out against injustice; Get out to vote! On the global level, we need to think about our impact on global warming, the drinking water supply, implementing legitimate green energy (forget ethanol, it does way more harm than good) and reducing the amount of waste we have. We need to start being proactive in our decisions, taking some time out of our busy lives to slow down, appreciate what we have, and give what we can to those in our communities. Volunteer our time and money to local organizations and global issues.

I think Obama has the greatest ability to move people. I think he’s a positive person to have in charge of this country that might allow us to rebuild the international bridges we have burned over the past 8 years. What we need to realize that if we want to be the world’s greatest nation, “we the people” are going to have to work just as hard as the guy we elect.


OBAMA ‘08



|¢ontinue|

Marco Polo: A Dance For All Ages....And Dancing Abilities

So in case you don't follow the "wonderful" music that makes it onto the radio and TV, Bow Wow just released a new song with Soulja Boy called (not much of a surprise here) Marco Polo. As is necessary (I guess) with all of the songs Soulja Boy is on, it has a corresponding dance. The video was released recently and can be seen here (but be warned, no research has been done, but I am pretty sure watching this video causes brain damage)

Now in case you were wondering, as I was, "How on earth did they come up with a such complex, interesting, and fun dance routine?" Bow Wow released a video on youtube with a little teaser of the song asking for people to submit a dance for the new "joint" of the summer and they would pick the best, as you can see in the following video.

2 months and a very thorough selection process (I am sure) and they came up with.....Peek-A-Boo. I could go through the whole video and pick out the ridiculousness of this video but I think the result would be on the scale of a masters thesis in Neuroscience so I will keep it brief. Not that the Superman dance was that much better but Bow Wow promised that the person who created that dance would be in the video and I am pretty sure that explains why there's the random shot of the baby girl running over to grab the beach ball back, that right there is the creator's 15 seconds of fame.

Bow Wow dropped "lil" a while back to try to appear older, probably to reinvent himself in the game, make it so he could rap about "adult" things....and to date Ciara. I am sorry Bow Wow, but you have now officially regained the lil. Sorry Lil Bow Wow, but throwing yourself on a track with Soulja Boy and playing Peek-A-Boo doesnt gain you street cred (last time I checked) and it definately doesn't make you appear any older. Yes, you will probably make bank off this, and yes, you probably bought a nicer car than I will ever own before you were old enough to drive but man, what a career choice.


Now I can't hate on Soulja Boy really, I mean the guy is worth more than I will probably ever make and the kid just got out of his diapers I think. He went from nothing to something with just a computer, youtube, and a dance that had everyone from girls in the club, to ballet dancing kids, to middle aged math teachers doing it. If that's not the American Dream (sans a lot of work), I don't know what is. I will however hate on you (no, not YOUUUUU!!!....it's just you), the fan. I can't hate on the person who listens to the song and laughs, I mean, it's pretty much is like a clown for adults, just a lot less scary to most people. I hate on the people who call up the radio and request it, the people waiting for it in the club, and the people who pay for his music. I will not get into an argument about what is good music and bad music, but as anyone can tell, the music airwaves are already pretty slim on diversity, and to have it saturdated with songs of this calliber is just dissapointing to me.

So I won't hate on Soulja boy but man, Ice-T will do it! (Peep this, this, and this)

|¢ontinue|

The Master of Complications... What is a Tourbillon???

(The $500,000 ZENITH ZERO-G)

TOURBILLONs have become something of a horologists wet dream and the mega rich man status symbol. And only the best watch makers in the world can even attempt to make them and at costs that are insane due to the intricacies involved in making such complicated mechanical parts... And more importantly they are rare and also they are very damn pretty to look at....

Now how much is one? Well... The 3 I'ma show you here are like $250k+ yes thats not a typo.. 250,000$ USD.. and up... like your house and some...for a wrist watch...

Now whats funny about Tourbillons are that they are completely unnecessary and just prove that "hey my watch has more moving parts and was a pain in the ass to build... so take your rolex and go die!" Why? Well because the original intention or design of a tourbillon were more for pocket watches. (click and read more)

By definition a Tourbillon is ( a type of mechanical clock or watch escapement invented in 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that is designed to counter the effects of gravity and other perturbing forces that can affect the accuracy of a timepiece.) haha.. ok what the hell is that right?

Well its a type of watch complication (basically for mechanical watches functions besides timekeeping are called complications, while for quartz watches - just simply functions.) that was invented because of pocket watches back in the day... think about it ..before batteries and all that electonic stuff.. they made watches out of all mechanical moving parts... pocket watches are a prime example.... they would sit in a pocket or something for hours and well since its sitting and just doing nothing... the effects of gravity would mess up the accuracy of the pocket watch.... thus the necessity for a TOURBILLON and its countering effects on gravity...

See its all good for pocket watches... but now think of a regular wrist watch.. its mounted on your arm, and you are constantly moving and shaking your wrist, thus negating any negative effects of gravity, thus not necessarily requiring a need for a complication such as a TOURBILLON....

but of course.. like anything else completely expensive as fuck and totally unnecessary.. why not... if you can.... check out these other fine examples of MASTER COMPLICATIONS...

(The $250,000-$900,000 FRANCK MULLER REVOLUTION)



(The $275,000 Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon)

|¢ontinue|

Royal/T in the Porta-Party

What do you get when you mix a warehouse art space in Culver City with a cafe staffed by French-maid outfitted Asian girls- Royal/T. Royal/T has created quite a stir amongst Japanophiles and Asian art enthusiasts alike as it stands to be Los Angeles's first version of a cosplay cafe. Now don't get too excited yet fellas...these ladies aren't gonna play hide and seek with you, feed you, or cater to your every whim. What Royal/T DOES offer is an open and welcoming space to enjoy a cup of tea amongst some of today's most talented contemporary artists.

Current exhibit: "Just Love Me is the opening exhibition at Royal/T. Selected from the Susan Hancock Collection, Just Love Me explores the complexity of cuteness, and the yearning it reveals in artistic expression today. Cuteness is a gesture expressing an innocent desire to obtain unconditional love from someone who gives one's heart. Cuteness is not always sweet and jovial. It can also be monomaniac, enigmatic and obsessive accomplishing the craving under its optimistic surface-to be loved. Just Love Me is the title of a neon sign in the collection by Tracey Emin. This exhibition juxtaposes works not only by Japanese contemporary artists but also by various international artists who explore obsessive human desire." (Royal/T) Featured artists include: Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara, Keisuke Yamamoto, and Izumi Kato.

One of my most favorite and alluring pieces at Royal/T was Nick Rodrigues's Porta Party- basically the collision of a porta-potty, iPod, discoball, and camera. The sculpture is part of Rodrigues's 'Human Interaction Series'- an exploration of how human relationships cater to and sometimes conflict with technology and innovation. You can literally walk into the porta party, choose a song off the bright pink iPod nano inside, have the flashing lights dance with the spinning discoball, and the camera inside will capture all debauchery which is then projected onto the iPod screen for outsiders to gawk at. According to Nick Rodrigues's site, the Porta Party is available for rent for your next house party, debut, or bbq.


|¢ontinue|