Friday, January 30, 2009
Turkish PM Calls Peres On His Nonsense
It's good to see someone like Tayyip Erdogan calling out Peres on the crimes of his nation. Now if there were another dozen leaders willing to do the same, the blank check to violate human rights wouldn't look so appealing.
Experimental Bboying Forum: Free and Paranoid Android
I stumbled upon this forum earlier today at work. PA had told me about this forum when he went to IBE last year but I never got to see it until now. Paranoid Android was a big name in Arizona bboying from about 2004-2006 and influenced a whole generation of bboys from AZ and California. In 2003 that PA was training Law and was the brains of Circus Runaways. I was working at a high school at the time and I had them all over for a late night practice.
PA always had a mixed reputation in Arizona but I've always respected him for his contributions to bboying and taking the time to actually articulate his ideas to people.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Obama Inauguration and Gaza Ceasefire
Tomorrow is the beginning of a "New Day" in America's history. One cannot help but observe the public hope of change, however, I hope this word is not only remembered as a catchy campaign slogan of another American president unwilling to reverse the tide of destruction that has plagued American policy for years.
On the rolling credits of the worst American presidency in history Obama's challenges ahead of him are countless. Nevertheless, the American public must stay vigilante in never allowing such a flagrant disregard for international law and human rights in addition to blatant war profiteering and corporate favoritism.
Obama is being inaugurated on the funeral pyre of Gaza and the broken pieces of hope for reconciliation of Palestinians and Israelis. This ceasefire may mark a temporary halt in bombings but the violence of a destroyed Gaza still yields the smell of charred victims trapped in the rubble. Israel's goals to defeat or weaken Hamas has been lost as millions of Arabs and Muslims around the wold have been further motivated to acts of irrationality against Israel and the West. Obama's silence during the mercilless asault on Gaza has hinted to confirm the fears of "Other people" who suspected Obama would be just another player in a game they are not invited to and are not included in the rule book.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Gaza Update
GAZA IN CRISIS: THE MEDIA SHUTOUT
A teleconference/ podcast Sponsored by the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalist Association (AMEJA)
Israeli forces shell UN headquarters in Gaza
Foreign Press Urges Israel Boycott
What Does Web 2.0 Have To Do With Gaza?
A teleconference/ podcast Sponsored by the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalist Association (AMEJA)
Israeli forces shell UN headquarters in Gaza
"GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip January 15, 2009, 04:20 pm ET · Israel shelled the United Nations headquarters in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, engulfing the compound and a warehouse in fire and destroying thousands of pounds of food and humanitarian supplies intended for Palestinian refugees."
"U.N. officials said the shells that hit the compound contained white phosphorus, which is believed to have been responsible for burns suffered by some Palestinian civilians during the war."
Foreign Press Urges Israel Boycott
"JERUSALEM (AFP) — The Foreign Press Association on Thursday urged its members to boycott Israeli army photos and video footage to protest at the shelling of a media building in Gaza City that wounded two cameramen."
What Does Web 2.0 Have To Do With Gaza?
"And since Israel barred all journalists from entering Gaza, the media and public have largely relied on non-traditional sources for information about the growing crisis. Traffic to the online magazine Electronic Intifada (EI) - whose contributions come from journalists, academics, humanitarian workers and activists on a pro-bono basis - has more than doubled in two weeks."
Greeks Prevent Arms Shipment To Israel
"WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US military has to had to cancel a planned shipment of munitions from a Greek port to a US warehouse in Israel due to objections from Athens, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday."
Monday, January 12, 2009
Moharram in Downtown Los Angeles
The Moharram procession in downtown LA are an interesting cultural phenomenon. The mostly South Asian attended and organized event happens every year near Broadway and 6th and attracts Shias from around Southern California. In the two years I have attended there has been a large turnout of people from over a wide range of ethnicities including Indian, Pakistani, Iranian, Afghani, Iraqi, and Lebanese all reciting "noha" or lamentations in their own languages and traditions.
In comparison, the Los Angeles procession is much smaller to the New York City version, which has been going for over 20 years. This year in New York, a friend of mine let me know that there was the largest English component to the procession to date. This development of a unique movement of English "azadari" mourning traditions is a transition to an organic religious culture of the English speaking West. The shift is a much needed advance for second and third generation Shias who are shying away from the languages of their immigrant parents.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Commemoration Of A Timeless Battle
Latest images from the city of Karbala, Iraq for the commemoration (not celebration) of the events of Ashura.
This time of year has always been a time of self reflection and striving with great effort to contribute to the commemoration in my own way. Now living in California in addition to no longer being a student, I deeply appreciate those times I spent every night in a small crowded house of people to lament the events that took place in Karbala.
This Moharram has been a drought in comparison to previous years. Time has been short and programs have been far away. I feel like the expression of Moharram fulfills a thirst of the heart that cannot be quenched by anything else. My hope is that by this time next year I will be working on my Ashura project again since I started it 4 years ago.
Norwegian Doctor Reports From Gaza
When will this madness stop? When will the world be content with the amount of destruction inflicted?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Scarborough Gets Served
How can Scarborough work as a professional news gatherer and still sound like he believes in Santa when engaging in a conversation about international politics?
Take a break from the pundits and try reading a book for a change. I pray your patience will survive the journey.
Take a break from the pundits and try reading a book for a change. I pray your patience will survive the journey.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
the future of news
I've become quite a fan of ANP since I found out about them in July. Cutbacks of the major news outlets in addition to huge budget cuts of public media companies has created a vacuum of media news content. The internet is to be the new center for distribution of investigative journalism/ documentary content. This democratizing shift not only makes media more accessible, but allows for a development of a new interconnected media that allows viewers to have an active role in developing stories. Even though the reach of sites like ANP are nowhere near the reach of the cable news networks, the potential for massive audiences larger than that of CNN is there.
The move to the internet as a means of media distribution also frees companies of the traditional censorship and ratings groping seen in traditional broadcast. Smaller budgets and audiences with longer attention spans spells for better quality.
Viewer support and viral social video networks for small media projects like ANP will ensure the growth and self sufficiency of ANP and others like it. Enjoy your new world of media and don't settle for less.
reason wins today.
Narcy's song, The Real Arab Money actually made a difference.
read more here.
Narcy's reaction
more thoughts later.
read more here.
Narcy's reaction
more thoughts later.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Remembering Vahdat
It's been a while since I've talked about Warring Factions. The project is currently sitting in the in-boxes of multiple film festivals. I have been really careful not to over step my festival run. I have multiple tentative screenings for the film which will be released once the film makes it's first big screening.
I wanted to post some raw audio from the film which we filmed inside of Zurkhuneh Vahdat in Tehran. Vahdat means unity and in this case it's referring to the concept of unifying humanity in the spirit of Divine unity.
These two audio tracks were recorded during a demonstration of young varzeshkaran, "athletes", who were coached by Agha Fattahi who was also my teacher. The morshed was a young man whose name escapes me at the moment but I remember that he was one of the most technically talented morsheds that I met in Tehran.
I wanted to post some raw audio from the film which we filmed inside of Zurkhuneh Vahdat in Tehran. Vahdat means unity and in this case it's referring to the concept of unifying humanity in the spirit of Divine unity.
These two audio tracks were recorded during a demonstration of young varzeshkaran, "athletes", who were coached by Agha Fattahi who was also my teacher. The morshed was a young man whose name escapes me at the moment but I remember that he was one of the most technically talented morsheds that I met in Tehran.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Steps Towards Reconciliation
*photo courtesy of Reuters: Atef Hassanread more
[BBC]
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Handala
I saw Handala at the On the Boundary conference at Baylor. I was able to meet the film's producer Peder Wiegner and one of the main subjects of the doc, Lucia Pizarro. Handala takes an interesting look at the occupation and deserves a wide audience. The film also focuses on the growth of non violent resistance movements within Palestine and Israel in addition to foreign organizations that are active in the occupied territories. Handala relates that the ultimate security and peace to the region is a one state solution and not the "roadmap" to a two state myth that will never go anywhere.
Lucia Pizarro, a Mexican convert to Judaism from Catholocism, is one of the subjects to the film that I had the honor to meet. She explained to me the dark irony of her Israeli citizenship. She told me that as a Mexican, she has absolute no connection to Palestine whatsoever. However, her Israeli citizenship and identity as a Jew has given her more rights than a native Palestinian who cannot even live in the land which his or her father lived. Lucia's work with ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) has gotten her forcefully removed from the site of a Palestinian house reconstruction but has never landed her in an Israeli jail like it has her Palestinian co-workers.
Handala is currently screening on a grass roots level to small cinemas, universities, and community centers. Screening information is available on the film's blog.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Red Bull BC One Recap
This was the first bboy battle that has ever been streamed live on the internet, so that in itself is a bit of a milestone. Paris was a perfect venue for the event because Bboy culture is alive there more than it ever was in the US. Parisian culture mixed with the poor immigrant presence in France is a perfect environment for an art like Breakin.
On a production note, the segments that were produced to air before the battles were cool but really awkward. The directing of the extra segments are downright poor. The only portion of the pre battle footage that felt natural was the underground battle in Paris and Lilou playing soccer with kids in a park. The production of the battles were great but had some faulty directing choices in the early battles.
The battles themselves were dope and looked great in the high quality flash player on the site. The bboys this year were probably the best of any of the previous BC Ones. I went into it looking forward to seeing Just Do it, Taisuke, and Kid David.
I had seen Just Do it (Germany) from a couple clips on the internet and was really impressed by his dynamic flow and creative blow ups. I think the judges should have given him the win in the first round over Cico because even though Cico's power is incredible, all of his enders were either flopped or he just quit early. His presentation was quite low and his tops were non existent. In the judges defense, Just Do It was holding back a lot. A newcomer to the BC One should know that if you're battling someone like Cico you have to come 100%. If he would have came as hard as he did during his German qualifier he could have taken it to the finals.
Kid David has only been around as a newcomer to the big scene for about a year. I met Kid David when he was much younger in 2005 when he came to Tucson for a 2 on 2 battle.
Jesus and I showed up to this battle with some ridiculous outfits which Jesus still claims to this day messed up his performance. We lost to them in the finals after running into the crowd while flopping a double team we came up with called the 2 man coin. Kid David is the protege of Roxrite, who is one of the smartest battlers and one of the original stack style bboys. Kid David has developed his style and has more character than most. I wanted to see Kid David go further but Lil Ceng's execution of some of the most difficult power tricks I have ever seen knocked David out early in the event.
I favored Taisuke from Japan to win the whole thing this year after I saw him at Freestyle Session 11. His beat rocking skills and character in addition to being well rounded with power and tricks make him the model for an amazing bboy. He showed a lot of great battle strategy in the early rounds but eventually fell flat in the finals where it seemed like he was running low on juice and moves. The final battle was a bit disappointing overall because of the fatigue of both competitors. 1 on 1 battles are incredibly difficult and can only be won by bboys with endurance and a full arsenal of moves. Wing of South Korea definitely showed that he had those ingredients.
My dream for next year, is to have a bboy from Iran in the BC One but it's going to take a lot of training to get there. If I go back within the next year, I will train the someone to be the next BC One competitor, God Willing.
*all photos courtesy of Red Bull BC One
On a production note, the segments that were produced to air before the battles were cool but really awkward. The directing of the extra segments are downright poor. The only portion of the pre battle footage that felt natural was the underground battle in Paris and Lilou playing soccer with kids in a park. The production of the battles were great but had some faulty directing choices in the early battles.
The battles themselves were dope and looked great in the high quality flash player on the site. The bboys this year were probably the best of any of the previous BC Ones. I went into it looking forward to seeing Just Do it, Taisuke, and Kid David.
I had seen Just Do it (Germany) from a couple clips on the internet and was really impressed by his dynamic flow and creative blow ups. I think the judges should have given him the win in the first round over Cico because even though Cico's power is incredible, all of his enders were either flopped or he just quit early. His presentation was quite low and his tops were non existent. In the judges defense, Just Do It was holding back a lot. A newcomer to the BC One should know that if you're battling someone like Cico you have to come 100%. If he would have came as hard as he did during his German qualifier he could have taken it to the finals.
Kid David has only been around as a newcomer to the big scene for about a year. I met Kid David when he was much younger in 2005 when he came to Tucson for a 2 on 2 battle.
Jesus and I showed up to this battle with some ridiculous outfits which Jesus still claims to this day messed up his performance. We lost to them in the finals after running into the crowd while flopping a double team we came up with called the 2 man coin. Kid David is the protege of Roxrite, who is one of the smartest battlers and one of the original stack style bboys. Kid David has developed his style and has more character than most. I wanted to see Kid David go further but Lil Ceng's execution of some of the most difficult power tricks I have ever seen knocked David out early in the event.
I favored Taisuke from Japan to win the whole thing this year after I saw him at Freestyle Session 11. His beat rocking skills and character in addition to being well rounded with power and tricks make him the model for an amazing bboy. He showed a lot of great battle strategy in the early rounds but eventually fell flat in the finals where it seemed like he was running low on juice and moves. The final battle was a bit disappointing overall because of the fatigue of both competitors. 1 on 1 battles are incredibly difficult and can only be won by bboys with endurance and a full arsenal of moves. Wing of South Korea definitely showed that he had those ingredients.
My dream for next year, is to have a bboy from Iran in the BC One but it's going to take a lot of training to get there. If I go back within the next year, I will train the someone to be the next BC One competitor, God Willing.
*all photos courtesy of Red Bull BC One
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