Sketches

A Joke (...on us)

2012-01-28T10:49:00.000-05:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

Smell It Yet?

2012-01-28T09:26:00.009-05:00

Paint it up with the brightest colors, douse it with perfumed, titillatin' words & enshrine it in the Law, shit is still shit, man..real talk. As Honest Abe eerily envisioned..

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. ... corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

Let's get to work folks!

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: MME's Jazzy Soul

2012-01-27T10:23:00.003-05:00

JazzySoul by M.M.E by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

(Check out more cool jazz vibes here & here.)

Rain always has a tendency of putting one in an introspective mood & today is one of dem dayz! For me, Jazz & classical music provide the sumptuous backdrop for deep thought. As Hazrat Khan once stated, "From the metaphysical point of view there is nothing that can touch the formless except the art of music which in itself is formless". He pretty much nailed it. Charlie Parker said the same thing, but in a more evocative way, "Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art"

(Note: Enjoy this stream while it lasts - SOPA/PIPA legislation, if passed, will shut it down for sure).

Have a great weekend!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2012-01-27T06:41:00.001-05:00

If Wile E Coyote (aka Super Genius) had enough money to buy all that ACME shit, why didn't he just buy dinner?

(Moral of the story: Sometimes you just have to give up & walk away...or end up like this.)

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's (Double) Jam Of The Day

2012-01-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

Now I Know by Stephen Marley on Grooveshark

No Cigarette Smoking (In My Room) by Stephen Marley on Grooveshark

Two of my favorite cuts from Stephen Marley's latest RootsReggae classic, "Revelation Pt. 1: The Root of Life".

OneLove

:::MME:::

Camouflaged Excellence

2012-01-25T22:02:00.009-05:00

I struck up a conversation a few weeks ago with a taxi driver in Washington, DC & we almost immediately began chatting away on subjects ranging from politics to technology before reaching my destination. You will be surprised by the number of foreign-born taxi drivers who are college graduates in DC. This particular taxi driver had more than just a bachelor's degree: he was a medical doctor. I have spoken to accountants, businessmen, graduate school teachers, writers/poets & lawyers who moonlighted as cab drivers, but this was the first time speaking to a cab driving doctor. One thing which they all shared in common: they were African. This highlights a little-known but myth-defying fact: African immigrants are the most successful immigrant group in the US in education, income & employment. Why is this fact not more well-known? Perhaps it is too disconcerting for many to place the African scholar ahead of the pack, but the facts remain :-

=> 48.9 percent of all African immigrants hold a college diploma which is more than double the rate of white Americans, and quadruple the rate of African Americans.

=> In 1997, 19.4 percent of all adult African immigrants in the United States held a graduate degree, compared to 8.1 percent of adult white Americans and 3.8 percent of adult black Americans in the United States

=> Of the African-born population in the United States age 25 and older, 87.9% reported having a high school degree or higher, compared with 78.8% of Asian-born immigrants and 76.8% of European-born immigrants, respectively.

One factor which I think contributes to the success of many African (& Caribbean) immigrants in the US is the high expectations others have for them - teachers, parents, children, friends, relatives, colleagues. Sadly, the history of institutional/structural/internalized racism in the US has created the opposite affect within many African American, Native American & Latin American communities. The power of expectations should not be dismissed or taken lightly (read this very enlightening study). Kids pick up on it quickly & if all they're experiencing are people low-balling/underestimating them, it is highly likely that they will come to believe it - as countless already have.

The stereotype of Asian Americans as the only “model minority” endures, perhaps owing to their high concentration in places like California & New Jersey where they comprise a sizable number of the student population in many premier institutions. However, I think it is more likely the case of a racially-charged American narrative which has rendered the high academic achievements of black immigrants from Africa (& the Caribbean) invisible, as if this truth would collapse some carefully constructed, immaculate order. There's way too much foolishness passing as truth - let's just give credit where credit is due!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Imagination As The Path of Spirit" by John O'Donohue

2012-01-25T05:59:00.001-05:00

(Penetrating observations...)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Some Cold Hard Truths

2012-01-24T19:49:00.000-05:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2012-01-23T20:53:00.004-05:00

In the point of rest at the center of our being,

We encounter a world where all things are at rest in the same way.

Then a tree becomes a mystery, a cloud a revelation,

Each man a cosmos of whose riches we can only catch glimpses.

The life of simplicity is simple, but it opens to us a book

In which we never get beyond the first syllable.

~Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings

OneLove

::::MME::::

Calculated Destruction

2012-01-23T15:15:00.002-05:00

I won't pretend to know the details of the age-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but one thing is clear: Israel's heavy-handedness towards the poor inhabitants of Palestine would not have been possible without the billions of dollars in US military aid, numerous UN vetoes cast by Washington, bullying of lesser powers & the lack of courage & honesty from the US media that, for the most part, sways public opinion in support of the Israeli position. One should keep in mind that at one time Nelson Mandela & the ANC were considered terrorists by the US media/government. U.S. officials justified their dealings with the apartheid government by pointing to the ANC's place on the State Department's list of terrorist groups. The bottom line is this: The unremitting ethnic cleansing (& demonization) of the Palestinians will continue unless we become better informed & join the voices of resistance.

Stay alert...

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: MME's Throwback Sugar Shack

2012-01-20T12:47:00.008-05:00

MME's Throwback Jamz by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

This playlist takes an ol' playa back to a time when the high-top fade, Members Only/FUBU windbreaker jackets & nut-hugger shorts w/long tube socks (see NBA) thankfully evolved to the looser, more manly gear. Where did the time go?!! Oh well, with the high-top now faded & the Members Only jacket ridiculed out of existence with the rise of hip urban designers, all that remains is the blazin' music of that period which I feature on this playlist (I threw in a couple of golden oldies as well--couldn't resist! )

Have a great weekend folks!

(More throwback joints here & here ).

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's (Double) Jam of The Day

2012-01-18T14:46:00.001-05:00

Mind Blowing Decisions (Extended Remix Version) (Bonus Track) by Heatwave on Grooveshark

Heatwave - Classic Soul Ballads Love Power (Disc 1) - 12 - Always And Forever(1) by * Unknown * on Grooveshark

Two of my favorite jams by the legendary R&B group Heatwave.

OneLove

:::MME:::

The Blackout

2012-01-18T12:43:00.003-05:00

Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.
~Henry Louis Gates

The first condition of progress is the removal of censorship.
~George Bernard Shaw

What if-
-You were to sing your favorite song then proceed to post it on a video sharing site like YouTube? A: You & your screechy voice may be sued for copyright infringement.
-You used or published a logo or trademark of corporation X and that corporation doesn’t fancy your website (regardless if you intended to use the logo/trademark as a critique or promotional/instructional tool)? A: You and your freedom of expression may be muzzled.
-The House of Representatives' Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate's Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) were in existence when Facebook, YouTube or Twitter were created? A: The Internet as we know it (for those of us outside the orb of the 13 countries that censor the Internet) would be drastically different.

These bills being debated right now, if enacted, would affect a countless number of Internet users who have no idea of intellectual property violations & will force websites (like this one) to block access to other sites suspected of some vaguely-defined copyright breaches. Are we witnessing the early stages of American Fascism or are we already there? It can (or may have) come like a thief in the night that escapes (has escaped) easy detection.Everything may seem normal on the surface - folks going to work, voting, shopping, etc - but just below the surface, something has changed: We no longer matter in this "democracy" as control of the government of the people, by the people, for the people has shifted to a small and privileged group who rule for the benefit of their wealthy peers and corporate patrons. Be aware. Here is a good infographic of what is at stake here

The silver lining is even if Congress approves the bills, President Barack Obama may decide to veto them.The White House issued a statement over the weekend saying that "we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cyber-security risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global internet".

Take action here or here.

OneLove

::MME::

The End Of An Era?

2012-01-17T23:21:00.002-05:00

(Very interesting discussion...Not exactly the best panel, I must admit, but they do raise some very critical points worth thinking about).

"Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity. "Patriotism” is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say, that by "patriotism” I mean that attitude which puts the own nation above humanity, above the principles of truth and justice; not the loving interest in one’s own nation, which is the concern with the nation’s spiritual as much as with its material welfare — never with its power over other nations. Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one’s country which is not part of one’s love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship."

- Erich Fromm

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2012-01-13T12:22:00.004-05:00

(image via to wake/to see)

Your love should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,
Only to someone
Who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.

~ Hafiz

OneLove

:::::::MME:::::::

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Unforgettable Amy Winehouse

2012-01-13T05:19:00.002-05:00

The Unforgettable Amy Winehouse by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

Drift up, lovely smoke, drift up

Her voice was like smoke
that rose in tune to the
soul-shaft rumblings
of a coal-consuming furnace.

Drift up, lovely smoke, drift up

Her eyes were like smoke
that revealed and concealed
a flame too wise for believing
in love that is stronger than death.

Drift up, lovely smoke, drift up

Her arms were trellises
entwined by smoky vines
clinging to the rise and fall
of each despairing note.

Drift up, lovely smoke, drift up

~David A.Welch

Amy's tormented genius crafted lyrics that opened our souls to her anguish,vulnerability & unadorned honesty. Her art was her pain and you can't help but be drawn into her audible sound painting. I recently opined to a friend that it seems odd that so many highly gifted people burned out so early. Carl Jung once stated, “Great talents are the most lovely and often the most dangerous fruits on the tree of humanity. They hang on the most slender twigs that are easily snapped off.” Tragically spot-on. I know I left out some of her more popular hits like "F*** Me Pumps" & "Rehab"on this playlist, but they never resonated with me as much as these selections--hope you enjoy.

Have a great weekend good people..

OneLove

::::MME::::

Poet's Nook: "In Search of a Moment" by Octavio Paz

2012-01-12T19:42:00.001-05:00

From birth to death time surrounds us

with its intangible walls.

We fall with the centuries, the years, the minutes.

Is time only a falling, only a wall?

For a moment, sometimes, we see

not with our eyes but with our thoughts

time resting in a pause.

The world half-opens and we glimpse

the immaculate kingdom,

the pure forms, presences

unmoving, floating

on the hour, a river stopped:

truth, beauty, numbers, ideas

and goodness, a word buried

in our century.

A moment without weight or duration,

a moment outside the moment:

thought sees, our eyes think.

~ Octavio Paz

OneLove
::::MME:::

Conscious Eating

2012-01-11T14:11:00.009-05:00

So what do you get when your government spends more than any other nation in the world on health care? You would expect a healthier population with lower rates of disease & access to quality & affordable health care for all. However, as many of you know by now, we're better off going to Columbia or Barbados to get a higher quality of health care. The politics of health care is complicated, but in a nutshell, if my understanding is correct, it goes something like this: As stated, we (the US population) spend more than anyone else in the world on health care. Each health insurer adds its' bureaucracy, outrageous salaries/bonuses, advertising,& profits to the actual cost of providing care. All of this money is siphoned away from actual health care, but it pays for a broken system that often makes it harder to receive the care we’ve already goddamn paid for! Health insurers don't give a crap about us - they're in it for the money & their primary concern is consequently with the shareholders. These jokers on Capitol Hill - & President Obama's backtracking on a universal single-payer system - know the costs of siding with the majority of citizens who want a health care system that works - their re-election.

This documentary is quite disturbing, but it just might save your life I have to give credit to a buddy of mine who runs & maintains a great website (You-Be-Fit) & also to my sister who watches everything she puts into her mouth as if her very life depended on it - & it does!! They have both been instrumental in my growing awareness of my own health.

(Well..bye bye mozarella sticks w/marinara sauce & so long glazed doughnuts w/ shimmering sprinkles - I will miss your enchanting & decadent charms....(sniff)...)

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2012-01-11T06:03:00.001-05:00

This cut takes me back to when I first came to the USA, fresh off the banana boat & ready for the world! The beat is still infectious & the lyrics timeless. In fact, this has to be one of the few funked-up yet existentially poignant jams to make it to prime time...

"Searching for a destiny that's mine
There's another place, another time
Touching many hearts along the way
Hopin' that I'll never have to say"

This is nothing but our Ego which is always searching for something somewhere/anywhere as if the present moment is not enough.

"Follow your emotions anywhere
Is it really magic in the air?
Never let your feelings get you down
Open up your eyes and look around"

We all know that following our emotions can be a double-edged sword. If we follow & act upon our darker emotions w/ our Ego at the controls then the consequences can work against us & we end up hurting others. By opening our eyes, waking up and loosening the grip of the Ego, we step closer to the better angels of our nature....The Ego is but an illusion.

OneLove

:::MME:::

The Threat The Weak-Minded

2012-01-10T19:48:00.002-05:00

There is absolutely no reason in this day & age for people to be so ridiculously ignorant. When I say ignorant, I am not implying that one needs a degree or certifications to escape that pejorative label as some of the most ignorant people I've ever met have college/post-graduate degrees. Ignorance to me implies a shutting off of one's critical faculties in order to maintain a degree of cognitive coherence & harmony. It's too disturbing to consider contrary viewpoints for some so instead of considering the challenges head-on (& possibly reformulating their position(s)), it's easier to remain in some unlit, dusty corner where other like-minded mice dwell. That's how I think of the Tea Party supporters. They're not totally to blame as this video demonstrates, but the level of gullibility/unquestioning acceptance of propaganda truly astounds. The notion of being skeptical & verifying the facts for oneself seems to escape this tiresome but potentially dangerous group. Remember: Hitler had a nation under his spell during Germany's worst atrocities - beware the power of propaganda & damn it - think for yourselves!!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2012-01-09T15:52:00.001-05:00

(excerpt from: The Last Rites of the Bokononist Faith)

God made mud.

God got lonesome.

So God said to some of the mud, "Sit up!"

"See all I've made," said God, "the hills, the sea, the sky, the stars."

And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around.

Lucky me, lucky mud.

I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done.

Nice going, God.

Nobody but you could have done it, God! I certainly couldn't have.

I feel very unimportant compared to You.

The only way I can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud

that didn't even get to sit up and look around.

I got so much, and most mud got so little.

Thank you for the honor!

Now mud lies down again and goes to sleep.

What memories for mud to have!

What interesting other kinds of sitting-up mud I met!

I loved everything I saw!

Good night.

~ Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

(Cat's Cradle)

OneLove
:::::MME:::::

Pedagogical Excellence

2012-01-07T21:14:00.001-05:00

I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary which centers on a remarkable instructor who teaches his students not only how to be good students, but how to live as well. He does a fantastic job in mentoring these 4th graders & actively engaging them in the learning process, teamwork, community, the importance of openness, coping strategies, having compassion and the harm caused by bullying. I wish all teachers could be like this! This would be a different world indeed.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Oceans" by Juan Ramon Jimenez

2012-01-07T10:46:00.002-05:00

I have a feeling that my boat

has struck, down there in the depths,

against a great thing.

And nothing

happens! Nothing... Silence... Waves...

-Nothing happens? Or has everything happened,

and are we standing now, quietly, in the new life?

~ Juan Ramon Jimenez

(This piece reaches deep....I think everyone can feel what he's trying to convey here. Jimenez himself describes the process of wording the sublimely indescribable: "“Inner poetry eludes words. When one wishes to express something profound, one does not express it in jingles. In my first period I used adjectives, later the adjectives became substantives. Literary artistry is constant suffering for the poet; one doubts the exactness of words, their ability to express what we feel within us. We strive to find that spirited asset, the inner essence.”....Beautiful!!)

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of Sona Jobarteh

2012-01-06T17:00:00.005-05:00

Sona Jobarteh - Fasiya by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

Very interesting interview....

Sona Jobarteh is quite an exceptional talent. The selections above are from her latest release Fasiya . Check out this review which highlights this CD beautifully. Also listen to the music she did for the movie Motherland (preview in iTunes) here.

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2012-01-05T16:19:00.005-05:00

What a smooth, jazzy joint by Melody Gardot! Kinda sounds like a young Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone & Astrud Gilberto all rolled up into one. The lyrics to this song, "If The Stars Were Mine", remind me of a Pablo Neruda poem--simple yet sensuous...

If the world was mine
I'd paint it gold and green
I'd make the oceans orange
For a brilliant color scheme

I would color all the mountains
Make the sky forever blue
So the world would be a painting
And I'd live inside with you

If the world was mine
I'd tell you what I'd do
I'd wrap the world in ribbons
And then give it all to you

I'd teach the birds such lovely words
And make 'em sing for you
I'd put those stars right in a jar and
Give them all to you

The back story of her sound is just as intriguing as her voice - check out her story here. Another favorite of mine is her beautiful Latin-Jazz interpretation of "Over the Rainbow":

OneLove

:::MME:::

Reading Rant: The Works of Chris Hedges

2012-01-03T21:13:00.001-05:00

I found this interview of noted author & activist Chris Hedges. quite interesting...He speaks deeply on varied subjects, from the fall of empires to spirituality to the role of Oprah Winfrey in a decaying society. I had to take a second & third listen throughout this interview as his insights are quite profound.

Absorb & reflect....

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2012-01-01T17:17:00.002-05:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Pedagogue of Young Gods" by Saul Williams

2012-01-01T15:40:00.002-05:00

(saul williams - pedagogue)

Are you afraid to have someone believe in you?
Can you commit to your ideals?
Even if you think nothing of it,
are you willing to allow others to think the world of it,
and of you?

Pedagogue of Young Gods.

All slavery ever does is free you.
All anyone ever does is an example.
All power is just collective energy.
To abuse the privilege is to sell your soul
and that is to rent with the illusion of owning.
We are the landlords.
If you misunderstand us,
you're dead and deserve your demise.
Your dominion is your overthrow.
The controllers are controlled.
Spread the word,
it will save you
and depends on you to be understood.
There is no school bell, only nursery.
Our heroes reward us with stars,
ever-still, ever-moving.
We sing to ourselves in our cars.
Music is our sanctuary.
Anywhere you put it it's ours.
Our living voice,
our living testament.
We dream aloud,
we scream and shout.
Our courage will defeat them.
Our struggle will unite us.
Our wisdom is ourselves,
our resources our own,
our blood ocean,
our skin oil.
We are mountain and waterfall,
they cannot contain us.
Their prisons will not restrain us,
their customs will not un-name us.
We are what they know in their hearts,
you guessed it,
you knew that,
you felt it,
you tried to doubt it,
denied it,
but you knew it,
ain't nobody had to tell you.
We had them from the start.
A world apart, a world within,
ancient and luminous.
The before before and the hereafter.
We are the essence of laughter.
The comforting prayer
and the gatekeepers
and the street-sweepers.
A mountain of ports outside of a city of dreams.
A bird that prays, yet offers its wingspan to the wind.
Things are not as they seem.
We hover above while giving the appearance of scurrying below.
All is as it should be.
We are more than we know.
More than we hoped and dreamed,
a generation of generators,
a power source and supply.
The better we learn to live,
the better we learn to die.
Old as anything,
old as everything,
we are participants in a ritual
older than our collective memory,
a marriage of heart and mind,
secular and divine.

All is as it should be.
Slavery carefully bred us.
No child of Greece or Rome can behead us.
We are ahead of our time.
Slavery was simply a state of mind.
Hip-hop reminded us of confidence.
Overcoming now is simply common sense.
You deserve the ice and the riches of Solomon.
But don't let warped values turn you into hollow men.
Education is the only thing given that cannot be taken.
Learn to think for yourself,
analyze the forsaken.
Pimp your fears,
surrender to love,
dance all night when you need to.
Play this song for a thug,
let 'em know ain't no judgment.
We all hustle and grind,
any system against us is against the divine.
But there's no sense of glory in repenting,
and repeating,
their mistakes.
You have a greater calling.
Answering it is all it takes.
Take a second to hear this
and go back about your day.
Know that laws don't govern us,
we're governed by what we say.
What we think, why we think it, how we handle.
Place no blame, point no fingers, take your aim.

Shoot to kill. The bullshit.

(Stay alert good people..)

OneLove

:::MME:::

From Endings, New Beginnings

2011-12-29T19:53:00.001-05:00

“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.” ~Oscar Wilde

As 2011 draws to a close, I shudder at the depth & magnitude of what has happened/is happening to our society/world & what may await us in the year(s) to come. On a personal level, I am thankful for being here right now - breathing, thriving & forever hoping - and pray that we can all escape the vortex of turmoil, greed, manipulation for power and possession & avarice. It's hard for me to be optimistic about what's going on in the world right now, but I will remain a prisoner of hope. I end the year & begin the new on the wise words of the great Uruguayan writer/poet, Eduardo Galeano. In many ways, his vision of a better world in this poem prefigured the countless souls the world over who dare challenge the madness of our condition :-

The Right To Dream (slightly abridged)

Although we cannot imagine the time to come,

At the very least we have the right to imagine how we would like it to be.

In 1948 and 1976 the United Nations proclaimed extensive declarations of human rights;

But the vast majority of humanity possesses no rights other than those of

watching, listening and remaining mute.

What would it be like if we began to exercise the never proclaimed right to dream?

What if we raved without constraints for a while?

Let us fix our eyes beyond infamy and imagine a possible world.

The air would be cleansed of all pollution,

Except that which emanates from human fear and human passions.

In the streets automobiles would be run over by dogs;

People would neither be driven by cars nor programmed by computers

Nor bought by supermarkets nor stared at by TV’s.

The television would cease to be the most important member of the family;

It would be treated like the iron or the washing machine.

People would work to live instead of living to work.

The crime of stupidity would be added to the penal code, a crime committed by those

Who live to accumulate or hoard rather than simply to live.

Economists will no longer measure standards of living by levels of consumption

Nor the quality of life by how many things one owns.

Cooks will no longer imagine that lobsters enjoy being boiled alive.

Historians will no longer believe that countries appreciate being invaded.

Politicians will no longer conclude that the poor are happy eating promises.

Solemnity will no longer be considered a virtue,

& no one will take anyone seriously who cannot laugh at him or herself.

Death and money will lose their magic powers,

& neither through death nor fortune will the criminal become a sainted knight.

The world will no longer go to war against the poor but against poverty.

& the weapons industry will be forced to declare itself bankrupt.

Food will no longer be considered merchandise because food is a human right.

No one will die of hunger because no one will die of obesity.

Street children will no longer be treated as if they are garbage

Because there will no longer be children living in the streets.

Rich children will no longer be treated like gold, because there won’t be any rich children. Education won’t be the privilege of those who can buy it.

The police won’t be the curse of those who cannot buy them.

Justice and freedom, those Siamese twins condemned to separation,

Will finally be rejoined, back to back and inseparable.

The Church will also dictate another commandment, one that God forgot:

"You will love nature, of which you are a part."

The world’s deserts will be replanted, along with the deserts of the heart.

We will be the compatriots and contemporaries of all those willing to work for justice&beauty, No matter where they were born or where they live.

The frontiers of maps and of time will become meaningless.

Perfection will continue to be the boring privilege of the gods,

But in this clumsy and messed up world,

each night will be lived as if it were the last

...& each day as if it were the first......

OneLove

:::MME:::

Peace & Good Tidings To You

2011-12-20T14:11:00.009-05:00

M.M.E's Christmas Songbook II by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

Also check out the following Xmas selections by St. Lucia's own, Ronald Boo Hinkson & The Tru-Tones:
Boo Hinkson & The Tru-Tones - Happy Holidays from St Lucia by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

Pentecost

Better a jungle in the head

than rootless concrete.

Better to stand bewildered

by the fireflies' crooked street;

winter lamps do not show

where the sidewalk is lost,

nor can these tongues of snow

speak for the Holy Ghost;

the self-increasing silence

of words dropped from a roof

points along iron railings,

direction, in not proof.

But best is this night surf

with slow scriptures of sand,

that sends, not quite a seraph,

but a late cormorant,

whose fading cry propels

through phosphorescent shoal

what, in my childhood gospels,

used to be called the Soul.

Aah yes....Given that I am away from the warm, festive delights of my beautiful island of St. Lucia this season, I chose the above poem by St Lucia's very own Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott, out of a sense of deep nostalgia. This is primarily a poem about the nature of belonging. The Christmas season embodies this need to belong to something bigger than oneself (God, family, land...). Not to downplay the beauty of snow and the warmth of being inside with loved ones or playing outside in the snow, this poem highlights the power of the Caribbean sea/land on one's soul. For Walcott, and I would gather for many people of Caribbean descent, there is a strong contrast between spending Christmas in a cold Northern metropolis & spending it in the wild freedom of an island's landscape surrounded by childhood friends & family. Of course, Walcott's genius frames this contrast in the most beautiful way that few can imitate.

I sincerely wish you all a safe, deeply meditative & enjoyable Christmas season and an auspicious 2012.

OneLove

::::MME::::

Poet's Nook: "Tron" by Ursula Rucker

2011-12-18T16:35:00.005-05:00

TRON by Ursula Rucker on Grooveshark

(I understand that Grooveshark cannot play in some countries, so here is a link to this masterpiece)

I was thinking
I want to do away with
the Technology Section of the newspaper
All talk of new-fangled/bigger/faster thingamajigs
I want the world to slow down
                        look around
                                          take notice
To who's standing /living /breathing /struggling
Right next to you
And i know this sounds like a naive old-fashioned pipe dream
But I just can't stand how machines move forward
                      while people stand still

Are cell phones gonna bring about world peace?
Or stop the negative shit that happens in the street?
I realize we cannot escape or halt technological advance
But can we balance humanity with machinery?
Can we find a way to talk /to see /to spend time with each other
                         face to face
                        voice to voice
                        heart to heart
With no gadgets as the middlemen?

Can we find that...find ...balance between machinery and humanty?
Can we......can we......can we.......find that... find... find balance
Between machinery and humanity?

Can we......???

OneLove

:::MME:::

Farewell Christopher Hitchens (1949 - 2011)

2011-12-18T12:46:00.006-05:00

Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant (Source)

I became a fan of Christopher Hitchens when I first picked up a copy of The Nation many moons ago (in the Minority Report bi-weekly column). The thing I discovered about Hitchens quite early, judging from his writings, was that he didn't give a f*** about what people thought--he said what he meant/meant what he said. That was something I had a problem with earlier as I didn't know where to place him. In one moment he was my intellectual hero when he tore into Henry Kissinger & aligned himself with another hero, the late great Edward Said, and in another moment I wanted to kick his ass for trashing Noam Chomsky, supporting Bush's foreign policy & pretending to know all that there was to know about religion (his over-reliance on pure reason in matters that can barely be explained by it, was deeply flawed & contradictory, in my view). Years later, it dawned on me that I was doing what most of us tend to do: idealizing & categorizing. The thing is, the people we most admire tend to disappoint (i.e they don't live up to the image we have constructed)& the ideas which we hold on to so tightly, frequently unravel with new information, re-imagination, observation, revelation--i.e, they turn to dust. Hitchens' independent thinking, which raged across the ideological spectrum, & his enmity towards people who were convinced of their absolute certainty, were exemplary.I may not have agreed with a lot of what he uttered/wrote (much of it quite crude & condescending) , but I grudgingly respected his gumption which is sorely lacking in journalism that brims with the spineless, the complacent & the disingenuous. Below are some of my favorite quotes from Hitchens:

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”

“We live only a few conscious decades, and we fret ourselves enough for several lifetimes.”

'Good people do good things. Evil people do evil things. If you want a good person to do an evil thing, that takes religion.'”

“What better way for a ruling class to claim and hold power than to pose as the defenders of the nation.”

(On Henry Kissinger, but applies to many): “His own lonely impunity is rank; it smells to heaven. If it is allowed to persist then we shall shamefully vindicate the ancient philosopher Anacharsis, who maintained that laws were like cobwebs; strong enough to detain only the weak, and too weak to hold the strong. In the name of innumerable victims known and unknown, it is time for justice to take a hand."

“Heroism breaks its heart, and idealism its back, on the intransigence of the credulous and the mediocre, manipulated by the cynical and the corrupt.”

"I devoutly believe that words ought to be weapons. That is why I got into this business in the first place. I don't seek the title of 'inoffensive,' which I think is one of the nastiest things that could be said about an individual writer."

"The fox knows many small things, whereas the hedgehog knows one big thing. Ronald Reagan was neither a fox nor a hedgehog. He was as dumb as a stump."

"To be in opposition is not to be a nihilist. And there is no decent or charted way of making a living at it. It is something you are, and not something you do."

“The one thing that the racist can never manage is anything like discrimination: he is indiscriminate by definition.”

"Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it.”

“What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.”

“Organised religion is violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children.”

“I try to deny myself any illusions or delusions, and I think that this perhaps entitles me to try and deny the same to others, at least as long as they refuse to keep their fantasies to themselves.”

“ Your favorite virtue? An appreciation for irony.”

“I have not been able to discover whether there exists a precise French equivalent for the common Anglo-American expression 'killing time.' It's a very crass and breezy expression, when you ponder it for a moment, considering that time, after all, is killing us.”

“There can be no progress without head-on confrontation."

“He's a man [George W. Bush] who is lucky to be governor of Texas. He is a man who is unusually incurious, abnormally unintelligent, amazingly inarticulate, fantastically uncultured, extraordinarily uneducated, and apparently quite proud of all these things.”

“Part of the function of memory is to forget; the omni-retentive mind will break down and produce at best an idiot savant who can recite a telephone book, and at worst a person to whom every grudge and slight is as yesterday's.”

"The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species. "

"Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the ‘transcendent’ and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. Distrust compassion; prefer dignity for yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. Picture all experts as if they were mammals. Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. Suspect your own motives, and all excuses. Do not live for others any more than you would expect others to live for you."

....& a video tribute to the irksome wit...

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-12-15T15:22:00.004-05:00

The global economic crisis serves these ends, as whatever remaining wealth the middle class holds is in the process of being eliminated, and as the crisis progresses, the middle classes of the world will suffer, while a great percentage of lower classes of the world, poverty-stricken even prior to the crisis, will suffer the greatest, most probably leading to a massive reduction in population levels, particularly in the "underdeveloped" or "Third World" states."

Andrew Gavin Marshall

(The growing evidence:

Hunger stalks U.S. cities as poverty rises: study

Huge Increase in Executive Pay for America's Top Bosses

The Middle-Class Takes a 10-year Hit

Nearly half of Americans are low-income as rising expenses, unemployment shrink middle class

Elites Rushing To Grab Land In Poorer Countries)

Stay awake...

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's (Double) Jam of The Day

2011-12-14T23:47:00.008-05:00

Anthony Hamilton

Pray For Me:

Best of Me:

Both of these excellent pieces are taken from Anthony Hamilton's latest release, Back To Love, which is quite a soulful, well-crafted product. Of all the cuts on this superb CD, "Pray For Me" & "Best of Me" stand out. The former (co-produced by Babyface), exposes a man's vulnerability to temptation & his deep, post-booty call remorse which prompts him to ask God to set things right again: “Thought I was something, really something/in the end who knew I’d end up with nothing? I was frontin’, truly, frontin’/Girl I really can’t be mad I had it coming.” This is grown folk music at its best! In my view, Anthony Hamilton is a cut above most R&B crooners in that instead of boasting about what he can do to the ladies after wining & dining them at the most expensive spots then taking them back to his yacht or suite (& possibly having them leave before the sun comes up), he sings of pain, disappointments, doubts & honest efforts to make a relationship work, and if the effort fails, absorbing the loss & moving on - that's real. He has that old soul vibe a la Major Harris or Bobby Womack which makes him stand out in a field of crowing balladeers who like to think of themselves as God's Gift to Women (they need to just quit). This brother keeps things sensible/believable & brutally sincere. Get the CD--Its' well worth it!

OneLove

:::MME:::

The Past As Prologue

2011-12-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

At Carnegie Hall, gospel singer Wintley Phipps delivers perhaps the most powerful rendition of Amazing Grace ever recorded. He says, "A lot of people don't realize that just about all Negro spirituals are written on the black notes of the piano. Probably the most famous on this slave scale was written by John Newton, who used to be the captain of a slave ship, and many believe he heard this melody that sounds very much like a West African sorrow chant. And it has a haunting, haunting plaintive quality to it that reaches past your arrogance, past your pride, and it speaks to that part of you that's in bondage. And we feel it. We feel it. It's just one of the most amazing melodies in all of human history." After sharing the noteworthy history of the song, Mr. Phipps delivers a stirring performance that brings the audience to its feet!(Source)

This is not only a powerful rendition of one of the most beautiful hymns in gospel music, it is a music history course as well. Wintley Phipps does a masterful job & the audience is transfixed by his delivery. Every religion I have read about has its dark spots and bright spots. What I love most about the Christian tradition is the expressive love & joy of its faithful followers, especially in the sphere of music.

Lest we forget the trajectory of how this country (the United States) came to be, it is always good to revisit the past in order to make sense of what is going on today. This country was built on the blood, sweat & tears of slaves under the most cruel, dehumanizing circumstances. It is truly a miracle that out of this bloomed the most beautiful music that the world has ever heard.Most of the music we hear today is rooted in the style, rhythm and soul of the enslaved Africans. Plantation owners thought the singing helped the slaves to be more productive. so they allowed it. Unbeknownst to them, their singing & hums were plaintive cries of an unbroken spirit, yearning for relief, praying for freedom.

Although they came from different regions & understood little of each others language, customs, etc, the enslaved were able to channel their emotions/spirits through song/chant. Even when the white missionaries attempted to break them by corrupting the Christian faith for the purposes of nation-building, the slaves creatively worked around this by morphing the church hymns they were taught into their native chanting rhythms--out of this came the first American music, the Negro Spiritual.This led to the Blues, Jazz, Rock, R&B, Pop, Hip Hop & Modern Gospel (which has brought the evolution of American music full circle back to the Negro spirituals) We owe an incalculable debt to the unbroken spirit of the enslaved, chanting for release...Knowing this history allows us to experience the fullness of our humanity & connectedness. Wintley Phipps aptly demonstrated this point in the above clip.

Cnntinuing along the theme of music which expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent (Victor Hugo), the movie Amistad had some brilliant moments that seemed to capture what it must have been like for our dehumanized brothers & sisters. A few scenes, like the journey through the Middle Passage and the court scene left a powerful visual impression on many, especially on the descendents of the African slaves. The score to this movie was equally as impressive in resurrecting ancient memories of our collective unconscious..the psychic wounds still run deep....Take a listen & join me in honoring the spirits of our ancestors...

OneLove

:::MME:::

Dear Taxpayer - You've Been Punk'd

2011-12-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

The movement of people combating the status quo all over the world is an inspiring chapter in our collective consciousness/evolution. As the saying by William Cullen Bryant goes -

Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again;

Th' eternal years of God are hers;

But Error, wounded, writhes in pain,

And dies among his worshippers.

(More details here....here.....here....here..& here)

Stay awake!

OneLove

:::MME:::

The Fake Ones

2011-12-12T23:05:00.005-05:00

The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity
-Andre Gide

Fake people are a pain in the ass. To go through all the motions of fakin' the funk is such a colossal waste of time & energy--why do it at all? Fundamentally, I think some people are this way because of some unreconciled anxiety, fear, denial or monstrous delusion. Thankfully, many of us have Bullshit Detectors that can discern real folk from fake-ass gumps. (Wouldn't it be great if we could side-step social mores & back-slap the shit out of the plastic-smilin' poseurs?) There are fakes around every corner, so here's my shortlist of how to spot 'em:

(1) The fake ones hate your success--Watch their body language when you report on some good news that benefited you.

(2) If they smile a bit too wide or laugh a little too hard, be cautious. Of course, it's possible that they may be showing the world how good they think they look when they smile (maybe their teeth just got cleaned) or they're flirting with the person behind you.

(3) If they appear to display a subtle, malicious joy in your misery--like if you lost your job--realize that they may find comfort in thinking that they may be doing relatively better than you financially & feel somewhat above you.

(4) If you notice a pattern of folks always coming around when they want something or when they get into a jam, it's likely that you're being used. The minute they're back on their feet, you probably won't hear from them in a while...What gets to me about folks like this is they often lack gratitude.

(5) If they're always complaining/gossiping about something/someone, chances are they're just seeking an echo chamber for their miserable lives. If you find yourself mirroring their repulsive behavior by gossiping/complaining more when around them, you need to check yourself & hold your peace.

(6) If they encourage you to do dumb shit - perhaps with the intention of talking about you behind your back - chances are they don't have your best interests in mind.

(7) If you discover that what you told Person X in private somehow boomerangs and slaps you upside the head a few months later when someone you rarely speak to repeats what you had stated, then Person X needs to be dismissed.

(8) Observe how people look at other people they know when they're not looking - the truth is in the eyes. How many of us have caught people at sporting events, meetings, etc cold-staring at a person sitting close to them, but when that person turned around to speak to them, the gaze shifted lightning-quick to one of acceptance & friendliness? The acting is Oscar-worthy.

(9) If folks don't honor their word & offer no apology, your best bet is to hold them at a distance as you're being taken for granted.

(10) Fake ones oftentimes contradict themselves trying to please the whole damn world. In their quest to be liked/valued/included, they talk out their ass. Like many (not all) politicians, they have no redeeming qualities.

(11) Fake ones are always trying to keep up with the Joneses like their life depended on it. Even if they don't have shit, they will act like they do just to give a 'good impression'.

(12) If you're speaking to someone & he/she is staring at you with a glazed-over look, either he/she is not listening (maybe you're boring to them) or they're thinking of the next clever thing to say. It's highly probable that your opinion is being ignored.

These are just a few observations I culled from my own experiences--I am sure there are many more tell-tale signs of detecting the fake ones , but the bottom-line is to never let your guard down & risk becoming fake yourself. Speak your truth as clearly & honestly as you can, and if you find that difficult to do, simply hold your peace.

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of Steel Pulse

2011-12-09T08:29:00.001-05:00

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of Steel Pulse by MixMaster E on Grooveshark
(Not included is one of their most explosive pieces, Wild Goose Chase, with the memorable lines:

... wild goose chase

Laws of nature they just can't face

Ambition is to mash up the place

Who shall save the human race?

...Chemicals in the food

To control population

intentions to build

A plastic nation...):

)

Like Bob Marley & The Wailers & Third World, Steel Pulse occupied the upper stratosphere of the Caribbean music universe in the '70s - '80s. Their distinctive sound incited not only the urge to move something, but also kindled the flames of righteous indignation with their eclectic fusion of politically conscious & soul-stirring/love-infused vibes.....Nuff said..Have a great roots-rockin' weekend, good people!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Trippin' Through The Universe

2011-12-07T21:54:00.002-05:00

This is a dazzling 3D journey through a tiny slice of what is known about the Universe. After looking at this, you have to feel that we are one lucky bunch! Out of the vastness of space, you are but one person among 7 billion people, on one planet among 8 planets, in one star system among 100 billion star systems, in one galaxy among 100 billion galaxies....An Earth-like planet was found recently just outside our solar system & it is highly likely that it harbors some form of life. It's extremely unlikely that we are the only planet with life & will one day come face to face with something we've always suspected (hopefully they won't look like this).

OneLove

:::MME::::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2011-12-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

Bobby Mcferrin

Freedom is a voice....That's the term I associate with the legendary Bobby Mcferrin. His whole aspect, like that of Alice Walker, Sade, Dalai Lama & Youssou N'Dour, speaks of freedom and its' manifestations- power, a sound mind, spiritual boldness, curiosity & imaginative flights to uncharted territory. In our collective memory, Mcferrin is hitched to his only blockbuster hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, which is a shame as he has done so much more. A couple of years ago, Mcferrin lent his voice & expertise to the World Science Festival's Notes and Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus & one writer, on the anniversary of his "Don't Worry.." hit, broke the song down to its neuropsychological components which was quite interesting. Here are some more great compositions that you may have missed....

MME Presents: The Legendary Bobby McFerrin by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

OneLove

:::MME:::

The Insistence of Life: A Cinematic Vision of Afghanistan

2011-12-06T22:49:00.001-05:00

This film is both tragic & beautiful for obvious reasons. The following poem is from an Afghan poet writing in the imagined voice of a 10 year old girl from Kandahar reflecting on 10 years of U.S./NATO warfare in Afghanistan:

Who says this must be so?
Who cares that this is so?
I shudder that the raids and bombs
have made us less than human.
I wish to go to our deserted schools
to understand why we are like this.

I used to dream of spaces,
blue skies and gentler people.
I heard mother through her burqa
pleading please ‘Stop!’
‘Stop the money. Stop the killing.
Stop.’

Another local explosion,
more international lies.
Our global problem is that
guns impose greater force
than common sense
or vision, which tells me
that my mother’s world is crashing.

It's crazy what is happening to the people of Afghanistan--the United States continues to afflict them with vile maneuvers to control their resources, perpetuate violence as a justification for maintaining its operating bases, three major bases, the building of a U.S. Embassy designed to become the largest in the world, and three major prisons/unspecified number of detention sites. What a shame that our economic system has to continue to maintain itself on the blood, sweat, tears and resources of others with such reckless impunity. Call it imperialism, neocolonialism or the sorrows of empire--I call it just plain evil.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-12-06T19:32:00.000-05:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

An Attempt At Making Sense Of It All

2011-12-06T07:24:00.002-05:00

(NOTE: If you are easily offended by colorful language, do not watch this presentation)

What is reality? Depends on the observer, I guess....There is a NBC trailer for the movie Awake which flirts with this question. It is about a detective who phases in and out of two different versions of his own life via sleeping and waking. Each reality shows an equally grim outcome to a tragic car accident, one resulting in the death of his teenage son, the other in the death of his wife. I'm not much of a TV watcher, but I will check this one out--Check the trailer here.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Beyond The Matrix

2011-12-05T19:39:00.000-05:00

(People were bound to smell a rat sooner or later..)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Soul On Fire

2011-12-05T07:26:00.000-05:00

Tell your heart to beat again...to dream again...to laugh again...to forgive again...to create again...to love again...to be excited about life again...to be joyful again...to love yourself again...tell your heart..

OneLove

::::::MME::::::

Readiing Rant: "Blessed Unrest" by Paul Hawken

2011-12-02T23:16:00.003-05:00

Paul Hawken's book, Blessed Unrest, is a fascinating read. It's one of those books you can re-read for its refreshing perspectives and sheer poetry. Like any book that attempts to define a movement or propose change, this book tends to lean towards oversimplification especially in the sphere of politics. For example, he states that many social change organizations agree at the level of principles and values. Let's face it: If you go to a sufficiently high level of abstraction, all groups would agree on everything that is life-sustaining & egalitarian. Politics is way more complex - it's about getting and protecting and giving which involves that old devil, power.

Hawken writes beautifully & his quotes & references, obviously selective, lend themselves to his central idea which is (in a nutshell):

I now believe there are over one -- and maybe even two -- million organizations working toward ecological sustainability and social justice.
By any conventional definition, this vast collection of committed individuals does not constitute a movement. Movements have leaders and ideologies. People join movements, study their tracts, and identify themselves with a group. . . . This movement, however, doesn’t fit the standard model. It is dispersed, inchoate, and fiercely independent. It has no manifesto or doctrine, no overriding authority to check with. It is taking shape in schoolrooms, farms, jungles, villages, companies, deserts, fisheries, slums -- and yes, even fancy New York hotels. . . . Rather than a movement in the conventional sense, could it be an instinctive, collective response to threat? Is it atomized for reasons that are innate to its purpose? . . . .
I sought a name for the movement, but none exists. I met people who wanted to structure or organize it -- a difficult task, since it would easily be the most complex association of human beings ever assembled. Many outside the movement critique it as powerless, but that assessment does not stop its growth.

Reading this, I had to ask: What's the point of having all of these organizations if in the long-term corporations continue to pollute our water, skies, soil & minds? What's being achieved outside of a narrow sense of self-satisfaction? This is where politics comes in - as journalist Matt Bai puts it in his book The Argument:

Successful political movements aren’t built on the common values that all Americans share, but on the arguments that lay out how, as a country, we can best live up to them. . . . It’s not enough to tell people that they ought to have health care and good schools and lots of jobs; they already know this. The point of a political movement is to explain why these things are lacking and to advance an argument about how we should adapt to the larger forces that led us here.

What I liked most about the book besides Hawken's beautiful prose & heart-felt desire to be trans formative, is the Appendix which consists of an elaborate list of issues that nonprofit groups are working on - from poverty alleviation to gender equality. Hawken's vision may fall short when it comes to direct political action, but he does scatter the seeds for its growth even if that may not have been his intent. This book is well worth the time to read and absorb so check it out!

I recently read Paul Hawken's commencement address to the Class of 2009 (University of Portland) which is just outstanding. Check it out here.

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of Seal

2011-12-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

The Music of Seal by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

You just have to be impressed with Seal's massive body of work. He was initially known for being a House music artist in the early '90s, but he later experimented with a fusion of soul, folk, pop, dance, and rock & successfully carved out a a niche in the pop music world as a songwriter of exceptional talent. His personal biography is equally as eclectic as the music he crafted: The son of Nigerian and Brazilian parents (he also has Caribbean roots), he was raised in England & graduated with an architectural degree, but worked various jobs in London, from electrical engineering to clothing design, before venturing into music. I included some of my favorite cuts from his latest CD, Soul II, on this playlist which I hope you enjoy...Have a great weekend!!

OneLove

:::MME::::

.....& now, a message from Billion Dollar Bill....

2011-12-01T22:00:00.001-05:00

(See John Perkin's "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" for the grisly details..)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-12-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

Fundamental Benignity

The mysterious manner in which this growing sense of unity commingles with a sense of utter goodness is worth noting. It arises by no effort of mine; rather does it come to me out of I know not where. Harmony appears gradually and flows through my whole being like music. An infinite tenderness takes possession of me, smoothing away the harsh cynicism which a reiterated experience of human ingratitude and human treachery has driven deeply into my temperament. I feel the fundamental benignity of Nature despite the apparent manifestation of ferocity. Like the sounds of every instrument in an orchestra that is in tune, all things and all people seem to drop into the sweet relationship that subsists within the Great Mother’s own heart.

— Paul Brunton (Hermit in the Himalayas: The Journal of a Lonely Exile)

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2011-11-30T06:19:00.001-05:00

Washington DC's-own Carolyn Malachi is one of kind. This song, Beautiful Dreamer, soars and the video is equally as compelling for its inspiring account of a young girl overcoming bullying because of her good grades and Malachi, playing the role of the girl's guardian angel, helping her to stand strong & believe that she can achieve her dreams (in broader terms, her message is about overcoming incredible odds and living a passionate life). "It's a never-ending story, dying for the glory, living through the pain," Malachi notes.

The instrumental version (featuring Vahagn Stepanyan on piano, Trey Eley on flute, Matthew Shell & Devin Spear on Electric Guitar, Markus Huber on Bass & Jabari Exum on the djembe) will definitely put you in the zone.....These musicians are on fire!

(Download both versions here)

Never stop dreamin'....

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Break The Frame" by Emilia Barrosse

2011-11-29T19:42:00.002-05:00

Imagine something you love;
Something you've always dreamed of;
Something you're too intimidated to speak of;
Something you own that you'll always be proud of.

Do you have the picture saved?
Have you chosen the moment?
Did you give it a name?
Did you pluck it out of space and put it in a glass case?
Did you hold it and enclose it and put it in a frame?
Did you hang it on your wall so you can check it on your way
through your daily routine that's doomed to stay the same?

Did you keep it locked up so long it's in ashes instead of flames?

You pictured the moment. You imagined. You dreamed.
And that's great. Congrats. You've got a picture, and that's it.

That picture's all you've got.
You've tied up opportunity with the perfect knot.

You put perfection in a picture and froze it in time;
You harnessed a single moment and stopped it on a dime,
And as you grow old,
The picture gathers dust and grows mold.
Your life is bought and sold
And your heated moment grows cold.

'Cause when you picture your life or you imagine your life
Or you talk or wish or think, complain or bitch about life
That's just a waste of your life, you'll never taste your life
'Cause the picture that you've taken is just a glimpse of your life.

What happens next?
Who knows! You gotta step out of frame!
You gotta get up off the bench and get your ass the game!
What would happen if you stripped your clothes and stood in the rain?
Would you be drenched in shame?
Would someone remember your name?

The answers to these questions are only found one way:
You gotta stare into the changing face of life every day.
You can't just catch a glimpse and blink and think that everything'll stay!
You need turn around and face the noise and move and dance and sway!
When life gives you direction you have one choice: you obey!
Otherwise you'll write your life's story and have nothing to say!
People won't remember you when you're dead in decay.
They might think, 'I don't remember her much, but, ehh, she might have been okay...'

'Cause when you picture your life, don't suffocate it in a frame!
When you seize the moment - don't lock it up like a slave!

When you seize the moment, you can't tell it to behave!
You need to climb its wild back and ride it like a tidal wave!

Once you've seized a moment, you're only halfway there -
Once you've seized it, then release it and then solemnly swear
To chase that dream, idea or opportunity anywhere
So that when you catch it again, you can throw your fist in the air,

And break that picture frame. Let the glass lie on the floor.
You let the moment out and now it means so much more!
It meant way too much to be confined by those four
thick pieces of wood, and locked up behind your front door

So do yourself a favor and throw your pictures out.
Live the moments in the pictures that the frames leave out.
Catch your moments in your mind and set 'em free and have no doubt
that steppin' out of bounds is what our lives should be about.

OneLove

::::::MME:::::

One Percent Madness

2011-11-26T23:10:00.002-05:00

This documentary is eye-opening not so much for the data it presents, but for the callous, inhumane & degenerate mind-set that maintains amongst members of the wealthy.This film was produced before the financial meltdown of 2008, but the observations, testimonials & prescient analyses are on the money. Edward Wolff (NYU Prof. of Economics) for example, predicted the Occupy Wall Street protests about 16 minutes into this film when he stated that the sense of frustration amongst the working class within the US does not rule out outright rebellion similar to the ones that have taken place in underdeveloped countries.

This film impressively highlights the growing "wealth gap" in America, as seen through the eyes of filmmaker Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. Johnson also produced the HBO documentary Born Rich which earned him a Emmy-nomination. He does a great job in humanizing the cold, statistical data that we hear often & allows us to share in the misery of the dispossessed. By the end of the film, the desire to resist the dark forces that are bent on keeping things chugging along the crooked tracks til Kingdom Come, takes hold--Be the resistance!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Thanksgiving Rotations: M.M.E's 80s Redux Vol. 1

2011-11-23T00:06:00.006-05:00

M.M.E's 80s Redux Vol. 1 by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

I'm gonna take the next couple of days off from writing so I wish you all a peaceful & edifying Thanksgiving holiday.

OneLove

:::MME:::

A Message To OWS

2011-11-22T22:58:00.000-05:00

I first came across the works of Grace Lee Boggs many moons ago in a college history course. I recall being overwhelmed by the sheer depth and scope of her writing and found myself rereading her work in order to fully absorb what she was saying. It has been quite some time since I read or heard anything from this visionary philosopher & activist until I came across this clip. What a beautiful & engaged mind! She's 96 & her passion has not diminished, but rather has distilled into a luminous essence. Heed this vital message from this courageous soul as we move forward in the healing of our fractured world....

OneLove

:::MME:::

Give Thanks

2011-11-22T21:33:00.002-05:00

Thanks
by W. S. Merwin

Listen with the night falling we are saying thank you we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings we are running out of the glass rooms with our mouths full of food to look at the sky and say thank you we are standing by the water thanking it smiling by the windows looking out in our directions back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging after funerals we are saying thank you after the news of the dead whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you over telephones we are saying thank you in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators remembering wars and the police at the door and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you in the banks we are saying thank you in the faces of the officials and the rich and of all who will never change we go on saying thank you thank you with the animals dying around us our lost feelings we are saying thank you with the forests falling faster than the minutes of our lives we are saying thank you with the words going out like cells of a brain with the cities growing over us we are saying thank you faster and faster with nobody listening we are saying thank you we are saying thank you and waving dark though it is

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-11-20T20:58:00.000-05:00

This is from Arthur Schopenhauer's essay On Human Nature. His remarks are applicable to every war zone in the world today.

'When the herbivorous animals had taken their place in the organic world, beasts of prey made their appearance--necessarily a late appearance--in each species, and proceeded to live upon them. Just in the same way, as soon as by honest toil and in the sweat of their faces men have won from the ground what is needed for the support of their societies, a number of individuals are sure to arise in some of these societies, who, instead of cultivating the earth and living on its produce, prefer to take their lives in their hands and risk health and freedom by falling upon those who are in possession of what they have honestly earned, and by appropriating the fruits of their labor. These are the beasts of prey in the human race; they are the conquering peoples whom we find everywhere in history, from the most ancient to the most recent times. Their varying fortunes, as at one moment they succeed and at another fail, make up the general elements of the history of the world. Hence Voltaire was perfectly right when he said that the aim of all war is robbery. That those who engage in it are ashamed of their doings is clear by the fact that governments loudly protest their reluctance to appeal to arms except for purposes of self-defense. Instead of trying to excuse themselves by telling public and official lies, which are almost more revolting than war itself, they should take their stand, as bold as brass, on Machiavelli's doctrine. The gist of it may be stated to be this: that whereas between one individual and another, and so far as concerns the law and morality of their relations, the principle, Don't do to others what you wouldn't like done to yourself, certainly applies, it is the converse of this principle which is appropriate in the case of nations and in politics: _What you wouldn't like done to yourself do to others_. If you do not want to be put under a foreign yoke, take time by the forelock, and put your neighbor under it himself; whenever, that is to say, his weakness offers you the opportunity. For if you let the opportunity pass, it will desert one day to the enemy's camp and offer itself there. Then your enemy will put you under his yoke; and your failure to grasp the opportunity may be paid for, not by the generation which was guilty of it, but by the next. This Machiavellian principle is always a much more decent cloak for the lust of robbery than the rags of very obvious lies in a speech from the head of the State; lies, too, of a description which recalls the well-known story of the rabbit attacking the dog. Every State looks upon its neighbors as at bottom a horde of robbers, who will fall upon it as soon as they have the opportunity.'

Very interesting....I'll leave it to you to connect the dots..

OneLove

:::MME:::

Arundhati Roy Speaks

2011-11-20T08:47:00.000-05:00

Arundhati Roy

This is the text of a speech given by Arundhati Roy at the People's University in Washington Square, NYC on 11/16/11. Great speech!!

Tuesday morning, the police cleared Zuccotti Park, but today the people are back. The police should know that this protest is not a battle for territory. We're not fighting for the right to occupy a park here or there. We are fighting for justice. Justice, not just for the people of the United States, but for everybody.

What you have achieved since September 17th, when the Occupy movement began in the United States, is to introduce a new imagination, a new political language into the heart of empire. You have reintroduced the right to dream into a system that tried to turn everybody into zombies mesmerized into equating mindless consumerism with happiness and fulfillment.

As a writer, let me tell you, this is an immense achievement. And I cannot thank you enough.
We were talking about justice. Today, as we speak, the army of the United States is waging a war of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. US drones are killing civilians in Pakistan and beyond. Tens of thousands of US troops and death squads are moving into Africa. If spending trillions of dollars of your money to administer occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan is not enough, a war against Iran is being talked up.

Ever since the Great Depression, the manufacture of weapons and the export of war have been key ways in which the United States has stimulated its economy. Just recently, under President Obama, the United States made a $60 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia - moderate Muslims, right? It hopes to sell thousands of bunker busters to the UAE. It has sold $5 billion-worth of military aircraft to my country, India, which has more poor people than all the poorest countries of Africa put together. All these wars, from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to Vietnam, Korea, Latin America, have claimed millions of lives – all of them fought to secure the "American way of life".

Today, we know that the "American way of life" – the model that the rest of the world is meant to aspire towards – has resulted in 400 people owning the wealth of half of the population of the United States. It has meant thousands of people being turned out of their homes and their jobs while the US government bailed out banks and corporations – American International Group (AIG) alone was given $182 billion.

The Indian government worships US economic policy. As a result of 20 years of the free market economy, today, 100 of India's richest people own assets worth one-quarter of the country's GDP while more than 80% of the people live on less than 50 cents a day; 250,000 farmers, driven into a spiral of death, have committed suicide. We call this progress, and now think of ourselves as a superpower. Like you, we are well-qualified: we have nuclear bombs and obscene inequality.

The good news is that people have had enough and are not going to take it any more. The Occupy movement has joined thousands of other resistance movements all over the world in which the poorest of people are standing up and stopping the richest corporations in their tracks. Few of us dreamed that we would see you, the people of the United States on our side, trying to do this in the heart of Empire. I don't know how to communicate the enormity of what this means.
They (the 1%) say that we don't have demands… perhaps they don't know, that our anger alone would be enough to destroy them. But here are some things – a few "pre-revolutionary" thoughts I had – for us to think about together:

We want to put a lid on this system that manufactures inequality. We want to put a cap on the unfettered accumulation of wealth and property by individuals as well as corporations. As "cap-ists" and "lid-ites", we demand:

• An end to cross-ownership in businesses. For example, weapons manufacturers cannot own TV stations; mining corporations cannot run newspapers; business houses cannot fund universities; drug companies cannot control public health funds.
• Two, natural resources and essential infrastructure – water supply, electricity, health, and education – cannot be privatized.
• Three, everybody must have the right to shelter, education and healthcare.
• Four, the children of the rich cannot inherit their parents' wealth.

This struggle has re-awakened our imagination. Somewhere along the way, capitalism reduced the idea of justice to mean just "human rights", and the idea of dreaming of equality became blasphemous. We are not fighting to just tinker with reforming a system that needs to be replaced.

I salute your struggle.

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Soulful Baritone Collection Vol. III

2011-11-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

T.G.I.F Rotations: Soulful Baritone Collection Vol. III by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

(Also check out Volumes 1 & 2)

Have a great weekend!

OneLove

::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "The Day I Saw Barack Obama Reading Derek Walcott's Collected Poems" by Yusuf Komunyakaa

2011-11-17T16:52:00.002-05:00

(It may take 30 seconds to load)

(Full text)

OneLove

:::MME:::

The Battlelines

2011-11-17T09:54:00.001-05:00

(Data Source)

Damn thieves need a flogging!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Masters Of The Game

2011-11-16T06:47:00.003-05:00

From left, James Black Jr., Justus Williams and Joshua Colas. Their success is a “phenomenon,” one veteran chess player said.

Great article from the New York Times (11/12/11) about three boys from New York who have a achieved a rare feat in chess: the title of Master (before reaching 13!!) To be that young with that title is mind-blowing. Read the detail of this amazing story here.

I had to post this article as chess has been kicking my a** for years, so to see these KIDS master a game that has given me nothing but grief, is a humbling experience. 

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2011-11-16T00:44:00.005-05:00

Miss Mary Medley by Mighty Sparrow on Grooveshark

Listening to this medley of a few of Sparrow's hits brings back some youthful memories of family gatherings, hanging out on the beach with friends, walkin'-and-whinin' in the street on J'ouvert morning during carnival season & of course, drinking & talking a lot of crap just for shits & giggles. Ah yes, the sweet charms of life on the small islands of the Caribbean is a priceless experience. Sparrow was a genius and he reigned over other Calypsonians for decades as his provocative stories captured many elements of life, love & politics which were unsurpassed for their vocal & dramatic delivery.

Calypso is definitely not what it used to be when Lord Kitchener, Mighty Shadow, Chalkdust & Short Shirt were blazin' the Caribbean charts. The stories nowadays are quite tepid & calypso music overall has been overtaken by its faster-paced cousin, soca/zouk which I do enjoy, but it's still sad to see calypso, which has historically been a slower-paced, cleverly veiled, satirically-laced, story-driven music, taking a back-seat to the more popular genres.

The Mighty Sparrow has continued to record and to date has produced some 90 albums.The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has awarded the Mighty Sparrow with the Caribbean's highest award, the Order of the Caribbean, for outstanding contribution to the development of the region. A true legend. Check out this great interview with the King of Calypso:

OneLove

:::MME:::

As The World Turns....

2011-11-15T13:35:00.003-05:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-11-15T12:04:00.001-05:00

(could it be?)

Before you were born, you were in a large room, laughing and dancing with a thousand other souls. The birth angel came into the room and held up a card. Everyone in the room could instantly read the card and understand its contents. The card contained your birth and death, all the experiences and choices of your lifetime.
Someone said, ‘Ooo — look what happens to her when she is 5.’ Someone else said, ‘I did that stuff last time,’ and a third: ‘I think I’ll pass on this one.’
After a brief silence, you said, ‘I’ll take it!’ and a great cheer rose up through the crowd. You followed the angel down a long hall, a door opened, and you forgot the crowd, the cheers. You began to play your part, and pretended to be alone.

-Brian Arnell

OneLove

:::MME:::

Easy (Like Sunday Mornin')

2011-11-13T07:53:00.001-05:00

MME's Sunday Morning Vol.1 by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

(The songs on this playlist have been with me for quite some time. These are the songs that have lifted me up over the years when the vicissitudes of life became a bit overwhelming. My favorite piece, the late great Rev. James Cleveland's classic, "What Shall I Do?" is eminently luminous --it's like having church in your personal space.)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Playthings" by Rabindranath Tagore

2011-11-12T17:56:00.002-05:00

Rabindranath Tagore

Child, how happy you are sitting in the dust, playing with a broken twig all the morning.

I smile at your play with that little bit of a broken twig.

I am busy with my accounts, adding up figures by the hour.

Perhaps you glance at me and think, "What a stupid game to spoil your morning with!"

Child, I have forgotten the art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.

I seek out costly playthings, and gather lumps of gold and silver.

With whatever you find you create your glad games, I spend both my time and my strength over things I never can obtain.

In my frail canoe I struggle to cross the sea of desire, and forget that I too am playing a game.

(See more Tagore links here...)

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Bee Gees

2011-11-11T09:33:00.002-05:00

What more can be said about The Bee Gees that hasn't already been said? These brothers are badass so I'll leave it at that. Growing up with unformatted radio stations in the Caribbean allowed (& still allows) many of us to appreciate all types of music from Jim Reeves to L.T.D, from BonesThugs&Harmony to Peter Tosh, from Abba to Mighty Arrow. You will hear it all in a day. We absorbed various selections of the Bee Gees on the radio while getting ready for school & no fete was complete without a jam by the Gibb brothers.

Of course, Saturday Night Fever blew everyone away & The Bee Gees fan base grew exponentially. They pretty much became legendary with that vintage soundtrack. I remember getting into arguments with my classmates over who would become 'more legendary', The Bee Gees or Earth, Wind & Fire. Being a HUGE EWF fan, I would argue that The Bee Gees couldn't touch 'em, but deep inside I knew that they were both on the same elevated plateau of artistic/creative achievement. I have to admit, when Maurice Gibb passed away a few years ago, it felt like a member of my family had passed ..The same for Heavy D, Sugar Minott & Gregory Isaacs. That's the power of great music for you: You feel a kinship with something bigger than yourself.

Have a great weekend, fellow primates.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Our Shadows

2011-11-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

Back in the day, I was an avid reader of Mad Magazine. At that time, it was the only comic book that satirized/parodied modernity & the contradictions of the human condition. What was most interesting about this eclectic comic were the tiny drawings on the border of every other page. One common theme that left an indelible impression on me was the one dealing with the human shadow (which is loosely defined as a psychological projection where a person subconsciously denies his/her own attributes/thoughts/emotions by projecting them to the outside world, usually to other people.). In the little sketches, one would see a person going through the various pleasantries/pretenses of civilized behavior, but the shadow he/she casts tells the opposite story of his/her true feelings. As I grew older, the more I read up on these unconscious forces within us, the more confused I became about the nature of identity, free will, morality, ethics & the whole notion of what makes humans human outside the sequence of DNA bases.

Stumbling across the above clip recently was fortuitous as I've been pondering over this phenomena off & on for quite some time. Being skeptical & shunning Oprah-esque feel-good/New Age pop psychology, red flags popped up here & there while viewing this, but the clip does raise some interesting nuggets everyone has thought about at one time or another. Well worth the time to delve more into....

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2011-11-08T21:19:00.002-05:00

This cut, "The Dance", is the best one on Prince's 3121 CD, in my opinion. From its haunting opening to its string-laced build-up to its stirring grand piano solo & guttural screams toward the end, Prince propels this song into the realm of the ethereal. Rock with me....

OneLove

:::MME:::

Presence Of Mind

2011-11-08T06:42:00.004-05:00

Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a living treasure. The great Martin Luther King acknowledged him as an apostle of peace & nonviolence & nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. Of all the books he has written, the ones that affected me the most were "Living Buddha, Living Christ" & "Peace Is Every Step". You don't realize how messed up you are until you read the works of enlightened souls or simply by observing the good deeds of others.

I found the following clip most illuminating:

People kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs and ideologies. When we believe that ours is the only faith that contains the truth, violence and suffering will surely be the result.
-THICH NHAT HANH, Living Buddha, Living Christ

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: MME's Conscious Reggae Vol. IV

2011-11-04T06:14:00.000-04:00

The whole idea of Roots Reggae music was to put a 'riddim' to a poor man's cry while remaining true to the music and the oral story-telling tradition which brought the music to prominence...Our maxim: Quality not quantity & real instruments played by real musicians fueled by impulse, inspiration and the absolute need to express oneself..

-Taj Weekes (Musician/Songwriter, Poet, Humanitarian )

Check out my other Conscious Reggae vibes here: Vol.1, Vol.2 & Vol.3

Have a great weekend!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-11-03T19:15:00.000-04:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Empowerment" by Propaganda

2011-11-02T16:08:00.001-04:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

The Other "Mascot To The Wall Street Oligarchs"

2011-11-01T16:12:00.002-04:00

(Herman Cain is either a naive, self-absorbed, unrepentant fool or a shameless opportunist pandering to the worst fears & stereotypes of the mostly white electorate he hopes to woo in the coming elections. Jon Stewart zoned in on the complete buffoonery of this ad in a way few can do so effectively. Like Dr Cornel West stated a few weeks ago, "Cain needs to get off the symbolic crackpipe”...Nuff said. Enjoy the distractions.....)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Following The Money

2011-10-31T15:46:00.000-04:00

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2011-10-31T13:20:00.001-04:00

Joss Stone has been baptized by the deep soul experience of real folk! She reminds me of the late-great Janis Joplin with her emotive, husky, rich timbre that pulls you into her world. You will probably not hear much of Joss Stone this side of the Atlantic, but in continental Europe & Africa, she is huge. Quite a shame that here in the US we have to endure the "talents' of a Katy Perry or Lady Gaga, when there is so much quality music around. Anyway, this cut, "Drive All Night" (which she produced) was taken from her latest CD, "LP1". Of all the songs on this CD, this was my favorite one..Incredible blues/rock/soul fusion here, & the lyrics on this track carry a depth of maturity that allow the listener to feel her scars & the love that heals......

You saved me
Saved me from hate
It's so close to love
And no one's ever done anything like this for me before, no
No one's ever drove for miles to make me smile before...

Brilliant!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Occupy Your Mind!

2011-10-31T12:09:00.000-04:00

We are living in uncharted waters. I am reminded of that Charles Dickens quote of living in the best of times & the worst of times. Absorb it in its full glory:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way......

The old world is fading & the forces that drive us all (internally/externally) are in violent flux. It is up to me, it is up to you to discern what is true/relevant & as the wise philosopher, Terrence McKenna stated, push the envelope of creativity & language & do what has never been done in order to usher in a more empowered way of being.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-10-31T11:14:00.001-04:00

"There are two parts to the human dilemma. One is the belief that the end justifies the means. That push-button philosophy, that deliberate deafness to suffering, has become the monster in the war machine. The other is the betrayal of the human spirit: the assertion of dogma that closes the mind, and turns a nation, a civilization, into a regiment of ghosts--obedient ghosts or tortured ghosts."
- Jacob Bronowski.

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: Jamz by D'Angelo (Selected Hits)

2011-10-28T11:02:00.000-04:00

I'm waxin' nostalgic today for some good ol' funky Neo-Soul & who better to rep this organic, retro-leaning musical genre than D'Angelo? Like the Rolling Stones classic, I can't get no satisfaction from the pop-saturated sap polluting our radio waves nowadays. Remember the days when Eryka Badu, Maxwell, Jill Scott & Musiq were consistently burning up the charts with music that mattered? The lyrics told a complete story, the melody burrowed deep and the bottom line was you had a great song. These days, the bottom line is the bottom line. The record companies have fallen over the cliff and music lovers are suffering because those that choose to make a living in music have decided or have been coerced to stop singing about what really matters. How many songs must we endure about what happens at the club and afterwards? What happens in-between the club & the bedroom? Where's the unraveling story/mystery? That's what good music is all about : Its life as you and I know it, adorned in a melody & soulful outbursts that absolutely murders you by the bridge!

Enough of my rantings..Have a weirdly fantastic Halloween weekend!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Our Better Angels

2011-10-28T10:59:00.001-04:00

It's an amazing thing to see the good that people can do when they unite, oftentimes in spite of impossible odds. As Akido Master & author, Mitsugi Saotome, once stated, "If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth."

OneLove

:::MME::

MME's Jam Of The Day

2011-10-27T07:20:00.000-04:00

Michael Franti is the lone wolf crying in the wilderness. He is the embodiment of what being a renegade is all about. Being a poet, musician, vegan & social justice/environmental advocate, he walks barefoot wherever he goes to spread the message of peace, love & justice. Check out the following interview:

Stay alert...

OneLove

:::MME:::

Seeing

2011-10-26T13:46:00.006-04:00

Have you ever looked at something without really seeing it (or worse, looked at someone without seeing them?). I know I have which led me on a quest many moons ago to sharpen my observational skills. It's amazing when you are able to see things/people as they are & not as we would like them to be. There's a lot of power in that simple act alone, and anyone can acquire this skill with just a little practice. Here are a few quotes on this art which I found most illuminating:

We can become anything. That is why injustice is impossible here. There may be the accident of birth, there is no accident of death. Nothing forces us to remain what we were.
-John Berger

We do a lot of looking: we look through lenses, telescopes, television tubes...
Our looking is perfected every day, but we see less and less.
-Frederick Franck

People look without seeing, hear without listening, eat without awareness of taste, touch without feeling and talk without thinking.
-Leonardo Da Vinci

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
-Marcel Proust

Perhaps we can see best when we're looking for the least.
-Cyd Madsen

It is impossible to do a thing the way I see it because the closer I get the more differently I see.
-Alberto Giacometti

If you look at a thing 999 times, you are perfectly safe; if you look at it for the 1000th time, you are in danger of seeing it for the first time.
-G. K. Chesterton

The hardest thing to see is what is in front of our eyes.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If you learn something too well, it will get in the way of your perception of reality.
Darby Bannard

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.
-Anais Nin

A mediocre man copying nature will never produce a work of art, because he really looks without seeing, and though he may have noted each detail minutely, the result will be flat and without character... the artist on the contrary, sees; that is to say, his eye, grafted on his heart, reads deeply into the bosom of nature.
-Auguste Rodin

Clarity, insight or understanding, are only possible when thought is in abeyance, when the mind is still. Then only can you see very clearly, then you can say you have really understood ... then you have direct perception, because your mind is no longer confused.
-J Krishnamurti

Poke that 3rd eye!

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: MME's SoulCommune (Remixed)

2011-10-21T11:15:00.001-04:00

This playlist has a number of stone cold chillers that never saw the light of day which is a darn shame! A few of my personal faves like 4PM's "Oh Baby", The Family Stand's "In Summer I Fall", Patrice's "How Do You Feel?", Michael Warren's "No Way" & Eric Roberson's "Couldn't Hear Her" are affective & compelling pieces which to me are leagues ahead of anything playing on the tiresome airwaves today. I would encourage you to check out the CDs that these selections came from--I guarantee that you will not be disappointed! Have a great, melodious weekend!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-10-21T10:57:00.001-04:00

Most histories understate revolt, overemphasize statesmanship, and thus encourage impotency among citizens. When we look closely at resistance movements, or even at isolated forms of rebellion, we discover that class consciousness, or any other awareness of injustice, has multiple levels. It has many ways of expression, many ways of revealing itself-open, subtle, direct, distorted. In a system of intimidation and control, people do not show how much they know, how deeply they feel, until their practical sense informs them they can do so without being destroyed...

The prisoners of the system will continue to rebel, as before, in ways that cannot be foreseen, at times that cannot be predicted. The new fact of our era is the chance that they may be joined by the guards. We readers and writers of books have been, for the most part, among the guards. If we understand that, and act on it, not only will life be more satisfying, right off, but our grandchildren, or our great grandchildren, might possibly see a different and marvelous world.

– Howard Zinn (Quote from History As A Weapon)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Quilts" by Nikki Giovanni

2011-10-21T09:35:00.001-04:00

(nikki giovanni)

Like a fading piece of cloth
I am a failure

No longer do I cover tables filled with food and laughter
My seams are frayed my hems falling my strength no longer able
To hold the hot and cold

I wish for those first days
When just woven I could keep water
From seeping through
Repelled stains with the tightness of my weave
Dazzled the sunlight with my
Reflection

I grow old though pleased with my memories
The tasks I can no longer complete
Are balanced by the love of the tasks gone past

I offer no apology only
this plea:

When I am frayed and strained and drizzle at the end
Please someone cut a square and put me in a quilt
That I might keep some child warm

And some old person with no one else to talk to
Will hear my whispers

And cuddle
near

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's (Double) Jam Of The Day

2011-10-19T21:24:00.003-04:00

03 Put Some Music On by EddieTheIslandBoy

Verrry smooth track by the legendary Boyz II Men taken from their latest double-disc release "Twenty" which I thoroughly enjoyed. Another great track I had on repeat was "So Amazing" featured below. As usual, these brothers know how to sing praises to our beautiful sisters in soul-drenched, beautifully-complex harmonies that nourish & elevate.

02 So Amazing by EddieTheIslandBoy

Enjoy!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Laughing To Keep From Crying

2011-10-16T12:17:00.001-04:00

Whatever is funny is subversive, every joke is ultimately a custard pie... a dirty joke is a sort of mental rebellion.~~George Orwell

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of UB40

2011-10-14T11:11:00.006-04:00

When I first heard UB40 on the radio in the beautiful island of St. Lucia during an annual visit, I remember being impressed that a British-based band was able to play our music so well. They weren't as "roots" as Steel Pulse or The Abyssinians (my preference), but their sound definitely had/has its place in the pantheon of infectiously catchy pop-reggae music. With 25 years in the business & 70 million albums sold, UB40 has solidified itself in music history. What they lack in socially & politically relevant material they make up for in delivering some of the most memorable tracks touching on themes of heartache, breakups & reconciliation. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we....

>
Breakfast In Bed

Groovin

Impossible Love

Wedding Day

Cherry On Baby

Here I Am Baby

All I Want To Do

Mr. Fix It

I Would Do For You

Have a great weekend!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Crucifixions" by Donald Hogan

2011-10-13T15:17:00.001-04:00

(contradictions)

I am not an idealist, nor a cynic

But merely unafraid of contradictions..

I have seen men face each other when

Both were right yet each was determined

To kill the other, which was wrong.

What each man saw was an image of the other,

Made by someone else.

That is what we are prisoners of...

(Gotta love the powerful simplicity of this short piece).

OneLove

:::MME:::

Cutting Through The Fog

2011-10-13T13:09:00.002-04:00

Robert Reich gives a great summary of the massive economic deceptions promoted by the spineless, anti-democratic neoconservative pinheads. I would also suggest that you take a look at Joshua Holland's impressive "The Fifteen Biggest Lies About The Economy" which outlines in a data-rich & accessible fashion what we need to know about the US economy. His arguments are broken down into fifteen, well-researched chapters which you can view here.

Stay alert...

OneLove

:::MME:::

Immortal Technique for President!

2011-10-13T06:49:00.001-04:00

This interview of Immortal Technique at the #Occupy Wallstreet demonstrations is bound to go viral & spread like a blazin' fire. I say "Immortal Technique for President" knowing full well that he would probably be shot before hitting the campaign trail, but wouldn't it be great if we had folks like this leading the way to a true democracy (which is not what we have now in the US--& if you think that voting is the only evidence needed to negate my postulation, slap yourself now). I wrote about Immortal Technique a few years ago (here), and will feature his upcoming CD on this blog soon. Check out the interview & listen to what he's saying.

OneLove

:::MME:::

MME's Jam of the Day

2011-10-12T09:15:00.010-04:00

In the 80's, the era of the R&B super-group with consistent, chart-topping hits was over. The Commodores, Bee Gees, Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stylistics, The Jacksons & others too many to mention, had reached the apex of their success in the 70s. The 80s saw the meteoric rise of the lone Superstar like Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna & Lionel Ritchie. Of course, you had your groups like Cameo, Con Funk Shun, Ready For The World, Atlantic Starr & The Time, but the chart-topping dominance of the super-group was over. Of the many R&B acts that formed in the 80s, the one which I felt had the most promise of becoming the next super-group was Troop, but that wasn't to be. Of all the songs they did, "Still In Love" remains my favorite & I'm surprised no one has remade this vintage Quiet Storm jam. I think Mint Condition would do a hell of a job with it.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Jedi Mind Tricks (Guard Your Mind)

2011-10-11T15:50:00.005-04:00

Lloyd Blankenfeld (Jedi Mind Trickster)

Look at him. This man, born with a stupid, goddamn face you just want to punch, is the embodiment of all that is wrong in the US/world. If this scum's face isn't enough to make you want to get out there & demand a complete overhaul of our major institutions, then you're either benefiting in some way from this lopsided setup or asleep at the wheel. Regardless, more & more people are waking up & the well-heeled excrements are getting a lil worried that the "rabble"are finally figuring things out for themselves. Their smokescreens & mirrors (the mainstream media & supine politicians/lobbyists) are becoming less and less of a barrier to the truth (as people are seeking outside sources of information) of their heartlessness, greed & corruption which has impoverished the world.

For those who don't understand the meaning of a Jedi Mind Trick--It is a powerful persuasive tool used to dissuade others from pursuing what's in their best interests. The trick is to say something over and over (propaganda) until others become convinced that what you're saying is true and act against their better judgment. For example, by constantly saying that the "free enterprise system lifts all boats", people actually suspend their critical judgement of an economic system that does otherwise in the real world. As Frederic Bastiat once stated, "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men together in a society, they create for themselves in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." No wonder this bastard is smiling like a reptilian overlord from the bowels of Hades!

Time is a running out.....

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-10-07T14:25:00.005-04:00

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. ... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. ... They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
~Steve Jobs

We lost another great mind--RIP. Outside of the very interesting genesis of developing Apple Inc. from the humble beginnings of his parents garage to becoming the most valuable company in the world, Steve Jobs' personal history is also quite intriguing:

His biological father was an Arab Muslim from Syria & his adopted parents were Armenian immigrants who came to the US from Turkey.
In 1974, he worked as a technician for Atari with the sole intent of saving enough money to go to India for a spiritual retreat. He returned to the US as a Buddhist with a shaved head & experimented with LSD which he described as "one of the two or three most important things he had done in his life".
He was a pescetarian, one whose diet includes fish but no other meat.
Think different - This mantra pretty much defined the man

There are other tidbits of personal info, but these are the ones that piqued my interest....

OneLove

:::MME:::

T.G.I.F Rotations:Lights Down Low Vol. 1

2011-10-07T00:00:00.003-04:00

This playlist is for the wives/lovers/girlfriends who drive us (men) absolutely crazy! Let's be truthful: Women have us wrapped up with their beauty, sensuality & mystery. For them, we would, as Smokey Robinson sang, bring flowers from the floor of the sea to wear in their hair. These lascivious soul-stirrers definitely have their place in the complex yet oftentimes fun & improvisational interplay between men & women, so let loose and just soar with it.....Have a great weekend!

OneLove

:::MME:::

Occupy Everything!

2011-10-06T10:28:00.002-04:00

Watch live streaming video from globalrevolution at livestream.com

Ever since I started this blog, one question I consistently posed in one way or another was: When will the American people wake up? Well, it appears that they are waking up now as years of denial & self-deception have caved into the grim facts of reality. The corporate media tried to blank out this nascent movement hoping that it would peter out, but it kept getting stronger as more and more people are now ass-out & finding it harder to thrive & survive. Even Fox News covered it for the first time today! Imagine that.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified before the Joint Economic Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, yesterday with the dire facts. In a nutshell, he warned that US economic recovery is “close to faltering”, and that a “disorderly” default in the Greek debt would have a serious impact here. What he didn't mention (for obvious reasons) was the greed, fraud and theft of the Wall Street pimps (& their prostitutes on Capitol Hill) who continue to get their perks and bonuses while laying off workers & off-shoring their profits, jobs & manufacturing facilities. It's way past time for this madness to end & a unified front is the only way to turn the tide & take our wealth back!

OccupyDC starts today at McPherson Square. If you cannot be there, you can still be part of the movement by donating resources here.

We are all we've got--Join the movement! . This is our moment.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Musings

2011-10-05T16:10:00.000-04:00

“People pay for what they do, and still more for what they have allowed

themselves to become, and they pay for it, very simply, by the lives they lead.”

- James Baldwin, “No Name in the Street” (1972)

OneLove

:::::MME:::::

MME's Jam of the Day

2011-10-04T10:03:00.000-04:00

I was never much of a fan of Beyonce's music, but this cut here is a banger! Kanye weaves his magic yet again with Andre 3000 spittin' heat to make the joint sizzle. The beat reminds me of the music of the 90's (along the lines of Total, SWV & Brandy) which makes this cut vintage in my book.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas

2011-10-04T09:52:00.002-04:00

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

(This is a brilliant piece. In a nutshell, the poet is exhorting his dying father (& us) to passionately embrace life even if death is imminent. Don't die easily, don't give up too soon, and up to the last few seconds before being extinguished, stare into the abyss and put up a good fight! Beautiful!)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Sketches

A Joke (...on us)

Smell It Yet?

T.G.I.F Rotations: MME's Jazzy Soul

Musings

MME's (Double) Jam Of The Day

Camouflaged Excellence

Poet's Nook: "Imagination As The Path of Spirit" by John O'Donohue

Some Cold Hard Truths

Musings

Calculated Destruction

T.G.I.F Rotations: MME's Throwback Sugar Shack

MME's (Double) Jam of The Day

The Blackout

The End Of An Era?

Musings

Your love should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,Only to someoneWho has the valor and daringTo cut pieces of their soul off with a knife Then weave them into a blanketTo protect you.

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Unforgettable Amy Winehouse

Poet's Nook: "In Search of a Moment" by Octavio Paz

Conscious Eating

MME's Jam Of The Day

The Threat The Weak-Minded

Musings

Pedagogical Excellence

Poet's Nook: "Oceans" by Juan Ramon Jimenez

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of Sona Jobarteh

MME's Jam Of The Day

Reading Rant: The Works of Chris Hedges

Musings

Poet's Nook: "Pedagogue of Young Gods" by Saul Williams

From Endings, New Beginnings

Peace & Good Tidings To You

Poet's Nook: "Tron" by Ursula Rucker

Farewell Christopher Hitchens (1949 - 2011)

Musings

Andrew Gavin Marshall

MME's (Double) Jam of The Day

The Past As Prologue

Dear Taxpayer - You've Been Punk'd

The Fake Ones

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of Steel Pulse

Trippin' Through The Universe

MME's Jam Of The Day

The Insistence of Life: A Cinematic Vision of Afghanistan

Musings

An Attempt At Making Sense Of It All

Beyond The Matrix

Soul On Fire

Tell your heart to beat again...to dream again...to laugh again...to forgive again...to create again...to love again...to be excited about life again...to be joyful again...to love yourself again...tell your heart..

OneLove

::::::MME::::::

Readiing Rant: "Blessed Unrest" by Paul Hawken

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Music of Seal

.....& now, a message from Billion Dollar Bill....

Musings

MME's Jam Of The Day

Poet's Nook: "Break The Frame" by Emilia Barrosse

One Percent Madness

Thanksgiving Rotations: M.M.E's 80s Redux Vol. 1

A Message To OWS

Give Thanks

Musings

Arundhati Roy Speaks

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Soulful Baritone Collection Vol. III

Poet's Nook: "The Day I Saw Barack Obama Reading Derek Walcott's Collected Poems" by Yusuf Komunyakaa

The Battlelines

Masters Of The Game

MME's Jam Of The Day

As The World Turns....

Musings

Easy (Like Sunday Mornin')

Poet's Nook: "Playthings" by Rabindranath Tagore

T.G.I.F Rotations: The Bee Gees

Our Shadows

MME's Jam Of The Day

Presence Of Mind

T.G.I.F Rotations: MME's Conscious Reggae Vol. IV

Musings

Poet's Nook: "Empowerment" by Propaganda

The Other "Mascot To The Wall Street Oligarchs"

Your love should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,
Only to someone
Who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.