Season's Blessings

Recommendation


Promise me,
promise me this day,
promise me now,
while the sun is overhead
exactly at the zenith,
promise me:

Even as they

strike you down
with a mountain of hatred and violence;
even as they step on you and crush you
like a worm,
even as they dismember and disembowel you,
remember, brother,
remember:
man is not our enemy.

The only thing worthy of you is compassion-
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.


One day, when you face this beast alone,
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
And those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.


Alone again,
I will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal.
On the long, rough road,
the sun and the moon
will continue to shine.


-Thich Nhat Hanh, 1965


~Be well & peace to you~


::MixMasterE::

The Painter's Edge

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion. ~Democritus

Everybody who has ever lived on this planet has, at one point or another, looked up into a clear, star-lit sky and wondered, "Why are we here? Who or what created everything?" No one will ever know these answers with absolute certainty and this to me is what makes this life so beautifully complex and interesting. Looking at the pictures of deep space from the Hubble Ultra Deep Telescope probing the outermost edge of the observable universe, one is awe-struck, speechless...humbled. Out of this infinite space where indubitably other beings exist (& where modern scientific theories become inadequate descriptive/predictive tools), one comes to the realization that we are definitely not what we appear to be or who we think we are.

What our eyes behold may well be the text of life but one's meditations on the text and the disclosures of these meditations are no less a part of the structure of reality.
-Wallace Stevens

OneLove

::MixMasterE::

On Existential & Democratic Possibilities

Listen: Hope on a Tightrope

Cornel West is indispensible in the quest for intellectual broad-mindedness and courageous honesty. I have highlighted the wisdom of Dr West before, & after reading his lastest book, "Hope On A Tightrope", I was once again deeply impressed with this modern-day Socrates. Words & ideas become alive and relevant when he expresses himself on any given topic, cross-pollinating various spheres of knowledge with such breath-taking dexterity, vision & passion that few can surpass. The Afterword of the book highlights the books & music that shaped his life which I dutifully noted for further research. I encourage you to CAREFULLY listen to Dr West in the above playlist and be prepared for reinvention (turning of the soul)....

Peace,

::MixMasterE::

MME's Soul Treasures

..being true to yourself..being real...this is what has driven the shift in soul music from the 1990's to the present.. Although what is marketed as soul music today in the commercial spheres is a downright abomination, the following playlist is testimony to the fact that we are only just beginning to tap the fertile fields of this altered landscape....OneLove!

Deep SoulDiving - Playlist by MixMasterE

:::MixMasterE::

..leave all our hopelessnesses aside...

Thanks to Lola Funkland Android for putting me on to this incredible song. The song, "Just For Now", is about family gatherings and all the love & warmth, conflict & pain, candor& evasiveness that normally accompany these gatherings (it's the human condition). The artist, Imogen Heap, has an earthiness & range that touches you deeply. I first heard of her in the group Frou Frou in another phenomenal song, "Let Go", and I've been a fan of her ethereal falsetto ever since. Just listen...




OneLove

:::MixMasterE::

The Disappearing Male

James Brown once bellowed, "It's a Man's World", in full, soulful, patriarchal power echoing a long-held belief that we (men) are inherently dominant & superior to everything and everyone (God's design, it has been argued), but it takes a woman (in a secondary role) to make it all worthwhile. I have never subscribed to this perverse mind-set (truthfully, a social disease of the highest order), but I am not going to elaborate on that now. Instead, I present the following documentary which might have well been called, "(S)he Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best" (in a tragicomic sense). It seems that all the poison we (men) have released upon the physical (and mental) environment has come back to haunt us and potentially sweep us off this artificial world we have created. Our own cleverness has turned against us! It's a man's world indeed.



OneLove

::MixMasterE::

...enter the fire...

In complete control,
Pretending control,
With dignified authority,
We are charlatans…
(Or maybe just a goat's-hair brush in a painter's hand.)
We have no idea what we are.




O, happy the soul that saw its own faults.



Conventional opinion is the ruin of our souls




If
by Rumi


If you can disentangle
yourself from your selfish self
all heavenly spirits
will stand ready to serve you

if you can finally hunt down
your own beastly self
you have the right
to claim Solomon's kingdom

you are that blessed soul who
belongs to the garden of paradise
is it fair to let yourself
fall apart in a shattered house

you are the bird of happiness
in the magic of existence
what a pity when you let
yourself be chained and caged

but if you can break free
from this dark prison named body
soon you will see
you are the sage and the fountain of life

Peace

::MixMasterE::

Poet's Nook: "What Of A Love Unspoken" by Tupac Shakur (2PAC)

One of my favorite 2PAC poems is "What Of A Love Unspoken" which lays out a man's soul to the flower of his desire. Incredible truth-telling:

I know my heart has lied before

but now it speaks, with honesty

of an invisible bond of friendship, that was formed, in secrecy

Coming from me this may seem hard but..but to God I swear - it's truth

We are friends for eternity and for-ever I will always love.. you..

What of a love unspoken?

Is it with or without a name?

Does love exist without a title

because I dare not share it's name

All my life I've dreamed of

of meeting one with immense beauty and..

and once I found her I would charm her and...

and she'd be mine forever (mine forever)

I found her and, indeed she is all that I, wished for and more but she

is not charmed nor intrigued (not charmed, nor intrigued)

Then I think to myself "what.. can I offer her?"

The tears warm my eyes and blur my, vision I

stick to my stance of bravado and give her

the same uninterested look that she, gave..me

(She was so beautiful) She was so beautiful

But what.. can I offer her?

You say that you'll love me forever..but

but what about today?

As the dusks become the dawns and the years pass on will you

love me (love me) the same way (the same way)?

If so let us rejoice and bathe in this constant pleasure

If not spare my heart today and I shall recover before, forever

And if my doubts and questions upset you

(forgive my fragile heart) forgive my fragile heart

I just wanted to know if you'd love me forever before today,

would start (would you love me.. would you love me..)

What of a love unspoken?

What of a love unspoken?

Check out other poems from one of the most gifted rappers (in spite of his glaring contradictions) that ever lived here.

Peace

::MixMasterE::

Like A Dew Drop

~~is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?~~

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Edgar Allan Poe

::MixMasterE::

The Writer's Lens

Two of my favorite writers, Alice Walker and Eduardo Galeano, on their observations of Obama's White House visit yesterday. Quite powerful



Peace

::MixMasterE::

Youssou N'Dour's Sufi Soul

When I first heard Youssou N'Dour's voice on the song, "Bamako". many years ago, I was hooked and reeled into the mystifying world of Wolof culture and mysticism. That song, with its hypnotic conga drums and Youssou's soaring, penetrating voice, had me longing for a continent I had yet to visit...and also longing for a deeper, more embodied spiritual life. I think I may have stumbled upon Sufism through reading Youssou's background in his album's liner notes, and to this day, I still enjoy the timeless wisdom the Sufi mystics have given Mankind through the ages.


I put together some of my favorite Youssou jams for your appreciation of a living legend. Also, check out this interview he did a few months ago which highlights his deep convictions and expansive consciousness.




 
OneLove!


::MME

Hope Springs Eternal

Worldwide—the tears fell
Hope—long-stained, battered and bruised
Craned its jaundiced neck up towards the shaft
Of Light bursting through a formidable darkness
Familiar but hardly adjusted to.
How many lives have been sacrificed up to this point?
From the moment of the first African slave’s footprint on stolen soil
-the scarred backs, raped mothers and torn psyches from which this Empire was built-
To the known and unknown seekers of true liberation and honor who laid
Their lives on the ground for the conscience of future seekers of the same prize
We are now closer to that mountain-top that King envisioned
Closer to that Oneness of Man that Malcolm epiphanized
Closer to the end of that reckless notion of white supremacy…..
So, we celebrate a milestone in human progress
And, in particular, a turning point in the narrative of a besieged people.
Jesse, love him or hate him, understood & felt the weight of history
Standing there in Grant Park observing something of momentous proportions...
That the world wept at seeing the ascendence of Destiny Incarnate
Signifies an essential truth about Truth which Emerson observed:

Truth is our element.

The road is going to be long, dark & meandering, but hope springs eternal.....

:::MixMasterE:::

The Triumph of Democracy

I must admit, I never thought that I would see an African-American First Family in my lifetime, but here we are. No amount of analysis by the Mr Know-It-Alls can fully explain this present moment in American history. One thing is certainly clear though: America has broken through the shackles of its past on many levels. Yes, I know that at some point after the euphoria wears down, the dire realities will come back to the fore & President Obama will be heavily scrutinized. At this time though, let's all -just feel good about the American electorates' rejection of 8 years of disastrous neoconservative policies that railroaded everything from the environment to working-class families. So here's my victory party to President Obama, who I believe will become one of most honest and intelligent presidents this country has ever had.

Obama's Victory Jam - Playlist by MixMasterE

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Mohandas Gandhi

::MixMasterE::

November 4th 2008: America's Day Of Destiny

Well done, Mr Obama!

My hope is this:

- That you honor your pledge to help the average Joe and the poor both here and abroad

- That you initiate innovative approaches to challenge the forces of greed and other corrupting influences of power and privelege

- That you end the dictatorial control of labor, consumers and taxpayers and that all those unchallenged loopholes that the rich have always enjoyed are done away with

- That America-as-Global-Cop (or Agent-Provocateur) comes to a long-awaited end (the world has had enough)

- That American politics transforms itself to the public (voluntary) funding of elections and becomes less and less influenced by powerful corporate interests (that could care less about that messy thing called "democracy")

- That the crusty, old-guard racists/jingoists scatter like the cowards and dumb-asses that they are and come to grips with the revolutionary power of critical engagement aka truth.

- That your symbolic presence (and that of your beautiful family) shakes the foundation of what is possible in America, especially for folks who have been historically reviled and despised

- That the military budget which gets the lion's share of the national budget, is cut big time & the money siphoned off into more meaningful areas (education, food/nutrition programs, housing & urban development, etc).

I don't expect the seas to be parted or angels to swoop down from heaven heralding a New Dawn, but, like most people who have grown sick with cynicism and tired with rage, I expect a good dose of fresh air and a realistic change of direction that you embody & anxiously await your historical achievement as President of the United States of America.




Peace

::MixMasterE::

Harmonic Connectons: The Music of August Rush

There was something about the movie "August Rush" that appealed to my poetical & musical sensibilities. In particular, I recall a line in the movie that crystallized something I have always felt about music:


“You know what music is? God’s little reminder that there’s something else besides us in this universe; harmonic connection between all living beings, every where, even the stars.” - Maxwell “Wizard” Wallace

The soundtrack has a number of gems, but the stand-out track for me is, "August's Rhapsody". Many people slept on this movie or ridiculed it for being too schmaltzy (I liked it though), but there is hardly an argument about the superior quality of the soundtrack. Judge for yourself...



...music is all around you, all you have to do is listen..

OneLove

::MixMasterE::

***Adobe Flash Player Fix****

Some folks are having issues with playing the Flash content on this site. To fix this issue, uninstall Adobe Flash Player here
then reinstall it from here. Please take note of the following settings if you are using Internet Explorer ( I recommend Mozilla Firefox for ALL browsing, period. IE has too many bugs for my taste):

Internet Explorer ActiveX settings:-

First, check to see if your Security level is set to Medium (In IE, go to Tools-->Internet Options-->Security and slide to Medium).The Default Level will allow you to view Flash content. For any Custom Level, ensure that both the "Download Signed ActiveX controls" and "Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins" options are set to "Prompt". To do this:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Choose Tools > Internet Options.
3. Select the Security tab.
4. Select Custom Level.
5. Find the section "ActiveX controls and plug-ins".
6. Set ' Download Signed ActiveX Controls' to Prompt.
7. Set 'Run ActiveX Controls And Plug-ins' to Prompt.

Some Internet utilities, such as Norton Internet Utilities, perform functions similar to a firewall and may restrict viewing of ActiveX controls, and in some cases specifically blocking Flash content. You need to ensure that your firewall or utility settings are set to allow ActiveX controls and Flash (SWF).

Please continue to alert me to any other technical issues that may arise.

Thanks!

::MixMasterE:::

..the enemy is you...

"You are the world, the neighbor, the friend, the so-called enemy.

If you would understand, you must first understand yourself,

For in you is the root of all understanding.

In you is the beginning and the end."

"If you are very clear, if you are inwardly a light unto yourself,

you will never follow anyone"

-J. Krishnamurti

"I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect.. Truth being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along any particular path..."


Peace


:::MixMasterE:::

Water: The Next Resource War

Check these links out:

Guidebook to Global Water Issues

Water Wars

Is This the Beginning of Water Wars?

Water Wars in America

Peace


::MixMasterE::

Unforgettable Music Videos

The following videos are a few of my favorites. No lascivious suggestions, no bragging drivel, no rootless vision, no materialistic submission, no bling or loud, irksome, half-baked expression. Just real music to transport one into the depths of one's imagination....Hope you enjoy!


A House Is Not A Home - Luther Vandross

Luther VanDross - A House is not a Home

@VonnieStaxx | Myspace Video
The purity of Luther's voice is inspiring.

Lover - Aya


By Your Side - Sade


Girl From Ipanema - Andy Williams & Antonio Carlos Jobim


A Certain Smile - Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis - A Certain Smile
Uploaded by oliehoek

In The Evening - Ray Charles


Mind Control - Stephen Marley


The Awakening - 4Hero Featuring Ursula Rucker


Stir It Up - Bob Marley & The Wailers


Stop, Look, Listen - Michael McDonald & Toni Braxton


Talib Kweli Speaks!


Where Have All The Flowers Gone?/Keep Your Head To The Sky-Earth Wind & Fire


Ave Maria - Aaron Neville


Dina Lam - Richard Bona w/ Bobby Mcferrin



OneLove

:::MixMasterE:::

2012: Truth or Fiction?

From what I've read from various articles (mostly pro-Mayan sources), on the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that "whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time". In so many words, we're either toast or will enter some type of higher consciousness.

My rational side screams, "Bullshit! Where's the evidence?"

OK, modern science has proven the Mayans correct on their amazing calculations on the exact duration of a year to a thousandth of a decimal point, much more precise than any Greek or enlightened philosopher ever did. Also, they were able to predict every solar and lunar eclipse until this day. And obviously, they knew where the galactic equinox and the exact middle of the Milky Way lay: they called this crossing `the Sacred Tree'. Mysteriously, they predicted in what year their civilization would be overrun by foreigners coming from over the seas. Whatever powers they possessed is truly a mystery. From what I've read, the Sun aligns with the center of the Milky Way every 26,000 years, but since the Earth has existed for an astonishing 4,5 billion years, the Earth has survived this event many times already--with humans walking on it & to this day, we (humans) are still here no more enlightened & still up to our usual tricks.

Who knows really....Maybe Time will prove the Mayans right - yet again.

To offer some balance to the above clip, check this out:

Peace

::MixMasterE::

The Foreign Exchange Experience

The Foreign Exchange is probably one of the biggest Hip Hop groups in the underground scene today. It's a real shame that more people don't know the crazy talent the members of this group possess. The combination of Phonte's inventive lyricism & soulful falsetto and Nicolay's ambient grooves and brilliant sequencing is really impressive stuff. The whole set blazes & choosing a stand-out track is tough.I selectively combined their last CD, "Connected" to their current release, "Leave It All Behind" for your musical appreciation~~Enjoy!








Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence. ~Robert Fripp

::MixMasterE::

Who Is Dr. Mitchell Gibson?

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.

In my ever-continuing search in the science of mind/consciousness,I came across this book
and decided to research the author online for more information. Being somewhat skeptical by nature, I am still mulling over his fascinating theories and case studies. I've read similar accounts throughout the years (mostly Buddhist texts) and find the theories of mind/consciousness enthralling and enriching to one's spiritual & emotional growth.

Check him out and judge for yourself.

Peace

::MixMasterE::

Question Everything

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009


"Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime..."
-- Justice Potter Stewart, dissenting Ginzberg v. United States

"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear."
-- Harry S. Truman, message to Congress, August 8, 1950

"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."
-- Salman Rushdie

"You have not converted a man because you have silenced him."
-- John Morley

"The burning of an author's books, imprisonment for an opinion's sake, has always been the tribute that an ignorant age pays to the genius of its time."
-- Joseph Lewis, Voltaire: The Incomparable Infidel, 1929

"This is slavery, not to speak one's thought."
-- Euripides, Greek tragic poet (480 or 485 B.C. - 406 B.C)

A free press can be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom a press will never be anything but bad.
~Albert Camus

If you don't have this freedom of the press, then all these little fellows are weaseling around and doing their monkey business and they never get caught.
~Harold R. Medina

The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.
~David Ben-Gurion

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who will watch the watchers?"
-- Juvenal

"Free societies...are societies in motion, and with motion comes tension, dissent, friction. Free people strike sparks, and those sparks are the best evidence of freedom's existence."
-- Salman Rushdie



OneLove!

::MixMasterE::

Baraka: Of Beauty & Destruction

PT 2   PT 3  PT 4   PT 5   PT 6   PT 7

"Baraka" is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated as "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." This non-narrative film captures scenes of various landscapes, churches, ruins, religious ceremonies and cities from Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Israel amongst other places (24 countries from 6 continents). A greater appreciation of Earth and humanity will arise after watching the footage---It really underscores the observation of many that in spite of the many socio-cultural differences amongst various groups (that have, sadly, led to wars & strife since the dawn of humanity), there are amazing similarites. As Maya Angelou wrote in her timeless piece, "Human Family":


I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

Peace

::MixMasterE::

Oooops!

Katie Couric: Why isn't it better, Gov. Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

Gov. Sarah Palin: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the -- it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

Another brilliant response:

"As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It’s Alaska. It's just right over the border." --Sarah Palin, explaining why Alaska's proximity to Russia gives her foreign policy experience, interview with CBS's Katie Couric, Sept. 24, 2008


...and imagine- this could be the next president if MCcain wins but suffers a heart-attack....I shudder....

Peace

::MixMasterE::

Seasons

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

-William Butler Yeats

September 19, 2008 : The Fall Of Goliath

"You've been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray...." - Malcolm X

Wow! The life of a Wall Street hedge fund manager (and his coterie of suck-ups) must be sweet! You can trade millions of dollars a second and make a hell of a fortune in commissions, fees, etc and have that money taxed by the Fed at such a low rate (the untaxed going to offshore havens) then, as icing on the cake, have the government use taxpayer money (our hard-earned bucks!) to bail you out of trash assets (that stunk from the start)& leaving whatever money you made intact and earning interest elsewhere.I guess that's the calculated economic return for campaign contributions to a spineless, Janus-faced Congress. Your crooked ass comes out on top win or lose! What a racket!! And all these notions we've been fed about sweatin' & pullin' up on our boot-straps and earning an honest living (to make a good man out of ya!)was just half of the story all along (surprised?). The other half we didn't hear was that you had better suck up to the right people and take advantage of whomever and whatever to achieve your goals--and it doesn't hurt to inherit wealth & be white (or emulate "whiteness") to establish and enhance one's connections and influence.

From what I've been reading over the last week, we are in dangerous territory. I don't profess to be an expert in economics (although I majored in it in college), but I find it hard to believe anything Hank Paulson or Ben Bernake have to say. Do you really think that they have the interests of the common man at heart? Hank Paulson was the CEO of Goldman Sachs for crying out loud! Goldman Sachs is the top beneficiary of his bailout plan--a plan in which he seeks TOTAL authority without any intervention.

Something stinks.


“Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”~Dylan Thomas

Peace

::MixMasterE::

Other Voices

Hip Hop has the potential to change the world.

No, I'm not talking about Hip Hop in tinsel wrap courtesy of Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, P. Diddy (or is it Puffy Duffy?), Ying Yang Twins, Snoop (although I will admit I like their lyricism and tight production)--I am speaking of the more progressive,genre-expanding, lyrically-brilliant Hip Hop artists along the lines of Common, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Immortal Technique, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Ceelo, The Roots, Dead Prez, KRS-ONE and Kanye West-- Masters of Alliteration, Paradox, Allegory & Metaphor weaving rich narratives of life in between the lines like latter-day griots (with Pro Tools..haha).

It's no accident that mainstream media skims over/neglects the more socially potent and relevant material of the more progressive artists. Like drug dealers, record and cable/TV executives push the partyln', pimpin' & gun-totin' swagger on the young & impressionable at the expense of incisive observations of the body politic & cogent socio-cultural analysis. One can deduce that the recording companies fear the broadening/popularization of uplifting, intelligent music by young black men (primarily) since the shameful stereotypes and wayward follies that keep our young enraptured and intellectually disengaged have served them so well. As Lupe Fiasco quotes a record executive in "Dumb It Down":

"Won't you talk about your cars..
You've been shedding too much light
You make'em wanna do right
They're getting self-esteem
These girls are trying to be queens
They're trying to graduate from school
They're starting to think that smart is cool
They're trying to get up out the hood
I'll tell you what you should do... Dumb it down!"

Executives sell, they could care less if a message or image is toxic or just useless (Lil Wayne): They are amoral-to-immoral agents out to market whatever turns a quick profit. Sadly, one too many artists cloud their vision/silence their voices & succumb to the law of the jungle (market)--essentially they become accomplices to their own mental enslavement and end up looking/sounding like fools at the end of the puppet-masters' strings.

So, just what type of messages/images are the more progressive, trend-defying artists projecting that bring such trepidation and disgust to the well-fed honchos of the major entertainment oligarchies? Some samples : Nas has critiqued North American lifestyles ("America"),Common has approached the male-female dynamic in a reflective & didactic manner("The Light"), KRS-1 has warned against self-destruction( "Self-Destruction"), Talib Kweli has meditated on a dream deferred ("Everything Man") and The Roots have sympathized with victims of domestic abuse ("Innocence Lost")...I can go on but my point is that the real face of Hip Hop is not being truly represented in the mainstream (with the exception of Kanye West and a few others). Sometimes Hip Hop's face is deeply sorrowful as reflected in The Roots "Return to Innocence Lost", sometimes it's angry as in Immortal Technique's, "The Poverty of Philosophy", sometimes it's fearful & confused as in 2PAC's "Are U Afraid 2 Die?", sometimes serenely metaphysical as in Blackilicious's "Release", sometimes grateful and loving as in Goodie Mob's "Guess Who?". Indeed, there are many faces in Hip Hop, but the mainstream chooses only to exploit the more limiting, lifeless visions of hoes, rims and jacuzzis (for the most part).

Fortunately, a growing number of progressive Hip Hop artists are gravitating towards (or creating)independent labels to promote, manufacture, distribute and sell their work which will allow a broader appreciation of their work untainted by the greed, cowardice and stupidity of mainstream record executives. Sparks are going to fly when the full power of Hip Hop is unleashed and I can't wait--I am sick of cowards and zombies who dot the landscape.

By way of conclusion, a few conscious flows (not suitable for the uncommitted, one-dimensional weak-hearts who fear reprisals, rejection, discomfort & change ).....

Keep movin'...

::MixMasterE::

Lose Your Self

Creatures rise and creatures vanish;
I alone Am Real, Arjuna,
Looking out, amused, from deep
Within the eyes of every creature.
- Bhagavad Gita



The Creator is hidden in his own creation. Natural religion is the religion of beauty
-Hazrat Inayat Khan


Peace

::MixMasterE::

Satin Groove: The Music of Don-E

What do you get when you cross Maxwell with Maxi Priest & a few sprinkles of Bilal, D'Angelo and Rahsaan Patterson? You get an incredible artist from the UK who goes by the name of Don-E.

I didn't know what to expect from this artist when I slipped his CD in my car stereo. I had my finger on the fast forward button as I have no patience with listening to crap while driving. After the first cut, I eased up and just mellowed out on simmering, slow-burning grooves that seeped softly into my stream of consciousness. R&B legend D'Angelo makes a guest appearance playing a languid, freaky Fender Rhodes on "So Cold". Indeed, D'Angelo's influence on R&B is still being felt more than a decade after dropping the classic "Brown Sugar". My favorite cut is "You & I" which has such a honey-toned, smooth texture that you may find yourself immersed in memories (and driving into someone else's lane!). The whole set is exceptional and a welcome breath of fresh air on the music scene. So without further ado, I present Don-E's current release, "Natural"~~Enjoy!

MixMasterE

In Opposition

Blind acceptance of authority has always been one of my biggest pet peeves. The well-worn phrase, "Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely", still rings true and will continue to ring true until we get it in our heads that authority figures/authoritarian systems are to be continuously critiqued and ultimately taken down.

The life of the intellectual freedom fighter has always been a liberating and creative force of nature. Musically, Bob Marley & Peter Tosh were the foundation of my quest to unmask "truth" for myself. As I matured, other agents from various spheres entered the mix--Frantz Fanon, Aime Cesaire, C.L.R James, Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, bell hooks, Cornel West, Amiri Baraka, Michael Parenti, Tariq Ali, Michael Eric Dyson, Edward Herman, Howard Zinn, Ivan Van Sertima, John Henrik Clarke, Paulo Friere, Paul Street, Tim Wise, Vandana Shiva, Barbara Ehrenreich, Susan Taylor, Arundhati Roy, Michael Klare, Adrienne Rich, Haki Madhubuti, Audre Lorde, David Edwards, Normon Solomon, Gore Vidal and a whole host of other luminaries and not-so-well-known, but equally powerful intellects/poets/writers/performers/politicians/activists/journalists, helped in the shaping of my world-view. I share with you a few thinkers who have made it their vocation to re-awaken one and all to the power that bubbles beneath the illusions...


Stuart Hall on Representation & The Media


Tim Wise on The Creation of Whiteness


Cornel West on Barack, Race, HipHop & Prophetic/Socratic Approaches


Sut Jhally on Advertising & The End Of The World


Gore Vidal on Bush, Democracy and The State of The U.S Media


OneLove!

::MixMasterE::

Poet's Nook: "Island Like a Heart" by J.P. Dancing Bear

Prospero kept the island as his heart—

a secluded place far from the sight of ships

yet tensed, the open maw of a steel trap.

Scattered along the craggy shorelines

the planks of wrecked vessels drifted,

gray gulls cried like grieving sailors.

The underbrush rustled with dumb lust

as brutes smashed and searched in hunger.

At dusk gnats rose out of the reeds,

dark ghosts readying their haunts.

He left the night to the creatures

with their savage cacophony, each sure

it ruled the island, sure as his revenge.

(Taken from the VALPARAISO POETRY REVIEW-Contemporary Poetry and Poetics)

Political Symbolisms

The McCain-Palin ticket may be shallow on the many dilemmas facing the U.S/the world--the economy, species extinction, Middle East tensions, poverty at home and abroad, global warming, civil liberties, etc--but the behind-the scenes spinmeisters that string them along are brilliant stage masters/reality-benders that we all should be wary of & confront with righteous anger. Remember Reagan and his hollywood swagger that captured a nation and gutted the poor and working-class while the rich made off like the bandits like they've always been. Political symbolism is very powerful, and no matter what the substantive issues are of the day, diverting the voters' attention away from the real issues that affect them to the things that do not (through unubstantiated personal attacks, rhetorical sleight of hand, straw man tactics,red-herring schemes, etc) is a game as old as politics, but folks fall for it every time. Don't think Obama is a shoe-in--He has a ways to go as these dirty GOP bastards will do whatever it takes to prevail.

Be vigilant!

::MixMasterE::

Musings

Be at peace with your own soul
then heaven & earth will be at peace with you.

Enter eagerly into the treasure
house that is within you,

And you will see the things that are in heaven,
for there is but one single entry to them both.

The ladder that leads to the Kingdom
is hidden within your soul...

Dive into yourself and in your soul
and you will discover the stairs
by which to ascend.

Saint Isaac of Syria (circa 7th century)
Nestorian monk from Beth Abhe on the Persian Gulf
Bishop of Nineveh (circa 660-680)

Essential Recording: Natty Dread

Natty Dread captures Bob Marley's critical transition from the Wailers band (Peter Tosh & Bunny Wailer moved on to solo careers)to reluctant frontman and preeminent writer/composer. With a sharply-focused lens, he set the world ablaze with a unique blend of Rastafarian metaphysics, socio-political critique, conscious lover's rock, historical reflection & clairvoyant vision. This 1974 release is rooted in a deep tradition of protest and acerbic wit. Al Anderson's transporting guitar frills, Bernard Touter Harvey's telegraphic keyboard, the I-Threes' angelic harmonizing and a wicked horn section provides a fully matured & riveting reggae at its most focused, righteous and rhythmically irresistible. 

Enjoy!!



:::MixMasterE:::

The Story Of Stuff

(This is the dirty little secret in Economics that teachers/mainstream journalists are loathe to tell. After all, they have to keep the habituated consumer mentality alive without the intrusion of some nettlesome critique of the "invisible hand" of the market. Shop til you drop, y'all! Make some time though to at least consider the points made in this presentation).

Peace

::MixMasterE::

We Are Together: The Children Of Agape

Agape (pronounced “AH-gah-pay”) is from the Greek for “brotherly love.” Agapic love is charitable, selfless, patient, undemanding and chaste. Those who have it do not expect it to be returned. Agape is best illustrated by those who anonymously help others.

After watching "We Are Together: The Children Of Agape", I was amazed at the resilience, creativity and courage of the human spirit in the face of the most tragic of circumstances--HIV/AIDS. Those of us in the West who take so many things for granted are but spiritual orphans when compared to this group of children from the Agape orphanage in South Africa. Their beauty is haunting & redemptive, strangely transporting, but also potentially discomfiting. I will not review the film here, but I will encourage everyone to look at it and fully appreciate & absorb the meaning of agape which the great Martin Luther King describes as, "... an overflowing love which is purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless, and creative. It is not set in motion by any quality or function of its object. It is the love of God operating in the human heart.”. We all fall short of this ideal, but we have to try for without this type of love and understanding, our lives are somewhat diminished, I think.

Here is a preview of this illuminating HBO Special(check listing for time):



I encourage all to buy the soundtrack as all profits fro this CD will be donated to help improve the lives of children affected by AIDS in South Africa. I put together a sample of each song on the following playlist:



ONELove!

::MixMasterE::

Letter To An Atheist

The position of atheists has always perplexed me. Whether they base their beliefs on empiricism, humanism, naturalism, scientific skepticism or some other mode befitting their idea of "free thinkers", they seem so sure of the non-existence of God. Sometimes it seems more than a non-belief -- more of a hatred of anything related to the concept or belief in a Creator. I wonder -- can Love be explained or rationalized? Can intuition? Mystical experiences? If not, then how can God be explained? And if one does try to put God in a neat, air-tight analytical framework, how does one explain the need for believing in God that goes back to the dawn of humanity? Whether mono- or polytheistic, most human cultures have held on to some notion of (a) supreme entity/entities. Other than music and poetry, my belief in God is confirmed everyday by observation and awe at the wonder of creation--the formation of a rain cloud & the way light filters through it, a hummingbird looking for food, ants lined up in order with some purpose in mind, twilight, a new born baby....it's endless.

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamed of in all of your philosophy"- Shakespeare writing as "Hamlet")

Words can be trite when trying to explain the ineffable. The handiwork of God is writ large in the pictures below. Rationalize away, oh lonely atheist!





















OneLove!!

:::MixMasterE:::