Feb 29, 2012

MME's (Double) Jam Of The Day






















Beautiful People



Turn Up The Music

Diggin' these mixes by Chris Brown from his latest CD, "Fortune" ~ Enjoy!


(More House vibes here)


OneLove


:::MME:::

The End of Living – The Beginning of Survival

(In 1854, the government of United States made yet another offer for a large area of 'Indian' land and promised a ‘reservation’ for the 'Indian'(Original American) people. Chief Seattle's response is prophetic & profoundly relevant as we now bear witness to the evils we have unleashed upon our Great Mother.)


OneLove


:::MME:::

Feb 26, 2012

Musings

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority,
but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius


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

Life As Friction Against The Machine



OneLove

:::MME:::

Feb 24, 2012

Small Wonder

funny gifs

(Surely the universe is teeming with all sorts of strange life forms beyond our wildest imaginations. These photos should put to rest the argument that we are alone in the Universe - it is statistically impossible!)


OneLove

:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Souls And Rain-Drops" by Sidney Lanier


Light rain-drops fall and wrinkle the sea,
Then vanish, and die utterly.
One would not know that rain-drops fell
If the round sea-wrinkles did not tell.

So souls come down and wrinkle life
And vanish in the flesh-sea strife.
One might not know that souls had place
Were't not for the wrinkles in life's face. 

OneLove

:::::MME:::::

Feb 23, 2012

MME's Jam Of The Day




















Up & coming singer/songwriter Stacy Barthe is capturing the ear of many with the release of her “Sincerely Yours” EP. To most, she is unknown, but within the music industry she is highly respected as a gifted songwriter who has crafted hits for the likes of  Rihanna, Katy Perry, Brandy, Melanie Fiona, Estelle and many others. Like Keri Hilson, Andrea Martin & Missy Elliott who thrived for years making hits for others before coming out on their own, Stacy Barthe is now ready to grab some spotlight! The smooth, Lovers Rock jam (produced by Super Dups), “Keep It Like It Is”, is crucial & highlights her strong & clear vocals somewhat reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. Check out the writing on the second cut, "Comfy Little Coffin" which paints a vivid picture of an abandoned love. I predict this sister will become a household name in a few short years~~Enjoy!



Keep It Like It Is


Comfy Little Coffin



OneLove


:::MME:::

Musings

“People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state on innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.” ~James Baldwin



OneLove


:::MME:::

Price Of The Ticket

The Forgotten Baldwin | Boston Review


(Exceptional speech by one of America's greatest writers/intellectuals, James Baldwin. Listen carefully.)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Feb 21, 2012

Chaplin's Final Speech



When one thinks of Charlie Chaplin, the first things (and perhaps the only things) that come to mind are grainy, black & white silent films and brilliant physical comedy. Outside of this, most of us know little about the man. I recently ran across a clip of Charlie Chaplin from his film 'The Great Dictator' where, in the final scene, he delivers a remarkably stunning & timeless speech. Check it out:
 



Written, produced, and directed by Chaplin, this film was his most successful & was released shortly after the start of WWII with a crazed German dictatorship seeking to widen its imperial rule. Since the US was at peace with Germany at the time this film was released (1940), Chaplin's vision was quite radical in its critique of Hitler, Nazism/Fascism, racism and anti-Semitism (indeed, his vision is eerily timely & relevant). Strange that sometimes it is the clown/comedian/court jester who is the wisest observer of the human condition.  As Chaplin puts it, "Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot" ). 

OneLove

:::MME::: 

MME's Jam Of The Day






Robin Thicke pays tribute to Whitney Houston with this chilled, minimalist interpretation of her classic, 'Exhale'.


OneLove


:::MME:::

Poet's Nook: "Because I Have Been Everything" by Lorna Goodison






Because I have been everything
wild spirit
abbess
Magdalen.
Now initiate of the order of grace
made keeper of the key of possibility.
All I cannot bear to see, or worship
in others, is in me.
My heart life is open, transparency
my soul's life in otherworlds, secrecy
where midnights meet
and the fount of morning
are all in me
all tides swell and have come
to flood
To reborn me bright O crystal sea
a universe is light in me.


OneLove

:::MME:::

Feb 19, 2012

MME's Jam Of The Day

























Marc Anthony does a fantastic rendition of the Hector Lavoe salsa classic, "Aguanile". I dare you to sit still on this cut!


OneLove


:::MME:::

Feb 18, 2012

What If......



(Scintillating commentary by FOX's Judge Napolitano. Clearly this guy is the only light bulb at the FOX News channel that's switched on! This may be the reason his show, Freedom Watch, was canceled last week & may indeed hasten his dismissal from FOX. What I like about the judge is his scholarly (though moderate conservative) approach to the topics he talks about. Even if you don't necessarily agree with what he says, you have to respect his approach, which is the flip-side of Bill O'Reilly's weak-minded, unsubstantiated diatribes.)

OneLove

:::MME:::

Feb 17, 2012

The Gag On Poverty In America






Aint it amazing that if one utters anything in support of the poor in America, the labels come hailin' down.."socialist", "welfare queen", "un-American", "unpatriotic", "liberal"..& the list goes on. Being poor is taboo, a shameful, self-inflicted condition beyond serious reflection, a threat to the delusion of the United States of America as the land of opportunity, upward mobility, full democracy, equality and justice for all (to be fair, there was a time when there were ample opportunities to make a decent living before shit hit the fan over 30 years ago). Things have gotten so daffy that you can have presidential contenders saying things like, "Poor people have no money, no habit of work...They have no habit of showing up on Monday and staying all day or the concept of  ’I do this and you give me cash,’ unless it’s illegal" (Newt Gingrich) and "I'm not concerned about the very poor"(Mitt Romney). I have to admit that I am quite disappointed that President Obama is not as vocal about the plight of the poor as he is with the middle class (many of whom are now poor as a result of the Great Recession or the Lesser Depression, take your pick). 

Looking at the kids in this BBC documentary is a tearjerker.  According to the Census Bureau, there are more children who now live in poverty than at any time since 1962 (currently at 16.4 million & rising). Equally remarkable is the epidemic of poverty which has body-slammed minorities really hard. The number of poor people in America hit a staggering 46 million in 2010.  The African-American/Latino poverty rate jumped from 25% to 27% (whites jumped from 9.4% to 9.9%), according to Census data. You wouldn't know things were this bad if you're surrounded by people who are comfortably well off and live in a decent & safe community. Outside this bubble, the destruction of wealth in mostly nonwhite families borders on the catastrophic. The  Pew Research Center reported  that between 2005 and 2009, the household wealth of a typical black family took a terrible nosedive, plunging by 53%; for a typical Hispanic family, it was even worse, at 66%. For white middle-class households, losses on average totaled “only” 16%. Yet we find ourselves surrounded by morally depraved & intellectually inept  m*f*ers who "argue" that it all boils down to personal responsibility & a good work ethic (they need a foot in that a**!). 

There's no telling how this chilling tale will end. How is the devastation & deep wealth polarization which has been decades in the making and is a global phenomenon going to be reversed?  With 50 million Americans without health care, and 46 million people living in poverty, it's hard for anyone to believe in anything politicians and business leaders have to say. 

Alas, for every dark cloud there is a silver lining. It is indeed a blessing to have people/organizations that walk the walk & do what they can to help the least amongst us. Organizations such as the Jerimiah Program,  Ascend, Grassroots Global Justice & Helping Hands Medical Mission (see video clip below) that do serious work amongst the most vulnerable populations no matter where they are, should be applauded. We all need to take note of the selfless actions of others & do what we can to help by whatever means.


(Thanks to Dr Suleika Just-Buddy Michel for sharing this photoshow of her mission to Haiti)
(***I have always tried to resist the temptation of calling people out on this site as it goes against my nature, but I'm going to make an exception here: Robert Rector from the Heritage Foundation (who is interviewed in the BBC documentary) is a blasted idiot. His sneering disregard for the poor is only matched by the 'facts' he pulls right out of his a**. It is educated fools like this who give advice to elected officials/ policymakers who in turn pollute our opinions/public discourse with their nonsense.)
Stay tuned...

:::MME:::


Feb 16, 2012

The Monk & The Moon





 (Excerpt from "Amongst White Clouds" - Full documentary below)




“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?”
~Henry David Thoreau


Make yourself a cup of tea, sit comfortably in a quiet place & check out this fantastic documentary, "Amongst White Clouds", which highlights the hidden lives of China's forgotten Zen Buddhist hermit tradition. These sages live in the isolated hermitages of China's Zhongnan Mountain range which has been home to wisdom seekers for five thousand years & many of China's most realized Buddhist masters have attained enlightenment at this beautiful location. Director Edward A. Burger captures the sublime beauty & power of this extraordinary place such that by the end of this documentary, you may find yourself wading in deeper waters.
Check out the trailer of Burger's more recent work, "Alms".



OneLove


:::MME:::

Feb 15, 2012

Musings

(..all that glitters....)
 
“The pleasures of this world are delightful from a distance before the actual test.
From a distance they appear to be refreshing water,
but when you approach them, you find they are a mirage.
The world’s bait is visible, but the trap is hidden...”

- Rumi  ("Jewels of Remembrance")
 
OneLove
 
::::MME::::
 

Feb 14, 2012

Love So Right




From the Catholic Church saints  (& ancient Roman rituals) that named/influenced it to the crass commercialism & God-awful Hallmark cards that enshrine it, this day, Valentine's Day, which is dedicated to those who love, have loved or just wanna be loved, is a big pay day for restaurants, taxis/limos, supermarkets, flower shops & jewelers across the land (let's not talk about the sappy movies that foist unrealistic images/story lines on to our collective mind-stream on this day). In spite of this crap, Valentine's Day, like Christmas, signifies an ideal of honoring those we care for & showcases aspects of our better angels within. Whether one desires to go all-out with the limo pick-up to a five-star restaurant or keep it simple by enjoying a quiet evening with a lone candle, good conversation and Chinese takeout regaled in black dress socks, a V-neck T-shirt & flip flops, it doesn't matter - as long as you enjoy it is all that matters.

Have a fantastic evening....

OneLove

:::MME::::

Feb 12, 2012

Flying Home


The Legendary Whitney Houston by MixMaster E on Grooveshark
Sad...sad day...speechless...


~Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory~(Shelley)


OneLove


:::MME:::

Feb 9, 2012

Through A Child's Eyes

“A Child’s View from Gaza: Palestinian Children’s Art and the Fight Against Censorship.”  (A collection of drawings by children from the Gaza Strip.  See more here. )

"I realize it's hard for grownups to accept that we've had a hand in making a small child armless, legless, eyeless. We want to keep thinking Americans are generous, fun-loving, baseball-crazed folks who draw the line, collectively, at child abuse. At child murder. That image was never true, and it certainly isn't now....Each child who sees the art should be given some background about war. Any war. For it is war that humanity must outgrow, wherever it arises...We can encourage ourselves, and our children, never to be afraid to feel. No one dies from compassion, is a mantra they might like. Empathy is a wave that need never be stopped. If our children catch  this wave, from the ocean of tears shed by Palestinian children, they might have a future in a more stable and saner world."

~Alice Walker (forward from the book, "A Child’s View from Gaza")

OneLove

::MME:: 

Musings



He who rules men lives in confusion;
He who is ruled by men lives in sorrow.
Yao therefore desired
Neither to influence others
Nor be influenced by them.
The way to get clear of confusion
And free of sorrow
Is to live with Tao
In the land of the great Void.

If a man is crossing a river
And an empty boat collides with his own skiff,
Even though he be a bad-tempered man
He will not become very angry.
But if he sees a man in the boat,
He will shout at him to steer clear.
If the shout is not heard, he will shout again,
An yet again, and begin cursing.
And all because there is somebody in the boat.
Yet if the boat were empty,
He would not be shouting, and not angry.

If you can empty your own boat 
Crossing the river of the world,
No one will oppose you,
No one will seek to harm you.

The straight tree is the first to be cut down,
The spring of clear water is the first to be drained dry.
If you wish to improve your wisdom
And shame the ignorant,
To cultivate your character
And outshine others;
A light will shine around you
As if you had swallowed the sun and the moon:
You will not avoid calamity.

A wise man has said:
"He who is content with himself
Has done a worthless work.
Achievement is the beginning of failure.
Fame is the beginning of disgrace."

Who can free himself from achievement
And from fame, descend and be lost
Amid the masses of men?
He will flow like Tao, unseen,
He will go about like Life itself
With no name and no home.
Simple is he, without distinction.
To all appearances he is a fool.
His steps leave no trace.  He has no power.
He achieves nothing, has no reputation.
Since he judges no one
No one judges him.
Such is the perfect man:
His boat is empty.


~ Chuang Tzu


OneLove

:::::MME:::::

MME's (Double) Jam Of The Day

      CHLLNGR               Gregory Isaacs

CHANGE by CHLLNGR on Grooveshark



Everyone knows the late-great Gregory "Cool Ruler" Isaacs, but Copenhagen-based producer CHLLNGR (aka Steven Jess Borth II) is just emerging as an artist to look out for. The Cool Ruler's song "Temptation" (remixed by the legendary Sly & Robbie) was lifted from the soundtrack of Made In Jamaica (a must-see documentary for all reggae music lovers), and CHLLNGR's "Change" is from his current EP.

OneLove

:::MME:::

Feb 8, 2012

Fighting Class

Ever since childhood I have disdained the attitudes of the 'rich/wanna-be-rich' set. In my island there is a saying about people with little wealth who nevertheless live above their means &/or desire to only rub elbows with those who have some wealth/influence/social mobility. We describe(d) such people as "fighting class". The term speaks for itself.  Time after time, I bore witness to people of lesser means change their style & attitude when mingling with others who had some means . This ethical flaw even extended to people within their own family - I've known people who shunned their siblings, cousins, etc., just because they were not as ambitious & successful as they themselves were (& sometimes they shunned those who became more successful! The pendulum swing from pity to envy is utter madness!) Many moons ago, I lashed out against a high-ranking government official from St Lucia who had a terrible attitude towards the poor & disadvantaged. In a nutshell, he said something like this: "I got mine! Why don't these people get off their lazy backsides and do something! Why should I worry about them?" By the time I was finished excoriating his dumb ass with some pertinent facts, he was almost in tears & left the function a little early. In hindsight, I was quite harsh & embarrassed the man, but with half of the world's working population living in poverty, there is just no excuse for having such a souless, primitive mind-set. Regrettably, I find this same bullshit attitude amongst many successful African-American families who really should know better/care more given the history of race & class in the U.S, but I will get into that some other time. I'll say one thing though: the fallout from our current economic malaise is a bitter tonic for many of them who were once flying high without a care except when it came to themselves. Being as I am, I took  a road less traveled during the rush to buy over-sized homes and fancy cars: I saved, bought a moderate-sized home & lived well within my means by simply saying "no" to the pressure to do otherwise. The power of "no" will save your greedy, pretentious ass (& keep your credit score above 800)--trust me!


OneLove


:::MME:::

Feb 7, 2012

Birthday Of A King : Bob Marley (2/6/45 - 5/11/81)



Live At The Lyceum
Bob Marley - Live At The Lyceum by MixMaster E on Grooveshark

Babylon By Bus & Live! have been described as the most influential live reggae albums of all time! Long live the King of Reggae! If he were still physically alive (he would have turned 67 two days ago), he would still be rocking the stages worldwide shining Jah's blazing fire to one & all.  Check out some rare photos & footage of Bob Marley here & here). 


OneLove


:::MME:::

Feb 6, 2012

Poet's Nook: "Song In A Year Of Catastrophe" by Wendell Berry

I began to be followed by a voice saying:
"It can't last.  It can't last.
Harden yourself.  Harden yourself.
Be ready.  Be ready."

"Go look under the leaves,"
it said, "for what is living there
is dead in your tongue."
And it said, "Put your hands
into the earth.  Live close
to the ground. Learn the darkness.
Gather round you all
the things that you love, name
their names, prepare
to lose them,  It will be
as if all you know were turned
around within your body."

And I went and put my hands 
into the ground, and they took root
and grew into a season's harvest.
I looked behind the veil
of the leaves, and heard voices
that I knew had been dead
in my tongue years before my birth.
I learned the dark.

And still the voice stayed with me. 
Waking in the early mornings,
I could hear it, like a bird
bemused among the leaves,
a mockingbird idly singing
in the autumn of catastrophe:
"Be ready.   Be ready.
Harden yourself.  Harden yourself."

And I heard the sound 
of a great engine pounding
in the air, and a voice asking:
"Change or slavery?
Hardship or slavery?"
and the voices answering:
"Slavery!  Slavery!"
And I was afraid, loving 
what I know would be lost.

Then the voice following me said:
"you have not yet come close enough.
Come nearer the ground.  Learn
from the woodcock in the woods
whose feathering is a ritual
of the fallen leaves,
and from the nesting quail
whose speckling makes her hard to see
in the long grass.
Study the coat of the mole.
For the farmer shall wear
the greenery and the furrows
of his fields, and bear
the long standing of the woods."

And I asked: "you mean a death, then?"
"yes," the voice said.  "Die
into what the earth requires of you."
Then let go all holds, and sank
like a hopeless swimmer into the earth,
and at last came fully into the ease
and the joy of that place,
all my lost ones returning.

OneLove

::::MME::::

MME's Jam Of The Day


I caught this song, "Halocene", one night in a half-asleep/half-awakened state, but with its melodic, enchanting grace, I was brought to full alertness. Its minimal and achingly fragile harmonies soars and glides, entrancing you with its slow-burning and other-worldly touches. Without a doubt, Bon Iver was in the zone during this outstanding performance, tapping into unseen realms. Having researched the lyrics, I was quite impressed by the elasticity of  meaning--it can be melancholic, epiphanic or nuanced, or all of the above. It leaves one guessing what exactly they're singing about, but notwithstanding this dilemma, you can't help but feel strangely transported.

OneLove

:::MME:::


Butterflies of Wisdom

South American butterfly often called the Glasswing Butterfly. The see-through wings are a defense mechanism so it's hard to see it in flight.



The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough
~Rabindranath Tagore

We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever. 
~Carl Sagan

Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time.
~Deborah Chaskin

In nature a repulsive caterpillar turns into a lovely butterfly. But with humans it is the other way around: a lovely butterfly turns into a repulsive caterpillar. 
~Anton Chekhov


May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing



Butterflies are self propelled flowers. 
~R.H. Heinlein


It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.
~Vita Sackville-West

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. 
~Richard Bach


I saw a poet chase a butterfly in a meadow. He put his net on a bench where a boy sat reading a book. It's a misfortune that it is usually the other way round. 
~Karl Kraus


The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.
~Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun


Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. 
~Nathaniel Hawthorne


There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. 
~Richard Buckminster Fuller



They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods. 
~Edith Wharton



With the rose the butterfly's deep in love,
A thousand times hovering round;
But round himself, all tender like gold,
The sun's sweet ray is hovering found.
~Heinrich Heine, "New Spring"


"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." 
~Hans Christian Andersen


Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes. 
~Author Unknown


I've watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!
~William Wordsworth, "To a Butterfly"


The butterfly's attractiveness derives not only from colors and symmetry: deeper motives contribute to it. We would not think them so beautiful if they did not fly, or if they flew straight and briskly like bees, or if they stung, or above all if they did not enact the perturbing mystery of metamorphosis: the latter assumes in our eyes the value of a badly decoded message, a symbol, a sign.
~Primo Levi


Flowers and butterflies drift in color, illuminating spring.
~Author Unknown


This great purple butterfly,
In the prison of my hands,
Has a learning in his eye
Not a poor fool understands.
~William Butler Yeats, "Another Song of a Fool"


[N]ot quite birds, as they were not quite flowers, mysterious and fascinating as are all indeterminate creatures. 
~Elizabeth Goudge


Know thyself! A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever observes himself arrests his own development. A caterpillar who wanted to know itself well would never become a butterfly. 
~Andre Gide


Do ye not comprehend that we are worms,
Born to bring forth the angelic butterfly
That flieth unto judgment without screen?
~Dante Alighieri


We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
~Author Unknown


The fluttering of a butterfly's wings can effect climate changes on the other side of the planet. 
~Paul Erlich



The paired butterflies are already yellow with August
Over the grass in the West garden;
They hurt me. I grow older.
~Li Po



This magnificent butterfly finds a little heap of dirt and sits still on it; but man will never on his heap of mud keep still.
~Joseph Conrad


Moss covered paths between scarlet peonies,
Pale jade mountains fill your rustic windows.
I envy you, drunk with flowers,
Butterflies swirling in your dreams.
~Ch'ien Ch'i, translated by Kenneth Rexrot


We must remain as close to the flowers, the grass, and the butterflies as the child is who is not yet so much taller than they are. We adults, on the other hand, have outgrown them and have to lower ourselves to stoop down to them. It seems to me that the grass hates us when we confess our love for it. Whoever would partake of all good things must understand how to be small at times.
~Friedrich Nietzsche


We are closer to the ants than to butterflies. Very few people can endure much leisure.
~Gerald Brenan


Nerves and butterflies are fine - they're a physical sign that you're mentally ready and eager. You have to get the butterflies to fly in formation, that's the trick.
~Steve Bull


Grown-ups love figures. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?" Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?" Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943, translated from French



I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.
~Chuang Tzu

OneLove

:::MME:::

Feb 4, 2012

Feb 2, 2012

Fish Head: What's Wrong With Our World?


Why does a person sometimes "perpetrate" good if nobody knows about it?
Well, it's only possible because slumbering inside of you,
However unconsciously, is a kind of...a kind of observer
Who sees everything you do
And what else could it be than eternity, than infinity?
Somethng that surpasses...all conceivable horizons of our conduct..


-Vaclav Havel (from I Am Fishhead)


This excellent documentary delves into the world of  psychopaths --many of whom are celebrities and 'captains of industry' - and in the process, reveals something crucial about ourselves.



Absorb...

OneLove

:::MME:::

The New Corporation

  The New Corporation ​is a 2020 documentary directed by Jennifer Abbott and Joel Bakan, law professor at the University of British Columb...