Black Swan

I NEED to see this movie. It came out today.

Here's the Trailer if you didn't see my post a couple of months ago...

Animated LED CLOCK Unveiled in Tokyo

"Sadly, the centerpieces of many modern shopping centers are stone fountains that hark back to the Roman ages. Lucky for us, there’s one designer out there who is taking this underutilized space to a whole new level. Designed by Hiroshi Yoneya, the Hikari no Tokei Gate is an incredible new LED clock at the Seibu Ikebukuro flagship store in Tokyo, Japan. Far from a mundane time-telling pillar, this awesome design features a full-on animated LED light show."

Read more: Green Interiors | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

POLITICS: NEW FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT

So, the senate has voted on a new Food Safety Act.

Here's the breakdown:

->The FDA would have recall power on tainted goods, but would not be able to sue individual producers for knowingly selling contaminated goods.

->Food producers would have to write safety plans for the government's records, in the case of an outbreak. (I wonder if the FDA will ask for a safety plan before or after a recall...)

Apparently, though, if producers sell directly to the people, they don't have to write a safety plan, because the consumer knows where the products are coming from. 

->The Secretary of Health and Human Services would be required to create a tracing system to identify and stop foodborne illnesses from spreading as efficiently and swiftly as possible.

-> Importers would have to verify goods with U.S. food safety standards.

Do you think the government should have that much foothold in the food industry? Does this affect Taco Bell in anyway? Lol

DOCUMENTARY: MTV's NICKI MINAJ: MY TIME NOW

Nicki Minaj: My Time Now - Celebrity News

Check out this tidbit from Nicki Minaj's MTV documentary: My Time Now. She's a fire-breathing dragon.

CLOTHING: TRUEFACE

Check out my friend and Artist ASA JACKSON, dropping the new site for his clothing line, TRUEFACE!

The Obama Administration: FEDERAL PAY FREEZE?!?!

Is anyone else ALARMED that the Obama Administration is putting a pay freeze on federal employees (Except for the military)? In theory, it's supposed to bring us out of the deficit.  In reality, it brings us one step closer to being a totalitarian militia-state!

The President is now  singing the same tune as his GOP opposition, with talks of "fiscal responsibility," and things of that nature, but all it sounds like is a money hungry, small powerful government that would rather see a pay freeze than a tax cut for the exceedingly wealthy. SMH. That's a mess.

Nukero: The World's ONLY Solar Light Bulb

"The N200 is small, lightweight, and durable, and Nokero describes it as 'humanity’s best chance at ending the dangerous and polluting practice of burning kerosene fuel for lighting.' An astounding quarter of the world’s population still burns fossil fuels for light, resulting in 190 million tons of carbon dioxide being released into the air each year."-InHabitat 

Get a better look...*

*All photos courtesy of InHabitat.com

POWER: Dallas Mavericks?

For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com

This is really funny, in an illuminating kind of way. Hip Hop is the most LUCRATIVE and PERVASIVE industry EVER. Even more so than sports.

Harry Potter: International Cult?

Sitting back in my reclining chair at the movie theaters about a week ago, I started to think about the ritualistic nature of movie-going. We pay too much for the experience; meaning we consider going to the movies a VALUABLE experience.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part One) grossed an obscene amount of money in its opening weekend, and it was only after my friends and I cut a line, that would soon wind around corners of a rather large theater, that I realized how cult-like the whole Harry Potter craze really is.

People (notice how I didn't say children) dressed up as Harry, Ron, and Hermione ALL OVER THE WORLD, clutching books like bibles, reciting spells, waiting for the visual manifestation of an enchanted story. By no means am I religious conservative zealot, or even observing with a critical eye. It just amazes me that words can hold so much power.

Short Film: The Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle from Kevin Parry on Vimeo.

Check out this new Short Film called The Arctic Circle by Kevin Parry and watch what happens to a man who finds a box that can provide him wealth. Film maker Tim Burton is a big fan of the concept.

"Tell me how do you respawn the students?
And refresh the page and restart the memory?
Respark the soul and rebuild the energy?" 
-Kanye West

TRAILER: RED RIDING HOOD (2011)

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE!!! Filled with esoteric imagery and metaphor, lust, and classic lit. Checkout the trailer for RED RIDING HOOD, coming to theaters in 2011! 

ART: ARMSTROCK's "NOCTURNE ON A DRAINPIPE FLUTE"

Infamous street artist Armstruck is back at it again with a new exhibit opening, entitled "NOCTURNE ON A DRAINPIPE FLUTE," in Denmark on December 10th, at Wonderland Art Space in Copenhagen. 

"The best way we can describe Armsrock's work is classical technique thrown through a stream of urban consciousness filter. There will definitely be more of this at Wonderland." -Juxtapoz Magazine

Check it out...*

(This is SO DOPE)

*All images courtesy of Juxtapose Magazine 

New Music: LUCID by Dante Castro

Check out producer Dante Castro's new collection of instrumentals, entitled LUCID, at his site itsfreecandy.com. Just listened to it, and there's nothing else like it right now!!

Check out this instrumental:

Returning To The Place To Be...by Hiromi Uehara

This is AMAZING. Thanks to my friend, RICHIE B.

New Book: Obama's War by Bob Woodward

Journalist Bob Woodward dissects and analyzes the war in Afghanistan and the Obama Administration's approach. From reviews I've read, Woodward is harsh on Obama, depicting the President as a cold, calculating overseer of a somewhat chaotic policy process and explains how Obama came to the decision to use the McChrystal strategy of ending the war.

I take everything with a grain of salt. Though, I agree that President Obama's thought process is very business oriented, I also believe he has a lot on his plate, including the most divided Congress since the Civil War. The War is just a mess that no one can really clean up. Either way, I'm sure it's a worthy read!

The Art of Noise: Framed Speakers

Rebaroque has designed speakers that look like framed wall art. Made out of UPCYCLED vintage frames, these speakers are fly!!! Check out the pictures, courtesy of imhabitat.com.

 

To read more about these speakers visit inhabitat.com

New Movie: Freakanomics (October 2010)

This movie is JUST MY KIND OF THING. If you've read the book, FREAKANOMICS, than you'll be just as excited as I am. Watch the trailer and demand (there's a site to do it) that it come to your city, because it's playing in limited theaters across the country.

Politically Relevant Pop Culture on 90210

Courtesy of Hollywoodlife.com

This episode the CWs 90210 was juicy for all sorts of reasons, but mainly because we got a feel of Teddy's deep-rooted  insecurities about his own sexuality. His outburst of calling his future love interest (that's my prediction) a "faggot" aligns itself with the recent media coverage of homophobic bullying. Hip, hip, hooray to 90210 producers for trying to make the show socially relevant for their teen viewers.

As if that wasn't enough, they also did white America (and, most likely, other minority groups) a favor by very subtly explaining the idea of the "light-skinned" African-American. Tristan Wilds and Evan Ross are not the same kind of "black," and I think the way they introduced Ross' characters race exes out the idea the infamous saying that "all black people look the same." Great episode!

Tristan Wilds

Evan Ross and, mom, Diana Ross