I do not have an iPhone or an Android cellphone, but still there is a lot one can do with cellphones available today. I use my 2-year old Motorola ROKR E6 not just for listening to podcasts, but also to catch up on technical videos (like Google Tech Talks) which are interesting, but too long (~1 hour) to watch them at my desk.
The technical specifications of most cellphones are minimal, but enough:
The display resolution is not high. The E6 display is 240 x 320 pixels. It is pretty crappy for watching movies, but is enough to watch technical videos.
Supports playback of 3GP video format. The E6 supports 3GP video and uses RealPlayer to play .3gp video files. There is no restriction on the length of the videos, which is great! By tapping on the E6 RealPlayer while it is playing a video, the display switches from horizontal to vertical, which is good for videos since it is wider.
Videos cannot be watched off the Internet. The E6 web browser is pretty rudimentary and I doubt it will play any video content on the Internet. I do not care in any case since I do not even have a data plan!
There is support for some kind of storage device. The E6 has a SD card slot, and I currently use a 2GB SD card in it. I can copy over 3GP video files to the E6 over USB. The SD card appears as a simple USB Mass Storage device (thus, no drivers required, works like a charm everywhere).
Working with these minimal specifications, one can still enjoy any video off the Internet on the cellphone.
Download online videos
Get the Video Download Helper Firefox addon. This addon puts a button in the Firefox toolbar. When you are on a webpage which has embedded video content (like YouTube), just click on the button to download the video to a file (typically a FLV file). If you are looking at websites that offer videos in MP4, WMV, MKV or AVI formats, you can just download them directly. None of these formats or their high resolutions can be played on the cellphone, they need to be converted.
Convert videos to 3GP
Videos downloaded from the Internet are unlikely to be in the 3GP format. There are very few programs that can convert any video format you can throw at it into a 3GP file. SUPER is the best I have found for this jpb. The only output container choice which worked consistently on the E6 for me was the 3GP (Nokia/NEC/Siemens) option (see above screenshot).
Once converted to 3GP by SUPER, transfer the file to your cellphone and enjoy it on your commute!
I don’t know how I pulled this one off, but I was lucky enough to see Thom Yorke at The Orpheum this year and it was an experience beyond words. Seing Thom Yorke do his solo stuff with Flea in tow, mind you, was definitely one of the highlights of 2009 for me. The video I have posted is from the show I went to at The Orpheum where Thom sings a song tentatively called “Lotus Flower” or “Moon Upon A Stick”. It is potentially a new Radiohead track which I would like to give you a taste of. Enjoy!
April’s posture of the month is Powerful Pose, also known as Utkatasana or Chair Pose (OOT-kah-TAHS-anna)
*Benefits of this posture include:
Strengthens the ankles, thighs, calves, and spine
Stretches shoulders and chest
Stimulates the abdominal organs, diaphragm, and heart
Reduces flat feet
*Benefits courtesy of Chair Pose on Yoga Journal
I think I still have yet to discover the benefits of powerful pose. I’m quite wobbly when I try to go up on my toes, and only recently have managed to actually bend my knees when in this pose.
I have to remind myself though that you have to learn to walk before you can run, and Powerful Pose is one of those poses for me that helps me remember that. I can’t always rush things (especially not my body when it’s not ready to go there!) and it’s often valuable to take your time and build a foundation for future success (in life and on the mat).
Taking things slowly, building foundations for the future and letting your body be where it’s at are some of the most important lessons I have gained from yoga.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from yoga? What poses do you take slowly?
No sense no style
I said I loved you for a little while
When you cried no
High speed became go slow
Come back this time
Wishful thinking is going to make you mine
Push turns to shove
I got no more room for love
I hope you hear me
I can’t stand you next to me
Get lost goodbye
I’ll smile before you cry I love you baby
Please don’t hate me
You’re feeling a little sad tonight but you’ll be alright
>> I wasn’t able to update my site yesterday, my 2nd update time slots 10:00pm-2:00am PHILIPPINE TIME, which is also the usual time where my eyes are wide open… It’s because of the the stupid blackout in our area that made me unable to stay at my so-called comfort zone…
And it hurts me not to serve those people who always visit my site… But of course, it hurts more knowing that I’m left out with all the news even for a while…
It’s disappointing that I didn’t just missed my habit of updating but also missed a lot of news about Super Junior…. grrrr… Thank goodness, the connection is already fine… And now I’m back!!! Really back!!!
Once upon a time, I went to college. I had a brief—like, one semester, I think—stint doing work-study at the school’s radio station. I mainly did menial tasks—I usually didn’t deejay unless my non-boyfriend needed a substitute. I was, however, introduced to lots of indie and/or weird and/or cool music that I wouldn’t have been otherwise. One of my favorite finds was this version of “Suzy Snowflake” by Soul Coughing. I was randomly reminded of it tonight as I drove home from my parents’ house. It just kind of smells like snow and winter out there.
A YouTube search yielded this freaky animation of what is already kind of a surreal cover. It’s kinda fun. In lieu of actually blogging—’cause I’m tired and my friend Ashley is visiting me from Boston—I present you it. Enjoy!
Wow! This video was recently released and now there is english subbed done by JAMJOOsubs@youtube. Truly amazing,! Thank you so much for subbing the video. Now, we can understand what our girls are saying in this video. Yay! So enjoy this video blackjacks. Hopefully, Kblackjacks are always messaging 2ne1 and they’re so lucky that they can hear 2ne1’s voice 24 hours. How great is that? Maybe the first one was Bom’s cute message heh?
You couldn’t escape Jamie Foxx’s ‘Blame It’ this year and the Oscar winner looks to repeat its success in 2010 with ‘Straight to the Dance Floor,’ another club banger featuring Lil Wayne. The lead single is from Jamie’s fourth album entitled ‘Body’.
Beth of Kitchen Courage was the awesome winner of my second positivity giveaway. As I got to know Beth better through her blog and email correspondence, I stumbled upon my newest (as of yet only in my daydreams) obsession: hooping.
Beth is a hooper! Since I watched her videos and surfed to various hooping community websites, I can’t get enough. Every song that comes on the radio, I imagine myself hooping to it. I daydream that I’m in a field of daisies hooping with butterflies and sunshine and Simon and Garfunkle. I’m hooping in my garage to NIN. I’m hooping at my gym in the studio to Beyonce. I’m hooping (in my head) everywhere! I need a hoop, badly. Hey Beth, any advice on where to get a hoop and what size? I’m just over 5′8″ tall.
And with my first view of a hooping video, I knew the perfect hooping song. Beth has hooped this dream into fruition for me. Beth, I hoop love you! Thank you for this video, I was in tears of joy over your thoughtfulness, and my excitement at the possibility of my own hooping someday.
Be sure to stop by Kitchen Courage for some inspiration in hooping, kitchening, ED fighting, and Jesus!
12/23, 26-27: Two friends of StandUpCincy, Ryan Singer and Dave Waite, are co-headlining Christmas weekend at Go Bananas in Montgomery, OH. To say that we’re excited is a mild understatement. Go check out two of the area’s finest comics, with a host who’s pretty darn funny in her own right, Nickey Winkelman. For those who have been asking, the poster advertising Ryan and Dave’s show was created by a graphic designer (and all-around swell roommate) named Tom Bolton.
12/23: Comedian BT, who regularly appears as part of the S.E.L.L.O.U.T. Tour, headlines The Funny Bone in Newport, KY.
12/26-27: John Rathbone, a veteran comic with no shortage of credits, works this Saturday and Sunday at The Funny Bone in Newport, KY. Here’s a clip of Rathbone’s material about family life.
12/28: Congratulations, you survived Christmas! What better way to celebrate than with an evening of hilarious comedy from the cast of Underbelly? The 2009 Afterbirth Ball brings comedy to Leapin Lizard Gallery in Covington, KY for the first time in the relatively new venue’s short history. It’s an evening of stand-up, sketches and improv with a seasonal twist. Wear your ugliest Christmas sweater and bring your holiday horror stories. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are a measly $7. See you at Leapin Lizard on the Monday after Christmas!
Take a 6 minute tour of the known universe in this video from the American Museum of Natural History. Start on Mt. Everest, and get pulled through the Earth’s atmosphere to glimpse the inky black of space. Then zoom through the solar system and the Milky Way to mysterious quasars and supernovae, all the way back to the to the afterglow of the Big Bang. The Known Universe is based on precise, scientifically-accurate observations and research.”
Alright, so here it is. I have compiled my list of the best music videos of the year. I really did take a lot of time to make this list. The tough part was deciding what distinguishes a GOOD music video. There are some big name stars whos videos have 10 billion views on youtube, then there are the artistic ones that because of their creativity are amazing even if you have never heard of the artist. So i tried to do some of each, and the music itself was the biggest decision as to wether I thought the video was good, so I tried to pick artsy videos that have cool music. I didnt wanna rank em . They are all good.
Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move - Llamas, mountains, weird choreography, and a sick song. One of the best songs of the year in my opinion…the girl can sing.
Kid Cudi, Kanye, Common- Make Her Say – Best editing/cinematography. The balloons, the bleachers, real creative, cool video
Coldplay – Life In Technicolor II – Not my type of music, but original video, had to be on the list.
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance – No Doubt. she was HUGE. Mtv’s Woman of the year….how bout artist of the year? Lots of creepy lady gaga plus some throw back 80’s dance moves makes this one of my top videos of the year. p.s. the weird hand thing she does makes it look likes shes got a strong hand
Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks – Weird Video…but I have a great appreciation for weird and unique. If you do too, watch this. U gotta watch until the end tho. p.s. Shout out to Grizz
Mims – Move (if you wanna) – I like when rappers actually try to make a music video. One of my most played songs of the year.
Yeasayer – Ambling Alp – Award: Weirdest Video of the year. – Really weird but very artistic, every scene could stand alone as a pretty crazy photograph. I really like this video.
Kid Cudi – Day ‘N’ Nite – Award: Rap music video of the year. – So sick. influenced a huge eXplosion of rotoscoping in music videos. Kanye did his whole video redrawn, Cudi combined em. Now everyone is lovin it. F the Crookers remiX.
Animal Collective – My Girls – Award: Artistic Video of the year This is one of my favorite videos of all time. its got some of the sickest effects and u cant help but get sucked into this song. It gets you so pumped. Thanks Brewer
Beyonce – Single Ladies – Award: Video of the Year – I dont even think any one can argue this. BEYONCE HAD ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS OF ALL TIME!! Bet seriously she did. Super simple, super seXy. Everyone and their mother was talking about this video. Sorry but Taylor Swift didnt quite make my cut… (note: ive seen this on different charts counting it as a 2008 video…but others as 2009. It was the biggest video of 2009 wether it came out late 2008 or not)
Honorable Mention: Carl Sagan – A Glorius Dawn’ ft. Stephen Hawking – Who ever can use Stephen Hawkings voice to make a song gets an award in my book.
Many of you will be pleased to know that I’ve decided to bring you only the best in video quality. So from now forth, all youtube hosted trailers and most videos of the week will be in a 700×400 resolution with HD enabled. I really encourage you to watch the videos in HD, so both the quality and sound are improved providing you with the best viewing experience you can have! I’ve made videos which have significantly lower quality, noticeable by their slightly smaller size (560×340), the smaller resolution will improve quality as much as it can. Unfortunately videos hosted outside of youtube will not have the same treatment, but luckily only one video outside of youtube has ever been featured. Aww, don’t I love you guys!
So, here’s a few videos from midnight at the Santa Crawl in downtown Reno.. though very short, I think these capture a lot more of the event and event-goers than the photos did. I was trying to do a newscaster-like narration, which you may be able to tell was somewhat influenced by spirituous liquors. O:)
(haha, gotta love the Blair Witch-like realism, by which I mean out of control camera spinning. I was fearing for my life!)
What a good time.
In other news I kind of want a nicer video camera, but I also already want a lot of other things that have priority.. but someday! When I get the mad $$. Cameras for dayz.
Aurore: One Man’s Sexual Journey Through the Body of Another
Aurore is a hauntingly beautiful, surreal 1-1/2 minute black&white short film by the French filmmaker Jean-Julien Pous, which is part of Louis Vuitton’s Journeys Awards. The films in Louis Vuitton’s series are based upon the theme “What does a journey mean to you?” Aurore tells the story of a man who travels through his senses, and through the other’s body, in a process of self-discovery becomes aware of his own.
Aurore: One Man’s Sexual Journey Through the Body of Another
The National Institute of Health (NIH) just released the Fall, 2009 Celiac Disease E-Newsletter and in it is the following article that seriously makes me shudder over the food we put into our bodies and the effect it is having on the human body: obesity, diabetes (among many others) and now possibly even celiac disease?
Research studies in the United States and Europe show that celiac disease is significantly more common now than it was a few generations ago. Recent research by Joseph Murray, M.D., professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and colleagues shows that this shift reflects an actual increase in prevalence, not merely a new awareness of the disease and more accurate diagnostic tools. Murray and colleagues’ research—reported briefly in the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Celiac Disease News—compared blood samples collected 50 years ago from more than 9,000 young adults, mostly men, at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming with current samples from age-matched men. The investigators found that celiac disease is four times more common today than a half-century ago. The increase cannot be a result of changes in the genetic factors that underlie celiac disease, Murray explained. “Of course, human genetics will change in response to the environment, but that change is extremely slow. It’s far more probable that the increase is due to an environmental change, and the most likely factor is a change involving the grain in our diets,” Murray said. “Consumption of wheat has increased steadily over the past 50 years, but it still is less than what it was a century ago, so the issue is not simple consumption,” Murray noted. “It more likely involves the wheat itself, which has undergone extensive hybridization as a crop and undergoes dramatic changes during processing that involves oxidizers, new methods of yeasting, and other chemical processes. We have no idea what effect these changes may have on the immune system.”
A second environmental factor that may be contributing to the increase in celiac disease is what is known as the “hygiene hypothesis,” explained Murray. This theory proposes that the developing immune system has to be stimulated by exposure to infectious agents, bacteria, or parasites in order to develop properly. An increasingly clean environment reduces the number of factors that challenge and stimulate the developing immune system, making infants and children more susceptible to immune disorders and allergic diseases. The hygiene hypothesis may account, in part, for the increases observed not only in celiac disease, but in other allergies and immune disorders. “Diet and hygiene both may play a role in the increase. There no doubt are multiple environmental factors that interact to trigger the onset in people who are genetically predisposed,” Murray said. “The increasing prevalence makes it more important that health care providers and patients are alert to the possibility of celiac disease.”
Check out this video clip from the film Food, Inc.; while it is not about celiac disease, it does give some rather disturbing “food for thought.”
Makes ya wonder huh? I cannot recommend this film enough. Mike and I watched it a few weeks ago and I have not looked at the food in the grocery store the same since!
If i were to describe the Siren performance in 1 word, i would have to say… PERFECT. Yeah. I just love everything in this perf! It’s my favorite so far. & i just love the fact that he keeps getting better with every performance. He’s doing it with ease now! …..like he never stopped dancing. XD~
If you think about it, nothing really complicated about the choreography, it looks simple… but neat. Jiwon didn’t even need to have a headset on, he can still sing/rap and dance while holding a mic.
Black jumpsuit + neon green patches + cap + swarovski crystals + Jiwon = hotness.
We can’t do anything else all day but listen to this song by The Queen again and again. The remix is absolute ecstasy. Today, we’re taking a break…will you allow us a day of orgasms?
Nah, just kidding…we’re working on our Website in which we’ll launch our downloadable Gay Travel Guides in PDF format. We can just tell you that you’ll have another orgasm when you see how it’s coming… (no pun intended…). As Ale would say: it’s looking damn fine!
Okay this is the last of my updates because I have to go beat someone up for being stupid. (ok, you know I’m not for real, but I’m really gonna give someone a piece of my mind for being stupid) So because I’m in a rush, I’m gonna do something I hate and copy and paste… >.> Thanks to AKP!
Alcoholics Shi Dae…?
So after the >>Golden Disk Awards<<, this is how SNSD and Super Junior celebrated
SM Entertainment groups Super Junior and Girls’ Generation / SNSD, who recently collaborated for Seoul Song got together recently and celebrated after a successful evening for both parties at the 2009 Golden Disk Awards. Super Junior won the award for Disk Daesang while SNSD won the award for Digital Daesang.
After the award show, the two groups took off their makeup, wore casual clothing and showed up at a Korean BBQ Galbee 2 story restaurant in the Gangnam district of Seoul. About 50 total people showed up and they reserved the whole 2nd floor to themselves. There was a lot of crying and hugging between the two groups as they showed a brother-sister type bond at the late-night meal celebration.
Usually there would be a lot of alcohol with soju, beer, and wine served for such an occasion, but because of the combination of the Kangin incident, under-aged members, and Super Junior having to get ready for a concert in Naning, China on December 12th, they decided to do cheers with regular soda drinks instead. The total bill for the food totaled around $1400. SM representative Kim Young Min along with TVXQ member Yunho also joined in on the festivities and congratulated both groups. Fans of both groups waited until 3AM at the entrance of the restaurant to get a glimpse of their idols. Because of the dedication shown by these fans, some Super Junior members went out to greet them, give handshakes, and autographs.
So speaking of GDA… Let’s look at some PDA! thanks to Aien unni!
I like how Jessi always holds hands with everyone else but interlocks her fingers with Tiff heheh
Rihanna marches to the beat of her own drum in the Melina-directed video for “Hard” featuring Young Jeezy. She describes the concept as “couture military.” Watch a 25-second preview before the full video premieres Thursday at 4 p.m. EST on MTV.
So Nyeo Shi Dae member TaeYeon and Super Junior member Kim HeeChul were seen in a long hug during Golden Disk Award on 10th December.
And their hug has been the hot issue amongst fans and netizens online. Go under the cut to find out more.
CREDIT: galio09
While there are fans from both groups who are angry at the hug, there are some rational-minded netizens who thought that it was just a hug of friendship and fans are getting on the jealous side a little too quickly.
The famous ‘taking care of Taengoo’ case:
CREDIT: gianbok@youtube
FROM: sookyeong@wordpress
>>I think it’s romantic and so sweet of them… But of course, let’s not take it seriously… I think it’s really just friendship…<<
This ‘Dove Film’ is meant to show the pressures on young girls/women to fit that thin, big breasted, hot stereotype. Everywhere you look, you see these images and it definitely has an affect on our youth.
This video is excellent in many respects. The content, images, and clips are right on. The music and sound effects are great. The transitions and timing are excellent. They made me uncomfortable but not uncomfortable-enough to stop watching. The first time I watched the video, I remembered the goal and the organization. Well done.
Kudos to all involved in this film…
Thank you to The Dove Self-Esteem Fund but we need this in the United States also!
Stopmotion is SOOO COOL!!! I have always loved watching stopmotion videos, so i thought i would try one for fun. I started taking a few pictures and before I knew it i was jumping off of the furniture taking pictures in midair. Then I was making a stopmotion music video. It took so long to take the pictures, and so long to edit, but the result is amazing. I must say it is the best video I have made yet. I watched it 5 times just now and it is still awesome!
The song in the video is PHamous by The Midi Mafia (http://www.themidimafia.com) I heard it in mysteryguitarman and shaycarl’s flash mob at Planet Hollywood video on youtube, and thought it was an awesome song, so i downloaded it for free at their website. It is such an awesome song with the coolest beat that I couldn’t use any other song for this video. I sent them an email asking them permission to use their song, but i won’t be making any money of it and i don’t think they’ll mind so much so i am going to upload the video before they email me back. I am extremely impressed with my mad skills!
Anyways, head over to http://www.youtube.com/steven22yx4 and subscribe to see the video when it is uploaded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this video. My daughter sent it to me. A hospital created the video to raise awareness of breast cancer. Caleb loves this video because everyone is dancing around and the scenes change so much. We had to watch it over and over and during the 8th time he fell asleep in my lap. When he woke up an hour later he took me by the hand and led me to the computer to play it again. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
The moral dilemma most often thrust in the face of those who oppose war goes something like this: What would you do if the lives of your loved ones were being threatened right in front of you? Would you not grab any weapon available in order to protect them? So why not fight to defend your country?
National Book Award-winning poet and World War II conscientious objector William Stafford (1914-1993) wrote in his journal: “The question, ‘Wouldn’t you fight for your country?’ begs the real question which is, ‘What is the best way to behave here and now to serve your country?’ So the real answer would be, ‘If it was the right thing to do, I would fight for my country. Now let’s talk about, what is the right thing to do?’ ”
This was one of the quandaries I discussed recently on the phone with Haydn Reiss, producer and director of Every War Has Two Losers: A Poet’s Meditation on Peace, a thoughtful and beautifully crafted documentary based on the writings of Stafford, and Rumi: Poet of the Heart, a previous work about the life of the Sufi mystic poet. Both films feature comments from a number of well-known poets, writers, and thinkers, including Robert Bly, Coleman Barks, Michael Meade, Alice Walker, Huston Smith and Deepak Chopra.
Reiss, a self-confessed “producer for hire,” has been involved in a range of visual media from Hollywood features (JFK and Jacob’s Ladder) to TV shows, but it is obvious his real passion lies in his work about these two poetic masters, separated in time by more than 700 years, and the potential of their words to move the hearts and minds of men away from conflict.
Reiss believes Stafford, like many of his fellow conscientious objectors, was no starry-eyed idealist. He accepted that conflict is always a possibility in the course of human affairs, says Reiss. But Stafford didn’t believe war was inevitable or even advisable. In Stafford’s view the consequences of war are rarely, if ever, beneficial to humanity. He encouraged everyone to consider the motives of those who urge us to war before getting caught up in the fever of victory. “How do we know war is the answer?” asks Stafford in his journal. “How can there be a nation we don’t like? That’s a fiction put onto a million different people. It has been created by interests you might well do to analyze.”
“It would be very satisfying to think,” says Reiss in an interview on the film’s website, “that after viewing the film you would ask yourself, at a deep level, what you really believe about war. And the follow-up question of ‘How did I come to believe that?’ ”
“I think we have been very successfully indoctrinated into accepting that war is a given, it’s what human beings do,” Reiss continues. “The distinction is, and I think this is what Stafford is saying, is ‘Yes, we do and can make war. But what else can we do?’ The undiscovered possibilities in human behavior are what we should pursue. The die is not cast; imagination and creativity are not in short supply. That this is the real, pragmatic work of the world.”
We live in such a culture of violence that sometimes it is hard to imagine how the actions or words of one person can be heard above all the clatter. Stafford believed peace is achieved gradually, created one person, one small step at a time. “Artists and peacemakers are in it for the long haul,” Stafford writes in his journal. “Redemption comes with care. Here’s how to count the people who are ready to do right: 1 . . . 1. . . 1.”
His chosen medium was poetry. In a poem entitled “A Ritual to Read to Each Other,” composed in Iowa City on June 23, 1953, he wrote:
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give—yes or no, or maybe—
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
In Every War Has Two Losers, Stafford’s friend Michael Meade comments, “Something very deep in the human heart wants beauty, love, and relatedness more than it wants destruction, war and violence.” This theme is further explored in Rumi: Poet of the Heart, a tender and insightful portrayal of the life and work of Sufism’s most cherished poet. Reiss is a big believer in the power of poetry to take us to deeper understanding. “It’s alchemical,” he tells me, and quotes from William Blake’s poem “Jerusalem”: “I give you the end of a golden string, only wind it in a ball, it will lead in at Heaven’s gate built in Jerusalem’s wall,” a theme I discovered Stafford often used in his lectures. “Poetry can take us to a place where nations and newspapers are not so important as what is happening out in the fields and the birds and the wind,” says poet Coleman Barks in the film. His soulful translations of Rumi’s poems have made them famous worldwide. Deepak Chopra suggests that if more poetry was read to children we could substantially change the world for the better.
Stafford wrote a poem a day after rising before dawn and spending time in contemplation and reflection. “I have an appetite for finding the perfect language to describe the experience of life you’re having right now,” he once said. “Every now and then I break off a piece of that and call it a poem.” Rumi poured out thousands of lines of exquisite verse as he struggled to deal with the devastating loss of his friend and mentor, Shams of Tabriz.
“Rumi’s poetry emerged from grief, which we do our utmost to avoid,” comments Robert Bly when interviewed. It is as if his heart, in being broken open, became a container for an immense divine love. “I am so small I can barely be seen,” wrote Rumi. “How can this great love be inside of me?”
Rumi’s message of love described by Rumi: Poet of the Heart is so profound and essential it has the power to touch the soul within each of us. “Everyone loves Rumi. He has no enemies,” someone comments in Reiss’s film. “I fly with Rumi. I forget I am on the earth,” says another. It is a wonderful and revealing irony that in this time of widespread “Islamophobia,” Rumi, an Islamic mystic, should be the best-selling poet in America. He touches a universal nerve. The lesson to learn is this: if we can reach into our hearts and see the world through the eyes of a poet like Rumi, we can form bonds that unite us, whatever our culture or religion. Peace is the natural by-product of this experience. War, on the other hand, thrives on fear and division. “If loving everyone is too much to ask,” says Reiss, paraphrasing Kurt Vonnegut, “at least we should respect each other and maybe occasionally it will turn into love.”
“Love is the religion. The universe is the book,” says Coleman Barks, quoting a Sufi master. Stafford wrote on behalf of “the unknown good in our enemies,” comments one of his friends in the film.
Can the actions of one individual or a few well-chosen words really make a difference in this large chaotic world? Reiss believes so. On the website for Every War has Two Losers, he includes this quote from Stafford: “Every thought re-orders the universe.” And at the end of our conversation, he passes on this gem of wisdom from folksinger Pete Seeger. Seeger would say that life is like a seesaw and each of us is a grain of sand. It’s important which side of the seesaw you put your grain of sand. You never know which grain will be the one that tips it in the right direction.
Haydn Reiss will be visiting Iowa in spring 2010. Watch for upcoming announcements of his talk and film screenings.
To read more of William Stafford’s writings visit http://williamstaffordarchives.org/.
Tony Ellis is a Fairfield-based writer and poet. He blogs regularly at www.iowasource.com. To read more of his work, visit www.tonyellis.com. This article appears as the cover story of the December 2009 issue.
New DVD/CD “Living In a Dream” from the downhome greatness of the Arcangels. The lads (Doyle Bramhall II, Charlie Sexton, Chris Layton, and Tommy Shannon) have reunited for another go…check the info below.
Nearly eight years after headlining the Austin City Limits Festival, the Arcangels have reunited and released Arcangels: Living in a Dream, a DVD/CD featuring their Live at Stubbs performance along with three new studio tracks and a full length Documentary.
Formed in the musical hotbed of Austin , Texas , the Arcangels consist of some of the finest musical talents to ever play an instrument. With a devoted fan base, the Arcangels are known as a tremendous band with an equally remarkable story that began in 1992, after the devastating loss of their friend and fellow musician Stevie Ray Vaughan. The miracle that came from that loss was the unique sound of four musicians aptly named – the Arcangels: drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon (the veteran rhythm section of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble) coupled with musical wonders Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II sharing lead vocal and lead guitar duties. The current band lineup consists of original members Bramhall, Sexton and Layton .
“Charlie and I started to write together again and decided that we should get the band back together. The chemistry that we all have together is one entity and it’s something very real. It’s fun,” said Bramhall. “We’re trying to take advantage and savor the good things and one of the good things is the Arcangels,” added Charlie Sexton.
March 2009 marked the introduction of the band’s new music and live tour launching at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin , TX . Next they opened for Eric Clapton on his European tour before embarking on their own U.S. tour during the summer. “The stars kind of aligned once again. The band’s back together and we’re doing some new things,” said Layton .
The past few months on the road have only reaffirmed the band’s strong bond and collective passion for music. The Arcangels are back and here to stay. The release of their new DVD/CD gives fans an all access look at the long road of hardships and challenges that the band has overcome to become the heralded Arcangels.
Click here to check the new video for “Living In a Dream”
Click here to check more vids and interviews on their MySpace
I just started this video diary feature, and already I’m breaking my own rules. This one’s 40 seconds. That’s TWICE as long as I advertised! Oh well, this one is worth it, I think– an oldie but a goodie.
I shot this video when the 6 year old was 11 months old. At the time, we had a black cat named Sam who was, frankly, pretty bad ass. The baby loved to interact with him, and Sam was surprisingly tolerant, although he always looked super pissed. The day of this video the baby had a helium balloon with a long, long ribbon, reachable from the floor (the baby was only crawling at this point). The cat decided that he really enjoyed playing with said ribbon. And so ensued Cat vs. Baby: Balloon Wars.
In spite of the fact that they are essentially fighting over one balloon ribbon, you’ll notice that they are both quite the gentlemen in sharing the toy.
“The Spirit, which is a vibrant thing, which is the source, which is the controlling… This dormant force, if somehow becomes enlightened, and our attention becomes enlightened. We become a different person. We become a yogi; we become a person who is united with God… When you become compassion, when you become love… you just become. It just flows, the compassion flows… You just become. “
El segundo post en español, y ya estamos cargados de vulgaridades, hahaha. No, bueno… en mis momentos de ocio del día de hoy y mientras le daba terapia de recuperación a mi prima querida por haber echado tijeras con su galán, localizé gracias a ella una serie de videos tremendamente vulgares, pero divertidos… así que vos lector o lectora, sós de aquellos que no aguantan malas pasadas, no lo veáis! Y si sí… a divertirse se ha dicho! Haha… un saludos a todos y este post va dedicado a mi prima querida. No se pierdan!!!
NOTA: Es una parodia del famoso videojuego The Legend Of Zelda.
…My blog’s new feature: video blogging. AKA “vlogging”.
How exceedingly nerdy is that?!
I had an absolute blast making it. And hopefully someday soon, I’ll find something of worth to talk about for Vol. 2.
Also, I really should add some music. But I’m not really good at finding funny, fitting soundtracks. Nothing came to mind for this one. Except for possibly, “Shut Up Already!”
I don’t think that’s actually a song title. Who knows? The musical side of my brain hasn’t really been introduced to the talking side, so I stink at picking out songs to match what I say. (Did that make sense? Aside from the fact that I’m getting a little redundant here?)
Okay. Watch if you dare.
WARNING: Excessive amounts of incoherent babbling ahead.
Kyuhyun: (sings Geng’s “Zhi Shao Hai You Ni” line, PERFECTLY imitating Geng’s tendency to sharp all his notes and fail spectacularly at breathing, dead, Kyuhyun is such a brat) Zhou Mi: [cracking up] Geng: That was a little too much, wasn’t it? Zhou Mi: But the spirit was there, the spirit!
(Upcoming Events) Geng: Well, everything’s still in the planning stages, it’s not confirmed that we will be acting in a TV series, but – Henry: Shhh shh shh. Geng: Yeah. But the company is looking at scripts that are suited to the seven of us, so that we might film a TV drama. We don’t know if but really hope that one will be specifically written for all seven of us.
Geng: We hope that someday we might be able to go to Singapore and meet with all of you– Zhou Mi: After we finish recording the first thing we’ll do is tell our manager that we wanted to go to Singapore. Wait for us!
Reporter: So Super Junior M has Korean members and Chinese members – Geng: — and a Canadian member! Reporter: So do you think that, in terms of music, there are different elements and combinations to be had there? Ryeowook: I think that the language difference… for example, we [SJ] released a Korean version of “U” in Korea, and then we [SJM] sang a Chinese version for our first album… this was in order for both Korean and Chinese fans to sort of become one group. [Note that I'm translating off subtitles, which are clearly not entirely comprehensive becaues Ryeowook mentioned "Super Girl" at one point and they didn't mention it]
Reporter: Do they find Chinese songs difficult to sing? Kyuhyun: The album was recorded in Chinese, and we had to do activities in China, but even though our Chinese isn’t very good, we had to [at least] pronounce it well for the recording. We’re in the middle of studiously improving our Chinese right now.
[Zhou Mi Talks About His Contributions (i.e. lyrics) to the Album] Zhou Mi: When I heard the “Ai Qing Jie Li” demo for the first time, I thought that this was a song that I could write lyrics to. There’s a very cute melody, and I thought I’d write into a very… sunshine-y, romantic love song. And I don’t have much experience in relationships, so most of my outlook towards feelings is made up of hopes and wishes, and I just write those ideas into my lyrics.
[Do the band members fight/argue?] Geng: We don’t fight often, we really don’t. Zhou Mi: *laughing throughout* Geng: It’s mostly because when we’re at home, we mostly keep to ourselves — that side [gestures vaguely at Kyuhyun] plays games, that one [Siwon] reads, watches TV, or a group of us will play [tiqiu]*, so we don’t really fight at all.
*I have no idea what he’s saying here, actually. He may be talking about the Wii because he starts doing the Wiimote thing with his hands XD
Reporter: So no misunderstandings arise because of the language barrier? Geng: Oh, no. Zhou Mi: We all just speak Korean, because most of the members speak Korean. So for the sake of communicating smoothly we all just speak Korean most of the time. Geng: Yeah, and Zhou Mi, Henry, and I always speak Korean to them… and sometimes without realizing it we talk to EACH OTHER in Korean. Henry: When Han Geng is really mad sometimes he just switches over to Korean Geng: Haha, yeah.
Alicia Keys speaks about working with the other Carter on “Put It in a Love Song,” their collaboration from The Element of Freedom (Dec. 15).
Alicia and Beyoncé actually recorded the song together in the studio. “Working with Bey was very fantastic and the song that we have together is very crazy,” the “Superwoman” tells BET. “We just had a party in the studio. It was such a genuine energy. We just clicked. It was unforgettable.”
Alicia Keys is the latest artist to suffer an album leak.
I’m a big fan of YouTube. I watch a little bit of everything, from old news broadcasts, silly videos, music videos, how-to videos, it’s all great- and free. YouTube also has tons of different workout videos. Just little tutorials for anyone form beginner to advanced. I like to watch them to get new ideas for my classes, but if you’re not willing to fork over the cash fro Pilates lessons or classes, you can explore the exercises with the free videos!
Some of the instructors are corny and not professional, but you can find pretty good ones too! Some people create playlists on YouTube that walk you through an entire routine, like this one for beginners.
I think this video does a great job explaining and cueing the Pilates 100, one of the fundamental moves in a mat routine- give it a try!
Last night in Paris, Sonia Rykiel let the world know, a fashion show isn’t just models walking down the runway. Yesterday the Sonia Rykiel for H&M lingerie collection debuted at the Grand Palais in Paris. More like a parade, than a fashion show, models were pulled out on decorated floats, dancing and posing. I love the energy of the show and models! After the show was over, the ropes were let down and the “runway” turned into a dance floor. Below are some pieces from the collection, which is set to hit stores December 4th.
more about “Yet another naked fur protest“, posted with vodpod
For the record, I love pouring buckets of blood on shivering naked girls as much as anyone else does. But these naked anti-fur protests are getting played out. Yes, it gets you some press, but it’s been done for years and so far the gain for animal welfare has been slim to nil. Read more
Can’t we all just go back to getting naked for fun and/or money?
The good folks over at Creative Loafing have put together an article and posted a video on a new album coming out called She The Hard Way. The 5 emcees that are coming together for this project? StaHHr (formerly StaHHr tha F.E.M.C.E.E.), Khalilah Ali, Rita J, Boog Brown and Sa-Roc. The Producer? Sol Messiah.
12/23, 26-27: Two friends of StandUpCincy, Ryan Singer and Dave Waite, are co-headlining Christmas weekend at Go Bananas in Montgomery, OH. To say that we’re excited is a mild understatement. Go check out two of the area’s finest comics, with a host who’s pretty darn funny in her own right, Nickey Winkelman. For those who have been asking, the poster advertising Ryan and Dave’s show was created by a graphic designer (and all-around swell roommate) named Tom Bolton.
Alcoholics Shi Dae…?
thanks to Aien unni!
Rock God Cred Report:
