E-FACTS: The official blog of pro-art

Reblog: As Promised, Pure Hip Hop!

2010-09-02T14:18:00.004-04:00

Here is the follow-up post aka final product of Philms' work with Phene. Its already in circulation on your favorite one-stop hip-hop spots (onsmash, etc.) Best work I've seen so far from the homie Steve. Really loved the ol skool emphasis in this vid. Shouts to Phene and DJ Dub Floyd

via Stephenphilms.com

------------------------------------------------------

After doing a radio interview at 93.1FM in North Georgia, the High Off Life fam stopped by The Boiler Room, where Dub Floyd creates all of his magic. While vibing to a collection of Pete Rock instrumentals, we made the most of the moment & we filmed a tribute video. Completely unscripted, fun hip-hop.

ReBlog: Pure Hip Hop, Phene & DJ Dub Floyd Tribute to Pete Rock (Preview)

2010-09-02T14:13:00.002-04:00

via the bossman Stephen Philms at stephenphilms.com

---------------------------------------------------

After doing a radio interview at 93.1FM in North Georgia, the High Off Life fam stopped by The Boiler Room, where Dub Floyd creates all of his magic. While vibing to a collection of Pete Rock instrumentals, we made the most of the moment & we filmed a tribute video. Completely unscripted, fun hip-hop. Phene on the rhymes, Dub Floyd on the 1s & 2s and Yours Truly on the visuals… The full video is coming soon….below is some Behind The Scenes footage of Dub Floyd tearing up the turntables.....by the way, the behind the scenes footage was shot on my new HTC EVO! PRETTY DOPE!

DJ Dub Floyd & Stephen Philms Behind the Scenes from Stephen Philms on Vimeo.

Fantasy football...its kind of a big deal

2010-08-27T01:10:00.002-04:00

*waits for the commish to send league invites...*

Sampling Samples!

2010-08-26T23:57:00.006-04:00

Wassup world?! I must admit, I've been itching to blog this entry...so it deserves the background story. Bear with me, won't take long at all...

So I'm riding with L a few weeks back and I hear the new Jazmine Sullivan single and in my mind I'm like "Ok, this is some DJ blending, right?!" WRONG! That dope ass beat is the actual track! Its a mix of "Affirmative action" by The Firm, "Impeach the President" by the Honeydrippers (The first group is a gimme, the second one...not so much), and a few others I'm not too familiar with. The song is old news sure...HOWEVER it prompted a very interesting thought...

Here's the track btw...

...ok now back to the blog

Ever wonder why some hip-hop tracks are almost nostalgic from the very first time you hear them??? There are some tracks that just "get you" and then some that are "....meh" Well I've had an epiphany of sorts...Alot of these tracks stick to us immediately simply because its NOT the first time we've heard them. In fact, we probably heard them years ago as fetuses in our mom's wombs. Hip-hop is the perfect blend of samples of multiple genres; namely jazz, blues, funk, and of course, rock-n-roll. You name the track, no matter what genre: It's been sampled. "Top Billin'" for instance, a personal favorite, is a drum beat sample from a popular rock song that was accidentally recorded backwards, thus that particularly unique and distinguishable arrangement. So in all likelihood, I heard that track, as a rock song, multiple times while just chillin in my moms stomach and ultimately when I heard it as a young boy in its alternate and re-arranged form (aka a hip-hop track) it struck me like lightning. Simple.

But hey...dont take my word for it. I've spent X amount of hours just googling away every hit/classic hip-hop song I could think of and checking for the samples, if any. And boy oh boy....this list.....this list is LONG! Enjoy the music!

Boadicea - Enya => Ready or Not - The Fugees

Fun - Brick => Put it in your mouth - Akinyele; Video - India Arie (Props to Ms. Arie for tryin to 'clean up' that track lol)

Innocent 'til Proven Guilty - Honey Cone => Testify - Common

You Can't Turn Me Away - Sylvia Striplin => Get Money - Junior M.A.F.I.A.

There's Nothing in This World That Can Stop Me From Loving You - Tom Brock => Girls Girls Girls - Jay-Z

Through The Fire - Chaka Khan => Through The Wire - Kanye West

I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over - David Porter (4:45) => Who Shot Ya? - Notorious B.I.G.

The Edge - David McCallum => Next Episode - Dr Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Kurrupt, and Nate Dogg

Darkest Light - Lafayette Afro Rock Band => Show me what you got - Jay-Z

In The Space - Janko Nilovic & Dave Sucky => D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune) - Jay-Z

Spirit in the Dark - Aretha Franklin => School Spirit - Kanye West

Mother Nature - Albert Jones => Be (Intro) - Common

Distant Lover (live) - Marvin Gaye => Spaceship - Kanye West

Why You Treat Me So Bad - Club Nouveau => I Got 5 On It - Luniz; Satisfy You - Puffy feat R. Kelly (The intro to this track is SOOOO familiar...can't remember where I've heard it though...smh)

Never Gonna Stop - Linda Clifford => Street Dreams - Nas; All Eyez On Me - 2Pac

Space Dust - The Galactic Force Band => I wanna Rock - Snoop Dogg

Inside You - Eddie Henderson => Coming of Age - Jay-Z feat. Memph Bleek

Love On a Two Way Street - The Moments => Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

Holy Thursday - David Axelrod => Dr. Carter - Lil' Wayne

Pigs Go Home - Ronald Stein => Guilty Conscience - Eminem ft. Dr. Dre

We're in love - Ruben Wilson => Memory Lane (Sittin in da park) - Nas

Excerpt from 'Smilin' Billy Suite' - The Heath Bros => One Love - Nas

Islands in the Stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton => Ghetto Superstar - Pras ft. Mya and O.D.B.

Footsteps in the dark - Iseley Bros => It was a good day - Ice Cube

I want do something freaky to you - Leon Haywood => Nothin But a G Thang - Dr Dre

Rise - Herb Alpert => Hypnotize - Notorious B.I.G.

I Cant Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles => Can't Stand the Rain - Missy Elliot

Sweet Green Fields - Seals and Crofts => Put Your Hands where my Eyes can see - Busta Rhymes

Daydreaming in blue - I Monster => Daydream - Lupe Fiasco ft. Jill Scott

Are You My Woman - The Chi-lites => Crazy in Love - Beyonce ft. Jay-Z

Ready or Not - Delphonics => Ready or Not - The Fugees (the other song used to sample at top of page)

Today - Tom Scott (1:39) => T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You) - Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Summer Madness - Kool and the Gang => Summer Time - DJ Jazzy Jeff ft. Will Smith

Aint no love in the heart of the city - Bobby Bland => Aint no love - Jay-Z

A Little Bit of Love - Brenda Russell => Still not a Playa - Big Pun ft. Joe

Memory Band - Rotary Connection => Killin Me Softly - The Fugees; Benita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest

Talkin Heads - Sugar on My Tongue (3:15 mark forward) => Sugar Gimme Some - Trick Daddy ft. Ludacris, Ceelo, and Lil Kim

Prove My Love to You - Main Ingredient => You Dont Know my Name - Alicia Keys

Open Your Eyes - Bobby Caldwell => The Light - Common

Bolero Medley - Celeste Legaspi => Kick, Push - Lupe Fiasco

I'm Glad You're Mine - Al Green => Dead Wrong - Notorious B.I.G. ft. Eminem

A House is Not a Home - Luther Vandross => Slow Jamz - Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx

Khusara Khusara - Hossam Ramzy & His Egyptian Ensemble => Big Pimpin' - Jay-Z ft. UGK

Impeach The President - Roy C & The Honey Drippers => Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes; LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl; Nas - I Can; Audio Two - Top Billin'; Big Daddy Kane - Smooth Operator; Shabba Ranks - Mr. Loverman

Ooh Boy - Rose Royce => Luv Me, Luv Me - Shaggy ft Janet Jackson (Note: the beat above is ALSO sampled in..crazy)

I'm Not to Blame - Bobby Byrd => You Don't Know - Jay-Z

I Get High - Freda Payne => Good Times (I get high) - Styles P

Straight to Hell - The Clash => Paper Planes - M.I.A.; Swagger like us - T.I. ft. Kanye West and Jay-Z (A sample within a sample...Inception for music!)

I Can't See Myself Without You - Creative Source(check the hook)=> What We Do - Freeway ft. Beanie Sigel & Jay-Z

Sinnerman - Nina Simone (4:48 mark forward) => Get by - Talib Kwali

Shape of My Heart - Sting => The Message - Nas; Break You Off - The Roots ft. Musiq

And SSSOOOOOO much more...I may add a few here and there. I'm done for now though...whew

ALOT has been going on

2010-08-26T00:44:00.008-04:00

Work...work...work. But I'll post more about that later on. For now, I'll play catch-up as best I can. Alot has been going on in music, entertainment, sports, politics, etc...the end of the summer has been pretty interesting to say the least. I'll dibble and dabble in particular topics as the days go by. But for now, I wanted to share, hands down, the best trailer of the summer. (Yes, even better than the one for Inception...which is STILL trending on twitter btw). If this movie sucks, what a waste of a story that would be. Ambition and talent are always welcomed here at pro-art and I personally believe in great risk/reward so I really dig the story. Btw, damn good selection for the trailer's score... intense, dramatic, plus a nice twist with the choir-medley-based cover.

Que Thom Yorke's "Ruuuuuu-uuuuuuuuu-uunnnn....Ruuuuuuu-uuuuu-uuuuu-uuunnnnnn"

ABOUT

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications. From director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin comes The Social Network, a film that proves you don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, and Ceán Chaffin and based on the book "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich

2010-08-20T23:56:00.001-04:00

No reliable internet access (nor acces point...smh) for about 5 weeks now...finally got it back! updates coming soon!

Real talk: Dan Gilbert vs Lebron James vs Jesse Jackson

2010-07-17T14:09:00.004-04:00

Bomani Jones hit the nail on the head on this one...I shared the exact same thoughts when the story went viral/global

Pro-art presents "The Cut" (cover and info)

2010-07-17T12:37:00.004-04:00

Steve and I have been cooking up some heat for a few week now. Granted a 9-5 slows down the creative and ambitous processes required, we are making strides in gathering a plethora of different indie artists and genres of what we feel is unquestionably DOPE! Be on the lookout for it because this will be one of the best non-mixed (DJ-wise), but mixed (genre, styles, and artist-wise) you will have ever heard!

Shouts to the lil bro Laurence for the album art

Re-Blog: Phene "Writing on the Wall" Official Music Video (Shout out to the 717!!)

2010-07-17T12:13:00.009-04:00

"Waddup Waddup!"

Sup everyone? Its been a MINUTE...I got a job a few weeks ago and I've been grinding 6 days a week ever since. Out the door around 8 every morning and I get back in after 10 every night. More details on that later though...

This entry is about my dudes Steve and Phene and the video they shot up in York City, Pennsylvania. I'm STILL kinda upset that I could't go...next time fellas!

Via Stephenphilms.com

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Central PA with Phene to shoot a few music videos and get some documentary footage. What makes this so significant is that its the first official video he's been able to shoot that showcases where he's from. This video is really like a yearbook and a who's who of those from his city. I had a great time meeting new people, the city really showed us some great love. So here it is, Phene "Writing on the Wall." Enjoy.

His project "God on a Greyhound" is due out in September.

S.Philms
PEACE

Eyes on Talent: pro-art prospects (vol. 1)

2010-06-22T22:59:00.012-04:00

Shout out to aaiiman of deviantArt for the graphic

Welcome to the first installment of "Eyes on Talent: pro-art propspects." Our aim here at pro-art is simple: aspire to inspire. All forms of art are forms of expression and art is most influential when its aimed to inspire others to do something. In these segments, I will provide some form of art; music, fashion, graphics, etc, that I feel are representative of what it means to be pro-art

In this first segment, we start off with two singers (Everyone else featured in the vids were pretty good. Shouts to them and I hope they keep up the good work. I haven't gotten a chance to go through all of their music, however, Jasmine is the sister of a pretty talented guy who performed with a guy who was on American Idol...just sayin lol)

Kris Collins(featured guy in both vids):
http://www.youtube.com/user/skuby08
http://twitter.com/kriswak

Joelle James(Blondie on the right in the second):
http://twitter.com/joellejames
http://www.youtube.com/joellejames
http://www.myspace.com/officialjoellejames

Major Lazer's "Guide to Daggering"

2010-06-19T01:31:00.003-04:00

Been there, done that. But one day...I'm going to do the 'Jump Off.' The crew can hold me to that.

Artest's post-game interview

2010-06-18T17:56:00.001-04:00

Ron Artest at his best...lol

"Keep it Classic" - Wednesday Nights at Inferno (Pt. 1)

2010-06-17T02:15:00.007-04:00

Waz Hannenin?

Just got in about 20 minutes ago from "Keep it Classic," a weekly event at Inferno that showcases up-and-coming talent, mainly indie artists, in the area. All in all, a decent night. There were just over a handful of performances tonight despite the thin crowd. Phene stood out...EASILY the best performer of the night. In my opinion he's a cut above the rest, no disrespect to the other artists. According to Steve, I'm the new jinx for all the events we attend (the ladies where everywhere but there tonight). No ratings or anything, but I'll comment on what I found to be funny or interesting based on pictures taken (Shouts to L)

...No particular order btw...

Hardest flow of the night on that acapella...

Apparently, these guys have a rather strange diet...in their minds, vagina and frozen milk desserts are one in the same. The craziest part is that this was their ONLY selection, despite there being no more than 20 women in the building. What if pro-art were on an A&R level?...smh

I'm still dosing off from this guy. Vocals got better as he went along and it may have been tough for him with the crowd soooo disengaged (talking, texting, etc).He claimed that his selections were neo-soul....:-\....word?

Hybrid kinda artist...think a thugged-out Drake with braids and not a lite-brite. Second song was kinda catchy...all in all though....meh

Don't know the DJ's name, but he did a nice job. Good mixing and blending of classic hip-hop tracks of the 90s. His mix of "Hot Thing" by Kwali >>>>>>>

Detroit cat that recently moved down here. Funny, based on his style, I couldn't tell...but off-that. Overall pretty nice performance and his second track was pretty catchy. Radio-ready. I'm not nearly as harsh as L though..."I was kinda disappointed...him being from Detroit and all"

These guys were cool. The only things noteworthy really had nothing to do with their performances (or lack thereof).
1. Dude with the LA fitted had some chick there with him....can anybody say owwwwwwwwwww! (Steve: "Brah, if she walk past me ONE mo time!")
2. Said dude with fitted refused to pull up his pants...c'mon son! NOBODY wants to see that shit!

Phene did his this thing...as usual. The entire crowd seemed to be into his performances. Can't wait for the video shoots in PA!

Overall an enjoyable, but forgettable night of performances. Hopefully next time it will be a much better set and better crowd as well. Shouts to all the artists and I hope they all keep doing their thing. E, signin out...

Get him a bib!

2010-06-11T02:00:00.002-04:00

For those of you who missed it...Big Baby drools, literally. This series is REALLY entertaining so far.

Gangstalicious' shorts for thugs

2010-06-11T01:12:00.008-04:00

So I'm browsing the net and checking out the latest summer fashions and whatnot and stumbled onto this (I wish I hadn't...but hey, at least now when I see some guy wearing them, I'll know he really did find it in the men's section, making him slightly less metrosexual...or worse) Apparently, Someone at Marc Jacobs thought it was a pretty good idea to folow through with that Boondocks episode....behold

Cartoon...

REAL LIFE!

$130

http://www.ssense.com/men/product/marc_by_marc_jacobs/bright_nylon_swim_trunks/23779

SMFH

This post is a little too suspect...here's a lil somethin to offset it.

...ahhh....that's better.

Crocodile tears

2010-06-09T00:31:00.003-04:00

First off, I HATE Derek Fisher (Yea...I'm a Spurs fan)..but off that...

I dont know how to feel about this...a bit too early imo...but we'll see

UPDATE: iPhone 4 vs. the smartphone elite: EVO 4G, N8, Pre Plus, and HD2

2010-06-07T18:41:00.004-04:00

My apologies for the previous post. As pointed out by Dwight, its extremely biased and the smartphones deserve better representation. Click the pic for the details.

iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo vs. Droid Incredible

2010-06-07T18:08:00.006-04:00

Compare and contrast image done by the good folks at Mashable...iPhone 4 seems to take the cake in the features dept, but apple products are infamous for being gased up. Regardless of who wins though, what a summer it will be for the cell phone companies!

Apple iPhone 4 promotional video

2010-06-07T16:29:00.006-04:00

The WWDC kicked off today and it's been the #1 trending topic since mid-day and will probably continue to be until midnight. It really depends what TV shows are on tonight (I know Grey's anatomy is over and I think 24 is as well...gotta double-check) Anyhow, needless to say, this phone is kind of a big deal. I'm not a huge fan of apple products. To me, alot of the features/apps are more aesthetic than useful/practical. However, I think they may have won me over with this one. Of all the improvements and new features (only one 'new feature' in actuality), I believe 'FaceTime' is the next big thing in mobile technology (see vid below for compressed recap). Shouts to the folks at engadget.com for providing full play-by-play commentary of the event and Jobs' presentation of the new devive.

"The iPhone 4, available June 24 in the United States, will cost $199 for a 16-gigabyte version, and $299 for a 32 GB model, with a two-year contract with AT&T, the exclusive provider of the iPhone in the U.S."

I'd cop.

"The Truth" via Phene, Dub Floyd, and Stephen Philms

2010-06-05T20:56:00.007-04:00

Wassup blogheads? It's been a minute....school's out and I'm in need of a 9-5 for the meantime and in-between time. I have some great news that has everyone of pro-art pretty exciting. Moves are being made and the blog will get an official un-official re-launch in the near future with some DOPE material. No leakage on that just yet though. For now, just enjoy the new layout...

In other news, Steve has been working with Phene and Dub Floyd (the Boondocks DJ) recently and they shot a video for the single "The Truth" on Phene's upcoming album God on a Greyhound. Commentary done by Steve on StephenPhilms.com (be sure to check him out and all the other peeps in the Affiliates widget in the side panel)

Via-
http://www.stephenphilms.com/2010/05/dope-video-shoot-with-phene-dub-floyd.html

This past weekend was eventful to say the least! I got up with Phene & DJ Dub Floyd and Tino Conquest to shoot a music for a song called "The Truth" which will be on Phene's upcoming project God on a Greyhound. The song is very visual and I plan on bringing that out in the video. So you can count on that being another dope collabo! I'm not going to give too many details but this one should be a Classic! A big shout out to the the PRO-ART homie Laurence Reed for coming through and helping out on set! Overall it was great day just vibing out and being creative! Also, its great having people in the city that support artist and their efforts, so a big thank you goes to Lily from Criminal Records for letting us shoot a scene for the video in the store on such short notice. CLUTCH! Lastly, Phene asked me a question that really struck me, he asked "Hey man are you ready to do this everyday?" Of course I quickly answered "YEA!" But after thinking about it I realized how close we all are to making our dreams a reality! Its a great feeling and I'm truly excited about the endless possibilities. Here are a few pics from the shoot!

S.Philms
PEACE

The Swagger Wagon + Meet the Parents

2010-05-07T04:27:00.003-04:00

"I got the pride in my ride in the swagger wagon...yeah, the swagger wagon"

Funny but kidna cool at the same time. The 'parents' in the video provide more comedy gold in the other segments featured on the official youtube page. Here's one of my favorites

Baddest. Jam. PERIOD!

2010-05-06T05:02:00.007-04:00

Got the radio waves going crazy! Its been a while since an authentic reggae track/artist has busted onto the scene. Reminds me of an article Dwight sent me earlier this week (posting soon...this summer is going to be ridiculous for reggae/dancehall lovers. The mixtapes are crazy!)...that said, I really like Gyptian's music and hopefully there is more to come.

...oh, and if you like the "Barbie" version...kill yourself.

My Line Following Robot...

2010-05-03T19:40:00.002-04:00

...aka the bane of my existence during the final 6-7 weeks of the semester. There are lots of details I could go into but if a picture says a thousand words, imagine what a video, or two, can do...

Boondocks Season 3 PREMIER!!!

2010-05-03T00:12:00.008-04:00

So I peeled away from studying to watch it and lets just say 30 minutes well spent...here's a clip of a music video scene from the first episode (leaked a few weeks back btw) Riley is back at it...("Real niggas don't follow instructions" ROFL)..but Huey is "retired"...:-( Nothing philosophical or insightful...just....eh. I hope its not a sign of things to come...

Kobe fans...smh

2010-04-26T23:53:00.002-04:00

Uhhh.....weird?

For your viewing pleasure...

2010-04-25T02:02:00.003-04:00

(If there ever was a track laced with inuendo...lol...)

If I had celeb crushes...Rhiana and Ciara would be 1a and 1b. I've watched this vid a few times and I still don't know the words...I mostly watch it on mute anyways (j/k...or am I?...)

Dunk of the Play-offs (so far)

2010-04-23T18:58:00.002-04:00

For Dwight and Steve...

2010-04-23T18:16:00.005-04:00

...who are INSANE enough to believe that the Eastern conf. is better than the West conf.

Source

You can match-up play-off seeds and/or non play-off seeds...West > East

That is all.

d|^_^|b...

2010-04-23T16:38:00.005-04:00

Three dope hip-hop tracks with three dope videos to match. Shad with another track that requires 5 replays to catch all the 'subtleties' and LB calling it quits. Last but not least, shouts to Tanya Morgan for getting vixen/model 'Mizz DR' (aka Diana Escoto) in that video...surprised they kept it so PG in comparison to what kinda videos she's usually featured in as well as the type of track it is....go figure

More radio-friendly/commercial set coming a little later

6 Degrees of Separation

2010-04-23T16:09:00.006-04:00

This is random...but it goes to show how small the world we live in is, ESPECIALLY in the Caribbean.

Via Wikipedia: "Six degrees of separation (also referred to as the 'Human Web') refers to the idea that everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, 'a friend of a friend' statements can be made to connect any two people in six steps or less."

So the song Replay has been a radio hit and club banger for months now and I for one really enjoy the track. Just this week I found out the name of the guy who sings on the track, I.Y.A.Z., and as customary, I youtube'd (is that even a word? lol...) the guy to see what other tracks he has. First thing I notice in the video is a biga** British Virgin Islands flag as well as a U.S. Virgin Islands flag waving in the background. So now I'm thinking to myself, "damn dude...you really need to get out of those programming books more often." Second thing I notice is that the producer is J.R. Rotem (will make sense later). Anyway, needless to say, he hails from the V.I....but as I'm watching the video I say to myself, "WAIT WAIT WAIT...DAS KEIDRAN?!?!...NO MAN! STOP PLAYIN!"...smh...small world. If anybody shoulda seen this coming, it was me. I.Y.A.Z. is the cousin of my great friend from childhood (4 years old to be exact). A few years back he was messaging me on msn and was like "Yow, you remember my cuz Keidran right? Who we used to hoop with?...Yeah, he doin the music thing dread...got this track with Dipset..."

...and the rest is history

The Takeoff: Fovea Fashion Launch Event

2010-04-23T15:20:00.008-04:00

Cue Marvin Gaye's 'What's going on'

Way before my time, I know. But I digress...

Pro-art will be out and about next weekend in conjunction and networking with Fovea apparel for their Spring/Summer line release at Thrive (details attached to flyer). Steve has been in talks with their designer and, although he hasn't given too many details, I for one am really excited to see what they have come up with (I'm a HUGE fan of creative tees). Everyone's been pretty busy all semester (I know I have...sighs) but hopefully the entire pro-art family will be able to attend and represent to the fullest.

I'm raw dawg...ya'll safe sex

2010-04-07T15:33:00.002-04:00

Laurence doesn't care for him too much...ill beat, nice rhymes, dope video.

Fovea Apparel Fashion Show TEASER VIDEO

2010-04-06T20:14:00.006-04:00

Wassup everybody? Just woke up from a loooong nap. Definitely the nap of the semester (still tired though....crazy...smh). School got wild and its getting wilder. Nonetheless, I'm currently peeling away from the kitchen and re-blogging some work done by Steve. Most of the information about the shoot and the company is in Steve's commentary/info-bytes so just check it out there. PRO-ART!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From StephenPhilms.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've always had an interest in fashion and any opportunity I get to collaborate with anyone in fashion industry I take full advantage of it! I was able to meet up with the folks at Fovea Apparel (don't you just love twitter!) and now I'm going to produce a mini-documentary based on the whole process of preparing for their upcoming fashion show. They have been great to work with so far and I look forward to great things in future. So here is a sneak peek at some of the behind scenes action! I have a lot of footage and I just had to share something! The exposure to this side of the industry has really motivated me to work harder to get my fashion line off the ground! Its great to see other business minded individuals!
S.Philms
PEACE

...and in case you didnt know my boy Mello Dramatic produced the beat in this video

Fovea Apparel Behind the Scenes *Teaser Video* from Stephen Philms on Vimeo.

Btw...

2010-03-17T12:53:00.003-04:00

...this video kinda sucks. Just wasted 5 minutes of my life watching it. Only right I spend another 5 blogging on how over-hyped it is. I guess anything with Beyonce and Lady Gaga in it will be heavily promoted though. On another note, how many guys other than J you know have gotten to feature in a video with B? Lady Gaga should feel special....lol (j/k...I hope)

The CGI was cool..but nothin to lose your mind over. However, In the words of my man Riley from Boondocks...."That beat is AAIGHT!"

The World's Hardest Riddle?

2010-03-14T21:07:00.007-04:00

So I stumbled onto this a few minutes ago. To my knowledge its a pretty old riddle (4+ years?). That said, the most interesting fact was this: "97% of Harvard graduates can not figure this riddle out, but 84% of kindergarten students were able to figure this out in 6 minutes or less." So if you haven't heard it before, enjoy. If you have...then you know how funny this is. Lol...

I turn polar bears white

and I will make you cry.

I make guys have to pee

and girls comb their hair.

I make celebrities look stupid

and normal people look like celebrities.

I turn pancakes brown

and make your champane bubble.

If you sqeeze me, I'll pop.

If you look at me, you'll pop.

Can you guess the riddle?

And the answer is...No

No point in bursting your brain over an old, useless riddle. However, the 'rhyme and reason' behind it is simple; You can be too smart for your own good. Think about it. Humility and acceptance of one's knowledge is what lead the group of kindergarten students to the answer and, and the lack thereof, led Harvard students further and further away from it. After reading that riddle, a 5 year old focuses on the last line: "Can you guess the riddle?" There is no "Can you guess what I am?" or "What is the answer to the riddle?" statement, which is really the key to the riddle. To arrive at the correct answer, one must understand what is being asked...a rather important life lesson in itself. A Harvard student, or any other person with some level of education, would most likely search for more cognitive clues and some word play, thereby insisting that there must be some link between all the clues, when there really isn't (Although you will see a lot of wild theories such as air, pressure, etc.) nor is a link between the clues even requested.

I must admit...pretty interesting

URL: http://able2know.org/topic/73046-1

If you haven't heard...STOP SNITCHIN'!!!

2010-03-04T16:42:00.004-05:00

I saw this clip a while ago and shared it with Laurence. Just stumbled on it while organizing some bookmarks. All that to say, DO NOT, I repeat...DO NOT talk to the police. Under ANY circumstances. Its crazy how they can manipulate a case with a simple conversation.

d|^_^|b...

2010-03-04T02:34:00.006-05:00

I should be sleeping.....but DAMN, this shit right here, this shit right here, this shit, right here....

(Click Title for download)

Jimi Hendrix: Valleys of Neptune

This brand-new, completely unreleased studio album features 12 previously unreleased studio recordings totalling over 60 minutes of unheard Jimi Hendrix. Ten of these recordings were made between February and May, 1969, as the Jimi Hendrix Experience set out to create the sequel to their groundbreaking 1968 double-album Electric Ladyland. The album features “Valleys Of Neptune,” one of the most sought after of all of Hendrix’s commercially unavailable recordings, and includes exciting 1969 arrangements of the classic signature songs “Red House,” “Fire,” and “Stone Free.” Also includes unheard studio versions of Hendrix’s inspired interpretations of “Bleeding Heart” (Elmore James) and Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love.” Mixed by Eddie Kramer, the engineer for all of Hendrix’s albums throughout the guitarist’s lifetime. Produced by Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, and John McDermott, the team behind all of the acclaimed Jimi Hendrix CD and DVD releases since 1996.

Label: Sony
Genre:
Quality: VBR kbps
Time: 62:02 min
Size: 85,9 MB

Tracklist:
01 03:47 Stone Free
02 04:04 Valleys Of Neptune
03 06:23 Bleeding Heart
04 07:32 Hear My Train A Comin
05 02:58 Mr. Bad Luck
06 06:47 Sunshine Of Your Love
07 04:18 Lover Man
08 05:52 Ships Passing Through The Night
09 03:12 Fire
10 08:23 Red House
11 03:49 Lullaby For The Summer
12 04:57 Crying Blue Rain

So far...I've only established 3 tracks as 'goodness gracious' (I've been back and forth doing thing while listening) but I know most will be fire. The Sunshine of Your Love and Fire covers are pretty good as well. I'll update sometime tomorrowIf you aren't much of a rock n' roll person, you'll still appreciate this collection of unreleased tracks.

p.s. The chords in the guitar solos of Red House are...

Update: Hear My Train A comin and Ships Passing Through the Night added to 'goodness gracious' list

BHM: The Facts (Recap)

2010-03-03T21:10:00.012-05:00

"The leader must aim high, see big, judge widely, thus setting himself apart form the ordinary people who debate in narrow confines."

- Charles de Gaulle

If you best describe that statement as elitist, maybe you're not into leadership...:-/ just sayin...

But off that...

I decided to blog the entire series of the BHM facts just to have them all in one place for any and everyone to visit at their leisure I wont post 101-1, but I will provide links to each post...so basically this is a hub-thread of sorts. I've already discused my displeasure in the celebration being forgetten in the the rigamarole that is February. Between V-day, Obama's health care proposals, Tiger Woods, and the Winter Olympics there just wasn't effort put towards promoting the month properly. And it wasn't a money issue; 'corporations' KNOW how to use anyone and anything to increase their own financial gain. Ironically, thats pretty much what Black History Month is all about. But I digress...there are still more black males in prison/dead than in college, and, sadly, the HIV numbers are still increasing. Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley were supposed to do something together but...well, lets just say not even Rodney King could have been a successful mediator between these two. At least they still "love" each other though...(See audio clip below)

Smh...those two are something else

--------------------------------

The BHM-Hub

Part 1 - "The Firsts"

Part 2 - "Little Known"

Part 3 - "Record Breakers"

Part 4 - "Inventions and Discoveries"

---------------------------------

So that's that....enjoy

Btw, Spring Break for me begins tomorrow (classes cancelled Friday). So far, most of my profs have been significantly more agitated on a daily basis and somewhat unreasonable with assignments and grading. With that in mind, all I'm hoping for is that the wives/girlfriends/significant others of my professors really handle things and take care of business over the week...

...lol

Thats all for tonight people...E signing out.

My inspiration?

2010-03-03T00:18:00.002-05:00

Well at least he would be if I didn't have to start job hunting in a month...

This clip is toooo funny...I'm tempted to quote some lines and spoil it. But nah, I'll relax.

101 Black History Facts (Part 4) - Final chapter

2010-03-01T20:04:00.008-05:00

Wassup everyone? Hope all is well and everyone is blessed. First off, my apologies for the tardiness. I was supposed to post this yesterday but my schedule and workload conflicted. On the bright side, it was not in vain. Struggled through a project for the past week and finally got it all together today. A rather nice "W" for me along the way....but off that...

Welcome to part 4 of "Learn Your History," the final part of the BHM series. We're already in March, but we're going to drop this anyway. During my fact-finding mission to gather material for this series, I found out the origin of February being the selected month. According to The history Channel, "Black History Month began as 'Negro History Week,' which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln."

Pretty interesting fact. Not knocking Honest Abe, but he was more pro-union than he was anti-slavery...as was nearly all those who supported the abolishionist movement. In actuality, the union feared that the South's power, via the slave trade, would put them in a position to..........um, let's address that another day...

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101 Facts: 26-1

"Inventions and Discoveries" aka The Most-Known Unknowns

Fact #26

David Crosthwait Jr. (1898 - 1979) an expert on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, holds 39 U.S. patents and 80 international patents pertaining to heating, refrigeration and temperature regulating systems. Crosthwait created the heating system for New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

Fact #25

Henry Blair (1807 - 1860), the second African-American to receive a patent, invented a corn seed planter in 1834 and a cotton planter in 1836. Blair could not read or write and signed his patent with an X.

Fact #24

Joseph Lee (1849 - 1905) invented a bread-making machine that mixed the ingredients and kneaded the dough in 1895.

Fact #23

Henry Brown created what is now known as a "strongbox", a metal container to store money and important papers that could be locked with a key in 1886.

Fact #22

L.P. Ray invented the dustpan in 1897.

Fact #21

C.B. Brooks invented the street sweeper in 1896. It was a truck equipped with brooms.

Fact #20

Sarah E. Goode (1850 - ? ) invented a bed that folded up into a cabinet in 1885. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first African-American woman to receive a patent, but the second.

Fact #19

John Love invented the pencil sharpener in 1897.

Fact #18

Andrew Jackson Beard (1849 - 1921) invented the "Jenny Coupler" which allowed train cars to hook themselves together when they are bumped into one another. The device is still used today.

Fact #17

Alexander Miles of Duluth, Minnesota patented an electric elevator in 1887 with automatic doors that would close off the shaft way, thus making elevators safer.

Fact #16

Lonnie G. Johnson (1949 - ), an engineer who performed spacecraft system design for NASA, invented the Super Soaker water gun - the number one selling toy in America in 1991.

Fact #15

Joseph Winters invented a fire escape ladder in 1878.

Fact #14

Lewis Howard Latimer invented the carbon filament for light bulbs in 1881.

Fact #13

Jan Ernst Matzeliger (1852 - 1889) invented the Shoe Lasting machine, which connected the upper part of the shoe to the sole, a painstaking process that was usually done by hand. This invention revolutionized the shoe making industry.

Fact #12

Thomas J. Martin patented a fire extinguisher in 1872.

Fact #11

Dr. Charles Drew (1904 - 1950) discovered techniques to store blood and developed blood banks. (featured in left-side of heading picture)

Fact #10

Lewis Temple (1800 - 1854) revolutionized the whaling industry with his invention of the toggle harpoon in 1848.

Fact #9

Granville Woods (1856 - 1910) invented numerous devices relating to the railroad including a system of overhead electric conducting lines, air brakes and a telegraph system that allowed communication between moving trains. (Successfully sued Thomas Edison over patenting rights and was later offered a position in the company...hmm)

Fact #8

Frederick Jones (1892 - 1961) held over 60 patents with most of them pertaining to refrigeration. His portable air conditioner was used in World War II to preserve medicine and blood serum.

Fact #7

George T. Sampson invented a clothes dryer that used heat from a stove in 1892.

Fact #6

Mark Dean (1957 - ) along with his co-inventor Dennis Moelle created a microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices. This invention allows the use of computer plug-ins like disk drives, speakers, scanners, etc...

Fact #5

James West's (1931 - ) research in sound technology led to the development of foil-electret transducers used in 90% of all microphones built today and in most new telephones being manufactured. West holds 47 U.S. and more than 200 foreign patents on microphones and techniques for making polymer foil-electrets. He was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1999.

Fact #4

George Carruthers (1939 - ) invented the far ultraviolet electrographic camera, used in the 1972 Apollo 16 mission. This invention revealed new features of Earth's far-outer atmosphere and deep-space objects from the perspective of the lunar surface. Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2003.

Fact #3

Otis Boykin (1920 -1982) invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers, and the control unit for a pacemaker.

Fact #2

Garrett Augustus Morgan (1877 - 1963) invented, among many other things, a 3-way automatic stop sign, which he sold to General Electric. It was used in the U.S. until the 3-light traffic sign was developed. (also invented the gas mask prototype, featured in right-side of heading picture)

Fact #1

Elijah McCoy (1843 - 1929) invented an automatic lubricator for oiling steam engines in 1872. The term "the real McCoy" is believed to be a reference about the reliability of Elijah McCoy's invention.

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This was a lot of fun and really informative, especially in this last post. I challenge everyone of black decent to make certain things a part of Black history and not the future. Unfortunately due to the powers that be, many perceptions as well as realities will never change. But there are others that can. In the past and in the present, so many contributions are made and have been made and we never hear about them...nonetheless, lets try to make history everyday, no matter what your skin color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, etc. At the end of the day....we're all one people.

"All good things come to an end; what better reason to aim for greatness"

101 Black History Facts (part 3) + short vent

2010-02-26T14:54:00.006-05:00

Wassup everybody?! I peeled away from my project to eat and figured I might as well post while I can. This is the 3rd installment of the "BHM: 101 facts" series. (Click for Pt. 1 and/or Pt. 2) This week has been intense to say the least. The bane of my existence is currently a 4 x 4 inch (approx), ispM4A5 lab board, featuring the Lattice iM4A5-64/32 CPLD (complex programmable logic device). I am trying to program a 'game' using VHDL (Very High Speed Integrated Circuits Hardware Description Language...as of today, Spanish = piece of cake) and the respective elements of the board itself...21 hours total since monday night. Oh, and on top of that, apparently Legislature here in Georgia can't seem to agree on which of the following is of least importance: A Higher quality/standard of higher education, improved/increased hospital beds throughout the healthcare systems, or tobacco production. If planning a brighter future for the future of Georgia doesn't make the cut on Georgia's All-Star Importance team...tuition could rise 77%...bka...me 100% up shit's creek. As soon as I get the chance, I'm going to address that topic on its own...it's infuriating and sad at the same time. But for now, school first. In the meantime...

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101 Facts: 37-27

"Record Breakers"

Fact #37

Beyonce Knowles (1981 - ) an award-winning singer, songwriter and actress is the first African-American woman to win the "Songwriter of the Year" award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards in 2001 and also holds the record for the longest run on the Billboard Hot 100's number one spot in 2003 with the songs "Crazy in Love" (8 weeks) and "Baby Boy" (9 weeks). Beyonce is ranked as the second best-selling female artist of the 21st century with record sales of over 37 million dollars.

Fact #36

In 2006 Whitney Houston (1963 - ) a celebrated singer, songwriter and actress was named the most awarded female artist of all time, by the Guinness World Records. Her debut album "Whitney Houston" in 1985 was the best-selling debut album by a female artist for 13 years, and her second album "Whitney" in 1987 made her the first female to debut on the charts at number one in the U.S. and the U.K. Houston has had seven consecutive number one singles, a record breaking feat.

Fact #35

Florence Griffith-Joyner "Flo Jo" (1959 -1998) a runner known for her stylish flair on the track, set the world record for the 100 and 200 meter dash at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

Fact #34

Wilma Rudolph (1940 -1994) a record breaking track star was born the 20th of 22 children, and stricken with polio as a child. She not only overcame polio but broke world records in three Olympic track events and was the first American woman to win three gold medals at the Olympics (1960).

Fact #33

Michael Johnson (1967 - ) a sprinter often billed as "the fastest man in the world" has won five Olympic gold medals, broken numerous world records including his own, and was the first man to win both the 200m and 400m races within the same Olympic game (1996).

Fact #32

Henry ("Hank") Aaron (1934 - ) broke Babe Ruth's home run record when he hit his 715th home run in 1974. He set a Major League record with 755 home runs in his career.

Fact #31

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009 ) singer, songwriter, and entertainer extraordinaire, was nominated for 12 Grammy awards and won a record breaking eight in 1984. He has received 13 Grammy awards in his career, and is a double inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as part of the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist). He holds the title of Most Top 10 Singles from an album for Thriller (1982) and the Most #1 Singles from an album for Bad (1987).

Fact #30

Wilt Chamberlain (1936 - 1999) was the first basketball player to score 100 points in a single game during the 1961 season and the first player in the NBA to score 30,000 points.

Fact #29

Golfer, Tiger Woods (1975 - ) is the youngest person and the first African-American to win the Masters Tournament in 1997 and by a record breaking lead of 12 strokes. He was also the highest paid athlete in 2005, earning an estimated $87 million dollars.

Fact #28

Music composer and producer, Quincy Jones is the most Grammy-nominated artist in the history of the awards with 76 nominations and 26 awards.

Fact #27

Track and Field star, Jesse Owens (1913 - 1980) broke many records at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, including becoming the first athlete to win four gold medals in one Olympiad.

I'm calling it from now!

2010-02-25T01:54:00.001-05:00

Comedy of the Spring/Summer!

101 Black History Facts (part 2)

2010-02-24T22:42:00.006-05:00

Welcome to Part 2 of the "101 facts" series (Celebrating BHM). In the previous segment, I introduced the topic and voiced my dislike regarding the lack of attention that BHM has received to date. Still searching for a "closer" but hopefully it will come....either way, enjoy the facts. Hope you guys learn a few things. I for one did not know more than half of the facts in this segment.

In a semi-related issue...the above sneaker came out early this month along with a letterman jacket in celebration of BHM. They are currently out of stock everywhere lol.

MORE PICS

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101 Facts: 69-38

"Little Known"

Fact #69

Harriet Ann Jacobs (1813 – 1897) was a slave who published “Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl” in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Brent. The book chronicles the hardships and sexual abuse she experienced as a female growing up in slavery. Jacobs fled slavery in 1835 by hiding in a crawlspace in her grandmother’s attic for nearly seven years before traveling to Philadelphia by boat, and eventually to New York. Jacobs was active in feminist anti-slavery movements.

Fact #68

Josiah Henson (1789 – 1883 ) fled slavery in Maryland in 1830 and founded a settlement in Ontario, Canada for fugitive slaves. His autobiography “The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself” (1849) is believed to have been Harriet Beecher Stowe’s inspiration for the main character in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Henson’s cabin in Maryland still stands today and is a national landmark. Josiah Henson’s grandson, Mathew Henson, was part of the first successful U.S. expedition to the North Pole in 1909.

Fact #67

Cathay Williams (1842 –?? ) was the first and only known female Buffalo Soldier. She was born into slavery and worked for the Union army during the Civil War. She posed as a man and enlisted as Williams Cathay in the 38th infantry in 1866. She was given a medical discharge in 1868.

Fact #66

Walker Smith Jr. (1921 – 1989) became known as Sugar Ray Robinson he borrowed his friend Ray Robinson’s Amateur Athletic Union card and became the Golden Glove Lightweight champion in 1940 under the borrowed name. Smith’s boxing style was described as “sweet as sugar” and the name Sugar Ray Robinson stuck. Considered the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951 and was middleweight champion five times between 1951 and 1960 –the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times.

Fact #65

Ray Charles Robinson (1930 – 2004) a musical genius and pioneer in blending gospel and the blues shortened his name to just Ray Charles to prevent confusion with the great boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. Ray Charles began going blind at an early age and was completely blind by the time he was 7 years old, but has never relied upon a cane, or a guide dog. He was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony in 1986.

Fact #64

Buffalo Soldiers is a name respectfully given to the African–American cavalries during the 1800s by the Native American Kiowa tribe. These soldiers received second class treatment and were often given the worst military assignments, but had the lowest desertion rate compared to their white counterparts. The Buffalo Soldiers served in the Spanish American war, various Indian wars and helped to settle the west by installing telegraph lines, and protecting wagon trains and new settlements. More than 20 Buffalo Soldiers have received the highest military award, the medal of Honor –the most any military unit has ever received.

Fact #63

Nancy Green (1834 – 1923) a former slave, was employed in 1893 to promote the Aunt Jemima brand by demonstrating the pancake mix at expositions and fairs. She was a popular attraction because of her friendly personality, great story-telling, and warmth. Green signed a lifetime contract with the pancake company and her image was used for packaging and billboards. In 1923 she was struck by a car in downtown Chicago.

Fact #62

George Monroe and William Robinson are thought to be the first black Pony Express riders. At one point Monroe was also a stagecoach driver for President Ulysses S. Grant and would navigate through the curving Wanona Trail in the Yosemite Valley. Monroe Meadows in Yosemite National Park is named for George Monroe.

Fact #61

Wally Amos “Famous Amos” (1936 – ) creator of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, was a talent agent at the William Morris Agency where he worked with the likes of The Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel, and various child stars. He founded his cookie company in 1975 with a recipe from his aunt.

Fact #60

In the mid 1800s Philadelphia was known as “The Black Capital of Anti–Slavery,” because of the strong abolitionist presence there and such groups as The Philadelphia Female Anti–Slavery Society, The Philadelphia Young Men’s Anti–Slavery Society and The Philadelphia Anti–Slavery Society.

Fact #59

The “306 Group” was a guild–like club that provided support and apprenticeship for African–American artists during the 1940s. It was founded by the artist Charles Alston at 306 West 141st street in Harlem and served as a studio and meeting place for some of the 20th century’s most prominent African–American artists such as the poet Langston Hughes, the sculptor Augusta Savage, the painter Jacob Lawrence, and the collage artist Romare Bearden.

Fact #58

Jazz, an African–American musical form born out of the Blues, Ragtime, and marching bands originated in Louisiana during the turn of the 19th century. The word Jazz is a slang term that at one point referred to a sexual act.

Fact #57

Nat Love “Deadwood Dick” (1854 – 1921 ) a renowned and skilled cowboy, was the only African–American cowboy to write his autobiography, “The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as Deadwood Dick”, published in 1907.

Fact #56

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) was stabbed by an African–American woman in 1958 while attending his book signing at Blumstein’s department store in Harlem. The next year Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King visited India to study Ghandi’s nonviolence philosophy.

Fact #55

Paul Cuffee (1759 – 1817) an African–American, philanthropist, ship captain, and devout Quaker transported 38 free African–Americans to Sierra Leone, Africa in 1815 in the hopes of establishing Western Africa. He also founded the first integrated school in Massachusetts in 1797.

Fact #54

Thomas Andrew Dorsey (1899 – 1993) was considered the “Father of Gospel Music” for combining sacred words with secular rhythms. His most famous composition, “Take My Hand Precious Lord” was recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson and many others.

Fact #53

McKinley Morganfield “Muddy Waters” (1913 – 1983) is considered the “Father of Chicago Blues” with his infusion of the electric guitar into the Delta country blues. Muddy Waters was influential to some of the most popular rock bands, such as the Rolling Stones, who named themselves after his popular 1950 song “Rollin’ Stone.”

Fact #52

Chester Arthur Burnett "Howlin' Wolf" (1910 -1976) was one of the most important blues singer, songwriter and musician, influencing some of the most popular rock groups like The Beatles. Unlike many blues artists, Howlin’ Wolf maintained his financial success throughout his life and lived a modest married life, avoiding drugs and alcohol.

Fact #51

According to the American Community Survey, in 2005 there were 2.4 million black military veterans in the United States -the highest of any minority group.

Fact #50

Bill Pickett (1871 - 1932) a renowned cowboy and rodeo performer was named to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1971 and honored by the U.S. Postal service in a series of stamps as one of the twenty "Legends of the West"

Fact #49

Mayme Clayton (1923 – 2006), a Los Angeles librarian and historian, amassed an extensive and valuable collection of Black Americana, including a signed copy of the first book published by an African–American, a collection of poems by Phillis Wheatley. The Mayme A. Clayton Library and Cultural Center in Los Angeles houses the rare books, photographs, films and memorabilia.

Fact #48

“Strange Fruit” the song about black lynching in the south made famous by blues singer Billie Holiday was originally a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher from the Bronx.

Fact #47

Buffalo Soldiers is the name given to the all-black regiments of the U.S. Army started in 1866. More than 20 Buffalo Soldiers received the highest Medal of Honor for their service –the highest number of any U.S. military unit. The oldest living Buffalo Soldier, Mark Matthews, died at the age of 111 in 2005.

Fact #46

Isaac Murphy (1861 – 1896), a great thoroughbred jockey, was the first to win three Derbies and the only jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Clark Handicap within the same year.

Fact #45

Lewis and Clark were accompanied by York, a black slave, when they made their 1804 expedition from Missouri to Oregon. York’s presence aided in their interactions with the Native Americans they encountered.

Fact #44

Jack Johnson (1878 – 1946), the first African–American heavyweight champion, patented a wrench in 1922.

Fact #43

Jesse Jackson (1941 - ) successfully negotiated the release of Lieutenant Robert O. Goodman, Jr., an African-American pilot who had been shot down over Syria and taken hostage in 1983.

Fact #42

The banjo originated in Africa and up until the 1800s was considered an instrument only played by blacks.

Fact #41

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848 – 1928) drafted patent drawings for Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, while working at a patent law firm. He also patented an improved way to produce carbon filaments for light bulbs.

Fact #40

Jesse Ernest Wilkins Jr. (1923 – ), a physicist, mathematician and an engineer, earned a PhD. in mathematics at age 19 from the University of Chicago in 1942.

Fact #39

Muhammad Ali (1942 – ) the self–proclaimed “greatest [boxer] of all time” was originally named after his father, who was named after the 19th century abolitionist and politician Cassius Marcellus Clay.

Fact #38

Black History Month originated in 1926 by Carter Godwin Woodson as Negro History Week. The month of February was chosen in honor of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, who were both born in that month.

For your viewing pleasure...

2010-02-23T16:07:00.005-05:00

She drips of sex appeal...the new Brittney Spears??? Maybe...

80s feel/fashion
90s Reggae theme
2k Visual effects

All in all...

Celebrating BHM: 101 facts pt.1

2010-02-23T15:36:00.004-05:00

Wassup ya'll?! Hope everyone's doing well and being pro-ductive! What a month though huh? For such a short one, alot has been happening and the media circus has been in constant rotation...How about a recap?

Earthquake relief efforts for Haiti

Saints win the Superbowl

Tiger Woods leaked pics at Sex-Rehab center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Obama's healthcare/job reform dreams seemingly too large for deficit

The "Miracle on Ice" Anniversary

NBA All-Star game sets record attendance in new Dallas Stadium

The iPad

Heidi Montag goes nip/tuck

Record snowstorms and snowfall, especially in Midwest/New England/Atlantic states

Tiger Woods' Apology

The Winter Olympics

John Mayer's racist comments for Play Boy mag

Some more Tiger Woods just because

...and the list goes on...as of today, Cheney suffered a mild heart attack and Brian Westbrook is being released by the Philadelphia Eagles

But one headline that didn't quite make the cut, was any issue related to the celebration of Black History Month. Adding insult to injury, there aren't many articles addressing the fact that its not being celebrated as it has in years' past. If it's not going to be celebrated, lets at least act like its a big deal, rather than a non-issue, as is currently the case. So far, the only heavily saturated BHM commercials I've seen are all from McDonald's....smh. My logic on this is simple: for the main media networks, celebrating Black History Month with a "black" man as President must seem, well, racist. Ironically, for a conservative nation, the Gay Pride parade got more coverage...

Amidst my hectic schedule, I'll chip in by posting 101 facts in a 4 part set over the next 4 days about Black history, each with a particular subject heading. Hopefully I can find something on the 28th to close off BHM with a bang. But back to the facts/personnel...some you'll know, some you won't. But nonetheless, its good to know where you came from as an aide to truly understand where you're going. (Shouts to Nike for the artwork)

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Facts: 101-70

"Firsts"

Fact #101

Black Swan Records, founded in 1921 by Harry Pace in Harlem, was the first U.S. record label owned and operated by African-Americans. It was originally the Pace Phonograph Corporation and was renamed Black Swan Records after the 19th century opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, who was known as the Black Swan.

Fact #100

Deford Bailey (1899 - 1982) was a "wizard" at playing the harmonica and was most notable for mimicking the sound of locomotives. He was the first African-American to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and one of the first African-American stars of country music.

Fact #99

Charley Pride (1938 - ) is one of the most successful African-American country singers of all time, with a career spanning over 40 years and 36 number one hits. He is also the first African-American to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Pride was a baseball player with the Negro League and the Memphis Red Sox before becoming a successful musician.

Fact #98

Maurice Ashley ( 1966 - ) is the first and only African-American to be crowned International Grand Master of chess in 1999. He opened the Harlem Chess Center in 1999, where he coaches young chess players.

Fact #97

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots in the U.S. armed forces. Beginning in 1941, select groups of extensively tested and rigorously trained African-Americans were trained at The Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen are depicted in the G.I. Joe action figure series.

Fact #96

Edmonia Lewis (1844? - ?) was the first professional African-American sculptor, often sculpting courageous and inspirational people such as Cleopatra, Phillis Wheatley, President Ulysses S. Grant, etc…

Fact #95

Nathaniel Adams Cole “Nat King Cole” (1919 - 1965), a singer, song writer and pianist, was the first African-American to host a national television program, The Nat King Cole Show, in 1956

Fact #94

Marian Anderson (1898 - 1993), a gifted contralto singer, was the first African-American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1955.

Fact #93

Debi Thomas (1967 - ), the talented figure-skater, is the first African American to win a medal (bronze) at the Winter Olympic games (1988). In 2002 Vonetta Flowers (1973 - ) became the first African-American to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympic games.

Fact #92

Richard Theodore Greener (1844 - 1922), was the first African-American graduate from Harvard in 1870. He started out at Oberlin college, the first American college to admit African-Americans and went on to become a lawyer.

Fact #91

Henry Ossian Flipper (1856 - 1940) was the first African-American to graduate from West Point academy in 1877 and became the first black commander when he was assigned to the 10th Cavalry, a Buffalo Soldier regiment.

Fact #90

Charles Henry Turner (1867 - 1923), a zoologist and educator, was the first person to discover that insects can hear.

Fact #89

The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), founded by Richard Allen (1760 - 1831) became the first national black church in the United States in 1816.

Fact #88

Ralph J. Bunche (1904 - 1971), a politician and a U.N. diplomat, was the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace prize in 1950 for mediating the Arab-Israeli truce.

Fact #87

Alain Locke (1886 - 1954), a writer, philosopher and intellectual, was the first African-American Rhodes Scholar. A strong supporter of African-American arts, he wrote about the Harlem Renaissance in The New Negro (1925).

Fact #86

Diahann Carroll (1935 - ) was the first African-American woman to have her own television series, "Julia" in 1968. It was a controversial, yet Nielsen top ten rated show about a single working mother raising her child .

Fact #85

Robert L. Johnson (1946 - ), founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) is the first African-American billionaire.

Fact #84

Madame C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove) (1876 - 1919) invented specialized hair products for African-American hair and became the first American woman to become a millionaire.

Fact #83

Lee Elder (1934 - ) was the first African-American golfer to play in the Masters Tournament in 1975. He has won 4 PGA tournaments and 8 Senior PGA tournaments in his career.

Fact #82

Ben Carson (1951 - ) a skilled neurosurgeon, led the first successful operation to separate a pair of Siamese twin infants who were joined at the back of the head in 1987.

Fact #81

Alexa Canady became the first female African-American neurosurgeon in the United States. She graduated from medical school in 1975.

Fact #80

Arthur Ashe (1943 - 1993) was the first African-American to not only be named to the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1963, but to also win the U.S. Open in 1968, to win the men's singles at Wimbledon in 1975, and the first to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

Fact #79

Althea Gibson (1927 - 2003) was the first African-American tennis player to compete in the U.S. Championships in 1950 and at Wimbledon in 1951. In 1957 she won the women's singles and doubles at Wimbledon in 1957, which was celebrated by a ticker tape parade when she returned home to New York City.

Fact #78

Matthew Henson (1867-1955) was a part of the first successful U.S. expedition to the North Pole in 1909.

Fact #77

Maya Angelou's (1928 - ) autobiographical, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" is the first non-fiction work by an African-American woman to make the best-seller list.

Fact #76

Minnie Jocelyn Lee Elders ( 1933 - ) was the first African-American and the second woman to serve as the United States Surgeon General. Her term lasted for 15 months (1993 - 1994)

Fact #75

George Washington Carver (1864 - 1943) who made agricultural advancements and inventions pertaining to the use of peanuts and Percy Julian, who helped create drugs to combat glaucoma, were the first African-Americans admitted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990.

Fact #74

Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915) was the first African-American to be honored on a U.S. stamp, in 1940.

Fact #73

Bessie Coleman (1893-1926) was the first licensed African-American pilot in the world. She received aviation instruction in France.

Fact #72

The African Free School in New York City was the first free school for African-Americans. It was started by the abolitionist group the New York Manumission Society in 1787.

Fact #71

Judy W. Reed was the first African-American woman to receive a patent in 1884 for a hand-operated machine used to knead and roll dough.

Fact #70

Thomas L. Jennings (1791 - 1859) was the first African-American to receive a patent in 1821. It was for a dry-cleaning process in 1821. He used the money earned from the patent to purchase relatives out of slavery and support abolitionist causes.

Another Superbowl Ad...

2010-02-06T18:48:00.004-05:00

Gotta admit...if it was THIS easy....ahhh the possiblities

Still though...ill concept. I guess the only question now is what can't google do.

A Superbowl Commercial

2010-02-04T19:55:00.005-05:00

The Superbowl ALWAYS provides a reason to not get up during commercials...here's one reason why for 2010

Take note of the irony here...fat chance that Common or any other hip-hop artist, relevant or not, would EVER appear in the halftime performance of superbowl after Janet and Justin's debacle....but as a cash cow outlet for gatorade to the demographics that actually watch the game and love sports in general?...sure, he's useful there.

p.s. I caught two of the three (I think its 3) new Gatorade products. The first one is "01 Prime" the other is "03 Recover"....02????

Common’s Superbowl XLIV Gatorade Commercial

Posted by thekidLEGEND - February 4, 2010

12 begin the second season

12 tribes converge

12 plead

12 hang on every word

12 grind themselves for the struggle

12 take the field

but 12 become 8

8 collide

8 pay the toll

8 perform something selfless, relentless, beautiful

but 8 become 4

4 catch their breath

4 clear their heads

4 pick up the pieces

4 recover

4 try to be better, play harder

but 4 become 2

2 will emerge

2 will clash

2 will battle

and while 2 show us the heart, hustle and soul of the game...

"Pants On The Ground" Debut Single!!! (Official)

2010-01-29T16:06:00.007-05:00

American Idol's very own..."General" Larry Platt and his official debut single "Pants on the Ground"

(Thank God its not Auto-tuned!)

p.s....can't wait for the music video...lol

zSHARE - Larry Platt - Pants on the Ground _efacts4proart.blogspot.com_.mp3

remember where you heard it first...

d|^_^|b...aka "Ear Candy"

2010-01-28T18:39:00.012-05:00

Wassup people! I know, its been a minute! SOOOOO much has been going on the past couple weeks; worldwide, locally, etc. For me, classes began on the 7th and I've had a roller coaster of a semester so far...not to worry though, things are going well; just concentrating on maintaining. All that said, this post is NOT about school...instead its on the music I've been on since the first day. Reggae/Dancehall music has been BLAAAZIN hot as of 4th quarter last year. Its ridiculous really! And for this Ear Candy session, I'm featuring Roots/Culture/Lover's Rock branch of Reggae. You can almost call this genre the originator or what reggae/dancehall is today. Similar to 'Conscious' branch, the beats, base, and tempo of Roots/Culture/Lover's Rock is very laid back and chill, but still very powerful and sensual. The lyrics add to the effect as well.

Not all of these tracks dropped in the 4th quarter, but the rotation of them came around heavily in/around that time. I'm a huge fan as is, but I'm also highly critical of practically everything, especially music. All that to say I would not give it a pass in any case. But I digress, I'm not here to disappoint in any way, and trust me, these tracks are FIRE, not to mention the mixtapes where I first heard them (Don't worry...its coming...)

These are in no particular order...however...I LOVE duets and spine-tingling baselines...thus the first track on the list! Oh...and that Queen Sheba...hm!

P.S. I wish all the tracks had official music videos...:-/

More Ear candy posts WILL be coming in the near future...til then, peace out and

"RUN DE BLOODCLAAT RIDDIIIIIIIIIM!!!"

d|^_^|b

Bonus! Bonus!

So yeah...the upcomming tracks are more of a hybrid theme, but I just had to share them. 18 and Ova Riddim (the last three vids) and Good Love riddim (The first one) are two of the best in a while...("Jah Cure - Call on Me" RAN AWAY with that Good Love riddim though...crazy). You guys should check out the other tracks on each riddim...well worth it.

Lebron, Kobe, and Chris Cringle vs Blitzen and the Reindeer Crew

2010-01-07T00:49:00.006-05:00

I don't know about ya'll...but the MVPuppets are entertaining at the very least. Shouts to Lupe and KRS for their contributions. Dope AND lyrically rated PG-13. Callin Santa Clause Chris Cringle wasa kinda funny too...On another note though, ESPN appearantly loves hip-hop. They been playin tracks from Malice in Wonderland and The Blueprint 3 during various day-time shows. Interesting. Dont believe me? Check out ESPN/ESPN2 around 10-2...

"I mean, I've found ones in the past that I liked, but none that I really loved...

2010-01-06T17:55:00.005-05:00

...until now...*insert mouthed explosion sound*"

Best. Beer. Commercial. Ever.

This one comes second...still miles behind the above though

p.s. Two posts below this is a video promo that automatically starts so if you hear random sounds and voices its coming from that...just scroll down and pause it or click the title of this post to just view this post and not the entire blog

Random song/video

2010-01-04T21:38:00.003-05:00

This video provides more proof that fear is an illusion...for all parties involved. Amazing song by sspu as well.

"DOPE Trailer"

2010-01-04T20:51:00.001-05:00

ala Steve

...that is all lol

I'm back + Happy New Year + Ten Phrases you MUST NOT use in 2010

2010-01-04T17:25:00.011-05:00

First off, Happy New Year everyone! Peace and prosperity for 2010! I got back to the lab (aka my apt) last thursday and I kinda brought in the new year with a bang over the past few days. The weirdest part about the past few new years' is that Laurence has never been here...crazy. I've had to hunt-down different P.I.C. for a while now. And to make matters worse, my cousin all the way in bama and myself felt the same way after the aftermath of it all...

...Nonethelss, I enjoyed myself. Guilty pleasures ftl.

Oh and btw, I'm done with New Year's resolutions. To be honest, (Oops...damnit!...it'll make sense later on in this post) Edit: In actuality, I feel that anything worth changing doesnt recquire 365 and 1/4 days to think about or plan muchless act on. So with that in mind, I started implementing the changes I deemed necessary a few months ago. A work in progress....but godspeed to the better me.

Ranting over...onto the topic at hand....now for ten phrases to avoid using in 2010...

10. It is what it is
This newcomer is the epitome of an ear-grating phrase that means nothing.

9. It's all good
The inclusion of "all" only accentuates how much you don't mean what you are saying.

8. To be honest (I told you it would make sense lol)
Not only is this phrase usually followed by something best left unsaid, but it also implies everything else you say is dishonest.

7. No offense
A phrase even more insincere than it is superfluous.

6. Whatever
In a recent survey, 47 percent of Americans chose this word compound as the most annoying phrase of all. Meaning you have permission to smack anyone who uses it and isn't a 12-year-old girl. (And it's a close call on smacking any 12-year-old girl who uses the "w" word.)

5. Don't get me wrong
Isn't it implicit in most human communication that your intention is always to be correctly understood?

4. With all due respect
Really?

3. Everything happens for a reason
A completely worthless utterance that probably doubles as a vicious taunt to those who have undergone terrible hardships.

2. At the end of the day
At the end of the day, you will be preparing for bed. (With apologizes to John Maynard Keynes.)

1. Going forward
Saying this is like announcing your next footstep.

Hope you guys enjoyed the list! Dont forget to leave feedback and abou that shoutbox on the side...

CHEA!

They're BAA-AAACK!...(well, almost)

2010-01-01T17:32:00.009-05:00

Steve, Dwight, Laurence and myself are all avid fans of The Boondocks. It's ridiculous, really. We've seen every episode on multiple occasions and have seasons 1 and 2 on dvd and dvd-rips. So needless to say, we're pretty excited about the news that season 3 is in its final phases of production/distribution.

According to Aaron McGruder's twitter page, The Boodocks: Season 3, is on its a way to a cable-network-that-will-bleep-out-all-the-good-stuff near you. Here's some of his twitpics from screenshots he took of the upcomming season.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

ALERT: The pro-art web-base has just expanded!

2010-01-01T15:49:00.005-05:00

Stephen Philms, the CEO and visionary of pro-art, has started his own site and is spewing out his own particulars on the creativity that is pro-art! Poetry, videos, and whatever else comes to him and whatever odd moment will be posted! Hit up the above banner to visit the site (stephenphilms.com) and the below pic for his twitter page.

We starting off 2010 blazin and we gon keep it blazin! 100 miles and runnin ya'll!

Staycation + the SHOUTBOX!

2009-12-24T10:50:00.003-05:00

Hello again people...I'm going to be out of town for the holidays, you know, visiting family, friends, the whole nine. And I work from a deskptop which means I'm not mobile. :-(...But in the meantime and in-between time, visitors as well as followers, HIT UP THE SHOUTBOX! It's extremely important to the content and material added to the page as well as what I will blog about aside from my own personal in-and-outs. Whatever comments and questions you have, post them because I will be checking them asap! Once again, Happy New Year's Eve and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

E signin out!

Dueces!

And oh yeah...come NYE...

...It's going down!

Congrats to the BIG HOMIE!

2009-12-24T10:36:00.005-05:00

Congrats to my dude Dwight! He landed a LUCRATIVE job in Washington, D.C. not too long ago and will be working there upon graduation. Don't wanna expose too much of the details but he doing big things so gotta shout him out on the blog. Clearly, he's SO PRO-ART!

To all the fellas out there with ladies to impress...

2009-12-24T10:25:00.006-05:00

...its easy to do, just follow these steps!

1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your junk in that box
3. Make her open the box

...And that's the way you do it!

Happy Holidays + Somes chunes...

2009-12-24T10:00:00.006-05:00

Wassup people? First off, happy holidays to all! I hope the Christmas spirit is with everyone out there as you travel to/with your respected families and/or friends. Lets all remember that this is the season of giving, so make on oppurtunity to reach out to a friend/loved one or donate some coats, canned good, etc to a nearby shelter or salvation army. A little goes a long way for those who don't have anything. But moving on...

My birthday was a little over a week ago (the 12th) and as customary, it lands around finals time. So to keep me menatally alert/energized for both finals and running the streets, I get up on my dancehall music...and as typical, I found me some chunes!

http://www.zshare.net/download/703008086df1aca7/]Chinese

http://www.zshare.net/download/70300844a50f1d43/]DJ

http://www.zshare.net/download/7030087899467ab9/]DJ

RUN DE BLODDCAAT RIDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMM!!!

Stephen Philms and Phene collab again with the Angels MUSIC VIDEO Remix

2009-12-19T17:37:00.009-05:00

OB4CL2 and District 9

2009-12-18T13:41:00.007-05:00

Number 7 and 9 respectively for Times' Top 10 albums and movies of 2009

OB4CL2

District 9

To Steve and Laurence: "I TRIED to told ya!"

Times Top 10 of 2009- Full list HERE

The Bubble Calendar

2009-12-18T13:27:00.002-05:00

Call me crazy but...I think I'm going to purchase this ASAP! Hopefully they re-stock soon :-(

https://bubblecalendar.com/index.htm

Clipse and Snoop deliver in the 4th

2009-12-18T13:01:00.006-05:00

Two very solid albums to close out the year and each for different reasons. Clipse brought the raw and real as always...'the re-incarnation of Raekwon in an a-pron.' As for Snoop, he just ALWAYS manages a way to make hits...I dont know what it is. His album has great listenability. Anyway, of the two albums, I decided to pick out my favorite track for each. Enjoy...

"Follow my foosteps through tragedy and triumph
Through flows, I give you mein kampf
Kilos co-signed em, Do as I say like Simon
Then you too will diamond-blind hun, I'm on my Dylan...
Dillenger, flow just killin ya, ya wonder why the real aint fellin ya
...ya fraudin"

"I wanna rock right now...rock, rock...right now"

Phene: Angels FREESTYLE

2009-12-01T19:10:00.008-05:00

Phene Murdered this track!!!
Phene got A LOT of his chest with this one! I must say we at pro-art agree with him wholeheartedly! Check it out! God on a Greyhound Coming Soon!!

The Cost of War

2009-12-01T16:43:00.018-05:00

Now I know we all hear the cliches regarding the bountiful amount of useful information on the internet that is simply ignored...but this information puts it in an ENTIRELY new perspective.

I'm taking a Global issues course this semester and there were 3 sets of debates on current issues facing all life on the planet. The most heated one, naturally (this is the South), was military war to fight terrorism. I was on the side against using military/war as the main means of action to deal with terror. My ideaology behind my stance was simple:

1) Terrorism is an IDEA and no weapon can kill that. Sure, certain regions/countries are prone to harbor terrorist oraganizations, however, there are many right here in the US and being that nearly all 9/11 involvement is largely speculation, who's to say where the true organizers of the attacks are?

2) More importantly, financially, the US cannot continue to be at 'war' There are numerous charts and graphs depicting the lopsided contributions of the US compared to other countries also supposedly involved in the war on terror...but this site and counter really drives it home in a rather simple fashion

If that isn't shocking enough, let's take a look at the trade-offs...On the National Priorities Project official website you can break down the costs and trade-offs for the US, per state, per county, per city, and per PERSON and TAXPAYER. Each person and/or taxpayer in the US, aside from any other debts owed, is in $3,189 and $7,034 MINIMUM...and rising. But I digress...more stats.

Taxpayers in the United States will pay $915.1 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

269,705,508 People with Health Care for One Year OR

947,364,311 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR

19,764,579 Public Safety Officers for One year OR

15,693,033 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR

141,481,138 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR

171,046,729 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR

7,118,476 Affordable Housing Units OR

403,332,085 Children with Health Care for One Year OR

125,579,800 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR

15,032,444 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR

13,221,600 Port Container Inspectors for One year

Wait...there's more

Taxpayers in the United States will pay $704.3 billion for Total Defense Spending in FY2010. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

207,588,064 People with Health Care for One Year OR

729,171,329 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR

15,212,484 Public Safety Officers for One year OR

12,078,680 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR

108,895,794 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR

131,651,962 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR

5,478,979 Affordable Housing Units OR

310,438,327 Children with Health Care for One Year OR

96,656,786 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR

11,570,234 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR

10,176,457 Port Container Inspectors for One year

And that's just 2 of the 6 categories...meaning there are billions more dollars going to "National defense"...sighs. The counter below reflects the same stats displayed above. My challenge to everyone who read this is to check the counter again on New Years' Day and see what the number is then

61 Free Desktop Applications, Webapps, and Tools We're Most Thankful For

2009-12-01T15:44:00.008-05:00

61 Free Desktop Applications, Webapps, and Tools We're Most Thankful For (via Lifehacker)

As we prepare to stuff our faces with a bountiful Thanksgiving feast, we turn our Thanksgiving spirit to the gobs of free software we love to say thank you to the developers, and to give our computers a feast of their own.

Earlier this week we asked you to share the free apps you're most thankful for, and after rounding up thousands of your suggestions, considering our own favorites, and performing a little spreadsheet magic, we've cooked up our own cornucopia of excellent free software and webapps we're extremely thankful for. So whether you're an American celebrating the season or not, the selection of apps below is like gravy-drenched turkey and mashed potatoes for your computer. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

1. Firefox
2. VLC
3. CCleaner
4. Dropbox

5. 7-Zip
6. OpenOffice.orgs

7. Google Chrome
8. µTorrent
9. Notepad++
10. Gmail
11. GIMP
12. Paint.NET
13. Microsoft Security Essentials
14. Revo Uninstaller
15. Evernote
16. Thunderbird
17. Audacity
18. ImgBurn
19. Picasa
20. Skype
21. Pidgin
22. Ubuntu
23. iTunes
24. foobar2000
25. Foxit Reader

26. FileZilla
27. VirtualBox

28. TrueCrypt
29. Avast!
30. Defraggler
31. KeePass
32. Opera
33. AVG
34. Digsby

35. Google Reader

36. Winamp
37. Google Earth
38. TeraCopy
39. Launchy
40. Transmission
41. Eclipse IDE
42. SpyBot Search & Destroy
43. Adium
44. PuTTY
45. Songbird
46. Sumatra PDF
47. XBMC
48. Blender
49. CDBurnerXP
50. Everything
51. HandBrake
52. Rainmeter
53. AutoHotkey
54. Google Calendar
55. MediaMonkey
56. Quicksilver
57. WinSCP
58. Google Voice
59. Boxee
60. AdBlock Plus
61. Media Player Classic

The Toll Road to Gray Matter PROMO COMMERCIAL

2009-11-15T15:02:00.001-05:00

Check out this promo video for the upcoming digibook from pro-art Publishing

Right vs Left

2009-11-13T15:44:00.005-05:00

No, this is not about politics...lol

I recently stumbled onto an old and rather simple aptitude test I took in high school. Clearly, it's not that intense of a test but it can be a useful tool in identifying how your brain works. The brain will 'process' the rotations of this young lady below as either clockwise or counter-clockswise. Some people possess certain aspects of both the left and right side dominated brain and can view her both ways simply by looking away and returning seconds later. For others it changes based on the frame of mind (ie fresh out of a math/science lecture vs recently participating in a vigorous exchange of ideas over some Shakespearean piece). Theoretically, those that can view both directions are equally as effective in their daily activities regardless of the sphere necessary to complete the task. Great for well-roundedness, but can provide a rather "tangling" sense of being/existence when it comes to making certain decisions, even easy ones.

So now that you have determined which direction(s) she's turning in (based on your own brain's functionality), check out what it all means...

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS - (Counter-clockwise)
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS - (Clockwise)
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

pro-art Publishing's DEBUT promo Image

2009-11-10T21:15:00.003-05:00

pro-art Publishing PRESENTS-->The Toll Road to Gray Matter by Author I.Malone<--
The first installment from pro-art publishing is a ravishing one! This book takes you on a poetic journey of self discovery and new perspective. Author I.Malone's wordplay and literary excellence will leave readers satisfied yet craving for more. In the upcoming weeks pro-art will unveil the website where the book can be purchased via paypal so if you don't have an account set one up NOW! Rumors have it that book design scheme is on point with its intricate theme and the great part is when you purchase it the book will download straight to your computer.The Journey Begins this December! See you there!

Phene: LEAP OF FAITH

2009-11-02T10:17:00.004-05:00

Straight out of Central PA Rapper Phene took his big Leap of Faith in the pursuit of following his dreams. He breaks down the meaning of his new heavily anticipated mixtape "god on a greyhound" which will be the prequel to his upcoming album. This exclusive feature comes from pro-art's own Stephen Philms! Check it out!

Review: This Is The PheneMix Vol.2 - Phene (DJ Dub Floyd)

2009-10-28T01:03:00.004-04:00

Review: This Is The PheneMix Vol.2 - Phene (DJ Dub Floyd)

Wassup ya’ll. As promised a few weeks back, the in-depth review of Phene’s second installment of “This is the PheneMix.” It’s a mixtape so, in my humble opinion, no numerical value can really be applied since it’s not 100% original. However, I highlighted my favorites. No more foreplay…let’s get straight to it, RAW!

Intro – I liked this. The opening concept is a 90s vibe and Phene/Dub put a newer creative spin on it. Good way to start off a mix-tape by setting the premise via hip-hop ‘ingredients’ and ‘cooking’ in the kitchen with cuts, scratches, etc…and it doesn’t hurt that Phene reps Philly. Real classic hip-hop feel to it.

Heroic – Cool track. Sample was alright and the beat was as well. Phene’s flow really complemented it though. Switched it up a couple times and still maintained.

Dreamer – Another decent track. I’m not a big fan of the new hip-hop/RnB/techno sound. I like how Phene stuck to the track-name topic in his own way on the first verse. Going away from actually rapping and spittin so hard would have made the track a bit better, since it’s not tailored towards a ‘rapper’ to begin with. Still pretty good though.

Feel Free – Again, the more international sound: Vocoder vocalist on the hook and a few “OOOO-oooh”’s here and there. Phene was on point lyrically. The ‘Billups’ and 'Love Lockdown’ references were nice. (Won’t spoil it for those who haven’t gotten a chance to listen…this time)

Onslaught – I love the original track and if you’re going to do a remix to a track Slaughterhouse did, you gotta come correct. The sports references throughout gave it a nice touch and kept it relative to those who follow sports. Subject material was good and he came with the lyrics again...favorite line: “Hit the wrong red-bone, cats’ll snag your verizon and drag you to a dead zone. Somethin like a Spartan…I’m in the South, parked up, ante-ing(?) my weight like Cartman.”

Today – First off, ill hook/beat. I like the Piano ballad style. Not too fancy, but not boring either. Inspirational touch and an actual attempt to be on-tune and vocalize and it matched the beat perfectly. Most of all, it let Phene dominate in whatever way he chose. He painted a pretty solid picture of a day-to-day struggle: “I’m tired of this job, my money’s kinda tight, rent’s due by tomorrow, and the cable’s due tonight…” And this track is pretty versatile because it’s not entirely artist biased. Standout line: “And who am I to tell these children not to slang when my money situation makes me wanna do the same”

Hustlaz Muzik – Solid flows/beat. Content starts off a bit dark but nothing too gloomy. The beat adds to it too. Good track all-around. City Haze with the alley and Phene with the hoop.

Mellodramatic – Phene shouts out Philly and then goes in. Real uptempo beat, kinda reminds me of a Freeway track but Phene brings his own flow/style to it.

All My Life – I really like this track. First true ‘reminiscence’ track and he brought it from beginning to the end. Not so much a story track but a brief walk in Phene’s old J’s…the same one’s his old girled liked more than she did him…lol.

Gone – That beat = filthy! (Or should I say “Philthy”) And what better beat to lay out your ‘reppin’ verses on? Really dope piece of work and his attitude comes out big-time on this one. Illy bar: “’7’ is the number of God, ‘1’ is because we’re all one, ‘7-1-7’ where I’m from, ‘7-7-0’ where I run, this shit’s forever so you can never hear I’m done”

Saviors – The sample on this beat sounds really familiar. Can’t quite remember where it’s from…but I digress, the beat is really smooth with those horns and the 70s theme music feel to it. Good riding through the city vibe. Hot bar: “We on another level, plateau, higher than, rest in peace Aaliyah I gotta ‘Try Again’”

Runaway With Me – Back-to-back smooth/’70s feel’ tracks. This one, being slowed down a bit and about taking a lil mama away from her man and out the hood. Base guitar chords are nice too.

Love Hangover – I really dig this one. Beat is dope and Estelle dig her thing on the hook. The slight intermission after the first hook really sets it up before Phene sets it off. He really spit it well on this one. Lyrics were on point and the flow was flawless: “I get behind her behind and light that ass up like brake lights” Bang!

Chase – This seems to be the RnB artist’s (Tenile) track with Phene being featured…and he kills it. “Stop runnin from your past…you’re going nowhere fast”: He chimed in with that during her hooks and it fit nicely and matched the theme of course. I would insert a line/bar but its pretty dope throughout…give it a listen and pick your poison.

Ask Anybody – Another philthy track! Dope beat/sample. Real simple, Premier/Dilla-ish. Sorta reminds me of a beat on “The Boodocks.” Phene went in on this one; he really attacked it in all phases/aspects.

Much More – Now this sample I recognize! Beat reminds me a lot of “Why You Hate The Game” (by The Game ft. Nas and Marsha Ambrosia of Floetry.) Phil Nash and Phene go in HARD on this one. This might be the most lyrical track on this mixtape. The cuts and scratches bring it to life even more. Don’t want to give any away though lol. Kudos to the beat switch at the 1:42 mark…ill. Yummy Bingham does her thing on the hook as well.

Like a Champion – I like the Buju sample, reminds me of a Swizz beat production. Verses laced with swag, ass, and how you use either to get the other. Overall solid track.

Money, Power, Respect – Another classic beat/track. I liked this one too. He brought it lyrically in a short time-span with all the cuts/scratches (which were on point btw): “…bitches fightin til the end like Hilary…” lol.

Everybody Knows – I really like this track. Not everyone can do a story track and do it well and Phene does his thing on this one. And the subject material complements the original track very well even though Phene made this remix his own. It could very well be official. Niyah and Angel are two very real females…

Rescue You – The “Got to getcha” track. Phene has a nice chill flow on this one. Not too lengthy and not too lyrical, but solid nonetheless.

Holding Back – This is also a favorite beat of mines on this mix-tape. Really smooth and chill and the sample is on point. Perfect ride-out track/outro for a mixtape. It has an insightful and retrospective feel to it and the content throughout reflects just that.

Mello Dramatic says he's 100% Hip-Hop with his new mixtape Ipod Worthy!

2009-10-08T21:33:00.003-04:00

Gang Violence ftml

2009-09-29T22:47:00.007-04:00

Details to the story HERE

I'm still in shock after reading and watching this...Check out Nas' reaction

"Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong wars! Killing each other is definitely played out. Being hurt from the loss of a love one was never cool.

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling, that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, anyone. But….

We chose the dumbest things to go the hardest for. I remember seeing deaths over 8 ball jackets, fila’s, and name plate chains. Deaths over “he say she say”!!!!! “I’m from This block or I’m from that block,” or “my moms n pops is f*cked up now the whole world gotta pay!!!”

I remember feeling like I was the hardest “n*gga” breathin. And I couldn’t wait to prove it. But let’s think. What r we really proving?? And proving what to who?? Everybody knows Chicago breeds the strongest of the strong but I just feel, me, being ya brother from another state, feel your pain as if I grew up with you in ya very own household.

You have the ability and mindpower to change the way we are looked at. Look who’s watching us young warriors, look who’s throwin us in jail constantly, look at the ignorance in the world. Look at the racist dogs who love to see us down. Lovin to bury us in the ground or in jail where we continue this worthless war on one another. Young warriors…. We are WASTING more and more time. We gotta get on our jobs and take over the world. Cuz this movie left the theaters years ago, Juice, Menace, Boys n the Hood, Blood n Blood Out, Belly!

When we see each other why do we see hatred? Why were we born in a storm, born soldiers, WARRIORS….and instead of building each other up we are at war with each other.. May the soul of this young person find peace with the Almighty. I’m with you young warriors. You’re me and I’m you. But trust me! You are fighting the wrong war.

This sh*t sucks !!

-Nas"

When 50 starts something...

2009-09-29T22:33:00.001-04:00

...he just doesn't stop.

Stephen Philms Presents-Freedom of Speech: ONE WORD SNEAK PEEK

2009-09-15T19:40:00.004-04:00

MAJOR shout outs to pro-art's very own Stephen Philms on this sneak peak into his upcoming documentary on the phrase 'Freedom of Speech'

Kanye Apologizes...

2009-09-15T02:10:00.004-04:00

Kanye deserves his own Gatorade...dude is a G, straight up. I'm serious. NOBODY else could have gotten away with what he did at the VMAs last night. You can't stir up controversy any better than this. Whether or not this is just a publicity stunt will be a question, at least for now. Nonetheless, kudos to him for apologizing.

10 Producers who could've saved The Blueprint 3

2009-09-15T01:29:00.003-04:00

Now THIS article I agree with whole-heartedly. The beats weren't that bad...but beats is only one phase/concept of production. Jigga decided to feature some new cats on the hooks/verses...might as well apply the same theory for the production.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"10 Producers who could've saved 'The Blueprint 3'"
by Jerry Barrow

“N*ggas want my old shit, buy my old album/N*ggas stuck on stupid, I gotta keep it movin,…” Jay-Z “On To The Next One”

The Blueprint is dead, long live The Blueprint. Sometimes you just can’t go back. It’s a little counterproductive as fans and critics to wish Jay-Z would do “the original” Blueprint over. It was clear after the BP 2 that was never going to happen. Besides, it wasn’t simply the “soulful” samples of the original that made it pop, it’s that Hova had the testicular fortitude (ie balls) to hand the keys over to up-and-coming producers like Kanye West and Just Blaze. In fact, it’s been Jay-Z’s willingness to go outside the box and get producers like The Buchanans (“What More Can I Say”) and 9th Wonder (“Threats”) that helped make his recent work even more memorable.

In the past I have been among the flag wavers demanding more DJ Premier and Ski Beatz on Jay-Z songs and I’ve been told “Oh, he’s been there and done that.” He backs this up on “On To The Next.” However, how does he justify continuing to use all of his old buddies on The Blueprint 3? With the exception of Al Shux and The Incredibles every track is produced by either Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland or The Neptunes. The fundamental problem with that strategy is that all of them are artists who are not going to give him their best material anymore. Timbaland even admitted that “I didn’t give Jay my best material” because he’s saving it for his own Shock Value 2 project.

However, After listening to The Blueprint 3 I must concede that it’s not as horrible as many of my colleagues are saying. Jay-Z can still rhyme rings around the average rapper and there are many rewind worthy couplets sandwiched between the really bad hooks (ie the extended 9/11 metaphor on “Thank You” is ridic). I don’t think anyone let down by the BP3 is hating, we just expect more. It’s like watching Kobe Bryant play and he only drops 20. That’s a great game for the average player but after watching him drop 81 it’s like “meh.”

Anyway, since Hova insists that critics “never did it” I’m going to put on my A&R hat and say that these following producers could have made an average Jay-Z album something to really remember.

10) DJ Khalil, I don’t think Jay got his best work on Kingdom Comes’ “I Made it” as evidenced by the Clipse “ Kinda Like a Big Deal”

9) Nicolay
If Jay is thinking “global” this producer from The Netherlands has all of the melody and futuristic soul he can handle.

8 ) Black Milk
This Detroit MC/ Producer has the perfect balance of that hard, Detroit Rock with electronic synth sounds that got the kiddies going ringtone crazy.

7) K-Salaam and Beatnick With three albums under their belt this duo is quickly becoming one of the illest remixers in the game.

6) The Runners If Rick Ross’s “Hustlin” wasn’t enough “Lay Back” should have sealed the deal.

5) Tha Bizness Seeing has Jay was riding Jeezy’s “My President’s Black” so hard he should have gotten the producers who made it.

4) Play N Skillz From Chamilionaire (”Ridin Dirty”) to Hurricane Chris these siblings from Texas get it in. They even jack Hova for “Checkin My Fresh”

3) Bangladesh Lil Wayne’s “A Milli” was the most jacked beat of last year (including by Jay-Z) and Luda’s secret weapon would have laced Jigga.

2)The Dream and Tricky Stuart
If Jay wanted a “2009” sound he could have gone to these proven hitmakers to bring some oomph to some of those lackluster hooks.

1) Justice League
After lacing Rick Ross’ “Maybach Music” it should have been a no-brainer for Jay to tap this trio to give him some heat.

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Was "The Blueprint 3" really that bad?

2009-09-15T01:16:00.003-04:00

These guys make alota valid points, esp with the casio pop sound and the much ado about nothing features. I'm not as harsh in my judgement, but my main point stems from this track in comparison to every, single track on The Blueprint 3.

And honestly...arrogance without current works bothers me, especially in music. If Jay-Z wants to be off his 'old shit' and get on every other artist who hasn't 'grown', fine. But his new stuff isn't really new...he's been talkin about moving from the "corner to the corner office" for 3-4 albums now, and this album portrayed it in the most average fasion, by far. My rant would take forever...so I digress because of time restrictions. Its not a bad album...just not a great one, at all.

Note: Here's Casey Gene-Macalla's analysis of BP3....ouch

http://theurbandaily.com/music/leak-review-jay-zs-blueprint-for-failure/

This Is The PheneMix Vol 2 (w/ Dub Floyd)

2009-09-14T23:38:00.004-04:00

Sup ya'll?...it's been a minute.

Not too long ago, I got put on to a promising upcomming artist out of Philly named Phene. His latest mixtape dropped back in May and I gave it a listen over the past few days. Not too much of an in-depth review, for now, but I will highlight the tracks I felt were dopest...Overall though, dude is solid and I really dig the production and mixing (No surprise here though, Dub Floyd is a persoanl favorite.) Ispy a Mellodramatic feature!

Here's the mixtape art/tracks/download:

Tracklisting
01. The Intro (Prod. by Djay Cas) w/ Dub Floyd
02. Heroic (Exclusive Screamixx) w/ Marvin Gaye
03. Dreamer (PheneMix) w/ Akon
04. Feel Free (PheneMix) w/ Ricky Blaze
05. Onslaught (Freeverse)
06. Today (PheneMix) w/ Dre (Cool -N- Dre)
07. Hustlaz Musik (Prod. by Risingson) w/ City Haze
08. Mellodramatic (Prod. by Mellodramatic)
09. All My Life (Freeverse)
10. Gone (Prod. by Marcus Davis)
11. Saviors w/ Big Skeem
12. Runaway With Me (PheneMix)
13. Love Hangover (PheneMix) w/ Estelle
14. Chase (Produced by Grand Larceny) w/ Tenille
15. Ask Anybody (Prod. by Infamous Crate Diggers) w/ Dub Floyd
16. Much More (PheneMix) w/ Phil Nash & Yummy Bingham
17. Like A Champion (Prod. by Mazik)
18. Money, Power, Respect (Freeverse)
19. Everybody Knows (PheneMix) w/ John Legend
20. Rescue You (PheneMix) w/ Ryan Leslie
21. Holding Back (Prod. by Pezey Krack)

Download Link

2009 Summer Playlist!!! (Reggae Pt.1)

2009-09-04T14:40:00.004-04:00

Currently, there are about 100+ tracks...This mixtape tackles alot of them, but not all. Part 2 coming soon...

NOTE: Listening to the playlist on this webpage enables imeem's 30 sec preview feature. To listen to the full tracks click >>>>HERE<<<<

I wanted to use the flash player I used last time for the R&B playlist but 43 tracks is tedious to say the least. And for some odd reason, the tracks I uploaded wouldnt play...:-/ (FF ftl...again?)

DJ Kenny Lover Rock 13

Spoof Time!!!

2009-09-04T13:50:00.002-04:00

Two of the funniest spoofs I've seen in a minute!

As promised...2009 Summer Playlist! (R&B)

2009-08-31T15:01:00.026-04:00

Wassup ya'll...I hope you guys didn't think I forgot about those summer playlists! The first week of classes was crazy with all the buying and selling and getting with this person and that person but things have settled down somewhat. Now there's just 16 weeks of schoolwork to do. Piece of cake...:-(

But anyway, I figured I'd start it off with the easiest list to compile...R&B. This is not an all-time favorite list. I tried to select songs that came out and/or got hot during my summer vacation that I liked or were relevant in some way. Now with that said, dont automatically assume this list is just aight just because it was easiest to compile: its actually pretty intense. I have a a special appreciattion for intoxicating music of any genre. At its best, music is suppose to be so face-flushing and spine-tingling that it captures you and has you completely frozen; where you identify with the emotions within the music so well that you go numb and feel nothing but the music...and for just those few minutes... you're completely consumed from head to toe. You get the music and it gets you. Rarely does it hit the spot quite like that in every scenario. Maybe it will be another song or maybe the same song at another point in your life. Regardless of the time/place, music has this effect on all of us at some point and thats the beauty of it.

Imeem requires a bit much and youtube is kinda inconvinient so I made my own playlist via macromedia flash. I'll try to drop a genre-specific play-list each season (Autumn/Winter Hip-Hop/Rap is already looking nice...Slaughterhouse FTW!) Unfortunately, there wont be a Rock/Punk play-list....this time :-)

Enjoy. Next up........you'll have to wait and see!

:-\

2009-08-30T23:48:00.008-04:00

I've been pretty busy with H.W. today...kinda underestimated what had to be done but hey, thats what the first couple weeks are for. Nonetheless, I found a pretty intersting map. The H1N1 and swine flu cases have been going up. Coincidentally, I'm not feeling 100% either and seeing this map didn't help matters much...

on that note....time for more theraflu

But before I dip...one of the dopest hip-hop tracks out right now

I'm outta here!

$100,000

2009-08-27T15:50:00.003-04:00

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, it takes an average U.S. citizen a shade under four years to earn $100,000.

Ever wonder how long it takes your favorite athlete to earn that much???

Alas...another reason to get your son into baseball

Full article here

One word: IRONY

2009-08-26T18:37:00.002-04:00

"Robin Starr, the CEO of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says her 16-year-old blind and deaf dog, Louie, died after she accidentally left him in her hot car for four hours."

Source:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/116/2009/august/26/va-spca-execs-dog-dies-after-4-hours-in-hot-car.html
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...

Rush Limbaugh responds to Jay-Z

2009-08-26T13:26:00.010-04:00

For those of you who haven't heard, Jay-Z's newest release, entitled "Off That," on his upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, has stirred up a bit on controversy as of late. Jigga takes a shot at both Bill O'Rielly and Rush Limbaugh and Limbaugh took it upon himself to answer back on his radio show:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RUSH: I have been mentioned in a rap song by the rapper “Jay-Z.” He has a new song out there. What’s the name of the song? I don’t know what the name of the song is. New song out mentions me and the moderate Bill O’Reilly.

“This ain’t black versus white, my nigga, we off that. Please tell Bill O’Reilly to fall back. Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls. It’s 2010 not 1864. Ah yeh we come so far … Ah, how’s that for a mix? Got a black president, got green presidents.”

RUSH: Does this, Snerdley, mark a new development in my career to be singled out in a rap song by the famous rapper Jay-Z? I guess it is. As far as I know I have never been mentioned in a rap song by anybody. I guess it means I’ve made it. I’m now in a rap tune by the famous rapper Jay-Z. “[T]ell Bill O Reilly to fall back. Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls.” I would remind the rapper Jay-Z: Mr. Z, it is President Obama who wants to mandate circumcision. We had that story yesterday; and that means if we need to save our penises from anybody, it’s Obama. I did not know I was on anybody’s balls, either. I’m happy to know that they think I am, though! But I didn’t actually know that I was.

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Sarcastic gold in my opinion. Hopefully we get to see Jay-Z and Limbaugh talk it out on The O'Reilly Factor.

About the mandated circumcisions though...wow

E-FACTS interview!!!

2009-08-25T21:20:00.008-04:00

Take a tour through my mind and see how the E-FACTS blog originated! Also I introduce the pro-art movement!

we're so pro-art...ARE YOU?!

FOLLOW THE BLOG! TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND!

19.19?!?!?!?!?!

2009-08-20T14:48:00.007-04:00

Usain Bolt is NOT human!

Men's 200

1. Usain Bolt 19.19

2. Alonso Edward 19.81

3. Wallace Spearmon 19.85

4. Shawn Crawford 19.89

5. Steve Mullings 19.98

6. Charles Clark 20.39

7. Ramil Guliyev 20.61

8. David Alerte 20.68

He/She?

2009-08-20T12:43:00.015-04:00

Note: Part of this story broke yesterday and I really should've posted it but got caught up staring at Michelle's sexy legs...but moving on...This is a really interesting story to say the least. 18 yr-old, Olymic gold medalist, Caster Semenya of South Africa is facing a gender test by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) due to concerns on whether 'she' is a man or a woman. Speculation around the reason for the constant push for the test stems from the gold she won in the women's 800 at the world championships yesterday. Well, let me refrain, the speculation of both her sex and the increased push for the gender test supposedly arose from how badly the olympian women were beat in yesterday's world championships. The controversy surrounding her began when she posted a personal best (and world leading) time of 1 minute, 56.72 seconds, an eight second improvement on her time last year, to win gold at the African Junior Championships in Mauritius last month. That time is just 0.51 seconds slower than Kelly Holmes' career best. And then yesterday, she dominated from begining to end and posted a new personal best of 1 minute, 55.45 seconds, and needless to say, was well ahead of the rest. From an 18 yr-old? Likely. From an unknown South African 'girl' that looks like and has the build of a South African guy? Hmmmmm. Oddly enough, this isnt the first time an issue such as this one has surfaced (see Stella Walsh and Sarah Gronert). Semenya's mother, Dorcus Semenya, and grandmother, Maphuthi Sekgala, have gone on record to defend her. Dorcus Semenya stated from her home in the village of Seshego, near Polokwane in South Africa's Limpopo province:

"I am not even worried about that because I know who and what my child is. Mokgadi Caster is a girl and no one can change that. If you go at my home village and ask any of my neighbours, they would tell you that Mokgadi is a girl. They know because they helped raise her. People can say whatever they like but the truth will remain, which is that my child is a girl. I am not concerned about such things."

Sekgala also had a few things to say to the media. "She called me after the heats and told me that they think she's a man. What can I do when they call her a man, when she's really not a man? It is God who made her look that way. (As a yong child) If the teasing hurt her, she kept the hurt to herself and didn't show what she was feeling."

Michael Seme, Semenya's coach, referred to the timing of the media's attention to the issue as 'suspicious.' "I have been working with Caster since January and I can tell you now I have been training a girl, not a boy. It is very upsetting that she has to undergo all this just hours before the most important race of her career. This is psychologically disruptive."

Leonard Chuene, president of ASA (Athletics South Africa) has also vigorously defended the girl. "I will continue to defend the girl, I will continue to do anything, even if I am to be kicked out of Berlin, but I am not going to let that girl be humiliated in the manner that she was humiliated because she has not committed a crime whatsoever. Her crime was to be born the way she is born. I think what they should have done is to protect her until the results are out and then we sit and look at it."

The media circus on this one won't die down right now, but I must complement Semenya on her inner resolve to go out and not only win, but dominate despite the speculation. For the moment, I say celebrate her success and let the scientists working for IAAF take the necessary tests to verify 'her' gender.

Burres pleads guilty, set to serve 2-yr sentence

2009-08-20T12:25:00.004-04:00

Best thing he could have done imo. This case has dragged on, and while justice must be served, he wasn't going to get off and pleading cut down his sentencing down and a half years. It's really a sad story more than anything. Guy was productive on the field (unfortunately for us Eagles' fans at times) and seemed to be a good guy in the locker room. But a myriad of poor decision-making led him to that moment in that night club that changed his life forever. Seemingly he's learned a lesson and just might get the life he lived off the field repaired in exchange for the one that was a well-oiled machine on the field. He may have physically shot himself in the leg in that night in that Manhattan night club, but he'll be really shooting himself in the foot if he doesnt survive this and bounce back one day.

"Aye you gyal ina de tight up shawts...

2009-08-19T15:09:00.006-04:00

...ya speed up ten more beats to me heart?"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Stories like this make journalism seem like a piece of cake...I'm actually feeling a little iffy about posting this. The story itself: far from news. The story actually makng headlines: NEWS! There are ALOT more important things going on (Jeez, this is SO hypocritical...I gotta make sure I post something newsworthy later on today)

We just be HYPERIZING

2009-08-19T13:50:00.004-04:00

Rashard killed it...@ the jheri curl gumby!!!

This weekend's event!

2009-08-18T22:38:00.010-04:00

The info below is from an invitation to an open-air business and social networking event at Cabana/The Opera on the 21st. (I'm in the process of adding an event caldendar widget to the blog so you guys can keep up with us...most are pretty regular though...*continues search*) This will be the first event that we, pro-art, attend as a group/business partners (keeps fingers crossed!) so needless to say I'm...well, just check the gif

Oh, and btw...Live tweets WILL be on deck!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to the over 400 young professionals who joined us at on the rooftop of the W last month!

After an amazing outdoor/indoor event at Whiskey Blue last month, NetParty Atlanta is back on Friday, August 21, with another evening of open-air business and social networking at The Cabana, an outdoor Midtown oasis adjoining the opulent Opera nightclub. We've also reserved Opera's charming Venetian Room as a cool indoor alternative.

As seen in Forbes (Best of the Web), Cosmopolitan Magazine ("Top New Ways to Meet"), and most recently on CNet ("Top Professional Social Network that Takes on LinkedIn") NetParty Networking Events "combine business networking with social fun."We expect another amazing crowd to join us for:

Great drink specials 6-8 pm (to be announced)

Complimentary Passed Hors D'oeuvres (6-8 pm)

Cool music played at a low volume to facilitate successful business and social networking until 8 pm

DJ spinning great music and creating a fun atmosphere after 8 pm while allowing for continued conversation and interaction

Making the acquaintance of hundreds of new, young, fun young professionals for business contacts and friendships like you can do nowhere else

Opera's $2.5 million renovation revitalized the unique historical character and stunning architectural details of the original building that in the 1920s served as an opera house for the Atlanta Women's Club. With elegant chandeliers, VIP booths that resemble opera boxes (each outfitted with a flat-screen TV), an art gallery, a retractable DJ booth and a even a pool and 20-foot waterfall at The Cabana, Opera is an "opulent kingdom" where "baroque never looked so sexy" (Access Atlanta).

For more info, to buy tickets or to RSVP please visit http://atlanta.netparty.com/!

We look forward to seeing you there!

http://atlanta.netparty.com/networking-events.html

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He's BAAA-AAACK!

2009-08-18T16:15:00.005-04:00

The #1 diva in all of sports, is now out of retirement (again?): this time playing across the river for the NFC North rivals of his "beloved" Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings. The funny thing about this story though, is that a little over a week ago, Favre was retired and the Vikings were no longer pursuing him, or any other QB for that matter. Now, as the iron from the Michael Vick signing begins to cool, another sword has been cast into the fire and pounded into the media. With Favre, it's really a toss up between two things: either his competitive nature refrains him from walking away from the game...or he's simply an attention whore somewhat bound on beating the team that let him go...or both (check out the Venn diagram lol). Another question surfaces regarding just how beneficial this decision will be. Most sports analysts agree that Favre makes the Vikings a better team, and on paper, this is true. However, Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, both of whom have locker room support, have been lied to about the availability of the QB position and in sports, team chemistry trumps talent. I doubt Favre will receive any cold shoulders simply because of his likability in the public eye as well as his on the field accomplishments. But, if the soon-to-be 40-yr old goes down, there's no telling how willing the back-ups will be after being duped like this. The story doesn't come as much of a shocker though. For one, Jay Glazer broke it. Enough said. Secondly, if there was any doubt as to how efficient and accurate twitter is, its gone now. Vikings' players had been tweeting back and forth on the issue and the buzz never quite died.As I stated earlier, this is good for news, 50/50 for fans (or nothing depending on who you ask), but bad for the NFL's image as a business. At any rate, this should add to an already highly anticipated NFL season smothered with headlines...stay tuned!

On average...

2009-08-17T16:43:00.002-04:00

the human body contains enough...

iron to make a 3 inch nail
sulfur to kill all fleas on an average dog
carbon to make 900 pencils
potassium to fire a toy cannon
fat to make 7 bars of soap
phosphorous to make 2,200 match heads
water to fill a ten-gallon tank

9.58s...INTO a headwind...smh

2009-08-17T16:10:00.007-04:00

Lghtning Bolt at it again. This is a report about what took place yesterday at the world championships. (Seriously...who SETS WORLD RECORDS running into a headwind...smh)

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/news/story?id=4402644

Note: Now I REALLY have to find see if my theory on living closer to the equator increases speed/athleticism (or at least the capacity for) in the human body. (It's just a hunch I've had for years based on the performance of indivuduals/teams who are located in warmer areas, the SEC being the main contributor to my hunch)

Well that didnt take long

2009-08-15T15:52:00.014-04:00

In referral to this...

Jaws: Vick Poses threat for McNabb

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/moving_the_chains/Jaws_Vick_poses_threat_for_McNabb.html

Are you for or against the Eagles signing Michael Vick?

http://www.philly.com/philly/polls/53182717.html?results=y

Jaws' report comes as no surprise. Is Vick a big addition? Yes. Starting over a healthy McNabb? No. Although McNabb lobbied for Vick to come to Philly, somebody had to write an article like this, no matter how high it is on the "much ado about nothing" meter. His article reminds me of the last swiggle of juice in the box; its not substantial enough to satisfy/fill anyone or quench one's thirst, but the bottom line is that if you dont get to it, somebody else will. Can't really say I'm too shocked with the poll either...but with Philly fans, a few TDs should sway the opinion somewhat. Similarly though, a few INTs can have the same effect :-(.

This isn't a new finding...

2009-08-15T15:23:00.004-04:00

But I thought it was interesting nonetheless...

"Pain from any injury or illness is always registered by the brain. Yet, curiously, the brain tissue itself is immune to pain; it contains none of the specialized receptor cells that sense pain in other parts of the body. Thus, the pain associated with brain tumors does not arise from brain cells but from the pressure created by a growing tumor or tissues outside the brain."

Another marvel of the human body

Sources: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/3d/, http://www.arcamax.com/trivia/s-142594-750125, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pain/PN00017, http://biology.about.com/od/humananatomybiology/a/anatomybrain.htm

So Michael Vick is an Eagle...

2009-08-13T23:12:00.010-04:00

First off...The thought of Vick coming to Philadelphia has me ecstatic! (Yes...I'm an Eagles' fan) I'm not going to get into too much football jargon tonight but let's be clear and honest about one thing: A healthy Vick on the football field, taking snaps under center or not, is a tough task for any defense to handle as well as a head-scratcher for defensive coordinators. Even if he's had some athletic drop-off, he will still be able to make plays just because of his raw athleticism (not to mention the talent that is around him now). The Eagles' offense this season is already loaded with speed and elusiveness (McNabb, Westbrook, McCoy, Maclin, Jackson, Curtis) and adding Vick to the mix opens up endless possibilities, especially with the infamous wildcat formation that burst onto the scenes last season (This one's for Laurence...lol). Sports' writers nationwide are already all over this. I think alot of people forgot there were pre-season games on tonight amidst the breaking news (we lost a nail-biter...hopefully not Celek too). But the media circus and the speculation on McNabb's future should die down quickly with this. So that leaves one thing left: the public opinion, especially the passionate Eagles' fans.

A less-than-thrilled Dan Shannon, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, (PETA) released this statement earlier:

"PETA and millions of decent football fans around the world are disappointed that the Eagles decided to sign a guy who hung dogs from trees. He electrocuted them with jumper cables and held them under water. You have to wonder what sort of message this sends to young fans who care about animals and don't want them to be harmed."

Ouch! So Vick loses his job, every financial possession not completely paid for (houses, cars, etc.) all endorsements, does 18 months in Leavenworth, and has been active in educating and discouraging the urban youth on dogfighting and PETA isn't even partially satisfied? Attitudes like this don't end with animal rights' activists though. Many Eagles' fans are livid about the move.

"I am officially no longer an eagle fan
I can not believe this.I’ve been an eagle fan since 1981 and it’s over.Reprehensible"

"Obviously you have no kids..
As a parent AND a faithful Eagles fan, I would hope that you’d see how important for our players to be good role models for our kids. How many years at Leavenworth would it take for YOU to reconsider supporting him? He’s a felon. He’s a poor representation of the Eagles values and the Eagle’s fan’s good nature. I vote to get rid of him."

"Me too
I have been a fan since 1976. This disgusts me and Andy Reid clearly deserves to have the family problems that he has. There are very few things less important to me than an Eagles SB. I have always been proud that Andy supposedly only brought on high character guys. It was obviously a lie on his part. He may have paid his debt to society based on the law but he certainly cannot be perceived as a decent human being.
Throw out the moral argument that I know most of you disagree with, how does he even help this team? Does he play RT? LDE? Tight end?
Good bye Bleeding Green. It’s been great being a part of this but I refuse to do it now, no matter how hard it is."

"I hate the signing
And I hate Vick"

And the list goes on...

The above posts don't reflect the stance of every Eagles' fan, or even most (I think). But it goes to show just how touchy of a subject this was and still is now that he's on an NFL team. Many fans argue that dogfighting and hunting are one in the same. Others believe he's served his time. And even more realize that there are and have been much, MUCH worse crimes being committed by NFL players, few of which get this much publicity. Nonetheless, chances are he wont play a meaningful game until mid-season. I can't help but wonder though...Isn't this situation exactly what the rehabilitation system was initially designed for? For a criminal to go through one form of hell in hopes of avoiding the other, more ultimate one? At any rate, fan bases have the power to look past a players negative attributes and appreciate them for their contributions to their team; and if there's a city that can do that, its Philly. Will they? We'll see...

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