Fear of an Arab Planet

Since I have not been able to sleep well, I have been exploring the On Demand feature of my cable company and discovered the Sundance Channel. I came across an interesting documentary called Slingshot Hip Hop. I think the movie describes itself best:

"Slingshot Hip Hop braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza and inside Israel as they discover Hip Hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. From internal checkpoints and Separation Walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the borders that separate them."

This movie moved me like nothing I have seen recently. I was able to view the conflict from the perspective of people living it daily, not from the well thought out words of politicians and corporate media. Even though the Palestinian rap may not be for everyone - even if it is for me - their story and struggle will tug at you if you are able to put aside your existing bias and truly listen.

I felt so extremely helpless after watching it. The only thing I could think of doing was supporting them by purchasing a t-shirt and the CD made from all of the artists that are featured in the film. I wanted them to know I heard them, I really heard them, and I will do my best to make sure a few other people hear them as well.

I hope you all can take a couple of hours to sit down and consider another side. Watch the trailer: HERE

Here is the shirt I bought also to spread the word just a little more:

Sleep is the cousin of death

It is 4:24 in the morning, I am sick, I can't sleep and I really really want to. My mind is empty while moving 1,000 miles an hour at the same time. It is now 4:39, interesting how little I wrote in that period of time. I guess I should try again...

A neat way to do an instructional video

also I dig this woman's style...and the song is pretty awesome too:

Nostalgia

I love Google's street view! It is a lot of fun seeing where I lived in London. I miss it a lot!

This is the street view of Metrogate which was basically a dorm/hostel like facility, but it was a really nice area and a great location. Close to Hyde Park and easy access to the tube. The only thing that proved difficult was grocery shopping. We would fill our back packs and tromp back to the house in the pouring rain. Something would inevitably be smashed when we made it back. Anyway, I was so excited to see it I wanted to share with everyone:


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I can haz bail out?