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31st March 2008

Well it looks like this five part Rock the Bells preview is quickly coming to a close, and while it's been fun writing about my musical relationships with all these arts, I'm also anticipating the end, when I actually get to head up to Chicago tomorrow and see a slew of some of the most legendary and talented hip hop artists to ever bless the mic. And even though everyone realizes that the Tribe Called Quest reunion is going to be the focal point of the evening, I'm sure there is just as much of a level of excitement building for Nas' performance , as his highly anticipated and generally well-received new album, Untitled, was just released on Tuesday. I've reviewed the album and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'm going to wait to post the review until after I get back from Chicago.

I'm cutting this one short, because I've got some other things to attend to this evening. However, Nas trumps everyone on this list of five artists that I'm excited to see at Rock The Bells in Chicago tomorrow. I remember first seeing the video for "When I Ruled The World" on The Box (a now defunct music video channel) and realizing that Nas was one of the most multi-faceted, talented lyricists of our time. Many go as far as to call him G.O.A.T. and I don't like getting in to titles or labels much, but if Nas isn't the G.O.A.T., then he's damn near close to it. He's holds a spot in many people's, including my own, Top 5 MCs.

From listening to Nas' music over the years, you get the impression that music was born in to his blood, as he, like Mos Def, has mastered the art of lyricism and now moved on to expanding in to other genres and more abstract ideas, as evidenced by his most recent albums, Hip Hop Is Dead and Untitled. Technically, music WAS born in to Nas' blood though. He is the son of jazz musician, Olu Dara, who, as we've learned from Nas' lyrics, first exposed Nas to jazz, the blues and eventually marijuana. This colorful upbringing gave Nas the foresight to realize that he didn't have to appeal to necessarily one audience. He took a risk with Will.I.Am using "Hip Hop Is Dead" as his first single from HHID, which used the same sample as "Thief's Theme," but added a hard rock vibe.

Nas' music was obviously be influenced by the squalor he grew up around in the infamous Queensbridge Projects, the largest federally funded housing project in the country, which was also home to Mobb Deep and Ron Artest at one point. The drug activity, prostitution and violence that was present in Queensbridge during the early 90s gave Nas a complex perspective on social issues, which in his earlier work, led to him condone criminal activities, like drug dealing, as a way to get by and at other times, condemning the same activity for holding back the advancement black communities.

Hip Hop has always been the most contradictory genre of music, however, and Nas represents that aspect to the fullest. At the end of the day though, much of Nas' material isn't so contradictory, you just have to read deeper in to the lyrics to understand certain concepts. Nas is a smart man in the business sense, I'll give you that, but when I hear people say that Nas actually wanting to call his new album the N Word to generate a buzz, I don't just can't buy it.

I think Nas genuinely wanted to created an engaging discussion on race relations in modern America and 2008 was the perfect time to do it. Nas seems to think that the original Black leaders like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, though still vocal, are on their way out and jump on certain issues simply to build exposure for themselves, rather than promoting pertinent issues in the Black community. With Untitled, Nas is conceptualizing a movement of new Black leaders like Barack Obama, who are more in touch with the younger generation and have a better idea of what issues need attention, people who are willing and able to actually put in work for the future. And though Nas doesn't always give the best quotes or insightful ideas in his interviews, I'm not be opposed to having him as a spokesperson for hip hop, as he his one of the most intelligent and talented artists in the industry.

The other day I got in on a conference call with Nas through the good guys over at Best of Both Offices, and I asked him his upcoming performance at Rock The Bells and whether or not he'll have any special surprises for us. Check it out, but turn the volume up. The call was so spur of the moment, I had to record it on Garage Band through speakerphone on my Blackberry. I've also provided some various other audio and video goodies for you.

Critical Acclaim x Nas Conference Call - Rock The Bells

MP3: Nas - One Love

MP3: Nas feat. Quan - Just A Moment

Video: Nas feat. Lauryn Hill - When I Rule The World [YouTube]

Video: Nas - One Mic [YouTube]

Video: Nas - Street Dreams [YouTube]

It’s a good day, today. You know why? Because of you and many others actually to be precise 50,883 or less has been on my blog. For me it’s an honour to see that so many are on my blog every single day, even when I don’t update it. The number of hits can be up to 400 a day. To tell the truth: “It’s amazing to see that people enjoy my blog”. I’m might be a little negative in my reviews. Spell some words wrong. But still you click in the next day to check it out. For me it’s really cool.

Therefore I got a picture of Winston Churchill on the post, the man that is known for his prime minister time in the World War II in the UK. For the single reason too celebrate the victory of 50 000 hits since February 2008 for As Silent As the Pope08. Thanks a lot! All the comments I’ve getting from unknown people that they want to affiliated themselves with me. For the same purpose: To update us and learn from each other. The support has been great. Not even to mention the readers that given back commentary on a lot of post. I’m getting a lot of spam too. Therefore I’m having the filter secure what kind of comments getting out. Viagra pills and fake rolex watches doesn’t fit in. You dig?

Hopefully you continue to hit up this blog. From a man whose working at his local distillery and checking up the updates. New music will come. Not maybe everyday but close. Stay tuned for some more hot tracks, videos and interviews. Lord Willin’. Peace.

Diddy ft Notorious B.I.G., 50 Cent, LLoyd Banks & The Game - Victory 2004

We're starting a new feature here at the Hero Complex called "The Essential Shelf" in which we invite some esteemed talents to tell us about their favorite graphic novels. Our first guest is Gerard Way, the lead singer of the rock band My Chemical Romance and the writer of "The Umbrella Academy," the wonderfully surreal Dark Horse series that (we hear) may be coming to a theater near you in the next few years.

Here's No.'s 8, 9 and 10 on the list of 10 that he e-mailed me, the rest will be posted here over the next few days.

"Hellboy: Seed of Destruction," by Mike Mignola
This book was an inspiration in the format I chose to do 'The Umbrella Academy' in, as well as the publisher, Dark Horse. This comic is extremely pure, it is the opposite of pretentious, and an exercise in storytelling. Combining elements of old-school E.C. Comics horror, adventure, and the occasional history or mythology lesson, it also frees itself from the confines of continuity typically found in mainstream comics. It has a continuity but does not remain chained to it, hopping around the many years an[d] aspects of the main character's life, telling the stories Mike Mignola wants to tell.

"Akira, Vol. 1," by Katsuhiro Otomo
I do enjoy manga but would not consider myself a "super-fan," only really connecting with certain works such as Lone Wolf and Cub, or Tekkon Kinkreet, the more breakthrough works, and Akira, to me, is the daddy of them all. This book collects the serialized comic originally found in 'Young Magazine' in Japan, which must have been very exciting coming out weekly and serialized, and also must have taken a lot of time, as the series is massive. It takes place in a futuristic version of Tokyo, which has rebuilt after another seemingly atomic explosion, and deals with a corrupt government, psychic children, and motorcycle gangs. Some of the best characters I have ever encountered in a comic.

"Wanted," by Mark Millar

I love this book. It came out of nowhere for me, and literally forced me to read it in one sitting. It has a way of tapping into that nihilism of "Fight Club" without being redundant and is a great example of a great modern comic with original ideas. The concept is another brilliant one that makes you jealous you didn't come up with it first, but in reading it you realize that Mark Millar is the only person that could have written it. I haven't seen the film but I imagine, if they at least kept the narration intact, that it is probably an excellent translation, as the main character's inner monologue is what really keeps you hooked, especially from the opening line.

Part 2 Coming Soon

(… se si riuscisse sempre a raccontare la verità del proprio interlocutore)

Je l’ai lue et relue et je ne comprends pas, ou  je ne suis pas sur de comprendre… Alors je l’ai traduite pour vous –et en pensant que cela allait m’aider-  Well pas trop en fait….

« En général je trouve que mes performances en qualifications ont été assez décevantes, je n’ai généralement pas tiré le meilleur parti de la voiture. Je pense qu’ils (Ferrari) ont une voiture  sur laquelle  il est plus facile (de tirer le meilleur). Je pense qu’en course j’ai toujours fourni des performances plutôt bonnes mais avoir une voiture qui soir rapide en qualifications et en course c’est très très difficile. Vous verrez que Heikki est rapide en qualifications mais en course il n’est pas à ma hauteur (a mon niveau) et c’est simplement parce que nos voitures sont réglées différemment... »

Le britannique dit que c’est plus facile pour les pilotes Ferrari que pour lui car il pense que la voiture italienne se comporte mieux en configuration de qualification.  

Q/ Morning. How's it going?

Good.

Q/ I was doing - what I laughingly like to call - research. Now the internet is quite a big place and perhaps I was poking around in the wrong corner but it's quite hard to find a huge amount of information on you. Are you carefully maintaining the persona of an enigmatic master of songs?

No. I'm just not that popular. It would be brilliant if it were true.

Q/ You've toured with Ben Folds, The Polyphonic Spree and They Might Be Giants. They're all very different artists. They might giants with quirky short songs, The polyphonic spree with two dozen robed individuals, Ben Folds atop his piano conducting the audience into a sing-along. Do you try and tour with very different people, or does it just naturally happen that way?

I take what i can get and thankfully what I got was what i wanted.

Q/ Does spending a tour with a particular artist have an effect on your own writing? Do you absorb certain styles through a process of musical osmosis?

Not really. Although before I met Ben I wrote a song in his style. I worked for this guy in Dallas and he had to fire me. We became good friends after the firing. He was fired not long after due to cutbacks and moved back to his hometown of Columbia, Sc. He faxed me some lyrics he had written that were very dear to him. Since ben was from the Carolinas I thought it was appropriate to write music in his style as an homage to my old boss. He had made an indie movie and had me come in to adlib a part and I wanted to recreate that perfect time of making something great in his hometown. It's called Picture Days. I played it over the phone for him and he winged.

On another album, I wrote a song called "The Baloney Song" which was in the style of They Might Be Giants. I was a big fan of theirs, also, before finally touring with them.

I got to open for Tiny Tim before he passed. I wrote "Lollipop" afterwards and wanted to give it to him. He was in Denton recording at the same time I lived there. I didn't know how to approach him with it, however, and then he died.

Q/ You've done a lot of different things with your music. From Jazz to country, from a rock band called 'Illusion' to a metal band called 'Without Warning'. You wrote the soundtrack for a juggling troupe. Are you addicted to the joy of starting new ventures, or do you have a
short attention span?

Both. Musical genres shouldn't have fences. Ween is really good at making those fenced-in genres into one big field. So are the guys from South Park. And Mr. Bungle.

Q/ Both Ben Folds and yourself have written songs around the Hebrew folk song 'Hava Nagila'; yours being 'Hava Nagila Monster'. Wikipedia lists over forty versions. Is there an unspoken code amongst
musicians that everyone must try it at least once?

If there is a code I haven't consciously been told. Jacob did come to me in a dream once and told me that going up the ladder was metal and going down the ladder was country. I went up the ladder, wrestled an angel, lost and when I was trying to catch my breath for a rematch, the angel said, "Do you like that song 'Death Tone' by Manowar?" I said, "Kinda" And he said, "Cool."

Q/ Your version of "Hava Nagila" was with your glam-rock band ".357 Lover". Were you drawn to the .357 due to it's ease of handloading ammunition?

I've never handled one before. I used to shoot 22 caliber rifles in 8th grade. And I like the band 38 Special.

Q/ You've said that you find melodies easy but struggle with lyrics. Looking through the titles of songs across your two solo albums; "I Hope You Win!" (2000) and "The Magic is You" (2002) I see "Lollipop",

"The Baloney Song", "Bananas! (I got bananas in my hands!), "Chocolate cake", "Hersey's Miniatures" and Bony fishsteaks". Does writing songs make you hungry?

I have a friend who eats potato salad when he writes. Another chain smokes. I would love to have a thanksgiving dinner right next to a piano. the best writing comes from either showering or walking. The removal of stimulus is the best way for me to create.

Q/ Is ".357 lover" another stop on your music journey, or do you feel you've found the best platform for the kind of music you want to write?

.357 Lover is the best platform. Most of what I perform solo has other things going on in my head with my phantom friends playing along. When we're together, though, its magic. Tim Delaughter asked me to take over the Spree when he dies. When that happens, ask me again.

You can find out more about Corn Mo at:

CornMo.Com

Corn Mo at MySpace

.357 Lover at MySpace

Ich habe auf YouTube 2 lustige Vidoes von KIM CATRALL entdeckt. Sie spielt in der Fernseh-Serie "SEX AND THE CITY" die männerverschlingende Samantha Jones.

In den beiden Videos ist Sie die einzige Frau in einer Männerrunde, welche über die Themen  Sex, Masturbation und Orgasmus diskutieren (alles auf Englisch!).

Sehen Sie sich die beiden Videos an! Sie werden sehen - wirklich köstlich und unheimlich witzig!!

kim cattrall-hilarious interview (part 1)

kim cattrall-hilarious interview (part 2)

All of us are waiting to play LittleBigPlanet in October, but we may be able to play before then!
WhatIfGaming had an interview with Alex Evans. He confirmed that a public beta will be taking place in September. Keep watching this article for more updates.

Source: [Interview]

In kürze folgt eine Übersetzung, entweder hier oder von einer der anderen Community Seiten.

"Q: How have Copenhagen and other European cities made travel by bicycle so easy, accepted, and fashionable? What can cities in the USA and other parts of the world do to emulate the best elements of Copenhagen's cycling culture?

A: Copenhagen has been dedicated to creating 'liveable spaces for living people' for the better part of four decades. Bicycle infrastructure is a big part of it, but not the only part. It is a classic tale of 'if you build it, they will come.' If you give your citizens the opportunity to ride, by providing separated bike lanes and facilities, they will ride. If you help present cycling as easy and fast and accessible, branding it as an acceptable form of transport, they will ride. Less focus on safety - people aren't stupid - more focus on the benefits of cycling - personal and societal - and you are planting the seeds of bicycle culture. In North America, the sports industry have worked hard for decades to sell cycling as a sport or a hobby. Now we need to get people to realise it doesn't have to be only a sport. It is transport for people in normal clothes. 54% of Copenhageners ride their bikes because it's easy and fast. Using your bike is a given here. It's second nature. It's not something you think about. You just do it."

It is true. I got a job offer this morning (and yes, from the company that interviewed me for 5 hours and gave me a take home writing test). Right now I am waiting on the formal written letter to review before I formally accept. More on my tips of offer reviews later.....

What a great morning it is today! No more cover letters and no more resumes and no more interviews....I can't wait to just enjoy the rest of my "vacation" without a worry in the world.

......however, this company is a public relations agency ( a good one that I might add, but more on that later), which means that it might be a good idea to rename my blog......I'll need to sit on that one.....

]]> http://managemyself.wordpress.com/?p=154 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:32:22 +0000 ibsgroupb http://managemyself.wordpress.com/?p=154 We will weather this crisis: Chidambaram
Govindraj Ethiraj

Finance Minister P Chidambaram talks on growth, inflation and other issues plaguing the Indian economy in an exclusive interview with Govindraj Ethiraj, Editor-in-Chief, UTVi. Excerpts:

Do you think that today we are facing a financial crisis the likes of which has never been seen before?

We have a problem on hand caused by world developments, oil shock, etc. Earlier we had a food shock, before that we had turbulence in the industrial credit market. This is not a crisis of the proportion we saw in 97-98 when there was a meltdown in Asia or what India went though in the 70s with high inflation and low food production and security problem. India has a stronger economy and political scenario today...we will have to weather this and we will.

Inflation is at a 13 month high, interest rates are at a 6-month high, in hindsight, were you prepared for this?

The 13 year high means that 13 years ago inflation was even higher. I was even mentally prepared for this, in fact I hinted about this in my budget speech, I said oil is at a high at $100 a barrel, monetary prices have elevated, food prices are also under pressure, I had warned people they must prepare to tackle inflation. No one expected Oil prices to go further than $100 a barrel to $146 a barrel. Just look at the evolution of oil prices, in May 2004 oil was $34 a barrel, in Aug 2007 it was $70 a barrel, and in June 2008 it is $140 a barrel. And the OPEC says it will go up further...so we've seen a four fold increase in oil prices in four years, a doubling in 12 months and a 40% increase since the budget was presented. No one expected it, but we will weather the shortage too.

Is it correct to say that the govt has run out of fiscal opportunities and is relying only on monetary options for inflation control?

The basic inflation management objective is to moderate and reduce aggregate demand. The best instrument to reduce aggregate demand is monetary policy. That’s why the RBI, the monetary authority, is the first line of defence. Fiscal steps like cutting taxes, etc. help to a point, but you can't cut taxes indefinitely, because after a point, there's nothing to cut...you need the revenues also, but there are some other fiscal steps that can be taken...if your fiscal situation is under pressure, obviously you have to moderate demand of the affluent sections...that's something which we have to consider in due course of time. At the moment...it's the monetary steps that are relied upon to moderate aggregate demand...

You mean things like higher taxes on SUVs...can we expect other similar steps also?

Such steps are a mix of many things... increasing taxes is mainly to discourage people from buying SUVs, it is also a fuel conservation measure, but revenue receipts from that are very minimal.

As I said, as we go on, we'll see more options available, but the idea is not to burden people with higher taxes, the idea is to use monetary instruments and try to influence behaviour so that aggregate demand is moderated. In our everyday life, there are a number of things that we can do to moderate demand like not driving your car everyday, switching off all the lights when you leave the room, buying what is cheap on that day... if thousands of homemakers follow this we'll surely see a fall in prices.

Is the government sending out price signals on fuel?

We have indulged the people of India, we have made them believe there is an amazing supply of oil at moderate prices which can even be sold at even cheaper prices by subsidies... we have not prepared the people that we are dependent on oil import for 70% of our needs...and that is a collective failure. Oil prices are rising further. All that we are saying is there are still inflation expectations and we are trying to anchor these inflation expectations. My message to the people is there are not price rises all the time, some prices have stabilised, some have declined and if behaviours adjust further more will decline further. Aggregate demand will come down.

What is your take on the understanding of the common man?

He will understand...people complain even today when the government is subsidising 1 LPG cylinder by almost RS 350, they understand that, but it they are asked to pay Rs 50 more they will complain.

Comments on the functioning of the government...

Everybody harbours grievances and to that extent, the government has to be sensitive. We have to patiently explain, take for example... we move LPG from the subsidy basket to the price basket to the extent of Rs 50... we still subsidise a cylinder of LPG by almost Rs 303 and people must understand that the government’s ability to subsidise is not infinite. It is limited. Ultimately the subsidy money also comes from the people through taxes and non-tax revenues.

Credit expansion that could be curtailed in hindsight...

Interest rates are low when inflation is low and growth is low...we are not comparing the growth economy. Growth during the NDA period was 5.8% during the 6 year period and if you leave out the last year it was 5.3%. That means aggregate output is lower, aggregate demand is lower, and we have low inflation that’s why inflation and interest rate are low. When growth dramatically rises to 9.4% then 9.6%, even today but for the turbulence in the international market, growth would have been 9%. Today, aggregate demand is higher and then there are capital flows into the country, inflation is higher due to the high oil and commodity prices all this leads to higher interest rates, I don’t think you can look at each column separately the interest rate column must be seen along the inflation rate column.

Credit expansion expected...

An economy growing at 9% needs a larger amount of credit, this debate between growth and price stability is an unending debate. Do you want growth or not? We could have said in the beginning of our term that we want the remainder of the 10th and the 11th plan to return growth rate of 6% and we could have eased along smoothly with low inflation and low Interest rate. But as a nation in the National Development Council where all the state CMs are represented, it was resolved that our growth rate in the 11th plan must average 9% and touch 10% in the last year, and that was the national plan. If that is the national goal - to finance an economic growth at 9 to 10%, requires a larger amount of credit, and if credit expands, if prices and commodity prices had not flared up this credit expansion there would have been only moderate inflation but oil prices and commodity prices have made matters worse and therefore there is high inflation. We are trying to resort to the tried and tested monetary steps, mainly interest rates, to cool demand.

Do you consider yourself an economist or a politician?

I’m neither an economic administrator nor am I politician. My discipline is law, I’ve tried to learn economics. I receive advice from all shades of economists, I have with me some outstanding economists in the ministry today. The PM himself is a distinguished economist. Anyone who thinks I take these decisions without the PMs approval is naïve to believe that. Every one of the decisions are taken with his guidance.

What is your take on the price of crude oil?

No one knows. I was in Jeddah, I had the Kuwaiti PM telling me, no one knows where crude will go. Hope it won’t go higher, if it does we have to tighten our belts ...if it moderates I can breath more easily.

Worst case scenario...

We have to tighten our belts very seriously we have to adopt very strong conservative measures. Lets not think about that at the moment, though there is the internal thinking going on.

Your take on market movement...

If the markets are rising it has to be an orderly rise, if there is a fall it has to be an orderly fall. Even today the markets are about 13,500 points or so. When this government came into office it was 4000 points, that says the market is 3 times when the government came into power and PE ratios are still slightly higher than PE ratios in some Asian markets. But our growth is better than they in some Asian markets. Going forward, in 2008/9, I’ve just got the NCR projections and they have 2 scenarios one of growth at 8.5% the other pegs growth at 8.8%. I personally think growth will be at +8%. If +8% growth follows an average of 8.9%, why are we so despondent. We should be one of the happiest countries in the world. Yes, there is inflation, there is inflation world wide. We have to fight inflation to help the poor, that why we didn’t increase the price of kerosene and made a modest increase in diesel, we tried to increase the supply of foodgrain to the PDS while keeping the issue price of rice or wheat constant. We have to understand these problems...we are a nation moving forward, growing... The Chinese too have inflation, they have increased oil prices by 18% or so but yet they are a confident country, we too will weather this crisis and become an economic power...

Your take on the global financial sector...

We are being drawn into a global financial system, where we have greater capital flows, inflows and outflows... where there are mergers and acquisitions. When there are greater capital flows. The Indian financial system is being drawn into the global financial system. We cannot be completely insulated and that’s why we are affected by what happens to global economies, that’s exactly what the PM said on his flight to Japan.

Your take on FDI and insurance...

FDI is very strong, looking forward to FY09, FDI will continue to be strong. As far as insurance is concerned, it is still on our agenda, we want the insurance bill to be passed, it has been passed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee which had objections to 1 or 2 clauses. I’ve asked the Left to clear it – let's see what happens... I have hope. Remember in 1997. I introduced the Insurance Bill it was defeated by the BJP lead by Manohar Joshi. The very same bill was passed in 1999. I’ve hope this bill will be passed in the term of this government.

Disinvestment in public sector companies...

As I announced in the budget public companies will be listed on the stock market by IPO or modest dilution of 5% or so, piggy backing on the IPO. The markets are still very volatile. But we will try and list as many companies as possible, listing public sector will improve the governance of public sector.

Public sector companies must be listed, the people of India must be able to acquire stocks in public sector companies. Of course, the government will remain the majority owner that will also improve that is the way to go.

Your take on market sentiment...

The market is still very uncertain and volatile but when the market comes down, as I hope it will, there is no reason why the markets should turn volatile. The market rises or the market falls, it makes no difference to me...the markets should be calm...we are a growing economy, we are a stable economy, our macroeconomic position is the envy of many countries...we have a problem with inflation, we will get over the problem, but the market must remain calm...

Is there an unfinished agenda?

We've had 8.9% growth in four years, and it can't be stronger, I can read to you any number of parameters, indices comparing 2004-2008...yes, there will always be an unfinished agenda. Who said 5 years is the time frame to complete all that you wanted to, there will be an unfinished agenda, but we are the government and the next govt will also have reformers...Every generation will throw up reformers and they will take the process forward...

How did Charlotte keep a straight face when she says that Katie is usually "natural"?  There is nothing natural about her!

It's still driving me insane how a simple phone call at night can turn into a knife that can stab my heart over and over. We have yet to hang out simply on a date for over almost half a year already. I know we don't live that far away from each other, but our schedules are falling out of sync. I can't stand this anymore, I've been trying to find other ways of communicating to you - leaving you texts through AIM, leaving you voice mails so you aren't alone, trying to update my blogs so you are never behind. But I just don't feel that they are the same anymore. I'm trying really hard to keep us together, but now there is someone who is getting in between us? How can we let them do this to our relationship? Are you sure you're ready to keep hurting me? Or do you want to let me go?

Relationships: Relationships are built on a foundation of trust, loyalty, communication, faith, hope, and love. But what relationship do you know of, lacks communication? If you lack communication there are open gaps for possible assumptions and doubts of trust, loyalty, faith, hope, and love. When you are with or will find someone in the future whom you truly love no matter what the consequences are, don't ever be sad or angry. Show your truest emotion - happiness. Because the one that you love for the most, should only be able to put a smile on your face, and keep it there. Don't let one person, one thing get into the way of what you think can end up adding additions in your life, or better yet, be your significant other in the future. We're still young, but that doesn't mean we can't experience true love.

Today's plans:

• Go get gas for the car, ah it's that time again where I'll end up coughing up $60 to fill up 3/4 of my car.
• Go to school from 12:30-4:30PM
• Drop my brother off at home, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to go shopping with me.
• Pick up Annie and we're going to the Westminster Mall so I can buy my outfits
• Search for my interview outfit for the FVRH & my senior portraits
• Drop off my application at Zumies & drop Annie back home
• Watch Avatar around 8PM
• Do my nails for the interview & press my clothes
• Plan with G what we're going to do this Saturday?*
• Hopefully plan something with Tandeep =/ Unless he's too busy, again.

Let's just hope I get home before 8PM. That's my goal, I don't want to miss Avatar: The Last Air bender. Don't laugh at me ): I like the show, it's actually really funny. I'll type more when I get home, I have a lot of things to do today.

We'll start it off simply. How have you been recently?
Well, the past few months have been very trying, I've had a tremendous loss this year and I'm sort of just now starting to get a grasp on things, it's come at a time when lots of good things are starting to happen which has made it very difficult to really appreciate those things. There's been pressures from lots of different sources coming down all at once, all great productive things that need to be done, but all of them have just sort of sprouted at the same time. Slowly things are settling.

You were born in Havana, Cuba until moving recently to Baltimore. What have you found to be the biggest difference between the two areas?
Well I moved to Miami with my family in 1990 where I was raised from the age of 8 to 18 when I moved up to Baltimore for school. I've actually been living in Baltimore for about 6 or 7 years now. Baltimore can sometimes seem like a third world country, but I'd have trouble comparing them to each other. I was too young to really see any of the socio-political issues but I guess the difference is in Cuba you lived simply out of necessity and here in Baltimore I live simply by choice.

You're credited with starting the short-lived band Cache Cache, which unfortunately disbanded weeks before playing SXSW in 2007, leaving you to virtually create a band weeks before the show with friend and bandmate Jared Paolini. How hard was that to do? I can't image the pressure.
Well In that week me and Jared came up with an entirely new set based on snippets of songs I had started to compose and ideas we had had for a while, and Cache Cache always moved pretty slowly before then, I think when it became just the two of us we just sort of flew through the whole thing, we were hungry to compose new stuff, it took a couple of all nighters but it got done.

You currently have two music projects: The Tall Grass, and your self-titled, solo project. Which one do you spend the most time with, and "take care of" so to speak, the most?
Well The Tall Grass is Me, Jared Paolini, Yutaka Houlette, and Geoff Grace. Grace does the songwriting while we all sort of compose them into fuller pieces together. The chemistry between all of our playing styles is really exciting, we tend to just sit down and start playing and almost always come up with interesting little bits here and there to use for his songs. It's a really naturally moving band, Cache Cache took alot of coaxing, but when I sit down and play in the Tall Grass it all just sort of happens, which is wonderful. We haven't played much lately because of other things demanding our attention, and I'm definitely fearful of having to focus on my solo work to the point where I cant play in the Tall Grass as much as I'd like. I think I enjoy both equally, my friends are a big source of inspiration as musicians and people and part of my work comes from being able to bounce ideas off of them and listen to their work, etc..

You're album entitled "Why Is Bear Billowing?" is scheduled for release on Carpark Records, August 19th. I assume you must be very excited.
I am excited about it, I'm particularly excited about starting to play some of my newer stuff that isnt on the record, this first one is sort of just a simple collection of songs I'd written, to have for myself, and to give to friends, I put it together using borrowed equipment mostly as a document of where I was at the time.

When I heard your song "Mostly A Friend" for the first time, I couldn't stop until midnight. That of course picked up again on the bright the next morning. Have you ever made a song and thought, "Wow, this is golden! I really nailed this one!" ?
I'm always pretty critical of my own work, be it drawings or songs, so I never tend to think a song is finished until pretty late, if at all. Sometimes I do come up with a melody or a chord progression that really strikes me as interesting and I'll stick with it, but it's difficult for me to step out of myself and listen to it as a first-time listener does, as it's happening it's a pretty blind situation.

On the contrary, have you ever grown fustrated with a song?
All the time, I've got a couple of songs I'm starting to write now that I just want to completely scrap, it's just me being overly-critical and sometimes I just have to go ahead and record it or finish it as best I can, to use as a stepping stone towards the next one. Some take alot more hammering out then others.

You've also produced music for The Ruby Stallion Ensemble. It's a very different sound than your own music projects. Was it a challenging experience?
I spent alot of time at roller-rinks in Miami when I was younger, so in a way that stuff is an extension of me as well, everything I do I think seems to come from my infatuation with the surreal or space or something, I wouldn't say it was challenging, it was definitely fun, but it wasn't as fulfilling.

Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez
"Mostly A Friend"
Why Is Bear Billowing?
Carpark Records
Released 08.19.08
Listen/Download

I've been reading up on your background and resume listed on your website. You seem to be quite the jack-of-all-trades. Your work ranges from paintings, to photography, to video animations, to of course, being a musician. Have you achieved all you've wanted to or are there more goals on the horizon?
Living creatively is very important to me, you have to make your entire life your work, and always debunk any notions you might get too comfortable with along the way. I don't think medium matters very much to me, as long as it's creative work. I've done a bit of theatre and that was exciting, I was the Lawyer in Wham City's production of Jurassic Park which was an incredible experience. I'd like to give acting for films a try, I'm very inspired by the sort of naturalistic acting happening in a lot of classic seventies films like Dog Day Afternoon. I'm also a huge early Tom Hanks and Chevy Chase fan.

You're works have appeared around the world—locally in Baltimore, as well as the Netherlands and Brazil—is your footprint as big as you want it to be?
For a while in college I never showed anyone any of my work, I was stuck making things and keeping them to myself until I came to a realization. A really important part of making work is having it be digested afterwards, critiqued, and I got used to that going to art school so I started doing that with my music as well. I'm skeptical of having too big a footprint, it sounds counterproductive somehow, but I think I'd enjoy having the sense that my work is being digested.

Has there ever been a song you've heard and wished you wrote it?
Wow, to some extent yeah. I've experienced that with musicians I'm close friends with mostly. I think the interesting thing is that you hear a melody you'd never think to come up with and it sounds so new and taps into some part of your mind that you didn't even know existed, and to them it came naturally because that's their body chemistry almost.

Who, or what then, would you say is the main influence on your music, illustrations, and other works?
Anything otherworldly I think. I tend to make very escapist work and I'm fine with that, I somehow need to make work that pulls me out of nihilism and functionality. I like putting together words and images that don't normally appear together for the sake of generating an unusual spark in your brain. I have this weird association that combines Doo-wop music and deep space; When I was young I would stay up late to listen to this radio show called the "Doo-wop shop", it always came on at about 2 or 3 in the morning and they played great doo-wop stuff that had this really vast emptiness to it, it seemed to wrap right around the dense silence outside and in my bedroom in a way that I'll never forget. I'd always picture these old doo-wop groups singing from some remote satellite just echoing out through space, I think that's a pretty big influence.

As busy as you are, it would appear you have little down time. When you do get it, what helps you unwind and relax?
Swimming, and old movies.

"Cinderella the Musical" salió hoy en el periódico Yomiuri. Una entrevista a las protagonistas del musical Ai Takahashi y Risa Niigaki, y con Saki Asaji de Takarazuka.

Isaura.Tsuji

-Jennis

The model told US Vogue magazine, "I'm still acting like a 17-year-old – I definitely haven't become middle-aged." Despite running her own business and being a full-time mum to five-year-old Lila, Kate says she still wants to have fun – and defiantly says she won't change for anyone. "I won't be quitting the fags because it's who I am," she said, "I have to be myself, otherwise I'd be a paranoid mess."

When asked about her daughter Lila, Kate softens a little, saying, "I'm a mum, all the time. Every day I put my daughter to bed. I've actually been thinking of moving to the countryside full time so that Lila can have a rural upbringing." Kate currently divides most of her time between her home in London and her sprawling mansion in Gloucestershire, and admits that money isn't something she really has to worry about. "I like making money," she smiles, before adding excitedly, "I'm saving up for a private jet – I'm going to call it the Kate Express."

The 34-year-old also says she would never consider having botox, saying she'd be "embarrassed" if a photographer asked her to frown and she couldn't. We hate to say it, but we think Kate comes across as quite level-headed and sweet in this interview. One thing you couldn't accuse her of is being fake.

source

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Don't you have the slightest curiosity about what Watchmen director Zack Snyder is doing with your work?
ALAN MOORE: I would rather not know.

He's supposed to be a very nice guy.
He may very well be, but the thing is that he's also the person who made 300. I've not seen any recent comic book films, but I didn't particularly like the book 300. I had a lot of problems with it, and everything I heard or saw about the film tended to increase [those problems] rather than reduce them: [that] it was racist, it was homophobic, and above all it was sublimely stupid. I know that that's not what people going in to see a film like 300 are thinking about but...I wasn't impressed with that.... I talked to [director] Terry Gilliam in the '80s, and he asked me how I would make Watchmen into a film. I said, ''Well actually, Terry, if anybody asked me, I would have said, 'I wouldn't.''' And I think that Terry [who aborted his attempted adaptation of the book] eventually came to agree with me. There are things that we did with Watchmen that could only work in a comic, and were indeed designed to show off things that other media can't.

Then asked about television here's what he has to say:

Do you ever relax and just watch television?
Selectively, mostly on DVD. The absolute pinnacle of anything I've seen recently has got to be The Wire. It's the most stunning piece of television that has ever come out of America, possibly the most stunning piece of television full-stop.

That's a great example of storytelling that takes its time.
Absolutely, that is grown-up television! It's novelistic. You get to find out about all these tiny different aspects of Baltimore, to build up a huge picture of the city with all of its intricacies — from the wharf side, to the kids in the projects, to the power structure with the boardrooms and police department and governor's office. And it's got some great writers: It's got George Pelecanos and David Simon. And so many wonderful characters, Bubbles, Omar. So yeah, everything else looks pretty lame next to The Wire.

With something like The Wire, do you ever think, I might not mind writing for TV?
That would be a possibility — but there again, I know how hard I have to fight. Apparently, HBO is being absolute princes with regards to The Wire. It's never had huge audiences, but they've kept funding it. They realized that this is a timeless, prestige program. This is one of the reasons why I've withdrawn from the comics industry: I do not want to deal with the people in these various industries anymore. But if that could somehow magically be arranged, if I could think of a good enough story, and if it had a chance of being the same caliber as The Wire — then yes, I would perhaps think about it. I do also tend to keep up on comedy programs.

As you can imagine I totally agree with him on The Wire, and I strongly recommend that you watch it if not done already.

dG: Herr Klein, ich bin zwar ihr bester Freund, aber wir von de Grafschafter sind ja unabhängig, weshalb ich Sie frech und frei und auch kritisch fragen tun möchte: Warum sind  so ein toller Regisseur?

Nestor Klein (Starrigesör aus Nordhorn): Nun ja, wissen Sie, ja, der Schiller, ja! Den hab ich gelesen in meinem Studium, da kann man sich viel von abschauen und dann noch der Büchner, wie der das macht, ja, eine Prise Harmkötter und Sie haben eine, in meiner Heimat nennt man das Melange! Ja, und in Nordhorn, ja, da wird diese Melange mal schnell zum Aufputsch-Trunk! Fabelös!!

dG: Das ist ja toll, wie Sie das so sagen. Aber trotz ihres Ruhmes hier in Nordhorn aber auch anderswo, beispielsweise bei den Barkeeper-Deys in Denekamp, sind sie ja ganz bodenfest geblieben. Was sagen sie, wenn heute jemand über die Grafschafters urteilen tut und sagt, dass die "nicht das vornehmste deutsch sprechen" tun?

Nestor Klein (Starrigesör aus Nordhorn): Diese Arroganz, ja, die muss aufhören! Solche Leute kenn ich zu genüge, erst neulich innen KTS. Da musste ich ja in der Roxybar inszinieren, aber nachdem die Medien ganz unabhägnig geschrieben haben, wie gute meine Inszinierung von "Vechtewasser" war, haben die mich bein KTS wiedergenommen. Da wussten die dann was Ihnen fehlen tun tat. Aber auch sonst - ich hatte damals im Studium auch sonen Fatzke, der hieß Claus Peymann und sachte immer, er könnte besser inszinieren als ich. Ich weiß gar nicht was der heute macht...

dG: Also nochmal eindeutlich: Das Deutsch vonne Grafschafters ist vornehmlich?

Nestor Klein (Starrigesör aus Nordhorn): Ja, wenn ichs Ihnen doch sage! Der Schiller, das sag ich ihnen mal, der hätte das kaum besser konnt, sprachlich wie schriftlich. Gucken Sie sich doch mal die Leute an, anne Deegfeld Rialschule oder auch in Enschede, meine Künstlerschüler, die kommen ja alles aus die Grafschaft. Und deutsch sprechen, wie ein jeder das macht! Ha! Ich sag ihnen, wer das gute Deutsch vonne Grafschaft bestreitet, der lügt.  Da bin ich mir sicher!

dG: Herr Klein, vielen Dank, dass sie sich ihre raritäre Zeit für unsere Fragen genommen haben!

Das Interview führte dG-Ridakteur Jonas Friedlich.


* Das gesamte Interview mit allen ungekürzten Antworten ist als achtbändiger Sammelband im Stark Verlag erschienen!

I have a second interview tomorrow for a large retail store. I guess I'm excited about it. Really, I just want a job. Not only for the money, but I hate just lounging around here all day. I have been reading a lot of books. In fact, I went to the library Monday and I have finished two of my books and I can't wait to get started on my other one.

As for right now, I have nothing else to say really. I hope to start updating more often. I really am a slacker. I am going to take a nice nap. Goodnight.

PS- Did you realize that relatable isn't a word? You learn something new every day. It should be!