I Spy with my little eye....

Can you find the blemish on the March fastpass?



THE PRICE!!!

Supposedly, due to a budget compromise, MUNI will raising fairs yet again, beginning in July of 2009.

Adult: from $45 to $55
Child/Snr: From $10 to $15

I understand that MUNI is still a good bargain, but the continual fare increases are beginning to ware on me. Who finds paying more for a service that continually gets worse rational? MUNI's now popular move of cutting service and raising its prices is a leathel recipe to loose patrons. It might be a necessary evil though, because, MUNI is also operating at capacity, and is only gaining ridership with the rising price of gas and spikes in unemployment.

Mama is not happy.

CITY TRIPPIN

WELCOME TO SCOKLAND

As stated by rappers Keak da Sneak and San Quinn, Bay Area Pride is simply a sibling rivalry. A lot of is stems from sports rivalry, with the Raiders and Niners, or Giants vs. A's. The duo called it "City Trippin," when groups from one city would go into another and their city pride would carry with them. However, when you leave the Bay Area its all love.

Keak da Sneak: "I'm in NYC so I gotta rep the bay,"
San Quinn: Exactly, so I love the A's and I love the Raiders, till I touch in SFO.




The Bay allows you to be you.

When asked why the Bay produces such unique talent (En Vogue, Hammer, Keyshia Cole etc.), Keak says that the Bay Area allows you to be yourself. Quinn highlighting the contrast between Jerry Garcia and Tupac and Hippie's and Black Panthers. He continued saying the Bay isn't a tense place to grow up in.

Quinn:

"If you mind your business and take care of your business, you can make it in the Bay Area, where as in LA the Latinos and Blacks don't get along. Up hear we run it with the Latinos... It's diverse its a meltin pot, so of course you're gonna have different idea's... cause you're in an innovative place.

The breezy interviewing them stated the "hay-day" of Bay Area talent was in the Tony, Tone, Toni, En Vogue, and Hammer days, even going so far as to say that the Bay Area movement wave has passed... BREEZY. There was a notable cringe by Quinn and Keak. Dang girl, don't burn a bridge when you're standing on it.

The Martin Luther King Jr. or the 'Mo.
Quinn talked about the 'death of Hyphy' and he stated that although its not dead, but that they'd be making music anyways. Its refreshing to hear that these two don't find ultimate validation by fame. They're harboring their craft, and fame and popularity just broadcast that. This message is crucial -- do what you want to do, and don't allow outside interests or critiques to limit your potential. These two have a solid friendship, brotherhood even, and the third brother would undoubtedly be the Bay Area.

A shank in hand.

No, I'm not referring to the latest stabbing at Fruitvale Bart, but rather, my latest dream.

Last night I dreamt that I was filleting fish, all kind of fish - big fish, little fish, fat fish, and skinny fish. At my work, often the prep cook will be filleting anchovies. First, she cuts the head off and then up the belly to gut the small specimen. The first puncture sends a mini-red and purple explosion of blood and guts into the air, and then into the sink.

The dream continued with me gutting fish, some of my fillet's being of professional caliber. As I cut one fish in half, I realized there was a mechanism inside, its intestines were plastic (!!), resembling a fish tank filtering device. I was mildly confused, but continued with my preparations. The last scene of my dream was me cleaning out the plastic parts, and cutting the head off of a giant Tuna-like creature, and I was quite proud with my skills.

According to the dreamdictionary :

To dream that you are cleaning fish, suggests that you are altering your emotional expression in a way that will be presentable to others. You are censoring yourself and not expressing how you completely feel.

Hot damn. Now I have something to think about over my coffee and GIS text session. One thing is for sure: I think I have been watching too much Top Chef. 86.

Monica and a Tranny

@ NYC Fashion Week.

Obama: Cities spawn innovation.

Barack Obama recently released that the White House Director of Urban Affairs will be headed by an Economist and Urban Planner. I can't believe it! Obama is actually electing people to offices that have experience with the subject matter, amazing! This is quite the 180 from the Bush era, which would elect people to offices that had a complete conflict of interest, like the EPA.

Obama stated

"I look forward to working with these talented leaders to bring long overdue attention to the urban areas where 80 percent of the American people live and work. Vibrant cities spawn innovation, economic growth, and cultural enrichment; the Urban Affairs office will focus on wise investments and development in our urban areas that will create employment and housing opportunities and make our country more competitive, prosperous, and strong."

Thanks B, you just outlined the reasons why I chose my path, holler to the max.

Read Up!

Caroline.

I want to see this. Caroline is kind of like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" part deux. Talk about escapism...

Dirrrty takes the prize!

A MSN Music poll shows that Christina Aguilera's Dirrty as the sexiest music video, snatching 41% of the vote. The list goes as follows:

1. Dirrty - Christina Aguilera
2. I’m a Slave 4 U - Britney Spears
3. Spinning Around - Kylie Minogue
4. Crazy In Love - Beyonce
5. Don’t Cha - The Pussycat Dolls

For me, Destiny's Child: Soldier should have been in there.

Dirrrrrrty:

Black History Month, 2009

First Lesson: Racism is not dead.


With rappers being encouraged to use the word "president" instead of n**** in their lyrics, and Barack Obama taking over the white house, some people choose to neglect progress, and instead chooses to be the Debbie of society. The New York Post released this cartoon, implying Obama as the monkey. Associating African-Americans with monkey's has as long and uncomfortable history in this country, validated by the popularity of Blackface and Minstrel Shows of the 19th century stretching as far into the mid 20th. With the giant step forward America took with Obama's victory, this cartoon might symbolize two unfortunate steps back.

XXX

Two invensions that seem to have a tardy arrival:

The 'Banana' ruler.

___________________________________________

The 'Hand Bra.' I wonder if they make a '4 Hand Bra'.

A Watermelon intervention.

Although they're not even in season yet, Watermelons seem to be the muse of the sneaker world for this season.

Welcome to <3 Break.

The new Kanye video is fire. Welcome to Heartbreak, is the newest Kanye track to receive his psycadelic cinematic vision, a song where Kanye moans about the sweet and sour facades of his MilkyWay fame. This song features Kid Cudi, whose trip on the yellow brick road to success, hit a pothole, when he recently got arrested and tazered in Las Vegas, for apparently wearing the wrong sneakers (more on this l8r). Nonetheless, enjoy:


KANYE WEST "Welcome To Heartbreak" Directed by Nabil from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

White or Wrong?

Women in Hong Kong are feeling the pressure to Michael Jackson themselves, that is to "Whiten Up." This is seen by the advertisements of whitening cosmetics with "White" spokesmen. Many mainstream companies like Prada and Burberry even use their European ads with white models, in Hong Kong, with critics claiming that this is done out of intention and not convenience.
Whatever the case, a majority of the Chinese population is engaged in agricultural practices, so skin color can often dictate social class.



Across the Pacific Pond
Not too long ago, Loreal was called out on 'lightening' Beyonce's skin color on a national ad, which they of course denied.

But then again, many people choose to tan themselves, which might suggest that one lives a life of leisure, but that doesn't explain the Bronzer phenomenon that plagued much of the late 1990's.

Transit Woes: A Series

The F.A.B. Version of Light Rail.

Light Rail is the preferred choice of many city planners, me included. However, it is also one of the more expensive alternatives forcing cities to seek additional transportation options. Which brings me to BRT, Bus Rapid Transit. BRT is isolated from automobile traffic, and is able to be efficient and on a schedule. With that, BRT will be the botox to the wrinkles of Van Ness Avenue. It is good to remember that botox does fade away after 6 monthes, and there is no denying that BRT is the FAKE ASS BITCH version of Light-Rail, but it could work!

Indulge on a good educational short film on BRT for Van Ness Ave. in SF.

Classy

Shaq and the Jabbawokeez at the NBA AllStar Game.

Dolores Park and the Ocean.

I had an interesting dream last night.

First, it starts out with me in Dolores Park, and its sunny - really sunny. My legs are in the sun, getting dark, and naturally I sleep in the warmth of the rays. I'm there for a good time, until it turns dark and there's a beach. Its like a "Pirates of the Caribbean" set: dark, stormy, and the water is rough. There's a barrier of large bulky rocks separating me from the aggressive waves. Its like God is mad, and the waves crash every time she slams her fists against the water table. There's an opening in the rock wall, and the crashing waves explode through, creating only what I can assume a wartime atmosphere to be. The waves are thrown against the rock wall, spewing ocean water into the air, reaching my cheek. Then the L Taraval pulls up in front of me. Now, I know the L doesn't ride along the beech, but this was specifically the L-Train. It rides along an elevated muddy island. People race through the doors to escape the oceanic explosions behind them. The doors of the train seem to parallel that of the boulder-barrier between the land and water. I then board the train going the opposite direction, which in this case, is traveling to the left. I sit in the window, watching the scene; as I ride away, another wave crashes down, spewing ocean water into the open doors. Mother nature must be mad, guess we should be considerate of her feelings.

That's it.

Star power? Or Presidential power?

President Obama and First Lady Obama both grace the covers of the two most prominent and diva magazines this month. At first, I saw Michelle's cover and I thought, "she is working that fuchsia, but damn, the background is out-of-this-world-bland!" I later realized she's probably posing inside her new digs, The White House, or whatever.

It is still amazing to me how much the world of pop-culture has embraced the presidential couple. A week ago, in Walgreens, I looked at the periodicals rack (extracurricular reading), and every tabloid/magazine/newspaper, had an Obama on it. No lesbian LiLo, no slutatious Paris, no tweaked out Britney - but the first family? They single handedly revived political interest throughout this country, a fact easily validated by their popularity among tabloids. 




Forcast for the Future: Michelle hosts the MTV Video Music Awards.

Gentrification Evacuation?

Hardly, but in an effort to at least keep the Mission District from becoming too mainstream, the (VALENCIA) community voiced their opposition in a planning meeting last week, and **POOF**, American Apparel will not be moving into the gentrified/ing hood.

What is so unsettling about this situation is the fact that people who opposed American Apparel, most likely wear the brand themselves. This is a classic NIMBY issue: Not In My Back Yard, and is a common civic tool used in urban planning.

It is a bittersweet tool, because while civic outcry might prevent something from moving into one area, it is placed in another area without as much protest. One popular example of this would be the SF Freeway Revolts of the 1970's. As the automobile began to gain popularity, freeway infrastructure began to spread across the nation. When proposals to construct freeways through neighborhoods like the Sunset, the Richmond, and Pacific Heights, these communities spoke up. However, they were NOT opposed to having a freeway in/through SF, but not in their back yard. Case in point: a freeway leg went up in the Bayview without much debate, sperating the Bayview neighborhood with Visitation Valley, two of the last neighborhoods with a high density of ethnic and lower income residents. This is not to say that the NIMBY tool hasn't yeilded some beneficial tool, as it was the catalyst for many environmental fights in the Bay Area during the 1970's as well.

To bring it back to American Apparel in the Mission, the community might oppose an AA from moving into their hood, but not anywhere else. It just another case of the elitest antics that run rampid in SF. However, everyone (including me) knew, that if an AA opened in the Mission, the gentrification infestation would become more of a disease.

Here's the note that AA posted in the window of the proposed Mission location:

Cornbread, Grape Soda, Collard Greens, and Barack Obama.

Happy Black History Month. Usually institutions celebrate the month of February by highlighting the accomplishments of Black citizens. One grocery store in Deleware is celebrating the month by discounting what looks to be stereotypical "African-American" foods, and Barack Obama paraphernalia. Tacky.

Read Up.

SF really does breed Eco-Elitists.

On the show Wife Swap, a Midwestern mom is traded to live with an upper class family in a Noe Valley Victorian. The Dad has been criticized for being insanely devilish and even gave Gayla, the visiting mom, the silent treatment for a majority of the time. When he would acknowledge her he would comment on her weight and intellect. Interestingly enough, his wife is a therapist for fat people! His attitude isn't helped by the fact that he has a British Accent and is a SF resident. Read more of this Douche factory.

Dissapointment: Chris Breezy.

Wanna love a bad boy? Chase a rapper. Want a boy you can take home to mom? 'Til Sunday, that was Chris Brown.
-Toure, The Daily Beast.


The Past
What was, is now lost forever. I used to have a middle school, harmless yet explicit crush on Chris Brown. His music was cheezy, and I loved it. He had one of the most entertaining episodes and party of My Super Sweet 16. Chris Brown shut it down at the 2007 MTV VMA's and earned the respect of music juggernauts and solidified his position as a Pop-Prince and my hollywood-hottie.

But now, *sigh*, all is lost. All credit has been stricken, and angelic image forever tarnished.

The Present
Sunday morning, 1230am-sih, a warrent was issued for the arrest of Chris Brown, on domestic violence charges. Brown and Rihanna both pull out of the Grammy's in which they were both nomiated and scheduled to perform. At first, RiRi wasn't named as his victim, but other news outlets later outed her, she also quickly named Brown the assulter. Concern and gossip has since ensued.

The Reality
Chris Breezy and Rihanna both have reputations to protect: Brown as a pop music angel, and Rihanna as a pop-princess. However, pop princesses in today's world are independent women, not victims and R&B singers swoon about happy images, not battery. Before she was outted, RiRi named Chris right away as her assulter, and has been cooperating with police in builidng a case against him. Since accusations, Brown has turned himself into police, been charged, and released on $50k bail.

His Double Mint commercial has been suspended and his Got Milk ad, terminated. A Pittsburgh radio station stopped playing all Chris Brown tracks after fans continuously called in claiming that by spinning Browns tracks, they also support his behavior. Kanye came out to say that he doesn't believe any woman should be subjected to domestic violence, regardless of their social status, and I'm just waiting for Jay-Z's reaction. T.I. has come out in defense of Chris, saying that no one is perfect and that Chris is currently "chill." (PUH-LEESE) I don't think TI helped Chris Browns image by saying that, he should have kept his mouth shut.

I personally am in disbelief, but until some resolution is had, I am suspending my fan-hood of this alleged assaulter. Lo Siento, seriously.

What was a budding acting and singing career has now been paused due to an action from a man who was raised in a household with severe domestic violence.

Transportation Woe$: A Series.

Note to Feds: take out your pen and paper, China is makin some moves.

China:
While the US bickers over how much of the Stimulus will go to infrastructure needs, which at its peak was only 10% of the $890Billy, now $1.5Trilly, Stimulus package, China is choosing the light-rail-resolution. The emerging world power is spending $88 billion to create an intercity light-rail system, this year. Last year it spent over $44Billy, and has spent $12Billy on the project since 2004. Day-ummm!

With the case of China, it is important to note that when it comes to human rights concerns, well, they're aren't any. My professor noted in a past lecture, that if China decides it wants light rail it will do so, even if its through the middle of a village/town/community- its done. No debate, no community input, no need for this really, because the Chinese gov does what it wants, and thats final. So even though light-rail is amazing, and will have a positive environmental effect, the project will no doubt, displace hella families etc.

Also, when compared to the US Stimulus, infrastructure is an easy out and justification for the US government to invest in: its something people use everyday, it has the potential to provide jobs, it has the potential to evolve. Even so, infrastructure in this country still only applies to the automobile - i.e. roads/freeways, instead of public transportation, walking, and biking.

Even though with light-rail progressing, over 1,000 new cars join Chinese streets a day, and the country just surpassed the US in the number of cars purchased in a year. Maybe the light rail movement is too little too late.

Furniture for your face!

Dang, I thought the UK was on top of their game, and they are(-ish), but damn are they late. The Guardian wrote and article about how glasses are makin a comeback, as seen with designers putting their facial frames on the catwalk. And by frames, they mean thick chunky plastic rim's or anything else flashy. Of course the usual inspirations were mentioned: Buddy Holly, Andy Warhol, and Carrie Donovan, but mainly Buddy Holly.
Read Up

Some Examples:

Buddy Holly


Carrie Donovan:



Yves Saint Laurent

Pharell thinks he's hippie.

Pharell is a diva. He discuss' how, as a kid, he would think of how he would do things or the materialistic desires that every child has when brought up by modest means. This has shaped how he dresses, makes music, and lives; with the same childish ambition, but now, with money.

86: Malls.

Malls could be dubbed the mascot of suburban life. They cater to vehicles, providing enough parking to accommodate the Christmas eve retail-rush, the busiest shopping day of the year. Usually there are not sidewalks leading up to the concentration of retail, making walking undesirable or impossible, even to your car. Stonestown is the closest example to a suburban mall in SF, which seemed doomed until the recent opening of a Trader Joes. Serramonte, a mall in Daly City, not only has a Target inside, but just in case that location doesn't have the right lawnmower attachment, you can mosey over to the other Target across the street.

There are over 1,500 Mall locations in the US. The Minnesota Mall of America is the poster child for (Suburban) Mall culture. There are 520+ stores, an amusement park, space for a cheerleading competition, and a chapel. I'm sure there have been many wedding receptions in the food-court. The US is at the brink of a recession; people are being frugal, and these concentrations of retail are beginning to feel the burn. The America and the Mall could be nearing the end of its 50-year marriage between .


Part Deux.

COLUMBUS, OHIO. Proposal Mall Replacement.

So if the love affair between US and Malls is nearing its close, some cities are mending its wounds with green space. Columbus, Ohio is considering replacing its failed downtown mall with a large park. However, due to poor land use, the park might go unused. The park would cater to business employee's or retail shoppers, but local residents would have no way to get to it without driving, because like many cities, Columbus lacks dependable public transit. Yikes.



Mall Article
Columbus Park

Throwback.

Diddy sure had a formula: take the hits, and make them into hits.

Mtume - juicy fruit
by Haywoode

Open the gates.

We should all be so lucky if this were a reality for all the outlets of the Micky D franchise. What twists the dagger into the gut of society even harder, is that in these tough economic times, McDonald's is only one of two companies yielding a notable profit in 2008.

Enjoy the dreamfest below.


Flooded McDonald's from Superflex on Vimeo.

Smithsonian-Bound?

The Smithsonian is in talks with the Aretha hat. They want her that Inaugeration hat! Along with Michelle Obama's Jason Wu party gown, the Smithsonian has also requested the bedazzled and embelleshed pill box that The Queen of Soul graced us with. She has yet to decide whether she will part with the accessory or not, stating, “I am considering it. It would be hard to part with my chapeau since it was such a crowning moment in history." Understandable, but its not like she can wear it again. What, is she saving it for a special occassion maybe? Or a trip to the supermarket?

Tran$it Woes.

Usually when something is in high demand, it gets cheaper or becomes more available. This is not the case with mass transit in the US. As seen in the spring of 2008, when gas itched towards $5/gallon, drivers responded by doing the unthinkable: driving less.

Mass transit ridership was up, gas sales began to drop and the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) flat-lined, the first time, almost ever. VMT has been rising pretty much since cars have been introduced into the American lifestyle, due to sprawl and cheap gas, so the fact that VMT didn't rise in April of 2008 is huge. The response to the idea of Americans detoxing from the wheel, as you can see, is cheap gas; the cheapest in almost 5 years.

Along with Wall Street, the mass-transit infrastructure in the US is struggling, and in some areas non-existent. Since the rise in gas costs last year, mass transit ridership has been rising, however, companies are being forced to cut service due to lack of funds. One of the main reasons Republicans were against the Obama Stimulus plan was the amount of money given to mass transit projects, even though much of the $$ would be given to meet operating costs.

Take MUNI for example. Its probably one of the most successful operating systems and has consistently been operating at a budget deficit. Its response to this is raising its fares and cutting service, even as it operates at capacity. Washington DC public transit system broke records on January 20, 2009, with over 1.5 million trips taken to see the Obama Inauguration. Ridership has risen over 6.5% nation-wide. Shouldn't this be a sign of what "the People" need or want?

Read UP

Breezy with fur.

Diva pose gets canceled out, when you have mis-buttoned your fur coat. Or maybe it doesn't matter, cause she's in fur. You decide.

Someone needs to put him on a leash!

Not only is his image everywhere, OBEY or OBAMA, but now so is his face. With that, Shepard Fairey's success is remarkable. It is utterly, the mainstream embracing that which was underground, or street, and literally that which is plastered upon the streets.

My resistance to Fairey's popularity is the same felt when your favorite local talent decides to appeal to a broader audience, like you're not enough. For years, I have seen his OBEY image in local gallery's or on SF buildings. You mos def felt apart of his movement when you saw the OBEY face on Van Ness or high on a building. His images are flashy and marketable, and that has always been the root to my resistance, they're too marketable. Was he producing art? or was he laying the groundwork for his current success? If you thought of the former, not considering the latter, I'd assume you're feeling like an ass right about now. But he has in fact been compared to Coca Cola, and his guerrilla art movement is nothing more than promoting the "Shepard Fairey" Brand. (Read more on this here)

RON ENGLISH posing in front of his art, with a dot over his face. LA, CA.

If you look at other street artists that produce guerilla art, they often choose not to show their face, at least not at first. BANKSY being one, Ron English being the other. Its part of the game, I thought, but Shepard just puts it all out there, and he's laughing all the way to the bank.

BANKSY

This all brings me to the Charlie Rose interview that I stumbled upon. What? OBEY is on Charlie Rose? This is ridiculous. I have to give props to Rose while he sits through Fairey tooting his own horn. The very end is so classic, after 15 minutes of Fairey telling the same story of how he's saving the world with this Obama image, a story that seems to evolve, Rose quickly ends the interview with a thank you and good night. I'm sure he's hoping its forever.

SuperBowl 2009.

The Steelers vs. the Cardinals, blah blah blah. Steelers won, which I called. Anyone, let alone a group of men, wearing tight gold pants should win at whatever they're doing, so the Steeler's victory came at no surprise to me. But it was Jennifer Hudson who killed it at the Super Bowl. Homegirl sang her heart out, and most likely was speaking directly to her mother, brother, and nephew who all recently entered the gates above.

The Elements

Two friends bombarded me with the $64,000 question last week: do you know the four elements of Hip Hop? I freeze. Time stops. Mind racing. Initially, I think: Hennessey? I get slipped a note upon their departure, that read:

4 Elements of Hip Hop:
THe MC
The DJ
The B-Boy
The Graffitti artist.

In the post-hip hop world, this once emerging art/lifestyle has now entered the mainstream, the classroom, and now, politics. With Barack Obama being dubbed the first Hip Hop President, he has managed to bridge the political elites with the urban streets.

Hip Hop previewed its potential as a venue for political dialogue during the Obama campaign - as seen with politically focused music videos and political participation by some artists. If anyone has any questions about such a topic, you can enroll in the Hip Hop class taught at San Francisco State University, where this year, on the first day, the teacher asks the class: Is Barack Obama the first Hip-Hop President?

SFSU: Hip Hop Workshop

Palabra: A Series

I got a nasty comment the other day, and I realized: If you have haters, you must be doing something right (currently popping collar).



Haterade (hate-r-aid)
n.

1. A figurative drink representing a modality of thought. Those who consume it are themselves consumed by the negativity which with they speak.
   

Said after an inappropriate comment: "Damn, Johnny be sippin that haterade."