raga recommends: style wars

easily one of the best documentaries i've ever seen, independent of my hip-hop bias. style wars, filmed in the early 1980s in new york city and subsequently aired on pbs, captured a moment in time. whether you believe that time reflected chaos or creativity is up to you. however, in the video above, new york times film critic a.o. scott tries to convince you of the latter.

in addition to providing a glimpse into the burgeoning youth subculture, the movie also includes the perspective of the city's establishment, including mayor ed koch and the head of the metropolitan transit authority, richard ravitch.

on a sad note, quite a few of the artists featured in the film aren't around anymore despite the fact that this footage is barely 25 years old and they were all fairly young at the time.

glenn beck: obama racist against obama

from the alternate universe that is fox news. following the announcement of the president's beer date with harvard professor henry louis gates and cambridge police sergeant james crowley, the "fox & friends" crew sits down with batshit conservative pundit glenn beck. and of course, it being fox news, hilarity soon ensues.

beck states that he believes obama has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture". brian kilmeade promptly counters beck's argument by naming folks in the administration who are clearly of caucasian descent. expect for the most obvious person ... barack obama!

okay, okay. so he's biracial. but that's still a lot of euro-american blood and he's definitely no more african than he is caucasian. therefore, according to beck, obama must have a deep-seated hatred for obama. that's clearly where this brand of logic is going, right?

UPDATE: so wow, the video evidence has been removed from youtube. the good folks at huffington post know what's real though. peep this.

raga recommends: the battle of algiers

we all know that i'm a total film geek. and since i regret not properly watering the seedlings of what could've been a somewhat decent career in arts reporting, i might as well share my thoughts on some of the flicks i've been watching lately. i aim to keep it spoiler-free.

first up, the battle of algiers. tread with caution if you don't do subtitles. a brief synopsis: an algerian liberation movement takes hold against french colonialists in the 1950s. as with any violent conflict, both sides wind up being losers. but the drama definitely leaves one questioning the institution of imperialism.

also, it seems the pentagon screened this flick for troops in the early stages of the current operations in iraq to give them a sense of what they were up against. in short, this film's modern-day relevance solidifies its place as a classic.

a rat done bit my sister nell...

okay, before you start pointing the finger at me, i will offer a brief disclaimer. i didn't even remember this until i saw it on the website of 'the nation.' and there are plenty of caucasians associated with that publication, so there.

anyway, after a day of nonstop 40th anniversary lunar landing coverage, this oldie-but-goodie from gil scott-heron tries to put things in perspective.

'as soon as they get the watermelon, i'm in!'

the delicious title of this post comes from MM, who has started her own magnificent blog, one that actually has a substantial purpose, unlike my own.

i love how my friends have basically just chosen the blog topics for me. i'm just spreading it all around amongst the two and a half of you who give a damn.

our favorite RNC chair is back at it again, enticing people of color to join the GOP with "potato salad and collard greens." sigh. his misplaced attempt at diversity just bricked.

viva sonia sotomayor!

Viva Sonia Sotomayor! - watch more funny videos

found this on MO's facebook page. as an aside, when i was a kid, like 5 years ago, i totally wanted to be like MO when i grew up. i'm grown now and i still haven't mastered it. she's cool people.

anyway, this clip is to commemorate our first latina supreme court justice (i'm not being presumptuous. you know she'll be confirmed. they couldn't get her on ANYTHING. 'wise latina' doesn't count.)

'where's the love for brown girls?'

this comes from the astutely aware DPB, as does the title of this post.

and after i first watched this clip, i could only reply: 'this shit is crazy.'

i'm still trying to find out if such skin lighteners are sold legally in the US, but i damn sure know they aren't advertised on TV like this.

it'd be one thing if bleaching one's skin was promoted as just another cosmetic option as say, tanning. however, i've yet to see a spray-on tan ad showing some chick unable to get a job or a date because of her skin color. no one feels epidermically-challenged. it's mostly just folks frolicking on the beach or whatever.

here's a peek into what skin lighteners might actually do to one's appearance.

can it be i've stayed away too long...

a timely shout-out to the late MJ.

in my absence over the past few months, i've been wondering if this space was worth the maintenance. in addition to my regular obligations, posting started to feel like a bit of a chore. plus, was it disrespectful to my caucasian brethren? i don't think so, but when it comes to discussions of this sort, they seem to get most of the blame.

but i've realized ... this was an endeavor meant to show that laughter really can be the best medicine. we live in a complex world, folks. sometimes, we've gotta chuckle just to make it through the day.

and there is much more rant-a-rific fare out there than i'd originally anticipated.

with that, i'm going to try my damndest to keep this thing moving.