February 4, 2010
Jojo Simmons x Swinton In “Addicted To Diamondz” T-Shirt
February 2, 2010
Skateboarding In Jamaica With Nurdz Republic
It was at an Anthony B session in January 08 that I met a Rasta youth with a skateboard in hand. I was intrigued and started talking to him about it. He explained to me that he and his crew, Nurdz Republic, created the dance, and are the ones I’d seen in the youtube clips. He introduced himself as Wildfyah, I told him I definitely wanted to document him and his crew, seeing Skateboard culture overlap with Yard was wild.
On my last trip to Jamaica I called Wildfyah, we linked up and planned a trip to Billy Mystic’s yard aka Jamnesia in Bull Bay. Bull Bay is one of two known surf spots in Jamaica and Jamaican musician / television actor, Billy Mystic aka Billy Wilmott, is known for helping to nurture an otherwise super small surf scene in Jamaica. He’s taught his children to surf, his son Icah has done well in international Surf competitions and his daughter, Imani, is know as JA’s top female surfer.
As a natural progression from surfing, the Wilmot kids picked up skateboarding and have since built a skate bowl on their property and teach local kids how to skate. Over the years skaters have gone to Jamaica and given out free boards but there is nowhere to buy a skateboard in Jamaica. The irony is that skateboard fashion is very mainstream among the youth and specifically in the dancehall, slip on Vans, rope chains, mohawks and spiked dog collars are everywhere.
Others have documented various skateboarding scenarios in Jamaica, kids with no shoes on boards, kids begging for sneakers, boards and skateparks. Well nothing happens overnight, and not much has happened so far beyond a few donations here and there, but we sincerely intend to fill this void.
After returning home, excited about my extensive trip spanning all of Jamaica’s 14 parishes, capturing priceless footage for Largeup, attending and DJ’ing a close friend’s wedding… Wildfyah had sent me an email with the “Skateboard Song” (featured in the video). Days later his friend, Smurf, emailed me explaining that Wildfyah had been stabbed and that we have to make the piece into a tribute to him. This was followed by Fyah’s mother Ms. Thompson contacting us, also pleading to see what was the last known footage of Andre “Wildfyah” Thompson.
Originally this was to be an all around happy piece, with an outreach effort along with amazing opportunities for brands involved with skateboarding, surfing, sports, etc. In no way do I want anyone to feel this tragedy is being used to exploit the situation, however, I do feel the sad fact about this young man’s death should drive the message that Slater relays in his interview, about introducing kids to skateboarding to get them away from violence and into something positive.
Jamaica and its diaspora have forever reshaped pop culture, with Reggae parenting Hip Hop and Punk Rock, Marley making dreadlocks a worldwide phenomenon, to boasting the world’s top rated male and female supermodels. Even going back to colonial times, Jamaicans flipped European dances by adding steps that the Europeans themselves couldn’t replicate to save their lives! Seeing groups of Caribbean kids on Eastern Parkway doing kickflips is mind blowing to me and a lot of my friends, meanwhile, you can’t buy a skateboard anywhere in Jamaica or most of the Caribbean.
-Courtesy of Dj Gravy for LargeUp.com
January 28, 2010
STYLE LAUNCH THURS NITE @ DESTINATION 1610 (SANTA MONICA, CA)
EXCLUSIVE PIX FROM CELEBRITY STYLIST JOE EXCLUSIVE’S DESTINATION 1610
1.STORYBOOK EARCHAIN AND EYEGLASS DESIGNER STORY&FRIEND CHARMEL
2.KIM PORTER GETTING MINXED
3.MODEL
4.MR BRADSHAW &FRIENDS
5.PARTYGOER IN SB SHADES HOUSED EXCLUSIVELY AT DESTINATION 1610…
6&7 JADE OF AM NEXT TOP MODEL
8.CLAUDIA JORDAN
9.CLAUDIA
10.TEAIRRA MARI IN SB COLLECTION EYEPATCH EXCLUSIVELY 4 DESTINATION 1610…
January 22, 2010
Nigel Barker Hosts “Rebuild Haiti Relief Fundraiser”
Tons of celebs have stepped up to the plate to help Haiti in its time of crisis, but Nigel Barker, has been showing Haiti major love for years and in the wake of disaster, his dedication is stronger than ever.
Last night the famous photogrpaher hosted a Rebuild Haiti Fundraiser at 1Oak in NYC to benefit the American Red Cross, Concern Worldwide, and The Edeyo Foundation, the org close to Nigel’s heart.
Barker began his work with Edeyo in Haiti several years back, and has filmed a documentary called “Haiti: Hunger & Hope” in 2008, which highlights the efforts of a few to help so many. Based in Port-au-Prince, Edeyo has committed to rebuilding Haiti from the ground up, and they believe that “educating the youth of today is the only way to rebuild the infrastructure for tomorrow.”
At his fundraiser, he was joined by Gabriel Byrne, Terry George, Estelle, Emma Snowdon-Jones, Scott Buccheit, Amy Sacco, Anne Vincent, Ranjana Khan, Gillian Hearst, Phillip Bloch, and Danielle Thur.
Music By Eve Salvail
Approx. $45,000 was raised last night.
Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty. Since the beginning, over 40 years ago, our focus has been on improving the lives of the poorest people.
January 18, 2010
The Meaning Of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
By Coretta Scott King
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example — the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.
We commemorate Dr. King’s inspiring words, because his voice and his vision filled a great void in our nation, and answered our collective longing to become a country that truly lived by its noblest principles. Yet, Dr. King knew that it wasn’t enough just to talk the talk, that he had to walk the walk for his words to be credible. And so we commemorate on this holiday the man of action, who put his life on the line for freedom and justice every day, the man who braved threats and jail and beatings and who ultimately paid the highest price to make democracy a reality for all Americans.
The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality.
On this day we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood he so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America.
It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are African-American, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or Asian-American, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples’ holiday. And it is the young people of all races and religions who hold the keys to the fulfillment of his dream.
We commemorate on this holiday the ecumenical leader and visionary who embraced the unity of all faiths in love and truth. And though we take patriotic pride that Dr. King was an American, on this holiday we must also commemorate the global leader who inspired nonviolent liberation movements around the world. Indeed, on this day, programs commemorating my husband’s birthday are being observed in more than 100 nations.
The King Holiday celebrates Dr. King’s global vision of the world house, a world whose people and nations had triumphed over poverty, racism, war and violence. The holiday celebrates his vision of ecumenical solidarity, his insistence that all faiths had something meaningful to contribute to building the beloved community.
The Holiday commemorates America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence — the man who taught by his example that nonviolent action is the most powerful, revolutionary force for social change available to oppressed people in their struggles for liberation.
This holiday honors the courage of a man who endured harassment, threats and beatings, and even bombings. We commemorate the man who went to jail 29 times to achieve freedom for others, and who knew he would pay the ultimate price for his leadership, but kept on marching and protesting and organizing anyway.
Every King Holiday has been a national “teach-in” on the values of nonviolence, including unconditional love, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation, which are so desperately-needed to unify America. It is a day of intensive education and training in Martin’s philosophy and methods of nonviolent social change and conflict-reconciliation. The Holiday provides a unique opportunity to teach young people to fight evil, not people, to get in the habit of asking themselves, “what is the most loving way I can resolve this conflict?”
On the King Holiday, young people learn about the power of unconditional love even for one’s adversaries as a way to fight injustice and defuse violent disputes. It is a time to show them the power of forgiveness in the healing process at the interpersonal as well as international levels.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not only for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, but above all a day of service. All across America on the Holiday, his followers perform service in hospitals and shelters and prisons and wherever people need some help. It is a day of volunteering to feed the hungry, rehabilitate housing, tutoring those who can’t read, mentoring at-risk youngsters, consoling the broken-hearted and a thousand other projects for building the beloved community of his dream.
Dr. King once said that we all have to decide whether we “will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. Life’s most persistent and nagging question, he said, is `what are you doing for others?’” he would quote Mark 9:35, the scripture in which Jesus of Nazareth tells James and John “…whosoever will be great among you shall be your servant; and whosoever among you will be the first shall be the servant of all.” And when Martin talked about the end of his mortal life in one of his last sermons, on February 4, 1968 in the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, even then he lifted up the value of service as the hallmark of a full life. “I’d like somebody to mention on that day Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to give his life serving others,” he said. “I want you to say on that day, that I did try in my life…to love and serve humanity.
We call you to commemorate this Holiday by making your personal commitment to serve humanity with the vibrant spirit of unconditional love that was his greatest strength, and which empowered all of the great victories of his leadership. And with our hearts open to this spirit of unconditional love, we can indeed achieve the Beloved Community of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.
May we who follow Martin now pledge to serve humanity, promote his teachings and carry forward his legacy into the 21st Century.
-Courtesy of TheKingCenter.Org
January 17, 2010
Mobile Phone Runs On Coke
Designer Daizi Zheng has designed an eco friendly phone for Nokia, which runs on Coca-Cola drinks. Yes, its fuel cells generates electricity from carbohydrates(sugar) in the Coke and it can run on any sugary water, not just Coke. Daizi writes:
“The concept is using bio battery to replace the traditional battery to create a pollution free environment. Bio battery is an ecologically friendly energy generates electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar) and utilizes enzymes as the catalyst. By using bio battery as the power source of the phone, it only needs a pack of sugary drink and it generates water and oxygen while the battery dies out.
Bio battery has the potential to operate three to four times longer on a single charge than conventional lithium batteries and it could be fully biodegradable. Meanwhile, it brings a whole new perception to batteries and afternoon tea. “
-courtesy of LikeCool
January 15, 2010
RIP TEDDY PENDERGRASS
Early life
Teddy Pendergrass, a native of Kingstree, South Carolina, was born to Ida Geraldine Epps and Jesse Pendergrass. Later, Jesse left the family when Teddy was young and was not a part of his son’s life. Tragically, the elder Pendergrass was murdered in 1962. Years later, Teddy moved to Philadelphia. He was a student at the old Thomas Edison High School for Boys in Philadelphia. Teddy sang with the Edison Mastersingers. However, he dropped out[3] in the 11th grade to go into the music business. According to author Robert Ewell Greene, Pendergrass was ordained a minister as a youngster. Later he was to become a drummer for a band, and later lead singer. The church was his initiation for talent and eventual success.
Career
Pendergrass’ career began when he was a drummer for The Cadillacs, which soon merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Melvin invited Pendergrass to become the lead singer after he jumped from the rear of a stage and started singing his heart out. Months later the group signed with Gamble & Huff on the then-CBS subsidiary Philadelphia International Records in 1972. The Blue Notes had hits such as “I Miss You,” “Bad Luck,” “Wake Up Everybody,” the two million seller “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and many more. Following personality conflicts between Melvin and Pendergrass, Pendergrass launched a solo career and released hit singles like “The More I Get the More I Want,” “Close the Door,” “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” “Turn Off the Lights” and others.[1]
His first solo album was self titled Teddy Pendergrass (1977), followed by Life is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Live Coast to Coast and Teddy (1979), 1980’s TP and the final Philadelphia International Records album It’s Time for Love (1981).[1] He also sang a duet with Whitney Houston on “Hold Me”, from her self-titled debut album.
Later career
On March 18, 1982, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive, Pendergrass was involved in an automobile accident. The brakes failed on his 1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, causing the car to hit a guard rail, cross into the opposite traffic lane, and hit two trees. Pendergrass and his passenger, Tenika Watson, a transsexual nightclub performer with whom Pendergrass was casually acquainted, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes. While Watson walked away from the accident with minor injuries, Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.[4][5]
In August 1982, PIR also released This One’s for You, while Pendergrass was recovering from his accident. In 1983, the album Heaven Only Knows was released. This was his last album containing his pre-accident recordings. Ten years after the accident, he recorded a version of “One Shining Moment,” the theme for March Madness Basketball on CBS.
After completing physical therapy, he returned to the studio to record the album Love Language, featuring the 1984 ballad “Hold Me”, a duet with a then-unknown Whitney Houston. He also returned to the public for a performance on July 13, 1985, at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia, then continued to record throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[6] In 1996, he starred alongside Stephanie Mills in the touring production of the gospel musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God.[7] In 1998, Pendergrass released his autobiography entitled, Truly Blessed.[8]
Though generally inactive in his later years, Pendergrass’ “Wake Up Everybody” has been covered by a diverse range of acts from Simply Red to Patti LaBelle and was chosen as a rallying cry during the 2004 Presidential campaign by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds to mobilize voters. In addition, Little Brother, Kanye West, Cam’Ron, Twista, Ghostface, 9th Wonder, DMX and DJ Green Lantern have utilized his works.[9]
In 2006, Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music business.[10] In 2007, he briefly returned to performing to participate in Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities, a 25th anniversary awards ceremony that marked Pendergrass’ accident date, but also raised money for his charity, The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, and honored those who helped Pendergrass since his accident.[11]
Death
In 2009, Pendergrass underwent surgery for colon cancer and had difficulty recovering from that disease from which he eventually died on January 13, 2010, at age 59, while hospitalized at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia.[12]
Discography
Main article: Teddy Pendergrass discography
Awards and nominations
Year Result Award Category Song
1979 Nominated Grammy Award Best Male R&B Vocal Performance “Close the Door”
1982 Nominated Best Male R&B Vocal Performance “I Can’t Live Without Your Love”
1989 Nominated Best Male R&B Vocal Performance “Joy”
1992 Nominated Best Male R&B Vocal Performance “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”
1994 Nominated Best Male R&B Vocal Performance “Voodoo”
January 15, 2010
Wyclef Jean on Ground in Haiti – STATE OF EMERGENCY – HELP
PLEASE TEXT YELE TO “501501″ TO DONATE $5
January 14, 2010
Follow Me Stockings
The FOLLOW ME twitter TATTOO thigh-high stockings($18) on sale at etsy shop post. Sexy!
January 12, 2010
Computer Chip Earrings
These earrings($19) made of 8-pin and 16-pin computer chips, awesome!
“Genuine 8-pin and 16-pin computer chips are mounted on sterling silver posts to create two pairs of earrings suited for that elegant lady geek in your family.”
