Talking Heads
Providing that the idolatry of American consumerist culture knows no bounds, here's a link to a talking George W. Bush doll. And, yes, it does speak such lovely Bush-isms as "We will be putting food on your family". This is the first in a line of talking presidental action figures, including Reagan, Clinton, JFK, & Nixon.

The Man Behind The Curtain
Hopefully, you ALL know who the man on the left is. But who, you may ask, is the man, laughing ever so heartily and somewhat ironically, to the President's right?

I have yet to find Karl Rove's official title in the Bush administration. But, whether you know it or not, Rove is the most powerful man in Washington, right after The President. Even the White House Chief of Staff seems to give only qualified answers when speaking about Rove. As Bush's chief political strategist, Rove has spent the better part of his adult life trying to craft a permanent political majority for the Republican Party. And he may have succeeded.

But what kind of America is that? Well, Rove was a protege of the late Lee Atwater, the former RNC chairman under George Herbert Walker Bush who masterminded the WIllie Horton campaign in the 1988 election. Here, in an article from Esquire magazine, the guy who was handpicked by Bush to run the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and has since resigned, talks about the almost gleeful ignorance Rove & Co. show regarding the actual impact of the policies they advocate for purely political purposes.

God help us.

"Strange, New Worlds"
Here's an article about NASA's new project to develop computer simulated models of what kinds of planets could support water/light based life, to be used as a referential database when they send their new set of deep-space probes to start exploring and cataloging planets with possible neighbors. Too bad that they're just looking for life as we know it on earth, rather than sentience, which may not necessarily be carbon-based. "Baby steps", as they say.

The Conscience of A King
I usually only comment on specific movies at Macroscope when I think it's something worthwhile that you might miss in the daily roar of film advertising, so, it may seem strange for me to say something about the next installment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, The Two Towers, here. Losing this film on the media radar would be the equivalent of forgetting your standing on planet Earth, giving all the promotional saturation its received. However, I would like to take a moment to comment on one aspect of the film you might miss.

Many folks say that the CGI-created Gollum is the most compelling character in the film, but, for my money, the guy I could not take my eyes off of was Theoden, King of the human city of Rohan, played by Bernard Hill. If you look closely, you may recognize Hill as the Captain of James Cameron's Titanic. It's an interesting bit of casting, since, in both instances, he's a man given the responsibility for the lives of a doomed people.

In light of my recent commentary about the morally questionable activities of the Bush administration in the wake of 9/11, my far more conservative brother (and father of two) made an observation that's haunted me ever since: "It's hard to stand on your morals when you're responsible for the lives of others." There's a look in the eyes of King Theoden as the full-weight of his mistakes and the horrible consequences of his actions begin to set in, that made me think of the look in G.W. Bush's eyes, later on that week after 9/11. One would hope that a leader acts in a way that he believes will be the most beneficial for his people. But, as history has taught us, decisions at that level always involve some kind of human calculus - what action will cost the fewest lives while saving the most? Bernard Hill's portrayal of Theoden reminded me that the cost of that job can quite often include your soul.

See the movie.

And watch his eyes.

Stairway to Heaven
I love movies from the '50's. I love technicolor and Edith Head and the days when all your movie heroes wore a coat & tie. So, as you might guess, I have a very special place in my heart for the new film by writer/director Todd Haynes, Far From Heaven. Intended as a deconstruction of 50's melodramas like Imitation of Life or Peyton Place or pretty much any movie by Douglas Sirk, Far From Heaven follows the travails of a perfect, June Cleaver-esque housewife (Julianne Moore) in 1950's Hartford, CT, who catches her business executive husband (Dennis Quaid) in the arms of another man. And the only person she can talk to about this without being ostracized is her somewhat naive, grossly overqualified, and very Black gardner (Dennis Haysbert, also known as President David Palmer on Fox's 24). Beyond the fact that this is one of the most lush, vibrate, and beautiful stories put on film in quite a while, it's also wrenching as you watch these lives completely disintegrate before your eyes. Oscar-worthy? I"m not sure. But it's DEFINITELY noteworthy. There's a real love for filmmaking that just pervades every aspect of this movie. Check it out.

Bride of the Prophet
This is an outstanding interview from Salon.com with Geraldine Brooks, the author of "Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women". Here, she uses the recent Miss World riots in Nigeria to illustrate how misogynists and demagogues have completely usurped the modern-day interpretation of Islam, and perverted it from the very sensual and romantic original teachings of the prophet Mohammed. Of particular interest to me is her depiction of the growing tend of female religious scholars in Iran, who are in fact rolling back many of the draconian restrictions on women by showing their contradictions with the actual text of the Quran. She also lays alot of the blame for the current vulgarity of Islam in the Middle East squarely on the doorstep of the Saudi royal family. Personally, I will be very interested to see how Iran & Saudi Arabia interact with each other politically and culturally as time passes.

Stargazing in the Motherland
Here's a little something on ancient ruins in Zimbabwe which may actually have been a stellar observatory, like Stonehenge. Not much to say about it, except "kewl".

The Next Big Thing?
Martin O'Malley is the mayor of my home town, Baltimore, MD. But, how many mayors of mid-sized cities receive letters from Bill Clinton, congradulating them for NOT running for Governor of Maryland because "I won't be surprised if you go all the way"? Here's a story ostensibly about O'Malley's potential to be a Democratic savior, but also about Clinton's efforts to help regroup the Democratic Party. I must admit, I used to be a big fan of the Democratic Leadership Council, but their standard-bearers like Joe Lieberman leave alot to be desired when it comes to artists' rights, and, in the face of the last election, their leaders, From & Bruce Reed, say the party should abandon it's liberal ideals because "The harsh reality is that the Democratic base just isn't big enough to win: there are more conservatives than liberals ... more suburbanites than big-city dwellers, more whites than minorities, more non-union workers than union workers". Well, at least they won't be pretending to court my vote anymore.

Crafting A Strange World
John Cassaday is one of my favorite comic artists today. I first discovered him in the pages of Warren Ellis's meta-genre epic, Planetary, but John has also made me a believer again with his work on the post-9/11 Captain America. Here, he talks about his craft and both titles over a few brewskies.

Buried Alive
Remember the "dirty bomber" from last summer? Well, that man was an American citizen that the government suspects of being a member of Al Qaeda. They promptly declared him an enemy combatant (i.e. someone who is not entitled to due process under the law), and have been holding him a Navy brig ever since. This article shows that, nearly 6 months after he was detained, the government is just now giving him access to his lawyers. I have yet to see what evidence they have that justifies stripping this man of his rights as a citizen. This, and the recent CIA bombing of suspected Al Qaeda agents in Africa is setting a really, really frightening trend, where the government is just going after people with out a shred of justification to the public. Don't sleep on this.

GET YOUR WAR ON!!!
And, now, for the lighter side of American hegemony and genocide, here's a charming little comic strip to help you keep the important things in mind. Yes, it's excessive, but boy, does it tickle my funny bone.

Sun Kings
Here's an interview that Patrick Goldstein of the L.A. Times conducted with James Cameron and Steven Soderbergh, the producer and director, respectively, of the film Solaris, starring George Clooney.

Favorite quote, from the King of the World himself: "Hollywood is desperate to be loved, and that desperation to be loved causes them to follow you out of the movie theater and down the hall and put a synopsis of the plot in your pocket. It's pathetic."

Now, as far as the movie itself goes, let me just say this: If you go to movies for nothing more than eye-candy and escapist entertainment that will not challenge you or your opinions of the world and yourself, Solaris is definitely not the movie for you. If, on the other hand, you are excited by stories that contemplate the very nature of love, life, reality, and God, I don't know that I can give a much stronger recommendation than this film. Beyond the fact that it's beautifully shot and performed with deep intensity, it really begs the question: just how real are the people in our lives? And, in the end, does it really matter? Do yourself a favor and see it on the big screen before it disappears.

"Feelin' Like A Space Brain"
This article from SPACE.com talks about the statistical and evolutionary probabilities necessary to spawn so-called "intelligent" life (i.e. smart enough to build a radio telescope that could be used to communicate with other entities) on another planet. Personally, I'm constantly amazed by the arrogance of certain scientists to actually assume that, in the entire universe, human beings are the only beings capable of coherent thought. I suppose it supports some more creationist-leaning theories on outer-space, but it just doesn't seem logical. The factors that are necessary for life, relative to the sheer number of stars and planets out there would seem to make it inevitable.

The Shadow King

The Shadow King
Usually, CNN contributer Mark Shields is a little too shrilled for my tastes, but I think he hits it right on the money on the absurdity of Henry Kissinger leading the independent investigation of government screw-ups pretaining to 9/11/01. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times gives a slightly more measured critique of Kissinger, but it's hard to speak softly of the man. I mean, this is the guy who advocated that the President of the United States should maintain it's own, secret intelligence unit to discredit the White House's political opponents. These so-called "Plumbers", like G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, were the gentlemen responsible for the Watergate affair. And let's not even get into Christopher Hitchens' fairly convincing case that Kissinger should be indicted for war crimes in the way that he and Nixon sabotaged LBJ's peace negotiations with the North Vietnamese just so they could get elected. Does this man REALLY have the interests of the American people in his heart?

Whither the Democrats?
Here's an article from the Village Voice that contends that the Democratic Party has been in ideological retreat since the 1968 Convention, where the growing progressive, counter-culture movement, led by its principled but, ultimately flawed standard-bearer, Senator Eugene McCarthy, was crushed, literally, by the Powers That Be.
Coincidentally, this occurred a few months after Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated by lone crazy gunmen.
The author also suggests that, while the GOP has become the party of "Big Ideas", those ideas are nothing more than an opiate for the masses, while they continue to do the dirty work of the previously mentioned Powers That Be.

The Party of Apathy
Here's a fantastic article from The Atlantic monthly, that does a demographic breakdown of the 120 million people in this country (i.e. the majority of the population) who do not vote, and how the right political party can take steps to intice them to the booths. Short version: they don't vote because they're young, overworked, and feel no connection to or stake in society. Of particular note is a book mentioned in the article, The Stakeholder Society, that proposes a new Homestead Act that would give every American citizen an $80,000 loan out of the Federal coffers when they turn 21.

"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry...."
Here's an interview with Bruce Jones, the current writer for The Incredible Hulk comic book, which has become a much darker, more paranoid title under his stewardship. Here, he ties the Hulk's current popularity to some broader themes about the American people and how we are beginning to see ourselves in a post 9/11/01 world.

Inching Towards the Supreme Computer
Here's an article from The New Scientist on how scientists have just successfully completed the first baby steps towards constructing a quantum computer. Just what is a quantum computer and why should you, the non-geeks, care? Well, consider this example: Theoretically speaking, if you had a multiplication table that went from 0 to 1024 on both dimensions, it would take a traditional computer over a million calculations to find all the numbers in the table. A quantum computer could find all those numbers with exactly 1 calculation. Get the picture?

New Strings Attached for the 3rd World
In a White House press briefing yesterday, Ari Fleischer announced the creation of the Millenium Challenge Corporation, a new government agency to administer the billions of additional funds that the Bush administration is now ear-marking for developing countries. The catch, of course, is that these countries are now going to compete for the money based on a score card that includes things like cleaning up corruption, commitment to democracy, "sound fiscal policy", etc.
So, there are several odd things about this: Why a new agency, when there is already one in existence that does this (the U.S. Agency for International Development)? And since when are government agencies called "corporations"? If none of the countries in a given year meet the criteria established by the corporation, what happens to the aid money ear-marked for that year? And, even more disturbing, why did I have to go to some off-brand news agency like this to get any kind of an in-depth article (not even the BBC covered this)? On the flip side, here's an editorial that suggests that, on the whole, this is a step in the right direction for the U.S. I'll remain cautiously optimistic.

Shades and Tones
Here's a very interesting article from The Atlantic, about the status, effect, and potential future of Black/White interracial marriage. My general, spur of the moment thought, is that the author (like most advocates of interracial dating) haven't fully processed the psychological and sociological impact of centuries of White men raping Black women and how interracial dating and the so-called "beauty standard" wreaks havoc on the minds, souls, and self-esteem of so many Black women, but feel free to come to your own conclusions while you're waiting on me...

Stranger Fruit
Here's a Washington Post article about an FBI report that indicates that hate crimes against people of Arabic descent increased 1500% in 2001. I think it speaks for itself.

Bulletproof Flag
First, kudos go to my good friend "Pocho Joe" Hernandez-Kolski, from "The Bomb-itty of Errors" for bringing this to my attention. Here's a rare op-ed piece from Kenneth Turan, film critic for the L.A. Times, where he contends that American movies have convinced us that America cannot be defeated in warfare, in much the same way that German films of the 1930's convinced the citizens of that country of their own invincibility. Heavy stuff.

"There Is No Spoon"
Time to be a fanboy for a second. No news here. Just this rediculously kewl one-sheet of fellow Baltimore native Jada Pinkett Smith, ready for action in The Matrix Reloaded. Check out the film's official website for more equally snazzy single-character posters.

A General for the Democrats?
So, it should surprise no one out there that I'm pretty much a peacenik. And part and parcel of being a dove is an inherent mistrust of all-things military. As a result, I never quite got why everyone assumed that generals would make good presidents. It's not like they can get voted out of office by their troops if they screw up. Having said all that, I have been impressed with the statesmanship that Colin Powell seems to bring to the job. So, the idea of a respected military guy running for president as a Democrat is eye-catching to say the least. I've agreed alot with what retired General Wesley Clark has had to say about US foreign policy, so he'd definitely be a contender if he ran as a Demo. Now, if only he could do something about that whole "domestic economy in ruins" thing.

Can't Knock The Hustle
I thought it was odd that 60 Minutes II would do a segment about Jigga. Maybe the release of 8 Mile let them to look for the so-called "King of Rap". And the piece smacks of shameless self-promotion, but, the fact remains, that Jay-Z has put out a new album every 8 months for the last 6 years, and Roc-A-Fella is probably the biggest vanity label in the industry. The amount of money they generate (somewhere around a half a billion dollars through records, movies, and clothes) definitely makes it worth studying.

Poke the Eye
I'm disappointed in myself that it took me this long to think of these guys. Here's a link to the ACLU's website, where you can send a fax to the White House to express your outrage about the Anti-Terrorist Government Database of Doom. Indulge yourself.

Scared To Death
Thanks to the future Dr. Richard Robinson of the Columbia University Department of Physics for pointing out this little gem. Michael Moore's documentary, Bowling for Columbine, includes a hysterical animated short called "A Brief History of America", that basically breaks down how Moore sees the relationship between historical racism, America's culture of fear, and guns. Fun fact: the NRA was founded the same year that the Ku Klux Klan was outlawed as a terrorist organization. Check it out.

The All Seeing Eye
You know that article I posted a few days ago, titled Uncle Sam Morphs Into Big Brother"? Well, this is what Uncle Brother looks like, and it isn't pretty at all, my friends. Here is the government's uber-database, designed to "fight terrorists" (yeah, right!) by tabulating EVERY electronic transaction you, the American citizen, ever makes. EVER. Every e-mail, phone call, credit card purchase, etc. EVERYTHING. They'll have it on file. Just in case you get a little uppity. And the killer? LOOK AT THE OFFICIAL FREAKIN' LOGO!!!!! Is it just me?!?!?! And did I mention that it's all run by a guy who was one of the major figures in the Iran-Contra Affair? This stinks to high heaven, and the only person I've ever heard say anything about this is Al Gore.

Nightmare at Camp Crystal Lake
So, enough about America. OK? Let's get back to completely frivolous movie-making for a minute. Great movies, especially great horror movies, are all about the last shot in the film. One of my favorite endings is the last shot of Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, the last, and possibly best, chapter in the "Friday the 13th" series. Jason Vorhees' hockey mask is lying on the dirt, when, suddenly, the knife-edged claw of Freddy Krueger reaches out of the earth and pulls the hockey mask down into the depths of Hell. Well, 10 years later, it looks like New Line Cinema (formerly known in Hollywood circles as "The House That Freddy Built") has finally decided to pull the trigger what was set-up in that great last shot. Now, for a long time, I thought this idea was a train wreck waiting to happen, but, listening to Robert Englund and director Ronnie Yu talk, this actually sounds like it mixes the two genres in some really clever ways. So, friends & neighbors, I give you Freddy Vs. Jason Vs...... Kelly Rowland?!?!?!?!?!?

Captain America is Black
No, really. I'm serious. Today, Marvel Comics is publishing the 1st issue of a comic series titled "The Truth". Now, for those of you who know your superhero history, Captain America was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed 90 lbs. weakling who volunteered to be a military guinea pig in an experiment that made him the ultimate American fighting machine. But, let's be honest: the procedure is dangerous and untested. Would they REALLY have tested it out on the Great White Hope? Or would the true guinea pigs be Black soldiers, people that a 40's America might not be too concerned about making, shall we say, "mistakes" on. Check out this preview, here what the editor, Axel Alonso, has to say about it, and, if you're so inclined, check it out at your local comic shop.

New World Water
This is a little old, but it really troubled me when I read it. Here's an article from the Village Voice about the growing scarcity and privitization of the world's water resources. Scariest quote comes from the President of the World Bank, back in 1995: ""If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water."

The Leash on the Dogs of War
Now, I KNOW I posted a fairly long note expressing my own personal views on the whole Belafonte/Powell debacle. Why I can't find it in my archives is beyond me. But, just for the record, let me reiterate: I think Harry Belafonte is perfectly entitled to question Gen. Powell's ethics for supporting Bush's policies. It's very hard seeing someone you respect cowtow to someone you don't. On the other hand, I've always been of the opinion that Powell is probably the sole voice of reason in the Bush Administration these days. If it wasn't for his efforts, we'd probably be shooting in Iraq right now. Well, here's Bob Woodward, the notorious Watergate reporter, giving us the inside dirt on how Powell kept Cheney & Rumsfeld from prematurely starting World War III. Read and be enlightened.

Wal-Mart Takes Aim
So, I just saw Michael Moore's documentary on America's gun fetish, "Bowling for Columbine", which, I have to say, in light of recent political events in this country, has to be one of the best, most provocative films I've ever seen. For instance, did you know that Charlton Heston & the NRA staged an impromptu rally just a few miles away from Columbine High School within a week of the killing spree there? And, when Moore asked Heston whether he thought he owed an apology to the victims for his actions, Heston said, "Me? Apologize?!?!" and walked out. Also, did you know that Canada actually has a higher percentage of gun ownership for its citizenry than the United States, but their gun violence rate is several orders of magnitude less than ours?
Anyway, one of the biggest stunts Moore pulls in the movie is taking a couple of Columbine survivors, who still have bullets lodged in their bodies, to K-Mart's corporate headquarters. Apparently, the Columbine killers bought all of their bullets at K-Mart, so Moore brought these kids so they could return the bullets. As a result of their efforts, K-Mart agreed to stop selling bullets. Period. And who says shame isn't a powerful motivator?
So, with that in mind, Moore is trying to organize a campaign to get Wal-Mart to follow suit. The Wal-Mart situation is particularly gaulling to me, since they insist on edited versions of all albums they sell in the interests of "protecting our children". So, check out the link above and see how you can contribute.
One of the more interesting things that Moore posits in his film is that America's news culture is so exploitative that it's unjustifiably bred a culture of fear that makes people only feel safe if they sleep with a gun under their pillow. My question is: when did our news get like this? How did we leave the world of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite and enter the world of Sky Copter 9 and Bill O'Reilly? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Art + Politics = Power
This is the very basic website for a very complex movie called "Max". The "Max" in question, played by John Cusack, is an art dealer & teacher in Munich in 1918, and one of his struggling, neurotic, starving, unloved students is a man named Adolph Hitler. Needless to say, alot of people have ALOT to say about this movie, some of it more silly than others. The notion that Hitler could have been anything other than a mortal man, albeit a dangerously disturbed and charismatic one, is childish almost to the point of being laughable. And it also makes it frighteningly easy to dismiss what he did to Germany as some kind of supernatural aberration as opposed to what it really was: something all too easy to repeat. Watch this film and be wary, gentle citizen.

Uncle Sam morphs into Big Brother
Here's an article that details some of the items in the President's Homeland Security Bill that you don't hear about on the news. Such as this centralized database that will track EVERY transaction you ever make and compile it for government officials looking for suspicious behavior.

Death Row Goes Down
So, I work across the street from their office. This is all a little too close to home. I'm particularly angry that the L.A.Times has tried to link all this East Coast/West Coast silliness from 5 years ago to the murder of Jam Master Jay. Talk about irresponsible reporting.

Government Watchdogs
In light of last week's election, it's probably more important than ever to know exactly what these people are doing in our name when we elect someone to public office. Here's a site that the ACLU put together that, given your zip code, tells you exactly how your federal representatives are voting. Keep an eye on these people and let them know how you feel.

President of '24'
The NAACP has complained for years that there isn't a diverse enough representation of Black actors on television, that we've been ghettoized to corny sit-coms. Which is why it's amazing to me that they aren't dancing in the streets over the casting of Dennis Haysbert as a Black President of the United States on Fox's 24. Not only is it the best show on television, not only does Haysbert get 2nd billing behind Kiefer Sutherland, but, by having a Black President, they're forced to cast all these other Black actors as his family, especially Penny Jerald Johnson as his Lady MacBeth-like ex-wife, Sherri Palmer. If you're not watching this show.... I dunno.

NewSpeak, American-Style
For those of you who aren't George Orwell fans, I vaguely recall NewSpeak as the term used in the book 1984 to describe the way that Big Brother manipulated the use of language to control thought in that imaginary facist culture. Keep that in mind as you read this article about the insidious new form of pro-war propaganda that's going to be coming to a multiplex near you, whether you like it or not. This, like so many of these kinds of ventures, is also funded by yet another insanely rich, old white man with very strong feelings about right-wing conservative politics. Somebody should get these guys some therapy.

Meet Ice Cube, the rapper turned Hollywood player
I bet you didn't know that Ice Cube has had his own film production company for the last 5 years, did you? I sure didn't. Favorite quote: when commenting on the fact that ALL of the films he's produced for New Line have turned a profit Cube says,''I know people respond to profits. And I knew that the only way that I would get respect in this town is to be a person who takes a small thing and turns it into a big thing." Aspiring producers, take note.

Harry Belafonte Speaks His Mind
A few days after the whole Colin Powell issue hit the airwaves, Harry Belafonte went on Larry King Live and dropped nothing but pure science about the Secretary of State, the President, and plantations. Read and be enlightened.

The American Idol
Yes, he's a skirt-chasing, draft-dodging, non-weed-inhaling, slick son of a gun, but Bill Clinton is still the President who's administration has had the most positive impact on the most Americans (and even non-Americans) in probably the last 25 years. Love him or hate him, the man kept us all fatter and happier than we had any right to be during the '90's. Here's an editorial from the New York Times that talks about the mercurial matters that make him, and America, occasionally great.

"Democrats have only themselves to blame"
Here's Joe Conason's autopsy on the Democratic Party after the Bush Family pimp-slapping we now call Election Night 2002. Quite honestly, I'm really one more outrage away from giving my hard earned money to the Green Party. They may be broke as Hell, but at least they believe in something and are willing to go down with the ship for their convictions. Remember when government was supposed to at least kind of be about statesmanship and principles of a free society?

Traficant runs for re-election from prison
This had me rolling on the floor, laughing. After being busted and sent to a federal prison to serve and 8 year term for racketeering, former Congressman Jim Traficant is running for re-election from within a federal penitentiary. I swear, sometimes, this stuff writes itself.

That DJ Made My Day

No links or anything of that sort this time.

I'm sure you've all heard about the murder of Run-DMC's DJ, Jam Master Jay. The term "senseless" gets tossed around a lot with regards to street violence and hip-hop violence, but this is the first time one of these murders made absolutely no sense to me. 2Pac & Biggie, after all, regularly claimed to have enemies and routinely spoke of their own mortality on their records. Their deaths, while still shocking and awful and painful, seemed almost foretold in their own lyrics.

But Jam Master Jay? Who ever heard of somebody putting out a hit on a freaking DJ?!?!

But that's not what I really wanted to talk about. As I was listening to all the tributes and retrospectives about Jam Master Jay and Run-DMC in particular, I remember a quote from DMC, where he said "We don't need a band. That's our band, right there". He was pointing to Jay as he said this. The press has made the point of referring to Run-DMC as a "hip-hop band".

Once upon a time, you had nothing but bands in hip-hop. KRS-One once said that the 4 pillars of hip-hop are breakdancers, graffiti artists, MCs, and DJs. Back in the day, virtually every hip-hop group of any kind of merit consisted of both an MC AND a DJ. Run-DMC. Eric B. & Rakim. Public Enemy. BDP. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. NWA. And, even into my college years, with the golden age of the Native Tongues, there was A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Black Sheep, Gang Starr, Brand Nubian. Even solo artists like Ice-T had their own DJs who were present on every single cut of their album. All groups that consisted of MCs and DJs, because originally, hip-hop music was about "rockin' parties", and I don't care how much skill you have on a microphone, no MC can entertain a party by himself all night long without some music to back him up. These guys travelled from club to club, they had their own signature tracks & scratches & breaks & riffs. The same James Brown LP became a vastly different thing when it passed from the hands of Terminator X to Ali Shaheed Mohammed to DJ Premier. And, ultimately, the DJ was the guy who created musical consistency across an album, or albums. My brother, a child of the funk era, says that he would buy albums from The Time or the Gap Band or Earth, Wind, & Fire sight unseen, because, as long as it was the same musicians, you knew what you were getting into with each album.

Today, in the age where the producer is the king of hip-hop, an individual artist's album is a complete crapshoot. Just because that one single you hear on the radio is great, that may be the only song like it on the whole album. Who knows what the rest of it is like. To find that kind of consistency, I've really limited myself to buying albums from the producers themselves (i.e. N.E.R.D. from the Neptunes, or Tim's Bio from Timbaland, or Soul Survivor from Pete Rock). The only hip-hop band I can think of these days is Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek). Although Rawkus Records has the distinction where alot of their artists, like Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch, produce the albums themselves, and it shows in the quality of their work.

But the disappearance of the band/DJ is indicative of something else in Black culture. Without the "garage band" aspect of hip-hop that the MC/DJ pairing brings, you don't have young brothers coming up together as a unit, bringing the music and providing a fabric to a neighborhood or a community. A hip-hop band can become a community standard bearer, creating the sound and a rally point for their neighbors. And a band can be the first place that these young brothers can learn about unity, the greater good, community, and family where they may not find it at home, and where they shouldn't have to find it in a gang. The emerging hip-hop scene has, instead, filled itself with young men who want to be the musical equivalent of a pre-Larry Brown Allen Iverson. Lone wolves who have no sense of the team around them. And, in the end, most of them turn into John Starks or Allen Houston. And you see what happened to the Knicks, right?

So, what am I saying? I'm saying we have more than enough P. Diddys and Master Ps and even Eminems. We need more Jam Master Jays. And Grand Master Flashes. And Terminator Xs. And DJ Premiers. And Ali Shaheed Mohammeds. And King Britts. And Jazzy Jeffs.

And, for God's sake, we desperately need some more Spindarellas.

And, instead of a CD player, go out and buy your kids a set of turntables for Christmas.

Before You Go Vote Tomorrow....
...if you can, make a point of watching this documentary, Counting on Democracy. Now, I'm sure some people out there are tired of hearing that G.W. Bush stole the presidency because the Supreme Court prematurely stopped the Florida ballot count and declared him the winner. Well, you should be tired of it, because it's a smokescreen for what really happened. Short version: The government of Florida, run by Bush's brother Jeb, unlawfully removed THOUSANDS of eligible voters from the registration roles in the months prior to the election, and a disproportionately large number of these voters were Black and probably Democrats. What's worse is that, even after investigative reporter Greg Palast broke this story, NONE of the major news outlets would air it. Palast lives in the UK now. This documentary, Counting on Democracy details and confirms many of the findings in Palast's report, and the national PBS news organization refused to air it! It's only getting national play because a few local PBS stations are choosing to air it independently, and, even then, they're not really promoting it. Do yourself a favor and watch it if you can (or buy it and pass it around). Also, for all you Angelenos out there, check out Unprecedented, a feature film documentary that covers the same material. It's airing later on this month at the Arclight as a part of AFI FEST. And please, PLEASE remember to vote tomorrow!

The Brother Who Trumped Einstein
When I was in elementary school, my parents had a book that give brief synopses on the lifes of great African-Americans throughout history. And, while everyone loves to talk about Frederick Douglas, or Harriet Tubman, or Martin Luther King, of W.E.B. Dubois, all extraordinary people who'd made amazing contributions to humanity, the man who always held the most fascination for me was Benjamin Baneker. Born a free man in the slave-holding state of Maryland over 130 years before the Civil War, Baneker was a farmer who taught himself from borrowed text to be a surveyor, mathematician, & astronomer so talented and renowned, he was commissioned to survey the land that the city of Washington DC rests on today. But, even beyond DC and his bestselling almanac, Baneker was the first astronomer EVER to postulate that the other stars in the sky were orbited by their own planets that contained their own forms of life. The first half of this theory wasn't proven until the 1940's. And he speculated about time/space relativity over a century before Einstein provided the mathematical proofs. Here's a recent biography detailing Baneker's life that, IMHO, every parent of a Black child should have on their bookshelf.

Why not just call it Di-Lithium?
Here's an article I stole from "Die, Puny Humans", that proposes a possibly more accessible approach to interstellar travel though the controlled use of anti-matter. Did you hear that, Trekkies? Anti-matter! Way kewl.

"Dread. Pure dread."
You've all heard me rave about Ringu being the scariest movie I've seen in recent memory. While the Dreamworks remake, The Ring is game, it still pales in comparison. Well, the director of the original, Hideo Nakata, has a new film which is another adaptation of a novel by Koji Suzuki, author of "Ringu". The American title is "Dark Water", and, for all you Angelenos, it's screening twice at AFI FEST in the beginning of November. American horror directors should take note: sure, it's easy to make someone jump out of their seats with a loud noise and a sharp cut. But a movie that takes its time to make you afraid to go to sleep at night will stick with your audience (in other words, build buzz through word of mouth) forever. Check it, if you dare.

Politicians killed in plane crashes
It's always cool when CNN reads my mind. So far, the tally is 7 Democrats to 5 Republicans killed in crashes. Retrospectively, I would probably like to see an "Untimely Death While In Office" spreadsheet. Not to mention the "Untimely Death While Campaigning for Office" poll. And let's not even get into Wellstone's family disinviting Dick Cheney from the senator's funeral...

Writing Craft Quote of the Day

"The only real difference between me and the signboard guy in San Francisco who rants about the Clintons betraying 16 galaxies and a zegnalogical rocket society is that I get paid for my perception of the world. And I own better suits."
- Warren Ellis

Ellis is a comic book writer who occasionally referred to himself as either Stalin or Emperor Ming on his old online forum. But, delusions of his own grandeur aside, he is one of the best in the business these days, penning some of my favorite titles, like Planetary and the original run of The Authority. Here's a brief interview where he gives his take on the future.

After "The Punch"
Apparently, Sports Illustrated is going to pub;ish excerpts of "The Punch" in next month's issue. Here's an article from and SI reporter, who gives a little insight into Kermit Washington's relationship to Rudy Tomjanovich today. Proof once again that one of the most powerful skills in the world is mercy and forgiveness.

Senator Paul Wellstone killed in plane crash
So, for those of us who are keeping score: Ron Brown, JRK Jr., and Mel Carnahan where the last few politicos I can think of who've died in plane crashes. Carnahan was another guy running for a senate seat against Jon Ashcroft. When Carnahan was kiled, his wife took his seat and beat Ashcroft. No such luck with the Wellstones. Where am I going with this, you ask?

I'm going here: Can anyone recall who was the last Republican to get killed in a plane crash?

In fact, can anyone remember who was the last Republican to get assassinated? I think it was Lincoln, when the Republicans really weren't the party that they are today, if you catch my meaning. Makes you wonder if Al Gore had an ulterior motive when he did his whistle stop tour in 2000 on a train....

Barbers seek Jackson 'Barbershop' apology
Proof, once again, that natural systems eventually find their own equilibrium. I love it.

NASA: The Next Generation
Here's something I stole from Warren Ellis's blog, lovingly entitled "Die, Puny Humans". I think I learned more about the scientific challenges of long range space exploration in this one article than I have in the last few years. Now, if only we can get over this War on Terrorism/Iraq thing and get back to elevating the human race....

What if Bruce Wayne was P. Diddy?
Here's a blurb about a new show featuring yet another obscure Black Marvel superhero, the Night Thrasher. Personally, I've been waiting for a character like this to show up on the radar any day now, so I'm pleasantly pleased. And, as usual, I'm amused at how horrified the fanboys are about this.