Mos Def

Last night my good friend Kelly and I went to the Mos Def concert. This was the first time I had ever been to one of his shows. He Was Amazing! This was a different kind of amazing from like say the Brittney spears concert i went to last month or the Jay-z concert i went to three years ago.
When Mos came out on stage i remembered how a lot of people were really disappointed with his album New Danger because of how different it was I also remember loving it for that exact reason. I love when Artists aren't afraid to do something just because their Label gave them a label or society wants them a certain way.
Mos Def came out on stage and rocked it because he wanted to NOT because he had to, and it didn't matter if the audience was having a good time, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. There is such a different feeling you get from an artist like him than an artist who has been on tour for six months and is doing it because its part of the job or someone who is worried about the audience having fun.

I had a great time watching him have a good time, it didn't matter if i knew all the songs.
I am so inspired to be that way in life doing things because i want to do it and not because it pleases someone else.

moral of the story: do what makes you happy regardless of someone or thing else! lol
if you have a chance to see him in concert i highly recommend it!!

In China, Quake Tourism Becoming Big Business

So I was listening to this show on NPR and it was such a trip to me so i wanted to share it. Its about how they are making one of the areas in China (where they had the huge earthquake and so many people died and they still haven't even started rebuilding all of the area yet) into a lil tourist trap! I would be so offended if i lived there. As soon as people see there is a way to make money they will just take advantage of the opportunity! its disgusting.

May 6, 2009 · When I came back to southwest China to report stories leading up to the May 12 anniversary of the earthquake, I never imagined this scene: I'm running through a mountain park alongside young warriors wearing camouflage suits and toting plastic laser guns. They kneel and take aim through the trees as a loud, synthesized firefight echoes around us.

I'm in the middle of a game of laser tag at the Counter Strike battlefield, high up in the mountains outside the town of Baoshan. The site is part of a growing industry all around the earthquake zone: earthquake tourism.

The Counter Strike laser tag park is based on a shoot-'em-up video game. The battlefield where the two armies face off is a lush garden filled with huge pink peonies and moss-covered pagodas.

The laser-tag warriors shoot it out steps away from homes that were destroyed by the earthquake, their ruins still huge heaps of mangled concrete and twisted steel.

The battlefield park was developed by the Baoshan Group construction company. The head of the tourism section, Dai Jun, explains the idea behind it: It's designed to provide a team-building exercise for office workers who might drive up from the city.

At the same time, Dai tells me, it will help the local economy recover.

"I think building this base here provides more job opportunities for local people, and I don't think it's unfair to those who died in the earthquake," Dai says.

I ask him, "Even though the people who play these games are simulating death in an area where death was very real for so many people?"

"The people in disaster-hit areas need to get back to a normal life," Dai says. "They need to walk out of the shadow of this disaster as soon as possible."

So this is the new normal. One of the young city visitors, Counter Strike warrior Zhang Ling, tells me, "We need to let everyone know the earthquake of May 12 has passed."

"This game teaches us that we need to stay united and help each other," Zhang says. "After the earthquake, the relief effort went so well because the Chinese people united as one. We're here playing this game with the same goals in mind. It's not just about battling each other."

A Museum Planned On Destroyed School Site

Two counties away is another promised tourist destination: the flattened city of Beichuan. An earthquake museum will be built on the site of the destroyed Beichuan Middle School. Hundreds of children died when the school collapsed, and it is now a ghastly pile of debris and twisted rebar. It's hard to imagine that in the future, this schoolyard will become a tourist site.

Visitors will be allowed to walk through the ruined city, where many bodies still lie buried beneath the rubble. Some local residents are not at all happy about that idea.

Just down the road, I meet Liu Xiaohua at the temporary housing camp where she lives with her family. Her mother-in-law was killed in Beichuan, the body never recovered.

"Many of us feel uneasy" about the tourism plans, Liu tells me. "So many people died; their bodies are still buried. Of course we don't feel good about it. There are so many bodies that can't be retrieved."

But the deputy county chief of Beichuan, He Wang, sees tourism as an important way to revitalize the area, memorialize the dead and promote national unity.

"It will be a somber environment," he says. "I believe that everyone who visits the Beichuan ruins will experience a spiritual baptism, and at the same time learn something about humanity and patriotism."

I ask him, "What would you say to people whose family members may be buried in that rubble who say, 'This a private space. I don't want people coming here to look at this. This is my graveyard'?"

"We need to respect the feelings and wishes of the victims' families," he says. "But I personally believe that we'll be able to gain the families' understanding."

There also are plans to turn a huge earthquake lake into a tourist spot. The quake lakes were formed when landslides caused by the temblor dammed up rivers. A year ago, people feared those lakes would burst and cause disastrous flooding. But now they're making the best of the situation: The plan is for the quake lake of Tangjiashan to become a destination for boating, with teahouses lining the banks of the lake.

Putting Famous Earthquake Pig On Display

We made one last stop on our earthquake tourism circuit: the new quake museum in Dayi, about 100 miles southwest of Beichuan. It's set to open on the anniversary of the quake.

The museum is the brainchild of wealthy real estate developer Fan Jianchuan. He has scooped up tens of thousands of earthquake artifacts for his collection, everything from a rescue boat to children's backpacks gathered from a collapsed school to the now-famous "earthquake pig": a sow who is said to have survived for 36 days in the rubble of a home. Her nickname is "Three-Six."

And get this: As soon as he has enough money, Fan tells me, he is going to install three earthquake simulators.

"The room will shake," he says, "The ceiling will collapse, TVs will come crashing down, the sounds of people screaming will come out of speakers. Just like a Hollywood movie."

Having experienced firsthand the terrifying, stomach-turning force of the temblor when I was in Sichuan last May, I'm horrified, but intrigued. I ask Fan who would want to experience the simulation.

"I think young people will be very interested," Fan says. "I've found that earthquakes happen every 30 years or so. When another one comes, I'll be 80. It won't matter if I die. But I want young people to learn how to protect themselves against the next one. Only then will our society have hope for the future."

Fan tells me he worries that people will forget what happened here last May. His museum is a bulwark against oblivion.

On May 12 at 2:28 in the afternoon — the minute the earthquake struck last year — a siren will sound and Fan Jianchuan's earthquake museum will open for business.

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Andrea Hsu/NPR

Camouflage-clad Chengdu residents head out to play laser tag in an area near the ruins of homes destroyed in the earthquake.

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Andrea Hsu/NPR

Photos of Beichuan's county seat before and after the earthquake are for sale on a hillside overlooking the ruined city.

“I've found that earthquakes happen every 30 years or so. When another one comes, I'll be 80. It won't matter if I die. But I want young people to learn how to protect themselves against the next one. Only then will our society have hope for the future.”

Fan Jianchuan, real estate developer

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Melissa Block/NPR

Liu Xiaohua, who lives in temporary housing in Beichuan, is uneasy about the plans to build a quake museum on the site of the destroyed Beichuan Middle School. "So many people died; their bodies are still buried," she says. "Of course we don't feel good about it."

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Andrea Hsu/NPR

This crushed car will go on display at the Jianchuan Earthquake Museum on May 12. The museum's founder, Fan Jianchuan, says the point of the museum is to memorialize the earthquake and learn how to protect against future quakes.

LESSONS FROM MAMA GENA

The weekly treat

"Schedule one pleasurable thing for yourself a week. If you think there is even the remote chance that you won't stick to this commitment, recruit a girlfriend and create a weekly pleasure check-in call so you can share what pleasure you've enjoyed each week. Outdo each other in the pleasure arenas! See what you can do to make a moment that is normally not fun into fun....Find out what is fun for you. Maybe it is breaking up your workday with a run through the park or a doughnut run for you and your coworkers!. And don't feel as though you have to spend money on these fun things. Sometimes the best and most overlooked pleasures are free: brush your teeth naked and wear high heels, sing along with all you heart to your favorite song, go for a walk with a friend that you love to talk to, meditate before bed, have a make-out session with you favorite kisser! Experiment.
A Life without pleasure is about as fulfilling as saltines without the salt (and no dip). It is a life seriously lacking in nutrition. The Goddess requires pleasure to live."

Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts
Regena Thomashauer

EARTH

GO SEE THIS if you don't have time to watch all of the original PLANET EARTH

yes it's just an edited version, i thought they went out and filmed it all for Disney... nope! doing what those filmmakers did living in those remote places for as long as they did why HOW could you do it twice?

this movie did two things for me...made me want to rent the original Planet Earth so I could see what Disney didn't want the kids to see, and reminded me why i need to travel this earth because its so fucking beautiful!

not much too say but maybe we should all go these things wonders of the world in person and not in theater.


favorite part

the elephants in the river

unfavorable part
the polar bear in the ocean

State of Play

GO See this movie if you are up for a intelligent suspenseful flik

I must say I'm surprised i saw this movie tonight with all the films that came out recently (obsessed...lol,soloist,wolverine). However I'm not surprised that people are sleeping on this pretty good film. The preview for State of Play did not draw me in at all McAdam did and the fact that my parents wanted to see it. I also think people like me are tired of seeing the same ol films. Recently I've only desired to see independent movies because I'm sick of the blockbusters and (am i really going to say it) the Seth Rogan comedies. I really respect want LOVE original story lines and I feel like State of Play did the job for me tonight. There were definatly unoriginal aspects...the good ol twist at the end and a few others I wont mention so i dont ruin the film for you....BUT I really enjoyed Russell Crowe's character and his relationship with Ben Affleck's. Rachel Mcadam is one of my favorite actresses so i indefinatly enjoyed her supporting role.
Russell Crowes plays a reporter whose college buddy Ben Affleck is negatively in the eye of the media. You may already see the conflict of interest for Russell Crowe who is trying to break a story surrounding the congressman Affleck plays. Thats all I'm gonna give you and for the record I really liked it I did not Love it.


favorite part
parking lot chase


Unfavorable part
the twist

LESSONS FROM MAMA GENA

"I can remember, at the age of six, being infuriated by the two-cookie limit my parents placed on my bedtime snack. To exact revenge and get my way, I stuffed my panties full of cookies, front and back and as I leaned over to kiss mums and dadums goodnight, I hoped they wouldn't notice my midriff bulge. What a feeding frenzy lay ahead!

It has taken me a lifetime to find my way to trusting my appetite. There was trial, there was error. I learned from my mistakes as much as my triumphs. Every time I dug down and followed my bliss, it led to the most fantastical adventures. when I sucked it in and compromised my true desires, I was stuck.

How Attuned Are You to Your Appetite Quiz?

1. If I were out to dinner on a date with a new guy
A. I would do a Scarlett O'Hara-eat at home first, so I could order a salad and water and therefore appear delicate and easy to maintain.

B. I would look at the menu, check out the prices, and order a midrange pasta dish so as not to press is budget.

C. I would give in to myself and order both the appetizers I want, the lobster entree, and have a bite of all three desserts that tickle my fancy.

2. When someone asks me what I want for a gift

A. My mind goes blank and I stare like a deer caught in the headlights.

B. I leave it up to the giver and say, "whatever you think."

C. I flash them my desire list and take them by the hand to Tiffany's to point out my favorite things.

3. When I think about my Job

A. I am close to tears. It's not that I am just indifferent, or uninterested in what I am doing. I despair of ever finding something I like.

B. It's a way to pay bills until I figure out what I want.

C. I am so grateful and thrilled to be doing what I am doing that I would actually pay to do what I am being paid to do

If you chose A: You are appetitophobic. There's no amount of "too little" that you won't accept. NO S.G can subsist on this diet.

I you chose B: You suspect there may be more to Life and yet you dont know how to go for it without appearing vulgar.

If C was your choice: You understand that the greatest gift you can give the world is a gratifed you. You are a true Sister Goddess!"

Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts
Regena Thomashauer

SWINE FLU

In Mexico City, The Infection Is Fear

by Daniel Hernandez

Listen Now [3 min 51 sec] add to playlist

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Marco Ugarte/AP

A clown wears a surgical mask as a precaution against infection in Mexico City, Sunday, April 26, 2009.

“We're afraid of the swine flu, of course, but also of each other, and of our government. Some patients here are convinced the government is not telling us the whole truth, while many others are just as sure the authorities are making the whole thing up for draconian political purposes.”

Journalist and blogger Daniel Hernandez is a California native now based in Mexico City. Courtesy of Daniel Hernandez

All Things Considered, April 27, 2009 · On most Sundays, Mexico City is a moving carnival of food and fiestas, protests and parades. But this Sunday, it felt like some kind of unpleasant office party.

People passed one another uncomfortably on the wide-open streets, nearly everyone wearing a blue or white face-mask to ward off this mysterious new "swine flu." Above those covered mouths, suspicious eyes scanned those of fellow strangers. Could he have it? Could she?

It's been a surreal and apocalyptic three days here since Friday. The government indefinitely shut down all the schools and canceled most public events. Now it's saying it may have to close the metro, which is used by 5 million people a day.

That thought is especially frightening. Mexico City is apocalyptic and surreal enough as it is. Volcanoes loom in the distance. Pollution, overcrowding, traffic and crime apply constant stresses on the human body. Devastating earthquakes remain a spectral threat. And now, influenza porcina has been added to the cocktail.

Those who left their houses on Sunday were the brave ones. Everyone else, it seemed, was hunkered down indoors, pouring drinks, popping in DVDs and ordering pizza to the point that some delivery joints reportedly just ran out of pies.

Most troubling of all, I'm not sure many of us here know what swine flu is exactly — not sure how it's transmitted, or how it kills.

But I do know the swine flu has already infected my brain and the brains of 20 million of my neighbors — not with influenza but with a terrifying and incredibly resistant strain of … fear.

Pure, viral, toxic fear.

There's no known cure for this infection, and it's spreading rapidly. Indeed, symptoms vary. We're afraid of the swine flu, of course, but also of each other, and of our government. Some patients here are convinced the government is not telling us the whole truth, while many others are just as sure the authorities are making the whole thing up for draconian political purposes.

Either way, the fear is changing our lives in dramatic ways.

Mexico City prides itself on holding strongly to its social customs, despite the arrival of American-style Wal-Marts and Starbucks. But suddenly, Mass was canceled. Soccer matches were played to empty stadiums. Suddenly, the bars and clubs shut down. And suddenly, that warm customary greeting of a handshake and a kiss on the check was replaced with a friendly yet uneasy nod.

A culture built on physical contact has become a culture muted by fear, by suspicion, a distrust of others and even ourselves.

"Oh no," you think. "My throat hurts. My neck feels sore." That cough down the hall? It is not the sound of swine flu. It is the sound of panic, worry and invisible chains. I'm only just realizing, I made and locked them myself.

Journalist and blogger Daniel Hernandez is a California native now based in Mexico City.