Much has been said about the gaps between the Boomers, Generation X, andGeneration Y. The longer I live, the more evident these differences are becoming…but nothing marks these differences better than mobile technology!

Which one are you?

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A MOBILE BOOMER WHEN…

1. You still have the 1st and 2nd generation cell phones. (What? It still works!)
2. You’re really excited to have a cell phone.
3. You answer EVERY SINGLE PHONE CALL that comes in on your cell phone, or if you don’t answer every single phone call on your cell phone, then you look at your phone while it rings, and say out loud, “I wonder who that could be?”
4. You still yell into a cell phone.
5. You make sure that your ringer is REALLY loud…you know, so you can hear it.
6. You get freaked out when someone sends you a Text Message. (What do I do next?!)
7. You hold the keys down way too long, and then wonder why someone in Guam keeps picking up your sister’s phone.
8. You don’t know how many minutes are on your plan.
9. You have to put on your glasses to read your cell phone screen. (The numbers are SO SMALL!)
10. You purchase stocks in AT&T

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A GENERATION X-ER WHEN…

1. You wait until your screen is scratched up and the numbers worn off before you replace your phone. (I paid a lot of money for this!)
2. You throw your cell phone into your purse or bag (Oh! When did I get a call?)
3. You ignore EVERY SINGLE PHONE CALL that comes in on your cell phone. (I don’t recognize that number…ignore.)
4. You wish people would stop yelling into their cell phones, especially yours.
5. You never turn your ringer on. (Someone better let me know when they plan to call, otherwise, good luck!)
6. You prefer Text Messages. (Why speak when you can type?)
7. You can dial, hold a separate conversation and get your subway ticket…all at the same time.
8. You try to avoid the big corporate plans. (Why pay AT&T when I can use a company that plants a tree for every minute I use?)
9. You keep wishing they’d add more keys. (See #6)
10. You purchase stock in Virgin Mobile and Creedo.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A GENERATION Y-ER WHEN…

1. You sign up for Apple alerts to know when the next iPhone is coming out. (Screw work! The new iPhone is coming out and I just bought a new sleeping bag…awww yeah!!)
2. You’re really excited to have an iPhone.
3. You answer EVERY SINGLE PHONE CALL that comes in on your cell phone, and then follow it up with a Twitter. (Hey, I got nothin’ but time, and the world needs to know!)
4. You listen to music, check your email and answer your phone…all at the same time.
5. You make sure that your ringer is the latest Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Rihanna song…so, you know, everyone can hear it.
6. You get freaked out by properly spelled Text Messages. (Did he really write Laugh Out Loud? That’s not funny.)
7. You slide your fingers across your phone, rather than pushing in cumbersome keys.
8. You don’t care how many minutes are on your plan. (Hey, as long as my parents keep paying for my tuition, I’m straight!)
9. You hate buttons on your phone. (They just get in the way!)
10. You purchase stocks in Apple.

I’ve heard rumors –which I’m not going to spread here– and I’ve loyally closed my ears to them. She performed here in Oakland at the Paramount Theater, and the reviews were merciless.

In this interview, she’s doesn’t seem “present,” but she does have some deep insight into the current state of hip-hop. Whatever the issues are, everyone please send your love and good vibes to elevate this sister back to her rightful place on the throne of hip-hop!

Check out the interview below:

(Doh! The interview got gaffled…but wait! There’s plenty of photos!)

Richard Howard, then poetry editor of the Paris Review, was claiming that the best writers rise to the top of the literary world naturally, and Gilb disagreed, saying no way. It’s the best-connected writers from the right backgrounds who rose to the top. Gilb’s PEN/Hemingway Award-winning story collection, “The Magic of Blood,” for instance, wasn’t published by a New York publishing house with untold millions of dollars at their disposal, but by the University of New Mexico Press.

–Eric Miles Williamson, “A good label for Dagoberto Gilb? Try good,” SF Chronicle: Insight, Sunday, March 2, 2008

Eric Miles Williamson wrote a fantastic essay on how the literary world (and society, in general) dispute the impact of an Ivy League degree on whether or not you’re recognized as an author. He goes even deeper to discuss how writers from communities-of-color are often relegated to a sub-class of writers, and never given credit for just being a good writer… He uses his insightful discussion with Dagoberto Gilb as a catalyst for further observation on the topic.

I don’t normally write about zombies, but this couldn’t be ignored…

Columnist Peter Hartlaub is not going to let the threat of zombie-dom get past the laid back hippie-ness of San Francisco! I’m actually taking on online course now because you just never know. I’m also loving the egalitarian whoop-assness to zombie-dom. To quote Peter:

“Remember: All zombies are created equal: Try not to focus too much on a zombie‘s profession, relationship to you or disposition in a previous life. Because the Fred Rogers zombie is just as likely to eat you as the Hitler zombie.”

www.zombiewalk.com

SFGate Article: Great article: SFGate: Culture Blog : Great moments in zombie survival literature

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Alot of folks have missed the boat on the amazing HBO series THE WIRE. Some people were turned off by the violence (duh, it’s HBO), others just didn’t have HBO and others just plain didn’t “get it.”

Well if you’ve never seen or heard of it, now is your chance to catch the last season. (*Sniff*) THE WIRE is one of the best written and best performed series; it’s not to be missed…again.

It’s a thinking person’s series, so be ready for adult storylines that don’t sugarcoat issues that effect urban America and corrupt politicians and police departments. It’s about race, class, and crime –street crime, board room crimes, political crime, and crimes of injustice…but it’s all good.

SLAM and BRINGING OUT THE DEAD actress Sonja Sohn brings quality acting and a whole being to the character Det. Shakima “Kima” Greggs, who is a “to the bone” po-lice who’s juggling her career and her life as she has a new family to raise with her girlfriend. Watch for other knock out performances, especially from Felicia Pearson who plays a hardcore gang member who runs with the best of them.Another perk: some of the finest Black men you will ever see (all at one time) in a series. Past and current cast members include Idris Alba, Wood Harris, Michael Kenneth Williams, Jamie Hector, Method Man, and JD Williams. (Yes, you will get “the vapors” so keep the smelling salts handy…)

Crime doesn’t pay on the docks, the streets, the police station, City Hall, or in the press…watch the series to understand that statement. Rent previous episodes on Netflix.

Not to be missed!

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TRIPLE THREAT!
Anika Noni Rose, Tracie Thoms & Melissa Mercedes Cardello

Three talented and gorgeous actresses will star in the film RAZOR, directed by Gee Malik Linton, nameley: dreamgirl and Tony-Award winning talent Anika Noni Rose, “Cold Case” and GRINDHOUSEr the lovely Traci Thoms, and the spectacular Melissa Mercedes Cardello! We can’t wait to see these beautiful sisters get their day in the sun…and on the screen!

Set for release this year!!

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Rashida’s Resigned from her ‘Office’ Job!

Coming off of her 2nd season with the critically acclaimed (and hilarious) sit-com The Office (Thursday nights on NBC), actress Rashida Jones (The Office, The Dave Chapelle Show, Freaks & Geeks) is wrapping up filming as the character Hannah in BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN. Watch for it in ’08! If you’d like to see Ms. Jones on one more season of The Office, then click here to vote! (Off-site link to IBWFF)

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THE BRAVE ONE (2007)
Who knew?! Talent seems to run in this family as the progeny of Lisa Bonet (The Cosby Show, ANGEL HEART) and rocker Lenny Kravitz stars as Chloe (doesn’t that rhyme with Zoe) in THE BRAVE ONE.

THE BRAVE ONE has earned $26.6 M in box office receipts since opening. THE BRAVE ONE is playing in theaters now.

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[tag:Commercial Writing]

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The first time I watched Fellini’s SATYRICON, I had the same reaction I had after watching the horror film JACOB’S LADDER –namely, “What in the hell did I just watch?” Though not a horror film, it brings the same surrealist sensibilities as any other Fellini film, including NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, CASSANOVA and the classic LA DOLCE VITA. As an Italian film, it’s more sexually blatant than any non-porn American film of the time (1960’s).

THAT’S what threw me off! I watched it thinking I had just witness late-60’s soft core porn and exploitation, but on second viewing, it wasn’t that at all. Why would this film be included in VIVID.ID? It’s filled with Black women characters, but they have virtually no speaking parts but represent larger ideas of salvation and redemption!

Set in imperialist, ancient pagan Rome and on Petronius¢ “Satyricon” and Roman frescoes, this film’s commentary on the hedonism and exploitation will shock and disturb many viewers. However, if you’ve ever seen any episodes of HBO’s ROME, it shouldn’t surprise you…at all. Our protagonist is a young man surviving and finding his way through the dangers of ancient Rome. If you thought being a fine young woman in ancient Rome was dangerous, try being a fine young man. If you understood that sentence, then you that you’re going to have to leave your righteousness at the door to see SATYRICON.

The absurdist storyline follows the young man as he blossoms into ancient Roman manhood. He is expected to find his salvation in virility and domination. He fails miserably –and many times laughably– as he attends unfamiliar pagan rites and he cannot understand why he cannot “perform” as a man, thus become a man. His dalliances are many, but he’s never in control, and hence, he is still a child destined to be led by others and ruled by women.

It isn’t until he meets with various Black women in Rome that he finds some glimpse of the salvation and redemption he seeks in becoming a man. When he interacts with white women in his life, they appear manipulative, “social climbers,” and willing to use their sexuality as a stepping stone to greater things in life. His experiences with Black women appear to be life itself, with the act itself as the salvation to his existence and the universe. When he finally meets the consummate Black woman in Africa –who represents womanhood, wisdom, perfection and bliss– his wish is fulfilled and the act is presented as in favor of “the gods,” and as the direct acceptance of his entry into manhood by “the goddess” herself.

As I mentioned before, if you’re uncomfortable with direct sexuality within the context of excellent storytelling and filmmaking, then don’t see SATYRICON. If you’re willing to look deeper into the psyche of salvation, redemption and rites-of-passage of ancient sensibilities, then sit down and watch SATYRICON.

Other Resources:

• Fellini Satyricon, Lawrence Russell – http://www.culturecourt.com/F/Fellini/FSat.htm
• Satyricon, Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyricon_(film)
• Review of Satyricon, Dan Schneider – http://www.cosmoetica.com/B526-DES452.htm
• Fellini’s Satyricon (1969) on DVD FELLINI’S SATYRICON (1969) – dir. Federico Fellini

NOTHING BUT A MAN is an intense, narrative film from the early-1960’s. It documents the struggles of an African American couple trying to live in dignity and purpose in a tumultuous, small, southern town. Better known today as an activist and jazz pianist, former model and actress Abbey Lincoln stars as Josie, the quiet but determined school teacher who falls for an itinerant railroad worker –the actor Ivan Dixon who stars as Duff Anderson.

At first the love connection seems awkward and a complete mismatch of class, education and goals, but as the worker falls for her, she can see that he has loftier aspirations than that of an underpaid migrant worker toiling away in harsh conditions.

Filmed in the French “new wave” style of realism filmmaking, NOTHING BUT A MAN almost seems like a documentary of a small southern town and of the largely African American population who seem to be just one generation removed from the town’s enslavement era past. The film also chronicles the transitional period of many Black families and individuals during the Great Migration north to urban areas for more opportunity outside of the constraints of their rural towns.

We then see that the character Duff, he is a representation of the south’s changing economy from rural agriculture to the industrial north. When the character finds a job at the local mill, a new set of problems plague the newlyweds. Labor issues, unsafe working conditions and low pay are no longer acceptable for the couple and their growing family.

As Duff transforms from his former life of temporariness to one of permanence with his new family, the audience will find itself cheering on the love that Josie represents, but the audience will also fear the pitfalls that seem to beleaguer her relationship with Duff at every turn.

NOTHING BUT A MAN is an ode to the changing African American community during the mid-century, and a testiment to their resilience during a time of great upheaval and transformation.

Rap and hip-hop are arguably another set of musical expressions and culture created, pushed, and developed by Blacks and Latinos in the United States. It took over 20 years for many in the music industry to even acknowledge rap’s and hip-hop’s impact on music, let alone to make some positive declaration about the people and cultures that created it. It wasn’t until rap acts like LL Cool J and Young MC were able to package the music to a larger audience, that chattel rap became labeled into the narrow stricture of commercial music that we know today. It’s taken ‘hood moguls like Sean Combs and Russell Simmons to diversify rap music into a product that can transcend culture and creativity, and spill into the aisles of Nordstrom, boutiques, and the beaches of St. Tropez. Is that a good thing? Well, we’re finding out now…

I’ve become one of those old, rickety –nee, crotchety– adults who looks back nostalgically, and thinks, “I remember when…” I’ve all but resigned myself to listening to nothing but LPs, and dumping my CDs (and digital files), for the sake of “old school.” However, I’m realizing that I’m not alone, and it’s not just nostalgia for “the way it used to be.”

There was a certain level of regulation that rap music and hip-hop culture retained. That was to keep it pure; less of an old school, than a pure school. The gramophone was invented in 1887, and we started scratching the hell out of it ninety years later…coincidentally in a year

ending in seven. (Oooh, that’s deep, but for another posting.) In between those years, Blacks in particular, had learned some pretty nasty lessons about the music industry, publishing rights, and “artistic license.” The djs had more power to regulate than b-girls and b-boys, and more pull than rappers. Producers were barely imagined when rap started. It was pure school theater: dj, emcees, dancers and artists.The true and pure school of rap was about the machine of movement and funk. Your crew provided the cogs, and oil and the dj was the wheel. Everyone in your crew was true to you and your sound: that was the only reason they were there. They believed in the vision and talent, and everyone was headed in the same direction.All of that reminiscing also made me long for the power of the dj. The mechanic, the ghost in the machine and the mover and shaker. The one who made the crew pop.There’s such a disrespect, reinterpreting, and dissecting of the rap machine, that now were just left with a hoopty running on recycled parts, rusty engines and recalled wheels.

It’s up to the communities that create and develop it. Most cultures are so true to their cultural expressions that they refuse to let it die in corporate hands. They create institutions to preserve it. They make their expressions a family event, and pass it on –in it’s true form– to their children. They enliven the spirit of the expression in rites so that no one forgets it. They write, sing, play and document the purpose and players in their cultural expression. They create myths, legends and books to make sure that they are never forgotten.We can’t get to this point until the soul is returned to rap and hip-hop. Change happens, but surgical enhancements are deliberate. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been pulling out my LPs, and listening to the mistresses and masters of dj-ing: the turntablists. I’ve also downloaded some old reliables like the late dj J Dilla’s Donuts album, the musical magician Danger Mouse’s album The Mouse and the Mask, and throwing in some obscure folk songs like Nick Drake’s “Fly” and “Pink Moon,” the Runaway’s salacious “Cherry Bomb,” Donny Hathaways gut wrenching but optimistic “Love, Love, Love,” and a little De la Soul, KRS-ONE’s “My 9 MM Goes Bang,” Rita Marley’s “One Draw”, and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” just for the heck of it.

That’s the spirit of the dj –the draw of music to move the body and soul, and mashed-up to make it pleasing to the ear’s of the primal woman and man. You just can’t do that with mush-mouthed rapping of some crap that’s coming out nowadays.

It’s going to take a belly busting exorcism to filter the whack out of hip-hop. So ya’ll, let’s purify ourselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka and exorcise the “suck” out of hip-hop, and bring back the soul! To quote Chef’s mother Nelly while she performed her own version of an exorcism, “Lord, Thomas…don’t let it get on the curtains!”

Resources (I’ll be adding more, so stay tuned!):

DJS
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• Grandmaster Flash
• J Dilla

EMCEES
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• Human Beatboxing

GRAFFITI ARTISTS + ART
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• B-Girl Be – Intermedia Arts
• B-Girl Manifesto

PRESERVING HIP-HOP CULTURE
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• True Skool
• B-Girl Manifesto
• The Zulu Nation
• The Electric Boogaloos

KINDRED SPIRITS
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• “Return return of the DJ”, Billy Jam, SF Bay Guardian, February 13, 2008

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RightsAgent Verification
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I work right across the street from the Rite-Aid drugstore on Market Street in San Francisco, California. Apparently, I’ve underestimated this store’s reputation as a hub of socio-economic diversity and varying levels of mental health services. When I worked blocks away from the store, it was rare that I went in, except for the occassional packet of Eclipse gum. Now that I’m smack dab across from Rite-Aid, I CAN’T STAY OUT OF IT! Like a beacon to a ship in a sea of fog of rain, Rite-Aid beckons to me. Oh no! I forgot to wear socks …just go to Rite-Aid. From electric toothbrushes to curling irons to gum to Pop Tarts, there sits Rit-Aid. Now with all of these fancy things in their inventory, it appears that Rite-Aid is just as attractive to me as it is to San Francisco’s various SRO populations –not that that’s a “bad thing,” it’s just a “contemplating thing.”

Depending on which day of the month I go for a new pair of socks, I can personally witness the after effects of (pick one) meth, crack, heroin or vicodine. Some days are just EXTRA loud. In their quest to be heard above the other loud conversations, shoppers regularly hold conversations ten decibels louder than the normal range. If you stand in line long enough, you’re bound to experience the performance art of catching a shoplifter and then physically interacting with the melee that ensues at the front door when the shoplifter argues with the security guard. (Has anyone else noticed that today’s security guards are adept at ESCALATING a confrontation, as opposed to de-escalating it?) So why does this weekly ritual make me love San Francisco? Well, where else can you stand in line and witness a shoplifter getting caught while the store’s audio plays Beck’s “Where It’s At?” Do drugstores in the mid-west play Godsmack? Does your Rite-Aid sell pantyhose long enough for the trannie population? I surmise they do not!

San Francisco isn’t a freak show, but we’re not freaked out by freaks. Of course as newer populations move in from less tolerant areas, this part of San Francisco culture is quickly changing, but until then –we got Rite-Aid on Market Street!

So the next time you stumble into a drugstore anywhere outside of San Francisco, and you’re relaxed and dreaming about how calm and happy your drugstore appears to be, just go check out the inventory and see who’s more on the ball when your condom selection is less than adequate. Yup, that’s when you’ll be yearning for a drugstore in The City.