MS Bike Ride

Multiple Sclerosis has taken away the life of my personal-favorite Vietnamese vocalist. So I really am appreciated it when my man HmL has signed up for the “25th Anniversary Multiple Sclerosis Bike Ride” to help ending this fatal disease. Please lend him your support like you did last time for the “Break Away from Cancer.” Thank you and HmL once again for making a difference.

Chillin’ in NYC

Some photos from the National Museum of the American Indian’s exhibitions.

Lee Hee-ah

An amazing pianist who has not only conquered her flaw, but also made a miracle. Mad kudos to the mother’s unconditional love.

Thuy Duong Sings the Blues

No wait. Thuy Duong’s renditions of Truong Sa’s “Mua Xuan Sao Chua Ve Hoi Em” and “Roi Mai Toi Dua Em” aren’t the right approach to jazz (or blues in these instances). They are more like “râu ông nọ cắm cằm bà kia” or imitated jazz according someone who came down with a “diva” syndrome. But heck, they intoxicated me. Although the pre-arranged productions aren’t ideal for jazz, they are accompanying her vocals well. The voice is really what matters here.

Visualgui.com’s Jazz Homage

Vince Guaraldi
Adbuliah Ibin Buhaine (Art Blakey)
Sonny Rollins
Duke Ellington
Louis Armstrong
Lady Day (Billie Holiday)
Dizzy Gillespie
Charles Mingus
Inky (Miles Davis)
John Coltrane
Ornette Coleman
Thelonious Monk

MTV.com Redesigns

After only a few months, MTV.com yanked its previous Flash-based site for the good ole HTML. The reason is obvious. Dig the rotation of the MTV Hats.

Ouch!

Racist Still Exist at CBS

The firing of Don Imus for his racist slur doesn’t seem to get into the people’s head, especially the insensitive folks at CBS. The radio show, “The Dog House With JV and Elvis,” aired a prank call the two hosts made to a Chinese restaurant in the following scenario:

In the skit, a series of apparently unsuspecting employees of a Chinese restaurant are berated by a caller who tells one woman he would like to “come to your restaurant” to see her naked, especially a part of her body he refers to as “hot, Asian, spicy.” The caller also attempts to order “flied lice,” brags of his prowess in kung fu and repeatedly curses at several employees. (From The New York Times)

In a situation like this, I wish there are Asian spokemen like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson to put pressure on these guys who did worse than calling an Asian woman a “ho.” They harrassed her with “come to your restaurant” to see “hot, Asian, spicy.” That’s fucked up. These people bust their ass to get pay. The last thing they want to hear is being ridiculed and cursed at.

Also from The New York Times, “Don’t Blame Hip-Hop,” Kelefa Sanneh raised the following questions:

What if hip-hop’s lyrics shifted from tough talk and crude jokes to playful club exhortations — and it didn’t much matter? What if the controversial lyrics quieted down, but the problems didn’t? What if hip-hop didn’t matter that much, after all?

That’s when hip-hop is dead.

Typographic

A stunning map of London from NB: Studio.
A stimulating acrylic on canvas from Paula Scher.
A simple, red banner from Donny for today’s homepage.

Vassar Students’ Artwork

I was assigned to take photos of students’ work in the Palmer Gallery to create a homepage banner. I found their use of typography is kind of neat so I took some for myself as well. Check out the students’ take on Modern Art and the Mass Media, 1929-1968.

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