love.

due to some beautiful love from (one of my favorite bloggers and teachers) brian today, i feel i should make a quick post for any recent vistors... regular readers will know i've been a busy bee recently, and posting has fallen by the wayside... fear not! my wife and i begin two weeks of art and creative pursuit monday. blogging is included in the list of important fun to have.

but for now here's a taste...

• here is a mandala I made recently:

here is a song i've been really digging... it's a dubstep remix of a folk tune. it's pretty and broken. i bought it (& "soundkilla"!) and you can too over at maxulis.com

(mp3)max ulis - "i don't want you"

here is my little sister's new blog. she just graduated high school and is one sharp cookie. she's a writer, and artist, a free thinker and is just starting out... follow her journey there.

here is the michael jackson video that moved me to write brian... watch the eyes, people. bliss.

oh... and here's an 11 year old graffiti artist she's good! I have so much more to write, about michael, about iran, about all the things i've been saving up while busy working with my hands and my neighbors... but it will have to wait till next week. peace, my bredren and sistren.

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more local fire

bARGAIN bASSBINS

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local fire

DUBSTEP & friends!

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potato story

An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba , who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

Dear Bubba,

I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.

Love,

Dad

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Dad,

For heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up that garden, that's where I buried the BODIES.

Love,

Bubba

At 4 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. The same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Dad,

Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.

Love,

Bubba.

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islam via omar mullick

a lovely flow of events occurred yesterday, and i'll share with you all the notes taken. i was chilling out in Jamil's yesterday, picking up some jamaican colors for reggae night, and a photographer from national geographic comes in. his name is Omar Mullick, and he's a sharp cookie... we talk about anarchism, pittsburgh, photography and eventually islam. he has a degree in philosophy, a three year old boy and a rebellious past, so we had enough common context and perspective that i found it possible to ask things about islam without fear of offending him... or getting a bullshit response. also, having studied in a madrassa in saudi arabia, with orthodox in yemen and mystic sheikhs in america, he's got some real knowledge to draw from. he had some very interesting takes on orthodox islam's opinions of women, homosexuality and strictness. for instance, he claimed shariah literally means "broad road"... implying a lot more breadth than it's current limited interpretation.

a number of little links came out of this.

he recommended the thomas cleary translation of the quran. (interview with cleary here). he also recommended the footnotes in the yusuf ali version... he suggested they were good for a loving but critical eye on the text. when i asked about if there was any missing gospel-like b.s. with the preservation of the quran, he suggested i watch something called "the preservation methodology" on youtube (but i can't find anything long enough to be what he was suggesting...) he most fervently suggested nuh keller's "becoming muslim", despite feeling like it's title only represents a small aspect of what the (short) essay covers... Omar holds the sheik's work in "unambiguous regard".

on non-islamic topics he recommended i watch performance for it's hassan-i-sabah references. hassan is famous for stuff he probably didn't say, but i'm down with the myth anyway. he's buddies with the brian jonestown massacre. he also hat-tipped sweet earth, a collection of photographs of intentional communities.

omar mullick's website (most of the work is 3+ years old) is here.

anyway... good day.

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quick personal update... UPDATED!

so a quick head's up on where i'm at...

i'm currently remodeling a kitchen for my friends @ premodern, cause they're having a youngin' mid-june. that's a 5-days-a-week construction job... busy, busy. but i get to pick my crew, there is some fine carpentry involved, and it's good pay which will help us have some free time to travel/do art/party in the summer... so that's that. on top of that, i'm deejaying around 1 gig a week, training to take on some extra gigs from my pal jeremy, a talented wedding deejay in town, helping my friend brad design frisbees for his company (none of the really cool ones are printed yet), and making time for family and personal work.... on the family tip, my son river (pictured above) is doing really well, healing fast from his early lead poisoning, learning tons of words and still enjoying music, dancing, bicycles, animals and playgrounds. my wife laura is enjoying getting to spend all day with river (which i'm a bit jealous of) but also keeping up on quite a few projects of her own, including the (just-started!) site rewitching.com. summer is in full swing in pittsburgh, so we've had some fun going to book 'em brunch, various shows & just wandering around allegheny cemetary (which is two blocks away). on the personal project tip, i continue to do work on "tower of babel", my epic 80-track, 80-minute bass mix, while recording side mixes to remember what using turntables is like. i'm also working on a few paintings to get ready for participating in the visionary arts festival (which a 22+ piece ensemble i play with, HI-TEC is also participating in...). one of my paintings is a take off on persian miniatures, another a black & white abstraction and i'm also working on a painting i've worked on since 2003. In other arts news, i have a commission for keeb$ of stackinpaper and some young rappers i know want me to work on a mixtape for this summer.

busy, busy...

BUILDING UPDATE: also, the building we own is getting full. the greater pittsburgh anarchist collective is using the first floor. despite some speedbumps and bad communication, it's mostly been going really well with them... the back house is filled by zach, who has expressed interest in helping renovate the basement space for a music studio. he's also floated the idea of a record store, which our neighborhood could really use. the second floor has been shown some interest from a local experimental spiritual collective. they want the space to host meetings, do divination readings, have events and teach classes. they're also amenable to our involvement, which is wonderful... it will be good vibes to have a floor below us. we're planning on helping them start renovations in mid-june.

BLOG UPDATE: i already have the material for the next digest post, so it will come. also i always have new dubstep jams (dz's "the fireman" anyone?!?!). eleven8 asked me to review his forthcoming e.p., so i will. (sneak preview... it's good!) i've been planning a photo tour of pittsburgh (hopefully with ryan) for those who have no idea about what's up with the city, and i still owe my palestine-israel analysis. as i approach the 400th post, i'm going to re-organize the tags and make a reader's poll to get your feedback. so more is to come from that veiled gazelle, so bear with me!

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may day today!

it dawned on me recently this blog is over a year old... as i'm very busy (and having a great may day) i'm just going to link to last years may day content! there is some dated election content there, but if you don't know about the history of today's holiday (or don't even know it's a holiday) check out these links...

http://thatveiledgazelle.blogspot.com/2008/05/huge-may-day-post.html
http://thatveiledgazelle.blogspot.com/2008/05/may-day-anti-war.html

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more mohammed reza mortazavi...

"Green Hands" (Iran 2003) length: 15 Min. The multiple award-winning short film Green Hands, a film by the Iranian director Behrooz Gharibpour made in 2003, impressively visualizes M. R. Mortazavis artful play..."

skip ahead a bit... unless you are moving slowly on this day...

pt 1:

pt 2:

mohammed reza mortazavi previously on that veiled gazelle...

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don't buy rockstar energy drinks!

don't buy rockstar energy drinks if you care about gay rights...

"Whenever you buy a can of Rockstar Energy Drink you're putting money in the pocket of a man who says this about gays: "When you hear "human rights," think only one thing: someone who wants to rape your son. And you'll get it just right. OK, you got it, right? When you hear "human rights," think only someone who wants to molest your son, and send you to jail if you defend him."... these words (are) from ultraconservative shock jock Michael Savage, whose real name is Michael Weiner. (It's easy to see why he adopted a pseudonym.) Back in 2003, the Savage Weiner was fired from a blessedly brief gig at MSNBC when he told a caller to "get AIDS and die."... ...Savage/Weiner is co-founder and part-owner of Rockstar Energy Drink."

via my buddy poe via: The Progressive Puppy: Rockstar Energy Drink: Hate in a Can

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dubstep triumphant!

the original (which used different genres) from punditkitchen.com

bust out some speakers with bass response... some real boomin scorchers here, folks. dubstep continues to expand itself... not satisfied with absorbing most genres, it wants them all (but seriously... that joker tune with ben blackmore is basically a country dub... and it works!) NOTE: and as an added bonus, all these tracks are 320kbps for all you quality snobs... (so just click on any track to link to the .zip archive on media fire with all the tracks...)

(mp3) eskmo - "san francisco (The Rhythm)" from "hypercolor ep" this track takes a real glitchy organic halfstep funk sound, reminiscent of tipper, vibesquad and matthew herbert's dr. rockit of all things... super prodcution, great slow grinder to mix up the pounding shit...

(mp3) helixir - "capioera dub" from "the french connection" super funky dubstep tune that is exactly what it calls itself. capioera music in the form of berimbau and other percussion samples. add warm, phat roller bass and you've got a beautiful summer tune. i'm playing it may 1st!

(mp3) starkey - "creature" from forthcoming planet mu 12" this is a beautiful tune. in fact it almost brought one of my friends to tears. a heavy, wonky head-nodder in the style of rustie (and starkey of course!)... stepping, sliding, tweaked synths with beautiful spaces throughout. i'd play it at the end of a triumphant set. just beautiful, starkey... and i'll take this down if you ask... no problem.

(mp3) eleven8 - "chin up" from "this is risk ep" HUJE CHUNE HERE. big fucking wobbler. no offense to all the other loud bass wankers out there (caspa, rusko, bar 9, 16 bit, stenchman, chase & status, reso, etc...), but eleven8 has more melody and style packed into these basslines than anyone yet from dubstep. my only complaint is the treble isn't quite as hot as the bass... but cheers, mate!

(mp3) charlie p - "it's so crazy" feat. karma (original mix) from "it's so crazy" this song is clubstep, and i mean that in a very complimentary way... this tune has all kinds of beautiful stages and development... it maybe doesn't get quite as twisted as i want it, but that's what makes it such a crowd pleaser. lots of warm solid sub hum and pretty chopped up vocals saying "it's so crazY"...

(mp3) dreadfoxx - "pump up the volume" (remix) from "6 million ways ep" i kind of tossed this on as a bit of a throwaway, but i keep wanting to play this tune. screechy midrange whines, decent bass, silly scratches, bad vocal samples ("mars needs women") but somehow feels like a new and important addition to the dubstep range. i'd love to hear a tune in this vein done by dj craze...

(mp3) jamie vex'd - "in system travel" from "in system travel ep" this tune is real dusty, subtley glitchy, slow and gorgeous. dubstep only by a thread... owes a debt to flying lotus, atom™ and luomo. grainy, pretty, and nice enough to start the night with (as long as the night also starts with sensuous beverages in a candle-lit speakeasy...

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noticías de latino america

"when it's truly alive, memory doesn't contemplate history, it invites us to make it... ...up until a few centuries ago, the spanish word for "remember" also meant "wake up" and it's still used in that sense in some rural parts of latin america. a memory that's awake is contradictory, like us... ...it was born not to be an anchor but a catapult."

mostly random quotes selected from eduardo galeano's "upside down"

i was reminded of eduardo and (one of) his great books recently by the storm over hugo chavez handing barack obama one of his books. i read it during john jota leaños's AMAZING class, "technomythologia" at carnegie mellon university. "upside down" is chock full of facts and stories, blurbs and boxes, pictures and power. it takes on the odd (upside down) relationship between the latino/latina/chicano/chicanas in the south and the gringos of the u.s. it tells tragic tales, but his writing has a humanity and humor and respect it think is crucial to actually make the truth digestable and inspirational.

things could be said to be going a little better in latin america, what with hugo chavez and evo morales and michele bachelet and christina fernández de krichner in power, but there are still sketchy things going on, with help from america. of course there is plan colombia, but did you know about the ILEA(international law enforcement academy)?

"Though lack of transparency makes it impossible to know the content of courses, the conduct of the Salvadoran police—who compose 25 percent of the academy’s graduates—has shown an alarming turn for the worse since the ILEA was inaugurated. In early May 2007, the Archbishop’s Legal Aid and Human Rights Defense Office (Tutela Legal) released a report implicating the Salvadoran National Police (PNC) in eight death squad–style assassinations in 2006 alone. Meanwhile, the Salvadoran Human Rights Defense Office has also published reports connecting the PNC to death squads and repeated cases of corruption and misconduct. While US interest in ILEAs is to ensure an environment that protects free trade and US economic interests, the PNC has played an active role in a crackdown against civil liberties, aimed at curbing both crime and social protest."

in more happy latin american news, i'm spinning SUPER HOT LATIN SHIZNIT at the may day global crunk edition of PANDEMIC... MAY 1st @the brillo box 10pm-2am. expect to hear merengue típico, cumbia crunk, and this completely ill brazilian dubstep track i'm listening to right now... i'm spinning 10:45-11:30, but if you riot on the dancefloor i'll go longer! pete pandemic and juddy will play their typical lovely blend of afro house & coupe decale, balkan brass, ukranian dancehall, badass bhangra & turkish freak out tunes...

facebook event page here!

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