Wednesday, April 30, 2008
NYC is Now the World's Marijuana Arrest Capital
Police busted nearly 400,000 people for carrying small amounts of pot in the last decade, making New York City the world leader in marijuana arrests, civil rights advocates said Tuesday while unveiling a study criticizing the war on drugs.
The study by Queens College sociologist Harry G. Levine, titled "Marijuana Arrest Crusade," accused police of purposely singling out minorities during the 10-year crackdown. It said that data provided by stat Division of Criminal Justice Services showed that between 1997 and 2007, 52 percent of the suspects were black, 31 percent Hispanic and only 15 percent white.
The findings are further proof that "racial profiling is a fact of life on the streets of New York," Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, told a news conference at the group's Manhattan headquarters.
The 2007 total makes the city "the marijuana arrest capital of the world," Lieberman said. The study says New York deserves that title because it devotes far more resources to arresting and jailing marijuana offenders than other large cities in Europe and elsewhere. It also cites a previous analysis of FBI data showing that five of the top 10 counties with highest per-capita arrest rate were the five boroughs.
Computerized Combat Glove
RallyPoint, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, has developed a sensor-embedded glove that allows the soldier to easily view and navigate digital maps, activate radio communications, and send commands without having to take his or her hand off their weapon.
It includes four push-button sensors, a mouse funtion, three accelerometers, and an USB connection.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Roots - 75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)
Black Thought goes in hard with 75 bars of Reconstruction
Monday, April 28, 2008
Prodigy Responds to Sean Bell Verdict
P’s publicist just sent this out. Judging by the conservative use of CAPS, I’m guessing he dictated this to somebody over the phone.
“First of all, rest in peace to Sean Bell and I want to send my condolences to his wife, kids, family and friends and all the Sean Bell boys - Hold your head.
We lost alot of battles but we will win the war. The decision in the Queens courtroom on Friday, April 25 was simply a display of power. The NYPD is just a branch of corruption connected to a giant corrupt tree called the United States government. This tyrannical corrupt tree has its roots planted deep into the United Kingdom.
The Sean Bell murder coverup is less about race and more about power. This evil family tree of corruption will do whatever it takes to remain in a position of power. They will put a judge who they can control on the case, in order to get the outcome they want and eliminate the risk of being exposed and exposing the higher ups. I want to be very clear that all judges, DAs, lawyers, cops are not corrupt, just most of them.
People of all races need to come together to control our government and run a giant comb through it, so we can see the filth that comes out. Right now we have a government that controls the people, instead of people that control their government. Until we can do that, there’ll be several more incidents like the murder of Sean Bell.
America is under a spell and we need to snap out of it.”
Klassic Klash - Ninja Man Vs. Super Cat
Before 50 and Fat Joe, 2pac & B.I.G., Jay-Z & Nas there was this!
Nike Tokyo Dunk High "Giant Panda"
We have a look at the Tokyo Dunk “Giant Panda” which celebrates the cities Giant Panda Ling-Ling. The kicks features pony-hair and a black and white panda color combo.
Nike SB Dunk Mid “Moat” x Tampa Skate Park
Every year the Skate Park of Tampa attracts skaters, amateurs and professionals alike for a challenging race in a moat. Nike SB has created a pair of Dunk Mid SB to honor the event with a limited release of 100 kicks. The kicks released yesterday the 25th of April and where only available for purchase at the Skate Park of Tampa.
No Love In the Hood! 3 Detectives Acquitted in Bell Shooting
Three detectives were found not guilty Friday morning on all charges in the shooting death of Sean Bell, who died in a hail of 50 police bullets outside a club in Jamaica, Queens. The verdict comes 17 months to the day since the Nov. 25, 2006, shooting of Mr. Bell, 23, and his friends, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, outside the Club Kalua in Jamaica, Queens, hours before Mr. Bell was to be married. During the 26 days of testimony, the prosecution sought to show, with an array of 50 witnesses, that the shooting was the act of a frightened, even enraged group of disorganized police officers who began their shift that night hoping to arrest a prostitute or two and, in suspecting Mr. Bell and his friends of possessing a gun, quickly got in over their heads.
MIT's Nexi MDS Robot
Nexi, a new experimental robot from the MIT Media Lab, can show a wide assortment of facial expressions to communicate with people in human-centric terms.
The Kanye West Nike Sneakers - First Close-Up Look
On several recent occasions Kanye West has been wearing some mysterious new Nike sneakers and the internet sneaker world has been trying to get hold of some decent images ever since. Today we got our hands for the first time on an image that shows a close-up of the actual shoe.
Air Jordan V x Air Force 1 Fusion USA
Some more fusions for you! This time it's an all American colorway of red white and blue in time for the Olympics.
An England Story: how Jamaica changed the voice of teenage Britain
Jamaican MCing - also known as toasting, chatting, and, confusingly, deejaying - has been around since the late Sixties. As Jamaica's DJs invested in ever grander and louder equipment, the sound systems sought to out do each other with both raw power and exclusive material. This led not only to the invention of the modern remix, but also the rise of the live MC, whose job was to enliven the crowd and insult rivals. Jamaican expats in New York took these elements and turned them into something new: hip-hop. In Britain, though, their localisation was slower, more subtle, and truer to their roots Jamaican MCing - also known as toasting, chatting, and, confusingly, deejaying - has been around since the late Sixties. As Jamaica's DJs invested in ever grander and louder equipment, the sound systems sought to outdo each other with both raw power and exclusive material. This led not only to the invention of the modern remix, but also the rise of the live MC, whose job was to enliven the crowd and insult rivals. Jamaican expats in New York took these elements and turned them into something new: hip-hop. In Britain, though, their localisation was slower, more subtle, and truer to their roots. American rap would muscle in and present music-making Britons of Caribbean descent with an alternative, angrier sound to aspire to, and a harder one to make their own. Rodney P - an MC who toured with Big Audio Dynamite when he was 15, and has since worked with Roots Manuva and Björk - found a way. In 1988, his London Posse released Money Mad, a record that crudely but brilliantly spliced rap, reggae and local observation into a gleefully noisy new sound that finally gave British rap an identity of its own. Saxon Sound back in the day! Tippa Irie Interview
An Effort to Honor the Birth Place of Hip Hop
Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative José E. Serrano joined tenants today at the building, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, to celebrate the determination, which came in the form of a July 5 letter from the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Normally, buildings less than 50 years old are not eligible for designation, but there is an exception for structures of “exceptional importance.” In February, tenants at the building, which has 100 units, were told that the owners planned to leave the Mitchell-Lama program, in private landlords receive tax breaks and subsidized mortgages and agree, in turn, to limit their return on equity and rent to people who meet modest income limits. Tenant groups — including the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board and Tenants and Neighbors — hope the designation will help to preserve the building’s Mitchell-Lama status. “History is made not just by the rich and powerful, but by poor and working-class and marginalized people,” said Andrew Berman, a historic preservationist who helped prepare the landmark application for the building.
State officials have determined that a West Bronx apartment building is eligible to be recognized on the state and national registers of historic places as the birthplace of hip-hop
Air Jordan 6IX (Six) Rings Black / Red
The Air Jordan 6IX (Six) Rings was first debuted a few days ago and what was noticed immediately was the mixture of the Air Jordan VI, VII, VIII, XI, XII and XIII. Furthermore, only two color-ways have been reported to be releasing, a Bred and Concord XI inspired models. The Bred XI inspired model has been reported to be releasing November and the Concord XI inspired model releasing in January 2009. Stay posted for more info. Via Ken Lu.
New Ways to Create Music
With digital samplers and synthesizers, we were able for the first time in human history to create sounds that had the complexity of acoustic sounds, but that did not originate from purely acoustic instruments. For example, we could start with piano samples and modify them with a variety of digital synthesis techniques to create sounds that had the richness of the piano, but were impossible with acoustic means alone. In recent years, we've seen the emergence of software-based samplers, synthesizers, mixers, and sound processors. Although there still are significant performance benefits in using hardware DSP-based devices, software-based systems such as Reason are adequate to create professional recordings, such as movie soundtracks. We are also moving towards an era of intelligent accompanists. We've had for many years "autoplay" features on home pianos for beginning students, but these are largely unsatisfactory because they require the human player to keep up with the automated players. What is needed in an intelligent accompanist is a system that follows the user, not the other way around. With such a system, a student could be playing a simple one-line melody, and the system would fill in with appropriate walking bass lines, rhythmic patterns, and harmonic progressions. Tod Machover has developed a series of interactive instruments that he calls hyperinstruments. They effectively provide the serious musician with intelligent accompanists. Although the human player stays in control, a single player can match the richness and intricacy of an entire ensemble.
Bob Marley's mother dead at 81
Cedella Marley Booker, mother of late reggae icon Bob Marley, died Tuesday night at her South Florida home after a long illness. She was 81.
Booker was surrounded by loved ones inside her South Miami-Dade home and was ''very happy and very peaceful,'' said daughter-in-law Sharien Booker. ``Her vision was always to bring people together. She was a very loving person, and we know she's happy.''
HOOD POLITICS!
