Derrion Albert, When Will It Stop

"Are we gonna live together?" (c) Senior Love Daddy

I just watched a video that made me sick to my stomach. I've often professed my love for all things Chicago but this my friends is one thing I can't condone AT ALL. There is no excuse. Such senseless violence being perpetrated by our young people. It makes me sad and angry. What's not so funny is I remember driving along an avenue similar to the scene of the crime. That fateful day there was another fight going on among some teenagers. The look of it was way more tame than what you will see when you watch the video (if you can).

I think of the culture of violence encouraged by our neighborhoods and by our country on a larger scale. This particular incident was a byproduct of the gang culture which has been present in Chicago since before I was born. Derrion Albert was reportedly NOT a gang member. He was actually an honor student in the wrong place at the wrong time trying to do the right thing. There has to be community outrage regarding this incident. A 16 year old is beaten to death by a mad group of his own peers. There is no outside force to blame here. There no need for blame, but there is a need for action.

Lets not wait until Derrion become James from the second floor in your building. I think this is a case of teenagers who have clearly insulated themselves in their own little world where this behavior is ok. Build a relationship with the young people on your block. It may save a life.

"Together are we gonna live?" (c) Senior Love Daddy

Dropbox comes to the iPhone

Looking at one of my favorite blogs Lifehacker I ran across this great piece of news. One of my favorite software items is now available for the iPhone/iTouch as an app. The software is called Dropbox. I'm sure a few of you have heard me talking about this program for a minute now. My good friend K Dub put me up on it a little over a month ago. I've been all about it ever since and even hooked it up on my mother's computer.

You see Dropbox works just like any other folder on your PC or Mac. The trick is this folder (or set of folders) starts out with a free 2 Gigs of space and has the same content no matter where you are. So say you set up Dropbox on your home computer, and also set it up on your work computer. You just did 80% of a project and would like to finish it at home, however it's too big to email. Place this file on Dropbox. When you get home you open up Dropbox and you are looking at the same folder from your job containing your project. Say goodbye to flash drives my friends.

You can also log on from any computer with internet access by logging into the Dropbox website and reach your folder that way without installing anything. And now that good folks at Dropbox have created an app to keep the good times rolling. I'm downloading this bad boy tonight. P.S. Just so you know, I installed Dropbox on my mother's PC so that when she needs new music for the iPod I bought her, I can just place it on my shared folder in Dropbox (which I gave her access to) and she can just pull it down. Cuts down on my traveling during the week.
Get Drop Box

Your Welcome
(Oh and hit me up dashaun@mothergreen.com for a referal so I can get my Dropbox size up. That's right with every person you get to sign up you get more free space)

Drake - Forever (feat. Kanye W. Lil Wayne, Eminem)

You be the judge.

Forced Vaccinations in Massachussets?

I ran across this video on the web and thought I would share it with you all. The bottom line is don't take your liberties for granted. There are folks out there who are looking to undermine your freedom at every turn. Keep up with laws being passed in your territory and find out what you can do to enact change when necessary.

Hands Off My Brooklyn Neighborhoods!

Recently I was in the market for a new apartment in Brooklyn. I'm finally taking the big step out of East New York (where the manic depressive psycho murderers stalk). As I looked through the different craigslist postings and real estate websites I got very upset.

First of all lets get something straight, I've been living in Brooklyn all 30 years of my life. I've spent time in Flatbush, Crown Heights, Bed Stuy, you name it I've walked there. These real estate maps are trying to tell me that Flatbush doesn't start until after Church Ave. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Also the area known as Lefferts Gardens is within Flatbush just for your information. Flatbush starts at Empire Blvd. Prospect Heights while it's a neighborhood now was only a high school when I grew up. There was no such neighborhood to my knowledge. Clinton Hill...only within Clinton and Washington on THAT HILL going between Fulton and about Myrtle. Now I got people telling me that Franklin and Dekalb is Clinton Hill, WRONG it's Bed Stuy.

I know there are still some Brooklynites out there who know the deal. Don't let these outsiders come and tell you what your neighborhood is. Reclaim the streets and buy property. Lets dictate how we live and who we live with. If you don't yours could be the next Williamsburg (unless you're into that sort of thing *smh*).

Remember When Gov. Patterson Was Liked? Me Either

Ok well that's not entirely true. When he took office initially I was hype. Here we have a blind Blackman living uptown in Harlem taking over the highest office in the state. You gotta love that right? ...Right? Well then the coke thing came out and I thought cool he's clearing his table to do the work. Then the relationship scandal dropped and I thought ok but now get to work. Then there was the... well you get the point. A LOT of time has passed now and I'm still waiting for him to get to work.

Apparently I'm not the only one as word has come down from President Obama's administration that the Gov. should not look to run in the next NY election. His poll numbers are in the dumps and have been for quite some time. The Governor in his steady pattern is still looking to run despite word from Capital Hill. *smh*

I had some high hopes for Mr. Patterson. He still lives in Harlem and is running the state. Maybe before he leaves office he can make sure the drummers in the Mt. Morris Park don't get edged out by the "new Harlemites". At least he pardoned Slick Rick.

Well here's further discussion of the tension between The Gov. and The Pres.

The Robert Glasper (Trio / Experiment)

The first time I heard of Robert Glasper (and the Trio for that matter) was over a year ago. I was invited by a friend to see them in concert in Madison Sq. Park, downtown Manhattan. Watching Mr. Glasper alongside Chris "Daddy" Dave on drums and Vincente Archer on bass I was stuck. Here is a young man on Blue Note records representing a new generation of fresh Jazz. Each member is incredibly talented.

I just listened to the new Robert Glasper album "Double Booked" and it's sick. On the album he moves from his Trio work to his second group the Robert Glasper Experiment. The change is apparent and seamless. Here's a video of the trio getting busy.

President Jimmy Carter Telling It Like It Is

One thing that has come out of the South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst towards Pres. Obama is that some people are really looking that the political atmosphere right now. There is a lot of anger in the air. There are full on marches invoking the name Hitler on the mall while in the chambers elected officials are yelling at the President as if he's their bus boy. If this was some cat on the street I could understand his lack of civility, however this is an elected official yelling at the man holding the highest office of the land. Where is the respect?

Lets see what President Jimmy Carter has to say on this issue.

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Song of the day: Monsters of Folk - Dear God

I heard this song on KCRW the other night and had to download it ASAP. The band Monsters of Folk are a super group of sorts with members from My Morning Jacket, Conor and Bright Eyes together. Their debut album comes out Sept. 22nd after the group being together for 5 years officially. I'm looking forward to it off the strength of this jam.

Who needs Libraries? Clearly Not Philly.

At least not free libraries because the state legislature has decided the money isn't available to operate Philadelphia's free libraries. I went to Philly for the first time last year and remember seeing a "free" library thinking..."is there any other kind?" Well the answer to that is a moot point now being that even those free libraries will be gone by Oct. 2nd if the legislature has it's way.

The Library is not just a hub for the latest Zane novel or a location to look up old Washington Post articles. It is often the location for community board meetings, G.E.D classes and after school programs. I myself was a latch key kid growing up in Brooklyn, and found many afternoons spent in my local Public library until it was time for my mother to arrive home. I read many books and took care of my homework in silence (while sending love letters to the college aged librarian, I was 12).

If you live in Philly I implore you to seek out information on this matter and take to action. If you do not live in Philly I implore you to find out where your community board meetings are being held so you can at least be up to date with what's going on behind the scenes on your block.
For more information on the closing libraries go here.

Kanye Goes Wild But He's No Ol Dirty

Let me start out by saying I don't watch cable much. I haven't seen MTV in almost a year if not more. However I couldn't get away from the VMAs last night on twitter. And when Kanye West got up on stage and made himself look even less classier than normal (as if possible) my stomach sank a little bit. I just couldn't believe he took it upon himself to completely ruin that young lady's moment. But then why is that, it isn't like this is the first time he's done this. He's a complainer and has been from the moment he got a mic in his hand. Kanye's whole shtick is "look at me! look at me!" which is what an entertainer is supposed to do however he does it with no holds barred. Kanye doesn't care if blood is left on the dance floor as long as he has his moment.

While on Twitter I saw someone mention Kanye set black people back 40 years. I also saw someone mention how this action was a negative reflection on black entertainers. What the hell are these people talking about? Kanye is a jerk because Kanye is a jerk. There are plenty of jerks in the world of all colors (not as many on Kanye's level but you get my point). What he did had nothing to do with him being black. It had everything to do (IMO) with him thinking the world owes him something. But who are we kidding, this will all blow over and his next album will drop and yall will all go and buy it (I haven't copped since Late Registration).

My final point is this wasn't even the greatest grandstanding moment at an awards show. That #1 spot my friends goes to the late great Ol Dirty Bastard. Dirty dissed Puff at his height after B.I.G died two awards or so after Wu Tang lost. This was AT THE GRAMMYS! Chew on that one.

Sasabune and the problem it creates.

A little over a year ago I took a trip to Hawaii with my friend Lorraine. While in the beautiful city of Honolulu I stumbled across a top tier sushi restaurant named Sasabune. This place provided the best sushi experience I'd ever had. The set up is omakase style which means there is no menu. The Sushi masters layout a piece by piece spread for you until you are floating on cloud 9.

When I was in Hawaii the tuna (which I rarely to almost never eat) was great and the eel was sublime. It was damn near orgasmic. As the servers arrived with each new selection they would let you know what kind of fish you were about to enjoy and whether soy sauce was allowed or not for said piece. Fond memories for the kid.

Fast forward to Sept. 2009 and I'm seated in the Sasabune location in the Upper East Side of NYC with Shino. It felt like we had been transported to Japan for two hours. The staff was very friendly and accomodating. The sushi was fresh and delicious. As each piece arrived our smiles only got bigger. Sasabune has spoiled me for any of the NYC sushi restaurants of a different name. It's a whole other level of taste when dealing with this establishment. It's now hard for me to run out and get a lil sushi for lunch knowing that it's almost a joke.

I highly recommend this place. It's definitely on the pricey side so I would only go for a special occasion (unless your rolling like Scrooge McDuck). Until the next time, I'm haunted by the realization that it will probably be another 6 months before I dine on such a delightful piece of sushi.
*Oh and it's even better than the sushi I had in Japan.*

New Ryan Leslie - You're Not My Girl

My boy Ryan Leslie is back with a new jam. I really like the melody of this record. I tell you this kid has a way with melody. I was just playing his album yesterday and I guess it's that time again. His new album "Transition" will be out in October. Check out his new video You're Not My GIrl.

Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Labor Day weekend is upon us. Yes the summer is unofficially over (like it was ever really here). This is your last chance to score a BBQ or wear shorts and have it be justified by the time of the year. Honestly I don't feel anything about this upcoming weekend. My overall feeling is eh. Sure I have plans, and I'm sure they will turn out to be great times. However right now none of that matters.

I think the opinion I hold that this summer has been one big FAIL is starting to take its toll on me. Because the summers in NYC are normally epic I choose to stay around. I should have traveled. There were very few reasons to be in NYC this summer.

That being said Sunday's Prince vs. MJ will be epic as always. The fact that my day job has given us an extra day off (Tuesday) should put a smile on my face right? Right?

I say to you all to go out and enjoy your weekend. Maybe I'll see you at the party?

One thing that's for sure is you have a few more days go get your answers to the contest. Email us at admin@mothergreen.com

Enjoy people.

Soul Slam Prince vs. Michael Jackson 9/6/09

It's that time again kids. Keistar productions takes over BLVD/Crash Mansion to kill us all with the best in Michael Jackson and Prince music. But don't forget their respective camp catalogs are also up for grabs so expect to hear Janet, The Time, Vanity 6 and Jermaine.

I recommend that you get to the place to be EARLY! Also you should buy your tickets now. You don't want to be that person on line looking silly. The jam starts at 10pm and it don't stop til we get enough.

See you there.

Oh and you can cop tickets here.

Michael Jackson's Prospect Park Extravaganza

Photos by Shino Yanagawa

Rain? What rain? Thousands of people came out to Prospect Park on the 51st anniversary of the birth of The Man The Myth The Legend Michael Joseph Jackson. It felt like the whole park was in on the celebration. As I walked with Ms. Shino into the park we saw lines of people walking ahead. The workers of the parks department were very nice and seemed almost happy for us to be there. As we walked up through the path leading to the open area where the event was taking place I saw a group of little kids dressed like the Scarecrow and the Tin-man from The Wiz. You gotta love it.

We continued walking to hear the sounds of MJ blaring through the air. I looked out at a sea of people. Never before have I seen so many folks in Prospect Park in my life. There were barricades up separating sections of people so the parks dept. could keep order. A number of NYPD folks were on deck but no one seemed to be on edge. There was so much love in the park that day you could feel it. At first we were told we couldn't go into the main front area where I could see my friends from afar dancing it up. So feeling a little defeated we walked along side the gate figuring out what to do. After running into a few friends we were given the idea to have someone try to bring us in as if we were already there. Shino told a park worker and then a police officer a wonderful tale on the spot which was sort of true to get us in. That tale along with our friend Lorraine waving an armband in the air (which had nothing to do with the day's event) telling the cop to let us in sealed the deal. The officer escorted us into the coveted section and it was on like popcorn.

Through the day I saw plenty of friends and family come through. We danced til we couldn't dance any more in the heat and under the rain. DJ Spinna did an excellent job weaving in well known classic Michael records with under the radar Jackson gems. For those who decided not to go because of the rain...you really missed out. I was a part of two HUGE electric slides that day. Spike Lee, Rev. Al Sharpton , Ed Lover and Tracy Morgan took turns being the MCs for the event. Plenty of michael impersonators were on deck and the kids...I can't say enough about the kids. They had the most fun. The whole place even sang along in Karaoke to "The Way You Make Me Feel".

We miss you Michael but Brooklyn will always uphold your spirit. Here's the pics from Shino Yanagawa.

To buy a buy or not a slim PS3...

...that is the question.

I love video games. Mostly old games but video games nonetheless. Just the other day I was playing Galaga on my computer (the arcade version not NES). I'm a fan of old school gaming, however there's Street Fighter 4. I first played this game when I was in Japan earlier this year and fell in love. Before that game I had no inclination to purchase a next generation system, and that alone was not enough to have me throw down 300 or 400 bucks on a system. I mean lets face it, I'm hardly ever home and when I am I might play Super Mario World for all of two boards before I'm off doing something else. So sticking to free games on my computer seems to be for the best right?

Then comes the PS3 Slim.

Sony decides that yes you too (Dashaun) can watch Blu Ray DVDs and play Street Fighter 4 (online even) for 300 bucks. The new PS3 Slim also has 120 GB hard drive and wireless controllers. Also the new design is very slick. I was never a fan of the "Fatty Girl" version of the PS3 anyway. The original version at it's cheapest had 80 Gigs so I would also get a Hard drive size increase. My original plan was to just get a cheap (read free) PC to play some arcade fighters using an arcade stick and roll with that. However I'm getting a little tired of waiting on that PC.

So tell me, do I give in? Start getting Blu Ray DVDs? Cop that Street Fighter 4 and start going to town online? What say you?