BLOGISTAN

PHOTO: Mark writing

Mark's new blog is up and running and it is definitely worthy of note. He is one of the best writers I know. Mark is so bad (good-bad) that right out of college he is writing for the Detroit News! So bookmark his page and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I will.

Secondly, here is another (apple command - D) worthy blog. She has only been writing for four months or so and she already has people saying "did you read what she wrote today" at cocktail parties in NEW YORK!

This last one is one of my guilty pleasures. I am sure most of you know about it, because we all seem to have voyeuristic cravings here and there.

dark room

PHOTO: Laura C. taking pictures of me while I take pictures of her.

I was matting some of my prints before I started work at ARC. When the volunteers started coming in, they asked if they could see my prints. So, of course the pictures got passed around untill Carole ( a wonderful volunteer) got to see them. She asked me if I ever processes my own pictures and I told her that I occasionally use the dark room in abbott hall. Then, she asked me if I would like to have a full set of dark room equipment. She has started shooting digital and was not using her dark room as often. Of course, I replied with a HUGE "yes" and barely kept myself from hyperventelating out of excitement. Last night, my brother and I went to carole's house to pick up all the boxes (Thank you Adil!!). My car barely fit everything, infact Adil had to put a box on his lap. The following is in an incomplete inventory of items in my room right now. I am still finding amazing things as I unpack all the boxes.


-A really good ENLARGER!!!
-4 photographic tanks to develop negatives
-3 safelights (red light) to keep your film safe
-Photographic trays
-Film clips for hanging pictures and drying film
-Graduated cylinders, stirring rods and funnels
-Thermometer
-Bottles for chemilcas (storing and for disposing)
-A huge interval timer
-Print tongs
-Enlargment easels
-Burshes to get rid of dust
-An extensive set of doggers
-A pretty big light safe box for paper.
- ~15 books on photography, manuals, and developing
-Masking guides
-Print dryer (dries single weight prints in about 10 mins)
and extensive filter kit
-Squeegee


OPERATION BUILD DARK ROOM starts ASAP!

PS. In case you can not tell, I am beyond excited about this.

Gorillaz

PHOTO: Colorado!! In memory of the summer times

The Gorillaz have always been a pretty freakin' innovative band. I was recently informed of their LIVE holographic performance at the European MTV music awards (via Abraham). Maybe this is not news to you in "tv land" but I was pretty amazed. Check out the above link to see a video of their live performance in Quicktime or Windows Media Player. Instead of the usual 2-D presentation, the Gorillaz were on stage in the form of Holograms!
More importantly, they are planning a revolutionary holographic tour for 2007. I have not been able to find out the exact technology they will be using, BUT imagine how great that show would be! They describe it as "a cross between live performance and a theme park experience".

shacka laacka

Better Health?

PHOTO: under the Mackinaw bridge
I was at Better Health yesterday afternoon for a tempeh sandwich. Just like their name this store is a pretty generic health foods store here in Lansing, MI. All the hippies in town congregate there to buy organic products. Of course, a lot of times I am right there next to them buying the same things. But yesterday was the first time I realized how easy it is to sell things to hippies. All you need to do is have an earth-tone package with words like "100% natural" or "strong digestive enzymes" and people looking for a healthy product will buy it.
While I was waiting for the tempeh to be grilled I noticed a lady selling some dietary supplements. So I went over to her table and started reading the pamphlet. After reading most of it I asked her some basic questions about her product. Such as "when you say 'digestive enzymes', which ones are you talking about?" or "here it says 'supplements that pass your blood brain barrier', what exactly are you talking about?" Even though she told me that she is was a Physiology major (in her day), she couldn’t answer me. Instead she just put her pointer finger to her forehead as if she was going to squeeze out the answer. I know from some of my early biology classes that small particles and sugars can cross the “blood-brain barrier”. So was she saying that there is sugar in this dietary pill? ... I don't know. It surprised me to know that no one had asked her these rudimentary questions and it is even more astonishing that someone would buy a pill and put it in their body without knowing the answers to the basic questions. Isn't the whole point of eating healthy, to be aware of what you put in your system?

Rigga dig dig

Death ride 2006

PHOTO: You Should Be Melting playing at the Heidelberg in Ann Arbor.


Jim, Kevin and I are accepting applications for the Blue Barrons death ride 2006. One prerequisite is to watch all the LUCAS BRUNELLE videos. Good luck to all applicants.


I was reading jpettibone blog and she talks about how great the internet it is, and how different the world was before Al Gore invented it .... hahahahah.

Last.fm is just another way to stay even more connected, as if we need more ways of stalking each other. You download a small plug-in (mac OR pc) for your itunes application and you can track all the songs you play. It also makes most played lists weekly. Best of all, this information is put up on your personal website and you can party like a rock star from there onwards.

podcast

Podcasts on my ipod

3 day weather forcast: I turn this on as soon as I wake up in the morning while the water in the shower warms up. This is how I decide if I will roll my pants up for the day or not. Also, if I can counter-steer or not (snow or no snow).

Qur'an Weekly Podcast: Ever week they have a new chapter from the quran in arabic with translation in english. I am not all about the english guy's accent but other wise, it is a great addition to the ipod.

NPR story of the day: Everyday when your podcasts reload you get a NEW story in you itunes podcast folder. So on your bike ride to class or your walk to work, you can have someone to tell you a story.

CNN: Finally, the news... it is short enough to keep my attention and also keepa me updated with the world. Makes it a little easier to be in sync with the world and still not have a tv.

Spray paint

I recently discovered a great graffiti artist. He calls himself Banksy and has been relatively successful keeping his identity hidden. Of course, it makes sense to keep undercover because graffiti is illegal in most places. During an interview with The Guardian in 2003 he told them that not getting caught made him enjoy his work: "The art to it is not getting picked up for it, and that's the biggest buzz at the end of the day because you could stick all my shit in the Tate Modern and have an opening with Tony Blair and Kate Moss on rollerblades handing out vol-au-vents and it wouldn't be as exciting."
Most interesting of all are the nine incredible images he made on Palestine's controversial west bank wall.

For his latest exhibition at 'Crude Oils' in Notting Hill, London, he has painted Monet's Water lilly pond but has littered it with shopping carts, Van Gogh flowers but with no flower, Jack Vettriano's dancer's in the rain but with people disposing nuclear wastes in the back ground and Warhol's Marilyn poster but instead has Kate Moss in the picture. Also, in order to walk through his gallery you have to step over hundreds of rats walking on the ground.

BAM!

PHOTO: "everything for everyone and nothing for ourselves"

Don't be a cow

Photo: This is what I think about Michigan weather.


Who will win the next Nobel Peace Prize?
11:4 Viktor Yushchenko
7:1 Bono
14:1 Colin Powell
16:1 Bob Geldof
20:1 Ravi Shankar
25:1 Hugo Chavez
33:1 Pope John Paul II
250:1 Tony Blair and George Bush

VIA: The Atlantic Monthly

Pumpkin what?

Pumpkin Curry

500 g ( 1 lb ) pumpkin
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped3 fresh green chiles, seeded and chopped
8-10 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups (12 fl oz) thin coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) thick coconut milk
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds


Peel pumpkin and cut into large chunks. put into a pan with all the ingredients except the thick coconut milk and mustard seeds. Bring slowly to simmering point and cook gently, uncovered, until pumpkin is almost tender. meanwhile, grind the mustard seeds with a mortar and pestle and mix with the thick coconut milk. add to the simmering pot and cook for 5 minutes longer on a very gentle heat.

Serves 6


BAM!~!!

Pick up the November '05 issue of Utne, there is a great article in there; Take Back Islam. Also, if you are an MSU student you can read the full magazine online, through the MSU libraries electronic resources.

Take me for a ride

PHOTO: by Adil
This motorcycle took me for the sweetest ride around the hills or Rochester. My brother's friend let me take it out for a spin and I think I was gone for way longer than they expected. It was crazy to ride the same streets as I used to ride RHONDA THE HONDA (CBR F4i), brought back some of my greatest memories. Of course, it was NO comparison to the insane power Rhonda had, but two wheels are ALWAYS better than four. GOSH! i miss motorcycles so very much.

South Asia Earthquake Walk

PHOTO: This kid lives with my grandparents. Jun 2005

I drove back home to Rochester this past weekend. My parents have some Pakistani satellite channels, so I got to see a lot of footage from the Northwestern territory of Pakistan and India. My father is part of the Pakistan-American Association and with the help of IAGD (Islamic Association of Greater Detroit) they mailed a truckload full of sleeping bags and tents to Pakistan. Hopefully we can match those efforts here in East Lansing.
There is an awareness walk this weekend, so please let a lot of people know. Adil Ibrahim and Junaid Mattu is coordinating this walk and I have his email below incase you want to volunteer.

SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE WALK:
29th October 10:30 a.m. Starts @ MSU Union
To participate or volunteer contact:
Adil Ibrahim
ibrahim4@msu.edu
248-880-2506
or
Junaid
mattujun@msu.edu
240-441-4491

BBC has some very realistic pictures of the aftermath of the earthquakes.

URBAN

My brother is organizing an awarness walk for the earthquakes in Pakistan. I will post here as soon as I know more details.


PHOTO: by Elizabeth Jean Samanen

After school Kevin and I am going to go to chicago and become bike messengers.
I can't stop looking at the following links. Some of the videos take a while to load, but I assure you that they are worth it.

Check it
LUCAS BRUNELLE has attached two cameras to his helmet and he has made some incredible vidoes. It is crazy to see what you can do on the road with a nice bike, some cars and pedestrians (moving trees) to make it interesting.
IFBMA (International Federation of Bike Messengers Associations)
WCBMA (Windy City Bike Messengers Association)

Pakistan

PHOTO: This picture was taken this past summer in Pakistan.

I am sure by the time you see this post you will have heard about the record breaking earthquakes in Pakistan. Thanks to all the people who called me to see if my family was ok. I really appreciate it and it means a lot to me. Luckily my family is doing well but there are tens of thousands of people in great need of help. I am setting up an account so I can send money back home. Feel free to let peole know about this through your blog. I want to have money ready to be sent there by October 25th.

We have been in touch with our family very regularly and getting updates.

Salaam

Drum

Lately, I have been following around the drumline on MSU game days. This past game was dissapointing indeed, but I have never had more fun watching a drumline. I have some videos of the "drum off" between MSU and U of M, and if you would like to see them shoot me an e-mail.