Tara Ellis Devotional Music

Lately this has turned into a music blog, but I've been telling everyone about this and thought I could share it here too. Check out Tara Ellis Devotional music. The tracks featuring her were always my favorite on the Justice Leeg albums and now we get a two album set of her putting the Bahai writings to music. Send me to heaven.



"We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high..."

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 38)

New P-Slim

Check out the new P-Slim, aka Trukadero. He chilled out Run-DMC's My Adidas, giving it a 21st century sound. I like it.

My Adidas Remix by Trukadero

Reckoner Lockdown

I really like this mashup of Radiohead's Reckoner with Kanye West's Love Lockdown. This is one of those rare instances when the mashup is better than the original. The fact that the video mashup is so well done makes it even better. [Music mashup by DJ Earworm and video mashup by Instamatic.]

World Art Collective - Creating awareness of the persecution of the Bahais in Iran

The World Art Collective is a project to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution of the Bahais in Iran. Watch the interview with the artist on New Zealand television . (Side note: if you watch closely, you'll see my face in one of the shots.)

Denmark Offers a Model Mortgage Market

How to solve the mortgage mess? Go Danish.

Recessions Are Good for America [?]

An interesting take on our current economic predicament and recessions in general:

"My Dad always said that tough times build character, and I've taken note through my life that the most balanced and wise people I've known have gone through many rough patches. Why should business be any different?"

I'm really into moss [redeems the stone]

Check out Matthew Cornelius poetry, where moss redeems the stone.

"The sunrise is more enjoyable
without the dark things
people say, when it is the link
between you and friends that are far away. "

(June 16, 2008)

Rent or Buy a Home?

An interesting article on the subject, especially given recent events...

(Thanks to Ry-guy for the link.)

Yearbook Yourself

Yearbook yourself!

(That's my 1952 yearbook pic.)

Calling all dandies

[This is a public service announcement.]



I endorse the GQ Rules instructional video series and recommend it to all men. The cool thing about the series is that the GQ editors interview the actual designers and get tips on how they make their looks, which are usually way more creative than the more vanilla GQ rules you read in the mag.

Purpose

"...The purpose for which mortal men have, from utter nothingness, stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and harmony."

(Baha'u'llah, Trustworthiness, reproduced in The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 331)

Persepolis 2 (Trailer) - Safeguard the Innocent (The Baha'is in Iran)

"Sequel to Persepolis exposes the reality of the suffering of the Baha'is in Iran since the Revolution and until today, and calls for action on their behalf. Note: The images for this clip were borrowed from Marjan Satrapi's (animated) film 'Persepolis'..."



[Added 8/22] Almost as remarkable as the clip is the identity of the producers: the Muslim Network for Bahai Rights. Unity, anyone?

"Religion must be the cause of unity."

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 440)

Coffee = Happiness

A recent article on coffee in the NY Times debunks various coffee myths and highlights the beverage's health benefits. I'll give you a little summary:

Myths:
-Coffee is a diuretic.
-Coffee causes hypertension.
-Coffe causes cancer.
-Coffee causes bone loss.

Benefits:
-"An improved sense of well-being, happiness, energy, alertness and sociability".
-"For the active, caffeine enhances endurance in aerobic activities and performance in anaerobic ones."
-Lower risk of Parkinson's disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Yes! Yet another reason to enjoy a cup at Ritual!

Soundtrack for the Olympics: The Shanghai Restoration Project

I read about the Shanghai Restoration Project on NPR.org.

From the website: SRP "draws its creative inspiration from the old 1930s Shanghai jazz bands, an early combination of East and West that's become an international legend. The Project revives this exotic blend by introducing Eastern instruments and rhythms to the Western sounds of hip-hop, jazz, and electronica. "

You can sample the music on Myspace. So far I like.

U.S. House passes bill in support of the Bahais in Iran

Congressman Mark Steven Kirk (10th Congressional District of Illinois) speaks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of his resolution, H.Res. 1008, condemning Iran for its persecution of the Bahais. The resolution overwhelmingly passed the House.

Wedding slide shows

Some couples have slide shows at their weddings to show off childhood pictures and illustrate their time together. Other couples are surprised by performance-oriented relatives who want to tell the story through song and dance. (Make sure to watch all three parts. To watch in high quality, click the YouTube icon and when the new window opens, click "watch in high quality". This will take slightly longer to load.)

Check out Chihuly art

I went to the deYoung Museum today and checked out the Chihuly exhibit. You should too, it's amazing. (If you have ever been to the Bellagio in Vegas, you've seen his art.) Although Chihuly is known for his glass work, I was really digging his drawings.

Ryan J. Portillo art

Check out my brother Ryan's arte. The first one is a bit different than his normal focus. The second is more representative of his main work.

HotTrance.com

I listened to trance more in college than I do now, but a friend of mine recently got me back into it. Check out HotTrance.com for lots of info on different trance artists to sample.

DJ James Williams

If you are looking for a non-Red Bull way to stay focused while doing work on the computer, you might try local trance DJ James Williams from San Francisco. If you don't like trance, you might have to stick to Red Bull. Or maybe jump rope.

On Evolution

"...life on this earth is very ancient. It is not one hundred thousand, or two hundred thousand, or one million or two million years old; it is very ancient, and the ancient records and traces are entirely obliterated."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 160)

Six Bahá'í leaders arrested in Iran; pattern matches deadly sweeps of early 1980s

15 May 2008
Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison yesterday in a sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Bahá’í leaders were summarily rounded up and killed.

Read the full story here.

If you are a U.S. citizen, contact your Representative and ask him or her to cosponor House Resolution 1008. Below is a sample message you can use.

-----------
Dear Congress (man/woman) ________,

I urgently ask you to cosponsor H. Res. 1008.

The Bahá'í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. Founded in Iran in 1844, it now has more than five million adherents in 236 countries and territories. Bahá'ís come from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background.

Recent reports indicate that seven members of the Bahá'í community are currently in prison. Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm were arrested in Tehran on 14 May 2008, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. They are members of the national coordinating group of Bahá'í in Iran, an informal body that was formed with the knowledge of the government to assist the 300,000-member Bahá'í community in the country. Another member of the same Committee, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, has been arrested in Mashhad in March 2008 and is reportedly still detained.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter, and for cosponsoring H. Res. 1008.

Sincerely,

(Your Name and contact information)

Music of the day - Flosstradamus

Flosstradamus. Sounds a little like Diplo.

Persian Backstreet Boys

Seriously. (Thanks to P-Fob.)

Spanish artist: Jaime Hayon

Check out Spanish artist Jaime Hayon. He has some cool work reminiscent of Picasso. He is also known for his work for Camper shoes.

Rolling Stones Best Music Blogs

Check it. Music blogs are excellent because they not only give you the heads up on new music, they share it too.

Election of the Universal House of Justice

Today in Haifa, Israel the Universal House of Justice was elected. Check out the coverage.

Rain Wilson's talk at NEBY (North East Bahai Youth Conference)

Check out Rain Wilson's talk at NEBY (North East Bahai Youth Conference). Definitely worth watching.

NEBY 2008: The Stage is Set

KP's role in universal health care

Kaiser Permanente is playing an important role in leading the drive for universal health care. Apparently California's (aborted) plan for universal health care was based on recommendations from KP CEO George Halverson. He wrote an op-ed on his position in the Sac Bee. Read it here.

Negeen Sobhani photography

kiss
Originally uploaded by negeen.

Have yall checked out Ms. Negeen Sobhani's photos? If not, I suggest you do, she's got mad skillz... Check out this pic of the shadow kiss...

Teach kids they can get smarter and they will

Another interesting article for parents - teach kids their intelligence can grow and it will.

Quinoa - protein wonder grain

Check out this article on Quinoa - the protein wonder grain. I had some at dinner last night, good stuff.