Notes from a Different Kitchen

- Hip Hop Project: A last-chance alternative high school program where students learn about the business and creative processes of the music industry.

- H2Ed: Another hip hop educational program.

- Hiphopconvention.org: The National Hip Hop Political Convention Website

- $5.15 Is Not Enough: A coalition of community, labor, student, immigrant and political groups launched in November 2003 to lobby for a raise in the minimum wage in New York state.

- African Film Festival: April 3-15, 23-25.

- Haiti on Screen Film Festival: March 31-April 4, 2004.

halcyon new location

ANNOUNCING

halcyon 1.5 the shop
opening MAY 11

at 57 PEARL ST.
DUMBO, BKLYN
AT THE CORNER OF PEARL AND WATER STREETS
UNDER THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE
2 BLOCKS FROM THE F TRAIN AT YORK ST.

STOCKING:
- VINYL, CDs, DVDs
- DJ GEAR
- MAGAZINES BOOKS
- CLOTHING
AND OTHER SELECT OBJECTS OF DESIRE

NEW RELEASES AND MERCHANDISE ARRIVING WEEKLY

(halcyon 2.0, the venue
in the works for early 05...)

DIFFERENT KITCHEN at LOW BAR
"cooking up some marvelous ish!"

DJ's - DRINKS - FOOD

THURSDAY APRIL 1

8PM until

NO COVER!!

Low - bar below Rice
81 Washington St (between Front St. & York St).
DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-222-1LOW

DJ LINE-UP (subject to change):

- Nick Catchdubs
- DJ Don
- DJ I-Queue (that's me)
- DJ Knowledge
- DJ Thomas (from Peru)
- Paul Washington (ADA)
- DJ White Chocolate (bka Tom Ryan from Virtu)

DIRECTIONS:

BY SUBWAY:

F to York St.: right out of subway, immediate left on York, walk 3 blocks (past Pearl and Adams Streets), right on Washington St. Enter through Rice (on your right) at 81 Washington St.

A/C to High St./Brooklyn Bridge: exit from rear of the train (coming from Manhattan), walk down Cadman Plaza West, right at first light on to Prospect St., pass under the overpass, first left on Washington St. Cross York Street. RICE is on the right hand side, halfway down the block.

BY CAR (from Manhattan):

Over the Brooklyn Bridge - Take Cadman Plaza West Exit (stay in right lane). Right at light at end of exit ramp, bear right on to Prospect Street, drive under the bridge. Take first left on to Washington Street. Cross York Street. RICE is on the right hand side, halfway down the block.

Over the Manhattan Bridge - Take right on to Tillary Street. Take to end. Make right on to Cadman Plaza West, make right on to Prospect Street, drive under the bridge. Take first left on to Washington Street. Cross York Street. RICE is on the right hand side, halfway down the block.

Sponsored by: ADA, Catchdubs, DebutStudio and Virtu

If only Sandy Berger, Rice's predecessor, had told the incoming Bush officials that Al Qaeda was no big deal, they might have gotten alarmed about it. They were determined to disdain all things Clinton, including what they considered his overemphasis on terrorism.

I hear a lot of talk from the Bush administration about tolerance, free speech and the separation of church and state—in Iraq. At home I see a continuous attempt to write Christian dogma into law, from "abstinence only" sex education to the proposed amendment banning gay marriage to keeping the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance. What does this say about our "liberal democracy"? Could it be that "the most evangelical president" is also the most two-faced? If this administration is promoting secular democracy overseas, it is because its real wishes are politically untenable. Ultimately, we want stable trading partners, whether led by dictators, presidents or religious zealots, so long as they quench our insatiable thirst for oil and cheap imported goods. American foreign policy has always been, first and foremost, about America's economic interests. The moment they cease to be served is the moment we withdraw.

Dorothy Brethauer
Albuquerque, N.M.

"Newports, CD's, DVD's, chronic..." -- sales pitch of a street vendor at the corner of Fulton & Flatbush yesterday afternoon.

"In a morning meeting on Wednesday, [Iraqi Coalition Provisonal Authority leader] Mr. Bremer warned the Iraqi leaders that they risked isolating themselves and their country if they continued to snub the United Nations. According to Iraqi and American officials, Mr. Bremer pointedly warned them of a "confrontation" with the United States if the Iraqis failed to invite the organization back." (from 1115.org)

- Iraq on the Record: a report prepared at the request of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, is a comprehensive examination of the statements made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq: President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Read the report here.

- Bush: "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over." (Onion)

Dirty Sound System Dirty Diamonds (Diamondtraxx)
Paris-based producers and DJs Dirty Sound System became a hometown sensation last year when their Dirty Diamonds mix CD was a runaway hit despite being available only at the legendary boutique Colette. Now the album is getting a proper release, and its easy to understand why Parisians were so excited — the irresistible mix is a tongue-in-cheek, rock 'n roll twist on the floaty retro-future pop popularized by Air and their ilk. From the opening strains of "Angie" (the Rolling Stones' classic is given a vocodor once-over) to a score from horror flick director and composer John Carpenter to the classic Larry Levan mix of Grace Jones' "Pull Up to the Bumper," Dirty Diamonds makes space-age lounging cool all over again. (DJP)

- New Bush ad accuses Kerry of turning his back on soldiers (San Fransisco Chronicle) (This from the guy who wanted to cut the troops' combat pay.) (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

- Kerry, Under Attack, Questions Bush's Credibility. (Reuters)

Findings from the most recent Times/CBS News poll explored in "Nation's Direction Prompts Voters' Concern, Poll Finds":

By a margin of greater than 30 points, more people said the policies of Mr. Bush's administration had reduced the number of jobs in the country rather than increased them.

Perhaps most significant for Mr. Bush, the number of Americans who think that the nation is heading in the wrong direction is now 54 percent, as high as it has been in his presidency. The right direction/wrong direction figure is a measure that pollsters view as a highly reliable early indicator of problems for an incumbent.

But the biggest difficulty for Mr. Bush is the perception of his management of the economy. The number of Americans who say they approve of his economic record is now among the lowest of his presidency, 38 percent. In addition, 57 percent of voters said they were uneasy about Mr. Bush's ability to make the right decision on the economy, compared with just 39 percent who said they had confidence in his economic-decision making. Voters were evenly split over whether they were uneasy or confident about Mr. Kerry's ability to make economic decisions.

By 57 percent to 33 percent, respondents said that Mr. Kerry says what people want to hear, rather than what he believes in. By contrast, 45 percent said Mr. Bush says what people want to hear, while 51 percent said he says what he means. (New York Times)

And from "[Gallup] Poll finds pessimism about U.S. direction":

60% said they were dissatisfied with "the way things are going in the United States at this time." Except for a survey two weeks before the invasion of Iraq a year ago, that is the most negative reading since 1996.

Bush's job-approval rating was a respectable 50%, however, which has been a sort of dividing line for presidents seeking re-election. Since 1948, no president who maintained an average job-approval rating of 50% or better in his re-election year has lost a bid for a second term. No president with a rating below 50% has won. (USA Today)

Four years after Florida made a mockery of American elections, there is every reason to believe it could happen again.

In 2002, in the primary race for governor between Janet Reno and Bill McBride, electronic voting problems were so widespread they cast doubt on the outcome. Many Miami-Dade County votes were not counted on election night because machines were shut down improperly. One precinct with over 1,000 eligible voters recorded no votes, despite a 33 percent turnout statewide. Election workers spent days hunting for lost votes, while Floridians waited, in an uncomfortable replay of 2000, to see whether Mr. McBride's victory margin, which had dwindled to less than 10,000, would hold up.

This past Tuesday, even though turnout was minimal, there were problems. Voters were wrongly given computer cards that let them vote only on local issues, not in the presidential primary. Machines did not work. And there were, no doubt, other mishaps that did not come to light because of the stunning lack of transparency around voting in the state. When a Times editorial writer dropped in on one Palm Beach precinct where there were reports of malfunctioning machines, county officials called the police to remove him.

The biggest danger of electronic voting, however, cannot be seen from the outside. Computer scientists warn that votes, and whole elections, can be stolen by rigging the code that runs the machines. The only defense is a paper record of every vote cast, a "voter-verified paper trail," which can be counted if the machines' tallies are suspect. Given its history, Florida should be a leader in requiring paper trails. But election officials, including Theresa LePore, the Palm Beach County elections supervisor who was responsible for the butterfly ballot, have refused to put them in place.

If you're coming to austin this week, you do not want to miss the scion
showcase on Wednesday 3/17.

Featuring Austin's hottest dj crew: Parakitachi
LA's own djs haul & mason (2 guys; 4 turntables: must see)
and a very special guest appearance from Pete Rock

- Brandy w/ Timbaland – In 2 Da Music

- Usher – Caught Up: this ish was ridiculous, like a stripped down version of The Jacksons "Can You Feel It" with a Neptunes feel.

- Usher – Bad Girl: this sounded like the Neptunes channeling Lenny Kravitz (which I guess is basically what N*E*R*D is) except, unvbelievably, it was actually Jam & Lewis doing some of freshest ish they've come up with in a long time.

- Deeni feat. Jay-Z – So Hood: this is probably some bootleg ish as they flipped Hov's "December 4th" beat and then jacked one of his verses from the original. Hot as f-ck though.

- N*E*R*D – She Wants to Move (remix): not sure if this was the much-discussed, little-heard DFA remix, but it sounded good with it's fattened up bass and the guitar taken out for maximum dancefloor action.

- Amy Winehouse – In My Bed (remix): not the Dru Hill song but some (presumably) British singer flippin' Nas's "Made You Look" beat to great effect for an R&B jawn.

- Marques Houston feat. Jermaine Dupri "Pop That Booty"

- B2K feat. Fabolous "Badaboom"

- Jaheim's soul masterpiece, the "Diamond in da Ruff" remix featuring Jada & Left Gunz (mp3 link courtesy: mp3raid.com) as well as a bunch of other old "Hot Ish" list entries like Rashad's "Sweet Misery" feat. Jadakiss & Sheek, Grafh's "I Don't Care," Usher's smash "Yeah" single and A Tribe Called Quest's incredible first album People's Instinctive Travels... which is now on double vinyl (I sold the original single wax version since it was basically useless for DJ-ing with plus I had a CD anyway). Good looking to my parents who gave me the Xmas gift certificate that paid for all those records.

- DJ Clue Thee American Idol: this one's been out a couple of weeks I think (which is an eternity in mixtape time) but this is still a heater if you haven't copped it yet. Features "Cross Country" connection, the track that (I think) set off the short-lived Game-Joe Budden beef.

- DJ Big Mike Get The Money & Run - Part 3: features a non-album Kanye West cut titled "I'm Here Now."

- DJ Jay Faire (Best of) The Game: not quite as hot as I had expected as The Game recycles a lot of his "freestyle" rhymes from track to track and some of them have been featured on previous tapes, but this is still a good collection for those wondering what the hype is all about.

- DJ Kay Slay Addicted To Beef Part 2 - Gangster Music hosted by The Game on which he reveals himself to be a fan of Ma$e. Now that's gangsta!

- Ultramagentic MC's classic Critical Beatdown on double wax for the first time (as far as I'm aware). Holy smokes: that's so necessary, it's stoopid since I've never had "Ego Trippin'" on 12". (mp3 links courtesy: turntablelab)

- New Too Short "Burn Rubber": this track is fya! Brand new Lil Jon heater guaranteed to be smashin' clubs this summer. (mp3 links courtesy: turntablelab)

- Notorious BIG "Dreams": the original was so hard to find, it was ridiculous. I'm only mad it's been reissued 'cos I paid an insane amount to get a copy on eBay.

- DJ Muggs: Muggs shows all those European mash-up producers how a real hip hop cat gets down with his bootleg mixes of "Top Billin'" (using The Doors "1 to 5" aka the sample from Hov's "The Takeover") and "Emotional Rescue" (interpolating Snoop Dogg lovely). (mp3 links courtesy: turntablelab | sandbox automatic)

- Jessica Simpson -- In This Skin: Holy Smokes, what did I miss? She jumps from 16 to #2 on the chart with 159 535 copies sold this from 52 436 sold last week. Is there a Norah Jones remix on the album or something?

- Eamon – I Don't Want You Back: Whoa, cats is actually tryin' to cop the album from this dude, WTF? This is sitting at #10 and sold 66 547 copies this week and 72 846 last week.

- Young Gunz – Tough Luv: Falls out of the top 10 already after only 1 week dropping 3-12 and going from 127 522 to 62 723 weekly sales.

- Cee-Lo – .... is the Soul Machine: Kind of a semi-entry at #13 with 55 665 units. Or should Cee-Lo be happy?

- JC Chasez – Schizophrenic: Drops from 51 585 to 14 868 sales. Wow, this joint is brickin!

- Zero 7 – When it Falls: 9 906 first week sales. Man, I would have thought there'd be at least 9000 lounges, restaurants, boutiques and ad agencies that would have copped this album, never mind actual real fans.

1. Grab a calculator. (you won't be able to do this one in your head)
2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (ian note: not the area code)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
8. Subtract 250
9. Divide number by 2

(update tip: try hitting the "=" key after each step to make sure this works the way it's supposed to).

From: "Senzeni Here"
To: ian
Subject: I'm ok
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 09:38:56 +0000


Just over three hours ago, 4 bombs went off in Madrid.

I was where one of the bombs exploded 3 minutes beforehand.
I walked from the station, my bus came and the explosions sounded as
the bus drove away.

I am ok and I just wanted to let you know.

As of January, some 2.3 million payroll jobs have been lost in the United States since January 2001. If they are not regained by next January, President Bush will be the first president since Herbert Hoover to see the number of payroll jobs decline during his four-year term. (Payrolls fell by 24 percent under President Hoover but only about 1.7 percent under President Bush. Still, it makes a great sound bite.)

Mr. Bush's opponents aren't the only ones accused of playing politics with job numbers. In the 2004 Economic Report of the President, issued in February, N. Gregory Mankiw, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, predicted that the average number of payroll jobs for 2004 would rise by 2.6 million. J. Bradford DeLong, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley, said that for the average to rise by that much it would necessitate the creation of some 3.8 million jobs between December 2003 and December 2004 [emphasis added]. (New York Times)

Today I want to talk about the importance of small businesses. I want to herald the entrepreneurs. I want to say thanks to those who have taken risks. And I want to remind our fellow citizens that in order for our economy to recover we must remember the strength and the importance of the small business owner in America. -- Remarks by President George Bush to the New Jersey Business Community, Elizabeth, New Jersey June 16, 2003 (Official White House press release)

The small business sector of our country is vital for job creation. See, most new jobs in America are created by small businesses. Most small businesses pay a tax at the individual income tax level.

See, if you're a Subchapter S, or a limited liability corporation, just like the two small businesses I've spoken of today, then, when we cut individual taxes, it's really a cut in taxes for small businesses. It means small business owners have got more money to invest. And when they invest, it means somebody is more likely to find a job. It is essential for those politicians in Washington to know that individual income tax relief is incredibly important for job creation, not only because it stimulates demand, but because it provides a vital boost in the arm for the small business sector here in America. -- Remarks by the President on the Economy at Craneworks, Birmingham, Alabama (Official White House press release)

The Bush administration... has repeatedly cut the budget of the agency even as it faces higher demand for loans. The S.B.A. is the largest single source of loans for the nation's 23 million small businesses, and by its own calculation has helped to create two million jobs since October 2000.

Critics say the administration's proposal to cut $119 million, or 15 percent, from the agency's budget and to set it at $678 million for the 2005 fiscal year is a smokescreen for a goal of dismantling it. (from "From One Business to 23 Million" by Elizbeth Olson in the New York Times)

“I'm not going to sit here and tell you what my interaction was … and what I did and didn't do, except that you have to have confidence to know that when I believed that somebody was misconstruing intelligence, I said something about it.” -- George Tenet, director of central intelligence (Kansas City Star)

The famous "bullet-time" effect in "The Matrix"? Borrowed from a video Mr. Gondry made for the Rolling Stones' version of "Like a Rolling Stone," in which Ms. Arquette walks through a party where time seems to have slowed. (From "Captain Video Prepares for Takeoff" New York Times)

A poll shows that a plurality of Florida voters disapprove of President Bush's performance on the economy and the war in Iraq, while his Democratic opponent is stronger with crucial swing voters. (Miami Herald)

This summer Showtime will be airing American Candidate, a 10-episode reality series in which viewers will choose a “People’s Candidate” who they would (hypothetically) like to see run for president of the United States.

Unlike the real presidential election, the competition is open to those 18 and over, as well as foreign-born Americans. Other than that, however, the show intends to emulate the actual campaigning process. Commencing with a group of 12, contestants will engage in debates, meet with experienced political strategists, seek endorsements, deal with press scrutiny when their dirty laundry is aired, all while traveling across the country on the campaign trail. In the reality show tradition, a contestant will be eliminated weekly based on their performance in various tests, the skills they display at weekly press conferences, and the response of audience viewers via the internet; the winning “People’s Candidate” will receive $200,000. [The show hopes] to help bridge the divide between politics and entertainment and make voting cool again [and] prove Urban Outfitters wrong by showing that voting is indeed for young people.

WALL OF SOUND COMBINE ELECTRONICA AND DANCEHALL
Since helping us stage our A-Z of DJs just before Christmas, Wall of
Sound's Mark Jones has been keeping himself very very very busy ferrying
leading electronic producers to the Gee Jam studios in Jamaica's Blue Mountains
to work on a very exciting project aiming to demonstrate the close link
between dancehall and electronic music.

Each producer has been paired off with some of Jamaica's most talented
dancehall, ska & reggae vocalists and musicians to create unique new
material. The results of those sessions will be released by WoS later
this year under the banner of 'Two Culture Clash', as will a DVD of the
whole project.

Producers involved include: Jacques Lu Cont, City Hifi, Roni Size, Jon
Carter, Dj Gregory, Kid 606, Soulchild, Cassius, Mark Rae, Switch,
Mekon, Howie B and Justin Robertson.

From the dancehall/ reggae/ ska side there's Horace Andy, Earnest
Ranglin, Miss Thing, Patra, Buju Banton, Ward 21, Bling Dawg, General Degree,
Ce'cile, Junior Reid, Spragga Benz, Big Youth, Danny English, Tanya
Stevens, Junior Mervin, Determine, Nadine Sutherland, Innocent Kru, Patrick Anthony and Barrington Levy.

More on the album here once a release date is confirmed - meanwhile
more info at www.wallofsound.net and www.geejamstudios.com.

AP Poll: Bush, Kerry Are Tied in Race
WASHINGTON (AP) -- John Kerry and President Bush are starting the general election campaign tied, according to an Associated Press poll, while independent Ralph Nader is drawing enough support to make Democrats squirm.

The Republican incumbent had 46 percent support, Democrat Kerry had 45 percent and Nader, the 2000 Green Party candidate who entered the race last month, was at 6 percent [emphasis added] in the survey conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs.

"Two decades later, the new "Nikki" has made nary a ripple on rock radio, where young listeners are surprised to learn that the Foo Fighters version isn't the first."

"DJ Clue had Game submit a song for one of his many Mixtapes, but did not inform Game he would be putting Joe Budden on the song. Joe Budden has beef wit the G-Unit and he went at the G-unit in the song on the subliminal. game felt like Clue disrepsected him by doing this. Can't say who won since I didn't hear the Game [track]... It'll probably be a matter of taste."

"Apparently, the "Freek-A-Leek" beat was intended for
Mystikal and he had it for a while without doing
anything with it. Figuring he wasn’t going to use it,
Lil Jon gave it to Usher. In the mean time, Mystikal's A&R
had passed it along to Petey. Jon wasn’t happy about
it at first and was bad mouthing the Petey song to
radio in the south. Things have since been smoothed
over."

MAESTRO
THE LOFT THE GALLERY PARADISE GARAGE
THE MOST REALISTIC FILM EVER MADE ON DANCE MUSIC CULTURE
THE MOVEMENT THAT BECAME DANCE MUSIC OF TODAY

opens at the

QUAD CINEMA MARCH 12
34 WEST 13 ST (5&6), NYC

SCREENING TIMES (PLAYS DAILY)
1:00 2:45 4:30 6:20 8:05 10:00

TICKETS ON SALE
(STANDARD PRICE)
212-777-films (code #636)
box office 212-255-2243

DIRECTOR Q&A, FRIDAY MARCH 12 (8:05 show only)
the film will play daily starting March 12, Friday and Saturday are
important dates, support the FIRST WEEKEND of the film

Click here for more details.

Friends,

As you may know I have been heavily involved in a program called East Harlem Tutorial Program. Over the past year I have been serving double duty as a Board of Trustee member and as a co-chair to a newly formed Junior Board (I guess I should be happy that I can still be associated with something with the word "Junior" in it). The Junior Board of EHTP is hosting an event on March 5th and it should be a really good time. I hope you can make it. Details are below and in the attached invite. Give me a call if you have any questions.

Regards,

-- K. Don Cornwell, Co-Chair

***The Junior Board of the East Harlem Tutorial Program Is Pleased to Invite You to Our First Annual Spring Gala***

Friday, March 5, 2004

8:30 pm – 11:30 pm

Doubles, a Private Club
783 Fifth Avenue
New York City

Open bar, buffet dinner, dancing

Jacket & Tie Required

Minimum ticket price of $100 (NB: All but $50 is tax-deductible.)

To purchase online, please click here (alternatively, visit www.ticketweb.com and search “EHTP”).

To order by phone or to get details on where to send a check, call Jackie de Dios at EHTP – 212.831.0650

We Hope To See You There.
East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP) is an award winning after school program that is making a difference in the lives of hundreds of young people and families in East Harlem. Founded in 1958, EHTP began in the East Harlem apartment of Helen Webber, where she read books to neighborhood children after school. As news of this informal reading group spread, parents and volunteers alike flocked to Helen’s door.

More than 45 years later, EHTP continues to thrive by providing 16 different programs and services including one-to-one tutoring, youth development, college and career counseling, media/technology education, arts-in-education and a summer day camp. The mission of EHTP is to enhance the knowledge, skills and interests of children and youth by fostering their love of learning. EHTP is also highly recognized on the national level as a model in the field of after school education.