DJ ALYKHAN

Captive Audience: The Music Business in America's Prisons

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:18:07 -0400

May 9 2013, 8:45 AM ET
by David Peisner

Illustration by Michael Hirshon

Until very recently the country’s incarcerated were still living in a world of Walkmans, radios, and cassette tapes. But finally, things are changing. SPIN goes behind bars to investigate how music makes its way inside prisons, who puts it there, and what it means to inmates.

Illicit Nightclub in a Water Tower in Chelsea Manifests a Secret Life

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:05 -0400

A trapdoor in the water tower opened when the guests approached. Thumping live music, candlelight, chatter and the sound of clinking glasses emerged, as well as a helping hand.

Slide Show

Inside was a round wooden space no bigger than a freight elevator, filled with about a dozen people sipping whiskey cocktails. Couples sat at five petite tables built into the cedar paneling. A young woman mixed drinks behind a bar. Above people’s heads, a two-man band — accordion and upright bass — serenaded from a platform.

But amid the revelry, the staff communicated using headsets, checking that the operation remained unnoticed outside. In the event that the police did arrive, several exit routes were planned. This was life inside the Night Heron, a decidedly illegal nightclub run by a group of adventure-minded artists in a water tower atop a vacant building in Chelsea for eight weekends in March, April and May.

The Night Heron was as exclusive as it was lawless. The only way to get in was to be handed a pocket watch by a prior guest (who had been instructed to offer minimal explanation), report to a street corner at a certain time, and call a number pasted inside the watch. Mysterious helpers led guests through one decrepit building into another and up 12 flights of stairs to the roof. The watches were taken at the door, but guests were given the chance to buy watches at the end of the night if they wanted to continue the chain of invitation.

The Heron’s architect was N. D. Austin, a 31-year-old artist known for what he calls “trespass theater.” “It’s about making the invisible visible,” he said of his philosophy.

Mr. Austin located a suitable water tower by scouring Buildings Department records for violations with egregious scaffold fines. That can indicate a neglectful landlord, he said, which meant it might be a vacant building ripe for adopting as one’s own.

One Saturday night last month, 12 guests squeezed through the trap door into the space. “The great thing about the upright bass is how it got up here,” said Dirby Luongo, one of Mr. Austin’s collaborators who played the doorman. “It’s like a ship in a bottle.”

At one table, a first date was in progress. Chelsea Cammarota, 35, explained that she and her date did not know each other well. “He sent me a photo of a clock,” she recounted. “I said, ‘I’ve seen a lot of “Law and Order.” ’ ” Nevertheless, her date, Steve Showalter, told her, “We’re going to do something fun.” But he was clueless, too, running on blind faith in the friend who had given him the watch.

Caroline and Michael Ventura, a married couple, arrived for the next seating. There were three per night, each lasting an hour and a half. Mr. Ventura said a friend had arrived at his office unannounced to give him the watch. “He placed it onto my desk, looked at me and said, ‘I will answer no questions.’ ” On the way over, Mr. Ventura and his wife wondered where the night might lead: Some place underground? Some sort of sex club?

The night’s final seating ended near 3 a.m., culminating with a loud drinking ballad from the band, the sardine-packed audience stomping and yelling along. Tipsy guests exited back through the hole like paratroopers to greet a quiet, blinking skyline.

A version of this article appeared in print on May 23, 2013, on page A25 of the New York edition with the headline: Water Tower In Chelsea Manifests A Secret Life.

sogandzakerhaghighi: “Agha Khan is quoted to having said, ‘If a father has two children, one a son...

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:13:45 -0400

sogandzakerhaghighi:

“Agha Khan is quoted to having said, ‘If a father has two children, one a son and the other a daughter and if he can educate only one of them, such parents, if they were to consult me, I would advise them to educate the daughter first.’ Such a statement reflects the thinking that by educating a man one educates one individual and by educating a woman one educates a family.”

"If our animosities are born out of fear, then confident generosity is born out of hope. One of the..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:10:10 -0400

“If our animosities are born out of fear, then confident generosity is born out of hope. One of the central lessons I have learned after a half century of working in the developing world is that the replacement of fear by hope is probably the single most powerful trampoline of progress.”

- Aga Khan IV (via wikiquotes)

Resource: the Queer Ismaili

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:01:31 -0400

Resource: the Queer Ismaili :

queermuslims:

from the About page:

The Shia Ismaili Muslims are a community of ethnically and culturally diverse peoples living in over 25 countries around the world, united in their allegiance to His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan (known to the Ismailis as Mawlana Hazar Imam) as the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader), and direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). [www.theismaili.org]

This website exists to support Ismaili Muslims in the LGBTI2QQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, two-spirit, queer, questioning and ally) community. As no official (or unofficial) support system currently exists for queer Ismailis, and the Imam has not expressed any guidance in this regard, it is hoped that this will provide an anonymous forum for discussion to help members of our community through these difficult issues.

Dr. Paul Farmer on Rwandas Health Leap, Haiti's Struggles & How Communities Can Repair the World

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:19:07 -0400

Dr. Paul Farmer on Rwandas Health Leap, Haiti's Struggles & How Communities Can Repair the World:

Dr. Paul Farmer, an infectious diseases expert and a medical anthropologist, is known worldwide for helping to bring quality healthcare to some of the most impoverished areas of the globe. More than 25 years ago, Farmer helped found the charity Partners in Health to provide free medical care in central Haiti. Today, Partners in Health teams up with local groups to treat people with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other conditions in Haiti and countries around the world. The South African Nobel Peace laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, calls him “One of the great advocates for the poorest and sickest of our planet.” Farmerâs previous book, “Haiti After the Earthquake,” describes the massive suffering and ongoing recovery effort after the devastating January 2010 earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people. His latest, “To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation,” collects a series of commencement addresses that Farmer has delivered to graduating college students going back more than a decade. Throughout, Farmer urges them to confront global problems through an approach that has long guided his work: a tireless commitment to social justice and solidarity with the worldâs poor. Farmer joins us to discuss why he thinks a community-based health approach can help fix the U.S. healthcare system, how Rwandaâs model has drastically improved the lives of its citizens, and how to tackle the massive health problems in post-earthquake Haiti.

Incredible interview w/ Paul Farmer on DemocracyNow! this morning. Awesome.

Scientists have unearthed a 600-year-old Chinese coin on the Kenyan island of Manda that shows trade existed between China and east Africa decades before European explorers set sail and changed the map of the world.

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:17:49 -0400

angryasiangirlsunited:

queergiftedblack:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130313131900.htm

Scientists have unearthed a 600-year-old Chinese coin on the Kenyan island of Manda that shows trade existed between China and east Africa decades before European explorers set sail and changed the map of the world. (Credit: John Weinstein/The Field Museum)

Free history class of the day!

Daughter // Get Lucky (Daft Punk Cover)

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:14:34 -0400

Daughter // Get Lucky (Daft Punk Cover)

Japan mayor says wartime sex slaves necessary

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:45:17 -0400

Japan mayor says wartime sex slaves necessary:

Toru Hashimoto’s remarks that soldiers needed prostitutes to “maintain discipline” during World War II spark anger.

Toru Hashimoto’s remarks that soldiers needed prostitutes to “maintain discipline” during World War II spark anger.

patbaer: This track is my favorite right now. o_0 when these...

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:16:28 -0400

patbaer:

This track is my favorite right now.

o_0

when these guys first played rochester w. the Revengineers, I caught the drummers hat after they covered Buddy Holly. Still have the hat :)

negativeoffice: Tammi Terrell - All I Do Is Think About You

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:06:12 -0400

negativeoffice:

Tammi Terrell - All I Do Is Think About You

my favorite book creature-features: I know I’ve posted...

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:30:47 -0400

my favorite book

creature-features:

I know I’ve posted pictures from this book before but I can’t stress this enough: If you find a copy of this out of print book, grab it! Thank me later.

calgaries: Rolling Clouds - Paul Baribeau

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:04:57 -0400

calgaries:

Rolling Clouds - Paul Baribeau

Photo

Fri, 10 May 2013 04:04:34 -0400

chulaxviolence: I Like Fucking by Bikini Kill auto-reblog...

Tue, 07 May 2013 22:50:39 -0400

chulaxviolence:

I Like Fucking by Bikini Kill

auto-reblog bikini kill

Become Fluent in American Culture: This crazy Czech tells you how to study for finals

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:16:29 -0400

Become Fluent in American Culture: This crazy Czech tells you how to study for finals :

RE-BLOGGING FOR THIS ADORABLE PICTURE OF BABY ZUZU <3

Rochester misses you!

thechanelmuse: Photos that speak: Fuck your fountain....

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:01:59 -0400

thechanelmuse:

Photos that speak: Fuck your fountain. Fuck your tree. Fuck voter suppression. Fuck your labels. Fuck your stereotypes. Fuck your hatred. Fuck your restaurants. Fuck that dude. Fuck police brutality. Fuck white supremacy.

jazzrelatedstuff: ‘Round Midnight - Thelonious Monk

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:57:25 -0400

jazzrelatedstuff:

‘Round Midnight - Thelonious Monk

Fuck Yeah, Poetry!: "You Bring Out The Mexican In Me" by Sandra Cisneros

Fri, 03 May 2013 04:26:04 -0400

Fuck Yeah, Poetry!: "You Bring Out The Mexican In Me" by Sandra Cisneros :

“You Bring Out The Mexican In Me” by Sandra Cisneros

You bring out the Mexican in me.
The hunkered thick dark spiral.
The core of a heart howl.
The bitter bile.
The tequila lágrimas on Saturday all
through next weekend Sunday.
You are the one I’d let go the other loves for,
surrender my one-woman house.
Allow you red wine in bed,
even with my vintage lace linens.
Maybe. Maybe.

For you.

You bring out the Dolores del Río in me.
The Mexican spitfire in me.
The raw navajas, glint and passion in me.
The raise Cain and dance with the rooster-footed devil in me.
The spangled sequin in me.
The eagle and serpent in me.
The mariachi trumpets of the blood in me.
The Aztec love of war in me.
The fierce obsidian of the tongue in me.
The berrinchuda, bien-cabrona in me.
The Pandora’s curiosity in me.
The pre-Columbian death and destruction in me.
The rainforest disaster, nuclear threat in me.
The fear of fascists in me.
Yes, you do. Yes, you do.

You bring out the colonizer in me.
The holocaust of desire in me.
The Mexico City ‘85 earthquake in me.
The Popocatepetl/Ixtaccihuatl in me.
The tidal wave of recession in me.
The Agustín Lara hopeless romantic in me.
The barbacoa taquitos on Sunday in me.
The cover the mirrors with cloth in me.

Sweet twin. My wicked other,
I am the memory that circles your bed nights,
that tugs you taut as moon tugs ocean.
I claim you all mine,
arrogant as Manifest Destiny.
I want to rattle and rent you in two.
I want to defile you and raise hell.
I want to pull out the kitchen knives,
dull and sharp, and whisk the air with crosses.
Me sacas lo mexicana en mi,
like it or not, honey.

You bring out the Uled-Nayl in me.
The stand-back-white-bitch-in me.
The switchblade in the boot in me.
The Acapulco cliff diver in me.
The Flecha Roja mountain disaster in me.
The dengue fever in me.
The ¡Alarma! murderess in me.
I could kill in the name of you and think
it worth it. Brandish a fork and terrorize rivals,
female and male, who loiter and look at you,
languid in you light. Oh,

I am evil. I am the filth goddess Tlazoltéotl.
I am the swallower of sins.
The lust goddess without guilt.
The delicious debauchery. You bring out
the primordial exquisiteness in me.
The nasty obsession in me.
The corporal and venial sin in me.
The original transgression in me.

Red ocher. Yellow ocher. Indigo. Cochineal.
Piñón. Copal. Sweetgrass. Myrrh.
All you saints, blessed and terrible,
Virgen de Guadalupe, diosa Coatlicue,
I invoke you.

Quiero ser tuya. Only yours. Only you.
Quiero amarte. Aarte. Amarrarte.
Love the way a Mexican woman loves. Let
me show you. Love the only way I know how.

anjelikah:

“You Bring Out The Mexican In Me” by Sandra Cisneros

You bring out the Mexican in me.
The hunkered thick dark spiral.
The core of a heart howl.
The bitter bile.
The tequila lágrimas on Saturday all
through next weekend Sunday.
You are the one I’d let go the other loves for,
surrender my one-woman house.

cameltoesandnipslips: Prototype- Outkast this song and the...

Fri, 03 May 2013 04:10:05 -0400

cameltoesandnipslips:

Prototype- Outkast

this song and the norah jones track were some of the most memorable off of this masterpiece.

DJ ALYKHAN

Captive Audience: The Music Business in America's Prisons

Illicit Nightclub in a Water Tower in Chelsea Manifests a Secret Life

A version of this article appeared in print on May 23, 2013, on page A25 of the New York edition with the headline: Water Tower In Chelsea Manifests A Secret Life.

sogandzakerhaghighi: “Agha Khan is quoted to having said, ‘If a father has two children, one a son...

"If our animosities are born out of fear, then confident generosity is born out of hope. One of the..."

Resource: the Queer Ismaili

Dr. Paul Farmer on Rwandas Health Leap, Haiti's Struggles & How Communities Can Repair the World

Scientists have unearthed a 600-year-old Chinese coin on the Kenyan island of Manda that shows trade existed between China and east Africa decades before European explorers set sail and changed the map of the world.

Daughter // Get Lucky (Daft Punk Cover)

Japan mayor says wartime sex slaves necessary

Toru Hashimoto’s remarks that soldiers needed prostitutes to “maintain discipline” during World War II spark anger.

patbaer: This track is my favorite right now. o_0 when these...

negativeoffice: Tammi Terrell - All I Do Is Think About You

my favorite book creature-features: I know I’ve posted...

calgaries: Rolling Clouds - Paul Baribeau

Photo

chulaxviolence: I Like Fucking by Bikini Kill auto-reblog...

Become Fluent in American Culture: This crazy Czech tells you how to study for finals

thechanelmuse: Photos that speak: Fuck your fountain....

jazzrelatedstuff: ‘Round Midnight - Thelonious Monk

Fuck Yeah, Poetry!: "You Bring Out The Mexican In Me" by Sandra Cisneros

cameltoesandnipslips: Prototype- Outkast this song and the...

Dr. Paul Farmer on Rwandas Health Leap, Haiti's Struggles & How Communities Can Repair the World