Living the dream...NZ ELECTION 2011

Congratulations people!!!

You bought the aspirational middle class dream John Key was selling. You didn’t want the reality Phil Goff was selling and why would you ?

The reality is high unemployment, no jobs, stagnant wages, rising cost of living, NZ’s best and brightest leaving NZ in record numbers, an aging population reliant on welfare, an angry youthful demographic also reliant on welfare, a property investment boil that needs lancing and a wealth disparity chasm that will only widen with asset sales.
I mean, who in their right mind wants to face that reality ?…and buy into it, let alone deal with it, when you can live the dream of aspirational middle classiness. You too can come from living in a state house to make a fortune then become Prime Minister. Thats the shit people want to buy into and the shit Key was selling.


And man did we buy it, hook, line and sinker, cos the thing is, everyone thinks they’re middle class these days. There is no working class anymore, only the underclass, consisting of the working poor and the unemployed.

But no one’s going to admit to being underclass. That’s the fucking nightmare class you read about on the news, committing violent crime, breeding for business and living off charity.
Sure, you may be jobless and poor or scraping to get by, but your parents weren’t and they were middles class so you are too eh ? You just have to keep believing, have faith that Key can keep your dream alive. I mean, you’re a real life wannabe kiwi mum and dad whose better times are just around the corner.


But you know, the only trouble with living the dream is, sooner or later you wake up and have to face reality, either by your own choice or by neccessity of someone forcing you to. And don’t you just hate it when the realization dawns on you that the dream you thought you were living was only happening in your mind and for all that time you were just asleep.
sleep tight NZ, don’t let reality bite…Vampires are real !!!
G’nite...*mwah*


oh and another thing worth remembering is, Key isn't middle class.

He's transcended that to become ruling class...Part of that elite 1% that doesnt really give a shit whether you're middle class, underclass or lacking any class at all, just that you're in the 99% who only have to buy the bullshit the 1% are peddling to keep them ruling.

Luv for the 80's...synthpop

.......................TURN THE MUSIC UP !!!.......................















Sure you could harken back to previous times for the birth of electronica, but you had to love what happened when the great unwashed got hold of those mint as, and now vintage, synths in the 80's...

Lets just forget the fashion, the hair dos, the make up and cheesy videos though...Ok ?

And for goodness sake, though i'm posting in the middle of an election campaign in NZ, it's not the end of the world if Phil Goff gets in or John Key for another term, like it wasn't when Reagan and Thatcher got elected...but it was touch and go there for a while eh ?

Anyway, here's another 80 minutes of crossfaded childhood memories...

1. The Boomtown Rats - Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
2. The Clash - Straight To Hell
3. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
4. Bros - When Will I Be Famous
5. Go West - We Close Our Eyes
6. Living in a Box - Living in a Box
7. Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
8. Yazoo - Don't Go
9. Gary Numan - Cars
10. Heaven 17 - geisha boys and temple girls
11. Flash And The Pan - - Waiting on a train
12. Wa Wa Nee - Stimulation
13. Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
14. Culture Club - Time
15. Elvis Costello - Everday I Write the Book
16. Orange Juice - Rip It Up
17. Naked Eyes - Promises Promises
18. Swing Out Sister - Breakout
19. Curiosity Killed The Cat - Down To Earth
20. Blow Monkeys - Diggin Your Scene
21. Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
22. China Crisis - Black Man Ray
23. Simply Red - Holding Back The Years

DOWNLOAD

...and don't ask me why there's no WHAM on there cos damn..George Michael was the shit back then !!!....No really...LOOK !!!

For my peeps...

...it's been a long time between drinks.

I mean, here's some acid jazzy type shit from back in the day that i was listening to the last time NZ hosted the Rubber Wool Cup...and won :)

1. The Family Stand - Ghetto heaven
2. The Emotions - Flowers
3. The Chimes - True Love
4. Driza Bone - Real Love
5. Angie Giles - Submerge
6. Yo Yo Honey - Groove On
7. Loose Ends - Don't Be A Fool
8. Soul II Soul - Jazzie's Groove
9. Leena Conquest - Boundaries
10. Color Me Badd - Time And Chance
11. Smith & Mighty - Walk On By
12. Madonna - Justify my love (William Orbit rmx)
13. Fresh 4 - Wishing On A Star
14. Freak Power - Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out
15. Rockers Hi Fi - Push Push
16. Groove Armada - Superstylin'
17. Stereo MC`s - Connected

cross faded and downloadable as 80minutes of 109MB grooveness...

...oh and here's the t-shirt you can hit me up for if you want to buy one. Silver on Black looks the shizzle

Symbolic Savages Suffering Nobly..

It's funny looking back in time, either through photographs or video/audio recordings, seeing/hearing yourself how you thought you were and thinking how much you've changed or how much you've reinforced your beliefs to become even more the person you wanted to be.

Rewind 10 years...




...delirious from rushing endorphins coursing through my system as once again traditional tatau bit hard into soft flesh, I remember being interviewed for this documentary, Savage Symbols.

Spouting random, sometimes incoherent stuff then wondering afterwards how much of a dick the editors will make me seem because of it, i needn't have worried. It is what it is and as is, it stands as a record of who i was and what i wanted to achieve in that time.

Now, as i embark on the next stage of discovery in knowing what it is to be a proud descendent of illustrious Pasifikan ancestors, to once again follow in their footsteps and sail in their wake and by it, know what it is they felt...



I am truly humbled...and scared as all hell :)

Many times in life, particularly with regard to family, we have to sacrifice a lot to achieve what may seem a little. The greater need of the many outweighs the wants of the few. If it means we have to suffer to achieve, then let us do so nobly, with humility and with pride in the achievements of those who have gone before, those who lived and died so that we may succeed. If we fail, we fail our ancestors and their lives were thus lived in vain.

I choose not to fail, and measure success by my own standards and the traditions and values of my ancestors. To them, the ocean was the way and the truth of a life that led closer to the creative spirit, the breath of which sustains us all.



The ocean, like the Tatau, can kill the unprepared and the unworthy, but it also gives life to those worthy and respectful of it's power. As the Tatau marks the beginning of a new life, a baptism of fire, so Te Mana o Te Moana is a baptism of water. One, a rite of passage, the other, a coming of age, the end of childhood dreams to start the discovery of life as a Man.

Ultimately if it doesn't kill me, it will make me stronger, and when we pass those lessons on to our kids, it makes them even stronger, more fit to survive and prosper.

We owe it to our kids to show them a life worth living, a past worth preserving, a future worth dying for...Don't ya think ?

Not Cold at all...just warming up

Born Demeter Maia and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, Demi is of proud Nga Puhi and Samoan parentage with some righteous Euro, by way of Switzerland and Ireland, and some skanking adoptive Jamaican thrown in for good measure.

Make no mistake though, she's a staunch all Kiwi Pasifikan homegirl with a heart of gold and a fearless take no shit attitude, tempered with a healthy dose of godly faith and humility.

Growing up, she attended total immersion Maori school before moving to Nelson and finishing her education at Nelson College for Girls. Now 19, she is currently studying for a BA in Performing Arts at Otago University and looking to leave her mark on the musical world.

All power to her !!!




Still dunno 'bout the wannabe pop star thing :) but we got your back and are so incredibly proud of our number one girl !



Props to the guys at LYM records as well.

Mata Ariki - In the Eyes of Gods & Chiefs

It was a time of great change. A time of darkness and uncertainty as turbulence swirled the waters of life and the spirit of the ancient gods fought amongst themselves, desperately seeking to subjugate man to their will forever.

Some wished to destroy Man, seeing mankind as their possession, to bend and ply solely to their every whim and desire. Seeing them as no more than playthings to be manipulated and toyed with. Others in their wisdom, saw Man rapidly approaching a time when they no longer needed the gods, were in the process of attaining true godhood themselves and were thus joyous, hopeful that the boredom of immortal godliness would be greater appreciated in the bountiful company of man. For it was the aim of Man in the beginning to be as gods, the sole reason they were created in God’s image and imbued with the spirit of creation.

Images though, are but a reflection of the true object. And so man was born rife with internal conflict, flawed, as indeed the gods were too, in their creation by the one true God IO, whose motive and intent are hidden in plain sight, masked by the natural world.

Ailing through eons in their struggle for Man to retain the old ways and traditional forms of worship, the houses of the god’s became bitter and jealous of each other. Many men, blinded in their worship of the old ways, sought counsel in the spirits of the dark gods under the promise of great wealth and power for them and their progeny. These men, blind in their ambition, used guile and force to sway the masses into continuing acceptance of the old ways, sacrificing earth, wind, fire and water to appease the gods as they had always done.

However, the question, should man strive to become master of his own destiny or accept the fate the old gods had destined for him resounded amongst the 9 heavens ? Whispers of discontent drifted on the winds of time for an enlightened few, attuned to the sounds of godspeak to hear, sparking an awakening, and promising a new dream should Man take it upon himself to pursue his own destiny.

Into this time, with the spirit of the gods forced to choose sides in the last battle of wills, and man seemingly drifting aimlessly on the tides of life, were the seven sisters of the sea born. Their names being Hine Moana, Gaualofa, Te Matau a Maui, Faafaite, Marumaru Atua, Uto ni Yalo and Haunui. Together they were cast with the purpose, to lead the way forward, to win the war for the future of mankind, to break the old god’s dark spell forever, to enlighten a future for all to see or die trying.

so their journey begins… :)

Ghost in the wings

This untouched photo was taken at the Nelson Theatre Royal NZ, April 2011 during the Nelson Youth Theatre season of Peter Pan.

...not scary at all eh ?

:)

Things we do for love

We come in peace, with love in our hearts
humble in acknowledgement of the supreme creator.

We seek not to harm, nor to destroy,
but to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors,
to learn the truth that was lost,
to heal the wounds of past injustices.

May we forever walk in the light,
be guided, strengthened and protected
by the sacred spirit and the divine energy.

___________________________________________

Ua matou o mai i le filemu, o le alofa i o matou loto,
e le agaaga maualalo e ta'uta'u ai le sili sili ese o le atua foafoa.

Matou te saili ina ia le fa'ao'o, se leaga pe fa'aleaoga,
ae mulimuli i a sa uia i o tatou tu'aa,
ia togafitia manu'a ona o le faiga i le aso tuana'i

Tau ina ia tatou savavali pea i le malamalama,
ma ia ta'ita'iina, fa'amalosia pupuia le agaaga,
paia le malosi ma le mana silisili ese.
____________________________________________

That was something i wrote about 15 years ago, when deciding what my life mission was to be in choosing to identify first and foremost as Samoan. It was always my hope that it would be translated into other Pasifikan languages as a form of greeting and salutation.

All that will now come to pass and become embodied in a gift for the wider Pasifikan family as we embark on a journey to reawaken the world, to share the Okeanos dream of German patron, Dieter Paulmann. This journey, reminiscent of those undertaken by our noble and illustrious ancestors deified in legend, will force others to see, through Pasifikan eyes, the harm we cause ourselves, by highlighting Man's attempted self destruction of itself through the damage we are currently inflicting on the world's oceans.

Acidification by CO2 saturation, the creation of 'dead' zones by plankton and oxygen depletion, pollution by plastics and noise which devastate fish populations, are problems we aim to bring to the attention of the wider world, by chronicling in film the voyage of 7 traditionally styled Pasifikan waka/va'a/vaka/boats, crewed by volunteers from all over the globe, though primarily from Pasifika. Such was Dieter's wish in sponsoring the creation of these canoes.

In January 2012 i will be taking my place among the crew of the Gaualofa, the Samoan va'a, as it journeys from San Diego USA and sails back across the Pacific to the Solomon islands in time for the 2012 Pasifika Arts festival.

For more on the voyage, the people, the mission, the challenge and to track the progress of the fleet on it's first legs from Aotearoa to Hawaii, by way of Tahiti and the Marquesas, then on to San francisco and San Diego, go here to the
pacificvoyagers.org

And if you have the desire or the means to contribute in whatever form, though preferably through a kindly donation to the Samoan Voyaging Society, please feel free to do so and know that your contribution is much appreciated.

Account Name: SAMOA VOYAGING SOCIETY INC main branch Apia
Account N°: 00038031142

Such is the sentiment behind Gaualofa.



The things we do for love and expect nothing in return...
____________________________________________

EDIT : With much love and indebtedness to Mareva and Tera'ireia, and in expectation of nothing in return, these two Tahitian ladies of high esteem have seen fit to translate the prayer into Tahitian...

UA HAERE MAI MATOU MÄ TE HAU I TE ‘A’AU
MÄ TE HAEHAA O TE VARUA NO TE HAAMAURUURU I TE TUMU NUI

EITA MATOU E IMI I TE HARA ,EITA MATOU E FAATUPU I TE INO
E APEE RÄ MATOU I TE MAU TAPUA’E AVAE O TO MATOU MAU TUPUNA
NO TE HAAPII I TE PARAU TI’A I MO’E IA MATOU
NO TE RAPA’AU I TE MAU MAUIUI I FAATUPUHIA E TE MAU OHIPA TANO ‘ORE NO MUA RA

IA HAERE TATOU NA TE ARATIA MARAMARAMA
A TAU E A HITI NOA ATU

IA ARATA’IHIA TATOU, IA FAAITOITOHIA TATOU
IA PARURUHIA TATOU
E TE VARUA MO’A E TE MANA ATUA.

...with my hope that it can be delivered by my Samoan family on the Gaualofa upon touching soil at ther first port of call, Fakarava.

Christ City...HARD !!!

One week on from a devastating earthquake that pretty much levelled my ex home city of 10 years, I'm reminded of a Chinese proverb...

Crisis : Opportunity riding a dangerous wind



Given that, Christchurch has a bright and prosperous future ahead of it cos as it stands, it's a virtual blank canvas eh

So instead of waiting around for inner city buildings to come down and rebuilding in the same spot. How about start building a new planned and architecturally cohesive CBD in Hagley park from scratch, then turn most of the current CBD into a park and move the university into the rest of it ?

Revitalise the inner city with students and student housing. While giving the new CBD easier access to rail via Addington and the airport via Memorial ave. Build more residential sub divisions out Halswell way and link it all up with an overhead monorail that extends all the way to Brighton then to Sumner, along the Port Hills to Hillsborough following the foothills of Cashmere and straight down Colombo to Moorhouse ave and back to the new CBD.

Then for old times sake, in designing the street access of a new CBD, allow for a motor racing circuit replete with concert/sporting/trade fair arena and easy viewing for the public.

Finally name it after John Britten…Brittendon.

Hotting up...

You could spend all day scouring the net downloading this recommendation, or that, by well informed blognoscenti whose hipster tastes are perpetually balanced on the cutting edge and you would still miss out on a stackload of good shit being released for free everyday...

...chances are you'd be, on more than one occassion, bitterly diappointed too, when the insider hype doesn't match the product :(

so here's 5 blogs where, even if something doesn't immediately jump off the screen and demand to be downloaded, you pretty much know the next train along the tracks ought to be the goods !!!

this song is sick
gotta dance dirty
you can call me pelski
hot biscuits
rcrdlbl

and with that...

...gleaned mostly from the afore mentioned sites a few months back, and in the form of another crossfaded mix, is a smooth flowing trainwreck of bizarro hiphop, electro, house, r'n'b, dubstep and some nameless shit that is just too cool for any cockslapping tastemaking cyber journo to subgenrify...



Hotting UP MIX - POLLYWOG

1. Flying Lotus - Pie Face (My Dry Wet Mess Remix) (3:38)
2. Dada Life - Unleash The Fucking Dada (Original Mix) (5:44)
3. The Ting Tings - Hands (Passion Pit Remix) (3:24)
4. Samo Sound Boy - Five (3:39)
5. Steve Starks - Git Em (3:23)
6. Sleigh Bells - Tell 'Em (Kingdom Remix) (4:35)
7. Bombé - Brighton (4:59)
8. Slow Hands - Unwhimited Whuuub (3:42)
9. Trackademicks - Fool On The Hill (feat. Phonte) (3:30)
10. Cee Lo Green - Fuck You (Le Castle Vania Remix) (4:36)
11. David Banner & 9th Wonder - Be With You (feat. Ludacris & Marsha Ambrosius) (3:26)
12. Jakwob - Daydreaming (Jakwob Remix) (4:35)
13. Waka Flocka Flame - O, Let's Do It (Heroes + Villains Remix) (5:11)
14. Diplo & Lil Jon - U Don't Like Me (Datsik Remix) (4:42)
15. Skrillex - Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites (Noisia Remix) (3:24)
16. The Bloody Beetroots - WARP (feat. Steve Aoki) (Dirtyphonics DubStep Remix) (5:42)
17. Sunday Girl - Sunday Girl vs. Rusko - Hey Stop (Club Mix) (5:12)
18. Crystal Castles - Not In Love (feat. Robert Smith) (3:46)
19. The Fives Ft Vanya Taylor - It's What You Do (5:16)
20. Paul White - Goes To Hollywood (2:45)

Download 108MB 79 min Hotting Up MIX from mediafire

BTW that first pic, for those not even remotely interested in my taste in music or fashion either, is my latest t-shirt design :)

Ripped from a sticker we put up at cell sites during my coms rigging days to signify radio frequency transmission. It meant, wrap your balls in tin foil before approaching cos they will hot up. Now it means, somewhere between heaven and hell is the Dep't of Hell Science..ME

...the other pic is a random desktop i thought was pretty hawt as well

Twenty Ten

Best of a badass bunch...blogs, beats, bullshit, bravado.

State of US : i cite

One frustrated American intellectuals take on the decline of western civilisation as seen through and acted out on and by it's own citizens. Calling it how she sees it and it aint pretty. Blood in the streets, chant down Babylon type of steez...Be afraid.

Twatcockslapping : hard news

Let's all hold hands and say topical shit we all know to be true, because we all believe it to be, given that we're all so self evidently enlightened and all here in NZ. With your host, Russell 'wheres the free beers' Brown...whut whut.

Crackasscracking : kiwiblog

Home to David 'the penguin' Farrar, National party spinster extraordinaire and populated by some of the creepiest left/right wing wannabe revolutionaries and political pundits NZ has...Pop your collar and get amongst it.

A Night to Remember : Ladisix @the Mussell Inn, Takaka

Both of them national treasures. Five months on the road in Europe ending in an NZ tour at the cutest lil' pub this side of the black stump. T'was affirming to see L6 hold nothing back and leave nothing in the tank...Give it up like there's no tomorrow.

Brewskis : Moa

Weka lager. If Moa goes off globally, the same way 42 Below did, I expect this will be the beer of choice for all the blognoscenti hipsters to stroke their chins to. Honey dripped nectar of the gods, I shit you not. Best on tap if you can get it, otherwise straight outta the bottle while still chilled in one heaving guzzle...Up ya bum.

Chooooooon : This song is sick

If you like the filthy, twisted , dark sick shit blended together from a cross section of cutting edge electronica then this site vomits up the tasty, chunky bits on the regular...lap it up.

One Female to watch Musically : Kimbra

Without the excess trimmings. Like if Gaga had real talent and came from the (Hamil)TRON she'd be worth keeping an eye on for more than her meat cozzies. Lets hope Kimbra doesnt go down that path...girl power !!!
Settle Down (Penguin Prison RMX)

One Male to watch Musically : Skrillex

Following on from Reso with some of the harshest, dissonant sounds over the crunchiest beats and the highest production values sees Skrillex making music the devil himself would proudly skank too...brodacious!!!
My name is Skrillex EP

The Big Con(spiracy) job : F William Engdahl

Wikileaks is a big and dangerous US intelligence Con Job which will likely be used to police the Internet by carefully leaking to the most ultra-establishment of international media such as the New York Times...Believe it or not ?

Greater Love/Hate Hath No Men : Dr. Abdullah Mohammad Sindi

If you view others as less than human cos God says they're all sinners, you can do the most evilest shit and in turn get it done right back to you hundreds of years later...What goes round comes round.

The Super Sharp Shot of The Year : Cpl Willie Apiata VC



Nothing says don't fuck with me more than a grizzled war hero with a gun staring straight down the barrel of a camera as he walks slowly but menacingly towards you in slow mo...yeah work it baby, you got the right stuff

Wearable Art : Threadless



I know it’s rude to turn your back and walk away on someone in mid sentence when they’re desperately trying to explain the obvious to you, but sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind…hold tight rudeboy and just read the t shirt

Art imitating Life on Film : Tron Legacy



Sooner or later we are forced to confront our virtual (on line) selves with our real (life) selves and resolve the conflicting philosophies so we don't pass them on to our progeny to repeat the (light) cycle. The least we can hope for is a better soundtrack...Daft Punk suck movie scoring balls.

Life imitating Art on DVD : The Road



Carrying on down. 'The Road' from last year is a movie of the book that follows a fathers futile attempt for his son to be last man standing during a nuclear winter. When all hope is lost, do you bother trying to find it again or just go ehh fuck it...i'm outta here ???

Prey for death

Here's a pic i took last week of a scene i happened to spot while returning inside from admiring the night sky...



i'm still not up with the play re : lo light shots and macro so it was the best i could do...

...funny thing was, i couldn't look at it through the viewfinder cos it was just way too scary so used the screen at a safe distance

i mean, the moth's wings were still flapping and i could see the spiders fangs buried in its neck...ewwww :)

i know it's metaphor for something, but rather than tell you mine, just make up your own...

Beats to the rhythm

Another couple of crossfaded selections.


The first - springclean - gleaned from a few choice blogs and the awesomeness that is RCRDLBL .

They're pretty hit and miss with their selections to my personal tastes but hey, they deliver 'em straight to your e-mail and freemusic is afterall the spice of netlife...

...if only they delivered free pizza, beer and the odd bit of weed as well :)

1. Fet et Moi - Paris Is For Lovers (7:21)
2. Tiësto - Work Hard Play Hard (feat. Kay) (3:22)
3. M.I.A. - XXXO (Riton ReRub) (3:49)
4. Kele - Everything You Wanted (RAC Remix) (4:28)
5. Javelin - Intervales Theme (Steinski Remix) (3:16)
6. Greg Nice - Motherfucka (Nick Catchdubs Motherfuckas In Space Mix) (4:09)
7. Pinch feat. Yolanda - Get Up (RSD Mix) (6:20)
8. Wiley & Skepta - The Rolex Sweep (3:22)
9. Caspa - Terminator (Trolley Snatcha Remix) (4:09)
10. Professor Green Feat. Lily Allen - Just Be Good To Green (Camo & Krooked Remix) (5:17)
11. Peaches - Downtown (Simian Mobile Disco Remix) (6:20)
12. Dam Funk - Hood Pass Intact (4:46)
13. Freddie Gibbs - Oil Money (4:57)
14. BIG K.R.I.T. - Hometown Hero (feat. Yelawolf) (Remix) (4:39)
15. Morcheeba - Even Though (Surfing Leons Afternoon Remix) (5:38)
16. Gilles Peterson's Havana Cultura Band - Roforofo Fight (Louie Vega Remix) (8:55)
17. Max Ulis - i don't like you (4:16)

DOWNLOAD spring clean MIX 112MB 80 min

this - ethereal - mix is just some classic downside dubstep with some spring to it, good for a late night sesh or 'puter backrounder, not so good for dancing, but when blazed who dances anyway ?

Just close your eyes and sway, bend like a reed in the wind, let the music swirl like water around you, enveloping you, as though shrouded in a haze of memories not quite realized and drift...mmmkay ?

ok not even close to choice as this random guys blog i goggled the image from...

1. Pollywog - Chinese Whisper (2:24)
2. Burial - Fostercare (5:32)
3. vvv - e´meute (5:08)
4. Von D - Show Me (feat. Phephe) (4:56)
5. Pangaea - Router (6:31)
6. Scuba - Three Sided Shape (5:21)
7. Headhunter - Physics Impulse (5:03)
8. Boxcutter - Arecibo Message (4:25)
9. Toasty - Angel (Si Begg Remix) (5:30)
10. Moving Ninja - Soma (6:24)
11. Mount Kimbie - Vertical (4:07)
12. Nosaj Thing - IOIO (3:24)
13. Martyn - Far Away (5:44)
14. Elemental - DeepChord (6:59)
15. Reso - Hemisphere (6:10)
16. Caspa & Rusko - Rock Bottom (5:32)

DOWNLOAD ethereal MIX 109MB 80 min

...and if you like that try this from back in the day DOWNSTEPPA

yeah, i know it's a bit early, but here's my 2012 London Olympics tee shirt design...

...and my Rugby World Cup one for Nelson NZ, where i'm @


in case you're wondering, RAGLAFART KRAP is Trafalgar Park - our local rugby field - spelt backwards...

The kids don't stand a chance...

cough *bullshit* cough



Sure, some have got a better than most chance of succeeding in being whatever they want to be, by virtue of privilege, class and culture, but some will succeed purely by virtue of their own skill, talent and tenacity.

Demeter Maia Hunziker/King/Siataga/Kavanagh...now theres a name for the future

love you Dem :)

Pedro dodges a bullet

If theres one rule for dogs in the country it's...

thou shalt not worry the sheep



...unfortunately, if you're raised as an urban dog and it's lambing time, you're expected to go against millions of years of evolution to say..."I must not play rough with the sheep, NO NO !!! i must not 'play' with the sheep at all, or the chickens for that matter"

Pedro, our beautiful border collie couldn't fight her nature and so it was that the farmers on either side of us came to visit with a ute load of 10 savaged and mutilated lambs collected from the immediately surrounding paddocks.

Given the ultimatum of 2 days to get rid of the dog or they will, I was thankful. They didn't have to, cos being raised country i know the rules eh and if they'd said, 'you owe us 1000 dollars for the lambs or we own the dog, in which case hand it over so we can exact rural justice upon it', i would have.

As it happened, in informing the older kids on holiday that we might not have a dog when they got back, i found the ex was in the market for a dog. Not just any dog though and that she'd be prepared to have our dog. So it was that we arranged for me and the littlies to travel to Christchurch to relocate Pedro and by doing so, save her life.

The morning before i leave, one of the farmers turns up again and says a strange dog has been spotted in the area so he can't guarantee it was Pedro killing their lambs. By the afternoon they'd seen the strange dog kill 2 lambs right in fornt of them, so put a bullet in it for its troubles.

Turns out the dog is a pighunter thats been microchipped so theres a good chance of finding the owners and getting compensation. The dead lamb total now stood at 17, having found a few more around the back paddocks.

When first told about, and having seen the state of the lambs i couldn't quite rationalise that our timid and playful, harmless family dog could have done such damage. Even the chickens we reluctantly accepted that she'd killed a while back had never been found, so there just wasn't the evidence that our dog was a psycho killing machine.

Just to be safe, cos i don't trust the farmers wouldn't shoot Pedro if they saw her in a paddock, and we couldn't trust that she wouldn't slip her collar and go wandering off, we went through with plan A.

Now Pedro lives in Christchurch on a 3 month trial to see if she'll bond with the ex. If not, we'll see if we can have her back as by then the farmers would be more forgiving, the lambing season would have passed and we'd be more commited to putting the time in to training her not go anywhere near sheep.

live and learn...

Boogie on down...

For lack of a better word, 'Boogie' seems to have been adopted for the rare groove genre some 'cratedigger' mates of mine, from a few years ago, used to voraciously hunt down in second hand record shops to play out at 80's retro parties.

Here's some of my favourties. Nothing too obscure, so y'all should be thoroughly familiar with these and if not, then shame on your funkless, lack of rhythm and blue honkyass :)

For a lot of my Pasifikan cousins, whenever we get together, this is all we listen to. No shame in that 'cos wayyyy back in the day, this is all we used to party to.

Theres one by my sistren of nubian persuasion, with some latina and caucasian mixed in and then theres one by my brothers of funky persuasion...

As much as us coloured folk would like to think we had a monopoly on the funk, it just ain't true.

Same goes for poverty...

107MB 78min

1. Club Nouveau - Why You Treat Me So Bad
2. Mary Jane Girls - All night long
3. Evelyn Champagne King - Love Come Down
4. A Taste of Honey - Boogie oogie oogie
5. Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real
6. Elisa Fiorillo/Jellybean Benitez - Who Found Who
7. Tara Kemp - Hold You Tight
8. Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
9. Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots
10. Donna Summer - Love to Love You Baby
11. Jody Watley - Don't You Want Me
12. Chaka Khan/ Tom Brown - Jamaican Funk
13. SOS Band - Baby We Can Do It
14. Stargard - Which Way Is Up
15. Peaches & Herb - Shake your Groove Thing
16. Yarborough And Peoples - Dont Stop The Music

Download Sistren

107 MB 78 min

1. Shalamar - There It Is
2. Mac Band - Roses Are Red
3. The Whispers - And The Beat Goes On
4. Dan I - Monkey Chop
5. Dazz Band - Let it whip
6. Ready For The World - Oh Sheila
7. Cameo - Candy
8. Wild Cherry - Play that Funky Music
9. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic - Flashlight
10. Brothers Johnson - Stomp
11. Lakeside - Fantastic voyage
12. Earth Wind & Fire - In The Stone
13. Cashmere - Can I
14. Midnight Star - Wet My Whistle
15. Kool & The Gang - Too Hot
16. Isley Brothers - Caravan Of Love

Download Brethren


'Boogie' is not to be confused with one of my favourite ultra realist street photographers of the same name, whose pictures capture as vital a moments in our time as these tunes did and, in my life, still do...

Eight ...nine..ten

Countdown to 2012...



Te Wa project

Looking like a Pasifikan version of a 'stargate' from the TV series in which travellers could step through time, our logo also represents a compass, with a Fijian warclub pointing West, a Marquesan one to the East, Samoan to the North and a Maori taiaha pointing South. Overlaid is the modern, stylised visual representation around which this project revolves.

Te Wa in Maori means The Time. In the language of Kiribati, for whom the project was named at the Nelson Tasman Pasifika Community trust meeting of 8/10, the W is pronounced as V, making Wa, Va, and in keeping with words similar throughout the Pacific, equates to v'aa, vaka, waka, boat.

Te Wa project is then, The Boat project, that in line with times past, present and future looks to re-create the experience of our ancestors by building and sailing traditionally styled Pasifikan outrigger canoes using modern construction and seafaring techniques.

Not content to build and sail, we will also be looking to re kindle knowledge of ancient navigational techniques using the stars, the currents and the migration of birds, instil traditional cultural values that underpin our commitment to conservation/preservation and self sufficiency in harvesting food stocks from the sea, land and people, while inspiring new generations towards self employment and higher learning in growth industries such as building, sailing and cultural tourism.

This will be achieved by entering into joint ventures with selected partners and by harnessing the skills, knowledge and resources of those in the community and wider culture willing to assist in whatever way possible.

Te Wa is the time and the time is right… NOW

so I would expect an update on the project next year 9/10/11

Now all the ladies in the house...

...let me hear you scream !!!

Ok maybe not, but by all mean's, keep up with the fine tradition of vocalising electronica...


...in all it's glorious forms.

For but a sampling of that, if you're into it, here's another one of them 80 minutes of crossfaded jumbles. From back in the day to relatively recently...

105meg of Elle-x-tronica

1. Everything But The Girl - Downhill Racer (3:49)
2. Lisa Stansfield - Mighty Love (5:13)
3. Cathy Dennis - Falling (4:02)
4. Kylie Minogue - Spinning Around (3:27)
5. Róisín Murphy - You Know Me Better (4:17)
6. Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance (4:02)
7. Nicolette - Waking Up (4:54)
8. Beber & Tamra - Travelling on (4:13)
9. Missy Elliot - Can't stand the jungle rain (4:29)
10. Sticky ft Lady Dynamite - Booooo (5:28)
11. Two Fingers - Bad Girl (Feat. Ce'Cile) (3:36)
12. The Bug - Insane ft.Warrior Queen (3:29)
13. M.I.A - Paper Planes (3:25)
14. Natasha Bedingfield vs Chicane - Bruised Water (Michael Woods Edit) (3:05)
15. Rihanna - Rude Boy (Chew Fu's Bumbaclot Fix) (6:37)
16. Fuzzy Logik ft. Egypt - In The Morning (5:18)
17. Rudenko - Everybody (Fingaprint remix) (5:04)
18. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Jakwob Remix) (4:07)
19. Pinch - Get Up ft. Yolanda (4:21)

...and for a distraction on fembots

www.female-robots.com

Gettin' paid in pounds, not in dollars...

awwww yeah...




...though now more likely to be paid in euros, but whatever.

Since Derek B (R.I.P)



the original bad young brother, came correct with Brit hiphop wayyyyyy back in the day, thru to the hiphouse revolution that redefined rapsingin' over beats, followed by the junglist revision of classic ragga/the rise of the hippidy hoppidy 'skibadee' style and the breakbeat garage MCing of 'So Solid' in the dirty dirty style of proto Grime, theres just been something about europeans spitting over tunes that's always floated my boat

Dunno what it is. Maybe it's the accent, the cadence, or the radical interpretation of beats and experimental electronic noodlings that i much prefer to their stateside cousins, but you just don't get american rappers and beatmakers doing it quite like this...

sure i could force some Black Atlantic consciousness spiel rotating around ghetto sieged JA soundsystem culture being the epicentre through which the feedback loop between the US and Europe flows, that ultimately underpins the interchange of innovation/reinterpretation back and forth blah blah blah...but meh, in the words of New Flesh, if you bubble an a swing, stick and move.



So now if you want, treat your ears to something a little less ordinary and revel in the glory of a mere sampling of euro inspired beats, rhymes and remixes from the last 2 decades...


1. Bomfunk mc's - Freestyler
2. Tinie Tempah - Pass Out
3. Freq Nasty - Check It Out Feat. Skibadee
4. Shy Fx - Nuttah Feat UK Apache (T Power RMX)
5. Shy FX And T Power - Set it Off Feat. Fallacy & DI
6. Reflex - Put your hands up Feat MC Viper
7. Truesteppers - Booooo! Feat Neutrino
8. Teebone FlyBi feat MCs Kie & Sparks
9. So Solid Crew - Ride Wid Us
10. Two Fingers - Whatuknowabout Feat. Sway
11. Durrty Goodz - Take Back The Scene
12. Caspa - Rat-A-Tat Tat Feat Dynamite MC
13. Grand Puba - Get it (Reso Remix)
14. Milanese - Peggy Flynn
15. Chipmunk - Business Feat Young Spray
16. Dizzee Rascal - Fix Up, Look Sharp
17. Kano - Home Sweet Home
18. Beatnuts - Dude Descending a Starecase (Stanton Warriors RMX)
19. Aquasky Vs Masterblaster - All in Check Feat Ragga Twins

Download 'Rappin the euro'(107mb/80 min of crossfaded choons)

HERE

slow burn

Its been along time, since I left you, without a dope beat to step to...



Sure, you might not be able to step to this, but you can sure as hell lie back with your significant other and well...suffice to say, this is for the lover in you.



So yeah, you know the deal...lined em up in winamp, cross faded 'em for 20 seconds and recorded 'em to fit on an 80 minute cd as one continuous mix



1. Robin Thicke - Lost without you (4:08)
2. Usher - Burn (4:15)
3. Chong-Nee - Scenarios ft. Niki Ahu (3:40)
4. Nasri - Click Click Click (2:44)
5. Usher - Making Love (Into The Night) (3:36)
6. Robin Thicke - The Sweetest Love (3:54)
7. Ryan Leslie - Rescue U (4:24)
8. Anthony Hamilton - Magnolia's Room (5:03)
9. Maxwell - Ascension (The Tribute Uncut) (5:19)
10. D'Angelo - Cruisin' (Wet Remix) (7:53)
11. Chante Moore - Loves taken over (Quiet Storm mix(6:33)
12. Grand Puba - Get It (Caspa's 80Eighties Remix) (3:26)
13. Movement 98 - Joy and Heartbreak (instrumental) (6:56)
14. Azizi - Don't Say It's Over (3:57)
15. Plumb - Damaged (3:56)
16. Rhian Sheehan - Waiting (4:29)
17. Ladi6 - Dark Brown (4:08)
18. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Date with Baby (5:08)

Download 77min55sec, 107mb 'slowburn mix' off mediafire here...