Lewis Black on water...

Haha- The nutritional facts on water...



-R39W

Appreciation : King of Collaboration- Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse and David Lynch

This is my favorite track off this album so far



Check the rest of the album here for a First listen...

-R39W

A compelling point...

-R39W

Let's get informed!!!

This is not a joke. This is bad.

Watch the full episode. See more NOW on PBS.

Let's sign the petition NYkers.

http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1825tag=fbhydrofin

-R39W

Appreciation: Margaret Bowland

I am really stunned by the beauty of this imagery. I was talking to Demetrious about an idea that he should do and it's very similar to this but a totally different idea/concept and rationale.

These are selects from a series entitled "Another Thorny Crown"







This last one is called "Flower Girl". Beautiful.



You can see more of Margaret's work here.

-R39W

Daily Obsession: Can- Mary Mary So Contrary

This is another great song by Can. They can seem to do no wrong. Because there are others...



They are below...This is another favorite. Brilliant.


To boot...


-R39W

Lovely day at Loving Day.

I was invited by my upstairs neighbor Sibte, to this even today. I invited Joe and Angie because they clearly can relate...

I wanted so bad to be there with Sofia. So with her still in Paris til Aug, I did the best I could to have her be there with me.



What? You are thirsty? I got you baby...



Selects


I loved this little girl. I kinda imagined this may be what our little girl looks like.




Just to think that at some point in time, Sofia and I would be breaking the law. I ain't never been arrested- but arrested for love? Wow.


The Loving Story


The Wedding

Loving v. Virginia was an important Supreme Court case, but it was also the story of a real couple. Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up in Caroline County, Virginia. They fell in love and decided to get married. Unfortunately, getting married was not as simple in 1958 as it was today. Mildred was black and Richard was white. There were laws that forbade people of different races to marry each other. This was true in many states, including Mildred and Richard's home state of Virginia. However, interracial marriage was legal in Washington, DC at that time. Therefore, they decided to drive to DC, get married, and return to Virginia to begin their life together.

This proved to be a short term solution. The law in Virginia not only forbade interracial marriage ceremonies, but it also forbade interracial couples from getting married elsewhere and returning to Virginia. One night, while they were asleep, the newly-married Lovings were awakened by the police in their bedroom. The Lovings were taken to jail for the crime of being married.

The Trial

When they went to trial, the judge found them guilty and sentenced them to a jail term of one to three years. However, the judge told the Lovings that he would suspend the sentence if they agreed to leave Virginia for a period of twenty five years. Given the choice between imprisonment and banishment, they chose banishment. The Lovings moved to Washington, DC.

The Legal Battle

The Lovings were able to live together legally in Washington, but they did not have an easy time. They faced discrimination everywhere. They were not able to rent property in most parts of the city, and they were often the target of racist taunting. Also, they were facing the emotional hardship of separation from their families. Life was both difficult and unpleasant for the Lovings in Washington. They were having difficulty supporting their children. In desperation, Mildred sent a letter to Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General of the United States.

Mildred's letter was forwarded from the Attorney General's office to the offices of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in New York. They took interest in the Loving's case and helped them find an attorney. Two lawyers, Bernard S. Cohen and Philip J. Hirschkop, also felt that the Lovings were entitled to be married and to live in the state of their choice. They agreed to work on the Loving's case for free.

Their case went through many levels of the justice system and their appeal was denied every time. Eventually their case appeared before the United States Supreme Court. The Court decided unanimously in their favor. Finally, after nine years of struggle, the Loving won the right to live together as husband and wife in their home state. In the words of Chief Justice Earl Warren, "Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides within the individual and cannot be infringed on by the State."

The Victory

The Loving's case not only won them their freedom to love, but it also granted the same freedom to every interracial couple in every state in America. At the time of the Loving decision, sixteen states from Delaware to Texas had laws banning interracial couples. Loving v. Virginia (1967) made it illegal for these states to enforce those laws. This ended a long era of laws that were enforced in forty-two states over the course of American history. These laws did not only apply to black people and white people; many states also restricted relationships with Asians, Native Americans, Indians, Hispanics, and other ethnic groups.

The freedom to love is something most of us take for granted. Like many other freedoms, the right for interracial couples to be together was fought for and won as a part of our civil rights. Many people see this as the longest-lasting part of the legal segregation that used to rule our nation. The Lovings, like Rosa Parks, played an important role in freeing us from laws that punished people for no other reason than the color of their skin.


The Last Laws To Go: 1998 and 2000
Posted May 1st, 2009 by lovingday

Incredibly, laws against interracial couples stayed on the books for decades after the Loving decision. In 1998, a clause that prohibited "marriage of a white person with a Negro or mulatto or a person who shall have one-eighth or more Negro blood" was removed South Carolina's state constitution. According to a Mason-Dixon poll four months before the vote, 22% of South Carolina voters were opposed to the removal of this clause. It had been introduced in 1895.

In Alabama, it took until 2000 to remove these laws. A referendum was passed that removed this article from the Alabama State Constitution:

"The Legislature shall never pass any law to authorize or legalize any marriage between any white person and a Negro, or a descendant of a Negro."
Alabama State Constitution, Article IV, Section 102

This section was introduced in 1901. According to a poll conducted by the Mobile Register in September of 2000, 19% of voters said that they would not remove section 102. This is comparable to the 22% in South Carolina. However, 64% said that they would vote to remove it. While this is a majority, it is still far from a unanimous vote.

Because of the Loving decision, these laws were not legally enforceable after June 12th, 1967 - even though they were on the books.

Read more here... I learned today that bone marrow tranfusions is tougher for Interacial children to find a match. I didn't know that.

I had a really good time today. It was wild to see the fact that we need to celebrate the fact that our kind of love is legal. It's just so natural to me, I don't even think about who or what I am loving. I just love her. And boy do I love her...

This has been going on for 7 years, and I will be at the next. Why didn't I know about this for the past 4 years Sofia and I have been together?

-R39W

Pub culture

The way 5:00 should be...The Brits seem to understand that. Or is it because everything closes before midnight. I can't seem to figure it out. Not sure what I would trade. Early off or early closings...









I loved the idea of everyone drinking on the sidewalk at 5:00. No more client meetings. No concepting and showing work at 7:00pm.And the accents are kinda cool. So even when they are complaining, it's funny to listen to. Just like me I hear...

-R39W

Love the do...

I was walking in London a couple of weeks back and saw this near my hotel...




Just imagine if this place got hot and everyone came out looking like this...



Just saying...
-R39W

The cool things I see from time to time...

I was leaving my old job, BBDO, one day and walked past this shoot going down right in front of Radio City. My old "friend" Terry Richardson was the photographer.







I only say old friend because I saw him on the street once when I first came to NYC. I had to be a fan. I am not a fan but for few people.


-R39W

Appreciation : Flaming Lips "Embryonic"

I was at the coffee shop, Nero Doro, this morning near my house. I decided that I needed to make a morning ritual to journal again. I have been depriving my subconsious the much needed listening and attentiveness.

My iPod randomly selected the Embryonic album today. Nice treat as I haven't listened since that fun concert. I encourage everyone to see them live.

I love this album and this song in particular is one of my favorites on it.



Here are some of the other goodness from the show that I went to in NJ a couple of months back..





Here are a few videos of the show.





WARNING: You may want to lower your volume. These are a little distorted soundwise - But the visuals are fun





A distorted hit...It gets better sounding at some point, but be prepared.



Overall it was such a very fun show. I had a great time- I was all Kiddy and Giddy.

-R39W

Please watch.

It's long- but this is something that is very important.

Please sit thru this.



-R39W

Craziness...

-R39W