I was on the train yesterday on the way back home when I ran into my boy Brook, one of the folks from Nat Creole who put together the Shirley Chisholm events we mentioned a couple of weeks back. We started talking about Mrs. Chisholm, and he mentioned this doc on her I should check out. I figured it was only right to share. Check out an excerpt of the film after the jump…
— AKA Grupo Folklorico y Experimental Nuevayorquino AKA the New York Folkloric and Experimental Group is going to reunite this weekend for a concert at the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the group they are a 15 piece Latin Band that used to be big in the 70s, back when NYC was a little rougher. The group pulled inspiration from many of their Latin roots to form jazz-influenced, Cuban and Puerto Rican folk rhythms. Their music is definitely worth checking out especially if you like Afro-Cuban Jazz, listen to the track below…
Five Days till election so I thought I would post some Palin related music in tribute to the election.
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The 18-year-old Haitian American striker Jozy Altidore, who has been contributing items for The Times’s Goal blog, checks in from Spain, where he is preparing to make his first start for Villarreal on Wednesday. Here is a snippet of what the kid talked about with them….
I know, I know — it seems like, and has been ages since my last posting. I’ll try to do better, but you know how it is!
My most exciting news is that I’m going to be in the starting lineup when we play a Copa del Rey game Wednesday against Polideportivo Ejido. Man, it feels good. I need to get some games under my belt and this is a good time for me to play a game. I’m just excited that I’m finally going to get to show what I can do and I hope I have a good showing and make a good impression. I just want to help the team in the tournament.
The reaction from my teammates and the coaches all was pretty positive. I think they were surprised because really none of them had seen me play in a game-game, only in training.
I knew when I was coming in here that things weren’t going to happen overnight. It’s all going according to plan for me, something that I and my family looked at before we decided on Spain and Villarreal. I didn’t expect things to happen immediately, I came here to learn and to grow as a player. Maybe I won’t say that 10 months from now, but there are no worries. I want to play, and I think that’s pretty normal.
Our collection of shirts for the Fall/Winter Season are now on sale in our online shop.
Click the images below for more info on each product.
A little vintage footage to start off the week…
…spotted over at Different Kitchen via Daily Dose.
Image via LoisInWonderland on Flickr.
This weekend marks 25 years since the controversial US-led invasion of Grenada in 1983. Check a quick recap of the events below…
On October 19, 1983, Bernard Coard, a hard-line communist, led a coup against the government of Maurice Bishop. Though Bishop was cooperating with Cuba & Russia on various trade and foreign policy issues, Bishop sought to maintain a “non-aligned” status, and so was deemed insufficiently revolutionary by Marxists in his government. A few days later Bishop and several of his followers were executed by the Coard regime, which then put the island under martial law. For four days no one was allowed to leave their homes, under threat of summary execution, and over 1000 American medical students became de facto hostages of the regime. On October 25, Grenada was liberated by combined forces from the United States, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Jamaica, and Barbados. The U.S. stated this was done at the behest of Dame Eugenia Charles, of Dominica. Five other Caribbean nations participated with Dominica and the USA in the campaign against the Cuban and Grenadan forces, called Operation Urgent Fury. While the Governor-General, Sir Paul Scoon, later stated that he had also requested the invasion, it was highly criticised by the governments of the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago and Canada. The United Nations General Assembly condemned it as “a flagrant violation of international law” by a vote of 108 in favor to 9, with 27 abstentions.
After the invasion of the island nation, the pre-revolutionary Grenadan constitution was resumed. Many Cuban soldiers who had escaped into the countryside seeking to avoid being forced to return to communist Cuba were corralled in by the locals over the subsequent weeks, who were given the extra incentive of a cash bounty for each captured Cuban. Graffiti thanking the United States for liberating Grenada is still seen today on the streets of St. George’s.
Eighteen members of the PRG and the PRA (army) were arrested after the invasion on charges related to the murder of Maurice Bishop and seven others. The eighteen included the top political leadership of Grenada at the time of the execution as well as the entire military chain of command directly responsible for the operation that led to the executions. Fourteen were sentenced to death, one was found not guilty and three were sentenced to forty-five years in prison. The death sentences were eventually commuted to terms of imprisonment. Those in prison have become known as the Grenada 17.
For a full recap of the events, click here. Also, check out a quick video recap, pulled from the 1983 CNN Archives, after the jump…
I posted about this last week, and now I bring you video of Usain’s interview with HBO Real Sports’ host Bryant Gumbel. Check it out below…
Part 2 is after the jump…
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Randy’s Record Shop in Kingston. For those who don’t know, Randy’s is the shop (and studio) behind the birth of VP records. To celebrate the occasion, 17 North Parade, VP’s vintage label, is getting set to release a CD/DVD combo featuring music from their early years.
17 North Parade was the original address of Randy’s. For more info on the compilation, click here.
They’re also set to celebrate the release with two events in NYC and in Toronto with Clive Chin, son of VP Record’s founder Vincent “Randy” Chin.
Check out a preview of the DVD and flyers for their upcoming events, after the jump…
Yet another trailer. This is looking like it might be pretty good. Thoughts? Check out the official site for more info.