Archive for the ‘PROGRESSIVE IDEAS’ Category

« Older Entries

World Cup Update + Serious Talk About WC Uniforms! By Patrick K. Sister

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

As I watch Germany x Argentina and try to forget yesterday’s game when Brazil lost to Netherlands I find it odd that I was more upset when Brett Favre’s pass was intercepted and Vikings’ chances to go to the Superbowl were dead and gone (FYI: I’m a Vikings fan). Since the next World Cup will be in Brazil in 2014 maybe we’ll have a better chance with the home advantage and by then the Vikings can win 4 Superbowls!

germany

As mentioned above, I’m watching Germany’s game and I can’t help to say that I find Germany’s away jersey to be, by far, my favorite one. Second best would be Ghana’s home and Ivory Cost’s home. Both of those are slim fit (which is kind of a trend on Puma’s jerseys). And finally I would choose England’s home jersey for its classical look. Plain and simple white and one of the only ones with the classic collar.

The ugliest ones are, by far, Australia’s (both home and away). The colors, the design -  it is just plain ugly!

Australia's Uniforms

Australia's Uniforms

And Slovenia’s home and away. Well, Slovenia’s jersey are not that ugly but it reminds me too much of Charlie Brown.

Slovenia's Uniforms

Slovenia's Uniforms

jack o'lanternWell I’m at it I have to mention that even thought I do like Netherland’s orange uniform, when they wear it with black shorts they look like a bunch of Jack O’Lanterns.

Seriously, talking about the actual World Cup: today is the second and last day of the quarter finals. Germany is winning its game against Argentina. The winner of this game will play the winner of Spain x Paraguay.

Yesterday, Netherlands eliminated Brazil and will play Uruguay on the semifinals. Uruguay won its game against Ghana.

My guess is that the winner of the Germany x Argentina will play Netherlands on the finals. Let’s see how good a sidekick I am.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in PROGRESSIVE EVENTS, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS | No Comments »

World Cup Pulse: Meaning Behind “Cala Boca Galvão” + Top 10 Ugliest Players?

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Can anyone give me a call when the World Cup begins? One week ago these were the favorite teams: Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, France, England, Netherlands and Spain. Eight teams and guess what: only one – Germany – played like a pro. Germany showed  excellent team work with beautiful plays winning their game against Australia by 4×0. Aside from that game, all the other first games were just boring. Brazil, even winning by 2×1 weren’t spared from critics. They played North Korea which is the lowest ranked team in the World Cup. Everyone was expecting something like 4×0 or more. But the real surprise was Spain losing their game to Switzerland. This first round has the worst average of goals per game with 1.56 against 2.44 from the 2006 tournament.

The second round has already started and things are getting better and way more interesting. Argentina finally showed why they are considered one of the best teams. Messi and his gang won by 4×1 from South Korea. And guess what, we already had our second round of surprise: France 0×2 Mexico. With that score France is at serious risk of not qualifying for the play-offs. I’m anxious to see the next round of games. The teams have to win to qualify, so they should be more aggressive which should lead to more offensive plays, more goals and better games in general. So fingers crossed that round two delivers!

CBGLet me tell you guys a funny story that has come up on the internet and has even made the NY Times, El Pais and other international newspapers. It’s the environmental campaign “CALA BOCA GALVÃO” (pictured right). Even Lady GaGa had a video released on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJxJ-B-zrWI). The campaign “Cala Boca Galvão” has been on Twitter’s Trending Topics for a couple of weeks.

Let me explain what’s this is all about. It’s all a funny hoax. Galvão refers, not to a bird but to Galvão Bueno, the most famous sportscaster in Brazil. He is, indeed, quite annoying. The term “cala boca” means “shut up” so the translation would be “Shut Up Galvão”. The hoax campaign was created so non-Portuguese speaking people would tweet the term “Cala Boca Galvão” and get it to the top of twitter’s trending topics. They made fake posters, mashup videos, and not only did it work but it became such a hit that newspapers from all over the world published stories about it.

But don’t worry about the real Galvão, he is being a good sport about it. He even said that he deeply committed to the campaign! So everyone help out!!

And to finish this post, you can all find stories about the best looking players. Since this post is all about jokes, here are the top 10 ugliest ones!

Top 10 Ugliest World Cup Players

Top 10 Ugliest World Cup Players

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in PROGRESSIVE EVENTS, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS | No Comments »

World Cup Fever in Brazil! By Patrick K. Sister

Thursday, June 10th, 2010
FanFestRio

Sketch of Copacabana Beach in Rio for World Cup 2010

So Brazil beat North Korea but, it’s no reason to celebrate since they barely won by one point to the team that has the lowest ranking while Brazil has the highest. The same was true with Italy tying Paraguay. Uneventful games that should have been easy and major wins have proved otherwise. Our correspondent, Patrick K. Sister reports that Germany is the team to look out for and he predicts could be the front runner… We’ll check back with him soon on more coverage in Brazil but, for now read below as he describes the overall vibe of Brazil as it enters World Cup fever!

‘Fever Outbreak’

Tuesday, 3:30 pm. You get off at Wall Street Station and walk to the NY Stock Exchange. You are the only one on the street. You go down Broadway heading to Battery Park. Not a single soul around. That “Vanilla Sky” scene where Tom Cruise walks around a New York ghost town or even that image in “28 Days Later” in London comes to mind. You think: “What is going on? Where is everyone? This can’t be normal”.  You start to walk fast, looking over your shoulders scared to bump into a zombie.

Well, that’s about right. The difference is that it’s not in New York. It’s in Rio de Janeiro and other cities across Brazil. And there aren’t any zombies. Well, not quite the “undead” movie ones. During the next month, Brazil’s population will become an army of soccer zombies. It’s the World Cup Fever. And trust me, as someone who has been in Brazil for seven World Cups (two of which we won) I know what I’m talking, better yet, writing, about. (Just to make myself clear, when I say World Cup, there is only one sport I could be talking about: football, or as Americans like to call it, soccer).

I was asked by the guys at Progressive Pulse to write about the World Cup. They wanted a different perspective – a view from the inside. Inside what?  Well, inside the madness that takes over my country during this sports event. And let me add that the World Cup is the most viewed event in the world. I know that in the US it is not as big a deal as the World Series finals, the Superbowl or the American Idol finals. (Just messing with you guys, after all, who watches the Word Series finals anymore!). Just to give you an idea, FIFA (the International Soccer Federation) is expecting 3 billion viewers during the event. I guess that’s quite a bit, right?

Let me go back to that zombie fever thing I mentioned before. In Brazil, the games are so important that everything stops. In Rio de Janeiro, the mayor issued a statement declaring a “semi-holiday” (half the day) for city hall employees. Banks will close. Movie theaters will close. Markets, drugstores, offices will all be shutting down early.  I haven’t read anything about the stock market but I will look into it. Here in Rio, if you go downtown at 3:30pm on Tuesday (Brazil’s first game) it will look like a ghost town. You could literally lie down on the usually busiest streets because there will be no traffic. People will be home, at bars or even at the beach. There will be a big screen at Copacabana Beach where people can watch the game. They will air all of the 64 games and during the Brazilian team games there will be a second screen so the whole crowd can watch it. There will be bands playing during the break. Below is a sketch of the structure built in Copacabana.

I have to say, it is something amazing and disturbing at the same time. To see a whole country united like this can give you mixed feelings. Especially when you know there is so many wrong things going on here with politics and people are so inert about it. Even thought we are in election year for president, governors, senators, and representatives, it’s not time to talk about politics. Let us join the army of soccer zombies and sing: Brazil! Brazil! Brazil!

Next week I’ll write about how people paint and decorate streets like a yellow and green Christmas holiday. I’ll have some pictures of the empty streets and the decorated ones and let’s see what my soon to be soccer fever infected brain lets me write about.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Patrick K. Sister

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in PROGRESSIVE DESTINATIONS, PROGRESSIVE EVENTS, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS, PROGRESSIVE TWFS (Travel, Wine, Food & Spirits) | No Comments »

All You Need to Know About the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. By Aldo Diez

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

World Cup Soccerball

World Cup Soccerball

What: The 2010 FIFA World Cup (Federation international of Football association) http://www.fifa.com/

Where: South Africa (different cities)

When: June 11 through July 11

Get your DVR’s and TiVo’s ready and your remote control handy for the upcoming Soccer World Cup 2010, 8 groups of 4 teams per group for a total of 32 countries will participate in one of the most anticipated competitions in the world, South Africa being the first African country to be chosen after a controversial drawing, most of the countries running to be the host country for this cup criticized the FIFA because they said that South Africa was one of the most unsafe places on earth to have such a competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo wearing Emporio Armani for the Portuguese team

Cristiano Ronaldo wearing Emporio Armani for the Portuguese team

This time some of the well-known players won’t be participating such as David Beckham, who broke his Achilles tendon last March on a friendly match, Brazilian star Ronaldinho Gaucho was not “invited” to be part of his team, rumor has it that he and the team coach “Dunga” never got along. Now all of the attention will concentrate in the talented Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who also got his “star status” like Beckham after his underwear campaign for the Emporio Armani label.

Lionel Messi for the Argentina team

Lionel Messi for the Argentina team

According to the experts Argentina has the most “all star” team in the cup, most of the players play in Spain and in Italy, the biggest star is of course Lionel Messi, also known as “la pulga” (the flee) because of his height, and he was voted the best player in the world in 2009.

If I will have to predict, here’s my final 4? This would be my list:

Brazil

brazil-flag

Argentina

Argentina-flag

Spain

large-spain-flag

England

english flag

The countries that are considered the “underdogs” with a little chance to make it to the next round would be: South Korea, Switzerland, Australia and Honduras, but hey, there are always surprises.

The first match will always start at 4:00 pm (local time in South Africa).  There is a 9 hour difference between South Africa and the SF/Bay Area and a 6 hour difference between South African and New York, so either you wake very early before you head to work to see a match or use your lunch break to see a part of a game, or again you can record it or use your DVR if you have one.

There will be a giant screen at the Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco where the matches will be shown. The 13×18 screen will be mounted on a truck and hydraulically lifted and will broadcast as many World Cup games as possible.

And I almost forgot, people can also watch the cup in the internet There are several websites devoted to the cup, like:

http://www.livesoccertv.com/

http://www.justin.tv

And of course the ESPN station has a dedicated soccer website: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/?cc=5901&ver=us

The following is a list of places in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York you can see the matches while grabbing a drink:

SAN FRANCISCO:

Foley’s Irish Pub

243 O’Farrell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102-2118
(415) 954-0777

www.johnnyfoleys.com

Jillian’s Billiard Club

101 4th Street,

San Francisco, CA 94103

415 369 6100

www.jilliansonline.com

4th street Bar & Deli

55 4th St

San Francisco CA 94103

415 442-6734

Mercury Lounge

Soccer Cafe

2797 16th Street

SF, CA 94102

www.sfsoccercafe.com

Cava 22

3239 22nd Street

SF, CA 94110

www.cava22sf.com

The Napper Tandy Bar

3200 24th Street

SF, CA 94110

wwwnappertandysf.com

SF GAY SPORTS BAR:

The Mix

4086 18th Street

SF< CA 94114

www.sfmixbar.com

LOS ANGELES:

The Village Idiot

7383 Melrose Ave.

L.A. CA 90046

www.villageidiotla.com

The Happy Ending

7038 W Sunset Blvd

L.A. CA 90028

www.thehappyending.com

Industry Cafe & Jazz

6039 Washington Blvd

Culver City, CA 90232

www.industrycafeandjazz.com

Upper West

3321 Pico Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90405

www.theupperwest.com

Cock N Bull Pub

2947 Lincoln Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90405

www.cocknbullbritishpub.com

Bossa Nova (Various Locations in Los Angeles)

www.bossanovafood.com

Cafe Brasil

10831 Venice Blvd.

L.A., CA 90034

or

11736 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90066

www.cafe-brasil.com

3rd Stop

8636 W. 3rd St.

Los Angeles, CA 90048

8636 W. Third St.

L.A., CA 90048

Cat & Fiddle

6530 Sunset Blvd.

L.A., CA 90028

www.thecatandfiddle.com

Circle Bar

2926 Main St.

Santa Monica, CA 90405

www.thecirclebar.com

Dakota Music Lounge

1026 Wilshire Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

www.dakotalounge.com

L.A. GAY SPORTS BAR

GYM

8737 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood, CA

www.gymsportsbar.com

NEW YORK:

Boqueria

53 West 19th Street

or

171 Spring Street

www.boquerianyc.com

Esperanto

145 Avenue C

New York, NY 10009

Novecento

343 West Broadway

New York, NY 10013

www.novecento.com

La Nacional

239 West 14th Street

New York, NY 10011

www.lanacionaltapas.com

Fontana’s

105 Eldriege Street

New York, NY 10002

www.fontanasnyc.com

Bunny Chow

74 Orchard Street

New York, NY 10002

www.bunnychowny.com

NEW YORK GAYS SPORTS BARS:

Boxers NYC

37 West 20th Street

New York, NY 10001

www.boxersnyc.com


Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in PROGRESSIVE DESTINATIONS, PROGRESSIVE EVENTS, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS, PROGRESSIVE TELEVISION by Jim Halterman, PROGRESSIVE TWFS (Travel, Wine, Food & Spirits) | No Comments »

Chinese New Year: The Year of the Powerful Tiger: 2.14.10

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Listen to the Podcast Interview above with author Neil Somerville about his new book, “Your Chinese Astrology 2010: The Year of the Tiger”. Find out what’s in store for this explosive and powerful year ahead which begins on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2010.

neil_tiger

Your Chinese Horoscope 2010: What the Year of the Tiger Holds in Store for You

Download Podcast at iTunes

pp_podcasts_image

PROGRESSIVE PULSE.COM - PROGRESSIVE PULSE PODCASTS

Posted in PROGRESSIVE ART, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS | No Comments »

Reach New Heights at Berkeley’s Landmark Theatre by Kevin M. Thomas

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

lot68_bar_pic

Dinner and a movie just went to a higher plateau thanks to the Landmark Theatres adding a bar and cafe to its Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley, CA.

The Shattuck was already one of the best theatre venues in the Bay Area, thanks to its beautiful renovation last year. Now it’s even better, as it takes on a chic style and comfort class with the opening of the Lot 68 Lounge.

The bar-in-a-theatre is not new to movie theatres, or Landmark, by any means. Landmark has bars and lounges in their Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, Milwaukee, and Detroit cinemas. Original or not, it sure makes going to the movies more worthwhile. Moviegoers anxious to discuss a movie after a show no longer have to re-park at some other bar or restaurant; it’s all under one roof at Lot 68.

lot68bWhile all theatre patrons and visitors can enjoy the full bar and tasty food offered in the lounge itself, those viewing movies can also take their cocktails into the screening rooms during specially designated performances. All attendees to these screenings must be 21+ years old, according to Steve Indig, Landmark’s publicist.

Lot 68 provides everything a full bar has to offer, as well as some excellent food choices. Appetizers, such as hummus, sweet potato fries, chicken nuggets, vegetarian egg rolls and cheese plates range from $6-14. More substantial fare, like salads, sandwiches or pizza, is available for between $7-11. Dessert selections, including chocolate molten lava cake, or ginger beer float start at around $8. All can be packaged to take into the theatres, says Scott McChesney of the Shattuck.

“The addition of Lot 68 at Shattuck Cinemas is part of our ongoing commitment to the City of Berkeley in providing patrons with the perfect evening out, in terms of an overall entertainment experience,” said Ted Mundorff, Chief Executive Officer of Landmark Theatres.

The bar is named Lot 68 in tribute to Berkeley’s rich history, as lot 68 was the parcel of land purchased in 1860 by Berkeley’s founder, Francis Kittredge Shattuck, to serve as his homestead, and is the present day block where the Shattuck Cinemas is located, at the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Kittredge Street.

In early 2009, the Shattuck Cinemas completed a comprehensive remodel with new spacious and luxurious theatre seating in all auditoriums, new lighting design, carpets and paint.  Two auditoriums were transformed into Landmark’s exclusive Screening Lounge with unique seating options of home-style couches, love seats, chairs and ottomans (these are the screening rooms you can drink cocktails in during special screenings). Upgrades in the lobby and concession area were included in the comprehensive makeover. The new Lot 68 Lounge completes the renovations, making Shattuck Cinemas the area’s premier cinema complex, and an East Bay entertainment destination.

To attract not just movie customers, but others looking for quality food and drink in the area, Lot 68 is going to be open 365 days a year, Monday – Thursday, 5pm – 11pm; Friday, 5pm – 12am; Saturday, 1pm – 12am; and Sunday, 1pm – 11pm. The Shattuck Cinemas and Lot 68 are located 2230 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA.  Information for film programs and other details are available at (510)464-5980 or www.landmarktheatres.com.

See more about Lot 68 at http://www.landmarktheatres.com/mn/shattuck/lot68/lot68.html, or be a fan on Facebook.

Posted in PROGRESSIVE ART, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS, PROGRESSIVE TWFS (Travel, Wine, Food & Spirits) | No Comments »

LEAVE IT TO ANNA WINTOUR TO RE-IGNITE AND STIMULATE THE ECONOMY…OR AT LEAST THE FASHION INDUSTRY!

Friday, September 11th, 2009

It’s true the brainchild of Anna Wintour’s 1st and hopefully bi-annual event, FASHION’S NIGHT OUT, appeared to be a complete success as the city was exhilarated with fashionistas from every walk of life storming the Fall-like streets to partake in the carnival of fashion. It felt like a fashion block party with everyone in elated moods from young to old and conservative to outrageous. Ms. Wintour is one savvy businesswoman coming off the heels of her highly anticipated “September Issue”, which opens nationally today, to produce a global initiative to promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion. The events took place here in the 5 boroughs of New York as well as international cities where Vogue is produced including: United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Russia, France, Brazil, India, Spain, China, Germany, Japan and Taiwan. Retail stores ranges from Oscar De La Renta and Prada to Macy’s, The Gap and American Apparel.

Meg Okura trio from Lincoln Center

DJ REACH

I attended the Wall Street Journal and Paul Stuart event held at the Paul Stuart store on Madison Avenue. Guests were treated to a champagne bar, full bar featuring cucumber mint gin martinis, delicious and sumptuous hors d’oeuvres featuring the best sliders, music by DJ Reach who spinned soulful new and old school classics like D’Angelo’s “Brown Sugar” and Suzanne Vega’s, “Tom’s Diner”, Live Jazz by Meg Okura trio from Lincoln Center’s Meet the Artist series, prize drawings and of course complimentary copies of the Wall Street Journal. PAUL STUART is one of those boutiques that has stood the test of time since 1938 but, has a reputation for being conservative, traditional and do I dare say, ‘boring’…However, my friend Mario and I were pleasantly proved wrong as today PAUL STUART could easily be the wardrobe that leads us into a positively, modern ‘MAD MEN’ era especially with the help of celebs like Jay-Z and Nick Cannon donning the duds.

I know the initiative and undertaking (FASHION’S NIGHT OUT) was to stimulate retail and it worked – my friend walked away with a classic and original chocolate brown double-breasted suede vest that fit him like a dream. Work that vest today at the office, Mario! On our way to the D&G party we stopped in front of the Oscar de la Renta boutique just in time to catch Oscar himself singing a cabaret number with Barbara Walters – a la gay twenties vibe. Quite the opposite and a few doors down at the GUISEPPE ZANOTTI boutique featured a sexy female go-go dancer while singer; Rhianna was reported to be tearing up the dance floor. Upon arriving at the D&G store we were amused at the live male models posing in the windows adding life to the store window motif. Take a look at shots from New York’s first FASHION’S NIGHT OUT below.

Dapper Jason: Modern Day MAD Man

Beautiful, Caroline Kasabian (Screenvision) and WSJ's William Gasperoni

Dancer in the window at the GUISEPPE ZANOTTI boutique

D&G Male Models add life to the window

Onlookers gather outside Oscar de la Renta boutique to see Oscar and Barbara Walters perform cabaret number

Someone needs to rock this Roberto Cavalli number....Halle, Jennifer???

Bond No. 9 Fragrance Mobile was out on the town. The mascot for the fragrance collection that celebrates New York's neighborhoods

Mark Christopher enjoys FASHION'S NIGHT OUT at Paul Stuart

Mario Pulice helps make FASHION'S NIGHT OUT a success by walking away with this Paul Stuart chocolate brown vest

Trying to pose at the Paul Stuart store - bad! Btw it's ME...

Posted in PROGRESSIVE FASHION, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS | 3 Comments »

SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS: BETTER THAN YOUR BF’S BAND!

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS are ‘better than your boyfriend’s band’ according to drummer Dan Crean. Led by frontman, Justin Tranter, SPW are rounded out by Cole Whittle (Bass) and Stevy Pyne (Guitar & Backing Vocals). Although the album came out last Fall and according to Tranter will disappear very soon in favor of a new debut that will land them on the radio, “Semi Precious Weapons” the album is a must have for your collection in the event it does in fact disappear… With titles like, “Magnetic Baby” which immediately spews out the lyrics, “It’s not my fault I look better in her party dress, it’s not my fault that you left your slutty girlfriend…” and the title track, “Semi Precious Weapons” which states, “I can’t pay my rent but, I’m fucking gorgeous…”. Of course you can’t leave out, “Her Hair Is On Fire” where Tranter screams, “Her Hair Her Hair Her Hair is on Fire, she don’t want no water let her fuckin head burn…”. And there’s more unapologetic lyrics on the rest of the album but, it’s the music and arrangements produced by Tony Visconti (Morrissey, David Bowie) that deserves to stand on its own.

The music can be described as edgy rock, punk, party music but, because Tranter has a unique way of blatantly phrasing aspects of his life “Semi Precious Weapons” is fun to blast at home alone for a party of one or on your iPod to release all that aggression when you’re at the gym. Even better catch one of their live shows and you’ll be screaming back at the stage the lyrics to songs you just learned while jumping up and down like the rocker you always wanted to be. According to the band, they’re all about the live show!

Don’t let the Parental Advisory on the cover or the outrageous costumes of Justin Tranter fool you, Semi Precious Weapons are serious about their music. All members attended the Berklee School of Music. However, it’s the fusion of music, lyrics, style and in your face antics that set Semi Precious Weapons apart from the rest.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO INTERVIEW OF SPW HERE: http://www.progressivepulse.com/music/music.htm

Posted in PROGRESSIVE IDEAS, PROGRESSIVE MUSIC | No Comments »

PROGRESSIVE PULSE SUMMA PLAYLIST + DOWNLOAD LINKS

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

1. Lisa Shaw – “Music in You” Album: “Free”

Lisa Shaw - Free - All Night High

2. Los Amigos Invisibles – “Mentiras” Album: “Commercial”

Los Amigos Invisibles - Commercial

3. Tortured Soul – “Home To You” Album: “Did You Miss Me?”

Tortured Soul - Did You Miss Me

4. Swing Out Sister – “Butterfly” Album: “Beautiful Mess”

Swing Out Sister - Beautiful Mess

5. DJ Cliffy – “Our Sound” Album:  “Black Rio 2: Original Samba Soul 1971 – 1980″

6. Vieux Farka Toure – “Fafa” Album: “Fondo”

Vieux Farka Touré - Fondo

7. Ciam – “Over the Edge” Album:  “Anonymous”

Ciam - Anonymous - Looking for Love

8. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics – “Masengo” Album: “Inspiration Information 3″

Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information 3

9. Amp Fiddler and Sly & Robbie – “Crazy Day” Album:  “Inspiration Information”

Sly & Robbie & Amp Fiddler - Inspiration Information

10. Ashley Beedle & Horace Andy -”Babylon You Lose” Album:  “Inspiration Information 2″

Ashley Beedle & Horace Andy - Inspiration Information 2

11. Vanessa Williams – “Close to You” Album: “The Real Thing”

Vanessa Williams - The Real Thing - Lazy Afternoon

12. Lisa Shaw – “Feel” Album: “Free”

Lisa Shaw - Free

13. Poet Name Life & Orishas – “14Me” Album: “Revolution”

The Revolution & Poet Name Life - Revolution

14. Carlon – “Mixed Messages” Album: “Johari Window”

Carlon - Johari Window

15. Los Amigos Invisibles – “Como Sabes Tu” Album: “Commercial”

Los Amigos Invisibles - Commercial

16. Incognito – “Step Aside” Album: “More Tales Remixed”

17. Norman Cook – “Siente Mi Ritmo” Album: “Revolution”

The Revolution & Poet Name Life - Revolution

18. Tosca – “Springer” Album: “No Hassle”

Tosca - No Hassle (Bonus Track Version)

19. Swing Out Sister – “Beautiful Mess” Album: “Beautiful Mess”

Swing Out Sister - Beautiful Mess

20. Midival Punditz – “Drifting” Album: “Hello Hello”

Midival Punditz - Hello Hello

Posted in PROGRESSIVE IDEAS, PROGRESSIVE MUSIC | No Comments »

Three R’s of Recession Fashion by Tameika Lawrence

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

You just loved it when you bought it.  But is it really ’so over,’ now that you’re over it?  Not necessarily.

Recent ‘recessionomics’ has forced many to get a little creative when it comes to our closets.  So what would normally be replaced, is now being Reinterpreted, Reinvented, and Reused: the 3 R’s of recession fashion!

Two of my skinny belts have become my new favorite accessories.  These thin belts are visibly in, often shown adorning waists.  However, I occasionally use them as arm candy by fashioning them into bracelets.  A few wraps and they’re instantly transformed from skinny waist belts to strappy wrist bracelets, giving me a look I couldn’t get with any of my traditional bangles.  Try this with necklaces as well. Guys can also do the same with masculine versions of these items, including other articles like ties; perhaps fashioned into a wrapped boxer-like arm band like the one picture to the right.

Don’t stop there.  A good look around your home is the perfect place to find ordinary materials that you can turn into extraordinary and original accent pieces for your look.  I created a silver necklace simply out of key rings, keys, and an old chain in the spirit of boredom, inventiveness, and necessity.  Now, one of my more original and valued pieces actually cost me nothing but a little time.

If you have purchasing power, brilliant!  I say go, buy, and generate the economy.  But, if you don’t, or would just like to constructively utilize leisure time and old items, look for opportunities to reinterpret, reinvent, and reuse.  Following trends is great, setting them is even better.

Tags: , ,
Posted in PROGRESSIVE FASHION, PROGRESSIVE IDEAS | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries