The HighLife

IMAGINATION who can sing thy force?
Or who can describe the swiftness of thy course?
Soaring through air to find the bright abode,
Th'empyreal palace of the thund'ring God,
We on thy pinions can surpass the wind,
And leave the rolling universe behind:
From star to star the mental optics rove,
Measure the skies, and range the realms above.
There in one view we grasp the mighty whole,
Or with new worlds amaze th'unbounded soul.
-Phillis Wheatley


-Bibio

"With all thy getting, get understanding"
-Solomon

Few movies are made that actually make you look at the world as it is, warts and all.  Just as there is good with bad, understanding with ignorance, love with hate; it is no different when considering society.  Not to say that there is a majority on either side of the spectrum, just that there always lies a contradiction to whatever one may think is the norm. 

A movie debuted on HBO recently, Prom Night in Mississippi, that is sure to spark quite a bit of uproar.  Here's a clip to give you some more insight.



Sometimes, it's the people you think you understand the least that are the most like you, and vice versa.  This documentary does a great job of presenting the story of a community made to address its status quo, juxtaposed against the reality of the society it lives in.  The high school seniors are the movie, and give you a real glimpse into the mindset of a community that hasn't been forced to measure itself against society at large.  That is surely going to change now.

"If you seek perfection and only gaze into the sky,
you fail to see the flowers on the ground."
- Aquarion

The 2009 SoundCity Music Video Awards will be held on August 1, 2009.  "Rewarding Africa's Finest and... Best Acts".  It doesn't matter what continent you find yourself, the artists and acts being honored are well worth your interest and time.  I'll leave you to do the browsing yourself, but cannot stress this enough... 
VOTE for STR8 BUTTAH - The Last Stand (Best hiphop video)
**Look under "Categories & Nominees"

If you are longtime Highlifer, you know about The Jumpoff.  I haven't written one in a while, but it would behoove you to go through archives and check them out.  Regardless, i put up a track on the B-Side of The Jumpoff 10.23.08 post from a hiphop outfit (Str8 Buttah) based out of Lagos, Nigeria, called "The Last Stand".  Here it is again in case you missed it. 



So once again...
VOTE for STR8 BUTTAH - The Last Stand (Best hiphop video)

Also, if you like what you hear.  Find them on Facebook, you'll find a lot more to like.

"A gentleman is free to do whatever he pleases, so long as he does it with style"
- Lord Chesterfield

 
Paul Smith. Official designer for Manchester United.

i used to watch this as a kid, and i don't know how else to describe it, except as awesome. trust me, you don't need to understand what they're saying to get it... TeleMatch

Robert F. Kennedy (L) and Sargent Shriver (C)

"Respect for another man's opinion is worthy.  It is the realization that any opinion is valuable, for it is the sign of a rational being."
- Sargent Shriver

"But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?"
- Robert F. Kennedy

"In Austria, a distinguished composer, the cast, the villagers, and the audience gathered for a coffee break with the local baker.  There was no class distinction."
- Sargent Shriver

"It is well to be prepared for life as it is, but it is better to be prepared to make life better than it is."
- Sargent Shriver

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events; and the total, of all those acts will be written the history of this generation."
- Robert F. Kennedy

Warning:  Show requires a REALLY good sense of humor. 

This is probably the funniest show you have no idea about.  Last night's episode had me ROTFL (that's "rolling on the floor laughing" to the neophytes).  I really wish they had full episodes available to post so you can know what i mean, but i guess you're just going to have to watch it yourself on ABC, Wednesdays at 8:30pm.

Everyone on the show works for Veridian, a cutting edge food/bio/randomness technology company.  Veridian had just lauched a cost-cutting energy plan that uses motion sensors based on light.  Basically, when a person moves anywhere in the office the sensor picks up on the brightness/light on the person's skin, and thus sensors turn on lights, open doors, activate water fountains, etc.  So you can only guess where that leads, absolute hilarity!!! And this scene...