Estevan Oriol just put us onto this recent piece by Retna and The Mac. The female character comes directly from an Estevan Oriol photograph (note the signature in the lower corner).

Go to estevanoriol.blogspot.com for more… or check the Daily Dose for some flicks of Retna & The Mac doing touch-ups.

A couple of weeks ago, Frank151 brought the incomparable Raekwon The Chef of The Wu-Tang Clan to the ultra-exclusive club The Box in Downtown Manhattan. Check our man rocking the spot and giving us a big shout at the end.

Thanks to Dante Ross for the video archive.

Check this video of Obama’s hoop game. This is cool, we should have a President who’s got skills on and off the court.

Rumor has it that his political advisors told him to wear the tapered sweat pants to appeal to middle aged white guys.

Frank Fam, and contributor to the Tuff Gong chapter, Liz Solms, just let us know about her new blog www.sweetpeabanana.tumblr.com.

A foundation grant first lead Liz Solms to Jamaica in 2005 to establish an organic growers association in the agricultural area of St. Elizabeth, a part of the Island known just as much for its beauty and bounty as its rampant use of agricultural chemicals. Years later, you can still find her championing the organic cause both on the Island and off. Back in the States you can find Liz hooking up families and dinner parties with the most banging meals made with local ingredients, or connecting weddings and other large events with local farms for their food service. And in JA, you may find Liz reasoning with a farmer on how to do it the organic way, or lacing out the dopest of villas with its very own kitchen garden. Check her out at www.sweetpeanourishment.com and www.bananatreeconsulting.com

Saturday May 17, Frank151 will join Zoo York, New Era and KCDC Skateshop, among many others, to celebrate the Harold Hunter Foundation’s 2nd Annual Harold Hunter Day in New York City.

The goal is to unite NYC’s extended skateboarding community in celebration of the life and times of New York skate legend Harold Hunter, for a positive day full of the things Harold loved most: skating, music, good people, good times… and New York City. What more can you ask for?

Harold Hunter Day II will kick off at the Manhattan Bridge Skatepark, beneath the Manhattan Bridge on the corner of Pike and Monroe Streets. There’ll be an all ages skate jam from noon to 6, with a massive product toss and a live soundtrack from DJs Neil Nice, Vinny Ponte and the one and only Pete Rock.

Afterwards there’s a 21+ party from 8 to midnight, at KCDC in Williamsburg — featuring an open bar, live music, an installation by Cinik, and a slide show of Harold Hunter pics from acclaimed photographer and Harold’s long-time friend Giovanni Reda.

For more info, and a full list of the sponsors who made this all possible, visit the Harold Hunter Foundation at haroldhunter.com….

Despite spending billions of pounds on security cameras to make London the most heavily-monitored city in the world (1 camera for every 14 people), officials from Scotland Yard reported today that their massive new CCTV network has failed to make a noticeable change in crime rates.

Hard to believe, right? Seemed like such a good idea at the time! George Orwell would be shocked.

The news left both London officials and citizens in shock, less than a year after heated debates raged across the LDN over right-to-privacy implications of the city’s CCTV initiative. With only 3% of street crimes actually solved using the police’s closed circuit network, the public’s been left to wonder what purpose the cameras really do serve.

Read the rest of this entry »

This just in from our friends at Swagger… 

“RockersNYC shot out of the Lower East Side of New York in 2002.

Their unique visual style is showcased worldwide at specialty boutiques including

UNION (NYC/LA),

MHI (London),

Patta (Amsterdam), and

Don’t Come (Melbourne),

among others.

Swagger is pleased to present an art showcase of RockersNYC poster art at Swagger Flagship Harajuku, beginning Saturday May 10th.

Also, we will holding a reception party, hosted by Sean Reveron and Marcus Burrowes from RockersNYC, at Swagger Flagship Harajuku on the May 9th.

Please invite your friends and come thru.”

Chicago Meets NYC

This is the best story you will ever read about Ivan “Doc” Rodriguez. Don’t know who he is? Find out here.