Beauty and Pain Art

Frida Kahlo de Rivera (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) is a Mexican surrealist painter best known for her use of vibrant colors and self-portraits. I found one of her paintings titled a few small nips in a book named The Visual Encyclopedia of Art. The violence depicted in the painting was no surprise since I've seen worse from artists. What surprised me is the fact that the painting was done by a woman. I was instantly captivated and curious to what images were depicted in her other works of art. 

What I found is that half of her works were self-portraits mixed with folk imagery. The other half were a blend of beauty and pain showing the different hardships she faced in life. Kahlo had Polio as a child which left one leg permanently smaller than the other. Then a serious traffic accident in her teens which required numerous surgeries and caused life long health issues. Finally, she had a miscarriage of the baby made with husband famous painter Diego Rivera and found out that she couldn't bare children. 

All these hardships bled into her paintings which showed the trials and tribulations of the female experience without compromise. Below are a few of her paintings that captivate the eyes and the imagination.

 

Animal Technology

As the 21st century grows more technologically advanced, science and medicine have found that some of the most complex problems have simple answers. Housing and energy are becoming big issues in most developing countries. Modern architects have turned to mother nature for their inspiration.

They have found that designing a building with a structure similar to a termite hill allows better ventilation and needs less electricity to power. Others found that the inner structure of a bee hive provided structural strength, conserves energy and requires less heat. These innovations are barely scratching the surface of what can be found from observing the animal kingdom.

Aside from architecture and engineering using animal designs for robotics has become incredibly popular. The robotic snake is considered one of the best technological achievements of the decade. It moves like a real reptile, is amphibious and can be remotely operated.

Most zoologist agree that if they had a robotic proxy animal in an environment the behavior of the animal being studied would be different. For example in marine biology when studying whales their behavior changes when humans are introduced into their environment. If they put a robotic fish with a camera in place of a person the whales behavior would be more natural and science could learn more about all aspects of their life.

The designers proposed that the robotic snake could be used for search and rescue as well as numerous stealth and surveillance operations. The military applications for this type of technology are enormous. Below I've placed videos of some amazing robotic animals that simulate the motion of their real-life counter-parts.

The Darkside of Seedless Fruit

 First off…all fruit contain seeds naturally. The purpose of the fruit is it to hold seeds and hopefully be consumed, digested and excreted to a new location. This germination symbiotic relationship happens in all areas of nature. Most commonly with bees and flowers. Seedless fruit is genetically modified fruit and has no place in nature.

The modifications are secret and patented by big named corporations. At first people assumed the fruit was created for convenience. Who wants to be seen spitting out the seeds of an orange or watermelon in public right? That tiny vanity made a niche market for companies to make a mutant fruit that has no seeds. It also took away the ability of the consumer to grow their own fruit. Say you brought a delicious bag of apples and decided you would grow some for yourself. With seedless fruit its not possible.

Seedless fruit takes away the ability to be self-sustaining. It makes you the consumer more dependent on the grocery stores for survival. When I was a kid almost all my aunts and neighbors had gardens where they would grow fruits and herbs. Everyone knew how to grow their own food and went to the grocery store only for necessities. Now most people use the grocery store for their only means of sustenance.

I’m not saying to stop eating seedless fruit, although if you eat natural its definitely more healthy. The only way to get naturally grown fruits these days is from local markets. If you buy it from a grocery store, it costs almost triple the price of the gen-mod foods… so it can be expensive. 

What I am saying, is for a fruit to be seedless it has to be genetically engineered. Its sterile, infertile and the lasting effects from its consumption are still being debated by scientists. So if you are what you eat, and you’re eating sterile and infertile food…what will happen to you?

Flava In Ya Ear

The title is a tribute to the Craig Mack song "Flava in Ya Ear" cuz it was banging...just like the tunes in this post. Thanks to Allhiphop.com I finally know why Craig Mack and Biggie had beef back in the day. They were both on BadBoy records but Craig was already a platinum selling artist while Biggie was working on Ready to Die.

Craig became a born again Christian and didn't support all the gunplay and drug dealing that people were glorifying in their rhymes. This didn't sit well with Biggie since his album was about to drop and that covers the majority of his subject matter. It's been a mystery in Hip-Hop to why they were beefing for a long time..now you know. If you want more details click the link and go read the article at AHH.com.

Below are videos by west coast mobsta Crooked I, a newly slimmed down Fat Joe (the beat is FIYA!). Also there's music by newcomers 2Gzz featuring Juvenile, Killa Kyleon and Philly Swain. Check 'em out.

Cell (phones) Can Cause Cancer

The title may seem like something you would see on a conspiracy website...but its true. Recently the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) concluded a study showing the radiation from cell phone use can cause brain cancer. The study was conducted by numerous different scientists and doctors from across the globe. They classify cell-phones in the same category as lead, chloroform, and carbon monoxide. The phones act like miniature microwave ovens causing the cells to rapidly duplicate leading to tumors.

There's a video on youtube showing how strong the radiation from a cell phone is. They put three cell phones in a triangle around a kernel of popcorn and make them ring. I few seconds later the kernel pops. Think about it.. if the phone is strong enough to pop popcorn... imagine what its doing to your brain.

This doesn't mean you need to throw away your cell phone and it doesn't mean that you're going to get cancer from having it against your ears every once in awhile. What it does mean is that you need to use a phone mic/headset when talking on the phone. What the study shows is that having the cell phone against your ear allows the radiation to damage the brain causing the tumors. So if you keep the phone a foot (30 centimeters) away from your head at all times it won't have the damaging effect.

In a different study some scientist found that the same cell phone radiation effects a persons bone density. Meaning if you keep the phone in your pants pocket all the time it will soon weaken your bones. Its better to keep it in a coat bag, backpack, or somewhere away from the body...until cell phone makers lower the radiation levels. Check the videos below for more information.

New Muzik

I heard a few new tunes today worthy of being classified New Muzik. The first is by artist Cuban Link who used to be part of the Terror Squad with Big Pun and Triple Seis. He was off the scene for awhile due to some label issues. There were also industry rumors that Fat Joe blackballed him in the game. Regardless he's back with some hot tracks for the summer.

Tech N9ne is back with more strange music. His rapid, machine gun fire flow leaves allot of people baffled and others copying his style. He gets comparisons to Twista but I think his flow is quite unique. He came in the game as part of the Regime with Yukmouth. Since then, he's released numerous albums and started his own label Strange Music. His new song 'He's a Mental Giant' will probably help stop the Twista comparisons and give him the credit for being a sick lyricist he rightfully deserves.

There's also tunes by newcomer Oun-P with his 'What chu Talkin Bout' remix featuring Lloyd Banks and Jadakiss. The beat to the track is Fiya! Last there's music from female spitter Patwa, Lloyd Banks and Ace Hood.