"The Narcicyst"

"Some rappers have the gift of heightened intellect and understanding; others enjoy savant-like linguistic skills. Narcy may be blessed with the deadliest combination of the two that hip-hop has ever seen."

- Chris Faraone



My dear friend & partner-in-rhyme The Narcicyst - Iraqi-Canadian MC extraordinaire - just released his self-titled solo debut & is turning many heads ... The Boston Phoenix recently gave it 4/4 stars (He was robbed - it deserved 5!) ... This is hands-down the illest album of the year - and I'm not just saying that because Omar Offendum is the only other MC featured on it ... The beats bang, the lyrics inspire, & the overall mix is unlike any Hip-Hop record I have ever heard ...

For those of you who have yet to purchase your own copy - quit half-steppin & click here >> http://www.iraqisthebomb.com/

3iiish Narce

"What's Happening"

"We have a real Baqlawa treat for you today - to be culturally specific ..."

- May Alhassen (Doctoral Student @ USC)



No Shirley ... No Roger ... Just a bunch of 3arabs on this "Rerun" of What's Happening ...

Hosted by a Levantine version of Live with Regis & Kelly meets The View - Will Youmens, May Alhassen, Susan Bassal & Dena Takruri ... Featuring yours truly performing my rendition of Nizar Qabbani's Al-Qaseeda Al-Dimashqiya - a track off my solo debut SyrianamericanA ... Followed by a collaborative performance with DC-based punk rock drummer Omar Bagnied ... The Egyptian Travis Barker ... Travis Abu-Bakr if you will ...

3iiish ... Sweets?

"Pacific Plastic-Fantastic"

"We've changed the composition of ocean water almost a thousand miles from f*cking shore ... Where is it all coming from? ... Everywhere ... The world is plastic ... It's a plastic fantastic world ... Its our society ... Its our way of life"



The VBS.TV crew sets sail on a journey to discover what they initially believed to be a "Garbage Island" in the Pacific Ocean ... The sad reality that it is actually billions of particles of plastic broken down into different shapes & microscopic sizes over the years - completely transforming the chemical make-up of seawater - is what they were ultimately faced with ...

I selected this particular clip because it showcases another brilliantly disheartening way to use the term "plastic-fantastic" - but the other related videos on the page are definitely worth checking out as well ...

3iiish Seas ... Please ...

"The Street Called Straight"

"Rise and go to The Street Called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."



:: Layla Lounge :: Washington DC :: April 19, 2009 ::

3iiish Streeeeets

"Tawasul"

"Tawasul means reach out in Arabic. It aims to engage young people and students in grassroots conservation and restoration ecology."


Find more videos like this on Tawasul

Dubai has been getting a lot of attention recently ... A number of faultfinding articles written by architectural critics have popped up in the wake of it's recent financial decline ... While others have sought to give off the impression that the race is still on for it to be the number one economic & tourist destination in the MENA.

In a previous post I too shared my thoughts on this Emirate, with a specific focus on migrant labor exploitation in lieu of what I described as a "rapid, inorganic, contextless design" - something that many countries in the region have their fair share of.

At the same time I made a conscious effort to distance myself from the typical doomsayers by bringing up the fact that it has a unique ability to draw from cultures all over the world and create spaces where they can engage one another in fresh and exciting ways. One shining example of this is the extraordinary new initiative known as Tawasul - started by some very passionate diving instructors, environmentalists, & even a family member of mine.

As Ernst van der Poll explains in the video I've embedded above, it gives the young people of this ancient port city the opportunity to reengage the underwater world they are surrounded by in a more humble and inspiring way. Since pearl divers were some of the very first people to settle and make a living in Al-Wasl, this project literally brings Dubai back to its roots.

Tawasul‘s mission:

• To cultivate environmental awareness and interest within the youth of the U.A.E in preserving the marine environment and its resources.
  
• To deliver environmental education, sustainable lifestyle and responsible consumption workshops mobilising the diving community youth to participate in environmental conservation locally and internationally.
  
• To promote corporate support for local schools thereby strengthening corporate commitment to the conservation of the marine environment.
  
• To foster a collaborative spirit across cultures in raising awareness on the fragile nature of marine life and to set common conservation goals.
  
• To apply techniques that preserve underwater life and cultural heritage.
  
• To support research on environmentally sound approaches to interactions with the marine life on a recreational or commercial level.

3iiish Seas!!!

"Mokugift"

"We are honored to partner with mokugift as part of the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign. Mokugift is taking creative approaches with its online gifting service and iPhone application to help the Billion Tree Campaign achieve a target of seven billion trees."

- Satinder Bindra, Director, UNEP

moku: district, island, islet, section, forest, grove



Omar Offendum Loves Trees - Plant One Please!

I was recently asked to participate in the Mokugift Artists & Athletes program. This unique initiative allows my friends/fans to join me, Mokugift, & UNEP in the fight againts global warming by planting trees in areas of our planet that need them the most.

Academic research by Dr Bala of Lawrence Livermore National Labratory shows that trees planted in tropical zones are the most beneficial to the fight against global warming. His study covered the effects of carbon dioxide absorption, reflection of solar radiation, and reflection of solar ration from increased cloudiness. He also accounted for the warming effect of heat held by absorbed sunlight. Therefore, Mokugift trees are planted in the following 12 tropical countries: Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Senegal, Zambia, India, Philippines, and Haiti

Mokugift is proud to partner with two award-winning, tree-planting organizations to plant trees in twelve countries fighting deforestation and poverty: Trees For The Future (TFTF) and Sustainable Harvest International(SHI). TFTF and SHI educate local communities about planting techniques that enrich the land and empower them to overcome poverty. As each participating family proudly graduates from these programs with healthy farming knowledge and enriched lifestyles, they inspire other families to adopt the same techniques.

No one is hired to plant the trees. Farmers apply to be part of the programs. Mokugift partners educate local communities on farming techniques while also providing resources such as seeds, materials for nurseries and irrigation equipment. Local communities and farmers plant the trees because they want to enrich their land and community in a way that they will be proud to pass on to future generations.

Fore more information, visit >>

http://www.mokugift.com/fanmail/omaroffendum

3iiish Trees !

"Don't Hold Your Breath"

"The main problem, he said, is that Damascus is never in a hurry, while Washington always is..."


A recent article in the BBC was full of classic quotes from different players in the Syrian-US Politcal theater ... Here are a few that I found amusing >>

• "The Iranians could take 20 years to weave a carpet ... And the Syrians would say to them: Don't rush, we have plenty of time. But the Americans want to eat their hamburger in three minutes and move on."

An existential problem to say the least . . .

• "George Bush's plan failed, Syria won and Syrians now feel that their policies were correct all along..."

What exactly did we win? A medal? A gift-certificate? A new car?

• "I think beneath the bravado, Syria is in fact uncomfortable with Iran and that both President al-Assad and his people would prefer to look to the West," (the former US ambassador to Israel) says.

Compass references (East/West) are meaningless ... I mean technically, Iran is "look(ing) to the West" when it allies with Syria ... isn't it?

• "Two years ago George Bush decided to ban me from entering America and to freeze my assets in the States. I laughed: I have nothing to lose in America."

I am tempted to say "ignorance is bliss" ... but i'm afraid that would be ... blissful ?

• "People in the region understand that the US policy has been very fickle"

If by "fickle" he means - aggressive, one-sided, & misguided - say word.

• "Obama's silence on Gaza was noted in the region ..."

Sad but true ... you all know how much I respect The Man ... but this was weak. Especially since his rationale was the whole "one president at a time" thing - while he went out of his way to condemn the attacks in Mumbai just months before ...

• But when it comes to real changes no-one in the Middle East is holding their breath.

SyrianamericanA in a pistachio-nutshell my people ...

(Pray for &) 3iiish P E A C E