Dennis Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) passed away yesterday, its been a funny ole month, some of my favourites have decided now is the time to shift off the mortal coil, and so be it. If the time was right.

But is the time ever right?

Anyways, Hopper was a mad man of Hollywood, his roles have always been a source of constant inspiration to me as an actor, his fearlessness and devotion to the craft will forever stand as a testament to how this job is done.

Wish he could have seen the show, he would have loved it.

Travel well Sir Hopper..

Paul Gray ” The Pig”, 1972-2010

Bassist of the metal super power that was Slipknot died a few days ago in a hotel room in Iowa. This came as a massive shock, the group hold such a special place in my heart, true power house musicians who never scrimped on their integrity, Slipknot will forever be the power of 8..

R.I.P brother..

AGENT B

Ok, so here is one of the coolest cats to ever grace the planet, seriously, give me an example of someone cooler when it comes to vocal flow and talent..

Seriously the definition of a Kroarohawk.

So heres what their fighting over and where the conflict stands at the moment:

The Red Shirts want to get rid of the current government, headed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was born in Newcastle.

They claim his PAD party should be removed because it came to power after the military forced out the previous government.

Thai troops Thai troops have taken back control of Bangkok’s shopping district

They are demanding fresh elections and a new constitution for the country.

The two sides have clashed many times in the past, but the conflict has intensified since the start of 2010.

Although no one has claimed responsibility, anti-government protesters have been blamed for a series of bomb attacks on police and school buildings.

From March until now, the Red Shirts occupied parts of Bangkok city centre including the top shopping district.

A security force of around 50,000 troops was called in to get rid of them.

During one attempt to clear out the protesters, 38 people were killed and 800 injured.

Now troops have stormed the protestors’ camp and arrested its main leaders.

My bestfriend lives in the heart of Bangkok and has been filling me in on whats actually going on, its deeply disturbing, i just get a sense the armies been waiting to scratch this itch for quite sometime, the result is well exactly what they wanted. The protesters are now terrorists..

Typical.

The government messed up this time, bringing in the military, has further driven a divide between the people of Thailand and the ruling parties. The Red Shirts will now deal with this as a dictatorship, and if the King is infact in poor health the country will be torn in two due to civil war.

Here’s furthur accounts of up to date action:

Downtown Bangkok turned into a flaming battleground today as an army assault toppled the Red Shirt protest leadership, enraging followers who fired grenades and set numerous fires that cloaked the skyline in a black haze.

Using live ammunition, troops dispersed thousands of anti-government protesters who had been camped in the capital’s premier shopping and residential district for weeks. Four protesters and an Italian news photographer were killed in the ensuing gunbattles and about 60 wounded.

After Red Shirt leaders gave themselves up to police, rioters set fires at the Stock Exchange, several banks, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the high-end Central World shopping mall and a cinema complex that collapsed.

The government declared a nighttime curfew in Bangkok, and said army operations would continue through the night. An announcement signed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and broadcast on television said nobody in the capital was allowed out of their homes from 8pm until 6am unless they have permission from authorities.

Protesters also turned their rage on the local media, which they have accused of pro-government coverage. They attacked the offices of state-run Channel 3, setting fire to cars outside and puncturing water pipes that flooded the building.

Cabinet minister Satit Vongnongteay described the chaos as anticipated “aftershocks.”
“There are violent-prone protesters who remain angry,” Satit told a news conference.

Lets see what happens, my heart is with those who have laid down their lives for what they believe.

This is the face of the enemy:

This letter which was apparently written by Guru to his fans stinks of Solar. There’s no way he’d taint the Gangstarr memory like that.

I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options. I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting.

My loyal best friend, partner and brother, Solar, has been at my side through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends, and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody’s feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organized approved by Solar on behalf myself and my son until he is of age to except on his own.

I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us perform over the years from all over the world. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and represents some of the best years of my life.

Here’s a reminder of last months incident.

First Michael Jackson, now this. Autotune is blossoming, they’re trying to kill music. Without getting all conspiracy theory about this, it’s all very shady.

Thank you GURU for sharing your gift.

HAZELS PHANTASMAGORIA

Came across this book the other day and was totally blown away, its Gothic blunt and witty approach had me gripped from the start to finish. Its like a hormonal love child of Roald Dahl and Tim Burton.

The story starts with a strange almost disclaimer if you will to murder, not just any murder, but that of your parents..

Yep.

Im not touching that with a 50ft barge poll. So i’ll let Leander do the honors.

Hazel, the heroine of the story, travels to her Aunt’s country house for a holiday. Her Aunt is bitter, angry and rude, so Hazel expects her stay to be a nightmare – little does she expect, though, that there are actual nightmares living in the garden. These creatures – scary amalgams of different animals such as gorillas and leopards – haunt her Aunt every night in her dreams with horrific scenarios. Much to her surprise Hazel is drawn into their world of creating and rehearsing these nightmares.

With her new social circle consisting of gorillas crossed with leopards, pythons crossed with porcupines, ducks who smoke cigarettes, wooden-headed dogs and murderers and lunatics Hazel finds herself exploring the scariest depths of the unknown and learns a useful lesson along the way about the nature of friendship. The lively, exciting and fast-paced narrative and quick humour makes this book an addictive read.

Leander Deeny was born in New York, to Irish parents, on December 2nd 1980.

He was educated at St Hugh’s Preparatory School, Bishop Wordsworth Grammar School, Oxford University (Lincoln College), and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, which he left in 2006 – since which time several people have actually paid him to act. In between acting, he has worked as a childrens’ entertainer, a receptionist, and a flyerererer.

At Oxford he was President of the Oxford Revue, editor of Isis Magazine, a deeply ineffectual member of OUDS (Oxford University Drama Society), and a columnist for the Cherwell. He got a 2:1.

Between the ages of 4 and 5 he refused to leave the house unless dressed as a jockey.
He likes whisky, cookery, rock and roll, and falconry. He lives in Peckham. He is five foot seven.
Which is the same height as Tom Cruise. But much taller than Prince. In your face, Prince!

PS – not really, Prince rules – he can be whatever height he pleases.

Leander Deeny also works as an actor. He graduated from LAMDA in 2006. He is represented by Roxane Vacca Management.

Here’s the website attached to the book for furthur details www.leanderdeeny.com

Here’s some reviews of  Leander’s first book, Hazel’s Phantasmagoria:

http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book.php?id=312

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/fictionreviews/3671847/Childrens-books-The-fairies-and-the-goths.html

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3552754.ece

I’m really looking forward to reading more of Leander’s work.

AGENT B

The famous Afghan girl Sharbat Gula belongs to an Afghan Tribe called the Pashtun.

Steve McCurry went to go find her after two decades only to track her down in a remote village. The young looking Sharbat at the time was on the front cover of National Geographic magazine and went on to become one of the most famous faces in the world. Steve captured this memorable photo of green-eyed Afghan girl at some refugee camp in Pakistan.Early life

In her early life Sharbat Gula was orphaned during the Soviet Union’s bombing of Afghanistan and sent to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan in 1984. Her village was attacked by Soviet helicopter gunships sometime in the early 1980s. The Soviet strike killed her parents forcing her, her siblings and grandmother to hike over the mountains to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan.

In her Adult life she married Rahmat Gul in the late 1980s and returned to Afghanistan in 1992. Gula had three daughters: Robina, Zahida, and Alia. A fourth daughter died in infancy. Gula has expressed the hope that her girls will receive the education she was never able to complete.

The early picture in her life was taken in 1984 at the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in 1984, Gula’s picture was taken by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry on Kodachrome color slide film. Gula was one of the students in an informal school within the refugee camp; McCurry, rarely given the opportunity to photograph Afghan women, seized the opportunity and captured her image. She was approximately 13 years old at the time.

Although her name was not known, her picture, titled “Afghan Girl”, appeared on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic. The image of her face, with a red scarf draped loosely over her head and with her piercing sea-green eyes staring directly into the camera, became a symbol both of the 1980s Afghan conflict and of the refugee situation worldwide. The image itself was named “the most recognized photograph” in the history of the magazine.

Yes, it’s a prison, a five-star prison located in Steiermark, Austria. it was created by hohensinn architektur.
There are two inscriptions on the prison’s perimeter: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” which is taken from The United States Declaration of Independence, and “Each of the persons deprived of their liberty must be humanely and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human being treated.”

World’s Smallest Prison: Sark Prison, Sark – Guernsey

Sark Prison is located on the Island of Sark in Guernsey, was built in 1856 and is apparently the smallest in the world. it can house 2 prisoners at a push and is still used for overnight stays – if you continue to play up after that you’ll get shipped off to a proper grown-up jail with corridors and staff.

World’s Strangest Prison: San Pedro Prison, Bolivia

Convicts at san pedro in Bolivia have to pay rent for a cell and they all have jobs within the prison. A large number have partners and children staying with them and tourists/backpackers are allowed to enter the prison but must be accompanied by a tour guide (a prisoner) for “safety reasons”. Tourists can even stay the night in a cell for a small fee and a large number of them frequent the jail in order to buy cocaine from inmates as it’s apparently the purest and cheapest in Bolivia. It’s also been suggested that local police only enter the facility to collect bribes.

World’s Most Famous Prison: Alcatraz, San Fransisco Bay – California

Alcatraz Island, sometimes informally referred to as simply Alcatraz or locally as the Rock, is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963. It became a national recreation area in 1972 and received landmarking designations in 1976 and 1986.
Today, the island is a historic site operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is open to tours. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33, near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

World’s Most Overcrowded prison: Kresty Prison, St. Petersburg, Russia

Russias prisons have a reputation for being the most overcrowded on earth, especially kresty prison in st. petersburg.
Official capacity: 3,000
Actual population: always at least 10,000
Number of square metres per prisoner allocated by the russian government: 4
Amount of time permitted for each prisoner’s weekly shower: 15 minutes

World’s Most Valuable Prison: San Quentin State Prison, California

The land underneath 154 year old San Quentin state prison is estimated to be worth $80 to $100 million, instantly making it the most valuable prison in the world. it occupies 275 acres of oceanfront land overlooking the bay, some say the most valuable real estate in the whole country.

World’s Most Secure Prison: ADX Supermax, Florence, Colorado

This is the king of all prisons, and I mean the evil king. to be fair, it’s what a prison should be: harsh. even the name means business, supermax prisons being the securest in the world.
This ‘high-tech alcatraz’ was opened in 1994 and is home to only the most violent and dangerous criminals in the country. those pesky prisoners have absolutely no contact with each other at any time and spend 22 hours per day in solitary confinement (cell size 7ft x 8ft), leaving plenty of time to consider what to have as their last meal. A lot of convicts who enter adx, understandably, lose their mind pretty soon after entering and unless you own a sentence of 25 years or over you aint getting in.

In the last few years I’ve found myself just settling for the odd treasure I find in high street shops, which requires careful and consistent keeping up with the new stock that comes in. This can be frustrating. As much as I love the odd bargain from Primark’s jewellery section, the bangles especially (I do find the odd gem in there from time to time) there aren’t many brands that produce jewellery I could keep for the rest of my life, as with a cheap price comes cheap quality, most of the jewellery doesn’t last for more than a few years.

If you have a bit of cash you’d like to invest in some real jewellery that will actually last, something with value, that isn’t just of a plain and boring design suited for the norm there are some great designers out there. I found this brand, although pricey, I absolutely love their collection and see their pieces as a good investment. I must give it to them, they source their jewellery very well from tribal groups all over the world including India, China, Africa, Thailand, the Pacific, Afghanistan, Nepal and South America. Think Erykah Badu, artistic, bold, ethnic and funky!

http://www.irregularchoice.com/

AGENT B