I stepped into the corral on the family farm on a bitter cold Monday morning. A baby llama approached me and started licking my fingers. Huge dark eyes, a tangle of matted hair, I leaned close and she kissed me. I put my hand on her face and she brayed delicately, looking in my eyes and beyond. I immediately understood the the magic. Tim’s young nephew Bret articulated  the mechinism of the modality succinctly; “They’re really soft,” he said.

Regardless, the soldiers loved the show; Carlos Mencia showed his bare ass to the the 8,000 people in attendance. Jessica Simpson sang, a metal band called The Disturbed and the Pussy Cat Dolls played. The high point was a band called Filter. The singer is an outspoken critic of the war whose song, “Nice Shot,” ironically emerged as a battle field anthem.

Here’s a few pictures from trip.

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ Carlos Mencia and Sam Slovick_ photo by Luigi Ventura

Operation MySpace_ Jessica Simpson and Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_ photo by Sam Slovick

Operation MySpace_Sam Slovick and the Disturbed

Operation MySpace_Richard Patrick and Sam Slovick

IT STARTED WITH A KISS: FINDING SHELTER AMONG THE STRAY CATS

What news of a murdered girlfriend triggers

BY JOE DONNELLY

Sam Slovick / Nickerson Gardens - image by Luigi Ventura

[excerpt]…..So many examples come to mind, but if I had to hold one up as symbolic, it would have to be Sam Slovick and his three-part cover series on the challenges posed by Skid Row in the context of the new downtown Los Angeles. Published between December 2005 and August 2006, the pieces were sprawling, epic investigations of the pressures of life in the middle of what police chief William Bratton called “the worst social problem in America.” Slovick told his stories from the perspectives of the police, politicians and mostly the elderly and the young trying to carve out some dignity, hope and balance in an unforgiving environment. Slovick was an unpolished and unproven talent at the time, but he possessed a sharp eye and a unique voice and, as the street hustler he once was, had an uncanny knack for disarming folks — whether they walked the halls of power or the streets of Skid Row. He represented something I wanted to see more at the Weekly — a raw, street-level, unprofessional (as opposed to institutional) approach to covering the city. Bloody, brutal, heartbreaking and sometimes uplifting, Slovick’s pieces were impossible to ignore. They were copied, passed around and cited at City Hall policy debates; they helped to inform; were the inspiration for a five-part documentary series produced by Goodmagazine, which appeared on various Web sites; and were finalists for several social-issue awards. I know they wouldn’t have found a home anywhere else, which is a testament not to me, but to the spirit of L.A. Weekly.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

The End of Poverty? is a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, revealing that poverty is not an accident. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies — in other words, wealthy countries exploiting the weaknesses of poor, developing countries.

The End of Poverty? asks why today 20% of the planet’s population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate?

The film has been selected to over 25 international film festivals and will be released in theatres in November 2009. Directed by Philippe Diaz, produced by Cinema Libre Studio with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 104mins, 2008, USA, documentary in English, Spanish, French with English Subtitles.

The video is a combination of footage I shot at Espiritu de Anaconda in Iquitos, Peru along with filmmaker Ryan Wylie’s footage.

Welcome to the Jungle

Ayahuasca, Shamanism And The Diets Of Healing

I’ll open your thoughts. By doing so I’ll fill you with joy. By doing so I’ll straighten your thoughts. By doing so I’ll straighten your body. now I’ll heal you to the depths of your heart. By doing so I’ll fill you with immense joy. By doing so I’ll return life to your body and to your thoughts. I’ll heal your being, your body, with the powerful essence of the tree and the universe. so you are joyous, remember my words. so you remember them, I will chant them. Though I’m small, I made your thoughts shine. The universe is in harmony.The word is and ever will be.

–– Shamanic Chants of Kestenbetsa (Echo of the Universe) From Jan Kounen’s Documentary About Ayahuasca, Other Worlds.

Read entire story here

 Yesterday at 8:36pm
As Keeper of our Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle, I am concerned for the 2 deaths and illnesses of the many people that participated in a sweat lodge in Sedona, Arizona that brought our sacred rite under fire in the news. I would like to clarify that this lodge and many others, are not our ceremonial way of life, because of the way they are being conducted. My prayers go out for their families and loved ones for their loss.

Our ceremonies are about life and healing, from the time this ancient ceremonial rite was given to our people, never has death been a part of our inikag’a (life within) when conducted properly. Today the rite is interpreted as a sweat lodge, it is much more then that. So the term does not fit our real meaning of purification.

Inikag’a is the oldest ceremony brought to us by Wakan Tanka (Great Spirit). 19 generations ago, the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Oyate (people), were given seven sacred rites of healing by a Spirit Woman – Pte San Win (White Buffalo Calf Woman). She brought these rites along with our sacred C’anupa (pipe) to our People, when our ancestors were suffering from a difficult time. It was also brought for the future to help us for much more difficult times to come. They were brought to help us stay connected to who we are as a traditional cultural People. The values of conduct are very strict in any of these ceremonies, because we work with spirit. The way the Creator, Wakan Tanka told us; that if we stay humble and sincere, we will keep that connection with the inyan oyate (the stone people), who we call the Grandfathers, to be able to heal our selves and loved ones. We have a “gift” of prayer and healing and have to stay humble with our Unc’i Maka (Grandmother Earth) and with one another. The inikag’a is used in all of the seven sacred rites to prepare and finish the ceremonies, along with the sacred eagle feather. The feather represents the sacred knowledge of our ancestors.

Our First Nations People have to earn the right to pour the mini wic’oni (water of life) upon the inyan oyate (the stone people) in creating Inikag’a – by going on the vision quest for four years and four years Sundance. Then you are put through a ceremony to be painted – to recognize that you have now earned that right to take care of someone’s life through purification. They should also be able to understand our sacred language, to be able to understand the messages from the Grandfathers, because they are ancient, they are our spirit ancestors. They walk and teach the values of our culture; in being humble, wise, caring and compassionate.

What has happened in the news with the make shift sauna called the sweat lodge is not our ceremonial way of life!

When you do ceremony – you can not have money on your mind. We deal with the pure sincere energy to create healing that comes from everyone in that circle of ceremony. The heart and mind must be connected. When you involve money, it changes the energy of healing. The person wants to get what they paid for; the Spirit Grandfathers will not be there, our way of life is now being exploited! You do more damage then good. No” mention” of monetary energy should exist in healing, not even with a can of love donations. When that energy exists, they will not even come. Only ‘after’ the ceremony, between the person that is being healed and the Intercessor who has helped connect with the Great Spirit, the energy of money can be given out of appreciation. That exchange of energy is from the heart; it is private and does not involve the Grandfathers! Whatever gift of appreciation the person who received the help, can now give the Intercessor what ever they feel their healing is worth.

In our Prophesy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, she told us that she would return and stand upon the earth when we are having a hard time. In 1994 this began to happen with the birth of the white buffalo, not only their nation, but many animal nations began to show their sacred color, which is white. She predicted that at this time there would be many changes upon Grandmother Earth. There would be things that we never experienced or heard of before; climate changes, earth changes, diseases, disrespect for life and one another would be shocking and there would be also many false prophets!

My Grandmother that passed the bundle to me said I would be the last Keeper if the Oyate (people) do not straighten up. The assaults upon Grandmother Earth are horrendous, the assaults toward one another was not in our culture, the assaults against our People (Oyate) have been termed as genocide, and now we are experiencing spiritual genocide!

Because of the problems that began to arise with our rebirth of being able to do our ceremonies in the open since the Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, our Elders began talking to me about the abuses they seen in our ceremonial way of life, which was once very strict. After many years of witnessing their warnings, we held a meeting to address this very issue of lack of protocol in our ceremonies. After reaching an agreement of addressing the misconduct of our ceremonies and reminding of the proper protocols, a statement was made in March 2003. Every effort was made to insure our way of life of who we are as traditional cultural People was made, because these ways are for our future and all life upon the Grandmother Earth (Mitakuye Oyasin – All my relations), so that they may have good health. Because these atrocities are being mocked and practiced all over the world, there was even a film we made called “Spirits for Sale”.

The non-native people have a right to seek help from our “First Nation Intercessors” for good health and well-being, it is up to that Intercessor. That is a privilege for all People that we gift for being able to have good health and understand that their protocol is to have respect and appreciate what we have to share. The First Nations Intercessor has to earn that right to our ceremonial way of life in the ways I have explained.

At this time, I would like to ask all Nations upon Grandmother Earth to please respect our sacred ceremonial way of life and stop the exploitation of our Tunka Oyate (Spiritual Grandfathers).

In a Sacred Hoop of Life, where there is no ending and no beginning!

Namah’u yo (hear my words),
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle.
 
“It is the pinnacle of hubris to believe that we can improve upon Nature.”
herbaleveryman

Philip Groff
(Oakwalker)

K.P., Six Reasons & Choc Nitty

I met Choc Nitty on Skid Row. I was in the Gang Enforcement Task Force in the Central Division Police station in downtown L.A. when a cop pulled up a six-pack on a computer screen and showed me his picture. He told me how he used this rapper from Jordan Downs‘ website to make him take a plea after he got arrested slanging on San Julian Street. The rapper was Choc Nitty from Snowman Cliq. On the site they had the lyric from a track called “Get them chips“. It said, “Sell my weed/Sell my weed/Sell my rock/Sell my rock/Gotta get my chippy on… San Julian is the block/Where I used to sell my rock.”

I noted the web address and emailed Snowman Cliq to interview them for the story I was working on for the L A Weekly called Super Dope Cops about cops and thugs on Skid Row, but they didn’t respond. I finally reached out to the guy who made the site; a producer named Doobie Dave. He set up a meeting. Oddly they wanted to meet  at some place called The Pig’n Whistle on Hollywood Boulevard.

Choc Nitty thought I was a cop and was less than receptive, but let me interview him. I asked him  about the cops on Skid Row… if he’d been arrested. “Nah. I don’t know what officer you talking about,” he says. “I don’t do much talking to polices so it’s like, nope. I asked him what “chippy” meant.  “My chippies,” Choc says. “Chips is money. Cheddar. Whatever … dollar signs. Whatever money is to you, that’s it.”

I’ve know him for years by now.. written a bunch of stories about him including a cover story for the LA Weekly called The Brand New Grind, wherein I follow him all around the projects in Watts and meet up with a bunch of mixtape artists.

Choc Nitty is hood-famous. One foot in the gutter, one on higher ground, he’s managed to create a life for himself out of dust. He has a magical ability to make his way into all sorts of places and situations and always gets asked back because people love him. From Malibu  to Watts and everywhere in between. He know a lot of people. He introduced me to Guerilla Black and Jay Rock… one time I met him at Star Bucks in Ladera Heights where he ran into The Game… it goes on and on.

He’s on the radio in L.A., has mix tapes and DVD and CD’s out, plays to sold out houses in Hollywood and a reality show in development. Choc Nitty goes hard in the paint and aparently he  isn’t going to stop till everybody knows he’s here.

Choc Nitty has an alter-ego… of course; D.J. Squeak.