Latest Forum Topics

Apple "Stunned" by "Totally Wrong" Formula on iPhones

Armando Barbosa — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:37:03 +0000

Apple Inc. said late last week that it was "stunned" to discover the company had been using the "totally wrong" formula on its iPhone to determine the number of bars used to portray signal strength on the smart phone.

Widespread complaints from users state that the iPhone 4 can show a sudden plunge in signal strength when the phone is held a certain way. The way the phone is held covers the small black strip on the side of the phone.

Apple said: "Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place," owing to this so-called "wrong formula." The justification has confused some, who say there is no industry standard formula for the issue at hand.

SDL - INTELLIGENTI ft. Calu Di Brava, CV3, Dino and more...

Armando Barbosa — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:38:21 +0000

A message to all members of CV Multimedia

SDL - "Intelligenti"
album in stores this summer!
ft. SDL, Calu Di Brava, CV3 Dino, Elji, Grace, LVR, DG, and more

http://www.myspace.com/soldadoliberdade
http://cvmedia.ning.com/profile/SoldadoDiLiberdadeSDL
SOLDADO DI LIBERDADE
New video coming soon

Visit CV Multimedia at: http://cvmedia.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Panic, Looting And Triage After Major Haiti Quake

Armando Barbosa — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:13:37 +0000

Panic, Looting And Triage After Major Haiti Quake

by The Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

People walk and sit in the street after an earthquake struck Port au Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Associated Press

People walk and sit in the street after an earthquake struck Port au Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Enlarge Associated Press

People gather in the street after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Associated Press

People gather in the street after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Enlarge Associated Press

Debris lays in the street after an earthquake along the Delmas road in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

An earthquake victim is carried from a vehicle to a funeral home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and whole neighborhoods.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

This Jan. 12, 2010 photo shows injured people being tended to at Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean nation. The International Red Cross says a third of Haiti's 9 million people may need emergency aid and that it would take a day or two for a clear picture of the damage to emerge from Tuesday's earthquake.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

This still made from video provided by APTN shows an injured boy in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday Jan. 13, 2010. Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and whole neighborhoods.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

This still image made from video provided by SIN TV shows a young child sitting in the street as people walk past in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday Jan. 13, 2010, after the devastating earthquake that flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and whole neighborhoods.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

A woman lies on the ground as others stand outside a market that collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010.

Associated Press

A woman lies on the ground as others stand outside a market that collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010.

Associated Press

Survivors walk next to a body lying in the rubble along Delmas road in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A powerful earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday.

Enlarge Associated Press

Bodies lie in the rubble along Delmas road the day after an earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

Injured people are carried away in a truck after an earthquake in Delmas, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Associated Press

Injured people are carried away in a truck after an earthquake in Delmas, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Enlarge Associated Press

An injured person is seen after an earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Associated Press

An injured person is seen after an earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Enlarge Associated Press

Injured people sit along Delmas road the day after an earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday.

Associated Press

Injured people sit along Delmas road the day after an earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday.

text sizeA A A

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti January 13, 2010, 06:42 pm ET

The tiny bodies of children lay in piles next to the ruins of their collapsed school. People with faces covered by white dust and the blood of open wounds roamed the streets. Frantic doctors wrapped heads and stitched up sliced limbs in a hotel parking lot.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, still struggling to recover from the relentless strikes of four catastrophic storms in 2008, was a picture of heartbreaking devastation Wednesday after a magnitude-7 earthquake.

Tuesday's quake left a landscape of collapsed buildings hospitals, schools, churches, ramshackle homes, even the gleaming national palace ח the rubble sending up a white cloud that shrouded the entire capital.

On Wednesday, ambulances weaved in and out of crowds, swerving to miss the bodies lying in street and the men on foot who lugged stretchers bearing some of the injured.

Shocked survivors wandered about in a daze, some wailing the names of loved ones, praying or calling for help. Others with injuries fast growing into infections sat by the roadside, waiting for doctors who were not sure to come.

Search-and-rescue helicopters buzzed over the bodies of partially clothed victims who lay face-down in mounds of rubble and twisted steel.

Everywhere, there was panic, urgency, pleas for help.

"Thousands of people poured out into the streets, crying, carrying bloody bodies, looking for anyone who could help them," Bob Poff, divisional director of disaster services in Haiti for the Salvation Army, said in a posting on the agency's Web site.

Poff wrote that he was driving down the mountain from Petionville, a hillside city bordering the capital, when the earthquake struck.

"Our truck was being tossed to and fro like a toy, and when it stopped, I looked out the windows to see buildings 'pancaking' down," he wrote.

Poff said he and others piled bodies into the back of his truck and took them down the hill, hoping to get them medical attention.

There was no reliable count, but officials feared thousands, maybe tens of thousands, had died in the quake. Some Haitian leaders suggested the figure could be higher than 100,000. In the chaos, doctors rushed to tend to the countless injured.

The parking lot of Port-au-Prince's Hotel Villa Creole became a triage center. Under tents fashioned from bloody sheets, dozens lay moaning from the pain of cuts in their heads, broken bones and crushed ribs.

"I can't take it any more. My back hurts too much," said Alex Georges, 28, who had lain on the parking lot's sloping blacktop for more than a day waiting for help. Just a few feet away lay the dead body of another man who appeared to be about his age.

When the quake struck just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Georges he was in a meeting with about 30 other students at a school in the neighborhood of Morne Hercule. The roof fell in, he said, killing 11 of his classmates instantly and critically injuring him and others.

Several thousand Haitian police and international peacekeepers poured into the streets Wednesday to clear debris, direct traffic and maintain security. But there was only so much they could do: Looters prowled through shops, then blended into crowds of desperate refugees lugging salvaged possessions. The main prison in the capital fell, and there were reports of escaped inmates, U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said in Geneva.

Haitians who could still walk were streaming out of the capital by the hundreds, many of them balancing suitcases and other belongings on their heads as they headed down one of the capital's main streets. Police shouted orders to keep traffic moving at congested intersections as ambulances and United Nations trucks raced toward downtown Port-au-Prince.

In Petionville, people used sledgehammers and their bare hands to excavate a collapsed commercial center, scampering across the rubble as they tossed aside mattresses and office supplies. More than a dozen cars and a U.N. truck were buried underneath.

Up the hill, about 200 victims, including many small children, huddled together in a theater parking lot and rigged tarps out of bed sheets to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

"The immediate need is to rescue people trapped in the rubble, then to get people food and water," Sophie Perez, Haiti director of the U.S.-based humanitarian organization CARE, told her colleagues in an e-mail.

Support/help those in need in Cabo Verde.

Armando Barbosa — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:09:52 +0000

Cabo Verde

Support/help those in need in Cabo Verde.

There is a viral disease going around called Dengue fever in our tropical islands of Cabo Verde.

I just learned about the disease myself and what is happening to the people in Cabo Verde.

So I decided that I need to do something to support/help those in need and I am asking you to please do the same.

YOU CAN HELP BY SUPPLYING:

Fluids, Alcohol pads, Tylenol, Sanitizers and Mosquito Repellents est.

DROP OFF LOCATIONS:

Tantric Nightclub - 1070 N Main St. Providence, RI 02904

Brockton Adults Health Center - 764 N Main ST. Brockton, MA 02301

CV Elderly Center - 38 Hancock St. Dorchester, MA 02125

What is dengue fever? What is dengue hemorrhagic fever?

Dengue fever is a flu-like illness spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal, complication of dengue fever.

How is dengue spread?

Dengue is spread by the bite of a mosquito. The mosquito transmits the disease by biting an infected person and then biting someone else.

Where is dengue found?

Dengue viruses occur in most tropical areas of the world. Dengue is common in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Australia, and the Americas. It is widespread in the Caribbean basin. Dengue is most common in cities but can be found in rural areas. It is rarely found in mountainous areas above 4,000 feet.

The mosquitoes that transmit dengue live among humans and breed in discarded tires, flower pots, old oil drums, and water storage containers close to human dwellings. Unlike the mosquitoes that cause malaria, dengue mosquitoes bite during the day.

What are the signs and symptoms of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever?

Dengue fever usually starts suddenly with a high fever, rash, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and muscle and joint pain. The severity of the joint pain has given dengue the name "break bone fever." Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are common. A rash usually appears 3 to 4 days after the start of the fever. The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month. Older children and adults are usually sicker than young children.

Most dengue infections result in relatively mild illness, but some can progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever. With dengue hemorrhagic fever, the blood vessels start to leak and cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, and gums. Bruising can be a sign of bleeding inside the body. Without prompt treatment, the blood vessels can collapse, causing shock (dengue shock syndrome). Dengue hemorrhagic fever is fatal in about 5 percent of cases, mostly among children and young adults.

How soon after exposure do symptoms appear?

The time between the bite of a mosquito carrying dengue virus and the start of symptoms averages 4 to 6 days, with a range of 3 to 14 days. An infected person cannot spread the infection to other persons but can be a source of dengue virus for mosquitoes for about 6 days.　

How is dengue diagnosed?

Dengue is diagnosed by a blood test.

Who is at risk for dengue?

Anyone who is bitten by an infected mosquito can get dengue fever. Risk factors for dengue hemorrhagic fever include a person's age and immune status, as well as the type of infecting virus. Persons who were previously infected with one or more types of dengue virus are thought to be at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever if infected again.

What is the treatment for dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever?

There is no specific treatment for dengue. Persons with dengue fever should rest and drink plenty of fluids. They should be kept away from mosquitoes for the protection of others. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is treated by replacing lost fluids. Some patients need transfusions to control bleeding.

　Is dengue an emerging infectious disease?

Yes. All types of dengue virus are re-emerging worldwide and causing larger and more frequent epidemics, especially in cities in the tropics.

׷ Rapid growth of cities in tropical countries has led to overcrowding, urban decay, and substandard sanitation, allowing more mosquitoes to live closer to more people.

Cabo Verde - Accommodations

Armando Barbosa — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:36:07 +0000

Hotel Sab Sab***

Location

The hotel is situated directly on a beautiful sandy beach at the southern point of Santa Maria on the island of Sal. The transfer time from the airport is just a couple of minutes.

Description

This simple and comfortable hotel is under Spanish management and offers 56 rooms spread throughout the grounds. There is a lobby with reception, a very good restaurant, a bar and a large garden area with swimming pool including sun beds and umbrellas.

Accommodation

All rooms are practically furnished and offer a seaview, airconditioning, fan, TV, shower and WC, and a balcony or terrace. Family rooms are available which comprise two rooms with a connecting door. Apartments have two additional bedrooms.

Restaurants

Guests can choose between half board and full board.
Half board includes buffet style breakfast and a la carte dinner inclusive of local drinks (water, house wine, beer and soft drinks). If there are a lot of guests staying in the hotel, then the dinner is served buffet style and there is also a barbecue night once a week.

Sport and Entertainment

The Orca Dive Club is located within the hotel grounds. You can also relax in the pleasant atmosphere of the Beach Bar.

Hotel Morabeza***'

Destination

Directly on the beautiful sandy beach of Santa Maria, this hotel is just a few minutes from the many restaurants, bars and shops of the town.

Description

This mid range hotel was recently renovated and offers 140 rooms in a variety of buildings. Facilities include a reception lobby, beautiful restaurant with terrace, popular sea view bar, internet cafe and shop. There is a swimming pool and sun terrace situated between the hotel and the beach (sunbeds and umbrellas included). There is also a pool bar and a beach club.

Rooms

Superior rooms are nicely decorated with a large bath and shower, WC, air conditioning, TV, telephone, fridge and balcony or terrace. Seaview rooms are often available.

Food and Beverages

There is a plentiful breakfast buffet. Dinner is a la carte with a buffet night once a week. Lunch is served in the Beach Club.

Sport and Leisure

Diving with the Orca Dive Club or topping up your suntan on the beach.

Turtle Bay

Location

These nice apartments are located just 100m from the diving centre and beach, at the edge of Santa Maria on the island of Sal. The airport is just a couple of minutes transfer away.

Description

This brand new apartment resort comprises 32 seperate apartments, each with two bedrooms (with kingsize beds). Each apartment also offers a bathroom, kitchenette (incl. hob, oven, fridge, washing machine), airconditioning in both bedrooms and living room, satellite TV and sound system. Guests staying in the resort can use the swimming pool. Housekeeping staff clean the apartments every second day.

Food and Beverage

The apartments are booked on a room only basis. Next to the apartments, there is a bakery and a couple of grocery stores for all your daily supplies. The kitchen in each apartment is fully equipped so you can cook as at home. There are also many restuarants to choose from in the local area serving a variety of cuisine. Some restaurants also offer breakfast.

Sport and Leisure

The Orca Dive Club is just a few minutes walk away.

Club Hotel Riu Funana Garopa Resort

Location

The hotel is situated directly on the beautiful miles long beach at the western part of Santa Maria. The transfer time from the airport is approximately 20 minutes.

Description

Modern, comfortable holiday resort with overall 1000 rooms, splitted into the parts Riu Funana and Ri Garopa. Pompous lobby with reception, shops, several bars and restaurants, discotheque. Spacious pool complex with sun terraces (sunloungers, parasols and towels for the beach and pool are included), poolbars, whirlpool. Very good equipped beauty/- and wellness center.

Rooms

The rooms are very well equipped with bathroom/shower, separate WC, hairdryer, airconditioning, fan, telephone, fridge, satellite TV, safe and balcony or terrace.

Food and Beverages

All Inclusive with rich buffets offered during the principal meals, in the afternoon coffee and cake.
Optional dining (reservations required in advance)in one of at total four specialty restaurants. Round the clock snacks and drinks inside the restarants, bars and discotheque.

Sport and Leisure

Fitness room, jacuzzi and sauna, table tennis, airgun shooting, beach volleyball court, multipurpose sports pitch, tennis court, kayaking, windsurf.
Attractive entertainment programme during daytime and evening hours (live music, shows, discotheque).
Diving with Orca Dive Club (transfers included).

Hotel da Luz

Destination

This hotel is situated just a bit back from the beach (around 250m), on the eastern side of Santa Maria. The Orca Dive Club is situated just around the corner. The city centre with restaurants, bars, cafs and shopping facilities can be reached in a few minutes walk. The transfer time from the airport is just around 20 minutes.

Description

This cosy and friendly hotel consists 40 rooms spread over two areas. There is a reception, a restaurant and a small swimming pool with terrace and pool bar.

Rooms

The rooms are comfortably furnished with shower and WC, air conditioning, fan, TV, telephone and rental safe.

Food and Beverages

Breakfast buffet and dinner served ɠ la carte.

Sport and Leisure

Diving with Orca Dive Club. Many entertainment options including bars and res

Killing 'nonwhite people' was motive in Brockton s

Armando Barbosa — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:25:55 +0000

This story was reported by John Ellement, Brian Ballou, Jonathan Saltzman, and Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff. It was written by Ellement.

BROCKTON -- Maria DeSilveira stood on the front porch of a relative's home yesterday clutching a framed photograph of her handsome father as tears rolled down her face.

"My dad didn't deserve this,'' she said of Arlindo DePina Goncalves, 72. "There's too much racism in this world.''

Police said Goncalves was the third and final victim of Keith Luke, a 22-year-old Brockton man who authorities said devised an "evil plan'' fueled by racism to kill as many "nonwhites'' and Jews as he could before taking his own life.

Luke, authorities alleged yesterday, killed Goncalves and a 20-year-old woman, raped and shot the woman's 22-year-old sister, but failed in his plans to attack a Jewish synagogue and end his life.

Luke stood in Brockton District Court, hands manacled behind his back, his face scratched and bruised, the outcome of a gun battle, police chase, and car crash.

Luke pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated rape, and two counts of armed assault with intent to kill. He was ordered held without bail by Judge James Sullivan.

Sitting in court with tears in his eyes was the father of the two sisters he had brought from their native Cape Verde about a year ago for a better life here.

According to authorities, Luke, for reasons that are unclear, targeted the sisters and attacked them Wednesday afternoon in the Clinton Street apartment building where Luke and his mother had once lived. Relatives of the women said they did not know Luke and believed that the sisters did not know him, either.

One 20-year-old woman was shot and killed and her older sister was repeatedly raped and shot, but survived. She was listed in stable but serious condition at a Boston hospital yesterday.

The Globe is not naming the sisters because its policy is not to identify victims of sex crimes without their permission.

In court, First Assistant District Attorney Frank Middleton described Luke's alleged rampage and how two men -- one white, the other described as a person of color -- braved gunfire to try to help the mortally wounded woman.

"Yesterday this defendant methodically began an evil plan of mass murder and rape in the City of Brockton targeting victims he identified as nonwhite,'' said Middleton. Luke wanted to "kill as many Jews, blacks, and Hispanics as humanly possible ... before killing himself,'' he said.

Defense lawyer Joseph Krowski Jr. asked that his client be sent to Bridgewater State Hospital, a request rejected by the judge. Krowski suggested Luke had a history of mental illness but did not elaborate.

Luke allegedly forced his way inside the sisters' apartment with a 9mm handgun and a backpack containing two pairs of handcuffs, a blindfold, and a gag he had bought with his mother's credit card. He used the handcuffs to bind the elder sister's hands and then repeatedly raped her. When her sister came to the door and banged on it, Luke shot her multiple times, police said.

After shooting the woman at the door, Luke looked to her sister in a bedroom covering herself with a white teddy bear. He shot her through the stuffed animal, according to the police report.

Out on the street, as two men tried to help the younger sister, who had retreated from the door, Luke fired at the nonwhite would-be rescuer, but missed and then drove off, police said.

A few blocks away, Luke happened upon Arlindo Goncalves, whom he knew from the neighborhood, police said. Luke stepped out of his van and fired, police said.

"Goncalves raised one hand in front of his face to protect himself,'' police wrote. They said Luke shot him again in the back to make sure he was dead. A passerby who had followed Luke provided police with his license plate number.

Luke reportedly fired on and missed two Brockton police officers as they pursued the van until it plowed into two vehicles and crashed near East Ashland and North Quincy streets.

Police said Luke told them he bought a handgun on the street six months ago and purchased 200 rounds of ammunition.

"I'm sorry I shot at the cops,'' he said, according to a police report. "But I am not sorry I shot those people at the house.''

After he shot as many "nonwhites'' as he could, he reportedly told the police his plan was to head to a synagogue near his mother's Pleasant Street home and kill as many Jews as he could as they left a bingo game. He would then kill himself.

Rabbi Joshua Cohen of Temple Beth Emunah, the Conservative synagogue Luke planned to attack, said he had never heard of Luke and believes he randomly targeted the synagogue. He said investigators told him Luke was acting alone.

"As much as we like to think we've moved forward in our society and culture, hate and racism still exist, and it's really unfortunate,'' Cohen said.

About a year ago, Luke and his mother, Dara Paparo Luke, moved back to Pleasant Street, where she had grown up. Neighbors said the extended Paparo family had lived in the racially mixed neighborhood more than 25 years, and that Keith Luke was close to his mother and grandparents.

Richard W. Sullivan and his wife, Beth, said they watched Keith Luke grow up and were surprised to hear of the charges. They never saw signs of racial hatred in him, they said.

Mayor James E. Harrington of Brockton said investigators are inspecting a computer found in Keith Luke's home.

"It's very disturbing,'' he said. "We're a very diverse community. Like any community, every so often you will have somebody that will commit a crime of hate, but it's generally not something you ever see in Brockton, and it's certainly not something we tolerate.''

Arlindo Goncalves's sister, Amalia Goncalves, 37, speaking Cape Verdean Crioulo, said her brother was "an old man who lived out on the street, didn't hurt anyone.''

Arlindo Goncalves worked as a bricklayer in Cape Verde and arrived in the United States about 18 years ago, his sister said.

A father of eight, he sometimes lived with three adult children who are in the United States but ultimately insisted on his independence.

"He had been talking about going back to Cape Verde, because he would have a better life there with his [five] children and the rest of his family,'' Amalia Goncalves said.

The two sisters had worked for about a year in the Brockton production plant of Zoots, a chain of dry cleaning stores, said Patricia O'Leary, co-owner of 17 stores. O'Leary said co-workers were close to them and were weeping in the plant yesterday.

"They all spoke about these two girls and how friendly they were and how funny they were,'' O'Leary said. "They were very well liked. It's just awful.''

A close friend said the woman who was killed was a "poderosa meiga,'' a person with a magnetic personality respected by her peers.

"She acted the mother to all of us,'' said the friend, Lori, who asked that her last name not be published because of the ongoing criminal investigation. "She was very strong, a very strong girl. She was always smiling and she was brilliant.''

Cape Verdeans for Obama

Armando Barbosa — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:16:23 +0000

People of color, Cape Verdeans in particular, who feel compelled to act when a candidate this good comes along.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/group/CapeVerdeansforObama

CHACHI ON 106 & PARK ONCE AGAIN!!!!

DJ_Therion — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:58:30 +0000

CAPE VERDEAN EMCEE CHACHI WILL BE BACK ON B.E.T.'s 106 & PARK FOR THE W.I.L.D. OUT ALLSTAR WEEK THIS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH 20008!!! WE NEED ALL THE SUPPORT WE CAN GET SO PLEASE TUNE IN AND VOTE FOR THIS TALENTED EMCEE WHILE HE REPRESENTS C.V. !!!!

Shokanti (Cape Verde)

Armando Barbosa — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:28:16 +0000

The artist Shokanti approaches the mic with a unique expression of hip-hop, theater, and social consciousness. Blending the rhythms and soul of Cape Verde, Africa, with the American African creation of hip-hop, Shokanti is an artist who uses the language of kriolu and his music to paint stories of the past, present and future, and theater to enact a visual and lyrical representation of reality.

Raised between the islands of Fogo with his grandparents, and Santiago, with his parents and siblings, Jose Monteiro aka Shokanti, spent his childhood in contrasting environments which instilled the diverse artistic roots of Cape Verde. His first musical experiences came at the age of four when his parents gave him his first electric keyboard, which became his faithful companion. He played everywhere including his fathers bar in Assomada, Santiago, where patrons would pay him to play and dance. While in Fogo, Shokanti played drums and participated in the many festivals of the island, including the annual carnival. Around the age of ten Shokanti began writing poetry. Shortly thereafter, he received a Cape Verdean hip-hop mixed tape from Sңo Vicente. It was then that he began combining his poetry and music into a single creation influenced by the roots music of Cape Verde, reggae, and hip-hop.

Things changed drastically however, when an adolescent Shokanti found himself far from the beaches and sun of Cape Verde and in a new reality of New England at 13 years old. In the isolation of the language barrier, the music of hip-hop took on an increased importance and Shokanti began to memorize raps in order to learn English. This experience built a bond between the artist and the music and has manifested itself today in the form of a musician, actor, poet, and modern day griot, whose music portrays real life experiences and provides social commentary on the current state of affairs in the world that surrounds him.

Although Shokanti had relocated to America, he continued to travel back and forth to Santiago to visit his family throughout his high school years. During one of these trips, he befriended Cape Verdean hip-hop pioneers Tupaki and Ney. The trio hit it off and Shokanti began touring with them throughout Santiago and performing shows at the prestigious venues Assemblia Nacional, Palacio de Cultura and the Quintal da Msica, cultivating his skills of rhyming in kriolu. Back in the States, he began taking private piano lessons, and started to focus more and more on theater and acting.

Music drew him back in however, when at 16 he was approached by the Brito Brothers to rap and record in their Bridgeport, Connecticut studios. He then went on to work with other Connecticut based producers DJ AB and DJ Themba and performed numerous shows throughout Connecticut. In 2000, Shokanti was introduced to super producer Djim Job, who invited him to record in his AMS Recordings studio in Rhode Island along with Tony Kidd. Djim Jobs talents as a composer and producer of Cape Verdean music and Shokanti꒒s vibrant and eclectic style proved to be a harmonious match and the two began to recording.

In the year 2004, the first fruits of the collaboration between Shokanti and Djim Job were released on the AMS compilation WAVE 2004. The compilation featured three Shokanti tracks entitled, Shokanti y Nadia, Ten ki bai, and Ka bu bai. Ten ki bai and Shokanti y Nadia were smashing successes and featured in heavy rotation on the Cape Verdean radio station, Praia FM. In response to the songs popularity, Praia FM invited Shokanti to appear on national radio for an interview. In 2006, Shokanti, along with other prominent Cape Verdean artists, launched The Movement, a coalition of artists that uses art to engage people to take an active role in their communities.

Throughout 2007, Shokanti performed in three Movement events in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. He also performed at the New York City venues Columbus72, S.O.B.s, and was featured in the publications Africa Sounds, Vibe Magazine online, and Crme Magazine as an outstanding representation of African hip-hop. Shokanti continues to work with producer Djim Job, under Prince Job Productions and his highly anticipated debut CD is set to be released in 2008. An artist, in the truest sense of the word, Shokantis creativity knows no bounds. His unique style and impeccable delivery place him at the helm of the evolution of the Cape Verdean sound.

www.myspace.com/shokantimusic

International Sunday's @ Fahrenheit !!!

DJ_Therion — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 21:22:34 +0000

LG Promotions Cordially Invites You To The Grand Opening Of International Sundays @ Fahrenheit Feb 3rd !!!

DJ Therion Playing Hip Hop, Zouk, R&B, Reggae(ton), Funana and more !!!

21+ DRESS TO IMPRESS! LADIES FREE B4 11:30PM!!!

Fahrenheit 345 South Water St. Providence, RI

Funny Joke

Armando Barbosa — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:40:14 +0000

A guy stuck his head into a barber shop and asked, "How long before I can
get a haircut?"
The barber looked around the shop full of customers and said, "About two
hours."
The guy left.

A few days later the same guy stuck his head in the door and asked, "How
long before I can get a haircut?" The barber looked around at the shop and
said," About three hours."
The guy left.

A week later the same guy stuck his head in the shop and asked, "How long
before I can get a haircut?"The barber looked around the shop and said,
"About an hour and a half."
The guy left.

The barber turned to a friend and said, "Hey, Bill, do me a favor. Follow
that guy and see where he goes. He keeps asking how long he has to wait for
a haircut, but then he doesn't ever come back.

"A little while later Bill returned to the shop, laughing hysterically. The
barber asked, "So where does that guy go when he leaves?"
Bill looked up, tears in his eyes from laughter and said, "Your house!"

THE TREE SPEAKS by DJ Renegade

Armando Barbosa — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:07:39 +0000

I arrived as a seed,

riding the breath of the Sahara.

Now my roots are wrapped around

the heart of this island

with no rivers or lakes.

Here in this stoneyard

surrounded by thirsty dirt,

I am holy,

the only green for miles.

Some people think the East Wind

bends my spine at this angle.

They see a child searching for stones to throw,

a woman bending to harvest yams,

or a man stooped by years of work,

but I'm just leaning back,

scanning the sky for rain.

Once, a man helping build the dyke

sat in my shade to rest,

his back glistening with sweat.

I reached a branch down

and licked his arm,

it was salty as seawater.

At night I reach for rocks

to repair the dyke.

Because when it rains again,

waves will rage down

the mountainside,

and must be guided

to keep them from carrying

all the soil to the sea.

Although my bark

is parched as the earth around me,

I stay green.

I know the deep places

where water hides

and I have learned to sip slow.

SEPTEMBER IN PLYMOUTH by DJ Renegade

Armando Barbosa — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:06:31 +0000

An Indian summer breeze paints the leaves,

I stoop in this bog under a broad-brimmed hat

combing nappy vines with a wooden scoop,

picking cranberries until my hands cramp.

A chill seeps through the cuz cuz colored sand,
                        steamed corn meal

through padding in the knees of my coveralls.

Ana Barbosa, the pride of her village,

sings Sodade in a clear voice
                                                traditional song

blue as the stripes of a panu.
                                                woven cloth

Her bundled up baby giggles as Manuel,

who left a wife and two kids back in Brava,

slowly wheelbarrows a tan volcano of sand.

The fat manager barks at him

with a tongue saltier than bacalhau.
                                                salted codfish

The hands of the clock seem to circle

slow as burros around a sugar cane press.
                                                donkeys

Some of us dream of the old country

and waves white as soap suds

breaking over curving brown beaches.

The berries plink into metal pails

and spill from stacked wooden boxes.

A cardinal's colors on a nearby branch

turn the fruit tart with envy.

Two blue jays argue over who picks the quickest.

Crushed cranberries stain my pants,

the sun glares at my sweating back.

My spine stiffens like a rusty hinge

as twisted vines scrape skin from my fingers.

But if I pick fast and live lean,

I can save enough to outlast winter

and even fatten a letter home.

So I crawl on all fours,

cachupa heavy as stone in my stomach,
                        traditional stew

scooping berries round as precious coins

until I can no longer feel my purple knees.

MEX by DJ Renegade

Armando Barbosa — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:05:54 +0000

What's it like

to be called out of your name

your whole adult life.

Have people think Speedy Gonzalez,

sombreros and siestas.

Christen you "Mex".

What do they know

of Cabo Verde or canja.

Cape Verde/chicken soup

They think your name

carries the mark of Zorro.

They never question why

you can translate in Brazil.

They don't know the difference

between S and Z is

more than the difference

between A sharp and B flat.

That just like there's more

than one fingering for B flat,

there can be more than one tongue

in a black man's mouth.

They don't know Mornas

melancholy song

are the Blues in Kriolu,

Portuguese Creole

that we weave panu for kente,

trad. cloth

sing Kola boi for worksongs,

worksongs

crumble cuz cuz for cornbread,

steamed corn meal

pick cranberries instead of cotton.

All they know is you carved up

"Mutton Leg" with Basie

and could quote note for note

from Webster's dictionary of solos.

But tonight, at the Newport Jazz Festival

you step out from big Ben's shadow.

Rise for your solo with a Koladera

uptempo song

in the curve of your horn.

Transforming into Sweet Daddy Grace,

you preach hard enough to be heard

all the way home in Pawtucket.

They say "Jesus could walk on water,

but only Paul Gonsalves

could walk on sour mash".

Now your head bobs

like the schooner Ernestina in rough seas.

For six whole minutes

choruses cloud the horizon,

as a hurricane boils

from your saxophone's bell.

After your thunderous sermon,

silver applause showers.

You look into the darkness

hear all the Bravas saying Obrigado.

Cape Verdeans/Thank You

They know a sax ain't nothing but a trapixe

sugar cane press

emotions nothing but raw cane.

Know you pressed your lips on the reed,

squeezing out fluid riffs,

to distill the rum of our sweet inebriation

in the brass tubing of your tenor.

Duke knew how to spell your name,

knew the difference between S and Z.

That's why he picked a "Passion Flower" for you.

Why nine days after you broke down

your horn for the last time,

Ellington closed the cover

of his piano

forever.

INACEO by DJ Renegade

Armando Barbosa — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:04:58 +0000

I am a simple man.

I need only: a little coffee

in my milk before sunrise,

a walk for water with my burro,

my wife approaching the table

with the smell of fresh bread,

a comfortable chair,

a bowl of cachupa,

and a little grog now and then

to keep the joints loose.

When I was small

I would watch the ships drift in,

but their sails swelled

like the shirts of hanged men,

so I decided to never leave Maio.

The sea is the stingiest of lovers,

she carries men off like driftwood.

I have lost five sons to the sea.

Some days after carrying crops to market,

I sit and watch the waves curl

til the sun sets over Santiago.

I remember when whales were killed

and oil scooped from their heads for light.

Now light comes through wires.

In this island we have plenty light,

if you want to impress me,

make it rain.

Sometimes we go years with no rain,

until the ground is covered

with almost as many bones as stones.

Many of my friends never had the chance

to wear a white beard.

I never thought I would live

to see the Portuguese leave,

but the sea wears down

even the largest boulders.

Now my face is wrinkled

as the surface of the sea.

My bones know as much

about when the sky will change,

as the man in the radio.

I like the radio.

The man in the radio doesn't demand

that you stop everything to look at him.

I never learned to read Portuguese

but I can read a field,

tell you whether to plant corn or cane.

In the afternoon when we play oril,

Antonio jokes that I can't make a car move,

but he can't make a burro move.

Everything that moves has a rhythm,

things are faster now,

faster ways to grow batatas,

faster ways to travel,

but some things don't change.

A good hat is still worth

as much as a good mule.

My hat was given to me by my father.

Antonio says there are things beyond

this island that I have never seen,

but there are things under these rocks

that he has never seen.

Here we have more rocks than flowers

but there's as much beauty in a rock

as in a flower.

You can't tend to a rock

but neither will it die.