Investigation
The Birth of Saké (Documentary)
December 19, 2016
Incredible! This documentary is about a tradition, an art, craftsmanship, a lifestyle, a family business, a journey of self-discovery and appreciation and so much more brought to us by Japanese-American documentarian Erik Shirai. Turns out that Saké is waaaay more than fancy rice wine. The story’s telling – in “The Birth of Saké” – does involve a lot of cups of it though. The best!
Check out the trailer above. Catch it on Netflix. More on the documentary at NBC News online.
Posted in Art, Business, Film, Food, Human Interest, Investigation, Lifestyle, Trailer, Travel, Videos | 
Tags: brewery, brewmaster Yamamoto Toji, craft, daiginjo, Erik Shirai, fermented rice, hand-crafted, Ishikawa, Japan, Japanese alcoholic beverage, migrant farmers, NBC, NBC Asian America, NBC News, Palm Springs International Film Festival, rice wine, saké-making, Sake, Tedorigawa, Tedorigawa Yoshida, Tedorigawa Yoshida Sake Brewery, The Birth of Saké, The John Schlesinger Award, Yamamoto Toji, Yasuyuki Yoshida | 
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The Step Team Building an Unbeatable Legacy (Mini-Documentary)
December 16, 2016
Wow. The brother said he and his team destroy their bodies preparing for a show they’ve won 11 years running! Wow…Â No let up, no chill! You can see why this is part of ‘The Greatest Homecoming On Earth.’ And you can see the rest of the ‘Great Big Story’ above.
The art of stepping—choreographed stomping and clapping—has been practiced by historically Black fraternities and sororities for decades. It’s a performance of skill and precision. And every year at North Carolina A&T’s “Greatest Homecoming On Earth,†Greek organizations hit the stage to compete for a coveted title. The brothers of Phi Beta Sigma have won the step show 11 years in a row. This year, as pressure to maintain their legacy mounts, step master Byron Hannah tries to lead his brothers to another victory.
– @ojones1
Posted in Dance, Education, Human Interest, Investigation, Videos | Tags: Byron Hannah, Fraternities, GHOE, Great Big Story, Greatest Homecoming On Earth, Greeks, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina A&T University, Phi Beta Sigma, Sororities, step master, Step show, stepmaster, Stepping, The Step Team Building an Unbeatable Legacy | No Comments »
Gentrified – Ethnic Cleansing: American Style (Film Trailer)
December 16, 2016
“Is it ‘redevelopment’ . . . or ethnic cleansing?
‘Gentrified’ is the first documentary ever to take an in-depth look at the effects of gentrification and provide statistical and social evidence that it targets the Black community in particular. When big business and big govt conspire to create so-called “redevelopment” it always leaves a richer, all white neighborhood in its wake. The old, Black residents are left to their own devices which include poverty and homelessness.
In ‘Gentrified’, we travel across the United States and interview activists, entrepreneurs and academics to give a brutally honest look at the way the entire country, and even the world, is being reshaped by the process of gentrification. In the 21st century the ‘haves’ are removing the ‘have-nots’ and it’s time we saw who they were.
They’re rich. They’re white . . . and they’re coming for everything you’ve got.
A special UK screening will be followed by a panel discussion in London on February 18th at 6pm at the Hackney Attic.“
PREVIOUS: BLACK CHANNEL FILMS PRESENTS ‘GENTRIFIED – POLICE, MONEY, & ETHNIC CLEANSING’ (VIDEO)
Facebook Isn’t “Free” (Video)
December 14, 2016
If you’re not paying, you’re not the customer–you’re the product.
You gotta know this. Whether you know already, or not, you GOTTA know this. So, since College Humor put together a palatable way to tell you so, I’m gonna share and let you know…
FACEBOOK ISN’T FREE!
Watch and see how you ‘pay’ for it, because you are not willing to pay for it otherwise. Hey, everything has it’s price. How do you think Zucks got so damned rich? And you could quit Facebook, but good luck escaping Google!
– @ojones1
Posted in Comedy, Human Interest, Investigation, Mobile App, News, Technology, Videos | Tags: Adam Ruins Everything, College Humor, Facebook, FACEBOOK ISN'T FREE, GOOGLE, privacy, Right to Privacy, truTV | No Comments »
Haiti & ‘The Forgotten Occupation’ (Trailer)
December 13, 2016
Damn. Just damn. When we look at ‘poor Haiti’ from America, we should hold more rage in our hearts than pity. The U.S. have just done wrong by that Black nation. WRONG!
In 1915, more than a century after having eradicated slavery from their country, the people of Haiti suddenly find themselves the victims of a brutal American occupation, reigniting an all too familiar past for the proud, independent nation.
Watch the trailer for “The Forgotten Occupation” above. Shout to Radio Rebel Tayla Andrè for sharing. For more info, check out TheForgottenOccupation.com.
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Investigation, Politics, Trailer, Videos | Tags: American occupation, Haiti, The Forgotten Occupation, U.S. Occupation Of Haiti | No Comments »
Victims Of Misfortune (Extended Trailer)
December 12, 2016
The American criminal justice system is more about addressing the ‘criminal’ part rather than the ‘justice’ part of its moniker. A quick search on ‘prison’ on here will tell you that. But this “Victims Of Misfortune” shows how deep the dung is; addressing what happens to the imprisoned after they have served their time. Facts and nearly two decades of research folks. Don’t argue with folks who disagree, as this is no longer a debate. This is a documentary that exposes truths and shares knowledge.
Victims Of Misfortune is a feature-length, social change documentary that will give a historical and current look at America’s criminal justice system and the discriminatory policies that people with a criminal background face, post conviction/release. Victims Of Misfortune will also take a closer look at America’s system of indentured servitude putting the practice in proper historical context. The United States has 5 percent of the world population, with around 25 percent of the world’s prisoners (over 2.4 million people behind bars). Nearly $70 billion is spent annually on probation/parole, prison and detention centers for immigration detainees. Once these people are released from prison or have a criminal record, they are then discriminated against for employment, housing, education, governmental benefits and some even deported.
Posted in Activism, Cover Story, History, Investigation, Trailer, Videos | Tags: criminal justice, criminal justice system, criminal record, Dr. Umar Johnson, ex-con, ex-convict, indentured servitude, Levon Hinton, parole, Prison, Prison System | No Comments »
ESPN’s 30 For 30: This Was The XFL (Trailer)
December 12, 2016
This trailer is intriguing. Check it out.
ESPN, the world’s sports leader, is going to do a documentary on the XFL, the failed football league borne of and bearing more than a slight resemblance to Vince McMahon’s leading sports entertainment franchise, World Wrestling Entertainment. Any televised sport has to be entertaining enough to bring eyeballs and ad revenue, right? So maybe Vince thought he could put out an entertaining football program with no sweat. Whatever the motivations and machinations behind the result and resulting demise, we should learn something watching this 30 For 30.
(Speaking of learning something… Do you know what XFL stood for? Answer: It was NOT Xtreme Football League! It was not an acronym at all. Learned something already, huh?)
Posted in Business, Film, History, Investigation, Series, Sports, Television, Trailer, Videos | Tags: 30 For 30, ESPN, NBC, This Was The XFL, Vince McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, XFL, Xtreme Football League | No Comments »
History Of Social Dance (Video)
December 10, 2016
You know, we really ought to be smiling (at least on the inside) when the babies are going hard with the dances they do. May not be WHAT we used to do, but you KNOW we used to go just as HARD with the moves.
Turns out that there is a reasoning and history behind it all. And it’s all good. Now, excuse me while I get my Whip-Nae-Dab on!
– @ojones1
Posted in Dance, History, Human Interest, Investigation, Lifestyle, Recreation, Videos, Youth | Tags: A visual history of social dance, Camille A. Brown, history of social dance, social dance, TED, Ted Talk | No Comments »
Cuba’s Generational Divide (Documentary Short Film)
December 7, 2016
Three generations of Cuban women, three different opinions of Castro.
For some Cubans, the leader's death has highlighted a divide. pic.twitter.com/wXWI5sVE97
— Fusion (@Fusion) December 7, 2016
Incredible video expo… and incredibly short. Maybe ongoing interest will drive development of a fuller doc or short. The impact of the life, and recent passing, of Cuban revolutionary dictator Fidel Castro can be debated from various angles including regional vs. global and overall positive vs. overall negative. But we do know there was an impact, and it apparently resonates throughout the ages.
Case in point: Above you see three generations of Black Cubans – Esperanza Caridad Martinez (Grandmother), Margarita Beatriz Nicholas (Daughter), and Leyssy O’Farrill Nicholas (Granddaughter) speak on three views of Cuba; in effect, Castro’s legacy. Thing about it is that while the views could have (and maybe has already) sparked fiery discourse among them, the discourse is very calm and deliberate. Each generation speaking on what they know and feel about living in Cuba and prospects for Black Cubans like them moving forward there and abroad. But what’ll really get you at the end… is that one tear Grandma shed for her Leyssy. Whether or not Leyssy has what it takes to eat off her art (caution: NOT a given, anywhere) by leaving, she ought to know she has LOVE in Cuba. 100,000%.
Posted in Activism, Human Interest, Investigation, Opinion, Politics, Relationships, Travel, Videos | Tags: Black Cuban, Cuba, Cuba's Generational Divide, Esperanza Caridad Martinez, Haitian, Haitian Cuban, Haitian descent, Havana, Leyssy O'Farrill Nicholas, Margarita Beatriz Nicholas | No Comments »
Dutch Christmas Celebrations Still Include Blackface (Video)
December 6, 2016
With minor cultural considerations, Christmas is the same worldwide right? Well, that depends on what you call ‘minor’ (or translated… HELL NO)! Especially not in the Dutch tradition. Watch the Zox expose on Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) in the Netherlands. Blackface! They are still pushing the use of blackface and human caricature as a part of the Winter holidays; dissing Black people over there in the worst ways while totally oblivious (yeah, right). But the times, they are a-changing…slowly.
Posted in Activism, History, Human Interest, Investigation, Politics, Travel, Videos | Tags: Black Pete, blackface, Dutch Christmas, Netherlands, Stereotype, Vox, Why blackface is still part of Dutch Christmas, Zwarte Piet | No Comments »
Turkeys Have Doubled In Size Since The 1940s (Video)
November 20, 2016
Okay, if you are planning on eating a big azz turkey for the holidays, you may not want to watch this. But, of course, now you feel like you HAVE to watch, right?
The Thanksgiving turkey on your table looks nothing like the one your grandparents ate as kids.
But bigger does not always mean better. When it comes to turkeys nowadays, it’s probably rarely going to mean better; especially when you learn the how and why your holiday turkey is so huge. Maybe spend a bit more to get a turkey raised the old-fashioned way. Maybe…
Posted in Health and Wellness, History, Investigation, Science, Videos | Tags: Frankenbird, Frankensteined, Frankenturkey, Holiday, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving turkey, TURKEY, turkeys have gotten bigger, Vox | No Comments »
Science: Why Don’t Ants Get Stuck In Traffic? (Video)
September 30, 2016
More smart programming produced by PBS Digital Studios. Brilliant insights in this vid on what ants have to teach us about building efficient traffic networks. Such simple solutions, but many seem impossible. Because they are? NO.
Because…us!
Just watch, and maybe remember this the next time you’re stuck in that road jam downtown.
Posted in Animation, Environment, Human Interest, Investigation, Lecture, Science, Series, Technology, Travel, Videos | Tags: Ants, It's Okay To Be Smart, PBS Digital Studios, traffic, Why Don't Ants Get Stuck In Traffic? | No Comments »
13TH (Trailer)
September 27, 2016
Historical hooray for the 13th Amendment, right? Because it freed the slaves…right? But wait. Hold the Constitution a minute. What if the passage of the 13th Amendment actually gave way to 150 years of oppression of Black people? That’s what Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13TH” posits. And it’s not ‘what if’ rather ‘what it is.’ Watch the Netflix trailer above. Wow…
The title of Ava DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing documentary “13TH” refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.†The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass criminalization and the sprawling American prison industry is laid out by DuVernay with bracing lucidity. With a potent mixture of archival footage and testimony from a dazzling array of activists, politicians, historians, and formerly incarcerated women and men, DuVernay creates a work of grand historical synthesis.
– Netflix US & Canada
Classic Beauty: Defined By Each Culture (Video)
September 27, 2016
We have known all along that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ But consider that our judgments about whom is beautiful is based in the beholder’s ethnicity.
Photographer and photojournalist Natalia Ivanova has begun an ambitious project she calls “The Ethnic Origins of Beauty,” or Les origines de la beauté. She seeks out the ideal natural beauty that symbolizes every ethnicity, and photographs them in an identical position. The 100s of photos she has taken show the wide diversity that humans consider to be the classic beauty.
So this project pretty much makes it plain: What I (and people with whom I share ethnic background) have a different point of view when it comes to judging beauty. The Eye Candy posted here might be drastically different if someone from another culture starts selecting the Honeyz. How about that.
– @ojones1
60 Minutes: The New Cold War And The Role Of The Next U.S. President (Video)
September 27, 2016
Man! Watching pro football is a nice distraction from the real world. But then 60 Minutes follows it with some VERY real world coverage of the new Cold War. This ain’t your father’s or grandfather’s Cold War either. And if you have seen that “Crimson Tide” movie, the submarine footage in this CBS news/documentary segment will give you a familiar chill.
Hmm… it has been a while since I’ve gotten political on here. And while I still #FeelTheBern like a number of my associates, I will be casting my vote this November; and so should YOU.
VOTE DAMMIT! If for no other reason, consider the words of Admiral Cecil Haney talking to interviewer David Martin:
David Martin: So who in the United States government has the authority to order the use of nuclear weapons?
Cecil Haney: Only the President of the United States has that authority.
David Martin: Does Congress have to approve?
Cecil Haney: No, Congress does not have to approve.
David Martin: So these really are the President’s own weapons.
Cecil Haney: It’s our nation’s weapons, with the President’s authority. Yes.
Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter. Your Vote Matters. It is all a matter of LIFE AND DEATH!
VOTE. Push the button. Vote for the person whose finger will be on the nuke button.
– @ojones1
Posted in Cover Story, Investigation, News, Series, Videos | Tags: 60 Minutes, button, CBS, CBS News, Cecil Haney, Cold War, David Martin, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, nuclear missles, nuclear submarine, nuclear weapons, The New Cold War | No Comments »
Do Not Resist (Trailer)
August 18, 2016
Trailer for the new film I helped to produce, DO NOT RESIST, about warrior cops and the militarization of police. https://t.co/tKgVuGd4XO
— David Menschel (@davidminpdx) August 17, 2016
Damn. Come September 2016, film producer David Menschel is gonna give us yet another look at ourselves that some (maybe the majority) of us do not want to see. But we HAVE to! When will the U.S. police forces realize that when your tool of choice is a hammer, everything looks like a nail? To break that down to simple compounds: When all you have to respond to even civil ‘threats’ is a MILITARIZED police force, you confront an unarmed gathering with an overly armed force… With sticks and stones they may threaten to break cops’ bones… so why not run ’em the f*ck over with our new tanks??!
See Rand Paul, yeah even Rand Paul, say the cops’ Army toys are NOT to be used in riot suppression? Let alone against unarmed, lawful protestors? Wow. Watch the trailer.
Clinton Cash (Documentary)
August 6, 2016
Okay. Hillary Clinton is the Democratic candidate for President of the United States. If elected, she will be the first woman to ascend to the Office. She has, and will, make history. But there is more than an ‘upside’ to the whole truth about Clinton. Watch the over an hour strong documentary above to get the other side. We MUST have the whole truth about our leaders.
Clinton Cash, is a feature documentary based on the Peter Schweizer book that the New York Times hailed as “The most anticipated and feared book of a presidential cycle.â€
Clinton Cash investigates how Bill and Hillary Clinton went from being “dead broke†after leaving the White House to amassing a net worth of over $150 million, with over $2 billion in donations to their foundation. This wealth was accumulated during Mrs. Clinton’s tenure as US Secretary of State through lucrative speaking fees and contracts paid for by foreign companies and Clinton Foundation donors.
Posted in Film, Investigation, Politics, Videos | Tags: Bill Clinton, Clinton Cash, Clinton Foundation, fundraising, Hillary Clinton, illicit activity, Peter Schweizer, speaking fees | No Comments »
Who is Anonymous? (Documentary)
July 29, 2016
Anonymous. It’s a brand, a meme, and a movement. But who is Anonymous? Where did it/they come from? VICELAND is going in to get the scoop.
The notorious hacktivist collective Anonymous has targeted everyone from PayPal to the FBI. But a string of arrests have crippled the group. So who is Anonymous now?
Hint: The story isn’t all as “Mr. Robot” (you know, the USA Network series) as you might think. At least not at first.
Posted in Activism, Investigation, Series, Videos | Tags: Anonymous, CYBERWAR, Full Episode, hacktivist, hacktivist collective, VICE, VICELAND, Who is Anonymous | No Comments »
How To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse (Video)
July 29, 2016
Think AMC’s The Walking Dead is a joke, man?! It’s actually fiction; not a whole lot of funny. Many might say prospect of a zombie apocalypse is scary. And some of them would say… the threat of it is REAL… at least real enough to go to a training camp to learn the basic survival skills of living with all kinds of undead walking around.
Posted in Investigation, Series, Videos | Tags: Apocalypse, Daily VICE, death, End of the World, EVERGREEN, How to, HOW TO SURVIVE, How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse, RIVER DONAGHEY, Survival, SURVIVE, The Walking Dead, VICE, VICE US, Zombie Apocalypse, zombies | No Comments »
What Ever Happened To The Concorde Plane? (Video)
July 27, 2016
This plane could cross the Atlantic in 3.5 hours. In the time you’d take a cross-state bus trip, you’d be across the ocean on ANOTHER continent!! The Concorde gave us supersonic transport. So, with all that going for it, why did this supersonic plane fail? The answer is complicated. Vox’s Phil Edwards investigated.
