The In Crowd

Notes on the video:

"The footage was apparently filmed by some students back in '67, showing a typical night at the mod club of the day (in Halifax that is). The film was funded by the BBC and apparently still sits in the BBC archives in its entirety."

Only flaw to the clip is the overlay of an (admittedly nice) track by The Impressions in the background instead of leaving whatever the original music was playing when the footage was shot. Still an amazing clip though if you are into 60's mod culture. [clip via Mod Culture, natch!]

Part of the very chic, new and buzzing West Harlem Piers development. I had a meal here about three weeks ago. I wouldn't have intuitively guessed that Latin & Thai cuisine would go together so well and the 'Talay Foo Dogs' out front at the spot (see above) were a bit cheesy, but the food was amazing and decently priced. Talay is highly recommended.

Click here for more info on Talay and the West Harlem Piers.

Online:

Talay Restaurant - website

Where to score free flicks alfresco, from Brooklyn to the Upper West Side in New York from Metromix.com:

"It’s a summer for burgeoning tightwads—gas prices are above $4 a gallon, airlines are now chargine $25 per bag, and—more important—a single blockbuster movie ticket complete with deep-freeze air conditioning now clocks in at $11.75…plus $1.50 for service charges.

But cinema lovers can give their strained wallets a break this season by taking in one of the many free (or nearly free) outdoor films playing in parks and on rooftops all over the city almost every night of the week. Be forewarned, though: The scene is BYOPB (that’s Bring Your Own Picnic Blanket, for newbies), and many die-hards camp out in the primo spots well before sunset."

Click here for the rest of the article. 

I just found out about this now: a super-rare live appearance (even if it's just a PA) by the Chicago house music legend! That'll teach me to not pick up an Onion or Village Voice on a weekly basis.

Join Giant Step and the Brownswood crew for the second installment of the Brownswood Sessions at Nublu, NYC on Thursday, December 27, 2007. The night celebrates stellar jazz and soul music from artists on Gilles Peterson's UK-based record label:

José James
Elan Mehler
DJ Moni
guests TK Wonder and Duke (GAEA)

Click here for more details.

Online: Brownswood Recordings

This Wednesday (10/24) at Crash Mansion:

Click here for the back of the flyer with full details.

WHAT IS DARFUR?

Darfur is a region in Sudan, Africa where there is currently a state of constant violence. In 2003, the Sudanese government prompted a genocide which has displaced over 2.5 million people who now have no crops or other resources for survival except for foreign relief organizations like the one this fundraiser will feed into.

Nearly four years of fighting between the government-sponsored militias and settled farmers have left an estimated 200,000 dead. Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with severe shortages of food and clean water. Four million now depend on humanitarian assistance to survive, but large parts of the region are cut off from relief efforts due to heavy militia presence.

As reported by the International Rescue Committee, more than 200 sexual assaults were reported in the vicinity of a main refugee camp in August of this year.

The fighting in Darfur continues despite a signed peace treaty. Those who remain in the region have survived experiences much like what we have seen in the movie Hotel Rwanda. The movie raised the question of how people would knowingly turn away from a country suffering from modern-day genocide. Darfur is today's genocide. And now is the time to turn toward it and do what you can to stop it.

Online: Help Darfur Now - official website

Presented by Giant Step. Click here for more details.