Land of Secrets

So I was reading the Huffington Post today and came across a set of truly remarkable photos. Razistan, a new initiative that works with Afghan and foreign photojournalists, shares with us photos of the unreported truths of the war in the Middle East. Razistan, “land of secrets”, reveals the untold stories of the people living in this war torn nation. Below are some of the photos that caught my eye. Be sure to check out the Razistan site for new pictures added frequently. (WARNING: Some pictures may contain graphic material) Til next time, Stay Up.

12-year-old Hassan sleeps in a sewer after working to send his family money. 

An injured Afghan National Army soldier.

A cloud of smoke rises moments after a suicide bombing near the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters in Kabul.

Local women pick through cloth at a market in Kabul.

Crippled men play a game of basketball at the Red Cross center in Kabul.

The Great Debate

Who’s the Greatest of All Time? Take a look and decide for yourself.

Running Free

A friend of mine sent me this video from the Tempest Free Running Academy. Free running, a variation of parkour, has been considered an art for hundreds of years. It wasn’t until more recent, around the 1920’s that people gave this sport a name and began filming the moves. Parkour has been used as a military training technique, pointing out the importance of athletic skill, balance, and concentration.

Free running, as seen in the videos below, focuses on the creativity, innovation, and self expression rather than the speed and efficiency found in parkour. Recent movie releases such as Casino Royale and The Bourne Ultimatum featuring free running and parkour have sparked interest in the art. Places such as the Tempest Free Running Academy provide a place to train for those dedicated to the sport.

Check out the videos I posted below as well as the Academy’s website, featuring many other free running and parkour films.

 

 

2012 x NFL x Draft Preview

With the draft being a day away, I decided to get my buddy Rob on the job to write up a mock draft. This kid spends unhealthy hours watching tape and breaking down the draft. With the help of whatever sites he uses, this mock draft was created for you all to enjoy, criticize, share, or whatever else you choose to do. Enjoy and Stay Up.             

Player-Pos-School-Height-Weight-40yrd Dash

1  Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck QB Stanford 6’4″ 234 lbs 4.67

Luck is the best draft prospect of all time. He also has a fucked up voice.

 

 

 

2 Washington Redskins (From StL) – Robert Griffin III QB Baylor 6’2″ 223 lbs 4.41

Griffin has underrated accuracy, he completed 72.4% of his passes in 2011.

 

 

 

3 Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil OT USC 6’6″ 305 lbs 4.96

The Vikings have a great history of shitting their pants on draft day, they can avoid that this year by taking Kalil who is a 10 year LT.

 

 

 

4 Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson RB Alabama 5’9″ 228 lbs 4.48

The Browns need a running game to compete this year, Richardson can do everything a RB needs to do.

 

 

 

5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne CB LSU 5’11” 188 lbs 4.45

The Bucs secondary needs help. Claiborne is the best coverage CB in the draft.

 

 

 

 

6 St. Louis Rams (From Was) – Justin Blackmon WR OKST 6’10” 215 lbs 4.47

Sam Bradford needs someone to throw to, he doesn’t have a #1 WR, or a #2 WR.

 

 

 

 

7 Jackson Jaguars – Quinton Coples DE UNC 6’5″ 284 lbs 4.73

If Jacksonville gets a solid LDE that front 4 will be scary next year.

 

 

 

 

8 Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill QB TX A&M 6’3″ 221 lbs 4.65

Miami needs a QB bad. So bad they will reach for Tannehill who will need time to develop.

 

 

 

 

9 Carolina Panthers – Fletcher Cox DT MISS ST 6’4″ 298 lbs 4.79

Carolinas D lost them plenty of games last year. Cox will fill holes up front.

 

 

 

 

10 Buffalo Bills – Riley Reiff OT Iowa 6’5″ 313 lbs 5.16 

The Bills O-Line stinks and LT is their biggest need

 

 

 

Voiceless Art

Can you imagine owning the largest art gallery in the world? Countless pieces of work on display for millions to see. “JR”, a French street artist claims to be this person. JR’s work often involves criminal trespassing, causing him to remain semi-anonymous. Inspired by the voiceless, JR posts faces in public areas for all to view. His work can be found around the world. The 2011 TED Prize recipient chooses not to explain his work in detail, as a way of allowing an exchange to occur between his work and a passer-by. Check out JR’s art: comment, ‘like’, share, post, or simply appreciate the work he has done. Til’ next time, Stay Up and always be On Your Grind.

Seasons Passing

Top 20 x Sports x 2011

Not necessarily in any order, however, these 20 pictures stood out to me while browsing many sports photos from last year. Feel free to share any pics I may have missed out on. Stay Up.

North Carolina v. Michigan State aboard USS Carl Vinson, Nov 11, 2011.

Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals, Canucks v. Bruins Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 15, 2011

Big House under the lights, Michigan v. Notre Dame, Sept 10, 2011.

Alabama Recovers, April 27, 2011.

Rooney’s Bicycle, Man U v. Man City, Feb 12, 2011.

Oscar Pistorious, 4oo meter at IAAF Word Championships, Daegu, South Korea, Aug 28, 2011.

D-Rose “posterizes” Joel Anthony, Chicago v. Miami, May 25, 2011.

Zdeno Chara celebrates, Stanley Cup Finals, Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 15, 2011.

“Cheap Shot” Floyd Mayweather v. Victor Ortiz, Sept 17, 2011. (video)

NFL Lockout, Summer, 2011.

Asia’s Bright Nights

Came across these photos taken by Thomas Birke out of Berlin, Germany. Great use of time lapse, high resolution and over exposure to emphasize the activity going on. A few of these look like they could be downtown NYC or Boston. These awesome shots were taken by Mr. Birke in both Tokyo, Japan and Hong Kong, China.

Tokyo

Hong Kong

Tokyo

Hong Kong

Tokyo

Keep Readin!

Rugby > Soccer

Great ad out of the Czech Republic encouraging people to play rugby. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching soccer, but having played rugby, this ad cracks me up. Enjoy, Stay Up, and go play some damn rugby!

Monumental Money

Been slackin’ again with the posts, I apologize. Anyway, came across this photo depicting 4 US dollars (5, 10, 20, 50) folded in half, and placed in front of their real image locations. Very well done and a cool concept. More posts on the way, I promise. Stay Up.