Bloggers Robert Scoble via the aid of Andrew Feinberg contribute to the breaking of a NYT piece today on the usage and issues around the usage os microblogging and life streaming tools Twitter and Qik. The controversy is around whether or not members of congress should be allowed to use these new social lifestreaming tools. The focus of the piece is on Representative John Culberson, Republican of Texas, who is an avid Twitizen and wrote on his Twitter.com profile, “I just learned the Dems are trying to censor Congressmen’s ability to use Twitter Qik YouTube Utterz etc — outrageous and I will fight them,” The way the article is written one would have to believe that the democrats are in favor of regulating the usage while the Republicans are all over Twitter! However Nancy Pelosi came back with a ‘friend me’ type response, and replies, “I have a blog, use YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Digg, and other new media to communicate with constituents” and that the Dems proposal would “relax rules that prohibit members from posting on sites other than the House.gov domain.”

One of the best and promising parts of the article is the involvement of Culberson’s followers. NYT says,

But Mr. Culberson, after taking suggestions from hundreds of online “followers” on his Twitter site, drew up a counterproposal on Friday, calling on House leaders to lift nearly all restrictions on external content.

Qik Video by Feinberg with Culberson

As more and more digital technologies are used in video, film/tv there has been a public outcry for the cosmetic industry to create products that address the depth of your pores that these HD media tends to  capture. While this is addressing the cry of those that work in traditional media, fashion and entertainment, this is actually a breath of fresh air for “civilians” too. Cargo, a new brand which sells blu_ray HD Powder ($30.00USD) in Sephora describes the powder as “created to provide flawless results while looking completely natural during high-definition filming.”

According to Spektra Beauty News

Photochromatic pigments adjust with the lighting so that you have natural looking makeup no matter what the setting, while ultra-fine micronized minerals fill the look of fine lines and reduce the appearance of imperfections.

According to the website, there is a whole backstore on the founder, Hana Zalzal

Nearly ten years ago, Hana Zalzal had a mission: to create a professional color cosmetic line that top makeup artists would covet, yet would be easy enough for all women to enjoy. She recognized that makeup is an intimate part of a woman’s identity; it’s her “cargo.” It should serve as a form of self-expression, as well as make her feel good and look great. So in 1996, after seeking input from some of the biggest names in the business, Zalzal launched CARGO, a line of invitingly wearable products that were both practical and portable.

Cargo’s Line At Sephora

While I don’t have the official Nike press release nor has Que called me personally, we are here to report that by way of some very credible sources, Henry “Que” Gaskins has joined Nike in some sort of “Big Dog” position in NYC. Since I don’t have his official title, I do know that it must be a big role because Que is no slouch. Gaskins is most notably known for his work at Reebok and Allen Iverson and according to his linkedin profile describes himself as “Marketing Maven of Pop Culture, Entertainment, Fashion, Sports, Urban and Young Adults”

We recently reported on an amazing viral video The Additive, his marketing agency and team created and now it seems as this long time expert in urban culture has joined the rest of my NIKE familia at the Swoosh. Further solidifying my opportunity to always be dressed in the flyest AF1’s or rare kick, this move on behalf of Nike, Trevor Edwards and Mark Parker is a big one. Simply put Gaskins “gets it”, is super duper connected (he knows me afterall…..oh and Uncle Wes of course) and now that he finally works for a great brand (sorry Reebok) will no doubt do great things for the brand. I tried to wait to send this post till I got some sort of “official call” but had to get this out. I also selfishly want one of these Alife Tee shirts and know when Que reads this he will have his “people” add me to the Nike NYC “influencer” list and will make sure I have this fresh tee and my 10.5’s in my mailbox on a regular basis!!

Congrats Nike/Que…..

Loved the post by Darryl Ohrt at Brandflakesforbreakfast about Twitter’s recent failures and issues with bandwith that have turned into Fail Whale an online phenomenon and current web 2.0. cult following of the moment. If you have not been a part of the Fail Whale madness lately, well maybe you…….actually have a life! What is brilliant about this little “moment in time” for Twitter is that they are being celebrated for their failures.

Possibly the most wonderful thing in the world that a brand can achieve is love so strong that users worship your failures. (Brandflakesforbreakfast.com)

This is what I preach to my clients in my sermons to them. Just get in the game, don’t be afraid to take a risk. Not being in the game is worse than not at least trying something. For a brand like Twitter, they are so revered and loved right now that their failures have become a “viral movement.”

I had an opportunity to interview Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter today,  the show was syndicated on various blogs, websites and ultimately lives in Carolsdaughter.tv.

Lisa is in New Orleans to run a “pop-up retail store” (it’s hardly that when you see it) that will coincide with the timing of the Essence Festival. The focus of our interview was to highlight the charitable element of the weekend which includes both an online and offline opportunity to fight hunger and help rebuild the region. Starting at midnight tonight Carol’s Daughter will make a $10 donation on behalf of every new membership to the Carol’s Daughter ‘Friend of the Family’ group. In addition to donating $10, Carol’s Daughter will send new members a free gift.

For those not familiar, Carol’s Daughter is a line of beauty products such as fragrances and products for hair, skin, and hands.  The creation of the brand came about as Lisa concocted organic products in her kitchen, including pure oils such as sweet almond, jojoba and soy. Beginning as a mail-order and an online business in 1993, Carol’s Daughter opened its first store in Brooklyn in 1999. Several other stores have opened since then, with more stores opening in the future. In 2005 the company brought in $10m in funding from investors like Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay Z, and Tommy Mottola. The round of financing was orchestrated by Steve Stoute and was the cataylyst for the brand’s national growth and push into stores like Sephora and Macy’s.

Hats off to both LTD and Moli.com for striking a deal to create a co-branded community on the site. LTD is the limited edition magazine/catalog that is distributed to an exclusive 10,000 person list and for some reason my “swagger” and “influence” credit scores were high enough to make the list. The new partnership with Moli.com allows them to build an online destination and community hub to aggregate all the “hipsters” in one location.

Being the “cultural anthropologist” I am, Brazil for me was also about getting to know the people. I’m really glad that I built in time during my trip to get to know the country and the scene. None of this could have happened without the planning and support of Suemyra Shah (NYC) who has deep tentacles and crew in both the Sao Paulo and Rio scene. The experienced made me feel blessed to be able to do what I do for a living and to have the opportunity to share my experience globally. I learned from this trip that I am so connected to my Brazil bretheren and I look forward to many more trips to Brazil.

Sao Paulo:

Sao Paulo is like Manhattan “times 5.”  With greater Sao Paulo holding 20 million people it is the 3rd largest city in the Americas. The music scene is so refreshing in SP. I really loved the energy and opportunity to experience so much in such a short period of time.

I ended up at a really interesting show with Mike Ladd show at SESC/Santana. Ladd lives in Paris but is originally from Boston and we ended up knowing a lot of the same folks from the music industry in the US. Ladd has a huge following worldwide and it was great to see a guy like that have an opportunity to be a global “long tail” artist. We all ended up hanging out at Rodrigo Brandao’s party called Chaka Hotnights at Milo’s Garage for some reggae, classics, hip hop, funk, rock with a great mix of ecletic Sao Paulians. Got a chance to spend some time with  Marcio Shiromo aka “Murinho” who owns a SP sneaker spot called The Lab. Marcio is a Brazillian who lived in Venice Beach back in the early 90’s during his serious skater days. Had a good time with his crew which also included Brazilian-Japanese trendsetter and popular skateboarder Akira Matsui who schooled me on the Japan-Sao Paulo relationship, which like an ignorant American I was totally oblivious to. Also learned a lot about the BR Skateboard scene which is huge.

Friday night in SP we linked up with DJ Primo for his party at Mood. Primo is a very important DJ and figure in the Sao Paulo music scene. He is featured as the DJ and personality on the “Yo MTV Rap” of Brazil and as a DJ Primo spins all the authentic good hip hop stuff (Stones Throw, Hiero, Little Brother classic MC stuff) vs commercial American “hits.”. His friday night set at Mood was very cool. Mood was setup more like a traditional club with the pure Brazilian dance heads getting sweaty in one room and Primo spinning more of the American hip hop in the other. The DJ that followed Primo blew me away when he did a 45 min, straight West Coast set that was full of B-sides from Souls of Mischief, Too Short, NWA, etc. that you almost would have to be from Oakland or LA to know

Primo on MTV

My crew for that evening included my new comarade Jesse Stollak who is a Nike digital guru from the Northwest (Washington State) now living in Sao Paulo. I had strict instructions from his boss Trevor Edwards at Nike to take him to Rio but Jesse wouldn’t budge. Nevertheless we had a great time and he was a most gracious host.

Rio

Aww Rio! What more can I say. When I first arrived I wrote it off for the first few hours as nothing more then LA, Miami or South of France (not that those places are too shabby). When the night closed in and the skyline lit up (along with the Jesus statue) I suddenly began to fall for what was definitely one of the most beautiful cities I had ever been to.

Did a little shopping in LeBlon at the mall after the most insane bus ride I have ever experienced. Let’s just say EVERYBODY drives fast even the local bus driver who moved that big bus through the streets of LeBlon like a Porsche. LeBlon was part Beverly Hills, part South Beach and alive with commerce, great food and my new favorite drink/meal Acai. Mix that up with a little granola and I was snacking on that 3-4 times per day.

The first night  in Rio we connected with a group of folks and got a chance to have sushi with DJ Primo’s main squeeze, actress/model Patricia DeJesus. Patricia is on one of the more popular Brazilian “novelas” as a lead actress after having a very successful modeling career as one of Ford’s Brazilian models. I’m told she is the first black Brazilian to have major air-time on a prime time show……says a lot right?

After another harrowing Rio transportation experience where while being a passenger in a taxi easily going 100 mph (NOTE: Taxi’s don’t stop at traffic lights b/c of the crime) and watching the car next to us flip over 6 times and land on the roof (Yes, 6 times!), we ended up at what ended up being one of the most amazing parties I have ever been to albeit under a freeway overpass in the Madureira section of Rio. Our guide for the night was Aori from the group Inumanos (check out their video-very creative) The scene was classic American R&B tunes and over 1000 people dancing to Lauryn Hill, Bobby Valentino, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and hit after hit of songs I would have never have thought I would have heard in Rio Brazil. It felt like an American party back in the day but we were under a dang freeway underpass. The sound system that night was provided by DJ’s KL and Edy Rock who are both from Racionais MC’s. They are considered the Public Enemy meets NWA of Brazil and have sold thousands of records independently. When the R&B hits went off and they hit the stage you could feel the energy. They talk about life in the Favelas which are no joke kiddos. Despite the near death experience and me and a taxi driver who spoke no english (nor spanish) almost having to fight the night ended up being really good

FAVELAS

The favelas are like cities within the city with people living literally on top of each other in communities that look like shanty towns in Jamaica. Most of the favelas are run by drug lords and the police are constantly getting into shoot outs with the favela guards and infrastructure. It is not uncommon to see 12 year olds marching around with rifles and grenades protecting the favelas.  One of my guides during my trip was Paulo who was  from City of God, one of the more famous favelas especially in light of the recent flix “City Of God,” He was great, loved his energy and warm spirit which is all I had to go on b/c he spoke very little english and my Portuguese got no better during the trip.

For my last evening in Rio, Aori took us into the Rochina favela for the baile funk party at the Emocoes Club. Before heading into the hills of the favela, I took Aori and crew out to Mr. Lam which is the Mr. Chow of Rio. In fact Mr. Lam opened up this amazing location after leaving Mr. Chow NYC where he was the head chef. Being an old school “Mr. Chow fan” I was excited to try Mr. Lam out and we were not let down in the least.

The baile funk parties in the favelas are a “must experience” for those that who can brave the journey into the favelas. There is no way I would have made the trip without traveling with those who know the Rio favelas.Though I was warned that I would see a lot of guns, luckily it was pretty “gun free” that night. After leaving the cushy Mr. Lam and heading into the favela (which was around the corner) it struck me how I was fortunate enough to be experiencing two different sides of Brazil. In the favelas you have  STARK differences in economic structure in one very close city. I went from Rodeo Drive and South Beach, Miami to Cabrini Green, Bankhead, Compton, Camden NJ all rolled up into one. After finally arriving in Rochina which was an experience that included an LAPD like police “jacking” and all of us having to get out of the taxi with Rio police pulling out guns and rifles on us, I finally got to experience true, authentic Brazilian “baile” culture…..whoa!

AORI POST POLICE “JACKING”

Hung out during the day at Posto 9 in Ipenema and then headed back to SP where I went to see great art at Choque Cultural Gallery, shopped in in Jardins around Oscar Friere (Rodeo Dr of Brazil) and then had dinner at Figueira Rubaiyat with Jesse from Nike before flying back to the U.S.

Choque Cultural Gallery

Though I was forewarned about what I was about to see in Brazil I did truly get an opportunity to experience two very different Brazil’s. During my corporate experience it struck me that I did not talk to nor meet any other Black Brazilians in any positions anywhere. In fact until I got to Rio I rarely even saw any Black Brazilians. While hanging out in Rio especially I encountered Black Brazilians, many of which did not speak english but of course knew everything about USA pop culture and imitated the style, music, dress and “Swagger” of many black americans I knew back home. Brazil like so many other places has problems but it is a country that is evolving and establishing itself as a cultural and financial center.

Getting to know and then leaving Brazil was like making friends with someone you feel like you have known your entire life. It is a country that I know I will be back to visit, do business within and bring my family to explore and get to know better. If you have not been, take a trip and make sure you see it all…..

It has literally taken me this long to complete my post on my Brazilan trip because of my workload.

What an amazing trip. I absolutely love this country and it exceeded the “hype” that I had heard for so many years. I will do my best to give you the highlights of my trip.

The purpose of my trip was to give a keynote lecture on Web 2.0. at Brazil’s largest PR conference (11 Congresso Brasileiro de Comunicao Corporativa). The title of my lecture was “Shift Happens” and I took the Brazilians on a journey of what is now and what is to become for corporate communicators as it relates to online communication and marketing. With a healthy social media market and growing middle class I’m looking forward to going back to water the seeds I laid down in the market. I really enjoyed the lecture and I spoke to over 200 professionals and corporate marketers.

The second objective of my trip was to help celebrate the opening of a Ketchum Interactive practice at our Brazil offices. Valeria Perito, Wallace Baldo and Rosana are well setup for success and they treated me like a rock star! I had a chance to meet and talk digital strategy with executives from Dow, P&G, LG Electronics, Oracle, McAfee, Visa and many others.

I came across this live video of my friends DJ Louie Vega/ Kenny Dope of MAW fame at my favorite conference of all conferences: Winter Music Conference in Miami. Fitting as Atlanta is anxiously awaiting Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff) arrival this week where he will no doubt shut this city down as he does about 2 times per year. The importance of DJing has been on my mind a lot lately as I recently had an opportunity to take my kids to Barnes & Noble to see Grandmaster Flash at his book signing for his book, “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats”. Looking forward to getting into the book and big up to Flash, who is truly a scientist first and then a DJ.

Being friends with various DJ’s has its clear advantages besides knowing all the very cool and rare records and being plugged in to all the best venues worldwide. I absolutely love being in the booth with a great DJ (incl but not limited to the likes of King Britt, Timmy Regisford, Rich Medina, O.P., D-Nice, etc etc) and being able to see people of all colors, shapes, sizes and religions, losing their mind and on one central beat, controlled by one man/woman and two plates. During those almost spiritual like moments, I fall in love all over again with this amazing thing called music.

Been holding this one under the lid, very excited for my good friend Kenard Gibbs and his partners Peter Griffith and Anthony Maddox who acquired the rights for Soul Train a few weeks ago. I have been an avid Tivo fanatic of the old Soul Train re-runs over the last year or so and my 6 year has become addicted to the dance and styles of the 70’s. This deal has been in the works for a long time and really glad that they were the team to end up buying. Soul Train is as American as Apple Pie and has a long history with our country. Most importantly, we seem to be headed down a cultural path where dancing is becoming big again with young people (Randy Jackson’s “American Best Dance Crew”, Soulja Boy’s success, Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance”) and they couldn’t be relaunching a brand like Soul Train at a better time. For me, I grew up watching Soul Train, my first experiences at music industry functions as a “snotty nose” intern were at The Soul Train Awards and my cousin was even the host of Soul Train for a season despite his questionable dance skills! Hats off to Madvision and looking forward to seeing what they are going to do.