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Breaking News!

Gypsy clans feud over fortunetelling biz

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A dispute between two Gypsy clans over control of the fortunetelling trade in this Southern California city has spilled into court, offering a rare glimpse of an insular culture that has long settled scores according to its own Old World rules of honor.


The turf war in well-to-do Orange County has unfolded like a gangster movie, with allegations of death threats, a graveside scuffle, and nicknames like "White Bob" and "Black Bob" — details revealed in a police report and requests for restraining orders.

"The older Gypsies are pulling out their hair, not wanting the courts in our business because they'll find out too much about us," said Tom Merino, who is distantly related to one of the clans but has spurned his heritage. "Ignorance is the Gypsies' weapon against the outside world."

The Stevens and Merino clans, like other Gypsy families, have run numerous fortunetelling businesses in Southern California for decades.

The trouble started two years ago when Edward Merino and his wife, Sonia, opened fortunetelling parlors in two trendy resort sections of Newport Beach, not far from where the Stevenses did business.

Members of the Stevens clan promptly broke in, stole a credit card machine and threatened to kill the Merinos if they didn't shut the places down, the Merinos claim in court papers. Since then, the bad blood has only gotten worse.

The Stevenses "are very territorial," Merino attorney Tom Quinn said. "This is crazy stuff."

At the root of the conflict lies a delicate system of intermarriage and social customs that has defused tensions among Gypsy clans for generations, said Anne Sutherland, a University of California, Riverside anthropologist who has studied Gypsies.

Gypsies trace their origins to India more than 1,000 years ago. They migrated to Europe in the 1300s. For centuries, Gypsies were enslaved and persecuted in Europe, where they were scorned as nomadic thieves and con artists skilled primarily at palm reading.

Gypsies — also known as Romany — began arriving in the U.S. from Romania toward the end of the 19th century. Experts believe there are now about 1 million in America, one-fifth of them in California, where they dominate the fortunetelling and psychic shops in funky beach communities and other neighborhoods.

The Stevens and Merino clans adopted an Old World custom of uniting families through marriage to cope with intense competition, much as European nobility once did to avert war. A Merino married the Stevens patriarch, George Stevens.

But the family bond did not prevent tensions from flaring when, the Merinos say, the Stevenses demanded they pay $500,000 up front and $5,000 a week to open their fortunetelling businesses in the Stevenses' back yard. The Merinos refused to pay, and went ahead and opened their parlors. The alleged break-in soon followed.

Gypsies have traditionally resolved disputes in front of a secret council of elders that can impose fines, make territorial decisions or order someone shunned. They don't like to involve non-Gypsies, who are considered impure.

The Merinos, though, went to court after the alleged break-in and obtained a restraining order in 2006 requiring George Stevens to stay a safe distance away.

That the dispute wound up in court reflects an erosion of tradition among the Gypsies, said Ian Hancock, an expert on Gypsy language and culture at the University of Texas.

"It used to be that the Romany world was absolutely insulated from the outside world," said Hancock, a Gypsy himself. "But it's very hard to resist the pressures of MTV, and people are beginning to see alternatives."

He cited cases in which Gypsy women in Houston hired lawyers to get their ex-husbands to pay child support — something previously unheard of.

Things were calm for months until the Stevens patriarch died of a heart attack at age 53 last May. Edward "Davie" Merino showed up at the funeral, pulling up at the cemetery in a limo with what was described as a menacingly burly chauffeur.

Merino says members of the Stevens clan attacked him and screamed, "We will make your life a living hell!" But the Stevenses claim that Merino flashed a gun and threatened to "come back and kill all of you." Both sides agree that before speeding off, Merino shouted that he wanted to make sure "the mother-(expletive) was dead."

Merino declined repeated requests for an interview through his attorney and calls to his home were not returned.

After the scrap, someone left ominous phone messages and threatened to kill Sonia Merino and the couple's children, ages 9 and 11, Edward Merino claimed in court papers.

Edward Merino filed for restraining orders against four Stevens men and two Stevens women. Over the summer, a judge granted such an order against just one person, the new Stevens patriarch, Ted Stevens.

Stevens' nephew, the only Gypsy directly involved in the feud who spoke to The Associated Press, said the Merinos concocted the allegations and are using the courts to try to drive their rivals out of Newport Beach.

"They beat themselves up and then they testify that we hired people to come to their house and beat them up," said Steve Stevens, who goes by the nickname "White Bob" to distinguish him from his swarthier cousin, "Black Bob."

Stevens, who owns two fortunetelling parlors and a deli, added: "I feel like they've made me out like a character on `The Sopranos.' I'm a businessman. I'm a family man. That's all I am."

Do you not see the Hilarity?

Beleive . . .

...mech

Thanx Giving . . .

A gluttons paradise . . .

now lets eat, yams, buiscuits, GRAVY!

Free Time . . .

An Issue of Reality . . .

Ive personally seen the yamashita secret lab!

Travis Barker Vs. ?uestlove

Best Drummer Alive . . .

Travis's Entry:


?uests:

MACHINE! . . .

...from the old days, Disgustingly awesome.

Yea, a special Dedication . . .

...Think..HP

TechNINlogy . . .

A predictor of things to come . . .

48 to 27, Ridiculous.

Top quality . . .

Phil In The Circle.

He aint talkin about it...

Better Version . . .

Soon there will be no escape...

...The Machines

The Cool, 1, 2, 1, 2...

Hip-hop music, once a platform for creative expression and friendly competition, has, sadly, become a popularity contest. With record sales down and ringtone dollars up, rookies searching for that "one big hit" seem solely concerned with being deemed "cool." Lyrics have side-stepped, giving way to dance-instructing "rappers" more concerned with sparking the new "Macarena" than being hailed as an MC.

On the outside looking in at such followers is Lupe Fiasco. Rather than conform to music industry standards, Fiasco (born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco) has trail-blazed his own path to critical acclaim. Possessing head-spinning wordplay and a topical range more akin to the underground than the mainstream, the 25-year-old lyricist has proven that talent can still make waves in the rap game.

Born and raised in the seedy, confrontational West side of Chicago, Illinois, Fiasco grew up like the regular urban survivor. What wasn't common, however, was the means by which he carried himself. Comic books and literature of all genres cluttered his bedroom floor, and a skateboard replaced your typical drop-top Cadillac. Influenced by the Californian gangsta rap of artists such as Spice 1 and Ice Cube, Fiasco gradually grew leery of such negative messages, gravitating toward the dazzling lyricism of the likes of Nas and Jay-Z.

In 2004, Fiasco signed with Atlantic Records – even launching his own company, 1st & 15th Entertainment – and began recording his debut, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Fiasco's first major look came on fellow Chi-town native Kanye West's hit single, "Touch The Sky," where Fiasco delivered a show-stopping verse. The buzz gained from that song transitioned the gumshoe rapper into his first official solo single, the skateboard-meets-rap gem "Kick Push." Inspired by his own quirky hobby, Fiasco delivered a metaphorical tale of uplift through the eyes of a thrashing, four-small-wheel riding skater boy.

Released to extensive critical lauding and media embrace in September of 2006, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (executive produced by good friend, and one-time mentor, Jay-Z) set the stage for a career that promises longevity. As a result, Lupe landed a remarkable three Grammy nominations – including Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for "Kick Push."

Now, ready to capitalize on such promise, Fiasco has returned with his second offering, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. A largely conceptual tour-de-force, the album's title is inspired by a standout track from Fiasco's debut, a hustler-turned-zombie epic also called "The Cool." This time around, Fiasco introduces three new characters – Michael Young History (The Cool before his death), The Game (a male personification of a hustler's damaging influences), and The Streets (a female embodiment of an urban area's corrupt allure).

The potent sense of thematic execution comes across perfectly on "The Coolest," a highlight of Lupe Fiasco's The Cool that serves as a prelude to the earlier track, "The Cool." Detailing Michael Young History's fall from glory to tragedy at the hands of his lover, The Streets, Fiasco employs his unique brand of imagery: "If the rain stops and everything's dry / She would cry so I could drink the tears from her eye."

Elsewhere, Fiasco strays away from his characters to comment on his own rise to fame, an issue that clearly causes discomfort. Look no further than the first single, "Superstar," produced by Fiasco's closest collaborator, Soundtrakk, and beaming with poignant unease: "A fresh, cool young Lu / Trying to cash his microphone check, 2, 1, 2 / Wanna believe my own hype, but it's too untrue / The world brought me to my knees, what have you brung you?"

Primarily produced by Soundtrakk, and also featuring contributions from a diverse array of atypical instrumentalists (including Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump), Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is evidence that Fiasco is anything but average. Rather than follow up a monumental '06 year – capped by his three Grammy nods, four BET Hip Hop Award nominations, and recognition as GQ's "Breakout Man of the Year," amongst other accolades – with an obvious attempt to further crossover, the young wordsmith has crafted a dense, dark, and atmospheric examination of life's pleasures. Whether negative or positive, what people consider to be "cool" ultimately dominates their every move, and Fiasco is completely aware of this.

In hip-hop's popularity contest, Lupe Fiasco is the observer, a thinking man brave enough to dictate the acute thoughts that his peers ignore. Now, that is cool.

I Flatly Refuse,..

Iaint dumb down nuthin'...

Critical Error

whats goin on ova der @ Hybrid?

WAR!...

MF WAR! Machines Assemble a world of war on this bastard here @ kfc on reseda.

SUN burn...

School, gotta put in work!...

Check his Altitude! . . .

Fly Guy Enimal too hot these days, do yourself a favor; pay em' a visit.

Cant tell him Nuthin'...

by a foot, or a mile . . .

437,000 for West's "Graduation,"
310,000 for 50 Cent's "Curtis"

Looks like a substantial victory to me

Curtis Vs. Graduation

Nuthin betta than some friendly competition, but lets just hope it gets roudy. I want hurt feelings, and broken faces.

So it comes down to 'FIDY' and the Louis Vuitton Don. After Kanye Pushes baq his "Graduation" release date to go head on with 50cents "curtis". Hip-Hop Fans are going to be forced to look at 50's hideosity on his album cover, but be pleased to own the already classic 3rd album by Kanye West, Enjoy 9-11-07

no one is safe, not women or children!

Bandit Mixed with Prime...

2x The MACHINE!

Protein style!? . . .

I shoulda slapped Twan for ordering this trash! iont eat rabbit food...

a brand new dance...

Hybrid Hand Stands...

those damn HYBRIDS!...had the audacity 2 crop my shadow...terribe! but gotta pay em' a visit...

in all good fun...

@ 70mph, on the 405, nuthin can stop a true machine, not even a side text 2 the honey from down the blocc...

Dont ever forget...

top quality entertainment...

...nuf said

Program world...

..ya, were all ready 2 jack in...10/07

Studio night....

Me messin witda mpc & keyboard...(ugh, sausage neck)



K9, engineer mode (Hybrid Japan)



nerd behind da mic...



and lazy ass WATTS takin a nap, like some homo, lmao...

outa da closet...

soo eryone jus wana show they true colors now huh.....ok...

All caps, all feet...

...yah, hold yah horses, release date pending

Fashion, at its finest...

During D.A.N.C.E

FInding Forever...

After collaborating on all but two tracks from his last album, Kanye West and Common are set to unleash their creative talents yet again, this time for Common’s 2nd G.O.O.D Music album, tentatively titled “Finding Forever”.

The album, a follow-up to Common’s 2005 LP, “Be,” features beats by Kanye, Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas, and the late J. Dilla.

“I want to leave a mark on this earth,” Common recently told Billboard magazine. “By making music and saying what I have to say in my music is one of the ways I will exist forever.”

“Finding Forever”, Common’s 7th studio album, is scheduled to hit stores on July 10 via Geffen.

Common’s current release “Be” has sold around 800,000 copies in the United States alone and he has been touring to support it over the last 12-18 months, he was also recently nominated for 4 Grammy awards and for 2 NCAAP Image awards.

An influential figure in today’s rap world, Common stands for a more musical, sophisticated rap genre struggling to compete against the flood of commercialized gangsta figures.

keep yah ears opened!

In seach of...

A great summer album?

Release Date: Aug, 6th 2001



here's one of the best...especially during the summer....but, especially every other time of the year 2...lol

if you dont have it yet, its not 2 late...

"In search of..." is a greatly executed album by N*E*R*D which provides an array of genera's in a single album. You can get Rock,RnB,Hip-Hop,Punk, New Wave etc...

an album that keep u pressin the baq Button, over, and over...ENJOI!

Quality performance....

Dont miss the performance by ICEEBURG and Cupids Bullet, Thursdaii 6/14/07, Live @ S.I.R Studio 6465 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90028, @ 7:30pm

FREE ADMiSSioN..
FREE DRINKS..
FREE FOOD..
GREAT MUSIC..

an influence...

for the highschool drop out season....





Hybrid Japan! click and go! NOW!

Mr. Clean...

6/15/07...the return....in theatres near u!

the produce section...

Production…thas the basis of any artist? Is it!? ‘The Best producer’ is on the tip of everyones toung these days. The biggest producers known in the pop culture, commercial community are, Pharell, Timbo, Kanye west, Justin Blaze, Scott Storch, and Swiss Beats.

Lately, more than ever, people have been asking me who I think is the best producer. If you know me then you know how much of a difficult ?uestion that is for me. The ?uestion deffinately is an opinionated one, and cant really be determined by a he say. Well, just to get strait to the point I choose pharell and the Neptunes. The decision was realy out of Timbaland and Pharell. But the decision has been made. Well…at least from the hip-hop and pop culture. If we get into techno, or electronica, or alternative etc…it’s a whole notha story.

Its all about the MUSIC nowadays, looks like the artists are being put in the baqground and the spotlight onto the people that are normally behind the scenes. The age of Instrumentals!



Heres a link to a new producer who needs some support---→ Kay-Flame

Recruitment...

Become ur friends and families pharmacist....
pass out the red pill

Bring yah People here! [BOOKMARK] away

a lil dip, to go witcha Dapper,..dan..of course...

ahhh..those hybrids...

dont 4 get 2 check out thoseHybrids!

The WEST is tryna take us by storm, but Stronger...

Kanye West's forthcoming album, "Graduation," is coming sooner than expected. The album, originally due in September, has been pushed slightly ahead to a late August release, according to Def Jam.

West leaked the news through a recently released, 25-track Internet mixtape called "Can't Tell Me Nothing," which features him rapping over such intriguing samples as Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and Peter Bjorn & John's indie hit "Young Folks."

"Can't Tell Me Nothing," the first single from "Graduation," was co-produced by West and DJ Toomp. A Hype Williams-directed video for the song debuted last Friday on West's Web site.

Look 4 surprise collabos, like Coldplay, on the song "homecoming"

Retirement!?...

"...Although, to the dismay of his fans, endeavors outside of the music industry like Righteous Kung Fu are gradually pulling him away from making hip-hop. But it’s not like the music business isn’t pushing him away either. In a bizarre self-imposed arrangement, Fiasco plans on recording only three albums. For someone who has generated so much anticipation, this move seems a bit premature. Fiasco begs to differ.

“I want to do enough to get what I want to say off my chest and then go on to the next thing,” he says. “Plus I’ve been doing it for so long behind the scenes. It’s like my sixth or seventh year in the music business so I’m just tired of the whole scene. As long as you’re doing music and doing albums, you’re forced to be in the scene, so I got enough stamina I think for three.”

Fiasco was only 18 when he first got signed (with his short lived group, Da Pak), so despite experiencing some unforgettable moments being an MC — like chilling with Jay-Z at his house — he looks forward to expressing himself in ways other than behind a mic."

Dr. DOOM...

Prepare for his Return, 6/15/07...

a glitch in the system...

Watts let nature (including gravity) get the best of him...

poor ipod...

Givin it a proper MECHANICAL funeral...

An appealing discovery...

Went on a simple mission today, which is A1 classified, and found a verry interesting discovery...

A MACHINE! unlike any other ive seen in the past....


suspended from it was a man,...



and suspended from him, was a woman, and child...



to it, i say, welcome 2 da crew!

They want more...

Lemme fill up the damn Bole!
..then a lil 2step,
but iant puttin on no damn dress!

ICEEBURG

One of my Favrite artisits...
Highly Under rated....
prove me wrong.

ICEEBURG <---jus point, and click

Nor Cal scene...

Man its crazy up here, afta u get past "the bay" scene...u start sein crazy thangs, i mean..serpents! the size of cars...

Program world....

Get in touch wit the program world of THE MACHINES!...get on the mailing list by sendin ur email 2 THE_MACHINES@yahoo.com

Takin over....

The Machines! remeba' that...

Hybrid Japan

keep yah ears and eyes open 4 the new season, and new clothing line...Hybrid Japan...this is a new sample 4 the phantoms, for the highschool drop out season...

check it out...

hybridjapan.blogspot.com

Fly Guys!

New Style, Breath of fresh air...

http://www.myspace.com/flyguysbaby

a tasty treat....

Theres no truely successful day without a quick pitstop 2 a delightful restauraunt to receive the tastiest of treats. THE BISCUIT!