Fresh air may refer to:

• Fresh Air, a radio talk show hosted by Terry Gross, broadcast on National Public Radio in the United States
• Fresh Air (Edinburgh), an alternative music student radio station serving Edinburgh, Scotland
• Fresh Air (airline), defunct a cargo airline based in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
• Tamarack Camps, run by the Fresh Air Society, a Jewish summer camp organization in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States
• The Fresh Air Fund, a charity that provides free summer vacations to New York City children from low-income communities
• Fresh Air was a band that was formed and performed in Okinawa, Japan in the mid-1970's.

See also[link]

• Fresh Aire, the first album released by new age musical group Mannheim Steamroller

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2009)

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (March 2009)

Brother Ali
Brother Ali performing at SoundFest June 11, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jason Newman
Born	1978 (age 33-34)
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Hip hop, rap
Occupations	Rapper, Producer
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Rhymesayers Entertainment/Warner Music Group
Website	brotherali.com

Ali Newman (born Jason Newman in 1978),^[1] better known by the stage name Brother Ali, is an American hip hop artist signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Brother Ali was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and spent his early childhood moving from city to city in the Midwest (mostly in Michigan). Ali's family settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1992. He attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota. He has a son, Faheem, from his first marriage, and remarried in 2008. On the song "Real As Can Be" off his [EP] "Truth is Here" he says he also has a daughter on the way. According to the song "Fresh Air" on his September 2009 album Us, he goes on to say "Just got married last year/ treated so good that it ain't even fair/ already gotta boy now the baby girl's here/ Bought us a house like The Berenstein Bears." He has family in the Minneapolis area. Brother Ali takes family very seriously and sees it as a major part of life.

Ali was born with the rare genetic condition of albinism, a disorder characterized by a lack of pigment in skin, eyes, and hair. Brother Ali often makes fun of the media's constant urge to mention his condition in the first lines of their reviews or newspaper articles. He is also legally blind which is caused by his albinism.^[3]

While Brother Ali's family is white, he has often described a childhood marked by cruelty and exclusion by his white classmates as a result of his physical abnormality. He's often explained that, from an early age, he felt "most at home amongst African Americans."

When Ali's career began to blossom, he began to field questions about his race. Due to his stage name (a common reference among religious communities, particularly Muslims), many writers assumed Ali was black. When questioned on the subject, Ali declined to comment however stating in his album, "The Undisputed Truth"; "they ask me if I'm black or white, I'm neither/ race is a made up thing; I don't believe in it". He then goes on to explain how black people have played a major role in his life:

"My genes tie me to those that despised me/ Made a living killing the ones that inspired me/ I ain't just talking about singing and dancing/ I was taught life and manhood by black men/ So I'm a product of that understanding/ And a small part of me feels like I am them"

He has been practicing Islam for the past 13 years.

Career[link]

Ali's first release was a cassette-only demo tape called Rites of Passage; which Ali produced, recorded and arranged himself. The tape cemented his relationship with the local independent hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment. Rites of Passage was released in 2000 and was sold almost exclusively at shows.

In 2003 Brother Ali released his first studio project, entitled Shadows on the Sun. Atmosphere producer, Ant, provided all of the instrumentals. Although the album had no major national distribution, it was heavily praised by independent hip-hop fans and publications. Ali used the album to explain his childhood and identity.

Ali's next CD was The Champion EP, released a year after Shadows on the Sun. It was presented as an extension of the full-length. Leading with a reggae inspired remix of Shadows' "Champion," the 9 song EP offered up highlights such as "Rain Water," a song about Ali losing his mother and grandfather to cancer and suicide.

In spring of 2007 Rhymesayers released The Undisputed Truth, Ali and Ant's full-length follow-up to Shadows on the Sun. "Truth" tells the story of Ali's divorce from his first wife, his struggle to gain custody of their young son, Faheem and the homelessness he faced as a single father. The first of his releases to be distributed by Warner Brothers Music, the album debuted at #69 on Billboard 200.

Brother Ali released an EP and DVD package titled "The Truth Is Here" in March 2009. The album is made up of 9 tracks including a collaboration with Rhymesayers label-mate Slug of Atmosphere.

In September 2009, Brother Ali released his follow-up to 2007's Undisputed Truth. The album was originally titled "Street Preacher" but was later changed to Us. It debuted at #56 on the Billboard 200. Ali, his DJ BK-One, and fellow Rhymesayers crew members Toki Wright and Evidence recently finished their Fresh Air Tour this fall.

Brother Ali will release his next album "Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color" on August 13th 2012.

Production[link]

Brother Ali produced the tracks "The Feeling" and "Little Girl" on Rhymesayers artist Toki Wright's debut album, "A Different Mirror."

Press[link]

Brother Ali has twice been featured in the hip-hop magazine The Source, first in August 2007, when the "Hip Hop Quotable" was from a verse in "Uncle Sam Goddamn", and second in October 2007, when he was interviewed. In May 2007, he was featured in Rolling Stone as a "New Artist to Watch". Brother Ali's personal struggle with race issues, his politics and his music are discussed in the 2011 book "From Jim Crow to Jay-Z: Race, Rap and the Performance of Masculinity".

TV appearances[link]

On August 13, 2007, Brother Ali appeared on The Late Late Show and performed his single "Uncle Sam Goddamn" from The Undisputed Truth. On October 19, 2007, Ali appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and performed "Take Me Home" from The Undisputed Truth.^[4] On December 16, 2009 Ali appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and was featured with late night band, The Roots.

Inspirations[link]

Brother Ali has said many times in interviews that he finds much of his inspiration in the early 1980s rappers of the golden age of hip hop, especially KRS-One and Rakim.^[5][6]

In an interview in early 2007, Ali responded to a question about the response to his and his label's music, and the current music industry:

They just like to see something new. Like, we benefit so much right now from the fact that music sucks, and that there's so little originality. And there's so few people that are really trying to do something a little bit different so that if you're just even a little bit different...you know what I mean? People are just like "yeah," you know. As long as you're good and as long as you know how to present yourself, and, you know...but I think that people are just happy to see something a little bit different for a change, you know.^[7]

He has, however, spoken against coastal beef and mainstream vs. underground divide in hip-hop, claiming that worthwhile rap music is made by many rappers from across the spectrum, and expressing fandom and appreciation for "mainstream" artists such as Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, T.I. and 50 Cent as well as respected artists who are more associated with the underground or the purist tradition, such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Aesop Rock, Lupe Fiasco, Jay Electronica, and his friends and frequent collaborators Murs and Joell Ortiz. Among his personal favorites are several rappers who are less acclaimed by the traditional rap purist canon, such as WC, Joe Budden, Chubb Rock and Paris.

"Uncle Sam Goddamn" Controversy[link]

Brother Ali has been under pressure from the recording industry due to lyrics from his song "Uncle Sam Goddamn", claiming creative interference from "somebody I don't wanna name, but some of you probably has their cell phones." The unnamed corporation ultimately withdrew its sponsorship of Ali, causing him to truncate parts of his 2007 tour.^[7][8] Furthermore, on the song "Second Time Around" with Benzi and Wale, Ali makes references to being kicked off a tour followed by the line "Verizon dissed me too, cuz I was too political." The song is notably critical of the United States government, with accusations that the political system is addicted to war.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

EPs[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Artist profile at Rhymesayers Entertainment
• Live at SXSW 2007 on 89.3 The Current
• 2009 State of Mind interview
• 2009 National Public Radio - All Things Considered interview
• "Dark Star," City Pages, April 11, 2007
• Interview on GermanRhymes.de

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (September 2010)

Kamal Meattle is an Indian environmental activist and CEO of Paharpur Business centre & Software Technology Incubator Park based in New Delhi, India. Meattle is most famous for his talk at TED 2009 entitled How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air

Popular Attributions[link]

After becoming allergic to New Delhi's polluted air in 1992, Meattle discovered that three common houseplants could help reduce the pollutants in the air. The three plants are Areca palm, Mother-in-Law's Tongue and Money plant^[1]

References[link]

Will Joseph

Full name	William Joseph
Place of birth	Morriston,[1] Wales
Place of death	Swansea[2] Wales
Height	6 ft 1 in[3]
Weight	13 st
Notable relative(s)	Dicky Owen (cousin)
Occupation(s)	tin-plate worker[3]
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Prop
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
?-1899 1899-? 1906	Morriston RFC Swansea RFC Glamorgan County
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1902-1906	Wales	16	(0)

Will Joseph (May 10, 1877–1959) was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks. He played club rugby for Swansea and county rugby for Glamorgan.

Joseph was seen as the outstanding forward of the early 20th century Swansea team, during an excellent period in the 'All Whites' history. He was recognised as a strong player in tight scrums and due to his height, excellent in line outs.^[3][4][5]

International career[link]

Wales[link]

Joseph made his debut for Wales against England at Blackheath in 1902 at the age of 23.^[3] Joseph played in three Triple Crown winning campaigns, but his greatest moment on the field was when he played against the touring 1905 All Blacks. Joseph's international career fell apart in 1906 after a match against the touring Springboks. Although having played with great merit in an earlier match against South Africa with county side Glamorgan; in which he scored a try,^[6] Joseph was dropped after the international game. The Welsh pack in that game was dreadful and the selection committee decided to change the entire Welsh pack, regardless of individual play.^[7] Joseph's Wales career ended after 16 caps at the age of 28.

1905 Wales squad, Joseph, back row, third from right

[edit] International games played^[8]

• England 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906
• Ireland 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906
• New Zealand 1905
• Scotland 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906
• South Africa 1906

Bibliography[link]

• Parry-Jones, David (1999). Prince Gwyn, Gwyn Nicholls and the First Golden Era of Welsh Rugby. Bridgend: seren. ISBN 1-85411-262-7. 
• Thomas, Wayne (1979). A Century of Welsh Rugby Players. Ansells Ltd. 
• Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3. 

References[link]

The Right Honourable Sir Joseph Cook GCMG
6th Prime Minister of Australia Elections: 1913, 1914
In office 24 June 1913 – 17 September 1914
Monarch	George V
Governor General	Lord Denman Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson
Preceded by	Andrew Fisher
Succeeded by	Andrew Fisher
Constituency	Parramatta (New South Wales)
Personal details
Born	(1860-12-07)7 December 1860 Silverdale, Staffordshire, England
Died	30 July 1947(1947-07-30) (aged 86) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Labor, Free Trade/Anti-Socialist, Fusion
Spouse(s)	Dame Mary Cook
Children	9 including The Hon. Mr Justice Richard Cecil Cook
Religion	Methodism

Sir Joseph Cook, GCMG (7 December 1860 – 30 July 1947) was an Australian politician and the sixth Prime Minister of Australia.^[1] Born as Joseph Cooke and working in the coal mines of Silverdale, Staffordshire during his early life, he emigrated to Lithgow, New South Wales during the late 1880s, and became General-Secretary of the Western Miners Association in 1887.

A founding member of the Australian Labor Party, Cook was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as Member for Hartley in 1891. Later Cook switched to the Free Trade Party, and was a minister in the cabinet of Premier George Reid from 1894 to 1899. During Australia's first federal election in 1901, Cook was elected unopposed to the federal seat of Parramatta, and served as the deputy to Reid, then Alfred Deakin, following the creation of the Commonwealth Liberal Party from Cook's and Deakin's parties.

As leader of the Liberal Party, Cook became Prime Minister following the 1913 elections; but he only had a one-seat majority in the lower house and no majority at all in the upper house, so he repeatedly sought to obtain a double dissolution. The outbreak of World War I just before the September 1914 election led to a Labor victory. Following a split in the Labor party in 1916, Cook joined William Morris Hughes' Nationalist Party of Australia, and following the Nationalist victory in the 1917 election, served as Minister for the Navy, then Treasurer under Hughes.

In 1921 Cook resigned from the federal parliament, and was appointed Australian High Commissioner in London. During 1928 and 1929, he headed the Royal Commission into South Australia as affected by Federation. He died in Sydney in 1947.

Early years[link]

Cook was born as Joseph Cooke in Silverdale, a small mining town near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. He had no formal education and worked in the coal mines from the age of nine. During his teens he embraced Primitive Methodism, and marked his conversion by dropping the 'e' from his surname. He married Mary Turner in 1885 and shortly after emigrated to New South Wales.

Cook settled in Lithgow and worked in the coal mines, becoming General-Secretary of the Western Miners Association in 1887. In 1888, he participated in demonstrations against Chinese immigration.^[2] He was also active in the Single Tax League and was a founding member of the Australian Labor Party in 1891.^[3]

Political career[link]

Cook was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as MP for the coalfields seat of Hartley in 1891, in Labor's first big breakthrough in Australian politics.^[4] It was the first time Labor had won a seat in any parliament in Australia.

In 1894, however, Cook was the leader of those parliamentarians who refused to accept the Labor Party's decision to make all members sign a "pledge" to be bound by decisions of the Parliamentary Labor Party (Caucus).^[2] He left the party and became a follower of George Reid's Free Trade Party. He was a minister in Reid's government from 1894 to 1899.^[3]

Federal Parliament[link]

When the first federal Parliament was elected in 1901, Cook was elected, unopposed by Labor, member for Parramatta, a seat which then included the Lithgow area.^[2] He became Reid's deputy, but did not hold office in Reid's 1904–05 ministry, mainly because Reid needed to offer portfolios to independent Protectionist members. When Reid retired from the party leadership in 1908, Cook agreed to merge the Anti-Socialist Party (the Free Trade Party was renamed prior to the 1906 federal election) with Alfred Deakin's Protectionists, and became deputy leader of the new Commonwealth Liberal Party.

Cook served as Defence Minister in Deakin's 1909–1910 ministry, then succeeded Deakin as Liberal leader when the government was defeated by Labor in the 1910 elections. He had by this time become completely philosophically opposed to socialism.

Prime Minister[link]

At the 1913 elections Cook won a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives, while Labor retained a majority in the Senate, and in doing so became the sixth Prime Minister of Australia. Unable to govern effectively without control of the Senate, Cook decided to bring about a double dissolution election under section 57 of the Constitution of Australia. He introduced a bill abolishing preferential employment for trade union members in the public service, a bill he knew the Senate would repeatedly reject. When this rejection duly took place, he sought and obtained a double dissolution of the Parliament from the Governor-General.

Unfortunately for Cook, World War I broke out in the middle of the election campaign for the September 1914 election. Fisher was able to remind the voters that it was Labor that had favoured an independent Australian defence force, which the conservatives had opposed. Cook was defeated and Fisher resumed office.^[3]

Nationalist Party[link]

In 1916, the Labor government split when Hughes (who had succeeded Fisher as Prime Minister the previous year) tried to introduce conscription. Cook agreed to become Hughes's deputy in the new Nationalist Party, and became Minister for the Navy in Hughes's government. The Nationalists had big victories over the ALP in the 1917 and 1919 elections. Cook was part of the Australian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference where he defended the White Australia Policy and supported Australia's annexation of German New Guinea. He was Treasurer (finance minister) 1920–21.

Cook resigned from Parliament in 1921 and was appointed Australian High Commissioner in London, where he served until 1927. During 1928 and 1929, he headed the Royal Commission into South Australia as affected by Federation. He died in Sydney in 1947, aged 86.

Honours[link]

Bust of Joseph Cook by sculptor Wallace Anderson located in the Prime Ministers Avenue in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens

Cook was appointed to the Privy Council on 16 July 1914.^[5] He was knighted in 1918 as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG).^[6]

In 1972, he was honoured on a postage stamp bearing his portrait issued by Australia Post.^[7]

Cook is the only Prime Minister up to Sir William McMahon who does not have a federal electorate named after him. Although there is a seat called Cook, that was named not after the Prime Minister but after Captain James Cook. To resolve the problem, the Australian Electoral Commission has stated that the seat should be considered to be named for both of them.

See also[link]

• Cook Ministry

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Bebbington, G. (1986), Pit Boy to Prime Minister, University of Keele.
• Hughes, Colin A (1976), Mr Prime Minister. Australian Prime Ministers 1901–1972, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Victoria, Ch.7. ISBN 0-19-550471-2
• Murdoch, John (1996), Sir Joe: A Political Biograsphy of Sir Joseph Cook, Minerva Press, London.
• Rickard, John (2000), 'Sir Joseph Cook,' in Michelle Grattan (ed.), Australian Prime Ministers, New Holland, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, pages 89–98. ISBN 1-86436-756-3

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joseph Cook