Tuesday, March 02, 2004
The Tuesday Iraq-Haiti "no Nation-Building" edition
Super Tuesday is a go.
More weekend warriors set to get the call: 18,000 National Guard Troops Alerted for Likely Iraq Duty. (Reuters)
I'm sure they can't wait to serve their country with stories like this: Many Die in Multiple Explosions in Iraq on Shi'ite Holy Day. (Voices of America)
And it's poppin' off in Pakistan too: More Than 20 Dead in Attacks on Pakistan Shi'ites. (Reuters)
Again, I thought the war in Iraq was supposed to being democracy and peace to the Middle East? Looks like the situation is actually getting worse as we edge close to the June 30 power transfer deadline.
Aristide kidnapped by the US? This story seems too ridiculous for even me to buy but who knows for sure. (International Herald Tribune)
The mainstream media hasn't really been doing much op-ed stuff on the Haiti situation, that I've come across at least, so I still can't get a real sense of whether what's been going on is good for the people over there or not. I can't see how deposing the democratically elected head of state by force of armed rebels, while launching the country into a state of lawless violence and chaos doesn't seem like something the US should be supporting but they, seemingly, are. Eric from Stinkzone, David from Sleep Not Work (see his 3/2/04 post) and Hiphopmusic.com's J-Smooth point to some more reading material that might help me get this issue straight though.
What I do know for sure though is that this doesn't seem like a positive step forward for Haiti: 'Baby Doc' Duvalier eyes return to Haiti. (Miami Herald)
Related reading:
Haiti: malign neglect. (World on Fire) (NB: This might be one of the links referred to by David, Eric or J-Smooth)
The Center for American Progress' Progress Report on Haiti here.
Probably the most relevant line from the "Both Sides Court Black Churches in the Debate Over Gay Marriage" article in yesterday's New York Times: "And the prize often generically referred to as "the black church" is actually a diverse collection of historically black denominations and congregations that covers a wide range of theological and social beliefs."
From the world of "healthy," premium-priced snack chips, I have to recommend isnack's sweet BBQ Soy Cyber Chips. Air-puffed & low fat with 6.5 grams of real soy protein these are supposedly healthy for you although I don't get their whole hi-tech marketing angle ("Download this... Perfect for Lap-Top... the user-friendly interface enables you to keep one hand on the keyboard at all times."). Not cheap at $1.99 a pack though.
I had no idea there was controversy over whether Lil Jon double-sold the same beat to Petey Pablo ("Freek-a-leek") and Usher ("Yeah"). To me they're similar but not the exact same. If anything, The Neptunes have been more guilty of that crime than Lil Jon. (mp3 links courtesy: hiphopsite.com | turntablelab.com)
Staying on some down south ish though, I wasn't diggin' the first single from Juvenile's current Juve the Great album but his collabo with The "Birdman/#1 Stunna" Baby "Bounce Back" sounds like it might a heater. BTW, I didn't know Teena Marie was on Cash Money Records now, WTF! (sorry, no mp3 linkage on the "Bounce Back" joint and I looked for a while. Universal Music evidently believes that not allowing mp3 samples online is a great way to help sell this album!).
Speaking of which...
Report Raises Questions About Fighting Online Piracy : The entertainment industry's pursuit of tough new laws to protect copyrighted materials from online piracy is bad for business and for the economy, according to a report being released today. (New York Times)
Mimi Valdes: Vibe magazine's new editor-in-chief interviewed. (Media Bistro)
Warner Music, ready for action, begins the firings, er, restructurings starting at the top down. (Washington Post)
Blues legend Robert Johnson overrated? (New York Times)
And finally, I might have clowned the reactivation of Tyra Banks's "singing" career the other day (scroll down to end of post), but evidently a lot of people are checking for it because the hit rate on my site has gone way up since then and most of it seems to be coming from people searching for her new song & video "Shake Ya Body."
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More weekend warriors set to get the call: 18,000 National Guard Troops Alerted for Likely Iraq Duty. (Reuters)
I'm sure they can't wait to serve their country with stories like this: Many Die in Multiple Explosions in Iraq on Shi'ite Holy Day. (Voices of America)
And it's poppin' off in Pakistan too: More Than 20 Dead in Attacks on Pakistan Shi'ites. (Reuters)
Again, I thought the war in Iraq was supposed to being democracy and peace to the Middle East? Looks like the situation is actually getting worse as we edge close to the June 30 power transfer deadline.
Aristide kidnapped by the US? This story seems too ridiculous for even me to buy but who knows for sure. (International Herald Tribune)
The mainstream media hasn't really been doing much op-ed stuff on the Haiti situation, that I've come across at least, so I still can't get a real sense of whether what's been going on is good for the people over there or not. I can't see how deposing the democratically elected head of state by force of armed rebels, while launching the country into a state of lawless violence and chaos doesn't seem like something the US should be supporting but they, seemingly, are. Eric from Stinkzone, David from Sleep Not Work (see his 3/2/04 post) and Hiphopmusic.com's J-Smooth point to some more reading material that might help me get this issue straight though.
What I do know for sure though is that this doesn't seem like a positive step forward for Haiti: 'Baby Doc' Duvalier eyes return to Haiti. (Miami Herald)
Related reading:
Haiti: malign neglect. (World on Fire) (NB: This might be one of the links referred to by David, Eric or J-Smooth)
The Center for American Progress' Progress Report on Haiti here.
Probably the most relevant line from the "Both Sides Court Black Churches in the Debate Over Gay Marriage" article in yesterday's New York Times: "And the prize often generically referred to as "the black church" is actually a diverse collection of historically black denominations and congregations that covers a wide range of theological and social beliefs."
From the world of "healthy," premium-priced snack chips, I have to recommend isnack's sweet BBQ Soy Cyber Chips. Air-puffed & low fat with 6.5 grams of real soy protein these are supposedly healthy for you although I don't get their whole hi-tech marketing angle ("Download this... Perfect for Lap-Top... the user-friendly interface enables you to keep one hand on the keyboard at all times."). Not cheap at $1.99 a pack though.
I had no idea there was controversy over whether Lil Jon double-sold the same beat to Petey Pablo ("Freek-a-leek") and Usher ("Yeah"). To me they're similar but not the exact same. If anything, The Neptunes have been more guilty of that crime than Lil Jon. (mp3 links courtesy: hiphopsite.com | turntablelab.com)
Staying on some down south ish though, I wasn't diggin' the first single from Juvenile's current Juve the Great album but his collabo with The "Birdman/#1 Stunna" Baby "Bounce Back" sounds like it might a heater. BTW, I didn't know Teena Marie was on Cash Money Records now, WTF! (sorry, no mp3 linkage on the "Bounce Back" joint and I looked for a while. Universal Music evidently believes that not allowing mp3 samples online is a great way to help sell this album!).
Speaking of which...
Report Raises Questions About Fighting Online Piracy : The entertainment industry's pursuit of tough new laws to protect copyrighted materials from online piracy is bad for business and for the economy, according to a report being released today. (New York Times)
Mimi Valdes: Vibe magazine's new editor-in-chief interviewed. (Media Bistro)
Warner Music, ready for action, begins the firings, er, restructurings starting at the top down. (Washington Post)
Blues legend Robert Johnson overrated? (New York Times)
And finally, I might have clowned the reactivation of Tyra Banks's "singing" career the other day (scroll down to end of post), but evidently a lot of people are checking for it because the hit rate on my site has gone way up since then and most of it seems to be coming from people searching for her new song & video "Shake Ya Body."
