Defeated.
New flava in ya ear!
Lil Wayne.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
FUCK! Damn, man!
FILE UNDER: Sign 'O' the Times!/Words/A Moment of Clarity.
"Tribune Co's Los Angeles Times said on Friday it would cut up to 300 jobs and get rid of a separate section devoted to its home state of California, in its latest round of cost cutting actions..."
YAHOO NEWS: Los Angeles Times to cut 300 jobs in latest round
Sorry Cousin Carl. I know California is your favorite section of the newspaper. Second only to the TV schedule for primetime network television in the back of the Calendar section.
"Tribune Co's Los Angeles Times said on Friday it would cut up to 300 jobs and get rid of a separate section devoted to its home state of California, in its latest round of cost cutting actions..."
Sorry Cousin Carl. I know California is your favorite section of the newspaper. Second only to the TV schedule for primetime network television in the back of the Calendar section.
How do you mend a broken heart?
New flava in ya ear!
Ciara feat Young Jeezy.
Never Ever.
Big Ups toYou're So Pop for putting this on my radar!
Ciara feat Young Jeezy.
Never Ever.
Big Ups to
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Money Talks 3: Pushin' Weight.
FILE UNDER: Words/Oh Word?/POLITICS: So Fucking Disco!
And now, an exceprt from Rush Limabugh's "My Bipartisan Stimulus":
"There's a serious debate in this country as to how best to end the recession. The average recession will last five to 11 months; the average recovery will last six years. Recessions will end on their own if they're left alone. What can make the recession worse is the wrong kind of government intervention.
I believe the wrong kind is precisely what President Barack Obama has proposed. I don't believe his is a "stimulus plan" at all -- I don't think it stimulates anything but the Democratic Party. This "porkulus" bill is designed to repair the Democratic Party's power losses from the 1990s forward, and to cement the party's majority power for decades...
...My proposal is a genuine compromise.
Fifty-three percent of American voters voted for Barack Obama; 46% voted for John McCain, and 1% voted for wackos. Give that 1% to President Obama. Let's say the vote was 54% to 46%. As a way to bring the country together and at the same time determine the most effective way to deal with recessions, under the Obama-Limbaugh Stimulus Plan of 2009: 54% of the $900 billion -- $486 billion -- will be spent on infrastructure and pork as defined by Mr. Obama and the Democrats; 46% -- $414 billion -- will be directed toward tax cuts, as determined by me.
Then we compare. We see which stimulus actually works. This is bipartisanship! It would satisfy the American people's wishes, as polls currently note; and it would also serve as a measurable test as to which approach best stimulates job growth..."
WALL STREET JOURNAL: My Bipartisan Stimulus
And now, an exceprt from Rush Limabugh's "My Bipartisan Stimulus":
"There's a serious debate in this country as to how best to end the recession. The average recession will last five to 11 months; the average recovery will last six years. Recessions will end on their own if they're left alone. What can make the recession worse is the wrong kind of government intervention.
I believe the wrong kind is precisely what President Barack Obama has proposed. I don't believe his is a "stimulus plan" at all -- I don't think it stimulates anything but the Democratic Party. This "porkulus" bill is designed to repair the Democratic Party's power losses from the 1990s forward, and to cement the party's majority power for decades...
...My proposal is a genuine compromise.
Fifty-three percent of American voters voted for Barack Obama; 46% voted for John McCain, and 1% voted for wackos. Give that 1% to President Obama. Let's say the vote was 54% to 46%. As a way to bring the country together and at the same time determine the most effective way to deal with recessions, under the Obama-Limbaugh Stimulus Plan of 2009: 54% of the $900 billion -- $486 billion -- will be spent on infrastructure and pork as defined by Mr. Obama and the Democrats; 46% -- $414 billion -- will be directed toward tax cuts, as determined by me.
Then we compare. We see which stimulus actually works. This is bipartisanship! It would satisfy the American people's wishes, as polls currently note; and it would also serve as a measurable test as to which approach best stimulates job growth..."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
This is how we do it.
Yes it is Donell Jones. You don't even know...
Now if you visit this blog often, you know that old school jams are more often than not posted under the "Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers" headline. But sometimes old school joints are so good, so well put together, so classic to a brotha, [see Montell Jordan's This is how we do it] that all I can do is marvel at their goodness as they boldly play on and show us how's it done. This jam, presented below, is one such example.
Where I Wanna Be.
Why?
Cause it just feels right.
Now if you visit this blog often, you know that old school jams are more often than not posted under the "Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers" headline. But sometimes old school joints are so good, so well put together, so classic to a brotha, [see Montell Jordan's This is how we do it] that all I can do is marvel at their goodness as they boldly play on and show us how's it done. This jam, presented below, is one such example.
Where I Wanna Be.
Why?
Cause it just feels right.
Money Talks 2: A 2nd Opinion.
FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity/Words/Oh Word?
"So said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in November, and Democrats in Congress are certainly taking his advice to heart. The 647-page, $825 billion House legislation is being sold as an economic "stimulus," but now that Democrats have finally released the details we understand Rahm's point much better. This is a political wonder that manages to spend money on just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years..."
WALL STREET JOURNAL: A 40-Year Wish List
"So said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in November, and Democrats in Congress are certainly taking his advice to heart. The 647-page, $825 billion House legislation is being sold as an economic "stimulus," but now that Democrats have finally released the details we understand Rahm's point much better. This is a political wonder that manages to spend money on just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years..."
Money Talks.
FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity/The Next Episode/POLITICS AND AMERICA: Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do with it?
"The House passed an $819 billion tax-and-spending bill Wednesday, in a recession-fighting effort that would extend the reach of the federal government across the U.S. economy by reshaping policy on energy, education, health care and social programs.
The House bill is one of the largest single stimulus packages in history, almost equal to the entire cost of annual federal spending under Congress's discretion. A parallel Senate measure, which is expected to come to a vote next week, is now valued at nearly $900 billion.
Either bill, if enacted, would push the federal debt toward levels not seen since the second World War.
The package embodies President Barack Obama's philosophy, stated in his inaugural address, that a nation in crisis has moved beyond "stale political arguments" over the size and reach of government.
Although most of the money -- about $526 billion -- will be spent in 2009 and 2010, spending on some programs, including student-loan programs, clean-water projects and housing assistance, is expected to last well beyond the current recession. The House bill expands access to health care for the unemployed, represents perhaps the largest expansion of the federal government's role in education financing ever and begins what Mr. Obama has promised will be a push toward renewable energy that will continue throughout his presidential tenure..."
WALL STREET JOURNAL: House Passes Stimulus Package
"The House passed an $819 billion tax-and-spending bill Wednesday, in a recession-fighting effort that would extend the reach of the federal government across the U.S. economy by reshaping policy on energy, education, health care and social programs.
The House bill is one of the largest single stimulus packages in history, almost equal to the entire cost of annual federal spending under Congress's discretion. A parallel Senate measure, which is expected to come to a vote next week, is now valued at nearly $900 billion.
Either bill, if enacted, would push the federal debt toward levels not seen since the second World War.
The package embodies President Barack Obama's philosophy, stated in his inaugural address, that a nation in crisis has moved beyond "stale political arguments" over the size and reach of government.
Although most of the money -- about $526 billion -- will be spent in 2009 and 2010, spending on some programs, including student-loan programs, clean-water projects and housing assistance, is expected to last well beyond the current recession. The House bill expands access to health care for the unemployed, represents perhaps the largest expansion of the federal government's role in education financing ever and begins what Mr. Obama has promised will be a push toward renewable energy that will continue throughout his presidential tenure..."
Thunder Lightning Strike!
New flava in ya ear!
Arctic Monkeys.
Crying Lightning.
STEREOGUM: New Arctic Monkeys -"Crying Lightning" (Live @ Big Day Out)
Arctic Monkeys.
Crying Lightning.
Hot as Ice.
FILE UNDER: A Quick Peep/One Pure Thought.
Shine a light.
Two boys. One bar. And some downtime between sets. A Tuesday. January 27th. 2009.
Tauwan: So what are you listening to right now?
Oscar Cash (of Metronomy): It’s quite old actually.
Tauwan: Really?
Oscar: Yeah, Britney Spears.
Tauwan: [trying his hardest to conceal/curb his enthusiasm. Generally failing. (thanks Guinness!)] Word?
Oscar: Yeah, what’s that one track, Cold as Ice…? Hot as fire…”
Tauwan: [Jumping in to correct him with a quickness] Break the Ice?…Oh, you mean Hot as Ice?
Oscar: Yeah, yeah, Hot as Ice. I love that song at the moment.
Tauwan: That’s my shit. I also love Get Naked.
Oscar: Correction: Get Naked...I Got a Plan.
Tauwan: Right, right. Get Naked...cause I got a plan.
Oscar: Yeah man, it’s quite sad that more folks aren’t aware of how fucking great Blackout is. Sorry I have nothing current or fresh from the London underground. Just Britney man… [Laughs] Just Britney…
Tauwan: Sir, that is all right. That is all right…
Hot as Ice:
Get Naked (I Got a Plan)
Earlier...
One-A-Day! Tauwan's Top 25 Albums of 2007! - TWENTY-ONE/BLACKOUT/BRITNEY SPEARS AND GOOD GIRL GONE BAD/RIHANNA
Shine a light.
Two boys. One bar. And some downtime between sets. A Tuesday. January 27th. 2009.
Tauwan: So what are you listening to right now?
Oscar Cash (of Metronomy): It’s quite old actually.
Tauwan: Really?
Oscar: Yeah, Britney Spears.
Tauwan: [trying his hardest to conceal/curb his enthusiasm. Generally failing. (thanks Guinness!)] Word?
Oscar: Yeah, what’s that one track, Cold as Ice…? Hot as fire…”
Tauwan: [Jumping in to correct him with a quickness] Break the Ice?…Oh, you mean Hot as Ice?
Oscar: Yeah, yeah, Hot as Ice. I love that song at the moment.
Tauwan: That’s my shit. I also love Get Naked.
Oscar: Correction: Get Naked...I Got a Plan.
Tauwan: Right, right. Get Naked...cause I got a plan.
Oscar: Yeah man, it’s quite sad that more folks aren’t aware of how fucking great Blackout is. Sorry I have nothing current or fresh from the London underground. Just Britney man… [Laughs] Just Britney…
Tauwan: Sir, that is all right. That is all right…
Hot as Ice:
Get Naked (I Got a Plan)
Earlier...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Oh Word?
FILE UNDER: POLITICS: So Fucking Disco!
Lookin' Up (for the next thing that brings me down).
POLITICO: Partisanship is officially back
Lookin' Up (for the next thing that brings me down).
The Coldest Winter Ever.
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity/POLITICS AND AMERICA: Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do with it?
"All good things must come to an end. Jan. 20, 2009, marked the end of a conservative era.
Since Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, conservatives of various sorts, and conservatisms of various stripes, have generally been in the ascendancy. And a good thing, too! Conservatives have been right more often than not — and more often than liberals — about most of the important issues of the day: about Communism and jihadism, crime and welfare, education and the family. Conservative policies have on the whole worked — insofar as any set of policies can be said to “work” in the real world. Conservatives of the Reagan-Bush-Gingrich-Bush years have a fair amount to be proud of.
They also have some regrets. They’ll have time to ponder those as liberals now take their chance to govern.
Lest conservatives be too proud, it’s worth recalling that conservatism’s rise was decisively enabled by liberalism’s weakness. That weakness was manifested by liberalism’s limp reaction to the challenge from the New Left in the 1960s, became more broadly evident during the 1970s, and culminated in the fecklessness of the Carter administration at the end of that decade.
In 1978, the Harvard political philosopher Harvey Mansfield diagnosed the malady: “From having been the aggressive doctrine of vigorous, spirited men, liberalism has become hardly more than a trembling in the presence of illiberalism. ... Who today is called a liberal for strength and confidence in defense of liberty?”
Over the next three decades, it was modern conservatism, led at the crucial moment by Ronald Reagan, that assumed the task of defending liberty with strength and confidence. Can a revived liberalism, faced with a new set of challenges, now pick up that mantle?..."
NEW YORK TIMES: Will Obama Save Liberalism?
"All good things must come to an end. Jan. 20, 2009, marked the end of a conservative era.
Since Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, conservatives of various sorts, and conservatisms of various stripes, have generally been in the ascendancy. And a good thing, too! Conservatives have been right more often than not — and more often than liberals — about most of the important issues of the day: about Communism and jihadism, crime and welfare, education and the family. Conservative policies have on the whole worked — insofar as any set of policies can be said to “work” in the real world. Conservatives of the Reagan-Bush-Gingrich-Bush years have a fair amount to be proud of.
They also have some regrets. They’ll have time to ponder those as liberals now take their chance to govern.
Lest conservatives be too proud, it’s worth recalling that conservatism’s rise was decisively enabled by liberalism’s weakness. That weakness was manifested by liberalism’s limp reaction to the challenge from the New Left in the 1960s, became more broadly evident during the 1970s, and culminated in the fecklessness of the Carter administration at the end of that decade.
In 1978, the Harvard political philosopher Harvey Mansfield diagnosed the malady: “From having been the aggressive doctrine of vigorous, spirited men, liberalism has become hardly more than a trembling in the presence of illiberalism. ... Who today is called a liberal for strength and confidence in defense of liberty?”
Over the next three decades, it was modern conservatism, led at the crucial moment by Ronald Reagan, that assumed the task of defending liberty with strength and confidence. Can a revived liberalism, faced with a new set of challenges, now pick up that mantle?..."
Sunday, January 25, 2009
This magic moment.
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity.
Destiny's child.
"...President Obama is the right leader for this moment. Republican laissez faire started an economic pendulum swing from John Maynard Keynes to Milton Friedman that has gone too far, too fast. The present crisis requires a president of global vision, character and respect. Obama.
He proved, not just to me but to the entire world, that America could live out the true meaning of its creed: "that all men [and women and children] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ... . " The world has taken notice, in Kenya and Indonesia; Berlin, Rio and Oslo; in Jerusalem and Jeddah.
Soon, our president, our hope for change, must gather the nations of the world -- in a forum reminiscent of World War II's Bretton Woods conference, led by Franklin D. Roosevelt -- and seek agreement on an economic mechanism that will restore confidence and stability to the global marketplace. Global economic equilibrium is the change that we require.
There is an old Quaker proverb: "The wheel goes round, because the center is at rest." May God continue to give Barack Obama the "peace ... which passes all understanding," that he might lead us to a season of calm and prosperity for all the world's children.
"Yes, we can.""
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Obama: a special man for a serious time
Destiny's child.
"...President Obama is the right leader for this moment. Republican laissez faire started an economic pendulum swing from John Maynard Keynes to Milton Friedman that has gone too far, too fast. The present crisis requires a president of global vision, character and respect. Obama.
He proved, not just to me but to the entire world, that America could live out the true meaning of its creed: "that all men [and women and children] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ... . " The world has taken notice, in Kenya and Indonesia; Berlin, Rio and Oslo; in Jerusalem and Jeddah.
Soon, our president, our hope for change, must gather the nations of the world -- in a forum reminiscent of World War II's Bretton Woods conference, led by Franklin D. Roosevelt -- and seek agreement on an economic mechanism that will restore confidence and stability to the global marketplace. Global economic equilibrium is the change that we require.
There is an old Quaker proverb: "The wheel goes round, because the center is at rest." May God continue to give Barack Obama the "peace ... which passes all understanding," that he might lead us to a season of calm and prosperity for all the world's children.
"Yes, we can.""
Words.
FILE UNDER: POLITICS AND AMERICA: Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do with it?/A Moment of Clarity.
"PRESIDENT Obama did not offer his patented poetry in his Inaugural Address. He did not add to his cache of quotations in Bartlett’s. He did not recreate J.F.K.’s inaugural, or Lincoln’s second, or F.D.R.’s first. The great orator was mainly at his best when taking shots at Bush and Cheney, who, in black hat and wheelchair, looked like the misbegotten spawn of the evil Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Such was the judgment of many Washington drama critics. But there’s a reason that this speech was austere, not pretty. Form followed content. Obama wasn’t just rebuking the outgoing administration. He was delicately but unmistakably calling out the rest of us who went along for the ride as America swerved into the dangerous place we find ourselves now.
Feckless as it was for Bush to ask Americans to go shopping after 9/11, we all too enthusiastically followed his lead, whether we were wealthy, working-class or in between. We spent a decade feasting on easy money, don’t-pay-as-you-go consumerism and a metastasizing celebrity culture. We did so while a supposedly cost-free, off-the-books war, usually out of sight and out of mind, helped break the bank along with our nation’s spirit and reputation.
We can’t keep blaming 43 for everything, especially now that we don’t have him to kick around anymore. On Tuesday the new president pointedly widened his indictment beyond the sins of his predecessor. He spoke of those at the economic pinnacle who embraced greed and irresponsibility as well as the rest of us who collaborated in our “collective failure to make hard choices.” He branded as sub-American those who “prefer leisure over work or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.” And he wasn’t just asking Paris Hilton “to set aside childish things.” As Linda Hirshman astutely pointed out on The New Republic’s Web site, even Obama’s opening salutation — “My fellow citizens,” not “fellow Americans” — invoked the civic responsibilities we’ve misplaced en masse..."
NEW YORK TIMES: No Time for Poetry
"PRESIDENT Obama did not offer his patented poetry in his Inaugural Address. He did not add to his cache of quotations in Bartlett’s. He did not recreate J.F.K.’s inaugural, or Lincoln’s second, or F.D.R.’s first. The great orator was mainly at his best when taking shots at Bush and Cheney, who, in black hat and wheelchair, looked like the misbegotten spawn of the evil Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Such was the judgment of many Washington drama critics. But there’s a reason that this speech was austere, not pretty. Form followed content. Obama wasn’t just rebuking the outgoing administration. He was delicately but unmistakably calling out the rest of us who went along for the ride as America swerved into the dangerous place we find ourselves now.
Feckless as it was for Bush to ask Americans to go shopping after 9/11, we all too enthusiastically followed his lead, whether we were wealthy, working-class or in between. We spent a decade feasting on easy money, don’t-pay-as-you-go consumerism and a metastasizing celebrity culture. We did so while a supposedly cost-free, off-the-books war, usually out of sight and out of mind, helped break the bank along with our nation’s spirit and reputation.
We can’t keep blaming 43 for everything, especially now that we don’t have him to kick around anymore. On Tuesday the new president pointedly widened his indictment beyond the sins of his predecessor. He spoke of those at the economic pinnacle who embraced greed and irresponsibility as well as the rest of us who collaborated in our “collective failure to make hard choices.” He branded as sub-American those who “prefer leisure over work or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.” And he wasn’t just asking Paris Hilton “to set aside childish things.” As Linda Hirshman astutely pointed out on The New Republic’s Web site, even Obama’s opening salutation — “My fellow citizens,” not “fellow Americans” — invoked the civic responsibilities we’ve misplaced en masse..."
New Age.
FILE UNDER: Words/Oh Word?
Cool. Calm. Collected...
"...Pop music in the age of the universal download is a lot like a megalopolis: sprawling, chaotic, seemingly without borders. Innovative but mercenary power-players peddle corporate pop in its financial centers. Elites -- blockbuster rock stars, divas, record producers of note -- clink their glasses together in gated communities. Scrappy newcomers and forgotten elders squat in the tenements, hoping for a break. ¶ And then there are the urban bushwhackers: creative people determined to carve some space out of the concrete where something might grow and they might be able to wander a bit.
Since the 1960s, these folks have often been called "hippies," though that term is too specific, and carries too much historical weight. Younger practitioners, including California Summer of Love revivalists such as Devendra Banhart, Jonathan Wilson and the Entrance Band; Oregonian country fuzz rockers Blitzen Trapper; and Atlanta post-punks Deerhunter modify countercultural visions to suit a more pragmatic age.
Think of urban bushwhackers as those sea creatures in the chemical mud, with both the inner city and the outback in their DNA. They're different from the back-to-the-land pastoralists who decamp to yurts in New Mexico. What urban bushwhackers share across the generations, whether they've ridden in Ken Kesey's bus or danced at Burning Man, is an understanding that new technologies can be useful in pursuit of an idyllic vibe.
That's why they don't think it's weird to accessorize a thrift-store dress with an electroluminescent wire necklace. And it's why the musicians among them are leading a trend that feels like the future, even as, on the surface, it celebrates the primitive and the past.
Animal Collective, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are three leading urban bushwhackers. They're among the most cultishly followed indie acts -- the prolific Animal Collective's eighth studio album, "Merriweather Post Pavilion," is earning wide praise as a front-runner for best recording of 2009, while Seattle's Fleet Foxes and Wisconsin's Bon Iver topped 2008 critics' lists with their debut releases.
These three bands differ somewhat in sound, lifestyle and approaches to music-making. But their popularity can be attributed to the same thing: the ever-renewable urge within the middle class to step away from the timetables of life and find a different source of meaning. Going off-trail is an apt metaphor for what earlier generations thought of as shedding the gray flannel suits. Moguls don't wear suits now, but they'd never enter a space where their cellphone reception might be endangered. Urban bushwhackers try to imagine that space, even though they often use laptops and sequencers to do so..."
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Metro Gone Retro
Cool. Calm. Collected...
"...Pop music in the age of the universal download is a lot like a megalopolis: sprawling, chaotic, seemingly without borders. Innovative but mercenary power-players peddle corporate pop in its financial centers. Elites -- blockbuster rock stars, divas, record producers of note -- clink their glasses together in gated communities. Scrappy newcomers and forgotten elders squat in the tenements, hoping for a break. ¶ And then there are the urban bushwhackers: creative people determined to carve some space out of the concrete where something might grow and they might be able to wander a bit.
Since the 1960s, these folks have often been called "hippies," though that term is too specific, and carries too much historical weight. Younger practitioners, including California Summer of Love revivalists such as Devendra Banhart, Jonathan Wilson and the Entrance Band; Oregonian country fuzz rockers Blitzen Trapper; and Atlanta post-punks Deerhunter modify countercultural visions to suit a more pragmatic age.
Think of urban bushwhackers as those sea creatures in the chemical mud, with both the inner city and the outback in their DNA. They're different from the back-to-the-land pastoralists who decamp to yurts in New Mexico. What urban bushwhackers share across the generations, whether they've ridden in Ken Kesey's bus or danced at Burning Man, is an understanding that new technologies can be useful in pursuit of an idyllic vibe.
That's why they don't think it's weird to accessorize a thrift-store dress with an electroluminescent wire necklace. And it's why the musicians among them are leading a trend that feels like the future, even as, on the surface, it celebrates the primitive and the past.
Animal Collective, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are three leading urban bushwhackers. They're among the most cultishly followed indie acts -- the prolific Animal Collective's eighth studio album, "Merriweather Post Pavilion," is earning wide praise as a front-runner for best recording of 2009, while Seattle's Fleet Foxes and Wisconsin's Bon Iver topped 2008 critics' lists with their debut releases.
These three bands differ somewhat in sound, lifestyle and approaches to music-making. But their popularity can be attributed to the same thing: the ever-renewable urge within the middle class to step away from the timetables of life and find a different source of meaning. Going off-trail is an apt metaphor for what earlier generations thought of as shedding the gray flannel suits. Moguls don't wear suits now, but they'd never enter a space where their cellphone reception might be endangered. Urban bushwhackers try to imagine that space, even though they often use laptops and sequencers to do so..."
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Bills, Bills, Bills.
New flava in ya ear!
Flosstradamus feat. Caroline Polachek.
Big Bills.
Big ups toDiscobelle for putting this on my radar!
Flosstradamus feat. Caroline Polachek.
Big Bills.
Big ups to
Oh Word?
FILE UNDER: POLITICS: So Fucking Disco/Word.
"President Barack Obama chose his cabinet nominees with record speed, but since his inauguration the process of securing their Senate confirmation and building his government has slowed markedly.
By the end of his first full day in office, President Bill Clinton had all but one cabinet nominee in office, even after a very rocky transition. President George W. Bush also had all but one cabinet member confirmed by the end of January 2001, despite the protracted Florida recount following the November election.
This time, Mr. Obama will start his second week without Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services or Commerce secretaries, not to mention an attorney general to head the Justice Department. By the end of next week, Senate aides say the president may have only secured two more cabinet confirmations: Timothy Geithner at Treasury and Eric Holder at Justice..."
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Delays in Cabinet Nominations Demonstrate GOP Resolve
"President Barack Obama chose his cabinet nominees with record speed, but since his inauguration the process of securing their Senate confirmation and building his government has slowed markedly.
By the end of his first full day in office, President Bill Clinton had all but one cabinet nominee in office, even after a very rocky transition. President George W. Bush also had all but one cabinet member confirmed by the end of January 2001, despite the protracted Florida recount following the November election.
This time, Mr. Obama will start his second week without Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services or Commerce secretaries, not to mention an attorney general to head the Justice Department. By the end of next week, Senate aides say the president may have only secured two more cabinet confirmations: Timothy Geithner at Treasury and Eric Holder at Justice..."
Hum Hallelujah!
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity.
"...President Obama faces a challenge like Lauryn Hill after her album "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" won five Grammys or the Coen Brothers after Blood Simple won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Will it take a while for his own Fargo or No Country for Old Men? Or will success come early and often? Either way I, for one, am glad the underdog got a shot. Underdogs are the ones who are hungry, who will transcend convention and will break barriers. Just when it's at its worst... it gets better. As long as he just keeps up the pace he has so far, I have a feeling we will keep rooting for him..."
HUFFINGTON POST: Pete Wentz - No Longer the Underdog
"...President Obama faces a challenge like Lauryn Hill after her album "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" won five Grammys or the Coen Brothers after Blood Simple won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Will it take a while for his own Fargo or No Country for Old Men? Or will success come early and often? Either way I, for one, am glad the underdog got a shot. Underdogs are the ones who are hungry, who will transcend convention and will break barriers. Just when it's at its worst... it gets better. As long as he just keeps up the pace he has so far, I have a feeling we will keep rooting for him..."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
"I put on for my city!"
Why do I enjoy this clip? Let me count the ways:
(1) It's a song about Locs. Not Sunglasses, not Aviators, not Stunna Shades, Locs. Motherfucking Locs! Nuff said.
(2) The video starts with a definition of the word "janky".
(3) The beat is timely. (Thanks Jeezy?)
(4) I have yet another song to add to my "Feat. Young Jeezy" Mixtape. (Seriously, I'll "step in the name of love" for many a Young Jeezy guest rap, but I can't stand behind any of his LPs.)
(5) It's in, out, over, and then done. (Cube - Jeezy - Cube - Hook - Fade)
(6) It's a song that was recorded for inclusion on the soundtrack for a movie titled The Janky Promoters. (Cube! Epps! OH MY GOD!)
New flava in ya ear!
Ice Cube feat. Young Jeezy.
I Got My Locs On.
A Weinstein Company LLC production.
(1) It's a song about Locs. Not Sunglasses, not Aviators, not Stunna Shades, Locs. Motherfucking Locs! Nuff said.
(2) The video starts with a definition of the word "janky".
(3) The beat is timely. (Thanks Jeezy?)
(4) I have yet another song to add to my "Feat. Young Jeezy" Mixtape. (Seriously, I'll "step in the name of love" for many a Young Jeezy guest rap, but I can't stand behind any of his LPs.)
(5) It's in, out, over, and then done. (Cube - Jeezy - Cube - Hook - Fade)
(6) It's a song that was recorded for inclusion on the soundtrack for a movie titled The Janky Promoters. (Cube! Epps! OH MY GOD!)
New flava in ya ear!
Ice Cube feat. Young Jeezy.
I Got My Locs On.
A Weinstein Company LLC production.
Same script, different cast.
FILE UNDER: Oh Word?/POLITICS: So Fucking Disco!
Countdown. Keith Olbermann. World's Worst Persons in the World. Wednesday, January 21, 2009. Make sure you hear story number two. (Number one is golden too.)
Countdown. Keith Olbermann. World's Worst Persons in the World. Wednesday, January 21, 2009. Make sure you hear story number two. (Number one is golden too.)
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Words.
FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity/Oh Word?
"The boos that greeted former President Bush on the Mall in Washington and at Symphony Space in Manhattan and, no doubt, at venues across the nation and maybe around the world were misguided, or at least unfortunate, for two reasons.
1. If we are to take President Obama and his aspirations seriously, we should not be booing anyone but moving forward -- acting, not reacting. Hard to boo when you need your breath and your strength for herculean efforts in new directions..."
2. The dialectic at work: If we hadn't had Bush, we almost certainly wouldn't have Obama -- at least not now..."
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Daniel Menaker: Boo Who?
"The boos that greeted former President Bush on the Mall in Washington and at Symphony Space in Manhattan and, no doubt, at venues across the nation and maybe around the world were misguided, or at least unfortunate, for two reasons.
1. If we are to take President Obama and his aspirations seriously, we should not be booing anyone but moving forward -- acting, not reacting. Hard to boo when you need your breath and your strength for herculean efforts in new directions..."
2. The dialectic at work: If we hadn't had Bush, we almost certainly wouldn't have Obama -- at least not now..."
Oh Word?
FILE UNDER: POLITICS AND AMERICA: Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do with it?
"Let's work!"
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Obama Freezes Top Salaries - First Full Day: Guantanamo Curbs, Lobbying Limits and Middle East Diplomacy
"Let's work!"
My Girl.
Vibe with me, now.
I did it.
I finally bit the bullet.
This past weekend I pressed play on a [legal] stream of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, this despite the fact that I don’t care much for the musical output of the boys in the band.
Wait a minute,
Let me finish.
Feels, Strawberry Jam, OMG: Nobody Does it Better: The EP*; Nothing. The curious, always on the hunt for a good long player music fan in me approached many an Animal Collective album with open arms and an open mind, only to be left out in the cold, ambivalent if you will, after quickly deciding a minute or two into a track or three to four songs in that, “You know what, maybe this isn’t for me.”
Each album, each EP, I arrived at Point A [listening curiously with an open mind] because someone told me to. Pitchfork, the New York Times, countless bloggers, somebody, told me, to give it a spin, check it out, and be blown away by yet another astonishing start to finish LP from Animal Collective.
So there I was last weekend, finally giving in; Finally biting the bullet and seeing what all the fuss was about [again] with this new Animal Collective record. No skipping tracks, no going straight to the “bomb ass single”. Like a kid fresh from Tower Records post midnight, I was ready to unwrap the plastic, sit back, and listen without prejudice.
But it was hard, for once again I was quickly reminded that, “You know what, maybe this isn’t for me.”
And then this song started.
Read a review of Merriweather Post Pavilion, and you’ll find that one thing many a critic can agree on is how great the song My Girls is. And they ain’t plalyin’. Prior to this song’s turn at the bat, it didn’t take long for my interest to wane and the music from the disc to get lower and almost fade into the background, but when this track came on, I sat up straight, ears at attention, ready for the sound. It took a minute [also known as “letting the beat build”], but once the song settled into its groove, it was hard for me to turn it down, look away, and not care about the musical output of Animal Collective…for five and a half minutes. Press play below on the music video for the track and find out why.
*Said EP may not actually exist.
"RADICAL!"
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity/POLITICS AND AMERICA: Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do with it?
"Hello, change. It's me, Obama."
"For one day, for one hour, let us take a bow as a country. Nearly 233 years after our founding, 144 years after the close of our Civil War and 46 years after Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, this crazy quilt of immigrants called Americans finally elected a black man, Barack Hussein Obama, as president. Walking back from the inauguration, I saw an African-American street vendor wearing a home-stenciled T-shirt that pretty well captured the moment — and then some. It said: “Mission Accomplished.”
But we cannot let this be the last mold we break, let alone the last big mission we accomplish. Now that we have overcome biography, we need to write some new history — one that will reboot, revive and reinvigorate America. That, for me, was the essence of Obama’s inaugural speech and I hope we — and he — are really up to it.
Indeed, dare I say, I hope Obama really has been palling around all these years with that old Chicago radical Bill Ayers. I hope Obama really is a closet radical.
Not radical left or right, just a radical, because this is a radical moment. It is a moment for radical departures from business as usual in so many areas. We can’t thrive as a country any longer by coasting on our reputation, by postponing solutions to every big problem that might involve some pain and by telling ourselves that dramatic new initiatives — like a gasoline tax, national health care or banking reform — are too hard or “off the table.” So my most fervent hope about President Obama is that he will be as radical as this moment — that he will put everything* on the table..."
*The author's emphasis, not mine.
NEW YORK TIMES: Radical in the White House
"Hello, change. It's me, Obama."
"For one day, for one hour, let us take a bow as a country. Nearly 233 years after our founding, 144 years after the close of our Civil War and 46 years after Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, this crazy quilt of immigrants called Americans finally elected a black man, Barack Hussein Obama, as president. Walking back from the inauguration, I saw an African-American street vendor wearing a home-stenciled T-shirt that pretty well captured the moment — and then some. It said: “Mission Accomplished.”
But we cannot let this be the last mold we break, let alone the last big mission we accomplish. Now that we have overcome biography, we need to write some new history — one that will reboot, revive and reinvigorate America. That, for me, was the essence of Obama’s inaugural speech and I hope we — and he — are really up to it.
Indeed, dare I say, I hope Obama really has been palling around all these years with that old Chicago radical Bill Ayers. I hope Obama really is a closet radical.
Not radical left or right, just a radical, because this is a radical moment. It is a moment for radical departures from business as usual in so many areas. We can’t thrive as a country any longer by coasting on our reputation, by postponing solutions to every big problem that might involve some pain and by telling ourselves that dramatic new initiatives — like a gasoline tax, national health care or banking reform — are too hard or “off the table.” So my most fervent hope about President Obama is that he will be as radical as this moment — that he will put everything* on the table..."
*The author's emphasis, not mine.
Back to life. Back to reality.
FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity/POLITICS AND AMERICA: Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do with it?
POLITICO: Seven reasons for healthy skepticism
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
An Affair to Remember.
FILE UNDER: A Quick Peep/POLITICS: So Fucking Disco!/A Moment of Clarity.
Morning. Los Angeles. Tuesday. 10 a.m. Controlled chaos. A ring of the phone here, a tap of the keys there. Huddles, formations, getting shit done. Controlled chaos. BOOM, handle, door. In comes he, smooth as the wind, exuberant, fancy-free. They all look up. He’s got the floor. They know what’s coming. They’ve kind of been waiting for it. No one has spoken on it yet, out loud, to the group, as a group. No one has cracked wise. Until now. Here he is. Here he comes. In front of them, in front of us, in front of me: “I’m so happy to see Bush pack his things out of the White House.” Silence. A smirk. A laugh under the breath. Eyes up, then down, and back to the matters at hand. And then he, the partner, the other at work, opens his mouth and without skipping a beat replies: “So the recession is over?” Silence. A smirk. A laugh under the breath. He continues, keeps going, finishes his thought: “So we can all walk on water now, right?” Laughter. A smirk. These cats? They got jokes.
Morning. Los Angeles. Tuesday. 10 a.m. Controlled chaos. A ring of the phone here, a tap of the keys there. Huddles, formations, getting shit done. Controlled chaos. BOOM, handle, door. In comes he, smooth as the wind, exuberant, fancy-free. They all look up. He’s got the floor. They know what’s coming. They’ve kind of been waiting for it. No one has spoken on it yet, out loud, to the group, as a group. No one has cracked wise. Until now. Here he is. Here he comes. In front of them, in front of us, in front of me: “I’m so happy to see Bush pack his things out of the White House.” Silence. A smirk. A laugh under the breath. Eyes up, then down, and back to the matters at hand. And then he, the partner, the other at work, opens his mouth and without skipping a beat replies: “So the recession is over?” Silence. A smirk. A laugh under the breath. He continues, keeps going, finishes his thought: “So we can all walk on water now, right?” Laughter. A smirk. These cats? They got jokes.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Love & Basketball.
Above the rim.
Everybody in Los Angeles knows (especially we Fairfax and Westchester cats) that this shit, this right here? It's always the jump off.
Now you know.
A Moment of Clarity.
FILE UNDER: POLITICS: So Fucking Disco!/Words.
"BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Their faces and darker skins make them look different. They are routinely called "slave" by the majority, whatever their profession. But Iraq's black population hopes that Barack Obama's rise to the White House will mark a turning point for minorities not just in the United States, but also in their country."
CNN: Black Iraqis make Obama a model to follow
"BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Their faces and darker skins make them look different. They are routinely called "slave" by the majority, whatever their profession. But Iraq's black population hopes that Barack Obama's rise to the White House will mark a turning point for minorities not just in the United States, but also in their country."
HIStory.
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity/The Final Countdown.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Bush and history
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Oh Word?
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity.
"No, after you."
Tuesday, January 20th: Out with the old, and in with the new. Maureen Dowd reports:
"Right now, though, it’s a huge relief to be getting an inquisitive, complicated mind in the White House.
W. decided there was no need to be president of the whole country. He could just be president of his base. Obama is determined to be president of as much of the country as possible.
We’re trading a dogmatic president for one who’s shopping for a dog. It feels good."
NEW YORK TIMES: The Long, Lame Goodbye
"No, after you."
Tuesday, January 20th: Out with the old, and in with the new. Maureen Dowd reports:
"Right now, though, it’s a huge relief to be getting an inquisitive, complicated mind in the White House.
W. decided there was no need to be president of the whole country. He could just be president of his base. Obama is determined to be president of as much of the country as possible.
We’re trading a dogmatic president for one who’s shopping for a dog. It feels good."
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers!
This video, like Derek Luke in Notorious, showcases the essence of Diddy perfectly.
P.Diddy.
Pharrell.
D.I.D.D.Y.
P.Diddy.
Pharrell.
D.I.D.D.Y.
MIXTAPE FRIDAYS!!!
Sugar Honey Chamomile, Sweet Potatoe Pie.
1/I'm Good, I'm Gone/Lykke Li
2/L.E.S. Artistes/Santogold
3/I'll Call Before I Come/Outkast
4/Bang! Bang!/The Knux
5/Robocop/Kanye West
6/Far Away/Cut Copy
7/Spaceman/The Killers
8/Camera Phone/The Game feat. Ne-Yo
9/Mrs. Officer/Lil Wayne feat. Bobby Valentino
10/One More Drink/Ludacris feat. T-Pain
11/Where It's At?/Beck
"Yeah, you know what this is!"
"It's a celebration, bitches!"
Young Jeezy feat. Nas.
My President is Black.
Young Jeezy feat. Nas.
My President is Black.
Friday, January 16, 2009
UNITY!
"SOLID AS BARACK!"
WORLD PREMIERE!
Ashford and Simpson.
Solid as Barack!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Ring the Alarm!
"Will you still love me tomorrow?"
Don't forget:
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
"Thinking of a Masteplan!"
Welcome.
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009. Change gon come. Politico reports:
"Barack Obama is bringing back the night-owl presidency.
With the metabolism of a White House set by its occupant, Obama's team is preparing for a return to long nights, heavy weekend shifts – and a boss who will venture into Washington far more than the place's current resident.
It’s a throwback to Bill Clinton’s cramming-for-an-exam style, a shift from George W. Bush’s early-bird routine. Aides expect the workload to be so intense, at least for the early months, that they’re trying to formalize ways to help staffers stay in touch with spouses and kids – with ideas under consideration that include inviting family members into the White House for casual after-hours meals.
Another possibility: urging aides to go home for dinner, as long as they come back to finish the night.
Obama aides say there are no specifics so far, but hinted that staffers' children may be seeing the inside of the White House like never before – as way to stay in touch with Mom or Dad.
“Family is very important to the Obamas and while the challenges ahead will require long hours, hard work and sacrifice for everyone in the incoming administration they hope to make the White House a place that is open and welcoming to the families of White House employees,” said Jen Psaki, an Obama spokeswoman.
Bush famously arrives at the Oval Office by dawn, leaves by 6 p.m. and goes to bed by 10 p.m. Dinners out are as rare as a lunar eclipse.
Obama, by contrast, stays up late. He holds conference calls with senior staff as late as 11 p.m., and often reads and writes past midnight. Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, he spent consecutive nights holed up in a Chicago hotel room, working on his speech until 2 a.m...."
6 days, y'all. 6 days...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Africa.
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity.
Not enough.
"Zimbabweans are facing a deepening humanitarian crisis and what appears to be a renewed security crackdown, just weeks before President Robert Mugabe plans to set up a new government.
...Zimbabwe's economic crisis has worsened in the past six months as the government remains deadlocked over how to share power with the opposition. Zimbabweans struggle to buy anything with their currency, which has been almost entirely devalued. This week, the government released a new 50-billion-dollar note -- valued at little more than one U.S. dollar.
A cholera epidemic has claimed more than 2,000 lives and infected almost 40,000 since October, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. Zimbabwe's government has warned that the epidemic could get worse in the rainy season, which peaks in January or February and ends in late March.
State services have collapsed. Most district hospitals and clinics, especially in rural areas, have been closed since the beginning of January, because they have no drugs, materials or means to pay their staff. Mothers struggle to deliver their babies. HIV/AIDS patients eat medicinal herbs dug from the ground.
"The whole country is turning into some kind of giant mortuary," said Douglas Gwatidza, head of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights.
Health workers are charging their patients in foreign currency, then sharing the profit among themselves. "The government cannot pay us, so we have to find ways of paying ourselves," said one nurse, Ethel Ngundu.
It isn't just health-care workers who have turned their business into a private practice. Police officers demand extra to follow up on complaints. Some public-school teachers have refused to go to work unless parents pay them directly, in foreign currency.
Perhaps most worrying for the government is the underpaid army, upon which Mr. Mugabe depends to remain in power. Soldiers in recent months have demanded to be paid in foreign currency, which the government can't afford..."
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Crisis Worsens in Zimbabwe As Mugabe Tightens Grip
Not enough.
"Zimbabweans are facing a deepening humanitarian crisis and what appears to be a renewed security crackdown, just weeks before President Robert Mugabe plans to set up a new government.
...Zimbabwe's economic crisis has worsened in the past six months as the government remains deadlocked over how to share power with the opposition. Zimbabweans struggle to buy anything with their currency, which has been almost entirely devalued. This week, the government released a new 50-billion-dollar note -- valued at little more than one U.S. dollar.
A cholera epidemic has claimed more than 2,000 lives and infected almost 40,000 since October, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. Zimbabwe's government has warned that the epidemic could get worse in the rainy season, which peaks in January or February and ends in late March.
State services have collapsed. Most district hospitals and clinics, especially in rural areas, have been closed since the beginning of January, because they have no drugs, materials or means to pay their staff. Mothers struggle to deliver their babies. HIV/AIDS patients eat medicinal herbs dug from the ground.
"The whole country is turning into some kind of giant mortuary," said Douglas Gwatidza, head of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights.
Health workers are charging their patients in foreign currency, then sharing the profit among themselves. "The government cannot pay us, so we have to find ways of paying ourselves," said one nurse, Ethel Ngundu.
It isn't just health-care workers who have turned their business into a private practice. Police officers demand extra to follow up on complaints. Some public-school teachers have refused to go to work unless parents pay them directly, in foreign currency.
Perhaps most worrying for the government is the underpaid army, upon which Mr. Mugabe depends to remain in power. Soldiers in recent months have demanded to be paid in foreign currency, which the government can't afford..."
UNITY!
"SOLID AS BARACK!"
WORLD PREMIERE!
Ashford and Simpson.
Solid as Barack!
Twist and Shout.
FILE UNDER: Words/A Quick Peep/How the other half lives.
THE ROOT: TWIST AND SHOUT: Why Malia's hair speaks to me.
A Moment of Clarity.
The following article and its accompanying headline put a huge smile on my face. Now of course, I'm no Black female, but I am a young black man with two younger sisters who can recall seeing a pressing or two of some hair in our kitchen as a child, as well as tears of agony, and/or a refusal to sit still when it came time for the hair to be combed for the day/church/school/holidays. It's the same smile/warm feeling I get whenever I see Barack Obama on television and think and/or say to myself, "Man, my president has a fade." And it's a smile/warm feeling that I am sure will repeat itself many a time during the next 4 (or 8?) years.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Riddle Me This?
"Byrdgang Swagger". A Swagger one wants to possess?...
New flava in ya ear!
Jim Jones.
Byrdgang Swagger.
New flava in ya ear!
Jim Jones.
Byrdgang Swagger.
Strawberry Fields Forever.
"Our last summer as independents. Do you remember?"
New flava in ya ear!
Of Montreal.
An Eluardian Instance.
New flava in ya ear!
Of Montreal.
An Eluardian Instance.
Telling.
FILE UNDER: Words/A Moment of Clarity/The Final Countdown.
VANITY FAIR: Farewell to All That: An Oral History of the Bush White House
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