Perhaps it is fitting that, having absolved American racists of all manner of crimes against others, Obama also holds them blameless for their assaults on himself. That's his prerogative, as long as he's the only one being assaulted. But Obama was also dogged over the long weekend by the ghost of Sean Bell, whose death in a 50-shot New York City police fusillade was held blameless by a white judge. Many African Americans anxiously awaited Obama's reaction to the three police officers' acquittals on all charges. "We're a nation of laws, so we respect the verdict that came down," said Obama, when asked about the case by reporters in Indiana. "Resorting to violence to express displeasure over a verdict is something that is completely unacceptable and is counterproductive." That was it.
Hillary Clinton, aware that the Sean Bell verdict was an outrage to Black America, issued a prepared statement:
"This tragedy has deeply saddened New Yorkers - and all Americans. My thoughts are with Nicole and her children and the rest of Sean's family during this difficult time. The court has given its verdict, and now we await the conclusion of a Department of Justice civil rights investigation. We must also embrace this opportunity to take steps - in our communities, in our law enforcement agencies, and in our government - to make sure this does not happen again."
It is difficult not to conclude that Obama distanced himself from the facts of the acquittal - except to counsel against violence and urge folks to "respect" the verdict, whatever that means - while Clinton had the sense to prepare a statement that sounded sensitive to Black anger and on top of developments in the story. The Sean Bell police and judicial atrocity revealed with horrific clarity that Black life continues to be systematically devalued by police in the United States, even when the officers involved are of African descent, as were two of the three shooters in the Bell case. The New York verdict shows that Black lives are devalued by all actors in American society, including Black actors: the essence of institutional racism.
- Obama's "race-neutral" Strategy Unravels of its own Contradictions, black agenda report, 04.30.08
via negrophile.
Could we have gotten more good work done if we worked those extra five Fridays? I seriously doubt it. Would we have been happier working five extra days over the last 30? I seriously doubt it. Is a four-day work week better for morale and productivity than a typical five-day work week? I seriously believe it.
- Urgency is poisonous by Jason Fried, 37 Signals, 04.14.08
]]>Alan Scholefield, an Honest Jon's co-founder, detests the world music label. "It's a nasty phrase. It made my blood run cold when I first heard it, it still does now and it always will," he says. "At Honest Jon's, we have long been aware of cooler, rougher and younger strands of music emerging. They are not perceived as authentic, but at the same time they're not deadened by the 'world music' tag. This music is interesting and difficult to pigeonhole. It's impossible to predict, but in ten years I don't think the term will exist."
- International Front by Rahul Verma, New Statesman, 04.10.08
My husband and I look forward to [Rock of Love 2] every week, sometimes going as far as to privilege it over catching up on “The Wire.” We’re not alone in this guilty pleasure. Conan O’Brien admits his writers are oddly enamored with the program. And the folks at SNL must be too, given Tina Fey’s pitch-perfect impersonation late last month of Bret’s blubber-lipped suitor Daisy. Despite the safety in numbers, though, as the credits rolled last night, I dissolved into shamed giggles, simultaneously revolted and delighted by this pageant of excess and debauchery. “Why do we watch this?” I asked my husband. His response: “To witness America jumping the shark.”
- Clips of America Jumping the Shark, Utne Blogs, 03.18.08
The home is remote, even by Tibetan standards. Charming carvings cannot disguise how primitive it is. Not only does it have no toilet, it doesn't have an outhouse. Or even a designated hole in the ground. It does, however, boast one very great prize -- a ringing cellphone.
Why?
- Our Cells, Ourselves by Joel Garreau, The Washington Post, 02.24.08
Now, whether or not I actually answer my phone is debatable but one thing is for sure - I always have my phone. When I don't, my stress level is higher. The article talks about sociability. Right, that. Whether by text, twitter, or email, it keeps me connected and informed even if I rarely if ever raise it all the way to my ear.
But 1 cell for every 2 people? Crazy.
liberal students reported valuing intellectual freedom, creativity, and the chance to write original work and make a theoretical contribution to science. They outnumbered conservative students two to one in the humanities and social sciences — which are among the fields most likely to produce interest in doctoral study. Conservative students, however, put more value on personal achievement and orderliness, and on practical professions, like accounting and computer science, that could earn them lots of money.
- Conservatives Just Aren't Into Academe, Study Finds by Robin Wilson, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 02.22.08
The first thing you notice when you pick up a piece of work published by McSweeney's is how handsome it is. One of the hallmarks of the upstart publisher founded by wunderkind memoirist Dave Eggers is its loving attention to the look of print media, a touching gesture to a supposedly dying form. Cracking an issue of McSweeney's is like opening a Fabergé egg, each new installment (one came in a cigar box) more obsessively crafted than the last. The underlying message: Literature matters, and whatever these volumes contain must be special.
- A Golden Eggers by Jennifer Rose, Entertainment Weekly, 02.15.08
I've purchased several copies of The Believer -- nearly subscribing at it's ridiculous price after one particularly good music issue -- but never McSweeney's. I'm not sure why. Probably because while I first heard of Eggers the writer because of A Heartbreaking Work..., I first read McSweeney's online and so online it stays in my mind. The author of the article is right, I generally find the writing there very hit or miss with an awful lot of misses. People often too busy trying to be cutesy to remember to be at least a little bit substantive.
But, I do love the live events and activism and Eggers' books.
And, now, I'm thinking I should get McSweeney's just so I could get the awesome cigar box or something of equal stature.
Damn you, Eggers!
I’m fifty-four years old and I have always been single. I love my single life. But for a long time I rarely said that out loud. I thought I was the only happy single person.
- Single and Happy by Bella DePaulo, American Sexuality Magazine
So, it's not weird that I'm not actively and aggressively seeking out a relationship and that I haven't been for a long time? I like smart ladies and sex is good times but, you know what, I really really like being on some independent ish.
Note that Jaime Pressly said that “Ugly Betty” was “big-upping the ugly fat girl,” not that the show was “bigging up the ugly fat girl” (or “bigging the ugly fat girl up“). So we find that big-up is being treated as a single entity that can be inflected with verb endings, rather than as the verb big plus the particle up.
- "Big-Up" on the Rise by Ben Zimmer, OUPblog, 01.24.08
I'm sure my first awareness of "Big-Up" was Biggie Smalls giving "Big-Ups to Brooklyn". Given his Caribbean roots that all makes sense.
I despise Facebook. This enormously successful American business describes itself as "a social utility that connects you with the people around you". But hang on. Why on God's earth would I need a computer to connect with the people around me? Why should my relationships be mediated through the imagination of a bunch of supergeeks in California? What was wrong with the pub?
-With friends like these... by Tom Hodgkinson, The Guardian, 01.14.08
I was back on facebook briefly yesterday, with good reason, and then jumped right back off. In the 2 weeks I'd been gone, my deactivated account had received Oregon Trail invitations (what?) and more stupid "Fun Wall" posts than I care to think about.
Let's just go get a drink.
Current music: Blanche – A Year From Now
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