The democrats in the Senate just passed a bill that would call for a troop withdrawal by Oct 1 if Iraq doesn't meet certain requirements. Although Bush is probably going to exercise his executive privilege and veto this bill as soon as it's placed in front of him, I am left wondering whether or not pulling out is the best decision. Historically, the United States pulling out of a situation they got themselves into has proved to lead to troubles later. My favorite example being Afghanistan. The Soviets were invading Afghanistan in the early 80's and the US during the Cold War could not allow for this so they armed many of the leaders of Afghanistan in order to contain any sort of Communist progression towards Arab states. When the Russian army pulled out, it hurled Afghanistan into a bloody civil war for years. Each local tribe was battling for control resulting in the deaths of many. The United States supplied ammo too keep Afghanistan communism free but neglected to actually aid with the set-up of a stable government. So when Russia was defeated the US left behind its arms and left the area in a very volatile situation. I'm glossing a lot of the facts because I do not feel like getting in depth on this issue but my main point is this, about 6 years after the Taleban assumed control of the region 9/11 happened.
We cannot just pullout now or years from now we may suffer later. Its a tricky situation and years ago I was totally behind no war at all, right now, pulling out may not be the smartest idea for Iraq. Iraq will be plunged even further into civil war and someone more heinous than Saddam will take power. I think in an effort to undermine Bush, Democrats may be hurting the US even more on a global scale by exiting. I think what needs to happen is for the US to ride it out and wind it down because at this point pulling out will be counterproductive. There will be an immediate power struggle once the US leaves and we will be playing roulette with the lives of the Iraqi people and the world in coming years.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
GET YOUR BAKE SALE!
I dont understand. I'm walking by this area around our Stamp Student Union at the University Of Maryland and I see a table...it was a bake sale. My heart fluttered because I absolutely love baked goods! I skipped to their table and asked them what they were trying to raise funds for, and this pothead looking guy said back to me, Diabetes Research....
...I was a little...perplexed.
Why would you sell baked goods like, brownies, chocolate cookies, rice krispy treats, etc, if your are raising money for Diabetes research. To me there was a very sad irony in that marketing strategy. Are they also trying to increase the pool of patients to pull research of? I dont know.
I asked him how the bake sale was going and he replied, "not as well as you would think considering all the awesome stuff we have."
Maybe they should have found a better outlet for their fundraising.
They had great cookies though...
...I was a little...perplexed.
Why would you sell baked goods like, brownies, chocolate cookies, rice krispy treats, etc, if your are raising money for Diabetes research. To me there was a very sad irony in that marketing strategy. Are they also trying to increase the pool of patients to pull research of? I dont know.
I asked him how the bake sale was going and he replied, "not as well as you would think considering all the awesome stuff we have."
Maybe they should have found a better outlet for their fundraising.
They had great cookies though...
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Things i Hate
1. I hate walking down a long hallway and seeing one person walking in your direction. You two are the only people in the hallway and you have both managed to avoid looking at each other for awhile. But the constant darting of the eyes can only last for so long. As you guys approach each other one person decides to finally say hi. You have shared a long moment of awkardness and now, a half-hearted hello. I hate Long hallways. They make me feel so uncomfortable...
2. I hate lying to people.
3. I hate people lying to me.
4. I love to hate things I know nothing about.
5. I hate people who do not know why they are laughing at something.
6. I hate the reliance I have on my mp3 player in order to walk around campus.
7. I hate people who do not reciprocate.
8. I hate having a negative outlook on life.
9. I hate student apathy.
10. I hate job interviews
11. I hate relying on others.
12. I hate cold weather.
13. I hate you. And no, not actually You, I mean my computer screen.
14. I hate the integration of chocolate and fruit.
15. I hate people judging me based on how I dress.
16. I hate the Christian fallacy.
17. I hate religious extremist in general.
18. I hate the price of night out at the theatre.
19. I hate the Euro.
20. I hate country music.
21. I hate people who have a one-sided view on life.
22. I hate Mcdonalds, Starbucks, and Ikea.
23. I hate obesity.
24. I hate my broken body.
25. I hate smokers.
26. I hate drinkers.
27. I hate monotony.
28. I hate losing anything.
29. I hate violent little kids.
30 I hate editors.
2. I hate lying to people.
3. I hate people lying to me.
4. I love to hate things I know nothing about.
5. I hate people who do not know why they are laughing at something.
6. I hate the reliance I have on my mp3 player in order to walk around campus.
7. I hate people who do not reciprocate.
8. I hate having a negative outlook on life.
9. I hate student apathy.
10. I hate job interviews
11. I hate relying on others.
12. I hate cold weather.
13. I hate you. And no, not actually You, I mean my computer screen.
14. I hate the integration of chocolate and fruit.
15. I hate people judging me based on how I dress.
16. I hate the Christian fallacy.
17. I hate religious extremist in general.
18. I hate the price of night out at the theatre.
19. I hate the Euro.
20. I hate country music.
21. I hate people who have a one-sided view on life.
22. I hate Mcdonalds, Starbucks, and Ikea.
23. I hate obesity.
24. I hate my broken body.
25. I hate smokers.
26. I hate drinkers.
27. I hate monotony.
28. I hate losing anything.
29. I hate violent little kids.
30 I hate editors.
Booty
Why the fuck are black dudes obsessed with ass anyways? Although, I also am a fan of the booty, why am I a fan? Where does this urge to have some ass come from? Why cant I look at girls hair and feel the same way about the ass? How come I look at ass first when a girl walks by me? There has to be a reason. If this many men are compelled to handle themselves the same way there has to be an explanation. Especially since it is primarily a "black thing".
I have a theory. I may be crazy and it may be redundant to blame the same people, but I think it is White related. As stated in my previous blog, white men have been sexually abusing their slaves since slavery began. But I do not think white men were the only abusers. Male slaves have been sexually abused and raped as well. Although to hear of any man being raped will inspire scoffs among many of us, this was true. Black men carried a reputation of being sexually...gifted, which is a stereotyped started by white women. White women had their fair share of indescritions. White woman would choose a young slave worker, typically a field worker because they were ill-treated and demoralized. She would get them alone and threaten him to fulfill her sexually. If he turned her down he would be killed. All she would have to do is tell the master that the slave had made a pass at her, and he would die. So naturally, the slave gave in to her request. Because the female feared her husband finding out she was "violated" by a slave she would not have the slave enter her vaginally. They have to go through the number 2. I think this has made Black men ass centric over the years. The fear of not being turned in to the slave owner has forced us to think ass first. We had to survive.
I think its funny that you can really find a way to blame anything on white people.
I have a theory. I may be crazy and it may be redundant to blame the same people, but I think it is White related. As stated in my previous blog, white men have been sexually abusing their slaves since slavery began. But I do not think white men were the only abusers. Male slaves have been sexually abused and raped as well. Although to hear of any man being raped will inspire scoffs among many of us, this was true. Black men carried a reputation of being sexually...gifted, which is a stereotyped started by white women. White women had their fair share of indescritions. White woman would choose a young slave worker, typically a field worker because they were ill-treated and demoralized. She would get them alone and threaten him to fulfill her sexually. If he turned her down he would be killed. All she would have to do is tell the master that the slave had made a pass at her, and he would die. So naturally, the slave gave in to her request. Because the female feared her husband finding out she was "violated" by a slave she would not have the slave enter her vaginally. They have to go through the number 2. I think this has made Black men ass centric over the years. The fear of not being turned in to the slave owner has forced us to think ass first. We had to survive.
I think its funny that you can really find a way to blame anything on white people.
Respect sisters.
Another hip-hop inspired blog. Sorry but today I been thinking a lot about rap and whether I still have a connection to it like I used to.
I decided to listen to what is playing in the clubs and on peoples radios. Just to get a feel for what i hold so much angst towards, to see if it was somehow misplaced.
NOpe.
Same nonsense plays now as it was before, sadly I think hop-hop is getting dumber...but that goes without saying. What I was thinking about was the portrayal of women, particulary Black women. In our music, sadly, misogyny is common place. Our women are "nappy-headed ho's" and tip drills. The pursuit of a climax is all these songs represent. Whats interesting for me is Black rap artist portraying women the same way that White slave owners thought of Black women as well. Historically, black women have been beaten and abused by their masters. They have been sexually abused by the White man and completely objectified as having sexual prowess. They were exotic and different often the masters would force them to play role in their fantasies. Nowadays rappers are still abusing their women in their lyrics and feel that the only roll a woman can fill in their lives is to provide pleasure. Its interesting that rappers negative comments towards their own women parallel the sentiments of White slave owners. On top of that, the main people purchasing these songs are white people. It almost cyclical how everything works. I think Black men need to wake the fuck up. Why do we insist on walking backwards? Respect your women. Because of their strength you are here now.
I decided to listen to what is playing in the clubs and on peoples radios. Just to get a feel for what i hold so much angst towards, to see if it was somehow misplaced.
NOpe.
Same nonsense plays now as it was before, sadly I think hop-hop is getting dumber...but that goes without saying. What I was thinking about was the portrayal of women, particulary Black women. In our music, sadly, misogyny is common place. Our women are "nappy-headed ho's" and tip drills. The pursuit of a climax is all these songs represent. Whats interesting for me is Black rap artist portraying women the same way that White slave owners thought of Black women as well. Historically, black women have been beaten and abused by their masters. They have been sexually abused by the White man and completely objectified as having sexual prowess. They were exotic and different often the masters would force them to play role in their fantasies. Nowadays rappers are still abusing their women in their lyrics and feel that the only roll a woman can fill in their lives is to provide pleasure. Its interesting that rappers negative comments towards their own women parallel the sentiments of White slave owners. On top of that, the main people purchasing these songs are white people. It almost cyclical how everything works. I think Black men need to wake the fuck up. Why do we insist on walking backwards? Respect your women. Because of their strength you are here now.
Turn off the radio.
Recently, I have been audience too many conversations on hip-hop and its effects on mainstream America. And typically the rhetoric paints rap as mysogynistic and violent, which I do not think its fair. The rap that is played on the radio everyday is usually recycled between the themes of sex, guns, and riches. But who are these songs actually trying to reach? Who is this music made for? Black people do not purchase this music, the market focuses on white suburbia. Imagery perpratrated by the hip-hop elite allude to black males being violence driven and uneducated and the sad thing these visuals lead young black men to pursue activities that are self-destructive. Young Black men see these videos and listen to these lyrics and see only that. These actions are reciprocated, fake lines begin influencing real life. Even when I am outside at night, my image of someone who will cause harm to me is usually painted in black ink. Women in rap play no more a role than the necklace they wear and the cars they drive. They are objects that are used (often misused) and thrown out. Music videos of rap 'artists' rely on objectifying women to pull audiences. "Sex sells" and the rap industry is savagely siphoning off income generated by black female sexuality. But is the rap industry to blame?
It is common knowledge that what we hear on the radio and what gets promoted nationally is handpicked by very wealthy white men. Positive rap (which still exists) is thriving underground, and as I have found out, many college students are starting to understand that there is a place for it. Being a college student I, and my peers as well, begin to look at our choices through the lens of an adult. We question the music and critique the values the music is grounded upon, people who buy rap are typically those who are white but also, are young. I think that once we being interogatting why we like specific films and music, we start to see that some of it may be callous and nonsensical. I have grown from listening to bubblegum rap and graduated to new introspective lyrics of life. Lyrics that can spark debate, spark thought, spark change, spark understanding. Lines about how many girls I can get and how much money are silly and simple. Rap now fits perfectly in the Pop music genre and should be treated as such. It is purely superficial.
The damage, however, comes from the images. I know that what I see in a music video is fake but there are those that feel that this music is look into Black culture. Even Black people suffer from these repetitious images posing as an example to how black should be. Black men look at women exactly how they see on television. Women suffer from mistreatment because black men unconsciously seek to fulfill roles set forth by the examples of a Nelly or a 50 Cent. However I do not feel the fault lies exclusively on Black rappers. Sure they have a responsibility to their people but they unfortunately have a responsiblity to record owners as well. And even if they held their ground and denounced crap rap and stood for something real, there are a slew of hungry younger rappers that would take there place in seconds.
I find that as much as America likes to separate rap as its own minority inspired avenue for violence and misogyny, America itself needs to take the blame for those qualities. America is known throughout the world as a country of gun-totting cowboys, how kill first and ask questions later. The rhetoric of our president is riddled with Western vernacular and talks of "us against them". American culture is guilty of violence and being bullet ridden. Even our constitution allows for Americans to hold guns as long as its "a well regulated militia" that is set forth to protect free states. This is an outdated policy because we have a national military and no longer require a militia or an independent force to protect our states. But nevertheless we are the only country that allows gun usage, which just shows how gun focused America, as a culture, is. Our forefathers believed in arming themselves so why is it suprising that people now are killing themselves with guns. The explicitness of rap lyrics directly parallels American culture. These two are not mutually exclusive. Because the words are coming from a people who have a history of being oppressed, these words are demonized. I was shown clips of films that have been heralded in American cinema as being arguably some of the greatest films of all time, Dirty Harry, Good Bad and the Ugly, etc. And they shot down countless of guys all the time. Successful movies in America are largely big budget action flicks. Action flicks have been successful films since there were moving films. The market is here for violence, so why does rap catch flack for promoting gun-totting? There have been plenty of rappers actually referencing these western films in their lyrics. I do not like that hip=hop is being demonized for their gun violence when they are only promoting, through spoken word, what American cinema classics have promoted visually.
It is common knowledge that what we hear on the radio and what gets promoted nationally is handpicked by very wealthy white men. Positive rap (which still exists) is thriving underground, and as I have found out, many college students are starting to understand that there is a place for it. Being a college student I, and my peers as well, begin to look at our choices through the lens of an adult. We question the music and critique the values the music is grounded upon, people who buy rap are typically those who are white but also, are young. I think that once we being interogatting why we like specific films and music, we start to see that some of it may be callous and nonsensical. I have grown from listening to bubblegum rap and graduated to new introspective lyrics of life. Lyrics that can spark debate, spark thought, spark change, spark understanding. Lines about how many girls I can get and how much money are silly and simple. Rap now fits perfectly in the Pop music genre and should be treated as such. It is purely superficial.
The damage, however, comes from the images. I know that what I see in a music video is fake but there are those that feel that this music is look into Black culture. Even Black people suffer from these repetitious images posing as an example to how black should be. Black men look at women exactly how they see on television. Women suffer from mistreatment because black men unconsciously seek to fulfill roles set forth by the examples of a Nelly or a 50 Cent. However I do not feel the fault lies exclusively on Black rappers. Sure they have a responsibility to their people but they unfortunately have a responsiblity to record owners as well. And even if they held their ground and denounced crap rap and stood for something real, there are a slew of hungry younger rappers that would take there place in seconds.
I find that as much as America likes to separate rap as its own minority inspired avenue for violence and misogyny, America itself needs to take the blame for those qualities. America is known throughout the world as a country of gun-totting cowboys, how kill first and ask questions later. The rhetoric of our president is riddled with Western vernacular and talks of "us against them". American culture is guilty of violence and being bullet ridden. Even our constitution allows for Americans to hold guns as long as its "a well regulated militia" that is set forth to protect free states. This is an outdated policy because we have a national military and no longer require a militia or an independent force to protect our states. But nevertheless we are the only country that allows gun usage, which just shows how gun focused America, as a culture, is. Our forefathers believed in arming themselves so why is it suprising that people now are killing themselves with guns. The explicitness of rap lyrics directly parallels American culture. These two are not mutually exclusive. Because the words are coming from a people who have a history of being oppressed, these words are demonized. I was shown clips of films that have been heralded in American cinema as being arguably some of the greatest films of all time, Dirty Harry, Good Bad and the Ugly, etc. And they shot down countless of guys all the time. Successful movies in America are largely big budget action flicks. Action flicks have been successful films since there were moving films. The market is here for violence, so why does rap catch flack for promoting gun-totting? There have been plenty of rappers actually referencing these western films in their lyrics. I do not like that hip=hop is being demonized for their gun violence when they are only promoting, through spoken word, what American cinema classics have promoted visually.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Talib Kweli
Wow. Great concert. I have wanted to see Talib in concert for years and I finally got the chance to!
He came to Maryland UNiversity as a part of the Virgin Mega College tour. Tickets were a steal for 15 dollars and I was in the absolute front. It was great.
However, in order to bypass the shitty opening acts, William Tell and Sugar CUlt, my friends and I decided to grab some smores outside my dorm and get there an hour after the show started. Sadly we entered as Sugar Cult was performing. We moved down to the front of the stage and sat down and proceeded to join the people around us in booing Sugarcult and pleading with them to exit the stage. We suffered through about 30 minutes of pop-rock, and made it without any fatalities. On a lighterer note, there was this white couple who provided us with ample entertainment during the shitty opening act. It was a white girl and a white guy and the girl was off beat with every motion in her body, even her clapping! Her boyfriend stood directly moving offbeat as well. They were attempting to grind to pop-rock and they were never moving in unison. One was going to the right and the other to left, it looked so awkward. The guy's movement were so jagged and uninspired that people sitting behind him started to stand and mimic the way he "danced". It was soo funny. The couple was so awkward and off.
Anyways Talib came out and recked the set. He performed cuts from Ear Drum and Liberation, classics from Reflection Eternal and kicked a couple freestlyes for us. When he performed 'Get By' the house went crazy! I always wanted to see that song performed live and it was everything i expected it to be. Great show! Great night!
Screens
I am surrounded by screens. Aren't you? I staring at a screen right now typing nonsense into a box that no one really reads. When I answer the cell phone there is a small screen and when i close my phone there is a smaller screen. I goto my classes and we sit and watch movies. I hang out with my friends in front of a television screen. Even my fucking car has a screen in it. Do we really need to be sitting in front of a screen for the majority of lives. Get Out! DO SoMETHING! Boycott screens!
Being exposed to this much illumination has to be bad for your eyes and your brain. I gotta go...I've sat here for too long...
Being exposed to this much illumination has to be bad for your eyes and your brain. I gotta go...I've sat here for too long...
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Virginia Tech
I would have put all my savings on the murderer being a white man. I was shocked to hear about the massacres but this happens frequently...anyone remember Iraq? This happens all the time. IS it fair that we, as Americans, freak out anytime our complanacency with life is stirred. ANytime we are reminded of how brutal life is, we blow it up for about a week then move on to Brangelina or some pop culture haberdashery that has no substance. I truly am sorry for those in Virginia Tech but this nonsense has been occuring for awhile now. America is not above falling victims to these actions. How come no one says anything when this happens in Iraq? Is it because violence is acceptable there? Or is it because Iraqi lives are worthless? No one shed any tears or held any vigils for the massacre of those students attending Mustansiriya University. Why does America have a monopoly on sympathy? For as much problems we cause in the world, if find it really surprising that people have sympathy for us at all. These are humbling times in our country and sadly these are the incidents that bring us back to reality. Life is not sweet and apathy gets you nowhere. Wake the fuck up. Open your eyes. Other people suffer too. I feel incredibly sorry for the students of Virginia Tech because they have been scarred for life, in one or another. It is unfair for students to die in any country, they are only trying to educate themselves.
One thing I have been asking myself and my friends is if the administration of Virginia Tech could have done something to prevent this? After the 2 shootings in the morning could they have stopped the killings two hours later? I would like to think if school was canceled something might have been able to change. An act like this has forced every college in the nation to reevaluate their emergency procedures. Although I don't think anything can happen to prevent a shooting, the difference here is that he shot people 2 hours prior to playing host to the massacre. I dont think, if this was to happen again you would have the luxury of two hour buffer. I wonder if this changes the teacher/student dynamic a little bit because the murderer was such a troubled person. His troubles inked out into his homework and as result of his disturbing words the teacher did notify the police. But due to legal restrictions they could not read his work, so how does this change that policy? What will be the ramifications following the Hokie massacre? Time will answer these questions but until then, peace be upon those who have suffered from this tragedy.
One thing I have been asking myself and my friends is if the administration of Virginia Tech could have done something to prevent this? After the 2 shootings in the morning could they have stopped the killings two hours later? I would like to think if school was canceled something might have been able to change. An act like this has forced every college in the nation to reevaluate their emergency procedures. Although I don't think anything can happen to prevent a shooting, the difference here is that he shot people 2 hours prior to playing host to the massacre. I dont think, if this was to happen again you would have the luxury of two hour buffer. I wonder if this changes the teacher/student dynamic a little bit because the murderer was such a troubled person. His troubles inked out into his homework and as result of his disturbing words the teacher did notify the police. But due to legal restrictions they could not read his work, so how does this change that policy? What will be the ramifications following the Hokie massacre? Time will answer these questions but until then, peace be upon those who have suffered from this tragedy.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Bombings again.
It has been awhile since Al-Qaida has done anything outside of Iraq. Now they come back with a bang. They attack my home country of Morocco and also are neighboring neighbors ALgeria. 3 bumbling terrorists blew themselves up in Casablanca, Morocco, taking only a few people with them. Relatively speaking it was not very successful, but the one in Algeria did more damage. From what I have noticied about AL-Qaida and there bombing strategies they do not typically attack on back to back days. Usually some time has elapsed for things to get complacent again before they bomb something else. I think the bombing in Algeria was sped up because of the 'foiled' Casablanca attacks. They were fearful of being caught so they implemented their plan sooner. I hope these attack that have been plastered all over the media do not force other attacks to happen soon. Sometimes I think the media plays a role in terrorism. The reportings and updates on terrorists and terrorist cells force them to shift and change their plans depending on the latest developments. Maybe things should stop getting reported...
If you take away the cameras, you take away their message...right?
If you take away the cameras, you take away their message...right?
Monday, April 9, 2007
Housing.
In case you have not heard the University of Maryland has decided to formally boot out all seniors from acquiring housing for the next semester. This unfortunately includes me. I have been at Maryland for 3 years and have maintained a positive record in my dormitory. This means nothing to our residency director. Seniors are effecting Marylands cash flow. The influx of freshman next semester has forced the University to reconsider the value of their rising seniors. Based on all the news reports these rising seniors are worthless. This is deeply disconcerning, especially if this is the beginning of a new standard in housing policy. Will this be a policy for future seniors? University of Maryland has been cashing in on its students for a long time. Establishing senority on the campus means you have gone through hundreds of dollars in bullshit fees and unfair ticketing. Above is a picture I have taken that represents the senior protest of the housing situation. They have camped out now for 2 days in order to show the unfair policy our resident director has instituted. This protest, as far as I know, has reached the local news and I hope soon it will reach a bigger stage.
If your thinking about attending University of Maryland, please seek an instituion that cherishes its seniors and not a school where seniors are easily cut-off from campus life. I'm sure actions like this will definitely be chartered in the future alumnus donations. I for one, will not give a cent to this university. I will end with this, do not come to the University of Maryland.
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