Rap News 7

Ride Into the Sun

More Velvet Underground:

News Roundup

This morning's Wisconsin newspapers:

News:

• Nuclear crisis spreads to 4th plant in Japan.
• Assistant Secretary of State PJ Crowley is forced to resign after speaking out against the continuing torture of Private Bradley Manning.  From Crowley's resignation letter:  "The exercise of power must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values."
• Anonymous to start "Operation: Empire State Rebellion" tomorrow.  Will reportedly release incriminating documents from Bank of America.  Also will start "a relentless campaign of non-violent, peaceful, civil disobedience" that will not stop until: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke steps down, the "Primary Dealers within the Federal Reserve banking system be broken up and held accountable for rigging markets and destroying the global economy," and "the rule of law" is restored in the country.
• Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday told international troops to "stop their operations in our land."  Karzai continued:  "I would like to ask NATO and the US with honour and humbleness and not with arrogance to stop their operations in our land.  We are very tolerant people but now our tolerance has run out."
• Republicans in Michigan were successful in passing "financial martial law" bill.  Protests expected in Lansing this week.
• Florida Republicans are on the verge on passing a bill which would force a woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy to submit to having a vaginal ultrasound, an intrusive and unnecessary medical procedure.
• Boycott of businesses that support Scott Walker starts.
• Police fire on protesters in Yemen, as the country sees its largest protests to date.
• France recognizes rebels as legitimate government of Libya.
• Cote d'Ivoire experience more deadly clashes, Civil War looms.
• Protests are growing in Bahrain, if the revolution is successful there, it would be a big boost for the Revolution movement in Saudi Arabia:

Here we go

Make no mistake about it, we are at war.

What can we do right now? Here are a couple ideas:

1. Transfer your money to a Credit Union or a community bank. Not only will it be easier to sleep at night knowing your money isn't supporting anti-American institutions, your money will be much safer in the event the banking industry collapses. Firefighters are taking the lead, today they withdrew over $192,000 from M&I Bank in Madison, as many others also followed their example, forcing the bank to be closed down. Find a Community Bank or Credit Union near you today.

2. Do you live within driving distance to Madison? Be there this Saturday.

Democracy

Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

GOP Illegally Act to End Collective Bargaining

Wisconsin Republicans illegally attempt to end collective bargaining:



It will be up to the people to restore democracy for Wisconsin.

(Nothing But) Flowers

Trailer for this year's Academy Award winning best documentary:

News:

• 100 days and counting of Cablegate.
• Torture of Bradley Manning continues, now being forced nude seven hours a day.
• Oil markets brace for Saudi 'rage' protests.
• Airport workers in Spain prepare for strike which would shut down air travel in the country.
• Police in the United Kingdom threaten to strike and threaten to start strike just prior to royal wedding.
• China is rapidly increasing the size of their military.
• The Middle East feminist revolution.
• Obama's war against transparent government.
• Governor of Michigan is pushing a bill that would grant him emergency powers that would enable him to: 1) unilaterally declare a "financial emergency", 2) disincorporate entire municipal governments, 3) dismiss elected officials with no replacement election to follow, 4) seize control of local civil services, 5) hand taxpayer money, services and powers to private, for-profit firms.
• Imagine if sane and moral legislation had any chance of passing?  Senator Bernie Sanders is suggesting an emergency surtax on millionaires. A 5.4 percent surtax on adjusted gross incomes over $1 million would raise as much as $50 billion a year. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published last week showed overwhelming support for that concept. 

New Dangerous Minds radio hour.

More music!

America is Not Broke

Michael Moore:

America is not broke.  Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you’ll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It’s just that it’s not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich. 

Today just 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined. 

Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer “bailout” of 2008, now have more loot, stock and property than the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can’t bring yourself to call that a financial coup d’état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true. 

And I can see why. For us to admit that we have let a small group of men abscond with and hoard the bulk of the wealth that runs our economy, would mean that we’d have to accept the humiliating acknowledgment that we have indeed surrendered our precious Democracy to the moneyed elite. Wall Street, the banks and the Fortune 500 now run this Republic—and, until this past month, the rest of us have felt completely helpless, unable to find a way to do anything about it.

Aftershock

Via Dangerous Minds: Former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich’s latest book, Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future can more or less, be summed  up in a single sentence: Until we deal with the preposterous wealth disparity in this country, America’s fucked and it’s going to stay that way:

Christopher Morris

FOUR LIONS and Chris Morris Retrospective, March 3-5! from Cinefamily on Vimeo.

Green Chemistry

I watched a very interesting speech at work the other day and I thought I'd share it with all of you. This is a speech made by Dr. John Warner, super smart guy and father of the green chemistry movement, that he made on January 7th at a conference put on by the Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum. I know it's long, but I think that it is definitely worth it (although you can skip his introduction. Dr. Warner's speech begins at the 6:30 mark). He does an excellent job of explaining what the green chemistry movement is really about and what needs to happen for it to succeed. And don't worry if you do not know anything about chemistry, as a chemistry background is not required to understand what he is talking about. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



Pat is crazy.

Take the Hit

From Dangerous Minds:

Mutamassik’s 13-track That Which Death Cannot Destroy was one of 2010’s most under-recognized releases in underground music. It could also turn out to be a brilliant soundtrack to the current anti-authoritarian street-fight spreading throughout... the Middle East. 

Even better—the whole album is offered for FREE download. 

Mutamassik (meaning “stronghold” and “tenacity” in Arabic) is the nom de tune of Giulia Lolli, a half-Italian/half-Egyptian composer and DJ with a background that’s reflected in her splintered internationalist musical style. Born in Italy and raised in the American Rustbelt, Lolli went to New York City in time to swoop quickly in and out of the illbient scene of the mid-‘90s before heading out to Cairo, and finally landing up in what she terms a “CAVEmen-style” existence with her husband, Brooklyn guitarist Morgan Craft, and child in Tuscany.

Ripple

What's going on?

• Protests have broken out in Oman.  Entering the third day of protests, growing every day.
• Another ally of the U.S. ruling elite, Bahrain, is trembling as protests engulf the country.
• Terrible violence in China, as the government tries to prevent the Jasmine Revolution from taking root.
• Leading opposition figures in Iran have been jailed, as protests continue despite violence and mass imprisonment.
• Violence has escalated against protesters in the Ivory Coast.
• Mass protests have broken out in Mauritania.
• Protesters reject attempt by Yemen's current government to stay in power.
• International Criminal Court starts criminal procedures against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddaffi.  Obama opposes International Criminal Court, fears Bush and other U.S. officials may face war crimes charges.
• Arctic Sea ice extent is at it's lowest in recorded history.  Reminder: Some of the world's leading climate scientists say if the world does not make drastic changes in our environmental policy, human beings might not be around much longer.
• A message to the citizens of the United States of America from Anonymous concerning Wisconsin.
• Close to 125,000 protesters in Madison the other day.  Largest protests in Wisconsin since Vietnam.  There were protests at every state capital over the weekend.
• It's the People's House.  The People will not leave.
• Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent.
• They are scarred: big drop in foreclosures as banks fear further scandals.
• You are just a deer in the headlights Mr. President, the story is bigger than you now.

Yes, more music: