tagged w/ editorials
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politics is NO MATCH,....
for c u r r e n t !
HUZZAH !
( about )
Jennifer Granholm - - -
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is a Canadian-born American politician, educator, and author who served as Attorney General and 47th Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, Granholm became Michigan's first female governor on January 1, 2003, when she succeeded Governor John Engler. Granholm was re-elected on November 7, 2006, and was sworn in for her second and, due to term limits, final term on January 1, 2007. She has been mentioned as a potential Supreme Court justice for President Barack Obama.[1] She was a member of the transition team for the presidency of President Obama before he assumed office on January 20, 2009.[2] After leaving office, Granholm took a position at the University of California at Berkeley and, with her husband Daniel Mulhern, coauthored A Governor's Story: The Fight for Jobs and America's Future, released in September 2011.[3]
WikiLINK - - -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Granholm
c u r r e n t ly -
Coming This January:
'The War Room with Jennifer Granholm'
We are excited to announce the newest addition to our progressive news primetime lineup: "The War Room with Jennifer Granholm," premiering in January and airing weeknights at 9/8c. This new program will be on the front lines of political analysis and election-year commentary, with the former Michigan governor leading the conversation. "The War Room" will cap a nightly roster of thought-provoking shows, beginning at 7/6c with Cenk Uygur's "The Young Turks" (launching in November), to be followed at 8/7c by "Countdown with Keith Olbermann."
c u r r e n t LINK- - -
http://current.com/shows/the-war-room/
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . .!
( TIME to GET SERIOUS ! )politics is NO MATCH,....
for c u r r e n t !
HUZZAH !
( about )
Jennifer... more
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wouldn't THAT piss you off !
- - - not saying that there has been a lot of Hyperbole blowing through lately,....nope,...not me . . .wouldn't THAT piss you off !
- - - not saying that there has been a lot of... more
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We would love to hear from those of you seeking a platform to express yourselves and by doing so, augment traffic to your own blog or web site.We would love to hear from those of you seeking a platform to express yourselves and... more
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There are four levels of escalation in regards to the mixing of races in America. The first level is simply the socialization between races. Since this is the most basic and therefore most common form of co-existence between two races or cultures, it is met with the least amount of backlash as well as least severe repercussions. The second level of escalation is interracial dating. With the step from simple fraternization between two races to the formation of a relationship or bond between two races, comes an escalation in both the backlash exhibited as well as the severity of the ramifications of your actions. Achieving this level of miscegenation often times leads to open ended threats from family members, public backlash from friends and family, and in severe cases, expulsion from a particular group of people whether it be your family or social network or racial community.
The third escalation of miscegenation is advancing from interracial dating to interracial marriage. This step upwards generally leads to bring ostracized completely by family members as well as by your “friends” or acquaintances. You will probably begin to notice who your real friends are after you have married someone who isn’t the same race as you. Because biracial people have more of an ability to decide which race they want to identify with, they have a higher probability of dating someone who is “outside of their race”.
Marriage in itself is a giant leap for a couple and is a decision that should be completely considered prior to actually getting married. Often times, the age at which you get married can have an adverse affect on your marriage. You might be marrying the right person but at the wrong time. Maturity and mental development are also key. Marrying someone while still young may not necessarily be the best option as people change as they mature and the person you married at 21, may not be the same person you have been married to for five years at age 26. When the race factor is thrown into the equation, things get even more complicated because marrying outside of your race can have serious implications. Although at the end of the day, you should get married solely for yourself and not for others, you need to be aware that marrying outside of your race could negatively affect your relationship with the people you hold dear.
Unfortunately, there are just a lot of people who because of the way they were raised and the time period they were raised in, are completely against inter-racial marriage. Before you marry someone outside of your race, you should definitely spend a substantial amount of time either as boyfriend and girlfriend or engaged because you need to be completely accustomed to the reactions of those around you as well as mentally and emotionally prepared for the aftermath of your decision to say “I Do.” The escalating divorce rate in America can attest to the difficulty of ascertaining and successfully creating a fruitful, long term, mutually satisfying marriage. When you add to that the idea of interracial marriage, that task becomes twice as hard as many people will seek the failure of your marriage just on principle. People may try to sabotage your marriage, assassinate your character, or even possibly do physical harm to you, but you have to persevere through it all.
Understand that initially, this decision of yours may completely shock your family or friends and initially lead to severed relationships, over time things generally get better and the more contact your family has with your spouse the better as it is by communication that cultural barriers get knocked down and stereotypes fall by the wayside. You have to have patience though because these steps towards acceptance may be hard fought for and quite long in duration but eventually things will generally reach a positive note. As I have said before, throughout life I have learned that you cannot let other peoples’ “plans” for your life influence you too greatly. You have to make your own decisions based on your best interests, not the interests of those around you. If you are truly, 100% in love with someone, then it shouldn’t matter that their skin is darker or lighter than yours, it shouldn’t matter what people say behind your back or even to your face. All that should matter is your ultimate happiness with the union between yourself and your soul mate.There are four levels of escalation in regards to the mixing of races in America. The... more
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As the sound of 808’s and drum patterns reverberate off of the graffiti covered concrete walls and marijuana smoke cyclically permeates and then dissipates within the air I slowly make my way through the densely populated crowd of people standing within the dark room rhythmically bumping my head to the music. Beat box fiends and Break dance junkies inhabit the corner to my left as scratch addicts artfully abuse vinyl discs atop turntables to my right while artistic individuals propel paint polymers from aerosol cans with the finesse of Monet and the creativity of Picasso. I stop and pause in front of burgeoning circle of freestyle poets engaging in a cipher, taking in every sweet morsel of lyricism before making my way towards the back of the room where men and women gyrate on each other in trance like states. I stop by my favorite distributor and blow my paycheck on Dre'sThe Chronic, Camron's Purple Haze, the extended version of Kanye's Crack Music and Raekwon's Purple Tape, anxiously awaiting the euphoric inducing stupor that awaits me upon my next listen. Then all of a sudden my senses are ambushed by blinding light and unbearable percussion as a flash bang grenade explodes within feet of where I am standing. As the government henchmen swarm into the building like a pack of ravenous, armor plated wolfs while engaging in a routine raid I make my escape out of a back door, narrowly escaping sure fire incarceration or even worse….death.
The year is 2018 and America has undergone a drastic change after Obama’s second term ended. The Republicans have again gained control of the White House and Due to the “War on Terror” continuing on and finally making its way onto American soil, the Patriot Act has been amended in such a way as to outlaw freedom of speech in order to quell uprisings. One of the victims of this encroachment on our rights is the right to listen to hip hop music, which has now been deemed reckless, rebellious, and too dangerous to allow for the public’s continued auditory consumption. All hip hop CD’s are burned and iPod’s are routinely remotely scanned by Military Police for questionable content as martial law is in effect.
Underground Studios are raidedt to the ground and Masters thrown into bonfires. Backroom studios spring up in secret hidden rooms throughout America. Possession of Fruity Loops or other production software is considered paraphernalia and outlawed. Artists are relegated to writing in rhyme books with invisible ink or in uber lyrical bars reminiscent of a Nostradamus quatrain. The term underground rapper has finally lived up to its moniker as most musicians would rather take their passion underground than give it up completely and thus a thriving yet highly illegal underground hip hop scene exists in America as well as a mainstream one outside of the United States Border. A Hip Hop black market is born with album prices hinging on the quality and content of the music they hold. Possession of more than 28 hip hop songs is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1000 fine. Possession of 29 to 224 songs is a Class D Felony and punishable by up to 5 years in prison, possession of 225-1007 song is a class C or B felony and punishable by up to 10 years of hard labor and possession of 1008 songs or more is a Capital Offense and Punishable by death. Furthermore, the production, sale, or distribution of Banned Hip Hop music is highly illegal and punishable up to a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
If the above scenario was in fact a reality…how would you react? If you are a rapper wold you risk your freedom in the name of artistic expression? how important to you is your craft-is it worth your life? If you are a listener of hip hop, Would you still be a follower of hip hop or would you abandon it? Would you smuggle it around, hide it for future listening, etc…what lengths would you go to in order to listen to hip hop? Would you fight for your right to Hip Hop?
Is it possible that these questions are some of the ones that we need to ask ourselves now? should someone who doesnt hold a true passion for hip hop be allowed to create it? what seperates the hip hop ARTIST from the hip hop employee?Maybe this is what hip hop needs-a five year ban of sorts. This would most definitely weed out the myspace rappers, youtube thugs, and twitter gangsters...leaving only the truly passionate artists as only a fool or someone in love would risk their life for something they love. This would over night get rid of simplistic nursery rhymes as only someone who is creative enough to encode their message well will escape capture whereas the rapper who can only rhyme cat with hat will instantly get caught. The individuals pimpin the music game would be sifted out with ease...leaving a highly talented, highly dedicated and motivated group of individuals left. Maybe in order to get hip hop back to where it was we need to take it back to something it was-non mainstream. The biggest misconception about diamonds is that they are rare. In fact they are one of the most common gems on earth but their supply is closely monitored and limited so as to boost their value and allow them to become precious. Hip Hop used to be a diamond in the rough...what happened? What Hip hop needs is someone to monitor the quality and supply being released so that its value can be boosted again.As the sound of 808’s and drum patterns reverberate off of the graffiti covered... more
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One of the most complicated and controversial issues that biracial people have to deal with is the use of the word “nigga” and the word “nigger”. Both of these words are used regularly, one by whites in reference to blacks and the other by blacks in reference to other blacks. The word “nigga” is generally defined as having either a neutral or positive connotation as it is a positive colloquialism used by blacks to refer to their friends, family, or any other black person whereas the word “nigger” has very serious implications and negative connotations as it is a racial slur. Although these two words have the same origin and sound similar, they are two completely different words with completely different meanings.
To complicate that, blacks don’t mind being called “nigga” but despise being called “nigger” and only allow other blacks to call them “nigga” because they feel as if a biracial person called them “nigga” it was tantamount to calling them “nigger” because they aren’t completely black. This double standard becomes increasingly more complicated when thrown into the equation is the fact that some black people are okay with biracial people referring to them as “nigga” while others are completely against it.
Throughout my life I have used the word as my mother’s boyfriends used it, I heard it in music, and other blacks I knew used it. Also through out my life I have been allowed to use it around some blacks but met immediate resistance when using it around other blacks. The use of the word “nigga” varies among location as well as generation as some older generations are okay with it whereas some aren’t as they feel as if it is no different than the word “nigger” itself. There have been multiple books as well as research papers written just on this topic alone.
The word “nigger” itself has a somewhat unknown history as there are multiple possible origins for the word and its initial meaning. Most people agree though that the first known origin of the base for the word is the Latin word “niger” which in Latin simply means “black”. Since the majority of the world’s languages stem from Latin, there are several corruptions of the word “niger” present in many of the worlds languages. For instance, the Spanish word for black is “negro”, the French word for black is “Negre”, etc. This word was subsequently corrupted into the current word “nigger” and initially held no negative connotations but was simply a word used to describe people with black skin. Later on, the word “nigger” meant any person who was “a person of any race or origin regarded as contemptible, inferior, and ignorant”. Initially, this word was applied to anyone looked down upon. In fact, he Irish were frequently referred to as the “niggers of Europe”. For the first century or two of America, this was the case until the mid 1800’s, when the word began to acquire the hate it now possesses. After the civil war and during the reconstruction of the south, the term “colored” became popular as it was used by abolitionists to describe blacks. The word “nigger” then became popular with southern whites wishing to demoralize blacks. And this continued on through reconstruction , the Jim crow era, and eventually up through the civil rights movement to our modern times.
Now the word “nigga” isn’t nearly as old as the word “nigger” and is first used in the 1920’s in the form of “niggah”. This was brought about by blacks using this new variant so as to diminish the power that its racist predecessor held. Blacks would refer to each other as “niggahs” with the hope that it would take any power away from the word “nigger” and make it obsolete. During the black power movement of the late 1960’s, the word underwent another transformation in the form of the word “nigga”. The word would remain relatively unknown to all except the black community until the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when it gained widespread usage, popularity and notoriety due to the emergence of “gangsta” rap. “gangsta” rap came about as a way for disenfranchised, young blacks to voice their frustrations and pains about what was going on in their neighborhoods around the country. It is a uniquely descriptive, explicit and frequently vulgar form of rap that attempts to verbally paint pictures of the conditions of the places that blacks were living in as well give people an inside look into what life is like living in the “hood”. Because of this, rappers would use the terminology they used in everyday life in their music and once “gangsta” rap became extremely popular, so did the use of the word “nigga”. The unexpected popularity of “gangsta” music and its use of the word “nigga” opened up a proverbial can of worms as now the word was no longer exclusive to blacks and their communities. People all over America and worldwide as well were listening to rap music and this offered them the word nigga, which they knew little about and began using as it was a trend in pop culture. Although a lot of blacks bought rap music, the pure fact that rap albums were selling upwards of ten million copies shows that the majority of rap music wasn’t bought by blacks but Caucasians. This opened up the word “nigga” to a completely new audience and therefore whether it be a young kid in Japan listening to an N.W.A. song, a white kid in Pennsylvania listening to Tupac or a black kid in Compton listening to Too Short, the word’s usage became rampant and quickly blacks had to attempt to explain to other races, minority or not, that the words’ use was designated explicitly for blacks and no one else was allowed to use it.
There are of course a few exceptions to this rule of exclusiveness of the word “nigga” to blacks only, which only complicates things. Some minorities other than blacks are generally permitted to use the word at times. As well, the majority of biracial people who lean towards their black heritage generally are allowed to use the word majority of the time. Biracial people who lean towards their Caucasian heritage or “act white” as people say aren’t generally permitted to use the word. Whites on the other hand are generally not allowed to use the word at all, even when simply repeating a verse in a rap song. It is funny to hear a white person sing a song filled with the word “nigga” because they will pause or skip over the word “nigga” whenever a black person is present or in close proximity. I have frequently heard whites use the word in song when no black person is present and have come to the conclusion that they frequently use the word when repeating songs or anything else with the word in it…as long as there are no blacks around.
Read More At....
http://www.thacorner.net/corner-thoughts/editorials/item/1538-nigger/nigga-a-definition-from-the-biracial-perspective.htmlOne of the most complicated and controversial issues that biracial people have to deal... more
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As the sound of 808’s and drum patterns reverberate off of the graffiti covered concrete walls and marijuana smoke cyclically permeates and then dissipates within the air I slowly make my way through the densely populated crowd of people standing within the dark room rhythmically bumping my head to the music. Beat box fiends and Break dance junkies inhabit the corner to my left as scratch addicts artfully abuse vinyl discs atop turntables to my right while artistic individuals propel paint polymers from aerosol cans with the finesse of Monet and the creativity of Picasso. I stop and pause in front of burgeoning circle of freestyle poets engaging in a cipher, taking in every sweet morsel of lyricism before making my way towards the back of the room where men and women gyrate on each other in trance like states. I stop by my favorite distributor and blow my paycheck on Dre'sThe Chronic, Camron's Purple Haze, the extended version of Kanye's Crack Music and Raekwon's Purple Tape, anxiously awaiting the euphoric inducing stupor that awaits me upon my next listen. Then all of a sudden my senses are ambushed by blinding light and unbearable percussion as a flash bang grenade explodes within feet of where I am standing. As the government henchmen swarm into the building like a pack of ravenous, armor plated wolfs while engaging in a routine raid I make my escape out of a back door, narrowly escaping sure fire incarceration or even worse….death.
The year is 2018 and America has undergone a drastic change after Obama’s second term ended. The Republicans have again gained control of the White House and Due to the “War on Terror” continuing on and finally making its way onto American soil, the Patriot Act has been amended in such a way as to outlaw freedom of speech in order to quell uprisings. One of the victims of this encroachment on our rights is the right to listen to hip hop music, which has now been deemed reckless, rebellious, and too dangerous to allow for the public’s continued auditory consumption. All hip hop CD’s are burned and iPod’s are routinely remotely scanned by Military Police for questionable content as martial law is in effect.
Underground Studios are raidedt to the ground and Masters thrown into bonfires. Backroom studios spring up in secret hidden rooms throughout America. Possession of Fruity Loops or other production software is considered paraphernalia and outlawed. Artists are relegated to writing in rhyme books with invisible ink or in uber lyrical bars reminiscent of a Nostradamus quatrain. The term underground rapper has finally lived up to its moniker as most musicians would rather take their passion underground than give it up completely and thus a thriving yet highly illegal underground hip hop scene exists in America as well as a mainstream one outside of the United States Border. A Hip Hop black market is born with album prices hinging on the quality and content of the music they hold. Possession of more than 28 hip hop songs is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1000 fine. Possession of 29 to 224 songs is a Class D Felony and punishable by up to 5 years in prison, possession of 225-1007 song is a class C or B felony and punishable by up to 10 years of hard labor and possession of 1008 songs or more is a Capital Offense and Punishable by death. Furthermore, the production, sale, or distribution of Banned Hip Hop music is highly illegal and punishable up to a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
If the above scenario was in fact a reality…how would you react? If you are a rapper wold you risk your freedom in the name of artistic expression? how important to you is your craft-is it worth your life? If you are a listener of hip hop, Would you still be a follower of hip hop or would you abandon it? Would you smuggle it around, hide it for future listening, etc…what lengths would you go to in order to listen to hip hop? Would you fight for your right to Hip Hop?
Is it possible that these questions are some of the ones that we need to ask ourselves now? should someone who doesnt hold a true passion for hip hop be allowed to create it? what seperates the hip hop ARTIST from the hip hop employee?Maybe this is what hip hop needs-a five year ban of sorts. This would most definitely weed out the myspace rappers, youtube thugs, and twitter gangsters...leaving only the truly passionate artists as only a fool or someone in love would risk their life for something they love. This would over night get rid of simplistic nursery rhymes as only someone who is creative enough to encode their message well will escape capture whereas the rapper who can only rhyme cat with hat will instantly get caught. The individuals pimpin the music game would be sifted out with ease...leaving a highly talented, highly dedicated and motivated group of individuals left. Maybe in order to get hip hop back to where it was we need to take it back to something it was-non mainstream. The biggest misconception about diamonds is that they are rare. In fact they are one of the most common gems on earth but their supply is closely monitored and limited so as to boost their value and allow them to become precious. Hip Hop used to be a diamond in the rough...what happened? What Hip hop needs is someone to monitor the quality and supply being released so that its value can be boosted again.As the sound of 808’s and drum patterns reverberate off of the graffiti covered... more
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Turn on just about any rap song nowadays and if you took the rapper by his word, it would seem as if said rapper was a super hero of sorts-capable of making millions of dollars, sleeping with a plethora of girls and killing numerous people all the while remaining unscathed and all within one song. If the rap world were filled with superheroes, there are definitely some super powers which should be left to an elite class of Super Emcees known as The Legends. The reason being is that these pseudo super emcees of the current hip hop climate just don’t possess the skill needed to properly use some of the greatest techniques in hip hop.
For instance, there are several techniques employed by The Legends that churned out quality and quantity almost simultaneously. An example of one of these techniques is “the ability to release a copious amount of material within a short span of time while retaining a level of quality.” Tupac was a known studio rat who was able to release a double disc albums( All Eyez On Me) , release two albums in one year ( All Eyez On Me and 7 Day Theory ), as well as record enough material to make his posthumous career last over a decade. DMX is another example as in 1998 he released Its Dark and Hell Is Hot as well as Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. Jay Z was able to accomplish this feat as well as he was rumored to have recorded The Blueprint over the course of one weekend, cutting the time it took Tupac to record The 7 Day Theory in half. Not only did all three of these rappers see much success from their music, but the music itself helped shape an era of hip hop.
Another example of a technique that should be employed only by members of The Legends is “The ability to craft music without the aid of a pen and pad”. Biggie and Jay Z popularized this ability with Jay releasing the classics Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint and The Black Album and Biggie releasing the classics Ready To Die and Life After Death. Both rappers mastered this technique and used it to help shape the hip hop scene.
A third technique employed by members of The Legends is “the art of the Punch line and Double Entendre.” Super Emcees Nas, Jay Z, Biggie and Eminem all thoroughly used this technique in their music and Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, Ready To die, and the Marshall Mathers LP are all considered classics for a reason. The way these lyricists were able to construct witty and creative punch lines and Double Entendres caused many a hip hop head to press “rewind” multiple times in awe.
But today, you have rappers attempting to employ these techniques but failing miserably. In 2007 Lil Wayne started an unfortunate trend by releasing literally hundreds of songs in one year. It became common to hear a new Wayne song almost daily. Although some of the material was good, a large percentage of it consisted of random thoughts bundled together over a beat and passed off as music. In 2009 Jay Rock released 30 songs in 30 days. Gucci Mane then upped the bar by releasing 3 mixtapes in one day. Finally, Gorilla Zoe released 28 mixtapes in 28 days in the month of February. Furthermore, the punch lines employed by these rappers are farces in comparison due to their nursery rhyme sound and simplistic nature. These are all examples of rappers attempting to employ techniques that are above their skill level. Although it can be argued that Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane saw success from their constant release of music…the real question remains whether or not Hip Hop as a genre shared in this success or became a victim of it. As is true in Soulja Boy’s case…just because it’s advantageous for you doesn’t mean it’s advantageous for Hip Hop as a collective whole. Just because you can "super man that hoe" doesnt mean you possess the skills of a rap super hero.
The Legends consists of a select group of rappers, and it does so for a reason-You need to possess a certain amount of skill in order to accomplish legendary status. Rappers of today need to spend less time going off the top of the dome and more time writing down their thoughts so as to procure some sense of cohesion and logic. They need to worry less about flooding the street with music and more about creating quality music. When “Its going down like there’s a whale in the boat” is considered lyricism and when making a song called “lemonade” and rapping about random yellow objects is called a concept song-something is severely wrong. Just as is true with sports, you need to get the fundamentals down before you start showboating. Rappers call themselves the Kobe’s and Lebron’s of the rap game but they seem more like Dennis Hopson and Ed O’Bannon…and Hip Hop is the New Jersey Nets.Turn on just about any rap song nowadays and if you took the rapper by his word, it... more
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What makes a piece of music Hip Hop? We have already discussed the element of rapping. Last entry, we discussed the beats, or more specificly, the drums. This element, like rapping, seemed to be an inconclusive determinant of the Hip Hop genre. So if the definition of the music is not made clear through the actual components of the music, than maybe it is defined out side the music.
However, who would define an artist's genre; the artist or the listeners?
Genre orientation could be comparable to group membership. An artist is simply a part of the Hip Hop genre because they say they are. This self-recognition eliminates complicated genre sorting based on musical composition, especially from a music genre that often borrows and samples from other genres from all over the world.
How else can we explain a musical genre that calls instrumental artists like J Dilla, majority-singing artists like Lauryn Hill, a jam band like The Roots, trappers like Young Jeezy, and experimentalists like P.O.S., all members?
Lauryn HIll sung he majority of her groundbreaking solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Yet, she described herself as a Hip Hop artist. The late J Dilla, although sometimes a rapper, released several fully instrumental albums. He described himself as a Hip Hop artist.
Contrarily, Linkin Park describes themselves as a rock band. However, Mike Shinoda, when solo as Fort Minor, called the album a Hip Hop side-project. The self-definition changed, so the genre classification did as well.
But do the artists have all the say in this genre classification, or do the listeners ultimately have the last and defining word?
Will.I.Am has reiterated several times that the Black Eyed Peas are indeed a Hip Hop group. The origins were in traditional conscious Hip Hop before taking a route set in pop experimentation.
But do we, the Hip Hop 'heads' really classify BEP as a Hip Hop group? Despite their success, I rarely recall seeing threads and posts of them on this board. In the general public, I do not hear them mentioned in conjuntion with other Hip Hop artists.
Did we decide that BEP was not Hip Hop?
Today I leave you with music by Fort Minor, P.O.S., & The Roots. They call themselves Hip Hop, but do you? Do you think that you ultimately have the last word in defining who and what is Hip Hop? Perhaps a piece of music that is comprised of elements of every genre of music cannot be clearly defined other than being a state of mind.What makes a piece of music Hip Hop? We have already discussed the element of rapping.... more
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Reconciliation is not an option for health-care reform
A lot of misinformation has been spread recently about the budget reconciliation process. As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, I have the primary responsibility for budget-related matters in the Senate. So let me set the record straight.
Reconciliation is not being considered for passing comprehensive health-care reform. Major health-care reform legislation passed the Senate without reconciliation on Christmas Eve. If the House now passes that legislation, it can go immediately to President Obama's desk to be signed into law. What the president and others have suggested is that, after the House acts, reconciliation could then be used to pass a much smaller "fixer" bill to allow for modifications to the comprehensive bill that will have passed under regular order.
While some have described reconciliation -- a process that requires only a majority vote in the Senate to pass legislation that reduces the deficit -- as an obscure, rarely used procedure, the truth is that it has been used 22 times since 1980, with 16 of those times occurring when Republicans controlled the Senate. Republican efforts to block its use now for a "fixer" bill represent little more than a politically expedient attempt to kill health-care legislation.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030503248.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns
http://www.brodermaninternalmedicine.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/medicine.jpgReconciliation is not an option for health-care reform
A lot of misinformation has... more
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Spawn Kill's Snarkasaur takes a humorous look at some creative ways to defend gaming as a hobby. Feel free to be offended.Spawn Kill's Snarkasaur takes a humorous look at some creative ways to defend... more
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