Shield Law compromise…
Oct 31, 2009 journalism
According to the AP, progress is being made in Shield Law commonground:
Under the compromise, the balancing test would be eliminated in classified leak cases where the government can show that disclosure of a source’s identity is necessary to prevent or mitigate an act of terrorism or substantial harm to the national security. But the government would also have to provide specific facts: it could not make a national security claim and then withhold most of the details.
And an important new provision:
The revised bill would also extend protections for freelance or citizen journalists by defining a journalist by the nature of activity engaged in rather than by the organization that employs the reporter.
My old boss…
Oct 31, 2009 philly
This saga has been going on for years.
An owner of a defunct Old City internet company pleaded guilty today to fraud and tax charges connected to what federal prosecutors say was a scam that collected up to $75 million in bogus charges from 350,000 small businesses.
I have a million crazy stories from this place.
I always seem to find jobs like that.
Beanie v. Jay
Oct 30, 2009 music
Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…
Despite everyone trying to say that Beans wasn’t throwing subliminals at Jay the other weekend here in Philly, this just dropped. This one is going to be talked about for a long time.
Interesting that he uses a Prodigy sample from Mobb Deep’s Hell on Earth. Remember Jay’z little beef with P?
Too much to say, and I just got to work, but this had to be posted.
Possibly my new favorite dis track of all time, unseating Company Flow’s Linda Tripp.
Update: This interview with Charlamagne is just as crazy as the record. This is the craziest rap shit I have heard in years…
Update: The WSJ tried to cover this for some reason. Not surprisingly, failing miserably.
Tags: Beanie Sigel, Beans, Charlamagne, dis track
Stephen Wiltshire: The Living Camera
Oct 29, 2009 art
I remember seeing something on TV about Wiltshire. I was blown away. He is an autistic architect artist. He has a photographic memory and can sketch amazing pictures after having just looked at it once. And not a rough or pretty good, but down to the smallest details with amazingly accurate precision. Look at Tokyo or Rome or Madrid. These action shots of him drawing Dubai or Jerusalem or London.
He is in NYC and after having taken a 20 minute helicopter ride around Manhattan, is doing a drawing of the 305 miles of land on a 19 foot long piece of paper. Phenomenal.
Tags: Stephen Wiltshire
Pill x NYC
I fucks with Pill. Hard.
I bet I listen to Trap Goin’ Ham and Glass 15 -20 times a day, and have gotten a few people at the office into him.
He was up in NYC last week for the CMJs, and since I couldn’t make it I had to wait for it to hit the interwebs. He made out good at the performances, considering what happened to his Southern bredren. OJ was booed off the stage, and a fan jumped on stage with Donnis and swung on his manager, before receiving some Southern hospitality…
Here’s his performance:
Here’s an interview with Slay. You could tell Slay was a little suspect and not sure if he was feeling Pill, but still broke him off with some knowledge. You can still tell he wasn’t sure. But the exposure was def a good look from the Pink House representative.
Here’s Pill droppin by Green Lantern’s (radio) house:
Another NYC show:
Tags: CMJ, DJ KaySlay, Green Lantern, Pill
Afghanistan
Oct 29, 2009 journalism
There’s been a slew of interesting facts and commentary on the war over the past few days. Some of it has to do with the past, some the present (or near present with the upcoming November 7th elections) and some the future.
First was the unbelievably believable story in the NYT that the drug-dealing brother of Afghanistan’s president, is and has been on the CIA payroll. Why does this surprise anyone? I was talking it with Missy and after my recent rash of black-ops books, not only does it seem possible, but plausible that he is. Reading in books about the US flying cargo planes over to the Mid-East stuffed to the ceiling in cash that has been doled out to various warlords for their loyalty. Of course we have no real recordkeeping of how much was handed out, or to who, but those are just details. I had been reading about Karazai’s bro and the bad accounting on our end, when ProPublica dropped this gem. The first election was pretty much stolen by Karazai, and because of pressure from the U.S. there is the runoff a little over a week away. Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (a body of 8, with 7 Karazai appointees) apparently received tens of millions of aid from the United States to ensure a “fair” election, and you see how far that got us.
The NYT also ran an op-ed from the former UN official Peter Galbraith. As former United Nations’ Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Galbraith is no talking head. He is the former rep, because when he questioned the handling of the last elections -which has turned out to be a fair suspicion- he was asked to leave the country and removed from his position. Galbraith has some great insight as to the upcoming election.
The other worth reading was another op-ed in the NYT by Thomas Friedman. The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist has been hesitant to take a position on whether or not to pull out of Afghanistan. Until now.
Tags: Afghanistan, elections, NYT, op-ed, Peter Galbraith, Thomas Friedman
Another new favorite rap site…
Oct 29, 2009 music
We’re building the ultimate database of sampled music and cover songs
Dig deeper into music by discovering direct links between over 12,000 songs and 6,000 artists, from Hip-Hop, R&B, Funk and Soul via Electronic Music and through to Rock, Pop and beyond. Watch the videos, contribute new content, discuss and vote!
Two of the best things in Philly
This week’s show + last night’s game =
Tags: 2009, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Phillies, World Series
Jay Electronica music
Oct 28, 2009 music
There’s been a smattering of recent Jay Elect tracks coming out.
Old stuff, new stuff, unreleased stuff.
I ain’t mad.
Suckas Shut Shit Down ft. Orianday Defcon 4 2 Step Exhibit CJay sent his peoples over at FWMJ the lyrics:
Tags: Jay Electronica
Best rap site ever…
Oct 28, 2009 music
Ever wonder what those pesky rappers were talking about?
Not a fan of the rap music? Confused by all the urban slanguistics?
Just what the fuck are they talking about?
Here is the website for you.
Here you get the lyrics, the track and the translation, all broken down line by line.
For example:
Cam’ron – Get ‘Em Girls
I get the booters boosting, I get computers puting
Y’all get shot at, homie…I do the shooting
I do the recruiting, I tutor the students
I nurture their brain, I’m moving the movement
Whether Buddhist or Buddah, that’s Judas or Judah
I got Luger to Ruger, hit from Roota to Toota
Chick from hooter to hooter, I put 2 in producers
I’m the real boss, doggy, the Hulah of Hoosiers
I rock mostly dosey, I roll mostly dolie
I’ll leave you holey-holey, you’ll say “Holy Moly”
So they have to build up their library a little, but definitely a future classic in the making.
Update: The good people who run the site hit me up to tell me that they have switched web addys and you can now rap along with your fave rappers at: http://rapgenius.com
