"The Not-For-Much-Profit Company"

I just happen to work there. Dave's a good guy, and I'm glad to see him published.

O in '08

Oprah at Stanford Commencement. Lots of multimedia content in the right-side nav bar.

Mugabe and Mbeki

Joe Lauria's got an interesting piece on Thabo Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy". It's hard to fathom how Mbeki makes sense of his position, given this exchange:

I asked him: "Do you feel you can be objective about Robert Mugabe, given his legendary status as a fighter against colonialism and the loyalty you might feel towards him that may make you unable to see what he is today, 30 years later?"

Mbeki scoffed at my question. "No, I've heard that story told. I think that one thing that could happen is that the people might credit us with the capacity to think. I know as much as you do," he said, "that when something is wrong, it is wrong. The fact that I came from the liberation struggle doesn't mean I can't recognize a wrong thing. So this argument, that because all of us come from liberation struggles, when something goes wrong, even in our own movement, we won't recognize it because of some loyalty to ourselves ... We are perfectly capable of recognizing something that is wrong."

Mbeki defended his "quiet diplomacy" to the hilt, widely denounced as enabling Mugabe. The furthest he would go with my question was: "There are many things wrong with the politics of Zimbabwe, otherwise why go mediate something that is right?"

Jeff Chang on Obama, Muslims, and identity politics

Another thought-provoker, Jeff Chang, writes today:

The most frustrated surrogate of all is Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, the nation's first Muslim congressman, who has seen efforts to bring the Muslim communities in greater contact with Obama stopped dead by the campaign.

It's hard not to notice that this is where the "change" message gets run over by the still largely white mainstream Democratic party operatives who control Obama's campaign. Again, to all those who want to complain about allegedly coalition-fragmenting "identity politics", here are the real identity politics at work.

Mugabe kills opposition; clears path to "re-election"

One day the people of Zimbabwe will be free of Robert Mugabe. Unfortunately, today is not that day.

Background reading for those interested:
1. a network of Zimbabwean activists has a site and a blog.
2. Human Rights Watch puts out great reports

Or, if you just want the prophetic Bob Marley take...


(Verse 3)

To divide and rule could only tear us apart;
In everyman chest, mm - there beats a heart.
So soon we'll find out who is the real revolutionaries;
And I don't want my people to be tricked by mercenaries.

As long as I'm big uppin' my friends...

Here's my man, Sami Miranda, founding member of the Tres Raices collective.

As seen on Kristop's blog

I'm digging Raul Midon. Do you? Leave a comment with Top, the music lover who put me on to "Sunshine".

More from Ta-Nehisi Coates

If he writes it, I'll read it. You should, too.

via TPM.

Cool music on a scorching day

It's H-O-T!!

But Ali Farka Toure is cool. PJ graced me with a double-CD a few years back. Luz is sleeping in the sling, just got off the phone with my man, Jaasi, and the fan is on energy save mode. Not a bad way to spend the morning.

Beats being outside.

Another reason to pass on the North Face

From Tim's El Salvador blog:

"Women in El Salvador sewing $165 jackets for North Face and $54 shirts for Eddie Bauer cannot afford milk and other basic necessities for their children as their wages fall behind soaring food costs. Some mothers report they will have to take their children out of school.

The women are paid just 94 cents for each $165 North Face jacket they sew—meaning that their wages amount to less than six-tenths of one percent of the jacket’s retail price."

In my lifetime

A proud day for my country. Long overdue, but right on time!

Obama. Barack Obama. Democratic nominee for President, Barack Obama. Next President of the United States, the Senator from Illinois - Barack Obama.

Say Word!