Blog posts I'm having fun with

[unusualmusic_lj_archive]

1. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has said it is considering a temporary cessation of hostilities in the oil-producing region based on an appeal by United States presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama.
MEND also said in an e-mail that its ceasefire was to enable the federal government to have a rethink over the way it has handled the matter concerning its leader, Mr. Henry Okah.
The spate of attacks in the last two weeks has led to more volatility in the crude oil market with substantial production cuts in Nigeria.


And this isn't the first time. Back in January, JANUARY, he was on the horn to Kenya trying to help calm the violence in the wake of contested elections there.
Of course the story of Obama's action in this case contrasted with Hillary's bluster is a fun political story in the context of this increasingly-absurd campaign, and you can find the same Reuters story cut and paste across a variety of news sites like Politico.
But I want to go a step further and try to be the media I want to see. What is MEND? Why is there so much violence in the Niger delta? And why should we care? Really cool breakdown on the situation follows.


2. So what constitutes the "Black" in Black TV?


3. Feminist Tools for Recognising and countering Racism



4. Reexamining the Phrase Oppression Olympics


5. The Other Retroactive Immunity: Gitmo Show trialsApparently. the New York Times is reporting that:The former chief prosecutor here took the witness stand on Monday on behalf of a detainee and testified that top Pentagon officials had pressured him in deciding which cases to prosecute and what evidence to use. The prosecutor, Col. Morris D. Davis of the Air Force, testified that Pentagon officials had interfered with his work for political reasons and told him that charges against well-known detainees “could have real strategic political value” and that there could be no acquittals. His testimony completed one of the more unusual transformations in the contentious history of Guantánamo. Colonel Davis, who is on active duty as a senior Air Force official and was one of the Pentagon’s most vocal advocates of the Guantánamo military commissions, has become one of the most visible critics of the system. Looseheadprop on firedoglake breaks down the bullshit and its implications for America's battered rule of law.

ETA:LJ user liz_marcs points out a a few Key facts about municipal budgets, just a few things that several rather clueless small gov't! no taxes! no spending! advocates REALLY need to understand BEFORE they run around being ignorant

Comments

[leneypoo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for linking to these. I thought the one on "Oppression Olympics" was interesting. I've used the word before but I can understand why for some people it rubs the wrong way. I guess it would be like the word "colorblind" is for me.