Thursday, October 23, 2008

Woman jailed after 'killing' virtual husband | Yahoo News


You know... if i had to be the victim of anything, I'd want it to be this.

Synopsis:(MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press, TOKYO) - A 43-year-old player in a virtual game world became so angry about her sudden divorce from her online husband that she logged on with his password and killed his digital persona, police said Thursday.

The woman, who has been jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his ID and password to log onto the popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in May, a police official in the northern city of Sapporo said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman, a piano teacher, had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison or a fine up to $5,000.

(Source: Woman jailed after 'killing' virtual husband - Yahoo News.)

Editorial:

I understand why she's being jailed. And really, I acknowledge her frustration. But that sh*t is still so funny that I had to share it. I'm glad the authorities prosecuted this correctly, by which I mean omitting the virtual actions. It would be messed up if you were liable for trespasses in games like "The Sims" or "Second Life". How much would that suck?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Jazmine Sullivan: Fearless

A review of the debut album from Jazmine Sullivan…

I know you be asking yourself who Jazmine Sullivan is right now, but let’s just say you should get familiar with her. Finally releasing her debut album Fearless on J Records, Jazmine stands up and reminds us what mainstream R&B could be right now.


I first noticed Jazmine online a while back singing jazz standards like “‘Round Midnight”. Her gritty alto is easily among the cream of the crop among the artists currently out in the spotlight. One wouldn’t expect any less from a former child prodigy on the gospel scene. What one would find surprising is Jazmine’s writing ability, penning tales with fresh introspection and observation. However, most referenced work is the hit “Say I” which went public under Christina Milian. Regardless, Sullivan’s debut album has been long awaited. Not since Teedra Moses have I been this hopeful about an artist changing the R&B game.



From the very first orchestral flutter in “Bust Your Windows” you notice her music is familiar but harboring a delectable twist. Whether it be replacing the usual synthesized rhythm section with a string section worthy of the Rhode Island Philharmonic or actually acknowledging the childishness of the otherwise cliché broken-hearted vandalism, Jazmine holds it all together with skillful melody. The beauty of the minimalism behind her is that it allows you to acquaint yourself with the subtleties of her delivery for which you are richly rewarded if listening.


Radio hit “Need U Bad” twists the norm with a smooth reggae groove under Jazmine’s soulful ballad. Missy Elliot appears sporadically throughout the track, understandable since she co-produced the album, but mostly leaves room for Jazmine to shine. And shine Miss Sullivan does. The following track “My Foolish Heart” throws a retro soul turnaround on a bass line fitting the mighty Mos Def. But, comes together less obtrusively than the nouveau British invasion. Other tunes explore the retro sound more specifically but again play out into a fun romp (”One Night Stand” and “Switch!”) or funky realization (”Live A Lie”) rather than a heavy-handed effort at a trend.



Standout tracks like “Lions, Tigers & Bears” and “In Love With Another Man” showcase Jazmine’s ability to entertain with her vocals alone, also known as talent. Though I doubt either will be released as a single, the last time I liked a song with no drums (on a mainstream album), everyone was left singing “ordinary people”. With either a few pizzicato plucks from the string section or Donny Hathaway worthy piano accompaniment, Jazmine evokes emotion and the kinds of honest queries with which we seldom confront ourselves.


Overall, Jazmine Sullivan’s debut exceeds all the expectations you didn’t even know you had of someone whom you hadn’t heard. In a time when most of us are scared of drop bills on another album of three mediocre singles and a plethora filler, Jazmine raises the bar for the mainstream artists with exposing lyrics and masterful vocal control that one would expect more from an academy award winning Dreamgirl. I mean, this young lioness has garnered comparisons to Mary J. Blige and others but if she remains so fearless in her singing/songwriting, we may be dropping more legendary names alongside Jazmine Sullivan.



Courtesy of Afrothought.com - The Right Side of the Truth

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Colin Powell endorses Obama | BBC News (fix)


Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell

Four more years?! Ha ha... Powell don't play that!!


Synopsis: (BBC News) - US President George W Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has endorsed Democratic election candidate Barack Obama for the White House.



Backing Mr Obama over John McCain, the Republican Party's choice to succeed Mr Bush in November, he said the Democrat had the "ability to inspire".

"All Americans... not just African-Americans" would be proud of an Obama win, he argued.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

US Presidential Debate #3 | CNN.com


Debate #3

Synopsis: HEMPSTEAD, New York (CNN) -- A majority of debate watchers think Sen. Barack Obama won the third and final presidential debate, according to a national poll conducted right afterward.

Fifty-eight percent of debate watchers questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll said Democratic candidate Obama did the best job in the debate, with 31 percent saying Republican Sen. John McCain performed best.

The poll also suggests that debate watchers' favorable opinion of Obama rose slightly during the debate, from 63 percent at the start to 66 percent at the end. The poll indicates that McCain's favorables dropped slightly, from 51 percent to 49 percent.

The economy was the dominant issue of the debate, and 59 percent of debate watchers polled said Obama would do a better job handling the economy, 24 points ahead of McCain.

During the debate, McCain attacked Obama's stance on taxes, accusing Obama of seeking tax increases that would "spread the wealth around." But by 15 points, 56 percent to 41 percent, debate watchers polled said Obama would do a better job on taxes. By a 2-1 margin, 62 percent to 31 percent, debate watchers said Obama would do a better job on health care.

Sixty-six percent of debate watchers said Obama more clearly expressed his views, with 25 percent saying McCain was more clear about his views.

By 23 points, those polled said Obama was the stronger leader during the debate. By 48 points, they said Obama was more likeable.

McCain won in two categories. Eighty percent of debate watchers polled said McCain spent more time attacking his opponent, with seven percent saying Obama was more on the attack. Fifty-four percent said McCain seemed more like a typical politician during the debate, with 35 percent saying Obama acted more like a typical politician.

"Independents tend to prefer debates that are dominated by substance and light on discussion of personal characteristics," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director. "The perception that McCain attacked Obama gave red meat to GOP partisans, but it probably didn't help McCain with independents."

"There was a notable gender gap as well," Holland said. "Women thought Obama won the debate by a 62 percent to 28 percent margin. Among men, Obama's lead was narrower, 54 percent to 35 percent in Obama's favor."

During the debate, McCain demanded to know the full extent of Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a 1960s radical. But the poll suggests that line of attack may not resonate with Americans. Fifty-one percent of debate watchers said Obama's connection to Ayers didn't matter at all to them, with 23 percent saying it mattered a great deal.

The audience for the debate poll appeared to be a bit more Democratic -- and a bit more Republican -- than the U.S. population as a whole. Forty percent of debate watchers in the survey were Democrats and 30 percent Republicans.

CNN's estimate of the number of Democrats in the voting age population as a whole indicates the sample is about 3 to 4 points more Democratic than the population as a whole, but also about 2 to 3 points more Republican than the population as a whole.

Eighty-eight percent of Democrats questioned in the poll said Obama did the best job, with 68 percent of Republicans saying McCain performed best. Among independents, 57 percent said Obama did the best job, with 31 percent backing McCain as the winner of the debate.

The candidates first debated in Oxford, Mississippi, on September 26. Fifty-one percent of debate watchers polled by CNN and the Opinion Research Corp. said Obama won that debate, with 38 percent saying McCain performed best. The second presidential debate was held in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 7 and 54 percent of debate watchers polled said Obama won, compared with 30 percent who said McCain did the best job.

(Source: Poll: Debate watchers say Obama wins - CNN.com.)

Editorial: Loved this debate. As I have said, it was the one stacked most against McCain and the one he needed most to dazzle independent and "soft" (aka undecided) voters; especially since he essentially lost the first two debates. If those last two were swings and misses then mighty McCain hath struck out.

Favorite moment: Obama summing up that McCain's campaign focusing on distorting facts about the democrat rather than expressing McCain's policies, says more about his failing campaign than it does about the Illinois senator.

Most important, however, is that Obama supporters not get cocky. I'm sure there are many suspect things waiting to happen between now and November 4th. So make sure you can at least say you cast a ballot, regardless of whom for which you are voting.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

US Presidential Debate #2 | BBC News


Obama v McCain in Debate #2
Swing and a miss.

Synopsis: (BBC News) - On paper, the format should have favoured John McCain, who conducts lots of campaign events as town hall meetings, in which he prowls the stage taking questions from anyone who wants to ask one.

In fact, I thought Barack Obama did rather better, measured in manner and clear-minded in content where Mr McCain seemed to spend too much time attempting to score points directly off his rival, with what felt like carefully-rehearsed digs that didn't seem quite to find the mark.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

OJail Simpson convicted | BBC NEWS


Simpson convicted of multiple charges
Strangely, I was shocked. Inexplicably so.

Synopsis: (BBC News) - OJ Simpson has been found guilty of 12 charges of armed robbery, conspiracy to kidnap and assault with a deadly weapon by a court in the US city of Las Vegas.

The former US football star and actor was accused of robbing two dealers of sports memorabilia in 2007.

The armed robbery charges carry a mandatory jail sentence, and kidnapping carries a possible life term.

Simpson, 61, who denied the charges, was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his former wife and her friend.

That was dubbed "the trial of the century".
CHARGES AGAINST OJ SIMPSON

Conspiracy to commit a crime: guilty

Conspiracy to kidnap: guilty

Two counts of first degree kidnapping: guilty

Burglary in possession of a deadly weapon: guilty

Two counts of armed robbery: guilty

Two counts of assault with a deadly weapon: guilty

Two counts of coercion with use of a deadly weapon: guilty

The charges in the latest trial centred on an incident in the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas in September 2007.

Simpson was accused - and convicted - of kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers and holding them in the hotel.

The former National Football League running back seized the pair in an attempt to reclaim items in their possession related to his sporting career, which Simpson claimed still belonged to him.

(Source: BBC NEWS | Americas | OJ Simpson convicted of robbery.)

Editorial:

Let this be a lesson. You really only get one "Get Out Of Jail Free" card with stardom for your felonies.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

McCain complains over Ifill | Yahoo News


Moderator Gwen Ifill
C'mon Johnny. You have it pretty nice outside of politics right now.

[via: Yahoo News]

Synopsis: Hours ahead of the vice presidential debate, Sen John McCain (R-Ariz.) criticized the selection of PBS's Gwen Ifill as moderator because she is writing a book called "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama."
Poll: Biden wins debate, Palin exceeds expectations | CNN.com

Biden vs Palin

Hey, I told you so...

(CNN) - A national poll of people who watched the vice presidential debate suggests that Democratic Sen. Joe Biden won but also hints that Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeded expectations.