Article
A high court in South Africa ruled on Wednesday that Chinese-South Africans will be reclassified as “black,” a term that includes black Africans, Indians and others who were subject to discrimination under apartheid. As a result of this ruling, ethnically Chinese citizens will be able to benefit from government affirmative action policies aimed at undoing the effects of apartheid.
In 2006, the Chinese Association of South Africa sued the government, claiming that its members were being discriminated against because they were being treated as whites and thus failed to qualify for business contracts and job promotions reserved for victims of apartheid. The association successfully argued that, since Chinese-South Africans had been treated unequally under apartheid, they should be reclassified in order to redress wrongs of the past.
This is not the first time the classification of Chinese in South Africa has changed. In fact, the racial status of Chinese-South Africans has often shifted with the nation’s political climate and its international relations.
The first significant group of Chinese came to South Africa in the early 20th century, before a formal system of apartheid existed, to work in the gold mines. They were not encouraged to settle permanently and by 1910 almost all the mine workers had been repatriated. Those who remained struggled with racism and lived in separate communities based on language, culture and socio-economic status.
As apartheid became enshrined in law with the ascendancy of the Afrikaner government in the late 1940s, the Chinese were classified as “colored,” forced to live apart from whites, and were denied educational and business opportunities along with the right to vote. But after South Africa established an economic alliance with Taiwan in the 1970s, Taiwanese immigrants were welcomed as “honorary whites,” and other Chinese in South Africa began to be treated more like whites. Although they never attained the formal “honorary white” status of Taiwanese, Koreans and Japanese in South Africa and couldn’t vote, Chinese-South Africans were no longer required to use segregated facilities, and in the early 1980s they were exempted from some of the discriminatory laws that applied to other non-whites.
After apartheid ended in the early 1990s, the legal status of Chinese has remained in a gray area, though they’ve generally been lumped together with whites and denied the post-apartheid benefits available to other non-white groups.
South Africa has seen waves of immigrants and investment from China since 1994, and today there are as many as 300,000 Chinese living in the South Africa. But the new court decision is unlikely to benefit most of them or trigger another mass migration– it applies only to those Chinese who were South African citizens before 1994 (and their descendants), a much smaller number of around 10,000 to 12,000.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Hakeem Tha Dream
Good article on some local talent.
Show is a dream for St. Louis rapper
By Kevin C. Johnson
POST-DISPATCH POP MUSIC CRITIC
06/19/2008
Hakeem Tha Dream performs in a style that he describes as edgy, conscious and melodic.
(Christian Gooden/P-D)
The big crowd at the Chris Brown concert in January at Scottrade Center eagerly awaited the headliner to take the stage when, during intermission, a DJ spun St. Louis rapper Hakeem Tha Dream's "Thick Wit It."
And the crowd went wild, almost as if Brown himself had appeared.
Hakeem Tha Dream wasn't at the show to see the crowd's response; he wasn't asked to be a part of the lineup. But he heard about it.
"I felt cheated," says Hakeem Tha Dream, 24, also known as Hakeem Love.
A similar scenario went down more recently at the Rick Ross and Plies concert, when a DJ played "Thick Wit It" during a break.
But when the Hot 104.1 Super Jam comes to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Saturday with headliners T.I. (bottom left) and Keyshia Cole, (bottom right) Hakeem Tha Dream will not only be there, he'll share the bill with nearly two dozen national and local performers. And he can't wait.
"If they acted like that when I wasn't even there, what will they act like this time when I am there, in the mix, live and in 3D? Everyone's going to see the hometown kid get it cracking," Hakeem says.
Local rap fans already know that Hakeem has been getting it cracking for a while now, thanks to his breakthrough "Thick Wit It." But he's been doing so mostly on smaller stages such as Lucky's, Society, the Loft and the Spot.
Last Saturday night, he headlined a sparsely attended show at the Spot that featured Kimora Lee Simmons' father, Vernon Whitlock Jr., judging a model-walk contest. Hakeem wasn't especially happy with the evening.
But his Super Jam gig is a good look, the best yet, for one of St. Louis' most promising young rappers.
That big stage represents a big step in more than venue size. It's a long way from Hakeem's upbringing on a gang-riddled portion of Red Bud Avenue in St. Louis.
He says he could have taken any number of wrong paths earlier in life.
"We were kids with dangers around us. That lifestyle was all around us, and most of my friends veered off into that lifestyle," says Hakeem, who avoided following suit despite some "dibbling and dabbling" in negative situations.
But he made it through, thanks to having "a family that showed a lot of love. A lot of kids didn't have that, and they would either go home to mothers on crack or seek love in the streets."
Part of the family love Hakeem received came from his grandfather, St. Louis blues musician Clayton Love, who had reservations about him getting into rap music.
"He was like, 'You gotta show me something grandson,' prove it," Hakeem says.
And that's just what he's doing. He says he's been into rap since grade school, when he watched rappers on TV. His early favorites were Kid 'N Play, Eric B. & Rakim and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
Hakeem, a graduate of Central Visual and Performing Arts School, at one point thought he would go into public speaking, at the urging of a mentor, before realizing "I couldn't get with that, though I will still speak to kids."
He knew rapping was his thing, and he was good at it. After listening to more lyrically based rappers such as Canibus and Jay-Z, he wrote more and more while taking part in every rap battle and amateur show he could find. He began honing a style he describes as edgy, conscious and melodic.
Hakeem hooked up with local music producer Ronnie Notch, who presented him with a bunch of tracks, including what would become "Thick Wit It."
"Thick Wit It," which pays homage to the shape of sizable women, wasn't nearly Hakeem's favorite track. But it would be the one people embraced because it was so catchy. The song not only became a staple in St. Louis, it garnered airplay in Chicago; Little Rock, Ark.; Indianapolis; and in Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.
That, coupled with digital sales, landed him a spot on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"That was a two-sided thing for me," Hakeem says. "I'm happy on the one side. But there's still so much work to be done on the other side."
The success of the song allows Hakeem Tha Dream to land gigs weekly. He says promoters love booking him and holding "Thick Wit It" contests.
While he's still milking "Thick Wit It," Hakeem is ready to drop a follow-up. He's weighing four songs as the next single, including "Crush" and "Model Type," for those who got on his case for doing a song for the thicker types.
The songs are expected on his full-length CD, which he'd like to see out by the end of the summer after his next mix CD, "Nightmare Series Vol. 3."
Hakeem says he'll probably release the new CD independently, despite rumors that he's been offered major-label deals.
"I only got offered one deal, and it didn't make sense," he says.
Hakeem prefers the indie route, which would mean releasing the CD on PiMO Entertainment, the company he shares with Rams receiver Brandon Williams.
"That way I'll get all the money," Hakeem says.
However his CD is released, he says, he will face a particular challenge in breaking out of St. Louis. Thanks to Nelly and
Chingy, he says, the industry is mostly looking at St. Louis rappers only for party raps.
"Labels didn't want to hear what else I had," Hakeem says. "I don't want to be boxed in. I have so many other kind of records I want to present that are more meaningful."
Show is a dream for St. Louis rapper
By Kevin C. Johnson
POST-DISPATCH POP MUSIC CRITIC
06/19/2008
Hakeem Tha Dream performs in a style that he describes as edgy, conscious and melodic.
(Christian Gooden/P-D)
The big crowd at the Chris Brown concert in January at Scottrade Center eagerly awaited the headliner to take the stage when, during intermission, a DJ spun St. Louis rapper Hakeem Tha Dream's "Thick Wit It."
And the crowd went wild, almost as if Brown himself had appeared.
Hakeem Tha Dream wasn't at the show to see the crowd's response; he wasn't asked to be a part of the lineup. But he heard about it.
"I felt cheated," says Hakeem Tha Dream, 24, also known as Hakeem Love.
A similar scenario went down more recently at the Rick Ross and Plies concert, when a DJ played "Thick Wit It" during a break.
But when the Hot 104.1 Super Jam comes to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Saturday with headliners T.I. (bottom left) and Keyshia Cole, (bottom right) Hakeem Tha Dream will not only be there, he'll share the bill with nearly two dozen national and local performers. And he can't wait.
"If they acted like that when I wasn't even there, what will they act like this time when I am there, in the mix, live and in 3D? Everyone's going to see the hometown kid get it cracking," Hakeem says.
Local rap fans already know that Hakeem has been getting it cracking for a while now, thanks to his breakthrough "Thick Wit It." But he's been doing so mostly on smaller stages such as Lucky's, Society, the Loft and the Spot.
Last Saturday night, he headlined a sparsely attended show at the Spot that featured Kimora Lee Simmons' father, Vernon Whitlock Jr., judging a model-walk contest. Hakeem wasn't especially happy with the evening.
But his Super Jam gig is a good look, the best yet, for one of St. Louis' most promising young rappers.
That big stage represents a big step in more than venue size. It's a long way from Hakeem's upbringing on a gang-riddled portion of Red Bud Avenue in St. Louis.
He says he could have taken any number of wrong paths earlier in life.
"We were kids with dangers around us. That lifestyle was all around us, and most of my friends veered off into that lifestyle," says Hakeem, who avoided following suit despite some "dibbling and dabbling" in negative situations.
But he made it through, thanks to having "a family that showed a lot of love. A lot of kids didn't have that, and they would either go home to mothers on crack or seek love in the streets."
Part of the family love Hakeem received came from his grandfather, St. Louis blues musician Clayton Love, who had reservations about him getting into rap music.
"He was like, 'You gotta show me something grandson,' prove it," Hakeem says.
And that's just what he's doing. He says he's been into rap since grade school, when he watched rappers on TV. His early favorites were Kid 'N Play, Eric B. & Rakim and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
Hakeem, a graduate of Central Visual and Performing Arts School, at one point thought he would go into public speaking, at the urging of a mentor, before realizing "I couldn't get with that, though I will still speak to kids."
He knew rapping was his thing, and he was good at it. After listening to more lyrically based rappers such as Canibus and Jay-Z, he wrote more and more while taking part in every rap battle and amateur show he could find. He began honing a style he describes as edgy, conscious and melodic.
Hakeem hooked up with local music producer Ronnie Notch, who presented him with a bunch of tracks, including what would become "Thick Wit It."
"Thick Wit It," which pays homage to the shape of sizable women, wasn't nearly Hakeem's favorite track. But it would be the one people embraced because it was so catchy. The song not only became a staple in St. Louis, it garnered airplay in Chicago; Little Rock, Ark.; Indianapolis; and in Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.
That, coupled with digital sales, landed him a spot on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"That was a two-sided thing for me," Hakeem says. "I'm happy on the one side. But there's still so much work to be done on the other side."
The success of the song allows Hakeem Tha Dream to land gigs weekly. He says promoters love booking him and holding "Thick Wit It" contests.
While he's still milking "Thick Wit It," Hakeem is ready to drop a follow-up. He's weighing four songs as the next single, including "Crush" and "Model Type," for those who got on his case for doing a song for the thicker types.
The songs are expected on his full-length CD, which he'd like to see out by the end of the summer after his next mix CD, "Nightmare Series Vol. 3."
Hakeem says he'll probably release the new CD independently, despite rumors that he's been offered major-label deals.
"I only got offered one deal, and it didn't make sense," he says.
Hakeem prefers the indie route, which would mean releasing the CD on PiMO Entertainment, the company he shares with Rams receiver Brandon Williams.
"That way I'll get all the money," Hakeem says.
However his CD is released, he says, he will face a particular challenge in breaking out of St. Louis. Thanks to Nelly and
Chingy, he says, the industry is mostly looking at St. Louis rappers only for party raps.
"Labels didn't want to hear what else I had," Hakeem says. "I don't want to be boxed in. I have so many other kind of records I want to present that are more meaningful."
Ubuntu Prevails: Celtics Take Lakers in Game 6
I would first like to say that this is a saddest day of 2008 for me. Not only did I witness a public massacre on television, but now I am left with absolutely nothing to follow for about 60 days. Minus the fallout of the NBA season with meaningless trades, Kobe having a possible meltdown, and the USA Olympic team. Real football news doesn't matter until August when the teams start to actually play. Baseball is....well baseball. There is no way in hell I could sit through an entire game unless I am there or it is not the playoffs. I could endure watching the EURO 2008 before I watched 3 innings of baseball. At least their crowds are alive during the entire match. Not to mention when the guy yells "GGggoooooooooooaaaaallllll" for like 3 1/2 minutes.
Ok - The Celtics beat the Lakers like they owed them money last night. Like they cheated on their baby virgin sister. Like they stole your spot at the gas station in the middle of August and your air condition doesnt work and window doesnt roll down .(I've been there) Not only did LA need Jesus on their side, but they needed the Devil to cool down Boston's Jesus. How about Walter Ray Allen? He definitely had his assassin hat on for this game, 7-9 on 3's, 8-12 overall. He practically pulled a Robert Horry times 10 were he was absent the first half of the playoffs and then he found his mojo in Detroit and it was over from then. I had him as my MVP on the vote of consistency. He hit an NBA Finals record 22 3's in the series, including tying the record of 7 in one game. Without Allen's underrated defense on Kobe, part-time point guard duties, and bullseye shooting, the Celtics would be on the other end of the stick right now. Somebody must have told KG that he was in a twisted plot from Saw 5 where his family was being held hostage and his game performance depended on if they lived or died. Something twisted like every time he took a jumpshot, the plank holding his family above hot flaming magma got lowered each time. The second part of the plot must have involved Rondo. Rondo played the game of his career, everything from here on out is gravy on his career. Everybody came to play, the entire Goon Squad won the series for them (Posey 4-4fgs and lockdown defense, House 5 assists, Powe, Rondo 20pts, 6 steals, 8 assists). Posey might have just cashed in for the next few seasons with his 2 rings in 3 years and unccanny leadership and clutchness in big games.
The Lakers
Let's face it. It's not like the Lakers were supposed to make it this far and had the same expectations the Celtics had coming into the year. The story through November was the possibility of trading Kobe, not making it to the championship. The team grew a lot with Bynum emerging as one of the top 5 centers in the league, throw in the the acquisition of Gasol, Farmar and Vujacic playing great in stretches, this team is set for years to come. That is.....if Kobe doesn't die with this loss. It's not out of the question for him to not trust this cast of team members in the event they get off to a slow start in a very competitive Western conference. I guess we will re-visit this in December.
MVP - Paul Pierce - Series Averages 21 ppg, 6 assists
I guess it was inevitable that the team captain and highest scorer of the series and possibly the best actor, Pierce did enough to not lose the MVP. He was the leading scorer for 3 or the 6 games, 2nd leading scorer in another game. Sure he stuck out the place in Game 3, but that was probably the worst game of the series for the majority of the players on both teams in which four people reached double figures (KG, Allen, Kobe, Vujacic). More than anything, Pierce stepped in to guard Kobe in key stretches which not only helped get Ray Allen off but also had to make Kobe bang with a bigger frame for more extended portions of the game.
Best Post Game Ever
Besides KG yelling "I'm going to die" (1:23), followed by shout outs to the entire hood, his momma, South Carolina and Chicago, and then saying "I'm Certified Mother #*#*#*" (3:40) that got bleeped out. Throw in there that he was crying and happy and hyped up at the same time and vowing not to sleep for a week, someone needs to accompany this man at all times. Too bad he messed up his potential Adidas commercial by butchering the slogan. He followed this up with an interview at the podium where he referred to getting over the hump of winning to beating up the school bully. To paraphrase, it's like going to school, the bully is waiting on you at the door, he pats you down and takes your money. The next day, you say enough is enough, the bully pats you down and you Lay his AZZ out. Other Celtics interview
If you recall my prediction, I called Lakers 4-2.
I really would love to see the Celtics pull this off but in the end I just think LA is too deep. Add their depth with the most potent offensive player in the game (see point 2 above), I don't see how they could blow this one.
Pau/Odom can match up with KG, with a little Turiaf for a breather. They have a ton of wing players to throw at Allen and Pierce.
Plus Kobe is guaranteed 25 ppg. Don't forget Ray Allen always add a little fire under Kobe with the strange fued that they have. If Ray Allen carries his flame throwing jumper over to the next series and Kobe returns to 2006 status of "I'm not passing the ball to anybody unless 3 people are guarding me mode", then it will be a Celtics runaway. I don't see that happening, so Lakers will take it.
This was a total team effort though. And my if's came true. Ray Allen returned from hiatus and the Lakers star was not the star that made his team better in key moments. I thought Kobe was a little too passive, and by passive I mean passing too much. He fell into the Lebron James mode of making the "good" extra pass even if it means at the expense of his own offense. I think that took away from his killer instincts that we saw the first 8 minutes of game 6. Anyway it goes, my life is completely on hold after the draft.
For the Pirator in you Life: BluRay Burners
From: Engadget
URL: http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/18/japan-gets-6x-bd-r-media-us-has-6x-burners-someday-the-two-sha/Japan gets 6x BD-R media, US has 6x burners: someday the two shall meet
06-18-2008
So, you picked up a 6x Blu-ray burner earlier this month did you? Too bad there isn't any media available to cope with that write speed. Oh sure, TDK has been kicking a 6x disc around trade shows for years, but Panasonic will apparently be the first to market when its 25GB and 50GB 6x BD-R discs hit Japan on July 10th. Unfortunately for our Japanese brethren, Panasonic says that, "Blu-ray disc drives compatible with 6X write-once Blu-ray discs are planned to be commercialized in Japan by the end of September 2008." Funny, with those 6x BD-R burners from LG already released in the US, could it be that US (and Korean) Blu-ray interests have finally jumped ahead of Japan's -- the birthplace of Blu? Perhaps, but Panasonic hasn't provided a date for its Stateside 6x media release... yet.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The 3,000 Mile Oil Change Myth
By Bill Siuru, Greencar.com
According to a recent study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 73 percent of California drivers change their oil more frequently than required. This same scenario no doubt repeats itself across the country. Besides wasting money, this translates into unnecessary consumption of $100-a-barrel oil, much of it imported.
Using 2005 data, the Board estimates that Californians alone generate about 153.5 million gallons of waste oil annually, of which only about 60 percent is recycled. Used motor oil poses the greatest environmental risk of all automotive fluids because it is insoluble, persistent, and contains heavy metal and toxic chemicals. One gallon of used oil can foul the taste of one million gallons of water.
» Article provided by GreenCar.com
It’s been a misconception for years that engine oil should be changed every 3000 miles, even though most auto manufacturers now recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,000, or even 10,000 mile intervals under normal driving conditions.
Greatly improved oils, including synthetic oils, coupled with better engines mean longer spans between oil changes without harming an engine. The 3000 mile interval is a carryover from days when engines used single-grade, non-detergent oils.
Read more at link.
According to a recent study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 73 percent of California drivers change their oil more frequently than required. This same scenario no doubt repeats itself across the country. Besides wasting money, this translates into unnecessary consumption of $100-a-barrel oil, much of it imported.
Using 2005 data, the Board estimates that Californians alone generate about 153.5 million gallons of waste oil annually, of which only about 60 percent is recycled. Used motor oil poses the greatest environmental risk of all automotive fluids because it is insoluble, persistent, and contains heavy metal and toxic chemicals. One gallon of used oil can foul the taste of one million gallons of water.
» Article provided by GreenCar.com
It’s been a misconception for years that engine oil should be changed every 3000 miles, even though most auto manufacturers now recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,000, or even 10,000 mile intervals under normal driving conditions.
Greatly improved oils, including synthetic oils, coupled with better engines mean longer spans between oil changes without harming an engine. The 3000 mile interval is a carryover from days when engines used single-grade, non-detergent oils.
Read more at link.
Now this is a Camera: New Sony C905
From: Engadget
URL: http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/17/sony-ericssons-8-1-megapixel-c905-breaks-free/Sony Ericsson's 8.1 megapixel C905 breaks free
06-17-2008
No surprises here but at least Sony Ericsson's C905 Cyber-shot is now official. As a camera, we're talking Xenon flash, face detection, image stabilization and 8.1 megapixels crammed into a tiny sensor of unspecified make or dimensions. As a phone we're looking at quad-band GSM (9-hours talk / 380 hours standby) and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100 on the C905a worldphone variant. It also comes packing an auto-rotating, 2.4-inch scratch-resistant QVGA display, aGPS with Google Maps, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, TV-out, 2GB of included Memory Stick Micro (M2), and WiFi with DLNA support when this slider is loosed upon the globe in Q4. 
June 16, 1971 - Momma gave birth to a hell-raising heavenly son
Tupac Amare Shakur was his name. Entertainment and enlightening words was his game. Tupac would have been 37 yesterday. What does that mean? That means we might not have had the Master P/Cash Money movement in music, we might not have had the break-up and collapse of real music. Sure Pac's lyrics were sometimes violent and brash, but so is the world that we live in. The truth hurts sometimes and at the time, 2Pac was not afraid to let it show to death. Spitting at the camera, doing the George Jefferson walk out of the court room. Not his brightest moments. But there was said to be a change in 2Pac towards the end. Maybe it was maturity setting in, maybe it was the power that was in his hands as a result of East Coast - West Coast battles. All we are left with now are maybes and Soulja this and Young that. (Memo to all new rappers - please get a new name: All of the Young and Lil's are taken. THanks!)
My Top 10 Pac Songs of All Time:
1. Who Do You Believe In
2. Str8 Ballin (Thug Life)
3. So Many Tears (Me Against the World)
4. Only Fear of Death (R U Still Down)
5. Ambitionz Az A Ridah (All Eyez On Me)
6. Lord Knows (Me Against the World)
7. White Man'z World
8. Picture Me Rollin (All Eyez On Me)
9. If My Homies Call (2Pacalypse Now)
10. Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)
This was a hard list to compile. What you got?
Firefox 3.0
Sure it only took about 2 years for this to actually happen, but its here.
Go get it kids, Firefox 3.0 has just been released. We're out of beta and looking at web page loads 3- to 4-times faster than Firefox 2.0 and more than 7x faster than IE, according to its makers.
Update: Looks like we're getting ahead of ourselves. Although a file titled, "Firefox 3.0" (without the RC# associated with previous release candidates) is active and available to download, it looks like it's just the RC3 installer placed in the final 3.0 folder.
[Thanks, James D.]
Download -- FF 3.0 all versions [Warning: FTP, will not be counted in world record attempt]
Download -- FF 3.0 to be counted in world record attempt (active at 10am PDT)
Read -- 10am PDT translated into local times
Read -- Release progress
From: Engadget
URL: http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/17/firefox-3-0-available-now-almost/
Firefox 3.0: available now (almost)
06-17-2008
Go get it kids, Firefox 3.0 has just been released. We're out of beta and looking at web page loads 3- to 4-times faster than Firefox 2.0 and more than 7x faster than IE, according to its makers.Update: Looks like we're getting ahead of ourselves. Although a file titled, "Firefox 3.0" (without the RC# associated with previous release candidates) is active and available to download, it looks like it's just the RC3 installer placed in the final 3.0 folder.
[Thanks, James D.]
Download -- FF 3.0 all versions [Warning: FTP, will not be counted in world record attempt]
Download -- FF 3.0 to be counted in world record attempt (active at 10am PDT)
Read -- 10am PDT translated into local times
Read -- Release progress
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