The United States of America participated in an allied shelling of Libya over the weekend in execution of a U.N. Security Council Resolution that the civilians of Libya be protected against the brutality and occupation of the military regime. Intervention is such a difficult strategic and policy call. There is tragedy worth diverting, by military […]
Author: The Fresh Junket
Long Beach Brothers
Long Beach, California had a rough day. A small-engine plane crash killed five and critically injured a sixth. Also, Long Beach native and rap legend, Nate Dogg, died of complications from a previous stroke at the age of 41. For better and worse, he was a part of the soundtrack of my youth. He remained […]
ipredict March Madness
In case you missed it or chose to conveniently forget, I presciently predicted, on January 3, 2011, that Pitt would beat Duke for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. As March Madness begins tonight, I wouldn’t want you to think that I was hiding behind the possibility that you simply wouldn’t remember. I stand by my […]
A Lullaby
It’s bracket Monday, and, while I’d love to execute my first ever NCAA tournament song, including a rant about Florida at a 2 seed and jokes about Va Tech’s perpetually burst bubble, this site is committed to nonsense delayed (or maybe epitomized). The death toll in Japan has exceeded 10,000 but that figure likely has […]
A Regrettable Bonus: Tragedy in the Pacific
I’m happy to offer a third entry this week but not happy for the circumstances that prompted it. As you are likely aware, Japan’s east coast was hit by a devastating tsunami yesterday, propelled from the epicenter of an 8.9 earthquake some 230 miles offshore. Tens of thousands have been evacuated and hundreds are already […]
Live Request Thursday: La Jefa
I had a request from Christian Latimer to cover today’s story in song, which I was thrilled to oblige. One of the benefits of song blogging is the collaborative opportunities between the artist and the audience, which traditional musical composition has not largely allowed for. I think there is a lot more in this […]
Above-the-Fold Freestyle Feature [Take 2]
This is always a punt of sorts. To do a freestyle instead of a song. But, I feel like my relative consistency has bought me at least some goodwill, right? Plus, I think the freestyle feature keeps things interesting, and people seem to like it for the novelty. It’s just one more variation on […]
Of Public Concern
The Supreme Court returned an 8 to 1 decision today, in Snyder v. Phelps, C.A. No. 09-751 (March 2, 2011), which held that members of the Westboro Baptist Church had the constitutional right to picket military funerals to express views of “public concern.” Public concern is a term of art used to describe highly protected […]
Kid Fears
Of all the unrest in the Middle East, Libya’s has been the strangest. Momar Gadhafi was for me, as a child, the face of terrorism in the world. I remember the allegations of state-sponsored terror, including Pan Am Flight 1973, and our later air strikes against the dictator. In large measure, he disappeared from my […]
Guest Poet: Keep It Movin’
Sorry to all. I was on the road and I got trapped in a spot without WiFi to get this done. My man Wonder Brown pinch hit again today and had me the song last night, late, but I couldn’t get it posted. Serious logistical snafu. But, technically it’s still Thursday, so we’re all still […]
modern personal publishing 