Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 896
May 20, 2013
Decoded: Talib Kweli Breaks Down "Get By"
Life + Times
Talib Kweli decodes the classic anthem "Get By" from his 2002 album, Quality, explaining the influence of Jay Z's "I Just Wanna Love You" and The Beatles in the writing of the record.
Seattle Teachers, Students Win Historic Victory Over Standardized Testing
Democracy Now
After months of protest, teachers, students and parents in Seattle, Washington, have won their campaign to reject standardized tests in reading and math. In January, teachers at Garfield High School began a boycott of the test, saying it was wasteful and being used unfairly to assess their performance. The boycott spread to other schools, with hundreds of teachers, students and parents participating. Last week, the school district backed down, announcing that the Measures of Academic Progress -- or MAP test -- is now optional for high schools, but those refusing the test must find another way to gauge student performance. We speak with Jesse Hagopian, a high school history teacher and union representative at Garfield High School.
Kenyan Art Up for Auction in London
Al Jazeera English
Kenyan artwork is going under the hammer for the first time at a major auction house in London. In recent years international buyers have invested millions of dollars in African art. But Kenya is still relatively unknown in the art world. Prices are still considered reasonable Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports from Nairobi.
May 19, 2013
"Roomieloverfriends" | Episode 1 of 5 [Season 2]
Roomieloverfriends Season 2 Premiere: "Episode 01"
"Roomieloverfriends" is a BLACK&SEXY.TV production @blackandsexytv
http://instagram.com/blackandsxytv
http://twitter.com/roomielover
http://facebook.com/roomieloverfriends
Starring Shayla Hale, Andra Fuller + Yaani King
Created and Written by Dennis Dortch + Numa Perrier @MissNuma
Executive Producer: Issa Rae
Associate Producers: Irwin Daniels, Krystal Bradford, and Dean Russell
Directed by Dennis Dortch
Cinematography by Will Novy
Post Picture: Brian Ali-Harding
Make Up: Sydney Milan
Hair: Erin Smith
Edited by D. Dortch
Production Assistant: Jean Black
Produced by Numa Perrier
Produced by Desmond Faison
Special Thanks: Brian Ali-Harding & Desmond Faison
FEATURED MUSIC:
" ' Cause I Love You" by Diggs Duke (http://diggsduke.com/)
That Guy Promo: "Freeway" by Jona Crooner @purplexlouds
Theme song "Chemistry" written and performed by Allegra Dolores @allegradolores
Produced by Henry "Lukecage" Willis
PURCHASE + DOWNLOAD AT: http://blackandsexytv.bandcamp.com/
May 17, 2013
Getting Kids to Speak Africa’s Languages, One Doll at a Time
PRI's The World
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is worried that young Nigerians aren’t speaking Yoruba. The language is the native tongue of between 20-30 million people—mainly Nigerians, but also some Beninese and Togolese. Many of Nigeria’s best-known cultural exports—Soyinka, Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade—were brought up as Yoruba speakers. Now there are calls to switch the language of instruction in schools and colleges from English to Yoruba. The idea is to head off a catastrophic crash before it’s too late.A small part of the effort to keep Yoruba alive among young people is Rooti Dolls. It’s the brainchild of London-based Nigerian entrepreneur Chris Chidi Ngoforo. Big Show host Marco and I talked about Rooti Dolls and Yoruba in the broadcast:
May 16, 2013
Democracy Now: Is Obama Administration Worse Than Bush on Press Freedoms?
Democracy Now
We ask David Clay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and current president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, to evaluate President Obama's record on press freedom in the wake of the Associated Press monitoring scandal. The Justice Department has admitted to seizing the telephone records from around 100 AP editors and reporters. "This administration, despite its public rhetoric, has repeatedly and continually been very difficult to deal with," Johnston says. "I rate them worse than the Bush administration."
Happy Birthday Betty Carter (1929-1998): "Tight" with Branford Marsalis [video]
Betty Carter with Branford Marsalis on David Sanborn's 'Night Music' (1989)
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