Iowa Backs Child Labor, Illinois Ends Book Bans, Americans Can't Name Famous Asian Americans, More C. Thomas Bribes, Elon Spikes Free Speech, Black Drivers Targeted for Loud Music, Marvin Gaye Sings
Iowa Backs Child Labor, Illinois Ends Book Bans, Americans Can't Name Famous Asian Americans, More C. Thomas Bribes, Elon Spikes Free Speech, Black Drivers Targeted for Loud Music, Marvin Gaye Sings
kareem.substack.com
My take on news, pop culture, sports, and whatever else interests me.
“What’s Going On” is such a wonderful album in every respect. It’s a rare record that hasn’t aged a day, on the one hand, but still manages to be evocative of its time.
Seiji Ozawa, conductor (maybe not American, but still very famous in America)
These are my picks.
Dance 1964
Was this the forerunner of the moonwalk? Haven't seen that clip before. Just great.
The basketball clip with the white officer & Shaq. What a terrific example of a real protector & creator of unity & brotherhood. And Shaq - repeat after me: I will become whatever I want to be. Those kids will never forget.
Mother Mother.
There's too many of you crying.
Brother Brother Brother.
There's far too many of you dying.
Oh Marvin. Loved your music. Your beautiful voice. I bought the album in 1971 in San Francisco & still have it. It's always been one of my favorites. Thank you for this live version. The pictures are quite amazing.
My heroes: JB Pritzker, Wes Moore & Aruna Miller. Standing up to the fascist politicians & current political trends & saying Not Here. Not in our state. Applause & support. It takes courage & belief in freedom & democracy.
And eternal shame to Abbott, Thomas, Thomas' benefactor, desanctimonious, & the rest. May they all expire in infamy.
It's time for the good to overcome the bad, for truth to prevail, & for the light to shine through the darkness. Thank you Kareem for your words of wisdom, the music & the uplifting thoughts. Peace & love always.
The lowering of standards for teens in the workplace is a tougher story for me, simply because I lied about my age (back in the 80s when you could do that easier) so I could start working at 14. I kept an A/B average at school while working roughly 20/25 hours a week as a busboy/cook. It was a great experience, and it sent me on a path of being a hard worker for the rest of my life. I also still made time to make short super eight films as a hobby, which eventually became my career. The money I made allowed me to make those films.
Of course, I certainly agree with you Kareem on the valid points that you make in your column on this subject. I am not a believer in exploiting young people for profit. So for me, it is a fine line - and some of these laws don’t bother me while others do. This one is kind of a head scratcher for me.
My goodness, Kareem. It almost seems as though the good news outweighed the bad this morning.
Thank you for a favorite Marvin song of mine which has me swaying. And of course the dance video (could you influence the Mohegan Sun Casino to bring back our Forever Young weekly live dances at noon???).
And my daughter had a life size cardboard Shaq for many years in her room so it was lovely to see him in person.
I have played Mr Gaye’s version of the Star Spangled Banner numerous times. He sang the National Anthem at the 1983 NBA All Star game. Mr Abdul-Jabbar was there and got to hear it in person. After the song was finished I remember thinking, “Nuts to the basketball, can Marvin sing some more?”
I’m embarrassed by having thought too highly of Elon Musk just because of his work on Tesla (I drive one...best car I’ve ever driven by far). If you follow his Tweets these days, unless he’s talking factually about one of his companies, he’s sounding like a repulsive right-wing nutjob. His appearance on Bill Maher (whom I also find lamentable on his best days) was another embarrassment. Maher kowtowed to Musk like I’ve never seen him do with any other guest, essentially kissed his ass. Musk, unprepared, blurted lame jokes and right wing gibberish. When Maher asked him what he thought was important, Musk’s top answer was that we “maintain a meritocracy”, like we have a meritocracy to maintain. What is “meritocracy” code for in this country, I wonder.
Between the video of Shaq and Marvin Gaye's classic, yes I am feeling hopeful. Thank you for always creating thoughtful content that moves us from the page to how we comport ourselves in life.
Kareem, thanks for your piece on Asian Americans. Was disappointed in myself, as I try to stay abreast of current events. Could recall businessman/politician, Yang, but not his first name (Andrew); nor Bowen Yang (SNL) or Ken Jeong. B. Yang and Ken are people I watch and love. Just saw Ken’s Netflix special, about 3 weeks ago. Don’t think of Kamala or Dwayne Johnson, as Asian (my ignorance)! So, yes, I have a lot of work to do! Must commit them, and their accomplishments, to memory. Again--THANK YOU!
The bit on abortion reminded me of how my home state of Michigan enshrined abortion rights into the state constitution in November. I wrote about this on an earlier newsletter of yours, but I feel it bears repeating. We've had incredible success in Michigan over the past 5ish years using ballot proposals. In 2018, we voted for independent redistricting, expanded mail-in voting, and cannabis legalization. When midterms came around in 2022, we voted in the first Democrat trifecta in our state government in 40 years. That couldn't have happened without the redistricting. And they've already been hard at work getting things done.
All of that is to say that even states that have been under the thumb of regressive leadership for a long time can make things happen. A few dedicated groups can try to use the voting process to get things done. I hope activists outside of Michigan can learn from what happened here.
Kareem, thank you so much for highlighting some of the good news coming out of my hometown and current place of residence, Gainesville, Florida. We are a beautiful blue sapphire in the midst of a big red sea. Many of us here believe we have a mission to show how people can live differently and better than the malignant neo fascist forces in the rest of the state would have people believe. We will keep fighting the good fight, forever.
The coolest thing about Marvin Gaye is how he introduces the melody so you can always feel it, then for the rest of the song he’s actually freestyling around and above it—perfectly. Nobody does it as well.
A ban on banning books is badly needed in Illinois. I have in my possession a 2018 book about the terrible justice system in Mississippi. Marks on the page edges reveal it was banned from the Jackson County Library, Illinois. Then it ended up with a used book seller. I purchased it recently online. A little digging reveals that Jackson County is essentially white and named after Andrew Jackson who owned hundreds of slaves as President.
“What’s Going On” is such a wonderful album in every respect. It’s a rare record that hasn’t aged a day, on the one hand, but still manages to be evocative of its time.
Ruth Asawa, sculptor
Michio Kaku, physicist
Randall Goosby, violinist
Seiji Ozawa, conductor (maybe not American, but still very famous in America)
These are my picks.
Dance 1964
Was this the forerunner of the moonwalk? Haven't seen that clip before. Just great.
The basketball clip with the white officer & Shaq. What a terrific example of a real protector & creator of unity & brotherhood. And Shaq - repeat after me: I will become whatever I want to be. Those kids will never forget.
Mother Mother.
There's too many of you crying.
Brother Brother Brother.
There's far too many of you dying.
Oh Marvin. Loved your music. Your beautiful voice. I bought the album in 1971 in San Francisco & still have it. It's always been one of my favorites. Thank you for this live version. The pictures are quite amazing.
My heroes: JB Pritzker, Wes Moore & Aruna Miller. Standing up to the fascist politicians & current political trends & saying Not Here. Not in our state. Applause & support. It takes courage & belief in freedom & democracy.
And eternal shame to Abbott, Thomas, Thomas' benefactor, desanctimonious, & the rest. May they all expire in infamy.
It's time for the good to overcome the bad, for truth to prevail, & for the light to shine through the darkness. Thank you Kareem for your words of wisdom, the music & the uplifting thoughts. Peace & love always.
Love, love, love the messages you write and the ones you share.
The lowering of standards for teens in the workplace is a tougher story for me, simply because I lied about my age (back in the 80s when you could do that easier) so I could start working at 14. I kept an A/B average at school while working roughly 20/25 hours a week as a busboy/cook. It was a great experience, and it sent me on a path of being a hard worker for the rest of my life. I also still made time to make short super eight films as a hobby, which eventually became my career. The money I made allowed me to make those films.
Of course, I certainly agree with you Kareem on the valid points that you make in your column on this subject. I am not a believer in exploiting young people for profit. So for me, it is a fine line - and some of these laws don’t bother me while others do. This one is kind of a head scratcher for me.
My goodness, Kareem. It almost seems as though the good news outweighed the bad this morning.
Thank you for a favorite Marvin song of mine which has me swaying. And of course the dance video (could you influence the Mohegan Sun Casino to bring back our Forever Young weekly live dances at noon???).
And my daughter had a life size cardboard Shaq for many years in her room so it was lovely to see him in person.
Thanks for the Hope. It's what is needed today
Thanks for such a positive article this Monday morning.
I have played Mr Gaye’s version of the Star Spangled Banner numerous times. He sang the National Anthem at the 1983 NBA All Star game. Mr Abdul-Jabbar was there and got to hear it in person. After the song was finished I remember thinking, “Nuts to the basketball, can Marvin sing some more?”
I’m embarrassed by having thought too highly of Elon Musk just because of his work on Tesla (I drive one...best car I’ve ever driven by far). If you follow his Tweets these days, unless he’s talking factually about one of his companies, he’s sounding like a repulsive right-wing nutjob. His appearance on Bill Maher (whom I also find lamentable on his best days) was another embarrassment. Maher kowtowed to Musk like I’ve never seen him do with any other guest, essentially kissed his ass. Musk, unprepared, blurted lame jokes and right wing gibberish. When Maher asked him what he thought was important, Musk’s top answer was that we “maintain a meritocracy”, like we have a meritocracy to maintain. What is “meritocracy” code for in this country, I wonder.
Between the video of Shaq and Marvin Gaye's classic, yes I am feeling hopeful. Thank you for always creating thoughtful content that moves us from the page to how we comport ourselves in life.
Kareem, thanks for your piece on Asian Americans. Was disappointed in myself, as I try to stay abreast of current events. Could recall businessman/politician, Yang, but not his first name (Andrew); nor Bowen Yang (SNL) or Ken Jeong. B. Yang and Ken are people I watch and love. Just saw Ken’s Netflix special, about 3 weeks ago. Don’t think of Kamala or Dwayne Johnson, as Asian (my ignorance)! So, yes, I have a lot of work to do! Must commit them, and their accomplishments, to memory. Again--THANK YOU!
The bit on abortion reminded me of how my home state of Michigan enshrined abortion rights into the state constitution in November. I wrote about this on an earlier newsletter of yours, but I feel it bears repeating. We've had incredible success in Michigan over the past 5ish years using ballot proposals. In 2018, we voted for independent redistricting, expanded mail-in voting, and cannabis legalization. When midterms came around in 2022, we voted in the first Democrat trifecta in our state government in 40 years. That couldn't have happened without the redistricting. And they've already been hard at work getting things done.
All of that is to say that even states that have been under the thumb of regressive leadership for a long time can make things happen. A few dedicated groups can try to use the voting process to get things done. I hope activists outside of Michigan can learn from what happened here.
Kareem, thank you so much for highlighting some of the good news coming out of my hometown and current place of residence, Gainesville, Florida. We are a beautiful blue sapphire in the midst of a big red sea. Many of us here believe we have a mission to show how people can live differently and better than the malignant neo fascist forces in the rest of the state would have people believe. We will keep fighting the good fight, forever.
The coolest thing about Marvin Gaye is how he introduces the melody so you can always feel it, then for the rest of the song he’s actually freestyling around and above it—perfectly. Nobody does it as well.
A ban on banning books is badly needed in Illinois. I have in my possession a 2018 book about the terrible justice system in Mississippi. Marks on the page edges reveal it was banned from the Jackson County Library, Illinois. Then it ended up with a used book seller. I purchased it recently online. A little digging reveals that Jackson County is essentially white and named after Andrew Jackson who owned hundreds of slaves as President.
Uplifting start to my day