 By Samir Shukla
Why worry about a wily virus or economic downturns? Your co-workers, social media trolls or that kid from third grade you laughed at, even someone you consider a friend, may be coming after your reputation. Out of the need for racial justice, sexual and gender equality, diversity expansion and other long-needed niceties, the knives are now being sharpened for even the most mundane of grievances, where purity tests seem ready for every word you utter, every mannerism you display, every bad joke you crack, every drunken silly thing you did in college.  By Samir Shukla
The two-year betrothal is over. President Trump is taking the ball, the net, the whole darn game, and the crowds from Charlotte and will now head to Jacksonville, Florida. After a boxing match with NC Governor Roy Cooper, Trump and the Republican National Committee chose Jacksonville as the last-minute substitute city for the Republican National Convention. Charlotte was chosen as the city for RNC 2020 couple of years back. Now the gears have shifted. Trump wanted a guarantee for a full-on convention with thousands of attendees while Cooper insisted that the status of the virus would dictate attendee levels in August. Neither Cooper nor Trump would budge so the Republicans will hold their convention in two cities. It's risky for RNC, not to mention there are contracts that are being broken. Legal battles are sure to follow. All the preparation done for the convention in Charlotte is now fizzling. Charlotte will retain minimal business, basically one day where some of the delegates will meet, and then the party will move south to Jacksonville, which will host all the speeches, rallies, related events and President Trump's acceptance speech. The RNC is planning a full-fledged convention while the Democratic National Committee is trying to figure out what their convention will look like in Milwaukee. It will likely be mostly virtual, but how they conduct this and create excitement remains to be seen. So, it goes. The weirdest election season rolls on and will end with an unknowable thud in November. Just the Facts, folks A lot of misinformation and disinformation is already flying around, and will only get worse as TV ads crank up as we head into November. Hear something spurious? Something stupid? Something clearly meant to evoke an emotional response but sounds false? Check the reliable fact-checking sites below, which keep tabs on the truthfulness of these commercials as well as other claims made by politicians. Fact check sites: FactCheck.org Snopes.com www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker  By Samir Shukla
The punishment is too much to bear. When you breathe music, you can only hold your breath so long when the music has been silenced. One of my prime enjoyments in life is live music. Yes, we can listen to music anytime, especially in the contemporary era where phones also serve as music players. Music enhances life. Music is not the only thing that can do this, of course, but it is the only true universal language.  By Samir Shukla
Convention Junction. What's Your Function? The organizers for both Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention are gearing up for their upcoming extravaganzas. The matter of a little pandemic is being seen by both parties in different lights. Democrats are thinking they may have to do a smaller convention or possibly even a virtual one. The Republicans are going full steam ahead to hold a convention with thousands of participants. Both conventions are now slated for August, DNC in Milwaukee and RNC in my hometown Charlotte. I will be covering both, either virtually or in person. Let's see what pans out. More on this as it develops. Dear Libertarians Stop it. Please. Stop fielding candidates for president. You are not going to win the office anytime soon. Maybe forget the Senate as well. Put all your marbles, money, and political infrastructure into the House of Representatives. Create a block of Libertarian representatives and then forge a power voice. Also, fine tune your message. It is overtly individualistic and just sounds kooky to the average voter. It simply doesn't resonate with lots of people. Your message of fiscal and military spending responsibility and progressive social agenda fits with most Americans' thinking. But you are lousy in propagating this message. If there is ever going to be a major third party, you can be it, but not the way you currently do things.  By Samir Shukla
Sunny Jain Wild Wild East (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) Sunny Jain, bandleader of Red Baraat, recently released his new solo album, Wild Wild East. Jain is a Brooklyn-based rock and jazz drummer, composer and a master dhol player, ably straddling jazz, bhangra, Punjabi folk and Indian rhythms. His new recording is a mix of instrumentals, dissonant hip hop tracks and spirituals, touched with reflections on immigrants and minority communities. In the liner notes he writes about his visits to India, Jain was born to Indian American parents in Rochester, NY, and recalls his heritage while tapping into the current immigration ethos of America, as well as larger global community. |
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