Madhuri Singh's Blog

Crushing the monopoly of bookstores, one free book at a time

singhm — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:07:07 EST

So there's a site that actually allows students to download their textbooks, and print them out, for free (I guess you pay the cost of printing). Wish I would've had this in undergrad. I loathed my undergrad bookstores for paying me 50 cents for buying back books I paid over $150 for (until I discovered the joy of selling books online).

I especially like their slogan: Liberating textbooks and study aids for students of all financial backgrounds.

The price of books, when compared with the rising costs of tuition (as CP's college affordability campaign can tell you more about), could be considered small, but when you're paying that $600/semester on books out of your student loans, every penny helps.

FEMA responds to "difficult" questioning... from itself

singhm — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 11:11:17 EDT

This is awesome. FEMA is working hard to establish credibility after Hurricane Katrina, and one of their top priorities is looking good, no matter what it takes. So, to discuss their response to the California fires, they held a press conference closed to all reporters (they could dial in) and open to their employees... acting as reporters. In other words - a staged press conference.

Check it.

My favorite line?

"It was absolutely a bad decision. I regret it happened. Certainly . . . I should have stopped it," said John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of external affairs. "I hope readers understand we're working very hard to establish credibility and integrity, and I would hope this does not undermine it." [emphasis added]

Oh FEMA. The public absolutely loves you now.

GhettoFab!

singhm — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 11:11:16 EDT

I haven't been back to blog for awhile, but if you don't read ColorLines magazine, either in print or online, I recommend you check it out. They also have a great blog, RaceWire (notable bloggers for them include Adrienne Marie Brown, Jeff Chang, and Andrea Batista Schlesinger)

The latest issue had a particularly relevant article to CP this month: "The Rise of the Ghetto-Fabulous Party" - about the increasing number of parties where students come in blackface and/or come depicting offensive racial stereotypes toward Blacks and Latinos. CP's own blog had a number of posts denouncing these parties, and I like ColorLine's article that examines the recent rise of these parties.

At the University of Michigan, a "Pimps and Hoes"-themed party was ridiculously popular. What's the update on your campus?

Yo Connerly, Listen Up

singhm — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:10:48 EDT

Today's the anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. If you've gone through life without ever having heard or read the entire speech (which is very possible, since we usually only hear 2 lines in most public school systems), I recommend you check it out.

Ward Connerly and his minions often try to appropriate Dr. King's words to criticize affirmative action, citing the famous line, "I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

But, if Dr. King were alive today, he'd likely be horrified at the continued attacks on affirmative action, through premeditated state-by-state ballot initiatives and conservative activism on college campuses, such as the infamous "affirmative action bake sales" across the nation. Connerly continues the fight in a number of new states, and in the next year, your state could be next. Campus Progress is working with college students to make sure that you're prepared to fight back, and through action grants, events, and trainings. If you're interested in learning more on how Campus Progress can work with you to keep Dr. King's dream alive, email campus@campusprogress.org

Discrimination: I'm Lovin' It

singhm — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:13:49 EDT

So, in other news, a Rockford, IL woman who was born with a genetic disorder was denied service at a McDonald's drive-thru. Her disorder results in no arms, and, as a result, she does almost everything with her feet. When she tried to pick up the food at the drive-thru with her feet, the employees were disgusted by her and didn't want to give her the food. She was humiliated, and her son was ultimately given the food by the manager.

McDonald's response? They sent her a $10 gift certificate... which she probably can't use herself. Awesome.

Incarcerex - an alternative to Viagra

singhm — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:47:07 EDT

Just saw this awesome spot by the Drug Policy Alliance, which parodies the so-called War on Drugs with a drug called Incarcerex. My personal favorite is the polling arrow/blatant phallic symbol, if you're looking for a good laugh.

The Tempered Radical... or "sell-out"

singhm — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:11:51 EDT

Jesse just wrote a great article for CP.org, which got me to revisit a topic that I love discussing: the idea of selling out.

I graduated with a degree in business (from a pretty pretentious B-school) and am now working for a non-profit... kind of the opposite track this book suggests (and from most expectations). But I think it was a desire to get that pragmatic education and bring a different skill set to my future work with non-profits, which I knew I'd eventually work with.

CosmoGirl finds us!

singhm — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:47:03 EDT

We here at Campus Progress have been popular with a demographic that includes artists, grassroots activists, public policy majors, young wonks, and journalists. And our readership ranges from young college students to a slightly older age range that includes professors and professionals. We also take pride in reaching out to anyone and everyone who could take an interest in progressive politics. But I think all of us were pretty excited, and surprised, when we heard CosmoGirl did a blog post about the 2007 Campus Progress National Student Conference.

I'm thinking Speaker Pelosi was a draw for the magazine, aimed at young women, to do a write-up (if you missed her, or the conference, watch streaming video of the sessions here). Either way - we appreciate the shout-out, and hope CosmoGirl readers can look up to Speaker Pelosi as a great role model and use her as inspiration to make a difference in their communities by getting involved with grassroots organizing, journalism, and public policy. Plus, if they head over to Campus Progress, we've got Ryan Gosling too.

How many Boyz start a war?

singhm — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:13:50 EDT

How many no money boyz are crazy
How many boyz are raw?
How many no money boyz are rowdy
How many start a war?

The latest lyrics from M.I.A.'s song Boyz on her upcoming album Kala (hear it on her MySpace page). Since one of my interns just told me that all I blogged about for 2 months was MIA, I figured one more couldn't hurt (and I didn't really want to break the streak). I'm a fan of this song, especially that last line. There's really not a whole lot else to mention - my previous posts on MIA seem to say it all.

Bring em back home

singhm — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:51:46 EDT

I discovered hip hop duo Blue Scholars back in college, when they performed on my campus and I heard a couple of their songs (my favorites include Blink and Motion Movement off their first, self-titled album). If you haven't heard them - they're a big deal on the West Coast (they're from Seattle), and sadly undiscovered by the rest of the U.S., though pretty well known by a lot of Asian-Americans.

I was just emailed a link to their latest music video for their song Back Home on their new album, Bayani. Back Home is a heartbreaking anti-war hip-hop song about the need to bring our troops back home, out of this endless, needless war. Check it out - I'm not one for emotional films or videos, but this one was particularly well done and really made an impact.

It hits home the Campus Progress, and general progressive movement, message of Support Our Troops, Bring 'em Home. If you don't already know about the work that we're doing, check out our Iraq Action Camp and also our Iraq Lobby Day in association with the National Student Conference - all are this summer, and all offer travel scholarships for you to come out to DC and end this war.

Proof that our prison systems still need a TON of work

singhm — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:39:28 EDT

For those on the right who believe that all is equal in America, check out how a wealthy heiress gets a get-out-of-jail-free card... sorry Paris, but since when did Pinkberry cravings qualify as a health condition? Rumor has it she went on a "hunger strike"... right. No wonder our rates of incarceration are so skewed toward minorities in inner-cities (obviously, in addition to a number of other horribly screwed up systemic inequalities).

Forbes '08 Tracker - better than impartial polls

singhm — Wed, 16 May 2007 22:39:36 EDT

Now, the media doesn't even have to pretend to be impartial. It can be pretty openly sexist - or at least, that's what popped into my head when I first stumbled upon Forbes mag's "08 Tracker" which, paired with E-Poll Market Research, claims to know which candidates are the "most aggressive" or "most trustworthy" or "most handsome." (Can women even be considered for that last category? Ladies, I think I'd kick someone who called me handsome, no?)

Anyway, what I love love love is that Clinton got "most aggressive." Forbes, the magazine of the business world, of course must reserve the word aggressive for a woman who is trying to make some barriers in a man's world. As a former business school student, it's frustrating to continually see women have to take a backseat (unless, of course, they need to hire a couple of women to save face and put someone on their website on the diversity page) or risk being called "too aggressive." I remember two of my peers, one male and one female, having the exact same characteristics. Raising their hands in class every 2 minutes, taking the lead on all their projects, and generally being "that kid." Any guesses on who got away with it, and labeled an all-star, and which one got the tag of annoying and whiny?

Just sayin. It's not easy being a woman in a man's world (especially when that world is business or politics... thank Forbes for reminding me of that).

Huge day for hate crimes

singhm — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:34:55 EDT

Since 1991, more than 100,000 hate crimes have been committed, and in 2005, there were over 1,000 committed based on victims' sexual orientation.

But, as this excerpt from the HRC states, we still have a long way to go:

However, under current law, the federal government is not able to help in cases where women, gay, transgender or disabled Americans are victims of bias-motivated crimes for who they are. [emphasis added] For example, in Texas, in July 2005, four men brutally assaulted a gay man. While punching and kicking him, whipping him with a vacuum chord and assaulting him with daggers, the offenders told the victim that they attacked him because he was gay. Two of the men were sentenced to six years in prison under a plea bargain that dropped the charges that could have sent them to prison for life. Under this bill, federal authorities would have had the jurisdiction to prosecute the crime or could have provided local authorities resources that might have assisted them in pursuing a longer sentence.

There's no better way to let you know about the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act (H.R. 1592) than to redirect you to LCCR's quick rundown about this key legislation that is being decided *today.*

So, pull out that cell phone and call: 202-224-3121 and let your Representative know that you want to protect the civil rights of all Americans.

(And if you need something to get you riled up enough to take action... check out this infuriating page from the Traditional Values Coalition)

Come out AND have babies

singhm — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 13:29:00 EDT

Scientists say female-female conception IS possible.

How long til the right catches wind of this and bans any possible testing to prove it true?

Fusion music and rip-off culture

singhm — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:08:00 EDT

For those of you who associate Timbaland with Nelly Furtado or Justin Timberlake, here's something new.

As the resident MIA-obsessed Campus Progress staffer, I encourage you to check out MIA and Timbaland's Come Around (sadly, not on the US-release - just UK... Americans never get the cool stuff). I love MIA (in an almost creepy sort of way, but oh well). But, though I also love Timbaland as a producer, I have heard a lot of interesting things about how and where he gets his beats and samplings from, without giving credit to independent artists (which he, and a ton of other record producers, have done in the past).

For this song, in particular, there's a good minute, spliced up, that's been ripped from an older Bollywood song (another thing you should know about me is my completely irrational obsession with Bollywood). I wouldn't be surprised if they're not getting any portion of the profits - the same thing happened with Dr. Dre-produced Addictive by Rakim and Truth Hurts (oh, and don't even get me started on the obnoxious exoticizing of India in that video). The Indian producer got wind of it (with it being an internationally successful song, playing obviously on MTV India... idiots), and sued Dr. Dre, accusing him of "cultural imperialism."

The lawsuit wasn't publicized at all, and I wonder how many people just think Dre is so creative and came up with it all by himself. I only heard about the whole lawsuit because my best friend's grandfather was the director of the Bollywood film (Jyoti) that the song (Kaliyon Ka Chaman) was originally in, and he was involved in the lawsuit. (And, weird tidbit - the huge popularity of Addictive led Indian music producers to remix the song into catchy, but strange and confusing turnaround of the song with American beats in the back and a horribly embarrasing rip-off of the video - sort of the opposite of Addictive. Maybe it's just a music industry thing across the world. They just love ripping-off each other?)

Anyway, maybe the MIA song is a different case. I just can't imagine her ripping off her people like that. But, maybe it's just my starry eyes that blind me from the corruption of giant music industries and record production. What's original anymore?

Maya's back, though they won't let her in

singhm — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 18:54:09 EST

M.I.A. has come out with another song, Bird Flu, if you haven't already heard the awesome news. Check it out on her MySpace site now. I've been eagerly awaiting something since Arular and Piracy Funds Terrorism - her first two albums. (If you don't already know I'm *obsessed* with this kick-ass Londoner by Sri Lanka -"educated but a refugee still am"- female artist, whose full name is Maya Arulpragasam).

For those of you non-fans out there, she wasn't allowed into the U.S. when she was scheduled to come and work with Timberland - not sure if it was visa problems or her lyrics (which include "George Bush doin takeover" - probably one of her less controversial lines) and politics (her father was a Tamil Tiger).

She quickly gained a South Asian and indie cult-like following after Galang became famous (though I don't think it's her best) and her collabs with then-boyfriend Diplo (yeah, they just broke up, in late '06) have added funk. In Bird Flu, she knocks critics, major record labels and alludes to her breakup with Diplo.

This post isn't about anything superpolitical, except to alert the masses that M.I.A. is back. Bird Flu features some amazing dhol (Indian drum) beats, and she's posted the video on her MySpace page, via YouTube. (If you're having problems loading, like I was, try her website). The video is a crazy mix of my favorite sights and sounds of South Asia - the nitty-gritty - and make me miss it like whoa. And if you haven't already heard XR2 Turbo, it'll make you want to start dancing as soon as you hit play, in a weird, entranced sort of way.

Today, I got an email asking about artists that have become famous through MySpace. And I interviewed Talib with some other CP colleagues - he referred to using the web as a way to get your music out (look out for the 5 Minutes With coming out soon!). Do you think there will ever be a time when giant media moguls like Clear Channel, BET, and MTV are eventually shoved out by independent artists using the web as a great promotional tool?

Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes

singhm — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:53:48 EST

This Tuesday, I traveled to L.A. with David Halperin (Director of Campus Progress) and Keisha Senter (Speakers Bureau Manager) to attend the Campus Progress L.A. film screening and discussion of Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a hard-hitting look at the portrayal of masculinity in hip-hop and how it particularly relates to misogyny and homophobia. The director, Byron Hurt, uses on-the-ground footage, such as spitting battles on the courtyard to BET's Spring Bling, and interviews with artists including Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Mos Def and De La Soul. Following the screening was a very in-depth (and rather star-studded) discussion moderated by Professor Regina Freer (of Occidental College), with Byron Hurt (the director), Keith Brown (Executive Vice-President of BET), recording artists Talib Kweli, M-1 (of Dead Prez fame) and Yo-Yo. There were well over 400 people attending the screening and panel discussion; the theater was filled to capacity with an overflow room showing the film on a television for those we couldn't accommodate inside.

The film was great; Hurt offers his perspective as a fan of hip-hop who is disappointed with the way hip-hop culture is portrayed in the media and examines why violence and sexually explicit lyrics are perpetuated by young men. He picks apart mainstream music outlets, including BET. He questions major artists like Busta and 50 Cent on their view of homosexuality and why a man must be “manly” to succeed in hip-hop, and juxtaposes their answers with younger men who are auditioning for a record deal or just rapping with one another on the street. You leave the film riled up – in a good way – to challenge and break the cycle; is it the media, the consumers or the artists that should be questioning why women are sex objects in rap videos?

After the jump – more on the panel discussion and some pictures from SoCal.

Punxsutawney Phil Gives Shoutout to Global Warming

singhm — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 10:38:26 EST

Happy Groundhog Day!

Looks like spring is going to be coming early this year, thanks to the weather-predicting, super-famous Punxsutawney Phil (ever wonder what PETA has to say about this holiday?).

Anyway, Phil gave a little shoutout to global warming, though in the slightly disturbing way that most Americans have thought about the freakishly warm weather we had earlier this winter. ("I know I'm supposed to dislike global warming, but I could get used to 60 degree weather in December on the East Coast!")

Forget the Devil, Pelosi wears Prada

singhm — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:33:56 EST

Mother Jones has a great blog post about MSNBC's weird running ticker about the cost of Nancy Pelosi's outfit. What makes it weirder is that the "fact" may not even be true.

I'm actually really torn right now. I completely perpetuate this whole societal "check out what she's wearing" syndrome - I contribute to E!'s mother-daughter tag team (don't tell me you don't know Joan and Melissa), who rip apart or swoon over celeb wear after every major red carpet event. I flipped through online photos the day after the Golden Globes to see the best and worst dressed.

And I will admit it - I was happy to see a woman who looks good and has a pretty fabulous wardrobe while working on the Hill. Especially when she is 3rd in line to be president. But, what I am not happy about is the fact that we can't seem to stop talking about Congresswoman Pelosi's fashion sense. Yes, she dresses well. Do a double take (because it doesn't happen that often in DC - male or female) and then move on. Because she's doing much cooler things than dressing well.

It's completely sexist to dwell on her looks, as if she's just a little Barbie doll with nothing substantial to say. Why aren't men in Washington treated similarly? What infuriates me more is speculation over what she's wearing or how much it costs. Yes, if the article is true (which it may not even be), it's horrifying that her suit costs more than the average American home. But I don't recall coming across a single article that points out how much our dear Dubya spends on his suits, even when Pelosi generally has much more substantial things to say than him.

I guess it's baby steps. First you get a woman as Speaker. Then you get them to take her seriously. And then you work your way toward fair news coverage.

No Surge/Escalation - slogan?

singhm — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:23:54 EST

Okay readers. We here at Campus Progress need your help. What do you think would be an eye-catching, hard-hitting slogan that symbolizes how much we hate this surge?