shins

The Shins are a great band and I've listened and enjoyed their poppy-wackiness over the years. They also have a knack of making great videos as well and I've featured 3 of them tonight.

1. "New Slang" is the best song The Shins have ever released:


2. "Phantom Limb" is a great song with a history lesson to boot:


3. "Australia" is one of the latest tracks off of their newest album, "Wincing The Night Away". This video cracks me up:

janjaweed

I just finished watching a documentary on the Darfur Genocide in Sudan titled, "The Devil Came on Horseback". This film is the story of Brian Steidle, who spend 6 months as a military observer monitoring the peace process in Sudan during 2004. He collected many stories and photos of the mass killing and raping which is going on in Sudan by the Janjaweed, which interestingly, translates into "devil on a horse".
The film gives a snapshot of the genocide and sadly, a glimpse of yet, another missed opportunity for our country to have stopped genocide in Africa. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell had the courage to at least call the atrocities in Darfur the "G" word. Something the Clinton Administration and Madeline Albright were too cowardly to do during the Rwandan Genocide. Yet, the Bush Administration was to fixated on the mire of Iraq, to do anything significant in Sudan in 2004. And they have yet too...
Please watch:

Educate Yourself:
Sudan Dafur Overview
Darfur Conflict
Darfur Eyewitness: Brian Steidle
Then Act:
Save Darfur
Check your senator's & representative's voting activity regarding Darfur at Darfur Scorecard
Global Grassroots