Samantha Pierce

Apparently I have joined the ranks of the know nothing old fogeys. I guess some folk just need to reinvent the wheel for themselves.

This was one of those songs from my youth that sparked my interest in world history and politics. It also served to facilitate bonding with my parents. They had lived through so many of the events mentioned in the song. They shared their own impressions of world events with me. Take some time to look back at where we've been and think about where we are going.

As opposed to the "too big to fail" that will indeed fail and therefore needs a bail out to prevent impending disaster. Classic Petra they call themselves. The song is called "Too Big To Fail." God doesn't need a bail out.

Okay so maybe not evil, but certainly an Oh I Wish They Would thought. Wouldn't the Dixie Chicks song Not Ready to Make Nice make a great song for the Tea Party? I mean the sentiments expressed by the Dixie Chicks and the Tea Party are pretty much the same. Neither party is interested in mincing words for the sake of their detractors.

At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phillipians 2:10, 11 A stunningly beautiful collision of cultures. 2000 year old religion, rooted in Judaism, practiced by Asians, in a style developed by the descendants of Africans and Europeans in the North American continent. Fascinating on so many levels.

But it's a smug teary eyed kind of speechless. A you go girl kind of speechless. A you sure did put them in their place speechless. A the world doesn't deserve people like this kind of speechless. A God is good to let us have people like this with us kind of speechless. A don't the rest of y'all feel dumb for writing her off kind of speechless. Susan Boyle rocks the world. Britain's Got Talent: Singing sensation Susan Boyle sang to escape the bullies Susan Boyle, Superstar

Cross posted at Say Anything: Reader blogs . I meant to post this earlier but got sidetracked by life. Early morning, April four Shot rings out in the Memphis sky. Free at last, they took your life They could not take your pride. In the name of love What more in the name of love. In the name of love What more in the name of love. Pride (In The Name Of Love) The Unforgettable Fire U2 A bit inaccurate since King was shot in the evening but haunting none the less. Today is the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in case you were wondering what this is about.

This all started because I wanted to find out what "cheb" meant. As I was poking around the internet I discovered several musicians with "cheb" in their names. I realised that it had to be an assumed title. Eventually I discovered that it means young in Arabic but I also discovered that it meant much more than just that. Many cultures around the world have a tradition of social and political commentary through music. I was born in a place where politicians were weary of the popular musicians. One wrong move and they would be flayed by a skillful lyric. I actually remember singing songs that had been banned because they were critical of the government. The fact that as a six or seven year old I knew the words to the banned songs shows the power of those songs. I'm sure that many of you are familiar with Sting's collaboration with Cheb Mami in 1999 that gave us Desert Rose (YouTube video). For most of North America that was our first exposure to the Algerian f...