Associated Press is doing it.
Reuters is doing it.
The New York Times is doing it.
In fact, find me a media source in this country that isn't equating the fires in Southern California to Hurricane Katrina.
Here inlies the problem.
This is not a situation in which poor people were unable to evaqate their homes for lack of transportation or access to information. This is a situation in which rich people have been evacuated from their homes, watched them burn down and will have them replaced by fire and homeowners insurance companies.
This is not a situation that was anticipated and not responded to. No, quite to the contrary, more than 6,000 firefighters backed by a squadron of 90 firefighting aircraft, including a DC-10, 25 air tankers and 40 helicopters, were battling the blaze through coordination of local and state government and promises of support if needed from the national level.
This is not a situation in which a huge population of people in an urban setting were thrown into chaos as they watched their homes and their cities sponged off the map. This was a situation that took place in primarily rural outskirts of the metropolitain centers of Southern California.
This is not a situation in which hospital patients were sacraficed and left for dead, thousands were injured, dead or missing, and people were left stranded for days without access to food or water. In this instance, there was an orderly evacuation of nearly half a million people to shelters and places where they will recieve support.
Southern California has four seasons, contrary to popular belief, though they are not winter, spring, summer and fall.
They are fire, earthquake, mudslide, and draught.
The people of Southern California, though still traumatized, surely, have done this before, they will do it again, and unlike the majority of the country, most of them are not really stunned by this fire.
Stop the comparissons people. It cheapens the recent memory of a true American tragedy.
Rest in peace to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Jay-Z is not the richest man in the world
I attended a meeting on Monday of last week in which the procurator asked a group of about 100 people who the richest man in the world is. From the back of the room - as a testament to the education level of the people in this country - there was a loud and confident response: "Jay-Z."
Contrary to popular opinion in West Philadelphia, Jay-Z is not the richest man in the world.
He was however, voted by Forbes Magazine as the richest Hip-hop mogul of 2007.
Using only 2007 gross incomes, Forbes compiled a list of artists. This is not including the majority of residual income collected, liquidable assets or investment capital - it is merely a reflection of what these cats earned last year... and it is still disturbing.
Here was the list:
1. Jay-Z - $34 million : Keep in mind, will you, the majority of Jay-Z'a income is from endorsements and other investmests, no tfrom record sales... which makes him a business man. I think it's also important to note that he didn't spent half of his billions on getting his teeth capped with gold and diamonds.
2. 50 Cent - $32 million : "Fiddy" presides over a business portfolio that includes apparel, ringtones, video games and cheap fiction. Not bad for a guy that knows niether how to spell nor pronounce his own name.
3. Diddy - $28 million: I'm just so sick of this guy and his lavish trips to Dubai.
4. Timbaland - $21 million: I think the majority of his income comes from boot sales or something.
5. Dr. Dre - $20 million: He made $6.2 million on a revolutionary brain transplant that he performed on George W.
6. Eminem - $18 million: His fortune is in the candy industry.
7. Snoop Dogg - $17 million : The sales of the New Merriam-Snoop Dictionary for "the hip-hop afficianados who can't understand the language that the rapper is speaking" have padded Snoop's purse.
8. Kanye West - $17 million : West made a bet that next year his income with quadruple that of 50 Cent. If it doesn't he will get his teeth capped to match Fiddy's.
9. Pharrell Williams - $17 million : Dude just makes awesome shoes.
10. Scott Storch - $17 million : Who? This a-hole is Canadian... I think just for that, Nelly and his Pimp Juice sport's drink should take this slot... because I said so, and because he will hit the $100 million milestone with his clothing line, investment in a basketball ball team and caffine sales within the next 18 months. Might as well make room for him on the list.
11. Ludacris - $16 million : The majority of Luda's wealth is generated from his bad acting, not his bad rapping.
12. T.I. - $16 million : He is invested in the film industry too, but in the "I just opened my own production company" sense. Look for T.I. to be moving into echelons of P-Diddy soon. Hey, maybe he'll even date J-Lo for a while.
13. OutKast - $14 million : When you write, produce, create the two-disc sound track for and star in your own film, there has to be some residual benefit. But I don't think that Forbes was aware that Outkast is comprised of two people... so does that mean that they really only earned $7 million each?
14. Lil Jon - $14 million : Now that's sad... He made $14 million on three words... and Dave Chappelle was the one who made them famous.
15. Ice Cube - $13 million : I thought he was dead.
16. Jermaine Dupri - $12 million : I think Janet could have something to do with this listing... I mean, for real, it never hurts to have a Jackson on your team in any facet... unless you are an 11-year-old boy with cancer and you get invited over for the family Thanksgiving extravaganza.
17. Swizz Beatz - $12 million : Another producer on the list. Puerto Rico represent. He is the best talent scout in the business at the moment... which says very little for his talent.
18. Chamillionaire - $11 million : Krazy Bone put him here. Don't forget it. Holla.
19. The Game - $11 million : You know that salaries are just higher in California.
20. Yung Joc - $10 million : I've got nothin'.
I though it was interesting that there were no women on this list, AND hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was not recognized.
Contrary to popular opinion in West Philadelphia, Jay-Z is not the richest man in the world.
He was however, voted by Forbes Magazine as the richest Hip-hop mogul of 2007.
Using only 2007 gross incomes, Forbes compiled a list of artists. This is not including the majority of residual income collected, liquidable assets or investment capital - it is merely a reflection of what these cats earned last year... and it is still disturbing.
Here was the list:
1. Jay-Z - $34 million : Keep in mind, will you, the majority of Jay-Z'a income is from endorsements and other investmests, no tfrom record sales... which makes him a business man. I think it's also important to note that he didn't spent half of his billions on getting his teeth capped with gold and diamonds.
2. 50 Cent - $32 million : "Fiddy" presides over a business portfolio that includes apparel, ringtones, video games and cheap fiction. Not bad for a guy that knows niether how to spell nor pronounce his own name.
3. Diddy - $28 million: I'm just so sick of this guy and his lavish trips to Dubai.
4. Timbaland - $21 million: I think the majority of his income comes from boot sales or something.
5. Dr. Dre - $20 million: He made $6.2 million on a revolutionary brain transplant that he performed on George W.
6. Eminem - $18 million: His fortune is in the candy industry.
7. Snoop Dogg - $17 million : The sales of the New Merriam-Snoop Dictionary for "the hip-hop afficianados who can't understand the language that the rapper is speaking" have padded Snoop's purse.
8. Kanye West - $17 million : West made a bet that next year his income with quadruple that of 50 Cent. If it doesn't he will get his teeth capped to match Fiddy's.
9. Pharrell Williams - $17 million : Dude just makes awesome shoes.
10. Scott Storch - $17 million : Who? This a-hole is Canadian... I think just for that, Nelly and his Pimp Juice sport's drink should take this slot... because I said so, and because he will hit the $100 million milestone with his clothing line, investment in a basketball ball team and caffine sales within the next 18 months. Might as well make room for him on the list.
11. Ludacris - $16 million : The majority of Luda's wealth is generated from his bad acting, not his bad rapping.
12. T.I. - $16 million : He is invested in the film industry too, but in the "I just opened my own production company" sense. Look for T.I. to be moving into echelons of P-Diddy soon. Hey, maybe he'll even date J-Lo for a while.
13. OutKast - $14 million : When you write, produce, create the two-disc sound track for and star in your own film, there has to be some residual benefit. But I don't think that Forbes was aware that Outkast is comprised of two people... so does that mean that they really only earned $7 million each?
14. Lil Jon - $14 million : Now that's sad... He made $14 million on three words... and Dave Chappelle was the one who made them famous.
15. Ice Cube - $13 million : I thought he was dead.
16. Jermaine Dupri - $12 million : I think Janet could have something to do with this listing... I mean, for real, it never hurts to have a Jackson on your team in any facet... unless you are an 11-year-old boy with cancer and you get invited over for the family Thanksgiving extravaganza.
17. Swizz Beatz - $12 million : Another producer on the list. Puerto Rico represent. He is the best talent scout in the business at the moment... which says very little for his talent.
18. Chamillionaire - $11 million : Krazy Bone put him here. Don't forget it. Holla.
19. The Game - $11 million : You know that salaries are just higher in California.
20. Yung Joc - $10 million : I've got nothin'.
I though it was interesting that there were no women on this list, AND hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was not recognized.
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