Idle Speculation Reigns Supreme At BBC

Last night's news had a couple items that were laughable if sobering for the level that supposedly respectable media's fallen to these days.

First was that "hundreds of thousands of Americans took refuge in Canada during the Viet Nam War." statement. Even wikipedia tells us that according to Canadian immigration authorities 20 to 30,000 draft eligible Americans hid out in Canada during the war, and at the same time as many as 30,000 Canadians served in the US Armed forces during the same conflict.

Sounds like a wash to me.

The second item of interest was in predicting an implosion/recession in the US economy because Jay Z, retardo rapper deluxe, has made his latest video "Blue Magic" clutching a fistful of Euros rather than dollars. This, it was theorized, is something of a bellwether.

BBC, are ya listening? Here's your new eeeeeeeeconomic guru.

Personal life

Criminal charges
Jay-Z was accused of stabbing record executive Lance "Un" Riviera for what he perceived was Riviera's bootlegging of Vol 3...Life and Times of S. Carter. The stabbing allegedly occurred at the record release party for Q-Tip's debut solo album Amplified at the Kit Kat Klub, a now defunct night club in Times Square, New York City, on December 9, 1999. Jay-Z's associates at the party were accused of causing a commotion within the club, which Jay-Z allegedly used as cover when he supposedly stabbed Riviera in the stomach with a five-inch blade.[12]

Jay-Z initially denied the incident and pleaded not guilty when a grand jury returned the indictment. Jay-Z and his lawyers contended he was nowhere around Riviera during the incident and they had witnesses and videotape evidence from the club that showed Jay-Z's whereabouts during the disturbance. Nevertheless, he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge which resulted in a sentence of three years probation. The New York Post reported that Jay-Z had bought out Riviera for $600,000 to cease his cooperation with prosecutors, and without the cooperation of the victim, prosecutors had to cut a plea deal that would not interfere with Jay-Z's touring plans. Riviera also dropped a civil suit, where he asked for $40 million.[13]

Jay-Z makes reference to the trial and incident on his songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", off The Blueprint, "Threat," off The Black Album and "Dear Summer", which was included in Memphis Bleek's 2005 release 534.

Rival rapper Cam'ron has since claimed on his song "You Gotta Love It" that Jay-Z had actually "stabbed Him over Charli Baltimore".

You're welcome to him at Bush House, y'all.