By Black Is
September 7, 2011
http://www.blackisonline.com/2011/09/50-indispensable-african-american-novels
Every year, the literati makes a bit of progress when it comes to recognizing the contributions of individuals who aren’t (mostly) dead, straight white men. While full equality has yet to completely gel on syllabi the world over, overall, the future looks positive for minority, female and LGBTQIA authors. But the history of emphasizing the extremely narrow, yet prevailing, cultural hegemony means readers have a right fair amount of catching up to do! Some amazing books, many with literary, social and/or historical significance, never really received the mainstream attention they deserved. More than 50 amazing novels by African-American authors exist beyond these. The ones listed here were picked based on general consensus, an eye for genre diversity and a desire to make sure some highly important reads don’t entirely flounder in obscurity. Books are, of course, highly subjective. So taking offense to any exclusions or inclusions isn’t really going change much of anything. Just try to have fun and not think too hard about how a specific author or book received no recognition. It doesn’t mean they have nothing to say, just that there wasn’t enough space to mention everyone.
1.Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave(1845) by Frederick Douglass
Though a memoir rather than a fiction novel, Frederick Douglass’ first person account of his tragic slave experiences is as influential, essential and historically significant as it is provocative.
2.Clotel: Or, The President’s Daughter (1853) by William Wells Brown
William Wells Brown broke down a significant social barrier when he became the very first African-American man to publish a novel. Inspired by his own time as a slave, Clotel: Or, The President’s Daughter focuses not only on the humiliation and cruelty of forced servitude, but issues regarding mixed-race individuals as well.
3.Our Nig(1859) by Harriet E. Wilson
Volatile politics prevented this essential read from really taking off — a tragedy, as it certainly promoted awareness of the tortures and attitudes both slaves and the newly-freed encountered before, during and after the Civil War.
4.Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) by Harriet Jacobs
Many consider Harriet Jacobs’ fictionalized version of her incredibly real experiences a forerunner of feminist literature because of its blunt portrayal and protests of the sexual abuse often heaped upon slave women.
5.The Marrow of Tradition (1901) by Charles W. Chestnutt
With one foot in actual events and another in the fictional realm, The Marrow of Tradition traces the growth of the white supremacist movement and its role in instigating violent race riots.
6.The Uncalled (1901) by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Here, an incredibly celebrated poet turns his attention towards long-form prose for the very first time, dissecting spiritual matters through a fictional, thoroughly conflicted minister.
7.Up From Slavery (1901) by Booker T. Washington
As one can probably assume from the title, this autobiography reveals how the influential, essential desegregationist started life as a Civil War slave child and eventually ended up a praised academic and activist.
8.Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912) by James Weldon Johnson
The unnamed narrator of this exceedingly thought-provoking novel is a biracial man caught between wanting to live life as an African-American or a Caucasian — and given the time period, he can’t exactly split the difference.
9.Cane (1923) by Jean Toomer
In a series of lyrical, experimental modernist vignettes, Jean Toomer peered into a wide range of African-American perspectives and experiences, not content to only tell one side of the community’s broad history.
10.The Blacker the Berry (1929) by Wallace Thurman
This book examines the phenomenon of black-on-black discrimination, in which more lighter-skinned individuals actively make life hell for their darker peers.
11.Not Without Laughter (1930) by Langston Hughes
While Harlem Renaissance juggernaut Langston Hughes primarily made a name for himself as a poet, his first novel deserves reading and analysis as well. The narrative centers around African-American life in Kansas City, where its marginalized characters strive to emulate Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois despite social setbacks, challenges and pressures.
12.Their Eyes Were Watching God(1937) by Zora Neale Hurston
One of the most beloved American novels follows protagonist Janie Crawford through three very different marriages and shows how they ultimately transformed her into a strong, self-assured woman.
13.Native Son (1940) by Richard Wright
Set in Chicago’s ultraviolent South Side, Richard Wright’s Native Son explores the origins and motivations behind some unfortunate stereotypes of African-American males.
14.If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945) by Chester Himes
Despite professional progress thanks to union efforts, Africa-American dockworkers still dealt with racist words and actions — even from men beneath them on the chain of command.
15.The Street (1946) by Ann Petry
In Harlem, a single mother with a Benjamin Franklin obsession attempts to secure a comfortable life for herself and her son despite crushing poverty and the ever-looking threat of violence.
16.The Living is Easy (1948) by Dorothy West
As World War I rages on, an upper-class African-American family try to maintain their social standing and even go so far as to play one-upsmanship with each other.
17.Invisible Man (1952) by Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison became the very first African-American novelist to win the National Book Award, lauded for over half a century thanks to this volatile look at marginalization, Marxism, racial identity and their myriad intersections.
18.Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953) by James Baldwin
Channeling the author’s own personal experiences, Go Tell It on the Mountainadroitly reflects all the sterling positives and disconcerting negatives about the role Christianity plays in the African-American community.
19.South Street (1954) by William Gardner Smith
Growing up in an economically depressed, violent Philadelphia slum inspired William Gardner Smith to pen what many believe to be one of the first militant protest novels of the early (if not slightly pre-) Civil Rights era.
20.I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings(1969) by Maya Angelou
The beloved poet’s simultaneously heartwrenching and inspiring autobiography may be nonfiction, but still reads like a thoroughly gripping, achingly intimate bildungsroman novel.
21.Sounder (1969) by William H. Armstrong
This young adult novel is perfect for parents and children to share. While the setting and many of the characters (aside from the eponymous dog) remain ambiguous, the story of a sharecropping family’s increasingly desperation certainly stirs up plenty of emotions and discussions.
22.Mama Black Widow (1970) by Iceberg Slim
As an African-American homosexual, central figure Otis Tilson finds himself marginalized and ostracized on two completely different fronts — an overarching social climate which forces him into the unfortunate urban underbelly.
23.The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971) by Ernest J. Gaines
The central figure herself may not be an actual woman, but her terrifying life as a slave girl certainly pulled from reality. Ernest J. Gaines used one of his most famous novels to explore the Civil War through one of its most silenced demographics — African-American women.
24.Never Die Alone (1974) by Donald Goines
Ruthless, controversial and more than slightly shocking, Never Die Alone pulled from the author’s own experiences on the street and exposed the terrifying criminal world of drug dealers.
25.Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976) by Alex Haley
In this famous, essential narrative, author Alex Haley traces his heritage all the way to the memorable Kunta Kinte — an African captured and forced into slavery in 18th century America. Many dispute the veracity, but that still doesn’t detract from the book’s sheer power.
26.Entwined Destinies (1980) by Elsie B. Washington
Not all readers care for the romance genre, and most beneath that description probably won’t land on too many English syllabi anytime soon. But Entwined Destinies is actually an historically significant book, considered the first romance novel catering to African-American interests and launching an entire subgenre in the process.
27.The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker
During the great depression, a poor, abused and illiterate African-American finds solace in the arms of a bombastic singer devoted to helping her discover and voice her own needs and wants.
28.Betsey Brown (1985) by Ntozake Shange
Betsey Brown takes place in 1957, shortly after public schools became desegregated and other social, political and economic movements meant to further equality started initiating radical change.
29.Beloved (1987) by Toni Morrison
1988's Pulitzer winner for Fiction delves deeply into how slavery (and escapes from slavery) psychologically impacts individuals and families alike — and the ways in which the North wasn’t exactly a paradise for the formerly bonded, as many still sadly assume.
30.Mama Day (1988) by Gloria Naylor
Fans of supernatural elements in their fiction might want to pick up Mama Day, which sees a married couple traumatized by bizarre events possibly perpetuated by their island home’s fierce matriarch.
31.Devil in a Blue Dress (1990) by Walter Mosley
Hardboiled PI Easy Rawlins made his first of many celebrated appearances in this noir mystery about how he launched his unexpected detective career.
32.Middle Passage (1990) by Charles Johnson
Step aboard an illegal slave ship, where a newly-freed man winds up in an arranged marriage and suffers beneath the crushing heel of a cruel captain – eventually finding himself embroiled in a mutiny.
33.Billy (1993) by Albert French
At the height of segregation and racial upheaval in Mississippi, 10-year-old Billy Lee ends up imprisoned and executed for murdering a little white girl.
34.In Search of Satisfaction (1994) by J. California Cooper
Greed, family, community and more collide in one struggling Southern town, where a pair of sisters have to come to grips with memories of their calculating father.
35.The Between (1995) by Tananarive Due
Horror, sci-fi and mystery buffs might want to pick up this Bram Stoker Award nominee, which melts genres together and tells the tale of a man gaining the ability to phase through time.
36.Coffee Will Make You Black(1995) by April Sinclair
Jean Stevenson, April Sinclair’s youthful protagonist, faces universal adolescent and unique sociological challenges as an African-American girl in a 1960s Chicago ghetto.
37.The Color of Love (1995) by Sandra Kitt
Far, far more than "just a love story," The Color of Love is one of the rare novels bluntly addressing the hardships of interracial dating — even today, such weighty (and, for some families, still controversial) subjects are hardly ever explored.
38.The Cattle Killing (1996) by John Edgar Wideman
The 1997 James Fenimore Cooper Prize winner for Best Historical Fiction sees a young African-American minister growing more and more traumatized and questioning during Philadelphia’s tragic outbreak of yellow fever in 1793.
39.Push (1996) by Sapphire
Illiterate, pregnant for the second time via her father’s horrific rape and victimized by a monster of a psychologically and physically abusive mother, a determined teenage girl decides she needs a far better life for her and her children.
40.And This Too Shall Pass (1997) by E. Lynn Harris
A professional quarterback finds himself falsely accused of rape as he attempts to make sense of his burgeoning homosexuality. E. Lynn Harris very bravely touches upon the myriad social ills and discriminations gay young African-American men must stare down on a daily basis.
41.Friends and Lovers (1997) by Eric Jerome Dickey
Lives of four Los Angeles-based men and women intertwine, with plenty of drama, romance, tragedy, triumph and laughter to engage a wide audience.
42.Parable of the Talents (1998) by Octavia E. Butler
The Nebula Award-winning sequel toParable of the Sower takes readers to a postapocalyptic United States, where religious fundamentalists wage a nasty war on anyone disagreeing with them.
43.Monster (1999) by Walter Dean Myers
Despite catering to a young adult audience, even adults can enjoy Monster‘s provocative narrative about a boy on trial for robbery and murder — crimes he’s not entirely certain he committed.
44.A Day Late and a Dollar Short(2001) by Terry McMillan
Terry McMillan writes of a crumbling marriage, the couple at its center and their troubled children with considerable punch and a hefty amount of drama.
45.Gabriel’s Story (2001) by David Anthony Durham
Gabriel’s Story earned considerable awards and accolades for its epic tale of a young man tired of Kansas homesteading who heads out West in search of adventure.
46.John Henry Days (2001) by Colson Whitehead
During the titular celebration, a journalist starts unearthing various narratives behind the real John Henry in order to piece together a portrait of American history.
47.The Known World (2003) by Edward P. Jones
This impressively-decorated (The Pulitzer and National Book Critics Circle Award, among others) debut novel takes readers to Virginia, where all the different perspectives regarding slavery and ownership receive a thorough dissection.
48.The Untelling (2005) by Tayari Jones
Family tragedy, the heartbreaking news of early menopause and mounting envy of a pregnant teenager pockmark a young Atlanta woman’s dramatic life.
49.Upstate (2006) by Kalisha Buckhanon
A tender, tragic love blossoms between a young man imprisoned for murder and his contemporary from a nearby Harlem apartment. As one can expect, their lives end up taking entirely different paths, chronicled in their correspondence with one another.
50.Incognegro (2008) by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece
A fair-skinned African-American reporter goes undercover as a white man in order to investigate some nauseating lynchings — one of which potentially involves his very own brother, accused of a murder he may or may not have even committed.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Recognize Palestine AND Re-Affirm Israel as a Jewish State
Obama and UN: Recognize Palestine AND Re-affirm Israel’s Right to Exist as a Jewish State
Rabbi Michael Lerner
September 14, 2011
http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/recognize-palestine-and-re-affirm-israel-as-a-jewish-state
American and Israeli diplomats acknowledge that they do not have the votes to prevent the General Assembly of the United Nations from recognizing Palestine and granting it some of the rights of member states. The U.S. can block full membership only by exercising its veto in the Security Council, an act likely to intensify hatred of the U.S. in many countries around the world.
A far wiser strategy is for the U.S. (even better, with Israel) to introduce a resolution to the Security Council providing full membership in the U.N. to Palestine while simultaneously reaffirming Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. Both sides win. Israel will feel less isolated, and Palestinians will get full instead of the only partial and largely symbolic membership in the U.N. it could get from the General Assembly once the U.S. vetoes membership in a Security Council resolution.
The resolution should make clear that this recognition is contingent on both Palestine and Israel respecting the rights of all its citizens and offering them equal protection under the law, and not imposing any religious practices on any of its citizens. Calling Israel a Jewish state does not mean sanctioning existing forms of discrimination that currently exist there against Palestinians, or against its own secular majority which currently suffers from religious coercion by the Orthodox minority (which gets its way because it has enough votes in the Knesset for the major parties to need the religious groups in any coaliton government secular parties might hope to put together).
The primary concern that Palestinians have voiced about calling Israel a Jewish state is the fear that this would a. validate the right of Israel to continue to discriminate against its Arab citizens in housing, employment, education and allocations to Israel’s municipalities, and b. close the door to the Palestinian “right of return.”
The primary concern that the U.S. has voiced about supporting Palestinian membership is that doing so might end any inclination by Palestinians to engage in negotiations with Israel.
The resolution that the U.S. should introduce could deal with these concerns, using the following formulations:
We call upon both Israel and Palestine to give equal rights in protection, employment, voting, housing, education, health, and all other government-supported activities and programs to all their minority citizens.We call upon Israel and Palestine to negotiate (in a spirit of open-heartedness, generosity and understanding that both sides’ well-being is intrinsically tied to the well-being of the other side and the other side’s perception that it is being dealt with respectfully and justly) a lasting peace, to affirm each other’s right to exist, and, to make territorial swaps of equivalent territory and strategic and economic value — based on the pre-1967 border of Israel, as part of creating borders agreed upon by both sides.
Once an agreement has been reached between Israel and Palestine, we call upon all other states in the region to recognize and create warm relationships with Israel and Palestine and to take necessary steps toward the creation of a Middle East common market.
Nothing in this resolution is meant to determine the detailed outcome of those negotiations or to take a stand beyond previous U.N. resolutions on how to best deal with the legitimate security needs of Israel or the best way to end the suffering of Palestinian refugees.
Israel was the first affirmative action state, recognized by the United Nations primarily out of a global recognition that the Jewish people had faced extraordinary persecution through much of the past two thousand years, culminating in the Holocaust. Its policy of giving a special right of return and special rights to immigrant housing is a legitimate response to the vulnerability the Jewish people continue to face in light of continuing hatred of Jews based on prejudicial views of who Jews are and what we stand for.
But that affirmative action should not extend to treating Palestinian citizens of Israel in discriminatory ways in any other respect except immigration. Israel can continue to privilege Jewish culture and history, while encouraging its citizens to also learn Arabic and supporting its Muslim and Christian minorities to celebrate their own holidays and teaching their cultures in Israeli schools, as well.
Similarly, the Palestinian state that is now emerging should be recognized as an affirmation action state, recognized by the United Nations before it has control over any territory of its own as a way to alleviate the special suffering of the Palestinian people. It should have a special right of return and special rights to immigrant housing for Palestinians living anywhere in the world in light of the suffering that Palestinian refugees have faced under occupation by Israel and in Arab countries which have often treated Palestinians in harsh and discriminatory ways.
Why not turn this moment into a victory for both the Israeli and Palestinian people, and one in which the U.S. emerges as a hero rather than a villain?
Rabbi Michael Lerner
September 14, 2011
http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/recognize-palestine-and-re-affirm-israel-as-a-jewish-state
American and Israeli diplomats acknowledge that they do not have the votes to prevent the General Assembly of the United Nations from recognizing Palestine and granting it some of the rights of member states. The U.S. can block full membership only by exercising its veto in the Security Council, an act likely to intensify hatred of the U.S. in many countries around the world.
A far wiser strategy is for the U.S. (even better, with Israel) to introduce a resolution to the Security Council providing full membership in the U.N. to Palestine while simultaneously reaffirming Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. Both sides win. Israel will feel less isolated, and Palestinians will get full instead of the only partial and largely symbolic membership in the U.N. it could get from the General Assembly once the U.S. vetoes membership in a Security Council resolution.
The resolution should make clear that this recognition is contingent on both Palestine and Israel respecting the rights of all its citizens and offering them equal protection under the law, and not imposing any religious practices on any of its citizens. Calling Israel a Jewish state does not mean sanctioning existing forms of discrimination that currently exist there against Palestinians, or against its own secular majority which currently suffers from religious coercion by the Orthodox minority (which gets its way because it has enough votes in the Knesset for the major parties to need the religious groups in any coaliton government secular parties might hope to put together).
The primary concern that Palestinians have voiced about calling Israel a Jewish state is the fear that this would a. validate the right of Israel to continue to discriminate against its Arab citizens in housing, employment, education and allocations to Israel’s municipalities, and b. close the door to the Palestinian “right of return.”
The primary concern that the U.S. has voiced about supporting Palestinian membership is that doing so might end any inclination by Palestinians to engage in negotiations with Israel.
The resolution that the U.S. should introduce could deal with these concerns, using the following formulations:
We call upon both Israel and Palestine to give equal rights in protection, employment, voting, housing, education, health, and all other government-supported activities and programs to all their minority citizens.We call upon Israel and Palestine to negotiate (in a spirit of open-heartedness, generosity and understanding that both sides’ well-being is intrinsically tied to the well-being of the other side and the other side’s perception that it is being dealt with respectfully and justly) a lasting peace, to affirm each other’s right to exist, and, to make territorial swaps of equivalent territory and strategic and economic value — based on the pre-1967 border of Israel, as part of creating borders agreed upon by both sides.
Once an agreement has been reached between Israel and Palestine, we call upon all other states in the region to recognize and create warm relationships with Israel and Palestine and to take necessary steps toward the creation of a Middle East common market.
Nothing in this resolution is meant to determine the detailed outcome of those negotiations or to take a stand beyond previous U.N. resolutions on how to best deal with the legitimate security needs of Israel or the best way to end the suffering of Palestinian refugees.
Israel was the first affirmative action state, recognized by the United Nations primarily out of a global recognition that the Jewish people had faced extraordinary persecution through much of the past two thousand years, culminating in the Holocaust. Its policy of giving a special right of return and special rights to immigrant housing is a legitimate response to the vulnerability the Jewish people continue to face in light of continuing hatred of Jews based on prejudicial views of who Jews are and what we stand for.
But that affirmative action should not extend to treating Palestinian citizens of Israel in discriminatory ways in any other respect except immigration. Israel can continue to privilege Jewish culture and history, while encouraging its citizens to also learn Arabic and supporting its Muslim and Christian minorities to celebrate their own holidays and teaching their cultures in Israeli schools, as well.
Similarly, the Palestinian state that is now emerging should be recognized as an affirmation action state, recognized by the United Nations before it has control over any territory of its own as a way to alleviate the special suffering of the Palestinian people. It should have a special right of return and special rights to immigrant housing for Palestinians living anywhere in the world in light of the suffering that Palestinian refugees have faced under occupation by Israel and in Arab countries which have often treated Palestinians in harsh and discriminatory ways.
Why not turn this moment into a victory for both the Israeli and Palestinian people, and one in which the U.S. emerges as a hero rather than a villain?
Miller Buys Foster's
From Business Week:
SABMiller Plc clinched Foster’s Group Ltd. with a sweetened A$9.9 billion ($10.2 billion) offer for Australia’s biggest brewer after three months of pursuit.
The U.K. company will pay A$5.10 a share in cash for the Melbourne-based brewer, SABMiller said today in a statement. The offer was previously for A$4.90 minus dividend payments.
The purchase will be the biggest ever by SABMiller and give it access to about half of the Australian beer market.
SABMiller’s initial attempts to nab the maker of Victoria Bitter were rebuffed by Foster’s management as undervaluing the brewer, one of the world’s most profitable...
SABMiller to Buy Foster’s After Raising Bid to A$9.9 Billion
Clementine Fletcher
September 21, 2011
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-09-21/sabmiller-to-buy-foster-s-after-raising-bid-to-a-9-9-billion.html
SABMiller Plc clinched Foster’s Group Ltd. with a sweetened A$9.9 billion ($10.2 billion) offer for Australia’s biggest brewer after three months of pursuit.
The U.K. company will pay A$5.10 a share in cash for the Melbourne-based brewer, SABMiller said today in a statement. The offer was previously for A$4.90 minus dividend payments.
The purchase will be the biggest ever by SABMiller and give it access to about half of the Australian beer market.
SABMiller’s initial attempts to nab the maker of Victoria Bitter were rebuffed by Foster’s management as undervaluing the brewer, one of the world’s most profitable...
SABMiller to Buy Foster’s After Raising Bid to A$9.9 Billion
Clementine Fletcher
September 21, 2011
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-09-21/sabmiller-to-buy-foster-s-after-raising-bid-to-a-9-9-billion.html
From Apple to Vudu: 8 Netflix Alternatives Compared
Mike Isaac
September 21, 2011
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/netflix-alternatives
The curtain hasn't even opened on Netflix's new DVD-by-mail spin-off company Qwikster, and many customers are already walking out.
The company recently revised its quarterly projections of net subscribers to show 1 million fewer customers than it had previously expected. Much to Netflix's chagrin, folks are realizing that the king of mail-away media isn't the only game in town.
We've taken a look at some of Netflix's (and Qwikster's) main competitors, and judged each service accordingly. Do the rest offer enough to stand up to the best?
Netflix/Qwikster
Also known as Netflix: Redux. It's the same service we know and love, only completely different. Faced with massive customer backlash in the wake of a price hike, Netflix split itself into two separate companies this week. The streaming service will retain the Netflix branding while the DVD-by-mail service will be named Qwikster. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the split will better serve customers in the long run because each company will be able to better focus on one type of service.
Netflix pioneered the DVD-by-mail service, creating an entire industry where one did not exist previously. But after serious flux in Netflix's new pricing system — which split the streaming and DVD mailing services into two separate plans starting at $8 a month minimum — there's no guarantee the company's customers will continue to stick around.
WIRED: It's been around the longest, and is the most familiar service. Massive offering of physical mail-away media. New game rental service sounds intriguing. Streaming to all iOS devices and Android smartphones.
TIRED: Can you say price increase? We don't like paying more money for the same service, and we're failing to see how splitting the companies in twain is going to benefit consumers. Streaming-only service still lacks selection compared to DVD catalog.
Amazon Prime
Amazon's elite-level service launched in 2005, offering two-day shipping on any of its products to members anywhere in the continental United States and other select countries for a reasonable $80 a year. Originally meant for those who couldn't wait more than 48 hours for their tangible goods, Prime expanded in February to offer instant, streaming movie and TV show access to existing Prime customers at no added cost.
WIRED: Fast shipping on everything Amazon! What other movie service offers that? Lower yearly rate than Netflix and Qwikster. Works with over 100 different web-connected set-top boxes, including the ever-popular Roku.
TIRED: Smaller media selection compared to other existing services. Lacks the DVD rental option that made Netflix famous.
Redbox
Redbox made it possible for legions of supermarket shoppers to pick up a movie on the cheap, without having to make multiple stops. Instead of leaving the grocery store (or 7-11, Walgreens or what have you) with only a TV dinner and a Mountain Dew in tow, Redbox's 30,000-plus DVD-rental kiosks make sure you won't go home alone on a Friday night again.
WIRED: Cheap, cheap, cheap. DVD rentals average two bucks a pop, with anywhere from 50 to 200 recent titles to select from in each kiosk, updated weekly. Game rentals to roll out this year.
TIRED: No streaming service? Bummer.
Blockbuster
Once the dominant force in the media-rental industry, Blockbuster has fared horribly over the past few years. After scoffing at Netflix's business model years ago, the big blue-and-gold company filed for bankruptcy last September.
However late, Blockbuster jumped on the bandwagon with its own Netflix clone mail-away service, but with the added advantage of allowing customers to return DVDs to brick-and-mortar Blockbuster stores. And finally, Blockbuster Express is a blue-and-gold Redbox rip, with kiosks placed in grocery stores and Kwik-E-Mart's across the country.
WIRED: The Dish Network acquisition could mean big things for Blockbuster when (or if) the companies get a game plan up and running.
TIRED: Brick and mortar is slowly dying, so the leg-up Blockbuster has on Netflix with in-store DVD exchange may soon be moot. Ripping off its two major competitors shows a lack of ability to innovate, possibly signifying that the company is still behind the times.
Hulu Plus
At $8 a month, Hulu Plus offers instant streaming access to a wealth of TV shows only a day or so after they've originally aired. But seriously, if you're paying a monthly fee, you shouldn't have to deal with mid-show commercial breaks. That's the whole point of paying for streaming service, right?
Still, I challenge you to find a more comprehensive archive of Hell's Kitchen reruns on the web.
WIRED: Streaming to all iOS devices and some Android smartphones and tablets. Tons of TV shows that aren't out to rent on DVD.
TIRED: Despite taking your $8 monthly fee, you still have to sit through asinine commercials. "Hundreds," not thousands, of movies to choose from. Again, no physical media. Rights agreements sometimes complicate how many episodes are available for viewing on the site.
Android Market
Google has struggled to keep up with Apple in its media service offerings, only recently debuting its movie rental service on the Android Market in conjunction with a complete interface makeover. Fortunately, renting flicks from Google is available on all Android devices running version 2.2 and up — that's something even Hulu can't say.
WIRED: Rental ain't pricey, averaging around two to five bucks a pop. Streaming to Android phones is nice. Compatible with PCs.
TIRED: No physical media. Not functional across all Android tablets.
iTunes and Apple TV
There's a down-payment to get Apple TV up and running in your home, and it's in the form of a small, sleek set-top box. Fortunately, it's only $100.
Along with Netflix compatibility, Apple lets you purchase and rent movies from its iTunes media store, along with the ability to buy TV shows (due to lack of customer demand, Apple discontinued TV show rentals last month). Further, you're able to watch streaming media on all of Apple's mobile devices. The company wants to hook you into an Apple-centric world, and the interconnection between its services makes it easier for customers to buy in.
WIRED: Purchase prices are par for the course, ranging from $1 to $3 depending on whether you want to rent or own. Ability to buy entire seasons of a show is convenient. Rumors and speculation have long suggested bigger plans for Apple TV's future, though Apple itself is staying mum on any potential developments.
TIRED: Lacks an "all-you-can-stream buffet" option, which can get costly if you watch a lot of flicks. Though its library is extensive, iTunes alone doesn't contain the esoteric indie films that Netflix totes. So if you're subscribing to Netflix and buying through iTunes at the same time, charges could add up fast.
Vudu
Wal-Mart got in on the media-services game in 2010 by buying Vudu, another streaming media company. Initially the service was available only in a set-top box version, but Vudu has since extended itself to other platforms as a standalone media service in and of itself, available to Playstation 3 users, Boxee for OSX owners and Windows-based PC users.
WIRED: Rentals and purchases stay on par with most other services, settling in the $1 to $5 range for rentals, and upwards of $5 for purchases. Titles available the same day they're released on DVD, unlike other services that require waiting periods. Streaming video available on iPad.
TIRED: No monthly unlimited movie-streaming option.
September 21, 2011
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/netflix-alternatives
The curtain hasn't even opened on Netflix's new DVD-by-mail spin-off company Qwikster, and many customers are already walking out.
The company recently revised its quarterly projections of net subscribers to show 1 million fewer customers than it had previously expected. Much to Netflix's chagrin, folks are realizing that the king of mail-away media isn't the only game in town.
We've taken a look at some of Netflix's (and Qwikster's) main competitors, and judged each service accordingly. Do the rest offer enough to stand up to the best?
Netflix/Qwikster
Also known as Netflix: Redux. It's the same service we know and love, only completely different. Faced with massive customer backlash in the wake of a price hike, Netflix split itself into two separate companies this week. The streaming service will retain the Netflix branding while the DVD-by-mail service will be named Qwikster. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the split will better serve customers in the long run because each company will be able to better focus on one type of service.
Netflix pioneered the DVD-by-mail service, creating an entire industry where one did not exist previously. But after serious flux in Netflix's new pricing system — which split the streaming and DVD mailing services into two separate plans starting at $8 a month minimum — there's no guarantee the company's customers will continue to stick around.
WIRED: It's been around the longest, and is the most familiar service. Massive offering of physical mail-away media. New game rental service sounds intriguing. Streaming to all iOS devices and Android smartphones.
TIRED: Can you say price increase? We don't like paying more money for the same service, and we're failing to see how splitting the companies in twain is going to benefit consumers. Streaming-only service still lacks selection compared to DVD catalog.
Amazon Prime
Amazon's elite-level service launched in 2005, offering two-day shipping on any of its products to members anywhere in the continental United States and other select countries for a reasonable $80 a year. Originally meant for those who couldn't wait more than 48 hours for their tangible goods, Prime expanded in February to offer instant, streaming movie and TV show access to existing Prime customers at no added cost.
WIRED: Fast shipping on everything Amazon! What other movie service offers that? Lower yearly rate than Netflix and Qwikster. Works with over 100 different web-connected set-top boxes, including the ever-popular Roku.
TIRED: Smaller media selection compared to other existing services. Lacks the DVD rental option that made Netflix famous.
Redbox
Redbox made it possible for legions of supermarket shoppers to pick up a movie on the cheap, without having to make multiple stops. Instead of leaving the grocery store (or 7-11, Walgreens or what have you) with only a TV dinner and a Mountain Dew in tow, Redbox's 30,000-plus DVD-rental kiosks make sure you won't go home alone on a Friday night again.
WIRED: Cheap, cheap, cheap. DVD rentals average two bucks a pop, with anywhere from 50 to 200 recent titles to select from in each kiosk, updated weekly. Game rentals to roll out this year.
TIRED: No streaming service? Bummer.
Blockbuster
Once the dominant force in the media-rental industry, Blockbuster has fared horribly over the past few years. After scoffing at Netflix's business model years ago, the big blue-and-gold company filed for bankruptcy last September.
However late, Blockbuster jumped on the bandwagon with its own Netflix clone mail-away service, but with the added advantage of allowing customers to return DVDs to brick-and-mortar Blockbuster stores. And finally, Blockbuster Express is a blue-and-gold Redbox rip, with kiosks placed in grocery stores and Kwik-E-Mart's across the country.
WIRED: The Dish Network acquisition could mean big things for Blockbuster when (or if) the companies get a game plan up and running.
TIRED: Brick and mortar is slowly dying, so the leg-up Blockbuster has on Netflix with in-store DVD exchange may soon be moot. Ripping off its two major competitors shows a lack of ability to innovate, possibly signifying that the company is still behind the times.
Hulu Plus
At $8 a month, Hulu Plus offers instant streaming access to a wealth of TV shows only a day or so after they've originally aired. But seriously, if you're paying a monthly fee, you shouldn't have to deal with mid-show commercial breaks. That's the whole point of paying for streaming service, right?
Still, I challenge you to find a more comprehensive archive of Hell's Kitchen reruns on the web.
WIRED: Streaming to all iOS devices and some Android smartphones and tablets. Tons of TV shows that aren't out to rent on DVD.
TIRED: Despite taking your $8 monthly fee, you still have to sit through asinine commercials. "Hundreds," not thousands, of movies to choose from. Again, no physical media. Rights agreements sometimes complicate how many episodes are available for viewing on the site.
Android Market
Google has struggled to keep up with Apple in its media service offerings, only recently debuting its movie rental service on the Android Market in conjunction with a complete interface makeover. Fortunately, renting flicks from Google is available on all Android devices running version 2.2 and up — that's something even Hulu can't say.
WIRED: Rental ain't pricey, averaging around two to five bucks a pop. Streaming to Android phones is nice. Compatible with PCs.
TIRED: No physical media. Not functional across all Android tablets.
iTunes and Apple TV
There's a down-payment to get Apple TV up and running in your home, and it's in the form of a small, sleek set-top box. Fortunately, it's only $100.
Along with Netflix compatibility, Apple lets you purchase and rent movies from its iTunes media store, along with the ability to buy TV shows (due to lack of customer demand, Apple discontinued TV show rentals last month). Further, you're able to watch streaming media on all of Apple's mobile devices. The company wants to hook you into an Apple-centric world, and the interconnection between its services makes it easier for customers to buy in.
WIRED: Purchase prices are par for the course, ranging from $1 to $3 depending on whether you want to rent or own. Ability to buy entire seasons of a show is convenient. Rumors and speculation have long suggested bigger plans for Apple TV's future, though Apple itself is staying mum on any potential developments.
TIRED: Lacks an "all-you-can-stream buffet" option, which can get costly if you watch a lot of flicks. Though its library is extensive, iTunes alone doesn't contain the esoteric indie films that Netflix totes. So if you're subscribing to Netflix and buying through iTunes at the same time, charges could add up fast.
Vudu
Wal-Mart got in on the media-services game in 2010 by buying Vudu, another streaming media company. Initially the service was available only in a set-top box version, but Vudu has since extended itself to other platforms as a standalone media service in and of itself, available to Playstation 3 users, Boxee for OSX owners and Windows-based PC users.
WIRED: Rentals and purchases stay on par with most other services, settling in the $1 to $5 range for rentals, and upwards of $5 for purchases. Titles available the same day they're released on DVD, unlike other services that require waiting periods. Streaming video available on iPad.
TIRED: No monthly unlimited movie-streaming option.
Bad policy decisions could push the US into a 'lost decade'
Bad policy decisions could push the US into a 'lost decade' and put the eurozone into recession, warns IMF
Philip Aldrick, Economics Editor
20 Sep 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8777693/Bad-policy-decisions-could-push-the-US-into-a-lost-decade-and-put-the-eurozone-into-recession-warns-IMF.html
Cutting its global forecasts sharply, the world's economic watchdog said the global economy had entered a "dangerous new phase" and urged policymakers to tread a careful line between aggressive deficit reduction and growth. Central banks should stand ready to restart the printing presses to aid the recovery, it added in its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook.
"The recovery has weakened considerably. Strong policies are needed to improve the outlook and reduce the risks," Olivier Blanchard, the IMF's chief economist, said. "Markets have clearly become more sceptical about the ability of many countries to stabilise their public debt. Fear of the unknown is high."
Europe's leaders came under scathing criticism over the escalating debt crisis. "Europe must get its act together," Mr Blanchard said, adding that there was "widespread perception policymakers are one step behind the action". Urging a speedy implementation of the July 21 agreement to bolster the single currency area's €440bn bail-out fund, he said: "The eurozone is a major source of worry. This is a call to arms."
The warning came as Portugal's prime minister Pedro Passos Coelho said his country may need fresh aid if Greek defaults.
"In the case of a default of Greece, this aid could be necessary and it is important that our partners are convinced that it is worth helping Portugal, and in this case, Ireland, too," he said.
Weaker than expected growth in the US, the persistence of Europe's "sovereign debt and banking sector problems", high oil prices and the Japanese tsunami conspired to dramatically worsen the outlook since June. Global growth for this year has been revised down from 4.5pc to 4pc in the past three months – led by a one percentage point downward revision in US growth for this year to 1.5pc.
The UK was downgraded sharply, from June's 1.5pc prediction to just 1.1pc for this year and from 2.3pc to 1.6pc for 2012. Canada and much of Europe saw even bigger downgrades.
However, the forecasts were based on the assumption that President Barack Obama's $447bn jobs plan is approved and the eurozone crisis is resolved with no more than the small voluntary default on Greek debt already agreed. A worse outcome is a "distinct possibility", the IMF warned.
Under the IMF's "downside scenario" – a "shock" to European banks' capital, higher bad debts in the US and Asia, and slower US growth – "the US and the euro area would fall back into recession, with output in 2012 more than 3pc below projections".
Such a devastating hit would drag the UK back into recession, as the US and the Euro area are Britain's major trading partners. "It would be very difficult to see why the UK should be exempt from that as we don't have any ammunition to withstand it," Jürgen Michels, European economist at Citi, said.
Departing from its previous deficit-cutting mantra, the IMF stressed that countries must be careful not to choke off the recovery by cutting too hard too fast. Even the UK should consider back-ending George Osborne's £110bn austerity plan, by delaying spending cuts, if growth turns out to be "substantially" less than the 1.1pc expected this year, the IMF said.
"Countries with more fiscal space could choose a more back-loaded profile should the macroeconomic environment deteriorate substantially," it said. "In the systemically-important advanced economies, activity and confidence are still fragile. If fiscal consolidation were suddenly stepped up further at the expense of the disposable income of people with a high marginal propensity to consume, these economies could be thrown back into stagnation."
In the US, the IMF warned, if income tax relief and unemployment benefit are not extended and if Capitol Hill cannot agree a longer-term strategy for dealing with the $14.3 trillion public debt, "the result could be a lost decade for growth".
In Europe, policymakers must deal with the mushrooming banking crisis by "injecting new capital and restructuring weak but viable banks while closing others". If banks cannot raise funds privately, politicians "must make the case for injecting public funds". Allowing banks time to shrink their loan books would only further damage the recovery by prolonging the credit crunch, Mr Blanchard warned.
To keep the global ship afloat, the IMF called on central banks – particularly the Federal Reserve in the US – to restart money printing and keep interest rates low for longer. "Unconventional policies should continue until there is a durable reduction in financial stress," it said.
Philip Aldrick, Economics Editor
20 Sep 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8777693/Bad-policy-decisions-could-push-the-US-into-a-lost-decade-and-put-the-eurozone-into-recession-warns-IMF.html
Cutting its global forecasts sharply, the world's economic watchdog said the global economy had entered a "dangerous new phase" and urged policymakers to tread a careful line between aggressive deficit reduction and growth. Central banks should stand ready to restart the printing presses to aid the recovery, it added in its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook.
"The recovery has weakened considerably. Strong policies are needed to improve the outlook and reduce the risks," Olivier Blanchard, the IMF's chief economist, said. "Markets have clearly become more sceptical about the ability of many countries to stabilise their public debt. Fear of the unknown is high."
Europe's leaders came under scathing criticism over the escalating debt crisis. "Europe must get its act together," Mr Blanchard said, adding that there was "widespread perception policymakers are one step behind the action". Urging a speedy implementation of the July 21 agreement to bolster the single currency area's €440bn bail-out fund, he said: "The eurozone is a major source of worry. This is a call to arms."
The warning came as Portugal's prime minister Pedro Passos Coelho said his country may need fresh aid if Greek defaults.
"In the case of a default of Greece, this aid could be necessary and it is important that our partners are convinced that it is worth helping Portugal, and in this case, Ireland, too," he said.
Weaker than expected growth in the US, the persistence of Europe's "sovereign debt and banking sector problems", high oil prices and the Japanese tsunami conspired to dramatically worsen the outlook since June. Global growth for this year has been revised down from 4.5pc to 4pc in the past three months – led by a one percentage point downward revision in US growth for this year to 1.5pc.
The UK was downgraded sharply, from June's 1.5pc prediction to just 1.1pc for this year and from 2.3pc to 1.6pc for 2012. Canada and much of Europe saw even bigger downgrades.
However, the forecasts were based on the assumption that President Barack Obama's $447bn jobs plan is approved and the eurozone crisis is resolved with no more than the small voluntary default on Greek debt already agreed. A worse outcome is a "distinct possibility", the IMF warned.
Under the IMF's "downside scenario" – a "shock" to European banks' capital, higher bad debts in the US and Asia, and slower US growth – "the US and the euro area would fall back into recession, with output in 2012 more than 3pc below projections".
Such a devastating hit would drag the UK back into recession, as the US and the Euro area are Britain's major trading partners. "It would be very difficult to see why the UK should be exempt from that as we don't have any ammunition to withstand it," Jürgen Michels, European economist at Citi, said.
Departing from its previous deficit-cutting mantra, the IMF stressed that countries must be careful not to choke off the recovery by cutting too hard too fast. Even the UK should consider back-ending George Osborne's £110bn austerity plan, by delaying spending cuts, if growth turns out to be "substantially" less than the 1.1pc expected this year, the IMF said.
"Countries with more fiscal space could choose a more back-loaded profile should the macroeconomic environment deteriorate substantially," it said. "In the systemically-important advanced economies, activity and confidence are still fragile. If fiscal consolidation were suddenly stepped up further at the expense of the disposable income of people with a high marginal propensity to consume, these economies could be thrown back into stagnation."
In the US, the IMF warned, if income tax relief and unemployment benefit are not extended and if Capitol Hill cannot agree a longer-term strategy for dealing with the $14.3 trillion public debt, "the result could be a lost decade for growth".
In Europe, policymakers must deal with the mushrooming banking crisis by "injecting new capital and restructuring weak but viable banks while closing others". If banks cannot raise funds privately, politicians "must make the case for injecting public funds". Allowing banks time to shrink their loan books would only further damage the recovery by prolonging the credit crunch, Mr Blanchard warned.
To keep the global ship afloat, the IMF called on central banks – particularly the Federal Reserve in the US – to restart money printing and keep interest rates low for longer. "Unconventional policies should continue until there is a durable reduction in financial stress," it said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
