Today’s video of the day comes from BET Hip-Hop Awards, where Mos Def, Black Thought, and Eminem go in on a “freestyle” cypher. Whose verse was hotter?

How do you feel about the successful protest of Rush Limbaugh’s attempt to buy a minority stake in the St. Louis Rams?

In general, I am reluctant to deny opportunity to individuals based on their political beliefs. After all, dissenting opinions and rigorous debate are central to sustaining rich public conversation. In the case of Limbaugh, however, this is not about free speech. This is about a private organization, the NFL, deciding that a prospective owner is bad for business. Because of his inflammatory comments as a political pundit, as well as specific remarks about African-American football players, Limbaugh would be the object of perennial scrutiny, protest and boycotting, none of which are good for the collective profit-making that drives NFL owners.

Yesterday’s polls suggest that, for the first time, a majority of Americans disagree with President Obama’s politics. What happened?

Three things. First, Obama is a victim of an economic crisis that makes it hard for any president’s policies to be popular. Second, he allowed Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, two of America’s most divisive figures, to be responsible for a foreseeably controversial health care bill. Finally, the Republicans have developed a simple but effective strategy of blocking every effort Obama makes without offering any real solutions themselves. As a result, Obama, like Reagan, is becoming a wildly popular president with very unpopular policies. Not to worry though, a successful health care bill, and good news in Afghanistan, could turn those numbers around quickly.

Who will win the World Series?

The Yankees have the best team in baseball, but I’m going to pick my hometown Philadelphia Phillies in six games. To quote Rudy Tomjanovich, “Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”

Today’s video of the day comes from the incomparable John Coltrane. In this clip, he’s playing “Naima” live.

Math Skills Show Little Growth

Testing of American fourth- and eighth-graders shows that only four out of 10 are proficient in mathematics, a figure that has not improved since 2007. What do you think?

Ann Gaddis,
Fan-Blade Aligner
“Oh, no. All of our high-paying jobs differentiating between parallelograms and rhombuses are sure to go to the Chinese.”

Patrick Fanning,
Galvanizer
“Well, duh. Everyone knows history is where it’s at.”

Steve Weid,
Systems Analyst
“Oh hell, when is the real world ever going to have any use for today’s American kids anyway?”

This is one of my favorite songs from Kina, who never got the respect she deserved as a solo artist.