Was Hip Hop Riot an “Uprising” or just a “Mob Gone Sour”? Wave Good-bye to the Sonics Says Sims: Seattle IAM

This is a selection of recent popular blog articles from SeattleIAM where you will find the best blogs from Seattle, Washington as well as video uploads, social networking, rumors, and blog authoring

Sims Says Saving Sonics is a Lost Case

According King County Executive Ron Sims, states SuperSonicSoul, we might as well face facts, the Sonics are not sticking around. Sims appeared on 950 KJR-AM yesterday and said he was “completely convinced” of this, “regardless of the decision in the upcoming court case.” Sims argues that even if Seattle wins the court case and they are forced to stay until after the 2009-10 season, “that such a decision will not automatically force the new ownership group to sell… [and] their deep pockets are apparently deep enough - Sims believes - to weather the two-year storm.”

The post notes that “two or three other local ownership groups are ready to go to purchase the team,” but Sims commented that those groups are also convinced “they will not be buying the Sonics, but another team.” Our blogger posits that if Sims is right and the Sonics move to Oklahoma, allowing Seattle to buy another team, that this is “sure idiocy, when the simplest solution would be to allow Bennett to take over the Hornets and force him to give the Sonics to the local owners.”

Evergreen State College Hip Hop “Uprising” More a Case of Overreaction

Katelyn at The Seattlest takes a look at the “fallout” from the Evergreen State College riot that happened after the Dead Prez hip hop concert. “It certainly was not the beginning of a revolution,” she writes in her post, It’s more likely “a case of overreaction on both sides, magnified by the strange jelly of tension that's been plaguing the hip hop community in the NW in recent years.”

There were injustices committed, it appears, and the organization HipHop Congress has made a video “about the event using footage from that night, as well as interviews with various people involved.” They call it an “uprising,” while The Seattlest prefers to call it “a small-scale riot, a mob gone sour.” An “uprising” implies an “intentional organized resistance.” This incident was “more like a freak-out born of generational boredom and youthful folly.” Our blogger admits that the police escalated the situation with their response, and HipHop Congress' press statements are admirable in that “they're calling for increased police accountability and a more truthful reporting on what happened.” But this is not a case of heroes vs. brutes. It's more of a “we're all really dumb for letting this get out of hand.”

Washington State Ranked in Top Five for Clean Tech Investments

John Cook’s Venture Blog reports that “Venture capital investors in biofuels, solar power and other clean tech investment areas found plenty of opportunities in Washington last year.” In 2007, our state ranked “in the top five in clean tech investments and deals.” During the year, “eight Washington companies attracted $175 million, according to a report to be released today by Dow Jones VentureSource.”

In sheer dollars, “Washington ranked third behind California and Massachusetts. It also tied for third with Colorado in deals.” On a global scale, “venture investors pumped $3 billion into 221 clean tech deals.” Over two-thirds of that capital went to U.S. companies. Some fear “a bubble might be forming around the clean tech sector, Jessica Canning of Dow Jones said that valuations are starting to stabilize from big gains in 2005 and 2006.”

Local Brit-Flavored Indie Pop Band The Quit Plays at the Comet Tonight

From Imaginary Dana at Three Imaginary Girls, a blog about Seattle indie-pop, comes a suggestion if you’re looking for musical entertainment tonight. She suggests “checking out an evening of up-and-coming local pop bands playing tonight, February 29th at the Comet,” including one of her new favorites, The Quit. The band is “Brit-flavored, with jangly guitars, smart hooks, and tasty boy vocals.”

The Quit plays tonight with Skeletons With Flesh on Them, which is another recommended local band. They have a MySpace page where one can check out their sound, including a favorite “catch” track called “Manchester.” Dana suggests in her post, that you “skip on over and check it out.”

About SeattleIAM

SeattleIAM is part of a groundbreaking network of city-focused blog aggregation, user generated media and social networking websites currently rolling out across North America. Each IAM website filters and organizes blog content as well as offering video upload capabilities, social networking, blog authoring, favourites lists and rumours. The IAM Network is a division of SoMedia Networks Inc which also operates Inveslogic.com, Greenedia.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com. For more information or to register an account, visit SeattleIAM.com.