Blinkie & Alahna

The song of the day is 2015's Don't Give Up (On Love), the debut single by English producer Blinkie, featuring vocals by Alahna. The dancer is Olivia-Mai Barret, a recent graduate of Italia Conti, the world’s oldest theater arts training school. The video was shot in Barcelona. It begins by exploring heartbreak but turns into an uplifting homage to summer, love, and dancing through the streets.

The Mendicant Issue

Not long ago, I was approached in the grocery store parking lot by a homeless man who wanted money to buy food. HIs name was Roy and he said he was traveling to Miami. I told him that I couldn’t give him money but I would buy him a meal. I took him to the store’s deli and bought him a simple meal: a hoagie, a bag of chips, and a soft drink. He seemed happy.

Today, I was approached in the same parking lot by a young man who said he came to America three months ago and didn’t have a job. He said his name was Isaac and he was from Romania. He was living at the Salvation Army shelter with his wife, his two kids, and his parents. He said he didn’t like living there because many people smoked and drank and it wasn’t a fit place for his family. He reiterated that he didn’t want money but he needed food. He said he was having a difficult time finding work because of the large number of “Spanish” people who were taking all the low-paying jobs.

I took him into the store and bought him a meal: chicken tenders plus a side of something he picked out, and a roll. I wished him luck and told him he should take any job he was offered. I told him not to be choosey if he was offered work, and that he had to start at the bottom and work his way to a better job. He seemed grateful for the food and several times he wished God’s blessing on my family. I didn’t tell him I don’t have a family.

I never feel I know what is the right thing to do in these situations. I don’t give money because I don’t want to enable bad behavior. But I also don’t want to ignore someone who is genuinely in need. Maybe he was telling the truth, and maybe he was running a scam, but I feel sorry for anyone who has to approach a total stranger and ask for food.

Sigala

The song of the day is Easy Love by British tropical house producer Sigala (Bruce Fielder). The video was shot in Los Angeles and features 12-year-old Canadian/Filipino dancing duo Lucky Aces.

Jasmine Thompson

The song of the day is Do It Now from the 2015 EP Adore by English singer-songwriter Jasmine Thompson. As a solo artist, Thompson has recorded 3 EPs, 2 studio albums, and 3 singles. As a featured artist, she has recorded 3 singles: with German DJ Robin Schulz, with German DJ Felix Jaehn, and with British group The Six. Thompson started out recording covers in 2010, with several becoming worldwide hits. Thompson turned fifteen this month.

Syrian Refugee Numbers

I read this headline on a right-leaning website:

United Nations says 72% of Syrian “refugees” are MEN, only 13% are children!

I’m reasonably sure that other right-leaning websites offer similar numbers.

In order for refugees to be considered for admission to the United States or other countries, they must first be registered with the UNHCR – the United Nations’ Refugee Agency. On its website, the UNHCR provides a demographic breakdown for 2.1 million Syrians registered by UNHCR in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, and 1.9 million Syrians registered by the Government of Turkey, and more than 26,700 Syrian refugees registered in North Africa. Here are observations drawn from their data:

• 49.7% are male and 50.3% are female.
• 38.4% are under age 12.
• 51.2% are under age 18.
• 22.1% are males of “fighting age” (18 – 59).
• 70% are women and children under the age of 12.
• 76.6% are women and children under the age of 18.

You can view the data here. These figures may change over time. I am using the latest figures updated on 11/17/2015.

To reiterate: over three quarters of Syrian refugees are women and children, and seventy percent are women and children under age 12. These are people fleeing devastated cities and neighborhoods that are being bombed on a daily basis. They just want to live a life somewhere, have jobs, raise families, go to school – things we take for granted. Could a terrorist sneak into the US along with legitimate refugees? Conceivably, yes. But a determined terrorist could sneak into the US regardless of whether the US accepts refugees. Sneaking in may be difficult, but millions of people have already done it. Banning immigrants is like declaring a theater or school to be a “gun-free zone”. It only stops those people who obey the law.

Pentatonix

Pentatonix had the top-selling Christmas album of 2014 (That’s Christmas To Me) – an album that was also the #4 album, across all genres, of that year. For this Christmas, the band has expanded that album with the addition of several more Christmas songs. The new album is titled That's Christmas To Me (Deluxe Edition). One of the newly added songs is Joy to the World. The new music video was released today.

A Great Big World

The song of the day is Say Something from the 2013 album Is There Anybody Out There by indie pop duo A Great Big World (Ian Axel and Chad King) featuring Christina Aguilera.

TV on the Radio

The song of the day is Trouble from the 2014 album Seeds by indie rock band TV on the Radio.

Robin Schulz & Francesco Yates

The song of the day is Sugar from the 2015 album Sugar by German DJ and producer Robin Schulz featuring vocals by Canadian musician Francesco Yates. Schulz began DJ’ing at age 17 and by age 20 he owned a nightclub, which he ran for two years before deciding to produce his own music. Yates began writing music at age 11 and signed to Atlantic Records at 16.

David Guetta

The song of the day is 2015's Bang My Head by French DJ, record producer, and remixer Pierre David Guetta featuring vocals by Australian singer Sia (Sia Kate Isobelle Furler) and American rapper Fetty Wap (Willie Maxwell II).