24 February 2010
Carter Administration Did NOT Suck
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/22/presidential_debate
From Foreign Policy:
Former President Jimmy Carter and his former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski respond to Walter Russell Mead's "The Carter Syndrome."This is an excellent rebuttal by Carter and Brzezinski to an article which, with no facts, demeaned their administration.
Brzezinski succinctly reminds us of why the Carter Administration, despite how the media loves to frame it, did not suck:
Since Mead provides no examples, here are a few geopolitical accomplishments of Carter's four years:
- He reconnected the United States with the quest for human rights in both the communist states and those under right-wing dictatorships, in sharp contrast to his predecessor.
- Confronting an initially hostile Congress, he pushed through the treaties that resolved the Panama Canal issue, which was threatening to poison U.S. relations with Latin America.
- He tackled the Middle Eastern conundrum, personally achieving the first peace treaty ever between Israel and an Arab neighbor.
- He not only managed to normalize relations with China, but in the process fashioned a quiet partnership against the Soviet Union.
- He actively supported the Solidarity movement in Poland and secretly assisted the national aspirations of the non-Russian peoples of the Soviet Union.
- He promoted the modernization of U.S. strategic forces and approved the deployment of the MX missile and the development of the Rapid Deployment Force.
- He initiated a command and a support structure for a U.S. military capability in the Persian Gulf.
- Through prolonged but determined negotiations, he reached the SALT II agreement with the Soviet Union (subsequently not submitted for congressional ratification because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan).
- Following that invasion, under his leadership the United States took the initiative in organizing a cooperative effort of a number of leading European, Middle Eastern, and East Asian states in providing military aid to the Afghan resistance, and that resistance contributed to the internal crisis that eventually broke up the Soviet Union.
Buzz This!
Old Media Revisited - Part 2 of 523
I was unpacking some boxes of books and magazines, and came across two 1998 copies of Wired - I remember saving them on purpose, because they were special issues predicting how the world would be running in 2008 and 2018 and such - Futurism fascinates me -
They hit it pretty well on the head regarding the confluence of techs over the next decade - but the advertisements were what most interested me. Only some of them had urls listed anywhere. Half of them were for liquor, which was a bit perplexing, until I remembered 1998 was the ecstatic year when the dot.coms would all begin receiving massive investments. Luxury car ads abound - there is an ad for a Zip drive, and an ad for a digital camera (640x480 resolution!) that exclaims its ability to store images directly to a 3.5" floppy disc. Typographically, it was an era of contrived mismatching type styles and sizes.
I noticed some cereal boxes in a Target the other day; they had been printed with the 1960s/70s era typefonts and design. Retro, to appeal to the boomer and post-boomer nostalgia in all of us parent consumers.
17 February 2010
JD Recycle 3: Transmission
JD Recycle 3: Transmission"Transmission" and "Novelty," by Joy Division, remastered by the folks at Recycle who did such a wonderful job on the New Order singles.
Tracks 3 and 4 feature the recently discovered rough mixes of the two songs, and contain different lyrics:
Tracks 3 and 4 feature the recently discovered rough mixes of the two songs, and contain different lyrics:
The first true kickass JD track, Transmission and its sibling Novelty were recorded twice by Martin Hannett. The first attempt is captured on tracks 3 and 4, here in never-before-heard quality. These were recorded in July 1979 at Manchester's Central Sound Studios, and as the title implies, are presented here as "rough mix" versions. As far as we know these are the only versions that ever made it out from the masters. Two other tracks recorded at the same session, Dead Souls and Something Must Break, are on the Heart And Soul box set - though in lesser fidelity.
And track 5 is an extremely rare (i.e. we have never heard it) studio version of Atrocity Exhibition that has also been recluded until now. Check out Recycle for more details.
These guys are professionally remastering old Factory singles, hoping a label will notice both the beauty of the music, and the popularity of the bands, and release quality remasters for the first time.
So, enjoy! As usual, this is amazing work from the Recycle team.... three never-before-heard Joy Division songs, two beautifully-restored vinyl conversions... obtain the goodness!
Remember The Milk
Remember The Milk: Online to do list and task managementMatt Hannan turned me on to this little task manager program. It is amazing, and can be gadgeted into your iGoogle page. Or apped onto your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or Winmo phone.
The best part? You don't have to enter due dates. But you can.
Another great feature is that you can create any categories you like, and organize your tasks. It also works with tags.
Because it connects to iGoogle and my mobile, I am always able to view and edit the tasks. And having it on my Droid is perfect for those WTF moments in Lowe's or Home Depot when I am in an aisle trying to remember that 5th item I was going to pick up...
EDIT: You can use an app for your mobile called Astrid to sync with Remember the Milk online, for free. The RtM Droid app costs $25 per year. The online component of Remember the Milk is free.
EDIT: You can use an app for your mobile called Astrid to sync with Remember the Milk online, for free. The RtM Droid app costs $25 per year. The online component of Remember the Milk is free.
16 February 2010
New Music: Spacescape @ MMA
Spacescape, a project with three bands and seven musicians, released a 13-track LP this week. Atmospheric, dreamy, cinematic, and at times playful. You can check it out online at MysticMusicArchive.
Fear the Printing Press!
Vaughan Bell at Slate explores how society tends to always fear the latest technology, and how our media goes into panicked hyperbole whenever a new tech permeates into our culture - something to keep in mind when you hear all the blather about how xbox/cellphones/facebook/etc are killing society, culture, and the brains of our children.The older generation warns against a new technology and bemoans that society is abandoning the "wholesome" media it grew up with, seemingly unaware that this same technology was considered to be harmful when first introduced.
http://www.slate.com/id/2244198/
15 February 2010
Bad Lieutenant Playing US Dates
Bad Lieutenant is playing Wednesday, April 21 at Webster Hall in NYC. They are essentially half of Joy Division/New Order.I suppose I should buy a ticket.
I hear they are also playing Coachella.
14 February 2010
New Joy Division Song
yeah, more than 30 years later.
Pictures In My Mind
only for the nutters: quality is totally inadequate.
was clearly composed as they were transitioning from Warsaw to Joy Division. has an Iggy Pop feel to it.
13 February 2010
Latest Interview with Vini
Robin Murray has posted up a recent interview with Vini Reilly, who discusses his new LP, A Paean To Wilson. I haven't heard the LP yet, but plan on doing a full review here soon.
Numbed by the death of his close friend Tony Wilson, Vini Reilly retreated from music. After his grief had subsided the guitarist decided to make a tribute to his friend in a way that the Factory supremo would have appreciated.
Worth a quick read...
http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/the-durutti-column
11 February 2010
Vini Reilly For a Rousing Intro
we need a blessing, so i asked Vini to play us a little something and email me the video. well, he seems to have not replied to any of my emails at all, and i am wondering if he even cares, so i went and found this on youtube, entirely without his blessing...but, here you are, pure genius - and i will warn you right now that this website will be loaded with the delay pedal machinations of Vini Reilly - so, if you want Clapton, go elsewhere.
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