David Bedford RIP

David Bedford
1937-2011

blakehounshell Blake Hounshell

Obama on Americans: "I don't think that they're better off than they were four years ago." Killer quote for GOP ads. theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/…

Wilco - Live September 22/23 2011 Central Park Summerstage

[photo courtesy of wagz2it] 

If there’s a band we hope that people associate with what nyctaper stands for, its Wilco. They have appeared so many times on this site that its often difficult to invent new superlatives to describe the Wilco concert experience. Last night at Summerstage, the band again delivered to its fans another epic NYC show, on par with the legendary Irving Plaza or Hammerstein or McCarren Pool shows of previous years. On tour in support of their latest release, The Whole Love (due on September 27), the band again delivered a two-plus hour high-energy set that dug deep into their catalog (an A.M. cut streaming below) while it also featured eight songs from the new album. The title track has already earned encore status, and we’re streaming it below. Of special note was Jeff Tweedy’s remembrance of the Wilco sets at Town Hall almost exactly ten years to the day, when a still-shocked NYC found some comfort in superbly delivered and heartfelt two nights of music. Ten years later, Wilco is still providing the City with the same gifts.
The entire NYCTaper crew was on hand to record this set. While we feared the worst of the elements, fortunately the rain held off and the winds were minimal. We set up near the back of the floor because our original advantageous position was actually an obstruction to the lighting projections. The crew ran 3 separate rigs, featuring twelve high-end microphones. This particular recording is my standard Neumann + DPA 4021 rig, and its a surprisingly excellent recording, all things considered. We will likely feature some of the other captures in the coming weeks. Enjoy!
September 22, 2011
Whereas the previous evening we saw the damp weather held at bay, for Wilco’s second night at Central Park’s Summerstage the band and attendees weren’t quite as lucky. All parties took it in stride and the crowd, despite the rain or maybe because of it, seemed particularly enthusiastic. Once again pulling a lion’s share of tracks from the new album, The Whole Love (which has its official release today), we were also treated to crowd-pleasers “Passenger Side”, “Impossible Germany” and “Heavy Metal Drummer”, and wonderful takes on live staples “Bull Black Nova”, “Misunderstood” and “Jesus, Etc.”, which Jeff Tweedy dedicated to us. With all the good stuff going on stage, Wilco made it pretty easy to forget about the drizzle on our heads.
As with the night before, the entire NYCtaper crew made it out for the concert. Paring down our rig considerably due to the inclement weather, we were still able to get an excellent recording and hope you like what you hear as much as we did. Enjoy!
September 23, 2011
@'NYCtaper'

Wilco live on All Songs Considered, 2011

9/11 Terrorists Debunk 9/11 Conspiracies

Muslims Against Crusades protests outside the American Embassy in London's Grosvenor Square on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Credit: Corbis

In a surprising twist, terrorist group al-Qaeda recently issued a statement ridiculing 9/11 conspiracy theories claiming U.S. involvement in the attacks.
The victims and the perpetrator of the terrorism are both saying that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda acted alone and without any knowledge or support from the American government. The statement came in response to a speech that the Iranian President gave at the U.N. General Assembly in which he repeated his claim that the U.S. masterminded the terrorism. As ABC News reported last week,

The terror group al-Qaeda has found itself curiously in agreement with the "Great Satan"--which it calls the U.S. -- in issuing a stern message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: stop spreading 9/11 conspiracy theories. In the latest issue of the al Qaeda English-language magazine Inspire, an author appears to take offense to the "ridiculous" theory repeatedly spread by Ahmadinejad that the 9/11 terror attacks were actually carried out by the U.S. government in order to provide a pretext to invade the Middle East. "The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the U.S. government," an article reads. "So we may ask the question: why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?"

PHOTOS: CONFRONTING TERROR ON 9/11
If anyone in the world would have hard evidence of American collusion in carrying out the September 11, 2001, attacks (and strong motivation for making it public), it would be al-Qaeda. If the conspiracy claims are true, al-Qaeda would have no reason to deny that America helped organize and carry out the attacks. It would call into question the American government’s credibility in a way that various ad hoc conspiracy theorists could never hope to, and forever tarnish America’s political and moral legitimacy.
Of course terrorism has fueled many conspiracy theories. Earlier this year, conspiracies circulated that Osama bin Laden had not actually been killed by American commandos. I wrote a column about it, pointing out that the best proof that bin Laden is dead is that he hasn’t been seen since his death was announced by President Obama. If bin Laden is alive, what better way to embarrass and discredit the United States than to make a smiling public appearance? In fact, not only has bin Laden not emerged from hiding since his (alleged) killing in May, but al-Qaeda itself publicly acknowledged that bin Laden was killed.
The fact that al-Qaeda has denied that America had any role in the attacks strikes a heavy blow to the already shaky credibility of the “Truther” movement and other 9/11 conspiracy theorists. They must not only explain the stark lack of evidence implicating the American government in the attacks, but also explain why America’s longtime sworn enemy would deny U.S. involvement if it were true.
PHOTOS: LESSER-SEEN PHOTOS OF 9/11
When investigation after investigation finds no American involvement in the attacks, conspiracy-minded folks can dismiss the findings by saying that it’s all part of the cover up. But when a group of ruthless terrorists like al-Qaeda (who everyone acknowledges actually committed the attacks regardless of who gave the orders) questions the logic and evidence behind the conspiracy claims, that’s a sign that your conspiracy arguments and theories are in deep trouble.
Part of the reason that conspiracy theories linger is that any contradictory evidence -- no matter how conclusive or compelling—can just be dismissed by claiming that it’s part of the cover-up. There is ultimately no evidence that would satisfy most conspiracy theorists. Those who distrust the government will use any excuse to support their beliefs, logical or not. Conspiracy theorists prefer complex mysteries over simple truths, and find mystery where none exists.
Benjamin Radford @'DiscoveryNews'

Two Steps Back and Three Steps Forward: How to Master 1960s French Utopianism in Two Weeks

UP#15 Future Shock mixed by Philip Sherburne

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This is one of the more schizophrenic mixes I've ever recorded, but that's appropriate, I suppose, given the subject matter. The introduction comes from the 1972 film adaptation of Alvin Toffler's book Future Shock, narrated by Orson Welles. I actually watched the film when I was still in grade school—just 12 or 13 years
old, as I recall. I suppose some well-meaning teacher wanted to teach us to think critically about media and technology, but at that age, I remember feeling only baffled. Today, the film (which you can watch on  YouTube, appropriately enough) feels both comically dated and woefully prescient. That collision of sensations dictated the overall shape of the mix, which leans heavily on broken-down techno and tangled retro-futurism. Instead of the streamlined designs and elegant circuitry that electronic music has supposedly promised, this mix is all about shuddering gears and time out of joint.
The majority of it was mixed with vinyl, using two Technics 1210s and an Allen & Heath mixer; the final two tracks, along with additional passages taken from the film, were added in Ableton at the end.
Ironically, as difficult as mixing some of the tracks proved, figuring out how to close it all out was infinitely harder. Just like the film says, "Every day we're bombarded by choices, we need to make instant decisions, we're in endless combat with our own environment with all its pace and variety, its choice and over-choice."
1. Intro – Future Shock (1972, narrated by Orson Welles)
2. The Hafler Trio, "Suppressed Noise" [Doublevision 1972/1984]
3. Vibert/Simmonds, "Submarine" [Rephlex 1993]
4. Roswell Return, "A Goldbach Vibe (Clean Cut Remix)" [SD Records
2009]
5. Caribou, "Bowls (Holden Remix)" [City Slang 2010]
6. P. Eladan, "Monochordium II" [Muting The Noise 2010]
7. Juju & Jordash, "Chelm Is Dubbing" [Golf Channel Recordings 2011]
8. Morphosis, "Dirty Matter (NWAQ's Via Mezzacapo Dub)" [Delsin
2011]
9. Redshape, "Kracken's Game" [Present 2011]
10. Terekke, "Damn" [L.I.E.S. 2011]
11. Grackle, "Jungle (Original Mix)" [Discos Capablanca 2008]
12. About Group, "You're No Good (A Theo Parrish Translation)"
[Domino 2011]
13. Daphni, "NPE" [Resista 2011]
14. Tilt (Trouble Funk), "Arkade Funk" [D.E.T.T. Records 1983]
15. Autechre, "Lost" [Warp 1994]
16. Laurel Halo, "Strength In Free Space" [Hippos In Tanks 2011]

Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost (Late Night With Jimmy Fallon)

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Neal Stephenson: Innovation Starvation

My lifespan encompasses the era when the United States of America was capable of launching human beings into space. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on a braided rug before a hulking black-and-white television, watching the early Gemini missions. This summer, at the age of 51—not even old—I watched on a flatscreen as the last Space Shuttle lifted off the pad.  I have followed the dwindling of the space program with sadness, even bitterness.  Where’s my donut-shaped space station? Where’s my ticket to Mars? Until recently, though, I have kept my feelings to myself. Space exploration has always had its detractors. To complain about its demise is to expose oneself to attack from those who have no sympathy that an affluent, middle-aged white American has not lived to see his boyhood fantasies fulfilled.
Still, I worry that our inability to match the achievements of the 1960s space program might be symptomatic of a general failure of our society to get big things done. My parents and grandparents witnessed the creation of the airplane, the automobile, nuclear energy, and the computer to name only a few. Scientists and engineers who came of age during the first half of the 20th century could look forward to building things that would solve age-old problems, transform the landscape, build the economy, and provide jobs for the burgeoning middle class that was the basis for our stable democracy.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 crystallized my feeling that we have lost our ability to get important things done. The OPEC oil shock was in 1973—almost 40 years ago. It was obvious then that it was crazy for the United States to let itself be held economic hostage to the kinds of countries where oil was being produced. It led to Jimmy Carter’s proposal for the development of an enormous synthetic fuels industry on American soil. Whatever one might think of the merits of the Carter presidency or of this particular proposal, it was, at least, a serious effort to come to grips with the problem.
Little has been heard in that vein since. We’ve been talking about wind farms, tidal power, and solar power for decades. Some progress has been made in those areas, but energy is still all about oil. In my city, Seattle, a 35-year-old plan to run a light rail line across Lake Washington is now being blocked by a citizen initiative. Thwarted or endlessly delayed in its efforts to build things, the city plods ahead with a project to paint bicycle lanes on the pavement of thoroughfares.
In early 2011, I participated in a conference called Future Tense, where I lamented the decline of the manned space program, then pivoted to energy, indicating that the real issue isn’t about rockets. It’s our far broader inability as a society to execute on the big stuff. I had, through some kind of blind luck, struck a nerve. The audience at Future Tense was more confident than I that science fiction [SF] had relevance—even utility—in addressing the problem. I heard two theories as to why...

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@'World Policy Institute'

Facebook’s Tracking Scandal Is Mushrooming

The month is off to a bad start for Facebook. The social network is fighting a new class action suit over its non-logout logout. And now it's been busted for bringing back a cookie that tracks people who don't even use Facebook.
Facebook has resumed distribution of the "datr" cookie, which is set by those ubiquitous Facebook "like" widgets all over the web and thus can follow you from site to site. The Wall Street Journal reported on the cookie in May, noting that it follows all web browsers, whether logged in to Facebook or not. Facebook removed the cookie shortly after publication of the article, and after a formal bug was filed with its programmers. Some time between then and now the cookie returned, as entrepreneur and de facto privacy researcher Nik Cubrilovic reveals. The cookie was set by every widget-carrying website Cubrilovic tested.
What does the cookie do? For starters, it is used to associate your account with other people who use your computer, Cubrilovic believes, which is why your Facebook dossier includes a list of "associated users." It also indicates that Facebook was incorrect — knowingly or unknowingly — when it claimed last week that the cookie was set only "when a web browser accesses facebook.com (except social plugin iframes)," since it is in fact set from social plugin iframes. Its re-emergence also means Facebook quietly re-enabled — purposely or accidentally — a privacy bug they supposedly closed last May. And finally it means that Facebook collects raw data it could use to track big chunks of your surfing history, even though Facebook said last may that its intent was not to use the cookies for such a purpose.
News of "datr's" return comes after the chairmen of a Congressional privacy committee, plus 10 public interest groups, pushed the FTC to investigate all of Facebook's clingy cookies, which remain even after a user "logs out." It should only add to the pressure on Facebook, and to the evidence in a suit an Illinois law firm filed against Facebook in San Jose federal court Friday night. The suit, which is seeking class action status, accuses Facebook of misleading users about the meaning of "log off." Facebook promised to fight the suit "vigorously," which means the company thinks it can find someone somewhere who actually had a correct understanding of what actually happens when you "sign off" of Facebook. Sounds like a very expensive manhunt.
@'Gawker' 

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Nearly 400 public health experts warn Lords to reject NHS reforms

Dear Honourable Members of the House of Lords,

As public health doctors and specialists from within the NHS, academia and elsewhere, we write to express our concerns about the Health and Social Care Bill.

The Bill will do irreparable harm to the NHS, to individual patients and to society as a whole.

It ushers in a significantly heightened degree of commercialisation and marketisation that will fragment patient care; aggravate risks to individual patient safety; erode medical ethics and trust within the health system; widen health inequalities; waste much money on attempts to regulate and manage competition; and undermine the ability of the health system to respond effectively and efficiently to communicable disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies.

While we welcome the emphasis placed on establishing a closer working relationship between public health and local government, the proposed reforms as a whole will disrupt, fragment and weaken the country’s public health capabilities.

The government claims that the reforms have the backing of the health professions. They do not. Neither do they have the general support of the public.

It is our professional judgement that the Health and Social Care Bill will erode the NHS’s ethical and cooperative foundations and that it will not deliver efficiency, quality, fairness or choice.

We therefore request that you reject passage of the Health and Social Care Bill
Via

Libyan Jew blocked from Tripoli synagogue

Libyan Jewish exile David Gerbi breaks the wall at the sealed entrance to Dar Bishi synagogue. When he returned a day later, he found the front door locked. Photograph: Suhaib Salem/Reuters

A Libyan Jewish man who returned from exile in Italy to join the revolution against Muammar Gaddafi has been blocked from trying to restore Tripoli's main synagogue.
David Gerbi said he went to clean rubbish from the synagogue on Monday, a day after he broke through the entrance with a sledgehammer to great fanfare. A messenger at the scene warned him, however, that armed men were coming from all over Libya and would target him if he did not leave the area.
Gerbi said he was told a mass anti-Jewish demonstration was planned for Friday in the capital's central Martrys' Square, which used to be named Green Square under Gaddafi's regime.
Breaking down in tears, he criticised Libyan authorities for withdrawing their support, calling his efforts a test of the post-Gaddafi regime's commitment to democracy and tolerance.
"If they want to prove that it's different from Gaddafi … they need to do the opposite," he told reporters after leaving the synagogue in the old Jewish quarter of Tripoli's walled Old City.
The head of the National Transitional Council that is governing the country was dismissive of the issue when asked about it at a news conference, saying it was too early to worry about rebuilding a synagogue when revolutionary forces were still fighting supporters of fugitive leader Gaddafi.
"This matter is premature and we have not decided anything in this regard," Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said. "Everyone who holds Libyan nationality has the right to enjoy all rights, provided that he has no other nationality but Libyan."
Libya's new leaders have promised to lead the oil-rich North African nation to become a democracy after ousting Gaddafi in a civil war that began in mid-February. Abdul-Jalil and the de facto prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, promised on Monday to step down after the country is fully secured in a bid to reassure the public they will not suffer under another dictatorship.
But Jews are widely despised in the Arab world because of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The NTC has taken Libya's seat at the Arab League, which doesn't sanction normalisation with Israel without a comprehensive settlement with the Palestinians.
Libyan-born Gina Bublil-Waldman, president of the San Francisco-based JIMENA, or Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, agreed it was too soon to try to return.
"I really do not believe that the Libyan people are ready to reconcile with the past and their history and the wrongs that they have done to the Jewish community," she said, although she called Gerbi's efforts sincere and honourable.
Gerbi, who fled with his family to Italy in 1967, said he was surprised because he had permission from the local sheik and verbal permission from NTC representatives. Gerbi's colleague Richard Peters said several men armed with assault rifles later appeared to guard the building, although none were visible later that day.
It was not clear who was ultimately behind the warnings of violence against Gerbi, although he said the man who gave him the message said there was a Facebook and YouTube campaign against him.
It was a bitter disappointment for Gerbi, coming a day after he had taken a sledgehammer to a concrete wall and entered the crumbling Dar al-Bishi synagogue, which has been filled with decades of rubbish since Gaddafi expelled Libya's small Jewish community early in his rule.
He and a team of helpers carted in brooms, rakes and plastic buckets to begin clearing the debris. But on Monday, the wooden door was again closed with a chain and padlock. Gerbi said people who had supported him were now distancing themselves.
The 56-year-old psychoanalyst appealed to the new leadership to set an example of tolerance, saying that while Gaddafi "wanted to eliminate the diversity, they need to include the diversity".
Gerbi's family fled to Rome in 1967, when Arab anger was rising over the war in which Israel captured large swaths of territory from Jordan, Syria and Egypt. Two years later, Gaddafi expelled the rest of Libya's Jewish community, which at its peak numbered about 37,000.
Gerbi returned to his homeland this summer to join the rebellion that ousted Gaddafi, helping with strategy and psychological treatment.
He said his fellow rebels called him the "revolutionary Jew" and that he was thrilled when he rode into the capital with fighters from the western mountains as Tripoli fell in late August.
Gerbi refused to give up, saying he would stay in Libya and press his case with the government.
"I don't want to be a hero, I don't want to play martyr, I just want to be here to support the new Libya and the democracy and to build this," he said.
@'The Guardian'