JOLLY MORTALS Paintscraper (Extended Play) 7 inch 1994
15 minutes ago
Saturday, 18 February 2012
The Jonestown Death Tape / FBI No. Q 042 (November 18, 1978)
Billy Bragg: Jingoism is no answer to England's ebbing power
Jingoism is a particularly British strain of belligerent nationalism. It comes decked not only in the Union Jack, but with a long trail of imperial relics meant to signify that we are still a world power. You could hear it in David Cameron's speech in Edinburgh on Thursday, when he invoked Britain's seat on the UN security council and prominent position in Nato. It's there when his back-benchers liken the European Union to the Third Reich. And we saw it last week in images of the gunboat that we have hastily dispatched to defend the Falklands.
Now that Cameron appears to have ruled out the status quo by promising greater devolution to the Scots if they vote no to independence, we're likely to hear more about how great Britain is in the days to come. For jingo is the default reaction of the English ruling class when they feel their interests are under threat. Unsure about our true position in a changing world, they hold onto the Union Jack like a comfort blanket, wrapping themselves in it to enhance their sense of importance.
While the Scots seem confident about their future, a Little Englander mentality is in danger of taking hold south of the border, in which every external challenge is perceived as a threat. This attitude can already be detected in the search for a new manager for our national football team. The media are calling for an Englishman, but shouldn't we be demanding the best man for the job, wherever he's from?
Our overblown sporting expectations are a hangover from an imperial past in which we not only ruled the world, but also taught everyone how to play soccer, rugger, cricket and tennis. We English have never been able to shake off the feeling that, having invented all these games, we should be the world champions, hence our continual disappointment with our miserable performances in Test matches, World Cups and Wimbledon.
More dangerously, our imperial instincts remain so strong that we are often to be found in the front rank of any military intervention, willing to deploy our troops into situations where even the genuine superpowers are reluctant to tread. "By Jingo" was the refrain of a music-hall song that was taken up as the rallying cry for those spoiling for war with Russia in 1878. That same aggressive clamour could be heard in the spurious justifications for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
If the ultimate outcome of the Greek crisis is a greater integration among eurozone members, then Britain will find itself isolated in Europe while at the same time debating whether or not it wishes to remain a united kingdom. The English will be caught in a double bind, with the future of Britain being decided in Edinburgh, while the future of Europe is debated in Brussels.
The rattling of the old jingoistic sword is a sure sign that the English ruling class feels its power ebbing away, torn between a European super-state, the aspirations of the Celtic fringe and demographic changes within England itself. Whether the English can awake from their long dream of empire and use this opportunity to renew their sense of identity remains to be seen.
Unless and until we throw off our imperial pretensions and begin to relate to our neighbours as equals, joining with them in creating new networks of active devolution and shared sovereignty, we English are in danger of becoming an insular people, jealously guarding the right to make our own laws while increasingly unable to control our destiny.
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Now that Cameron appears to have ruled out the status quo by promising greater devolution to the Scots if they vote no to independence, we're likely to hear more about how great Britain is in the days to come. For jingo is the default reaction of the English ruling class when they feel their interests are under threat. Unsure about our true position in a changing world, they hold onto the Union Jack like a comfort blanket, wrapping themselves in it to enhance their sense of importance.
While the Scots seem confident about their future, a Little Englander mentality is in danger of taking hold south of the border, in which every external challenge is perceived as a threat. This attitude can already be detected in the search for a new manager for our national football team. The media are calling for an Englishman, but shouldn't we be demanding the best man for the job, wherever he's from?
Our overblown sporting expectations are a hangover from an imperial past in which we not only ruled the world, but also taught everyone how to play soccer, rugger, cricket and tennis. We English have never been able to shake off the feeling that, having invented all these games, we should be the world champions, hence our continual disappointment with our miserable performances in Test matches, World Cups and Wimbledon.
More dangerously, our imperial instincts remain so strong that we are often to be found in the front rank of any military intervention, willing to deploy our troops into situations where even the genuine superpowers are reluctant to tread. "By Jingo" was the refrain of a music-hall song that was taken up as the rallying cry for those spoiling for war with Russia in 1878. That same aggressive clamour could be heard in the spurious justifications for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
If the ultimate outcome of the Greek crisis is a greater integration among eurozone members, then Britain will find itself isolated in Europe while at the same time debating whether or not it wishes to remain a united kingdom. The English will be caught in a double bind, with the future of Britain being decided in Edinburgh, while the future of Europe is debated in Brussels.
The rattling of the old jingoistic sword is a sure sign that the English ruling class feels its power ebbing away, torn between a European super-state, the aspirations of the Celtic fringe and demographic changes within England itself. Whether the English can awake from their long dream of empire and use this opportunity to renew their sense of identity remains to be seen.
Unless and until we throw off our imperial pretensions and begin to relate to our neighbours as equals, joining with them in creating new networks of active devolution and shared sovereignty, we English are in danger of becoming an insular people, jealously guarding the right to make our own laws while increasingly unable to control our destiny.
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Peter Tosh: Stepping Razor Red X
Originally issued as a home video in 1994, the Peter Tosh biography Stepping Razor Red X was finally reissued on DVD in 2002. Tosh narrates the majority of the hour-and-a-half-long documentary himself utilizing cassettes that the famed reggae artist recorded between 1983 and 1987 in hopes of one day issuing an autobiography called Red X (its title came from the fact that whenever Tosh saw his name on an official document a red X was next to it).
(Thanx SJX!)
(Thanx SJX!)
Murdoch on The Sun
Dear Colleagues:'Ethical'???
I've worked alongside you for 43 years to build The Sun into one of the world's finest papers. It is a part of me and is one of our proudest achievements. The Sun occupies a unique and important position within News Corporation.
I have immense respect for our heritage, your exceptional journalism and, above all, you, the talented women and men who work tirelessly every day to ensure our readers have access to such a trusted news source. I believe this newsroom is full of great journalists and I remain grateful for your superb work and for the stories you uncover to inform and protect the public. None more so than over the last three weeks.
My continuing respect makes this situation a source of great pain for me, as I know it is for each of you.
We will obey the law. Illegal activities simply cannot and will not be tolerated – at any of our publications. Our Board of Directors, our management team and I take these issues very seriously.
Our independently chaired Management & Standards Committee, which operates outside of News International, has been instructed to cooperate with the police. We will turn over every piece of evidence we find -- not just because we are obligated to but because it is the right thing to do.
We are doing everything we can to assist those who were arrested -- all suspensions are hereby lifted until or whether charged and they are welcome to return to work. News Corporation will cover their legal expenses. Everyone is innocent unless proven otherwise.
I made a commitment last summer that I would do everything I could to get to the bottom of our problems and make this Company an example to Fleet Street of ethical journalism. We will continue to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to protect legitimate journalistic privilege and sources, which I know are essential for all of you to do your jobs. But we cannot protect people who have paid public officials.
I am confident we can live by these commitments and still produce great journalism.
We will build on The Sun's proud heritage by launching The Sun on Sunday very soon. Our duty is to expand one of the world's most widely read newspapers and reach even more people than ever before.
Having a winning paper is the best answer to our critics.
I am even more determined to see The Sun continue to fight for its readers and its beliefs. I am staying with you all, in London, for the next several weeks to give you my unwavering support.
I am confident we will get through this together and emerge stronger.
Thank you,
Rupert Murdoch
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Bon Iver at AIR Studios (4AD/Jagjaguwar Session)
4AD and Jagjaguwar have collaborated on a live session that captures a truly unique Bon Iver performance, featuring Justin Vernon and Sean Carey. On recent tours fans will have become accustomed to seeing Vernon flanked by an eleven-piece band, with the swell in numbers lending a grandiose element to even his most delicate songs. Sidestepping expectations, the idea Vernon presented for this session was to provide a wildly different experience.
Recorded in AIR Studio's Lyndurst Hall - a building that was originally a church and missionary school designed in 1880 by the great Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse (designer of the Natural History Museum) - Vernon was joined only by Carey, with the pair positioning themselves opposite one another at two grand pianos. Although neither Justin nor Sean's first instrument is piano, they were able to remodel the songs in a way that showcases their complimentary vocals and, perhaps more strikingly, a seemingly effortless ability to experiment with form and structure.
As such, fans are treated to jaw-dropping interpretations of several songs from both the new album and the 'Blood Bank' EP, as well as a cover of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". And interpretation is an apt word, as these songs are artfully abstracted from their original incarnations. Rather than layer the sound as on 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver', the focus is on paring back, in part evoking the minimalist approach of contemporary classical music, while remaining true enough to the source material to retain those elements characteristic of Bon Iver.
As on "Babys" and "Hinnom, TX", Vernon's trademark falsetto is positioned centre stage, framed by subtle and unexpected instrumental flourishes that render the performance simultaneously weighty and airless. It's quite an achievement that songs so widely-known and loved in their recorded form are able gain in emotional impact, and stands as testament to Bon Iver's singular talent.
1. Hinnom, TX
2. Wash.
3. I Can't Make You Love Me
4. Babys
5. Beth/Rest
Director: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Recording & Mixing: Jake Jackson with Brian Joseph
Recorded in London at AIR Studios, October 16, 2011
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Recorded in AIR Studio's Lyndurst Hall - a building that was originally a church and missionary school designed in 1880 by the great Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse (designer of the Natural History Museum) - Vernon was joined only by Carey, with the pair positioning themselves opposite one another at two grand pianos. Although neither Justin nor Sean's first instrument is piano, they were able to remodel the songs in a way that showcases their complimentary vocals and, perhaps more strikingly, a seemingly effortless ability to experiment with form and structure.
As such, fans are treated to jaw-dropping interpretations of several songs from both the new album and the 'Blood Bank' EP, as well as a cover of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". And interpretation is an apt word, as these songs are artfully abstracted from their original incarnations. Rather than layer the sound as on 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver', the focus is on paring back, in part evoking the minimalist approach of contemporary classical music, while remaining true enough to the source material to retain those elements characteristic of Bon Iver.
As on "Babys" and "Hinnom, TX", Vernon's trademark falsetto is positioned centre stage, framed by subtle and unexpected instrumental flourishes that render the performance simultaneously weighty and airless. It's quite an achievement that songs so widely-known and loved in their recorded form are able gain in emotional impact, and stands as testament to Bon Iver's singular talent.
1. Hinnom, TX
2. Wash.
3. I Can't Make You Love Me
4. Babys
5. Beth/Rest
Director: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Recording & Mixing: Jake Jackson with Brian Joseph
Recorded in London at AIR Studios, October 16, 2011
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♪♫ Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug (Todd Terje Disco Dub)
Created and edited by Ferry Gouw
Additional sequences generated by Anna Boberg
Out now on Beatport:
http://www.beatport.com/release/love-is-the-drug-todd-terje-disco-dub/863889
And Deluxe Vinyl:
http://www.vfeditions.com/product/view/47
Video uploaded on Bryan Ferry's youtube channel on 15.02.2012
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Friday, 17 February 2012
Secret documents lift lid on WWII mutiny by US troops in north Queensland
African American engineers unit of the US Army on parade during WWII
An Australian historian has uncovered hidden documents which reveal that African American troops used machine guns to attack their white officers in a siege on a US base in north Queensland in 1942.
Information about the Townsville mutiny has never been released to the public.But the story began to come to light when James Cook University's Ray Holyoak first began researching why US congressman Lyndon B Johnson visited Townsville for three days back in 1942.
What he discovered was evidence detailing one of the biggest uprisings within the US military.
"For 70 years there's been a rumour in Townsville that there was a mutiny among African-American servicemen. In the last year and a half I've found the primary documentation evidence that that did occur in 1942," Mr Holyoak told AM.
During World War II, Townsville was a crucial base for campaigns into the Pacific, including the Battle of the Coral Sea.
About 600 African-American troops were brought to the city to help build airfields.
Mr Holyoak says these troops, from the 96th Battalion, US Army Corps of Engineers, were stationed at a base on the city's western outskirts known as Kelso.
This was the site for a large-scale siege lasting eight hours, which was sparked by racial taunts and violence.
"After some serial abuse by two white US officers, there was several ringleaders and they decided to machine gun the tents of the white officers," Mr Holyoak said.
He has uncovered several documents hidden in the archives of the Queensland Police and Townsville Brigade detailing what happened that night.
According to the findings, the soldiers took to the machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons and fired into tents where their white counterparts were drinking.
More than 700 rounds were fired.
At least one person was killed and dozens severely injured, and Australian troops were called in to roadblock the rioters.
Mr Holyoak also discovered a report written by Robert Sherrod, a US journalist who was embedded with the troops.
It never made it to the press, but was handed to Lyndon B Johnson at a Townsville hotel and eventually filed away into the National Archives and Records Administration.
"I think at the time, it was certainly suppressed. Both the Australian and the US government would not have wanted the details of this coming out. The racial policies at the time really discluded [sic] people of colour," Mr Holyoak says.
Both the Australian Defence Department and the Australian War Memorial say it could take months to research the incident, and say they have no details readily available for public release.
But Townsville historian Dr Dorothy Gibson-Wilde says the findings validate 70-year-old rumours.
"Anytime it was raised, people usually sort of said, 'Oh you know, no that can't be true. Nobody's heard about that', and in fact it must have been kept pretty quiet from the rest of the town," she said.
Mr Holyoak will spend the next two years researching the sentences handed out to both the officers and the mutineers involved, and why the information has been kept secret for so long.
Josh Bavas @'ABC'
Audio: WWII mutiny uncovered by Qld historian (AM)
Peter Garrett on Advertising (1987)
'Advertising: the last refuge in a sorry world for creative and ambitious people who don't mind manipulation in the guise of a profession and who profit greatly by the conundrum of our economic system. If we don't keep the big wheel turning and make sure that all that is produced is consumed, then as sure as night follows day, we'll all be ruined.'
I really am not the world's biggest fan of Peter Garrett (understatement) but he sure hit the nail on the head here...
Smoking # 120 (Ulrike Meinhof )
Ulrike was born on 7th October 1934 in Oldenburg, Germany, her father being a Doctor of Art History who became the head of the City of Jena’s museum when Ulrike was two years old. Both of her parents died of cancer, her father in 1940 and her mother in 1948. Ulrike and her older sister were then looked after by her mother’s former border Renate Riemack. Riemack was a committed socialist and his views were to have a big impact on the young and vulnerable Ulrike. In direct contrast to the ill educated Andreas Baader, Ulrike was well educated studying sociology, philosophy and German studies at Marburg. In 1957 she was studying at a University near Munster. Here she showed the radicalism that was to lead her to a path of violence, joining the Socialist Student Union and getting involved in anti rearmament protests and anti nuclear weapon protests. She also demonstrated her skill at article and report writing for the student newspapers which would be her future career.
She joined the outlawed German communist party in 1957 and was the editor of the left wing magazine Konkret from 1962 until 1964. During this time she married Klaus Rohl, the publisher of Konkret and gave birth to twins Regine and Bettina in 1962. In 1962 Ulrike had surgery to remove a brain tumour and some claim during the surgery her brain was damaged which lead to her future violent behaviour, a post mortem after her death did show that her brain had been damaged. The couple divorced in 1968 following a year of separation. Her writings were demonstrating a more radical view, and a move from protest to more violent methods. After writing an article about an arson attack she met up with Andreas Baader and his partner Gudrun Ensslin, it was meeting that was to directly lead to her becoming a terrorist and ultimately her death. By 1969 she was committed to the life of a terrorist / guerrilla to the extent that the airing of a short film she produced ‘Bambule’ was delayed (in fact it was finally aired in 1997). Her transition from journalist to terrorist was completed in May 1970 when she helped Baader escape prison via a library he was studying in. The resulting gun battle left 3 people wounded and Meinhof with a 10,000 DM bounty on her capture.
From 1970 to 1972 Meinhof took part in a wide variety of terrorist activities including bombings, robbery, kidnapping and shootings. She also continued to be a prolific writer producing many articles and doctrines for the RAF; these include the most famous “The concept of the Urban Guerrilla”. On 14th June 1972 following a tip off Ulrike Meinhof was arrested along with another member of the RAF, Gerhard Mueller. Like the other trials of the Baader-Meinhof gang, Ulrike’s trial was long and complex, after the first couple of years of hearings she was sentenced to 8 years while other charges were being considered. Two years into her 8 year sentence on 9th May 1976 Ulrike Meinhof was found hanged in her cell using a rope made from a towel. The official verdict was of suicide following her increasing isolation from other members of the gang who were imprisoned with her. Evidence indicates that they saw her as weak. Considering the suspicious manner of the deaths of the rest of the gang a year later it is not surprising that some claim Meinhof was in fact murdered by the German authorities, although this highly unlikely.
In a bizarre twist it was discovered that the brain of Ulrike had been removed for study before her burial six days after her death. Evidence shows that it was damaged during an earlier operation to remove a tumour. In 2002 the daughters of Ulrike Meinhof requested the brain be returned and buried with her and despite claims the brains had gone missing it was interred with her in December 2002. Ulrike Meinhof has become something of cult figure and is often given more credit and influence than she really had within the RAF. She was a contrasting figure to the violent , school drop out of Andreas Baader and fitted the classic profile of the well educated socialist reactionary that often were lured into terrorism due to their idealistic beliefs. She made a good focus for press attention and has had several quotes attributed to her including “Anti-Semitism is really a hatred of capitalism”, it was this comment which lead to some naming the RAF as ‘Hitler’s children” and on political action she is quoted as saying the much paraphrased quote “If one sets a car on fire, that is a criminal offence, if one sets hundreds of cars on fire , that is political action”.
Dugdale-Pointon, T. (20 August 2007), Ulrike Meinhof (1934-1976)
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Gerhard Richter from 'October 18, 1977' (Baader-Meinhof)
The person depicted is the German terrorist Ulrike Meinhof, a founding member of the Red Army Faction (RAF). She hanged herself on 9th May 1976, on the bars of her cell in Stuttgart-Stammheim prison.
The paintings belong to Gerhard Richter’s series October 18, 1977: the title refers to the day on which RAF members Gudrun Ensslin, Andreas Baader and Jan-Carl Raspe were found dead in their prison cells. All the paintings in this cycle are based on photographs; the photographic source for Dead was also published in the German magazine Stern on 16th June 1976.
In addition to the varying formats, the paintings differ from each other in their painterly realisation and the layout of the subject on the canvas. Furthermore, the position of the subject’s head appears to be slightly different in each version. Richter’s typical method of blurring intensifies from picture to picture: whereas in Dead [CR: 667-1] Meinhof’s features are recognisable, by the last painting, Dead [CR: 667-3], they are indistinct and the demarcations between light and dark tones are less harshly elaborated as the deep black background becomes a soft grey.
The three paintings seem to illustrate the artist’s search for an appropriate manner of representation as he gradually works towards creating a fitting depiction of the death of this woman. The distinctive close-ups differentiate the paintings Dead from the other pictures of dead RAF members and raise the question “why has this happened?” – something they cannot answer. More than any other paintings of the October 18, 1977 series, they express “sorrow for the people who died so young and so crazy, for nothing.” (Interview with Gregorio Magnani, 1989 in: Gerhard Richter: Text. Writings, Interviews and Letters 1961–2007, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009, p. 222)
Gerhard Richter’s cycle October 18, 1977 consists of 15 paintings and was created between March and November 1988. The paintings are the result of his fascination with terrorist group the Red Army Faction (RAF), which had been active in Germany since the beginning of the 1970s. The group tried to draw attention to their grievances about capitalist society by means of armed robberies and bomb attacks. The leading members of the first generation of the group were arrested in 1972. Their terrorist activities, their unparalleled pursuit by the police force and their joint suicides provoked heated discussion in Germany for a long time.
The title of the series, October 18, 1977, refers to the date on which Gudrun Ensslin, Andreas Baader and Jan-Carl Raspe were found dead in their cells in Stuttgart-Stammheim prison. More than ten years later, Gerhard Richter chose to approach the subject in his work, explaining his reasons as follows: “The deaths of the terrorists, and the related events both before and after, stand for a horror that distressed me and has haunted me as unfinished business ever since, despite all my efforts to suppress it”. (Notes for a press conference, November – December 1988 in: Gerhard Richter: Text. Writings, Interviews and Letters 1961–2007, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009, p. 202) The unveiling of the paintings in 1989 caused a stir that shows that the matter was not resolved in the eyes of the German general public either.
The exhibition, entitled October 18, 1977 and held at Museum Haus Esters in Krefeld, Germany, presented the paintings for the first time to the public. Following this exhibition the cycle was shown in different exhibitions worldwide for two years. After being on a ten-year loan to the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main the pictures were sold to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1995, where they have been on display since 2000.
The paintings were created in different formats, but the consistent reduction to tones of grey underlines their conception as a series. The grisaille palette refers also to newspapers of that time, which were mostly printed in black and white. All paintings except Youth Portrait [CR: 672-1] are based on documentary photographs, including press photographs and pictures taken by the police. Richter’s examination of the photographs, which he took from newspaper archives, is reflected in his compendium Atlas [Sheets: 470–479] and in a separate study album. In addition to the actual source photographs, he collected more than 100 pictures related to the RAF in these two albums.
By using photographic source material and his painterly modification of these sources, Richter was revisiting a method that had dominated his early works. After choosing a section of the photograph, he depicts the subjects with accuracy but also using his discretion. Following this he blurs the imagery using a variety of techniques, thereby creating paintings that are reminiscent of out-of-focus black-and-white photographs.
Due to the extensive and continued presence of the RAF in the media it can be assumed that the audience who saw the works around the time they were created would easily have made a connection between Richter’s paintings and the activities of the RAF – despite the blurred imagery and neutral titles. As with this series of work, the artist often refers to images that have entered the collective memory, ensuring a renewed remembrance of past events and inviting new perspectives on them.
Notes prepared by Joe Hage
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Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music
Part 1 – Train to Skaville
Part 2 – Rebel Music
Part 3 – Inna Dancehall Style
'Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music' was an impressive documentary made by director Mike Connolly for the BBC. It was originally shown in 2002 and the documentary traces the evolution of Reggae Music from Mento and Ska, all the way up to Roots, Dub, and Dancehall. The film traces the story of how Jamaica conquered the world through its music.
(Thanx SJX!)
Part 2 – Rebel Music
Part 3 – Inna Dancehall Style
'Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music' was an impressive documentary made by director Mike Connolly for the BBC. It was originally shown in 2002 and the documentary traces the evolution of Reggae Music from Mento and Ska, all the way up to Roots, Dub, and Dancehall. The film traces the story of how Jamaica conquered the world through its music.
(Thanx SJX!)
Sharon Johnstone: Dew Drop Macro Photographs
‘With macro photography I escape to another little world. I love exploring the tiny details in nature that often get overlooked. I love finding beautiful colors and abstract compositions within nature. I think I am at my happiest when I am crawling around on my hands and knees exploring a small patch of moss dripping with sparkling dew in the early morning sun.’
MORE
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Pearls Before Breakfast (2007)
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
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Pearls Before Breakfast
Sony Says Raising Prices On Whitney Houston Music Was A 'Mistake'
Following the news that Sony Music raised prices on Whitney Houston's music very, very soon after news broke that she passed away, the company has now said that it was a "mistake" and issued an apology:
Mike Masnick @'techdirt'
"Whitney Houston product was mistakenly mispriced on the UK iTunes store on Sunday. When discovered, the mistake was immediately corrected. We apologize for any offense caused."Of course, that seems to raise more questions than it answers. What kind of "mistake"? Human error? Did someone just accidentally jack up the price? Or was it someone doing it on purpose... and Sony now thinks that his or her decision to do so was the mistake?
Mike Masnick @'techdirt'
Thursday, 16 February 2012
One more time...
ok, we've said this before - THE SKIPS AND CUT OUTS ON ASHTRAY WASP ARE INTENTIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(totally unprofess, and prob illegal, but i might start a blog showcasing some of these burial complaint emails we get sent - priceless)
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