Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
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The other night John was discussing rock “classics”, which I once heard a performer — Tom Rush? — describe as “those songs every drunk remembers, and demands”. I’m sure Gabriel regards “Solsbury Hill” as his preeminent ‘classic’, and this arena version is a witty solution, but it’s still the song I want played when I draw my last breath.
Early Morning Open Thread: Solsbury HillPost + Comments (86)
Still struggling on an amp/pre-amp combo, and many of the suggestions you all gave last night were ridiculously expensive and completely not going to happen. At any rate, here is a new picture of one of our adopted blogkids, Samkitten, enjoying some birthday cake and ice cream:
Think I might need to have some ice cream and watch a movie tonight. That sounds nice.
Also, everyone keep pulling for good news for Soonergrunt.
Condolences to our fearless blog host, who must be suffering one heckuva hangover, I’m guessing.
This is an interesting piece about a Mexican drug news blog run by an anonymous student.
“For the scanty details that they (mass media) put on television, they get grenades thrown at them and their reporters kidnapped,” the blogger said. “We publish everything. Imagine what they could do to us.”
Of course, since he posts information he gets directly from drug cartels, he gets a tsk-tsk from a journalist:
“Media outlets have social responsibilities and have to serve the public,” said Carlos Lauria, of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. “This is being produced by someone who is not doing it from a journalistic perspective. He is doing it without any ethical considerations.”
I’m sure Lauria’s committee is a good bunch of people who do good work, but I think we can all do without the journalism lectures from self-appointed gatekeepers.
… because we just got back from a modestly successful meteor-watching expedition to Salisbury Beach.
I wish someone would get around to distributing a professional release of Twin Spica here. It’s the story of a little girl who wants to become one of Japan’s first professional astronauts, and who (in very Japanese fashion) works hard and lives honorably to achieve at least the first steps toward her dream. Nothing big or flashy, just a very engaging story — it really reminds me of the Andre Norton and Robert Heinlein YA novels from the 1960s, books like THE STARS ARE OURS and HAVE SPACE SUIT, WILL TRAVEL. I think it’s a great “starter” anime for sci-fi geeks.
Also, I got my copy of Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, and the first chapter (“He’s Smart, But His Birds Are Sloppy”) explains why Japan is — seriously! — testing potential space-travel candidates by having them produce a thousand origami cranes. Those of you who’ve seen the fan-subbed versions of Twin Spica (or read the manga, which is now being released in English) will understand why this tickles me.
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P.S. Soonergrunt, you are a most honorable warrior, and my prayers are with you this weekend & going forward.
I’ve decided on the Magnepan 1.7’s and a Sunfire Trusub with a 10″
All that is left is the amps. What do you all think? I’ve been saving for this for five years, and it is time to retire the 20 year old adcom.
Andy Hall is leaving his week at TNC’s place (but we will be able to follow him over at Dead Confederates). He leaves us with a poem–The Great Lie–by Tim Lewis. It is well worth the time to click this link and give it a read. The poem explores the great lie of the Confederacy in six stanzas and follows that with a call to truth and action. Here is how those six stanzas begin:
The first part of the Great Lie
Is to deny
That slavery was savage, barbaric…The second part of the Great Lie
Is to deny
The evil of the system…The third part of the Great Lie
Is to imply
That most enjoyed their bondage…The fourth part of the Great Lie
Is to deny
That the war concerned slavery at all…The fifth part of the Great Lie
Is to deny
Slave wisdom, endeavor and capacity…The sixth and final part of the Great Lie
Is to deny
Even the existence of wartime slaves…
This is a poem that should be taught in every high school in the land.
Thanks to Andy for sharing this.
Enjoy the night.
Cheers