Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Inner Mounting Flame

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Inner Mounting Flame
This could be the best album ever made (well, one of them). I know earlier I said it might be Brian Eno’s Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy, and that could still be true–but I hadn’t listened to this in quite awhile. The instrumentation and composition are tremendous. [...]

Just Say No to Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power

CNN Article: Inside the nuclear underworld: Deformity and fear
This is unspeakable. With that Japanese nuclear power plant earthquake incident earlier in the year also in the news, I hope the people of the world take a good hard look at what nuclear power really entails…

Sada Punjab TV, Radio and Sikh TV

Today on a local public access show I got a chance to see a show called Sada Punjab–it was a totally great set of Indian music (I assume it was Indian, although Punjab culture is also shared by Pakistanis?) with dancing and videos. You may have seen this type of Bollywood-style video before–big [...]

UC Berkeley on Your iPod

Get your school on (your iPod):
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/
Have fun learning and not worrying about being late to class!  Distance learning, for free!

“Noble Lies”: Political Philosophy, Leo Strauss, and the War in Iraq

Interesting article on political philosophy, the controversial concept of “noble lies,” and the war in Iraq…the possible real-world effects of academic theorizing on real-life political administrations! Read about Strauss’ detractors and defenders…are critics justified in seeing Leo Strauss’ imprint on the current administration and the Iraq war?
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/leostrauss/
More later…

Malcolm X-Quoting Anime Cats with a Sociological Bent: The Pinky Show

Cute Hello Kitty-type animation? Check. 11-year old sounding voices? Check. Quoting of Malcolm X, sociological theory, analysis of context and social interpretation? Check.   What exactly is the story behind the cute animated cats of the Pinky Show?  Their videos include “Thomas Edison Hates Cats”…Let’s see if these revolutionary [...]

Best Noise Rock Post Punk New Wave No Wave Experimental Indie Emo Goth Album Ever: Live Skull’s Bringing Home the Bait

Note: New candidate: Nice Strong Arm’s Reality Bath!
Live Skull: Bringing Home the Bait (mp3s) : this album to me is every bit as good as (or better than, that’s highly subjective) Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation, Sister and Evol, Drive Like Jehu’s self-titled and Yank Crime, Shellac’s Action Park, Swans’ Filth, etc. Anything by the Birthday [...]

R. Kelly is the new John Waters, David Lynch

Brilliant, breathtaking, sublime…
Trapped in the Closet, Chapters 1-22
Can’t decide who wins the best musicians as art-film directors prize, R Kelly or Daft Punk for Electroma…
As profiled in the NY Times:
R. Kelly’s Killer Serial: Video, Music, Cliffhangers, Midgets

Best Album Ever: Brian Eno’s Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy, or Joni Mitchell’s Hejira?

Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy.
Brian Eno is arguably one of the most important modern musicians ever: the song “Third Uncle” spawned all of Joy Division’s output and was covered by Bauhaus, lyrics were responsible for band name “A Certain Ratio,” he was also in Roxy Music, produced and played with David Bowie, coaxed great solos [...]

Buyer Beware: Lack of Regulation Haunts Chinese Goods, Subprime Lending, Hedge Funds, Endangering U.S. Economy, Globalization in the Process

Maybe with a little more government regulation on lending to subprime borrowers and securitization of mortgages and other exotic financial devices, the housing bubble wouldn’t have happened, irresponsible borrowers wouldn’t be facing so many foreclosures, Wall Street firms wouldn’t be screwed on their bonds they can’t sell because of the subprime-fiasco-caused credit squeeze, and hedge [...]