Seabees- the Construction Battalion of the U.S. Navy, the men who build roads, huts, bridges, etc, in military theatres for the U.S. Navy. Pretty cool, really- construction workers, the guys who make it happen. Their motto: "Can Do!" Their logo- awesome.
JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association- the most widely circulated medical journal in the world.
Jabroni- a professional wrestler who loses his match on purpose ("does his job," and thus preserves the sport's narrative.) The links within that article are all pretty interesting in their own right.
Mountains of Ararat- according to the Bible, where Noah's ark came to rest after the Great Flood. Interpreted today to refer to Mount Massis (now called Mount Ararat) in present day Turkey.
"Id Est"- Latin phrase meaning "that is"- and the origin of the abbreviation i.e.
Osaka- the city known as "the kitchen of Japan"
kir- a French aperitif (pre-meal cocktail, to stimulate the appetite) made of creme de cassis and white wine. It sounds pretty delicious, actually. And interestingly, named after Mayor Felix Kir of Dijon (a man with a couple badass French Resistance stories), and apparently white (rather than red) became the wine of choice for this cocktail because the Germans had confiscated the region's red wine.
R.U.R.- a Czech play from 1920 which introduced the word "robot"- Asimov's quote at the top of the page is pretty funny and pretty key. This article is a pretty fascinating read, all the way through. Later the author, Karel Capek, wrote a story called War with the Newts.
SST Records- record label founded by Greg Ginn of Black Flag. A business he started as a precocious kid to sell electronics equipment, he repurposed it as a record label to release his band's music. Over the course of the '80s it became the most influential and popular underground label of its day. SST released key albums by Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and more. Very interesting article.
U Nu- The first Prime Minister of Burma, 1948-56 (and two other brief tenures in the '50s and early 60s), essentially the only democratic leader Burma has ever known. He was ousted in a coup by Ne Win, who ruled Burma for several decades, eventually ceding power to a military junta. U Nu overall was a defiant and proud democratic figure, and as a devout Buddhist, a spiritual leader as well. This obituary makes for a quicker synopsis than the wikipedia entry.
ken- the scots gaelic word meaning "understanding" or "knowledge" (related to 'canny')
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
album #8
this is alphabeat (alphabeat)
This is a fun album- scandinavian pop music to the core. Peppy, melodic, infectiously sugary and upbeat, synth-driven. I can trace influences and cousins in many songs- for instance, "Fantastic 6" reminds me of the New Pornographers. Some of the male-female duets give me a Human League vibe. My three favorite songs are the most feminine- "Fascination," a classic male-female back and forth duet, very driven, poppy, and affectionate; "Boyfriend" might be my #1 favorite, at least after the first few listens. It's got that throwback early '90s sound, like Ace of Base, or like one of those '80s mall stars. I love the attitude and I'm a huge sucker for this genre. Definitely an example of a guilty pleasure. "Go-Go" has a Madonna sound to it, very similar to "Boyfriend"- strong melody, great dance beat, forceful but not acidic feminine tone. "Touch Me Touching You" has a nice '80s throwback sound, an emphatic, quick, synth-powered anthem, like The Outfield or somesuch. The last few tracks aren't quite as great as the rest of it, but that's a piddling criticism- they set the bar pretty high. They fall into the pop trap of sometimes getting a little over repetitive- but this might be the nature of pop music, that one man's over repetitive is another man's "hell yeah! I love hearing that chorus again!"
Very fun, very sugary pop, sure to enter my regular rotation.
This is a fun album- scandinavian pop music to the core. Peppy, melodic, infectiously sugary and upbeat, synth-driven. I can trace influences and cousins in many songs- for instance, "Fantastic 6" reminds me of the New Pornographers. Some of the male-female duets give me a Human League vibe. My three favorite songs are the most feminine- "Fascination," a classic male-female back and forth duet, very driven, poppy, and affectionate; "Boyfriend" might be my #1 favorite, at least after the first few listens. It's got that throwback early '90s sound, like Ace of Base, or like one of those '80s mall stars. I love the attitude and I'm a huge sucker for this genre. Definitely an example of a guilty pleasure. "Go-Go" has a Madonna sound to it, very similar to "Boyfriend"- strong melody, great dance beat, forceful but not acidic feminine tone. "Touch Me Touching You" has a nice '80s throwback sound, an emphatic, quick, synth-powered anthem, like The Outfield or somesuch. The last few tracks aren't quite as great as the rest of it, but that's a piddling criticism- they set the bar pretty high. They fall into the pop trap of sometimes getting a little over repetitive- but this might be the nature of pop music, that one man's over repetitive is another man's "hell yeah! I love hearing that chorus again!"
Very fun, very sugary pop, sure to enter my regular rotation.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
film #7
Almost Famous
I really like it, overall. (the youthful thrill of discovery, the vague sadness/joy of being a wallflower in such an exhilarating culture, the phenomenal rendering of the '70s rock scene, penny and russell's extraordinary seductive powers, that incredible sexual energy. lester bangs, phenomenally quotable, a hero but also a loser, one of the great side characters I've seen, and it was ; downsides- the mom character really gets annoying, just a little too over the top; some of the moments are very masturbatory, and occasionally the characters, when their minds are changed, just don't convince me, their mood transitions or their justifications don't feel real.)
stray observations:
I really like it, overall. (the youthful thrill of discovery, the vague sadness/joy of being a wallflower in such an exhilarating culture, the phenomenal rendering of the '70s rock scene, penny and russell's extraordinary seductive powers, that incredible sexual energy. lester bangs, phenomenally quotable, a hero but also a loser, one of the great side characters I've seen, and it was ; downsides- the mom character really gets annoying, just a little too over the top; some of the moments are very masturbatory, and occasionally the characters, when their minds are changed, just don't convince me, their mood transitions or their justifications don't feel real.)
stray observations:
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