Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The chairman of a key Pentagon advisory panel has echoed recent claims by both Joe Biden and Colin Powell, warning that the next administration will face an international crisis within months of taking office.
Michael Bayer, chairman of the Defense Business Board and veteran Pentagon consultant announced during a public meeting late last week that the new President should “prepare for a likely first-270-days crisis.”
The incoming administration “must not wait until June” to get assistant secretaries confirmed and October for deputy assistant secretaries to be Senate confirmed, Bayer’s briefing states.
Under the heading “First 270 Days” appears the following list of Presidents with crisis events next to their names: 
The latest warning of a “likely crisis” comes on the back of Joe Biden’s “guarantee” that an “international crisis” will unfold shortly after President Obama takes office.
“It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy,” Biden told an audience in Seattle earlier this month.
“Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.” Biden continued.
The assured tone with which Biden delivered his forecast was staggeringly convincing, and left the observer in no doubt that there will be a major world crisis shortly after Obama takes office. “Mark my words, mark my words,” Biden stressed, adding that “tough” and “unpopular” foreign policy decisions will have to be made.
“I promise you it will occur,” Biden added, “As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it is going to happen.”
On the same day Biden made his prophesy, Colin Powell appeared on Meet The Press and stated “There’s going to be a crisis which will come along on the 21st, 22nd of January that we don’t even know about right now.”
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Walk down any city street or drive on any road and in a sense, you’re surrounded by the thoughts, theories and designs of Otl Aicher.
He was one of the leading german graphic designers of the 20th century and may be best known for being the lead designer for the 1972 Munich Olympics.
One of the cultural mile-stones in the field of visual communication, the design of the XXth Olympiad was so successful because it articulated to multi-lingual/cultural audiences in an unprecedented way. The pictogram system which was devised by Aicher and his team for the games was the perfect example of simplistic information design and has now become the universal standard.

On the political front, Aicher and the Munich Olympic organizers wanted to erase reminders of the last German-held Olympics, the 1936 games in Berlin- often called the Nazi games. The aim with the Munich poster designs was to create a color framework that completely negated memories of aggressive nationalism. According to press materials, the colors were to be “heiter,” that is to say “cheerful”. Missing were the sharp black and red colors of the national flag of Germany.
Aicher’s Munich posters are full of furious energy, with style of brilliant smudged effect showing runners, gymnasts, basketball players, fencers and other athletes in action heralded by oranges, purples, blues and greens to make them look pleasingly and explosively international.

What is interesting is how Aicher’s designs were used not only in later Olympic games, but everywhere else in global public settings. Those men and women on restroom signs, the knives and forks for restaurants, the stripe that denotes everything like “no smoking” and “wheelchair access” are all part of the lexicon of our times.
*Here are 50 of his 72 Olympiad POSTERS—-> @@@@@@@@@@
*and THIS is an amazing site shows EVERYTHING he produced for the games, including tickets, badges, schedules, and pins: —–> @@@@@@@@
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
a rap battle, carefully translated by a well-spoken white guy. how…….strange.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Jade Ross is a multimedia artist whose house is in or around in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. She is hazy original. She is both shadow & butterfly. She sounds like Martha Davis/priestess. She makes her own clothes and is a champion dreamer.
She tells the story of her summer in this film she shot (on her cell phone)–she also performed the music — +++++p/s: the ending is lovelY_____–__”’_…..+++++:
http://www.myspace.com/jaderoxs
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
strange excerpt from Hendrix Concert Movie- RAINBOW BRIDGE—- Pay close attention @ about 4:47 where Hendrix tells a surreal, almost 4 MINUTE stream of consciousness story+++++
Opening sequence for the 1970 Movie:
” I want to turn people on. Yes, I have said that I am an electric religion – because it’s all about religion, not Christianity. It was the Christians who started most or the wars in this world. I can see a universal religion, containing all beliefs, containing the essence of them all. In that universal religion children can grow up and feel free, where they will not be programmed like they are today. I have been looking for a place, far away from this mechanical world where cities and hotel rooms run into each other. I have found it inside myself. Now I want to spread it. My music needs love and understanding. Through music you get more religion than through anything else…” J.H.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
the british government plans to remove all branding from cigarette packaging to cut consumption. it raises the issue of the power of branding and the extra cost that premium brands like marlboro charges for the same damn cigarette. Without the branding, It’s basically a box full of “YOU’RE KILLING YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS”, funded by “Benson and Hedges”. 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/sep/21/smoking.health
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
UNITED STATES PACIFIST PARTY
United States Pacifist Party (USPP) is designed to give expression within a democratic, electoral context to the belief that military power profoundly contradicts many religious and philosophic principles, and is a practical mistake in our time. It sees military traditions and institutions as the key obstacle to the solution of major social evils, such as war, the arms race, poverty, and political oppression. Note the peculiar alpha-numerics on the party insignia. Its a mathematical “Apocalypse Equation” that estimates the risk of disaster from nuclear warheads.
INTERVIEW with Brandford Lyttle, founder of the USPP, who is vastly influenced by Ghandi and MLK : —–> *@@@@@@
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The “theremin” was one of the first electronic musical instruments and is THE first instrument to be played without being touched. The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennae which sense the position of the player’s hands and control radio frequency oscillator(s) for frequency with one hand, and volume with the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. Its is classified as a an “electrophone”, a subset of the quintephone family.
The strange instrument was invented by Le’on Theremin, a russian inventor in 1919. Theremin also invented the first wireless television in 1925 which he demonstrated moving, if blurry, images on June 7, 1927.
After being sent on a lengthy tour of Europe in 1927 in which he demonstrated his invention to large audiences, Theremin found his way to the USA where he met his second wife. The eccentric inventor fell in love with and married the young Prima Ballerina Lavinia Williams
in the middle 1930s. His marriage to the African-American dancer caused shock and disapproval in his social circles, but the ostracized couple remained together. In 1938, Theremin was abducted and returned to the Soviet Union, where he was imprisoned and later sent to a labor camp. Williams never saw him again. The legend says that Theremin built his young wife a room with metal walls where music would be triggered according to her dance movements.
Below is a video of Clara Rockmore, who was widely considered to be the most accomplished Theremin performer on our planet.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Hoping to combat the “snitch” label that often leads to silent suffering, six Utah schools have introduced a Web site that allows students to anonymously report bullies.
SchoolTipline doesn’t read the tips or reply to them.
A Brigham Young University student, Justin Bergener, created the site, which also lets students post information about thefts, drugs and harassment. Bergener said he hopes students who might otherwise be too scared or shy to speak up will be willing to post on the site.”There really is this culture and code of silence that’s particularly prevalent in middle schools and high schools,” Bergener said. Many students may not want to be seen in the office talking to an authority figure, said Rosanna Ungerman, principal of Provo’s Dixon Middle School. “It allows students to have an outlet and avenue to report things they might otherwise not have reported,” Ungerman said.
Nearly 50 schools in other states are also using the Web site.
Here’s how it works: School administrators are made aware of any tips either by e-mail or text message, Bergener said. For some schools, students have to create a logon and password to send a tip, but they still remain anonymous, though. But in most cases, schools allow anyone to send a tip with no need to give personal information. “They’d rather have 10 good ones and one false one than none at all,” Bergener told The Associated Press on Monday. Bergener said his Web site is simply a third party that ships the tips along. SchoolTipline, which also has participating schools in Texas, Washington, California and Arizona, doesn’t read the tips or reply to them. If a tip goes unread for a day or so, though, SchoolTipline reminds schools it’s there. The six Utah schools using the Web site include elementary, middle and high schools.
“Even some parents have reported incidents anonymously”, said Judy Runolfson, Lehi Junior High’s assistant principal.
Monday, October 13, 2008
(self portrait/ glittermarkers, pencil)
(black dahlia/ oil on wood)
(decision constipation/ gauche pencil on paper)
Born in Mexico, raised in Iceland, Raffaella is a painter, illustrator, performance artist, and songwriter.
explore her world: ——-> *raffaellabrizsig.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
“V,” the 1980s miniseries about alien lizards visiting Earth, will invade primetime once again.
ABC is developing a new adaptation of the franchise — which spawned a second mini and TV spinoff — written by “The 4400″ co-creator/exec producer Scott Peters.
Warner Bros. TV, which was behind the original longform, is once again producing the project, which was sold as a spec script to the Alphabet net.
Saturday, October 11, 2008

Call it “DubStep” or maybe the ” next step” is more like it.
It’s been a while since i have been in Europe and Israel (which is in some ways is a part of Europe) actually 2 years, and alot has changed in the club scene. in America you have everything. music in most clubs attracts a hip hop, reggae/ funk-soul crowd. its like a scene that doesn’t progress much musically and you might go from one party to another hearing the same oldies, and go “meh”.
Of course, there are a few great Dj’s that kinda started a style of more futuristic hip hop that is that glitch grimy psy- hip hop (like flying lotus and a few other great LA based musicians) which is very L.A— although in L.A. it seems to be two schools of thought: (1) the Straight-ahead dj’s that would play some great classics and will mix it very well ( like Juju, Honey Collective). OR you’ll have the (2) “beat nerds” whose parties are decidedly more glitch-hop, psychedelic hip hop, and all the heady stuff- which is awesome to listen to but you can’t really dance to it. (Low End Theory).
In Europe its a little bit different. in Europe (and very much so in israel) there’s a new style that has taking over the people and the Djs and basically the whole fucking scene. I think it’s the future– it’s called DUBSTEP. i think its one of the best things that could happened coz it feels like real musical progress. its basically elements of grime mashed to a 2-step rhthm with heavy, dub drums. it is big, sexy and it talks to all the crowds together, funk, reggae, drum n’ bass, techno and HIP HOP…here’s an exanple of a DUBSTEP vibe:
it seems like all the dj’s in Israel naturally moved into Dubstep now. yeah, they’re still playing all kinds of hip hop and funky soul but, it always seems to end in a Dubstep party—-and every single person is dancing.
one of the innovators of Dubstep is Dj Skream (click on his name for his myspace)from the UK
his myspace page is not a good reflection of a true Dubstep party. to get that, you really have to EXPERIENCE it live.













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