October 6, 2022

Sander Kleinenberg ‎- Everybody - CD1 + CD2 (2003) Progressive House, Tech House 💗💗💗

Label: Renaissance – REN10CD
Format:
2 x CD, Mixed, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 20 Oct 2003
Genre: Electronic
Style: Progressive House, Tech House

October 6, 2022

Shrugging at "Coco Chow"

How do you even write about Trump’s anti-Asian racism at this point?

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/10/trump-mcconnell-elaine-chao-racist/



Maybe it makes sense that “DEATH WISH” was the part that garnered headlines. After all, a record of inciting real-life violence renders such a message concerning.

But even as someone who’s on the payroll to keep abreast of the relentless garbage, I didn’t catch the Coco Chow bit until well after a solid day later. It came as the second beat of Donald Trump’s message lashing out at Mitch McConnell, when the former president and forever frontrunner of the GOP called the Senate minority leader’s partner, Elaine Chao, a “China-loving wife, Coco Chow.” Neither Chao nor McConnell have responded to the overtly racist slur directed at the Taiwanese-born former transportation secretary. I found it while mindlessly stumbling across what Rick Scott thought about the whole thing. (Not much, by the way.) Most write-ups obscured it to the final lines of the news cycle.



Coco Chow is tired and unimaginative, something you expected from the outcast uncle at Thanksgiving. But the collective shrug has grated at me. Sure, we all wagged fingers at “Chinese virus and Kung Fu Flu,” racist rhetoric that deeply inflamed anti-Asian violence during the height of the pandemic. But a meh response to garbage like Coco Chow—duly relegated to the second beat of an unhinged post published on a floundering social media platform—is another entry into the generally underwhelming attention paid to Trump’s more casual bouts of racism: his utterances of “China,” a pronunciation so exaggerated and bizarre, yet always seemed to go under the radar; asking the “pretty Korean lady” where she’s from; his public mockery of Asian accents.



How do you even write about Trump’s racism at this point? Does doing so benefit him? I’m not sure. But McConnell and the rest of the GOP seem intent, in fact perfectly well-suited, on extending the very American tradition of ignoring anti-Asian racism.

snip

October 5, 2022

Larry Heard Presents: Mr. White - The Sun Can't Compare (sublime deep acid house) 💙⚗️💟💊🧬

Label: Alleviated Records – ML-2225
Format:
Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: Oct 2006
Genre: Electronic
Style: Acid House, Deep House

October 5, 2022

UK Subs - Scum Of The Earth: Best Of The UK Subs + UK Subs - Endangered Species

Label: Music Club – MCCD 120
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: Europe
Released: 1993
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk



The UK Subs were another group that emerged from the scene at The Roxy in London in 1977. Founder and Lead Vocalist Charlie Harper was playing in R&B and pub rock groups before being influenced by bands like The Damned to turn to punk.

The band initially started in 1976 as "The Subversives" with singer Charlie Harper. When the band line-up was based around Harper's growling Cockney vocals with Nicky Garratt on Guitar, Paul Slack on Bass and a variety of drummers they became the "U.K. subversives", later shortened to "U.K. Subs". Although adopting punk stylings, the bands work was still heavily influenced by R&B, albeit played fast. Their sound was most similar to Sham 69 or The Angelic Upstarts, although without the skinhead following

Whilst never having a big hit, several singles made the lower reaches of the Top 30 in the late 70s, including "Stranglehold", "Tomorrow's Girls", a cover of The Zombies classic "She's Not There" and "Warhead". The first two studio LPs "Another Kind of Blues" and "Brand New Age" also made the lower reaches of the album charts.

October 4, 2022

Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!: Chapter III

October 4, 2022

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng facing bid to dock their pay amid economic turmoil

LIZ Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng are facing a parliamentary bid to dock their pay following their “gross mismanagement” of the economy.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/23018593.liz-truss-kwasi-kwarteng-facing-bid-dock-pay-amid-economic-turmoil/



The Liberal Democrats plan to table a censure motion in the House of Commons calling for the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to lose half of their additional salaries paid as part of their roles in Government.

Truss would be expected to lose almost £38,000 and Kwarteng around £33,750 under the proposal, according to recent data.

The basic annual salary for an MP is £84,144 and those in Government positions receive an additional salary – the latter of which the Lib Dems want to see docked.

A House of Commons Library briefing states prime ministers have been entitled to receive an additional £79,936 per annum but claimed £75,440 while chancellors have received £67,505 of their £71,673 annual entitlement.

snip

October 3, 2022

How can we stop the madness taking over America's politics?

A surge of violent threats against leaders should be a wakeup call for all Americans

https://theliberalpatriot.substack.com/p/how-can-we-stop-the-madness-taking



Donald Trump is back at it again, saying in a post on his Truth Social online media venture that Senate Republican Mitch McConnell has a “DEATH WISH” for working with Democrats to pass legislation. In typical Trump fashion, the two words were in ALL CAPS for emphasis. He also threw in a racist jibe about McConnell’s Asian American wife, Elaine Chao, who served as Trump’s transportation secretary.

In typical GOP fashion, most top Republican Party officials refused to condemn the remarks, even when given the opportunity to do so, including Florida Senator Rick Scott, who runs the GOP Senate’s campaign organization. Mainstream commentators like the Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty and the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board condemned Trump’s latest outrage, but they don’t have to worry about getting the approval of Republican voters who are still in the thrall of Trumpism weeks before midterm elections.

Some might try to just brush off these latest Trump remarks, but it’s important to remember this is the guy who helped incite the biggest attack on U.S. Congress in centuries, an assault that came close to killing Trump’s own vice president. Plus, hints at threats of violence come at a sensitive juncture in America’s democracy. America has been sharply divided along partisan lines for years, with worrisome signs that these bitter splits could turn violent:

Violent threats against members of U.S. Congress increased more than tenfold since 2017 to 9,625 recorded cases in 2021, according to the Capitol Police, the federal law enforcement department in charge of protecting Congress.

snip

October 3, 2022

Lena Dunham Is Back on Her Bullshit

The star just wrote a tweet so tone-deaf that the word “cringe” doesn’t do it justice. Why can’t she ever stop making it all about her?

https://www.thedailybeast.com/lena-dunham-is-back-on-her-bullshit-with-her-tweet-about-the-new-york-city-pride-parade



Lena Dunham is known for three things: her film and television creative output, particularly the breakout HBO series Girls; her wealthy white feminist gaffes overflowing with ignorant self-important nonsense; and her stream of apologies for said gaffes that set the scene for when she inevitably shows she’s learned absolutely nothing—as she did Sunday.

“When I go, I want my casket to be driven through the NYC pride parade with a plaque that reads ‘she wasn’t for everyone, but she *was* for us,’” Dunham tweeted, unironically. “Who can arrange?”

https://twitter.com/lenadunham/status/1576591333824806912
Nary a month after lamenting in The Guardian that “these things” will “be attached to [her] forever”—meaning the stuff that’s led Dunham to plead forgiveness from marginalized folks so many times that there’s a Twitter account that generates apologies on her behalf—Dunham wrote a tweet so tone-deaf that the word “cringe” doesn’t do it justice. Despite claiming that being a source of constant controversy and well-earned thinkpiece criticism was never “a job [she] wanted” and is now “a job that [she has] respectfully resigned from,” it seems that Dunham is on her bullshit again.

For starters, it’s mind-boggling that Dunham, totally unprompted, took to social media to declare herself an LGBTQ icon. Folks do not become queer icons via an application process or self-coronation, but it definitely was a bold effort. It’s also pretty stunning to see a rich, straight white lady issue directives for how she should be properly honored at a parade that was not made for her and needn’t be remade in her image.

snip

October 3, 2022

Brazil election: ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wins vote but not outright victory

Acrimonious election will go to a second round after the former president failed to secure a majority over Jair Bolsonaro

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/02/brazil-election-ex-president-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva-wins-vote-but-not-outright-victory-jair-bolsonaro



Brazil’s acrimonious presidential race will go to a second round after the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva failed to secure the overall majority he needed to avoid a run-off with the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

With 97.8% of votes counted the leftist veteran had secured 47.99% of the vote, not enough to avoid the 30 October show down with his right-wing rival. Bolsonaro, who significantly out-performed pollster's predictions and will be buoyed by the result, received 43.57%.

Speaking on the eve of the election Lula said he was hopeful of a first round win but would redouble his efforts to reclaim power if a second round was needed. “I feel great hope that this election will be decided tomorrow, but if it isn’t we’ll have to behave like a football team when a match goes to extra time. We’ll rest for 15 minutes and then we’ll get back out onto the pitch to score the goals we didn’t score in normal time,” he told reporters.

The election result was a blow to progressive Brazilians who had been rooting for an emphatic victory over Bolsonaro, a former army captain who has repeatedly attacked the country’s democratic institutions and vandalized Brazil’s international reputation.

snip

October 2, 2022

Aarhus Is Europe's Best City You've Never Heard Of

Don’t sleep on this European destination, which has a population of 350,000 but packs a major cultural punch—in food, art, history, and design.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/aarhus-is-europes-best-city-youve-never-heard-of



Immediately after exiting the central railway station in Aarhus, visitors are greeted by a bustling pedestrian-only street with quaint red-brick facades, a towering Gothic revival church, mountains of bicycles parked in an organized chaos—all of it very Danish. But as cliché as it sounds, there are also the smells. Cardamom and cinnamon from a small bakery, fresh-baked bread at a sandwich stall, newly fried churros from a hole-in-the-wall, spit-roasted meats from a shawarma shop with a line out the door. It was certainly the first thing I noticed. That might be because I came here (with assistance from VisitDenmark and its local partners) to investigate my European friend’s claim that Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, is an underrated and under-discussed food town. But what I discovered over several days is that it’s much more than that. Aarhus is actually, as the Danes might say, skidegodt, or, cool as shit.



Located 120 miles west of Copenhagen—three-and-a-half hours by train or car—on the eastern coast of Jutland, Denmark’s peninsular mainland jutting up from continental Europe, Aarhus has long been a cultural hub thanks to its namesake university, the largest in Scandinavia. But the former Viking settlement has transcended mere college-town status in recent decades, making culture its core mission. Five years ago, Aarhus was named a European Capital of Culture, a status commemorated in countless sidewalk tiles around town reading “AARHUS 2017.” The city’s supercharged annual festival reflects, in its own words, “a deep political belief that art, culture and community are essential for a flourishing city.” And it’s been a success.



On the culinary front, Aarhus has quietly developed a formidable scene. For a small city of 350,000, it has a surprising number of restaurants featured in the Michelin Guide—whether it be with coveted stars, Bib Gourmand awards, or high praise in the annual report. The food culture is centered around the hallmarks that made its big sister Copenhagen a world-class food destination: Innovation, playfulness, sustainability, and yes, of course, hygge, the Danish emphasis on simple comforts. And they actually mean it. None of this is convenient T-shirt sloganeering. One spot, Hærværk, easily became one of the best meals I’ve ever had—and that’s not the jet lag and copious glasses of wine talking. Opened in 2014 by a group of friends, Hærværk is committed at every level to transparency and sustainable practices, down to its choices in furniture, cleaning products, and banking.



The six-course menu changes weekly or even daily—all depending on what materials they’ve got in stock. All meats displayed in their dry-aging fridge are bought whole: Game from hunters in wildlife management; fish from sustainable sources; and livestock from farms that don’t raise them solely to end up on your plate. Every part of the animal is used. And in this particular meal, the Michelin green star awardee’s tasting menu shined with two dishes utilizing a milk cow that had lived a productive life. First, the tongue meat fried into a schnitzel, topped with spring onions and pickles; and then a thinly sliced cut served with squash and a rich red-wine sauce made with other parts of the cow.

snip