290 Years ago Today Easter Island was “Discovered”

The culture was already in a state of decline. I find this text by Jared Diamond on the topic very interesting.

I suspect, though, that the disaster happened not with a bang but with a whimper. After all, there are those hundreds of abandoned statues to consider. The forest the islanders depended on for rollers and rope didn’t simply disappear one day-it vanished slowly, over decades. Perhaps war interrupted the moving teams; perhaps by the time the carvers had finished their work, the last rope snapped. In the meantime, any islander who tried to warn about the dangers of progressive deforestation would have been overridden by vested interests of carvers, bureaucrats, and chiefs, whose jobs depended on continued deforestation.

Here’s the full text: Jared Diamond, Easter Island’s End

Farewell Notes

For some subconscious reason I just decided to start collecting farewell notes from websites.

Eye of the Goof

The Eye Closes
After giving it much consideration over the past month or so, I’ve decided to shut down this weblog. My life has changed a lot over the past 18 months, and unfortunately, my interest in blogging did not survive the transition. …

surfblog.de

One week…
…to go. Dann Praktikum fertig. Dann ab Richtung Leon zu Malte ins Haus, bissl Overcrowded Moliets antun und dann Eva nach San Sebastian bringen. Sie bleibt 3 Monate dort, ich darf zum 01.09. wieder nach Aachen nochmal 9 Wochen Praktikum machen
Für November/Dezember muss ich mir dann noch was überlegen. -> Hey Björn, wie sieht eure Afrika-Geschichte aus?

eXotica Releases Overview 5 Beta

fading out The “eXotica Releases Overview”
for more than 6 years, I have been curating This “eXotica Releases Overview”, and i’m getting tired of it, it has become a drag. From now on, there might be longer intervals inbetween updates, and I probably won’t be adding as many new titles or comments as I used to do.

CUEBURN

After nearly two years of inactivity it’s pretty clear there’s no time to tend this plot on the Internet. So, no new posts, and more unfortunately, no time to respond to requests for re-ups. Hope you’ve enjoyed what was here while it was here, and perhaps some day there will be hours to come back and continue.

-Soapy-

Office Naps

A note to kind Office Naps readers
DJ Little Danny
15. Mrz 2009, 06:53
Some of you have noticed that your author, who has made it a habit to drop things for months at a time, then to only suddenly reappear like that errant stepfather, has done it again.

A bit of explanation. When one’s waking hours are spent pitch-adjusting blue audograph discs or wondering whether more time shouldn’t be spent with something called digiprov, other things – important things – perspective, for one, updating music blogs, another – tend to get pushed aside. Healthier souls, even in their busiest stretches, commit themselves to at least some daily moment of relaxation or favorite activity. The word, I think, is balance. That’s something I’ve never much messed around with.

But Office Naps is something that we record collectors strive for. An unmediated, unregulated forum for our collections, simply, and an audience there to pay the tiniest bit of attention. Believe me, having someone, anyone, to listen to your music and your various exhortations about music is a true pleasure. And you, readers, you’re more than just anyone, you’re the best.

Which is to say I’ll be back. Just give me another month or two.

much love,
Little Danny

From Domenic Priore
…this Saturday night, and then some…

First up: The Beach Boys ‘Smile’ album and box set will be released by Capitol Records on Tuesday, November 1st…(yours truly wrote the liner notes)… that morning, be sure to tune in to the CBS Early Show for a segment about the album that’ll feature some incredible and never-before-seen performance, studio and conceptual footage of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys during the time ‘Smile’ was recorded in 1966.

Now….
Join me Saturday, October 22nd for a night of live, swirling-organ-sound ’60s garage punk fuzz, dynamite gal lead singers and some badass cats with The Love Me Nots, The Wooly Bandits, Magic Christian (featuring Cyril Jordan of The Flamin’ Groovies) + Mod Dylan.  I’ll be spinnin’ sounds right out of the ‘Riot on Sunset Strip’ book, including some of thee most hardcore Soul and R&B from pre-1969 Los Angeles, heavy dollops of Psych, ’60s Garage, Soundtracks, Folk-Rock and some burnin’ ’50s stuff to boot… all locally-derived record-makers! Dancing ’til 3. The Bullet at El Cid Restaurant (the historic El Cid Flamenco Theater in Silver Lake), 4212 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90029  (323)  668-0318  $12, 21 and up.
Note:  For those who’ll be in Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park or Downtown earlier, stop by The Echo (1822 W. Sunset) between 5 p.m. and 9, Magic Christian and another combo they’re touring with will be playing, and I’m DJing that event, too, for longer; I’ll be playing all instrumental Easy Listening versions of Go Go ’60s hits, for you earlybird-drinking Loungeheads.
plus Friday, October 21st, The Nashville Ramblers are on the West Coast this weekend as well, and will be playing a big set in San Diego on Friday, October 21st at The Til’ Two Club… then on Saturday night the 22nd… same night as The Bullet, take your pick… The Nashville Ramblers will be opening for The Muffs at The Crave Lounge in Ventura.  a Wild Weekend indeed!
Dig the YouTube: http://youtu.be/cyNg867AGng

BP is Beyond Petroleum is Synthia is The Blue Plague?

Recently I found this interesting video playlist about the Blue Plague. Apparently the Blue Plague is a new desease currently exclusive to the US gulf coast.

A short list of what I understood of it, but english is not my first language so please give me a break if I got something wrong!

  1. BP used a new form of artificially created bacteria, pumping it into the well as an aid for drilling under the Deep Water Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico
  2. this bacteria has a completely new, previously unknown set of genes and has been patented by a company associated with BP
  3. it has two markers: one means completely artificial, the second means complete resistance towards anti-biotics
  4. scientists in the lab called it Synthia
  5. it eats the crude-oil and by doing so is doing valuable work with the oil in the well for BP, putting out more precious products
  6. the process got out of hand, creating uncontrollable gasses and pressure
  7. after the accident happened the oil and bacteria spilled in thousands and thousands of tons into the Gulf of Mexico
  8. the administration handed the control of events over to BP and got in a supporting roll, since only BP had a chance of knowing how to handle it all
  9. Synthia eats body cells, too, and breeds on its own
  10. it was important for the people to not get too close to the oil
  11. it was important for BP to not tell the public about the bacteria
  12. people living in the area got sick anyway
  13. a company associated with BP developed a vaccine that is not yet available to the general public

So this is what I made of these videos, and if this is true, even if only in parts, we are looking at immense trouble. I always wondered why I never heard about surfers from the Gulf complaining of the loss of their sea, but writing this right now it dawns on me that most of them are probably in some way or other depending on the oil industry. However, the stuff is not going to stay in their waters, it starts travelling with the currents around the world.

World Vision Portal