An update on my post about “online magazines and the new Movabletype charges”:http://www.nonviolence.org/martink/archives/000347.php… The folks at MT have “listened to all the feedback and implemented new policies”:www.sixapart.com/log/2004/06/announcing_pric.shtml which are much more sensitive to the needs (and resources) of small nonprofit and community groups. It’s really good news for all the independent publishing happening via blogs. Look for my “powered by” symbol to change to the new 3.0 version as soon as I install it.
Quaker Ranter
A Weekly Newsletter and Blog from Martin Kelley
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It’s hard not to make the connection
June 21, 2003
In Iraq, U.S. soldiers are blaring the soundtract to ‘Apocalypse Now’ to psych themselves up to war:
“With Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ still ringing in their ears and the clatter of helicopters overhead, soldiers rammed vehicles into metal gates and hundreds of troops raided houses in the western city of Ramadi”
Meanwhile in my hometown of Philadelphia four teenagers listened to the Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’ over forty times before attacking and beating to death one of their friends.
Horrific as both stories are, what strikes me is the choice of music. ‘Helter Skelter’ and most of the music on ‘Apocalpse Now’ were written in the late 1960 and early 70s (the movie itself came out in 1979). Why are today’s teenagers picking the music of their parents to plan their attacks? Can’t you kill to Radiohead or Linkin Park? Couldn’t the Philly kids have shown some hometown pride and picked Pink? Why the Oldies Music? Seriously, there have been some topsy-turvy generational surprises in the support and opposition to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Is there some sort of strange fetish for all things 70s going on here?