SPECTOR

http://spector.co.uk/

(...) Having consistently confessed his love for the early 2000s indie disco and its stock components of The Strokes, The Killers and Razorlight, Spector’s debut sounds like a lost gem from exactly that time. So go on, think back to 2004. To when choruses were anthemic, riffs were simple and catchy, singers pouted around singing about being young and drunk and getting laid (or not). It was a simpler time. (...)
http://www.nme.com/reviews/spector/13562

Walking On The Moon

The death of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has prompted a bout of soul-searching about America's national destiny as well as mourning for an icon of the 20th century.
As tributes continued to pour in on Sunday for the former astronaut who died aged 82 there were also expressions of regret that no human has been back to the moon since 1972, just three years after Armstrong set foot on it and gave his famous "giant leap for mankind" speech. (...)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/aug/26/neil-armstrong-passing-us-yearning-glory

(...) The Apollo 11 mission capped a tumultuous and consequential decade. The ’60s in America had started with such promise, with the election of a youthful president, mixed with the ever-present anxieties of the cold war. Then it touched greatness in the civil rights movement, only to implode in the years of assassinations and burning city streets and campus riots. But before it ended, human beings had reached that longtime symbol of the unreachable.

The moonwalk lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes, long enough to let the astronauts test their footing in the fine and powdery surface — Mr. Armstrong noted that his boot print was less than an inch deep — and set up a television camera and scientific instruments and collect rock samples. (...)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/science/space/neil-armstrong-dies-first-man-on-moon.html?_r=1

 

LIFE ON MARS

Travelers of the Future, Beware! Mars is no place for the faint-hearted. Arid, rocky, cold and apparently lifeless, the Red Planet offers few hospitalities. Fans of extreme sports can rejoice, however, for the Red Planet will challenge even the hardiest souls among us. Home to the largest volcano in the solar system, the deepest canyon and crazy weather and temperature patterns, Mars looms as the ultimate lonely planet destination.

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/videos/index.cfm?v=82

Chavela Vargas for English Speaking Beginners

Iconic Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, known for her mastery of the sad and sultry bolero, died Sunday. She was 93.
http://www.expatica.com/es/news/spanish-news/mexican-icon-chavela-vargas-dies-at-93_239785.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19141242
http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2012/08/01/actualidad/1343803995_525687.html

Gore Vidal, a Must-Read Writer

"Gore Vidal was a lover of truth, the Constitution & the Republic. With courage and wit he inspired, challenged and entertained. We’ve lost an important voice and I will miss his big heart". (Susan Sarandon)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/gore-vidal-dead-best-man-cast_n_1730762.html
http://www.gorevidalnow.com/
Gore Vidal: "loved him. As a guest, as a writer, as a friend. Balls like beachballs. Google him on monotheism. A giant who stands alone". (Bill Maher)