LONDON -- Richard Wright, a founding member of the rock group Pink Floyd, died Monday. He was 65.
Pink Floyd's spokesman Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist, said Wright died after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. He says the band member's family did not want to give more details about his death.
Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason in college and joined their early band, Sigma 6. Along with the late Syd Barrett, the four formed Pink Floyd in 1965. The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene, and their 1967 album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," was a hit.
In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright, along with Barrett, was seen as the group's dominant musical force. The London-born musician and son of a biochemist wrote songs and sang.
The band released a series of commercially and critically successful albums including 1973's "Dark Side of the Moon," which has sold more than 40 million copies. Wright wrote "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Us And Them" for that album, and later worked on the group's epic compositions such as "Atom Heart Mother," "Echoes" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."
But tensions grew between Waters, Wright and fellow band member David Gilmour. The tensions came to a head during the making of "The Wall" when Waters insisted Wright be fired. As a result, Wright was relegated to the status of session musician on the tour of "The Wall," and did not perform on Pink Floyd's 1983 album "The Final Cut."
Wright formed a new band Zee with Dave Harris, from the band Fashion, and released one album, "Identity," with Atlantic Records.
Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and Wright began recording with Mason and Gilmour again, releasing the albums "The Division Bell" and "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" as Pink Floyd. Wright also released the solo albums "Wet Dream" (1978) and "Broken China" (1996).
In July 2005, Wright, Waters, Mason and Gilmour reunited to perform at the "Live 8" charity concert in London -- the first time in 25 years they had been onstage together.
Wright also worked on Gilmour's solo projects, most recently playing on the 2006 album "On An Island" and the accompanying world tour.
#1
Sad to read this. From what I've gathered, his appetite for coke caused problems during the "Wall" period, but I always felt his keyboards were key to the Floyd "sound" and his immense musical contributions were overshadowed by the larger-than-life personalities of Waters and Gilmore. Rest in peace, Rick.
#2
Indeed - RIP. The keyboard work on Shine On You Crazy Diamond still ranks as some of my all time favorite.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
09/15/2008 16:37 Comments ||
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I've been a fan of pre-Animals Pink Floyd since, well, long before they released Animals. Loved his work on Ummagumma, Obscured By Clouds, Meddle, Dark Side, and Wish You Were Here.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/15/2008 17:05 Comments ||
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Lindsay Lohan isn't happy with Republican vice presidential candidate John McCain's choice of running mate, Sarah Palin.
"I really cannot bite my tongue anymore when it comes to Sarah Palin," the actress, 22, wrote on her MySpace blog Sunday. "I couldn't be more supportive of a woman in office, but let's face it, it comes down to the person, and their beliefs, male or female," Lohan said.
"I would have liked to have remained impartial, however I am afraid that the 'lipstick on a pig' comments will overshadow the issues and the fact that I believe Barack Obama is the best choice, in this election, for president," she added.
Although Lohan said she feels "it's necessary for me to clarify that I am not against Sarah Palin as a mother or woman", the star believes that Palin -- the Incumbent Governor of Alaska -- isn't ready to run the country.
She said, "I find it quite interesting that a woman who now is running to be second in command of the United States, only 4 years ago had aspirations to be a television anchor, which is probably all she is qualified to be.
"Oh, and... Hint Hint Pali Pal - Don't pose for anymore tabloid covers, you're not a celebrity, you're running for office to represent our, your, my COUNTRY!"
Lohan -- who is rumored to be in a relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson -- also referenced Palin's views on homosexuality. "Is it a sin to be gay?" Lohan asked. "Should it be a sin to be straight? Or to use birth control? Or to have sex before marriage? Or even to have a child out of wedlock?
"Is our country so divided that the Republicans best hope is a narrow minded, media obsessed homophobe?"
In conclusion, Lohan cited an Associated Press story reporting that Palin's church advocates a conference about prayer curing homosexuality. Wrote Lohan: "Palin's Desire to "save and convert the gays" - really??"
Ronson also chimed in. "Vote for obama!" Ronson wrote. "Mainly because if she gets elected my green card probably won't get renewed!!!"
#4
"Oh, and... Hint Hint Pali Pal - Don't pose for anymore tabloid covers, you're not a celebrity, you're running for office to represent our, your, my COUNTRY!"
Oh she's not a celeb, and your opinion means what?
Frankly, her popularity rating is probably higher than your's Ms. Lowbrain. Which means she is more of a celeb than you are.
Damn moonbats. Someone schedule the exterminator to hit the Left Coast please?
Results of a program using Aspens Canary Initiative to sell carbon offset credits to Democratic National Convention attendees are a little underwhelming.
The program, set up by the DNC Host Committee through the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau and rolled out about a week before the convention started, raised a total of $18.34 worth of Canary Tags, offsetting 0.9 tons of carbon emissions.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/15/2008 11:01 ||
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#2
True to a Democratic party standard - do as I say, not as I do. Crafted and launched by Al Gore. The DNC also set down rules for the convention's caterers, that they had to use local foods(including loco weed, also?) and have 2 or 3 healthful colors. Anyone know how that turned out?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
09/15/2008 11:36 Comments ||
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#3
How about a carbon offset gumball machine? Maybe you could get, say, $0.10 worth of gum and $0.15 worth of offsets for a quarter. Or perhaps the dreaded crane.
#4
REDDIT artics proclaim NITROGEN to be the new threat for the future world-conquering OWG USSA = weak anti-sovereign OWG USR Amerika.
Also from REDDIT, EARLY DINOSAURIA FOUGHT WID CRUSTORANS for comination of early Earth, i.e. ANCIENT GODZILLA FOUGHT CROC-ZILLAS + PROB GECKO/GEICO-ZILLAS FOR CONTROL OF THE SITE OF FUTURE TOKYO!?
It was a tough call to decide where to put this. As to posting something witty.......I got nuthin...& it seems...neither do they.
MELBOURNE: Scientists have discovered that going veggie could be bad for your brain-with those on a meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage.
Vegans and vegetarians are the most likely to be deficient because the best sources of the vitamin are meat, particularly liver, milk and fish. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause anaemia and inflammation of the nervous system. Yeast extracts are one of the few vegetarian foods which provide good levels of the vitamin.
The link was discovered by Oxford University scientists who used memory tests, physical checks and brain scans to examine 107 people between the ages of 61 and 87....
Posted by: john frum ||
09/15/2008 8:16 Comments ||
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#3
One theory holds that man began his ascent from the African plains when he added [mobile] protein to his diet. Follow the game for the next meal. Figure out a better mouse meat trap for that next brain kick. Go from competing with other scavengers to getting the full dinner yourself required something more than running faster or being bigger than your next Happy Meal.
#6
One theory holds that man began his ascent from the African plains when he added [mobile] protein to his diet
he fact is that the vegan diet of the gorilla requires to spend a lot of time eating but also huege bellies. And the human brain uses a lot energy (so much that we have a special refrigerating system who is lacking in apes) it is not evident we could have got enough from plants.
Also Neanderthal got eighty per cent of its energy requirements from meat and only twenty from vegetables.
The fact is that whatever ate our simians ancestors (unlike gorillas, chimapnzes ae not strict vegetarians), Homo Sapiens has evolved to an omnivorous regime: he doesn't have the teeth, he doesn't have the intestine and he doesn't have the chemics of a vegetarian.
#11
The vegetarian diet shrinks the brain? Well, it simply isn't enough for good health.
Too much meat clogs the arteries and leads to heart attacks. The idea of having meat at every meal is new; and it's expensive, too.
The paterfamilias got a warning from the doctor, so I am doubling the vegetables and cutting the meat down to prevent gout, high blood pressure, and portliness. Moderation in all things.
I recommend the Mennonite Church cookbook,
"Extending the Table." No fuss, formulas, points; just good basic recipes.
#15
This is a real chicken and egg conundrum. Does vegetarianism shrink the brain or do shrunken gray matter lead to vegetarianism? The cow may have jumped over the moon, but it sure as heck didn't design the Saturn V.
Posted by: ed ||
09/15/2008 18:39 Comments ||
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#16
After all, how much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a blade of grass?
Sounds like something a Kzin would say...(indeed, I think it's from Ringworld.)
Posted by: Jonathan ||
09/15/2008 19:26 Comments ||
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The Royal Navy may hand over HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship on which he met his death at the Battle of Trafalgar, to a charity or a government department.
Sorta like handing over the USS Constitution ...
They are among options being considered to take over the cost of £1.5 million a year to run the world's only 18th-century "ship of the line" -- one that took a direct part in sea battles. Some 500,000 people a year visit the vessel in dry dock at Portsmouth.
The range of options that the Ministry of Defence is putting out for consultation are leaving the Victory with the Navy, public ownership by another government department or public body, setting up a new charity for the ship or using an existing one.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton, a Defence minister, said that the ship needed "extensive works" to ensure its preservation for generations to come. Vice-Admiral Alan Massey, the Second Sea Lord, said that the Victory was "a vital part of our heritage" and that the MoD was committed to securing her future.
#1
No need to preserve anything that thye might be proud of since they've already surrendered to Sharia law.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
09/15/2008 0:22 Comments ||
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About time for the Lady of the Lake to give the sword Excalibur to some deserving, if bloody minded, SAS Captain, who has little hesitation about purging England of its pestilence.
#3
You know, the British Royal family pays NO taxes and is worth several BILLION dollars - one would think that they should take over this public trust and make it a shining example of their allegiance the British people and their history.
#4
MOD's having difficulty kitting out soldiers in theater. I doubt they are insensitive to the value of the ship. The real question is whether the rest of the UK is.
#5
So true, Shieldwolf. There's a reason it's called the Royal Navy unlike the British Army which isn't Royal. But the Royal Family is now purely hired, and well paid, celebrities for the masses. Perhaps a Cromwell...
#7
Increase the price for people to see it, ever so slightly.
Sell some merchandise that people might want to buy. Nelson caps and foam swords come to mind. I was just at HMS VIctory a couple of months ago and it's wonderful, but the Victory was not very well merchandized, perhaps they think the idea is garish but tourists want to have something to go away with. Memories and all. If you wanted King Henry IIX stuff it was there in spades but not so much the NElson stuff.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/15/2008 11:52 Comments ||
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#9
I was at Waterloo several thousand years ago. From the content of the souvenir shops one could come away with the impression that the Frenchies won that one.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 12:25 Comments ||
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#10
Was it Lord Nelson who said "The wogs begin at Calais"?
#11
Why not just charge 3-5 euro per person to get on the the boat and see it? If it gets 500,000 visitors a year then surely a small charge to a person will then cover the cost.
Posted by: Charles ||
09/15/2008 17:46 Comments ||
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#12
Nelson would weep to see the British Navy brought so low.
If there was any doubt about the terrible threat that global warming poses to humanity, then it can now be dismissed - as this shocking photograph proves that climate change is turning icebergs into giant . . . . eeewww, ick, it's too icky to describe. Click through and see it for yourself (moderately NSFW).
Posted by: Mike ||
09/15/2008 17:05 ||
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The Chicken Little alarmist/charlatans have been trying to change the term "Global Warming" to "Climate Change". The former has become harder to sell because of evidence of cooling and the later lacks a sense of urgency.
Well, they are trying something with umph, "Climate Crisis".
Cause it's witchcraft
Cuckoo witchcraft...
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Eleven people were killed in a stadium riot in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after a soccer player tried to use witchcraft to win a local match, U.N.-backed Radio Okapi reported on Monday. Hey! They can't do that!
Nyuki club was losing to local rivals Socozaki on Sunday when Nyuki's goalkeeper advanced up the pitch and tried to use "fetishist" spells to turn the tide of the match, Okapi said, without giving more details. Let's see that again on replay, Biff.
Right you are, Hank...right there! That's a "fetishist spell", clear as day. Did ya see it?
When a police commander tried to break up an ensuing brawl between rival players, members of the crowd pelted him with rocks, the radio added. Police fired teargas in response, causing a stampede to the exits in which 11 people were killed and several injured, Okapi said. I know soccer's boring, but there's gotta be other ways to liven it up...
As elsewhere in Africa, many Congolese hold traditional animist beliefs and use spells, fetishes and charms to practise witchcraft, often combined with other religions like Christianity or Islam. Sounds like a volatile mix...
Sunday's riot happened in Butembo, in North Kivu province, where fighting between the army and rebels has raged on despite the official end of a 1998-2003 war that has killed an estimated 5.4 million people through violence, hunger and disease. I wonder if that started over war witchcraft?
#3
Anyone who watched yesterday's game between the Chargers and the Broncos might be tempted to believe that Mike Shanahan was a witch doctor...or something.
#4
It'd be interesting to know just what kind of spell a witch doctor would use to hex a football match.
Politicians in West Africa have been prosecuted for killing children to make magic meant to bring the politicians victory in elections. Then there were militiamen in Liberia's disaster who believed in a magic formula to make them immune to bullets.
Relatives who had hoped to pay a visit to family members living in an Algiers suburb were horribly surprised last week when police discovered they had been brutally murdered, according to a newspaper report Saturday.
In a crime of passion attributed to either a fight over a girl he wanted to marry or a dispute over inheritance, the eldest son massacred his mother, his 20-year-old sister and his 22-year-old brother in their family home, reported the Algerian newspaper al-Khabar. The bodies were not found until 2 days after the crime and were highly decomposed due to the heat during the past week.
According to the paper, the murderer drugged his family members and after ensuring they were unconscious, stabbed them to death. He then put the three bodies in a room and poured a chemical on them to cover up the smell of rotting flesh.
The crime was uncovered when the family's absence aroused their relative's suspension. The relatives called the police, who entered the house and found the bodies. Following an investigation the police named the eldest son as the prime suspect and arrested him, upon which he confessed to the crime. Neighbors testified that he had no psychological disorders.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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According to the paper, the murderer drugged his family members and after ensuring they were unconscious, stabbed them to death.
JEDDAH: Firecrackers, which are considered part of the Kingdoms Ramadan culture, are, for the first time ever, nowhere to be heard or found during this years holy month.
Looking for firecrackers nowadays is like looking for drugs or weapons, said marketeers, who used to sell firecrackers, the sale of which booms during Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr.
None of the usual sellers could be found in Jeddahs downtown Balad area, where the business thrived. This reporter wandered through the area but was unable to locate a single seller.
Passersby in Balad would normally be approached by sellers offering firecrackers from the trunks of their vehicles or from warehouses close by. This year, the government has been strict in banning the sale of firecrackers, said Ahmad, a Yemeni resident, who used to sell firecrackers.
After selling firecrackers for 10 years, I switched to selling perfumes. The authorities have been very strict, he said.
He added that the authorities have always raided the premises of those who sell firecrackers. However, raids were intensified this year and there have been more undercover officers walking around. After seeing many dealers arrested, we stopped selling, he said.
Some people still sell firecrackers, if caught they will be punished. Ahmad knows a Saudi man in his 30s called Salah, who sells firecrackers for triple the usual price in the Al-Madloum area of the citys old quarters. Prices have gone up this year because of a lack of availability. Some of the most common firecrackers available are known as Bushs Rocket, Sharons Bomb, Bin Ladens Airplane and Saddams Destroyer, said Salah.
#1
Johnny Nothumbs Fireworks is now Johnny Nonose Perfume Emporium.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/15/2008 12:53 Comments ||
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#2
*sigh* I remember the good ol' days when you could buy a bag of 1/4 sticks of dynamite in an alley in Tijuana and bring 'em back across the border without worrying about being tossed in prison for most of the rest of your life. Which of course has nothing to do with the article but ....
(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) - Joe Biden came up with an interesting metaphor tonight.
When telling the story of how his granddaughters had a slumber party with Barack Obama's daughters during the week of the Democratic National Convention, Biden equated it to what he says Americans want. "I believe that's a metaphor, a metaphor for what the country is looking for. They're looking for a sleepover with people they like!" Oh, what the hell, let's keep it going, shall we Joe?
"The role of government in our economy is like ... beer! Yes, an Obama-Biden administration will help you see the world through beer-colored goggles ... and you can think of Social security and Medicaid as ... what do they call those things? ... Condominiums! Yeah, that's it. ..."
Posted by: Mike ||
09/15/2008 11:14 ||
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A 25-year-old pregnant girl was burnt alive by her husband in Shalimar on Sunday. The victim has been identified as Naseem Bibi, who got married to Arshad a year ago and was seven months pregnant.
According to the police, the accused dealt in the packaging of washroom liquid soaps, for which he had hired girls to help with the packaging. The accused allegedly teased the girls, due to which most of them never worked more than three or four days. This caused tensions to develop between the couple. On the day of the incident, the accused exchanged harsh words with his wife, doused her with petrol and burnt her alive.
Talking to Daily Times, Naseem Bibi's parents wished that she had left the house, and returned to their house instead of arguing with Arshad. The victim's mother, while weeping, said that she had planned to bring her daughter back to their house before the child was born.
Brother of the deceased, Ramzan, claimed that a month ago Arshad had thrown Naseem out of his house over a minor domestic dispute. He said that following that incident, the victim's father-in-law had come to their house, asked them to ignore his son's mistake and returned home with her. Ramzan claimed that Arshad's parents had tried their best, and to some extent, forced Naseem to continue with the marriage, adding that if the family had any idea about the mental condition of the accused they would not have allowed her to return.
Shalimar Division Deputy Superintendent police Rana Azeem said that they had arrested the mother-in-law of the deceased, Sharifan Bibi, who had denied any involvement in Naseem's death. He said that she had told police during interrogation that the girl had committed suicide by setting herself on fire. However, Azeem said that according to preliminary investigations, the evidence pointed towards murder. He also said that investigations were still under way and steps would be taken to arrest the other people accused of involvement in the case.
The body of the deceased has been sent to the city morgue for an autopsy.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Again...if anyone can point out a culture or country, other than an islamic one, that condones this sort of barbarism...please post it.
in a paper published last week in the Astrophysical Journal, scientists detail the discovery of a new unidentified object in the middle of nowhere. I don't know about you, but when a research paper conclusion says "We suggest that the transient may be one of a new class" I get a chill of oooh-aaahness down my spine. Especially when after a hundred days of observation, it disappeared from the sky with no explanation. Get your tinfoil hats out, because it gets even weirder.
The object also appeared out of nowhere. It just wasn't there before. In fact, they don't even know where it is exactly located because it didn't behave like anything they know. Apparently, it can't be closer than 130 light-years but it can be as far as 11 billion light-years away. It's not in any known galaxy either. And they have ruled out a supernova too. It's something that they have never encountered before. In other words: they don't have a single clue about where or what the heck this thing is.
,,,
#3
It's something that they have never encountered before. In other words: they don't have a single clue about where or what the heck this thing is
But never fear, they'll find some way to fit it in to an existing theory.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
09/15/2008 22:14 Comments ||
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#4
swamp gas
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/15/2008 22:28 Comments ||
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#5
KAMALEN?
HADRON?
REDDIT SCIENCE > SUPERCONDUCTIVITY CAN RESULT IN MAGETISM. IOW, HADRON > iff the HADRON doesn't destroy Earth via BLACK HOLE on one end [Black/Worm-Holes appearing o'er GUAM-WESTPAC], it will destroy Earth by ATTRACTING SPACE ROCKS, etc???
GERALDO > SCIENTISTS TO STILL GET NOBEL-SCIEN PRIZES FOR BEING WRONG TWO OUT OF THREE, [or more] - FILM AT ELEVEN!
Folks from Sophos have discovered that the website of BusinessWeek, the world famous weekly magazine, has been attacked by hackers in an attempt to infect its readership with malware.
Hundreds of webpages in a section of BusinessWeek's website which offers information about where MBA students might find future employers have been affected. According to Sophos, hackers used an SQL injection attack - where a vulnerability is exploited in order to insert malicious code into the site's underlying database - to pepper pages with code that tries to download malware from a Russian web server.
At the time of writing, the code injected into BusinessWeek's website points to a Russian website that is currently down and not delivering further malicious code. However, it could be revived at any time, infecting hundreds of MBA students looking for high-earning jobs. Sophos informed BusinessWeek of the infection last week, although at the time of writing the hackers' scripts are still present and active on their site.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Lindsay Lohan isn't happy with Republican vice presidential candidate John McCain's choice of running mate, Sarah Palin.
The Royal Navy may hand over HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship on which he met his death at the Battle of Trafalgar, to a charity or a government department.
A 25-year-old pregnant girl was burnt alive by her husband in Shalimar on Sunday. The victim has been identified as Naseem Bibi, who got married to Arshad a year ago and was seven months pregnant. 
