Sunday, May 3, 2009

Bury, burn the waste behind you


From 1,000 feet below Lower Harvard Bridge to Nickel and South Shore Railroad Bridge, the channel becomes wider and deeper and the level is controlled by Lake Erie. Downstream of the railroad bridge to the harbor, the depth is held constant by dredging, and the width is maintained by piling along both banks. The surface is covered with the brown oily film observed upstream as far as the Southerly Plant effluent. In addition, large quantities of black heavy oil floating in slicks, sometimes several inches thick, are observed frequently. Debris and trash arc commonly caught up in these slicks forming an unsightly floating mess. Anaerobic action is common as the dissolved oxygen is seldom above a fraction of a part per million. The discharge of cooling water increases the temperature by 10 to 15°F. The "velocity is negligible, and sludge accumulates on the bottom. Animal life does not exist. Only the algae Oscillatoria grows along the piers above the water line. The color changes from gray-brown to rusty brown as the river proceeds downstream. Transparency is less than 0.5 feet in this reach . This entire reach is grossly polluted. [7]

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Part of a series of Hinduism

Lyrically, the song appears to reference Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, whence it is likely the song was named. The lyrics were written by Billy Corgan in reference to his break-up with then-girlfriend Chris Fabian. The song is an exercise in expressing both perspectives of a failed relationship, rather than taking the typical solipsistic approach found in many break-up related songs. The song itself expresses this through ambisexual vocal stylings and musical arrangements, shifting from a soft, relaxed style to crushingly heavy distortion towards the end, finally arriving again at the initial relaxed arrangement to close the song. Corgan says the song "is based on the idea that a love relationship is almost the same as opium: it slowly puts you to sleep, it soothes you, and gives you the illusion of sureness and security." [3] The song features a prominent piano figure by Mike Mills of R.E.M..