reichsgesetzblatt

On this day in 1933, the German Reich passed a law outlawing the formation of new political parties, making the National Socialist German Workers’ Party the sole and de facto and unopposed ruling power and effectively ending parliamentary democracy in the country. The legislative branch, rendering itself redundant under extreme duress with some going into exile and many others imprisoned, ceded control to the executive, the chancellor and his cabinet ministers of justice and of interior affairs.

it’s a total sign of disrespect for our country

It boggles the imagination to guess how this might be spun or buried by distraction—perhaps the release of the petulant man-baby’s tax returns or the pee-tapes, but one unsettling coincidence, call and response that came out of the indictment of twelve Russian GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate, Гла́вное разве́дывательное управле́ние) agents for meddling in the democratic process—specifically and with standing in the US 2016 presidential election—is that when Trump dared the Russians to recover the missing email traffic of his rival, the Russians seemed to comply and deliver.
Scarier than the fact that some think that the condemnation of foreign actors exonerates Trump and any Americans involved in the campaign is that we knew about the timing of this request and attack at the time it was happening. The revelation of this indictment occurred on the anniversary of the disclosure that there was a secret audio recording system in Nixon’s White House.  At one of his Nürnberg rallies (which unfortunately have continued a-pace in support of his re-election and those loyal to his nihilistic agenda) on 27 July 2016, Trump said, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the thirty-thousand emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press,” following up this statement with a tweet. Though not addressing whether Russian operatives were responding directly to an order or invitation by Trump, within twenty-four hours Clinton’s servers were compromised

ultramarine

John F Kennedy with significant input from the First Lady choose the iconic design of the airplanes bearing the designation Air Force One and that standard has endured out of respect for both Kennedy’s memory and aesthetic principles for fifty-five years. Now reportedly, Trump plans to change the design, decrying that the fleet of planes don’t look American enough unlike his signature transport whilst campaigning and are lacking red accents, calling the particular shade of blue a relic and a Jackie Kennedy colour. One can only guess what sort of crass and gaudy redesign that might be proposed.

chamomile tea party

Under the guise of his subversive collective, we learn via Hyperallergic, the creative graphic designer Jeff Gates has channelled his talents to make a statement on the sorry state of civil discourse in the United States of America (their chief export it seems) by remixing antique propaganda posters to reflect the current atmosphere, a decline that was fermenting for years and whose vintage predates but possibly prefigures the slovenly scourge of Trump and his best people. Also curated under Google’s Arts & Culture portal, Gates has been prolific in his activism and there’s an entire gallery of images, newer renditions juxtaposed with the origins, to reflect on.

me, poor man, my library!

Discovered via Coudal Partners’ Fresh Signals, we appreciated the introduction to the vibrant art work of graphic designer Manuja Waldia, whose illustrations have been featured in several prominent publications, in the form of her commission with Penguin Random House paperbacks to design the covers for a new edition of the Pelican Shakespeare series, regularly re-issued with new research and scholastic updates since 1956. Be sure to visit the website at the link above to see more cover art and her other works that can weave a story all on their own merit.

tierkreis

In 1975, electronic and experimental music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen (*1928 - †2007) composed twelve melodic character pieces representing the twelve signs of the zodiac, structured in a mathematically interesting manner and originally arranged for music boxes, though it can be played on any suitable instrument or even sung. Contracting with a Swiss manufacturer (which is one of the last firms specialising in making music boxes), Stockhausen made the custom music boxes commercially available and continued to be sold through the 1980s with later commemorative editions. Learn more and listen to other performances at the link above. Here’s a rendition of my sign, Skorpion, by clarinettist Liam Hockley below:

tc-800b

On this day in 1973 during senatorial investigation the White House deputy chief of staff revealed the existence of a secret taping and tapping system installed in the Oval Office and Camp David and on chief telephone lines. Richard Nixon’s predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, had installed a similar system in the White House during his administration to preserve historical moments, which Nixon had initially removed.
Two years into his presidency, however, Nixon conceded that there was no alternative other than an audio record to preserve conversations and decisions and had the elaborate, voice-activated system installed covertly, known only to a select few aides and the secret service. After the revelation, citing executive privilege Nixon refused to turn over the tapes to the senate committee, knowing that they contained incriminating proof that the president conspired to obstruct justice by directing that the Federal Bureau of Investigation halt their investigation into the Watergate break-in. Nixon’s compromise offer was to release summaries to the office of the special prosecutor, which was rejected and precipitated the so-called “Saturday Night Massacre” when Nixon tried to dismiss the prosecution and intermediaries resigned rather than do so. The audio recording system was removed a few days after its existence became public knowledge on 18 July but a legacy of over thirty-five hundred hours of record, most of which has not been reviewed or transcribed, remain.