When the brief flowering of quadraphonics began in the early 1970s, I was still at school. As a nascent but impecunious audiophile, I therefore had a ringside seat at the audio industry's first attempt to go multichannel—and, even for the disinterested onlooker, it wasn't a pretty spectacle.
<I>"Men must eat, though angels be their guests."<BR>—William Laird, "Träumerei at Ostendorff's"</I>
I have not seen <I>Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan</I>, and I am not likely to. But the phrase <I>cultural learnings of America</I> is a good jumping-off point for an important topic: cultural literacy.
A.J. van den Hul calls the Black Beauty a phono cartridge "just for friends." In a way, this Black Beauty <I>was</I> made specially for me—it's been tweaked for an undamped linear-tracking arm. Says so right here on the box: "<I>Forsell Version</I>." But before you explode, know that Mr. van den Hul will be pleased to do the same for you. He'll adjust the suspension of any Black Beauty– or Grasshopper-series cartridge for your arm and 'table. Or, should you specify, for "the preamp and load impedance, a particular brand of records to be played, the type of music generally played (jazz being more dynamic and classical more spacious and detailed), and other personal/sound preferences."
"Slava" has died. The great Russian cellist, known as much for his defiance of the Soviet oligarchy as for the more than 170 compositions dedicated to him, had been hospitalized in Paris at the end of January, but chose to fly to Moscow shortly thereafter to spend his last months in his beloved homeland. He is survived, not only by his two daughters and his wife and frequent collaborator, the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, but also by the huge number of recordings that attest to his eloquence.
Harman International Industries, Inc has agreed to be acquired by Goldman Sachs Capital Partners (GSCP) and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) for a price of $120 per share (a total near $8 billion). The share price represents what <I>Bloomberg.com</I> characterized as a 17% premium over its price one day earlier. The company's stock had been increasing in value, having risen by about 2.6% since the beginning of 2007, but beginning April 18, the stock began to surge, "indicating some investors anticipated the buyout," according to <I>Bloomberg</I>. John Rogers, a Citigroup analyst, had predicted in February that Harman was choice for acquisition, estimating that private equity buyers could pay a premium of 20% over its share price and still see annual returns of 20%.
According to Huckleberry, it's a good ear scratch.
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Bagheera prefers lurking in the shadows, but every once in a while, she imitates a puddle of black on a light background.
"A linkworthy piece of musical-cultural criticism," writes John Marks. I agree. Now if John Derbyshire had merely said <I>Saturday Night Fever</I> was the greatest movie ever, I'd have agreed to disagree. His passionate and specific arguments, however, have convinced me to see it again with an open mind.