Babylon Falling-Blog-

Click Here to read the declassified record on the struggles to reach a worldwide consensus on the landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the signing of the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), 1 July 1968, the National Security Archive publishes declassified U.S. government documents on the negotiation of one of the most significant multilateral arms control achievements of the nuclear age.

The declassified record shows that this was a complex and difficult achievement not only because disagreements between Moscow and Washington complicated the talks, but important and influential countries either opposed the NPT outright or had so many reservations that they would not sign in July 1968. The ongoing crisis of nuclear proliferation can be traced back to the 1960s, when it was evident that more than the Treaty was necessary to check a quest for nuclear weapons.

The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick Douglass
A speech given at Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852

History is A Weapon just put up a link to their transcription of this speech by Frederick Douglass on their blog. A dope blog, a doper website, and a great speech by a great man who had an understanding of the history of this country that is absent from most public discussion and which is as pertinent today as it was in 1852.

Selected quotes:

” There is consolation in the thought that America is young.-Great streams are not easily turned from channels, worn deep in the course of ages. They may sometimes rise in quiet and stately majesty, and inundate the land, refreshing and fertilizing the earth with their mysterious properties. They may also rise in wrath and fury, and bear away, on their angry waves, the accumulated wealth of years of toil and hardship. They, however, gradually flow back to the same old channel, and flow on as serenely as ever. But, while the river may not be turned aside, it may dry up, and leave nothing behind but the withered branch, and the unsightly rock, to howl in the abyss-sweeping wind, the sad tale of departed glory. As with rivers so with nations.”

“Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future.”

The quotes hardly do the speech justice…the pace and emotion which still come through in the transcription is what makes it worth reading from beginning to end.

Enjoy…

Click Here

Love to everybody who came out, everyone who helped to bring everything together for the night, and to everyone that made the year possible.

Special thanks to Jene Shereton who made that insane cake. A complete surprise and the highlight of the night for me.

I don’t want to get too sentimental so I’ll just leave it at that. The pictures say it all…which by the way are taken by the homie Shaun Roberts.

Click Here or the picture above to go to the Events page where we have pictures of the night.

Matt and I stopped in at the loin today to check in with Jeff and see how the tshirts are coming along. Matt (more of his photography here) was taking photos.

One of Robert Bowen’s films marinating.

Jeff

Some of the wooden frames

Each shirt hand pulled…or in Jeff’s case hand pushed.

Jeff is usually down there by himself but today D Young V (who also submitted artwork for a shirt for us) was at the shop helping him with the David Choong Lee women’s shirts.

Coming off the dryer.

And a quick teaser of the front of the Emory Douglas shirt. This shirt turned out so dope. Jeff achieved the look and feel of the old Black Panther Newspaper perfectly.

Don’t forget to come out this Thursday to pick up these and many more shirts at our One Year Anniversary and Tshirt Line debut party. Also have to underscore that these and all subsequent tshirts will be exclusive to the Babylon Falling store. Meaning we won’t be selling them online and they won’t be popping up in other stores ever. Strictly in house.

Just a quick thanks to Karen Schechner for a story she wrote about Babylon Falling for this week’s Bookselling This Week .

Link Here.