The Three Degrees – When will I see you again (1974)

The Three Degrees are a female Philadelphia soul and disco vocal musical group, formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. The trio, tagged by the media as ‘Prince Charles’s favourites’ in 1974, were the first girl group to top the UK Singles Chart since The Supremes in 1964. They are best known for their million selling 1974 hit song, “When Will I See You Again”.

Fayette Pinkney died on June 27, 2009, in Lansdale Hospital, Pennsylvania, after a short illness, at the age of 61.

DEFCON

A defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert posture used by the United States armed forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military, and increase in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations.

DEFCONs are a subsystem of a series of Alert Conditions, or LERTCONs, that also includes Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs). DEFCONs should not be confused with similar systems used by the U.S. military, such as Force Protection Conditions (FPCONS) and Watch Conditions (WATCHCONS), or the Homeland Security Advisory System used by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The preparations that take place under the five DEFCONs are difficult to describe because they vary between many commands, they have changed over time as new weapon systems were deployed, and the precise details remain classified. Additionally, during tests, exercises, or drills, the United States Department of Defense uses exercise terms when referring to the DEFCONs. This is to preclude the possibility of confusing exercise commands with actual operational commands. The current exercise terms have been used since at least 1960, when they were used in a North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) exercise.

The five DEFCONs, their exercise terms, and their general descriptions are shown below.

Defense condition Exercise term Description Readiness

DEFCON 5 FADE OUT Lowest state of readiness Normal readiness

DEFCON 4 DOUBLE TAKE Increased intelligence watch and strengthened security measures

DEFCON 3 ROUND HOUSE Increase in force readiness above that required for normal readiness

DEFCON 2 FAST PACE Further increase in force readiness, but less than maximum readiness

DEFCON 1 COCKED PISTOL War is imminent. Maximum readiness

Quote of the Week

“We have met the enemy, and they are us.”

– this is a twist on Oliver Hazard Perry’s words after a naval battle: “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” The updated version was first used in the comic strip “Pogo,” by Walt Kelly, in the 1960s and referred to the turmoil caused by the Vietnam War.

U2 – With or Without You

(The Joshua tree, 1987)

With or Without You is the lead single from U2’s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. It has since become highly acclaimed as one of the bands most popular songs. Released as a single in March 1987, it became the groups first American #1 hit, spending three weeks at the top.

With or Without You features sustained guitar parts played by guitarist The Edge with a prototype of the Infinite Guitar, along with vocals by lead singer Bono and a bassline by bassist Adam Clayton. The song originated from a demo recorded in late 1985 that the group continued to work on throughout The Joshua Tree sessions.

The lyrics ostensibly describe a troubled relationship between two lovers, although the lyrics have been interpreted in religious contexts. The Washington Post interpreted the song as both an acerbic love song and a tune lamenting the moral contradictions one faces with their religious faith. Toby Creswell echoed these sentiments, saying it “can be read as a song about either marital romance or spiritual need”. Bono explained that the lyrics had romantic intentions, saying, “there’s nothing more revolutionary than two people loving each other. One, ’cause it’s so uncommon these days, and two, ’cause it’s so difficult to do.” In 1987, Bono explained that “And you give yourself away” lyric refers to how he sometimes feels exposed being in U2, and that his openness, both to the public and music press, can do damage to the group. Author Niall Stokes interpreted the line as encompassing the theme of “surrendering the ego” to one’s love and spiritual faith.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed the single at number 131 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.