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What was the first ever video game?
Thank you, William Higinbotham…
James Darvill September 23, 2019, 12:32 pm 387 Views
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Where would be without video games? It's thanks to them that we have something to look forward to whenever we're stuck at work. The thought of being able to plug into a virtual world for a<|fim_middle|>+ Awkward Child Stars Who Did Some Serious Growing Up
'80s Pop Stars – Then and Now
Famous Women From The '80s – Then And Now
Things You Probably Never Knew About the Sound of Music Movie | few hours and unwind is what gets us through a long day, but where did it all start? Who do we have to thank for bringing video games into the world?
It's not what you think
Ask most people what the first ever video game was and their answer will probably be "Pong." Essentially tennis for those who hate the outdoors, "Pong" was the first commercially successful game to be launch around the world. There might not have been much to it – it was two lines hitting a dot back and forth – but it captivated audiences everywhere. This was brand new technology back then, and it sparked the question of what would come next.
However, while "Pong" is undoubtedly responsible for bringing gaming to public attention, it's not technically the first video game ever made. That accolade goes to William Higinbotham and his creation that debuted 14 years earlier.
The first ever game
Before he was a video game designer, Higinbotham had gone down a somewhat unexpected career path. He started out as a physicist, and in the '40s became famous for helping build the first nuclear bomb. Thanks for that, William. Not too happy about creating a weapon of mass destruction, the man soon moved onto making things that weren't quite so capable of taking thousands of lives. That's how "Tennis for Two" came about.
Essentially a primitive version of "Pong" (because "Pong" is obviously so advanced), the game involved turning knobs and pressing buttons to simulate a game of tennis. It was performed on an oscilloscope and featured multiplayer functions, something that's now an essential component in almost every video game. It wasn't much, but Higinbotham's creation shaped the future of gaming as we know it.
A forgotten relic
The reason why most people cite "Pong" as the first video game rather than "Tennis for Two" is mainly because everyone's forgotten the latter exists. The game was demonstrated at a three-day exhibition in Brookhaven National Laboratory for two years before disappearing into the ether. It wasn't for another decade that video games were brought back to public attention, by which point "Tennis for Two" was a relic of the past.
Although the game was nearly forgotten about completely, people were reminded about it several decades later when Higinbotham was involved in a legal dispute. The creators of the Magnavox Odyssey – the first home gaming console – were suing developers like Atari for supposedly copying their games. Considering "Tennis for Two" and "Pong" were very similar in design, the former physicist was brought in to testify. The matter was later settled out of court.
Well, there you have it. William Higinbotham was simultaneously responsible for creating one of the worst and one of the best creations the world has ever seen. If anyone ever tries to tell you that "Pong" was responsible for starting the trend of gaming, now you can correct them. "Tennis for Two" all the way!
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Manchester is said by many to be England's second city. From its many museums and an immensely rich music scene, to its famous football rivalry and bustling nightlife, there's so much to see in this fascinating metropolis. For independent shops, cafes and bars, head to the Northern Quarter. Or if you'd prefer something a little more upmarket, Spinningfields is the place to be. Thinking about a family break in Manchester? You won't be stuck for choice. From the Museum of Science & Industry to Dunham Massey Country Park, the kids will never be bored.
Our Manchester Ashton hotel is located to the east of the city, in the bustling market town of Ashton-under-Lyne. Located off the M60 at junction 23, you're just 20 minutes away from Manchester city centre by car. Our hotel is well-connected to Manchester's train and tram lines too, with Ashton-under-Lyne train station and Ashton West metro station within walking distance from the hotel. Plus, if you want to get away from it all and venture outside of Manchester, we're close to the Peak District National Park, which is perfect for a day trip. Our Manchester hotel is equipped with everything you need, including the best beds in town, rooms with large TVs – and that's not to mention a Starbucks, a restaurant and bar and a fully equipped gym.
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First of all, This adventure of one day ornithology in huacarp<|fim_middle|>5 MINIMUM.
Plastic bag for your clothes and camera. | ay begins very early, we travel in our bus from cusco to huacarpay lagoon for aproximately 1 hours, in huacarpay Lagoon we could observe endemic species of birds including canasteros, and variety of high Andean waterfowl and wetland birds.
Above all to have better observation of the birds of huacarpay we advise to take vinocular so as not to miss any endemic bird of the zone, huacarpay lodges several birds that migrate from other places and travel many kilometers just to enjoy the ecosystem of the huacarpay lagoon, after you will see we return to cusco.
We leave from Cusco very early in the morning. the pick-up is from the hotel in our comfortable private bus to the huacarpay lagoon where we can see many species of birds, as well as lead lane, rusti fronted (canastero), hummingbirds (the bearded mountaineer), hawks, hawks, some 50 species of birds are observed around the lagoon, etc.
Professional guide specialized in birds with telescope and binocular.
Food, Breakfast, lunch and snack.
All Income to Tourist places.
A pair of rubber boots for a walk.
Mosquito repellent DEET 3 | 264 |
Lo stadio Vicente Calderón (in spagnolo: estadio Vicente Calderón) è stato uno stadio di calcio sito a Madrid. Ha ospitato le partite interne dell'Atlético Madrid dal 1966 al 2017. Aveva una capacità di spettatori.
Storia
Inizi
Il 17 marzo 1961 Javier Barroso acquistò i terreni ( m² a riva del Manzanarre) per la costruzione di un nuovo stadio che rimpiazzasse l'Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid, che stava diventando piccolo per le esigenze del club. Nello stesso anno vennero avviati i lavori del nuovo impianto.
Per il finanziamento del nuovo stadio, nel 1958 l'Atlético Madrid dovette emettere delle obbligazioni che furono sottoscritte in gran parte dai soci del club, che così contribuirono con i loro risparmi alla costruzione dello stadio.
Il 2 ottobre 1966 l'Estadio Manzanares, dalla capienza di spettatori, venne inaugurato con una partita tra Atletico e Valencia, che terminò 1 a 1. Fu il primo stadio in Europa ad avere tutti posti a sedere.
Il 16 aprile 1967 venne disputato il primo derby madrileno contro il Real Madrid; l'incontro terminò con un pareggio per 2 a 2.
Vicente Calderón
Nella Giunta Generale del club del 14 luglio 1971 venne sancito il cambio di nome dell'impianto, e il nome scelto fu Estadio Vicente Calderón, in onore dell'allora presidente del club, Vicente Calderón.
Terminate le modifiche, l'Estadio Vicente Calderón fu ancora una volta inaugurato il 23 maggio 1972, alla presenza dell'allora Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri, Francisco Franco, del Principe di Spagna, Juan Carlos e del Presidente delle Cortes Generales, Alejandro Rodríguez de Valcárcel. Per l'occasione si affrontarono la selezione spagnola contro l'Uruguay, con la vittoria della Roja per 2 a 0. I gol furono realizzati da Óscar Valdez e da José Eulogio Gárate.
In una Giunta Generale Straordinaria del club, celebrata il 4 giugno 1980, fu approvato un budget di pesetas per la ristrutturazione dell'impianto sportivo, in vista dei Mondiali del 1982. Di questi, corrispondevano a fondi del Club Atlético de Madrid, e il resto provenivano da fondi sovvenzionati dal Comitato Organizzatore della Coppa del Mondo della FIFA. Dei lavori fu incaricato l'architetto Juan José Barroso.
Nel 2003 l'impianto ha ricevuto dall'UEFA la qualifica di Stadio 5 stelle.
L'Estadio Vicente Calderón si caratterizza per il passaggio dell'autopista M-30 al di sotto delle tribune nel senso che va dal Nudo Sur a Puente Segovia.
All'interno sono presenti esercizi commerciali, uffici, una clinica medica, oltre al punto di distribuzione del merchandising del club, il bar, il Museo storico del Club e una zona dedicata ai bambini.
Chiusura dell'impianto
Il 14 ottobre 2008 l'UEFA ha sanzionato l'Atlético Madrid con la chiusura dello stadio per due partite in virtù degli incidenti occorsi nelle tribune durante l'incontro del 1º ottobre della Fase a Gruppi della UEFA Champions League 2008-2009 tra l'Atlético e l'.
Cambio di sede
Il 30 luglio 2007 l'Atlético de Madrid, il birrificio Mahou e l'Ayuntamiento di Madrid hanno firmato un accordo per la riqualificazione dei terreni della zona in cui si trovano attualmente lo stadio Vicente Calderón e la fabbrica della Mahou, per far sì che entro tre anni la squadra vada a disputare gli incontri casalinghi all'Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, conosciuto anche come Estadio de la Peineta. Questo stadio avrà una capienza di spettatori e sarà totalmente coperto.
Visti gli insuccessi per l'organizzazione dei Giochi Olimpici del 2016 e dei Mondiali di calcio del 2018, lo stadio Vicente Calderón continua a essere l'impianto dell'Atlético Madrid fino al 2017. L'inizio dei lavori di costruzione dell'''Estadio Olímpico de Madrid ha avuto luogo nel dicembre 2011.
Dopo il 2016 l'impianto è diventato di proprietà dell'Atlético Madrid. La demolizione dello stadio Vicente Calderón è avvenuta tra il 13 febbraio 2019 ed il 6 luglio 2020 e il suo posto verrà preso da un parco, il Parque Atlético de Madrid. L'accordo per la distruzione dello stadio non ha ricevuto una buona<|fim_middle|>co, la Tribuna d'onore, il Superpalco, le Tribune VIP Norte e Sur di Preferencia, i Palchi della Tribuna di Preferencia''; e nel piano superiore la Tribuna Superiore Bassa, i Palchi della Tribuna Superiore Alta, i Box VIP, la Tribuna Superiore Alta e infine la tribuna stampa.
Incontri del campionato del mondo 1982
- 0-1 (gruppo D - secondo turno - 28 giugno)
- 2-2 (gruppo D - secondo turno - 1º luglio)
- 4-1 (gruppo D - secondo turno - 4 luglio)
Note
Altri progetti
Collegamenti esterni
Club Atlético de Madrid
Stadi del campionato mondiale di calcio
Impianti sportivi di Madrid
Arganzuela (Madrid) | accoglienza da parte della tifoseria dell'Atlético, che ha manifestato la propria contrarietà per il fatto che il tutto contribuirebbe a decapitalizzare il club. Le proteste furono guidate dalla Plataforma Salvemos el Calderón e dalla Asociación Señales de Humo.
Ultima partita
Architettura
Lo Stadio Vicente Calderón è singolare per la sua forma architettonica, che può essere divisa in quattro grandi zone: Preferencia, Lateral, Fondo Norte e Fondo Sur.
La Preferencia fu l'ultima parte dello stadio a essere terminata nel 1972, a causa delle difficili condizioni in cui versava il club all'epoca, e anche per l'ubicazione dello stadio, sulle sponde del fiume Manzanarre. Qui si trovano le infrastrutture principali, oltre alle panchine, gli spogliatoi, la sala stampa, il palco d'onore, i palchi VIP, eccetera. È l'unico settore provvisto di copertura, sostenuta da 22 travi di cemento armato che aggettano sulla struttura principale della tribuna. La Preferencia si divide in varie zone: al primo piano si trova la tribuna, che accoglie i posti più vicini al terreno di gioco, la tribuna centrale, l'Antepal | 325 |
<|fim_middle|> Energy Efficient Garage [Infographic]
Next The problem with BPA [Video] | Chemistry in MakeUp [Video]
Published on January 10 January 10 by ecogreenlover
What are you actually putting on your face?
If you use makeup, have you ever wondered what you're actually putting on your face?
These days, most makeup is made in the lab. And a lot of how makeup works, whether you're trying to darken your eyelashes or smooth out your complexion, depends on its chemistry.
You might find these other posts about cosmetics interesting as well:
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💚 Make your own All Natural Homemade Blusher/Bronzer
💚 Homemade Makeup Remover
💚 Cruelty Free Make-Up Brands [Chart]
💚 Reusing Makeup and Makeup Containers
[Transcript of video follows]
Lipstick 💄
Lipstick is one of the most iconic cosmetics around. But only around 5% of its ingredients go into creating your favorite colors.
Lipstick is mainly wax mixed with oils, with just a tiny bit of fragrances and dyes. The wax gives the lipstick structure and also holds all the other ingredients together. Different lipsticks can use different types of wax, but most use beeswax or Carnauba wax, which comes from the Brazilian Carnauba palm tree.
Carnauba wax is especially useful because it doesn't melt until it reaches around 84 degrees Celsius, which means that even if you leave your lipstick in a hot car, you probably won't end up with melted goop.
There's also usually castor oil, mineral oil, or even olive oil mixed in with the wax to help it spread. Then there's that last 5% — the fragrances and colors, many of which are created in the lab.
But some colors can come from more natural sources. Cochineal bugs, for example, which live on cacti, produce carminic acid, which is used in some red dyes.
Lip stain is colored by the same ingredients as solid lipstick, but it stays on a lot longer and smudges less during the day. With solid lipstick, the pigments are mixed with wax and oil, which can fade or rub off easily, like when you put your lips on a coffee cup. But with lip stain, the pigments are dissolved in water, gel, and alcohol. When you're done putting it on, the alcohol evaporates, and the color dries right onto your lips. This way, the color won't come off as easily during the rest of your day.
But while lip stains are longer-lasting, their alcohol content means they usually can't contain the moisturizers lipstick can, so they're also more likely to dry out your skin.
Eyeliner 👁
Eyeliner is another classic makeup staple. It's great for sailing the seven seas aboard the black pearl — or if you just like a darker lash line. And, like with lip makeup, you have plenty of options, from sticks and pencils to liquids and creams. Either way, most eyeliners are made up of the same three ingredients.
First, you have film formers: complex chains of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sometimes nitrogen, whose structure helps the eyeliner spread into a thin layer on your eyelid. Film formers help the eyeliner go on, but then it's up to thickeners to keep the formula stable and help it stick to your eyes once it gets there. Like with lipstick, thickeners are usually a kind of wax or clay. Finally, there are the pigments and dyes.
With eyeliner, you're likely to find chemicals like iron oxide, a compound made up of iron and oxygen that makes black and brown. But you can also find brighter compounds, like green chromium oxide, which is two chromium and three oxygen atoms, or bright blue ultramarine, which is made from aluminum, sodium, oxygen, and silicon.
The difference between the types of eyeliner mainly depends on the balance between the ingredients. With pencils or sticks, you'll have more thickeners for a solid formula. Creams don't have as many thickeners, so the mixture is thinner and can be spread with a brush.
And liquid eyeliner works a lot like lip stain. The pigments are dissolved in water and alcohol, and the color dries onto your skin after it's applied. So like lip stain, liquid eyeliner lasts the longest. If you pick up a waterproof eyeliner, it'll contain a silica derivative called dimethicone copolyol.
Regular silica is two oxygen atoms bound to a silicon atom, but dimethicone copolyol is more complex and made from large groups of silicon, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. The complicated structure makes it much better at repelling water than normal silica. This chemical is also common in shampoos and conditioners, where it keeps your hair nice and shiny.
If you want to add a bit more color to your look, you might try eyeshadow. In general, most eyeshadows start the same way.
First, there's a base — usually talc, a mineral made up of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. Then, chemicals called binders are mixed in to make the powder sticks to your eyelids — which, you know, is usually helpful. The most common binders are zinc or magnesium derivatives, which absorb oil and repel water to keep your eyeshadow in place. Sometimes, silica or nylon will be added to make sure the eyeshadow goes on smoothly, or zinc stearate, a kind of salt, will be added to make sure it doesn't clump up if it's exposed to water, like sweat or rain.
Preservatives like glycol — chains of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen — are also added to prevent bacteria from growing on the compact. If you're using a cream eyeshadow instead of a powder, there's probably some castor oil or beeswax in there to make it creamy and spreadable. The color in cream eyeshadows dries right onto your skin, which can make this kind of eyeshadow last longer.
In ancient Greece, eyeshadow was colored by gems like malachite, which is green, or lapis lazuli, which is blue. But thankfully for your wallet, these days colors are generally made in the lab from less expensive ingredients. Some of the dyes are the same ones you'll find in lipstick or eyeliner, but you might also find white titanium oxide or purple manganese violet in your color pallet.
No discussion about eye makeup would be complete without mascara. Whether you want to thicken, darken, or lengthen your lashes, there's probably a mascara for you.
You might have heard that mascara contains guano, or bat poop. But that's just a myth! What some mascaras used to /actually/ contain is guanine, a poop-free chemical used to make your eyelashes shimmer. Today, a chemical called bismuth oxychloride — a combination of bismuth, oxygen, and chlorine — does the job instead.
Beyond that, mascara is a mix of complex polymers, preservatives, and a thickening agent dissolved in a solvent like oil or water. The polymers are made up of long chains that create a film to coat your eyelashes. And a thickening agent, like wax or oil, keeps it from being a runny, liquidy mess.
Most mascaras are black, which means they're colored with iron oxide like black eyeliner. But if you're going for a bolder look, you'll find the chromium oxide greens, ultramarine blues, and more to help you out.
Depending on which brand you buy, you might choose either a mascara made with no water or one made with a mixture of both oil and water. The kind with no water will likely be waterproof, but the water and oil mixture will be easier to take off at the end of the day. In general, the lower a mascara's water content, the more waterproof it will be. So if you're preparing for a sad movie or an especially emotional day, just check the ingredients on your mascara label, and let science save you some trouble.
We've talked about a lot of makeup that'll make parts of your face stand out more, but what about the kinds that help blend things? Well, that's why there's foundation and concealer.
Whether you want to even out your skin tone with foundation or just cover a zit with concealer, the point is to make your skin look as flawless as possible. There are a ton of these products, including solids, liquids, and even sprays, but they all start the same way.
Foundations and concealers usually have a base, moisturizers, colorants, and fillers. With solids, the base is oil and wax, while liquids and sprays have an oil and water base. The moisturizer depends on your specific brand, but fillers are used to make everything spread evenly and go on smoothly. The most common filler is talc, the same mineral used in eyeshadow.
Now, if your foundation looks streaky or cakey, it could be the way you're applying it or because your skin is exceptionally oily or dry. But it could /also/ be because the formula you are using is too thick, dries too quickly to blend in, or separates when it interacts with other products, like moisturizer or primer.
To create natural skin tones, the pigments you might find in foundation and concealer include iron oxides for darker browns and blacks, as well as titanium dioxide, which comes in various shades of red, yellow, and black. On top of the basic ingredients, some foundations can even contain salicylic acid to fight acne, cornstarch to control oily skin, or other oils to keep dry skin moisturized.
Now that you've spent so much time getting your foundation and concealer ready, it helps to know it's going to stay on all day. Which is where setting powder comes in. It's kind of like eyeshadow for your entire face. The same iron oxides and titanium dioxides used in foundation are mixed into a base like talc powder.
Then, you can apply it to your skin with a brush or a powder puff, and it evens skin tone and helps foundation and concealer stay on longer. It works because it's another layer between your makeup and your sweat or when you rub your face during the day. Since the base is great at absorbing small amounts of liquid, you can also apply setting powder throughout the day if you want to make your face less oily.
Now, have you ever noticed that a little too much setting powder sometimes looks thick and caked on? That has to do with the kind of powder you buy. You can either buy a solid, pressed powder in a compact, or you can buy a loose powder. And even though the main ingredients are the same, there's a key difference: Loose powder has smaller particles, which leads to a lighter finish.
But to make a pressed powder, you have to add waxes and silica to make sure it stays solid, which also means you'll have larger particles. This powder lumps together a lot more easily than the loose powder, which means it can clump up and create a caked on a look if you're not careful.
So, it turns out there's a lot more to makeup than meets the eye: with all the bases, moisturizers, fillers, solvents, and colors, you're adding lots of different compounds to your bag when you browse through the cosmetics aisle. But at least now you know more about what you're putting on your face, and what those compounds are for.
Were you aware of all the chemicals?
Let us know! 🙂
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Video•Categories Health, Media•Tags beauty, brands, chemicals, chemistry, cosmetics, cruelty free, diy, homemade, lipstick, make up, makeup, natural, organic, science
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Growing up, if I had any spare time, all I can remember doing really is playing football. Whether kicking a ball against the sheds on my estate, and recreating a goal I had seen on the 'The Big Match' that Sunday afternoon or playing in a 30 a side game on a patch of waste ground (and somehow we always knew who<|fim_middle|> any level, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy.
As I mentioned earlier, I retired from football when 'outside interests' took over. Well, a few years ago I had a call one day inviting me to play in a promotional game for kit supplier Umbro. My first instinct was to say no, but when it was explained to me that the game was being played at Wembley Stadium with all kit supplied, I soon changed my mind.
Of course I went in goal. | was on our side?) or playing on the tarmac at my junior school, I was forever seemingly attached to a football.
When I progressed to the secondary school and started to grow physically, I somehow naturally gravitated towards being in goal. It felt natural being in there and in there I stayed right up until the age of 16 when pubs, the female gender and a growing love of music, beat the football into fourth place. Though I still attended live games, I lost interest in playing the game. Looking back though, I still remember my playing days with a lot of affection.
I didn't just play in goal then, I actually studied the art of goalkeeping. I watched any game I could and always made a point of examining the technique of the likes of Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence at Liverpool, big Phil Parkes at QPR, Mervyn Day at West Ham, and Bryan King at Millwall before he moved on to Coventry.
I had a couple of pairs of the green cotton gloves, which were all you could get until the likes of Sepp Maier of (then) West Germany started to wear the large moulded latex gloves, which we all laughed at first and then slowly started to wear ourselves.
As I got older, I stood in goal and slowly realised that the position between the sticks was a thankless one really. If you made a decent save, you might get congratulated but there would always be someone say, 'well, that's what he's there for' so praise was hard to come by.
But, if you made a horrendous howler, and in all honesty, I was prone to one or two a game, you got all sorts of dogs abuse aimed at you from all involved on your side.
It was like being a loner in a team. And I think that's why I, perversely, liked playing there. Go figure.
So, when I read recently of a forthcoming book called 'Glove Story, the number 1 book for every goalkeeper, past and present' by Rob Stokes, Derek Hammond and Gary Silke, I knew I had to investigate that further.
It has some fantastic photos of some of my heroes back then, plus reminders of some great old goalkeeping characters – Hello John 'Budgie' Burridge – and focuses on a fantastic collection of keeper memorabilia mainly from the collection of Rob Stokes, a Portsmouth fan, who impressively played 334 games in goal for Waterlooville, where he also scored two goals – both penalties.
It also reveals the secret goalkeeping lives of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and revolutionary Che Guevara. Who knew?
If you ever spent anytime with any fondness in goal at | 558 |
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Significant Rainfall Gains
Last week's rains made a significant dent in California rainfall deficits, pushing many northern California areas from around 10% of their normal late November rainfall to over 50% of normal. And forecast charts continue to show at least moderate rain at times this week in the Tuesday through Thursday timeframe. See https://www.ggweather.com/seasonal_rain.htm and https://www.ggweather.com/water/
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Enter your email address to get email alerts about new posts on this site. Unsubscribe anytime<|fim_middle|> frequently seen on television and heard on the radio when weather is in the news. Twenty years ago he founded a consulting firm, Golden Gate Weather Services, after a 24 year career with the National Weather Service. Mr. Null is a Bay Area native, having grown up in Oakland and lived in the East Bay until 2006 when he moved to Saratoga. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Science from UC Davis in 1974 and his Master's from San Jose State in 1992. Jan joined the National Weather Service in 1974 at the Weather Service Forecast Office in Redwood City. He worked as an operational forecaster throughout his career, including 13 years as Lead Forecaster. During his tenure at the NWS he also served as Meteorologist-in-Charge at the Center Weather Service Unit at the FAA's Air Traffic Control Center in Fremont. He also did extensive research into the relationship between El Niño, La Niña and California rainfall and throughout his career he was a frequent media spokesperson for the agency. Jan has also been an Adjunct Professor and Lecturer at San Francisco and San Jose State Universities where he taught one evening a week for nearly 30 years. In 1998, Jan founded Golden Gate Weather Services, a consulting firm that specializes in forensic meteorology. He frequently serves as an expert witness in litigation where the weather is a factor. This often involves reconstructing past weather events or as his wife refers to it: "CSI Weather". Mr. Null is also an internationally recognized expert of the sad topic of the heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles. After the death of a child left a vehicle in San Jose in 2001 he did a comprehensive study of vehicle temperatures that was ultimately published in Pediatrics in 2005. Since that time he has spoken at numerous national conferences and worked with a wide variety of child safety advocacy groups and agencies to raise awareness about the dozens of children who die from hyperthermia in hot vehicles each year. This data continues to be updated at NOHeatstroke.org. In his spare time he is a serious amateur photographer, specializing in wildlife and landscapes. Jan is married to Susan Hollis, a lifelong Saratoga resident and Realtor. He has two adult children in the Bay Area and the world's most adorable 9-year old granddaughter and 4-year grandson. | .
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Jan Null
Jan Null has been a meteorologist in the San Francisco Bay Area for over four decades and is | 43 |
Ben and Polly Sage have an event barn in the works on their Chardon Township property.
Betsy Scott<|fim_middle|> have to get out to prune the orchards in February," he said.
He added that the extent of the barn use is still in the evaluation stage, as he and wife Polly prepare for the harvest and event season. As of now, uses are to include parties, weddings and a farm market.
The news already is attracting inquiries from potential customers.
"Right now, we have two separate spots for tented events outside, surrounded by the vineyards and new orchard," he said. "And (at the) beginning of August, our new barn will be ready to host events of about 75 people or less.
"The trend here seems to be that people want to have smaller, more intimate events with an outdoor ceremony and covered reception. So we are answering that need."
Along with offering event rentals, there are plans for two new orchards, a sizable expansion of the vineyard and a separate, larger raspberry planting. All are to be in the ground this year.
"We can only hope and pray that this spring will be much drier than the past few years so we can plant everything we have ordered," Sage said.
In addition, the farm is adding blueberries to the you-pick offerings and increasing the number of wagon rides to and from the pumpkin patch.
"We are also planting two more new apple varieties we believe will be unique top competitors with Honeycrisp and Rosalee, but we will have to wait two years before we open them up for you-pick to find out," he said.
Waiting game
The winery appears to still be a ways off, despite Sage ordering apple cider variety trees the day after purchasing the property. They must grow another three or four years for enough produce to begin making hard cider.
"We need to make sure our supply will be able to meet the demand before we get too far ahead of ourselves," he said. "So right now, we are concentrating on giving people a wonderful you-pick experience with apples, grapes, blueberries, raspberries and pumpkins, squash, gourds, Indian corn and also expanding activities for the event side."
He noted that area residents should keep an eye on the farm's website and social media to know when the property's sunflower field is ripe for photo opps, in the fall.
"We are so grateful for all of the well wishes and support we've received throughout the year," he said. "We've tried to roll with the punches and continue to evolve with interests and needs of the public. We know we will continue to change and evolve quite a bit over the next few years, but we are looking forward to it."
For more information on Ransom Sage Farm, visit ransomsagefarm.com, or follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Ransom Sage Farm
Ben Sage
Event Barn
Cover Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Chardon | — The News-Herald
Ransom Sage Farm is accessed from Route 44 in Chardon Township.
Ben Sage explains plans for the new building on Ransom Sage Farm.
Ben Sage explains plans for the new building under construction on Ransom Sage Farm.
Waiting for harvest
Ransom Sage Farm owners continue quest for agritourism destination, now in Chardon Township
Ransom Sage Farm owners continue quest for agritourism destination
By Betsy Scott bscott@news-herald.com @ReporterBetsy on Twitter
Betsy Scott
@ReporterBetsy on Twitter
There are two major things required for farming — hard work and patience.
So it is no surprise that some of Ben Sage's big dreams for his farm are taking longer than anticipated to come to fruition — and a lot of effort.
While his 2019 highlight reel includes some substantial progress toward making Ransom Sage Farm a destination in Geauga County, much remains to be done.
"It was a wild, good year," he said. "So much growth and so many people that are excited to be a part of a great experience for the whole family here in Chardon."
Sage, a fifth-generation farmer, bought the 120-acre property at 505 Center St. in 2017 with an eye toward agritourism.
Goals ranged from pick-your-own fruit and vegetable patches to hosting events and establishing a hard cider winery.
Initially, he approached Chardon City leaders about the idea, but officials' attempts to regulate such a new concept prompted Sage to petition to detach the land and rejoin bordering Chardon Township.
While the city contested the move, the judge ruled in Sage's favor and detachment was completed in the spring.
Along with the court victory, last year's accomplishments included building a main driveway off of Route 44 — catty-corner to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Post — to access the majority of the property, building an event barn and having a successful first you-pick Honeycrisp season.
"We also became one of the first to sell Rosalee, a brand new apple similar to Honeycrisp with a great sweet-tart, fruity flavor," he said. "(It was) a huge hit with everyone who got a chance to try some."
He noted that his family's Sage's Apples Farm Market and orchard to the west doesn't offer a you-pick option.
He was pleasantly surprised by the response to the farm's large, white radish crop, which he said attracted Asian families from all over Northeast Ohio.
"We love meeting new people and letting them enjoy a real farm," he said.
Chardon Township Trustee Tim McKenna indicated that the farm is a welcome addition.
"My hope is the farm prospers and the growth continues to attract folks to the township," he said.
Raising the barn was the biggest challenge of the past year for Sage. The outside is complete, but plumbing is still in the works.
"We are supposed to be finishing it in January, now, before we | 624 |
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Marking the 70th anniversary of using nuclear weapons
July 27, 2015 sndden
by Pat Gaffney
Information stall outside Westminster Cathedral
Every year Pax Christi members around the country commemorate the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 6th & 9th August. This year is even more important as we mark the 70th anniversary of the first use of nuclear weapons and mourn that they are still with us – 70 Years on!
In 1945 the death toll in Hiroshima was estimated at between 100,000 – 180,000 and in Nagasaki between 50,000 and 100,000. 70 years on and nine countries, including the UK, possess more than 17,000 nuclear weapons. Trident, the UK weapons programme, is eight times more powerful than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi, says: "This is an ideal time to engage people in thinking about the reality of nuclear weapons today. Tragically, they have not been confined to the history books: they are still with us and as Christians we should be doing all we can to ensure that our Government does not renew its commitment to Trident, Britain's nuclear weapons programme, in 2016. Pope Francis has reminded us that spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations and that resources would be better invested in the areas of integral human development and the fight against poverty."
This year Pax Christi members in London, Liverpool, Coventry and Kent will hold vigils and run information stalls on the anniversaries of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In London, a stall and times of prayer will be held outside Westminster Cathedral on 6th August between 10.00 am – 5.00pm and on 9th August between 1.30 pm and 5.00pm. In addition, the Pax Christi ICON of Peace will be on display in St Patrick's Chapel, Westminster Cathedral, for private prayer and reflection for peace, between 3rd and 17th August.
In Liverpool there will be a stall and display in the Metropolitan Cathedral between 10.30am and 3.00pm on 6th and 9th August.
In Coventry, the Annual Hiroshima Vigil will be held in the Chapel of Unity at Coventry Cathedral at 6.00pm on 6th August. In Aylesford Priory, Kent, a vigil will be held in the Choir Chapel from 8.20pm on 6th August.
You can find resources to help you plan your own Hiroshma or Nagasaki event here
http://paxchristi.org.uk/resources/prayer-and-seasonal/
A full list of events planned around the country can be found here
https://mapalist.com/Public/pm.aspx?mapid=536517
Hiroshima Vigilnuclear weapons
Action, Care for Creation, Care for the Poor
Don't mine sacred Native American land in Arizona.
Credo Action
In what many believe is a first in U.S. history, Congress has decided to give away a sacred Native American site to a massive foreign mining company. (1) We're joining a last ditch effort to save this land before copper mining begins and this land is irreversibly destroyed.
Republicans in Arizona have been attempting for years to trade away the beautiful national forest lands at Oak Flat in Arizona, which are considered holy by the Apache tribe. And until recently, they've failed for lack of support. But last December, in a deeply cynical and undemocratic move, Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake snuck last minute language into a must-pass defense bill transferring the land directly to the Rio Tinto mining company. (2)
Apache tribal leaders are planning a caravan to Washington, D.C. this month to protest this outrageous land giveaway. We're joining thousands of activists to help amplify their message and pressure Congress to stop the Apache land grab.
Sign the petition: Stop the Apache land grab and protect Native American holy land from copper mining.
Continue reading Don't mine sacred Native American land in Arizona. →
Land GrabsNative Americans
ARTICLE BY LEONARDO BOFF ON THE POPE'S ENCYCLICAL
"Before making any comment it is worth highlighting some peculiarities of the Laudato Si' encyclical of Pope Francis." –Leonardo Boff
Earth Charter International
The Magna Carta of integral ecology: Cry of the Earth, Cry of the poor
By Leonardo Boff, theologist and ecologist
Before making any comment it is worth highlighting some peculiarities of the Laudato Si' encyclical of Pope Francis.
It is the first time a Pope has addressed the issue of ecology in the sense of an integral ecology (as it goes beyond the environment) in such a complete way. Big surprise: he elaborates the subject on the new ecological paradigm, which no official document of the UN has done so far.
He bases his writing on the safest data from the life sciences and Earth. He reads the data affectionately (with a sensitive or cordial intelligence), as he discerns that behind them hides human tragedy and suffering, and for Mother Earth as. The current situation is serious, but Pope Francis always finds reasons for hope and trust that human beings can find viable solutions. He links to the Popes who preceded him, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, quoting them frequently.
And something absolutely new: the text is part of collegiality, as it values the contributions of dozens of bishops' conferences around the world, from the US to Germany, Brazil, Patagonia-Comahue, and Paraguay. He gathers the contributions of other thinkers, such as Catholics Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Romano Guardini, Dante Alighieri, the Argentinian maestro Juan Carlos Scannone, Protestant Paul Ricoeur and the Sufi Muslim Ali Al-Khawwas. The recipients are all of us human beings, we are all inhabitants of the same common home (commonly used term by the Pope) and suffer the same threats.
Pope Francis does not write as a Master or Doctor of faith, but as a zealous pastor who cares for the common home of all beings, not just humans, that inhabit it.
One element deserves to be highlighted, as it reveals the "forma mentis" (the way he organizes his thinking) of Pope Francis. This is a contribution of the pastoral and theological experience of Latin American churches in the light of the documents of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) in Medellin (1968), Puebla (1979) and Aparecida (2007), that were an option for the poor against poverty and in favor of liberation. Continue reading ARTICLE BY LEONARDO BOFF ON THE POPE'S ENCYCLICAL →
ChurchEnvironmentLaudato Si'
Children, Peace
Children Increasingly Becoming the Spoils of War
InterPress Service
By Beatriz Ciordia
Former child soldiers enlisted by Al Shabaab are handed over to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) after their capture by forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Credit: UN Photo/Tobin Jones
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 14 2015 (IPS) – Whether in Palestine, Ukraine or Somalia, wars result in millions of children threatened by the brutality of armed conflict.
The numbers speak for themselves: more than 300,000 child soldiers are currently exploited in situations of armed conflict and six million children have been severely injured or permanently disabled, according to UNICEF.
The past year was one of the worst ever for children affected by armed conflict due the alarming rise in abductions, especially mass abductions, of children and<|fim_middle|> homes A Liter of Light
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The Story of Cap and Trade | adults in Nigeria, Iraq, Syria and South Sudan.
Likewise, an estimated 20 million children are living as refugees in neighbouring countries or are internally displaced within their own national borders as a result of conflict and human rights violations.
And the U.N. Secretary General's most recent report, published on June 5, shows that in too many countries, the situation for children is getting worse, not better.
"There is still room at the individual agency level to strengthen safeguards towards prevention of child rights violations," Dragica Mikavica, advocacy officer of Watchlist, a network of international non-governmental organisations, told IPS.
"For instance, more recently, Watchlist has been lobbying for the U.N.'s Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to develop a policy that would ban states placed on the Secretary-General's 'list of shame' from contributing troops to peacekeeping forces in other countries," she added.
Jo Becker, Children's Rights Advocacy Director of Human Rights Watch, agrees that the U.N. could better protect children from armed conflict in several ways.
"When governments or armed groups refuse to agree to such steps and continue abuses, the Security Council could be much more aggressive in imposing targeted sanctions, such as arms embargoes, or travel bans and asset freezes on the leaders of such groups," she told IPS.
"The SC should also refer such cases to the International Criminal Court for investigation and possible prosecution," she added.
In addition to kidnappings, thousands of children were killed last year in different parts of the world.
In Iraq, for example, 2014 was the deadliest year for children since the U.N. first started systematically documenting violations against children in 2008, with nearly 700 children killed and almost 1,300 abducted – and these are only the recorded cases.
Likewise, in Palestine, the number of children killed by Israeli forces jumped to 557, more than the number killed in the last two military operations there combined.
In order to step up the fight against this violence, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted on June 18 Resolution 2225, which strengthens the international community's mobilisation in support of children in armed conflict and condemns their abduction.
The resolution, tabled by Malaysia and sponsored by 56 member states, added abductions as the fifth violation that can trigger a listing of a party to the conflict to the Secretary-General's "list of shame."
This list facilitates greater monitoring of abductions and ensures that parties which engage in this particular crime are included on it. Once listed, the U.N. is able to engage the listed parties in negotiating action plans to stop this and other violations from occurring.
The vast majority of these abductions are carried out by non-state groups, including terrorist organisations such as Boko Haram and ISIS, which see mass kidnapping as a shining symbol of success.
Raising the profile of the abduction of children at the highest level – such as in form of a Security Council resolution – also endows child protection actors with greater capacity to advocate for response surrounding this egregious violation.
However, as UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Yoka Brandt argues, abduction is often only the first in a series of grave violations, followed by sexual assault and rape, indoctrination, recruitment as child soldiers and murder.
"Each offence blights that child. It robs her of her childhood and threatens her ability to live a full and productive life," she said in an open debate on Children and Armed Conflict at the Security Council on June 18.
Brandt also stressed the importance of providing critical support to children after their release so they can resume "normal life."
"These children are victims and must be treated as such. They're inevitably burdened by physical wounds and psychological scars," she said.
Raising awareness remains a critical point in the battle against the brutality suffered by children in situations of armed conflict.
Social media has proven a valuable tool for raising the public profile of the atrocities committed against children, especially mass abductions in contexts like Nigeria, Syria and Iraq.
"Social media contributed to internal U.N. debates around abductions of children, as the world could not turn a blind eye on what was happening to children last year," Mikavica told IPS.
"All of this resulted in concrete actions by the Council at the last Open Debate as seen through trigger expansion," she added.
However, as Becker told IPS, it's important to keep in mind that although social media has been exceptionally effective in raising awareness of mass abductions of children by Boko Haram and other armed groups, it's just a tool, not a substitute for action, which remains the real challenge for the U.N. and other international organisations.
Edited by Kitty Stapp
Francis: Environmental destruction makes us like Cain, killing our brother
By Joshua J. McElwee
Pope Francis embraces a girl during a meeting with representatives of civil society Tuesday in the Church of St. Francis in Quito, Ecuador. At right is Ecuadorean Cardinal Raul Vela Chiriboga. (CNS/Paul Haring)
QUITO, ECUADOR Pope Francis has strongly reaffirmed his recent environmental encyclical letter Laudato Si', telling students and teachers in a moving visit to the Catholic university here that ecological care can no longer be just a recommendation but a requirement.
In words many have been waiting for during the pontiff's three-day visit to a country bordering the Amazon rainforest, Francis told those at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador "one thing is clear."
"We can no longer turn our backs on our reality, on our brothers and sisters, on mother earth," the pope continued. "It is no longer licit for us to ignore what is happening to our surroundings as if certain situations did not exist or have nothing to do with our reality."
A Readers' Guide to Laudato Si', a free resource from NCR.
"Again and again comes the strength of that question of God to Cain: 'Where is your brother?'" he said. "I ask if our response continues to be: 'Am I my brother's keeper?'"
With such a strong reference to the Old Testament story of Cain's slaying of his brother Abel, Francis appeared to be forcefully saying Tuesday that humanity is destroying the Earth but is not taking responsibility for the destruction.
The pontiff's remarks may also carry special significance for many in Ecuador, where public debate has been sparked by President Rafael Correa's plan to open resource mining in an internationally recognized nature reserve on the country's eastern border with Peru.
In a meeting later Tuesday with members of Ecuadorian civil society, Francis touched upon the mining issued much more directly.
"Exploitation of natural resources, so abundant in Ecuador, must not seek immediate benefit," he said at that meeting, held at Quito's 16th-century Church of St. Francis.
"Being administrators of this richness we have received, we have an obligation towards society as a whole and towards future generations, to which we cannot hand down this heritage without a proper care of the environment," he told those at that event.
The pope told the students and educators at the Catholic university that God gave humanity a mission by asking it to care for the environment.
"God does not only give us life: he gives us the Earth, creation," Francis said. "He does not only give us a partner and endless possibilities: He also gives us an invitation; he gives us a mission."
"He invites us to be part of his creative work and he says: 'Cultivate! I am giving you seeds, soil, water and sun; I am giving you your hands and brothers and sisters,'" said the pontiff.
Creation, said Francis, "is a gift to be shared."
"It is the space that God gives us to build up one another, to build an 'us,'" said the pope. "The world, history, time — this is where we build the 'us' with God, the 'us' with others, the 'us' with the Earth."
Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has been visiting Ecuador since Sunday as part of a weeklong sojourn that will also see him visit Bolivia and Paraguay.
Public reaction to the pontiff's visit has been overwhelming, with two Masses celebrated by Francis Monday and Tuesday each attracting crowds of over a million people. Many have been camping out, or traveling extreme distances, to chance an in-person view of the pope.
Ecuadorian debate has focused on president Correa's plan to allow mining operations in Yasuni National Park, a 2.5 million acre large nature preserve that has been called one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth and is also home to several uncontacted indigenous tribes.
Several local Catholic leaders said they had written letters to Francis, asking him to address the issue in his private meeting with Correa Monday afternoon.
Maribel León, an Ecuadorian who is the coordinator for missionary formation for the Quito archdiocese's Pontifical Mission Societies, said the pope could point to his encyclical "to make our government understand that what [Correa] is doing to our environment is not positive."
Correa, León said, is "taking our natural wealth, changing it for a financial wealth and eliminating the peoples' living there."
Francis told the civil society leaders Tuesday that the goods of the Earth "are meant for all and even though some might claim property, they are always under a social mortgage."
"Thus the concept of economic justice, based on the principal of commerce, is superseded by the concept of social justice, which upholds the fundamental right of people to a dignified life," he said.
With the educators and students Tuesday afternoon, Francis called on both groups to take specific actions to care for environment. He asked educators to teach students a critical sense to care for the world and students to use their studies to express solidarity with those less fortunate.
"It is urgent that we keep reflecting on and talking about our current situation," the pope told all present. "We need to ask ourselves about the kind of culture we want not only for ourselves but for our children and our grandchildren."
"We have received this earth as an inheritance, as a gift, in trust," he continued "We would do well to ask ourselves: What do we want to leave behind? What meaning do we want to give to our lives? Why have we been put on this world? For what do we work and fight?"
"As a university, as educational institutions, as teachers and students, life challenges us to respond to the questions: 'What does this world need us for?' 'Where is your brother?'" said Francis.
The pope also spoke with the members of civil society about how different types of people can work together.
"The respect for others which we learn in the family finds social expression in subsidiarity," he told the leaders.
"Assuming that our choices are not necessarily the only legitimate ones is a healthy exercise in humility," said Francis. "In acknowledging the goodness inherent in others, even with their limitations, we see the richness present in diversity and the value of complementarity."
"Individuals and groups have the right to go their own way, even though they may sometimes make mistakes," the pope said.
The pontiff is to meet on Wednesday morning with Ecuadorian clergy and religious before heading on to Bolivia.
Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is jmcelwee@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.
EconomyEnvironmentPope Francis
Peru Cracking Down Against Dissent On Excavation Economy
Center for Research on Globalization
By Lynn Holland
Peruvian President Ollanta Humala speaking at the WTTC Americas Summit. World Travel and Tourism Council.
By many accounts, Peru is doing well. Investments have poured into the mining and energy sectors thanks to government efforts to create a welcome environment for foreign capital. And while economic growth has tapered off in the last year, the average annual rate from 2010 to 2014 was an impressive 5.8 percent. The country's poverty rate fell by half between 2000 and 2012, while themiddle class grew faster than that of any other country in Latin America. By drawing revenue from the mining and energy sectors, the government has increased spending on education to an unprecedented 3.5 percent of its GDP and has made some progress in reducing chronic child malnutrition.
In anticipation of the Summit of the European Union and the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (EU-CELAC) this month, the EU-CELAC ambassador congratulated Peru for becoming a "stable and developing country" with "responsible macroeconomic policies." She noted that over 50 percent of foreign investments in Peru now come from Europe while a substantial portion of Peru's exports are sold to European countries. Peru's progress in reducing poverty and childhood malnutrition was also touted as President Ollanta Humala signed the Schengen visa waiver agreement to ease travel restrictions to and from Europe for Peruvian citizens. The EU is one of Peru's most important partners, as he expounded, and the two share "a common history in terms of culture." The visa agreement is just one step in the plan to fortify that partnership.
Not Everyone Is Impressed
Back home, however, not everyone is so impressed by Peru's developmental path. Throughout much of southern Peru and Cajamarca region in the north, farmers and community organizations have declared their opposition to a $1.4 billion USD copper mining project known as Tía María. The project belongs to Southern Copper Corporation, which is owned by Grupo México, a Mexican American mining company.
Tía María, which would consist of two open pit mines, is to be located in the Tambo Valley in the province of Islay. Tambo Valley communities and those in surrounding regions fear the health and environmental dangers that come with the use of heavy metals in open pit mining. Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy and nearly all agricultural produce in the region and 88 percent of the fishing catch go toward feeding the population in the southern area of the country. Community members are quite familiar with Southern Copper's dismal record in neighboring regions where its mining projects have dried up water supplies and contaminated surrounding lands. The result for indigenous and other rural people has been serious illness and the loss of employment in farming and fishing. With this in mind, the Tambo Valley communities rejected the project by a resounding93.4 percent during a popular consultation in 2009.
In an attempt to reassure the communities, Minister of Energy and Mines Pedro Sanchez promised to bring "environmental procedures to a higher standard of excellence." In 2010, the government signed an agreement with the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for a review of 100 separate environmental studies. As was hoped, the deal brought a halt to the social protests going on at the time.
Nonetheless, Tía María was unexpectedly cancelled in March 2011. As the Tambo Valley communities learned soon after, the UNOPS report on Tía María included 138 "observations" or areas of concern regarding the project. Among the most serious observations was the finding that the company's own Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) contained no hydrogeological study. Further, the water to be used at the mine would not come from the sea as the company had claimed "but rather from an estuary—a very sensitive area due to the diversity of species present and its shallowness." Nor did the EIA take into account the company's plan to extract gold in addition to copper, a process that entails the use of mercury. During the mining process, mercury can enter into the water supply and the atmosphere, causing damage to the ecosystem and serious dangers to human health.
In 2014, Southern Copper sought to revive the project by producing another EIA, which indicated that the company would create an on-site water desalination plant. At that point, however, any trust that the Tambo Valley communities may have had in Southern Copper had eroded. Few residents were convinced that the open pit mines, one of which would be a mile wide and two thirds of a mile deep, would not cut into the water table and affect the water supply. In March, an indefinite strike was declared in Islay bringing thousands of people into the streets in protest, many of whom blocked bridges and highways. By mid-May, a small but virulent group calling themselves espartambos had formed and were using sling shots to pelt stones at the police. Many are suspected of being former members of the military.
In May, Humala responded by declaring a state of emergency in nine districts of Islay, deploying hundreds of military troops into the region, and freezing the bank accounts of the various municipalities involved. Constitutional rights including the right to hold meetings and travel freely have been suspended as military troops have moved into homes, patrolled streets, imposed curfews, and even detained schoolchildren.
A quick assessment of the casualties that have occurred since the strike began indicates that most of the protestors are rural indigenous people. Many say that they feel overwhelmed by the power of the mining industry and betrayed by their president, who had vowed to support them during his presidential campaign several years ago. Instead, the land has been gradually sold out from under them—69.9 percent of the province of Islay, including 96.2 percent of the city of Cocachacra in the Tambo Valley, is now under concession to mining corporations.
In addition, the Ministry of Environment, created in 2008 to set standards for acceptable levels of pollutants, has since been stripped of this power. With little input from this ministry, EIAs are often carried out by the mining companies themselves and then placed on a fast track for government approval. In the meantime, the concerns of the affected communities are ignored, while their elected leaders can be jailed for speaking out. Furthermore, like many other private companies, Southern Copper is able to hire the local police for its private security purposes, thereby undermining the very notion of public safety.
Cracking Down on Dissent
Tía María's supporters, on the other hand, seem to have plenty of tools for advancing their interests. In the last few years, the Peruvian Congress has passed laws that make members of the police and Armed Forces less accountable for using their weapons during social protests. Legislative Decree 1095 legalized intervention in conflicts by the military without a declaration of a state of emergency. In addition, the law now treats mass protest action such as roadblocks as a form of extortion punishable by up to twenty-five years in jail. The law also prohibits local officials, who are a key source of leadership in rural areas, from engaging in protest. Rural and indigenous protestors suffer inordinately from these measures due to the greater tolerance for violence against indigenous people and the lack of adequate media coverage in remote areas.
Another powerful weapon that has been wielded against the protestors lies in the use of language. Along these lines, company officials, political leaders and the mainstream press have all been quite adept at demonizing those opposed to Tía María. As the strike began, Southern Copper spokespersonJulio Morriberón, proclaimed, "We are obliged to report this as being a totally anti-mining terrorism minority group, which is using violence to blackmail the majority who are in favor of this project." Note his use of the words "terrorism" and "blackmail" with their potential to conjure up hatred and legitimize acts of violence by the government. The expressions "anti-mining" and "minority" frame the protesters as mere ideologues with no acknowledgement of their very normal concerns about the health and well being of their communities.
This kind of language has been picked up by public officials, members of the press, and commentators in the business community. Congressman Juan Carlos Eguren called the decision to cancel the contract a "triumph of radical anti-mining interests that had taken advantage of the warmth and mediocrity" of Humala's government. In declaring the state of emergency in Islay, Humala associated the Tambo Valley protestors with Sendero Luminoso, the terrorist organization that had plagued the country during the 1980s and 1990s. "There is a campaign of misinformation and stigmatization of projects for ideological and often pre-election purposes," he added. Similarly, Police Chief Eduardo Perez Rocha stated that Sendero Luminoso appeared to be "infiltrating the people." Carlos Galvez, head of Peru's National Society of Mining, Petroleum and Energy, has contended that Tía María's opponents are simply politicians courting votes in the countryside machinations and "outsiders" who whip up "anti-mining" sentiment. "Here everyone is anti," he said. "If you're anti-mining then you're in fashion." Foreigners, NGOs, leftists, radicals, and Venezuelan "chavistas" have all been cited as the real cause of the demise of poor Tía María.
What We Would Never Tolerate
The kinds of health and environmental risks that the Tía María mine now poses would not be tolerated in this or any other "developed" country. Nor would we accept the jailing of mayors, governors and legislators for speaking out on behalf of their constituents. And we would hardly take to having police officers freely enter our homes to carry out warrantless searches and arrests and impose restrictions on our free speech, gatherings, and travel, occasionally beating us up in the process. Yet all of this is currently taking place in Islay and other communities. While much of Peru has benefited from mining revenue, those communities at the mining sites are paying the price in health risks, increased repression, and the loss of their land, homes, and way of life.
As it now stands, Humala is caught between a copper mine and a hard place. Commodity prices and economic growth rates are falling steadily along with his approval ratings. His excursion to the EU is part of a larger plan to bolster investments and rescue his legacy before the end of his term in 2016. By supporting multi-billion dollar projects that fail to gain the trust of surrounding communities, however, he will likely leave a fractured society and embittered rural communities under military rule in his wake. We can only hope that Peru's journey toward greater integration with Europe and other parts of the world will bring about a greater demand for protecting the rights of its rural and indigenous populations.
Lynn Holland, Senior Research Fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Church, Congo
Congo-Kinshasa: Bishops Urge President Kabila to Dialogue On Elections
Religious News Service
Kinshasa — Catholic Bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have requested President Joseph Kabila for a "national dialogue in accordance with the constitution", where the drafting of the new electoral calendar will be agreed on.
This was after the opposition alleged that the elections expected to happen in 2016 are too dense and close, and called for a new election timetable.
According to Agenzia Fides, there are suspicions that president Kabila intends to extend his term in office that should expire in 2016.
The idea of a third term of Kabila, in violation of the Constitution, had sparked protests early this year.
The Bishops have emphasized that a national dialogue in accordance with the Constitution will be in order, to resolve the election issue.
The Head of State launched a series of meetings with political representatives, civil society and religious leaders in the DRC, including the Catholic bishops. During the meeting, representatives of The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) Bishop Nicolas Djomo,Bishop of Tshumbe and President of CENCO, Bishop Fulgence Muteba of Kilwa Kasenga, in Katanga and Don Leonard Santedi ,Secretary General of CENCO, launched an appeal to establish an atmosphere of mutual trust.
After the meeting, Don Leonardo Santendi, secretary General of CENCO said, "We thanked the President of the Republic of having associated us with the consultations… For us, dialogue is the main path and peaceful way out of a crisis. It is essential to have a national consensus on the electoral calendar", adding that, "Dialogue must be in strict compliance with the Constitution."
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Ingenious project gives thousands of poor Filipinos solar light by sticking plastic bottles filled with water and bleach into the roof of their | 5,217 |
Higher education is entering a "golden age" of lifelong learning and that will mean a spike in demand for credentials. If postsecondary institutions want to compete in a crowded market, they need to change fast.
One of the first levels of opportunity is simply embedding the skills that are demanded in the job market into educational programs. Education certainly has its own merits independent of professional outcomes. But critics of higher education who suggest graduates aren't prepared for the workforce have a point in terms of the opportunity for greater job market alignment, and less of an "ivory tower" mentality at many institutions. Importantly, this does not mean that there isn't value in the liberal arts and in broader ways of thinking—problem solving, leadership, critical thinking, analysis, and writing are among the very top skills demanded by employers across all educational levels. These are foundational and independent of technical skills.
The second opportunity is building an ecosystem for better documentation and sharing of skills—in a sense what investor Ryan Craig has termed a "competency marketplace." Employers' reliance on college degrees as relatively blunt signals of skill and ability is partly driven by the fact that there aren't many strong alternatives. Technology—and the growth of platforms like LinkedIn, ePortfolios and online assessments—is changing the game. One example is digital badges, which were originally often positioned as substitutes to degrees or certificates.
Instead, I believe digital badges are a supplement to degrees and we're increasingly seeing badges—short microcredentials that discretely and digitally document competency—woven into degree programs, from the community college to the graduate degree level.
However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the market is demanding more "agile" and shorter-form approaches to education. Many institutions are making this a strategic priority, especially as we read the evolution of trends in the global job market and soon enter the 2020s.
Online education—which in all its forms continues to slowly and steadily grow its market share in terms of all higher ed instruction—is certainly an enabler of this vision, given what we know about pedagogy and the ability to digitally document outcomes.
In addition, 64 percent of the HR leaders we surveyed said that the need for ongoing lifelong learning will demand higher levels of education and more credentials in the future.
The various pieces are coming together to build the next generation learning platform. Although no one has all of the pieces yet, the needs/trends/signals are definitely there.
Coding, data analytics and device integration give students the tools to become more efficient lawyers.
Participants learned to use analytics programs and artificial intelligence to complete work in a fraction of the time it usually takes.
For example, students analyzed contracts using AI programs to find errors and areas for improvement across various legal jurisdictions. In another exercise, students learned to use data programs to draft nondisclosure agreements in less than half an hour.
By learning analytics models, students will graduate with the skills to make them more effective — and more employable — professionals.
"As advancing technology and massive data sets enable lawyers to answer complex legal questions with greater speed and efficiency, courses like Legal Analytics will help KU Law students be better advocates for tomorrow's clients and more competitive for tomorrow's jobs," Stephen Mazza, dean of the University of Kansas School of Law, tells Legaltech News.
Reflecting that shift, the Law School Admission Council, which organizes and distributes the Law School Admission Test, will be offering the test exclusively on Microsoft Surface Go tablets starting in July 2019.
This paper has outlined the plethora of new credential types, uses, and modes of delivery. It also has highlighted advancements in assessment. In terms of assessment content, the progression of mastery-based assessments is a distinct departure from the traditional knowledge-based assessment approaches. New assessments are likely to enter the market, as companies see the tremendous growth of competency-based assessments that will be critical and necessary in the future ecosystem described.
Assessments are no longer just a source of grades for gradebooks. They have forged two meaningful bypass routes to seat time in higher education. In the first, competency-based education assessments gate the pace of student progress through the curriculum. In the second, certification by an exam delivers not a grade, but a degree-like credential in a relevant occupation, indicating skill and expertise. For some occupations, this exam-as-credential has already been market validated by employers' willingness to require it, hire by it, and pay a salary premium for it.
A future in which quality metrics, such as consumer reviews or employer use of credentials will come into play, bringing the best and most usable credentials and assessments to the forefront.
And, finally, the future ecosystem will depend heavily on online and technology-enabled strategies and solutions. The working learner will turn away from those stringent solutions that require seat time and offer little flexibility. They will drive the market<|fim_middle|>2015; Sadler, 1989; Wiliam, 2011). This process represents a natural progression from the beginning of a lesson to closing the learning gaps at the end and provides a recursive loop when necessary. The following narrative describes two AfL strategies that I have found work extremely well in my courses, resulting in higher quality work, leaving me time to provide feedback on the more challenging aspects of the assignment. These strategies fall under the question "Where am I going?" and are true to the tenets of AfL, having a significant impact on learning and putting students squarely in the driver's seat.
In this context, provocation is therefore about deconstructing meanings and hidden agendas, challenging assumptions and seeking new ways of thinking not just about what we do, or how we do it, but most importantly, why we do what we do.
It is in this context that the choice for our 2018 Provocation of the Year came down to a single word… assessment. | hard for innovations that will lead to consumer-facing marketplaces that allow them a "one-stop shop" approach for working, learning, and living.
The massive market of the working learner/the learning worker is here to stay. The future is that learner. Credentials and assessment will find their own strong footing to help successfully meet both the learners' needs and the employers' needs. We applaud this SHIFT. For, it will be an ecosystem that services many more learners than today's education to employment system serves.
Most coherent report I have read on the erosion of degrees and the rise of assessing-for-work and amassing certifications as the competencies for the modern workplace. Jamai Blivin, of www.innovate-educate.org, and Merrilea Mayo, of Mayo Enterprises, have put in one report the history, current trends and the illogic for many people of paying for a retail bachelor's degree when abundant certifications are beginning to prove themselves. Workforce and community colleges, this is a must-read. Kudos!
For anyone out there who thinks that teaching and learning is easy and who agrees with the uninformed saying that goes "Those who can't do…teach"…might I recommend a few potential to-do's for you to try out…?
Try teaching 30-35 students yourself for at least 4-6 weeks about a topic that you just found out that you'll be teaching and one that you don't know much about. (And see if you enjoy the process that some teachers sometimes have to go through…putting down the tracks right in front of the trains that are rapidly moving down the tracks right behind them.) Also, you must have at least one student in your class who requires an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as well as 4-5 students who constantly cause trouble and who don't want to be in school at all.
Identify each student's strengths, weaknesses, and learning preferences — and their Zone of Proximal Development — then customize the learning that each of your 30-35 learners receives (with the goal of keeping each student moving forward at their most appropriate pace, while staying encouraged and yet appropriately challenged).
What specialized services are needed this year?
What do the teachers need to know about this student's cognitive processing/executive functioning?
How has the student been doing with the specialized services and teaching and learning strategies that have been attempted since the last IEP meeting?
If their scores are going down, how are you going to address that issue (especially given limited resources)?
How is the student's motivation level doing? Is attending school still a positive experience? Or are things starting to become negative and/or downright painful for the student? Are they starting to get bummed out about having to come to school?
How are they relating with and collaborating with other students? If poorly, how are you going to address that issue? How are you going to handle group-related projects (especially after reading all of those articles that assert which skills the workplace values these days)?
What do you do with grades and assessments? Do you treat the student differently and give them higher grades to keep them encouraged? But if you do that, will your school system back you up on that or will someone come down hard on you for doing that? Or, perhaps you will find yourself struggling internally — trying to figure out what grades are really for and wondering if they are helpful in the first place. In fact, you might find yourself wondering if grades aren't really just a mechanism for ranking and comparing individuals, schools, and even entire school systems (which, as we know, impacts property values)?
What do grades really produce — game players or (lifelong) learners? It won't surprise you to know that I would argue that the former is what gets "produced." Grades don't really produce as many learners as they do game-players (i.e., students who know the minimum amount of work that they need to do and still get that all important A).
So, as you can hopefully see here, learning is messy. It's rarely black and white…there's a lot of gray out there and a lot of things to consider. It's not a one-size fits all. And teaching others well is certainly NOT easy to do!
While I'm thinking about related ideas here…wouldn't it be great if EVERY. SINGLE. STUDENT. could have their own IEP and their own TEAM of specialists — people who care about their learning?
The students could periodically review such feedback.
and recommendations via audio, video, text, graphics, etc.
It's popular these days to complain that college teaching hasn't changed in hundreds of years. And sure, it's possible to find some professors on any campus holding yellowed lecture notes, or clinging to dusty chalk. But the reality is that the internet and digital technologies have already brought profound changes to instructional styles and tools in higher education.
So what are the new teaching approaches catching on at today's campuses? And what are the broader cultural changes around college teaching?
We set out to answer those questions over the past year, with a series of articles and interviews exploring what teaching in the 21st century looks like. Some show the nuances of the challenges of teaching with technology by telling stories of innovative professors, including how a water agency official who teaches an online community college course got started in creating open educational resources when her class was incorporated into a zero-cost textbook degree program. Others dive into research on the culture of teaching, like a talk with an anthropologist studying how professors react to (and sometimes resist) research on teaching practices.
Especially meant for students: Some oldies but goodies on the best ways to study/learn!
Psychological Science in the Public Interest evaluated ten techniques for improving learning, ranging from mnemonics to highlighting and came to some surprising conclusions.
This is where things get interesting; testing is often seen as a necessary evil of education. Traditionally, testing consists of rare but massively important 'high stakes' assessments. There is however, an extensive literature demonstrating the benefits of testing for learning – but importantly, it does not seem necessary that testing is in the format of 'high stakes' assessments. All testing including 'low stakes' practice testing seems to result in benefits. Unlike many of the other techniques mentioned, the benefits of practice testing are not modest – studies have found that a practice test can double free recall!
Have you ever wondered whether it is best to do your studying in large chunks or divide your studying over a period of time? Research has found that the optimal level of distribution of sessions for learning is 10-20% of the length of time that something needs to be remembered. So if you want to remember something for a year you should study at least every month, if you want to remember something for five years you should space your learning every six to twelve months. If you want to remember something for a week you should space your learning 12-24 hours apart. It does seem however that the distributed-practice effect may work best when processing information deeply – so for best results you might want to try a distributed practice and self-testing combo.
Make the most of your study time with these drawn-from-the-research tips.
Rereading is a terribly ineffective strategy. The best strategy–by far — is to self-test — which is the 9th most popular strategy out of 11 in this study. Self-testing leads to better memory even compared to concept mapping (Karpicke & Blunt, 2011).
Boser says that the idea that people have different learning styles, such as visual learning or verbal learning, has little scientific evidence to support it.
According to Boser, teachers and parents should praise their kids' ability and effort, instead of telling them they're smart. "When we tell people they are smart, we give them… a 'fixed mindset,'" says Boser.
If you are learning piano – or anything, really – the best way to learn is to practice different composers' work. "Mixing up your practices is far more effective," says Boser.
Cumulative exams are good, but encourage even more spacing and discourage cramming with cumulative mini-quizzes throughout the semester, not just as an end-of-semester exam.
Be sure that cumulative mini-quizzes, activities, and exams include similar concepts that require careful discrimination from students, not simply related topics.
Make sure you are using spacing and interleaving as learning strategies and instructional strategies throughout the semester, not simply as part of assessments and cumulative exams.
Bottom line: Just because an exam is cumulative does not mean it automatically involves spacing or interleaving. Be mindful of relationships across exam content, as well as whether students are spacing their study throughout the semester or simply cramming before an exam – cumulative or otherwise.
While that's not the show I'm talking about, it got me to thinking of one similar to it — something educational, yet entertaining. But also, something more.
The program that came to my mind would be a program that's focused on significant topics and issues within American society — offered up in a debate/presentation style format.
For example, you could have different individuals, groups, or organizations discuss the pros and cons of an issue or topic. The show would provide contact information for helpful resources, groups, organizations, legislators, etc. These contacts would be for learning more about a subject or getting involved with finding a solution for that problem.
For example, how about this for a potential topic: Grades or no grades?
What are the pros and cons of using an A-F grading system?
What are the benefits and issues/drawbacks with using grades?
How are we truly using grades Do we use them to rank and compare individuals, schools, school systems, communities? Do we use them to "weed people out" of a program?
How do grades jibe with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)? On one hand…how do you keep someone moving forward, staying positive, and trying to keep learning/school enjoyable yet on the other hand, how do you have those grades mean something to those who obtain data to rank school systems, communities, colleges, programs, etc.?
How do grades impact one's desire to learn throughout one's lifetime?
Such debates could be watched by students and then they could have their own debates on subjects that they propose.
Or the show could have journalists debate college or high school teams. The format could sometimes involve professors and deans debating against researchers. Or practitioners/teachers debating against researchers/cognitive psychologists.
Such a show could be entertaining, yet highly applicable and educational. We would probably all learn something. And perhaps have our eyes opened up to a new perspective on an issue.
Or better yet, we might actually resolve some more issues and then move on to address other ones!
There are many strategies that serve the purposes of AfL, commonly centered around three questions: 1) Where am I going? 2) Where am I now? and 3) How can I close the gap? (Chappuis, | 2,250 |
Cosmologists and philosophers contemplate the fine-tuning question: that is, if things had been different at the origins of our universe in even the smallest way, we would live (or not live) in a very different universe, or no universe at all. Yet, one paradox of the universe we do inhabit is that it has given rise to creatures (ourselves at least) who can imagine, and frequently do, the possibility of other worlds and the complicated nature of this one—sometimes so complicated that it seems "otherworldly" indeed. What is it in the nature of things, or the nature of the human mind, that prompts such imaginings? What gives shape to these imaginings, whether in science, religion, the humanities, or arts? How does the form of human imagining sometimes give us entry into a different kind of world? The capacity is so "universal" we can take it for granted, but surely it could do with some scrutiny. Imagining other worlds happens in the writing of history, or anthropology, or ethnography. Music is perhaps a<|fim_middle|> Past and Orphans of the Future: A Palaeontologist Contemplates Planet Madagascar. | world of its own; languages and cultures propose different versions of the world. Ethics proposes a better way of being in our world; politics a way to get there. Works of literature, art, and film have always imagined utopias or dystopias. Architecture reshapes our everyday space; the poem, painting, movie allow us to be "in" another world. How does memory imagine a world that might (never) have been? How do we imagine the future? How do minds imagine the worlds of other minds?
It was with these thoughts in mind that ISHA "imagined" the world of a seminar in 2007-08. Our Fellows were as follows.
Building a Better Future: Urban Utopia and the Working Class in Berlin, 1880-1933.
The "Other" Other World: Vectors of Aesthetic Opposition in Petersburg/Leningrad, 1917-1944.
Future Oceans, Future Minds: Ecology and Intelligence in David Brin's Uplift Universe.
Visualizing Alternative Economic Systems: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach.
Ghosts of the | 235 |
With final exams quickly approaching and stress levels rising, students handle stress and manage time in different ways.
It is important to use "stress monitoring," McCarthy said, which means paying attention to your body and recognizing anxiety or other symptoms of stress, which differ for everyone.
It is important to view stress<|fim_middle|> the same time," McCarthy said.
Both professors recommend students utilize resources that the Division of Student Affairs offers. The UT Counseling and Mental Health Center, along with individual colleges offer counseling and aid students in handling their workloads. University Unions is also hosting Chillfest on Dec. 5, designed to help students de-stress and includes therapy dogs, gingerbread decorating and much more.
Steinhardt said she hopes students will take advantage of these resources as final exams approach. | as an opportunity to grow, said Mary Steinhardt, a health behavior and health education professor.
Students can cope with stress in two ways, McCarthy said. Coping combatively is when you fight off stress that is already happening, whereas coping preventatively is a more proactive approach that can help you can avoid high levels of stress.
"People who are good 'preventative copers' are good at anticipating where their demands are going to be high and trying to do things to minimize other demands at | 98 |
Tasty Tachyon tidbits featuring Joe R. Lansdale, Ellen Datlow, Nalo Hopkinson, and Alastair Reynolds
Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized char's horror corner, chuma hill, don't want to write, dreaming about other worlds, elizabeth story, Ellen Datlow, hap and leonard, hap and leonard ride again, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, litreactor, max booth iii, nalo hopkinson, reading with hippos, reiko murakami, review, slow bullets, the monstrous, Thomas Canty
The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles from cyberspace.
Over at LITREACTOR, author Max Booth III revealed his insane plan to steal Joe R. Lansdale's wallet.
Last month, Eryk Pruitt asked me if I'd be willing to attend a book reading in Dallas. I told him I'd heavily consider it, but only if the reading fell on a Saturday. Dallas is a five hour drive from San Antonio, and it<|fim_middle|> away, although indications that she may not be entirely reliable—her slow bullet malfunctions—keep the reader guessing until the conclusion.
DREAMING ABOUT OTHER WORLDS:
SLOW BULLETS has, at its core, a thoughtful idea about how little things can work big changes over time. Even the ship itself becomes a metaphorical "slow bullet" as it moves through space after being inscribed with thousands and thousands of lines of information. The problem with the book is that it takes that one idea and pounds it so hard that the reader comes away almost suffering from blunt force trauma. One almost wishes that this had been a longer work, so Reynolds could have dealt with the big idea in a more subtle manner, although that may have resulted in trying to stretch too little material into too many pages. As it is,
SLOW BULLETS
is a decent story with a well-drawn cast of characters, enough conflict to keep the story moving, and a centerpiece metaphor that is simultaneously perfectly on point, and also overused. But the story is also about how merely surviving – existing from one moment to the next – is not enough, and that is what saves it from being merely ordinary. The will to survive is driven by a cause, whether an intensely selfish and personal cause such as revenge, or an altruistic one like becoming the agent of the resurrection of human civilization. In a way, this story is like Scur: Interesting enough to be engaging, yet deeply flawed at the same time.
For more info on HAP AND LEONARD, visit the Tachyon page.
For more info about HAP AND LEONARD RIDE AGAIN, visit the Tachyon page.
Covers by Elizabeth Story
For more on THE MONSTROUS, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover by Reiko Murakami
For more information on FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover art by Chuma Hill
For more info about SLOW BULLETS, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover art by Thomas Canty
The evolution of a rhino cake with Effie Seiberg Win two new Hap and Leonard books!
Booksellers, librarians, bloggers, and reviewers get Edgar Award winner Joe R. Lansdale's BORN FOR TROUBLE: THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HAP AND LEONARD
The influential grandmaster Clifford Simak was born 117 years ago
COVER REVEAL: 51, the long awaited new novel from the acclaimed Patrick O'Leary | 's extremely difficult to get someone to cover my night shifts at the hotel. As it turned out, the only day the reading could possibly take place was a Thursday, so I respectfully declined his offer. Then he told me Joe R. Lansdale would be reading that night, too, so I said, "Well, all right, I guess I don't have a choice now, but fair warning: I am going to steal Lansdale's wallet."
"You weren't, uh, serious when you told me you planned to steal Joe Lansdale's wallet…right?"
And I stared him right back down and said, "I was absolutely serious."
"You do realize he is a martial arts expert, right? He will murder you."
"I once murdered someone," Jedidiah Ayres whispered.
"I'm willing to take my chances," I said. "I didn't drive all the way down here without any sleep to not steal Lansdale's wallet."
Eryk sighed. "Booth, you're a crazy sonofabitch. I ought to kiss you."
So we kissed, and it was good.
Meanwhile, Jedidiah continued whispering something that involved "lots of blood" and "loud, agonizing squealing", but who knows what he meant.
Read about what happened between Booth and Lansdale at LITREACTOR.
In a somewhat surprisingly more sane corner of the Internet, CHAR'S HORROR CORNER offers a review the highly recommended THE MONSTROUS.
Overall, I found this to be an above average collection. Even though I enjoyed the stories of the lesser known (to me) authors the most, there are some excellent works by the powerhouse authors as well-Peter Straub's "Ashputtle" was a delicious little tale of nastiness, for example.
I believe that Ellen Datlow is one of the finest anthologists around, and when I see her name as editor, I always know I will find some literary goodness within. (Plus, this one has this KILLER cover: I mean look at that thing. It's freaking COOL!)
Highly recommended for fans of horror and dark fiction short stories!
In an overview of recent short story collections READING WITH HIPPOS discusses Nalo Hopkinson's really good FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.
Still, the good stories here are REALLY good. Hopkinson's characters are refreshingly diverse—black, brown, straight, gay, male, female, teenaged, elderly—and they're immediately knowable, despite whatever craziness might be happening around them. I don't often get the feeling that an author had fun writing a book, but I just can't imagine Hopkinson putting this stuff down on paper with anything but a playful smile on her face.
And lastly, a pair of reviews of Alastair Reynolds' engaging SLOW BULLETS.
DON'T WANT TO WRITE:
As a standalone work, the pace of Slow Bullets is its biggest asset. Scur moves quickly from realisation to uniting the ship's inhabitants to tracking down the war criminal who is to blame for her being stuck on the ship to concocting the plan to have her revenge. It hits the reader thick and fast, so much so that too many questions are left unanswered. Scur as the narrator gives little | 673 |
Rider Diary: Post Lance Era Has Begun
Discovery begins to show how formidable they are beyond Armstrong
by bradley mcgee Published: Apr 30, 2010
Leaving aside my own private trials and tribulations for a moment, let's talk about that Discovery<|fim_middle|> stage victories of George Hincapie, and now Paolo Savoldelli, is the Discovery you will see after the Tour. They need to show how formidable they are beyond Armstrong, and they need to entice the very best to the team. This starts now.
Tactically, it was a brilliant move on the part of Discovery to put two hard working men in the breakaway. By making this move, they ensured the breakaway's survival and, with a classy rider like Savoldelli, pretty much ensured the stage win.
So, courtesy of those Discovery boys, we got a bit of a reprieve today. It may have been the longest stage of the Tour but it went by quickly. Every year the Tour has a stage like this. A big group gets away and puts twenty or thirty minutes on the bunch. The first and last hours were eye-popping, but in between we were on cruise control.
I had a near miss at a train crossing today. I was one of the last riders to come through as the barricades were coming down. It was insane; we were all so eager to get under the barricade no one was even thinking about the possibility of getting hit by a train. Afterwards it hit me: that was probably pretty dumb.
While I missed getting knocked upside the head at a railroad crossing, I didn't escape the crosswinds before the final climb of the day forcing my group to pick it up at the end to meet the time cutoff. Sometimes this happens when there is a breakaway with an enormous lead and you've been in the peloton all day: you forget about the time limit. The peloton was already 24 minutes down and I was in a group a few minutes behind that. It was a "flat" stage so the cut off would have been at about a half-an-hour. Fortunately, there were others who realized this in the group and we didn't sit up completely.
After yesterday's stage I was so flat out exhausted I basically slept from the moment I got in the bus at the finish line until the moment I got out of the bus about ten minutes before the start this morning. What happened in between I'm not sure, but somehow someone managed to get me to dinner and breakfast.
So now, as my back and hamstrings start to improve, other things seem to be sliding downhill. There are some worrisome telltale signs: a cold sore in the mouth, a morning heart rate of 38bpm. Normally I like to have resting heart rate of around 42; too low and it means you are not recovering. We also had UCI blood tests yesterday morning and my hematocrit was 38. That's just too low. So again I'm reassessing the next few days. With the next two stages looking a bit lumpy, and barring an overnight turn-around of my form; the most I'm hoping for a stellar day on the Champs-Elysees. Here's to that day! | Channel team. In my estimation the post-Lance era has begun. These guys are looking towards the future now; they had all their riders committed to Armstrong for so long, and now they need to reformulate. What you've seen with the | 49 |
We look forward to meeting you on your first visit to our office. During this time, we will help you get acquainted with our office and learn about your orthodontic treatment. We understand that each patient's orthodontic treatment is different, and we promise to give you the personal attention you deserve. Your first orth<|fim_middle|> school. | odontic visit will consist of an examination and discussion of potential treatment options. We will take photos of your face and teeth and discuss treatment options in detail. You will have time to ask any questions you have, and, in the case of a child patient, we encourage both parents to attend this appointment. We discuss all the things you need to know about orthodontic treatment at this appointment and have a thorough and complete discussion of fees and payment options. If it is not the ideal time to start treatment, we will discuss this, too, and make a plan for the future. We recognize that your time is valuable, so we take pride in our one step consultation that prevents you from missing extra work or | 142 |
The distribution industry has continued to grow<|fim_middle|> profitability. Distributors typically face stiff competition, that is always working to gain the advantage and increase their customer share. Without the right solution and processes in place, distributors risk losing customers to the competition and achieving sub-optimal profit margins.
For a distribution company to truly reach its maximum efficiency it is crucial that all relevant information is managed, analyzed and acted upon throughout the customer and supplier negotiation processes. This cannot happen unless the business intelligence analysis is an integral part of the everyday workflow involved with both supplier and customer contracts. This integration of information must be customized and optimally tuned to each unique organization to truly realize the maximum results possible. Additionally, the entire workflow turnaround must be as quick as possible to affect the largest number of contracts and achieve the highest number of customer wins.
Blue Fox Software has helped enterprise level distributors and manufacturers meet these challenges head on and turn them into their competitive advantage. Contact one of our representatives to see how we can increase your organizations profitability. | even during these difficult times. Distribution thrives because of its ability to effectively manage supply chains, provide a local presence for customers, and respond quickly to customer needs while maintaining profitable margins. But even though the distribution industry has continued to remain vital, many organizations have not made the profits and growth they are capable of. Managing the relationships of thousands of suppliers and customers is no easy task, and requires a high level of organization, intelligence and analysis to optimize | 90 |
Tintin is a teenage boy who is also a journalist. He is my hero because he constantly fights evil, that is my foremost reason for having Tintin high upon my list of detective heroes. However, there is something important about a Tintin book which must not be overlooked when you are a boy detective yourself. When boy detectives are on a case, they can sometimes find their heads are on the point of exploding – we become suspicious of everyone and as the plot thickens, it can seem as if there is no way out of the mess.
Budding detectives, this is a number one detecting tip for the exploding brain. Get yourself a bag of Bull's Eyes and a Tintin book and focus on enjoying yourself. This tricks your brain in getting order in the mess you are detecting. Tintin books work particularly well because the drawing is superb, your eyeballs are so busy taking in its splendour that you forget about your brain pain. As you rush from situation to situation with Tintin, you are transported, for the time being you are Tintin.
Reading a Tintin book also has other beneficial uses. It is easy as a boy detective to feel that you are rubbish at your job – life can get you down. We all have weeks when we watch the man across the road, Theophile Twitcher and have him down as a dangerous criminal, later to find out that he is simply an overenthusiastic birdwatcher. It happens and we feel like someone has splattered a custard pie in our faces. At moments like that, I would recommend, budding detectives, that you pick up a Tintin comic book and read it. Thompson and Thompson are the worst detectives in the world. They aren't simply suspicious like us, oh no – they want to arrest the wrong person constantly.
I always think it is important that budding detectives become top notch at being in disguise. It is not easy. In fact, it can be quite off putting when you are dressed as an old tramp and The Thunderous Mother passes and says "Hello Will" to you. However, we can be certain of one thing – we will never be as bad as Thompson and Thompson at disguises. They might as well wear huge signs over the tops of the heads shouting "DETECTIVES IN VERY BAD DISGUISES." So budding detectives, if everyone recognises you in your latest disguise – read a Tintin book – you will feel much better.
My Favourite Detecting Equipment (1). The Magnifying Glass. No Adults Allowed.
Being a successful detective means that we have to notice what is going on around us but we also have to use our brains. We must never forget the importance of our detecting equipment though. For those of you who are hoping to become detectives, you need to get a magnifying glass. The criminal thinks he can fool us but he or she always leaves something behind to set us on a trail. This is why a magnifying glass is needed – it<|fim_middle|> all know that brothers, sisters and grandmas deny everything. This is where the magnifying glass comes into its own. Hide the magnifying glass behind your back and then quickly produce it. Use the magnifying glass to look around your suspect's mouth and on their clothes. If you see suspicious looking crumbs, you will realise that you have caught the biscuit chomping culprit.
Well done detective pals – see you shortly.
Posted in: My favourite detecting equipment.
Residents of Groaningsea be on the alert! Strange happenings are taking place on your very own doorstep. It is thought that a master criminal is on the loose. It is not an ordinary criminal, that much is known. How do we know this? Ace crime reporter, Ambrose Pimple has been on the scene of these extraordinary happenings. Stone gargoyles with secret messages on them have been left on doorsteps in the town.
Ambrose Pimple has made the decision not to disclose the secret messages at this point in time as it could cause a spate of copycat crimes. As an ace crime reporter, Ambrose Pimple has delved into the mind of the ruthless criminal over the years. He has to admit, he has not come across such a cunning criminal mastermind of this type before. The key question, says Pimple, is what is so unique about this crime? He understands that the ordinary public will not be able to answer this penetrating question and so he explains: The ordinary criminal takes from us. We have all been there when our garden gnomes have disappeared. However, The Gargoyle Gangster, as he will be referred to from now on, has us on the run. He plays with our law abiding minds – he doesn't whiz our washing from our lines or even pilfer our plants, NO! The Gargoyle Gangster leaves his threatening mark upon our doorsteps. What has this criminal mastermind got in store for Groaningsea next? | shows us clues the naked eye cannot see.
Top tip for trying out your magnifying glass.
If, all day, you had been thinking about those last three chocolate biscuits left in the biscuit tin and you find them gone – what should you do? Obviously, you question everyone as to the whereabouts of the missing biscuits but we | 66 |
Privacy and Personalization Can Coexist Through Good Design
By developing their user experiences around improved security, companies can deliver systems that feel customized and simple while maintaining privacy and security.
Article No :1666 | August 16, 2016 | by Hossein Rahnama
Consumers are a demanding crowd. They increasingly insist on personalized online services, but they loathe giving up their privacy to get it. Digital Catapult discovered that among more than 4,000 consumers in the U.K., 60 percent were "uncomfortable sharing personal data." Another 14 percent resisted sharing personal data altogether. The primary fear driving this reluctance? A loss of control over how and with whom their information is shared.
Some people have accepted that their<|fim_middle|> privacy to participate in social media.
As the public becomes more educated about data security, companies will begin to offer solutions that balance privacy and personalized functionality to avoid losing customers. My colleagues and I at Ryerson University believe the way to achieve this is through UX design.
For one, we emphasize the concept of data privacy, which means embedding privacy standards into design specifications. The idea applies to technology, certainly, but it works in business practices and physical infrastructures as well. Rather than react after breaches occur, privacy management is written into the DNA.
Beyond that, we see putting control into the users' hands as the future. For example, Joe works a 9-to-5 job. According to his contract, he must respond if his boss pings him on a social network during those hours. The boss can see granular data about Joe's location so he can meet with him or give him assignments. However, if the boss pings Joe after 5 p.m., Joe is no longer contractually obligated to respond.
Joe can easily adjust his privacy settings to show vague, generic location data to his boss during his off hours. Instead of a specific address, the boss might be able to see that Joe is in the city but not his precise location. Joe can also enable his settings so his wife, for example, still has access to the granular data.
Because Joe can set his own privacy terms, he trusts the social media network. He gets to say, "This is how I want to share information" on a case-by-case basis. People feel far more comfortable giving out their data when they get to control who sees it and when, rather than when a corporation decides the rules — in a manner too complex for them to comprehend. Understanding context in privacy management is essential.
UX design that puts control in users' hands should assuage consumers' fears about how their data is being used. The proactive emphasis on building security into the infrastructure also helps guard against data breaches, which is increasingly important as people share more of their lives online.
Achieving the Privacy Balance
Creating privacy-centric user experiences is not without its challenges. Before we see widespread breakthroughs, researchers and technologists must overcome a number of hurdles, including:
1. Siloed research: Some people who work on data privacy might focus only on cloud security, but they don't talk to interface designers. There's no communication between the scientists and the creatives. The future of data security relies on multidisciplinary teams that can create well-rounded UX and security designs.
For instance, Google currently allows Gmail to use the data in consumers' emails to understand their patterns and show them relevant content and products. This system could be improved to work more like a real-life assistant.
Users could turn the machine learning service on and off as needed when they're searching for something specific. They would feel more in control knowing they could turn off those algorithms at any time, rather than have Google constantly access their personal messages. But it takes a multifaceted team to identify and implement such solutions.
2. Generational preferences: Millennials are more trusting than older generations when it comes to disclosing their data online. A 2014 Mintel study showed that 6 in 10 Millennials would give personal information in exchange for some kind of bonus or enhanced customer experience. They were at least twice as likely as Baby Boomers to share their cellphone numbers, social media profiles, and credit scores.
Privacy issues demand more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Designers must understand the context within which users interact with their sites. People's ages and locations can significantly affect their willingness to share their information, so contextual privacy policies and design are necessary to meet consumers' varying needs.
3. Complexity: Data researchers and computer scientists aren't the only ones who need to be in on design conversations: Lawyers and developers must be in the mix as well. Privacy and security are complicated areas, and companies often don't want to devote the time and resources to overhauling their approaches.
That complication extends to the user experience as well. People commonly complain about Facebook's confusing privacy policies. It's overwhelming, so users often give up and decide to use it without fully understanding the terms, hoping for the best.
Simplified policies would allow designers to educate users through simple, intuitive interfaces. I work with one company that alerts customers to their privacy risks in different situations. If I connect my smartphone to a hotel's Wi-Fi while traveling and open a banking app, the app shows a colored gauge indicating my risk for a security breach. Throughout the experience, I know which data points the app is accessing and what the parent company knows about me. This transparency is reassuring and enhances my user experience.
Privacy Power to the People
Improved security depends on people having greater control over what they share in personal and professional settings. Best practices are emerging around tiered data release systems that keep company information more secure by disseminating information only when necessary, and similar systems will eventually become commonplace.
Privacy-focused designs empower users to control their data. This creates a greater sense of trust and improves security across the board. Corporations releasing patches in response to breaches is not a long-term solution. An educated, privacy-savvy public is the answer.
Dr. Hossein Rahnama is a recognized figure in ubiquitous and pervasive computing and the founder and chief product officer of Flybits, the context-as-a-service company. His research explores artificial intelligence, mobile human-computer interaction, and the effective design of contextual services. Hossein has 30 publications and 10 patents in ubiquitous computing, and is a council member of the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Hossein is also a visiting scholar at the Human Dynamics group at MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Mass. He has a doctorate in computer science from Ryerson University.
Article No. 878 | October 2, 2012
Security vs. Design: Standing at Odds?
by Mike Maass
Rather than clashing, design and security concerns can be addressed in complementary ways—with the right approach.
Article No. 133 | March 14, 2007
Article Design and Eyetracking
Hossein Rahnama
Hossein Rahnama is the founder and chief product officer of Flybits — a Context-as-a-Service software that makes it easy for digital marketers and app developers to deliver personalized mobile experiences. Hossein holds a doctorate in computer science, and he's been recognized by the MIT Technology Review and The Smithsonian. He has 30 publications and 10 patents in ubiquitous computing and is a member of the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
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The (Sometimes) Giddy Experience of Learning Design | increased reliance on the internet means sacrificing privacy. More than 60 percent of Americans aren't confident that social media sites, search engines, video platforms, and online advertisers will keep their personal data and activities secure.
Fortunately, privacy and personalization can go hand in hand. By developing their user experiences around improved security, companies can deliver systems that feel customized and simple while maintaining privacy and security.
Going on the Security Offensive
Until the past few years, the data security industry has been reactive. Companies relied on network firewalls to protect sensitive information. Every few months, a breach would occur somewhere. Microsoft and other corporations that provide security infrastructures would issue a patch, and businesses would implement them in the hopes the patches would hold.
But high-profile data leaks, such as the Sony hack in 2014, proved that behaving reactively isn't enough. Even basic attacks cost companies roughly $7 million and enable hackers to steal valuable data. Simply patching these holes as they appear is a losing game.
The Internet of Things is bringing more security risks to the public every day. A few years ago, most people used two or three devices to connect to the internet. Now, it's not just their phones, laptops, and tablets that are wired. Common appliances in office spaces and homes are increasingly plugged into the web as well.
The widespread availability of the Internet comes with many risks, most of which center on protecting data and preventing misuses of information. As former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in 2010, the amount of data generated every two days is equivalent to all the knowledge humans accumulated between the beginning of civilization and 2003. The internet's ecosystem is very different today from even 10 years ago. It's time that the data industry responded to this proactively.
Solving the Privacy vs. Personalization Conundrum
Digital literacy is on the rise, which is good news for privacy concerns. People are thinking through their privacy needs and what allowances they're willing to make when they download popular apps. Snapchat, Facebook, and WhatsApp are fun, but users question whether it's worth trading their | 432 |
Outline is a powerful note taking app for students and teachers. The app is free today for a limited time, its regular price is $5,99. Outline enables you to quickly capture and record your ideas, organize your notes, sketch your thoughts, and annotate documents. You<|fim_middle|>-do lists into a highly intuitive interface. And if you like to handwrite your notes, use either your finger or one of the supported styluses (e.g Adonit JotScript, Pogo, Apple Pencil) and write in the zoomed area.
Outline also offers a set of interesting tools to use for drawing, annotating and highlighting text, images and printouts. You can also attach files to your notes or insert printouts for annotations. Other features provided by Outline include : compatibility with Microsoft OneNote, automatic or manual backup of notes to iCloud, share your notes to third party apps such as Dropbox, Box, and iTunes; protect your notes with a password and easily multitask using things such as Slide Over, and Split View. | can either write, type or draw your notes anywhere on the page. Using the built-in styles, lists and tables, you will be able to visualize your data, structure your notes and organize your to | 40 |
How Caleb Ganzer Keeps Wine—and Tastings—Fun
The wine director for Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels discusses his approach to wine, his tips for tasting, and his app
Jen Laskey
Caleb Ganzer.
In the SevenFifty Daily Supertasters video series, we choose the wines, then challenge some of the industry's best palates to blind tastings in an effort to glean their extraordinary techniques.
Caleb Ganzer is the wine director and a managing partner at Compagnie des Vins S<|fim_middle|> our Instagram. It keeps the game fun, festive, and fair—it also allows folks to narrow down their guesses if they think they're on the right path.
Do you apply any of the skills you've learned from blind-tasting in your day-to-day work as a wine professional?
Yes. It can be helpful to notice where "look-alike" wines pop up in blind tastings. For example, I often confuse Châteauneuf-du-Pape with Amarone, but by recognizing their similarities, I can use that as an opportunity to introduce a guest who loves one of these wine styles to the other, and vice versa.
What's your number one piece of advice for people who want to improve their blind-tasting skills?
Go into each and every glass objectively—and deductively. Don't bring any emotion or preconceived notions into it, because it clouds your judgment.
What's been your most memorable wine experience?
Saving up my tips and splurging on the tasting menu and premium wine pairing for my 22nd birthday at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago. Because they were buying so deeply so early on, they had amassed enough Château Haut-Brion 1982 to be pouring it that night with the beef course—and it blew me away.
What can you tell us about your new app—Vknow?
I partnered with the adaptive learning technology company Area9 to create Vknow. It's a first-of-its-kind customizable online education course that teaches people about wine in a fun and unpretentious way. The lessons are based on a user's individual wine knowledge and needs. It's an app that gives a leg up to professionals who are just starting out in their careers, but it can also benefit seasoned hospitality vets who've been tasked with training a team of newer folks. It drastically shortens the learning curve for wine service—and wine knowledge in general. I'm very excited about the positive feedback I've been getting.
Jen Laskey is the former executive editor of SevenFifty Daily. She is also an award-winning wine, spirits, and lifestyle writer and editor based in New York City, an associate judge for the IWSC, and a WSET-certified advanced somm and Diploma candidate.
Paul Grieco Shares His Tips for Running a Wine Bar
The owner of Terroir in New York City discusses business management and offers advice for aspiring somms
Jordan Salcito on Parlaying a Somm Career into Other Avenues
The entrepreneur discusses the business strategies that enable her to manage two operations while directing special projects at Momofuku
Dustin Wilson on Taking Risks and Growing a Bicoastal Retail Operation
The Master Somm shares tips on building a brand, hiring staff, and coordinating product across state lines
How Lily Peachin Opened a New Wine Shop in Brooklyn
The founder of Dandelion Wine and Dandy Wine & Spirits shares advice for new owners and offers tips on navigating hurdles | urnaturels, a natural-wine bar and bistro in New York City. Originally from Wilmington, Illinois, Ganzer attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and spent his senior year studying abroad in France and working part-time at the Flute Champagne Lounge in Paris. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in international studies and French, he moved to New York to pursue a hospitality career in wine. Before starting at Compagnie in 2015, he was a somm at Eleven Madison Park, as well as at Daniel and a few other Daniel Boulud Dinex Group outposts.
While Compagnie's 20-plus-page wine list is strongly focused on French wines, its offerings extend across five continents, and Ganzer is a master at presenting even the most exclusive wines in fun, down-to-earth, and captivating ways, as evidenced in the themed wine events he hosts, such as Compagnie's annual Breakin' Bojo party, which combines Beaujolais wines, breakdancing, old-school hip hop, and Ganzer's favorite apparel—tracksuits. In December the bar will host a Very Mele Kalikimaka holiday pop-in, which Ganzer says will feature Hawaiian-themed holiday celebrations throughout the month and specials like Pét-Nat Punch, Hurricane Popcorn, and a version of the pupu platter with French vittles that Ganzer has dubbed the Oui-Oui Platter.
After shooting our Supertasters video with Ganzer, SevenFifty Daily spoke with him about his approach to wine, his go-to bottle, and his new wine education app.
SevenFifty Daily: What was the epiphany that got you interested in wine—or made you want to become a sommelier?
Caleb Ganzer: It was while I was working as a server in college at a couple of Italian restaurants. My professors would come in and they'd be asking me questions about what wines they should be pairing with their dishes. It was the moment I realized anyone could be a teacher, and it made me want to learn more about wine and share that knowledge with others.
How would you describe your approach to wine?
I start by thinking about winemakers. I want them to come to Compagnie and feel comfortable. They are my "spirit animal," so to speak. The best thing about most winemakers that I love, respect, drink their wines, and include on Compagnie's list is that they're at the top of their craft—they're often humble farmers or folks simply living an enriched yet simple life. They're the coolest, most down-to-earth people, who make some very delicious—and occasionally expensive and allocated—fermented grape juice.
For some reason, somewhere in the supply chain, some folks like to make wine a fussy beverage. I've never met any winemakers that I respect who treat wine as a fussy beverage. They approach it in a matter-of-fact, egalitarian, respectful manner, taking what they do seriously but not taking themselves so seriously. They wouldn't feel comfortable in an uptight wine bar, but they do like their wines served at the right temperature, in a good glass, in a fun, festive, environment with good food on the table. This is my inspiration for Compagnie. Do right by the vigneron and everything will fall into place.
Caleb Ganzer Takes a Musician's Approach to Wine
The wine director designs his wine list like a playlist, setting the tone for an evening at NYC's Compagnie
I love the creative outlets it offers. Sure, it's a lot of hard work and boring Excel spreadsheets and emails, but there are also countless ways to use the wine bar format to add to the global dialogue around wine and food.
What go-to bottle of wine—or other drink—are you most likely to open on a night off?
Tissot BBF [Blanc de Blancs en fût de chêne (oak-aged Chardonnay)] Crémant du Jura. It's probably the best sparkling wine dollar for dollar. I can often be found crushing a bottle of this. It's sooo tasty!
If you had to guess, about how many wines would you say you've blind-tasted and formally evaluated for professional purposes?
Around 2,000.
What was your most memorable blind tasting—good or bad?
I'll likely never forget incorrectly guessing Viura for Assyrtiko on camera.
How does blind-tasting help wine professionals better understand wine?
It helps you to develop a shared language around wine, which a sommelier or server can then use to communicate details about a range of wines to guests.
Do you conduct blind tastings as part of your staff training?
Occasionally. I don't normally do blind tastings as part of our formal training, but many of our somms are studying for various exams and participate in blind-tasting groups on their own time. Sometimes I'll pop a bottle and pour it blind during service and let them think about it. This is how I usually introduce new wines that we serve by the bottle so the staff have a chance to taste things that aren't by the glass.
Compagnie's daily "mystery wines" are a fun exercise in blind-tasting—how does it work?
It's kind of a lovely, quirky little game that I actually inherited from the bar's Paris and London locations. I wasn't sure how I felt about it in the beginning, but I've learned to love it. The best part is that there's a hugely positive response from nonindustry folks. It doesn't really follow the rules of traditional Court of Master Sommeliers or Wine & Spirit Education Trust blind tastings—it's more fun and finite.
The mystery red and white wines are always ones in our bottle list that cost less than $100. Each guest gets a glass. If they guess the wine right, they win a bottle; if they get it wrong, they buy the glass. We keep the wine a secret until it's guessed or we run out of the allotment intended for mystery-wine consumption, and then we reveal it en masse via | 1,264 |
Lake Pedder and Gordon
Back to Pedder 2013
Trout tips - from tackle shops
We did a bit of a runaround Tasmania's tackle stores to see what their tips for the first month or so of the tackle season were. We asked what the top three places to fish were, plus lures, flies, baits and a few other things<|fim_middle|>000.
Certainly not to be forgotten is the amazing scenery of Lake Pedder itself. Grandeur on the largest scale, endless photo opportunities around every corner, much like the fishing itself. Gone are the halcyon days of trout averaging close to 5kg but now a huge head of wild browns open to just about every angling method going around. Trolling, drift spinning, soft plastics and fly fishing; Pedder can offer it all. Can't forget the old art of fish caking, throwing large surface lures around after dark will often bring the better than average fish to the net.
Once again the LPAC through the generous support of some of its major sponsors will have a boat, motor and trailer package to give away to one lucky entrant at the final presentation on Monday 28th. Tristar Marine, Channel Marine, Ullrich Aluminium, One Steel and King Towbars and Trailers have combined to supply a custom built tournament style 4.5m runabout, 40hp 4stroke Mercury outboard and Dunbier Trailer to put together the best prize in the events history. This rig would set you back over $20,000 to replace and is awarded by random draw to conclude proceedings. The last two years junior members have been drawn out of the hat. That said the young ones have been very lucky in recent years with the major prizes.
Accommodation is very limited with the chalet all but booked out but camping is available and facilities are at people's disposal. Excellent meals are available from the Chalet and are hearty and reasonably priced. A full bar is also open and very popular at the end of each day. The Saturday night auction is not to be missed and a great way to support the club and its charities.
Further details and entry forms can be found at the club website – www.lakepedderanglersclub.com
Category: Lake Pedder and Gordon
Atlantic salmon the hard way
Scott McDonald
The first Atlantic salmon eggs used to begin Tasmania's Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry were introduced into Tasmania in 1984. From these humble beginnings a valuable Tasmanian industry has evolved with a worldwide reputation for having a premium disease free product. This industry provides a spin off to all anglers in the form of regular escapes of salmon from the farms. | .
Here is a rundown on their answers Whenever, and wherever you fish - anywhere, or for any fish in the world - ask the locals and especially ask at the local tackle store. They know what was caught today, yesterday and on what.
Back to Pedder for 2013
The annual Back to Pedder comp for 2013 is set to run over the traditional Australia Day period in January. Commencing on Thursday 24th and concluding on Monday 28th with the mid-morning weigh-in and lunchtime presentations wrapping up proceedings.
In the past 10 years the Back to Pedder events have grown to become the biggest trout fishing competition in Tasmania with entries regularly over 200. The hard working committees of the Lake Pedder Anglers Club have made the event one of the most respected on the season calendar also largely due to the relaxed atmosphere and the incredible fundraising efforts that are part of the event.
For many years now the LPAC has formed a very close relationship with Camp Quality in Tasmania and for some years hosted families from the organisation. Campers and their families attended the events and had a chance to forget about the troubles past or ahead just for a few days. It was this link that saw the club gain a huge list of extremely generous sponsors always happy to help out when the kids were involved. I've been lucky enough to meet so very special and brave young people at this event over the years and it's always rewarding to be involved.
Just a couple of years ago the future of the competition appeared uncertain with the Strathgordon Chalet, the venue the event was based out of, was in danger of being closed down by Hydro TAS. If the comp was to continue some major changes would need to be made. At that potential last event the generosity of spirit from all the entrants was amazing. The famous Saturday night auction along with some head and beard shaves here and there raised around $15, | 400 |
Architect<|fim_middle|>, North Valley, Open Space, Rio Grande Nature Center, George Pearl Hall, La Luz del Oeste, Mesa del Sol, North Campus, Rio Grande Bosque, John Gaw Meem, Aperture Center | Antoine Predock -- Three Samples
Welcome to world-renowned Architect Predock's New Urbanist-inspired La Luz del Oeste, a wonderful & community built amid five acres gardens & greenspaces, sitting upon acres of forever Open Space along the Rio Grande Bosque.
Architect Predock–also known for local projects like the Rio Grande Nature Center, the Aperture Center at Mesa del Sol & George Pearl Hall School of Architecture on the University of NM Campus (pictured Below)–-designed La Luz del Oeste early in his 50+-year career, between 1968-1972.
The Rio Grande Nature Center sits serenely in the middle of the MetroABQ's North Valley, surrounded by almost 800,000 people. Designed by Architect Antoine Predock, it is a stark departure from many of his other projects, namely the George Pearl Hall, below, & La Luz, above.
From the Society of Architectural Historians SAHArchipedia: Located on Central Avenue, along the university's southern edge and across the street from the earlier school (a converted furniture store), George Pearl Hall at once mediates between the campus and the city, and recasts the image that John Gaw Meem had codified in the 1930s for this "pueblo on the mesa."
Antoine Predock attended the University of New Mexico (UNM) from 1954 until 1960, before then earning his architecture degree from Columbia University in 1962, and he says that the invited competition to design the new School of Architecture and Planning was one he "had to win." While the design evolved over the eight years it took to complete the project, in response to changing budgets and the programmatic addition of a library, Predock held to his original intention to create a building that would teach students about the making of architecture.
Bicycle Paths, Greenspaces, Limited-Access Communities, Pocket Neighborhoods, Parks, Architecture, Pueblo Revival, La Luz, West Side, Antoine Predock, National Register of Historic Places, Adobe, New Urbanist, MetroABQ, Neighborhood Spotlight, Townhomes, Green | 451 |
I'm not sure when I became the person who would rather lie on the beach than jump in the ocean, but given a sunny day, a long stretch of seaside, and a blanket, I would often park myself there for hours without dipping so much as one toe in the water. Though I loved the ocean as a child, as an adult, I'd simply rather not get cold, wet, or too close to any sea creatures. Somewhere along the way, my childhood sense of adventure gave way to grown-up worries, both mundane and irrational. So when my friend Adam said he wanted to teach me how to surf, I tried hard to say no.
At the time, we were camped on a beach north of San Francisco with family and friends — the last hurrah for me, my husband, Michael,<|fim_middle|> not yet. There was someone waiting for me, the person I thought I had lost, and she was a hundred yards out at sea. And so I waved to everyone on shore, lifted myself onto the board and paddled out for more.
That was five years ago, and every summer since, we've headed back to California — and the beach — to vacation with friends. Last summer, after I zipped up my wet suit and lifted my board, my daughter, now 6, looked up from the giant hole she was digging in the sand as I trotted past her.
"Are you going surfing again?" she asked. | and our two kids, ages 4 and 1, before we moved back to Boston after living in California for two years.
But Adam wouldn't take no for an answer. He handed me a wet suit, which I reluctantly wriggled into, and a surfboard. Then he showed me how to "pop up" — an essential element, apparently, in learning how to surf. In one fluid motion Adam pushed his chest up off the board and shot his right foot forward. I tried to copy him, but it took me about six different, far less graceful moves to get up. I groaned inwardly as he lifted his board and trotted toward the ocean. Half-cradling my board across my chest, I dragged it down the beach.
In cold knee-deep water, I put the board down, pressed myself onto it and started paddling. Thirty seconds in, I knew that my body wasn't made for this. I had done little more than walk-run on the treadmill in the past year post-baby, so what strength I had was in my legs, not my arms or shoulders. But the real problem was in my head. I was scared.
About a hundred yards from shore, winded, soaked, and terrified after slicing through the wave breaks to get past them, I paused to look back at my family and friends, who were eating cheese and sand-flecked figs, scouring the beach for unusual rocks and playing Frisbee. I longed to be there with them on safe, dry ground.
Adam stopped, straddled his board and started to suss out the conditions. I hoisted my body up so clumsily into a sitting position that I was worried my thighs were visibly jiggling through my wet suit, but I finally managed to steady myself.
After surveying the crashing surf, Adam instructed, "You want to be where the wave is going to break; that's where your sweet spot is." But the sweet spot looked messy and dangerous to me, a spectacular spray of white water and foam. The sweet spot, I wanted to tell him, was exactly where I didn't want to be. Hadn't he realized I wasn't a surfer, that of the many doors I've closed — or never bothered to open — this was one I would just as soon leave shut?
Still, I couldn't go back without a few tries. I nosed my board toward the shore and clawed like mad to catch my first wave. I wasn't strong enough, and it rushed under me as if I weren't even there. I tried another and another, watching them all roll into shore without me.
As each wave heaved toward me, I felt a knot in my stomach a foot thick. There was a time when I wasn't so afraid. Growing up, I was a tomboy with two older brothers, and I loved nothing more than the long summer days when my mother would pile us into our AMC Hornet and head to one of the many beaches along the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound. I would bolt from the car straight into the surf and let the waves pummel me, only to bounce back up, laughing, then dive in for more. At night, alone in my bed, I'd feel as if I were still in the ocean, my body rising and lowering, my skin so waterlogged I could taste the sea.
But as I got older, I stopped taking the beach — and a lot of other things — by storm. When I was in sixth grade, my mother and I left Connecticut and moved to Arkansas after my parents' divorce. It wasn't just the ocean I lost. It was also my former, more adventurous self. Now, gripping the surfboard so hard that my fingers ached, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the girl who used to run into the waves.
I paddled with everything I had, my chin tucked down, my body clenched in one tight line. I paddled as if everything in my life suddenly depended on my getting on top of this one wave and riding it to shore. And in some weird way, it actually did.
Then, to my amazement, I found myself slightly ahead of the wave's crest, my arms digging in hard as the water curled up behind me. I panicked, afraid I might actually succeed. In a flash, I was facedown on the wave's slope. Somehow I pressed myself into a low crouch on the board and then carefully rose to an upright stance. It wasn't pretty, but I finally got there. I stretched my arms wide for balance and bent my knees. I'm surfing! I'm surfing! I thought as the wave pushed me along. I flew like when I was a kid riding along on the back of my brother's motorcycle as we sped toward Dairy Queen on a warm summer evening. I flew like when I rode down the Old Bumpety Hill on my blue Raleigh bicycle or bodysurfed on those Connecticut beaches. I flew like when I used to say yes instead of no.
I zipped into shore for 20 seconds, maybe 30, but the experience shook something loose inside me that had been stuck for so long I didn't know it was there. As I reached the shallows, I toppled off the board into the cold, wet froth, lifted myself up and whooped to the sky, arms raised in Rocky-like triumph.
My husband, kids, and friends were cheering on the beach. Soon we would board a plane bound for home. But I couldn't let go of this feeling, | 1,146 |
8vo. (8.25" x 6.25"). pp. x; 179. First American Edition, later printing ("November, 1924"). Dark green buckram cloth decorative publisher's binding with titles and peacock illustration from title page gilt stamped onto cover; titles gilt stamped onto spine. Color Frontis. with tissue guard and 95 full page and vignette line illustrations throughout the book by W. Heath Robinson. A Very Good + copy with light rubbing to the extremities and a small (0.25") chip to a lightly faded spine. Walter De La Mare (1873 – 1956 ) was an early 20th C. poet, novelist and short story writer. De La Mare's Peacock Pie, a series of fantastic nursery rhymes for children, was considered to be "his most delightful work" by poetry critics. W. Heath Robinson (1872 – 1944) was from an English family of illustrators that included his father, Thomas (1838-1902) , and his brothers Charles (1870–1937) and Thomas Heath (1869-195<|fim_middle|>'s sense of fun and the fantastic. | 4). W. Heath Robinson was beloved in England for his depictions of weird and complex machines designed for simple tasks -- a "Heath Robinson" machine in England was equaivalent to a "Rube Goldburg"; machine in America. His wonderfully detailed illustrations for Peacock Pie fully reflect De La Mare | 62 |
Home » Mirror News » Mirror News - Volume 44 - Issue 7 - March 25, 2019
Hawks Make it to Finals, but Fall Short of Nationals
by Josh Abeare
HFC Hawk Leon Ayers | Photo by Joshua Tufts
On March 9, the Henry Ford College men's basketball team lost the National Junior Athletic Association (NJCAA) District 10 championship in Grand Rapids to St. Clair County Community College, 88-71. The Hawks made it farther than last year's team. That is a testament to coach Chris Shepard, who won his second straight Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Coach of the Year award. Shepard said he's proud of the guys, and although the team came up just short, it was a good season.
The team won the MCCAA Eastern Conference title for a second straight season, with a record of 21-8. The race to the top spot of the conference was tight, as it took the Hawks until the final game of the regular season with a last-second win over St. Clair County Community College.
Winning the Eastern Conference title gave the team the number-one seed in the National Junior Athletic Association (NJCAA) District 10 tournament in Grand Rapids. Last season, the Hawks did not advance beyond the semi-final round. This year, the Hawks advanced to the District 10 championship game after beating Macomb Community College, 80-75. Leon Ayers, who had a team-high 29 points, said that he was able to knock down shots because of his teammates helping to get him open<|fim_middle|> not able to overcome an early deficit, and losing to the Skippers. Despite not making it to the national playoffs, sophomore Luster Johnson said he was glad to be part of the team's back-to-back playoff runs last year and this year. Johnson added, "I'm sad I have to leave this program with unfinished business." Johnson said he is very proud of the accomplishments the team has had.
Athletic Director Rochelle Taylor said, "Coach Shepard and the Men's' basketball team has put the athletic department back on the national map for athletics." Taylor went on to say the last time she remembers the team having this much success was when they made it to nationals in the 2009-10 season.
Although the Hawks will lose personnel in the offseason, several players, including LaMarkco Gulledge and Cortez Jackson, plan to return for next season. Coach Shepard said, "Hopefully we'll come back ready to go, but we do have a lot of work to do."
Editor in Chief: Fatima Nkata | .
Despite beating St. Clair County during the regular season, the Hawks struggled during the District 10 championship game, | 24 |
A Passel of Plumeria
Short Story by: Robert Levin
Status: Finished | Genre: Literary Fiction | House: Booksie Classic
Can an act of violence be gift?
This time the news was completely delivered in under a minute, but I caught it and it made me rise from my seat.
"Yes!" I heard myself say to the TV. "Yes! Of course!"
It was 1992 now and while years had passed since Walter and Anna Marie were an object of media interest I, for one, hadn't forgotten this couple. I'd first become aware of them—and been as aghast at Walter's actions as everyone else—on the evening of the incident, an evening in July of 1985, when New York TV stations carried reports from their South Florida affiliates. It wasn't until the fall though, when they made the wires again on the day Walter was sentenced, that they got a serious grip on my attention.
What transpired at the sentencing had also triggered a major focus on Walter and Anna Marie in the Miami Herald and the Kendall Star, the journal representing the Miami suburb in which they lived, and I was, for the next few mornings, a regular customer at the out-of-town newspaper store on Broadway and 72nd Street. As I'm prone to do, I was thinking about the breadth of human resourcefulness in response to the horrific knowledge of being mortal, about the variety of remedies, usually subconscious, often implausible and sometimes abhorrent, that we've fashioned for the mother of all anxieties. And albeit a strictly visceral reaction at this stage, I was, upon seeing the headlines, at odds with what these papers were making of the extraordinary events at the sentencing. In step with the newscasts I'd watched, the Herald referred to Walter and Anna Marie as the "Demented Duo" and a piece in the Star was titled "The Twisted Psychology of a Victim." But notwithstanding my quarrel with what struck me as limited vision, both the Star and the Herald published extensive articles that promised details, and details being what I wanted (and was gratified to discover—they would buttress my faith in my instincts) I read everything. I found the Star especially valuable. It ran interviews not only with Anna Marie, who recalled entire conversations with Walter almost verbatim, but with family members and others. And it printed numerous photographs, images of the incident site among them.
Twenty years old at the time, Walter was five nine and squarely built with unruly shoulder-length hair that shrouded much of his angular face but failed to wholly obscure a profusion of severe acne scars. Although he had his share of friends, one of them a confidante who was interviewed at length, his inclination was to keep to himself, and snapshots from his early childhood—he was the youngest of four boys—revealed that his perpetually dour countenance had been a lifelong characteristic. From the week following his high school graduation through to the incident date, Walter worked as an auto mechanic at a popular gas station where he was reputed to be indolent and less than tidy when it came to the simple tasks but was also known as a talented problem solver. He'd procrastinate about the easy things, and leave a wrench in a gear shift or oil stains on a steering wheel when he was finally done. But in respect to a car's more elusive issues he would engage and persevere until he'd produced the correct diagnosis and solution. His declared ambition was to eventually own a repair shop. His preoccupation, however, was Anna Marie.
Anna Marie was two months younger than Walter and a full head shorter. If she could claim prominent breasts and large green eyes with long and thick lashes, she was hardly, at least insofar as her appearance was concerned, a woman you'd expect a man to be obsessed with. Her nose was too big, her cheeks too fleshy, her chin too brief, her bottom too broad and her "dirty" blonde hair (which she wore at shoulder length or pulled into a ponytail) too stringy. A brother of Walter's described her as "maybe a six." Employed since high school as an assistant manager in a supermarket in Kendall's largest shopping center, she lived in a two-bedroom apartment with her mother who was suffering from an abundance of ailments and essentially house-bound. It was the same apartment in which she'd been raised. Her father, a building construction worker, had died on her ninth birthday, not long after he was trapped in a fire ignited by a gas explosion. She was an only child.
Walter and Anna Marie met in their junior year of high school and that was when, as another of Walter's brothers expressed it, the "simple teenage crush that just got crazy" commenced. Walter had apparently been love-struck the instant he saw Anna Marie. They were in three of the same classes and in the opening weeks of the term he maneuvered to sit near her whenever he could. (He would lean towards her to capture her fragrance, to study her face and to watch for the bra straps that tended to slip below the short sleeves of her blouses.) But she showed no interest in him, never so much as glanced in his direction, and his natural shyness exacerbated by the inflamed condition of his pimples in this period, it was beyond him to make a move on her.
Then, on a midweek morning in late October, she was passing his desk and tripped over his book bag which happened to be protruding into the aisle. She crashed against the desk in front of his and he heard her groan. Seizing the opportunity to help her, he felt the cool flesh of her arm in his hand and would "forever remember" the "electrical current" that charged through him when they made this first physical contact. As she composed herself, pressing her fingers to her forehead—she was in evident pain—she took a hard look at him and smiled.
"Is this your way of flirting?" She said.
Walter, taken aback, his face hot, had no answer. He only gaped at her.
"The book bag," she said, still smiling. "Well, it worked. My name's Anna Marie. What's yours?" She held out her hand and he noticed a welt beginning to form over one of her eyes. "I could have croaked," she said. "But I'm still here."
Dating by the weekend, Walter and Anna Marie were "going steady" in a matter of days and they defined their relationship that way for a full year. "Sixteen! The best year of my life," Walter would say. Much of their time was spent in Anna Marie's room. Down a long hallway from her mother's and largely unchanged since her girlhood, the capacious room was painted pink and all but consumed by a collection of gargantuan ragdolls and oversized, multi-colored pillows strewn on the bed and the floor, and they'd talk spiritedly there for hours at a stretch.
As a rule Walter had little to say about himself and spoke mainly about cars. He could name the make, model and year of every car on the road. But on one evening he told Anna Marie that he'd never felt "wholeheartedly loved" by his parents. Walter's parents owned a modest one-story house a short bus ride from Anna Marie and Walter shared a bedroom with his second-youngest brother—which accounted for why Anna Marie seldom reciprocated his visits. His father was a mid-level executive at an auto parts company and his mother a part-time bookkeeper. They were depicted by the Herald as "intensely private people" and few in the community were personally acquainted with them. "Don't get me wrong," Walter said. "They're okay. They've done what they were supposed to. They haven't abused me or anything like that. But I never get the strokes my brothers get. I think—my mother mostly—they didn't want another kid, definitely not another boy, and that I probably wasn't supposed to happen."
In turn Anna Marie, who was enamored of horror films and would chatter about their plots in every detail, abandoned her favorite topic to tell Walter about her father in the ICU after the fire. "He was in God-awful pain," she said. "Even though he was taking morphine the pain just overwhelmed it. He was in agony and couldn't move 'cause they had him strapped down. Then he breathed funny and passed away, just like that. All that pain, it was for nothing. What's the point of pain if you don't live through it? If it had been something he had to feel to stay alive, that would be one thing. But then he died. I still dream about it. And about dying like that myself."
They also made out a lot. The both of them still virgins, they brought each other to climax with their hands.
In their first year Walter would experience facets of Anna Marie that served to strengthen his feelings for her. She'd shop for acne ointments and then apply them to his face herself. Walking next to him on the street, she'd suddenly, for no particular reason, grab and embrace him. But she was not without some troubling aspects.
Given to a seemingly willful care<|fim_middle|>, he said that he had a daughter of his own and that if something "so depraved" had been done to her he would have "blown the dirt bag's head off with my shotgun." Anna Marie's plea was "ludicrous" and would have no mitigating effect on the sentence, he said. In fact, given the "unconscionable cruelty of the act," Walter was going to get "every bit of what was coming to him."
According to the judge, what Walter had coming was seven years in a Florida state prison.
As Walter, shuffling in his leg irons but with his head still raised, was led away, the judge summoned a now hysterical Anna Marie and her aunt to the bench. In her discombobulated condition, Anna Marie had knocked her appurtenance askew to reveal a melted-shut left eyelid and the raw, mottled meat, speckled with tiny white pustules and stretching from her hairline to the edge of her nostril, that was the flesh surrounding it. The judge, blanching at the sight of her naked wound, advised Anna Marie to seek counseling. "I don't need counseling," she sobbed. "I need Walter." (Subsequently the judge would tell someone that, "The girl is as sick as the perp. It's as if she welcomed what he did.")
Most everything I've related here I would learn on the succeeding mornings when I perused the regional dailies. But what in particular had led me to balk at the blanket derision Walter and Anna Marie elicited, and then to read every word printed about them, was the video I saw when I turned on the news later that evening. Anna Marie, in her comical shades, was emerging from the courthouse and her indignation lit up the screen. Visibly spraying saliva, she sputtered to a cluster of reporters, and before any of them had a chance to speak: "Walter's the whole package. I would have floated right off the world if he hadn't been around. He makes me feel safe."
"I'm still here," she added, and then stalked off to a waiting car.
So seven years afterwards, with the accuracy of my instincts long since confirmed to my satisfaction but anticipating no further word—seven years was, after all, a long time— you can guess what the sudden announcement was.
Below a new picture of a grinning Anna Marie—she seemed to be wincing slightly and the left side of her face, from which a conspicuously prosthetic eye stared, was discolored and mildly tumescent but perfectly smooth—the caption read:
"Victim of 1985 acid attack, Anna Marie Woods, marries her assailant, Walter Parchman, upon his release from prison."
In my mind I offered my congratulations. They would be, I expected, something like all right.
Submitted: May 10, 2016
© Copyright 2022 Robert Levin. All rights reserved.
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Robert Levin's Portfolio | lessness, she'd often march across streets against the light and in total disregard of flowing traffic. And habitually leaving her opened handbag on a restaurant table or chair when she went to the ladies room or was engrossed in conversation, she was time and again a victim of theft. (After one such event in Walter's company, he took to holding her bag when he was out with her.)
What's more, there were stretches that could last for several days in which she'd become listless and distant. The loss of her attentiveness upset Walter. But so did her unhappiness. He couldn't stand to see her in distress. He wanted her to feel good. He needed her to feel good. "What happens to her happens to me," he said to the friend in whom he confided. "It's like my nerves are soldered to her nerves."
For Anna Marie, what was most impressive about Walter in this beginning year was his "gentle nature" and the "incredible generosity"—the steady flow of presents and flowers—that accompanied it. But vying for top spot with those distinctions was his "slovenliness." His schoolwork notes were such "an unholy mess" that she had to spend entire days organizing them for him. And his "indifference to personal care" was "almost a joke." He'd wear the same shirt for a week. His sneakers had holes in them. Though she loved his long hair it was "insistently unkempt" and she wished he would "style it more." Sometimes his "seedy" appearance was "seriously aggravating." More often than not it was "endearing."
They had their first real sex when they were seventeen. Walter deemed the milestone near to spiritual. Anna Marie thought it was "good," but that something was missing. "Do you have to treat me so delicately?" She asked the next time they slept together "Why don't you push me around a little?" But he couldn't do that. Hurting her was the last thing he could do. She frowned at him and he felt chastened and inadequate.
And it was during the year they turned seventeen, and not long after she'd asked Walter to take her kayaking in the Everglades and he'd exclaimed—"Are you kidding? With the alligators?"—that Anna Marie remarked to a friend: "Walter's pusillanimous."
"Pusill-what?" the friend said.
"Funny word, huh?" Anna Marie said. "It came up in a crossword. It means he's chickenshit. He's so sweet to me, which I cherish. But sometimes he's too timid. It's all sugar and no spice."
It was also in that year that a shift occurred in their relationship.
A new reality began, Walter soon realized, on the day an older boy gave Anna Marie a ride on his motorcycle. When Walter connected with her later she was wearing a heavy bandage on her ankle. "It still stings," she said breathlessly. "We skidded on a slick patch and we actually grazed the ground before he got the bike upright again." She lifted the bandage to show him the burn. "Do you think it'll leave a scar?" He saw her eyes widen at the prospect. "It was scary," she went on, "especially when I felt the scrape. But now I feel terrific, like indestructible—is there anything better?"
A few days after that she broached the idea of an "open relationship." She would date other boys and he could see other girls. "From time to time and just, you know, casual-like," she said.
In a voice he didn't recognize as his own, Walter said, "You're my girl."
"It won't be so different," Anna Marie said. "We'll still be together. Most everything will be the same. There'll just be times when one or the other of us will be...indisposed."
Walter was in all imaginable misery. What, he wanted to know, did she mean by "casual-like?" How could she be sure that he or she wouldn't get attached to someone else? And what about sex?
After Walter's sentencing, Anna Marie would tell her interviewer that all she'd wanted was to "have some fun." Her response at this moment was to erupt in a fit of giggles and, when that was done, to reach out and touch Walter's face. "The Acknomel's working great," she said. "That's good. We'll get some more." (In a separate article, her high school grade advisor was quoted as saying that although Anna Marie was "not stupid," she was "a bit of a space cadet with little or no self-awareness.")
Inasmuch as a life without Anna Marie was inconceivable to him now, and fearful of antagonizing her, Walter declined to challenge her proposal. He reminded himself that she still wanted him close, that she still needed him. It was only a phase she was going through. In no time at all things could revert to where they'd been. With the exception of him seeing other girls, which was out of the question, he agreed to the arrangement she asked for.
As it played out the arrangement would last nearly three years, years in which, and despite the fact that the routines of their relationship were not appreciably altered, Walter was obliged to live with a tension that varied in degree but never fully dissipated. Unable to feel that his place in her life was secure—she was his girl and she wasn't all at once—he was also burdened with a new and abiding apprehension about her physical and emotional well-being.
Anna Marie, who'd anticipate her dates with unabashed excitement and who spoke openly with Walter about them (as openly, he assumed, as she dared to since she consistently denied having sex), would be "indisposed" once or twice every couple of months. It was always with guys she referred to as the "devil-may-care ones" but who Walter regarded as "dangerous" or "sketchy." One was a drag-racer, another was into hang gliding. Most of these boys failed to sufficiently "share their passions" with her and were summarily dropped, while those who did include her in their activities, and in whom she sustained an interest, quickly cut her loose. In both cases, but principally the latter, which would initially induce periods of extreme elation, weeks of depression could follow. Never gloating or vindictive when she was down, Walter was, on the contrary, sympathetic and solicitous. He admitted to jealousy, but increasingly perceiving himself as her "guardian"—if the spells of melancholy weren't worrisome enough, her fervid descriptions of her adventures with the drag-racer and the hang gliding enthusiast, respectively chronicling near collisions and violently shifting wind currents, horrified him—he maintained that "all that really mattered" was Anna Marie's welfare. That she'd return from dates she labeled her "best" with a smarting cut or contusion "concerned" him, he imparted to his confidant, "more than anything else."
In the hope of dissuading her from pursuing "outside engagements," and reasoning that he would be with her should she be in jeopardy, Walter, at one point, and as inimical as it was for him, determined to emulate the boys Anna Marie was drawn to. Though he dreaded an affirmative reply, he offered to take her up on her Everglades idea. But it was too late. Her sense of him was already fixed. "Wally, you know you don't want to do that," she said, slowly shaking her head and cupping his cheek with her hand.
A few months after they'd graduated from high school, the month of his eighteenth birthday, Walter had left home and along with the purchase of his first vehicle—a pickup truck that he could use for work—he'd rented a furnished room in Anna Marie's immediate neighborhood. That room remained his place of residence until the day of the incident.
From his close proximity, and with his newly acquired wheels, Walter began to surreptitiously trail Anna Marie when she went on her dates. His purpose, he said, was to be there for her should she require his assistance. Pressed by his confidante, he conceded that he was also motivated by a need to see for himself "just what she was up to." As chance would have it, the proceedings Walter witnessed were confined to the stuff of ordinary dating. But while it never became necessary for him to go to Anna Marie's aid, what he observed was enough to cause him no small measure of grief.
Walter, generally at night, would find himself chain-smoking and sipping beer in the pickup outside a club or movie theater Anna Marie and her date had gone to. (He kept an empty gasoline can on the floor under the glove compartment to urinate in.) Clocking every couple in the crowds that emerged from the place he was monitoring—feeling his blood jump when he saw a girl wearing her colors—he would, once he'd spotted Anna Marie and the guy she was with for sure, start his motor and set out after them. Most of the time the guy would bring her directly back to her apartment house. In these circumstances, Walter would park as close as he could get to the house—sometimes recklessly close—and stick around to see what she did. Anna Marie, Walter was invariably relieved to note, took no one inside. But when she lingered too long in the car, or if there was a more than perfunctory kiss at the door, it would take all of his will not to shout to her to break it up. There were also nights, less frequent but well-nigh unbearable, when she'd go to the guy's digs. On those occasions, Walter would wait for as long as it took for her to rematerialize in the entranceway—in several instances hours elapsed—and to either be driven home by the guy or to hurry into a cab that had been ordered. Although she'd eventually buy a car of her own, Anna Marie rarely used it for her liaisons.
On nights Anna Marie was with someone else and Walter was, for one reason or another, unable to follow her, he would, beginning at eleven o'clock, call her on her personal line to see if she was home yet. If she answered he could go to bed. If she didn't answer he would call her at 15-minute intervals until she did. He couldn't sleep unless he knew she was home. When he heard Anna Marie's voice Walter would hang up without speaking and she never questioned him about the calls.
At 2 a.m. on one such night, and well into the arrangement's third year now, Anna Marie's phone rang two-dozen times with no response and Walter felt something he hadn't felt before, a fierce and consuming anger. He wished that Anna Marie had engaged in one of her foolhardy exploits and that an accident had resulted, a disfiguring accident that would make her repugnant to other boys. But merely allowing this thought to enter his mind made him as angry with himself as he was with her. It was so far removed from what love was supposed to be about. And he would never want Anna Marie to be his woman because she had no other options. He wanted to win Anna Marie. Indeed, in the circumscribed world of his fixation, a world that had narrowed more and more with the inception of the arrangement, nothing less than his very life depended upon her freely and fully giving herself to him. To claim her by default would kill him just as surely as losing her would. He recognized, of course, that the prospects for a positive outcome weren't good. The arrangement itself was ample evidence of that and if further signs were needed, whenever he tried to discuss a future together she changed the subject. The problem, his gut was telling him, was that he wasn't loving her enough. But what did that mean? How much more could he love her than he already did? He didn't know. He did know that she wasn't happy, not even with the arrangement. Not really. He'd begun to think of her—the perception bruised his heart—as some kind of pain junkie, and he viewed the boys she went out with as her dealers. They wanted a sexual score and she was, certainly now and then, trading her body for the hurt they promised. If they delivered she'd get high for awhile and then all raggedy and strung out when she got cut off. "It's just sports and games anyway," she'd said to him on one of her low days and after an especially vivid recurrence of that bad dream. "Most of the time it's no better than a scary movie. No souvenir afterwards to prove the point. You know what I'm saying?"
What she was saying had, like the reason for her chronic discontent itself, baffled him. And believing that her equanimity was his to secure, and that its achievement would assure her devotion to him, he'd continually—he was doing it now—ransacked his knowledge of her looking for clues to what he was missing. Thus far, however, his incessant brooding had yielded only frustration. But when he called her again, and she answered this time, which caused a wave of affection for her to flush through him, but also, and confusingly at first because his anger was gone, restored the notion of a maimed Anna Marie to the foreground of his mind, he had what amounted to an epiphany. He understood, and would convey to his confidant with a remark the astuteness of which astonished me, that "It isn't pain and injury Anna Marie gets off on, it's the feeling of surviving them." But that wasn't the whole of it. The rest, which he was careful not to disclose until a jailhouse exchange with his friend following the incident, was the realization that had arrived with his insight of what loving her enough meant and of what it might demand of him.
Shortly thereafter, on an afternoon he was at work and under the assumption that she was too, Walter received a call. "I'm still here," were the first words Anna Marie uttered. She was in an airfield phone booth twenty miles from Kendall. A boy she'd recently encountered and mentioned only in passing to Walter had taken her sky diving and once they'd landed remembered an "urgent matter he had to attend to." She was "busted up and stranded." Walter, doubly disturbed by her uncharacteristic omission of advance notice about the date, found her holding her wrist. "I tripped when I touched down," she said. "I tried to break the fall. I think I might have fractured something." He rushed her to an emergency room where the diagnosis was a simple sprain. In good spirits for a week, about as long as it took for her wrist to heal and for her to grasp that the boy had blown her off, she gradually became pensive and withdrawn. Then, in the midst of her despondency, the cycle was in motion again. A guy she'd met at work, another biker, had asked her out and she had accepted.
"I don't know," Walter said.
"I thought we had an understanding," Anna Marie said.
"Walter," she said, "what do you want from me?"
"I want you to be okay," he blurted. "To be okay and to love me."
"You are so sweet," she said, plainly moved by his statement and stepping towards him.
He readied himself for a passionate clinch but what he got was a kiss on the cheek.
Confronted by a parade of cars, all of which, and oddly, required new batteries, Walter was backed up with work and well on the far side of his regular hours. The minute he finished he climbed into the pickup and set out for Route 1, the highway that would take him the 150 miles to Key West. He'd been experiencing a turbulence in his chest the entire day and warring thoughts were roiling his brain. A long drive would maybe pull him together.
Once he was past Key Largo's garish strip of motels, fish shacks, hamburger stands and gift shops, the road opened to water on both sides and there were stretches in which no land could be seen. To be on this road in the middle of the ocean ordinarily blew his mind. But there was no thrill in it this time. This time what was happening in his mind shut out his surroundings. Holding the wheel steady against occasional squalls, he kept his eyes on the asphalt and the traffic in front of him. He wanted, right now, no wondrous seascapes or stunning sunsets, only the pickup's motion and the grind of its engine. He could just as well have been driving through a tunnel. He stopped solely for gas and to relieve himself, and never turned the radio on. Arriving at Key West in three hours, he drove half the length of the island where he made a right turn and then another right onto an avenue that led him directly back to Route 1. By the time he returned to Kendall, deep into the night, in a light rain and to streets empty and hushed, his heart was still beating too hard, but his head was clear.
With the heat index in the mid-nineties and the sun fiercely radiant, Anna Marie, a self-described "sun freak," was outside on her two o'clock lunch break. Dressed in shorts and, to absorb every ray, flexing and extending her already deeply tanned legs, one and then the other, she was perched on a metal railing at a short distance from a small group of similarly sun-worshipping colleagues in the section reserved for "Associates' Vehicles" adjacent to the shopping center's parking lot. Across from her was the familiar vista, shimmering now in the dense atmosphere, of a giant Macy's, a Chinese restaurant, an ice cream parlor, a RadioShack and the Winn Dixie she worked for. The center's expansive parking area, in the foreground of her view, was bounded by palm trees and only a quarter full. The people passing through it were mostly housewives and young children. Somewhere close magnolias were in blossom, while just overhead two blue and white tree swallows chased each other back and forth, stirring steamy breezes strong enough to feel in her hair.
When a mosquito invaded the space behind her sunglasses and bit her eyelid, Anna Marie had a sandwich in one hand and a bottle of soda in the other. Placing the sandwich on her lap, she removed her glasses to rub at the itch, but she rubbed too vigorously and the sandwich slipped from her lap and dropped to the ground. As she was bending to retrieve it with the hand that held her glasses, she pressed the glasses against the pavement and broke off a stem. Crouching in front of the railing, she set the soda down and took the glasses into both of her hands, wondering if she could fix them. It was at this moment that Walter's pickup, coming from the left, pulled to a stop on the roadway a few yards in front of her.
She didn't see that it was Walter's pickup. From the angle at which she was positioned she was facing directly into the sun, and the pickup was only an amorphous shadow in the wicked glare. She identified it by the clamor of the always unfastened chains and tire irons that rolled around its body whenever he began to move or to brake.
She could hear Walter disembark and hear, as well, that he'd left the motor running. She expected to hear the driver-side door slam shut behind him but, in this regard, there was only silence. Then, as he came around the back of the pickup—himself a gray specter in the impossible light—his movement halted and, she could tell by the clunk and the creak, he opened the passenger-side door. Was he planning to take her somewhere, and in a hurry? Was there an occasion that she'd forgotten? He knew she was working.
He started to approach her and appeared to have something with him, an object that, bouncing along with his gait in a corner of his darkened mass, was of a lighter hue. She thought it must be a gift. Then, as he got closer and the object got brighter, she thought—she was convinced—that it was a passel of plumeria, her favorite flower. He was about to present her with flowers. But as she proceeded to stand, the murkiness dissolved and she saw that he was holding a can, an opened rectangular can colored a brilliant yellow with green and white lettering. She was staring at the can when Walter, now no more than a foot from her and without a word, jerked it at her face. The can contained battery acid and she received the searing liquid with a long siren of a cry that was joined by the sound and the smell of a hamburger sizzling on a charcoal grill.
"It was like he threw fire at me," she would later recount how the splash of acid felt to her.
The sunglasses Anna Marie still had in her hands fell from them and were crushed beneath her weight as she collapsed at Walter's feet. Weeping loudly, she was clutching her fist to her eye. Walter swiftly lifted her and, cradling her with the palm of his hand under the back of her head, carried her to the pickup. Ignoring red lights and stop signs—and dogged by a horn-honking band of appalled witnesses—he drove her at great speed to the nearest hospital's emergency room where he'd been arrested.
TV and newspaper coverage of the assault, which excoriated Walter (and caused his mortified family to refuse any contact with the press for months), was predictably lurid. It faded though in just a couple of days with reports that Walter had pleaded guilty and that he'd be confined in a Miami jail to await sentencing. Anna Marie would remain in the hospital for a week or so. She'd undergone a surgical procedure and more were planned. One of them, perhaps a year away, would likely involve the excision of her left eye. A palliative care specialist forecast a "lifetime of moderate to severe discomfort" in the afflicted space.
Aside from a freelance photographer's attempt to sneak into Anna Marie's room on her second night at the hospital—he was promptly apprehended—Anna Marie was not pursued by the media at the hospital or when she was discharged and there were no indications of what was to follow.
The sentencing proceedings were held in late October, on a fall day that was unusually sweltering even for Miami and in a courtroom in which the cooling system had failed. The windows were thrown open, but there was little movement in air rapidly soured by some fifty perspiring bodies. Moreover, an hour from the appointed time would pass before the judge, a tall, skeletal man in his sixties, made his appearance. Despite his tardiness he was in no hurry to get to the bench. A clearly casual ten-minute conversation with the bailiff took place before, in shirtsleeves, he assumed his position. At this juncture Anna Marie, who was sitting in a front row with an aunt and across an aisle from Walter's parents and brothers, stood up. She'd misplaced, that morning, the white cloth patch she normally used in public now to conceal the damage the acid had done (that it had to have been a frantic morning would presently become obvious), and wearing instead an accessory she might once have donned on a New Year's Eve—enormous, rhinestone-studded cardboard-framed glasses with plastic electric-blue-tinted lenses that did succeed in masking all of her upper face—she said, in a voice astonishingly resonant, that she hoped "His Honor would consider probation for Walter."
"What did you say?" The judge shouted.
"I couldn't bear to be without him," Anna Marie said, turning toward Walter who was shackled to a chair at a table near the bench. Walter had been keeping his face down and lifted it then. He'd endured, while in jail, a compulsory haircut and the acne remnants, fully visible, were accompanied by newly inflicted bruises.
The spectators reacted to Anna Marie's words with startled exclamations and much murmuring. The judge was apoplectic. Quivering with rage | 5,045 |
Blackmon, Weeden returning to Oklahoma State
All-America receiver Justin Blackmon and quarterback Brandon Weeden are returning to Oklahoma State, giving the Cowboys another season with the two key playmakers in one of the nation's most dynamic offenses.
"We won 11 games with a lot of inexperienced guys and a lot of young guys, and you can only think that it's going to get better," Weeden said while seated just to the right of Blackmon during a joint news conference. "We're excited with where we're at."
Blackmon and Weeden helped propel the Cowboys to their first 11-win season and the No. 13 ranking at the end of the season, setting numerous records along the way. They'll return to a loaded offense that ranked behind only Oregon and Boise State in yardage and scoring and that now will lose only All-America running back Kendall Hunter and third-leading receiver Bo Bowling from the starting lineup.
"We have one goal, and that's to win all our games next year," said Blackmon, the first receiver to be selected the Big 12's offensive player of the year. "It's the same goal we've had since I've been here. We fell short this year, and next year we're going to come out and we're going to try to get it."
The Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver, Blackmon led the Bowl Subdivision with 148.5 yards receiving per game and 20 touchdown catches. His 1,782 yards receiving were the most ever by a sophomore, and he also set an NCAA mark with at least 100 yards receiving and a touchdown in 12 straight games.
Blackmon was considered a possible first-round draft pick, had he joined Georgia's A.J. Green and Alabama's Julio Jones in heading to the NFL early.
"It really wasn't that tough because it's not like the money was in my hand," Blackmon said. "It wasn't a guarantee. Those are just little sheets. That could've been anywhere from mid (first) to second round. It's just the way it played out.
"I think that I can come back, get better and hopefully pop up into maybe that top 10 and get higher."
Weeden set school records with 4,277 yards passing and 34 TDs — both in the top four in the FBS — and was named the all-Big 12 quarterback in his first year as a starter. A former second-round draft pick by the New York Yankees, the 27-year-old Weeden pitched for five years in the minor leagues before an arm injury convinced him to pursue his other dream.
"That was really what it all came down to. What is one extra year as far as age versus what is one extra year on the field? What's the difference between 27 and 28, I guess is the way I looked at it," Weeden said.
"On the flip side is I get to come back here and play 13 games and hopefully 14. Next year, I will be playing football regardless whereas if I decided to go to the NFL, I wouldn't be playing right away. Basically, being a second-team guy, you're not getting any snaps."
Weeden wasn't thought to be an early-round draft possibility, but coach Mike Gundy suggested that he has all the tools to get there: a 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame and a strong, accurate arm that he can use to make any throw.
"I think that when he's finished here — people will be surprised — that I think he'll be a first-round pick," Gundy said. "I don't say that much, and I hate to say it about anybody because I don't like to really put pressure on kids."
The two offensive stars consulted with each other after Oklahoma State's 36-10 victory over Arizona in the Alamo Bowl. Weeden said he "teetered back and forth for two weeks" while Blackmon said it was "pretty much a given that I was leaning the other way" when the process started.
But in recent days, Weeden sent Blackmon a text message that he was thinking about returning. Blackmon recalled thinking, "All right, yeah, we can do that."
"Playing at Oklahoma State is a privilege, and you only get one opportunity to play here," Weeden said. "When Blackmon decided he was coming back, it was pretty much a lock I was coming back."
Blackmon said he examined how tight end Brandon Pettigrew and Russell Okung stayed at Oklahoma State for their senior seasons and improved their draft stock, and he considers himself in a similar position. Pettigrew ended up as the No. 20 overall pick in the 2009 draft and Okung went at No. 6 last<|fim_middle|> decision easy.
"People give you their insight and they tell you what they think. Nobody has answers," Weeden said. "That's the thing. You've got to go with your gut.
"This decision came down to us two, and we both decided this was the best fit for us."
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/blackmon-weeden-returning-to-oklahoma-state | year.
But there was no single factor that made him decide to come back.
"It was just overall if I wanted to go into the real world or if I wanted to be out there," Blackmon said. "I'm still young. I'm still a kid. Being around here, I enjoy being in Stillwater. I enjoy being in college. It's a good time and the people here made it that much easier to come back because they back us 100 percent here.
"It was a tough decision, but it really wasn't hard when you got down to it."
No matter how many people they talked to or what projections they looked at, nothing provided either player with the kind of concrete information that made the | 146 |
Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are the titans of Russian literature. As mature artists, they led very varied lives and wrote greatly varied works, yet their early lives and writings exhibit provocative kinships, whereas additionally indicating the divergent paths the 2 authors might take en path to literary greatness.
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Dalle top esperienze d'in<|fim_middle|> l. a. Seconda guerra mondiale, che strappa Sartre e i suoi amici alle loro occupazioni predilette: in keeping with Simone, divisa dall'uomo che ama, è los angeles scoperta d'una piú profonda coscienza di sé, è il passaggio dalla «felicità individuale» alla «solidarietà», contro ogni forma di conservatorismo culturale, morale e politico. | segnante, a Marsiglia, Rouen, Parigi, ai lunghi viaggi attraverso l. a. Spagna, l. a. Grecia, l'Italia e il Marocco, gli incontri e le discussioni con gli intellettuali francesi, da Paul Nizan a Merleau-Ponty, da Camus a Queneau. Dapprima l. a. guerra civile in Spagna, poi | 96 |
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US News Books about the Corona crisis:<|fim_middle|> threshold of 400,000 deaths
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This is interesting! | In the crisis, the good, not the bad, comes to light
20:15 12 october 2020 Source: tagesspiegel.de
Corona infections among politicians: as positive as Donald Trump
Donald Trump has contracted the corona virus - he is not the first politician: the disease led to a change of political heart for some, while others reacted with a show. © Alan Santos / dpa Donald Trump has been infected with Corona. 32 days before the US election, this topic will determine the international news. But the US president is by no means the first powerful politician whose illness makes headlines.
Marcel Fratzscher's book makes a plea for optimism. Other economists are also assessing the current situation in the pandemic.
© Photo: imago images / Christian Ditsch Marcel Fratzscher heads the German Institute for Economic Research and is Professor of Macroeconomics at the Humboldt University in Berlin.
The current crisis has exacerbated social inequality within society. Far too many people lose their jobs. Companies perish. The pandemic could block the big issues of this time: climate protection, the design of technological change. Marcel Fratzscher writes all of this in his book "The New Enlightenment. Economy and society after the corona crisis ". It has become an optimistic one.
To the sea or to the mountains: Autumn vacation in Corona times
In the middle of the vacation season, there is confusion when dealing with vacationers from German Corona risk areas. Many people are unsure whether and under what conditions their autumn vacation is possible, for example, in popular destinations on the North and Baltic Seas or in Bavaria.
Marcel Fratzscher heads the German Institute for Economic Research and is Professor of Macroeconomics at the Humboldt University in Berlin. In his opinion, there are several reasons to be pessimistic about the corona pandemic. And even more for the opposite. "The majority of society has made great economic sacrifices to protect its weakest and most vulnerable people," he says. The good, not the worst, in people has come to light.
In terms of politics, too, his judgment is largely positive. Mistakes had been made, but nobody had gone through a similar crisis. In addition, politicians have been open to admitting mistakes and adapting measures. This year even revealed that "in times of crisis the state is the only authority that can prevent economic, social and political chaos," writes Fratzscher. He hopes that it will be remembered how important a strong welfare state is.
Der Wendler and conspiracy myths: You should read these books
After Attila Hildmann and Xavier Naidoo, Michael Wendler is another celebrity who believes in conspiracy myths. What's behind it? What influence is the internet having? These books provide answers. © Photo: dpa demonstrators with the symbol of QAnon in Berlin. Why do followers believe in the myth? Conspiracy theorists and corona deniers have been on everyone's lips for months. Xavier Naidoo and Attila Hildmann are the most prominent faces of the following.
The state must invest despite debts
"What was neglected in the stabilization programs, however, is the perspective of the necessary transformation of the German economy in terms of sustainability, climate protection and digitization," he writes. The blind spot of German economic policy is the great investment weakness. The transport infrastructure is ailing, schools are in ruins. "The German state has been living off its substance for twenty years," criticizes the economist. Despite the enormous indebtedness of , the crisis should not lead to the state saving even more money.
So many lessons can be learned from the pandemic. You have created a new awareness of science, says Fratzscher. It has become clear that only global solutions can help with huge challenges. "During the crisis, we realize how dependent we are on one another," he says. Neoliberalism, the belief that the market knows everything better, is being pushed back. Globalization could get more solid.
Robert Koch Institute reports more than 5,000 corona infections for the first time since April
© Robert Michael / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa Smears from people tested are in a tray at a corona test station. The number of newly registered corona infections is more than 5,000. The entire population must be committed to infection protection, appeals to the RKI. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the health authorities in Germany have reported more than 5,000 new corona infections within one day for the first time since April. According to the RKI, the total was 5,132.
[If you want to have the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic live on your mobile phone, we recommend our app, which you can download
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What will we learn from these days? Fratzscher is asking himself this question rather than giving answers now about what will be different in the long term. How will we look back on this time in 20 years and say: That has changed in our world because of Corona - and that not? "In many ways, this crisis is a wake-up call for us all to realize what is important to us," says Fratzscher. In addition, with her home office and virtual doctor's office hours alone, she initiated a change that would otherwise have been a long time coming.
Other books are also devoted to the crisis
Writing a book about the consequences of the corona pandemic: Not only Marcel Fratzscher came up with this idea in recent weeks. "How we save our economy - the way out of the Corona crisis" is the new book by Clemens Fuest, head of the Ifo Institute. How does the welfare state manage to combat new inequalities? What danger does the immense debt pose? Will the Eurozone Remain Stable? What will happen to climate protection? That's what it's all about - and the description says: "In his fundamental book, which consistently brings economic and health policy together for the first time, Germany's leading economist Clemens Fuest shows us the way out of the crisis." to solve the euro crisis. "
In the book" Neustaat ", 29 members of the Bundestag and 35 experts analyze how the state and its administration could function better. The entrepreneur
Verena Pausder designs in her book "Das neue Land" a Germany of the future, "which no longer relies on the prosperity of the past, but changes the lives of all of us with new technologies, new lifestyles - and above all new ideas will. "Will it continue like this soon? Or are we experiencing a cultural change in which everything changes direction and a completely new future emerges? The futurologist Matthias Horx does not make a forecast about this. It makes the reader look backwards into the past that is the now.
Jens Spahn: "So far only developed cold symptoms" .
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Political Advocacycastlerockchamber2019-07-08T15:36:33-06:00
Influencing & Leading Legislation
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Successful community partnerships are vital to the quality growth of the Douglas County region. The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce serves as liaison between Chamber members and elected officials to ensure that the concerns of business are represented in government.
While you're tending to business, Castle Rock Chamber has your back! We champion for you, tackle business issues, and take care of politics and policy so you can take care of business.
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This program facilitates communication and education between the business community, local, and state governments. A variety of elected officials, concerned members and townspeople meet to discuss and clarify issues that are affecting our community today, tomorrow and in the future.
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Why Join the Chamber: Political Action
Few businesses have enough of a budget to warrant a personal lobbyist to speak on their behalf at the state capital and in Washington, D.C. but it's those exact small voices that need the representation. How do you ensure your business is represented when it needs to be without keeping a full-time lobbyist or legislative assistant on board?
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But what exactly are they doing for you and how are they representing your business? Here are a few things that you should know.
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Your local chamber is using its voice at the local, state, and federal level to support pro-business initiatives. They give input on bills, support the election and re-election of candidates that are pro-business, and rally against legislation that would hurt business.
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Pro-business forces were part of the reason that the Overtime Ruling was placed on hold. Yes, the ultimate say came to a Federal judge placing a temporary injunction on it, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations had voiced their concerns about what that would mean for small businesses across the nation.
The chamber supports pro-business candidates, when applicable, and often hosts Get to Know the Candidate nights so that the electorate can make an informed decision. These events are usually free to the public and may offer some rare opportunities to explore how each candidate feels about issues such as minimum wage, taxation, and other business concerns.
Whenever possible we invite our members to networking events that help them meet and engage with elected officials and candidates in order for their voice to be heard on a more personal level outside of our advocacy efforts.
Creates Business-Friendly Environments
Another reason why pro-business candidates are important is their abilities to make our community a more attractive place to live and work. These office holders and agencies work hard to attract new business and ensure our community has the skilled employees and pro-business climate that attracts lucrative tax-paying organizations.
Assessing Today's Workforce and Preparing for Tomorrow's
In 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau made it official that Gen Y now outnumbers the Baby Boomer generation. As the Boomers continue to retire, it is essential that we look to the needs of business in our community and ensure that the younger generation has access to the training they need to be competitive in today's professional environment. The chamber meets with business development agencies and heads of business to ensure this happens.
We cannot expect it to happen organically. The chamber acts as a bridge between education and employment in ensuring the two sides understand what one another needs and they get the necessary help to continue to make our community attractive to employers and all sizes of business. Sometimes this takes the form of legislation and mandating requirements.
Advocating on Healthcare Issues Too
When you think about pro-business, you might not consider healthcare in the mix but it's a big part of creating an attractive business environment. The chamber is keeping an eye on healthcare related legislation as well. We also watch things like Workers' Compensation costs.
Advocating for the Legislative Agenda
In addition to keeping an eye on what's going on locally, at the state level, and in DC, we create our own legislative agenda with issues that are important to our members. While we advocate for all businesses in our town and look to create a pro-business environment, it is our members whose voice gets heard the loudest by participating in our legislative agenda and helping us define out top advocacy priorities.
If you feel like Washington and the state level just aren't hearing you or you're concerned with a local issue, the best way to get your voice heard is through the advocacy efforts of the chamber. We can provide an extraordinarily loud megaphone. | Demographer
Horizon Breakfast
Special Guest Speaker:
Thomas Tucker, Ph.D.
Superintendent of the Douglas County School District
Get Involved, the following Chamber Programs Represent Business to Government
The Castle Rock Chamber understands the importance of a unified partnership in dealing with business issues that affect our diverse membership. We remain increasingly dedicated to identifying issues that matter to our members so we can effectively advocate for local business interests at the local, state, and federal level.
Douglas County Business Alliance (DCBA)
Government Interests Committee (GIC)
Horizon Series
Southern Colorado Business Partnership
Click Logo to Learn More
The Douglas County Business Alliance is a coalition of business organizations with a mission to provide a single voice for the Douglas County business community on issues.
This a united effort of the Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Parker, Lone Tree and South Metro Denver Chambers of Commerce, along with the Castle Rock and Northwest Douglas EDC, to form a legislative coalition to lead and influence regional, state and federal policy, legislation and regulations. The primary focus of the DCBA is to create a positive business climate for the future of Douglas County businesses.
The Chamber's Government Interests Committee provides our | 238 |
It's only been a few weeks since the flood waters wiped out the neighborhood including Faith Lutheran Church in Dickinson, Texas.
While the church building is not yet open for worship, Pastor Deb Grant and her congregation aren't waiting to respond to the needs in their community.* They have a vision, a vision that will help parents put books into their children's hands this year at Christmas.
The fact that all the books that had been donated for the community had been lost in the storm.
The Ark Book Pantry is proof that the Holy Spirit is blowing<|fim_middle|> else feels like it is falling apart.
A book might not seem like much, but a neighborhood congregation that cares is life-giving.
Buy books from the book list requested by the flooded schools in Dickinson.
Build a book pantry in your own neighborhood.
Increasing literacy is the #1 way to move people out of poverty. Parents who are not strong readers themselves can benefit from reading with their children. Books can change a child's life as they expand their vocabulary, confidence, and vision for a world bigger than their own.
On a side note, the ELCA Youth Gathering has invited everyone to bring books to Houston next summer. Stay tuned for more on that in a few months.
Why not make this holiday a book-giving experience by partnering with Faith or another book distribution center, or by building one of your own? This is a great way to be a good neighbor.
*Faith Lutheran Church in Dickinson is worshiping with Holy Trinity Episcopal Church each week, another neighboring opportunity. | through her congregation even as they wait for the city to get rid of the mountains of debris (this is what we call our furniture, drywall, and insulation after its been flooded) waiting on the front lawn for garbage pick-up.
Yes, in the midst of the devastation, Faith's leaders are already looking ahead to the holidays. They want to see books in the hands for their neighborhood children, and more than that, they are making it happen!
"Born out of the flood but showing signs of hope and life", Faith is creating a book pantry, a place where new books will be given away to children, but that's not all. It's also a place to build trust in their neighborhood and support parents who are facing a host of challenges in the wake of the hurricane.
The psychological toll of a natural disaster is predictable. There is a formula for forecasting the lowest point in the recovery process and in the emotional health of the community. For victims of Harvey, this coincides with the holidays. This is the time we can anticipate a rise in family violence, addiction, depression, suicide, and divorce. What helps is for people to feel supported, to get the resources they need, and to be reminded that God has them when everything | 250 |
Norway, Oil, and Climate
Branko Milanovic had an interesting piece over at his blog about Norway's production of oil. The piece observes that Norway is perhaps the most aggressive<|fim_middle|>24, 2021 By Matt Bruenig
Picking a Health Insurance Plan
Is Decommodification Socialism? | country in the world when it comes to climate change policies, both domestically and internationally, but is also a significant producer of oil in the world. From there, Milanovic teases out what this kind of seeming hypocrisy should tell us about the difficulty of climate change politics.
Milanovic's piece, and many others like it, take it to be obvious that Norway's actions on climate change are at odds with Norway's continued extraction and export of oil. Milanovic may ultimately be right about that, but there is actually a reasonably persuasive argument that there is no conflict. In fact, Norway's commitment to stop climate change may actually require that they continue their oil extraction in the short and medium term. This argument never seems to make it into these pieces, but I've seen it dozens of times as part of my general project of keeping tabs on what's going on in the Nordic countries.
The argument goes like this.
The total emissions from a barrel of oil are the emissions that are produced when you burn that oil and the emissions that are produced when you extract that oil.
Norway's emissions in extraction are the lowest in the world. Specifically, Norway emits 55kg of CO2 for every ton oil equivalent it extracts, which is less than half of the global average of 130kg.
Norway currently produces 2 percent of the globe's oil.
The global production of oil is flexible. OPEC countries produce about 40 percent of the globe's oil and intentionally avoid producing as much as they can. This means they have spare capacity that they could and very likely would utilize if Norway stopped producing oil.
Thus, if Norway stopped producing oil, total global oil production would not decline. Rather, the 2 percent Norway currently produces would be replaced by other countries. Those other countries emit far more carbon during extraction than Norway does and so this would actually increase global emissions.
If you take this argument seriously, then it suggests that the best climate strategy for a country like Norway is to do everything it can to reduce domestic and global demand for fossil fuels while also doing everything it can to hold on to and in fact increase its market share of the (hopefully) dwindling oil market. And this is what they do.
July | 452 |
On Sunday mornings, our Sunday School<|fim_middle|> Youth programming or opportunities to volunteer? | program invites children through 5th grade to experience the Bible through play, relationships with peers and caring adults, and hands-on activities. Activities change throughout the year in which children and their parents can select the type of learning style that best suits them.
We would love to have your child as a part of our Sunday School program! No matter your background, you are welcome here.
6th-8th grade youth are invited to take part in our Confirmation Programs on Wednesday evenings. Confirmation students learn about faith and build relationships together as a large group and in small groups led by caring and compassionate adult guides. Youth are also invited to group retreats to dive deeper with their fellow confirmands and adult guides.
All youth are welcome! Whether you're on your journey for the full 3 year program or joining us part of the way through, we welcome you!
9th-12th grade youth spend time connecting with other students from the five area high schools and adult leaders, growing as a community of faith on Wednesday nights in the Loft. From Service Projects to Ice Cream and Games, the friendships formed each week create a long lasting impact.
All 9th-12th graders are welcome! Bring your friends!
Wednesday nights during the school year from 7:15pm-8:15pm in the Loft.
We need compassionate, caring volunteers to server as leaders for Sunday School, Confirmation, and High School Youth Group.
Interested in more information about being a Sunday School Teacher, Confirmation Guide, or Adult Leader (High School Youth Group)? Fill out the form below and we will send you more info about volunteering with our youth!
Questions on | 336 |
G-Unit's Tony Yayo announces Halifax concert
The rapper will headline a show at level8 nightclub on Feb 16.
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If you're in the mood for a little Throwback Thursday fun, level8 night club (the after-dark destination that's, yep, located on the eighth level of 1800 Argyle Street) has your back: The venue has announced it's bringing G-Unit's Tony Yayo to town on Thursday, February 16.
Part of 50 Cent's expansive crew that ruled early 2000s hip hop, Yayo is best known for his hit "So Seductive". (The track, of course, features razor-sharp bridges from 50 himself—and still slaps a decade and a half later, as you can confirm below.)
The man who "put the G in G-Unit" (as he spits on "So Seductive") is bringing Peter Jackson along as an opening act, while local MCs Polar Bear, Rude Dowg, Breezy and Bowen Vok round out the bill.
Tickets are on sale now via eventbrite and start at $38.15.
Morgan Mullin
Morgan is the Arts & Entertainment Editor at The Coast, where she writes about everything from what to see and do around Halifax to profiles of the city's creative class to larger cultural pieces. She's been with The Coast since 2016.
Read More about<|fim_middle|> early January.
More by Morgan Mullin
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Re: Welcoming the Year of the Rabbit
There is also a FREE TCM Festival each year put on by Chinese Medicine and…
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You neglect to mention how the Rolling Stones worked hard to put a spotlight on…
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Here's the seven-minute short movie about the Halifax Explosion you've got to see
Halifax, here's your going out guide for | 31 |
Midway through my PhD coursework, I slowly began to wonder if rhetoric as a field of academic study had any substantive content of its own or if it was simply "parasitic" on other fields. I was relieved to know this was a common concern and that the field did indeed have answers to the question what does rhetoric provide as a matter of substance.
As my research and study took me into the sub-field of "technical communication" the sense of what it is I independently as a researcher and scholar provide returned, though somewhat muted. This question is fraught with implications from the personal to the social and cultural as well as the political (the value of the humanities<|fim_middle|> past the boundaries of what is known and accepted so you often find yourself trying to think and write things with very few people around you, conceptually--perhaps only a few luminaries pointing the way, equally lonely themselves. As a profession it simply exacerbates our natural anxieties circulating around meaning in our lives. | is perennially the subject of derision among politicians). So it's one that recurs occasionally.
Recently, while revisiting Angela Haas's 2012 article "Race, Rhetoric and Technology" I found myself chasing down citations in her bibliography in more depth than I had before. There Joseph Jeyaraj's 2004 JBTC article "Liminality and Othering" caught my attention. Here he makes the case that "technical writers" are "liminal subjects" (p. 15). He summarizes Turner's (1974) definition of "liminality" as that "state of flux that emerges at a particular stage in the temporal process of a community" (p. 15). He also builds on Gaonkar's argument "that all rhetorical knowledge is characteristically liminal" (p. 16). For Jeyraj, rhetoric "as a liminal discipline, is able to freely interact with the discursive practices of different disciplines so that new ideas and fresh knowledge of these discursive practices may emerge" (p. 17).
This article resonated so fully and suddenly anew because I've been recently wrestling personally and professionally with being a "liminal" person, someone who has always found himself inhabiting "in between" spaces, physically, socially, culturally, intellectually. I suffer with bouts of insecurity (as I imagine everyone does at one time or another) about what it is I do. Academic research is very much about pushing out | 310 |
Three new Centre-to-Centre Awards under the US–Ireland Research and Development Partnership programme were announced today at the Science Foundation Ireland Science Summit, Croke Park. The international partnership between Science Foundation Ireland, the National Science Foundation in the US and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland has recognised three new international collaborations between Research Centres in the Republic of Ireland, the United States and Northern Ireland.
Science Foundation Ireland is investing €2.5 million into the three international collaborations over the course of 24-36 months. During the course of the collaborations, the three new awards will employ 8 postdoctoral researchers and 2 PhD students in Ireland, in addition to giving an opportunity to two summer students to work on cutting edge-research. The collaborations aim to foster entrepreneurship and economic development in the participating countries by directly engaging with at least 14 companies during the course of the three awards.
The Science Foundation Ireland funded Research Centre, MaREI, together with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), is collaborating with the NSF Engineering Research Centre, Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems (FREEDM) and<|fim_middle|>: small Kirschner-wire (K-wire)-sized devices, and larger elastic stable intramedullary nails (ESINs or bone nails).
Next-generation biodegradable metal orthopaedic implants will reduce the likelihood of infection, promote the formation of new bone and remove the necessity of an additional surgical procedure. The development of bioresorbable orthopaedic implants for fracture stabilisation will revolutionise the care of patients who have suffered either traumatic or surgically created bone fractures. The creation of orthopaedic implants of a sufficiently strong resorbable metal would benefit patients globally while markedly improving the healthcare systems within Ireland and the United States.
The expertise of the teams involved is very complementary and combines CÚRAM's computational modelling of forces associated with orthopaedic device/bone interactions, RMB's expertise in resorbable Mg materials, NIBEC's bioactive orthopaedic nano-coatings, coupled with industry partner, Fort Wayne Metals' expertise in forming medical wires.
Investment in the FUSION Programme has potential of £300m in outputs and creation of future jobs for graduates. | the Energy Power & Intelligent Control Research Cluster (EPIC) at Queen's University Belfast (QUB).
The aim of this collaboration is to determine how to optimise the generation of intermittent renewable energy at the point of consumption, while maintaining safe, secure, reliable energy at affordable prices. The vision of this research programme is towards a futuristic grid with a low-carbon footprint interfaced with distributed resources, intelligence and control elements. Specifically, the collaboration aims to develop appropriate communication standards for all necessary devices and systems. Researchers will determine the optimal levels of decentralisation and electrification along with appropriate policies. Socio-economic policies which will favour the desired transition will also be developed during the collaboration.
Each partner will contribute to a specific area of the project. MaREI will lead the energy systems modelling efforts, ESRI provides insight into socio-economic aspects, FREEDM will bring expertise on distributed energy management solutions and systems-level theory, modelling and control, and EPIC-QUB will lead the communication-centred activities.
SFI Research Centre: Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (AMBER) Centre.
The Science Foundation Ireland funded Research Centre, AMBER, is collaborating with the NSF Engineering Research Centre, Translational Applications of Nanoscale Multiferroic Systems (TANMS), and the Centre for Nanostructured Media (CNM) at Queen's University Belfast (QUB).
This collaboration aims to develop materials which can be used to develop high performance magnetoelectric memory cells.
Each research centre brings a unique set of skills to the collaboration. The AMBER team has developed an entire new class of materials, namely fully compensated half-metals, which can be grown in thin films. The properties of these materials properties depend on the growth conditions, which in turn affect the microscopic structure. These materials grown at AMBER will be characterised by CNM, who are world leaders in magnetic characterisation, in particular that of complex hybrid structures involving magnets and materials with ferroic ground state. The materials will then be used by TANMS who have a long-standing ability to make both magnetic heterostructures and, in particular, hybrid stack combining magnetic and ferroic materials (ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics).
A group of industry leaders drawn from the Research Centres' own industry collaborations will form an advisory group for the project. Using their expertise in data storage and processing, the group will be involved in evaluating the technology readiness of the proposed research programme and in advising on how to proceed as the programme reaches an end.
The Science Foundation Ireland funded Research Centre, CÚRAM is collaborating with the NSF Engineering Research Centre, Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials (RMB) and the Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC) at Ulster University.
This project aims to develop advanced metallic biomaterials that can be used to create biodegradable orthopaedic devices which are capable of supporting regenerative biological functions. The partnership provides a unique combination of internationally leading expertise in the fields of material processing, experimental characterisation and computational modelling. Focusing on repairing bone fractures, two new tools will be developed based on a bioresorbable magnesium alloy system | 641 |
There are some pretty amazing photo prop/ backdrop ideas out there. For my recent Valentine's Day photo collab with Creative Wife & Joyful Worker and The Cheerio Diaries, we each pitched in to create a pretty & delicate party for 3 very cute little ladies and I offered to create a backdrop we would use for some of the photos (check out these sugar cookies by The Cheerio Diaries and this tassel garland cake topper by Creative Wife & Joyful Worker that they made for the shoot). After scrolling through trusty old Pinterest for inspiration, I decided on one made with dip- dyed coffee filters & streamers. Since this was a girly Valentine's photo shoot, the obvious choice was pink, but I've seen other versions in different colours that are equally beautiful. This backdrop would be great for<|fim_middle|> this shoot- we all had a blast and so did our little models. Make sure to check out The Cheerio Diaries and Creative Wife & Joyful Worker for more great blog reading. | weddings, parties- pretty much any excuse you have to take photos. It costs only a few dollars to make and you can make it as full or spread- out as you like. All you have to do is run out to the dollar store for a few supplies and you're good to go. My only tip is to give yourself a little bit of time when it comes to stringing this together- maybe pop in your favourite movie or Netflix so the process doesn't get too repetitive. See the how- to (and some of the cute photos from our shoot!) below.
12. Secure your backdrop where you want to use it (make sure the lighting is good/ away from shadows), find some cute models to pose & snap away!
It was so much fun getting to work with two of my blogger friends for | 165 |
< backHome / Features / A Montana First Ascent
A Montana First Ascent
Gutkoski, Joe
When I first saw it, I became haunted by this dog-toothed rock, jutting up on the west side of the Mount Cowan massif in Montana's Absaroka Range. It was a remnant of the ice ages, its steep walls pounded by wind, rain, hail, sun, and ice over eons of time. It looked clean as a hound's tooth, standing there just inside the west boundary of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness area.
The spire stands at 10,700 feet and can easily be seen from U.S. Highway 87, 20 miles south of Livingston. I wondered if it had ever been climbed. Surely, it had. A rock spire this striking must have had its challengers. I am not the only one who notices these things.
I began to inquire. The spire stood in a national forest, but the U.S. Geological Service mapmakers had taken no notice of it on their maps. I asked some climbers and found out that the MSU Dirty Sox Climbing Club had made some attempts. So I decided to try.
I mistakenly decided the best time to find a route was in the winter—I thought I could ski over the top of the windfall and rock. John Prange and I started up Strawberry Creek on a cold December morning in 1972, with heavy packs and deteriorating snow conditions. We struggled up through the lodgepole pine, our skis plunging through the crusted snow. Paradise Valley is known for sudden changes in temperature and weather, and we had the bad luck to be in the middle of such a change. We finally gave it up, wet and exhausted, miles from the base of the spire.
Then in the early summer of 1973, I promised myself I would find the base of the spire and try to solo it. I was never a good high-angle rock climber. Looking back on it, I was neither physically nor mentally prepared for such a formidable climb.
I left with a four-day pack. I bashed my way up through the lodgepole pine where at 8,000 feet, the trees thinned to glacial scree and moraine ridges. I pushed on up and the scree changed to piano-sized boulders. The spire loomed over me, its vertical sides discouraging a direct climb. I hoped that the east side would reveal a possible route. I could not keep myself from marveling at its impressive sides, although it drained my confidence with each glance. An uneasy feeling formed in the pit of my stomach.
I labored up through the boulders, eventually coming to a series of cliffs and out-sloping ledges that required careful scrambling and climbing. Finally, I hauled up onto the notch that connected the spire to 11,000-foot Strawberry Peak.
The notch was a hundred-foot-long spine, with a narrow top that sloped steeply away on both sides. The north side was a vertical wall, dissected by an incredibly steep ice couloir. To the south, the slope fell away in sheer cliffs and outward-sloping ledges with ball bearing-size gravel, waiting to skid me into a gigantic stair-step fall.
I found two concave beds that had been dug out of the soft material above the cliff by mountain goats. I settled into the larger bed, melted snow over my faithful Primus, and ate a meager supper.
A thunderhead<|fim_middle|>86-2225.
-Becky Kurowski
Central Montana Rock: Climbs around Helena, Canyon Ferry & The Rocky Mountain Front
by Jake Mergenthaler
First Ascent Press
Volume 2 is here in the Big Sky Rock series of guide books, published by Joe Josephson of First Ascent Press. Central Montana Rock focuses on crags near Helena and the Rocky Mountain Front: particularly Sheep Mountain west of Helena, Hellgate and Avalanche near Canyon Ferry, and Trout Creek Canyon and Beaver Creek near Gates of the Mountains. Author Jake Mergenthaler and his wife Kim established many first ascents in the area.
In addition to detailed route descriptions and excellent photos, there is an especially entertaining introduction by Mergenthaler that includes an anecdote about Bozeman's own undercover rock powerhouse, Bill Dockins. Pick up a copy at Barrel Mountaineering or Northern Lights, or for more information visit www.firstascentpress.com.
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Powered by BitForge | came over the top of 10,154-foot Dexter Point, its dark roll-cloud out in front and rapidly approaching. I knew I was in for a beating. The goat beds were my only security, but I had no protection from the wind. I could move across the notch to the lee side of the spire, but that would increase my exposure to lightning. I stayed where I was with that helpless feeling of being trapped and in for a pounding. I shook out my GI poncho, put my head through the hood hole, sat on the top of my pack and watched Dexter Point rapidly being obscured below me by the thunderhead.
The cloud rolled in, and the rain pounded my thin poncho. Water filled the goat bed. One or two hailstones rifled in, then a torrent started and I wrapped my arms around my head in a feeble attempt at protection. Finally the thundercloud passed, leaving me cold, wet, and shaken. Daylight dimmed and darkness came. I was stuck for the night, with water dripping on me from above. I spent the night sitting on my pack wrapped in my wet bivy sack, and nodding off in fitful snatches of sleep.
Dawn came clear and cold at 5 am. The sun would not shine into my bivouac until 10, and the water was frozen in my black pot. I built a windshield around the stove. The flame caught and I cupped my hands around its fragile warmth as it heated the pot. Breakfast was a mixture of dry cereals and raisins, with powdered milk and hot water poured on top.
Reluctantly, I gave up my wet bed and moved across the narrow spine; the east side of the spire loomed over me. I let out the gold line and rigged for self-belay and self-arrest. I began to move up into the first hand and foot holds. A system of deep cracks and blocks formed this side of the spire. I guessed it would take four or five 100-foot rope leads. Although this was the steepest route, it was the shortest and most protected from the constant wind.
I still had that sick feeling in my stomach and quickly became shaky with fear. I knew I was beaten and belayed back down to the base. I felt relieved of the burden of climbing the spire, but depressed about the amount of effort I had given to failure. The spire seemed to mock my puny efforts.
The spire continued to gnaw at me that year, and in August I convinced my 15-year-old son, Mike, to go back with me. Mike was a good all-around athlete and a top-notch wrestler. If I had a good dependable belay, maybe we could make it to the top. As we left that early Saturday morning, my wife said, "If you kill that boy on this foolishness, jump right on after him… don't come back here."
Once again, we lugged heavy packs up through the tangle of lodgepole pine and windfall. Late in the day, we broke out of the forest onto the glacial moraine boulders. The spire loomed over us now, with its impossible walls. We climbed up through the cliffs and hauled out on the goat beds just before dark. After supper, we tucked into our sleeping bags and bivy sacks under a starry black sky with a cold wind coming in over Dexter Point.
Morning followed a worrisome night. I had a slight headache and that feeling back in my stomach. Milly's words rang in my ears as our only son slept comfortably in his down bag. I woke Mike and started up the stove, warming water from a snow bank. I had decided not to commit Mike to the climb.
Mike was totally disgusted with me. We came all the way up here and were not even going to give the spire a good try. My 15 years of trying to impress him blew away like a stack of cards in the wind. After I made my way across the narrow notch to the base of the spire, I looked at the top of the crack system that stopped me the last time, and knew it had stopped me again.
Over the year, I thought about my three failed attempts. I was also convinced that if I did not do it this year (1974), I would never do it.
First, I had to get someone who knew how to climb high-angle rock, a skill that I lacked. I talked to Don Alford, a geology instructor at MSU and avalanche researcher. Don was not interested, but he gave me a name: Barry Frost, a rock climber recently moved to Bozeman. Barry had been active in Missoula's Rocky Mountaineers, a club I had helped organize in the mid-1950s.
Barry was a strong-looking young fellow who quickly sensed that I was using him to meet my own goals. He was at the height of his climbing power and was interested, if it really was an unclimbed peak.
We departed on September 28, 1974. I felt quite optimistic. We bashed up through the thick forest, then crawled through the large boulders on a slightly different route to a less-exposed camp. We spent the first night at a sheltered, small lake in the cirque. Barry schooled me in some of the basics of chocks and nuts. We left camp at dawn and climbed up through eight inches of snow.
The spire's dark summit began to poke up above the ridge. It looked like something from another planet. I glanced at Barry's face for a reaction. His worried look immediately dimmed my confidence. Barry started to favor a less-steep route on the spire's west side. I knew any route besides the east-face system would take days to set up, and the weather was already deteriorating.
My hopes began to fall and misgivings mounted. If I could only get Barry on the rock, in the crack system, I knew he would be okay. We discussed the route further and he finally agreed.
We made our way past the goat beds and onto the narrow spine that connects the spire to Strawberry Peak. We tied into our harnesses, I set up a belay, and Barry reached up for the first holds. He climbed steadily, setting chocks and slings within the protection of my belay. The first rope lead ended ten feet below where I had stopped on my first solo attempt the year before. I moved up to the stance, tied into the sling, and set up the second belay for the next rope lead. Barry continued leading past this difficult place while setting chock protection in the cracks of the rock.
The crack system we were climbing disappeared in an overhang. We were now faced with the problem of getting over to the left side. The only way was a hand-over-hand traverse to the left, with only friction foot holds. This required technique, which was difficult for me.
We were three rope leads into the climb with 300 hundred feet of exposure to the notch below. This was the crux of the climb. We set up a belay point sling, and Barry began the precarious hand-over-hand crossing to the left. With white knuckles, I carefully fed out the rope to him, keeping the slack to a minimum in case of a fall. Barry seemed to take a long time to make the crossing, and I sweated out each of his moves. He made it, moved into the left side of the crack system, and climbed 30 feet higher before setting belay. I gingerly made my way across and congratulated myself when I arrived on the left side.
It appeared that two more rope leads would lead us to the base of the top rock. This required about one and a half hours of careful climbing and belaying, when finally, Barry pulled me up onto the cap rock with nothing but sky and clouds above us. The two of us could barely fit on the narrow top. The wind pummeled us and threatened to blow us off the top. We hurriedly filled out a register, put it into a plastic tube, and tucked it into a crack under the cap rock.
I was elated. We had accomplished what I thought was an impossible task for me. We thought perhaps it was a first ascent. Now, if we could only get down out of this cold wind.
Barry set up the first of five rappels. Off I went. When we let down past the hand-over-hand traverse that had almost stopped us on our climb a few hours earlier, I thought about the thin thread between success and failure. We picked our way across the ridge, and I looked back at the spire and silently gave thanks to the mountain and the weather for allowing us this climb. My confidence in Barry's skill and his faith in my knowledge of the mountain had resulted in success.
Gary Tuckner and Bill Favre of Livingston made a second ascent on June 26, 1977. They found our register. On October 8, 1984, my good friends Rick Reese and Bill Long climbed the spire and said, "The only names on the register were Frost and Gutkoski, and Tuckner and Favre." Perhaps it was a first ascent after all.
Joe Gutkoski lives in Bozeman, Montana, and is a private landscape architect, doing site planning and reclamation work in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. He had a 32-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, including a 13-year stint as smokejumper, squad leader, and smokejumper foreman. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, canoeist, and climber and is on the front line of environmental activism.
Yes, it's that time of year again, the time that sees ice tools being sharpened by the beam of a headlamp and has grown men and women squealing with joy the first night temperatures dip below freezing in the mountains. It's ice climbing season, and what better way to front-point up another stellar year than to brush up on your skills at the famed Northern Lights or Barrel Mountaineering ice festivals.
Although at press time the dates were yet to be determined, the fun and events are certain. Slide shows by local heroes as well as ice demos from the pros around the world are on the docket. Try out the latest, greatest new ice tools and crampons while brushing up on your hooking skills with a few tips from the ice gods. Rumor has it Barrel and Northern Lights may join forces this season to create the first ever Total Hyalite Canyon Domination, so stay tuned for updates and developments. In the meantime, break out the tools, adjust the crampons, and give your boots some love. Remember, well-fitted boots equal happy toenails. For more information call Barrel Mountaineering at 582-1335 or Northern Lights at 5 | 2,276 |
Ernesto Valverde: 'These games give opportunities to win the League'
The Blaugrana coach emphasised the team's effort and said that 'the three points have been achieved despite<|fim_middle|> adding: "We were more dominant and had opportunities, but we couldn't score the second goal."
"There was a time when they changed the system and we could've made it 0-2 then, but in the last few minutes we did badly." Valuing the importance of this victory, Valverde also commented on the state of the pitch: "These results give us opportunities to win the League, but we feared that there could be some injury, the state of the pitch has conditioned the way both teams played." | the difficulties that have been overcome'
10:10PM Saturday 25 Aug
Ernesto Valverde spoke at a post-match press conference after Valladolid-FC Barcelona (0-1). "Valladolid played with good pressure and they pushed us, but the pitch had a lot to do with it," he said, | 72 |
Ray, Satomi, James, and Alishea
My recollection of what happened on March 11th, 2011…
Posted on March 11, 2013 by Ray Mercer
When the earthquake started I was on the third floor of building that our church meets in with my children, James and Alishea. As it shook my first concern was for the new speakers and lights we had just hung from the ceiling. But as the tremors continued and then intensified I began to realize that this wasn't the typical earthquake that one becomes accustomed to in Japan. I began to think about how we would get out of the building. "Should we try to take the stairs? It's really shaking bad!" Then I realized that there were probably dozens of grade-school children in the day-care coop on the floor just below us. The thought came quickly, "Should we try to help them get outside too?" But I knew there was no way to get downstairs now – the building was shaking too hard.
After the first shock began to subside, we all came down the staircase and into the street. It was still early in the afternoon and there were not many children there yet. Most were still in school. The ones who were there obediently followed the supervisor out of the building and onto the sidewalk. They had been trained for this and they knew what to do in an earthquake. Right after we got outside the ground started quaking again. I noticed that the traffic signals were all out. None of the cars were moving. We watched in amazement as the street seemed to roll like the ocean and the large traffic signs above the main highway in front of our building moved up and down on the waves. After a few more terrifying minutes it was all over. The retired men who spent each afternoon volunteering as crossing guards for the children quickly moved out into the intersection and began directing traffic like they had been planning for this type of thing their whole lives. It was amazing how smoothly they switched into emergency mode. No electricity. No signals. No problem! At that moment I was glad that we were in Japan.
Over the next several weeks and months, God used our church to help people in the same way he used those volunteers. We switched into emergency mode. We didn't realize the full extent of what was happening for quite a long time. I later read that the initial earthquake was so big that it affect the<|fim_middle|> for themselves but to buy all the canned and non perishable foods to put in boxes that were being airlifted to the disaster area. The US navy was the first on the scene to help and was the first to send rescue supplies to the area because the Japanese government was in such shock that they didn't know what to do. i say all that to say something else that really touched my heart 3 years after that day. I moved to Aomori in 2013 and happened to be driving in the mountains and stopped to take some pictures and saw a Japanese man fishing. I stopped to watch him for a little bit and after a couple minutes he noticed me and walked up from the river. I greeted him in Japanese and he in turn said hello in English. Being the middle of nowhere I was really surprised and asked him how he knew English because it wasn't just good it was really good. He said that he decided to learn English because he was so thankful for the American people. I asked why that was and he started to cry a little and said that his grandmother was saved by a navy diver from Atsugi base after he whole house was washed 2 miles out to sea and she was holding on for her life when a navy helicopter spotted her and the diver jumped in to save her. He said that if the Americans hadn't been there so fast she would not have made it and wanted to show his appreciation by learning the language of the man that saved his grandmother. After he told me this I was almost in tears and he bowed so low Ive never seen anyone bow that low in japan and after that he shook my hand and said thank you for saving his grandmother. While I wasnt the one that dove in to save her I thanked him anyways and said I am glad she was one of the ones that we were able to save. Its amazing to think I would run into someone that far north that was related to someone that was saved by a navy diver that day. I have never been more moved in my life.
Julie Sims on March 11, 2016 at 12:51 pm said:
Thank you Ray. I am glad Satomi encouraged you to write. I will be praying that you will see significant lasting good fruit.
Psalm Kawamoto on May 17, 2013 at 7:49 am said:
I have read this post over and over again…remembering those days after the earthquake and how frightened I felt. We will never forget that time. We will never forget Japan. My dream is to go to that region and help minister someday.
Brett on March 17, 2013 at 11:11 pm said:
Ray, Thanks for Sharing!! We are continuing to pray for you and Japan! Blessings! Brett
Leave a Comment 下にコメントを残してください Cancel reply | axis of the earth and the rotation of our whole planet sped up slightly. Amazingly, the entire island of Japan moved 8 feet closer to North America. When the tsunami hit, entire towns were totally washed away. The topography change so drastically that maps of Japan had to be redone. But for us at the time, the biggest shock was the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, only about 180 miles from our church.
We really didn't have time to think about all that. We just kept moving forward and allowing God to use us to help others. We joined forces with many other churches and individuals and switched into emergency mode almost as smoothly as the crossing guards on the first day had done. Even though there were many times when fear came and even exhaustion, we knew that God was working though us because so many doors of opportunity miraculously opened and so much provision and help flowed through our hands.
Sometime between one and two months after the earthquake I was in the shower and I finally felt the weight of it. 16,000 souls just north of us were gone and hundreds of thousand of homeless people had lost their homes, loved ones and even their future because of the radiation. That was the first time I cried after the earthquake. It would not be the last.
Change is now coming to Japan. It needs to come. But change is not without a price. Please keep praying for this nation. If you are praying for Japan please leave a comment on this site to encourage others. Also check out this song that James wrote right after the quake which we used to help raise support for the people of Tohoku.
This entry was posted in Japan and tagged linkedin by Ray Mercer. Bookmark the permalink.
6 thoughts on "My recollection of what happened on March 11th, 2011…"
susimuse on March 12, 2016 at 3:35 am said:
Pastor Ray, Thank you so much for writing this and to Samuel for his account of meeting the Japanese man two years afterward. These words touch my heart in a deep way. The Lord is using you and your church (including the Kawamotos) to make a difference in the country of Japan and I will continue to pray for your ministry. Love in Jesus, Alicia K from Connecticut
Charlotte on March 11, 2016 at 1:46 pm said:
I could not read this without tears as I remember that day all too well. It was my first visit to Japan, and I had only been here for 4 weeks. I had no idea what a "normal" earthquake was like in Japan. It wasn't until I saw the feared faces of the Japanese as they braced themselves against anything stable so as not to fall, that I knew this was BIG. I, too, remember the streets "waving". In the hands of our Creator, we are nothing but dust. In the weeks to follow, the Japanese demonstrated patience and grace under unbelievable pressure and hardship. It was at that time, my heart began to melt for these beautiful people. I join you in prayer for the people and country of Japan.
samuel Rothkopf on March 11, 2016 at 1:17 pm said:
I remember where I was and what happened that day. I was not nearly as close to Fukushima as that but I was customs officer for the Atsugi naval base and had to coordinate the biggest evacuation of the military families ever conducted. We kept being told that if the radiation got bad enough we would have to evacuate the entire base and be the last ones to leave. I also remember the roads moving like waves and people running around screaming. I felt proud of being in the navy over the next couple weeks as we sent rescue helicopters with navy rescue divers up to pull people out of the ocean that had been washed out miles out to sea. And remember all of the military on all the bases rushing to the grocery stores not to buy food | 825 |
What if you could track cancer when it was still a group of rogue cells and not even a tumor? Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can. "Cancer cells burn up sugar at<|fim_middle|> CHOP physicians and CHOP sedation nurses. A Virtua child-life specialist can ease children's anxiety and help complete imaging studies without sedation, when appropriate. | a much higher rate than healthy cells," explains Virtua radiation oncologist John Wilson, MD. On a PET scan, these fast-burning cancer cells light up like a flare. The physician can pinpoint the cancer's exact location and its spread through the body. This leads to earlier diagnosis and, potentially, to better outcomes.
Using PET together with the latest CT technology gives the clinical team a detailed picture about the cancer's metabolism and exactly where it is in the body – a map of destruction of cancer.
When infants and children need imaging tests, Virtua offers advanced technology with the lowest radiation dose possible. Virtua Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging in partnership with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has a clinical team that includes | 144 |
Your DNA is what makes you who you are - can it help you find out who your ancestors were?
Have you ever wondered about the origins of your family or tried to create a family tree? Just a few years ago, researching your family might mean lots of legwork. You might have to visit graveyards, libraries and courthouses in several towns. Then, you'd search through records to match up names and fill in gaps. The process, while rewarding, is daunting.
Science and technology have made it easier to get an idea about your origins. True genealogical research still takes work, but you might not have to travel quite as much to get the same results. Many towns have begun to make their records available online. And if that's not enough, dozens of companies now offer to examine your DNA to help you learn more about your ancestry.
Humans share about 99.9 percent of the same sequence of DNA. Only about 0.1 percent of the sequence is different among various groups of humans [source: Skloot]. Regional populations of humans tend to share many of the same genetic markers. By comparing your DNA to a database filled with other subjects' DNA sequences, genetic testing companies can give you an idea of where your ancestors came from.
It's important to note that the information you get from a DNA genealogy test is general and probabilistic. That means the answers are based on statistical probabilities -- they aren't hard and fast facts. While some genetic markers may be commonly found in one particular population, that doesn't mean they're unique to that people. It just means you're statistically more likely to be related to those people than other groups.
If you're submitting just your own DNA, you'll get results that will tell you more about your genetic makeup. If you're male, you can perform a Y-DNA test to find out where your paternal line comes from (women lack the Y chromosome ). Men and women can perform a mitochondrial DNA (or mtDNA) test to learn about where their maternal line comes from. You can even determine if you're related to someone specific if you're able to submit DNA samples from you and the other person.
As companies build out their databases, they uncover more information about human populations. In fact, your DNA haplogroup -- the genetic population you belong to -- might change. This doesn't mean your DNA changes. It just means that as we learn more about our ancestors we refine our definitions and classifications.
There are several companies that offer DNA genealogical tests. The first thing you should do is research the company. Make sure the company has a good reputation. Each company relies on its own proprietary database of DNA information. The larger the database is, the more accurate your results will be. And a respected company is more likely to stick around long after you take your test. Some companies will even send you updated information about your results as they refine their databases.
The tests themselves are simple and painless. Most involve using a type of swab. You use the swab to collect cells from the inside of your cheek. Just rub the swab against your inner cheek for about half a minute and you've collected enough of a sample to get a bead on your genetic background.
Tests can be expensive, ranging from around $99 up to several hundred dollars depending on the type of test. Before you order a test, you should be aware of what the results will mean to you. A DNA test can help you fill in gaps in your family tree or determine if someone with the same surname is directly related to you. But DNA tests won't give you the information you need to fill out your entire family tree. It's a useful tool but not the only one you'll be using to research your genealogical background.
If you're male and want to research your paternal line, you'll need to order a Y-DNA test from a reputable company. If you're female but want to know more about your paternal line, you'll need to have a male relative perform the test for you. If you're more interested in the maternal line, you'll need to order an mtDNA test. Both males and females can perform such a test on themselves.
Some companies offer different versions of the Y-DNA and mtDNA tests. Usually this means that one test uses more genetic markers than the other, giving you a more accurate glimpse at your family background. If you're trying to find out more about your particular surname, you'll need to order a test that looks at more markers than a general ancestry test. You may find some companies offering package deals in which you can order both a Y-DNA and mtDNA test. Other DNA tests can tell you if you're related to a specific person -- both people need to take the test.
Getting a test is as simple as ordering the right test kit from the company you have chosen. The company will ship the test to you. Once you take the test, you send the sample to the company for analysis.
One criticism some researchers level at DNA testing companies is that their results can be difficult to understand.
Once the company you've chosen completes the analysis of your DNA, it will send you the results. Some companies will give you the option to include your results in a special database. If other customers have results that match yours, the company can contact you and the other people to let them know of the match. A match means that you share an ancestor with the other customer, though it's impossible to determine how far back that ancestor might be from the results alone.
By getting in touch with people who match your results, you may be able to fill in the gaps in your family's history. You may also discover distant cousins who split off from your branch of the family many decades ago. Your results will help the company refine its classifications -- each customer's data adds to the bigger picture.
Some testing companies create profile pages for customers on their Web sites. It's like joining an online social network. This can help you get in touch with other customers of that company who have similar results to your own.
There are also genealogy Web sites where you can create an account and post your results. You may wish to search your surname -- many surnames have Web sites dedicated for genealogical research. Or you can post the results to your own personal site. You can even post the haplogroup you belong to, but haplogroups are very general -- they just define genetic populations. A genetic population isn't necessarily linked to a particular ethnicity, culture or even geography. And the classifications for haplogroups for Y-DNA results are different than those for mtDNA results.
It's only by looking for marker matches that you'll start to uncover possible relatives. If you and another person have several markers that match, there's a chance you may be related. The more marker matches you have, the more likely you share an ancestor within a few generations.
There are dozens of genealogy projects currently active. They range from regional to global in scope. Some are meant to give a big picture glimpse of how people migrated from one region to another over millennia -- these are<|fim_middle|> history. It's about as big a picture as you can get.
The USGenWeb Project is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping citizens of the United States research their family backgrounds. The project has links to each state project. Within the state project site, you'll find links to resources that might help you find out more about your family. In many cases, the links will tell you where you need to go to see official documents that have your family's information on them. You'll still need to do some legwork to fill in the gaps, but the projects resources can give you a good place to start.
The WorldGenWeb Project has similar goals but on a global scale. It contains links to regional genealogical project Web sites. Volunteers can elect to oversee a particular region. It becomes that volunteer's duty to gather research resources and create forums for members to connect with one another and discuss family histories.
Keep in mind that these projects are meant to help you in your search for information about your family. Don't expect them to present your complete family history through a single search query. You'll most likely need to do additional research and contact distant relatives to build out a full history. | more anthropological than genealogical in nature. Others help people get in touch with fellow genealogists to solve mysteries and connect to family members who may be separated by geography and generations alike.
One of the largest projects is the Genographic Project spearheaded by National Geographic. You can participate in the Genographic Project by purchasing a test -- it costs around $100 -- and submitting your sample to the project. It's not meant to help you find out who your great-great-grandfather was. Instead, the project's aim is to map the migratory patterns of human | 117 |
About 2 hours northeast of Ko Tachai. Well known all over the world, not just because of the by passing wale sharks. Its a one of the safest spots for meeting the gentle giants. We encounter more of them here than at any<|fim_middle|> This is truly a special place. | other location. Moreover, often more than one animal will stay around for several hours. Swimming alongside these huge fishes is any divers dream come true. There is much more, what makes the Rock worth visiting. This rocky outcrop is covered in soft corals and seems to act like a magnet when it comes to attracting fish. Every imaginable variety of fish is here. Observe the mating rituals of cuttlefish or photograph mantis. Watch school of barracude cruise by while thousends of colorful fusiliers swirl around the rocks. From Manta rays to ghost pipe fish, frog fish and octopus - it's marine fauna and flora pure. Tight colonies of corals and anemones inhabit the Rock which always are visited by big schools of reef fish. | 154 |
Market research and value-enhancing insights in the constantly evolving utilities sectors.
For more than 30 years, Turquoise has been the partner of choice to add colour to utilities sector market research. The utilities sector is subject to constant change and evolution. It is affected by political, environmental, economic, environmental and technological factors to name but a few, and it is safe to say that this is one sector that never stands still.
Turquoise provides utilities industry research across the oil and gas, electrical and water industries. But even the definition of the utilities sector itself is something that is constantly changing. Renewables are becoming an increasingly important part of power generation, and just as importantly, are at the forefront of the minds of consumers and the policies of the political decision makers.
Turquoise has conducted water market research projects with the major water suppliers across the UK. Think of the water sector, and your mind is automatically drawn to large infrastructure and supply networks. These are certainly core to what we do, and Turquoise has been involved in a number of projects for companies such as Scottish Water, South West Water and others.
However, we also conduct market research into related industries including environmental projects, water purification, bottled water, mineral water and more.
You can read more about the latest trends and developments in the water sector in this blog post.
The electricity sector has seen the greatest shifts in its composition over recent years, as well as constantly evolving public needs and opinions. Electricity market research prevents disconnect<|fim_middle|> experience to add colour to our insights and achieve results that are second to none. Learn more about us here.
Laura Scott typically takes the role as lead analyst for research projects in the utilities sector. Laura has spent a large proportion of her 19 year research career conducting fieldwork, analysis and reporting in the utilities sector. This gives her a rare depth of insight into how the market has evolved over the years and a strong grasp of blending tried and trusted research methodologies with the very latest in technological research tools for the best results.
We currently have a number of ongoing projects within the utilities industry as many clients see the value of Turquoise as a long term partner, playing a key role within the client's business planning and strategy, rather than as a short-term research contractor. However we are always open to new business and would be delighted to hear from you to see how we can help your firm stay ahead.
Don't just take our word for it. We have worked on utilities market research projects with all the major utilities companies across the length and breadth of the UK, including Thames Water, Scottish Water, nPower, BNFL and many more. You can take a look at some real-world case studies here to learn more about what we do and how we do it. | s from emerging between the utility providers and their commercial and domestic clients they serve.
The sector is one that continues to evolve from relying predominantly on fossil fuels to increased use of renewable energy sources including wind and solar power. Then there is the constant question of what role, if any, nuclear energy should play in the mix, which is as much subject to the political and public opinions of the day as to tangible environmental or economic factors.
You can read more about the latest trends in the electricity sector in this blog post.
Turquoise delivers energy sector market research across the oil and gas sectors, in what is comfortably the largest industry on the planet. If you take a look at the top ten largest companies in the world, you will see that seven are in the oil and gas sector. The oil and gas sector is, in itself, multi faceted, covering everything from upstream activities including exploration and production to downstream components when fuel is pumped into vehicle tanks or gas is delivered into homes.
In the UK, the sector employs more than 300,000 people, almost half of whom are based in Scotland, where Aberdeen is seen as the UK's "capital" of the industry. The sector underpins the very nature of modern civilisation, keeping homes warns and cars running, yet it has seen challenging times in recent years, with thousands of job losses across the sector.
You can read more about the latest trends in the oil and gas sector in this blog post.
What follows disruption? As the industry evolves, so must the businesses operating within it. But to what? And how? Over 5,000 industry professionals expected to attend.
One of the biggest set-piece energy conferences with 200+ senior attendees from across the industry, government, politics, consumer and environmental groups and academics.
The UK's leading energy and water summit featuring 100+ speakers on three different stages, promoting cross-industry discussion and in-depth exploration into customer interactions, energy, and water.
Our work within the utilities industry is so well regarded that it was given the gold standard by OFWAT. Although we have worked for many of the UK's largest water companies, our work does not stop there. We have also done work for other utilities industry companies that take care of key infrastructure including gas and electricity. Our work within the utilities industry not only benefits from many years of experience, we are able to transpose industry-specific insights and knowledge from a range of industries that are different to utilities, giving a perspective that is unique to Turquoise.
Our relationship with Turquoise has spanned a number of decades. They know our business and the sector as well as anyone. Their work is a cornerstone of our business planning.
Just by reading through the above overview of the utilities sectors, you can see what a broad range of industries and activities it covers. When it comes to utilities sector research, there is no "one size fits all" solution and every project is approached differently.
Depending on the nature of the project, we have a variety of tools at our disposal, including focus groups, in-depth interviews, social media research and questionnaires to name but a few. The Turquoise Game Changer allows us to get biggest insights in the shortest time by giving us access to data in unprecedented quality and quantity levels.
The most important part of any project, however, is teamwork. At Turquoise, we have spent 30 years perfecting an approach whereby we combine our research knowledge with your industry | 703 |
Give a general estimate of John Dryden as a critic.
accessteacher
Dryden is distinguished as not only an excellent poet, dramatist and author in his own right, but also as somebody whose great intellect and sound powers of argument enabled him to write<|fim_middle|>ri(The Duke of Buckingham)By Dryden Some of their...
How might one paraphrase and explain the meaning of the first stanza of Dryden's poem "'Zimri': The Duke of Buckingham"? Zimri(The Duke of...
What is an explanation of "London After the Great Fire, 1666"?
Why did Dryden compose the poem "Alexander's Feast"?
"Dryden was a versatile genius." Elaborate on this statement in the light of his representative works.
Latest answer posted December 29, 2012 at 7:33:48 AM
Why did Dr. Johnson consider John Dryden as "the father of English Criticism"?
What is the critical analysis of "Epigram on Milton" by John Dryden?
What are critical views of John Dryden, Alexander Pope, and Samuel Johnson?
Latest answer posted June 16, 2020 at 3:52:20 AM
What makes John Dryden's work "Neoclassical"? | excellent criticism of literature. Dryden had extensively studied the classical works coming from Ancient Greece and Rome, the...
Dryden is distinguished as not only an excellent poet, dramatist and author in his own right, but also as somebody whose great intellect and sound powers of argument enabled him to write excellent criticism of literature. Dryden had extensively studied the classical works coming from Ancient Greece and Rome, the English Renaissance and also works of contemporary France. He did this in order to understand how literature worked and to identify key ingredients upon which the literature of his own age could be built. In Dryden, his critical mind and intelligence was something that wedded happily to his his creativity, and the seriousness with which he both studied and wrote literature caused Samuel Johnson to name him "the father of English criticism." Note, for example, the following perceptive remark he made in An Essay of Dramatic Poesy:
He invades authors like a monarch; and what would be theft in other poets is only victory in him.
Here Dryden talks of the way in which Ben Jonson takes his inspiration from the works of other authors, happily taking characters, story lines and ideas and using them as the basis of his own work. However, Dryden argues, what distinguishes Jonson from other poets is that he is able to add, transform and embellish these "stolen" ideas so effectively that he achieves a "victory" through his "invasion." Such astute comments prove his place at the forefront of criticism in English literature.
What is the primary source for the quote "the pun is the lowest form of wit"? How is it connected with Dr. Samuel Johnson and John Dryden?
How can we analyze and paraphrase the poem "Zimri (The Duke of Buckingham)" by Dryden? Zim | 366 |
Carl Maloney·
ComedyInterview
Britains Got Talent winner Lost Voice Guy talks to us about life after the competition, performing to the Queen and maybe Strictly come dancing?
Thanks again for joining us Lee, I first met you in a tiny comedy club in Newcastle when I spent a year on the circuit. The last time we chatted you had just won the BBC comedy award, then things took another twist for you. What made you apply for BGT after already being the winner of the BBC Comedy award?
The main reason I decided to audition for Britain's Got Talent, was obviously to meet Ant and Dec, but I also did it because I thought it would help me develop<|fim_middle|> through each stage of the competition?
Obviously the more I was on the show, the busier I got. I think it's affected me both physically and mentally. Obviously winning the show has meant that I'm in the public eye a lot more than I used to be. For example, people recognise me everywhere I go now, and I have a lot more followers on social media and stuff. That's been quite hard to cope with at times. Mainly because I don't have the same amount of time to just switch off and relax anymore. I'm always writing my book, or booking gigs, or replying to emails and stuff. Straight after I won the show, I was drowning in phone notifications and it did get a bit too much. I couldn't really find any time to myself, and that effected my sleeping patterns as well. I think I'm starting to get a bit more used to it now though. It's definitely balancing itself out. I'm also lucky to have great family and friends who have looked after me amazingly well too.
Why do you think you won BGT?
Because I'm a funny bastard.
Talk me through the day as you prepare to perform to the Queen.
The day of the RVP was a very surreal day indeed. Here I was rehearsing with the likes of Take That, George Ezra and Rick Astley like it was totally normal. Of course I was very nervous to be performing in front of Harry and Meghan. I'm just glad I didn't hit the wrong button and swear in front of the Royal Family.
What funny stories/situations did you witness backstage at the royal variety performance?
Well I did get to meet Paul from the Chuckle Brothers. That was probably the highlight of my day. After all, he is definitely television royalty.
How has winning BGT changed your life?
Well obviously, I'm a lot richer for a start. But please don't tell the department of work and pensions. Seriously though, Winning the show has changed my life in so many ways. I'm busier than I ever was before, as a comedian. I'm going on a nationwide tour, and I'm also writing a book. The general public have been so supportive as well. I'm always getting stopped for selfies, and having people congratulate me. And it has been really nice. I'm very grateful for all the kind words I have received. One of the Best things to happen since I won, is that people are engaging with me a lot more, than they would have in the past. For the first time, they seem comfortable talking to a disabled person. I'm used to being stared at for negative reasons, so it's nice to be stared at for positive reasons for a change.
What else are you looking to achieve?
I honestly don't have any big ambitions. When I first started stand up comedy, I just thought I'd try it for a bit of fun. I never expected to be this successful in my wildest dreams. So I'm just taking it all as it comes and seeing what might happen next. I'm enjoying the ride and that's the most important thing.
What do you do to relax away from it all?
Relax? What is the meaning of this word?
Has there been a backlash from the comedy circuit going through the BGT process?
To be honest, the comedy circuit as a whole has been very supportive since I went on BGT, and I appreciate that a lot. They've definitely helped me get to where I am now. They were all delighted when I won as well which was nice.
What's next for you Lee? Prime Minister? Major Tour? The Jungle?
Obviously Strictly Come Dancing!
Good Luck with it all Lee and thanks for your time today.
You can catch LOST VOICE GUY on tour HERE
Britain's Got TalentinterviewLost voice guy
Carl Maloney
Carl Maloney is the Founder / Owner / Dogsbody of RGM : Reyt Good Magazine. He has worked in the music industry for over twenty years, Promoter of live shows for over 5 years, Music lover, still blagging it. | as a performer. A lot of my comedy idols have stepped out on to that stage at the Hammersmith Apollo, so I thought it would be nice to follow in their footsteps. The whole experience was amazing from start to finish. It was so much fun appearing on the show, and it was great to perform in front of such a lovely audience. I made some really good friends by doing the show, and the reaction from the general public was phenomenal. Of course, i never expected to win it. In fact, I had to cancel my summer holiday because it clashed with the final. It was definitely worth it though. I think the look on my face when I won said it all.
How was the work load while going | 147 |
Tag arts
The Saturday Read – 'Humans of New York:Stories' by Brandon Stanton
October 24, 2015 October 24, 2015 Eileen Kohan Leave a comment
We learn from the wisdom of others. In Brandon Stanton's new book we learn from the wisdom of strangers. The 'Saturday Read' this week is 'Humans of New York: Stories'.
"The simplest way to describe the development of HONY over the past five years is this: it's evolved from a photography blog to a storytelling blog…after cataloging thousands of people, I stumbled upon the idea of including quotes from my subjects alongside their photographs. The quotes grew longer and longer, until eventually I was spending fifteen to twenty minutes interviewing each person I photographed. These interviews, and the stories that resulted from them, became the new purpose of Humans of New York. The blog became dedicated to telling the stories of strangers on the street."
The first career story is the author's own. He graduated from college, took a job in Chicago as a bond trader, lost his job, moved to New York and started taking pictures of folks on the street. His work evolved into a blog with 15.6 million followers. His first book of photography, Humans of New York, landed at the top of The New York Times Bestseller List in the fall of 2013 and the new book will debut at the top of the November 1, 20<|fim_middle|> and well-being, "This session will pilot a new technology and begin the largest living experiment to analyze how the music you're listening to impacts your health."
There are also practical conversations. Tom Sachs, the internationally-acclaimed contemporary artist and Carter Cleveland, CEO of Artsy discussed 'Is Good Business the Best Art?' on Sunday. Their discussion wrestled with the question many face; Can you be successful and not sell your soul?
Current hot industry topics also find a platform with panels on 'Content, Copyright and Commerce' and 'Compensating College Athletes for Their Likeness'.
SXSW is a visible demonstration of barriers collapsing. We live in a multidisciplinary world where imaginative connections create new business opportunities.
While TED in Vancouver is the tightly scripted corporate event, SXSW is organized 'happenstance'. By bringing together innovators in a variety of creative enterprises, the event captures boundless energy with a soundtrack for the future. It's March Madness without the brackets. | 15 list.
Why the response? Because the Mr. Stanton's stories, told in words and images are about us. The scope of his project embraces NYC folks encountered on the street, reflecting on their past and future. We don't know names. We don't know ages. We can only guess in connecting the photo to the quote. At times the words seem at odds with the picture.
Here is one example from a young man, perhaps in his early teens.
"I've sort of had an arrogant demeanor my entire life, and I'm learning that I'm going to have to change that if I want to succeed. I realized that it doesn't matter how clever you are if nobody wants to work with you."
Another from a young woman seated on a suitcase, in the middle of a train station.
"I wish I'd partied a little less. People always say: 'Be true to yourself.'. But that's misleading because there are two selves. There's your short-term self, and there's your long-term self. And if you're only true to your short-term self, your long-term self slowly decays."
And a man at mid-life in what appears to be a cold corporate lobby, sitting on a stone bench, framed by a stone wall.
"When you're twenty-five, you feel like you're riding a wave. You feel like opportunities are just going to keep coming at you, and you think it's never going to end. But then it ends."
"When does it end?"
"When you turn forty, and they start looking for someone younger."
The reader gets a sense they are looking in the mirror, but they're not. The photo doesn't match the selfie, but the sentiment fits.
Heather Long, writing for CNN Money, interviewed Stanton and attended his reading at a NY Barnes and Noble. What has he learned in the process of photographing and interviewing 10,000 people? "Americans should reconsider how much they work."
"He often asks: What is your biggest struggle? And what do you regret most in life?
"Balancing my life is an answer I hear a lot," he said. "Balancing work and family."
People go on to tell him how they wish they had skipped that marketing conference and attended their daughter's 8th grade dance instead."
One of my favorite 'inteviews' appears early in the book (page 5). The narrative comes from a third grader (?).
"I want to build a bridge"
"How do you build a bridge?"
"If you want to build a bridge, it's going to take a long time and it might be hard because your employees might not be as interested in building a bridge as you are. You have to think about what type of bridge you want to make…"
He could be talking about life and career.
HONY: Stories invites us on a road trip through the streets of New York, opting for the detours that welcome conversation. This is a book to read slowly, observing the detail in the photos and the humanity in the words. It's a compendium of other's lifelong learning, generously shared.
"I want to be an artist." "What kind of art do you want to make?" "I want to make different versions of myself."
It's only a play? Lessons learned on the stage
May 21, 2015 May 27, 2015 Eileen Kohan Leave a comment
The lights dim, the music rises from an orchestra pit hidden from view and a tiny light begins to fly across the curtain. It's that magical moment of anticipation in a darkened theater on a spring night in New York. It could be any play, but for me, on Tuesday it was 'Finding Neverland', the new Broadway musical about the life of JM Barrie, the playwright and creator of Peter Pan.
Being cast in the lead of a Broadway play has about the same odds as being signed to an NFL contract. Only the lucky, talented few survive the uncompromising selection process beginning with high school and college productions, local theater companies, summer stages and hours of auditions to reach the pinnacle of success for a stage actor.
A Yahoo finance article in 2013 listed drama and theater arts among 'The 10 Worst Majors for Finding a Good Job'. And yet, sitting in a theater, removed from electronic contact with the outside world, it's easy to understand why so many aspire to a career on the stage.
The lead role of JM Barrie in 'Finding Neverland' is acted by Matthew Morrison. His journey to the Lunt Fontanne Theater in NY started at the Orange County School of the Arts in California and progressed to NYU, TV roles, supporting roles on Broadway, his first lead in 'The Light on the Piazza', and in 2009, 'Glee' where his audience came to know him as 'Will Schuester'. Although not as popular with critics as theater goers, this musical based on a 2004 movie plays to a full house at every performance.
And every night, each member of the audience receives the gift of watching a cast of actors pursuing their dream. And the actors include children, dogs and actors playing dogs.
Lesson #1 – There they are, on stage, demonstrating in an incredibly competitive business, that you can achieve your dream.
Lesson #2 – Act Two – The former actors who have achieved success beyond the footlights.
Clarence Otis, Jr. who stepped down as Chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants late last year, credited his success in team building to his experience in theater.
"The thing that prepared me the most — where the team was front and center — was theater, which I did a lot of growing up, in high school, during college, law school and even for a couple of years after law school. I would say that probably is the starkest lesson in how reliant you are on others, because you're there in front of an audience. It's all live, and everybody's got to know their lines and know their cues and know their movement, and so you're totally dependent on people doing that."
Tom Vander Well, business consultant, writes on his Wayfarer blog '10 Ways Being a Theatre Major Prepared Me for Success'.
"When I chose my major, I had no pipe dreams about becoming a professional actor. I did it because more than one wise adult had advised me that my actual major in college would have less impact on my eventual job search than having the actual degree. "Study what you love" I was told, "not what you think will get you a job." I listened for once and chose theatre because I'd done it all through my secondary education, I had relative success doing it, and because I simply loved being a part of it. Fortunately, my parents gave me absolutely no grief about my choice (unlike most of my fellow majors. Thanks mom & dad!)"
The list of skills he acquired includes: "improvisation, project management, working with a limited budget, hard work, presentation skills and making difficult choices."
I would add that you learn to accept feedback as an actor. And you eventually realize it's about the performance, not personal. If you listen you will get better. Maybe that's the most important lesson we can take from those who make a living on the stage – listen and you will get better.
SXSW – Creativity and Convergence
March 18, 2015 March 18, 2015 Eileen Kohan Leave a comment
This week Austin, Texas is the vortex of the worlds of interactive, film and music. SXSW organizers have created an event that should encourage those who believe the arts are endangered. And for those whose dream job fits into the artistic, entrepreneurial and creative, the Texas state capital is the place to be.
This year Jimmy Kimmel is broadcasting his late night show from Austin and Rand Paul has been showing up at meet ups and receptions.
SXSW was originally staged as a music festival in 1987 and as the Austin economy grew to embrace film and technology companies, SXSW broadened its' mission adding the interactive and film conferences in 1994. SXSWedu joined the program in 2011 and this year has grown to a four day conference for educators to connect and drive innovation in how we teach and learn.
In an interview with The New York Times, festival director Hugh Forrest described the essence of the festival:"South by Southwest is always about up-and-coming talent, be it a band or filmmaker or technology developer, and that holds true in 2015."
'Convergence Day' provides an opportunity for all attendees to mix at meet ups and panels and discuss cross disciplinary topics including the topic of "Music As Personalized Medicine". Using research findings that 18 hours of music a week can have a significant effect on physiology | 1,829 |
RobMoro TV | Orpine – 'Two Rivers'
Orpine provides a soothing one-shot complement to their single<|fim_middle|> video • New Music • New Music Videos • Orpine • RobMoro TV • Spotify | , 'Two Rivers'.
The visual accompaniment to the second single from debut full-length is a gentle, pub set approach to a song of a similar atmosphere. It was directed and edited nicely by Nick Gaven.
Orpine are signed to the Heist or Hit (Her's, Pizzagirl) roster for the release of the "Grown Ungrown" LP due this month, which was produced by Jonathan Coddington (The Magic Gang).
The duo lived a considerable distance apart from each other and their single speaks of that and the two rivers which navigate their respective areas. From the River Ouse near Mount Caburn, in the vicinity of Eleanor's home town to the second river, and namesake, the River Ouseburn runs down the road from Oliver in Newcastle. This is where their creative space flourishes, between two rivers.
"Grown Ungrown" is out for release on 15 May 2020.
Tagsband • Heist or Hit • indie music • Indie-pop • music • Music Blog • Music site • music | 216 |
Tag Archives: Pansexual
Happy (Upcoming) Pan Day of Visibility!
May 22, 2020 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment
Pan Visibility Day will be taking place on May 24, so here are a bunch of books with panromantic and/or pansexual books to celebrate! Please note that this post only includes books that weren't featured last year, so you can find even more here.
Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing—a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.
But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell … and Earth.
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
Dark Soul by Aleksandr Voinov
Stefano Marino is a made man, a happily married west coast mafia boss who travels east to await the death of a family patriarch. All the old hands have gathered—of course sharks will circle when there's blood in the water—but it's a new hand that draws Stefano's eye.
Silvio "the Barracuda" Spadaro is protetto and heir to retired consigliere Gianbattista Falchi, and a made man in his own right. Among his underworld family, being gay is a capital crime, but the hypersexual—and pansexual—young killer has never much cared for rules. The only orders he follows are Battista's, whether on the killing field or on his knees, eagerly submissive at Battista's feet.
But Silvio has needs Battista can't fill, and he's cast his black-eyed gaze on Stefano. A fake break-in, an even faker attack, and Silvio is exactly where he wants to be: strung up at Stefano's mercy, driving the older Mafioso toward urges he's spent his whole life repressing. Stefano resists, but when the Russian mob invades his territory and forces him to seek aid, Gianbattista's price brings Stefano face to face once more with Silvio—and his darkest desires.
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
Human Enough by E.S. Yu
When Noah Lau joined the Vampire Hunters Association, seeking justice for his parents' deaths, he didn't anticipate ending up imprisoned in the house of the vampire he was supposed to kill—and he definitely didn't anticipate falling for that vampire's lover.
Six months later, Noah's life has gotten significantly more complicated. On top of being autistic in a world that doesn't try to understand him, he still hunts vampires for a living…while dating a vampire himself. Awkward. Yet Jordan Cross is sweet and kind, and after braving their inner demons and Jordan's vicious partner together, Noah wouldn't trade him for the world.
But when one of Jordan's vampire friends goes missing and Noah's new boss at the VHA becomes suspicious about some of his recent cases, what starts off as a routine paperwork check soon leads Noah to a sinister conspiracy. As he investigates, he and Jordan get sucked into a deadly web of intrigue that will test the limits of their relationship—and possibly break them. After all, in a world where vampires feed on humans and humans fear vampires, can a vampire and a vampire hunter truly find a happy ending together?
Buy it: Ninestar Press | Amazon
Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan
Jubilee is either bisexual or pansexual; she is still deciding what fits, but both labels are on the page.
Jubilee has it all together. She's an elite cellist, and when she's not working in her stepmom's indie comic shop, she's prepping for the biggest audition of her life.
Ridley is barely holding it together. His parents own the biggest comic-store chain in the country, and Ridley can't stop disappointing them–that is, when they're even paying attention.
They meet one fateful night at a comic convention prom, and the two can't help falling for each other. Too bad their parents are at each other's throats every chance they get, making a relationship between them nearly impossible . . . unless they manage to keep it a secret.
Then again, the feud between their families may be the least of their problems. As Ridley's anxiety spirals, Jubilee tries to help but finds her focus torn between her fast-approaching audition and their intensifying relationship. What if love can't conquer all? What if each of them needs more than the other can give?
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N| IndieBound
The Unconquered City by K.A. Doore (June 16)
Seven years have passed since the Siege — a time when the hungry dead had risen — but the memories still haunt Illi Basbowen. Though she was trained to be an elite assassin, now the Basbowen clan act as Ghadid's militia force protecting the resurrected city against a growing tide of monstrous guul that travel across the dunes.
Illi's worst fears are confirmed when General Barca arrives, bearing news that her fledgling nation, Hathage, also faces this mounting danger. In her search for the source of the guul, the general exposes a catastophic secret hidden on the outskirts of Ghadid.
To protect her city and the realm, Illi must travel to Hathage and confront her inner demons in order to defeat a greater one — but how much can she sacrifice to protect everything she knows from devastation?
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Bookshop
Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer (29th)
Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades. But the last thing Alyssa wants is to follow in their footsteps as the next in line for the throne. Why would she choose to be trapped in a palace when she could be having wild adventures exploring a thousand-and-one planets in her own ship?
But when Alyssa's uncle becomes gravely ill, his dying wish surprises the entire galaxy. Instead of naming her as his successor, he calls for a crownchase, the first in seven centuries. Representatives from each of the empire's prime families—including Alyssa—are thrown into a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire. The first to find the seal wins the throne.
Alyssa's experience as an explorer makes her the favorite to win the crown she never wanted. And though she doesn't want to be empress, her duty to her uncle compels her to participate in this one last epic adventure. But when the chase turns deadly, it's clear that more than just the fate of the empire is at stake. Alyssa is on her most important quest yet—and only time will tell if she'll survive it.
Liar's Guide to the Night Sky by Brianna Shrum (November 3)
(Jonah, the LI, is aromantic pansexual.)
It's no one's fault that Hallie Jacob is alone. That her grandpa got sick half a world away and so her parents yanked her to Colorado the last semester of her senior year. That career-wise, she's specialized in fighting fire, and now she's surrounded by ice, snow, and a thousand cousins she's half-banned from hanging around with. But that's what's happened. That's what her December looks like.
On one big family weekend in the freaking tundra, Hallie sneaks off with those cousins to an abandoned ski slope. But they get caught in a random mudslide, and what started as a Secret Bonfire Party goes in a Potential Donner Party direction real fast. With several cousins in desperate need of medical attention, Hallie goes for help, and Jonah joins her. Jonah Ramirez is her troubled cousin's extremely off-limits (absurdly hot) best friend who's back on winter break from college.
Facing paralyzing temperatures, sharp-toothed animals strong enough to survive a climate with hardly any water or air, and weather phenomena so wicked they'll wreck a mountain before you can blink, Jonah and Hallie have no choice but to trust each other. And THAT may be more impossible, even, than making it out alive.
Preorder: B&N | Amazon | IndieBound
A.J. HackwithAleksandr VoinovBrianna ShrumCrownchasersDark SoulJennifer DuganK.A. DooreLiar's Guide to the Night SkyPanromanticPansexualRebecca CoffindafferThe Library of the UnwrittenThe Unconquered CityVerona Comics
Inside an Anthology: Unspeakable ed. by Celine Frohn
Today on the site, we're excited to welcome Celine Frohn, editor of Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology, out now from Nyx Publishing! This speculative collection features a wide range of identities, including gay, lesbian, bi/pan, trans and non-binary, poly, and asexual characters. Check it out here and then learn a little more about the stories that make it up!
Unspeakable contains eighteen Gothic tales with uncanny twists and characters that creep under your skin. Its stories feature sapphic ghosts, terrifying creatures of the sea, and haunted houses concealing their own secrets. Whether you're looking for your non-binary knight in shining armour or a poly family to murder with, Unspeakable showcases the best contemporary Gothic queer short fiction. Even dark tales deserve their time in the sun.
The anthology contains stories by Claire Hamilton Russell, Ally Kölzow, C. L., Lindsay King-Miller, Avery Kit Malone, Katalina Watt, Jude Reid, S.T. Gibson, Jenna MacDonald, Eliza Temple, Katie Young, Sam Hirst, Ryann Fletcher, Heather Valentine, Jen Glifort, E. Saxey, Anna Moon, and Mason Hawthorne.
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop
"Leadbitter House" by Mason Hawthorne
The haunted house as a metaphor is something that fascinates me. In "Leadbitter House", the house is a proxy for the protagonist's body, the struggles he faces throughout the story reflect a number of struggles that are common to transgender experiences. Elijah is confronted over and over by people who believe that his house must be arranged or decorated or treated in the way that they expect it to be, rather than how Elijah needs it to be, or who express outright disgust at it. The use of body horror elements in this story is another part of the gender narrative that I explore through my work. Often, it isn't until other people read my writing and say "wow that's body horror!" that I realise what effect the scenes I develop might have for someone who is not in my head. I try to make the ostensibly gory, horrific elements more about connection and exploration of the body, about intimacy and anxiety connected to bodily experience, in a way that uses the uncanny to interrogate that which is often assumed to be familiar and 'normal'.
But besides all that, sometimes organ removal is fun!
"Laguna and the Engkanto" by Katalina Watt
My story 'Laguna and the Engkanto' takes place on a fictional island called Avelina and is inspired by Filipino folklore, specifically the engkanto: a mythical spirit of the environment. The engkanto in my story is genderless and similar to a siren or mermaid, acting as a catalyst for and symbol of sexual awakening. Laguna begins the story with a fear of the sea, and as she becomes more in tune with herself and her body, this transforms into a longing for it.
I wanted to explore the idea of queerness within the prism of a society which is highly spiritual in both the religious and folkloric sense. The characters are living under the shadow of colonialism which has brought, among other things, these new religious ideologies. Within this society and particularly for a young woman, the engkanto represents both sexual agency but also transgressive pleasure, and I wanted to play with the concept of queerness as it relates to these intersections within a culture.
"Brideprice" by S.T. Gibson
"Brideprice" is my love letter to the vampire novels and action fantasy movies like Van Helsing that got me through my teens. When I was first coming to terms with my own bisexuality, my desires felt monstrous, so stories of ravenous supernatural creatures pining away after maidens soothed me. I was enamored by the capricious, sensual, mysterious brides of D, who struck me as the perfect mix of maiden and monster, seducer and seducee. I wrote "Brideprice" to give them their own narrative voices, and to play up the queerness inherent in the source text. This undying family is re-imagined as a polyamorous unit of cis and trans men and women who simultaneously desire one another and compete with one another for power.
The Dracula myth is generally told from his perspective, or the perspective of his victims, but not the brides. "Brideprice" is my attempt to give agency back to the brides. This is why Dracula rarely speaks in the story and only exists filtered through the brides' memories: he's just the catalyst for their leap into immortality. Whether they're trying to escape violence, bigotry, or poverty, he's their dark door into a new world, but they're the ones seizing agency and making that final choice.
"Homesick" by Sam Hirst
Writing has always been a means of exploring and expressing myself from those early days of pre-teen poetry with its paeans to blonde beauties right through the angsty self-repressing tragedies of my teens littered with sapphic ladies dying to save their beloved. Emerging from years of denial about who I was and ignorance about the words that existed to describe myself – asexual, sapphic, queer… I turned to writing to work out my confusions before I even knew what they were. And that's where 'Homesick' comes from. It mixes the Gothic elements I've always loved – ghosts – and one of the intriguing riddles associated with – how the afterlife actually works – with an exploration of queer identity that I've often felt didn't fit in any of the existing categories. Ghosts allow you to move away from the physical. Sexual attraction disappears from the world of my story, the way it is absent from my own life. Exploring life after death allowed me to imagine a world lived within sight of your past but not bound or determined by it. My ghosts are homesick because they haven't found a home yet and my story is about them finding their way there – to the place and the people they belong with. In writing this story, I followed Marion and Sanan through a Gothic world that they made beautiful. It's a story of hope in the end and I hope people read it that way.
"Lady of Letters; or, the Twenty-First Century Homunculus" by Heather Valentine
Lady of Letters came from an idea I'd been toying around with for a while about fake profiles and alternate accounts in the mid-2000s era of early social media. I'd played a few games that were either set in that era or touched on the ideas I was interested in – Cibele takes place in a fake MMORPG, and spoke to my experiences of playing Phantasy Star Universe while having arguments with my soon-to-be-ex high school boyfriend in the private chat; and Simulacra takes the idea of the sentient profile in a far more cosmic horror direction.
Seeing the call for stories for Unspeakable, I realised that the key to exploring these ideas on the page was the Gothic. Taking the genre's sometimes-features of narratives framed through letters and recordings; the all-encompassing emotions its heightened settings allow its protagonists to have without that teenage shame of feeling too much; the idea of a ghostly romance, but making the spectre a digital one.
I think the way that classic Gothic writing explores and remembers is past is something we can use to explore our own much more recent history, as people and as communities.
"Hearteater" by Eliza Temple
Hearteater is a story about a woman who lives alone in a decaying manor house named Scarlet Hall. One dark and stormy night, a stranger named Kat turns up at the house looking for shelter. Lady Scarlet invites her inside, and they grow close, despite each insisting on their own monstrosity.
My initial idea for Hearteater was to explore how Gothic preoccupations with virginity would work when applied to queer sex, but literally none of that made it into the final draft because I got preoccupied by my own issues. Both Lady Scarlet and Kat refer to themselves as monsters throughout the text; they literally are, in the sense of being supernatural and nonhuman, but they also live in a heteronormative society which could consider them monstrous for not being attracted to men. When Kat comes to Scarlet Hall, both women find community in each other—not only are they both lesbians, but their respective supernatural powers complement each other. I wrote Hearteater at a time when I didn't really have any friends who were also gay women, so the heart of the story is the joy and comfort that comes from finding someone like you, when before you were all alone.
"Taylor Hall" by Jen Glifort
I've always loved haunted houses—the dilapidated buildings, the secret passages, the unpredictability of a house's temperament. But what if the house was benevolent, rather than threatening? I wanted to explore what it would be like to live in a haunted house that was devoted to its owner and wanted to help them.
I thought Taylor Hall would be the ideal environment for a character like Kit, who struggles with gender identity and all the insecurity that comes with it. I've questioned my own gender identity my whole life, and feel like I've only recently started coming to terms with that. In my experience, suppressing those feelings can cause them to express themselves in unexpected ways (although they've never resulted in my house misbehaving in the middle of the night). I wanted to see how something like having a crush on a new roommate could bring up those emotions for Kit.
Setting this story in a haunted house gave me a chance to play with the concept of home. I loved the idea of someone who found a loving, nurturing home that caters to their needs while still trying to find a home in themselves.
"The Dream Eater" by Anna Moon
What if an asexual person is faced with a succubus or incubus? That was my initial inspiration for "The Dream Eater", where the ace protagonist, Dan, comes across a genderless entity that drains people's life force. I wanted to write a story where asexuality and queerness allows the main character to relate to the supernatural in a different (and positive) way, and at the same time show an ace person in a happy relationship with an allosexual person (his girlfriend, Elise). The Gothic, and a threatening presence that looms in the space between dream and reality, seemed like the perfect lens through which to explore sexuality, identity, and what it means to be human.
"The Ruin" by E. Saxey
"The Ruin" is a romance, with two guys falling in love through their shared interests: ruined buildings, end-of-the-world fiction, incredibly old poetry. These are also a few of my favourite things. I wanted to explore, through a love story, a nagging doubt I have: are these hobbies actually unsavoury? Is Ruinenlust – so fundamental to the Gothic – also fundamentally dodgy? I can tell myself that I'm interested in how people used to live, or how they'd survive in an apocalypse, but I spend a lot of time (imaginatively) in dark crumbling places. Maybe it's the continuity of the human experience that delights me, but I suspect it's the continuity of me, posing solo against the background of all these wonderful ruins.
So while I'm fond of both the characters in<|fim_middle|>While I engaged with the old language of this book and pulled out what appealed to me, I also harnessed the power of erasure to reclaim the narrative of this couple. It can be strange, angsty, and a tad spooky. But it doesn't have to be yet another tragic queer story.
The potential for applying such a contemporary form of poetry like this to old texts creates endless opportunities for people with marginalizations of all kinds to recenter stories written about them. A Native American poet could create erasure poems from Lewis and Clark's journals, or a black poet could make poetry from texts written about abolition during the Civil War. In fact, Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith has written erasure poems from texts like the Declaration of Independence, evoking this very concept of reclaiming the past.
Erasure poetry allows us to actively engage with ideas of the past while creating new meanings from them. The public domain is filled with thousands of old stories. Source material is bountiful and waiting to be erased.
Taylor Ramage is the author of two poetry collections, Forgive Us Our Trespasses and Lest I Know Your Weakness. She also writes fantasy, enjoys stories in all forms, and leads an active, healthy lifestyle. You can follow her on Twitter @TaylorRamage and Tumblr at taylorrama.tumblr.com. You can also catch her writing updates on her WordPress blog.
bisexualBlackout PoetryCarmillaErasure PoetryLesbianLest I Know Your WeaknessPansexualPoetryQueerTaylor Ramage
Happy Pan Day of Visibility!
Books to Buy Now
The Vampire Sorority Sisters series by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Every sorority has its secrets…
And college freshman Ginger Carmichael couldn't care less. She has more important things on her mind, like maintaining her perfect GPA. No matter how much she can't stand the idea of the cliques and the matching colors, there's something about the girls of Alpha Beta Omega—their beauty, confidence, and unapologetic sexuality—that draws Ginger in. But once initiation begins, Ginger finds that her pledge is more than a bond of sisterhood, it's a lifelong pact to serve six bloodthirsty demons with a lot more than nutritional needs.
Despite her fears, Ginger falls hard for the immortal queen of this nest, and as the semester draws to a close, she sees that protecting her family from the secret of her forbidden love is much harder than studying for finals.
Buy All Three: Amazon| B&N
Out on Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler
Frankie Bellisario knows she can get anyone she sets her sights on, but just because she can doesn't mean she should—not when the person she's eyeing is Samara Kazarian, the daughter of a southern Republican mayor. No matter how badly Frankie wants to test her powers of persuasion, even she recognizes some lines aren't meant to be crossed.
But when Frankie learns she's been on Samara's mind too, the idea of hooking up with her grows too strong to resist. Only Sam's not looking for a hookup; she wants—needs—the real thing, and she's afraid she'll never find it as long as Frankie's in her head.
Forced to choose between her first relationship and losing the girl who's been clawing her way under her skin, Frankie opts to try monogamy…under her own condition: 30 days of keeping things on the down low and remaining abstinent. If she fails as hard at girlfriending as she's afraid she might, she doesn't want to throw Samara's life into upheaval for nothing. But when neither the month nor Frankie's heart go according to plan, she may be the one stuck fighting for the happily ever after she never knew she wanted.
Final Draft by Riley Redgate
The only sort of risk 18-year-old Laila Piedra enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before her graduation, he's suddenly replaced—by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who is sadistically critical and perpetually unimpressed.
At first, Nazarenko's eccentric assignments seem absurd. But before long, Laila grows obsessed with gaining the woman's approval. Soon Laila is pushing herself far from her comfort zone, discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, temporary flings, and instability. Dr. Nazarenko has led Laila to believe that she must choose between perfection and sanity—but rejecting her all-powerful mentor may be the only way for Laila to thrive.
Learning Curves by Ceillie Simkis
Elena Mendez has always been career-first; with only two semesters of law school to go, her dream of working as a family lawyer for children is finally within reach. She can't afford distractions. She doesn't have time for love.
And she has no idea how much her life will change, the day she lends her notes to Cora McLaughlin.
A freelance writer and MBA student, Cora is just as career-driven as Elena. But over weeks in the library together, they discover that as strong as they are apart, they're stronger together. Through snowstorms and stolen moments, through loneliness and companionship, the two learn they can weather anything as long as they have each other–even a surprise visit from Elena's family.
From solitude to sweetness, there's nothing like falling in love. College may be strict…but when it comes to love, Cora and Elena are ahead of the learning curve.
Your Heart Will Grow by Chace Verity
Kelpana was never supposed to love humans this much.
As a mermaid tasked with keeping peace between land and sea, her job is to be fair. Neutral. Diplomatic. Political. But her carefree spirit is bewitched by the carousing, free-swinging ways of the landfolk…yet one night of careless fun becomes a death sentence when she spurns a bratty prince. Now she's facing life in prison—but that life won't be long without the ocean waters that keep her alive.
Yet if Kelpana dreams of better things than this new, grim existence—so, too, does the young man set to guard her in her cell. Morgan Sunilian wants to be more than anyone ever believed he could be. He wants to be an Absolute, decked in gold armor and fighting alongside the kingdom's most elite guardians. Morgan will do anything to prove he's strong enough to be more than a prison guard.
To prove he can be an Absolute.
Yet as each day watching over Kelpana passes with him falling under the sweet spell of her soft voice and quiet stories, he realizes the truth of who he wants to be more than even an Absolute.
He wants to be a man of honor. A man of kindness. A man of fairness.
And a man with the strength to defy his orders, risk his life, and save the woman he's come to love
Syncopation by Anna Zabo
Twisted Wishes front man Ray Van Zeller is in one hell of a tight spot. After a heated confrontation with his bandmate goes viral, Ray is hit with a PR nightmare the fledgling band so doesn't need. But his problems only multiply when they snag a talented new drummer—insufferably sexy Zavier Demos, the high school crush Ray barely survived.
Zavier's kept a casual eye on Twisted Wishes for years, and lately, he likes what he sees. What he doesn't like is how out of control Ray seems—something Zavier's aching to correct after their first pulse-pounding encounter. If Ray's up for the challenge.
Despite the prospect of a glorious sexual encore, Ray is reluctant to trust Zavier with his band—or his heart. And Zavier has always had big dreams; this gig was supposed to be temporary. But touring together has opened their eyes to new passions and new possibilities, making them rethink their commitments, both to the band and to each other.
Buy it: B&N | Amazon
A young woman with a dangerous power she barely understands. A smuggler with secrets of his own. A country torn between a merciless colonial army, a terrifying tyrant, and a feared rebel leader. The first book in a new trilogy from Heidi Heilig.
Jetta's family is famed as the most talented troupe of shadow players in the land. With Jetta behind the scrim, their puppets seem to move without string or stick a trade secret, they say. In truth, Jetta can see the souls of the recently departed and bind them to the puppets with her blood. But the old ways are forbidden ever since the colonial army conquered their country, so Jetta must never show never tell. Her skill and fame are her family's way to earn a spot aboard the royal ship to Aquitan, where shadow plays are the latest rage, and where rumor has it the Mad King has a spring that cures his ills. Because seeing spirits is not the only thing that plagues Jetta. But as rebellion seethes and as Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions that she never imagined—and safety will never seem so far away.
Heidi Heilig creates a world inspired by Asian cultures and French colonialism.
The Traitor's Tunnel by Cal Spivey
Witch-blooded robber Bridget has made a reputation for herself in the capital city, but she's not interested in the attention of the Thieves' Guild–and she's not bothered by the rumors of urchin kidnappings, either. With winter coming, she's looking out for herself and no one else.
Until she picks the wrong pocket, and recognizes her estranged brother Teddy.
Young craftsman Theodor arrives in the capital ready to take the final step toward his dream career as Lord Engineer of Arido. His apprenticeship with a renowned city engineer comes with new rules and challenges, but it's worth it for the exposure to the Imperial Council.
While spying on her brother, Bridget overhears a secret meeting that reveals a cruel plot. After more than a decade apart, Theodor and Bridget must reunite to stop a traitor whose plan threatens not only their city, but the whole empire.
Set seven years before the events of From Under the Mountain, The Traitor's Tunnel is the story of two young people presented with a choice–to protect themselves, or to protect others–the consequences of which will change their lives forever.
Who'd Have Thought? by G. Benson
Top neurosurgeon Samantha Thomson needs to get married fast and is tightlipped as to why. And with over $200,000 on offer to tie the knot, no questions asked, cash-strapped ER nurse Hayden Pérez isn't about to demand answers.
The deal is only for a year of marriage, but Hayden's going into it knowing it will be a nightmare. Sam is complicated, rude, kind of cold, and someone Hayden barely tolerates at work, let alone wants to marry. The hardest part is that Hayden has to convince everyone around them that they're madly in love and that racing down the aisle together is all they've ever wanted. What could possibly go wrong?
Double Exposure by Chelsea M. Cameron
Anna Corcoran's life is hectic, but that's how she likes it. Between her jobs at the Violet Hill Cafe, the local library, and doing publicity work for authors, she doesn't have much time for anything else. Until Lacey Cole walks into the cafe and she feels like she's been knocked off her axis.
Lacey's a photographer and writer and wants to do a profile on the cafe, including an interview with Anna. She's game, but after spending a few days with Lacey, Anna is falling. Hard. The only problem is that Lacey isn't going to be sticking around. She floats from town to town, never staying in one place.
But as they get closer and closer, Anna wonders if maybe this would be the one time when Lacey would decide to stay put. With her.
Wander This World by G.L. Tomas
Some people are just attracted to darkness…
Penley thought he had his life figured out. So why does his world turn upside down when Melanie Blue walks back in it?
Melanie's lived a thousand lives–possibly taken even more. Targeted by serial killer, she'll find she has more to worry about than resisting own her nature.
When Penley and Melanie's path collide, they'll find that want and need often lead to the same thing.
Will Melanie lose everything when she meets her match?
Castle of Lies by Kiersi Burkhart
Thelia isn't in line to inherit the crown, but she's been raised to take power however she can. She's been friends with Princess Corene her whole life, and she's scheming to marry Bayled, the heir to the throne. But her plans must change when an army of elves invades the kingdom. Thelia, her cousin Parsival, and Corene become trapped in the castle. An elf warrior, Sapphire, may be Thelia's only hope of escape, but Sapphire has plans of their own. Meanwhile, an ancient magic is awakening within the castle, with the power to destroy the whole kingdom. Can Thelia find a way to protect her future–and her life?
Twisted Wishes bass player Mish Sullivan is a rock goddess—gorgeous, sexy and comfortable in the spotlight. With fame comes unwanted attention, though: a stalker is desperate to get close. Mish can fend for herself, just as she always has. But after an attack lands her in the hospital, the band reacts, sticking her with a bodyguard she doesn't need or want.
David Altet has an instant connection with Mish. A certified badass, this ex-army martial arts expert can take down a man twice his size. But nothing—not living as a trans man, not his intensive military training—prepared him for the challenge of Mish. Sex with her is a distraction neither of them can afford, yet the hot, kink-filled nights keep coming.
When Mish's stalker ups his game, David must make a choice—lover or bodyguard. He'd rather have Mish alive than in his bed. But Mish wants David, and no one, especially not a stalker, will force her to give him up.
The Queen of Dauphine Street by Thea De Salle
Madeline Roussoux has it all: money, a dozen houses, a private jet, a cruise ship, even a tiger. Everyone knows her name. Her every move is watched, absorbed, adored, and abhorred by the public. She's a dazzling spectacle on the society scene—a beautiful, flamboyant poster child for American privilege and Hollywood celebrity.
And she's never felt more alone.
All the wealth in the world can't make up for Maddy's losses. Her father's suicide and her mother's ensuing breakdown left her orphaned as a teenager. She survived, but barely. From stints in rehab to a string of failed marriages, her dazzling smile hides deep scars. Finally, losing Sol DuMont, the one person she ever truly loved, has her wondering what is the point of being surrounded by people when you're perpetually on your own?
Enter Darren Sanders. He's a beautiful Texas boy with a big heart and a bigger smile; the type of man women go crazy for. Literally. When Darren's ex stalks him and then makes an attempt on his life, circumstances find him off to New Orleans with none other than Maddy Roussoux. He thought he knew everything there was to know about her, but there's more to the woman whose image graces the covers of magazines worldwide, and Darren finds himself drawn into a world of excess he never imagined possible.
Buy it: Amazon | Apple Books
Empire of Light by Alex Harrow
Damian Nettoyer is the Empire's go-to gun. He kills whoever they want him to kill. In exchange, he and his rag-tag gang of crooks get to live, and Damian's psychokinetic partner and lover, Aris, isn't issued a one-way ticket to an Empire-sanctioned lobotomy.
Then Damian's latest mark, a suave revolutionary named Raeyn, kicks his ass and demands his help. The first item on the new agenda: take out Damian's old boss—or Raeyn will take out Damian's crew.
To protect his friends and save his own skin, Damian teams up with Raeyn to make his revolution work. As the revolution gains traction, Damian gets way too close to Raeyn, torn between the need to shoot him one moment and kiss him the next. But Aris slips further away from Damian, and as Aris' control over his powers crumbles, the Watch catches on.
With the Empire, Damian had two policies: shoot first and don't ask questions. But to save the guy he loves, he'll set the world on fire.
Buy it: Amazon | NineStar Press | Books2Read
Their Troublesome Crush by Xan West
In this queer polyamorous m/f romance novella, two metamours realize they have crushes on each other while planning their shared partner's birthday party together.
Ernest, a Jewish autistic demiromantic queer fat trans man submissive, and Nora, a Jewish disabled queer fat femme cis woman switch, have to contend with an age gap, a desire not to mess up their lovely polyamorous dynamic as metamours, the fact that Ernest has never been attracted to a cis person before, and the reality that they are romantically attracted to each other, all while planning their dominant's birthday party and trying to do a really good job.
Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas (June 4, 2019)
Critically-acclaimed author Leah Thomas blends a small-town setting with the secrets of a long-ago crime, in a compelling novel about breaking free from the past.
In Samsboro, Kentucky, Kalyn Spence's name is inseparable from the brutal murder her father committed when he was a teenager. Forced to return to town, Kalyn must attend school under a pseudonym . . . or face the lingering anger of Samsboro's citizens, who refuse to forget the crime.
Gus Peake has never had the luxury of redefining himself. A Samsboro native, he's either known as the "disabled kid" because of his cerebral palsy, or as the kid whose dad was murdered. Gus just wants to be known as himself.
When Gus meets Kalyn, her frankness is refreshing, and they form a deep friendship. Until their families' pasts emerge. And when the accepted version of the truth is questioned, Kalyn and Gus are caught in the center of a national uproar. Can they break free from a legacy of inherited lies and chart their own paths forward?
Pre-Order: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound
Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee/ill. by Stephanie Hans (September 3, 2019)
Before the days of going toe-to-toe with the Avengers, a younger Loki is desperate to prove himself heroic and capable, while it seems everyone around him suspects him of inevitable villainy and depravity . . . except for Amora. Asgard's resident sorceress-in-training feels like a kindred spirit-someone who values magic and knowledge, who might even see the best in him.
But when Loki and Amora cause the destruction of one of Asgard's most prized possessions, Amora is banished to Earth, where her powers will slowly and excruciatingly fade to nothing. Without the only person who ever looked at his magic as a gift instead of a threat, Loki slips further into anguish and the shadow of his universally adored brother, Thor.
When Asgardian magic is detected in relation to a string of mysterious murders on Earth, Odin sends Loki to investigate. As he descends upon nineteenth-century London, Loki embarks on a journey that leads him to more than just a murder suspect, putting him on a path to discover the source of his power-and who he's meant to be.
Prom by Saundra Mitchell (September 10, 2019)
An honest, laugh-out-loud, feel-good novel inspired by the hit Broadway musical The Prom –a New York Times Critic's Pick!
Seventeen-year-old Emma Nolan wants only one thing before she graduates: to dance with her girlfriend at the senior prom. But in her small town of Edgewater, Indiana, that's like asking for the moon.
Alyssa Greene is her high school's "it" girl: popular, head of the student council, and daughter of the PTA president. She also has a secret. She's been dating Emma for the last year and a half.
When word gets out that Emma plans to bring a girl as her date, it stirs a community-wide uproar that spirals out of control. Now, the PTA, led by Alyssa's mother, is threatening to cancel the prom altogether.
Enter Barry Glickman and Dee Dee Allen, two Broadway has-beens who see Emma's story as the perfect opportunity to restore their place in the limelight. But when they arrive in Indiana to fight on Emma's behalf, their good intentions go quickly south.
Between Emma facing the fray head-on, Alyssa wavering about coming out, and Barry and Dee Dee basking in all the attention, it's the perfect prom storm. Only when this unlikely group comes together do they realize that love is always worth fighting for.
Preorder: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound
All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell (October 29)
Alex HarrowAll the Things We Do in the DarkAnna ZaboCeilie SimkissChace VerityChelsea M. CameronDahlia AdlerDouble ExposureEmpire of LightFinal DraftFor a Muse of FireG.L. TomasHeidi HeiligLeah ThomasLearning CurvesLesbiansLokiMackenzi LeeOut on Good BehaviorPan Day of VisibilityPanromanticpanromantic asexualPansexualRebekah WeatherspoonRiley RedgateSaundra MitchellSeven Ways We LieSyncopationThe Queen of DauphineThea de SalleTheir Troublesome CrushWander This WorldWild and CrookedXan West | "The Ruin", their relationship isn't ideal. While the narrator's interest in the end of the world is purely imaginative, his partner may have a more hands-on approach. Or is that just paranoia?
AdultAlly KölzowAnna MoonAsexualAvery Kit MalonebisexualC. L.Claire Hamilton RussellE. SaxeyEliza TempleGayGothicHeather ValentineJen GlifortJenna MacDonaldJude ReidKatalina WattKatie YoungLesbianLindsay King-MillerMason HawthorneNon-BinaryPansexualPolyamorousRyann FletcherS.T. GibsonSam HirstSpeculativeTransUnspeakable
Exclusive Cover Reveal: Life Minus Me by Sara Codair
December 6, 2019 Dahlia Adler 1 Comment
Today on the site, we're happy to welcome back Sara Codair to reveal the cover for their upcoming new adult contemporary fantasy, Life Minus Me, releasing from NineStar Press on December 23rd, 2019! Here's a little more about the book:
Mel is half-angel, but despite her ability to heal and read minds, she feels powerless to help anyone. When a prophecy shows a local pet supply store owner driving their car off a bridge, Mel sets out to stop it.
Baily, owner of Barks and Bits, is barely holding it together. Things keep going wrong, and their depression spirals out of control. Just as they start wondering if they'd be better off dead, a new friend provides a glimmer of hope. But is that enough to keep living?
Mel never thought saving Baily would be easy, but she can't figure out when, where, or why Baily's suicide will happen. As her confidence fades away, she wonders how she can help anyone when she needs so much help herself.
And here's the lovely, wintry cover, designed by Natasha Snow!
Sara Codair is the author of over fifty short stories, which are packed with action, adventure, magic, and the bizarre. They partially owe their success to their faithful feline writing partner, Goose the Meowditor-In-Chief, who likes to "edit" their work by deleting entire pages. Sara's debut novel, Power Surge, was published by NineStar Press and the sequel will be out sometime in 2020. Find Sara online at saracodair.com or @shatteredsmooth.
Contemporary Fantasydemisexualf/nbLife Before MeNon-BinaryNovelettePansexualSara Codair
Fave Five: Queer-Girl YA Set in Maine
November 14, 2019 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment
How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake (bi f/f)
The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake (bi f/f)
Style by Chelsea M. Cameron (lesbian f/f)
All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell (pan f/f)
Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale (bi m/f)
Bonus: For a trans girl MG set in Maine, check out Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker!
All the Things We Do in the DarkAshley Herring BlakebisexualChelsea M. CameronContemporaryf/fHow to Make a WishLesbianLillie Valem/fMainePansexualSaundra MitchellSmall Town HeartsStyleThe Last True Poets of the SeaYA
Better Know an Author: Candice Montgomery
October 24, 2019 Dahlia Adler 1 Comment
You may have already heard me hype Candice Montgomery a million times, but honestly, it'll never be enough. Their voice in YA is like nothing else out there, and if you haven't yet read their work, I hope this'll convince you to dive in! (If not, just read the acknowledgements of By Any Means Necessary, which just released on October 8 and is basically a master class in voice all on its own.) Especially if you've been looking for more queer and/or nonbinary Black voices and/or Muslim voices, have I got some wonderful news for you. So please welcome the utterly fabulous Candice Montgomery!
New book! New book! It's well documented that I'm obsessed with Torrey and By Any Means Necessary, but could you please share a little about your sophomore novel and how it came to be for those who didn't get an early read?
HAAA! It is absolutely well documented that you run my literary (and personal) life better than I do.
So, By Any Means Necessary is a story about a newly minted college freshman. He's hyped and ready to take on his new town up in San Francisco, and nervousness—though present!—takes a backseat. That is, until he gets news that the apiary he owns back home, by way of his late uncle, is being seized.
So he's torn between taking on this new thing that's only about Torrey himself (and also maybe a little about a certain dancer boy named Gabriel) and going home to a place that's chewed him up raw, all to save his uncle's legacy.
The idea for BAMN came to me when a friend and I were on the phone talking about gentrification and how it was affecting us directly, as individuals. And then, common to our conversational flow, we segued into talking about weird hobbies for main characters. She talked about her characters operating a vineyard and I suddenly had the idea for a character to run a bee farm where his struggle (getting stung constantly) and his desire to be free (flying away from the hive he knows) would mirror his hobby. In Torrey's case, his passion.
Queerness (and specifically queer characters of color) also feature in your debut Home and Away, which has a kickass female football-playing protag and a wonderful male love interest who happens to be bi. What would you say draws Tasia and Kai together, and in your mind, where are they now?
I think Taze and Kai are opposite sides of the same very big coin. And that's what works for them. Kai brings out Tasia's looser side and she not only lets Kai just be who he is, but she actively enjoys it. It's basically just two teens who don't feel they fit in finding out that they actually DO. With each other.
In my mind, Taze and Kai are still very much together but also attending separate colleges about an hour from one another. Taze is playing ball for Cal and studying Pan African Studies and Kai is over at the San Francisco Art Institute taking the art world by storm. And making Taze laugh while he does it.
For readers looking for even more of your published work, you've got a fabulous story in Habibi, the all-Muslim anthology edited by Hadeel Al-Massari and Nyala Ali, starring a Muslim girl who's managing both depression and her feelings for her best friend, a trans guy named Aaron. What made this the story you wanted to tell in this collection in particular?
Oof! Thank you! I love that story and that anthology so much. Don't forget about that one by the way. It's got big plans for the future.
But my story in Habibi is called "Love God Herself." And it's a story I wanted to tell because a muslimah (now) friend of mine tweeted on a trending about wanting to see hijabis who are questioning their faith, who are bucking back against traditional Islamic partnerships, who are depressed and not instantly healed, all—MASHALLAH!!!
I reached out to her. Asked her if she'd write it. And then she turned around and asked ME if I would.
And speaking of anthologies, we'll get even more Cam goodness in 2020 when you feature in the upcoming all-queer anthology Out Now: Queer We Go Again!, the contemporary followup to All Out, once again edited by Saundra Mitchell. What can you tell us about your story for that collection?
My story for Out Now was honestly one of the most difficult things I've ever written. I'm so in love with it. I struggled for months with it and then one night it all just poured out of me, start to finish. I didn't even read it through before I sent it off to Saundra; I was already so past deadline. Twice. And from there, I didn't get asked to make any structural changes to the story, either. Just a few grammatical things. It's a raw story and probably the best thing I'll ever write. It's about a skateboarding enby who has a crush on a girl whom they think will NEVER notice them. Maybe she will, maybe she won't. But the main character will take you all the way through it.
Cam Anthology Goodness of 2020 Part II has you breaking into MG in Once Upon an Eid! What was it like to write for a younger audience, and is it something you could see yourself doing in longer form?
First—CAM ANTHOLOGY GOODNESS OF 2020! YESSSS. ONCE has been such a fun process. It was just happy-making anytime I worked on it. This was my first time writing ANYTHING MG. And immediately after my story was submitted, I started drafting an MG novel of my own. It's on hold for a moment, but I'm 12K words deep and still sooo excited about it.
You're such a great advocate for more midlist authors and especially for other queer/trans Black authors, and QTAoC in general. What books and authors would you love to see get more attention, and what queer books have meant a lot to you as a both an author and a reader?
Oooh! I love this question. There are a few key QTAoC that I'd undoubtedly return to religiously, one of whom being Rivers Solomon (they), author of An Unkindness of Ghosts. It is the queer Afro-futurist fic of my marshmallow heart. And I wish I'd written it myself. Also entirely jealous of this human's 12-ton talent: Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (they). I should say that these are some pretty heavy novels, though. But I think anybody who reads them will be made better for them. My heart needed 'em.
And if we're talking books that formed me as both an author and a reader—it's not fiction, it's a memoir. But my favorite book in the world, the reason I was able to tell my family I'm queer, the path through which I found my label as a Pansexual person—it's Paul Monette's Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir. Yes, it's a memoir. Yes, it's horrifically heartbreaking. Yes, it ends in a way that will ruin your entire week (lololo). But also… it's romantic in ways I've never seen expressed on the page before.
What's your first memory of LGBTQIAP+ representation in the media, for better or for worse?
Glee. It was, unfortunately, when Glee introduced Kurt and… the kid with the chin and the hair? Blaine? My mom and my little sister and I would watch it together every week and I remember sitting in strained, awkward silence with them, while such an explicit and open GAY display moved across the television. We never talked about it. I just wanted it to be over, not for my discomfort, but for theirs. My mom and sister's. I wanted to tone down my relationship to queerness in order to make others more comfortable.
And as far as I knew, out of the 3 of us, I was the only one who connected to it. (spoiler: my little sister is out and openly panromantic polyamorous).
As someone contributing to a couple of great collections next year, what would be a dream project for you specifically to helm?
I absolutely have an answer to this… but that's all I can say for now. Stay tuned! 😉
What can you share about what you're working on right now?
Right now, I'm pulling my own teeth out trying to draft a new YA romance about two Black teens who explore their ancestry through Hoodoo and Voodoo. It's difficult. And it's unlike anything I've written before.
Candice "Cam" Montgomery is an LA transplant now living in the woods of Seattle, where they write Young Adult novels. Their debut novel, featured on the 2018 Kirkus Best list, HOME AND AWAY can be found online and in stores now, and their sophomore novel, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY was released earlier this October. By day, Cam writes about Black teens across all their intersections. By night, they bartend at a tiny place nestled inside one of Washington's greenest trees. They're an avid Studio Ghibli fan and will make you watch at least one episode of Sailor Moon and listen to one Beyoncé record before they'll call you "friend."
BlackBy Any Means NecessaryCandice MontgomeryHabibiHome and AwayMuslimNon-BinaryOut NowPansexualQPoCReliqueer
New Releases: October 21st-31st
October 21, 2019 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment
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Most Ardently by Susan Mesler-Evans (21st)
Elisa Benitez is proud of who she is, from her bitingly sarcastic remarks, to her love of both pretty boys and pretty girls. If someone doesn't like her, that's their problem, and Elisa couldn't care less. Particularly if that person is Darcy Fitzgerald, a snobby, socially awkward heiress with an attitude problem and more money than she knows what to do with.
From the moment they meet, Elisa and Darcy are at each other's throats — which is a bit unfortunate, since Darcy's best friend is dating Elisa's sister. It quickly becomes clear that fate intends to throw the two of them together, whether they like it or not. As hers and Darcy's lives become more and more entwined, Elisa's once-dull world quickly spirals into chaos in this story of pride, prejudice, and finding love with the people you least expect.
Buy it: Amazon
I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi (22nd)
Seven days. Seven days. The Earth might end in seven days.
When news stations start reporting that Earth has been contacted by a planet named Alma, the world is abuzz with rumors that the alien entity is giving mankind only few days to live before they hit the kill switch on civilization.
For high school truant Jesse Hewitt, though, nothing has ever felt permanent. Not the guys he hooks up with. Not the jobs his underpaid mom works so hard to hold down. Life has dealt him one bad blow after another — so what does it matter if it all ends now? Cate Collins, on the other hand, is desperate to use this time to find the father she's never met, the man she grew up hearing wild stories about, most of which she didn't believe. And then there's Adeem Khan. While coding and computer programming have always come easily to him, forgiveness doesn't. He can't seem to forgive his sister for leaving, even though it's his last chance.
With only seven days to face their truths and right their wrongs, Jesse, Cate, and Adeem's paths collide even as their worlds are pulled apart.
Carved in Bone by Michael Nava (22nd)
This is the 8th book in the Henry Rios series
November, 1984. Criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios, fresh out of rehab and picking up the pieces of his life, reluctantly accepts work as an insurance claims investigator and is immediately is assigned to investigate the apparently accidental death of Bill Ryan. Ryan, part of the great gay migration into San Francisco in the 1970s, has died in his flat of carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty gas line, his young lover barely surviving. Rios's investigation into Ryan's death – which Rios becomes convinced was no accident – tracks Ryan's life from his arrival in San Francisco as a terrified 18-year-old to his transformation into a successful businessman. What begins for Rios as the search for the truth about Bill Ryan's death becomes the search for the meaning of Ryan's life as the tsunami of AIDS bears down on the gay community.
Buy it: B&N | Amazon | IndieBound
Find Me by André Aciman (29th)
This is the sequel to Call Me By Your Name
In this spellbinding exploration of the varieties of love, the author of the worldwide bestseller Call Me by Your Namerevisits its complex and beguiling characters decades after their first meeting.
No novel in recent memory has spoken more movingly to contemporary readers about the nature of love than André Aciman's haunting Call Me by Your Name. First published in 2007, it was hailed as "a love letter, an invocation . . . an exceptionally beautiful book" (Stacey D'Erasmo, The New York Times Book Review). Nearly three quarters of a million copies have been sold, and the book became a much-loved, Academy Award–winning film starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Elio and Armie Hammer as Oliver, the graduate student with whom he falls in love.
In Find Me, Aciman shows us Elio's father, Samuel, on a trip from Florence to Rome to visit Elio, who has become a gifted classical pianist. A chance encounter on the train with a beautiful young woman upends Sami's plans and changes his life forever.
Elio soon moves to Paris, where he, too, has a consequential affair, while Oliver, now a New England college professor with a family, suddenly finds himself contemplating a return trip across the Atlantic.
Aciman is a master of sensibility, of the intimate details and the emotional nuances that are the substance of passion. Find Me brings us back inside the magic circle of one of our greatest contemporary romances to ask if, in fact, true love ever dies.
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett (29th)
Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She's making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she's HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.
Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real–shy kisses escalating into much more–she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she's positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she's terrified of how he'll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.
Simone's first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…
All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell (29th)
There's no such thing as a secret.
SOMETHING happened to Ava. The curving scar on her face is proof. But Ava would rather keep that something hidden—buried deep in her heart and her soul.
She has her best friend Syd, and she has her tattoos—a colorful quilt, like a security blanket, over her whole body—and now, suddenly, she has Hailey. Beautiful, sweet Hailey, who seems to like Ava as much as she likes her. And Ava isn't letting anything get in the way of finally, finally seeking peace. But in the woods on the outskirts of town, the traces of someone else's secrets lie frozen, awaiting Ava's discovery—and what Ava finds threatens to topple the carefully-constructed wall of normalcy that she's spent years building. Secrets leave scars. But when the secret in question is not your own—do you ignore the truth and walk away? Or do you uncover it from its shallow grave, and let it reopen old wounds—wounds that have finally begun to heal?
Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland (29th)
Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn't listen …
Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people's souls while they sleep.
But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.
When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.
A.M. Strickland's imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai's own soul, but the entire kingdom …
I'm A Gay Wizard by V. S. Santoni (29th)
Carry On meets Rick Riordan in I'm a Gay Wizard, where a brave new nonbinary voice in YA fantasy has created a vivid, engaging world with love at its core
You do magic once, and it sticks to you like glitter glue…
When Johnny and his best friend, Alison, pass their summer holidays dabbling in magic, they never expect it to have consequences. Sure, it'd be great if they could banish bullies or change their lives for the better, and what harm could come from lighting a few candles and chanting a few spells? They get their answer in the form of an earthquake unleashed at their behest, which draws the attention of the Marduk Institute, an age-old organization dedicated to fostering the talents of young wizards.
Whisked away to the institute and told they can never return to their old lives, Johnny and Alison must quickly adapt to a new world shimmering with monsters, fraternities, and cute boys like Hunter and Blake. But when they're pulled into a dark, supernatural fight that could cost them their lives, they'll have to find strength they never knew they had as they battle for love, acceptance, and their own happy endings—all with the help of a little bit of magic
A.M. StricklandAll the Things We Do in the DarkAndré AcimanBeyond the Black DoorbisexualCamryn GarrettContemporaryFantasyFind MeFull DisclosureGayHenry RiosI'm a Gay WizardMichael NavaMost ArdentlyPansexualQuestioningSaundra MitchellSusan Mesler-EvansV.S. SantoniYA
Fave Five: Queer Necromancy
September 18, 2019 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment
Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
Runebinder by Alex Kahler
The Impossible Contract by K.A. Doore
Adultbisexualf/fFantasyGayGideon the NinthK.A. DooreLesbianNecromancyNinth House TrilogyPansexualReign of the FallenSarah Glenn MarshSFFTamsyn MuirThe Impossible ContractYA
Exclusive Cover Reveal: Human Enough by E. S. Yu
Today on the site I'm excited to be revealing the cover for Human Enough by E.S. Yu, an m/m Paranormal Romance releasing October 7, 2019 from Ninestar Press that stars pansexual and gray-ace leads! Here's the story:
And here's the cover, designed by Natasha Snow!
Preorder here!
E.S. Yu is the author of EIDOLON, a queer science fiction featuring assassins, tech conspiracies, and mental health discussions. E.S. is a lifelong lover of speculative fiction, video games, and superheroes. The stories E.S. writes often reflect darkness and injustice, from the perspective of a multiply marginalized person, while always believing in the power of healing and hope for a happy ending. An immigration attorney in a past life, when not writing, E.S. can be found drinking a lot of green tea and, of course, thinking about her next novel.
AsianAutisticE.S. YuGray-AsexualHuman Enoughm/mNatasha SnowNinestar PressPansexualParanormal RomancePNRQPoCVampire HunterVampires
Reclaiming By Erasing: A Guest Post By Lest I Know Your Weakness Author Taylor Ramage
June 14, 2019 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment
Please welcome author Taylor Ramage to the site today to talk about erasure and her recently released poetry collection, Lest I Know Your Weakness. Before we get into the post, here's a note from the author on the book's actual crafting:
I made this poetry collection by taking words, phrases, and letters from the 1872 novella Carmilla and reorganizing them into poems. That's what erasure or blackout poetry is in a nutshell–transforming the content of an existing text into something new.
Although Carmilla does have undeniable lesbian representation, it was still written in 1872 by a white man and has a tragic ending like we've seen on some mainstream TV shows that kill off their wlw characters. But creating erasure poetry from this old text allows Laura and Carmilla's narrative to be reclaimed and redeemed, even though it's certainly still angsty. It's another form of adaptation, much like the webseries "Carmilla," only I've created new meanings from the original text provided on the page. I think this ability to apply a very contemporary form of poetry to old texts can result in reclaimed narratives for all kinds of marginalizations.
How cool is that?? So now, let's get to the book and to the post!
A twisted love story told in alternating poetic snapshots.
Intrigue, tension, darkness, beauty–Carmilla and Laura experience it all as they traverse the ups and downs of their relationship through poetic dialogue. Love is alluring and terrifying.
Buy It: Amazon | B&N
Erasure is often something that happens to us, especially if we embody marginalized identities. History, culture, someone standing in front of us, or even we ourselves will not recognize a part of our humanity, ignore our contributions, or categorize us with labels that wilt the nuances of our beings. Erasure imposes. It takes away in an instant and across a lifetime.
But what if, in one sliver of life, we could harness the power of erasure to reclaim the narratives handed to us?
This is the potential of erasure poetry, a poetic form in which you start with an existing text, then pull out words, phrases, and letters until you're left with a poem. I used this form to create my new poetry collection Lest I Know Your Weakness. I crafted poems from the text of Carmilla, a novella written in 1872 and one of the first vampire books to exist in English literature. This story is both undeniably gay and undeniably written by a white man in a culture whose sensibilities had to align the sapphic with the grotesque and the horrific. Laura and Carmilla's relationship is deep, eerie, strange, and haunting throughout the book, yet the frame narrative around it presents it as unnatural and tragic. Poor, innocent Laura got whisked away by this seductive monster!
And of course, the monster dies in the end.
I don't need to repeat the litany of wlw couples who don't get happy endings due to death or some other tragedy. That narrative runs deep in history and culture as shown with old books like Carmilla. Yet the beauty about that book being published in 1872 is that now it's in the public domain.
This means anyone can do whatever they want with the text without any copyright restrictions. It's why we have the Carmilla web series that adapts the story into a contemporary college setting and reclaims it from the tragic spectacle it originally was.
I've done something similar with my poems. Now, the original words of the book are reorganized and reframed into poems that alternate between Laura and Carmilla's perspectives. I approached this old text with the entire context of my life and sensibilities, and chose what to take and form into a new(ish) story.
I did set some limits for the sake of following a form. For instance, I took screenshots of the text to give myself "pages" that restricted the words I could pull from for any given poem or idea. The sentence or two I got from each page became entire poems or stanzas that I later grouped together.
| 6,117 |
Aston Villa discover main rival for £33m Philippe Coutinho transfer
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Gerrard already had his say on a potential loan move for Aston Villa player
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One problem Aston Villa have with Philippe Coutinho
This summer,<|fim_middle|>:Aston Villa, football news, Transfer news, transfers
Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings makes brutal comments ahead of Leicester City match | reports claim that Philippe Coutinho is considering two permanent moves to the Premier League, but Newcastle United isn't among them.
After a successful loan spell at Aston Villa, the Brazilian playmaker is expected to be in high demand in the summer transfer window.
Coutinho has netted four goals and provided three assists in 10 outings since joining Villa Park in January.
Coutinho's exorbitant wages have cast doubt on Villa's ability to make his loan from Barca permanent for £33 million in the summer.
"When we set out in January to ask Barcelona that we'd like to move, the Premier League it was, we weren't really considering other leagues," Joorabchian told talkSPORT in January. "This is a league that he's feeling most comfortable in, he really wanted to come back, he misses it.
"He played in the Bundesliga, he had a great season and won the Champions League, won the league, he had a great experience in the Bundesliga, he's had a good experience in La Liga, won multiple leagues, cups. But ultimately the Premier League, the intensity and the way the game is played here, that's the way that he wants to move forward."
It has been reported that the 29-year-old Barcelona midfielder makes £480,000 a week.
Mega-rich Coutinho has reportedly been linked with a move to Newcastle, but Mundo Deportivo claims he isn't interested. Instead, Villa or Arsenal are rumored to be interested in signing Coutinho long-term.
Coutinho's agent, Kia Joorabchian, has done numerous bargains with Arsenal over the past few years, making him a popular target for Arsenal. Michael Arteta's team is also expected to finish in Champions League contention this year.
No matter where he goes, Coutinho will have to take a pay cut, and Joorabchian has already hinted that the Premier League is where his client sees his long-term future.
In this article | 406 |
Surrounded by swaying green palm trees and located on the very southern tip of Honolulu, the Outrigger Canoe Club on Waikiki Beach is considered the birthplace of beach volleyball. The story goes that, back in 1915, as a way for Hawaii's surfers to pass the time when the waves were too tame, swim coach George "Dad" Centre mounted a volleyball net on the sand between the surfboard lockers and the canoe shed. With surfers able to play in their board shorts and barefoot, it proved the perfect distraction until the ocean proved a more willing<|fim_middle|> coached the USA swimming team at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, beach volleyball would itself become an official Olympic sport, when it made its five-ring debut in Atlanta in 1996.
Despite its continued global growth, it is the country of its birth that remains beach volleyball's most successful exponent, followed closely by Brazil. The duo's dominance at the Olympics has ensured that the game continues to be synonymous with a backdrop of lapping ocean swells, scorching hot sand, partisan crowds of bobbing shades and baseball caps, and, of course, lithe athletes wearing very little.
But as beach volleyball makes its Commonwealth Games bow at the suitably glistening city of Australia's Gold Coast, the absence of the USA and Brazil allows the sun to shine on some of the less-decorated nations. Canada, despite not boasting much of a reputation as a sun trap, clearly makes good use of hundreds of miles of coastline with the top-ranked side in both the men's and women's draw. Hosts Australia not only have beaches in abundance but a gold medal to their name, when Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst channelled the rapturous home support to overcome Brazil at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Then there's the rare chance for the likes of New Zealand, Cyprus, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu and even Rwanda to make a name for themselves.
If beach volleyball's holy trinity is sun, sea and sand, then Team Scotland are on a mission to prove that two out of three ain't bad. The team's main training base, Edinburgh's Portobello Beach, is known for many things. In 1296, William Wallace gathered his troops on the two-mile stretch ahead of the Battle of Dunbar. In 1650, it was where Oliver Cromwell held a clandestine meeting with the Scots, while the 18th century saw it become a haunt for sailors and smugglers. In the 1950s, a pre-Hollywood Sean Connery even worked as a lifeguard at the open-air heated pool. But what the beach is not so renowned for, is a sunny disposition.
At 47-years-old, Coutts is one of the most experienced players in Great Britain. Her teammate Lynne Beattie is 15 years her junior but also boasts an impressive CV, having captained Team GB's indoor team at London 2012. The men's duo is also not short of pedigree. Robin Miedzybrodzki has played competitively around the world since moving to Bath to join the Great Britain squad in 2006, where he also studied for a degree in Civil Engineering. His Team Scotland partner, Seain Cook, plays professional indoor volleyball in Holland. Yet despite the years of experience amassed by their elite players, Scotland still does not possess a single indoor beach volleyball facility.
A lack of facilities is not the only additional ball they're forced to juggle with. With Cook the only player of the four to play professionally, it leaves the prospect of managing their training, travel and competitions around their full-time jobs. There's something particularly incongruous about the fact that an event attracting over 60,000 in ticket sales requires some of its participants to clear the time off with their bosses. But that's exactly what Beattie, Coutts and Miedzybrodzki had to do before travelling to the Gold Coast.
"I'm a strategic development officer for sport and outdoor learning in the city of Edinburgh council," says Coutts. "So it's a big job with lots of responsibility and the council have been brilliant about letting me take the time off, really supportive." Nevertheless, Coutts opted to take short career break in the months leading up to the Games as the task of mixing full-time working hours with full-time training proved too much. At least Beattie, as regional volleyball development officer in the East of Scotland, was never likely to find too much resistance to her requests for leave.
Qualification for the Commonwealth Games comprised a two-year cycle that culminated in a dramatic finale for both pairs. For Coutts and Beattie, after just missing out on an automatic place, their hopes were pinned on a wildcard slot. Despite being the highest-ranked side to miss out, they were left to agonise for months about the prospect of being overlooked. Fortunately, they had continued to train in the interim before their place was confirmed in December, just four months before the Games.
For Miedzybrodzki, the start of the qualifying process coincided with first-time fatherhood. Reluctant to travel the distances required to rack up the necessary World Tour ranking points, it meant resorting to an all-or-nothing route via a European qualification event.
It proved to be a week Miedzybrodzki will never forget as qualification ended just as it began, with the birth of a daughter.
"We were actually on holiday on a skiing trip, and I saw it flash up on Facebook that beach volleyball was going to be in the Commonwealth Games. That whole day I was out skiing and I could tell my wife knew there was something up. And then she broke the silence at the end of the day and said, 'you want to play don't you?'.
Talk of London 2012, where beach volleyball thrived in front of thousands at the picturesque and imaginative setting of Horse Guards Parade, turns the conversation to that of legacy. For all that the profile of the sport in the UK reached a peak six years ago, some players felt that not enough was done to take advantage of it. Miedzybrodzki, for one, was surprised that opportunities failed to materialise off the back of the Olympics.
It's no surprise to hear the 32-year-old align the issue with facilities and culture, and make the same comparisons to the continent as his compatriot in the women's team.
As with most non-mainstream sports, the issue of funding lies at the heart of its future success. With beach volleyball in its relative infancy on these shores, help from UK Sport and Team Scotland can stretch only so far. Instead, both teams have leveraged the support of the community, from fundraisers to local corporate sponsors, to ensure they could get to Australia with their full quota of coaches and support staff.
Of course, the players are also under no illusion to how this all can change very quickly: with headline-making and medal-winning performances at pinnacle events like the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
It's not clear what the future will hold on the international scene for Team Scotland's veteran volleyballers, but what is certain is that even after their own playing careers are over, their passion for growing the sport on home sand will remain. For them, the journey has always been about more than several days Down Under on Coolangatta Beach.
While the barn is only a temporary fixture, it is hoped that the sand can eventually be used in schools, and there are even ambitions for a permanent indoor venue in collaboration with Edinburgh University. For now though, Coutts and Beattie have already made significant inroads in their quest to leave a legacy for Scotland's next generation of beach volleyballers. | participant.
Before long, the game was being played by families on California shores, and eventually spread to Europe. Eighty-one years after being casually invented by a man who | 34 |
A review of the April 22, 2005 Seattle, WA show from The Seattle Times
Updated Tue, Apr 26, 2005 - 1:12am ET
You can find a press review of Tori's April 22, 2005 Seattle, WA show in the April 25, 2005 edition of The Seattle Times newspaper.
You can read this concert review online at seattletimes.nwsource.com or below. (You can find all the Dent reviews for Seattle here.)
Multifaceted singer Tori Amos in fine, flowy form
By Anne Hurley
Special to The Seattle Times
Tori Amos has never been easy to pin down. Those self-confessional, goddess-worshiping lyrics are backed by hard-rocking piano and salted with well-placed barbs against abuse, aggression and war. And she has a playful side, often overlooked, that keeps it all from being too strident.
At Friday night's sold-out performance at Benaroya Hall, Amos cheerfully displayed all her facets for the adoring audience.
Wearing layers of flowy chiffon (my companion thought she looked like Sissy Spacek channeling Loretta Lynn) and spiky heels, Amos pranced around the cluster of keyboards she called Tori's Piano Bar, alternating among sexy, earnest and dead-serious personas with ease.
She opened with "Original Sinsuality," from her newest CD, "The Beekeeper," one of many songs on that album which re-interpret biblical or spiritual tales from a more, shall we say, woman-friendly point of view. The lilting tune belies the force of her rejection of religion-imposed guilt.
Amos' soprano was in fine form, on songs such as "Yes Anastasia" and "Blood Roses" (though that song's final line, "Sometimes you're nothing but meat" seemed to fall sort of flat). Early on, Amos encouraged the audience to clap along, saying, "This has got to be the only city where people can clap in time." Yay, Seattle!
There was an easy mix between Amos' original songs (another highlight was "Cool on Your Island")<|fim_middle|> help. It's hard to imagine in pitch-perfect Benaroya Hall, but the sound was assaultive during most of the show, far too loud and bass-heavy for Amos' music. Even her vocals occasionally seemed keening and shrieky, apparently due more to the sound mix than to her delivery.
And the light show, featuring colored, flowing water globs on a projected screen, seemed so retro as to be campy -- but it was hard to tell for sure. It would have been nicer to have used the screen instead for close-ups of Amos' face for those sitting at the back of the hall.
Opening for Amos was singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson, whose songs and lyrics show sophisticated influences such as Michael Stipe and Elliott Smith, but whose onstage patter leans more toward Adam Sandler. He said his job was to "fluff up" the audience for Amos, and that he surely did.
Anne Hurley: ahurley@seattletimes.com | and covers. The audience swooned at her sensual delivery of hometown Heart's "Magic Man," and a melancholy version of Billy Idol's creepy "Eyes Without a Face."
While Amos was at the top of her game, the production and sound people could have used some | 56 |
Meek Mill Grammy Party at Justin Bieber's Mansion Goes Wrong
By Josh Middleton· 2/10/2015, 8:47 a.m.
Get our weekly picks of what to do this weekend and the latest on Philly's arts and entertainment scene.
On Sunday, Philly born-and-raised rapper Me<|fim_middle|>ogh Experience In Philadelphia: The Ultimate Guide | ek Mill took over Justin Bieber's glass mansion near Beverly Hills to throw a Grammy party. The bash boasted a pretty impressive guest list, like Nicki Minaj, Khloe Kardashian and Chris Brown, but around 1:30 a.m. they were all out in the street, because, as TMZ reports, a couple rival gangs got in a skirmish and things just went all to hell.
During the melee, we're told punches and even ice sculptures were tossed — and most of the guests fled into the street. Law enforcement sources tell us … cops were called around 1:30 AM for loud music, and found more than 1,000 people walking around the ritzy 'hood. It took about 3 hours to clear the streets.
According to TMZ, no arrests were made, which is great for Meek Mill, considering he was just released from prison in early December.
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Van G | 281 |
Southway Primary aspires to be an outstanding centre of learning, serving its community and transforming lives. We seek to equip our students for a changing world through building confidence, encouraging creativity and fostering enquiry to achieve excellence. These qualities will allow our students to flourish as leaders of the future and to take their place as caring, ambitious and responsible citizens in their communities.
Academic achievement is at the heart of what we do, ensuring students leave with the highest qualifications that enable them to be competitive in the global economy<|fim_middle|>ish the challenge of skills and knowledge acquisition in a wide variety of subject areas.
As part of United Learning, our approach is underpinned by a sense of moral purpose and commitment to doing what is right for children and young people, supporting colleagues to achieve excellence and acting with integrity in all our dealings within and beyond the organisation, in the interests of young people everywhere.
· To ensure the school environment is accessible as possible to all pupils, staff and visitors.
Our Equality Policy can be found here. | . We expect our students to 'learn hard' and rel | 12 |
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See what Sterling K. Brown, Olivia<|fim_middle|> didn't know that he is literally the one who conceived of the notion that computers are something that a regular person could have. That was purely born out of his own selfish desire to own a computer for himself, but I didn't realize that's how it all came to be — just a nerd wanted a computer."
Steve Jobs opened in limited release on Oct. 9 and will open wide on Oct. 23. Watch the full interview with Wozniak at Bloomberg.
By Devan Coggan @devancoggan
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© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com | Munn, George R.R. Martin, and more couldn't stop watching. Read More Next
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Steve Jobs: Steve Wozniak explains what's real and what's fake in the film
By Devan Coggan
October 13, 2015 at 05:40 PM EDT
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SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) faces off against Michael Fassbender's Jobs multiple times, criticizing the Apple co-founder in a series of emotional confrontations. The thing is, those scenes never actually happened.
The real Woz sat down with Bloomberg to discuss the film and how although the film captures the spirit of Jobs and his time at Apple, many of the scenes are invented.
"Maybe everything in the movie didn't happen, but they're all based on things that did happen," Wozniak told Bloomberg. "Everything I say, every scene that I'm in, I wasn't talking to Steve Jobs at those events. I don't even say things like that, and I didn't say them, but they were based upon [reality]."
Wozniak goes on to explain how certain scenes, like his own confrontation with Jobs or the scenes between Jobs and Apple CEO John Sculley, never happened. But even though the movie isn't an accurate depiction of what exactly occurred, Wozniak still says he enjoyed it, praising Rogen and Fassbender especially.
"This movie was just top-notch professional," Wozniak said. "The script, the words they said, how well the actors played it, and the cinematography — following them along through the halls. I wasn't familiar with Aaron Sorkin's work because I don't watch television, so this was the first time I saw it. Unbelievable to me."
"If Steve Jobs were making movies as his product, this is the quality he would've had, absolutely," he added.
Although Wozniak met with Sorkin and Rogen multiple times to discuss his time with Jobs, he said he didn't even look at the script Sorkin wrote. "I didn't feel it was appropriate for somebody that's in a movie to look at a script and say, 'No, it didn't happen this way,' because it's [Sorkin's] art," Wozniak said.
"He's an amazing guy, and you don't often get to meet the guy who invented personal computers," Rogen told EW about meeting with Wozniak. "I | 616 |
The official photographs of Prince George's christening were released tonight at 10:00 PM BST. The photos were embargoed until that time – but as soon as the clock struck 10, the pictures were everywhere!
Many publications were patiently awaiting the photographs so they could be immediately sent to press for tomorrow's front page. The pictures were under strict embargo. After this morning's barrage of pictures from the christening, it came as no surprise that many other publications would look to these pictures for their front pages, to mark such a historic event.
The Daily Telegraph was the first to publish the photographs and tomorrow's front page!
Photograph One: Seated (left to right): The Queen,<|fim_middle|>" (however short it may be!) at the Cambridge's official website. | The Duchess of Cambridge holding Prince George, The Duke of Cambridge. Standing (left to right): The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, Miss Pippa Middleton, Mr James Middleton, Mrs Carole Middleton, Mr Michael Middleton.
Photograph Two: Pictured (left to right): The Duke of Cambridge holding Prince George, The Queen seated, and The Prince of Wales.
Photograph Three: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George.
Photograph Four: Seated (left to right): The Queen, The Duchess of Cambridge holding Prince George, The Duke of Cambridge. Standing (left to right): The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry.
The portraits were taken by Jason Bell, an internationally renowned photographer specializing in high profile projects, including film posters, special portraits and has many pieces on permanent exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery.
The Morning Room at Clarence House was originally the Breakfast Room in John Nash's original design for the Duke of Clarence in 1825-7.
The sofa on which the group is seated is part of a suite of gilt-wood seat furniture by Thomas Chippendale which dates from about 1773. It is thought to have been commissioned by George III's brother (the Duke of Gloucester) and was in the Royal Collection by the Reign of George IV.
These images mark a poignant moment in history. The last time a monarch had three living heirs was during the reign of Queen Victoria. No doubt these pictures will become iconic images of a powerful era for the Windsor family.
Camera Press, and their US counterpart Redux Photographs, released the images. The pictures came with a hefty licensing fee.
You can view Prince George's "life in pictures | 361 |
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Finn Balor and the Cursed Title, Plus Ponderings From WWE Summerslam Week
Posted on 08/24/2016 by primaryignition
By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder
Between NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II, Summerslam, Raw, and Smackdown, we've got a lot to cover. There's too much to go match by match. But lets tackle some of the big stuff. We might jump around a bit in the process, so bear with me…
Finn Balor wins WWE Universal Championship at Summerslam, relinquishes title the following night due to injury. Damn. I mean, just…damn.
One night after becoming the first ever WWE Universal Champion, Finn Balor has to vacate the title due to injury. An injury suffered by Seth Rollins powerbombing him into the ringside barricade, much like the career-ending bucklebomb he gave to Sting almost a year ago.
This hurts. For a lot of reasons. Finn Balor relinquishes the Universal title less than 24 hours after he won it. It's a title that, after being unveiled, received a collective groan and chants of "That belt sucks!" Mind you, they were already being mocked for the Universal Title name.
All this for a belt that waters things down by bringing us back to an era where there are two heavyweight champions.
Good lord…the belt is cursed! What other explanation could there be??
In all seriousness, I'm sorry Finn. Come back healthy. Be the star that we all know you are.
Universal Title design booed by many in attendance at Summerslam. Chants of "That belt sucks!" are heard. Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Yes, it looks a little like an accessory for Eva Marie. But we just came out of an era that gave us the spinner belt and the butterfly belt. If you'd swapped either of those out with the Universal Title, I'd have jumped for joy.
Rollins also took to Twitter to gripe about how the Brooklyn crowd "really let me down" with the chants. His frustration is understandable. But those fans paid money to sit in those seats and cheer/boo/chant whatever they want. Look on the bright side. At least nobody jumped the barricade like an idiot…
Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and Big Cass advance to a fatal fourway match on next week's Raw to crown a new Universal Champion. Without Balor, Raw will likely now revert back to Roman Reigns being the top babyface. So much for the "new era," I guess.
Big<|fim_middle|>over: Brooklyn II, pro wrestling, professional wrestling, Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE Raw, WWE Raw results, WWE Summerslam, WWE Summerslam 2016, WWE Universal Title
Previous Post A WWE Summerslam 2016 Preview – Are You There, Goldberg? It's Us…
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Best of Batman & Superman: The Original Switcheroo
Finding Nemo: A Horror Film
Weekly Comic 100s: DC Future State, Star Wars: The High Republic, and More!
Rob Watches Star Trek: A New Day, A New Generation
Best of Batman & Superman: Comic Book Medical Science
WWE's 10 Most Fascinating People 2020
Weekly Comic 100s: Jinny Hex, and More Catching Up
Rob Watches Star Trek: It's Never Goodbye…
Best of Batman & Superman: The Cruise of a Lifetime
Rob Watches Star Trek: Fumbling the Ball | Cass is an interesting addition to this match. It's fairly obvious they're eyeing him as a singles star down the road. But with due respect, he's not even close to ready. As good as he and Enzo are together, Cass doesn't exactly look good when you compare them. Yes, he's a big boy. But as we've seen countless times, one can't make a career on size alone.
AJ Styles def. John Cena in a show-stealer at Summerslam, earns title shot against Dean Ambrose at Backlash next month. Truly, this was AJ's week. You can make the argument that the match with Cena wasn't much of a creative effort, as they spent much of it kicking out of finishes. But the crowd reaction spoke for itself. They lit that place on fire. And to WWE's credit, they made the right move putting Styles over. I'm not sure what's going on with Cena's reduced schedule. Either way, AJ's star has never burned brighter.
Putting Styles with Ambrose next month was really the only choice. Who else could they have gone with? Ziggler again? Not after his clean loss to Ambrose. I'm really hoping this is the start of a heel turn for him. Otherwise, his last chance to be taken seriously as a main venter has been dashed.
Charlotte def. Sasha Banks for the WWE Women's Title. Banks to take a brief respite from the ring. There were a couple of really scary moments in this match. Sasha took that nasty fall on the ropes, and then you had that really risky crucifix powerbomb spot. It's no wonder Sasha's got back problems. The title change was a shock. But if Sasha needs to heal up, it's obviously the right move.
Bayley makes her main roster debut on Raw after losing to Asuka at Takeover. People have been waiting for this for a long time. Truly, Bayley has the potential to be a one of the biggest stars in all of WWE. Bigger than most, if not all of the men. Bayley's connection with her fans is truly special. It's just a question of how they use her.
Shinsuke Nakamura def. Samoa Joe for NXT Championship. I don't for a second doubt Nakamura's talent or his star power. But I'm concerned that his English will be an obstacle once he makes it to the main roster. NXT is Triple H's sandbox. But WWE at large is Vince McMahon's. This is a huge week for him. But he's got a great many trials ahead of him.
Follow Primary Ignition on Twitter @PrimaryIgnition, or at Facebook.com/PrimaryIgnition.
Author: primaryignition
Tagged: AJ Styles, Barclays Center, Bayley, Big Cass, Brooklyn, Charlotte Flair, Finn Balor, John Cena, John Cena vs. AJ Styles, Jon Moxley, Kevin Owens, NXT, NXT Takeover, NXT Take | 608 |
The RAMMY Awards from the Central Virginia Apartment Association, a division of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, is an industry awards program that recognizes<|fim_middle|>1938, this honor is the result of a rigorous evaluation process from the national Multifamily Leadership Program.
Within months of completing construction, The Choices, a 252-unit gated property with beautiful, traditionally-styled brick townhomes and garden apartments with one, two or three-bedroom floor plans, is fully leased. | the hard work and accomplishments of apartment professionals and apartment communities in the Greater Central Virginia Area. The awards ceremony took place Friday, January 18, 2019 at The Greater Richmond Convention Center.
For the third year in a row, Drucker + Falk has been named a finalist for the "Best Places to Work in Multifamily." Consistently deemed a top multifamily apartment management company since | 84 |
Italy Records Alive and Well...the Go Help Re-start Label
In a world where things we can count on number less and less every day, I am refreshed as to what I grabbed on my latest office visit at Archer Record Pressing. There were times when I never thought I'd see this…the musical equivalent of a coelacanth or an Inverted Jenny stamp. Alas…a new Italy Records release.
Dave Buick has recovered from the shuttering of the Young Soul Rebels record shop (and occasional record imprint) and picked up where he left off with his seminal label in 2001. Man, was it seven years ago he released the Whirlwind Heat single?
Italy release lucky number 13 is the second Detroit-issued 7" by the Go in mere months, (the other done by a shady huckster with Polish Mafia connections and his hand in the pocket of the flexi-disc lobby) and proves they got the goods to seriously scare you.
I'll admit right here and open up the argument…Bobby Harlow and John Krautner are the best songwriting duo from this city since Collins and Kroha teamed up South of 8 Mile and Dog Butt publishing. Yes, gasp in the grandiosity of the word. The Go are unrivaled as songwriters in this town and more people need to accept it.
"You Go Bangin' On" hints at Beefhearty baritone barks, instead grasping a heavenly harmony that Harlow has already expressed his fear of having to recreate live. Marc Fellis steals the show here though…consistently underrated in this town for his drumming what he delivers here is so unflinchingly original and captivating that he gets the MVP award.
Flip is equally undeniable. "Maribel" (the entire first name of Detroit Cobras git slinger/brains Mary Restrepo for those keeping stalk at home) dabbles in Krautner's bubblegum fetish with equal debt to the Beatles and Tommy James and other Sixties pop staples. "Is my teasin' to your pleasin'?" is warmhearted wholesome lyric brilliance. This one definitely sounds like you've heard it before…touchstones your brain can't specifically place turn into watermarks of songcraft.
This is the first smash hit of the new year. You need this. Never mind the pink on the Italy label is a darker hue than of years past. Never mind the band getting their name in their own personalized font on the label (a new step for Italy that lends it's look to an early 70's psych single) or even the switch from the classic FuturaBold font is negligible (although noticed by Italy nerd-hards like me). Instant classic.
Archival Detroit Soul Singles and My Weak Comparisons to Better-Known Motown Acts...
I'd like to fake that I know a thing or two about soul music, but in this town that could get me killed. Here's a handful of archival release 7"s of rare Detroit soul. The stuff on Soul King was originally recorded under the auspices of the Gold Soul label in the late 60's and early 70's. Ron Murphy was the brains behind that operation and finally released them on his Soul King imprint in 1991 before quickly going out of print. (Full disclosure: Ron Murphy cuts vinyl masters for Cass Records. He's a badass. He's forgotten more about Detroit soul music than any one else will ever know). Coupled with the two Detroit Stars discs (which might be illegit, but I'm sure no one's checking) I stumbled upon this batch of wax for review. Weirdly enough, you can't find these in Detroit, or as far as I can tell, North America. The only distros I've seen carrying any of these are all in the UK, where appreciation for this stuff is rampant. So if yer so inclined, there maybe some searching involved. But that never hurt anyone.
My deal with soul is (in-brief) like this: Before the Dirtbombs recorded "Ultraglide…" I knew next to nothing about the genre. My education was Detroit oldies radio. The standards really. So for anything to get to me, move me, elicit a reaction, I think it needs to have some sort of connection or relation to those hits instilled in me at a young age. Tricky thing is, while Motown was busy becoming the multi-million dollar leader in independent black record production in the mix-Sixties, there were hundreds of others in Detroit hoping just to grab the teensiest slice of Gordy's pie. So EVERYONE was trying to replicate the Motown sound and what results is a cottage industry of unimaginable magnitude. There is so much rare, unreleased, unheralded soul to be mined (and already mined) from this city that it's breathtaking. Personally, I prefer the ends of the spectrum…gimme a scorching-fast barn-burning tempo or deathly slow tear-jerking ballad. I don't want no in-between. Or gimme the top-of-the-line Studio A production with bells and whistles and back-up singers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra overdubbed or gimme the crude two-track live recoding done in a living room on the Northwest side. No room for in-betweens.
So below, my reference points (as I would assume most everyone else's) are the bigger, well-known Motown hitmakers. I haven't written so much about soul, so maybe this is just more of an exercise than anything.
The Metros "What's Wrong With Your Love" b/w "She's Just Not Everybodys Girl" Soul King-401
Reminiscent of the mid-sixties Four Tops, these tracks were recorded in 1971. A-side produced/co-written by Fiery Bursey who had done previous time at Golden World and Motown. "What's Wrong With Your Love" sizzles with Northern floor-filling aplomb while the flip is a midtempo swooning ballad produced by La Beat cohort Bill Smith, who shares writing credits on both tracks. Not bad, not killer.
Nelson Sanders "I Hold the Key" b/w "It's Real" Soul King-402
Having done two records with La Beat, Sanders was paired with Onie Griner, Bill Smith and Eddie Robinson for these sides in 1969. Both of these songs are considered unfinished and it shows. "Key" is a slow piano-driven cut with pleading vocals a la Al Green with less refinement. "It's Real" is another showcase for Sanders vocals and someone on some shit-hot bongo riffs. But there is definite questionable drumming on "Real" that takes away from the coulda-been-a-buried-album-track-of-a-Motown-one-hit-wonder vibe of the entire thing. This would not have gotten past Quality Control.
Doni Burdick "Candle" b/w "Whatcha Gonna Do" Soul King-403
Now THIS could've gone somewhere. "Candle" is an uptempo foot-stomping mover propelled by knockout horn stabs that vaguely hint at Stevie's "Uptight". The flip is more juice…them horns and drums so in-the-pocket they're covered in lint and then, some tricky-smooth tambourine tomfoolery. Wow. Recorded in 1971 but could easily fool someone it was six years earlier. This one is worth searching for and paying the exorbitant import price.
Pat Lewis "Geni" b/w "Loves Creeping Up on Me" Detroit Stars-701
Lewis is highly regarded in Northern Soul circles and can command a good $2k for her most desirable stuff. "Geni" is dynamic and properly produced with horns, strings, tympani and the whole shebang, but is a bit airy and just doesn't hit me. But "Loves Creeping Up on Me" is killer. While originally released (with the same backing track) by the Holidays on Revilot, this is supposedly the demo version the Holidays worked from. Lewis' vocals do it silky justice. The bass/guitar interplay is reminiscent of a Hitsville smash a la HDH via the Supremes. The trebly git hook wrapped up in Jamerson-esque low-end movements is sublime. Dig it hard.
Margaret Little "Love Finds a Way" b/w "I Need Some Loving" Detroit Stars-702
A-side is predictable. Little's voice doesn't stand out in the least. Sax break is such a Funk Brothers lift that I feel like a witness to a crime. Flip carries more ambience but fails to deliver any interest. Unreleased for a reason?
Four Down, Four to Go...
Random unsolicited email today:
"My 6-year old son Evan has a habit of asking questions that are pretty
tough to answer. Examples from this week include:
What's your favorite cemetery where you have relatives that are buried?
Can a fish swim faster than a bird can fly?
And I'm writing you to share one that's pretty tough:
If the two dead members of The Who, and the two dead members of the
Beatles formed a band...
and the two living members of The Who, and the two living members of the
Which band would be better?
I can see it either way. Keith Moon, John Entwhistle, John Lennon and
George Harrison, OR Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and
Roger Daltrey?
If it wasn't for Pete, the choice would be easy. What do you think?"
MY REPLY...
I live for emails like this. But don't unwisely invest too much in Pete's living. In my opinion, I don't particularly have much care for Daltrey or Entwistle. And Ringo gets unfairly bagged on (the fill on the Anthology version of "Strawberry Fields" alone make this man a visionary) . I feel like everyone else would very quickly choose the dead guys and for some reason that makes me want to pick apart the question even more. Now that I think about it, I'm very clear that I would much rather see Townsend/McCartney together than any other combo of those two bands. Paul is such a badass on bass...shit like "Taxman" or "Dear Prudence" or "Tomorrow Never Knows" are all undeniable. And Pete on guitar on "Pictures of Lily" or "My Generation" are ALL you need in my book. But then, do you take on Daltrey's voice as a liability? Because he's the only one there who doesn't play an instrument. You're left with a power trio and one in which both Pete and Paul can sing (in my opinion) better. With my rules, Daltrey can shake a tambourine and not have to sing. Do with that what you may.
If we were to slightly alter the challenge and took the two dead Beatles with the living members of the Who (Lennon, Harrison, Townsend, Daltrey) against Moon, Entwistle, McCartney and Ringo I would, on theory, select dead Who/living Beatles (while some may claim the three guitar vs. double drum/double bass argument is malarkey, I'm viewing it on far more intrinsic levels). Take into account the songs Pete/Paul/Ringo/Daltrey wrote vs. the songs Lennon/Harrison/Entwistle/Moon wrote. Or if you wanna ignore a lot of the crap, Pete and Paul vs. Harrison and Lennon. To me, that is CLEARLY Paul and Townsend...you get the punk and the melody. with Harrison/Lennon, you just get the melody. And if we view this above-board and pull the ever-bloody straight up Beatles vs. the Who, I'm left having to pick the Beatles if only for their consistency and paving the way for acts like the Who.
With that in mind, if we view this mathematically, Paul and Ringo would be the trump here. If we approach dead vs. living as a stalemate, equal, on-par, whatever...Paul and Ringo would be the winners in the two other categories (Beatles vs. Who and dead Beatles w/living Who vs. dead Who w/living Beatles) and Paul/Pete wrote the better songs vs Harrison and Lennon. So really, in this case, it is Paul who's living is the deal-breaker. Whatever team he's on, I'm joining. And so it is settled (in my mind) that the living members of the Who and the Beatles would be a better band than the dead members of the Who and the Beatles. Especially since dead people can't even play instruments. But if you're explaining it to the youth, you always choose the power trio over the four piece with two guitars.
The This Many Boyfriends Club...
As threatened, here is my GarageBand cover of the Beat Happening classic. This is the first project I've ever completed in GarageBand. If the download doesn't work, email me at cassdetroit@aol.com and I'll email you back with a copy of the song.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/amumeq
When I Knew My Chicken...
There are certain musical moments in your life that clearly watershed. Moments that divide your life into before and after.
Hearing Brian May's guitar entrance on "We Will Rock You" at a Detroit Rockers indoor soccer game at Cobo Hall (or was it Joe Louis Arena?) in fourth grade struck me. Bold, stinging and cocky, May's solo is everything a rock guitar part should be and if forced to provide a template, I would point young axers in the direction of this otherwise over-wrought cliché'd arena rock.
But Winter 1995 into 1996 would leave me struck harder than any other event I'd witnessed at that point, and only a handful afterwards.
This was the season MTV had given a late night talk show to teenager Jake Fogelnest. While originally beginning as a cable access program, "Squirt TV" was shot in Fogelnest's NYC bedroom and seemed like heaven. The walls were covered with ultra-hip posters…Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, "Mallrats", Pavement, "Saturday Night Fever", Mike Watt…there was a disco ball glittering away and Christmas lights wrapped around an otherwise ill-placed pillar made the place look like every 1<|fim_middle|>6. Mona Lisa Snake
From "Go Kill Mice" and easily the standout track. Dante successfully pulls out his Asheton guns without falling on mimicry or imitation. Added to the saxaphone howling and this is the greatest song that wasn't included on "Funhouse" but could've been. And the title is badass. Almost as essential as "New Year's Bathroom Magic".
7. Crenshaw Creature
Crenshaw obviously the Los Angeles street name. Maybe this is about a crackhead? First of the songs credited as "Recorded by Dante Adrian at Phantom Power" which I'm deducing is home laptop recordings. Don't take that for fact, but I can't imagine any "studio" getting sounds like those on the Phantom Power tracks. I mean that as a compliment.
Starlite is usually on the mark when the guitar and bass are doing slightly different movements and the chorus on this song is the perfect example of that. As someone who has no understanding of notes or chords or progressions, I can only say it's something I get the vibe on the Victims' "Television Addict" and "Perth is a Culture Shock". I would love a proper, musicological explanation of whatever this phenomenon is one day.
8. Sally From the Valley
A reference to Slick Rick's "Lodi Dodi"? Possibly. The only acoustic guitar I can think of on any Starlite tracks, slightly reminiscent of "Hot for Preacher".
9. Escape from Witch Canyon
They were doing this on the 2004 West Coast swing where they opened for the Dirtbombs. Bass guitar doing high-to-low divebombs is something I personally attach with Kevin Peyok, but is accomplished here without fault. "And everyone knows that witches burn" over a perfectly actualized/realized/completed/resolved guitar formation. I wish I could explain it better. The feeling where they hit an unexpected chord that fits so well that it becomes expected…don't the German's have a word for it?
10. The Monk
Phoned in. An unimaginative title should be all you need to discern whether any effort was put into a song. And it works for us here.
11. A Common Cold
Another favorite from the '04 tour. Doubled vocals are wonderfully confusing and this is another song with that over-reverbed, tremeloed Halloween sound effects record guitar vibe. I keep thinking he's singing "green manilishi" but have to reassure myself that's not the case.
12. It Rhymes with 'Bitch'
B-side to the first single. I searched for ages for this 7" on Catchpenny. Recorded in 1996, this is fuzz punk that makes me want to type the words "Joy Division" that were possibly mentioned in label ad-copy for this single. I, in good-conscience, offered a white vinyl "Lafayette Blues" single in trade to anyone who could offer this in return. No one ever took me up on it (some 30,000 members of the White Stripes email list the main offenders). They were smart. I wouldn't trade this either.
13. Strange World
Another Phantom Power phone-in. A sketch really, could develop into something more substantial, but in this state, negligible. Need I again point to the lack in a creative title?
14. Clean Slate Club
Oh the cunning word play. Treads the same ground as "The Gold Rush" from "Go Kill Mice" does. Phantom Power not-so-bad.
15. The Life
There are some tempos that just obliterate my entire being in a bad way. As soon as this songs begins, I want to skip over it. Slow and plodding with serpentine guitar wrapped all around it, if it were sped up or slowed down significantly I would dig it. Really fast punker or suuuuuuper-slow swamp dirge is the way, all this mid-tempo bullsnark just grinds my gears.
16. Our Product
A-side of the first single. Starlite the way I've seen them live has never sounded like this and I regret it. More overblown fuzz urgency with a tricky delayed change on the guitar transitions during the verse that I was amazed to have taught myself. Searing screech solo. A genuine gem to finally have on CD. I've spent some time with this song and I want to spend more with it. Probably the record in my collection most-prized by me and least-prized by anyone else in the human race. That's a good idea for a article…record in your collection that is indespensible to you, but would be worthless to most anyone else. Anyone, please post your answers in the comments section.
17. Out of Town
Downbeat muck. Really should've ended the CD with "Our Product". Another Phantom Power phiasco. Oh well…it is only a CD-r. I can't imagine you'll be able to find these songs anywhere. Maybe I'll figure out how to post Mp3's on here soon. Make me look like I'm not entirely out of my gourd.
So whether this is preparation for the long-rumored new disc on Capitol or evidence of something a little less rosy, this ain't bad. Would've been cooler if it was a CD-r or handmade as an unspoken disclaimer for the demo-ish nature of some of the songs. And I don't mean to unfairly bag on the Phantom Power tracks, but they just retread familiar SD ground with out shedding any new light or ideas, certainly the uninitiated will not share my distaste and my complaints are probably only agreed with by Mike Clark and Dave Buick. Either way, any Starlite is better than no Starlite. Get this if you can. If you need it, I may hook you honkeys up. Just ask.
Horror's Glories...or How I Wrote 'Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy'
When it comes to music criticism and appreciation, I will be the first to admit to my hypocritical nature. When choosing a band name, you must do all that you can to be absolutely sure that you pick a name that hasn't been used before. So when a band like the (John Speck) Fags comes around and you know they have full-knowledge of the Ypsilanti teen-punk vehicle for Carrie Smith of the same name, I can't help but feel a little bummed.
But with bands like the Muldoons, the Hentchmen, the Shams or even the Mystery Girls, I find an appreciation in the reappropriation of an old moniker or the not-giving-a-fuck-ness of not even caring if someone's used the name before.
And the same can be said about lifting lyrics or titles or melodies from somewhere else. When Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" first landed on radio the bastardization of Love's take on "Little Red Book" and Iggy's "Lust for Life" was downright enraging.
But when I listen to the Gories (who by the way, stole their name from an episode of "Gidget") crib the chord progression to the Troggs "From Home" and do "Rat's Nest" or pull the Cobras "I Wanna Be Your Love" as the basis for "Nitroglycerine" I absolutely relish in the historical context the band has chosen to include themselves in.
Likewise, when a group of rich kids are in a band together, I'm instantly put off. At the same time, sometimes those rich kids manage to pull one over on me. My only real example for both sides of this is the Strokes, who I initially wanted to hate, but ended up honestly appreciating.
And when a band gives themselves a "look" or "stage-outft" it's usually absurd and with no meaning. I recall MhZ (prounounced Megaherz, or if you ever saw them live, Mega-hurts) wearing this douchy powder blue jumpsuits. No explanation, no seeming reason, just stupid really. And the band sucked too.
But with someone like the White Stripes or the early all-black incarnation of the Mooney Suzuki, it was understood. And it was cool. And it was badass.
So it's fairly easy to say that I can go either way with the Horrors. Name already used by Iowa teen punks on In the Red just a few years ago, songs "inspired" by the Monks, the Ramones and others, and supposedly a bunch of upper-crust Londoners playing dress-up most commonly referred to as the second-coming of Edward Scissorhands.
All that needs to be determined is if I want to like the Horrors. The fact that Ben Swank knows them and vouches for them is a plus. The idea of a confrontational lead singer in the Alan Vega might-beat-you-up-if-you-dare-look-at-him-wrong sense is also a welcome return. At the same time, I'm immediately wary of anything British. Anything. And the fact that they're already NME cover stars without even releasing an album, rather just a handful of singles…actually, I dig the singles part, it's the NME I can't stand.
My first word on this band was from Dirtbombs UK booking agent Ed Stringfellow. He'd said he was vying strongly to become the Horrors booking agent and said that my name had come up in talks with them. He was hoping I could put in a good word for him.
I thought it was weird that a band from Iowa that the Dirtbombs had played with once on a terrible night in Buffalo was suddenly in-demand in the UK and even moreso that my name had come up in conversation, but figured the world's a small place and soon forgot about it.
I would later come to find out that there was a UK band called the Horrors and the Ben they knew was Swank, not Crackwell. After a care-package of all things Horror arrived many moons ago I became reluctant to listen to any of it. I didn't know if I would like it or hate it. Didn't know if I wanted to like it or hate it. I was confused.
So today I popped the DVD of "Sheena Is A Parasite" onto my trusty PowerBook. The Chris Cunningham clip was impressive, but still left much to be desired. No real clear shots of the band as a whole. But then again, maybe that's the point?
The audio of "Death in the Chapel" was fine. Not offensive, not admirable. Upon second listen the searing guitar solo sticks like dirty underwear flung against a wall. That's a good thing. "A Knife in Their Eye" with it's approximation of the Monks jam "Higgly-Dy-Piggly-Dy" is wonderfully worked to a song that retains all of the bounce of the original.
I detect a dedication to the Fall amongst all this debris…Faris Rotter's vocals recall those of Mark E. Smith and even the guitar tones (tones dude…dude, tones!) and the Vox Continental owe more to the walking-corpse who wrote "How I Wrote Elastic Man" than the Elastik Band.
Having heard all they have to offer (or really, all I can find short of their cover of "Jack the Ripper") I gotta say I dig it. Toss in the limited edition fanzine complete with a CD of their favorite US psych-punk 45's and I will honestly admit hipping me to the Driving Stupid "Horror Asparagus Stories" as it was a track that somehow slipped past me. Add directions on how to modify effects pedals, tips on altering your pants for a perfect pair of drainpipes and an A-Z guide to the best in obscure British rhythm and blues, freakbeat and psychedelia and it's clear…the Horrors not only have the right intentions (which it seems TOO many bands have lately) but they also have the proper execution.
Then again, I'm sure you could twist the facts just a bit and hate it. You decide.
I tried...
At first today was gonna be a rant about the Starlite Desperation. But the computer shut down before I could save or memorize any of it.
My second attempt was a love letter to Cibo Mato's performance of "Know Your Chicken" from SquirtTV. And the computer shut down on that when I was just about finished.
So now I must regale you with record collecting haikus...
You're VG minus
With slight ring-wear on jacket
I can learn to love
Compulsive Gamblers'
First single search eternal
Curses on eBay
Alphabetical?
Chronological maybe?
Or big fucking pile?
Don Johnson album
Mint condition, autographed
In the dollar bin
Happenings Record Show One Day Ago...
For the past ten years I've been a regular attendee at the quarterly Roseville record show. Oh the treasure and sundries I have viewed at these shows.
I made it to the show yesterday later than normal. I can usually be found walking in as soon as the doors open at 10am. I slept in and cruised in a little after noon. This disturbed me to no end. While I kept waking and going back to sleep, I couldn't help but imagine what rarities were being scooped up for mere pennies while I was too lazy to rouse myself. As anyone who's every been to the Roseville show knows, that is never the case.
Armed with my trusty Vestax portable turntable I paid the $3 entry fee, collected my admission ticket for future raffle purposes and made my way to my usual first stop…Rod Branham's table.
Branham is in his mid-fifties, a retired hippie if you will, having done time at the Grande Ballroom digging on the Stooges and the MC5 way back when. With his doting wife always at his side behind the tables he is sometimes clad in a loud tie-dyed shirt and his longish hair is usually threaded through the back of a baseball hat. This day he was wearing a Stooges cap replete with "Free John Now" and White Panther "Music is Revolution" pins. His stock is always fascinating…while selling me many of my prized 60's garage singles, he always has a great batch of soul and blues items as well. He puts some stuff on eBay under the seller name "rerun45" and it's worth checking his auctions from time to time.
I've got many a jams from Rod over the years…the Quests "Scream Loud" on Fenton, Roy Junior "Victim of Circumstances" on Hickory, my first copy of the MC5 "Looking at You" on A-Square, the Beaux Jens "She Was Mine" on Sound of the Sceen, the Mama Cats "Miss You" (written by Bob Seger) on Hideout and countless other garage rarities currently in my coffers. And I think he was responsible for the Michigan Mayhem compilations, so much respect sent his way as those are essential in my book.
Rod can be a little overpriced, but as one who consistently turns up records I myself can't find anywhere else, I find no problem with him. He supposedly even snagged a clean-but-cracked copy of the Keggs single at one of these Roseville shows of the past few years. I guess someone just walked in and picked Rod's table as the place he wanted to trade his stuff. What luck. Rod must just give off that record radar and the gems just find their way to him. As with most dealers, the more you buy, the more they knock off their listed price. But he had nothing that tugged at my loins this day, so I was off to other lands.
I soon found a copy of Robin and the Three Hoods "That's Tuff" on Hollywood and snagged it for $10. Came home and found a copy of the same song, albeit on the Fan Jr. label, that I had bought at the previous Roseville show from who I believe to be the same seller. Such are the perils of my existence. I hope the same doesn't happen to you.
Later I was "recognized" by a dealer as "the guy who did the liner notes for the White Stripes DVD." Wow. Pretty surreal and cool and weird all at the same time. I mean, how do you recognize someone from liner notes? I guess he knew who I was before? But recognized me with the beard? I don't know. I spent a few minutes discussing the intricacies of the White Stripes cover of "Jack the Ripper" in relation to Screaming Lord Sutch's penning of tune and not, as he thought, the Link Wray song of the same name. I also explained its similarity to the version by the One Way Streets featured on the "Back from the Grave" compilation.
He had a nice stack of paper goods and I got flyers from the '89 and '90 Dally in the Alley, along with two issues of Hoofsip (a zine by Dan Augustine of the W-Vibe), some old playlists for Radios in Motion and other assorted ephemera for $25. The Dally flyers were ideal for their mention of two Gories performances, letting me add those two shows to my in-progress complete master list of ever Gories show ever.
I am a dork.
My final stop was some random dude's table. He's got grey hair, probably in his mid-sixties and on this occasion, had a moustache. He's kinda shrouded in mystery…he sets up, at most, once a year at the record show, but doesn't do eBay, doesn't have a store, doesn't sell out of his house. In this world, that's quite peculiar, and for some reason, makes me respect the guy even more. I imagine he was a cross-country hitch-hiking beatnik badass back when that meant something. And that he bought every record he saw.
He had lots of stuff from the HBR and Bangar labels. The Bats, Guilloteens, Positively 13 O'Clock, Unrelated Segments and W.C. Field's Electric Memorial String band were all HBR titles he had (of course no copy of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators) and I fretted about the 13 O'Clock version of "Psychotic Reaction" for some time even though it had a significant skip in it. Even for only $10, I couldn't justify it. Gregory Dee and the Avanties, Mojo Buford and the Accents were all Bangar stuff that he had (and of course, no copy of the Shandells' monster "Gorilla") that I ultimately passed on.
But this brings me to an interesting feeling that comes over me in record show situations. With the Positively 13 O'Clock single, I got excited. Never, ever a good thing to happen at a record show, as it clouds your judgement. As my Sixties garage knowledge is pretty confined to local Michigan releases and the more-elite of the Back From the Grave releases, anything else remotely interesting befuddles me. So I start to have rapid-fire succession of thoughts: "Is this comped? Have I heard it? Is it super-rare? Is this criminally under-priced? Ohmygawd did I discover this? I bet no one's ever heard it before. They're gonna write a story about me in the newspaper. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit."
But that has never been the case. At the Roseville record show I've never discovered anything, never got a smoking deal, never nothing. For me, it seems the dealer is always right and that is never in your favor. Actually, I got copies of the Henry and June and Detroit Cobras singles on Human Fly a few years back for $15 each and that was pretty cool. But other than that…
But this guy also had a copy of the Detroit Sex Machines "The Stretch" which was amazing. There was talk in some circles that this single didn't even exist…that it was a complete modern fabrication that existed only as a Soul Fire reissue. Well I held one in all it's resplendent glory yesterday. Found it inconspicuously in his soul box (which I had no idea why I was going through) and just stared at it for awhile. Trying to decipher his pencil-written code on the paper sleeve was tricky. It seemed, appropriately, that it was priced at $2000. But then there were also little squiggles that made you think it could possibly be $350. As I put it back down, the guy next to me asked if he could see it. We were both tempted to ask the price, but neither of us did. Another customer, with a large stack, refiled the single and the owner started to ask about it. He said "What'd I have that for?" to which other customer replied "Two" and he shook his head in agreement.
He also had a copy of the All Night Workers "Why Don't You Smile" single, famous for being one of the pre-VU Lou Reed tracks along with "The Ostrich", "My Iconoclastic Life" and "There's a Tiger In My Tank" (and others, I'm sure) that were ish'd on know-nothing labels back when Lou was a production line songwriter at Pickwick Records. He had it priced at $70. I was tempted. It was a DJ copy. I had no idea what they usually sell for. I listened to it and determined I liked the Del-Monas cover version much better. I also think the DM's version is the basis for the fuzz bass part in the Dirtbombs song "Cedar Point '76".
(Does anyone have a CD of all Lou's pre-VU stuff? I've got bits and bobs here…the repress of "The Ostrich" 45 on the hilariously goof'd Dickwick label and the Beechnuts on the "What a Way to Die" comp, but it'd be nice to have it all in one place, you know?)
The only things I bought from this guy were the 3rd Power 45 and a promo copy of the mono/stereo New York Dolls "Trash" for $35. The 3rd Power were a Detroit band from the late '60s that you can find listed on a bunch of old Grande Ballroom posters. This was the only thing they ever released. It lacks the tenacity of the Up "Just Like An Aborigine" but I would group it in a similar category. The New York Dolls label was just too pretty to pass up.
At the 2pm they held a raffle for three $25 prizes. Or was it $50? Either way, I lost. I'm trying to imagine how many of these record shows I've been to, somewhere near 30 I'd imagine, and am wondering what the chances are that I go to every one for the rest of my life and continue to not win the raffle. I have never won and probably never will.
Singing the lazes of the Child Ballads...
The Child Ballads Cheekbone Hollows (Pop. ½ Life) EP Loog
I really want to love this with every ounce of my being. Stuart Lupton, as most people have forgotten, was lead singer of Jonathan Fire*Eater. While I have vague memories of Fire*Eater while they were together (my friend Trevor telling me that the cassette tape of an early White Stripes show reminded him of JF*E and seeing Wolf Songs for Lambs in cut-out bins for years after its release) I never really got to fully experience them until they were gone. No live bootlegs to be found, no clips on YouTube…it leaves me with a very ideal histrionic view of the band. There hasn't been anything to fuck up how much I love Jonathan Fire*Eater.
That is, until this Child Ballads record.
Really. The Walkmen, consisting of 3/5's of the Fire*Eater dudes, took the band's sound in a logical direction without rehashing anything. Apparently even a song like "Little House of Savages" was a melody/chord progression/whatever kicking around back in the Fire*Eater days. But what we get with Lupton and the Child Ballads is deflating.
The title track is choice. Lupton's unadulterated lift of the coda to Bob Seger's "Night Moves" is possibly intentional, but nevertheless maintains the sanguine demeanor of the original. These lyrics (reproduced on the back cover of the CD) give a clear view that Lupton's libretto holds the same vim as back in the JF*E days…
I bought a white chocolate tea in the park on my lunchbreak.
I bought a painting off the street of a haunted lake.
I tried hard to make my world an exciting place.
But I keep hearing talk of the doom,
and they're sending the meek home.
And that's not half as bad as the shadow
that's caught in the hollow of your cheekbone.
But from there the inspired moments become less and less. Maybe he's just a lyrics and voice man? A role he could play with impunity in Fire*Eater but one that merely exposes weaknesses with limited instrumental accompaniment with Child Ballads?
Because the instrumentation is spare…Lupton on acoustic guitar occasional leads lent by Judah Bauer and some other dude in pure Keef-ian style. Besides that, Betsey Wright on Wurlitzer, Farfisa, viola and vocals…none of which ever fill-out the picture completely. Hugh McIntosh on drums and shakey-cha-cha maracas and whatnot is solid but not enough.
A song like "Green Jewelry" just floats aimlessly in front of your face, starting with a likeable jaunt, but slowly repeating, repeating, repeating until you realize you're staring at an unfinished idea gussied up to appear "done". I'm not buying it.
Listening to this entire EP is a feat of strength. It's 27 minutes of a lot of the same acoustic guitar usually reserved for open mic night at the corner coffeehouse. But the lyrics may still grab you. Lupton's poetry studies at George Washington University have kept him on his toes. If I were in charge, this would've been an above-average single with "Cheekbone Hollows" as the a-side and "Laughter From the Rafters" as the flip. As an EP, it fails to keep yer attention. But I believe there is still hope. Hell, Lupton is the one who came up with the name for this damn website. I just stole it. Lord, please let genius befall this man in more palatable ways. Amen.
Dig on the song "Cheekbone Hollows" and try to piece it all together at...
http://www.myspace.com/childballad
Ben's Wantlist for 2007...
Will buy or trade for any of these reasonably offered. Releases in bold are especially wanted. Question marks indicate I'm not sure if they even exist. Send any leads my way...
Compulsive Gamblers Church Goin' 7" (got a copy 5/7/07)
Suicide Cheree 7" (got a copy 4/28/07...and one with"Ghostrider" as the flip on 5/24/07)
Jazzie Red I Am a Dope Fiend any format (got a copy 5/24/07)
Sonic Youth Stick Me Donna 7" (got a copy 4/28/07)
The Fabs That's the Bag I'm In 7" (got a copy 4/18/09)
The Lee VI's Pictures on My Shelf 7"
The Scientists Frantic Romantic 7" (got a copy 5/24/07)
Bill Fay Screams in My Ears 7" (got a copy 6/19/07)
Pixies Monkey Gone to Heaven 7" (got a copy 2/9/07)
Pixies Velouria 7" (got a copy 3/19/07)
The Horrors Sheena is a Parasite 7" (got a copy 3/19/07)
Melvins Spit it Out 7" (got a copy 11/17/09)
V/A Dope, Guns and Fucking in the Streets Vol. 1 7" (got a copy 4/28/07)
House of Freaks Crack in the Sidewalk 7" (am now convinced this doesn't exist)
Soul Brothers Six What You've Got 7" (got a copy 4/23/07)
Sleater-Kinney Fortunate Son CD-single (swore I saw this once...no evidence otherwise)
Billy Bao Bilbo's Incinerator 7" (got a copy 3/30/07)
The Headcoats You Make Me Dance (You Make Me Die) 7" (got a copy 5/14/07...it's a 12")
The Headcoats A-Z of Your Heart 7" (got a copy 2/9/07)
The Headcoats I'm Hurting 7" picture disc (got a copy 4/16/07)
The Headcoats Organic Footprints 7" (got a copy 2/9/07)
Eric's Trip Belong EP 7" (got a copy 3/19/07)
Eric's Trip Gordon Street Haunting 7" (got a copy 7/10/07)
Cat Power Undercover 7" (got a copy 3/30/07)
Six Organs of Admittance s/t LP (got a copy 3/7/07)
The Prats Jesus Had a P.A. 7" (got a copy sometime in 2008)
Church Mice 7" (got a copy 3/19/07)
Jarvis Street Revue Mr. Oil Man LP (got a copy 10/5/09)
The Black Diamonds I Want, Need, Love You 7"
The Elois By My Side 7" (got a copy September '09)
The Monks Complications 7" (got a copy 6/19/07)
Beck Pay No Mind 7" (got a copy 3/12/07)
The 5.6.7.8's 1st 7" (got a copy 11/28/07)
The Fastbacks A-A-A 7" (got a copy 7/23/09)
The Kinks The Village Green Preservation Society 7" (got a copy 4/23/07)
Italy Records Alive and Well...the Go Help Re-star...
Archival Detroit Soul Singles and My Weak Comparis...
Horror's Glories...or How I Wrote 'Higgle-Dy-Piggl... | 2-year-old's dream club house.
And for a show that was on at midnight on Fridays, they pulled some sweet guests. Kevin Smith showed up with Joey Lauren Adams, Janeane Garofalo, Ad Rock, Beck and the Fugees (way before "The Score" blew up) all stopped in to chat on young Jake's bed. As a Catholic-schooled pre-teen getting no love from the plaid-skirted counterparts, saving up my pennies to buy bootleg Nirvana CD's and just recently discovering masturbation, "Squirt TV" was like an invitation to an otherwordly land where someone somewhat like me could be considered remotely cool, do something creative and have a viable outlet for it. I identified more with Jake Fogelnest onscreen during "Squirt TV" more than anyone else ever featured on a television screen before or since.
And the tease with the show was that it was so achingly hard to stay up until midnight. Occasionally there would be a party in someone's basement on the weekend, Stephanie DiVirgil, Allison Glenn and Melissa Moultrie all had 8th-grade get-togethers where Spin-the-Bottle with hugging substituted for kissing was the norm. Why did dudes never host parties? Looking back, I'm glad there was still some innocence kicking around. I'd go to dances just to have a reason to wear my Silverchair t-shirt and look at girls I liked. Never danced. Not sure what I'd do if one of those girls I liked would've actually asked me to.
So after one of these girl-hosted parties, I came home on a wintery night to glowing television light. The rest of the house was asleep. And on came Cibo Matto.
I knew nothing about this band. They were martians as far as I was concerned. From the opening shot of Russell Simin's bagel-on-a-hihat, snare, kick drum and floor tom, I was digging. I always appreciated a simple drum set and this would be the simplest in my world for some time, although there was always an affinity for Patrick Wilson in Weezer because he used Slingerlands. The bagel itself seemed so stupid yet so clever at the same time and I was transfixed by it. Focused really...that sort of tweener excitement that is totally unwarranted yet totally unexplainable. It just is. I think I ate more bagels after that and Simins is to blame.
But Cibo Matto destroyed my mind that night.
If I had to place the significance on any one thing, it was Sean Lennon and his fuzz bass. I don't know if I'd ever heard a fuzz bass before that…maybe a Beck song or something, but I'm sure it would've been buried under the other 48 tracks of amazing shit.
But the fuzz bass was the only tonal element to this performance. It carried the voices and propelled the drums. And the whole song is pretty much just six damn notes, repeated over and over and over and over.
Lennon threw in a few tasty bass chords that to this day still sound so sick that I wish that dude was in the Dirtbombs. And then, solo time…
Begun with guttural screams from the two pint-sized Japanese women (and thus showing me what I imagined the Boredoms were like) Lennon unleashed a brash, feedback-sparked display of dexterity that seared my vanilla mind. Lennon was playing a badass Guild Jet Star bass through an Ampeg SVT…the shape of the Jet Star is arguably the coolest body of a guitar with the Fender Jaguar as the only close competition. The women were jumping frenzied on the bed and Simins held true on his stuttered hat/snare/kick combo that I still, for the life of me, cannot replicate.
Then vocals and drums together as the bass drops out. I secretly want to do an album of just vocals and drums…inspired by this moment, Co-Real Artist's "What About You", COCO's cover of "Superfool" and Beat Happening's "The This Many Boyfriends Club". Beat Happening's song is just a cappella with feedback, man, I'm tempted to just GarageBand that thing once I'm done here.
Cibo Matto closed the show with a Casio keyboard cover version of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" which I took as totally devoid of irony.
Not long thereafter I found a used copy of CM's "Viva! La Woman" at Desirable Discs in Dearborn. I bought it expecting facsimile of the version of "Know Your Chicken" I'd heard on "Squirt TV". I was cruelly disappointed. The two versions shared lyrics and nothing else, the album rendition just crappy with keyboard bits and affected vocals.
I would find an EP on El Diablo Records years later with a vaguely faithful rendition of "Chicken" as I had become attached to. Neither Simins nor Lennon play on it. It is only somewhat satisfying although pretty accurate to the version I love. Here are the El Diablo versions...
"Know Your Chicken"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/o387j4
"Black Hole Sun"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/khxbm9
No matter what music I would get into later on, I could always come back to "Know Your Chicken" and still be impressed. I met Simins last year and wanted to be a prick to the guy. I think I gave him shit about Blues Explosion, but I had to give sincere praise for the bagel and everything else on "Squirt TV". He laughed and said he knew we would be friends. Not exactly the reaction I was looking for, but I rolled with it. The bagel was just from a catering tray and he was sparked with inspiration. I thought I'd never get that explanation.
As I pulled out my dubbed-from-TV clip of "Chicken" I try to notice things I hadn't before…the Devo "Freedom of Choice" LP resting against the bass drum, Yuka Honda's t-shirt that appears to be made by Tannis Root, Lennon playing through an Electro-Harmonix tube pedal (probably)…it is a satisfied feeling looking back at a memory of days past with knowledge attained since. It shows all the years passed by have not been a complete waste.
Cibo Matto would perform in Detroit at the Shelter on February 18th, 1997. My brother Stephen and best friend Nick Orozco had all geeked ourselves up to go. I'd even heard the band interviewed on Martin Bandyke's radio show and actually learned from there that their bass player was Sean Lennon was John and Yoko's kid. It was actually Yoko's 64th birthday so they spun the Beatles "When I'm Sixty-Four". As Nick and Steve and I got to the Shelter door, we were crushed to find out that the show was sold out. To add insult to injury, both Nick and my brother knew the guy working the door, Damon from the Notre Dame alum ska band the Exceptions. We walked away bummed. I would never try to see them again.
When I first got word of YouTube and how it worked, the "Squirt TV" version of "Know Your Chicken" was the first thing I searched. Sadly, it's not there. I'm tempted to figure out how to transfer my static-y VHS version so that some other wide-eyed malcontents might gain the same inspiration from it I did.
Posted by cassdetroit at 11:19 PM 2 comments:
Jealous Night...
I arrived too early. I had too much time. The first band had not even started yet.
When Porchsleeper finally took the stage, my ears were battered with 5th rate Big Star aping. Guitars too metallic and loud, no dynamism between the songs and a particularly (memorable) terrible lyric somewhere along the lines of "I can't get over all these coffee shop kids. When I was young, kids didn't drink coffee." I definitely understood the presence of "sleeper" in the band name. I yawned. Time wasted.
Siddhartha didn't really take the stage or properly start a song as they were more ambling around, slowly, calmly setting up before inconspicuously rumbling into what felt like a jam made up on the spot, complete with lyrics about the Chinese shooting down satellites. And not far behind was the song where they all shout "Revolution!" and they pretend, along with the crowd, that revolution is really what we want. The dual guitars made for tasty licks and more than once Marlon Hauser's vocals dipped into Lenny Kravitz territory. I thought it was funny when he started repeating "nigger" over and over again into the microphone, but then again, I missed the context.
The Sights were the Sights. Although playing new songs, those new songs sounded exactly as the Sights have sounded ever since Bobby Emmett joined the band almost 4 years ago. Even with Pete Ballard on second guitar (occasionally pedal steel) it sounded like the same old Sights. Which is wonderful, as I love the band. They were drunk and a handful of people explained their disappointment in the performance. Someone came up to me and said "What do you think of the the new poppy, radio-friendly Sights?" and I thought they were joking. There is nothing different here. Mrs. Baranek (Eddie's mom) and I were in clear agreement that they could do with far less drinking and f-bombs. The repeated requests from the stage for booze or brews gets tired and depressing quickly. And the overzealous expectation for the crowd to sing along to "Scratch My Name in Sin" was discomforting…I sincerely felt awkward. But the teaser three-seconds of "Got What We Want" snuck into the ending of "Nobody" was clever and made up for previous discomfort.
By the time the encore rolled around I didn't really feel one was deserved. Eddie invited a bunch of people onstage to sing the backing vocals on "That Ain't Right", mainly members of the Decks and the Displays, junior achievers in the current crop of Detroit rock. But they took forever to start the song…I've always felt any momentum for an encore needs to be quickly translated into a song or else, just don't fucking play. What I though would be hackneyed and embarrassing was actually wholesome and sweet. The Displays are all of 12-years-old and the Decks are (probably) still teenagers and they were all into it. Eddie handed his guitar over to one of the Displays boys (Brandon?) for the last verse, a simple "bam-bam" guitar part executed to-a-T until the chord change, where a wonderfully mangled noise came from the guitar. I don't think anyone was expecting the kid to get the change right, and I'm sure Eddie probably didn't think to tell him the next chord, but it was all light-hearted and fun. I laughed not because the part was played wrong, but because everyone was enjoying themselves.
They closed the with "Jealous Night", their clear-and-present lift of Van Morrison's "Moondance" that I lovingly released on LP. It was at this point my jealousy reared its ugly head.
A Sights show is one of the rare events that can make me simultaneously feel young and old at the same time. With the Sights decidedly East side crowd I would run into all sorts of characters that bring teenaged memories swirling back into my head. Hell, Eddie (the only East side member of the band) and me go back to when his band was called the Same and was still playing suburban coffeehouses. Anyway, I saw no less than 5 people I went to high school with. Kids who I had to write raps with in speech class. Kids who asked me what records they should buy from Car City. Kids who sat the bench with me freshman year baseball. Kids who had shitty bands that sang songs about "South Park". Kids who's driveways I painted with Grape Mad Dog 20/20 vomit.
Most alarmingly though were the actual kids that an all-ages show is wont to bring out. These young ones made those high school memories quickly swirl away into the ether and instead made me wonder about my impending loss of medical insurance, the jaded feelings creeping into my being, my usual of staying in on Friday nights and what in the hell I actually plan on doing with the rest of my life.
Where I went to grade school, 1st graders and 7th graders (along with 2nd graders and 8th graders) were paired off into a "buddy" system. The elder pupils would read to the younger ones once a week, we'd attend mass together and make crafts with each other. Shit like that.
Because I was deemed "responsible" my 7th grade year I was paired with a hellion by the name of Matthew Yee. It was thought I could be a good role model for him. He was just spazzy, nothing inherently wrong with the boy. I'd later find out his dad went to high school with my parents and was the photographer at my sister's baptism. A few years later I tried to pawn off a VHS of some Cinemax boob-core on Matt and one of his pals for $5. He lived in the neighborhood and rode his bike past the house often. I have no idea how the subject came up. They had to have asked me as there's no way I would've approached them…I hope. Something along the lines of "You got any porn?" with me thinking I could milk some $$ outta the kids, my entrepreneurial teen spirit glowing through any morals or compunction I may have had at that point. But thank God the transaction didn't go through. Oh the delinquency of minors…
Anyway, it wasn't Matthew Yee I saw at the Magic Stick. It was a girl who was in his class. A girl who's the daughter of the man who would've been my Spanish teacher in high school had I actually taken Spanish. I understand the age-difference is six or seven years at the most (making her 17 or 18), but the feeling of seeing someone who seemed who distant before, hanging out right behind you, in the same spot I was ten years ago…I realize that youth is slowly dripping through my fingers.
My sister, 16 months my junior, asked me what age 24 is like the other day. I told her 24 feels like the first time people actually expect something from you. And talking to high school buddies, I could understand why. Auditor. Television cameraman. Deliveryman. Human-resources director. And me, whatever the fuck I am.
I find myself missing being the young guy at the shows. For years I could always find myself as the youngest one at shows at the Magic Stick or the Gold Dollar. It seems like I spent three years of my life being 18 years old. And it was all so brilliant and bright, a time unrivaled in my life where everything was fresh and exciting. Consequently, I wouldn't want to be 18 years old in the current local musical climate. I am so thankful for being around the White Stripes and Detroit Cobras and Rocket 455 and the Hentchmen, when all of these bands were playing the small bars almost once a month and there were no more than 100 people there to check it out. I just can't see myself getting excited about a Hard Lessons show in the same way if I was a youth nowadays. Maybe you just make do with the hand your dealt? Regardless, irregardless, I would not trade my time for any others…forget the Grande with the 5 and the Stooges, John Lee in the Black Bottom, Little Stevie at Motortown revue…the late 90's Detroit rock scene is still where I'll put my money any day.
Two guys I graduated with walked right past me. I am unrecognizable in my 4-month-old beard and I both relish and abhor it. I had to shout to get their attention. They kept up on my stuff in the Metro Times, agreed that Cat Power's latest record was shitty. Asked why I didn't have the Raconteurs on my top ten list. They'd even started a band.
We realized it'd been 10 years since we first met during freshman year of high school. All three of us were now sporting full, admirable beards. Standing there, bearded, the lights brightened to drive the drunks out like roaches, the uncomfortable lapse in conversation amongst old-time friends and newfound strangers was an apt end to a jealous night.
Updating and Becoming Hi-tech...
Put links to some of the songs on "Most Recent Mix..." so scroll down a bit and download if yer curious.
Most Recent Mix...
I was in a mix CD club last year. 12 people from all across the country made 11 copies of their own mix and mailed them off to the rest of the gang. Here's the mix I made and the notes that accompanied the CD. I'm not going to wax rhapsodic about the cultural significance or any bull like that, so just absorb. And if anyone knows how I could upload mp3's on Blogger, that'd be a plus too.
1. the Walkmen "Louisiana"
My personal song of the summer…makes me imagine slow sunsets. Still not sure if the horn section sounds mariachi or Caribbean. Opinions?
2. Elektricni Orgazam "PoDJimo"
I had no idea punk music existed in Serbia in the early '80s until the Dirtbombs played there. This CD cost the equivalent of $3 new.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/sk2osf
3. Brenda Holloway "Think it Over"
The best Motown song you've never heard. A classic at Northern Soul all-nighters.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/euq579
4. Seu Jorge "Rebel Rebel"
After dozens of listens I still crack a smile every time I hear this.
5. Swamp Rats "Hey Freak"
Why they never released any originals in the Sixties is beyond me, but this is as close to the Rosetta Stone garage punk will ever find.
6. the Politicians "Commodities"
Unknown, unreleased early '80s UK band, found on an acetate. Any one know anything else?
http://www.sendspace.com/file/d9spgo
7. Co-Real Artists "What About You (in the World Today)"
The only necessities for making a perfect song are vocals and drums.
8. the Gories "Land of 1000 Dances"
Taken from a live performance on Detroit-area cable access TV. Peg's maraca breaks in the middle, they stop, and then start the song from the beginning. Mick's screams are pure distilled rock and roll.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/erbcg0
9. the Prats "Disco Pope"
Teenage Scot brats who can barely play. Too bad they grew up.
10. Electric Prunes "Vox Wah-Wah"
I bought a wah-wah pedal immediately after hearing this.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/kupq09
11. the Victims "Perth is a Culture Shock"
The best punk band ever. Never wrote a bad song. The precursor to hardcore?
http://www.sendspace.com/file/rp856s
12. the Satintones "Motor City"
An ode to the home town. But really, fuck this place.
13. Jarvis Street Revue "20 Years"
Taken from what some consider the first environmentally aware album, "Mr. Oil Man"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/gcg6a8
14. the Hives "Uptight"
Non-album b-side written by their engineer. Gives me a boner.
15. Flat Duo Jets "Pink Gardenia"
Down-home punk instrumental? These guys never got their due.
16. Public Nuisance "Small Faces"
And these guys never released an album. The closest American Sixties youth ever came to freakbeat.
17. Dan Sartain "The World is Going to Break Your Heart"
Po' boy from Alabama writes 'em like nobody else. Not released (at the time) and probably will be in a different form.
18. Karate Party "One-Two-Three-Four"
Released one single and became the A-Frames raison'd'etre. Essential.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/gnjjeq
19. Stevie Wonder "Uptight"
Live from some TV performance…this is the tempo I always thought the song should have been.
20. Rodriguez "Establishment Blues"
Unknown in his hometown of Detroit, Rodriguez is a superstar in South Africa and Australia. He still fills stadiums there.
21. Crème Soda "(I'm) Chewin' Gum"
Predates the Cramps. The rest of their stuff sucks donkey balls.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/x92iym
22. Compulsive Gamblers "The Way I Feel About You"
I'll let you in on a secret…this was Greg Cartwright's best band.
23. Nick and the Jaguars "Ich-I-Bon #1"
The first white act on Motown/Tamla, these Fifties greasers were trying to replicate the success of "Tequila". They failed.
24. Jon Wayne "But I've Got Texas"
An in-between-take joke told by country and western session musicians? Sample lyric: "I had to jack-off the dog just to feed the cat."
25. The Blow "The Touch Me"
"The Bonus Album" is easily their best record. All the rest…blows.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/oxjyje
26. The Oblivians "Blew My Cool"
Recorded in the former dojo where Elvis studied kung fu and karate chopping p'nut butter and 'nana sandwiches with a quickness.
27. John Krautner "Tower of Diamonds"
He plays in the Go. This is a demo. It almost made me cry.
28. The Music Convention "Belly Board Beat"
An original copy of this record supposedly commands $1000. Idiots.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ogpdkn
29. the White Stripes "Love Potion Number 9"
Live from the Gold Dollar at their second show ever. Don't let your little brother put this one on Soulseek.
30. Kelley Stoltz "Old Pictures"
Ok, this one made me cry. From an Aussie-only tour CD. Buy everything this man has done…you will not be let down.
Starry, Starry Desperation...
The Starlite Desperation clambered through Detroit in October and I missed it. Shows them for playing the Belmont, as I was not the only soul who was absent from the performance they would rather be attending.
But I've been lucky to rub my paws all over a CD they were hawking at the show. "Don't Do Time" is the initial release on what appears to be the band's own Double Zombie imprint.
I had a long and storied love of this band that was initially ready to be spilled all over here. But I'll save that for when people actually care about my life. I'd rather just talk about the songs on this CD.
Leaning mostly towards new jams, I'm curious as to whether these are completed versions ready for the supposed Capitol album and just pressed as a stop-gap tour scratch generator or if there's (believably) problems on Cap's end.
Track by track? Why the hell not…
1. We Don't Do Time
Prototypical Starry D's. Dante's guitar stings all over this thing. Jeff's drums with his usual hi-hattiness. "We fix cake in the dried up lake where the piranhas go" is essential Adrian lyricism…most likely non-sense, but oblique enough for possible probing and (gasp!) meaning.
2. My Violin
Is this the GarageBand Secret Agent Guitar Riff #3? This killer gives hope. I always thought Starlite got left out of NME rock resurgence and recognition. This song makes me believe they can't be counted out just yet.
3. Born to Be Dizzy
Originally featured on "Violate a Sunday" and the most lackluster track from that EP. Bass line unconsciously playing a mirror part to Zep's "How Many More Times" in a not-foxy way. Boo.
4. I Lost My Bees
Most people don't know, but included in GSL's 2005 singles club series. More spooky aura filled goodness. "All the chickens are sleeping with the trees" shows Dante can rock a tricky animal lyric without coming off as idyllic Joanna Newsom fanciful lands of glorious colors and unicorns and crap like that (which I'm not wholly against…I love Joanna, but sometimes, you know, you ain't in the mood). He speaks of creepy, mentally disturbed animals with possible deformities. We like.
5. New Year's Bathroom Magic
Essential. I fell in love with this song when I first heard it. A suite really…when the power-chord Ramones-ish guitar kicks at the 1:53 mark I am delivered to a different state of mind. "Happy New Year and joy to the world, magic in the bathroom imagine you're a girl" and "Oh true, what does that mean when you're Porcelain concubine, porcelain queen" are two of my favorite lyrics of the past 50 years. Everyone should hear this song.
| 5,426 |
Ardent Health Services filed initial public offering papers last month in advance of taking the company public. The hospital company, led by CEO David Vandewater, was originally founded as Behavioral Healthcare Corporation in 1993 but had sold off its behavioral hospitals by 2005 as the focus turned solely to acute care.
Sen. Bill Frist, MD, has been appointed to the OneOncology Board of Directors. OneOncology, which launched last year, is a national partnership of oncology practices spearheaded by Nashville-based Tennessee Oncology, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists and Memphis-based West Cancer Center. He has also recently been named to the board of Brentwood-based Spero Health.
In the fourth quarter of 2018, Nashville-based PhyMed Healthcare Group, a physician-led and owned anesthesia and pain management service provider, completed its first transaction in Arizona with the addition of Grand Canyon Anesthesia ("GCA"), a Phoenix-based anesthesiology practice organization. In other news, PhyMed CEO Marty<|fim_middle|> with integrated decision rules and calculators, a robust antibiotic advisor and a new feature that allows for order management. | Bonick has been named to the board of the Center for Medical Interoperability.
CHS divestitures continued as 2018 wrapped. The publicly traded, Franklin-based company announced completion of the sale of 492-bed Sparks Regional Medical Center in Ft. Smith, Ark., and of the 207-bed Mary Black Health System in Spartanburg, S.C., and 125-bed Mary Black Health System in Gaffney, S.C. The company also announced a definitive agreement to sell its four remaining South Carolina hospitals. On another note, CHS announced the appointment of Elizabeth T. Hirsch to its board of directors for a term expiring at the 2019 annual meeting. Hirsch served as vice president and controller of Praxair, Inc., a supplier of industrial gases and coatings and related healthcare services and technologies prior to retirement.
Brentwood-based American Physician Partners recently announced the acquisition of Progressive Medical Associates based in Mesa, Ariz., adding 37 physicians and 21 advanced practice clinicians to their network.
Franklin-based wellness company Tivity Health has laid out $1.3 billion in cash and stock to help clients stick to those weight loss resolutions with the purchase of Pennsylvania-based weight management giant Nutrisystem. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019.
Nashville-based healthcare startup EvidenceCare, a clinical decision support tool for healthcare providers, recently released its newest user experience and interface design, a project the company has been working on since the beginning of 2018. EvidenceCare was conceived in 2014 to solve a fundamental need for healthcare providers to find and quickly digest the latest treatment guidelines. Company officials said the new design brings a more provider-driven experience than ever to users along | 368 |
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jen Price, Founder and Managing Director of Potnt. Jen and her team manage some of the most recognized PR campaigns in the cannabis industry. Potnt was recently named one of the top cannabis PR companies of 2017 by Cannabis Industry Journal, and Jen was acknowledged by Civilized as one of the top cannabis PR specialists in the United States. Jen is also co-founder of Industry Power Women, and sits on the board of AxisWire.
I began transitioning from the high-tech / startup world over to cannabis when a friend and colleague asked if I would help her and her husband with the launch of their company, Strainz. Their company was started out of necessity in that they could not find the medicine that their identical twin daughters needed for their very rare and fatal disease. CBD helps the girls with their seizures, reducing them in intensity and frequency.
find. (Despite the fact that I have been living in this space 24/7 for four years now, I still hadn't found a CBD source that I could absolutely, positively trust for her). After taking 50mg of CBD each night, my daughter's hair is growing back in every spot. Her other symptoms continue to flare, but in many ways the flares have been<|fim_middle|> common feature of the disease. Researchers also discovered that it blocks the inflammation that damages neurons in the brain. While there is so much additional research that needs to be done, caregivers of patients with mild or moderate dementia have reported that the plant has proven effective in alleviating the confusion and agitation that sometimes accompanies the disease.
Putting wealth aside, we all have a responsibility to use our talents to make this world a better place. I'll bet Bill Gates would have a tip or two for someone like me, as I look to leave a positive footprint on this complicated world. | less severe.
I have often been hard at work, planning for a VIP party, hosting a meeting at a manufacturing facility, sampling new cannabis products, pitching one of my clients to a journalist who may be new to the space, or sorting through mountains of "party bag" donations, and a surreal feeling will wash over me. If my 21-year-old self could see me now! Never in my wildest imagination did I envision myself, at 44, wife and mother to two teenage daughter's, at the helm of a successful cannabis business.
The only constant in this world is change, and in the cannabis industry change is constant. The Potnt team intimately understands the cannabis, hemp and ancillary spaces, and we deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. We have build a culture where creativity thrives and trust resides. We take risks, debate, collaborate and motivate. We bring brands to life.
I am forever grateful for Chris Hempel, co-founder of Strainz and one of the co-founders of SparkPR. Chris and I were working together on an internal marketing project at SparkPR when she asked if I would be interested in helping her with her new company, Strainz. She and her husband, Hugh, both formerly of Netscape, founded Strainz after working endlessly to find treatments for their identical twin daughters, Addi and Cassi, now 14. The girls were born with a very rare and fatal disease, Niemann-Pick Type C — otherwise known as "Childhood Alzheimer's".
Chris gave me the gift of opportunity. It is incredibly rare to have the occasion to immerse yourself in a brand-new industry from the ground up, after having already been 20+ years into your career. Chris and I traveled to key industry events, visited countless dispensaries, built databases, wrote SOP's for a MIP's facility (Marijuana Infused Products), worked alongside scientists on formulations, visited grows, and studied hardware. There is not a part of this industry that we haven't done a deep-dive on at this point. We are also well-known for our killer VIP parties at New West Summit and MJBizCon. We definitely have mastered a healthy balance of work and play!
I am currently working on several exciting projects. Leafwire, a platform designed to link investors with those looking to raise capital in the cannabis space, will be launching this summer. I am working on my third New West Summit, October 11–13, in Oakland, CA. New West focuses on disruptive technology, science, media and investment in the cannabis space. The conference has been so successful out West, that I am proud to partner with Jim McAlpine, founder of New West Summit, to launch a New East Summit in 2019. This conference will bring top innovators, leaders and influencers to the East Coast next Spring. We are also working with BAS Research, California's first licensed cannabis manufacturing company developing advanced science-driven cannabis oil and extraction services. We just announced the launch of the BASInfused™ certification seal. This decal will be clearly displayed on the packaging of any cannabis products that contain BAS advance science-driven oil, and have therefore met the arduous standards required to ensure the safety and purity of the product. This is particularly exciting for me, personally, because only a very small percentage of the cannabis products for sale in retail environments in California have undergone compliance testing as required by the state. I am passionate about public health and safety, and consumers should be afforded the peace of mind in knowing that their cannabis, their medicine, is free of toxins, fungus, and pathogenic molds that can be dangerous to human beings, especially those with compromised immune systems.
On a personal note, I am working with my daughter, Kristin, to help her to find a sponsor for a study she is looking to conduct on CBD and Alopecia. Kristin, aged 16, is looking to do a full study on CBD and whether it may have the ability to reduce, or perhaps even reverse, the effects of Alopecia Areata. She experienced 60% hair loss on her head, which gradually started about 2.5 years ago. After taking a hemp-based CBD for 10 weeks, we noticed that she had an inch of new hair growth on every single patch that had once been bald for years. Kristin has a deep interest in alternative and plant-based medicine, after having been diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases. She hopes to bring awareness and potential treatments to those suffering from "invisible illnesses".
Her belief is that CBD, as a natural anti-inflammatory, can help so many people as it has done for her. I am thrilled to be her mentor and to walk alongside her on this journey.
I am most excited by the endless possibility and potential of this plant. Cannabis is currently being studied as a treatment for afflictions like diabetes, depression, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and heart failure, among many other diseases. Cannabis has been found to stabilize blood sugars, act like a neuroprotective to help thwart inflammation of nerves and reduce the pain of neuropathy, reduce anxiety, and even decrease atrial fibrillation, (or A-fib), in patients experiencing heart failure. Can you imagine the possibilities for successful treatment of diseases with little to no pharmaceuticals, which are often accompanied by a collection of undesirable side-effects?
It is so refreshing to be in an industry where collaboration often trumps competition and where women are coming together to really lift each other up. Granted there are some exceptions to this, but it certainly has been notable. I think the industry is so attractive to women because the space is young enough to make a significant imprint, and free of the patriarchal norms that tend to dominate other industries. I love a good challenge, and the cannabis industry is full of them. It is fast-moving and requires players to use every skill you have ever acquired, and some. Women are bold and resourceful, and have pushed the door wide open in this space, using perseverance, intuition and the creative solutions necessary to build a billion-dollar industry from seed to success.
Cannabis is an exit drug. Cannabis has the ability to almost single-handedly offset the opioid crisis. Two recent studies have shown a correlation between medical marijuana and lowered rates of opioid abuse. Medical marijuana is legal in 29 states, and recent research shows that cannabis use leads to fewer opioid prescriptions, fewer opioid overdoses, and effective, non-addictive pain treatment. No one has ever died from a cannabis overdose, yet we have roughly 115 American's dying each and every day due to opioid abuse and addiction. One of the key reasons that people begin to use, and ultimately abuse, opioids is due to chronic pain issues and the attempt to manage that relentless agony. Cannabis holds tremendous hope and promise for replacing opioids and successfully treating chronic pain without the risk of addiction or overdose. We need more research to be able to better understand how to best use cannabis, but at this point, the anecdotal evidence is enough to suggest that cannabis can be a way out of opioid addiction for the more than two million Americans who are currently dependent on or are abusing pain pills and street drugs.
Lack of federal regulation is a big concern of mine. For a multitude of reasons. While states like Colorado, California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon have thriving legal recreational and medical cannabis industries, a large portion of the U.S., namely the East Coast, does not. We are collectively working hard to destigmatize cannabis, and advance the conversation, while educating the general public as to the benefits of this curative plant, and it is great to see that messaging begin to permeate throughout the country. However, this messaging strictly applies to cannabis that has been rigorously tested and subjected to individual state laws. These laws determine who may cultivate or sell marijuana and under what conditions they may do so. The black market is still alive and well in many states that have yet to legalize cannabis. This is a huge concern of mine as a citizen and as a parent. What's happening is that the messaging about the plant is getting across, people are learning about all of the wonderful benefits of the cannabis plant, and many are going out and trying to purchase it as they learn that cannabis can help with anxiety, migraines, inflammation, and countless other maladies. However, in states where cannabis is not yet legal, there is a concern that anything purchased through the black market could be tainted.
Cannabis that has not been tested or processed in a scrupulous manner can contain anything from lead, heavy metals, fungus and bacteria, to heroin, PCP, Embalming fluid, laundry detergent and LSD. The comparison of the quality of cannabis in a state like Colorado, where it is fully legal, to a state like Oklahoma, where it is not, well it could be like comparing a Goldfish to a Great White. I believe, wholeheartedly, in the power of this plant, and I want to see all Americans have safe, unobstructed access to this medicine and the freedom to choose this treatment over prescription drugs should they prefer.
Since cannabis remains illegal on the federal level, and banks are federally insured, most financial institutions will not service cannabis businesses. In states where medical or recreational marijuana is legal, dispensary owners, manufacturers, and anybody who "touches the plant", continue to face a host of operational hurdles, including a reluctance by banks to do business with them. Aside from a huge inconvenience and the need to find creative ways to manage financial flow, payroll logistics, and payment of taxes, this also poses the tremendous personal safety risk of operating a lucrative business in cash. This lack of access to traditional banking is certainly inhibiting industry growth. On the extreme end of the spectrum, if banking services are not soon extended to the legal cannabis industry, many companies are likely to be forced out of business.
Think WAY outside the box.Throw tradition aside, at least for now. There are significant hurdles in marketing cannabis brands. Platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube prohibit the promotion of cannabis products. Even if you manage to get your platform up and running, there is a very real risk that your page, and all 10K followers, will disappear in the dark of night. Instead, look towards influencers who can help to promote your brand to their loyal followers. This will certainly help to grow your brand in an organic and sustainable manner.
Harvest your data. The importance of predicting trends, supporting sales and facilitating compliance is invaluable. Likewise, pushing understandable and applicable data out to consumers who are trying to understand this nascent space is imperative. The cannabis plant is extremely misunderstood. Using the tools at hand to capture data and to promote research is crucial.
Surround yourself with good, hardworking people, who you can trustand have a little bit of fun with. The cannabis industry is not for the timid, nor for the 9 to 5er. Be prepared to work seven days a week while getting paid less than half of what you are worth. Opportunities abound in this industry, but take care to protect yourself.
Partnerships can crumble quickly, and a ton of hard work can be pulled out from under you if you don't take the necessary measures to safeguard yourself and your efforts.
Play nice with others. While this industry is burgeoning, it remains quite intimate. There are only about 2-degrees of separation in the space. Competitive tactics that may be commonplace in other industries are abhorrent in cannabis. The general culture is different. I have seen attempts at getting competing events shut down, I have heard of brands alerting competitor's banks and getting their business accounts closed, and there have been others who have tampered with products to try and force recalls. This industry is complex enough without having to deal with insecure opponents. I honestly believe that this is a big enough space for everyone to compete and thrive without resorting to unsavory tactics.
It's okay to ask for directions. Be wary of the person operating in this industry who seems to know everything. It's nearly impossible. Friendships, and maybe even partnerships, can be formed when you reach out to someone who is more experienced in a certain category and ask for help. Entrepreneurs are typically working with just a few, if any, colleagues. This environment can be lonely. Create or join a support system like Industry Power Women, where you can put out any kind of request, ask for opinions, or share successes, with a group of like-minded people who understand and support your efforts. This is a perfect way to broaden your network and take control of your business.
I am passionate about people. I want to make everyone smile a bit wider, live a little freer, just to be comfortable within themselves. I have seen cannabis change lives. My daughter's life has changed and she now has hope. I've been inspired by friend's who are former NFL players who have gone from true despair to genuine peace and happiness. I have watched as a family transformed from steadfast disciples of Reefer Madness to students of the plant, desperate to help a loved one suffering from ALS. I have seen my close relatives and friends wish out loud for a good night's sleep, just one pain-free round of golf, relief from agonizing PMS. One less migraine. One more productive day. Knowing what I now know about cannabis and about this industry, despite all of the challenges and roadblocks, I wouldn't trade it for a minute. I have never in my life felt more empowered or inspired.
Potnt is growing steadily, and I believe will continue to do so for a long time to come. In many ways, we have matured alongside our clients, navigating this extremely complex and ever-shifting space together.
I believe that the next five years in the cannabis industry will be head-spinning. Today we are concerned about shifting regulations, shortage of business and finance experience in an entrepreneur-dominated space, and creating a viable solution for a deficient banking system. I think five years from now we will be in the midst of one of the most historical eras in time. Because the cannabis industry has been so difficult to operate in, because of all of the resistance and creative solutions that everyone has had to employ, I believe that entirely new industries will spin-off as cannabis becomes wholly legalized. Cannabis and the Green Rush is set to change the way we spend money, the way we choose to fuel our health and wellness, nurse our illnesses, apply our skills. Cannabis is literally having a transformational economic effect on our country.
I think the CBD-specific market is poised to skyrocket. CBD, or Cannabidiol, is extracted from the flowers and buds of marijuana or hemp plants. It is a non-psychoactive cannabis compound, and therefore won't get you high. CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory and has also shown to have anti-pain and anti-psychotic properties. While much scientific and clinical research still needs to be done, it has been shown that CBD has potential to treat a wide range of conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, menstrual cramps, PTSD, depression, and even acne. CBD is safe even at extremely high doses, and is non-toxic with no known fatal overdose levels ever reported.
CBD is generally misunderstood, and in many cases consumers are completely unaware that this treatment even exists.
I am a huge advocate for the use of CBD. My daughter uses hemp-derived CBD daily to treat her chronic pain and alopecia, (her hair is growing back!), and my husband uses it daily as well to alleviate chronic pain and neuropathy. Both have been able to reduce their use of prescribed narcotics by over 50%.
However, it is imperative that consumers do their research prior to purchasing CBD products. This market is currently unregulated and there are very few brands that use the highest standards to ensure safety and effectiveness.
It would be my honor to meet Bill Gates. It seems like his wealth has not changed who he is, it has only emboldened him to give more. He seems so relatable and I feel that we may have a lot in common. We are both avid readers, creative thinkers, optimists, and aren't afraid of using unconventional approaches to try and scale life's hurdles.
His efforts to alleviate poverty and health burdens for millions around the world is beyond admirable. I am most interested in his work to solve the riddle of Alzheimer's disease. The fact that he is devoting $100 million towards research, (50% of that earmarked for the Dementia Discovery Fund which focuses on innovative research), is simply incredible. My grandmother was my hero. She meant absolutely everything to me, and she passed away a few years ago after suffering from severe dementia.
Watching that decline was heartbreaking.
There have been some studies on cannabis and its effects on dementia and Alzheimer's. One study found that THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, stimulates the removal of toxic plaque in the brain, a | 3,466 |
Real Life networking.
I did it when I started my current career with the radio stations I've been with for the last 8 years, because although I had been in the advertising business and in the radio business since my teens, I had not been in radio advertising sales in Fort Wayne, Indiana before.
Here's some tips from MarketingProfs:
Four Tips for Non-Obnoxious Networking
If you want to step up your networking activities, but you're not quite sure how, Rohit Bhargava has some advice. "The challenge isn't how you can find more opportunities to network," he writes at Influential Marketing, "but how to talk about business in an unobtrusive way." To accomplish that goal, he offers tips like these:
Hone your conversational skills. Your networking strategy will fail before it begins if no one enjoys talking with you. According to Bhargava, great conversationalists ask leading questions, listen intently to answers and add their own personal stories to the mix.
Create a distinctive nametag. Bhargava decorates his nametags with a sticker of his book's chicken icon. "People want to know why I have that sticker there," he says, "and it gives me a chance not just to share the story of my book, but also to talk about my philosophy of business—which is that personality matters."
Make friends with introducers. "These are the people," he says, "who always come to a moment in their conversations where they say something like 'oh, you do _______? You should talk to _____.'" Introducers are more likely to provide introductions, he notes, when you've made a favorable impression with your conversational ability.
Respect the nature of the event. Unless you're at a networking event—when you can dive right in—always evaluate the situation before you start talking business.
The Po!nt: "You should feel comfortable [networking] in every situation, as long you can avoid becoming that blowhard at an event who won't stop trying to sell his or her company at every moment," says Bhargava.
Source: Influential Marketing.
Labels: marketing, networking
Ideas....
It's pretty hard to brainstorm with yourself.
An email I recieve every week features new business and product ideas that might kick off some ideas in your noggin.
Here's their latest along with the links to subscribe:
I hope you're enjoying your weekly dose of new business ideas. If you're after even more
inspiration you'll love our brand new Ideas Database, featuring over 2,800 innovations
constantly updated and indexed by industry.
Our latest issue is now online. Here's a quick run-down of the new products and services
that caught our attention this week:
App turns desktop into a changing photo collage
Wallcast transforms desktop wallpaper into a photo collage featuring
a rotating selection of the user's pictures. A unique email address
means the photos can be remotely updated by the user.
Simplified mobile phone just makes & receives calls
Telecom & mobile
Billed as 'the world's most simple phone', John's Phone has a feature
list focusing exclusively - really exclusively - on making and receiving
calls. It costs EUR 69.95 in white or EUR 79.95 for other colours.
From Australia, a new take on men's underwear
Sly Underwear's range focuses on three core styles: WorkHard for
everyday wear and no leg ride-up; PlayHarder with bold graphics and
longer legs; and RestEasy with a generous cut and breathable fabric.
Daily tips for startups, distilled from books old & new
Education / Media & publishing
Drawing from books on entrepreneurship, business, marketing and
management, The Startup Daily serves up tips, ideas and advice
every day in a short email targeted specifically at entrepreneurs.
In Chicago, upscale cafe offers play space for kids
The Little Beans Café offers adult customers gourmet coffees, pastries
and sandwiches, while the kids get an interactive play village, a touch
zone for crawlers, and access to plenty of toys, books and games.
Marketplace for upcycled, recycled and reused goods
Eco & sustainability / Retail
Greek Yiuco only allows items to be listed if they are upcycled,
recycled or reused. Eco-minded minipreneurs can create their own
storefront for free, but will pay fees for listings and transactions.
Bands offered a unique website for every song
Entertainment / Media & publishing
Montreal-based Viinyl gives bands a free, attractive landing page for
each song they create. Each site comes with lyrics, artwork, videos,
notes, various download options, promotional tools, and analytics.
Keeping old surfboards out of landfills
Eco & sustainability / Lifestyle & leisure
Surfboards often contain several harmful compounds. Rerip offers
a marketplace for the repair and resale of used surf equipment.
Unsellable old boards are used for R&D or recycled into artworks.
Your voice, transformed into a work of art
Customers of Toronto-based VoicePrints upload a recording of the
sound they'd like to immortalise, and choose the colour and size of
the print that will bear a visual representation of the recording.
Crowdfunding investment for social enterprises
Financial services / Non-profit, social cause
33needs aims to help social enterprises raise funds from the crowd,
allowing ordinary people to invest, make a social impact, and earn
a return. The service only charges if funding targets are reached.
German food store offers recipe kits for specific meals
Food & beverage / Retail
Germany's Kochhaus focuses on a set number of meals each day.
The store displays a series of packages that include a recipe and
just the right quantities of all the necessary ingredients.
A place to preserve and share mementos online
Through Sentemental, consumers can upload their kids' drawings,
photos, letters and other mementos for preservation online. They're
accessible privately but can also be shared using social media.
Pedal-powered compost service for businesses
Eco & sustainability
In a partnership with the Downtown Victoria Business Association,
reCYCLISTS will collect organic refuse from participating businesses
using tricycles carrying large compostable waste receptacles.
Crowdsourced photography through club competitions
Style & design / Media & publishing
Camera clubs will pay a subscription to run competitions on the
Picturk website, while clients looking for the perfect image will fund
the prizes. Photographers will retain ownership of their images.
Our next issue will arrive in your inbox on 2 February 2011. In the meantime, please check
out our daily posts, subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
chris@springwise.com
Interested in industry-specific ideas?
You can access everything we've published in our idea database, which is conveniently
organized by industry.
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Just forward this message or use our handy tell-a-friend tool. Thanks for spreading the word!
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Springwise BV, a 53rd Floor BV company
Address: Springwise, 338 City Road, London, EC1V 2PY, United Kingdom
Web address: www.springwise.com
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Labels: ideas, marketing
Lead With Your Very Best
One of my favorite sales trainers is Jill Konrath. I have her books, subscribe to her newsletters and blog posts and here's an example from this week:
One Totally Game-Changing (and Easy) Strategy to Beat Your Competitors
By Jill Konrath
You know what your prospects are thinking-all the time? Every time you interact with them, they're evaluating you and asking themselves: "Is this a person (company) I want to work with on a long-term basis?"
If they feel pressure from you, the answer is no.
If they feel like you're trying too hard to be liked, the answer is no.
If they don't think you understand their business, the answer is no.
If they get overwhelmed by what you're saying, the answer is no.
So what makes them say, "Yes, I want to work with you!"
To be most effective in sales today, it's imperative to drop your "sales" mentality and start working with your prospects as if they've already hired you. When you do, it shifts your relationship to a whole new level from the very start.
Case in point. Several years ago a regional engineering firm contacted me about helping with an upcoming presentation. They'd been invited to make a presentation to a buying team, along with five other companies. As a regional firm, they were delighted to be included with all the industry giants.
When I first met with the lead engineer and business developer, they truthfully didn't believe they could win the business. Their goal was simply to make the final three. They asked me to help them make a good showing. (Of course, my goal was to help them win!)
We began by reviewing the Request for Proposal (RFP) that the prospect had issued. They wanted tons of information about the company, its background, their qualifications, clients, and more.
It was clear to me that their competitors were going to come into that meeting with a whole deck of PowerPoint slides and cover that information in excruciating detail. Borrrrring! And just imaging having their prospects having to sit through six of those presentations in one day.
I told my client, "We're going to do something different. Your job is to go into the meeting AS IF THEY WERE ALREADY YOUR CUSTOMER."
They didn't understand what I meant. I explained it more: "Let's assume they gave you the contract. What would you do next?"
"Well," they said. "We still have lots of unanswered questions based on reading their RFP. Plus, it seems like there are some contractions. And, we're not exactly sure that what they're asking for is the best way for them to achieve their goals."
"Great!" I answered. "Then that's what your meeting will be about."
Flash forward two weeks.
My clients flew to Chicago for the big meeting-their one and only chance to make it to the finals. They entered a room, filled with stern-faced decision makers seated grimly around the table. Clearly these people were already bored to tears.
To kick off the meeting, my client said:
"All the information you requested about our company is in this handout. We'll gladly answer any questions you might have about it.
"But what we'd really like to do today is focus more on your challenge and what it's going to take to resolve it. We have some questions that we believe may have an impact on achieving your desired outcome."
With that opening, he caught their undivided attention. The first slides focused on their current situation. My client asked pre-planned questions on vital topics to verify his understanding of the status quo and learn more in-depth information. These simple-to-answer questions were designed to get the prospects talking.
After that, my client brought up several key issues they'd uncovered in reviewing the RFP. This led to a discussion on root causes versus presenting symptoms. My client then offered new ways to tackle the problem that were less disruptive.
Finally, they challenged the prospects' thinking on some "must have" criteria, suggesting options they thought might work better. This stirred up another highly engaging conversation.
In short, they started working on this $400,000 project during their presentation.
The results? Remember, my client hoped to make it to the final three and had never even competed against the biggies before.
But the actual outcome was even more surprising. Instead of going to a second round of more intensive presentations with the finalists, my client was awarded the contract within the week. Because everyone on the committee wanted to work with them, they canceled their final presentations.
So many people are afraid to give away their ideas before a contract is signed. But often that's the best way to win the business.
What would you do for a customer that you'd never think about doing for a prospect? Are you holding back something because you're afraid they'll steal it? Are you approaching your meetings as a chance to really "strut your stuff" or are you getting to work?
For many sellers, this is a new concept. Think about how you can be more collegial-even before you start working together. It's worth it.
Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into new accounts, speed up sales cycles and land big contracts. She's a frequent speaker at sales conferences. For more fresh sales strategies that work with crazy-busy prospects AND to get four bonus sales-accelerating tools, visit www.snapselling.com.
Friday Night #Marketing News from Mediapost
Sony Plays Catch-up With New Gaming Device
Sony's follow-up to the PSP and PSPGo is designed to compete with the gaming capabilities of both the smartphones and the Nintendo systems, as well as the social connectivity people have come to expect from their entertainment devices. (One assumes it will have a different name than its current "Next Generation Portable" when it launches in late fall.) ...Read the whole story >>
Allstate, American Family Differ In Hispanic Approach
A spinoff of its national general market advertising campaign, "Mayhem," Allstate is introducing an effort with the antagonist "Mala Suerte," who represents unfortunate circumstances. Meanwhile, a new 30-second spot from American Family Life Insurance, "Three Kids," is aimed at reaching both the Hispanic and general market. ...Read the whole story >>
Shaun White Gets Behind The Wheel For BFGoodrich<|fim_middle|> 15, he decided to change who he was and how he was perceived, and then he did. The deciding was as important as the doing.
He went to the edges. He didn't merely open a small gym, a more pleasant version of a boxing gym, for instance. Instead, he created the entire idea of a health club, including the juice bar. He did this 70 years ago.
He started small. No venture money, no big media partners.
He understood the power of the media. If it weren't for TV, we never would have heard of Jack. Jack used access to the media to earn trust and to teach. And most of what Jack had to offer he offered for free. He understood the value of attention.
He was willing to avoid prime time. Jack never had a variety show on CBS. He was able to change the culture from the fringes of TV.
He owned the rights. 3,000 shows worth.
He stuck with the brand. He didn't worry about it getting stale or having to reinvent it into something fresh. Jack stood for something, which is rare, and he was smart enough to keep standing for it.
Jack lived the story. He followed his own regimen, even when no one was watching. In is words, "I can't die, it would ruin my image."
He died last week at 96. I don't think he has to worry about ruining his image, though.
Dangerous Discounts
The Perils of Discounting
by The Whetstone Group
Problem: The CFO was worried. For the past six months the company's margins had been dropping and now they were at the point where something had to be done. Finance had researched the situation thoroughly and the finger was pointing directly at sales.
Analysis: Ron, the new sales manager, was brought in from outside the company to build sales volume. Aggressive and optimistic, he was determined to make a name for himself quickly. In his eagerness to increase sales, he began to approve his reps' requests for discounts to close deals quicker. He believed shaving a few points off the selling price wouldn't hurt anything, and they'd quickly make it up with increased volume. Pretty soon, as his reps discovered that discounts were easy to get approved, they began offering them more frequently and they became dependent on discounting as their default closing tactic. Sales were increasing, but Ron wasn't paying attention to the bigger picture...
SalesDog 2701 Loker Ave. West, Ste. 148, Carlsbad, CA 92010
Tel: 760-476-3700 • Fax: 760-476-3733 • Web: www.SalesDog.com
Motorcycle Brands Look For Keys To Youth
Both the products and the news are surprising in the motorcycle business this year, as companies like Honda and Harley try unusual methods for getting younger consumers, or first-time consumers, to swing a leg over a bike. ...Read the whole story >>
Thomson Reuters Campaign Touts 'Knowledge'
"What professionals need [is] highly qualified, customizable information," Gus Carlson, chief marketing officer for Thomson Reuters, tells Marketing Daily. "Their challenge is not [not] getting information. In fact, there's too much out there. The challenge is to capture that information, boil it down and give them what they need." ...Read the whole story >>
Variety Is Spice Of Life For BMW's X3 Bowl Ads
BMW wants people to know that its new X3 crossover comes in all sorts of flavors -- and that it is, by the way, built in the U.S. The company, which is advertising in the forthcoming Super Bowl broadcast on Fox, will get these messages across both in the TV spots and via an associated social-media push. ...Read the whole story >>
At JCPenney, New Board Members To Shake Things Up
"Penney is making progress, and becoming more contemporary," says Sally Mueller, a former marketing executive with Target who now runs Mueller Marketing in Minneapolis. Further, she adds that dumping some "dinosaur" businesses, such as catalogs and custom decorating, "will enable it to better focus on digital and social strategies." ...Read the whole story >>
Jackson Hewitt Expands Walmart Relationship
As Walmart's exclusive provider of in-store tax preparation services, Jackson Hewitt is undertaking an "extensive, all-inclusive" marketing campaign to reach the more than 130 million customers who visit Walmart stores in the United States on a weekly basis, as well as the 1.6 million associates working in those stores. ...Read the whole story >>
Food Industry Unveils Front-Of-Pack Label System
The system -- to be used by store brands, as well as the brands of national and regional food and beverage makers -- is intended to help busy consumers, and busy parents in particular, make informed choices when they shop, said GMA president and CEO Pamela G. Bailey, during a press conference. ...Read the whole story >>
Kozy Shack Intros Kids' Pudding
JetBlue Launches New Facebook App
Target, Ricky Martin In Exclusive Deal
Ducati Reports Strong 2010
HP Starts Live, Virtual Comedy Program
Passing along the Mouse Ears
The Instant Mermaid?
They want Value
It takes A System
The Return of Radio Advertising
Sales & Emotions
We Like Social Media
How to Talk to My Kids
Prepardness |
The Olympic medalist, uber-decorated X Games athlete, and superhuman practitioner of all things skate or snowboard, may just take up auto racing next. White has signed a multi-year deal with BFGoodrich Tires, the first such program the company has ever done at this level. The effort is part of the tire company's new "Upgrade to BFGoodrich" campaign starting up this week at the ESPN Winter X Games 15 in Aspen, Colo. ...Read the whole story >>
Toyota Studies Plug-In Market Via Zipcar Fleet
Zipcar, Inc., a car-sharing service, has signed a deal with Toyota to put the new plug-in Prius Hybrid into fleets in Boston/Cambridge, San Francisco and Portland, Ore. The automaker says the point is to do further testing and evaluating of plug-in hybrid technology and find out how well electric vehicles can work in a car-sharing model. ...Read the whole story >>
Healthier Food Ad Messages Generate Big Media Buzz
Healthier messaging from big fast-food and confection companies is getting women to talk to each other. A six-month analysis from the Women at NBCU Brand Power Index shows that brands just as McDonalds, Nestle, and Frito-Lay, are generating bigger online and off-line buzz. ...Read the whole story >>
Barr, Lewis Star In Snickers' Super Bowl Spot
Verizon Offers NHL App
Brooks Brothers Partners With Nordstrom
Avis Ad Claims 'We Try Harder'
Tips from Pat & Dale
I'm a graduate.
Of Dale.
Pat Mcgraw explains which "Dale" with these 9 tips:
Improving Sales and Marketing Performance
I was flipping through some old books and came across one of Dale Carnegie's books that I was given by a former boss in one of my first 'real jobs' after graduating from college. (Wish he had read the book and followed Mr. Carnegie's principles – it would had mad my time with him a lot more enjoyable.)
Here's one of my favorite lists – and if you're interested in learning more, click here for a free ebook from the folks at Dale Carnegie Training.
Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
Give honest, sincere appreciation.
Arouse in the other person an eager want.
Become genuinely interested in other people.
Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.
If you want to improve sales and marketing performance, you might want to make sure that these 9 simple concepts become part of the culture. (Heck, I wouldn't even limit this to sales and marketing – if these concepts were part of your corporate culture, you might have a lot more collaboration and a lot fewer territorial battles.)
Labels: marketing, sales
Certain events occur at a specific time or date. If you are not ready for them, you miss out.
Super Bowl Consumer Spending to Hit $10 Billion
Consumers Will Purchase Plenty of Food and Beverages -- but also TVs and Team Apparel
Americans are planning to take a break from their spendthrift ways, at least for Super Bowl Sunday.
According to a new survey out from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, conducted by BIGresearch, total consumer Super Bowl spending is expected to reach $10.1 billion, the highest in the survey's eight-year history. More people also plan to celebrate the event by throwing a party, attending a party or watching at a bar or restaurant.
Likewise, consumer sentiment toward advertisers also appears to be improving. In the depths of the recession more consumers said advertisers should bypass pricey Super Bowl spots and pass the savings onto them. This year 17% expressed that sentiment, down from 21% in 2009 and 19% in 2010. Fox, which is broadcasting the game on Feb. 6, is reportedly seeking between $2.8 million and $3 million for 30 seconds of commercial time in this year's game.
"The consumer is feeling more optimistic," said Mike Gatti, executive director at RAMA. "Spending is starting to come back, and it's on these little splurgy things. It's not crazy. But people are saying we're going to crack open the wallet and do something."
Of the 83% saying they will purchase Super Bowl-related items, including food, beverages, TVs, furniture, team apparel and decorations, the average person will spend $71.51, up from $64 a year ago and in line with 2007 spending. Mr. Gatti said he expects to see a lot of promotion around the Super Bowl, with retailers looking to the event as the first opportunity to stimulate sales post holiday.
While the majority of people plan to purchase food or beverages, plenty are still looking to bigger-ticket items, like TVs. The number of consumers saying they'll purchase a TV jumped 25% this year to 4.5 million people.
That's good news for electronics retailers, which saw tepid TV sales over the holidays. Best Buy, for example, reported that for the month of December, consumer electronics sales fell 8% at stores open a least a year, primarily because of a low double-digit decline in TVs. Best Buy and Sears are already aggressively promoting high-definition TVs for the big game.
"Our customers tell us that this is an ideal time of year to upgrade or invest in new big-screen televisions, so we wanted to give them a great excuse to come into Best Buy by offering deals on some of the best and largest TVs we carry," said Mike Mohan, senior VP-home theater at Best Buy.
With the New York Jets' and Chicago Bears' Super Bowl dreams dashed, some sporting goods execs have speculated that apparel and accessory sales could be lackluster. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers represent smaller markets. But, Mr. Gatti pointed out, both are storied teams. "Maybe sales would have been a little higher, based on the teams, but Green Bay and Pittsburgh are both pretty strong, popular teams," he said.
What consumers plan to purchase for Super Bowl Sunday:
-- Food/Beverages, 69.5%
-- Team apparel or accessories, 7.3%
-- Decorations, 6.0%
-- Television, 4.5%
-- Furniture, 2.0%
Retail Advertising and Marketing Association
(Source: Advertising Age, 01/26/11)
Labels: Advertising, marketing, spending
It seems I'm posting a lot of stuff from Drew recently...
Here's another one worthy of your time, and it is very timely:
Do you know who you're selling to?
Selling isn't a one size fits all proposition. I'm not telling you anything new when I say -- the more you know about your prospect, the better the experience for all concerned.
We've all read the sales books that talk about being observant when you walk into someone's office. You know -- noting that they have pictures of their Irish Setter, their golf outings and their twin boys on their desk -- you strike up conversations about those interests and make a connection between you and the prospect.
That's all well and good but especially if you have a product/service with a long sales cycle you'd better know who they are long before you step foot in their office.
RainToday ran a very smart article that talked about the 8 buyer personas. (click on the link to read) The article describes each personas' personality and how to best sell to them. Well worth the read. You will meet:
Decisive Danielle
Collaborative Claire
Relationship Renee
Skeptical Steve
Gradual Greg
Warp 9 Walt
Analytical Al
Innovator Irene
But for many of us -- in this world of social media, consumer driven content and a 24/7 world -- we start talking to our customers before they're even on the radar screen as a customer. They're aware of us long before we're aware of them.
How do you make sure you're talking to them about what matters? One of my favorite ways is to create personas...not based on their buying style but based on who they are and what they care about. I wrote about that, using this blog as an example several years ago. (click on the link to read)
I have to tell you, as this blog has grown and gained more attention -- I still write for Ian, Erin and Patrick with every post. And I'm guessing you are very much like one of them or you wouldn't keep coming back.
Keep in mind what selling is all about. (or at least my opinion of what it's all about) It's about putting yourself out there as you genuinely are and inviting people in for a look. If you attract the right people -- they'll buy.
As I said in the opening paragraph -- the more you know about your prospects, the better the experience. Part of what makes that experience good is that you aren't trying to sell ice to eskimos. You're attracting the right kinds of buyers -- people and companies who truly need or want what you sell. You don't have to ram it down their throats. People hate being sold to -- but they want to buy.
Use both versions of personas (mine and RainToday's) to have a good, honest conversation with the right prospects. Talk about them, what they care about, and where they need some help.
Then, be ready to make the sale.
Remember -- RainToday is closing their Selling Consulting Services course on Friday, January 28th. You can check it out here. Once you click the link, you can also download their free report (whether you sign up for the course or not) The New Rules of Selling Consulting Services in 2011.
Full Disclosure: While RainToday has offered to pay me a small commission if anyone signs up for the course, I am sharing this with you because I think you'll find tremendous value in it. Otherwise, I wouldn't put your trust on the line.
As Consumer Prices Head Up, No Brand Is Safe
Just as the economy is clawing its way out of the ditch of a two-year recession, 2011 may be the year the price whiplash smacks consumers: feedstock and commodity prices started rising last year for everything from coffee to strollers. Consumers started paying the price in the fourth quarter. Now it looks like they will continue to do so this year. ...Read the whole story >>
J.D. Power: Web Sites Should Watch The Gaps
The consumer Web sites for auto brands should be like their products: easy to use and satisfying, from home page to specific pages for a company's different models. And like a well-designed vehicle, all of the parts should fit together well without big gaps between various panels. ...Read the whole story >>
Celebrity Cruises Vows To 'X The Rules'
While all cruise lines claim to offer beautiful accommodations, great dining experiences, and excellent service, Celebrity's point of distinction is offering a "better, different and special vacation experience" including "trendsetting onboard experiences." ...Read the whole story >>
Poll: Cupid Gets 11% Raise
Looks like Americans are in the mood for love. A new spending survey from the National Retail Federation reports that Americans who celebrate Valentine's Day are planning on spending $116.21, an 11% jump from last year's $103. And the Washington, D.C.-based trade group says it anticipates total spending for the Feb. 14 holiday to reach $15.7 billion. ...Read the whole story >>
NPD: 50% Of Consumers Check Nutrition Facts Label
With the food industry's new "Nutrition Keys" front-of-pack label making news, marketers might be curious as to consumer usage of the existing, government-mandated Nutrition Facts panel that has been on the back of food and beverage labels for 16 years now. ...Read the whole story >>
Candie's Unveils Tweet-themed Hudgens Ads
Kohl's is rolling out its spring marketing campaign for Candie's, but instead of Britney Spears, it features "High School Musical" cutie Vanessa Hudgens. The actress will make her debut for the brand in March issues of such magazines as Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan, as well as Kohl's outdoor billboards, in-store graphics, online and direct mail. ...Read the whole story >>
VW Will Tease Beetle, Tout Passat in Super Bowl
Walmart Backs Off Civil War Fight
Walgreens Introduces Borba Exclusive
Louisiana Launches New Marketing Campaign
P&G Sleepwalks With Downy and Macy's
Darden Testing Red Lobster/Olive Garden Combo
They're Talking About You
on Facebook and other social media sites:
Fad Or Fact?: Social Media Impacts Purchasing Decisions
In the past few years, companies across all categories of business have come to realize that moms rely on social media to help them make decisions about what to buy for their children.
Unfortunately, in many cases, they've reached that conclusion based on little more than the constant hype about "the power of social media."
We wanted to help our clients make decisions based on fact. We wanted to know: Are moms really making their purchasing decisions in response to social media? Toward that end, we commissioned The NPD Group, a leading market research company, to help us find the answer and to provide us with greater insight into how and to what degree social media influences what moms buy.
The just-released study, "Social Media Moms: How Networking Impacts Purchasing Behaviors," provides a comprehensive look not only at what motivates moms' purchasing decisions but also at moms' overall use of social media. Based on responses from a sample of more than 2,000 moms who actively use social media, following are some key findings:
79% of all moms in the U.S. with children under the age of 18 are active in social media.
Of these moms, about one in four (23%) said they have purchased a children's product as a result of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog.
Online recommendations have even more impact among the most frequent social media users: 43% of active social media moms who use these sites on a daily basis have purchased a children's product as the result of a recommendation from these sites.
More than half (55%) of these moms said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog.
40% of these moms made a purchase because of a Facebook recommendation.
The study also provided a very detailed look at the kinds of products moms buy as a result of social media recommendations, specifically what online sources they rely on the most, the types of blogs they prefer to visit, and how moms interact with corporate social media efforts.
The NPD Group fielded an online survey to members of its online panel and to members of the Child's Play Communications online panel. The two different sources provided data to create both a holistic view of U.S. moms and their interaction with social media, as well as a deep-dive into the behaviors and preferences of social media moms. The complete survey is available for purchase from NPD.
Clearly, social media is a dominant force in the lives of mothers, and moms nationwide are making purchasing decisions as a result of the information and advice other moms are providing through social media.
Stephanie Azzarone is founder and president of Child's Play Communications and editor and publisher of the newsletter "Marketing Communications:Moms" and the blog "Mom Market Trends." Follow her on Twitter at ChildsPlayComm.
Labels: marketing, social media
from Amy:
Yahoo Mail launched two sweet TV ads promoting its increased storage space and picture slideshow capabilities. It almost makes me want to use Yahoo Mail. Almost. A daughter conveys her love for her father in "World's Greatest Dad." A series of animated father-daughter events of the past play out and conclude with Dad saving this precious email from his little girl. Watch it here. A man longs to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend in "Lover Come Back." His heart broken, an animated black-and-white version of the man reminisces about good times shared, dancing, picnicking and cheering on their favorite sports team. The hole in his life is filled when his girlfriend returns his heart... intact. See it here. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners created the ads, produced by Blacklist.
Nike, celebrating its partnership with the French Football Federation, launched "Vive Le Football Libre," highlighting up-and-coming athletes and their snazzy new Nike uniforms. Athletes practice and play games in muddy and snowy weather as a voiceover borrows words from a duel scene in Cyrano de Bergerac. "Prince, drop your weapon. Humbly kneel; Seek grace from God in requisite; Repentance. Now I stamp the seal; the poem ended -- and I hit," reads the final stanza, as a player kicks the ball at a crucial moment, to the delight of fans inside the stadium. Watch the ad here, created by Leg and produced by Little Minx.
Say goodnight to Mercedes-Benz and good morning to Audi in "Good Night," a TV spot promoting the Audi A8. The ad serves as a nod to "Goodnight Moon," a children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown, about a baby bunny saying goodnight to everything around him. Audi's version, however, is filled with excessive, old luxury, like mink stoles, expensive cuff links, chandeliers and a Mercedes-Benz. Good morning to illumination, innovation and unequaled inspiration says a voiceover, as an Audi A8 starts its engine. See the ad here. Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, created the ad, directed by Daniel Kleinman and edited by Cut + Run.
K-Y launched a pair of ads in preparation for Valentine's Day. Judging by the ad, "Nutmeg," I have a feeling the spice will become a secondary name to reference K-Y. Let's begin with "Preparation." A man spends all evening preparing a romantic night with his ladylove: he cooks several versions of dinner, he tries on multiple outfits, does push-ups, sets the table to perfection. Once his woman comes home, she shows off her K-Y Intense purchase and it's off to the bedroom. See it here. The couple discusses the previous night's amazing "dessert" ingredients while eating breakfast. The subtitles inform viewers that nutmeg is really a euphemism for K-Y Intense -- and both parties will be calling in sick today. Watch the ad here. Mother New York created the campaign.
EA's Dead Space 2: the video game only a mother could hate. In other words: gamers will love it. "Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2" takes mothers' bona fide reactions to the game's violent content and creates a humorous 30-second spot. "Why would they even make something like this," asks one concerned mother. Add to this graphics of over-the-top scenes from Dead Space 2 and you have one proud game manufacturer. Watch it here. Check out the Dead Space 2 Web site for long form versions of moms reacting to the game. Draftfcb San Francisco created the campaign.
Land Rover phones are rugged and capable of withstanding almost anything that stands in its way, like elephants, giraffes and cement trucks. Three print ads launched in the U.K., depicting phones in different outlandish strength test scenarios. In "Safari," an elephant stands atop a Land Rover phone as it carries wild animals and safari gear. See it here. Phones also withstand heavy construction vehicles and emergency rescue equipment, shown here and here. Y&R Lima and RKCR/Y&R London created the campaign.
Now this is my kind of entrance. Is this how the Salahis crashed the White House party? Heineken launched "The Entrance," a great viral video that follows a charming party crasher as he greets characters like a decorated one-eyed general and kung fu expert. Did I mention he gifts the one-eyed general with a faux eye? Say good-bye to the eye patch. Our charismatic party crasher also charms the ladies, sinks an unthinkable basketball shot, and hops onstage to perform with the band, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Watch the video here, created by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam.
You either have a Super Bowl ring or you don't; and it's clearly better to have than to have not. Fox Sports Marketing ran a series of amusing TV ads throughout the football season to promote NFL on FOX. The ads star the haves: Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson, and the have-nots: Curt Menifee, Joe Buck, Frank Caliendo and Jay Glazer. In "Lobby," a hotel tells the have-nots there are no rooms available. Howie Long saves the day by waving his Super Bowl ring, scoring the gents four penthouse suites. Watch it here. Going through airport security is a pleasure, if you have a Super Bowl ring. You can keep your shoes on, drink champagne and carry large knives. See it here. "Pool Party" is my favorite ad. The have-nots think they scored a VIP poolside hut... until they look across the pool and see how the Super Bowl ring men party: with Usher, Hugh Laurie and a bevy of beautiful women. Watch it here. Fox Sports Marketing created the ads, produced by Smuggler and edited by Arcade Edit.
Random iPad App of the week: Rodale's Organic Gardening is touted as the first gardening magazine to enter the iPad field. Monthly issues are available for purchase in the App store for $3.99. Bonus content not found in the print issues can be accessed through the app, including photo galleries, how-to videos and recipes.
Turn it Around
from the Labov Sales Channel:
Re-wording the problem
I had an interesting conversation yesterday regarding a problem I was having completing a task. The man I was speaking with rephrased the issue and it made me think differently about how to solve the problem. At first, I resisted, thinking this wasn't what I was dealing with at all, but then suddenly the problem became manageable.
It reminds me of a similar issue I had with a client several years ago. The client wanted to go to market with a product so they could be first; however, they couldn't sell the idea up the ladder due to the perceived lack of demand in the market. We repositioned the pitch to show how it filled a void in the market, and the product took flight. It was the exact same product, but we discussed it in a different way so it had new meaning. Once we understood all the angles as seen by others, we were able to adapt our message and cope with the reality of the situation.
DonQ Rum Goes All Social With New Campaign
DonQ Rum is launching a digital contest dangling a trip to Puerto Rico as grand prize. The "Master of All Skills" is ultimately meant to spotlight how DonQ's distillers are masters of their particular craft. ...Read the whole story >>
Industry's FOP Label System Draws Heavy Flak
The objections focused on accusations that the initiative amounts to a self-serving attempt by the industry to pre-empt the Food and Drug Administration's initiative to develop a voluntary but agency-regulated FOP system. ...Read the whole story >>
Report: Super Bowl Parties May Hit New Record
A new survey from the National Retail Federation predicts that come Feb. 6, Super Bowl partiers will spend $10.1 billion, with 171 million planning on watching the game -- the most in the survey's history. Of those, 34.9 million -- or 15% of viewers -- plan to host their own parties, an increase from last year's 31.6 million. And 61.2 million, or 26.3%, plan to attend a game party, up from 58.8 million last year. ...Read the whole story >>
State Farm IPad App Helps Movers Move
State Farm's MoveTools allows users to virtually pack every room in their house by clicking and dragging pictures of items into a moving box. Once the box is filled -- both virtually and for real -- users can print out a "smart label" to attach that can be read by smartphones and reveals the contents. ...Read the whole story >>
Kia Pulls Out Stops To Promo '11 Optima
This year, Kia is taking a page out of sibling Hyundai's big-voices, big-places strategy to promote its 2011 Optima and other vehicles. The Irvine, Calif.-based automaker is not just advertising in the Super Bowl along with Hyundai and getting vehicles in the new series "Nikita" on The CW Network. ...Read the whole story >>
Purina To Owners: Go On, Double Dog Dare Us
To help promote its reformulated dog food and the contest, Purina has enlisted country music-playing siblings "The Band Perry" -- and their dogs -- to be the face of the campaign. In addition to leveraging the band's popularity, the company will use significant public relations efforts to promote the contest. ...Read the whole story >>
Cayman Islands Beckons Caymankind
McD's Recognized For Advancing Women
Horizon Air Adopts Alaska Airlines' Eskimo
First TV Ad Push For La Fresh Eco-Beauty
Southwest Upgrades Corporate Blog
Suzuki Does Regional Strategy for Super Bowl
Intel Inks Will.i.am Deal
Sprint Teams With "Extreme Makeover"
At the beginning of 2011, I launched another site, a blog dedicated to Social Media. It's called ScLoHo's Social Media Adventure and it is updated weekdays at noon. Click here.
I'm not planning on talking much about Facebook, it's not my favorite social platform but there are some ways you can use it for your business if you know how.
The Wonder Branding Blog has 5 ways:
5 Quick Ways To Market Your Business On Facebook
Any business can create a Facebook page.
It's how you work the page that strengthens the relationship with customers.
Let's say you've created a Facebook page for your business, but now you don't know what to do with it.
Here are 5 basic elements you can use over and over, that will build exposure for your business, create dialogue between you and the consumer, and connect customers with each other:
1) Ask questions. Once or twice a week, post an question that is relevant to your business, and interesting to your customers.
Have you tried meditation? Was it relaxing? Was it hard to relax? What worked for you to keep yourself in the present? (Naturopathica Skin Care)
How have you or your child accessorized their Strider? (Strider Running Bikes)
2) Let your fans ask questions. Once in awhile, put up a post encouraging your fans to ask questions and/or request help. It builds trust between you and your fans, encourages dialogue, and places you as the expert in your field. It also creates conversations between customers and builds community (take a look at Pandora Jewelry's page – wow!).
3) Post videos. You don't need a fancy video set-up – a simple Flip camera or your iPhone camera will do. Post a short video (no more than two minutes) on a topic relevant to your business – one that will educate the customer. They're fun, easy, and add a new dimension of personality to your business (check out WiseGrass for some great examples)
4) Hold contests. Get your fans involved in posting photos or videos according to a topic you decide in advance. Own a home/office organization company? Hold a "messiest closet" contest (winner gets two free hours of organization help). Run a bookstore? Have fans list their "desert island" book list (best one wins a gift card to the store).
5) Last, but not least, offer discounts and special events for Facebook friends only. Give them a "secret password" to use at the counter for an extra 20% off. Invite them to a special cocktail hour with a renowned author. At least once a month, offer your fans something that is only for them. Once they catch on, word-of-mouth will spread and your fan base will grow exponentially.
Facebook is free and it's a tool you should be using everyday. If you take these 5 ideas and rotate them on a regular basis, you may never need another Facebook idea again.
How are you using Facebook? Share in the comments below!
Lessons from Jack
Seth Godin summarized 96 years with these 8 points:
Eight Lessons from the life and work of Jack LaLanne
He bootstrapped himself. A scrawny little kid at | 6,035 |
Happy 2018! After ending the last year on a high note with numerous awards in 2017, I'm excited to pen the third part of my blog series. Let's recap quickly what we discussed in the earlier posts.
In part one of this four-part series, we discussed edge computing and why it's indispensable for IIoT applications. We described concretely, our vision for analytics and machine learning at the edge.
In part two, we dove into specific technical detail of why complex, non-trivial analytics must be performed in real-time at the edge across heterogeneous devices. Shipping all this data to a centralized cloud computing environment simply doesn't work for the all-instrumented and autonomous computing environment the industry is heading towards. To that end, we brought to market the most advanced, extremely low-footprint, low-latency complex event processing (CEP) engine. Our CEP works just like the fast processing part of the human brain—enriching, characterizing, and summarizing data in flight. For the first time, FogHorn's technology makes it possible to run cloud-like analytics and trained machine learning models right at the edge.
No tangible business outcome in IIoT can ever be achieved without incorporating the domain expertise<|fim_middle|> combine technology with domain expertise is the keystone to achieving successful business outcomes in IIoT. Conclusion being: the edge-computing technologies must be usable not only by IT personnel, but also OT people. Slowly the physical world is becoming the domain of IT and not just centralized data centers and servers.
If there is one constant in technical and business advancement, it is iterative learning and improvement. This can only happen when tools makes it insanely easy to capture tribal knowledge from domain experts, and then lets you leverage data in real time. Here we see the birth of useful applications. This then leads to numerous iterations and improved automation that accelerates quickly as more insights are learned over time.
So how did FogHorn solve this to enable high value apps in IIoT? FogHorn's software platform had to do for IIoT what Excel did for computers in order to make a massive impact in the industry—and we are doing exactly that.
Based on the understanding above, our platform needed to be super-efficient, but also easy for OT specialists to use for analytics and machine learning. To that end, we created a scripty, reactive, functional language and platform called VEL™ that lets you run analytics and machine learning right at the edge.
VEL allows people (even without computer science and IT backgrounds) to describe complex analytics in terms of easy-to-understand mathematical formulas, rather than traditional if-then-else programming logic. This paradigm changes the mental model from a programming problem to one of data flow analysis: Less code and more math, if you will. Pair this with our visual workbench and you'll see that (following the analogy above) we deliver the "Excel" for IIoT.
Now, one key point to note - it is not just the visual workbench that really solves the problem. It is a huge misconception in the IIoT market today that just slapping a drag and drop tool where you don't have to write code, solves the problem of being OT centric. It only helpful to solve very simple and trivial proof-of-concept type of problems which is far from the real world. Most of these tools just turn out to be almost useless when rubber hits the road.
What really bubbles up as simplicity to the user is the fundamental languages constructs that are designed in as first class elements. As an corollary: imagine building an app without the iOS or the Android platform. Sure you could do it but it would be so massively hard and you could create only a few apps. That's why we went to great lengths to solve from the ground up by taking a language driven approach and by writing a compiler and language called VEL. OT centric is – when you can articulate a complex problem in simple English and then it is equally easy to turn that into a program without having to change the mental-model or reframe the level of abstraction or constraint the expression of the analytic intent or the lack of advanced capabilities.
In our upcoming release this summer, our CEP engine will also allow running pre-trained machine learning models from the cloud right at the edge in an extremely efficient way by just importing them and binding to live streaming sensor data. One of the most respected VC firms in Silicon Valley, a16z, seems to deeply agree with our approach. Check their video out for more information.
Significantly reduced programming effort to develop IIoT use cases with VEL. You require zero infrastructure or boilerplate code; just pure business logic expressions.
Syntax and semantic checking (unlike Python). These are done right at compile time, guaranteeing complete correctness.
OT-centric tools for visual analytic authoring, development and data-flow debugging capabilities. Tools follow a simple recursive mental model of input-compute-output at any layer of complexity, allowing domain expertise to think simply. This resonates well with the OT-centric toolchain, like PLC, LabView and Ladder Logic programming etc.
Here's a real example. One customer built an error-prone IoT program in Python that required over 3000 lines of code. When they converted their program to VEL, they reduced the code to about 60 lines of VEL with semantic checking and data simulations available at the time of authoring.
VEL enables tinkering and exploratory analysis. This allows quick iterations without having to worry about productionizing a solution. VEL takes care of all the runtime production efficiencies, offering very optimized runtime performance.
VEL also lets you import a trained machine learning model (using any tool, such as Python, IBM, SAS, R, KNIME, etc.). Just run it directly at the edge with efficient code-generation in VEL. This provides you with a tool- and language-agnostic ability to run machine learning models right at the edge.
All the above analysis, design and engineering for a singular purpose is why we started FogHorn in the first place. In the next and final blog of this 4-part series, I will talk about our purpose, practical aspects and actual meaning of machine learning at the edge, and why enabling fancy words like ML and AI at the edge is making 'data' humanly-consumable first.
VEL is a trademark of FogHorn Systems. | and tribal knowledge of people into the analytics and machine learning software at the edge. This includes having the ability to swiftly iterate and improve on solutions with augmentation from automated intelligence software.
We have discussed at great length in part one and part two why an advanced, distributed, and localized software intelligence platform is so important since sensors are instrumenting almost everything in the physical world. The issue is, any kind of new advanced platform technology is useless unless you can build valuable applications on it.
As an example, let's go back to the 1970s–1980s and think about computers itself. People had no idea why they would ever need a computer. When computers were first introduced, they were considered esoteric and had little adoption until Excel spreadsheets (along with many other things) came along and changed the whole story for everyone across so many domains and industries. It suddenly made sense to use computers to develop all kinds of interesting solutions. An unstoppable burst of applications followed from there on, and the rest is history as we know it.
IIoT is so much at the same stage, but in a more modern and complex setting. Firstly, you need an advanced edge intelligence platform (just like computers were)—which in itself would require meticulous craftsmanship. However, to truly bring out business value across numerous domains, we also have to make the Excel equivalent for such an advanced IIoT platform—thus, allowing people to build interesting solutions for the modern industrial age everywhere and really fast.
One might ask, why is that? Why is IIoT at a same stage as I describe above?
IIoT applications are very domain-centric. Even if the domain is the same from business to business, each company's physical environment varies so much that it requires localized context and human knowledge to solve real problems. For example, even though someone might be able to write great C++ code or create an interesting machine learning model, in general, they most likely lack the expertise to know what it takes to manufacture an electric capacitor or understand the mechanics of a running elevator. On the other hand, a factory manager or a technician probably understands the vagaries of the machines and can intuitively predict issues. That human intuition is a combination of domain expertise + real-time intelligence. Well the answer is simple then, you need both.
Combining the power of automated intelligence with domain knowledge helps identify why certain sensor readings are more important than others, what needs to instrumented and measured at the accurate time, and where advanced analytics should be applied to derive higher level insights that matter. Thus the ability to | 521 |
A perfect for couples who want to explore the beautiful Italian island, based in Cannigione.
The Linetti 27 luxury bareboat motor yacht provides spacious decks for charters around Sardinia. If you are looking for a fun motor yacht, look no further. Hire<|fim_middle|> of gauges outline the dash whilst a flip up panel reveals her control switches. Behind the helm a full width bench seats offers storage below whilst behind a huge sun bed compliments this fantastic cockpit. The sun pad has an additional cushion to infill this making a huge sun bathing area, step across this to her built in bathing platform with stainless steel swim ladder. | a skipper and let him show you the very best sights of Sardinia and the Maddalena National Park. If you have your captains license, treat your guests to an exhilarating day on the water. She provides great comfort, elegance and performance on the water.
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"THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" (1977) Review
Posted on August 4, 2021 by ladylavinia1932
I have seen my share of movie and television productions that are based on novels and plays by Alexandre Dumas père and his son Alexandre Dumas fils And for some reason, I never get tired of watching them – over and over again. And one of them is the 1977 television movie, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK".
Directed by Mike Newell and adapted by William Bast, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is loosely based on Alexandre Dumas père's 1847-50 novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later". The novel was the third and last of the author's "The d'Artagnan Romances" literary trilogy, following "The Three Musketeers" and "Twenty Years After". The movie begins with Philippe Bourbon being snatched by a group of mysterious men from his small French estate and imprisoned at the Bastille. It turns out that the men behind this kidnapping is King Louis XIV's finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert and the head of the Musketeers, D'Artagnan.
Aware that Philippe is the twin brother of the king (and the rightful monarch of France), the pair plan to conduct a bloodless coup to eventually switch Philippe with the corrupt and malicious Louis. However, their plans are stymied when the Chevalier Duval, an aide of the also corrupt Superintendent of Finances Nicolas Fouquet, stumbles across Philippe. Fouquet, via instructions from Louis, orders Duval to take Philippe from the Bastille and install him in another prison on the coast. Fortunately for Colbert and D'Artagnan, they learn of Philippe's fate from Louis' reluctant and disenchanted mistress Louise de La Vallière and plot to rescue the royal twin and continue with their plot to replace him with Louis.
When I saw "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" for the first time, I thought it was perfect. Flawless. And it became one of my favorite Alexandre Dumas adaptations and television movies for years. After my recent viewing of the television movie, I now realize that it is not perfect. I feel that screenwriter William Bast had changed one aspect of Dumas' novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later", that had an impact on the 1977 movie's narrative. The novel had portrayed Louis as the older twin and rightful king of France. For some reason, Bast had made Philippe the oldest twin. Why? I have no idea. To justify Philippe's theft of the French throne? Unfortunately, this narrative change left me wondering why Philippe, as the "older twin" was not allowed to be his father's heir and later, successor. In one scene, Colbert explained that former French minister and lover of the twins' mother Queen Anne, Cardinal Mazarin, had Philippe taken away following the latter's birth, in order to manipulate then King Louis XIII. This explanation struck me as lame and confusing. And Bast should have never changed this aspect of Dumas' plot.
Many moviegoers have become increasingly critical of any production that have not closely adhere to its literary source over the years. I have no idea how many of them felt about this 1977 television movie. But I have a pretty good idea how I feel about it. Although I found the major change mentioned in the above paragraph troubling, I had no problems with many of other Bast's changes. I have read Dumas' novel. It was interesting . . . to say the least. I have no problems reading or watching a story with a downbeat ending if it suits the narrative or if I am in the mood to embrace it. I have never been in the mood to embrace Dumas' 1847-50 novel. Which would probably explain why I enjoyed the changes in this adaptation a lot. But wait . . . extreme changes had been made in other adaptations of "The Vicomte de Bragelonne". What was it about this particular adaptation that I enjoyed? I found it better written than the other adaptations.
For me, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" was a tight and well-written story that did not drag or rush the movie's narrative. Which is more than I can say for Dumas' story. Most Dumas' adaptations tend to be part-dramas/part-swashbucklers. "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" – at least this version – seemed to be eighty-five percent drama and fifteen percent action. In fact, the only real action sequence in this production turned out to be D'Artagnan's rescue of Philippe from the coastal prison. And if I must be honest, I thought Mike Newell's direction, Freddie Young's cinematography and Bill Blunden's editing made that sequence a tense, yet exciting affair.
However, the meat of "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" centered around its dramatic scenes. Thanks to Newell's direction, Bast's screenplay and a talented cast, the television movie featured some very memorable scenes. Among my favorites are Philippe's discovery that he is the King of France's twin brother, Louis' malicious reaction to his failure to impress Louise de La Vallière, a tense conversation between Philippe and Queen Marie-Therese, and the last verbal duel between Colbert and Fouquet. If I had to select my absolute favorite scene, it had to be the one that featured Louis' "Sun King" ballet, Louise's failure to be impressed and Louis' malicious act of using the Queen as a scapegoat for his embarrassment.
As I had earlier stated, the dramatic scenes in "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" would have never been fully satisfying to me without its top notch cast. Yes, there were solid performances from the likes of Denis Lawson, Hugh Fraser and Brenda Bruce. But I found myself impressed by other members of the cast. They include Vivien Merchant, who did an excellent job in conveying Queen Marie-Therese's mixed emotions toward her emotionally abusive spouse – whether it was desire, resentment or a combination of both. Ian Holm was excellent as Minister Fouchet's aide, the Chevalier Duval, who seemed to be brimming with cunning intelligence and stealth. I would never associate Louis Jordan portraying a swashbuckling figure. But I must admit that he made an excellent man-of-action in his portrayal of the experienced, competent and quick-thinking D'Artagnan.
Jenny Agutter gave a sublime and passionate performance as Louise de La Vallière, Louis' reluctant mistress who ended up falling in love with the latter's twin. Ralph Richardson's portrayal of France's finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert struck me as one of the more entertaining performances in the production. I found Richardson's Colbert cunning, intelligent, patient and more importantly – at least to me – witty. I have seen Patrick McGoohan in several heroic and villainous roles. But I must admit that his Nicolas Fouquet struck me as one of the most subtlety portrayed villains I have ever seen on screen. McGoohan's Fouquet could put Sheev Palpatine from the STAR WARS saga when it comes to subtle villainy. And I like subtle villains. I find them more dangerous.
If I had to give an award for the best performance in "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK", I would give it to its leading man, Richard Chamberlain. Mind you, Chamberlain had to portray two characters – the decent, yet slightly hot-headed Philippe Bourbon; and the vain and egotistic King Louis XIV. Mind you, I thought Chamberlain did an excellent job of conveying Philippe's sense of confusion, anger and passion. But the actor's portrayal of Louis literally knocked my socks off. Chamberlain's performance was not over-the-top. He did a subtle job of conveying Louis' villainy. And yet, he managed to inject a great deal of – how can I put it – a joie de vivre quality in his performance that I found truly entertaining. There was no doubt that Chamberlain's Louis was a villain. But his Louis proved to be one of the most entertaining villains I have seen on screen.
I realize that I have yet to discuss the television movie's production values. We are talking about the 1970s. Although I can recall a good number of television miniseries with first-rate production values, I cannot say the same about several period television productions from both sides of the Atlantic. And "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is a television movie with a 100 minutes running time. However, I thought its production values were first-rate. Despite being a made-for-TV movie, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" was shot on several locations in both France and Great Britain. Thankfully, Freddie Young's photography did an excellent job in enhancing those locations. John Stoll took advantage of those locations and skillfully re-created France and Louis XIV's court of the late 1660s or early 1670s. I am not an expert of 17th century fashion – in France or anywhere else. I have no idea whether Olga Lehmann's costume designs or Betty Glasow's hairstyle are historically accurate. But I cannot deny that I found the hairstyles satisfying and Lehman's costumes beautiful, as shown below:
In the end, I am happy to state that "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" remains one of my all time favorite adaptations of an Alexandre Dumas père novel. Despite my quibble of one of William Bast's changes in Dumas' story, I feel more than satisfied with his other changes and thought he had presented a first-rate story. And my satisfaction also extends to Mike Newell's top-notch direction and the excellent performances from a cast led by the always superb Richard Chamberlain.
Filed under: Book Review, History, Television | Tagged: alexandre dumas, ancien régime,<|fim_middle|> Tagged: aiden gillen, alan badel, alex kingston, alexandra dowling, alexandre dumas, amy nuttall, ancien régime, ancient japan, annabelle wallis, bill paterson, billy connolly, british empire, c. thomas howell, christopher lee, clive owen, colonial america, damien thomas, daniel craig, denis lawson, diana rigg, ed stoppard, fiona glascott, frank finlay, geraldine chaplin, howard charles, hugh fraser, hugo speer, ian holm, j.j. feild, james fleet, jason flemyng, jean-pierre cassel, jenny agutter, joanna mccallum, john neville, john rhys-davies, julian glover, kim cattrall, liam cunningham, literary, louis jordan, luke pasqualino, maimie mccoy, marc warren, michael york, mike newell, milton johns, musketeers, oliver reed, patrick mcgoohan, perdita weeks, peter capaldi, philippe noiret, politics, polly walker, rachel kempson, ralph richardson, religion, richard chamberlain, richard coyle, richard lester, roger ashton-griffith, rosalie crutchley, roy kinnear, ryan gage, santiago cabrera, sean bean, sharon maughan, tamla kari, tara fitzgerald, television, tom burke, travel, yoko shimada, zoe tapper | Leave a comment »
1. "The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge" (1974) – Richard Lester directed this adaptation of the second half of Alexandre Dumas père's 1844 novel, "The Three Musketeers". The movie starred Michael York, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway.
2. "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1977) – Richard Chamberlain portrayed duel roles in this loose adaptation of Alexandre Dumas père's 1847-50 novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later". Directed by Mike Newell, the movie co-starred Jenny Agutter, Patrick McGoohan and Ralph Richardson.
3. "The Three Musketeers" (1973) – Richard Lester directed this adaptation of the first half of Alexandre Dumas père's 1844 novel, "The Three Musketeers". The movie starred Michael York, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway.
4. "Adventures of Don Juan" (1948) – Errol Flynn starred in this swashbuckling movie as the infamous Spanish nobleman and fencing master for King Philip III and Queen Margaret of Spain's court, who comes to the aid of the couple when another nobleman plots to steal the throne from them. Vincent Sherman directed.
5. "The New World" (2005) – Terrence Malick wrote and directed this cinematic look at the founding of the Jamestown, Virginia settlement. The movie starred Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer and Christian Bale.
6. The Three Musketeers" (1948) – George Sidney directed this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas père's 1844 novel. The movie starred Gene Kelly, Van Heflin, Lana Turner and June Allyson.
7. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (2005) – Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson starred in this adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's 1999 historical novel about a Dutch housemaid; her employer, painter Johannes Vermeer; and the creation of his famous 1665 painting. Peter Webber directed.
8. "The Wicked Lady" (1945) – Margaret Lockwood starred in this adaptation of Magdalen King-Hall's 1945 novel, "Life And Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton". Directed by Leslie Arliss, the movie co-starred James Mason and Patricia Roc.
9. "Forever Amber" (1947) – Otto Preminger directed this adaptation of Kathleen Winsor's 1944 novel about the rise of a 17th century English orphan. Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde starred.
10. "The Crucible" (1996) – Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder starred in this adaptation of Arthur Miller's 1953 stage play about the Salem Witch Trials. The movie was directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Filed under: Book Review, Essay, History, Movies, Television | Tagged: alan hale, alexandre dumas, ancien régime, angela landsbury, ann rutherford, anna popplewell, art, ben chaplin, ben mendelsohn, british empire, charlton heston, christian bale, christopher lee, cillian murphy, colin farrell, colin firth, colonial america, cornel wilde, daniel day-lewis, denis lawson, eddie marsan, errol flynn, frank morgan, gene kelly, geraldine chaplin, history, ian holm, james mason, jean-pierre cassel, jeffrey jones, jenny agutter, jonathan pryce, judy parfitt, june allyson, keenan wynn, lana turner, linda darnell, literary, louis jordan, margaret lockwood, michael rennie, michael york, mike newell, movies, musketeers, noah taylor, old hollywood, oliver reed, patrick mcgoohan, peter vaughn, politics, ralph richardson, raymond burr, religion, restoration era, richard chamberlain, richard greene, robert coote, robert douglas, simon ward, spanish empire, tom wilkinson, travel, tudors, una o'connor, van heflin, vincent price, vivica lindfors, wes studi, winona ryder | Leave a comment »
"PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME" (2010) Review
Posted on November 5, 2011 by ladylavinia1932
"PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME" (2010 Review
Recently, I had listened to a radio talk show in which a movie reviewer compared Disney's new movie, "PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME" to the 1962 Oscar winning film, "LAWRENCE OF ARABIA". Much to the detriment of the Disney film. And as I sat there and listened to him bash "PRINCE OF PERSIA", it occurred to me that there still were plenty of idiots in this world . . . including radio disc jockeys.
Directed by Mike Newell and based upon the 2003 video game, "PRINCE OF PERSIA" is about an orphaned street urchin in sixth century Persia named Dastan whose gallant and courageous act at a marketplace attracts the attention of King Sharaman and leads to his adoption into the Royal Family. Fifteen years later, Dastan, his royal-blooded foster brothers, Prince Tus and Prince Garsiv, and his uncle, Prince Nizam are planning an attack on the sacred city of Alamut, which is believed to be selling weapons to their enemies. However, Persia's successful invasion of Alamut eventually leads to a great deal of trouble for Dastan, when he is framed for the assassination of the king. With the help of Tamina, Princess of Alamut, Dastan eventually discovers that the invasion was nothing more than a means for the real assassin to search for a magical dagger that Dastan has already managed to get his hands on. The dagger enables to bearer to travel back in time. The assassin wants to use the dagger to overthrow the Persian Royal Family and seize the throne.
I had mixed feelings about watching "PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME". A part of me was attracted to the idea of viewing another Disney live-action movie with a fantasy setting. Another part of me recalled my disappointment over Tim Burton's rather flaccid movie, "ALICE IN WONDERLAND". Attraction and curiosity won out and I went to see the movie . . . despite my low expectations. Needless to say, I ended up enjoying the movie a lot.
Granted, the movie had its share of flaws. First of all, one had to endure some of the over-the-top dialogue that has plagued movies like "SPIDER-MAN", and from the "STAR WARS", "LORD OF THE RINGS" and "THE MUMMY" franchises. Some of the action sequences that featured actor Jake Gyllenhaal jumping all over the place struck me as a tad too frantic. It almost seemed as if Mike Newell and cinematographer John Seale had channeled Paul Greengrass and photographer Oliver Wood from the"BOURNE" movies. I love actor Alfred Molina. I have been a fan of his for years. But I must admit that I found his performance as an ostrich racing-organizer named Sheik Ama waaaay over-the-top. Speaking of ostrich racing . . . WHAT THE HELL? I have never seen anything so ludicrous in my life. I mean . . . I could understand camel racing or even horse racing. But ostrich racing?
Yes, I do have some quibbles about the movie. And yes, I realize that it is not an example of artistic Hollywood movie making at its height. It is certainly not the best movie of this summer. But dammit! I liked it a lot. One, screenwriters Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard wrote a very entertaining adaptation of the video game. I am certainly not familiar with it, but I did like the story. Not only was it filled with plenty of action and fantasy, it had a good, solid mystery over the identity of King Sharaman's assassin. This mystery also served as the background of a well-written family drama involving Dastan and the Persian Royal Family. Most importantly, the movie's script featured a funny and spirited romance between Dastan and Princess Tamina.
Speaking of the cast, I never thought I would see the day when I actually enjoy a sword-and-sand fantasy that featured Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. He is not the type of actor I would associate with a costume movie from the Disney Studios. I must admit that for the movie's first ten to twenty minutes, I found it difficult to accept Gyllenhaal in the role of a street urchin-turned-adopted member of the Persian Royal Family. But he seemed to be doing such a good job and I was becoming engrossed in the movie that I eventually overcame any unnecessary problems I had with him in the role. Most importantly, Gyllenhaal had great chemistry with Gemma Arterton, who portrayed Tamina. The only other movie I had seen Arterton in was the last James Bond movie, "QUANTUM OF SOLACE". Honestly? I had not been that impressed by her performance in that movie. But I was impressed by her performance as Princess Tamina. She gave the character a strength and drive rarely seen in female roles from the past five or six summers. She also seemed to have better chemistry with actors that are from her generation . . . like Gyllenhaal.
Ben Kingsley gave a very subtle performance as Dastan's adopted uncle, Prince Nizam. He did a great job in portraying the one character that acted as the Persian Royal Family's backbone. Both Richard Coyle and Toby Kebbell gave solid performances as Dastan's two royal brothers. However, I must admit that I did not find them particularly memorable. Steve Toussaint did a good job in portraying the dependable, yet intimidating Ngbaka knife thrower Seso. I certainly enjoyed his performance more than I did Alfred Molina's. It seemed a pity that the latter's character annoyed me so much. I also have to commend Gísli Örn Garðarsson, who portrayed the leader of the Hassansins, hired to kill Dastan and recover the dagger. For a character that did not say much, I found his performance particularly intimidating.
I have another confession. I was not that particularly enamored of Mike Newell's direction of the 2005 movie, "HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE". And when I heard that he was the director of "PRINCE OF PERSIA" . . . well, I was not expecting to be impressed by his latest work. "GOBLET OF FIRE" had convinced me that Newell should avoid the science-fiction/fantasy genre. However, his direction of "PRINCE OF PERSIA" proved me wrong. Sure, I could have done without some of the frantic action sequences. And I would never consider the movie to be on the same level as the "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" movies. But I thought it was a pretty damn entertaining film.
Which brings me back to the radio disc jockey. Why did I consider him an idiot for comparing "PRINCE OF PERSIA" to"LAWRENCE OF ARABIA"? Who, in their right mind, would compare a summer Disney movie based upon a video game, with an Oscar winning film about a World War I hero? Who would be stupid enough to do this? Apparently that radio disc jockey was stupid enough to do so. And why did he do this? Because both movies were set in the Middle East. Go figure.
Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alfred molina, ben kingsley, disney, gemma arterton, jake gyllenhaal, literary, middle east, mike newell, movies, old hollywood, persian empire, richard coyle, steve toussaint, time travel, toby kebbell, travel | Leave a comment » | brenda bruce, denis lawson, hugh fraser, ian holm, jenny agutter, literary, louis jordan, mike newell, patrick mcgoohan, politics, ralph richardson, richard chamberlain, television, vivien merchant | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 15, 2019 by ladylavinia1932
1. "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1977) – Richard Chamberlain starred in this entertaining, yet loose television adaptation of Alexandre Dumas père's 1847-1850 serialized novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later". William Bast directed.
2. "The Musketeers" (2014-2016) – Adrian Hodges created this television series that was based upon the characters from Alexandre Dumas père's 1844 novel, "The Three Musketeers". The series starred Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Howard Charles and Luke Pasqualino.
3. "Shōgun" (1980) – Richard Chamberlain starred in this award winning adaptation of James Clavell's 1975 novel about an English sea captain stranded in early 17th century Japan. Co-starring Toshiro Mifune and Yoko Shimada, the miniseries was directed by Jerry London.
4. "The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders" (1996) – Alex Kingston starred in this adaptation of Daniel Dafoe's 1722 novel about the fortunes of an English criminal named Moll Flanders. Adapted by Andrew Davies, the miniseries was directed by David Attwood.
5. "By the Sword Divided" (1983-1985) – John Hawkesworth created this historical drama about he impact of the English Civil War on the fictional Lacey family during the mid-17th century. The series included Julian Glover and Rosalie Crutchley.
6. "The First Churchills" (1969) – John Neville and Susan Hampshire stared in this acclaimed miniseries about the life of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and his wife, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. David Giles directed.
7. "Lorna Doone" (1990) – Polly Walker, Sean Bean and Clive Owen starred in this 1990 adaptation of R.D. Blackmore's 1869 novel. Andrew Grieve directed.
8. "The Return of the Musketeers" (1989) – Richard Lester directed this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas pere's 1845 novel, "Twenty Years After". Michael York, Oliver Reed and Kim Cattrall starred.
9. "Lorna Doone" (2000-01) – Amelia Warner, Richard Coyle and Aiden Gillen starred in this 2000-01 adaptation of R.D. Blackmore's 1869 novel. Mike Barker directed.
10. "Jamestown" (2017-present) – Bill Gallagher created this television series about the creation of the Jamestown colony in the early 17th century. Naomi Battrick, Sophie Rundle and Niamh Walsh starred.
Filed under: Book Review, Essay, History, Television | | 726 |
Everclear 2020 Tour
Odeon Theatre, 167<|fim_middle|> Central Coast
Sun 23 Jan 11:00am
Steve Hackett – Genesis Revisited 2021
The Tivoli Theatre, Fortitude Valley, Queensland
Mon 20 Jun 8:00pm
Enmore Theatre, Newtown, New South Wales
Wed 22 Jun 8:00pm | Liverpool Street, Hobart CBD, Hobart
167 Liverpool Street, Hobart CBD, Tasmania
VIP Package 18+ General Admission: $183.60 ea
Sun 2 Feb 2020, 7:00pm–10:00pm
Everclear Official Website
Everclear
For over two decades, Everclear's sound has reflected the rock, post-punk, and singer/songwriter influences of Art Alexakis, including acts like X, the Replacements, the Pixies, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello.
The band found success with their first three albums on Capitol Records, Sparkle and Fade, So Much for the Afterglow, and Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile, which were all certified platinum.
VIP Package Contents:
- One general admission ticket
- VIP early entry into the venue
- Exclusive pre-show meet & greet with Everclear
- Personal photograph with the band
- Autograph session with the band
- Private, intimate acoustic performance by the band
- Specially designed Everclear shirt (exclusive to VIP packages)
- Collectible Everclear poster autographed by the band
- Exclusive Everclear VIP merchandise item
- Official meet & greet laminate
Limited availability.
Kate Ceberano
Wonderland Spiegeltent, Barwon Heads, Victoria
Fri 28 Jan 8:00pm
Red Hot Summer Tour
Mount Penang Parklands, Kariong, | 315 |
SRI Quality System Registrar is proud to announce that it is now<|fim_middle|> the design and construction phase of a project when submitting for Living Certification. 3R, as a subsidiary of SRI, can act as a sustainability consultant on any LBC project. | part of the International Living Future Institute's (ILFI) JUST™ Program. This program provides a transparent platform of disclosure, a "nutrition label", for socially responsible organizations and corporations.
"The International Living Future Institute is pleased to announce that SRI has been recognized with the JUST Label. SRI's pursuit of a Social Equity Disclosure Label is consistent with the organization's long-standing support of Corporate Social Responsibility principles and practices," says Francis Janes, Associate Director, International Living Future Institute.
SRI qualified for the JUST Label through effective internal policies in key JUST categories such as diversity, equity, safety, employee benefit, local benefit and community stewardship. In addition to exemplifying transparency, SRI continues to grow as a leader in the sustainability industry. The most recently released version of ILFI's Living Building Challenge, LBC v3.1, requires that a JUST labeled organization must have an integral role during | 182 |
Send<|fim_middle|>.yokaboo.com/category/mens-grooming/the-buccaneer—beard-oil/ — with The House of Ceteri.
The folkpunk singer Wolfe Sunday ….
and some more great reviews….
Send us your pics … and join our beardy gallery!!!!
Due to the popularity of our Audacious Woodsman Beard oil – we have decided to create another Audacious beard product for supremely manly beards, with the same distinctive masculine, woody and musky aromas – but in a leave in conditioner form.
Handmade with all natural products, using Shea butter, grape seed oil, beeswax and our illustrious Woodsman blend of essential oils, the Audacious Beard Balm is fantastic for adding even more awesomeness to your beard, however long, short or audacious, whilst also conditioning your whiskers, softening your skin, preventing itchiness, and ensuring your beard remains strong, fearless and manly enough to scare away any foolhardy bears.
After you wash your beard simply apply a small amount of beard balm (warmed by rubbing between your finger tips) – feed the beard – fear the beard!
"Tried lots of oils for my beloved beard this has to be the best yet!" make sure you're not missing out! | us your creative and imaginative product feedback or photos of your Audacious beards and meticulous moustaches …. we will be announcing our October competition winners next weekend !!!
Phil Hughes from The House of Ceteri rocking his Buccaneer Beard Oil… Truly Audacious!!!http://www.facebook.com/thehouseofceterihttp://www.theaudaciousbeardco | 73 |
I'm so thankful that my friend<|fim_middle|> | Courtney got a new job, and I could jump up and down with her yesterday! We have been praying over that in her life, and it is so good to see answered prayer.
This mini celebration in a way awakened my thankfulness for sharing life with other believers. I'm not sure why, but God has given me so many people to pray for in the last two weeks, that I hardly have time in the morning to pray for myself.
What a gift this is. What a refreshing change from my day to day that tends to revolve around me and my wants and needs and small insignificant troubles.
What a privileged it is to be JUST as excited for someone, because you have begged God for the same things they have. What a comfort it is to know that although she wanted the job – we didn't pray for the job – but God showed up and knew what was best.
I pray that God continues to show me what praying for others looks like. I also pray that I never grow weary. That I never think that God's forgotten about these people- that he is always actively pursuing them in the times when it feels like there is no answer.
The verse goes on to say the prophet Elijah prayed for 3 years and 6 months that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain. Then he prayed again, and heaven "gave rain". My prayer is that I would have that type of faith. May I never limit what God can do by my human understanding. | 301 |
11 Webcomics for Writers: Inspiration and Motivation
Sometimes we have to look outside of our usual medium to find the motivation we need to get the words on the page—or to just feel like someone else "gets it." Check out these webcomics for writers.
Jess Zafarris
Sometimes we have to look outside of our usual medium to find the motivation we need to get the words on the page—or to just feel like someone else "gets it." These webcomics for writers perfectly illustrate what it feels like to be a writer, from the moment of inspiration to pitching your work and getting published. Be sure to click the links below each comic to see more work by each of these great artists.
1. For when you're trying to figure out how to get started:
Comic by Guy Kopsombut at 4amShower.
2. For when you're wondering how other writers get to be so good:
Comic by Sarah Andersen.
In the Comics Experience® Guide to Writing Comics, comics veteran Andy Schmidt offers sage advice and practical instruction for everything from writing realistic dialogue to communicating your ideas to other comics professionals.
Comics Experience® Guide to Writing Comics by Andy Schmidt
IndieBound | Amazon
3. For when you're stuck in the dreaded middle of your novel:
Comic by Ramin Nazer.
4. For when you're wondering whether it's too late to get started:
Comic by Tonci Zonjic at To-Zo.com.
5. For when you're feeling pressured to outdo your predecessors:
Comic by Gojko Franulic at Sephko.
6. For when you just can't figure it out:
Comic via Pictures in Boxes.
7. For when you're trying to perfect your manuscript:
Comic by Grant Snider at Incidental Comics and Jon Acuff.
8. For when you're trying to decide how to<|fim_middle|> @uselessety on Twitter. | fill your day:
Comic by Elvin Dantes.
9. For when you're seeking your nom de plume:
Another great comic by Grant Snider at Incidental Comics. (If you want more webcomics for writers, Grant has a wealth of them on his site.)
10. For when we need the courage to leave our comfort zone and experience something new.
Comic by Justin Boyd at Invisible Bread.
("How do you get into writing comics? Write a comic." Eisner-Nominated Alex de Campi Talks Comics, Prose & Multidisciplinary Creative Work)
11. And of course... For when you're wondering whether anyone will read your work:
Comic by Steve Ogden.
Creative Writing 101 combines teaching the key elements of storytelling with developing the protagonist. Once you understand who this character is and how to make sure you've included the key story elements, you are well on your way to writing that book you have been squelching.
inspirationPicture Promptscomicswriting inspiration
Jess Zafarris is the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters and the former Digital Content Director for Writer's Digest. Her eight years of experience in digital and print content direction include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW Design magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Follow her at @jesszafarris or | 318 |
The Cards Speak
Beyond Poker Blogging<|fim_middle|>1. Focus on pot size and Expected Value
Throughout the book, Miller's repeated focus on Expected Value stresses the importance of understanding gambling theory. Loose games are all about getting your money in when you'll win more than your fair share of the pot, even though you're an underdog the majority of the time. This concept is difficult to understand for new players.
2. Pot equity
A concept tied to Expected Value, Miller's book is the first that offers a clear explanation of this difficult concept. Postflop play in loose games is dictated by Pot Equity, and I believe that understanding this concept is crucial for success in loose games.
3. Playing aggressively with marginal hands
Raising with middle pair is a dicey proposition, but Miller does a good job of explaining how to play marginal hands. However, I think it's easy to take this concept too far, and I see many players throwing in raises when they're drawing to 4 or 5 outs.
4. Hidden Outs
Miller's section on hidden outs addresses a subject I've yet to see in any other book. In games where the pots are huge, it's often worth hanging on to your hand and hoping that the board can save you. Knowing these situations can end up winning you lots of big bets.
1. Lack of general theoretical concepts
SSH is more like a manual than a teaching book. Miller tells you how to play, but is usually short on why a certain play is correct. Unlike Gary Carson's "The Complete Book of Hold 'Em Poker", which offers a variety of theoretical approaches to Hold 'Em, Miller's scope is restricted to specific concepts of play.
2. Ramming and Jamming
In his section on "Protecting Draws and Buying Outs," Miller recommends raising to knock out players when holding big draws, such as the nut flush draw. This was about the only thing I disagreed with in the book– I think that we give up a lot of Expected Value by driving away customers when we hold a big draw. With a monster draw, I think it's a better play to go for the monster pot, keeping everyone in and raising when we've already suckered them into the pot. Even if you hit your ace in a big pot (and miss your flush draw), it's unlikely your top pair will be best in a big field anyway, so I don't like Miller's advice here. I suppose we can look at Abdul's simulations to get an empirical answer on this issue.
In short, Miller's book is a great book and I recommend it to everyone. Combined with Carson's theoretical approach, SSH is an excellent resource for improving your play.
Alright that's enough for today. If you don't have an Empire account, sign up through this link using bonus code HDOUBLE and you'll get a 20% bonus up to $100. I may need it to survive my next bad run…
« The Play's The Thing
Be Aggressive, B-E Aggressive » |
All-In Magazine: The Viral Phenomenon of Poker Blogs
Death and Rebirth at the Poker Table
By hdouble September 12, 2004 June 23, 2013 Uncategorized
"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."
Watching the games on the first Sunday of the NFL season, I can't help but think back to all the time I spent on the field and how much I miss the game. After 17 years of football, this is the second season that I've watched the game as a fan and not a player.
I was also reminded earlier in the week of my football days, when I lost a monster pot in the big Pot Limit game at Hollywood Park. I broke my own rule of not going broke with top pair, and a loose aggressive player slowplayed his Aces to perfection, breaking me in the process. Driving home, the feeling in my stomach was almost identical to the feeling I got when I dropped a big pass or couldn't come up with the big play in a big game. It's not that I hate losing so much– what I really don't like is the feeling that I didn't play my best.
I'm a big fan of Joseph Campbell, who writes about the way myth and archetype affects the narrative of our life. One of my favorite archetypes is the deity who is reborn after a death-like experience and subsequent journey through the underworld. In the attempt to make mythology of my life, I could only see this 6 weeks of running bad as some kind of poker death, a journey through the Hades of bad beats and bad luck. And maybe this big loss in the pot limit game represented the final trial, the last obstacle in the underworld journey before I could return to the winning world of poker.
A couple days later, after I'd licked my wounds, Mrs. Double and I played a heads-up NL Tourney. Of course she hit a 3 outer on the river after we were both all in to knock me out, and my luck continued. After the tourney, Mrs. Double suggested we play a Party Sit-N-Go, so I logged on and fired it up. The cards were unkind early, and we found ourselves slightly shortstacked with the blinds at 50-100. In middle position with pocket 6s, a guy who had been limping with Ace-rag limped again from early position. We threw in a raise, and everyone folded back to the limper. The limper came to life and pushed all in (he had us covered easily), and we were faced with a tough decision. Leave ourselves 400 chips, enough to survive two orbits, or call and hope for the best.
Me: "Do you think he's got a pair?"
Mrs. Double: "No way!"
Me: "I think he's got us."
Mrs. Double: "I want to call…"
Me: "Alright…"
She clicked the call button and as my luck (or unluck) continued, he did in fact have a higher pair: pocket tens. I hated being right, and watched sadly as the first card came the 6s! Joy in Mudville, but only for a second, as the second card out was the Ts. Ah well… the third card was the As, and for a moment I thought we were actually going to be on the side of lady luck. The turn was a fourth spade, and I stood up to get ready for bed. But the river was the 5th spade, putting a flush on the board. The pot was split and we survived, catching a little bit of luck after all. I sat back down, breathing a sigh of relief, and noting just how lucky we really were. It had been a while since I had gotten a break, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped that this was some sort of turning point.
We soon doubled up, catching the limper when we flopped a set. With a little bit of room to work with, we stole our way to the chip lead, and quickly demolished the table, winning the tourney easily after the 5 spades had given us new life. I went to bed hoping that the tide had turned, and maybe the cards would relent on the merciless beating they'd been administering to me on a repeated basis.
And they did. Yes, the occasional river card did kill me, but most of my big hands held up while 4 tabling $3-6, and I ended up with a decent week. So I'm hoping that the poker underworld is behind me (for a while, anyway), and I can get back to winning.
But then again, results don't really matter anyway.
Enough mythology. A couple links to share, including an excellent article from my favorite CardPlayer writer, Daniel Kimberg. Kimberg breaks down the reason for playing multiple tables:
"Is playing multiple small tables really a good idea? Some experienced players believe it's too difficult to play well in multiple games simultaneously. If they're right, your win rate suffers much more than it would appear from the table above. I personally believe that many winning players, especially those who are generally able to make quick decisions in their regular game, should also be able to beat multiple games. And they should be able to realize winning rates comparable to what they earn in larger games."
And more Sergeant Rock, explaining the most basic requirement for beating any game:
"The most basic thing you gotta do to beat a poker game is…
"Play Differently Than the Other 9 Guys."
…and I like to call this the Delta Factor. May sound silly, or
too elementary, but basic truths are sometimes like that.
Suppose that you play *real well* but are in a game where
everyone else plays EXACTLY like you do. If there were no rake,
then everyone would break even. Since there generally IS a
rake, then everyone would lose in such a game."
Of course, in most low-limit games, you do this by playing tight. This "Delta Factor" concept isn't discussed in any 2+2 book, and seems relatively obvious. But as you go up in limits and the players start to resemble the prototypical "solid" player, you've got to find ways to outplay them (or better yet, stay out of their way and attack the fish). Remembering this simple rule will aslo help you find a beatable game, although if you're playing on Party/Empire, it shouldn't be too hard.
A while back I promised a review of Ed Miller's new book, "Small Stakes Hold 'Em", so here it is.
In general, I'm not a fan of the 2+2 books, as I find them to be poorly written and usually full of conjectures lacking in statistical/empirical evidence. Small Stakes Hold 'Em (SSH) is short on statistics, although it's pretty clear that MIT grad Miller has done some simulation work in the past. SSH offers a very thorough, recipe-like explanation for how to beat loose low-limit games. His advice is excellent, and writing style much clearer than good old Sklansky and Malmuth. For those players that understand the game and are looking for a solid conceptual foundation in Hold 'Em, Miller's book is the best out there.
| 1,532 |
Did you know locals are growing food at Deagon Racecourse in Brisbane's northern suburbs? Keira Brett tells us about this remarkable community farm that is diverting food waste from landfill and building powerful community connections.
On a weekly basis anywhere from 150 to 200kg of food waste is collected from the local area and composted at the Green P Community Farm at Deagon Racecourse in Brisbane's northern suburbs. What started as an idea on how to get more much needed composting materials for the farm has blossomed into a wonderful way for local businesses to dispose of food waste<|fim_middle|> being developed with local businesses.
The farm hopes to roll the project out to more businesses in the area and is always open to more volunteers getting involved in all aspects of the garden.
Visit the Green P Community Farm on Facebook.
Keira Brett is Community Partnerships Worker for the Sandgate and Bracken Ridge Action Group Incorporated, known as SANDBAG. This independent community-based organisation has been working within the Brisbane North Community since the 1990's. | which would otherwise go to landfill.
Green P Community Farm operates on 3,000 square metres of disused land inside the racecourse and provides access to arable land for refugee and new arrival families where they can grow crops for their own consumption.
The community farm also has a market garden area which is maintained by a small group of volunteers from the local community. All produce raised in the market garden is sold with monies being re-invested into the farm; most weeks the produce is sold directly back to local cafes or to attendees of SANDBAG's programs (Sandgate and Bracken Ridge Action Group Incorporated, which supports the farm).
Every Thursday myself and Daniel, one of our community placement students, stop off at Satori Wholefoods nice and early before the morning rush. Here buckets of food waste and coffee grounds are collected and loaded up before stopping at Baaia for more spent coffee grounds. Then it's a short trip to Wired Owl where there can be anywhere from 50-70kg coffee grounds waiting. Then it's one last stop at Viet Street Eat for more vegetable scraps before we head off to the farm.
Once delivered, farm participants help to unload and mix the collected waste in with grass clippings from social enterprise SEED and manure from a local stable. The end nutrient rich product is then used to help grow bountiful crops.
The community farm project has grown to accommodate over 100 farm participants with the majority of the farm's community members being from Karen, Bhutanese and Nepalese cultures.
A large number of these farm participants were raised in communities generally based on subsistence agriculture. They have shown an admirable ability to grow large quantities of fresh chemical-free food from minimal resources , and the volunteers in the farm's market garden area learn much from their methods.
The farm is also a space visited by groups like SANDBAG's Conservation and Land Management Group, and Aspley Special School students who come with their supervisors to learn new skills which allow them to complete their certificate courses.
The community farm's waste diversion project is leading to more interest in the farm from the local community, and stronger relationships | 440 |
Dr. Alvetta Peterman Thomas, president of Atlanta Technical College, is not your typical college president. Well, I should say, not like any college president I've ever met. She's accessible, but not in a politician type of way ... really accessible. If you meet her in passing, she will engage you and you'll feel as if you've known her for a while. And when you see her again, she will receive you in that vein. Hint: Dr. Alvetta invests herself in people; Not because of what she does but because of who she is. She told me, in our first meeting, that she believed in mentoring. But, having been with her for just an hour, I already knew it.
This series would not be complete without a conversation with her.
Where did it all begin for you? Did you always know you wanted to be a college president?
I didn't always know I was going to be a college president. That's one of the things I always thought was unique about my story, but the more I tell my story … I find out it's not so unique. I started out in life thinking I was going to be an attorney. But because I was going to have to go to law school in the northeast in order to have it paid for, I wasn't going to a cold weather climate. And for me to allow climate to shift my career goal means that I wasn't that committed to it anyway. So, I was kind of unsure of what I wanted to do.
I took a very indirect route to becoming a president. I've worked as an archivist, as a writer/editor for a military magazine ... I've taught school but there were a number of things that put me in a great position to be where I am today. What I think put me in the best position for presidency was when I landed a job with the U.S. Army Department of Defense as an education specialist. In that job, I reviewed curriculum and developed curriculum for army training programs. That kind of set the stage. And [from there] as I moved around the country, the jobs I got were in various phases of education; all of those experiences combined put me in the places where I could be a college president. As I was going through those things, I didn't realize it. I didn't decide I could be president of a college until about five or 10 years ago. Having a great mentor who was president of this college made me realize that I could be president. In fact, she told me that I could be president before I even thought about it … Once she told me, she kind of spoke power into it. I'm here successfully because a lot of people ment<|fim_middle|> start with; You may have to start off being a customer service analyst … sometimes you may have to take a demotion to get to where you need to get. So, stay true to your passion, commit to lifelong learning and always do your best.
If you could write a letter to your younger self, what is one thing you would say?
I think the biggest thing I do is to sit down, get quiet and read a good book; I consider that a celebration. But, I'm always happy when I can look back and see the impact I've made on someone else.
Another great one Katrice! Liked the way she expressed how her career was a process and how it all added up. It's not always a direct route and we tend to lose hope when the path isn't so clear.
Thanks Rox-ann. I enjoyed hearing her talk about getting to this point. | ored me along the way, not just my predecessor.
From my coming to know you through Atlanta Tribune coverage, you've always talked about mentoring. Is it because you were mentored at every step that it organically became a profound tenet for you or have you always had a mind for mentoring?
I've always been the type of person who likes to help others. So, because of that, mentoring is natural to me. But, having so many people mentor me, I developed a greater appreciation for it as being important. There's a lot of research out there about mentoring and the importance of it … and why we should give back what has been given to us.
My firsts were my mother and grandmother, very strong women, who lived in an era where things were difficult ... I grew up in the height of the civil rights movement in Montgomery, Ala., so things were quite challenging for them. Despite those challenges, they were very successful at work and they had successful social relationships. They always told me that I could be and do anything that I wanted to be or do. The level of confidence they instilled in me laid the foundation. In high school, a teacher B. Caroline Holmes pulled me to the side and told me that I could be anything that I wanted to be despite some challenging circumstances because I was a teenage mother. I spent a semester away from high school to have a baby but when I came back the next semester, Ms. Holmes looked at me and said 'okay, now you've taken care of that — let's move forward' and I graduated from high school when I was supposed to. In undergraduate, Birdie Larkin sent me to Clark Atlanta University to apply for a scholarship in political science … I applied, got it and the rest is history. Joseph Silver, now president of Alabama State University, was a mentor. And in the first job I got with the Department of Defense, I didn't know anything about writing and editing but my mentor Willie Garrett taught me how to edit for magazines, how to write appropriate articles for magazines … Every step along the way, in my career, I've had strong mentors. And my mother remained my mentor until last year when she passed away. The lessons that I've learned from them are those that I keep near and dear to my heart and hope to give back to other young ladies.
What advice can you give women who are trying to find their purpose or nurture their passion?
To not give up on your passion … that's the first thing. The second is always do your best when you're working toward your passion because you never know who's looking at you. I believe I benefited from great mentors because regardless of what was going on in my life, I always tried to do my very best. And because of that, they could see the best in me and feel comfortable pushing me forward.
Stay focused on lifelong learning; you never stop learning. One of the biggest challenges I see with some young women is that they want to fast forward … they want it immediately. But, you've got to know there's a process. There's nothing wrong with working your way up to your goal. You're not going to go and be a business analyst to | 650 |
The five-year-old in me is really excited at picturing rovers in a sandbox. While piloting these machines around simulated Mars terrain has its own inherent joy, it's also a valuable tool for planners trying to figure out how to get the rovers rolling on the Red Planet.
ExoMars is heading that way in 2018, prompting the European Space Agency and Airbus to renovate a "Mars yard" to test out different design ideas, which they highlighted in an event last week that Universe Today was unable to attend.
A press release for ESA mentioned that the yard had been upgraded, but the agency did not respond to a Universe Today e-mail request asking what those upgrades are or how much they cost. Previous press releases about the facility said that it was eight meters by eight meters (26 feet by 26 feet) in size, while current ones say that the facility is 30 meters by 13 meters (100 feet by 43 feet).
"ExoMars 2018 has two science elements. A rover will investigate the local geology and search for signs of past and present life while a surface platform will study the Martian environment. The landing site must be a geologically diverse site that is ancient, and shows the strong potential for once having<|fim_middle|> about ExoMars at this website. | been habitable," ESA stated.
You can read more | 11 |
What to Consider When Looking for an Electrician If something goes wrong, it is often the time when people start to make an action. Then, people begin with the necessary steps to aid the problem. This is actually what happens to most of us. But if you are going to look closely at things today, you will realize that you are starting to put off the need of home maintenance and repair procedures. This often leads to the worsening of the problem which was little at first. This is something that should not be done when it comes to electrical issues because it might cost the property or the lives inside. If you notice a problem with your electricity, you need to hire a reliable and reputable electrician who is fitted for the job. Here are the points that you need to take into account when looking for a good electrician.
It is always good to start with asking around. Anyone who have an electrical work done recently can sure give you a recommendation of good electrician. The power that word of mouth has seem not to run old. If you are going to listen to their referrals, you can sure gather some good electricians. However, do not make this information your sole basis of hiring an electrician. Make sure to conduct a research and even ask them about their price quotes.
If you have gathered 6 – 8 recommendations, it is good to pare down your options. You can do this by different ways. But one of the best things to do is to go to the BBB and check the profile of each of your choices. If some electricians don't get good ratings, then weed them out from your list. If you are done reducing your list of choices, then you are down to the next step. It is now time for you to make a<|fim_middle|>, cross him out of the list. Those who still remain in the list should be ask for quotes. Good electricians should spend time to visit your place for inspection. This is very important since they will have to see what is the problem and the materials to be used for the job. After getting the quotes, it's time to compare the quotes. Then, identify which one is suited for your needs. Although almost all electricians can do the basic electrical work, you will want nothing but the best among the rest. | phone to each of them. During your call, tell them what you exactly need. It is good to determine who among them shows interest. You can determine his interest when he asks you several questions about the job. Once the man on the other line seems not interested, then you should not bother to ask a quote from him | 65 |
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Capacity strategies
This case study describes capacity planning at Intel. By dividing capacity planning into three distinct but interconnected planning phases and revisiting its long-range planning process quarterly, Intel has been able to plan successfully in the volatile world of computer processing. Because Intel believes capacity planning to be a key driver of its success it allocates significant resources to the practice.
Capacity planning at Intel
Intel's long-range planning process
Intel's long-range organizational structure
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Tomlin, B. (2018, June 27). Intel: a case study in capacity planning and strategy [Video file]. In The Business & Management Collection, Henry Stewart Talks. Retrieved January 19, 2021,<|fim_middle|> in all these plans. The long-range plan sets constraints on the extended build plan and the extended build plan sets constraints on the production build plan. This creates a connection between all three plans and also trade-offs in all three plans. Importantly, to manage those connections and trade-offs, all three planning teams are part of one overall capacity planning team at Intel to help resolve and manage those trade-offs.
The Business & Management Collection | from https://hstalks.com/bm/3781/.
Bite-size Case Study
Intel: a case study in capacity planning and strategy
Prof. Brian Tomlin – Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, USA
Published on June 27, 2018 Originally recorded 2012 6 min
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Intel is a company for whom capacity planning is of utmost importance. And Intel are very sophisticated in how they approach capacity planning and can be thought of as being best in class. Let me also say that I'm drawing from the "Operations Strategy" text book of Beckman and Rosenfield in discussing this Intel example. Intel use a 60-month planning horizon so they're planning the future about five years in the future. But they break the planning horizon into three different levels of production build plan looking at from zero to nine months, an extended build plan looking at from nine months to 24 months and a long-range plan looking at from nine months to 16 months, and these different levels are making different decisions. The long-range plan in essence to the strategic capacity plan is looking at the development of new fabrication facilities. So how much capacity? When to build a facility? Where to build a fabrication facility? Same for new assembly and test sites and also for negotiation of outsourcing or subcontracting arrangements. The extended build plan is more tactical in nature and this essentially decides looking at nine to 24 months, what products are going to be built in what facilities and other subcontracting arrangements that have been put in place, what options to exercise from those subcontracting arrangements. In the near term was the production build plan. In essence, how many wafers to start producing per week in terms of production scheduling and the allocation of production to specific facilities and assembly and test routing decisions. Couple of key things here. There's a connection | 558 |
Who knew I would have a third project?
It started with a simple conversation among Sagada locals when I was there on my nth time trip to one of my favorite places in the Philippines.
Kuya Oscar Magwilang, owner of the lodge we are fond of staying at, became the channel to the schools we shared our blessings.
October of 2013, we invited people on a Sagada tour with one day allotted for the D'Project event.
This photo was taken at the common area right beside Kanip-aw Lodge, where my Chatroll buddies helped me repack the blessings we were going to give.
A company donated "anti-lice shampoo"
We had been trekking for two days and we did an extreme activity then had to go back to the lodge to repack.
We started early in the morning.
We went to the first school which was a bit far from the town.
Though it was a fun top load ride.
We brought 34 gift bags to 3<|fim_middle|> for being a part of this Ma'm Weddy.
Ma'am Joanne, pwedeng pwede po sumama. Ang dami ko na po nakasama sa mga readers ng blog ko po :) We love bananas! | 4 kids.
because it can also be used on a sunny day.
The kids rushed inside the classroom when they saw us.
First school . . . PAYAG-EW Elementary School.
Though I'm not really sure they understood me.
I loved it when they gave me a warm hello.
With one of the students.
including my favorite guide, Kuya Sotero.
Group photo inside the classroom.
The kids with their gifts.
Photo ops with the tarpaulin.
They fed us with coffee and sweet bananas.
We did not know why this kid was crying.
We did not have any extra gift bag. We tried to give him a banana, cellphone, camera and even money.
He ignored us. He was just being a kid. I think he wanted toys and candies.
Lessons learned. Next time . . . bring extra treats.
Last group photo outside the school.
Off to our second school!
Our second school was TACCONG Elementary School.
Our jump off was at Suyo . . . the same place where you can start your trek going to Pongas Falls.
We had to trek to reach to this school.
He was leading the way but had to wait for us because everyone was busy taking photos of the place.
We passed by the fields.
It was paved so the walk was easy.
Though there was an ascending part but it was just a few meters.
We were greeted by these 15 students.
The school teacher giving her thanks to D'Project volunteers and sponsors.
She made sure she would be the center of attraction.
She was all dressed up.
The kid in front made us laugh. He was mischievous. He would run in the middle every time we had our photos taken.
Our little one, Zid got tired so Kuya Sotero carried him.
We took our time while we headed back.
We headed back to the lodge to have lunch.
I had the guides cook their specialty . . . Pinikpikan with etag.
Thank you to Rocco and Fred for preparing this for us.
to our next school, BALUGAN Elementary School.
Balugan's principal, talking to the students as she introduced us.
with the Barangay Captain, John Polon who gave us bananas!
I did not understand the first song because it was sung using their dialect and it brought me to tears.
Look at those beautiful smiles.
Richard, one of the sponsors, with all smiles.
Look at this kid's happiness.
We brought gifts for 134 kids and there were a few more who came.
Good thing we had extras.
Photo ops with the kids.
With the parents, teachers, barangay officials and some of the kid of Balugan.
With the local people who helped us made this project even more successful.
They did this without anything in return.
Our treats after the program.
Yummy Carrot and Banana cakes.
After the event, we went back to get our things at the lodge and headed home . . .
to the sponsors and everyone who became part of this.
Fritz, Anna & Elijah A.
HOPE THAT YOU'LL BE PART OF THE NEXT D'PROJECT!!!
For more of D'PROJECT, click here.
May Season 4 and 5 na. excited. thank you for being part of it.
thank you | 672 |
The Martha L. Black-class icebreakers are a class of six light icebreaker and buoy tenders constructed for and operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. Built in the 1980s, the class operates on both coasts of Canada and have been used for operations in the Arctic region, including the search for the ships of Franklin's lost expedition. They are rated as "high endurance multi-tasked vessels" under Canadian Coast Guard naming rules.
Design and description
All vessels in the class displace fully loaded and are long overall with a beam of and a draught of . The vessels have varying commercial tonnages; George R. Pearkes has a and a ; Martha L. Black has a gross tonnage of 3818.1 and a net tonnage of 1529.4; Sir Wilfrid Laurier has a gross tonnage of 3812.1 and a net tonnage of 1533.6; Ann Harvey has a gross tonnage of 3823 and a net tonnage of 1528; Sir William Alexander and Edward Cornwallis have a gross tonnage of 3727.2 and a net tonnage of 1503.0.
The vessels are propelled by two fixed pitch propellers and bow thrusters powered by three Alco 251F diesel-electric engines creating and three Canadian GE generators producing 6 megawatts of AC power driving two Canadian GE motors creating . The ships are also equipped with one Caterpillar 3306 emergency generator. The speed of the vessels ranges from . The vessels have varying diesel fuel capacity, ranging from Ann Harvey at to George R. Pearkes and Martha L. Black at . The range of the vessels, based on speed and fuel capacity, is varied. The ships are certified as Arctic Class 2.
The icebreakers are equipped with one Racal Decca Bridgemaster navigational radar operating on the I band. Sir William Alexander and Edward Cornwallis have one less deck in the superstructure. The ships are equipped with a flight deck and a hangar which originally housed light helicopters of the MBB Bo 105 or Bell 206L types, but in the 2010s, the Bell 429 GlobalRanger and Bell 412EPI were acquired by the Canadian Coast Guard to replace the older helicopters. Deck equipment varies between the ships, with some equipped with speedcranes capable of lifting up to and a cargo hold. Some vessels carry a self-propelled barge. Ship's complements range from 25–27, with 10 officers and 15–17 crew. Additional berths range from 9 to 26 additional berths.
Ships in class
Operational history
The ships in the class all entered service in 1986–1987. The Canadian Coast Guard classifies all the ships in the class as "high endurance multi-tasked vessels" within their classification system. Martha L. Black and George R. Pearkes were assigned to the Western Region, based at Victoria, British Columbia. Sir Wilfrid Laurier was initially assigned to the Laurentian Region, home ported at Quebec City, Quebec. Ann Harvey was assigned to Newfoundland Region, based at St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Edward Cornwallis and Sir William Alexander were assigned to the Maritimes Region, based at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Martha L. Black and Sir Wilfrid Laurier swapped places, while George R. Pearkes was reassigned first to Quebec City then to St. John's in 2004.
The vessels are used for buoy placement, retrieval and monitoring, scientific research, construction programs, search and rescue, icebreaking, and pollution control. They have been deployed on special missions, such as the 2005 operation to Louisiana by Sir William Alexander as part of Canada's aid to the United States following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Sir Wilfrid Laurier deployed in 2014 as part of the search for John Franklin's ships, and , during the Victoria<|fim_middle|> the crew were later awarded medals for their efforts. Sir William Alexander was involved in a fatal towing incident involving the fishing vessel during the 2008 Canadian commercial seal hunt.
On 1 April 2015, Ann Harvey ran aground southwest of Burgeo, Newfoundland and Labrador. The ship had been performing work on buoys when she hit bottom. A hole was torn in the hull and as she pulled back off the rocks, water flooded the motor propulsion room. The ship lost power and was towed to Connaigre Bay where temporary repairs were made. Ann Harvey was then towed to St. John's to undergo further repairs and refit. In March 2016, Canadian Coast Guard trials with the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 took place aboard George R. Pearkes off the Atlantic coast of Canada.
In 2021, due to the controversial history of Edward Cornwalliss initial namesake, Lieutenant General Edward Cornwallis, a British Army officer and founding governor of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the ship was renamed Kopit Hopson 1752 in consultation with indigenous peoples, to commemorate Jean-Baptiste Cope under his Mi'kmaq name, British Governor Peregrine Hopson, and the year of the peace and friendship treaty created by former Governor Edward Cornwallis.
References
Citations
Sources
~ | Strait Expedition. Erebus was found during the search.
On 17 December 2007, Edward Cornwallis was dispatched to recover the barge Houston carrying diesel fuel that had cast adrift in St. George's Bay near Port Hood, Nova Scotia. Facing winds and waves, members of the crew boarded the barge. They rescued the crew and kept the barge from going aground until a tugboat arrived on 19 December. Five members of | 98 |
Today was our first day on the wards with the new book PATIENCE, a deep baptism. Reading these poems in the place where they first came into being, often in circumstances of great suffering, was very moving - the response from patients was powerful and generally positive, though sometimes they too were a little overwhelmed. It was as if we were finally talking about the 'elephant in the room' - everyone's relieved, but it's an awkward moment.
We also shared the book with staff, many of whom remembered particular people featured in the collection. As so often happens, they said that they wished they still had time to talk to the patients as we are able to do.
"The emotional side gets overlooked. Without that, you are not treating people in depth. If a patient is in the process of getting better and they have psychological or emotional problems, they won't get better as easily. To verbalise and express their problems, they feel lighter, better... If it's repressed it affects them.
Conversing with them helps. They are away from their environment, in fear. Time is a factor. Take a minute or two, take time to listen and reassure them. Reading them this book will give them an idea of what a patient can expect to go through."
"You feel very shaky and that, not kind of with it, you can't vision yourself. This book, it gives other people something of what you feel like."
We hope<|fim_middle|> of the authors than some sentimental veneration of their wisdom and remembrance of things past. To acknowledge the frustrations, pain, anger and limitations of age-related illness is surely more healthy than a vague sympathy. It does not make for a comfortable read, and the poetry is not instantly recognizable as the personal reminiscence and anecdote in conventional forms you might expect from a project of this nature. To my mind this is a good thing. It is more interesting and compelling for the reader.
It would be interesting to know whether the experience of creating the book was more satisfying for the participants than just writing a set of conventional personal reminiscences. Certainly one of my initial thoughts in response to being approached to comment on the book was that experimental approaches, being less codified, less familiar, might be more accessible than more conventional poetry. We all have an idea of what conventional poetry should look like, and that it has a number of rules that we do not understand. These preexisting ideas can limit what we feel is possible, and therefore what we ultimately produce. Whatever the truth, the more experimental approach has led to a book you are actually likely to read and return to, rather than pick up out of sympathy and never open again.
Matt Dalby is an experimental poet whose works take shape within multiple approaches and mediums, including sound and visual making. His blog Santiago's Dead Wasp is a key journal of experimental writing and related events in the North West of England, as well as a document of Matt's ongoing project. His extraordinary communal Mutapoem is world-embracing.
Our proposed new arts project Spaghetti Maze, is beginning to taking shape. Spaghetti Maze will be a 'how to' publication, that documents examples of our art and poetry workshops, with Dementia sufferers, their carers and specialist staff.
Responses to our forthcoming publication PATIENCE, a collection of art and poetry by older people in hospital.
I love the fact that your work nurtures older people and dignifies their experiences within the context of an environment that conspires to be demeaning and perhaps dispiriting. I especially appreciate the contrast of individual voices on found packaging such as medicine boxes - items which could assume disproportionate importance within a hospital or care home. Placing words and testimony on medicine packets, especially words that are so cheeky, wise and poignant, make me laugh, and smile, and cry.
As a piece of work itself I think it has a real simplicity and tenderness that opens something very ordinary and yet profound in the reader. It makes you care, and makes you think for a little longer about these experiences and what they mean, to you and to them and to all of us.
This latest offering from arthur + martha is a collection of poetry, text and artworks based on older people's experiences of ill-health and hospitalisation. Divided into five parts, its structure is based on the five stages of the 'cycle of grief': denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. What is remarkable about a+m's approach is that they use a whole host of techniques associated with innovative and experimental writing in order to frame people's experiences. The results are simply extraordinary. In these works, the notion of writing and creativity as 'therapeutic' does not do justice to the seriousness and the ambition of the project, which is experimental in the truest sense. The diversity of the approach is key. In one strand of the project, creative work emerges from the charged objects of the everyday: medicine boxes getting a makeover by acquiring new labels like 'take one glass of sunshine a day with water' or 'all's well that ends well' – the latter on medication for trapped wind relief! In another strand, it is postcards – pictures of famous buildings cut out and stuck on the reverse, creating a new space for words – in another ('Lost and Found'), text is appended to actual objects – poignantly the label 'Lost – your husband or your wife' is attached to a tiny, empty chair.
There is much more to admire in this beautifully-produced book: terrific photographs of the authors – including an impressive double portrait of Violet Gamble – and a series of text-images entitled 'our needs are very small' which link writing with images of wards. There are also several highly informative interview-articles from the perspective of various practitioners – care assistants, nursing sisters, a diabetic nurse, medical directors – offering insightful reflections on their experiences alongside more detailed accounts of working with dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
It is clear from the breadth and verve of the work of this book, that a trust in risk-taking has been fully embraced by everyone involved – in this way fulfilling the experimental essence of creativity.
Scott Thurston lectures at the University of Salford where he runs a Masters in Innovative and Experimental Creative Writing. He co-runs The Other Room reading series in Manchester, edits The Radiator, a little magazine of poetics, and co-edits The Journal of British and Irish Innovative Poetry with Robert Sheppard. He has published three collections with Shearsman. | that PATIENCE will be helpful on the wards, a conversation opener, a comforter and perhaps a communication aid as Amanda describes. There's a point when a book, having been published, makes its own way, separate from the the makers. As we put PATIENCE out into the world, it is now starting to do just that, to have its identity inscribed by its readers.
Thumbing through the pages of this beautifully edited book your eyes are drawn to the different fonts and styles of expression on every page. What could have been unimaginative streams of text with predictably placed pictures is instead an attractive collection of 'people's art' that would grace any coffee table or bookshelf!
You can download a sample chapter of Patience at http://www.arthur-and-martha.co.uk It will soon be available for sale at Amazon.
I can see I can hear.
Beautiful thought provoking images which could easily stand alone as large portraits or pieces of art. They belong on the walls of hospital waiting rooms, nursing home entrance halls, nursing and medical school refectories. Wherever somebody may pause before moving on to carry out their purpose, be this visiting an elderly relative, submitting an assignment or explaining to a patient that he cannot be discharged because he will not be safe on his own at home.
There were times when I was reading this book that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I felt my eyes prick with tears. With over 20 years clinical experience I value and embrace those qualities which we consider as a profession to be 'the Art of Nursing'. What this book does however, is give you 'the Art of patients'. Connecting with the meanings of the pictures and words has been profoundly humbling.
I've been thinking about handwriting and the importance of touch in what we do at arthur+martha. I guess Lois takes this for granted, because she has a textiles background. But as a writer, I rarely notice the quality of the writing itself, the mark. The shaky inked lines, written by older people in hospital beds, often speak as volubly as the poems themselves.
I'm kitterpawed, as they say in Ireland. I grew up in Northern Ireland around great religious anxiety that wormed thru all. For a short period when I was a child, I tried writing with my right hand because I thought it'd please God. No one told me to do it, but I picked up the idea half-intuitively. My older brother had been a lefthander taught to use his right.
Those childish words on a schoolbook page were important enough to be contested. A fingerprint, a cross to vote, a signature, your mark, an autograph. The witnessing signatures to a peace treaty, or an arrest warrant, these marks have import too. The human trace is the basic stuff of liberty and expression.
What happens when they are removed? We write now without handwriting: Microsoft or Apple our imprinteur.
Early this year, I edited an edition of the online magazine Ekleksographia. The work in it emphasises the handmade, the haptic. The makers of the work included are poets and artists who trace a lineage of lines thru to William Blake, the great handmaker in English lit. Bob Cobbing is of this family too, and the Outsider artists. And so too are the makers in PATIENCE, who fought bravely with pain and distress to leave their marks on a page for us.
Poet Steve Waling writes about visiting his mother in hospital. This piece was sent to us by Steve in reponse to PATIENCE, our collection of poetry and artworks by older people in hospital.
Steve Waling's book Travelator is published by Salt. Steve teaches creative writing, occasionally in prisons, and reads his poems in public at any given opportunity. His poems might be described as gentle experiments in intimacy, sometimes awkward and always without pretension. He writes the blog Brando's Hat.
Our co-worker, the poet Rebecca Guest, writes about the shared experience of making PATIENCE.
These lines occur because of company they are nothing without company. These lines occur because as the tongue rolls a pen captures; conversations that are captured upon the page express the core of what is latent, meant. The work is cut to bring the intensity of emotion to the forefront with the maximum expression. These exchanges of experience are a point of contact which moves beyond people as statistics and beds - to value what it means to be human.
PATIENCE searches our existential struggle with those who are currently amid emotions of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
One difference to other poetic explorations of grief is that these people are not alone, the contributors have a scribe, to express their thoughts to. The second difference is that participants of this project are speaking whilst in the midst of physical and mental life challenges.
The book's rawness and rich content through words, imagery, subtext and understanding is because of the unique relationship and setting these exchanges of experience take place to create PATIENCE.
Rebecca Guest has been a long-standing collaborator with arthur+martha. She helped to set up Kindness our holocaust survivor project and has supported us during many hundreds of hours in hospital workshops. Rebecca led several sessions for PATIENCE, gathering poems and insights for the book. Her editing work on the poems helped to push their aesthetic, to let them stretch out.
Matt Dalby is one of several contemporary poets we asked to repsond to PATIENCE. Here, Matt traces a path between two pieces: Be Patient by Margaret Hargreaves, the poem that states the theme of the collection, and a self-exploration of Parkinson's Disease by Doreen Jones, Thee Thy Summer.
Margaret Hargreaves' Be Patient includes the line 'was a dressmaker'. There is a sense here that Margaret may no longer be who she was, or at least may feel she is no longer who she was. But it is not a sentimental, nostalgic, 'when I was younger' reverie. It is a lot more interesting than that. Here are skills and experience, here is something that makes the loss or impairment of capabilities with illness become more real. Here is something that is often hidden.
Anecdote. An elderly Muslim man in Trafford walking slowly around two parks supported on either side by two young women who appear to be his daughters. The sight is only striking because it is so unusual.
But without knowing the author, and without knowing how the poem was put together it is a dangerous assumption to make. And even if it were a simple statement of fact about the author it only provides limited information. Many people could say 'was a shop assistant' and it would tell you precisely nothing about them.
Some numbers, especially 21, recur in the poem. So too does 7. The poem itself is arranged in six stanzas of seven lines in pairs across three columns, which might be read as three sonnets. But there is an ambiguity introduced by fragmenting the poem that means the poem need not be read down each column in turn running left to right. It is also possible to read each line across the columns, or the first stanza of each column in turn. Both of these reading give a poem in two halves of 21 lines each.
'21', 'make sweet', 'thy beauty', 'parkinson's you see', 'started', 'vertigo', and 'parkinson's' all appear again. Even while broken into pieces the poem circles itself, its own areas of concern, giving it a unity and coherence it might initially seem to lack.
This does not seem designed to imitate any particular mental confusion so much as it feels like an act of resistance. Illness is defined more by medication than by symptoms, and both are an inconvenience. And here and there some aspect of a person (the subject of the poem? the author?) keeps slipping out. This is not loss but an ongoing negotiation with life and illness.
From the four sections I have read this idea of an ongoing negotiation with life and illness is a consistent theme throughout the book. For me this allows for a far greater human interaction and identification with the experiences | 1,673 |
Home > Oil > New Frontiers: Conventional oil, unconventional, or an Oreo cookie?
July 22, 2013 00:01 UTC (2) (0)
New Frontiers: Conventional oil, unconventional, or an Oreo cookie?
It used to be easy, dividing oil and gas plays into conventional and unconventional segments. It's a lot more complicated now, as Starr Spencer explains in this week's Oilgram News column, New Frontiers.
For the better part of a dozen years, the oil industry's monumental tale has been about the emergence of shale and unconventional resources. But just what is unconventional oil and gas? Is it a substantially different type of rock? Or is it fancy technology applied to wells?
Geologists say it's both.
"It's a question a lot of people are asking themselves now, as what we've been calling unconventionals has really become conventional," David Curtiss, Executive Director of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, said.
To Eric Potter, associate director of the energy division for the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas-Austin, the issue is chiefly one of permeability — how easily fluids can flow through rock. For unconventional rocks, the standard definition is permeability below 0.1 millidarcies, as opposed to more conventional hydrocarbon-bearing rocks that typically exhibit permeabilities many times that level, geologists say.
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Cleveland M Jones at July 31, 2013 17:16
Unfortunately, things are even more complicated than what SLB suggests in its oil and gas glossary…
Here in Brazil we have several onshore sedimentary basins (Paleozoic, Cretaceous, etc.) where the kerogen never reached the oil or gas window, due to insufficient burial, but abundant igneous intrusions did the work of the kitchen, forming what we consider unconventional oil and gas.
In that case, the oil and/or gas is unconventional only because it was formed by unconventional processes, but in many cases it can be produced conventionally.
So we really need to be careful in using the term unconventional.
We have presentations where we discuss the concept of unconventional generation, as well as specific examples of unconventional generation combined with conventional production, and unconventional generation combined with unconventional production…
What an interesting mess, eh?
Prof. Cleveland M. Jones
Researcher – INOG (Instituto Nacional de Óleo e Gás/CNPq)
FGEL – Geology Department/UERJ –University of the State of Rio de Janeiro
cmjones@uerj.br
› Reply
Naz at July 24, 2013 18:49
We continue to research and dig for alternative types of fuel. The Energy Information Agency recently reported that 2012 global oil production reached a record high and yet earlier this year, they also reported that 2012 saw record high oil prices. This just proves that gasoline prices will most certainly continue to fluctuate.
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- Biofuel
- Grains
- Jet Fuel | and much more.
Tight unconventional rocks need something more to pry out their oil and gas. And in the last decade, that something is multistage hydraulic fracturing at intervals along increasingly longer laterals, or horizontal well legs.
"When we say unconventional, we're talking about rocks that need to be fractured, because their permeability is really poor," Potter said.
Here's how the respected, well-used oil and gas glossary on giant oil services company Schlumberger's website puts it: Unconventional is an "umbrella term for oil and natural gas… produced by means that do not meet the criteria for conventional production. What has qualified as unconventional at any particular time is a complex function of resource characteristics, available exploration and production technologies, the economic environment and the scale, frequency and duration of production from the resource."
Schlumberger noted that perceptions of these factors "inevitably change over time and often differ among users of the term."
The oilfield services provider added that, currently, "the term is used [for] oil and gas resources whose porosity, permeability, fluid trapping mechanism, or other characteristics differ from conventional sandstone and carbonate reservoirs."
While shale and unconventional hydrocarbons are sometimes used interchangeably, geologically not all unconventionals are shales. For example, the Uinta Basin in Utah and many areas of the Permian Basin in West Texas are not shales, but are being developed unconventionally, geologists said.
Even the North Dakota's Bakken Shale is a combo of shales and carbonates, said Jeff Hume, Vice Chairman of Strategic Initiatives for Continental Resources, which pioneered the giant play and is its biggest producer and acreage holder.
The Bakken "is like an Oreo cookie," Hume said, with the Middle Bakken's carbonates or dolomites sandwiched in between the black organic shales of the upper Bakken formation and the Lower Bakken. Below that is the Three Forks horizon, formed from carbonates.
The emerging Mississippi Lime play spanning Kansas and Oklahoma is now considered an unconventional play, even though it was drilled conventionally for decades. It is now being revived with unconventional technology, Steve Bond, Production Department Supervisor for the Kansas Corporation Commission, said.
"If you drill vertically or horizontally in the Mississippian, the rock matrix doesn't change," Bond said. "Drilling through [it] horizontally, you just open up more volume."
However you define it, the term "unconventional oil and gas" is commonly understood to mean new sources of prolific hydrocarbons that in recent years have helped industry raise US production. The US Energy Information Administration figures show the country's April production was 7.353 million b/d, up 17% in the previous 12 months and up 45% from 5.080 million b/d in April 2006.
For its part, in an attempt to reduce confusion, the EIA — the statistical research arm of the US Department of Energy — has phased out the word "unconventional" in its materials, agency spokesman John Staub, said.
"We try to focus on the type of formation that the oil and gas is being produced from, or the technology aspect," Staub said. "One term we've toyed with for replacement of the word 'conventional' is structure, stratigraphic or water contact reservoirs."
Unconventional oil and gas exists in dozens of countries around the world, many of which have taken steps to tap it. Operators in Argentina, Poland, Mexico, Ukraine and even Saudi Arabia are in various stages of planning and testing those areas for shale and unconventional resources.
A June report by the EIA showed total technically recoverable resources of 345 billion barrels of shale oil and 7.299 Tcf of shale natural gas for 137 shale formations in 41 countries surveyed.
–Starr | 808 |
The SBE filed comments on Oct. 29, 2018, with the FCC in response to the notice of proposed rulemaking (FCC 18-91), released July 13, 2018. That notice sought comment on various proposals for transitioning all or part of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band for flexible use, terrestrial mobile spectrum, and explores options for more efficient and intensive fixed use of the<|fim_middle|> program will review the elements of a building's wiring and grounding systems (including lightning protection) that pertain to power quality at communications facilities and improve up-time. Proper wiring and grounding, beyond those minimal requirements of the NEC, can greatly alleviate power quality problems in broadcast and public service communications facilities. These improvements can be very cost-effective, usually simple in description, and help prevent costly downtime and equipment damage. The presentation concentrates on actual experiences at broadcast facilities where grounding and lightning protection were of paramount importance in maintaining system availability. | same band, all while protecting incumbent C-Band satellite earth stations from harmful interference.
The "Importance of Proper Grounding" SBE webinar will be presented on Thursday, July 23 at 2 p.m. ET. The one-hour | 50 |
Geberit brings sensory bathroom inspiration to Clerkenwell Design Week
Geberit has announced it will be at next month's Clerkenwell Design Week 2019 with a packed programme of activity to educate, inform and support those planning washroom spaces.
You will be able to find Geberit on stand DF33 in the Design Fields, where it will launch five new products and offer a wealth of learning opportunities to get architects and designers thinking about multi-sensory experiences in bathroom projects.
Visitors will have the opportunity to experience a guest talk, white paper and new CPD presentation from Geberit, as well as a chance to see<|fim_middle|> discussion, which will focus on technology in the bathroom, will also include Michael Phillips Moskowitz, founder of Moodrise, Charles Spence, Oxford University Professor and Hilda Burke an integrative psychotherapist and life coach.
The theme of sensory washroom spaces will be continued, with the launch of a newly updated white paper, The Science Behind the Sensory Space, which looks at the role of sensory integration when designing a calming, stress-relieving bathroom space in domestic and commercial applications.
The white paper has been updated for specific applications including hotels, high-end residential and offices, looking at the sensory aspects of the bathroom space within the wider context of issues such as workplace wellbeing and consumer demand.
And lastly, there will be an opportunity to join Geberit at RIBA HQ for a new CPD presentation on the Science Behind the Sensory Space, which examines how the senses should be considered to create a place of sanctuary from our increasingly busy lives. Spaces for the CPD are limited so contact [email protected] to book your place or to request an individual presentation at your architectural practice.
Geberit House
Academy Drive
CV34 6QZ | the new AquaClean Sela shower toilet which will officially be launched at the show.
The AquaClean Sela will be shown alongside the award-winning AquaClean Mera shower toilet. The new Smyle bathroom range will also be available to explore, offering subtle shapes and maximum function for family and guest bathrooms.
There will be a chance to see the new Sigma 50 flush plate, which features two new sophisticated finishes (Sand glass and Mustang Slate) and slimmer, streamlined flush buttons to complement the minimalist design. Alongside this, a new Matt Black flush plate will also be unveiled for the Sigma10, Sigma20 and Sigma30. Significantly, the new design has been coated with an easy clean lacquer, which reduces the visibility of fingerprints on the plate.
Plus, Geberit will also be launching its new DuoFresh technology, an extraction unit that eliminates the need for chemical sprays by ensuring that any unpleasant odours are extracted right at the source.
Finally, for projects where hygiene is paramount, Geberit will also be showcasing its infra-red Sigma80 flush plate, alongside its infra-red Brenta/Piave taps.
Geberit will also offer a panel discussion with global experts. Geberit's London-based architect and product designer, Christoph Behling, will join industry experts in the 'Conversations at Clerkenwell' arena. The panel | 279 |
Saddar is one of the busiest areas in Karachi. On M.A. Jinn<|fim_middle|> shop, while some also sell imports. Tires, brake pedals, and all sorts of cycling paraphernalia can be found in this market. The mechanics at work and the arrangement of the parts and cycles make street photography a breeze.
Even further ahead, towards the left side of the road, comes a food street of sorts, with places serving items like samosas, spring rolls, and pakoras. Near this food street, you see stalls selling shoes and cobblers sitting on the sidewalk. There is also a mosque in the area, and while walking through the streets you are surrounded by small apartment buildings. Bang opposite, on the right side of the main road, you can see green gates canopying the entrance to the main Lighthouse Market.
You go through these gates, and the market changes color immediately. There's an area dedicated to carpets, curtains, and rags. You can't help yourself. You have a look. Some imported, some handmade, intricate designs of all kinds call out to you. The prices are high, but you haggle. You negotiate at length, but the shopkeeper pushed back. You move on.
Then there's another area dedicated to shoes. There's sneakers, boots, wingtips even. A few shops carrying handbags are also grouped together, with suitcases and school bags peeking through the windows. You soon realize that Lighthouse Market is a larger and more chaotic than you thought.
You come out with a new perspective on street markets. The traffic and the noise aren't too much to handle in the early hours of the day. The people in the area generally seem hospitable and friendly, and when you entered through the gates with your camera, people from all sides called to you. Arm in arm with their friends or posing alone, they all wanted their moment of fame.
One of the shopkeepers even gave you his card, asking you to send him his picture via Whatsapp later. You have it tucked away somewhere in the insides of your wallet. | ah Road, you stumble upon market after market, after market. Only a minute or so after Urdu Bazaar, you arrive at Lighthouse Market. On both sides of the road, it seems to extend forever. You make the simple mistake of associating Lighthouse Market with just sporting goods, but actually, have no idea what you're in for.
The first few shops in sight are indeed Jinnah Sports, Malik sports, and so on, with all kinds of sports equipment and accessories, from balls to bats to guards, and everything in between; dumbbells and treadmills, golden trophies and medals. Schools and institutions often buy their awards here.
The main road hosts larger shops and retail chains, with large glass windows serving as entrances. Like an x-ray, you can see the shiny pieces of equipment from outside, even when driving by. Seeking out the innards of the market, you find a curation of dedicated shops, niche, if you will. The fact that prices dip here is just a bonus. The streets here are mostly narrow, and as you're walking, you come across small stalls for fresh juices and snacks ever so often.
Lighthouse Market eventually leads to an area dedicated to bicycles. Here, you find all sorts of bicycles, including those for up for rent. Almost every shop is also a repair | 270 |
Jaguar Land Rover Celebrates an Award-Winning Week
It's been an award-winning week for our products and our people, with a number of awards accredited to us across the globe.
The All-New Discovery won the Off-Roader Of The Year Award at the 10th BBC Top Gear Magazine Awards in India. The awards ceremony took place this week in Mumbai, where over 21 awards were handed out by the jury of Top Gear Magazine, India - 15 for cars and six two-wheelers. You can find out more about the awards by following @TopGearMagIndia on Twitter.
The New Land Rover Discovery SD4 took the 4X4 Of The Year Award at the 2018 Australian Motoring Awards. Judges independently scored each vehicle against a set list of criteria – value for money, breaking new ground, built tough, bushability and doing the job it's designed to do – and after the votes were tallied, the SD4 narrowly clinched victory.
We were honoured with three awards at the "Most Valuable Auto Brands for Beijing People" awards ceremony on 23 January. Organised by the Beijing Morning Post and 50 mainstream media and voted for by more than eight million of the public, the awards are an objective representation<|fim_middle|>
Ella Seager Communications Officer 07884865537 eseager@jaguarlandrover.com | of consumer opinion in Beijing. Qing Pan, Executive Director of Jaguar Land Rover China, won 'Person of the Year', and Jaguar Land Rover China Children and the Youth Dream Fund were awarded 'CSR Brand of the Year'. Additionally, the Jaguar XEL was named 'Cutting-edge Luxury Model of the Year'.
The Jaguar I-PACE, our first all-electric model, emerged as the most anticipated car of 2018, taking the What Car? Reader Award. The I-PACE will make it's global debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, before going on sale in the summer.
Finally, it was announced this week that both the Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Discovery have been shortlisted for World Car of the Year 2018. Up against competition from ten cars including the BMW X3 and Volvo XC60, the prestigious award will be announced in March.
RELEVANCE - Do you find the information on the TeamTalk website to be relevant to you?
All Hail The Alpha Wolf
Jaguar Land Rover Classic to open its first North American workshop and showroom
Article by Ella Seager | 230 |
Fun and simple combat. Large, beautiful world to explore. Lots to do and plenty of miscrits to collect. Player vs player combat.
Doesn't differentiate itself all that much from Pokemon, gameplay wise.
There have many games that have tried to emulate Nintendo's success with the Pokemon series, but few have done it as well as Miscrits of Volcano Island. It's the rare social game that actually feels epic. The world is huge and varied, and exploration is very satisfying. The game doesn't stray too far from the incredibly successful formula it's emulating, but at the same time it manages to create a feel all of its own.
In Miscrits of Volcano Island you are the chosen one, of sorts. There's a prophecy that predicted that one day you'd come to the island and set things right. And the way to do that, of course, is by collecting and battling lots and lots of creatures called miscrits. The story isn't particularly original, but it's fleshed out quite a bit more than in most games on Facebook. There are plenty of non-player characters that you can talk with, including a bustling port town filled with interesting people.
But really the story is just here to provide a reason to explore the island. Like Pokemon, Miscrits is all about collecting creatures and creating the perfect team. You'll begin with one starter miscrit and from there you'll need to assemble a team of fighters. Battles aren't random as in most similar games, instead you<|fim_middle|> items and even some special miscrits can be purchased with premium currency, which you do earn slowly throughout the game but can also be purchased with real money. In place of energy is a feature called virtue, which doesn't limit how much you can play directly, but instead is required to heal up your virtual critters. So you can keep playing indefinitely so long as your miscrits don't get beat up, and since their health replenishes as they gain levels there are plenty of ways to extend your play sessions without resorting to spending real money. It should also be noted that the game's terrific presentation, while still full of cute little animals, is clearly geared for a somewhat older audience. It's still suitable for kids, but it's less embarrassing for adults, too.
The most impressive thing about Miscrits of Volcano Island is just how expansive it is. It just feels like there's so much to do and see. While the game may not be particularly original, it manages to do what a number of games before it have failed: create a fun, satisfying, and addictive Pokemon-style game on Facebook. | can search for miscrits to fight and catch by investigating the world around you. You can search trees, bushes, and caves, and most of the time this will bring you to a battle sequence with another miscrit.
Combat works much as it does in similar games. It's turn-based, and you'll have a number of abilities and attacks to choose from, though your options will increase as your miscrit levels up. A number of factors determine your success in battle, including the elemental affinities of each miscrit (fire is strong against nature, for instance, but weak against water) as well as their experience level. And, of course, you can capture new creatures by weakening them and using a magical book to collect them. Thankfully, unlike pokeballs, your use of the book isn't limited at all.
Really, if you've ever played a Pokemon game Miscrits of Volcano Island will feel mostly familiar. Miscrits evolve at certain experience levels, mini-boss characters are littered throughout the world, and there are shops where you can buy items and heal your miscrits. There's also an arena where you can test your team against other real players also in the game. This works the same as in the single-player campaign, except you only have 30 seconds per turn to help speed the action along.
There are a few changes based on the platform, however. Many of the | 288 |
Its all about Strategic Management !!!
1. STRATEGY FORMULATION Strategic Management Strategic management involves formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by a company's top management on behalf of owners, based on consideration of resources<|fim_middle|> to reach clearly stated objectives. These objectives may include: market position relative to the competition, production of goods and services, desired market share, improved customer services, corporation expansion, advances in technology, and sales increases.
13. Strategic objectives must be communicated with all employees and stakeholders in order to ensure success. All members of the organization must be made aware of their role in the process and how their efforts contribute to meeting the organization's objectives. Additionally, members of the organization should have their own set of objectives and performance targets for their individual roles.
14. Step 4. Define the Competitive Strategy Its requires an organization to determine where it fits into the marketplace. This applies not only to the organization as a whole, but to each individual unit and department throughout the enterprise. Each area must be aware of its role within the company and how those roles enable the organization to maintain its competitive position.
16. The three factors 1. The Industry When evaluating the overall industry, factors to be looked at include: size of the market, past and potential market growth, Competitive profitability, new market entries, and industry threats.
17. 2. The Competition An organization cannot be successful unless it has a full understanding of the other players in marketplace. A company must be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the competition and analyze the ways in which the competition's products or services meet the needs of its customer base.
18. 3. Strengths & Weaknesses SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Opportunities and threats are external factors; strengths and weaknesses are internal factors.
19. Step 5. Implement Strategies Developing a strategy is only effective if it is put into place. An organization may take all the necessary steps to understand the marketplace, define itself, and identify the competition. However, without implementing the strategy, the organization's work will be of little to no value. The methods employed for implementing strategies are known as tactics. These individual actions enable an organization to build a foundation for implementation. Companies are able to identify which of their efforts are more successful than others and will uncover new methods of implementation, if necessary.
20. Step 6. Evaluate Progress As in any plan, a regular evaluation of processes and results is vital to ongoing success. An organization must keep track of the progress it is making as defined by its strategic plan. An organization should consider the following questions on a continuous basis in order to evaluate progress: Have market conditions changed that may require a change in corporate direction? Are there new entries in the marketplace to pose a competitive threat? Has the organization been successful in translating their strategy into actionable steps? An organization will be able to successfully implement its strategy both now and in the future through evaluating feedback.
21. CONCLUSION A strategic plan is a living document that changes and grows as the conditions around it change. If an organization recognizes that it must constantly be aware of the business world around it and must be flexible to the changes that will inevitably occur, then it will be in a position to adapt and modify its plans to achieve maximum success. | and an assessment of the internal and external environments in which the organization competes.
3. About Strategic Management The systematic analysis of the factors associated with: customers and competitors (the external environment) and the organization itself (the internal environment) to provide the basis for maintaining optimum management practices. The objective of strategic managements to achieve better alignment of corporate policies and strategic priorities. Its provides overall direction to the enterprise and involves direction to the enterprise and involves specifying the organization's objectives, developing policies and plans designed to achieve these objectives, and the allocating resources to implement the plans.
4. Strategy Formulation Strategy is a broad plan developed by an organization to take it from where it is to where it wants to be. A well-designed strategy will help an organization reach its maximum level of effectiveness in reaching its goals while constantly allowing it to monitor its environment to adapt the strategy as necessary. Strategy Formulation is the process of developing the strategy. And the process by which an organization chooses the most appropriate courses of action to achieve its defined goals. This process is essential to an organization's success, because it provides a framework for the actions that lead to the anticipated results.
5. Sometimes Strategic Formulation called "Strategic Planning" A strategic plan also enables an organization to evaluate its resources, allocate budgets, and determine the most effective plan for maximizing ROI (return on investment). A company that has not taken the time to develop a strategic plan will not be able to provide its employees with direction or focus.
6. Strategy Formulation requires a defined set of six steps for effective implementation. 1. Define the organization, 2. Define the strategic mission, 3. Define the strategic objectives, 4. Define the competitive strategy, 5. Implement strategies, and 6. Evaluate progress.
7. Step 1. Define the Organization defining an organization is to identify the company's customers. Without a strong customer base, whose needs are being filled, an organization will not be successful. A company must identify the factors that are valued by its customers. Is the value based on a superior product or service relative to the competition? Are your customers buying your products for your low prices? Do you produce products meet image needs of your customers?
8. Let's review some of the ways in which companies can define themselves 1. End Benefits Organizations must remember that people are buying benefits not features. 2. Target Market Companies can become successful by identifying themselves with a particular target group. This focus should not be limited only to demographic segmentation (i.e., age, income, education, gender, income, family life-cycle, culture) but also by psychographic indicators.
9. 3. Technology Computer companies, medical research companies, and other companies that identify themselves with the tech world will find that they must be able to quickly adapt to changes in the marketplace. New products, services, and inventions are frequently introduced, making this a very difficult and challenging business environment in which to operate.
10. Step 2. Define the Strategic Mission An organization's strategic mission offers a long-range perspective of what the organization strives for going forward. A clearly stated mission will provide the organization with a guide for carrying out its plans. Elements of a strong strategic mission statement should include the values that the organization holds the nature of the business, special abilities or position the organization holds in the marketplace, and the organization's vision for where it wants to be in the future.
11. How to write Strategic Mission? Ask "What do we do?"; "How do we do it?"; and "For whom do we do it," Create a draft mission statement describing how the company uniquely answers these questions. Touch on the organization's current operations and the industry it is in. Look at competitors in the industry and use their mission statements for research. Ask yourself what works and what does not work. Revise your mission statement as needed. Get feedback from other members of the organization once the statement is drafted.
12. Step 3. Define the Strategic Objectives This third step in the strategic formulation process requires an organization to identify the performance targets needed | 856 |
About Holy Family University|
General Info|
Holy Family University will once again participate in the March for Life event, a demonstration in Washington D.C. recognizing "the more than 55 million Americans who have been lost to abortion," according to the organizations' website.
On Friday, January 22, campus chaplain Father James MacNew, OSFS, students, and other University representatives will journey to the capital for a day of worship and peaceful reflection. Buses will leave the Campus Center parking lot at 6:15 am. Upon arrival, participants will stop at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, participate in a Mass celebrated in the Great Upper Church, and then join the march to the Supreme Court. Dinner will be provided courtesy of the Campus Ministry. The bus will return back at Holy Family University by 9:00 pm.
The theme of this year's event is "Pro-Life and Pro-Woman Go Hand-in-Hand."
"We go to the March for Life event to 'incarnate<|fim_middle|> truth of God's loving mercy as we work to change the law so that it might become a beacon of justice for all," Father MacNew said. | ' the love of God for the human person and to put church teachings into action," Rev. MacNew said. "We recognize that the law itself is a teacher and so, if what the law permits is immoral, we are obliged to take action to change the law and to protect the most innocent among us. Nonetheless, the students and other members of the Holy Family community journey to Washington D.C., attend the liturgy with Archbishop Chaput in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and venture forth to embrace the cold and the elements, not primarily as political activists, but rather as men and women of faith, responding to the call of God's love for each unique and irreplaceable human person."
According to the organization's website, "The March for Life began in Washington, D.C., as a small demonstration and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. The peaceful demonstration that has followed on the somber anniversary of Roe v. Wade every year since 1973 is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, legalized abortion on demand."
Senior Psychology major Christopher Rocks, one of the student organizers of the trip, believes the event will be meaningful to those who attend.
"This is an important event for students to participate in because it is a day that helps bring students together, as well as help to bridge the gap between our students and our society," he said. "Most importantly, it helps each individual become closer to God."
Speakers at the March for Life event include Matt Birk, former Baltimore Ravens player and Super Bowl Champion; Sue Ellen Browder, Author, Subverted; Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family; Dr. Margarite Duane, MD, Co-founder and Executive Director, FACTS; Jewels Green, Silent No More campaign; Nathan Grime, Student, Concordia Lutheran High School; Caitlin Jane, Christian Music Artist; and Shawn Welcome, Performance Poet.
"More than ever, in this sacred year, it is incumbent on us, men and women of faith, to lovingly proclaim the | 430 |
Q: How can i remove the Tick button in Coding4Fun MessagePrompt I have tried to hide the default check button inside message prompt.but i could not find any property to hide.have only IsCancelVisible button property.Now i want to create custom Ok button instead of default check button.Please Help.
A: Try this code working fine.
// remove all buttons
messagePrompt.ActionPopUpButtons.Clear();
For example, if you want your own button to be displayed below, use the following code:
var messagePrompt = new MessagePrompt
{
Title = "Simple Message",
Message = "This is a demo of the Coding4Fun MessagePrompt."
};
// remove all buttons
messagePrompt.ActionPopUpButtons.Clear();
// add your own
Button button;
messagePrompt.ActionPopUpButtons.Add(button = new Button()
{
Content =<|fim_middle|>
button.Click += button_Click;
enjoy this code ....
| "Close"
});
// handle click state | 9 |
Country Music Hall of Fame teams with Google for cool new online exhibit
The Country Music Hall of Fame is an amazing place to visit. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to visit the Nashville location in person. Thankfully we live in 2015 and Google is around to give us cool things like online museum exhibits.
On Tuesday, Google announced the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's participation in the opening of the Google Cultural Institute, a new online exhibition that offers unique, interactive, online experiences from 60 of the world's foremost cultural institutions. With events at Carnegie Hall, and in six other cities across the globe, Google debuted this first-of-its-kind exhibition, which allows viewers to experience the best in dance, music, opera and more.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum shares its popular 2008–09 exhibition Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy. Through rare and previously unavailable images, provided by the Hank Williams family, the exhibit examines the ways in which American music continues to be measured by the standards Williams set. It also explores the connections between this revered figure in country music and his creative heirs, biological and cultural.
"Our mission is to collect, preserve and interpret the evolving history of country music," said museum CEO Kyle Young. "The Hank Williams story is a multi-layered saga of triumph and tragedy, set in the hardscrabble South over several generations. Partnering with Google allows us to tell that story around the world, beyond the life of the Family Tradition exhibit. This collaboration is a game-changer."
Amit Sood, director of<|fim_middle|> and I tend to make corny jokes that only truly awesome people will appreciate. Oh, and I'm the queen of the random comma. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Beer, a woman, and musicians in a cooler: Eric Church debuts new video for 'Cold One'
After debuting his new video for Cold One exclusively to fan club members on Friday, the rest of the world now gets to check out
2016 ACM Awards Nominees Announced!
The Academy of Country Music announced its coveted ACM Awards nominees this morning for the 51st annual award show. Leading the pack with five nominations
Trace Adkins crashes Blake Shelton's interview
Reunited and it feels so good!
Exclusive: Cassadee Pope on going Country, working with Blake Shelton and heading out on tour with Rascal Flatts
As far as promising female Country singers go, Cassadee Pope lands at the top of the pack. During her run on The Voice last fall,
Michael Ray Pays Tribute to Fallen Police Officer at NY Concert
This past weekend, Michael Ray played a show at Long Island's Jones Beach Theater, opening for Darius Rucker. Prior to the show, Ray was hanging
Mickey Guyton being surprised by Dolly Parton is amazingly adorable
Huge Dolly Parton an Mickey Guyton sat down with CBS This Morning for an interview to talk about the Grand Ole Opry. Or so she thought.
Legendary Artist Has Some Harsh Words About Luke Bryan
Keith Urban is apparently too hot for Google
Blake Shelton's red chair from "The Voice" to be featured at Country Music Hall of Fame
Bet You Didn't See THIS CMA Awards Collaboration Coming
Eric Church to get his own Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit | the Google Cultural Institute, commented: "We are delighted to collaborate with so many of the world's renowned arts institutions, representing the best in drama, dance, music, and opera. For the first time, they've been brought together in one virtual space. Our goal is to open up performing arts to all, to catch the eye of the curious and offer access to details that even die-hard fans have never seen before."
Other cultural arts centers participating include: American Ballet Theatre, Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Opera and many more.
Family Tradition, the museum's online exhibition, is open now at the Google Cultural Institute website and available on mobiles, tablets and desktop computers. Be sure to follow the museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join the conversation using #HonorThyMusic.
Check out the Family Tradition online exhibit here.
Country Music Hall of Fame, Google, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr
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Hey, I'm Shannon and I'm the founder and Queen Bee of this crazy place we call NashvilleGab. A few things about me - I'm pretty much a nerd, I'm obsessive about weird things, I suck at selfies, | 274 |
Facebook Launches Messenger 2.2<|fim_middle|> to chat, shop up for things, and more. | Chat Plugin for Business Websites
Facebook messenger is now going to appear to businesses' own websites. With this new launch of Facebook, a social chat plugin will appear on the website of the businesses, which allows customers following the Facebook business page to directly chat or talk to the executives of the businesses and get answers to their queries regarding the service or products of the business. The version 2.2 of Facebook messenger is launched for this website chat plugin. With messenger platform 2.2, Facebook aims to help businesses and developers "reach their customers in new and engaging manner". Messenger's customer chat plugin allows businesses to carry on conversations with customers between their website and Facebook messenger. You can carry out this conversation across web, mobile, and tablet devices.
While there are already plenty of customer support and chat plugins for websites on the market, Facebook's advantage is its platform and reach.
Not only does the ability to use messenger mean the business is making itself available within an application that now reaches some 1.2 billion monthly users and growing, the messenger platform also supports features like payments.Facebook's messenger platform 2.2 is available in only closed beta for the time being. Bots support both natural language and rich media, among other things.
As per Facebook, these features will also be supported in the beta version of the website plugin and new experiences will be added in time so the plugin is as "feature-rich" as the messenger app itself.
Like the other web chat systems, the messenger chat plugin is designed to hover over the businesses web page and is indicated by the familiar blue messenger icon. While customers start a chat session with the business, they will be presented with the same messenger interface that they have already used from the starting of using the Facebook messenger app on their mobile devices.
When customers leave the website, they will still be able to view or continue their conversation from their mobile devices or tablets, using the messenger app. This features of the Facebook messenger 2.2 chat plugin is useful if the businesses doesn't respond instantly to user requests coming in through messenger from the web.
For business that already have a sizable Facebook presence and regularly engage with customers through their Facebook page, a chat plugin for their website may make sense as they won't have to maintain a separate channel for user inquiries from the web. It could also take some of the strain off the company's support email that is where many websites today direct customer questions.
However, the Facebook messenger chat plugin may not be useful for websites that do troubleshooting and tech support through their chat systems as it does not connect with other back end support systems like when a chat session is the starting point for directing customers to the right support agent. It also lacks some of the more robust analytical tools the professional systems offer. And it may not be ideal for businesses that are cataloging online leads via chat.
The new addition of the Facebook messenger platform is only one of several ways Facebook has been targeting business customers in recent months. Earlier this year, Facebook has introduced new discovery mechanisms for finding messenger bots, and it allowed its messenger in-app assistance to suggest businesses' bots when relevant to conversations. Facebook even tested messenger ads that would allow businesses to reach the app's users with offers | 647 |
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Meniere<|fim_middle|> you to forego ladders, scaffolds, and swimming.
If vertigo attacks are not controlled by conservative measures and are disabling, surgery might be recommended.
info@rockymountainearcenter.com
Copyright 2020 - Rocky Mountain Ear Center | 's Disease
What Is Meniere's Disease?
Meniere's Disease is a disorder of the inner ear. Although the cause is unknown, it probably results from an abnormality in the fluids of the inner ear. It is one of the most common causes of dizziness originating in the inner ear. In most cases only one ear is involved, but both ears are affected in about 15 percent of patients. Ménière's disease typically starts between the ages of 20 and 50. Men and women are affected in equal numbers.
The symptoms of Meniere's Disease are episodic rotational vertigo (attacks of a spinning sensation), hearing loss, tinnitus (a roaring, buzzing, or ringing sound in the ear), and a sensation of fullness in the affected ear. Tinnitus and fullness of the ear in Ménière's disease may come and go with changes in hearing, occur during or just before attacks, or be constant. There may also be an intermittent hearing loss early in the disease, especially in the low pitches, but a fixed hearing loss involving tones of all pitches commonly develops in time. Loud sounds may be uncomfortable and seem distorted in the affected ear.
Of all symptoms, vertigo is usually the most troublesome. During attacks, patients are usually unable to perform activities normal to their work or home life. Sleepiness may follow for several hours, and the off-balance sensation may last for days. The symptoms of Ménière's disease may be only a minor nuisance, or can become disabling, especially if the attacks of vertigo are severe, frequent, and occur without warning.
How Is a Diagnosis Made?
The physician will take a history of the frequency, duration, severity, and character of your attacks, the duration of hearing loss or whether it has been changing, and whether you have had tinnitus or fullness in either or both ears. You may be asked whether there is history of syphilis, mumps, or other serious infections in the past, inflammations of the eye, an autoimmune disorder or allergy, or ear surgery in the past. You may be asked questions about your general health, such as whether you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, thyroid, and neurologic or emotional disorders. Tests may be ordered to look for these problems in certain cases. When the history has been completed, diagnostic tests will check your hearing and balance functions. They may include:
An audiometric examination (hearing test) typically indicates a sensory type of hearing loss in the affected ear. Speech discrimination (the patient's ability to distinguish between words like "sit" and "fit") is often diminished in the affected ear.
An VNG (electronystagmograph) may be performed to evaluate balance function. In a darkened room, recording electrodes are placed near the eyes. Warm and cool water or air are gently introduced into each ear canal. Since the eyes and ears work in coordination through the nervous system, measurement of eye movements can be used to test the balance system. In about 50 percent of patients, the balance function is reduced in the affected ear.
Rotational testing or balance platform may also be performed to evaluate the balance system.
Electrocochleography (ECoG) may indicate increased inner ear fluid pressure in some cases of Ménière's disease.
The auditory brain stem response (ABR), a computerized test of the hearing nerves and brain pathways, computed tomography (CT) or, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be needed to rule out a tumor occurring on the hearing and balance nerve. Such tumors are rare, but they can cause symptoms similar to Ménière's disease.
Recommended Adult Lifestyle Changes To Reduce The Frequency Of Ménière's Disease Episodes
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, excessive fatigue, smoking, and streess
Eat properly
Get plenty of sleep
Remain physically active
Diagnosing And Treating Meniere's disease
A low salt diet and a diuretic (water pill) may reduce the frequency of attacks of Ménière's disease in some patients. In order to receive the full benefit of the diuretic, it is important that you restrict your intake of salt and take the medication regularly as directed. Anti-vertigo medications may provide temporary relief. Anti-nausea medication is sometimes prescribed. Anti-vertigo and anti-nausea medications may cause drowsiness. Avoid caffeine, smoking, and alcohol. Get regular sleep and eat properly. Remain physically active, but avoid excessive fatigue. Stress may aggravate the vertigo and tinnitus of Ménière's disease. Stress avoidance or counseling may be advised. If you have vertigo without warning, you should not drive, because failure to control the vehicle may be hazardous to yourself and others. Safety may require | 973 |
If you want to meet your customers' expectations, you must address their overall experience. In some organizations, this can be hindered by internal processes or company culture.
Compartmentalized customer service can make it difficult to address issues efficiently.<|fim_middle|>. Quality control might handle issues related to defective products, and the help desk might field questions from customers on how to set up or operate the item they purchased. However, your customers do not care who is in charge of what; they expect anyone they reach in your company to have the knowledge and authority to assist them.
One answer that is always unacceptable to customers is, "That's not my job." Your customers do not care whose job it is to resolve their issue — they only know that it is the company's job. Instill an attitude of interdepartmental cooperation and emphasize that every employee is responsible for providing superior customer service, regardless of job title or department.
Provide multimedia content, such as videos demonstrating your product during the customer's research stage or showing proper assembly methods during the post-sale phase.
Remember to provide content for customers after the sale. Articles or videos on how to troubleshoot issues with a product, correct operation, routine maintenance procedures or links to replacement parts might be helpful. If possible, you might want to consider giving the customer access to the owner's manual through your site. | It is still common in many companies to find that different departments handle issues at specific points in the customer's journey. For example, sales might respond to all pre-purchase inquiries, order entry might handle inquiries from customers who want to know where their items are, and logistics might be in charge of return authorizations | 62 |
Acting for family trusts, high net worth individuals and national and international organisations with individual and multiple property holdings, we work with<|fim_middle|> Speak to one of our experts today to find out how we can help you. | our clients to create and implement asset management strategies that position their holdings to capitalise on opportunities for growth and resilience when the market weakens.
Each property has its own unique character and we work to understand this character before developing, agreeing and implementing bespoke strategies to position the property to meet both existing and potential occupiers current and future requirements. By working closely with our property management, building surveying, professional, agency and investment departments, we understand how we can maximise the performance of a building from the financial, functional and futureproofing perspectives.
Asset Management requires a strategic and well thought through approach as well as experienced professional advisors. | 126 |
The home I'm about to purchase has an Armstrong Ultra SX 80. Is their any website where I can find the furnaces AFUE rating? THe building was<|fim_middle|> to how much fossil fuel it consumes yearly. The rating compares how much heat the furnace puts out yearly to how much fossil fuel it consumes yearly.
AFUE is the efficiency rating given to heating equipment, including furnaces and boilers. The letters stand for annual fuel utilization efficiency. This is a ratio of heat output to total fuel consumption. | constructed in 1994, I'm assuming this is the original... The EnergyStar sticker denotes furnaces that have an AFUE rating of 90% or higher, giving you a quick answer to how your furnace�s efficiency is measured. As for the good advice, in Daytona Beach, furnace questions of all kinds can be answered by the professionals at AC Designs Inc .
The AFUE number describes the percentage of fuel consumed and how much is wasted. If you don�t know your furnace�s AFUE rating, you can call the manufacturer with your serial number to find out. The significantly lower energy bills that come with a newer, more efficient furnace can help you recoup the expense of replacing your system.
So, when shopping for new equipment, it is important to look for the highest possible AFUE rating to ensure maximum energy efficiency. In the modern marketplace, there are heaters available that have an AFUE rating of 95% or more, so you are likely to find that your new heater is far more efficient than your current model.
The AFUE rating looks at how efficiently a furnace converts its fuel into heat. The rating compares how much heat the furnace puts out yearly | 239 |
Owl's Nest Beer Garden Set to Reopen on the Esplanade Saturday and<|fim_middle|> Eshelman, in that all patrons must be seated with no more than six at a table, which can be reserved for up to 90 minutes, and food must be ordered along with beverages.
Capacity, he added, would be at about one-third to one-half of pre-pandemic rates.
Brato Brewhouse and Kitchen, which has operations in Allston and Brighton and has collaborated with Night Shift before for past pop-ups, will operate the Night Shift Eats food truck, said Eshelman, which would allow the Owl's Nest staff to focus solely on serving beverages.
"We're really excited to be back and welcome back our returning staff after a long and challenging time," Eshelman said. "It will be great to be able to see people again, and to create that community space."
Michael Nichols, executive director of the Esplanade Association, is also looking forward to the return of the Owl's Nest.
"We're thrilled that the Owl's Nest is reopening," Nichols said. "Even through the pandemic last year, Night Shift operated the space in a safe manner that continued to make it an appealing destination on the Esplanade." Visit https://nightshiftbrewing.com/locations/owls-nest/ for more information
← Hope Springs Eternal for Beacon Hill Businesses
Letter to the Editor → | Sunday, May 8 and 9
by Dan Murphy • April 29, 2021 • 0 Comments
The Owl's Nest – the beer garden that Everett's Night Shift Brewery operates in partnership with the Esplanade Association – is set to return to the Esplanade for a fourth season, with a target opening date set for Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9, and with similar safety precautions in place as last year.
The beer garden will again offer a selection of craft beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages in a self-contained area at Storrow Memorial Embankment Park (Fiedler Field), and its hours will eventually be Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday from 2 to 10 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.
Patrons enjoying themselves while staying socially distanced last year at The Owl's Nest on the Esplanade.
"We'll maybe have some truncated hours to start, but the goal is to get there by mid-May or the end of month," said Matt Eshelman, the brewery's quality manager.
And in accordance with state guidelines, the Owl's Nest will have a "similar model as last year," said | 255 |
USAID outlines achievements in fight against Malaria in Zambia
By Mirriam Chabala,
Generic image
USAID Mission Director in Zambia Patrick Diskin says strides made so far in the fight against malaria have lessened the historical toll that the infection has placed on the country's health systems.
Diskin is, however, concerned that malaria has remained the major killer of young children<|fim_middle|>askin.
Mirriam Chabala
Mirriam covers current affairs and writes in-depth feature articles on social issues.Email: mirriam [at] diggers [dot] news
» All articles by Mirriam Chabala
Covid-19 has affected delivery of malaria services – Masebo
Are sub-standard mosquito nets threatening malaria fight in Zambia?
Large firms coping with load shedding – ZAM | in Zambia, adding that during pregnancy, the disease can also pose serious life-threatening risks to both a mother and baby.
Speaking during the World Malaria Day commemorations, Diskin noted that malaria was a major cause of global poverty and that the ongoing efforts by various stakeholders to eradicate the infection had somehow culminated into economic growth for the country.
"We have celebrated together that malaria is no longer the leading cause of death for children under five in Zambia and are committed to working together with all of you here to remain vigilant. We see new infections spike in some areas while they fall in others. Our work together has lessened the historical toll that malaria has placed on health systems, and has contributed to economic growth. This foundation of progress lays the groundwork for future achievement of the long-term sustainable public health outcome – malaria elimination," Daskin said.
"Unfortunately, malaria remains a major killer of young children and during pregnancy the disease can pose a serious, life-threatening risk to both the mother and baby. Malaria is also a major cause and consequence of global poverty. It's burden is greatest among the poorest and the most vulnerable members of society. Malaria causes adults and children to miss work and school, further entrenching them in poverty and hunger."
Daskin also revealed that records have shown significant improvements in the impact and population coverage of malaria since the intervention of the US government in preventing the infection.
"The U.S government works with Zambia's national malaria program to scale up proven, cost-effective, and life-saving malaria control interventions, namely long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying with insecticides, intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women, diagnostic testing, and highly-effective malaria treatment. In Zambia, the majority of assistance provided from the United States government has been channeled through implementing partners implementing three key U.S.-funded programs: the Project for Advancing Malaria Outcomes (PAMO); the African Indoor Residual Spraying (AIRS) project; and the Global Health Supply Chain (PSM) project. The implementing partners work in close cooperation with the Zambian Ministry of Health in Lusaka, with district and provincial directors in the field, as well as with traditional leaders and civil-society organizations nationwide to ensure that U.S. Government resources are directed to areas of greatest need and in the most cost-efficient and effective manner," he said.
"Simultaneously, and of equal importance, the United States PMI is strengthening health systems and building the skills of multiple cadres of health workers in Zambia to effectively deliver malaria services. PMI is also supporting Ministry of Health leaders to manage malaria control activities with increasing self-reliance, with the goal of building resilient, self-sustaining structures. If a child living in a rural village becomes sick with malaria they must receive immediate care, and this can only happen when multiple country-led and managed components, spanning all levels of the health care system, are well-functioning and coordinated."
Meanwhile, Daskin expressed concern that although substantial progress in scaling-up malaria control interventions in Zambia had continued, global progress in reducing malaria cases and deaths had slowed.
"An estimated 216 million cases and 445,000 deaths from malaria occurred worldwide in 2016, largely unchanged from 2015. Through the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative, the United States and American People remain steadfast partners with the government and people of Zambia in the fight to end malaria. The United States government has provided more than $236 million to Zambia since 2008 through the PMI. The United States funds have been used to procure more than 10 million insecticide-treated nets; provided indoor residual spraying in four high malaria-burden provinces, including Luapula; administered over 25 million rapid diagnostic tests; distributed over 21 million malaria treatments to Zambians; and, provided extensive training and technical support in malaria prevention, treatment, and surveillance to Zambian public-health practitioners," said D | 817 |
Ed Burns Creates Dock Walloper for Virgin Comics
by Jeff July 27, 2007
written by Jeff July 27, 2007
SAN DIEGO COMIC CON-July 26th, 2007-New York filmmaker and actor, Ed Burns (Brothers McMullen, Saving Private Ryan) is creating a new series of comic books, it was announced today by Burns at Comic-Con, the industry's annual super-festival in San Diego.
The series, entitled /Dock Walloper/, debuts in comic shops and online comic retailers in November. The complete 144 page /Dock Walloper/ book will be available in May 2008 at all major book sellers. A new site, DockWalloper.com, will host additional information<|fim_middle|> takes the classic American gangster tale, and transposes it to this atmospheric landscape, where the characters and inhabitants possess exaggerated strength, ability and power, capturing a modern American mythology."
"Ed Burns is one of New York City's favorite sons and there is no one better to tell this story," said Virgin Comics CEO Sharad Devarajan. "Dock Walloper is the perfect addition to our Director's Cut line, which allows iconic filmmakers the creative freedom to develop new stories in the visual medium of graphic novels, akin to a movie with an unlimited budget."
/Dock Walloper/ is the story that takes place in the roaring 20's of New York City. America's great metropolis has become the nexus of high society culture, cutting edge industry and perhaps the most shocking crime wave in our country's history. Known for its sinister and treacherous underworld, there's a new power waking up the city that never sleeps. It's name… John "The Hand" Smith.
The Nickname is a given. An outcast and an orphan, Smith's massive right hand is nearly twice as large as his left, and when push comes to shove, you'd pity anyone that's gets in his way. Smith's only friends in the world are a fellow orphan and low-rent black gangster nicknamed Bootsy, and a Asian femme fatale known as Ring-a-Ling. In a world of crime, passion, and a touch of the fantastic, they will attempt to change organized crime…or die trying.
"From the first moment I sat down with Ed at an LA coffee shop and heard him talk about /Dock Walloper/, I knew we were gonna create something really cool and unique," said Gotham Chopra, Virgin Comics Chief Creative Officer. "Ed's intensive involvement already up to this point in the development of that actual comic and now having Jimmy Palmiotti doing the writing on the series insures that the industry is about to change forever."
GoCollect Founder & CEO. Follow my own personal adventures through collecting on Instagram @jeffatgocollect.
Marvel Previews for 08/01/07
"MySpace Dark Horse Presents" Launched at SDCC | , previews and pre-orders of the comic art and books. The comic series will be written by Burns, along with comic book legend, Jimmy Palmiotti (Painkiller Jane, Monolith). Cover and interior art for the series will be created by Virgin Comics' in-house illustration studio and led by rising comic book star, Siju Thomas.
"As we are approaching the centennial of Prohibition in America, I wanted to re-imagine some of the characters and icons of that era with a mythic spin, in a story set in a stylized New York City of the 20's," said Ed Burns. "The story | 129 |
Two wines we have tasted over this weekend are well worth a mention.
Complex and elegant, this wine is pronounced by Eikendal's winemaker Nico Grobler as "This is the best I've made." Made from four different clones planted on different sites and different planting densities. Each block was separately vinified for later blending using natural vineyard yeasts. Mostly untoasted 5500 litre Burgundian oak barrels were used. 20% of the wine going into new barrels and the balance into previous fill barrels.
Packed under cork closure in a Burgundy shaped bottle, the wine is gem bright in the glass and pale golden straw in colour. Major Chardonnay aromas, excellent fruit with<|fim_middle|> months in tank before being prepared for bottling. Only 390 bottles available.
Deep opaque purple plum at the core paling to garnet at the edges. Fruit fruit fruit on the nose. On entry, there is a flavour of candied violets and country berries like mulberries, brambles and Shiraz's classical spice. Nice mouthful with a long aftertaste. I feel that this wine needs some time to reach its peak.
This is a big wine which needs to be honoured by good food. And good food does not necessarily mean the traditional Sunday Roast lunch with all the attachments, it can also mean a well-cooked midweek supper when you are in the mood to drink a bottle of excellent wine. | the support of well applied oak. It is fresh and crisp with ripe pears, candied citrus peel and fynbos honey – lovely wet river stones in the long aftertaste.
Perfect food wine, will take on game fish like yellowtail, game birds like guinea fowl and a gentle creamy vegetarian curry from south western India.
[90%] and Viognier [10%] grapes used for this wine were picked from Joanne Hurst's garden vineyard in Koringberg. Whole bunch grapes (not destemmed or crushed) were put into a 500-litre barrel. The grapes were covered with carbon dioxide gas daily and the fermentation started within the berries, a process known as carbonic maceration. Fermentation took place in barrel after which a two-week maceration took place. After pressing the wine was stored in amphorae for two months and then a further two | 187 |
January 11, 2014 Louise Penn archive television
The Sweeney at 40: a BFI celebration
The BFI Southbank was the venue on Thursday<|fim_middle|> waterman, sweeney
Wuthering Heights, 1962 – ★★½
Jane Eyre, 1956 – ★★★★ | of a celebration of that iconic cop show of the 1970s, 'The Sweeney' which ran for 52 episodes between 1975 and 1978, preceded by an Armchair Cinema pilot called 'Regan', and two feature films at the end of the series run.
The series starred John Thaw as DI Regan and Dennis Waterman as DS Carter, and Waterman was present in the Q&A at this event alongside producer Ted Childs and director Tom Clegg (and facilitator Dick Fiddy) to talk about the series, the cast, the crew, and why the mix of action, realistic violence, character interplay, and humour made a successful mixture which kept the series high in the ratings.
Waterman seemed very much 'on image' with quips about always meeting people in pubs, annoying his then wife by boozing with the crew after a long day's shoot, and speaking fondly about his first time working with Thaw in the 1960s. Childs and Clegg were also entertaining and frank about the problems they encountered in making car chases through the London Docklands, and dealing with the demanding agents of cast members ('they asked for more money so he said 'kill her").
An interesting set of clips as well, including the dinner party gatecrashed by Regan and Carter by mistake, presided over by a dignified 'JR Hartley', a chilling sequence where a family is taken hostage and the man of the house is gunned down at the door, and a drunken song and dance routine (lifted from the Sinatra/Durante film 'It Happened In Brooklyn') featuring the two leads in a moment of lightness.
This was a crowd-pleasing event at which even some of the cars were present (although outside, naturally). A worthy celebration of an archive television classic.
Tagged bfi southbank, dennis | 395 |
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