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Brothers Osborne: Expect Even More Real on New Album 'Skeletons'
Trigger News 38 Comments
The Brothers Osborne have been putting together a pretty damn good career straddling lines between country and rock, mainstream and independent, finding some success on the radio, but not at the expense of their souls. And from what they're saying, you can expect more of that on their upcoming album from EMI Nashville called Skeletons due out October 9th.
"If 'Pawn Shop' was our introduction, and 'Port Saint Joe' was like the first conversation we had with someone over a beer, then 'Skeletons' is the moment where you start getting down to the real stuff and showing who you really are," says John Osborne. "If you really want to get to know us, this is the record to do it."
Get ready once again for a more country rock sound from the brother duo since they're pairing with producer Jay Joyce once more, and there's also some interesting names that show up in the songwriting credits such as Hayes Carll and Natalie Hemby. John and TJ Osborne either write or co-write every track on the record, with John earning sole writing credits on a couple of songs.
Brothers Osborne surprised most everyone when they first won the CMA for Vocal Duo of the Year over Florida Georgia Line in 2016, and then again in 2017 and 2018 before having their streak broken by the dumb Dan + Shay in 2019. They've also been nominated for six Grammy Awards, speaking to their positive reception among the more critically-minded of country.
The lead single from the new record called "All Night" is well … a lead single, meaning it yearns for radio play, and will likely end up near the top of the charts right about the time the record comes out if everything goes according to plan. But you can expect the record to get better from there.
Like most everyone else, Brothers Osborne have had their tour plans cancelled for 2020.
1. "Lighten Up" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk)
2. "All Night" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Andrew DeRoberts)
3. "All the Good Ones Are" (TJ Osborne, Lee Miller and Craig Wiseman)
4. "I'm Not for Everyone" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Luke Dick and Natalie Hemby)
5. "Skeletons" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Andrew DeRoberts)
6. "Back on The Bottle" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Hayes Carll)
7. "High Note" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Casey Beathard and Dustin Christensen)
8. "Muskrat Greene" (John Osborne)
9. "Dead Man's Curve" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Lee Miller)
10. "Make It a Good One" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Stephen Wilson Jr.)
11. "Hatin' Somebody" (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Casey Beathard)
12. "Old Man's Boots" (John Osborne)
Brothers Osborne, Hayes Carll, Jay Joyce, Natalie Hemby, Skeletons
North Woods Country
July 25, 2020	@ 10:45 am
"All Night" makes my head hurt. I hope it's an anomaly within the album.
Dee Manning
Seriously? I actually purchased it so it can go on my gym ipod playlist….
The lead single on a mainstream record is almost always the anomaly.
Jake Cutter
July 25, 2020	@ 12:10 pm
I couldn't make it all the way through. Even "real" can be tedious I guess, who knew?
HayesCarll23
I agree. It is a terrible, terrible song.
They've also been nominated for three Grammy Awards…
Slight correction trig, they've been nominated 6 times; 5 consecutive times in the Country Duo/Group Performance category and last year for country album.
I stand corrected. For some reason, I was only seeing their performance noms.
Fuzzy Twoshirts
I thought the Osborne Brothers died a long time ago.
I always liked them doing "Cincinnati Ohio"
Robert's Country Blog
Sonny Osborne's weekly column at Bluegrass Today is a fun and informative read.
Marky Mark
You've made this same joke here on this site before. It wasn't funny that time either.
Sorry, jokes on you dude, cuz like, you're a former underwear model and shit. Hahahahaha…poser.
in Triggs blog Dale pays no rent in Triggs blog Dale pays no rent
Fuck off Mark Fuzzy is a hall of famer get em Fuzz!
It's no joke. With all the talk of name changes regarding the lady A-int country and the Ditzy Chicks I think dialogue needs broaching that these two need to change their name too
Ben Parks
Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top Express were still touring as of last year I know and were occasionally on the Opry. I'd been hoping to catch them live at some point
hoptowntiger94
I tried into these guys before … didn't Lee Ann Womack sing a song with them on their first album? Then I saw them on two Outlaw Fest stops and they were just noise. I think the last time (last year) they had DJ on the stage and they just made a lot of noise and ran around the stage, hollering. I'm not trying again.
I can't speak to your experience, but I have never seen or heard of a scenario where Brothers Osborne have any involvement with a DJ, or would be running around the stage "hollering. " They may make a lot of noise, but Florida Georgia Line, they're not.
This was last September in New Hampshire. I was looking at videos and it may have been the organist/keyboard dude who looked like a DJ from where I was sitting in the lawn. Even in some of the youtube videos though his hand does a circular motion like he's mixing records (maybe something on his keyboard??). I remember them dropping loud r&b/ rap, top 40 songs for their entrance and between a couple of their songs which lead me to believe he was a DJ. At the end they divided the crowd to do a "Ho," "Hey" chant thing.
What were you Infamously doing in the bathroom before you saw this DJ?
Tennessee Walking Powder and what they said was fresh maple syrup from a tree spout.
Yeah, nope, doesn't sound like you saw the band being talked about in this article. In fact, doesn't sound like you are sure who you saw. But ya know, you should just go ahead and bad mouth them anyways. Just like your supporter there, floozy two sheets. We know, we know, nothing new can be good country. Only willie and Waylon. Dam kids, get off my lawn etc.
The one guy had a really deep voice … like deeper than Josh Turner. The other dude shredded a mean guitar. There… something nice.
The Osborne Brothers were talented bluegrass musicians who always put on a great show.
Two posers who are chipping away at their legacy with a similar deliberately confusing name might do that tho.
I for one love the Osborne brothers and I hate to think I'll ever have to say that and be followed up with "oh you mean brothers Osborne?"
I think that plays into prejudice too!
Nobody is confusing the Osborne Brothers for Brothers Osborn aside from the easily confused, and that's on them.
July 26, 2020	@ 7:23 am
All these Osbornes (and Joan, Josh, and most especially Ozzy) should get together and record a "Family Reunion" album just to confuse everyone.
And record it in their homeland down under.
SwinginDoorsLetMeDown
As far as mainstream goes, this is my most anticipated album of the year. These guys can straddle the line of country and rock exceptionally well. Some songs go into 6 or 7 minutes on their records which is jam band territory. Pretty bad when we have to rely on Brothers Osborne, Kip Moore, and Eric Church for decent rock music.
Tex Hex
I like these dudes, and I'll most likely buy the album, but I have no illusions about them being "real", whatever that means, I assume "traditional". The new single is catchy and fun, but it's pop for sure.
Side note, I saw 'em live a year or two back and, again, they were fun but probably the cheesiest country act I've ever seen live. Lots of "yeah!", "come on, y'all!", and "put your hands up!" type yelling from John (the bearded guitarist brother) trying to hype up the crowd.
Way too much of that, maybe it was too much pre-game blow or something. Anyway, fun time but they need to let the music speak for itself. Less goofy crowd hyping.
I just don't see how a song can need input from more than two people. It's a song not a PT Cruiser! But if we can get together a bakers dozen of talented individuals to write some transcendent pop country hot garbage for Blake or Jason count me in! Baby needs a new pair of shoes!
For some reason I think All Night is so similar to It Ain't My Fault in terms of the overall sound. I heard All Night playing on the radio and for a hot second I didn't even realize that it was actually that song, not It Ain't My Fault.
Di Harris
OhMyGosh,
Hard Truth Hills, Brown County, IN.
Great music, no masks, Oh Heck Yeah!
Wait, you expect the "All Night" single to be near the top of the radio charts by October??
I think it has a good chance to get into the Top 10 but that would likely be by February or March at best.
Like many other artists, a 9 to 12 month climb is likely the lifespan of a single..
Hoping for a duration of 6 months (April to October) seems like wishful thinking.
Truly the sad reality of today.
But don't worry, it will only take 3 months for anything Blake Shelton, Sam Hunt, or Like Bryan to peak at #1
Asking only because I'm a Pardi stan… But how do you think "Aint Always the Cowboy" is doing ?
It's been over 4 months since its radio release and it's slowly climbing , currently at #24 … Is a November/December peak likely at this point?
I wish it wasn't stalling this much. It's such a great song.
Yeah, his singles always take a while to climb the charts. It's been rising more as of recently too
I was wondering this also. Both AATC and Cheatin' Songs by Midland are two songs that I hope make it into the top ten (or at least top 20).
It seems like the charts have been moving extremely slowly this year. I also noticed that almost every song that makes it to the top ten is peaking at number one for a week then falling rapidly.
Melissa W
I haven't listened to the lead single but I have enjoyed their Port Saint Joe record and their live record a lot. I'm looking forward to this new one.
I've loved this band as far back as Rum, but even I didn't like the first single. Thankfully though they seem to work hard to put albums out and not just some catchy first single, a boyfriend ballad and filler. I'm excited for Skeletons, and mostly for the songs that won't be sent to radio.
Dale Monroe
Hayes Carll and Dustin Christensen co-writers? Yes please, seems like it'll be a good record


Your garden is overflowing with tomatoes and well you hate to waste them but, you need some easy ideas to put them to good use.
Last year a friend of mine gave me a five gallon bucket of plum tomatoes, he said he had canned enough. I thought there is no way I have time to can all these so I brought out my dehydrator and made short order of all those tomatoes. They were perfect in breads, salads, and soups all winter long. I am hoping this year he has another bumper crop.
If you don't have a dehydrator simply slice them and arrange them on a wire rack set inside a sheet pan, and park them in a 200° oven overnight for easy dried tomatoes. Depending on how many you have you may only need to keep them in the oven a few hours.
Charring the tomatoes and vegetables adds sweetness and a touch of smoky flavor.
Prepare a grill for high heat. Grill tomatoes, onion, and chilies, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and fragrant, about 4 minutes for chilies and 6–8 minutes for tomatoes and onion. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Purée tomatoes, onion, chilies, garlic, and cilantro in a blender until mostly smooth and only small pieces remain; season with salt.
Now canning your tomatoes is always an option but who has the time!


I wanted to refresh my spark page, but it's too busy right now for me to upload a new background pic. I guess everyone is dusting off their pages after the holiday. Anyway, I put up a new ticker to go with my short term goal.
My short term goal is to be a size 14 by Valentine's Day.
I don't even know if I'm going to be working then, but sometime around that day I'll have a day off and will be able to go on a hot date.
Happy New Year and keep on sparking friends.
I will return with a better blog next time.
Enjoyed the blog and like your goal to be a 14 by Valentine. You will deserve that hot date! Much success to you!


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A Night At The Opera Featuring Gina Cuffari & Frank Morelli
Orpheus bassoonists Frank Morelli and Gina Cuffari perform arrangements of your favorite opera arias, and take your questions live.
Gina Cuffari, bassoon & soprano
Frank Morelli, bassoon
Thomas Cuffari, piano
Bethany Morelli, piano
Rossini (arr. Gebauer, rev. Morelli)
Largo al factotum from The Barber of Seville
Mozart (arr. Morelli)
Batti, batti bel Masetto from Don Giovanni
R. Strauss
Di Rigori armato from Der Rosenkavalier
Tanzlied des Pierrots from Die Tote Stadt
Bizet/Sarasate/Winstead & Borne (arr. Cuffari)
Carmen Fantasy
Mignone
Modinha from Sonata No. 1 for Two Bassoons
Gina Cuffari
Bassoonist Gina Cuffari is a dynamic and versatile musician who performs a variety of roles in the New York City area as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, soloist, new music advocate, and educator. Praised for having a "sound that is by turns sensuous, lyric and fast-moving" (Palm Beach Daily News), Gina is the Co-Principal Bassoonist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. For over a decade, Gina has performed and recorded throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia with this prestigious ensemble, and has been an active participant in their community engagement programs such as Access Orpheus (teaching at NYC public schools) and the Reflections program (performing for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers). Gina is also the Associate Principal/2nd Bassoonist of the Lincoln Center-based Riverside Symphony, as well as a frequent performer with Orchestra of St. Luke's, American Composers Orchestra, Westchester Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater, Iris Orchestra in Memphis, TN, and many more. In addition, Gina has played in recent Broadway productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Sunset Boulevard, and My Fair Lady as a substitute bassoonist.
Gina's passion for chamber music has led her to collaborate with many amazing musicians and ensembles over the years. She is currently a member of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players and Sylvan Winds, and a founding member of Trio Cabrini, a clarinet, bassoon/voice, piano ensemble. She performs throughout New England with the Boston-based Walden Chamber Players and has had recent engagements with the Exponential Ensemble, Tertulia Ensemble, and Camerata Pacifica in Santa Barbara, California.
Gina has always had a keen interest in new music and has endeavored to support composers throughout her career. She has been a longtime collaborator with Alarm Will Sound – performing as a bassoonist, vocalist, and keyboardist – and has worked with many composers over the years, premiering a plethora of new works with the group. In NYC she has performed with Argento New Music Project and ACME, and has commissioned and premiered several new works with her ensembles Sylvan Winds, Quintet of the Americas, Trio Cabrini, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. In an ongoing personal project, Gina has commissioned and premiered works that combine her two passions – singing and playing the bassoon – into one performing experience. Composers writing for her include Sunny Knable, Gregg August, Jenni Brandon, and more.
As an educator, Gina currently holds positions at NYU and Western CT State University where she teaches bassoon, coaches chamber music, and teaches a variety of other classes. She is a frequent guest clinician at Bard College for The Orchestra Now and has taught master classes at universities such as Yale, Auburn, and Louisiana State. She spends her summers performing and teaching at several summer festivals including the NYU Summer Woodwind Institute, Orpheus@Mannes, and the Mostly Modern Festival at Skidmore College.
Frank Morelli
Introduced to the bassoon in the Massapequa, NY public schools, Frank Morelli studied with Stephen Maxym at the Manhattan School of Music and later became the first bassoonist to be awarded a doctorate by the Juilliard School. He has made nine appearances as soloist in New York's Carnegie Hall playing concertos, Sinfonias concertantes, and even a solo ballad with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. The Miami Herald has hailed his "breathtaking virtuosity" and the Toronto Globe and Mailproclaimed his performance: "the kind of Mozart even the most tireless concertgoer is lucky to hear once a year."
Morelli has four solo CDs on MSR Classics: From the Heart: 20th Century Music for Bassoon and Piano and Romance and Caprice, with pianist Gilbert Kalish, Bassoon Brasileiro with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and guitarist Ben Verdery and Baroque Fireworks, which features harpsichordist Kenneth Cooper and bassoonist Harry Searing. The magazine, Gramophone proclaimed: "Morelli's playing is a joy to behold." The American Record Guide stated: "the bassoon playing on this recording is a good as it gets." Of his DG recording of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with Orpheus, Gramophone Magazine noted the "delicacy of articulation and colouring, [and] the lyrical warmth of the Andante." Fanfare Magazine added that this recording "reset a reviewer's standards at too high a level for comfort in a world more productive of ordinary music making." The Orpheus CD "Shadow Dances," which features Frank Morelli, won a 2001 Grammy Award.
A prolific chamber musician, Frank Morelli appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on numerous occasions, including at the Whitehouse for the final State Dinner of the Clinton Presidency. He has participated in many major music festivals, including the Norfolk and Sarasota Chamber Music Festivals, Marlboro, Banff, Angel Fire, Casals Festival (France) and Music@Menlo. He is a member of Festival Chamber Music and the woodwind quintet, Windscape, in residence at the Manhattan School of Music with whom he has recorded two recent CDs, one featuring the music of Antonin Dvorak and the other music of Maurice Ravel (which includes his transcriptions of "Mother Goose" and "Valses Nobles et Sentimentales" both published by TrevCo).
Chosen to succeed his teacher, Stephen Maxym, Mr. Morelli serves on
the faculties of the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music and
the Yale School of Music, SUNY Stony Brook, and is Distinguished Lecturer in Woodwinds at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY. Morelli's students are active in major orchestras and on important faculties throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Far East, and Europe. He iseditor of Stravinsky: Difficult Passages for Bassoon, a landmark excerpt book for bassoon and contra bassoon published by Boosey & Hawkes,and has several transcriptions for bassoon, woodwind quintet and other ensembles to his credit, published by Trevco Music. His unprecedented edition, The First Complete Weissenborn Bassoon Method and Studies Op. 8 Vols. 1&2 and Ludwig Milde's Scale and Chord Studies Op. 24, is now available worldwide, published by Carl Fischer. Mr. Morelli performs exclusively on the Leitzinger Bassoon Model 1.
THURSDAY AUG 20 2020 12:00PM
LivestreamMahan Esfahani performs de Falla & Martinů
AUG 20 | 12:00PM | FREE

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Cancer Council WA is using Prostate Cancer Awareness in September to issue a timely reminder to blokes in regional WA to familiarise themselves with the common symptoms of the disease. Cancer Council WA Wheatbelt regional education officer Melissa Pickering said prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Western Australian men. "It's vital men visit their local medical service when they experience unusual symptoms as there is no test with sufficient accuracy to screen the male population for prostate cancer," she said. "Common symptoms of prostate cancer include waking frequently at night to pee, a sudden or urgent need to pee, difficulty controlling the bladder or the bladder not feeling empty after peeing, difficulty starting or stopping peeing, unexplained weight loss, needing to pee more often, a slow flow, pain, or dribbling at the end of peeing. "If you have had any of these symptoms for more than four weeks, or you've noticed blood in your pee or semen even just once, tell your doctor, clinic nurse or Aboriginal health worker as soon as possible. "It doesn't mean you've got prostate cancer - often it turns out to be something far less serious and your doctor may be able to help reduce the annoying symptoms. "Treatment is most effective when cancer is found at an early stage, so finding cancer early can make a real difference." In 2017 there were 2093 new cases of prostate cancer recorded compared to 270 deaths, with thousands of Western Australian mensuccessfully treated for prostate cancer. For more information about prostate cancer and how to identify the symptoms, visit www.findcancerearly.com.au or call Cancer Council's information and support line on 13 11 20.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/eliza.wynn/cdbe9422-69c4-49a2-bd18-d6b0b92b8f7c.jpg/r8_180_3460_2130_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
Cancer Council urges prostate awareness for regional blokes
Eliza Wynn
The Cancer Council WA is using Prostate Cancer Awareness in September to issue a timely reminder to blokes in regional WA to familiarise themselves with the common symptoms of the disease.
Cancer Council WA Wheatbelt regional education officer Melissa Pickering said prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Western Australian men.
"It's vital men visit their local medical service when they experience unusual symptoms as there is no test with sufficient accuracy to screen the male population for prostate cancer," she said.
"Common symptoms of prostate cancer include waking frequently at night to pee, a sudden or urgent need to pee, difficulty controlling the bladder or the bladder not feeling empty after peeing, difficulty starting or stopping peeing, unexplained weight loss, needing to pee more often, a slow flow, pain, or dribbling at the end of peeing.
"If you have had any of these symptoms for more than four weeks, or you've noticed blood in your pee or semen even just once, tell your doctor, clinic nurse or Aboriginal health worker as soon as possible.
"It doesn't mean you've got prostate cancer - often it turns out to be something far less serious and your doctor may be able to help reduce the annoying symptoms.
"Treatment is most effective when cancer is found at an early stage, so finding cancer early can make a real difference."
In 2017 there were 2093 new cases of prostate cancer recorded compared to 270 deaths, with thousands of Western Australian mensuccessfully treated for prostate cancer.
For more information about prostate cancer and how to identify the symptoms, visit www.findcancerearly.com.au or call Cancer Council's information and support line on 13 11 20.
Pearce ex-service organisations to be supported
Old Northam pool site scoped out as potential 24 hour RV site
Future CBD murals a topic of debate for Northam councillors
Corella culling to commence in Northam following failed attempts of region wide strategy
Gidgegannup survivor urges women to know cancer symptoms
The Avon Valley Advocate


Rather than taking advantage of the Day Zero crisis, companies should assist by providing affordable solutions.
This is the word from Alto Africa, which has challenged other companies to step up and "do the right thing" by helping others.
In an effort to support local businesses in this time of need, Alto Africa is offering free setup fees to assist SME's to work remotely.
This can be done with Cloudbox, a solution that is designed for SME's looking to simplify their IT. It incorporates all essential IT services for teams to collaborate from anywhere, including hosted telephony and simple fast internet.
Alto Africa cief technology officer Oliver Potgieter says Capetonians will have to pull together like never before. "If businesses in Cape Town are going to survive 2018, they will have to implement solutions that will enable staff to work remotely as a team.
"We need to do everything we can to avoid Day Zero, but at the same time responsible businesses need to prepare for the worst. Businesses and schools that don't have an independent and proven safe supply of drinking and sanitation water will have to close their offices and will need a solution like Cloudbox to continue operating.
"Cloudbox is the ideal solution for SMEs wanting to survive this catastrophe. As business owners, we know how critical IT solutions are so we've decided to waive all setup and migration fees for new Cloudbox customers based in Cape Town," he adds.


Best Board Games For "Family Fun Night " - A list of fun games for the whole family to play for a "Family Fun Night"
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Top Museums In Balboa Park San Diego,CA - So many museums in one place, so little time.
Top Children's Movies (non-animated) - Children's movies don't come only in the animated genre. Try some of these!
Top 20 Chase Scenes in Film - The best movie chase scenes ever.
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Worst stuff to get trick or treating - A single penny, an apple, come on folks, you can do better than that!
Top 20 Tips for Feeding Horses - Have a new Horse? Here are feeding tips.
Most Expensive Paintings of All Time - This is a list of the most expensive paintings of all times which are also some of the fantastic pieces of art the world has ever seen.
Best Toys from the 80's - From Rubik's cube to nintendo, explore the great toys of the 80's.


Not a member? Join today to attend these exclusive member events!
Supporting members and above are invited to join Samantha De Tillio, Assistant Curator and Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, Assistant Manager of Curatorial Affairs for a private tour of The Burke Prize 2018: The Future of Craft Part 2.


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Q: Sales tax calculator with a while loop I am making a sales tax calculator and everything works besides the total payment amount portion. In my program I want to be able to input a number and get the taxed amount on the item I also want to be able to get the total amount payed including tax in the transaction. The code I have written so far does all of that but when I input a second number I want that numbers total payment to be added to the previous total payment. for example if you input 3.99 it gives you a total payment of 4.3441125000000005 then if you input 12.95 it should give you a total payment of 18.443425 because 12.95's total payment is 14.0993125 + 4.3441125000000005.
rate = 0.08875 #sales tax
amount = 1
while amount != 0:
    amount = float(input("Enter item cost in dollars, 0 to quit: ")) #cost of item
    tax = amount*rate #tax amount on item
    total = amount+tax #total payment including tax
    print("Tax amount on this item ==", tax)
    print("Total payment ==", total)

so I basically just want the totals to add each time you input a cost.

A: You could create a new variable:
rate = 0.08875 #sales tax
amount = 1
full_total = 0
while amount != 0:
    amount = float(input("Enter item cost in dollars, 0 to quit: ")) #cost of item
    tax = amount*rate #tax amount on item
    total = amount+tax #total payment including tax
    full_total += total
    print("Tax amount on this item ==", tax)
    print("Total payment ==", total)
    print(f"Your full total today is {full_total}")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


What horrifying moment of this dumpster fire of an election are YOU?
Election Day is coming up pretty soon here, and boy, have we come a long way. The 2016 presidential race has felt less like an election and more like an endless parade of ignorant, hateful, and downright embarrassing moments and gaffes. So in the spirit of self-loathing and this great nation of the USA, take our personality quiz and see what trashy moment from this election defines you! Are you the "nasty woman" comment, hellbent on silencing women who are just trying to talk? Are you Anthony Weiner, who just won't go away? Are you Melania's speech, in that you love to cop someone else's style? Find out for yourself!


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Q: gfxinfo for Android webview I am testing my Android application which has Android webview, to check UI performance i am using adb shell dumpsys gfxinfo <packagename> to get the fps value and janky frames.
I can see visually that UI performance is quite good(there is no lags) but the fps numbers are coming as 20 for 95th percentile and janky frames percentage is 98%
Upon profiling from chrome devtools i can see fps as 60
adb shell dumpsys gfxinfo works well for native apps but not for webview.
Is there any other way to check this ? Am I missing something ?

A: For measuring your webpage performance inside the webview you can use chrome DevTools. First go to chrome://inspect/devices. There you should be able to see your connected device and a list of all your active webviews. Make sure you have adb setup and your device is authorized.
Next press Command+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P to bring up the run command menu and type FPS, and select

Show Frames Per Second (FPS) meter

This will bring up a live FPS meter. It looks something like this


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Here's Why This Vast Egyptian Structure Was Left Abandoned When It Wasn't Even Finished
It's the 15th century B.C., and Pharaoh Hatshepsut rules over ancient Egypt. For her greater glory, a large team of artisans are chipping away at a 137-foot long slab of red granite in the Northern Quarries of Aswan. Carving what is planned to be the largest obelisk ever seen is hot, laborious and dusty work. But the project comes to an abrupt halt. A problem has emerged, and it's one that will never be solved. The 1,200-ton lump of stone is left unfinished – marooned in the bedrock it was hewn from.
That unfinished obelisk still sits in the Northern Quarries today and has become a major tourist attraction. Yet visitors must wonder why this massive stone column was never finished. The quarry where the unfinished obelisk lies is set in the city of Aswan – a bit less than a mile from the River Nile's eastern bank. Originally covering nearly 60 square miles, much of the ancient quarrying area has disappeared since the 1960s with the development of modern Aswan. But the site of the unfinished obelisk is preserved.
Such is the scale of this massive obelisk that you can actually take a look at it on Google Maps satellite view. But viewing it from above doesn't answer the question: why was it never finished? You also get a real sense of the scale of this huge column of granite in pictures that show people walking along its length. And it's weight is nothing to be sniffed at, either. According to the Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, it weighs the equivalent of 200 average-size African bull elephants.
It was a British Egyptologist who cleared the rubble that had partially covered the obelisk over the millennia. Apparently, when Reginald Engelbach started work in 1922, there were only some 60 feet of the obelisk's 137 feet visible. Though once the obelisk was revealed in all its glory, it soon became clear that it was a unique opportunity to learn more about how the ancient Egyptians constructed these monumental stone towers. Then there was also the question of why it had never been completed.
For the unfinished obelisk is just one of many that were carved and erected. They were constructed predominantly during the period known as the New Kingdom, which lasted from around 1570 to 1069 B.C. That timescale includes the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut – the woman who commissioned our unfinished obelisk. And the fact that the work was never completed can hardly have pleased her. We can only wonder whether her likely wrath took a toll on the craftsmen tasked with carving the obelisk.
So just who was this Hatshepsut? Well, thanks to hieroglyphic inscriptions on various ancient monuments, we know a surprising amount about her succession to the Egyptian throne some 3,500 years ago. Yet female pharaohs were not unheard of. After all, there were at least seven altogether – including the famous Cleopatra who ruled Egypt some 1,400 years after Hatshepsut. But when the latter became leader, there had only been two or perhaps three female rulers in the preceding 15 centuries.
Hatshepsut was the eldest daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and Ahmose. And the former had an incestuous marriage – like many of the ancient Egyptian royal class. At the age of about 12, she wed her half-brother Thutmose II, who shared her father but had a different mother: Mutnofret. It was Thutmose II who took the throne when his father died around 1492 B.C. But Hatshepsut's day was yet to come.
In 1479 B.C. – some 13 years after Thutmose II became pharaoh – he died and was succeeded by a son. Interestingly, though, the latter was not a child of Hatshepsut, but of a woman from the Pharaoh's harem: Isis. Hatshepsut had only given birth once – to a girl called Neferure. The new pharaoh Thutmose III was still only an infant and too young to rule, so Hatshepsut took on the role of regent.
Speaking to Smithsonian Magazine in 2006, Egyptologist Peter Dorman said, "I think it would have been pretty much the norm for Hatshepsut to step in. But it's also quite clear that Thutmose III was recognized as king from the very start." Yes, it seems that for the first years of her role as regent, Hatshepsut played the part in the expected way.
Hatshepsut simply acted as a proxy for the young Thutmose III, who retained his position as sole pharaoh. But around seven years after the start of her regency, the former was elevated to the position of pharaoh. So now Egypt had two rulers. Yet Hatshepsut and Thutmose – who was both her nephew and her stepson – were apparently not equal partners.
Hatshepsut, it's said, was the dominant partner in the ruling duo. And something strange was happening. In the early years of the regency, Hatshepsut had been portrayed in carvings as conventionally feminine – dressed in women's clothing and with a female physique. But this changed dramatically in later representations of her.
Portraits of Hatshepsut began to show her in male dress and wearing the strange fake beard that male pharaohs sported. So what can we make of this apparent cross-dressing? Well, these representations strongly suggest that she had taken on the full role of ruler rather than merely continuing as regent. Why had this happened? Mid-20th-century scholars perhaps betrayed more than a little of their underlying prejudices in their analysis of the situation.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, in the 1950s William C. Hayes of New York City's Metropolitan Museum called Hatshepsut the "vilest type of usurper." He continued, "It was not long before this vain, ambitious, and unscrupulous woman showed… her true colors." But a more recent interpretation of events during Hatshepsut's rule has been rather more generous in its judgment of her – and, we might think, a lot less sexist.
Another Metropolitan Museum staffer – Egyptian art curator Catharine Roehrig – told the publication in 2006, "Hatshepsut may have had to declare herself king to protect the kingship for her stepson." She reasoned that some kind of national emergency – such as an attempted coup – might have prompted the queen to take the reins of power. Perhaps it was then that she started to commission massive public works. And this may have included the puzzlingly unfinished obelisk.
Roehrig also said that what we know of the way Hatshepsut treated her co-pharaoh Thutmose contradicts the idea that she grabbed power. What's more, once she had taken on the role of pharaoh, giving that up when her stepson was old enough to rule simply wasn't an option. As Renée Dreyfus of San Francisco's Fine Arts Museums put it, "Once you took on the attributes of kingship, that was it. You were a god. It's not queen for a day, it's king for all time."
In any case, one thing that Hatshepsut is well remembered for is the ambitious program of construction that she launched during her reign. There were various major projects dotted around her realm. But the most impressive buildings, roads and temples were established around Thebes. This was the religious and royal headquarters of the house of Thutmose. And that incomplete obelisk was likely bound for Thebes until work on it stopped for some reason.
Hatshepsut's best-known building is the massive temple and funerary building she commissioned at Deir el-Bahri – just across the River Nile from Thebes in the Valley of the Kings. It's on a massive scale, with rows of columns set around sweeping open spaces at the base of soaring limestone cliffs. This huge public building was intended as a guarantee that the goddess Hatshepsut would live on forever after death. Yet unlike that ill-fated obelisk at Aswan, it was actually completed.
As we know, Hatshepsut also commissioned obelisks. There's the one we've already described that was never completed after work was abruptly abandoned. But the pharaoh had more success with other obelisks that she ordered her artisans to create. She had four obelisks made, which were erected at Karnak – the temple complex at Thebes. And one of those remains in place to this day.
According to CBS, this surviving obelisk stands 97 feet tall – making it the tallest in modern Egypt. That also makes it some 40 feet shorter than the unfinished obelisk. Its base includes 32 lines of hieroglyphics, which reveal a surprising amount about this female pharaoh. It seems that Hatshepsut had a penchant for self-doubt – perhaps surprising in a woman who was regarded by her subjects as a living god. Or maybe not, given the likely stress of being both a national leader and a goddess.
An article published in National Geographic in 2009 quotes the translation of some of the text carved into the base of the obelisk at Karnak. It reads, "Now my heart turns this way and that, as I think what the people will say. Those who see my monuments in years to come, and who shall speak of what I have done." Yes, she may have had one doubtful eye on how posterity would regard her.
Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for 21 years and died in around 1458 B.C. Though she was not fondly remembered after her death. In fact, it seems her stepson and co-pharaoh Thutmose III – who now ruled alone – did his best to wipe her memory from history. Alternatively, a number of researchers believe that various acts of vandalism happened some time after Thutmose III's own death.
Whoever attempted to expunge Hatshepsut's legacy from the record did their best to make a thorough job of it. Monuments and statues commemorating her were defaced or destroyed altogether. But the curiously unfinished obelisk was left to its fate. And it begs the question: why was the pharaoh's heritage demolished? Well, it's not clearly understood, although one theory is that Thutmose wanted there to be a clearly unbroken line of male succession. Perhaps having a female pharaoh in the lineage was just too far beyond the pale.
This attempt to eradicate Hatshepsut from the historical record seems to have succeeded for many centuries. Amazingly, it was not until 1822 that the hieroglyphs at the Dayr al-Bahri tomb were finally deciphered. Only then did the full story of this female pharaoh emerge. Yet it took some time for experts to figure out that although Hatshepsut was often portrayed in a masculine way, she was in fact a woman. They also had the puzzle of why the obelisk was never finished to tackle.
We've seen that one part of Hatshepsut's legacy is the 3,500-year-old obelisk that still stands at Karnak – the largest left in Egypt today. Perhaps that is something of a consolation to the pharaoh if she is indeed enjoying eternal life after death. Though it's easy to imagine that there is one thing which must be a constant source of regret to the goddess in her eternal after-life.
If the obelisk that was abandoned at the Aswan Northern Quarries had been completed, it would have been the most splendid she erected, according to Atlas Obscura. The unfinished obelisk, it's believed, would have been the tallest ever seen in ancient Egypt. But it was not to be. One day, the workmen apparently walked off the job – leaving their task unfinished.
Any of you who have had your home remodeled knows that builders are not always 100 percent reliable. But just why did those ancient Egyptian artisans leave their handiwork incomplete? Since they were working for an all-powerful pharaoh, it's unlikely that they downed tools without a very good reason. After all, no sensible person likes to be on the wrong end of an absolute monarch's displeasure.
Yet it turns out that there was a simple but devastating reason that work shuddered to a halt. Cracks had appeared on the red granite slab from which the obelisk was being fashioned. Obviously, the structural integrity of an obelisk depends on the stone being in one piece. The cracks meant that it would probably have fallen apart when it was erected. And there was no way to alleviate the fissures – especially a large one in the center of the stone.
PBS quoted some words written by Reginald Engelbach in a 1999 article. This was the English archeologist we met earlier who excavated and studied the obelisk in the early 1920s. He wrote, "The Aswan Obelisk enables the visitor to look with different eyes on the finished monuments. And [it helps us] realize… the heartbreaking failures which must sometimes have driven the old engineers to the verge of despair before a perfect monument could be presented by the king to his god."
This misfortune denied Hatshepsut her magnificent obelisk and we can imagine may well have caused the workers much grief. Though it has its positive side, too. It's allowed researchers to learn an enormous amount about just how these massive monuments were constructed 3,500 years ago. Remember, it was a feat they achieved without the benefit of modern power tools.
Author Rosalie David wrote in her work Handbook to life in Ancient Egypt, "Evidence at Aswan indicates that to remove the stone the masons probably chiseled holes into the rock to a depth of about six inches. [They] then forced wooden wedges into these holes before moistening them with water so that the wood swelled and caused the rock to split."
Amazingly, the pressure of expanding wet wood is enough to split solid granite. Who knew? According to experts, once the block had been separated from the bedrock, hand tools were then used to give the obelisk its final shape. These tools were made from copper or dolerite – an incredibly hard rock. Yet there is some doubt about the exact nature of the tools that those ancient Egyptian stone masons used.
One brave researcher called Peter Tyson tried out the technique of hammering away at solid granite with a lump of dolerite for himself for a show on PBS' NOVA series in 1999. Though it turned out to be a thankless and disagreeable task. Describing the experience, he wrote, "Cupping a greenish-black dolerite ball in my hands, I brought it down with a crack onto a block of granite. Over and over, I bounced it on the same spot, [until] I thought I'd scrape the skin off my palms."
Tyson's ordeal continued, "After ten minutes, my wrists hurt from trying to guide the 12-pound rock in at an angle – the better to break the granite – and stabs of pain began shooting up my arms. I did it for only 20 minutes, and all I had to show for it was a baby's palmful of granite dust. And the granite's surface looked no different than when I'd started." Yep, rather him than us.
Perhaps those ancient Egyptians were stronger, more skilled or had greater endurance than the unfortunate Tyson. Then again, maybe they were spurred on by fear of their ultimate boss: Hatshepsut. In any case, we know that they were capable of hewing these incredible monuments from the bare rock. And though we can't be exactly sure how they managed to complete these masterful examples of masonry, there's no doubt about their achievements.
According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, they were capable of completing an obelisk project – including transporting it to its final destination and raising it – within seven months. That is a tremendous feat, but it raises more tricky questions. The Northern Quarries at Aswan – where many obelisks were made – lie far from the most likely final destination of the stone works: the Valley of the Kings at Thebes.
As the crow flies, the distance from Aswan to Thebes is well over 100 miles. That's a long way to lug 1,200 tones of granite. Yet there is a handy way of transporting large items between the two places – the River Nile, which flows between them. The Ancient History Encyclopedia online quotes a description of this process from historian and author Margaret Bunson.
Bunson wrote, "When the pillar was carved to satisfaction, ropes were slung around it and the stone was raised and placed on a heavy sledge. It took several thousand workmen to pull the sledge to the banks of the Nile. There, vessels waited in dry docks specially designed to allow safe loading of the pillars." It sounds like an extremely arduous, but doable job.
After the obelisk had been loaded aboard its transporting vessel, the dock gates would be opened and the ship with its cargo would float out onto the Nile. Once on the river, Bunson explains, "Nine galleys, each with more than 30 rowers, towed the vessel and the obelisk to Thebes where a ceremonial ritual and vast crowds awaited their arrival." Yep, that sounds like some tough rowing.
So we can be fairly confident that we – mostly – understand how those ancient Egyptians in the time of Pharaoh Hatshepsut built and transported huge obelisks. But we're left with one last puzzle. You've hauled the obelisk to its final destination on its side. How on earth do you now raise it from the horizontal to the vertical? Modern researchers have tried to replicate how this might have been done without success. It remains an unsolved mystery.
Yet Hatshepsut's loss was a gain for modern Egyptology. We can only imagine how angry she might have been when her project manager explained that the job was a complete write-off because of those cracks. On the other hand, perhaps she was philosophical – seeing it as just another example of the capricious will of her fellow gods. But we can be thankful that this fascinating artifact with so much to tell us about ancient Egypt has survived for 3,500 years.


Prognoza is the Windows Phone Weather app you need! It suits for downloading the latest weather data for a specific city or your current location based on the Windows Phone location APIs. The background pictures display the current weather conditions. Prognoza has a TRIAL mode which gives you the FULL APP EXPERIENCE for 4 DAYS, there you can see if the weather is accurate enough for you, or if the app works fine for you, after this period you can buy it.
• A clean, nice design aligned at the Windows Phone metro design principles.
• A beautiful Lock Screen that updates along with the Live Tiles, and has the same picture in the background like the Live Tiles.
• Prognoza has two methods of giving you the best weather data, one is via location (for this you will have to turn ON your location services), and the second one is via entering the City name you want the predictions for.
• Wind rose for detailed wind directions and wind speed (just tap anywhere on the wind description or value to open it).
• Two sets of icons available to show on live tiles/lock screen (under Prognoza's settings switch "alternative icons" on/off).
• Background location tracking! Just turn it on in the app settings under "other". Background location tracking does not consume any more battery then without it!
• Notifications of changing weather condition! Turn them on in the apps settings under "notifications", just select the conditions you want notifications for and you will get a notification from Prognoza when the weather changes.
• Ability to change the app language independent from the Phone language.
• Favorites – just add your city to favorites and you can access it via double tap anywhere on the main screen of Prognoza or via application bar > "Favorites". This makes easy switching from City to City.
PLEASE be aware that WP8.0 devices with just 512 MB RAM don't have all functions (that is because of your devices, and the limit they have!). It is important that you understand that if you use a 512MB RAM device, that you cannot have all functions because of the limit i have not set.
Vouchers that are used in this app are only valid until the next reinstall of the app. This is currently the only way to redeem the full version from a trial app. You ca nenter a voucher if you have one inside the app under informations > state > enter the voucher in the voucher box and press redeem button.
• New Voucher system, you can get vouchers from me on Twitter and if you support the app in any other kind.
• bug fixes to voucher system.
• Added Trial mode for users to try Prognoza first before buying it.
• Added voucher system to unlock full app.
• Changed the design in the app, on the live tiles and lock screen a bit.
• Added Romanian language (more languages are in the works, will be added in few days).
• changed a the app startup so that it is faster now.


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Campo De Arroz, Comporta
The best places to stay in Portugal
There's been a recent upsurge of smart hotels in every corner of Portugal. Our editors travelled there to unearth the super-chic gems that surpass all the rest
Our favourite houses to rent in Portugal
CASA NA TERRA, ALENTEJO, PORTUGAL
This subterranean lair in Portugal's Alentejo is a double-take hideaway that emerges from the remote landscape. This part of the country, which borders the Spanish deserts of Extremadura, is famed for its fortress towns and pretty villages of white-and-cobalt cottages. But Casa na Terra conforms to no vernacular. A bunker, almost buried in the ground and barely visible even from up close, it is an alien structure in this land. The building looks like nothing ever seen before: hyper-man-made yet totally in sync with the surroundings. Its spaces are part of the terrain – very little emerges. As you approach, the green roof looks as if it's another natural slope, only the white circular courtyards that act as light wells mark out that this is an artificial construction. From beside the lake, you occasionally glimpse the dome of the terrace – the focal point – but it looks elemental, forgotten, a thing that has been here forever. Inside, minimalist concrete-and-wood interiors and three sparsely fitted-out bedrooms are embraced by the heaviness of the earth. Being hidden away like this provides a sense of protection.
See the full review of Casa na Terra
A subterranean lair you can rent in Alentejo, Portugal
Our favourite boutique hotels in Portugal
Quinta da Comporta
Until recently, there's really only ever been one hotel worth considering in this region of drowsy fishing villages and surf shacks, and that's a place called Sublime. Now to rival is this spot, created by Portuguese architect-designer Miguel Câncio Martins (Buddha-Bar in Paris). Paths wind through the sandy landscape, passing white, barn-like buildings – many of them former grain stores – that overlook the patchwork paddy fields and slim swimming pool. Their interiors match the landscape and are purposefully neutral, dominated by huge, reclaimed beams that were shipped over from Canada, and complemented with low-hanging, rope-tied Balinese lampshades that fill the double-height spaces. Bedrooms have a beach-house feel, with rattan rugs, more of those lampshades and lots of wood and wicker. The rooftop bedroom has two terraces, one that catches the morning rays, the other with views of burnt-orange sunsets over the fields. Portugal's rustic Alentejo may seem an unlikely area for a full-blown spa, but the one here has ambitious plans to use rice much in the same way that French-based Caudalie has done with grapes. The ingredient is infused into treatments such as the lavender foot bath, and the hotel is creating its own products, enriched with rice-bran oil, which is very good for skin and hair. There are plenty of grains on the restaurant menu, too, including its own-brand Black Pig gin – try it in a cocktail made with passionfruit and honeycomb – and puffed crackers flavoured and coloured with squid ink, saffron and beetroot. And an organic garden will soon be adding to the kitchen's harvest. This is a next-level arrival that never loses sight of Comporta's breezy, sand-in-its-hair spirit. By Tabitha Joyce.
See the full spa review of Quinta da Comporta
Quinta da Comporta, Alentejo, Portugal – spa review
Torel 1884, Porto
On the other side of the street from Torel 1884, a moustachioed man occasionally steps out of a workshop fringed in blue tiles and props a freshly varnished cork board on the pavement, quietly standing guard while it dries in the sun. Porto is one of those rare cities in Europe that actually makes things; it takes its time. But cranes are stalking the horizon. At the start of the millennium, its historic centre was almost a ghost town; these days its façades are being reclaimed. Case in point is this hotel, a former palazzo and bank that now stores wine in its vault. Torel's owners launched their first outpost in the city a couple of years ago, high above the Douro River, filled with Pop Art flourishes and with a ceiling of silk flowers. This sequel is more neoclassical, a high atrium opening up the interior as if it were a doll's house. Its designers celebrate the Age of Discovery, the period of seafaring, map-pushing adventurers – the spirit of which inspired the gawping, sculpted heads lining the entrance. At the top is a library with coolie hats, books on Java and Rimbaud and the kind of wooden floor you want to skid across in socks. In the middle are bedrooms where jade green, rattan and velvet evoke Africa, Asia and the Americas; tiny strips of banana leaf lining the bathroom walls of one mezzanine space, a portrait of a woman smoking actual paintbrushes in another – one of many textured, mixed-media works by local artist Jorge Cuval. At the bottom is a bar and bistro with ceiling fans and little ceramic dishes for just about everything. This feels like a private house with drawing-room hush and broad horizons. It's just a short walk down to the river, where those voyages began, the reflected neon of the port houses trembling on the water. By Rick Jordan.
This wild stretch of Atlantic coast, an hour and a half south of Lisbon, spent generations unnoticed before being snapped up by Portugal's most powerful banking clan, which ensured strict rules for anyone intending to build a house here. These days, a select band of architects are finding inspiration in the area's unusual scenery – storks nest on every other telephone pylon – and the homespun vernacular of whitewashed fishermen's huts and horizontal-striped, woven-reed exteriors topped with palm-frond roofs. Regulars will tell you that the best way to experience Comporta is to rent a house. And this one, a family-friendly project that sleeps 10, makes the most of its views over rice fields that flick from water-logged to luminous green as the seasons change. From the stripped-down main bedroom, which has poured-concrete floors, wooden ladders and shaggy, palm-fibre lampshades, there's a view of the sunrise over the fields, punctuated only by the orange trees in the garden. Outside is a huge barbecue with a pergola-sheltered table, and a swimming pool to leap into. The other way, the dense forest backdrop is filled with umbrella pines and gnarled cork trees. Without this place's sandy, wooden decking, it would be easy to forget it's so close to the beach. But just behind the treeline are miles of unspoilt caster-sugar dunes. From Carvalhal it's walking distance to Pego for lunch at Restaurante Sal, where locals pull on their Sunday best to feast on grilled fish, octopus-ink rice and endless rosé. This is a great spot to go off-grid in the same way the savvy crowd have been doing for decades. By Tabitha Joyce.
Casa Fortunato, Lisbon
This isn't just a hotel: it's a home, to António and Filipa Fortunato, their four children and loveable half-blind labrador Cacau, who all live in the spacious attic. The couple are successful architects who met at Lusíada University in Lisbon and dabbled with life elsewhere, but failed to find a place as alluring as their hilly home city. António ran his practice from this tall-doored 20th-century building, near a neighbourhood park in Lisbon's central Amoreiras district, until Filipa realised it could become the guesthouse the pair had long talked about crafting. The result, two years in the making, has the looks of an informal design museum, with nine rooms (a number they consider to be lucky) individually styled with objects amassed over the decades and details that need Googling. There's graphic, modernist wallpaper by London-based Jupiter 10 and curvy, matte-black taps from Italian brand Fantini Rubinetti. The family lived between the different rooms for four months, checking that the lighting was just right at all times of day. António, a true Lisboeta, has a thing about light. A chef concocts artful vegan recipes, such as breakfast pancakes with house-made chocolate spread. There are also yoga sessions each morning (Cacau has his own mat) and piano lessons from the children's tutor can be arranged in the library. Casa Fortunato swings seamlessly between its dual roles as homebase and guesthouse depending on your mood. Lisbon has become the favourite European city right now, and this is a stylish way to experience it from an informed local's perspective. By Becky Lucas.
The best things to do in Lisbon
Manolo-Yllera
Quinta Da Corte, Douro Valley
When French winemaker Philippe Austruy first bumped along this estate's dusty, semi-paved track back in 2012, he fell for it on the spot. The sun-scorched vineyards were so primitive only pickaxes and horse-drawn ploughs could tame them; the white, ochre-yellow-framed stucco quinta – standing in solitary splendour on the edge of a UNESCO-protected hillside – had been left to crumble after a drawn-out inheritance battle. Austruy enlisted slick, Paris-based architect Pierre Yovanovitch to transform the low-slung, 19th-century building into an elegant rural hideout without altering any of its original structure. His eye for detail makes the result feel deeply rooted and authentic, with custom-made, slim-limbed colourful sofas, alabaster light fittings and brushed-metal lamps jumbling up with vintage rotary phones, musty editions of Proust and Brecht and pretty ceramics hanging off turmeric-orange walls. The eight bedrooms are examples of still-life simplicity: wicker chairs; light from slatted shutters bouncing off textured plaster; recessed niches filled with jugs of wild flowers. On the veranda, the inky-blue slither of pool hovers over the sweep of mottled-green vineyards. And there's a functional Scandi punch to the new winery, a stark-white cube jutting out of a bluff below the main house. After snaking along the river in flat-bottomed wooden boats or exploring nearby port houses, gather for porto tónicos before family-style suppers of lemony grilled octopus and traditional cozido meat stew. Just a two-hour drive from Porto, this is the sort of spot a smart crowd visit for a lo-fi recharge; a slow-paced long weekend after an urban hop. By Teddy Wolstenholme.
JF Jaussaud
Da Licenca, Alentejo
Here is an arthouse film of a hotel. The narrative concerns a Portuguese fashion insider who meets a Parisian actor turned gallerist, escaping to the countryside before they both hit 50 and transforming a run-down farm into a sprawling estate of sail-white villas. Jean de Florette meets Jules et Jim. Owners Vitor Borges and Franck Laigneau spent weeks here, sleeping in an unheated hut, observing how the light fell, before breaking ground on the project. There are flashes of Ibiza and Santorini in the architecture, of Africa in the red earth. Boardwalks zig-zag around; portholes are punched into walls, framing disks of farmland and wisps of cirrus. The pool mimics a James Turrell installation – a true reflective circle surrounded by stone. In the rooms are echoes of Forties Mitteleuropa, staged by Laigneau's singular collection of Jugendstil and Rudolf Steiner designs. There are lions formed with twists of rope; ceramics protruding like octopus tentacles; Arts and Crafts dressers with tortoiseshell edges. The small marble tables were designed by Borges, who wanted to prove just how flexible the stone can be and recruited a local craftsman to chisel it into a bath, a project that took two months. Outside, sparrows bounce between olive trees; glockenspiel sheep bells clang. Time shimmers. One woman came with no car but armfuls of books and read them all, staying three nights then another three. The isolation is a little deceptive, though. The city of Estremoz is just down the lane, its winery producing bottles that land on the table here. Not far is hilltop town Evoramonte for teetering views, and Evora's Roman ruins. Dá Licença is an auteurs' project that gives a real sense of perspective amid the Alentejo plains. By Rick Jordan.
Casa da Sao Lourenco, Serra da Estrela
On the map, the road to the town of Manteigas is a tangled wriggle-squiggle amidst the big-bouldered ambush country of Portugal's high-chaparral interior. Here, clouds smudge the hillsides, folk tales are still spun and in a brick-built village warehouse, machines clatter and throw out never-ending spools of brightly coloured twine. This is turned into a wondrous woollen felt known as burel, woven so tight it can repel water, then snipped and clipped and sewn into all sorts of designs. What's all this to do with hotels? The woman who revived this factory also set her sights on two pousadas, or hotels, on the ridge above the valley. The first is wood-cabin cosy with lacquered walls; but the second, originally a Forties build and opened last year, is a paean to felt. The textile appears in patterns on walls, in tufts on ceilings, and in the cascade of little stars that dangle in the restaurant. The former lobby has been lined in it, ruched into hundreds of little diamonds to create a contemplative dome with a wood-burning fire. It's tactile, never smothering, and set against pale, Shaker-style timber etched in simple motifs. Jaunty, Scandi-style chairs are set beside windows with thousand-yard stares over the valley. The casa empties out in the day; some guests scrambling over rocks with resident guide Luis Cunhal, who points out villas built for consumptive Victorians prescribed mountain air. And only the incurably uncurious would forego a trip down to the factory. They return to the scent of wood smoke from the four-sided fire, and artfully rustic plates of croquetas and game. There's a swimming pool that flows outside, steam rising against the tree line, and fleece blankets to huddle in on terraces while peering into the dog-bark night. One of the highways leading here is the N2, Portugal's Route 66. It's a country made for road trips: here's a mighty fine place to park up. By Rick Jordan.
L'AND Vineyards Resort, Alentejo
In a region where black pigs still roam free under oak trees and storks nest on ancient bell towers, a striking new hotel has opened in a series of low-slung, white, modernist buildings set among vineyards. The warm, earth-toned interiors by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan are dominated by wood and slate, with bespoke pieces such as a distinctive bench by George Nakashima. The 22 wonderfully spacious L'AND View and Sky View rooms emphasise the natural, with wooden-slatted walls, raw textiles and huge baths crafted in slate. The technology is up-to-date, with iPads and iPod docks; in the Sky View Suites, ceilings roll back electronically to reveal the starry night sky. In the restaurant, chef Miguel Laffan uses great local ingredients - sheep's cheese, porco preto horse mackerel - to produce sophisticated knock-outs, such as shrimps encrusted with threads of batter. The sommelier hosts tastings of the vineyards' own, very drinkable red Reserva and there is a restful Vinothérapie Spa by Caudalíe.
Areias do Seixo, Costa de Prata
Tired of never finding a hotel they liked, Marta Fonseca and Gonçalo Alves set about creating one, 30 minutes' drive north of Lisbon. They wanted it to be environmentally friendly, and small enough to feel like a home. With an unerring artistic eye, they have incorporated driftwood from the beaches into their designs and built around trees where necessary (my bathroom had an olive tree in the middle of it) in 14 bedrooms which use geothermal energy and solar power. Each is decorated differently: some suggest Marta's maternal Cape Verde home, others the African savannah. All have polished cement floors and pebble walls, soft quilts and open fires or wood-burning stoves. From your private wooden deck you can gaze at the distant blue ocean. The warm atmosphere created by the owners emanates throughout the hotel. It is reflected in the home-cooked food served in the bare-board-chic restaurant, the campfire evenings when guests can gather as Marta plays the guitar, and the honesty bars. There is a garden, a greenhouse where lemongrass is grown for home-brewed tea, a swimming pool and a spa. A private path takes you across the cliffs and down to the beach. Magical.
Bela Vista Hotel & Spa, Algarve
This 19th-century beauty on magnificent Praia da Rocha was converted from a private house into the first hotel to open on the Algarve, in 1934. Although now hemmed in by concrete monstrosities, it nonetheless retains its prime position on of the best beaches in Portugal, and once you are through the high, wrought-iron entrance gates it is impossible not to get swept up by its century-old charms. The bar and sitting areas in the main building, which also has 11 bedrooms, feel delightfully like a jewel-box, encrusted with old-fashioned artefacts. The original decor includes painted, wooden ceilings and wonderful wall tiles; for a recent refurbishment the acclaimed designer Graça Viterbo has used bold colours and striking materials to create a Miami-meets-the-Mediterranean (via the Atlantic) feel. In the grounds is a six-bedroom villa, Casa Azul, and a new, two-storey extension with a further 20 bedrooms overlooking the chic swimming pool framed by stately palms. A gorgeous L'Occitane spa - another impressive Viterbo design - opened in March, and innovative Portuguese dishes by chef João Oliveira, such as oysters with green tomato and alentejano bread or cheek belly, artichokes with S. Jorge cheese, can be munched on while watching the waves wash in.
LX Boutique Hotel, Lisbon
LX stands for 'Lisbon Xperience', and the hotel provides a highly original take on the city. Young in feel, with an informal atmosphere, it has five floors named after elements unique to Lisbon: Tejo (the river), Pessoa (the early-20th-century poet who used to stay in the building), Fado (the city's mournful music), Seven Hills (on which the city is built) and Bairro Alto (the district). The decor on each floor reflects its name: on the Fado floor, there is guitar wallpaper; on the Pessoa floor you'll find many of his books. All the rooms have iPod docks, white shutters and heavenly pillows. The restaurant is always humming, and when you taste the sushi you will understand why.
Our favourite family friendly hotels in Portugal
Noah Surf House, Casa de Prata
A sleepy village overlooking a beach pounded by Atlantic waves doesn't scream child-friendly destination. Yet under-the-radar Santa Cruz, north of Lisbon, has quickly established itself among in-the-know parents. That's in no small part due to this hip eco-hotel designed by the couple behind gorgeous Areias do Seixo a few miles away. Noah exhibits the same artistic flair but with a more industrial aesthetic. Rooms are in the main house or boxy wood-clad bungalows, their roofs tufted with grass, and kids love the bunks suspended by cables with rope ladders.
If conditions are too rough off Santa Cruz's 11 beaches, head north to buzzing Peniche or south to pretty Ericeira, some of the best beaches in Portugal. In terms of design, bare bricks and chunky furniture are offset by fishing nets, octopus traps, even an upturned boat – this artful flotsam and jetsam reflects a determination to repurpose. Sustainability extends beyond the styling: instead of air-conditioning, thick walls keep rooms cool; rain water is collected and food composted; 70 per cent of energy for hot water is generated by solar power; and everyone is given metal water bottles to reuse. This is somewhere to teach kids good environmental practice, as well as surfing. The modern way to holiday.
Published in Condé Nast Traveller May 2020.
Outpost, Casa Das Arribas
Built for a wealthy family in the 1940s by influential Portuguese architect Raul Lino, this white-on-white estate – high on a cliff in the old seaside village of Azenhas do Mar – lay abandoned for 15 years until it was modishly revived by its German owner Chris Kraus two years ago. Outpost is now a collection of six cool, clean-lined apartments set in a tropical garden staring vertiginously down to the Atlantic Ocean, while the midnight-green forests of Sintra-Cascais Natural Park creep up behind. Most have views on at least two sides, plus polished-concrete worktops and exposed ceiling joists. Original terracotta tiles, stone fireplaces and robust, locally made wooden furniture give the place an air of rugged refinement (and parents a sense of relief that there's nothing too obvious for the children to smash).
In summer, the hotel is filled with fresh-faced, outdoorsy European families. A shared tennis and basketball court, gym, swimming pool, spa and store cupboard stocked with skateboards, games and yoga mats keep everyone on their toes, meaning young ones are adequately exhausted by bedtime. Massages and fitness classes can be arranged, as can childcare – especially useful for a quick grown-ups-only day trip to Lisbon (about 45 minutes away). But with its hypnotic scenery and soothing, stripped-back interiors, it's easy to stay put at this crazy–good-value new hangout.
Casa Pego, Comporta
Tapping into the barefoot, salty-haired vibe of Portugal's coolest holiday destination used to be an exercise in knowing the right people. The best beach shacks were privately owned, and only for friends of friends. Now though, in addition to a number of new hotel openings, the top spots can be infiltrated. This low-slung six-bedroom villa, right behind the high dunes of Pêgo beach in Comporta, is as close as you can get to having your toes in the water. Olive groves and wild pines surround three separate cabanas – ideal for giving grandparents or older siblings a bit of space – that are linked by sandy pathways; there's no need to bring shoes. Inside, floors are smooth polished concrete and sun-bleached driftwood informs the styling. And while the kitchen is fully kitted out, the house is within walking distance of the gorgeous Sal Beach Club, to which the whole family can decamp for long lunches.
See more of the best family-friendly hotels in Europe
The best beaches in Portugal
17 of the best beaches in Portugal
The best family-friendly hotels in Portugal
The 11 best family-friendly hotels in Portugal
A new wave of eco travel on the Azores
Exploring the new wave of eco travel on the Azores
The best beach restaurants in the Algarve with a sea view
The 9 best hotels in Manchester
Vladislav Doronin's favourite places to stay


Periodontist Houston TX | Why do I need an extraction?
Texas Periodontal Associates > FAQs > Extractions > Why do I need an extraction?
The American Dental Association (ADA) Mouth Healthy site suggests teeth are usually removed due to trauma, disease or crowding. When a tooth cannot be repaired with a filling or a crown because of an accident or extensive decay, an extraction may be your best recourse. Teeth that aren't supported by enough bone due to periodontal disease are also candidates for removal. Infected (abscessed) teeth that don't respond to root canal treatment may need to be taken out, as well.


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Q: How to add a pseudonymization and a search function? I'm new to Ruby on Rails and I got two problems where I need some help:

*

*I got the tables "cases" and "users". The table case includes the column "first name" and "last name". Now I want to add a unique string (pseudonymization) to each case for a special kind of identification without using the ID. This string should be build from the third letter of the first name and the total amount of letters plus the third letter of the last name and again the total amount of letters of the last name. E.g. for the name "Bill Smith" the string would be: L4I5.

*Now the "users" should be able to find a specific case using that created special string. There should be a kind of a searching field where they can type in the string and click on search. Then the case with all the parameters should be shown.
What is the best way, to implement these two functions/features? I'm using rails 6.0.3.4 and ruby 2.7.0.
For better understanding see my schema.rb below.
ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 2021_01_28_100706) do

  create_table "cases", options: "ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.string "first_name"
    t.string "last_name"
    t.string "gender"
    t.date "birthdate"
    t.string "place_of_residence"
    t.string "diagnosis"
    t.bigint "user_id"
    t.datetime "confirmed_at"
    t.datetime "created_at", precision: 6
    t.datetime "updated_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.bigint "diagnosis_id"
    t.bigint "district_id"
    t.bigint "report_id"
    t.index ["diagnosis_id"], name: "index_cases_on_diagnosis_id"
    t.index ["district_id"], name: "index_cases_on_district_id"
    t.index ["report_id"], name: "index_cases_on_report_id"
    t.index ["user_id"], name: "index_cases_on_user_id"
  end

  create_table "diagnoses", options: "ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.string "illness"
    t.datetime "created_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at", precision: 6, null: false
  end

  create_table "districts", options: "ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.string "name"
    t.string "place"
    t.integer "postal_code"
    t.datetime "created_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.bigint "state_id", null: false
    t.index ["state_id"], name: "index_districts_on_state_id"
  end

  create_table "reports", options: "ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.bigint "district_id"
    t.text "comment"
    t.datetime "date"
    t.bigint "user_id"
    t.datetime "created_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.index ["district_id"], name: "index_reports_on_district_id"
    t.index ["user_id"], name: "index_reports_on_user_id"
  end

  create_table "states", options: "ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.string "titel"
    t.string "abbr"
    t.datetime "created_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at", precision: 6, null: false
  end

  create_table "users", options: "ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.string "email", default: "", null: false
    t.string "encrypted_password", default: "", null: false
    t.string "reset_password_token"
    t.datetime "reset_password_sent_at"
    t.datetime "remember_created_at"
    t.datetime "created_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at", precision: 6, null: false
    t.integer "role"
    t.string "first_name"
    t.string "last_name"
    t.bigint "district_id"
    t.bigint "state_id"
    t.index ["district_id"], name: "index_users_on_district_id"
    t.index ["email"], name: "index_users_on_email", unique: true
    t.index ["reset_password_token"], name: "index_users_on_reset_password_token", unique: true
    t.index ["state_id"], name: "index_users_on_state_id"
  end

end

A: You could add a column to the case table and a callback in the model to set it how you want. And to search just add a scope
#migration
add_column :cases, :new_column, :string, index: true

#model
class Case < ApplicationRecord
  before_create :set_new_column

  scope :by_new_column, ->(term) { where('new_column = ?', term) }
  ...
  private

  def set_new_column
   self.new_column = "#{first_name[0]}#{last_name.length}"
  end
end

Then in your controller or where ever, you could use like:
Case.by_new_column("C5")


The Da Vinci Surgical Robot, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., is used in several medical specialties including: Urology, Gynecology, Cardiothoracic, Colorectal, Head & Neck, and General Surgery. Specifically, the Da Vinci Surgical Robot has been used for hysterectomies, prostate removal surgeries, gastric bypasses, gall bladder removals, and thyroid cancer surgeries. Unfortunately, numerous Da Vinci Surgical Robot procedures have led to lawsuits claiming patients have suffered serious life threatening injuries, and in some cases death. Said injuries include, but are not limited to, the following: peritonitis, sepsis, bleeding, perforated/punctured blood vessels, organs or arteries, burned/torn intestines, bowel injuries, bladder and ureteral injuries, and vascular injuries.
The Da Vinci Surgical Robot was designed as a minimally invasive way for surgeons to perform certain surgeries. One of the primary benefits was its ability to provide surgeons a greater range of motion with the use of a joystick-like control. However, compared to surgery performed by hand, many physicians are uncertain as to the benefits of the procedure. Specifically, the Da Vinci Surgical Robot has many significant disadvantages. Primarily, the sensory feedback upon which surgeons rely is gone. The Robot cannot discern whether body parts are firm, bony, soft, or hard. Without this information, the wrong body part may be accidentally cut. Studies have indicated that on average the robotic surgery takes longer and subject patients are more likely to have post-surgical complications. Moreover, as a result of the Da Vinci's modernistic approach, many physicians lack the required training, and are permitted to use the machine unsupervised after only a few training sessions.
Of the many Da Vinci Surgical Robot lawsuits filed over the past few years, some have alleged defective and flawed designs, while others pertain to medical malpractice and physician error. Therefore, if you or a loved one has suffered any of the foregoing injuries as a result of a Da Vinci Robotic procedure, please contact one of Halberg & Fogg PLLC.'s South Florida medical device litigation attorneys.
Our office offers free consultations and will assist you in determining whether you are eligible to file a personal injury or products liability claim, and thus entitled to monetary compensation.
Patients may suffer irreversible damage as a result of the Da Vinci Robot Surgery, and the longer patients wait to have their potential case reviewed, the more permanent and damaging the effects can become. Therefore, if you wish to discuss your concerns regarding the Da Vinci Robot Surgery please feel free to call our medical device litigation lawyers.
Halberg & Fogg PLLC. has offices in both Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida. In Miami, our office can be reached at 305.670.8333. Our West Palm Beach office can be reached by calling 1.877.670.8333. Halberg & Fogg PLLC. has offices in both Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida. In Miami, our office can be reached at 305.670.8333. Our West Palm Beach office can be reached by calling 1.877.670.8333.


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The Simonetta Lein Show | Celebrity Entrepreneur Panel #8 with Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington
BusinessNewsPress ReleasesTV & Film
The Simonetta Lein Show, along with its premier of Season Three, has continued its series of panel interview episodes, showcasing local and international entrepreneurs, business owners, and artists, looking to share their industry insights and experiences. The show's 8th consecutive Game Changing Entrepreneurs Panel welcomes its very first celebrity co-host and returning guest, Shark-Tank's Kevin Harrington! Kevin joins Simonetta to give premier industry advice and insight to the panelists that follow:
Kim Constable
https://www.instagram.com/thesculptedvegan/
Kim Constable is a homeschooling mom of 4 who became a winning bikini competition athlete at age 37 and then a millionaire CEO one year later. From her kitchen table, with zero following or connections, Kim built The Sculpted Vegan, her vegan bodybuilding and fitness empire that has raked in millions of dollars and changed thousands of lives. With over 434K followers on Instagram and a top iTunes podcast, Kim runs her team and global businesses from her native Belfast, Ireland.
Junior Anthony
https://www.instagram.com/junioranthonylive/
Junior Anthony is the Founder and CEO of Livesotori and has truly lived the rags-to-riches story. His company helps new online entrepreneurs generate income and financial freedom online without excessive ad spending. From Homeless to Millionaire, Mentor, Investor, Entrepreneur, CEO and founder, Junior Anthony is known for helping others achieve their financial goals.
Sophie Bowman
https://www.instagram.com/sophiecbowman/
Sophie Bowman is an Entrepreneur.com and Forbes published multi-award-winning entrepreneur, social media scientist, and best-selling author. Sophie has been featured in Yahoo Finances 9 Inspirational Women to Watch 2021, SUCCESS Magazine, Lifestyle Magazine, Business Insider, Authority Magazine, Medium, Thrive Global & more. You'll find her representing the United Kingdom at Miss Bikini Fitness USA this July, nerding out over algorithms and showing global powerhouse brands and prominent individuals how to convert their social media followers to customers.
https://www.instagram.com/thomas.beggs/
https://www.instagram.com/wwpmc/
A natural customer service driven individual Thomas Beggs is the President & CEO of Worldwide Precious Metals, a Canadian-based firm of physical bullion dealers. Worldwide Precious Metals was established in 2002 and their mission is to educate and provide guidance for investors on the importance of adding hard assets to their investment portfolio.
Dedrick Boyd
https://www.instagram.com/realdedrickboyd/
Dedrick Boyd is the CEO of TechSparq, where he works with retail companies to build immersive online shopping experiences. These experiences are interactive, inviting, and fun. They allow brands to create engaging multi-sensory experiences and build strong emotional connections. For over 23 years Dedrick has been helping companies reduce inefficiencies, reduce costs, and increase revenue. He does this by leveraging innovative solutions. Dedrick also has extensive experience leading teams that design and optimize e-commerce systems. Before founding TechSparq, Dedrick worked at Deloitte, Ariba/SAP, and Arthur Andersen, LLP.
Shameca Tankerson
https://www.instagram.com/shamecatankerson/
Shameca Tankerson is a trailblazer and phenom in the field of business revenue acceleration and is on a mission to empower entrepreneurial giants to experience massive wealth fast and become self-made millionaires that build dynasties and generational wealth. Her clients have experienced six and seven-figure months, even in the most challenging economies. Shameca is an award-winning business strategist, international speaker, bestselling author, and CEO of Shameca International – Shameca is a badass at helping women own their worth, claim their confidence, and become high performing power players. Please welcome Shameca!
Kevin Harrington
https://www.instagram.com/realkevinharrington/
Joining as a co-host, Kevin Harrington was an original "shark" on the hit TV show Shark Tank, the creator of the infomercial, pioneer of the "As Seen on TV brand", and co-founding board member of the Entrepreneur's Organization. He has worked with amazing celebrities turned entrepreneurs including Billie Mays, Tony Little, and George Foreman just to name a few.
Watch The Simonetta Lein Show's Celebrity Entrepreneur Panel #8 with Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington on SVTV here:
A post shared by Simonetta Lein (@simonettalein)
Visit The Episode on IMDB:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14989624/?ref_=tt_eps_rec
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text:
Books July / Aug 2020
For quirky bookworms
Naming a book shop Infinity is inviting the inevitable. Or is it?
By Simon Farrell
Founded in 2002, Infinity Books closed its bricks-and-mortar door to go online only as the pandemic ravaged local and global sales in April, but has now bounced back to regain its claim to fame as Tokyo's last remaining English-language bookshop. We asked the founder and owner, blunt Yorkshireman Nick Ward, about the state of the industry and his wide collection of used, rare, first edition, signed and out-of-print books for sale at his magnet for the quirky that also hosts events, music and language lessons in Azumabashi, Sumida Ward.
Please tell us about yourself and Infinity Books.
I'm from Harrogate, in Yorkshire. My parents were both unconventional people, so I didn't grow up with a sense that there was a future planned out for me, or with any great pressure from them to live their dreams. I worked at a few things after I got out of school, then left when I was around 20 and travelled the world as a backpacker.
About 30 years ago, I ended up in Tokyo, where, in time, I got married and had a son, who seems to be making his way quite well now, in his mid-twenties. I started teaching English—like many people do, and I still do—and then got into running a pub for a while, The Fiddler, in Takadanobaba, and then dealing in books.
What are the main challenges you face in business?
Just staying in business—especially the past few months. I have a lot of online sales, and the post office has had problems, which mean I've had problems. There's also the need to organise the business to fit with the online firms who bring you customers. With a bookstore, you used to be able to put a price on a book, stick it on a shelf and wait for someone to come in and buy it. That still happens, but it's a small part of the trade now.
Please describe your shop, its atmosphere, visitors and tell us any quirky anecdotes.
It's Infinity Books and Event Space, filled with shelves packed with used books, a counter and tables at the back. Until Covid-19, we had a regular schedule of music, poetry, comedy and other events. I'm trying to get that started again. We have a group of regulars and semi-regulars, who, I'm happy to say, are quite friendly to people who wander in, either to browse the shelves or stay a bit for a chat or a drink. Most of my quirky anecdotes involve my quirky regulars, who don't think that they're quirky; so I probably shouldn't talk about them here.
What is a typical day for you?
Over the past few months, I've been basically in the shop, cataloguing and mailing out books that I hope the post office manages to deliver. I haven't really had a typical day for a while; probably nobody has. I think everyone would be happy to see the world go back to boring old normal.
What are your favourite books?
I don't know … pornography with rabbits? There aren't very many of those, though, so I can't really say. One nice part about dealing in books is that you run into a lot of people who will talk about what they're reading and offer ideas for books you probably would never have read yourself.
Which books sell well?
Not the rabbit pornography, that's for sure. The more serious end of the bestseller market, I guess; but it's very hard to predict.
What's the most expensive book you ever bought or sold?
A signed first edition by Ernest Hemingway.
What makes a great book?
The easy answer is a book that everyone says is a great book. The more difficult answer—probably the one that applies to me, and most people who go into used-book stores—is a book that starts out as a fun escape from reality and ends up having made your reality a deeper and wider place.
Is there a book you are itching to write?
I have a lotion to soothe that itch. The longer I stay in this business, the more respect I have for anyone who can keep their arse on the chair long enough to write a whole book.
What does your shop offer that major chains or onliners can't?
I'm in Tokyo, so the major English-language chains aren't here. And it's a used-book store, so the books are cheaper. The English- and other-language new-book stores here also have limited space, so once a book is past its sell-by date, it's gone. In Tokyo, it's also hard to find translations into English of, say, French or German or Spanish or Italian books, because a Japanese person who wants to read Don Quixote—Do I have that in stock, I wonder?—will either read the Spanish original or a Japanese translation. As far as online goes, that's great if you know exactly what book you want, but browsing is not so interesting. So, in a bricks-and-mortar bookstore, you're more likely to find something that you weren't looking for, which I guess is a philosophy of life for me.
Do you get to read every book you stock?
No. I don't even have time to read all the books I want to. We also have small sections of books in other languages, which I can't read.
Where do you buy your books and how many do you stock?
I only stock used books. People send me a list of their books from all over Japan, then I evaluate for cash or in-store credit. Presently, I have 15,000 books.
What would make your job even better, more enjoyable or lucrative?
People reading more and buying more books, I guess. If anyone has any brilliant ideas, I'd love to hear them. Also, once we get our events started up again, people coming out to them, or coming to me with ideas for events they might want to hold, would be great. I don't charge for the event space, but I do like it when people buy a drink or two while they're here. That's kind of the point.
www.infinitybooksjapan.com
info@InfinityBooksJapan.com | 080-3412-2564
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Despite—or due to—technology, collectors covet rare texts and charts
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Tragedy of Kakuei Tanaka
Enigmatic fixer who bridged Britain and Japan
Books March 2018
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A Romanesco cauliflower, 'Veronica' has spiraled lime green heads. Kid friendly!
Cauliflower 'Veronica' is best planted in late spring/summer for a fall harvest.
Harvest Cauliflower 'Veronica' when the head is to a desirable size (6-8" diameter) but before the curd loosens. Cauliflower 'Veronica' has a mild, crunchy, nutty taste.