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EntertainmentMusic
'Tidal Wave' review: Taking Back Sunday's craft looms large
Taking Back Sunday's "Tidal Wave" is the Long Island band's newest studio album. Photo Credit: Hopeless
By Glenn Gamboa glenn.gamboa@newsday.com @ndmusic September 14, 2016 5:06 PM
THE GRADE A
BOTTOM LINE The Long Island scene heroes' rocking creativity overflows in nearly every direction.
When Taking Back Sunday's classic lineup reunited in 2010, they seemed happy to just be playing together again.
On their new album, "Tidal Wave" (Hopeless), the Long Beach-based band have regained loftier ambitions, bending any number of rock genres to their wills to create their most diverse album yet while still maintaining a cohesive sound.
A lesser band would struggle balancing, over the course of an entire album, the galloping hard-core of "Death Wolf," the Ramones-y punk of the title track and the crazy combination of moody Pearl Jam guitars and the rhythm and phrasing of an early Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers rocker on "You Can't Look Back." Taking Back Sunday covers all that ground extraordinarily well in the first three songs and then heads off in all sorts of directions.
The fragile, acoustic opening of "We Don't Go in There" sounds more like singer Adam Lazzara's beloved Bon Iver before it shifts into a powerful rock anthem with pretty guitar flourishes from Eddie Reyes. The jangly "Homecoming" is a thrilling twist on what could have been a Coldplay singalong, with John Nolan's backing vocals roughing up the melody and Mark O'Connell's inventive drumming turning it into something far more muscular. Even on "Holy Water," which is in far more traditional Taking Back Sunday territory, Shaun Cooper's loping bass gives the song a bit of swagger.
The entire band has stepped up musically on "Tidal Wave," with Mike Sapone's sharp production helping them prove they still have plenty to say and do. Though some corners of the internet want to focus on whether or not Taking Back Sunday was ever emo or not, the band sidesteps the entire argument by moving on to something else entirely, crafting one of the most ambitious rock albums of the year.
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By Glenn Gamboa glenn.gamboa@newsday.com	@ndmusic
Glenn Gamboa is Newsday's music critic, covering entertainment news and events since 2000.
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Life is a wonderful, complicated adventure filled with joy and sadness, work and play, love and hate, etc, etc. Along the way, however, a person can get awfully tired. Not just physically tired, but world-weary and soul-sick. Then it helps to have a break, no matter how brief, something that lets a person re-charge their batteries to get on with their day.
That is where the artists, the musicians, the entertainers, the story-tellers, and even the athletes, come in. It is up to us, doing what is called 'entertainment,' to offer respite to those whose labor conducting the necessities of living can seem endless and mundane. We give the moment's escape, the heart-swelling charge, the motivational kick, that keeps people going and, in some cases, defines their purposes and goals.
That is the purpose of this site: to offer a moment's escape and rest to a weary soul, especially my own.
Beth, you are an inspiring person! I love your web site. I've bookmarked it so I can come back and browse when I'm feeling down. Thanks for being so wonderful.


In the director's notes, Melon Wedick writes, "The play you are about to see is and isn't Hamlet." True. This Montford Park Players production is both recognizable and reassembled, and it's onstage at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheater through Saturday, Sept. 29.
Player 1 (performed by Jane Hallstrom) opens the show with a fearsome delivery of the story of King Priam's death at the hands of Pyrrhus, the Greek warrior. Both the embodiment of a Greek chorus and a Cassandra figure, Player 1 addresses the audience in this experimental retelling of the revenge tragedy. Wedick wants us to consider, among other things, the perception of madness. Is Hamlet truly driven mad with a vengeful compulsion to murder? Or he is sane but shaken to the core by the immoral behavior of his relatives and the threat an internal coup poses to Denmark?
Jon Stockdale — in the title role — delivers an outstanding portrayal of a brave, indignant royal son. With grace and ferocity, he moves around the stage in a finely calibrated performance. Hamlet is a man haunted by ghosts. He may be unhinged, but he's still smart enough to sniff out deceptions. Hamlet cannot extricate himself from his fate. It's well-trodden literary ground — destiny versus free will — but the configuration of this show values thematic exploration over an obligation to the Bard's text. For example, characters share the soliloquies, which allows for a more in-depth consideration of those in Hamlet's orbit.
Two supporting cast members merit comment. Horatio (Molly Graves) represents steadfast loyalty, which is in sharp contrast to the betrayal of Hamlet's family members. Graves offers a solid, impassioned performance as the one reliable friend to whom Hamlet can turn throughout the play. Horatio is an equal to Hamlet in this play, not just a sidekick. He bears his responsibilities honorably until the end, a tribute to the ideal of true friendship.
Ryan Martin plays Laertes — the brother of Hamlet's potential wife, Ophelia — a role that could have been easily overshadowed by Ophelia (Jamie Knox) or Hamlet. But the playful scenes between this Laertes and his sister are delightful. Later, in his moments of grief, Martin shows his capacity for portraying the rawness of despair for the losses his character suffers.
The minimalist set design, rendered in primary colors of black, white and red, gives ample room for hooded ghosts to dart in and out of a white forest of leafless trees. The word Denmark, in tall, red letters, fills the upper stage, as if to remind us that this is a story of a nation soaked in blood. The forest is a metaphor for Hamlet's mind: a disturbing place where the harangues of the dead linger.
The state is ruined, the offense is rank and what a piece of work is man. It's all there, but fashioned so as to present these familiar characters a bit differently. The most visible change is modern clothing, such as tennis shoes, T-shirts and dark jeans. Other more substantive deletions of content are meant to quicken the play's pace.
We know the calamity is coming. With the hero, so goes the country, and those left behind mourn him and a nation that could have been.
This production should be advertised as an adaptation. To call it Hamlet is misleading to the audience. The story is there, sort of, but if one goes expecting to hear any of the memorable lines, or soliloquies, they'll be disappointed. The only one kept is the "To Be or not to be" which is now split between two characters and it's parts interjected into another scene, completely losing the narrative of the speech.
In my opinion, anyone who is not readily familiar with the play, will be extremely confused as to what is happening, especially when bits of the Aeneid gets spliced into it.
This might have worked as an undergraduate research project, but as "caviar to the masses" I think it does a disservice to one of the pinnacles of English playwrighting.


BELIZE CITY–On March 4, 2015, voters from all nine municipalities will go to the polls to elect new slates of persons who they want to govern their town or city. Currently, most of those municipalities are controlled by the ruling United Democratic Party, but despite the resounding defeat the Opposition People's United Party suffered at the polls in Cayo North on Monday, Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca says that his party will wage "a very fierce and competitive battle" in the municipal elections.
"There are other battles to come; the municipal elections are in a few weeks, in March, and we now move on to that battle for the municipal elections," Fonseca said.
"As the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly I welcome Dr. Figueroa to the National Assembly," Fonseca said.
Despite the major loss in that division, with the UDP candidate getting almost double the votes of the PUP candidate, Richard Harrison, Fonseca expressed confidence that not only would the PUP win the upcoming March 2015 municipals but also that they would win the next general elections – whether it is called early this year, 2015, or in 2017, the date elections are actually due.
"If it has had an impact, it certainly will have an impact in the Cayo area, in the San Ignacio area. As you know, I think polling area 73 for the most part is San Ignacio, a large part of San Ignacio. Obviously, that is a wakeup call for the San Ignacio team," he said.
Fonseca warned that there is a lot of work to do if the PUP team in that municipality wants to be competitive in the March elections and win in San Ignacio.
However, he said that outside of San Ignacio, the defeat will not have that kind of demoralizing impact.
He said that although some may be "feeling down and disappointed," the PUP understands the circumstances of this by-election, forced by the resignation of PUP parliamentarian Joseph Mahmud, who had won the seat for the party back in 2012.
"We have to move on to the next battle. Let's keep our spirits high, let's stay focused and live to fight another day," Fonseca rallied.
If the PUP could not muster up the resources to win Cayo North, it begs the question, whether it will be able to adequately finance the campaign leading up to the municipals.
Fonseca said that indeed, the party has to find more resources to support their candidates, but he is absolutely satisfied that the party will have adequate resources to put up an effective fight in all nine municipalities, and he expects they will "do very well" in those elections.
Fonseca said that his party will undertake a comprehensive review of the election. "We have to now evaluate ourselves, look at everything that took place in Cayo North, look at ourselves as a party and determine what went wrong in Cayo North," he stated.
"I take ownership and full responsibility for the loss and I have to look at myself what can I do better; what should I be doing more; how can we strengthen whatever units and arms of the party we need to strengthen to make the PUP more effective," Fonseca reflected.
He said that there are many factors that could have resulted in the outcome of the election: the candidate, the plan proposed to constituents, the message of the party, their campaign structure as well as the amount of resources invested. As previously mentioned, Fonseca admitted that his party had been running a low-budget campaign, because they have the upcoming municipals to consider.
Although the PUP is looking forward to another try in Cayo North in 2017, it appears that Harrison will not be the man running the race at that time.
Fonseca told the press yesterday that Harrison's candidacy has come to an end, and that they (the PUP) "have to look at Cayo North with fresh eyes". He said that the party will have to determine who their standard bearer for Cayo North will be going forward.


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Tomatoes Beloved, Bee-Loved Flowers Not!
People visit to choose plants to take home. Two have taken a clump of sunflowers and the interplanted alyssum. But most people want tomatoes. And basil.
What about some alyssum I say. What about some sunflowers? We've got sunflowers, they say. Got alyssum.
Look! I say then. Look at these tiny bee-loved plants.
I don't know what they're called because their label sticks blew away in a Kapiti wind. But they'll be safe for the bees at your place. Better than anything you can buy at most garden centres, where they may be affected by neonics.
But no. They want tomatoes. Which don't need bees. Which bees don't care about. They want basil, because it's hard to grow and it goes with the tomatoes. We've got plenty of flowering plants, they say.
They will flourish only if they're in a plot with at least six hours of sun on a sunny day.
You can split open a bag of compost and put a tomato plant directly in it – no need for more!
You can fill a bucket with compost, put a hole in the bottom of the bucket and hang the tomato plant downward – then feed liquid seaweed/comfrey etc from the top.
If you want tomato-flavour-to-die-for, establish around 50 plants and severely limit the number of branches and fruit (via the sterling Alex Mackay, whose tomatoes are legendary).
Gardeners Delight (no apostrophe!) is the visitors' fave tomato, so far. I have lots of Black From Tula and the ones that – this year – interest me most, Cherokee Purple .
From egg cartons inside, then to the outside, then to bigger containers outside. Some Cherokees now await new owners, with basil and – in one pot – a sneaky alyssum. These are rescue plants, coming right near the rosemary, the lemon balm and the evening primrose.
And I've planted a few Cherokee Purples myself. The biodegradable pots are meant to be below the soil, but I haven't got that quite right yet. So I tore the top of the pot and pushed it down towards the earth.
Florence courgette in tin, with cornflowers (& teeny borage and calendula seedlings).
Apart from the Purple Cherokees and the Florence-courgette-in-the-tin success, I'm excited about my phacellia. This bowlful and a couple of smaller containers – only one of them given away, to a special gardener. Can't decide where in the garden to provide this new-to-me-bee-loved treat.
The big question at the mo though is, HOW am I going to persuade visitors to welcome healthy bee-loved flower plants into their gardens?
Out at Kapiti, the label sticks blew off the seedlings. So I have anonymous seedlings.
And they're not growing quickly. Even when I transfer them to bigger pots. But some of their leaves are differentiating more. That's fabulous. But because my only pictures of them are of their flowers, I don't know what the leaves mean.
Except for the basil. Those are the bigger seedlings in the round pots below.
The single seedling in the big round pot at the top of the image is a courgette.
Someone told me that if we cut off the top and bottom of a used tin and place it over a vulnerable-to-slugs plant, slugs will stay away. So that courgette is sitting inside its tin-frame, inside its biodegradable pot, so it will be safe (I hope) when a friend takes it home.
I think the tiniest seedlings are thyme, which took a while to germinate. A bit like parsley, which I know takes AGES.


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Q: Webcam Error On Skype Ubuntu I'm trying to use my webcam with Skype. I'm using Ubuntu 11.04. I have read other all similar questions but they have not solved my problem.
I can use my webcam with other applications (for example : cheese)
I'm choosing my USB camera on Video Device Settings Page, and then clicking test button but I just get a black screen.
My another application using my webcam I'm not sure, can you give me an immediately advice?
Thank you!
ADDITIONAL: Can use advice on another application for video calls, for using instead of Skype, temporarly?

A: You need to run a prestarter called skype-cam-fix.  This tells Skype to use videolib 4 and will then automatically start Skype.

cd ~
  echo "#! /bin/sh" > skype-cam-fix
  echo "LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype" >> skype-cam-fix
  chmod a+x skype-cam-fix
  sudo mv skype-cam-fix /usr/local/bin

Then just run skype-cam-fix from the command line

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Establishing a globally recognized style aesthetic, Carolina Herrera has resided at the helm of her eponymous label for over three decades. Proving with each new season that effortless elegance paired with modern refinement is always relevant and embraced. With the encouragement and endorsement of legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, Carolina Herrera presented her first collection of women's ready to wear at New York's Metropolitan Club in 1981. The collection was an immediate success with luxury retailers and fashion press; and from there, her fashion house was born with the Carolina Herrera New York label.
Feature | October 5, 2015 .
Angel Sanchez Pies to the Sky
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The entire contents of INDULGE magazine and this website are the intellectual property of INDULGE Mag LLC (collectively "Publisher"), and/or the respective advertising entities; and are protected by copyright laws and may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcast or otherwise exploited in any manner without the express prior written permission of the copyright owner. © 2015 INDULGE Mag LLC All rights reserved.

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In The Goonies, would they really have been able to keep the jewels Mikey got off the pirate ship? Or would the State have asserted ownership of the discovered "historical relics"?
If you haven't seen The Goonies, you should. It's a classic 80s movie, and although it was directed by Richard Donner, the story was written by Stephen Spielberg, and the movie has his fingerprints all over it. The Blu-Ray edition came out a couple of years ago, and we can recommend it. For more nostalgia, check out the cast reunion video that Empire magazine put together.
Anyway, back to the question. Law and the Multiverse has written about lost property before, including treasure troves. In this case the issue is complicated by two facts: 1) the movie is set in Oregon, so we have to apply Oregon law and 2) the treasure is on a boat.
As you might guess for a state high up on the west coast, there aren't too many Oregon cases dealing with treasure (just what was a 17th century pirate doing in northwest Oregon anyway?). But there are enough to get some basic definitions.
In Oregon, a treasure trove is the property of the finder and consists of "[m]oney or coin, gold, silver, plate, or bullion found hidden in the earth or other private place, the owner thereof being unknown." Bergeron v. Aero Sales, Inc., 134 P.3d 964, 969 (Or. Ct. App. 2006) (quoting Jackson v. Steinberg, 186 Or. 129 (1948)). "The treasure must have been hidden or concealed so long as to indicate that its owner, in all probability, is dead or unknown." Jackson v. Steinberg, 186 Or. at 140.
Notably, "the ownership or possession of the land upon which [treasure trove or abandoned property] was found is immaterial." Hill v. Schrunk, 292 P.2d 141, 142 (Or. 1956). "It seems to be the principle respecting treasure trove, owing to its peculiar nature of being coin, that the present property is in the finder, as against every one but the true owner, provided that the true owner is unknown, and it matters not where or when the same is found, so that it is secreted in the earth or other private place." Jackson at 144 (quoting Ferguson v. Ray, 44 Or. 557 (1904)).
One-Eyed Willie's ship (and thus the treasure) was hidden in an underground lagoon, which seems to count as both hidden in the earth and a private place. One-Eyed Willie is obviously dead, and I don't recall any descendants being discussed in the movie, certainly not any known ones. And it doesn't matter that the Goonies found the treasure on somebody else's land. So the Goonies may have a legitimate claim to the jewels as part of a treasure trove.
Here's where it gets sticky. If the treasure is considered a treasure trove, then the answer is easy enough. But the treasure wasn't buried underground as such; it was on a boat floating on an underground lake. This means it might actually be a salvage operation, and salvage and treasure trove are mutually exclusive. Treasure Salvors, Inc. v. Unidentified Wrecked and Abandoned Sailing Vessel, 459 F. Supp. 507, 525 (S.D. Fla. 1978), aff'd, 621 F.2d 1340 (5th Cir. 1980), aff'd in part, rev'd in part on other grounds, 458 U.S. 670, (1982). So what is salvage, exactly?
"Salvage" is the compensation or reward allowed to persons by whose voluntary assistance to a ship at sea or its cargo, or both, have been saved in whole or in part from impending sea peril or by which such property has been recovered from actual peril or loss, as in cases of shipwreck, dereliction, or recapture.
Am. Jur. 2d Salvage § 1. Since the ship was still more-or-less seaworthy, this would seem to be a case of a derelict ship rather than a shipwreck. If the Goonies had actually engaged in a salvage operation then they would not have any right to the ship or its contents but rather only to receive a salvage award. That means no fair keeping the jewels, but the salvage award would be more than enough to compensate. The problem is that the boat went sailing off into the ocean, and getting a salvage award can take years. That's cold comfort when the evil Astoria Country Club is breathing down your neck.
Hope is not yet lost, however. Salvage only applies to ships that have not been abandoned by their owners. Columbus–America Discovery v. Atlantic Mut. Ins., 974 F.2d 450, 459 (4th Cir.1992). When a ship has been abandoned, then a different law applies, the law of finds.
Under the law of finds, the finder gets the ship and its contents, not a salvage award. Helpfully for this case, abandonment can be inferred when neither the owner nor their heirs have attempted to reclaim the vessel for a considerable length of time. See, e.g., Marex Intern., Inc. v. Unidentified, Wrecked and Abandoned Vessel, 952 F.Supp. 825, 828-29 (S.D. Ga. 1997) (holding that a vessel sunk in 1840 was properly considered abandoned). Willie's ship, The Inferno, is certainly old enough to qualify as abandoned, and again there are no signs of any heirs. Under the law of finds, the Goonies could sue to establish title to the ship and its contents. If no heirs showed up to contest it, it would be theirs.
Even under the law of finds there is a catch, however. The Inferno may be an historic shipwreck. If it is, then the court could impose an archaeological duty of care before handing over title. Marex, 952 F.Supp. at 829. The Goonies would also have to show some reasonable prospect of success at recovering the ship. Given the Goonies' fairly cavalier approach to treasure hunting (and the fact that the movie ends with the ship floating out to sea), bringing in some professional archaeologists and recovery experts might not be a bad idea.
Whether the law of lost property or admiralty applies, the Goonies just might have a good claim to the treasure. The law of lost property would probably treat them better, however.


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ACT III REMODELING PROJECT - CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Check back here often for updates on our construction progress.
11/1/2019: Our new seats are installed and ready for an audience!
10/30/2019: Our new seats have finally arrived! Installation is taking place over the next couple of days, so they will be all ready for you to sit in during our December production of Oliver! Hooray!
10/17/2019: Thanks to the City of Cottage Grove for the use of temporary chair set #2 for our final two weekends of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[Revised]. (And we're excited to announce that our real new chairs are scheduled to be delivered on October 29!)
10/11/2019: Opening weekend loaner chairs courtesy of the Riverside Church of God in Cottage Grove.
9/20/2019: Part of this summer's Scene 1 work involves putting in fire sprinkler piping in all backstage areas. (During Scene 2, we'll be completing fire sprinkler system installation throughout the entire building, but it doesn't make sense to sprinkler the auditorium and lobby until after we've finished the remodeling work. We wanted to do backstage since it was a huge amount of work to empty those areas of all costumes and props, and we don't want to have to do that again!)
8/2/2019: No more seats! All of the blue seats have been removed from the house as we get ready for the installation of our new seats.
Volunteers have also been working backstage, repainting Actors' Hallway and getting ready to give our Dressing Rooms a fresh coat of paint as well.
7/18/2019: This week's project was to rebuild the stage floor. Now the surface is all smooth again (important so our wonderful actors don't trip!)
7/3/2019: So long, farewell . . . bye, bye blue seats! Thanks to some of our incredible volunteers, our blue seats are exiting stage left. These seats have been sat in for twenty years of performances at CT -- and even more years before that at a Portland church (from who we acquired these used seats back in 1998). New seats will be installed later this summer.
6/19/2019: After careful deliberation, the Cottage Theatre Board has decided to implement ACT III in phases, with "Scene 1" work to begin this summer and "Scene 2" work to happen by 2021.
Like with any major remodeling project, we've had to make some tough decisions. The project we originally envisioned was to be completed in its entirety this summer. Unfortunately, when the final bids came back in April we were shocked to receive an increase of more than 65% in total project costs (from $1.5MM to $2.5MM) despite no change in scope. Our board of directors and other community leaders looked at a myriad of methods for financing this increased cost. In the end, none of the offered loans met our long-term financial viability requirements. We did not want to end up with debt that would have undermined the project's original impetus, which was to strengthen future revenues by increasing seating capacity.
Because this ACT III project is critical to our patrons' comfort and enjoyment as well as the theatre's long-term success, stopping the project is not an option. We are instead re-imagining ACT III on a longer timeline. Rather than a single act, single scene production, we will implement ACT III over several years. Scene 1 will occur this summer, with further work to follow after we raise the additional funds needed. This summer our scene "script" includes:
• Replacing the existing seats
• Installing fire sprinkler lines in portions of the building
• Repainting some backstage areas
• And more!
5/8/2019: We have all our building permits in hand and will get construction underway as soon as we put the necessary financing puzzle together. (This got more complicated than expected when the price on this project zoomed from $1.5 million in spring 2018 to $2.5 million in spring 2019.) We'll keep you posted on our progress!
Engaging and enriching our community through the magic of live theatre.
Copyright © 2013-2020 Cottage Theatre. All rights reserved.
700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424
(541) 942-8001 | info@cottagetheatre.org


March ended with the introduction of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (registration required) by representatives Edward Markey and Henry Waxman, as outlined in this recent article on Green Logistics in Logistics Management.
would go a long way to tackling the significant amount of climate change emissions which is a direct result of global shipping.
And I'm getting fed up of business and media and environmental action groups trying to blame the consumer when all the studies I'm reading on energy waste and pollution clearly demonstrate that big industry, often completely unregulated, is 10 times, 100 times, and sometimes 1000 times, as damaging as the common man who, in this day of age, is starting to realize that there's a more important green than the money in our wallets.
I'm not saying I'm not willing to do my part, or that we shouldn't do everything we can to be green, but that it's time we insist that big industry be held accountable for their actions as well. It's only fair that everyone takes equal responsibility.
This entry was posted in Energy, Going Green on May 3, 2009 by thedoctor.


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What should I expect from the morning?
Our multi activity course has been expertly designed for young shots of all abilities. The fun and practical half day course allows the guests to develop all of the basic skills they will need throughout their shooting life and provides the perfect opportunity to make new friends in a relaxed, fun and safe environment.
On arrival you'll be welcomed by your host.
You'll then be introduced to your instructor for the morning, who will run over your safety briefing and handover your complementary shooting cap + additional safety equipment.
Commence above activities in your group.
We finish the morning by congratulating you all, on successful completion of your 'Young Shots morning' by issuing you all with a personalised AGL certificate!
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Daimler's Car2Go service (right) will combine with BMW's DriveNow unit (left) as part of the joint venture.
BERLIN -- Daimler and BMW unveiled a joint ride-hailing, parking and electric-car charging business on Friday to compete with mobility services provided by Uber and other tech companies.
The automakers said they would invest more than 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) to expand the joint venture, shifting beyond building and car sales towards pay-per-minute or pay-per-mile systems.
"Further cooperation with other providers, including stakes in startups and established players, are also a possible option," Daimler's CEO Dieter Zetsche said.
Daimler's Car2Go car-sharing brand will be combined with BMW's DriveNow, ParkNow and ChargeNow businesses, with both automakers holding a 50 percent stake in the venture.
The new venture has five strands: ReachNow, a smartphone-based route management and booking service, ChargeNow for electric car charging, FreeNow for taxi ride-hailing, ParkNow for parking services and ShareNow for short-term rental services.
"These five services will merge ever more closely to form a single mobility service portfolio with an all-electric, self-driving fleet of vehicles that charge and park autonomously," said BMW CEO Harald Krueger.
Consultancy PwC has said automakers face marginalization by cash-rich technology firms unless they develop services based on vehicle usage.
Established ride-hailing firms have been expanding. China's Didi Chuxing aims to build its business in Latin America and Uber is gaining a stranglehold on its U.S. market.


The vast and complex field of engineering involves the design and construction of a variety of objects from automobiles and medical instruments to bridges and buildings.
Engineering is a popular academic discipline, but due to its intensive study, it can often become very expensive to complete an undergraduate or graduate degree.
Students often cannot work while in school and some concentrations may require additional academic terms. A variety of financial aid options are available for individuals pursuing engineering programs in all concentrations.
The National SMART Grant is a federal grant offered to individuals pursuing undergraduate or graduate programs in math, engineering, technology, and science. Applicants must be enrolled in an approved program, maintain a GPA of 3.0, and able to participate in summer internships at DoD laboratories. The grant program provides full tuition and education related fees, paid internships, health insurance reimbursement, book allowance, cash award, and employment placement after completion of the program. Students must apply by December 15 for the following year. The application materials are available online at smart.asee.org/apply.
The National Science Foundation offers scholarships in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology, to students who demonstrate financial need and intend on pursuing a career in related areas. The program provides awards to institutions of higher learning and students must apply through their college or university.
The Authority for Total Cost Management International Competitive Scholarship is granted to students who are pursuing full-time study in engineering, computer sciences, business, construction management, building construction, information technology, quantity surveying, or other related field. The award amounts vary from $2,000 to $8,000 and the specific amount will be based on individual achievements. The program accepts applications between January 1 and February 14 annually and individuals can apply by visiting the AACEI website: aacei.org/awards/scholarships/.
The Association for Facilities Engineering Cedar Valley Chapter #132 Scholarship is available to students enrolled in any engineering program on a full or part-time basis at an accredited college or university in the state of Iowa. Applicants must also be employed in the facilities management or facilities maintenance industry. Qualifications include a resident of Iowa and a GPA of 2.5 or above. Students interested in this scholarship should see their guidance counselor for instructions on how to apply.
The Society of Automotive Engineers Detroit Section Technical Scholarship is offered to the children and grandchild of individuals who are current members of the Detroit Section. It strives to promote careers in engineering or science. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and enroll in an engineering or science program at an institution accredited by the ABET. Two scholarships of $5,000 are awarded every year. Applicants must apply by January 15 and the application process is available online at: students.sae.org/awdscholar/scholarships/detroit/.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers-ASME Auxiliary FIRST Clarke Scholarships are awarded to seniors in high school who are active on a FIRST FTC or FIRST FRC team. A member of the ASME must nominate applicants. The program awards ten $5,000 scholarships per year and is intended for a recipient's first year of study in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. Students must apply by March 15 and the application form is available at asme.org.
The Ralph K. Hillquist Honorary SAE Scholarship is offered to individuals with a declared major in mechanical engineering or related discipline. Qualifications include 3.0 GPA and enrollment on a full-time basis at an ABET-accredited institution of higher learning. One $1,000 scholarship is awarded on a bi-annually basis at the SAE Noise and Vibration Conference. Individuals can apply by visiting the SAE International website at: students.sae.org.
The Composite Panel Association offers the Robert E. Dougherty Educational Foundation Scholarship Award. Applicants are required to be nominated by a member of the association and be graduate students or undergraduate juniors or seniors pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, chemistry, wood science, wood technology, or forest products. The award amount is $5,000 per year. Individuals can obtain additional information on how to apply at the Composite Panel Association at compositepanel.org/about-cpa/red-education-foundation.html.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville offers the Minotte Perseverance Scholarship to students who are majoring in mechanical or industrial engineering. Applicants must have a minimum of 26 credits and preference is given to individuals who are the first in their family to attend college. The application deadline is March 1 and students can obtain application materials from the UW website at: uwplatt.edu/finaid/scholarships.html.
The Association of State Dam Safety Officials Undergraduate Scholarship is offered to undergraduate students in their senior year in an accredited civil engineering program or related field of study. Students must show a genuine interest in leading a career in hydrology, hydraulics, or other closely associated field related to dam design and construction. Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5 and submit a typed essay. Students can apply online at the association's website: damsafety.org.
The New England Water Works Association Elson T. Killiam Scholarship is offered to members of the association and their families. The program awards $1,500 every year to a student pursuing a major in civil engineering, environmental engineering, science, or business. The scholarship deadline is May 1 and individuals can visit the NEWWA website to download the application form: newwa.org.
The American Society of Civil Engineers Y.C. Yang Civil Engineering Scholarship is awarded to juniors or seniors in a civil engineering program at an ABET-accredited institution. Applicants must be members of the ASCE Society and include a personal statement of why the award should be offered to the applicant, and a comprehensive financial plan, and at least two letters of recommendation. The deadline is February 9 and individuals can download the application form at the ASCE website asce.org.
The American Welding Society Arsham Amirikian Engineering Scholarship is offered to students planning on pursuing a career in applying welding in the civil and structural engineering field. Students must be pursuing at least a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or welding related field. Qualifications include maintenance of at least a 3.0 GPA, proof of financial need, and currently attending or planning on attending an accredited engineering school. The program offers one $2,500 award every year. The deadline is February 15 and applicants can apply at the American Welding Society website: aws.org.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Charles LeGeyt Fortescue Graduate Scholarship is awarded to individuals pursuing a master's degree in electrical engineering. Applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited engineering school. The scholarship is only awarded for the first year of full-time graduate study. The deadline for the scholarship is November 15 and individuals can apply by visiting the IEEE website: ieee.org/about/awards/fortescue.html.
The Luigi and Lugia Franco Scholarship is available for students pursuing electrical engineering programs at San Francisco State University. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5, submit an essay of why the applicant should be considered for the scholarship, and provide two letters of recommendation. The application deadline varies by year in March and April and students can apply by visiting San Francisco State University School of Engineering website at engineering.sfsu.edu.
The Cody Feist Memorial Scholarship is awarded to North Dakota State University students who are in their junior or senior year pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. Applicants must be graduates of a high school in North Dakota and individuals from Strasburg, Leeds, and Minnewaukan will receive first preference. The amount of award and application deadlines varies. Students can apply at the North Dakota Community Foundation website at ndcf.net.
The Joseph W. and Rose V. Belak Memorial Scholarship is offered to electrical engineering students at Virginia Tech. Students must be enrolled on a full-time basis and the scholarship is based on both financial need and academic merit. Recipients must be residents of Virginia. Students must submit a standard College of Engineering Scholarship Application by March 1 every year and the application is available at ece.vt.edu.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship to students pursuing education programs related to aerospace engineering and science. Applicants must be AIAA members, enrolled full-time, and completed a minimum of one academic term on a full-time basis. The minimum GPA is 3.3. Students can apply for the scholarship from September through January for the following academic year. Applications can be submitted online by visiting the AIAA website: https://www.aiaa.org.
The David Alan Quick Scholarship is granted to a junior or senior in college pursuing a degree in aerospace or aeronautical engineering at an accredited institution of higher learning. The award is sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Associates. The award amount is $1,000. Applicants can apply at the EAA website: eaa.org.
The General James H. Doolittle Scholarship is awarded to students pursuing a degree in aerospace science or aeronautical engineering. Applicants must be pursuing a bachelor's or advanced degree, have completed at least 52 hours of college coursework, have a GPA of 2.75 or higher, demonstrate financial need, submit two letters of recommendation, and submit an essay highlighting the reasons for pursuing a degree in the field. The maximum amount of the award is $5,000. The deadline is May 6 and applications are required to be forwarded to the Communities Foundation of Texas. Students can apply at the Communities Foundation of Texas website at: cftexas.org.
The Walter Beall Scholarship is granted to students pursuing degrees in general engineering, aviation, aeronautical engineering, or related fields. The awards are based on financial need, academic merit, and involvement in the community. Applicants must be members of the Fleet Reserve Association or spouses, children, or grandchildren of members. The amount of the award varies from $2,000 to $5,000 per year. The application deadline is April 15 and individuals can apply by visiting the The Walter Beall Scholarship Foundation website at walterbeallscholarship.org.
The Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who intend to pursue an engineering career in vertical flight. The scholarship is based on merit and the value ranges from $1,000 to $5,000. Applicants must be full-time students at an accredited engineering school, submit a resume, provide a narrative, and include at least one letter of recommendation. The application deadline is February 1 for the following academic year and students can apply by visiting the VFF website at: vtol.org.
The Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship provides opportunities and benefits to students pursuing doctoral degrees in various fields including computer sciences and engineering. Applicants must be full-time students pursuing a doctoral degree and senior undergraduate and first-year graduate students working toward a degree in engineering and physical, computer, mathematical, or life sciences can apply. Throughout the fellowship period, students must continue full-time enrollment and conduct research areas of interest to the department. The financial benefits include a yearly salary of $36,000, full tuition and fees, $5,000 academic allowance for the first year and $1,000 for every following year, and the ability to renew the fellowship up to four years. Students can apply at the DOE website: https://www.krellinst.org/csgf/how-apply.
The Stokes Educational Scholarship Program is offered by the National Security Agency to high school seniors planning to major in computer science or computer/electrical engineering. Recipients are required to attend college on a full-time basis and work during the summer at NSA for 12 weeks in related areas. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. After completion of the their program, students must work at NSA for at least one and a half times the length of their education program. The program provides full tuition and fees, textbook reimbursement, housing and travel expenses, year-round salary, health and life insurance, retirement, and continued employment after graduation. The application deadline is November 15 and individuals can apply at the NSA website: nsa.gov.
The Computer Science and Computer Engineering Academic Scholarship is offered by Study.com to students pursuing a degree in a computer science or computer engineering discipline. Applicants must be enrolled in an associate degree program or higher from an accredited college or university and have at least 30 semester hours to finish. Recipients must consent to providing a digital photograph to Education-Portal. The scholarship offers one $1,000 award every year. The deadline is April 1 and individuals can apply by visiting the Education-Portal website at Study.com.
The Energy Telecommunications and Electrical Association offers the Wayne V Black Memorial Scholarship Award. Individuals must be currently enrolled in bachelor's degree program on a full-time basis pursuing a degree in computer science, engineering or engineering technology, political science, pre-law, or telecommunications/information technology. A biography and essay are required. The amount of the award is $5,000. The deadline for the scholarship is March 15 and individuals can obtain the application at the ENTELEC website: entelec.org/resources/scholarship/.
The Tekmark Global Solutions Scholarship Fund offers three scholarships to students planning on attending Ohio State University, Rider University, or Rutgers University. Applicants must in an incoming freshman, intend to enroll full-time, have a high school GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and planning on working toward a bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering/engineering technology, or telecommunications/information technology. Each scholarship is worth $1,000 and awarded to one student at all three universities. The application deadline is May 1 and individuals can apply at the TGS website: tekmarkinc.com.
The American Nuclear Society Undergraduate Scholarship is available to students who have finished at least one year in nuclear engineering, nuclear science, or other closely related field. The scholarship program offers a maximum of four scholarships every year for individuals who have completed one year of study and 21 scholarships for students who have completed two or more years. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is February 1 every year and applicants can apply for these scholarships by filling out application forms on the American Nuclear Society website: new.ans.org/honors/scholarships/.
The Edward S. Roth Manufacturing Engineering Scholarship is offered to individuals who are graduating from high school or current undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time in a bachelor's or master's degree in manufacturing for an institution accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. Qualifications include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and preference will be given to individuals who demonstrate financial need, are of minority classification, and those participating in a co-op program. The scholarship program is sponsored by the SME Education Foundation and applicants can apply by visiting their website smeef.org/Scholarships/.
The James Schalk Memorial Association of Conservation Engineers Scholarship is granted to individuals to promote the ongoing study and education necessary for conservation of the planet's natural and renewable resources. The scholarship is available to junior or senior students enrolled in accredited program in engineering, ecology, agriculture, or natural science. Students must be enrolled full-time and submit a letter of recommendation and a technical essay on a conservation topic. The award amount is $1,000 and individuals can apply by visiting the Association of Conservation Engineers website conservationengineers.org/awards.html.
The Marine Technology Society offers the Charles H. Bussman Undergraduate Scholarship to individuals who are pursuing or planning to pursue degree programs in marine engineering, marine science, or marine technology. All high school and college students who are interested in remotely operated vehicles are also encouraged to apply. The award amount is $2,500 each year. The application deadline is April 16 and students can apply by visiting the Marine Technology website at: https://www.mtsociety.org/education/scholarships.aspx.
The Society of Women Engineers offers various scholarships to support women who are interested in pursuing undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering, engineering technology, and computer science. An example of a SWE scholarship is the B.J. Harrod Scholarship that is available to women pursuing various types of engineering disciplines. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and enrolled in an engineering program accredited by ABET. The award amount is $1,000 and the society generally awards two scholarships a year. Students must apply by May 15 and application materials are available at the SWE website: https://scholarships.swe.org/applications/login.asp.
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers is a national organization of professional engineers to serve as Hispanic role models. It offers scholarships to Hispanic students pursuing degree programs in engineering, science, and mathematics. General Scholarships are examples of financial aid program the SHPE offers. These scholarships are both based on need and merit and awarded to high school seniors, undergraduate students, and graduate students. The award amounts vary from $1,000 to $3,000. Applicants must be of Hispanic descent, currently accepted or attending an accredited college or university on a full-time basis, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and pursuing their first bachelor's master's, or doctorate degree. Individuals can apply at the SHPE website: shpefoundation.org/scholarships/ahetems-general-scholarships/.
The National Society of Black Engineers strives to increase the amount of excellent black engineers to successfully make a difference. It offers a wide range of scholarships to high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students, and technical professional members. All recipients must be active paid members of the society. To apply for scholarships individuals can login into their NSBE accounts to complete the applications: nsbe.org/Programs/Scholarships.aspx. An example of a scholarship offered by NSBE is the Fulfilling the Legacy Scholarship and Delphi Corporation contributes to the scholarship fund. The program awards 10 scholarships per year at $1,000 a piece. The application deadline is December 2.
The Woods Hole Undergraduate Fellowships for Minorities are offered by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The fellowships are offered to minority undergraduates enrolled at a college or university and have complete a minimum of one year of study and have an interest in engineering, mathematics, marine policy, or physical or natural sciences. The fellowships strive to introduce students into meaningful research and they are awarded for a 10 or 12-week period during the summer or a semester during the academic year. The deadline to apply is February 15 and individuals can apply by visiting the Woods Hold Oceanographic Institution website at whoi.edu/page.do?pid=9381.
The Howard Brown Rickard Scholarship is available for students who are legally blind in both eyes and currently enrolled or planning to enroll in a full-time program in engineering, law, medicine, natural sciences, or architecture. The scholarship is offered by the National Federation for the Blind. Applicants must participate in the complete NFB national convention and in all scholarship program activities. The federation awards 30 scholarships a year and individuals must apply by March 31. Application instructions and materials are available online at nfb.org/scholarship-program.
how do I post funding opportunity for MS students at CU Boulder focused on smart grid?
response: could you please submit another comment with the relevant information & our editors will add it where appropriate?
do i have to be enrolled in a course or school to get a grant.. or can i get one. then enroll ?
Does Computer Engineering fall under EE or Computer Science?
Are there Engineering Grants & Scholarships for left-handed high school juniors that want a degree in engineering?
I am 39 yrs old and have just earned an ASTD and am majoring in engineering are there any special financial grants for someone my age?
are there any type of grants that help students who are trying to go to a trade school in arizona for AUDIO ENGINEERING? the school im trying to go to is called the conservatory of recording arts and sciences.
im having difficulties finding grants.
Does anyone offer a scholarship for biomedical engineering?
I am interested in listing our DiscoverE New Faces College Edition 2015 scholarship on your website. Is that possible? How much would it cost? How long would the ad run? How far in advanced do you need all the information to post the scholarship?
Thank you for your help with the matter.


text:
Lyrics of 'The Full English' & Notes On The Songs
Track 1: Take It Away
The bandleader's wife and their little boy
Listening to the wireless set in the lounge, when she says 'Son…
You're six years old and your Father and I
Think it's time you learned music like him. Won't that be fun.'
But when the child sees the new piano
He turns round and he starts to run. (He says…)
Take it away. Take it away. Take it away.
Mummy no. Mummy please, Mummy, take it away.
Twelve years' hard work later he's in music college,
And he's got a strange look behind his eyes.
But in the big competition,
He play that Second Tchaikovsky Concerto so well, he win the prize.
But as they're handing him the silver trophy,
He jumps up and suddenly cries…
'Take it away. Take it away. Take it away.
I can't stand any more, won't you take it away.
So they send him down to the Tavistock Clinic
Where they try to find out the cause of his attack.
And his friends all tell him 'You've been given a wonderful gift,
And if you think about that, things won't seem so black'.
But he says 'It's not much of a gift
If they won't let you send the thing back.
'If a man were permitted to make all the ballads of a nation, he need not care who should make the laws'.
Andrew Fletcher, 1703
'It is the best of all trades to make songs, and the second best to sing them.'
Hilaire Belloc, 1909.
'Rock'n'roll you wrecked my life. You're a beautiful mistress, but a pig of a wife.'
Judge Smith, 1978.
You should see him now, he's got a contract with Sony
And a Garage album in the charts. He's really grand.
He's got a six piece group and an Entourage,
But his girlfriend says he's really hard to understand.
She should listen to the words he whispers
Each time he strikes up the band.
Judge Says:-
The first and last tracks on 'The Full English' have music as their subject. Music may be beautiful and uplifting, but the decades of dedication and discipline that it takes for a musician to achieve excellence, can be surprisingly destructive. Many fine musicians seem to lead less than happy lives. These days I'm a happy bunny, but then I've never been a fine musician. What I do seems to be something else entirely.
I love period sounds of all kinds, and it was great fun putting together the opening snatch of 'Workers Playtime' dance music. My old friend, the actor and Flamenco musician David Shaw-Parker, who played the stunning acoustic Guitar passages on 'Curly's Airships' makes a guest appearance here on Banjolele.
The quotations about music, spoken during the central section of the song, include one from Hilaire Belloc, perhaps my favourite poet, and a quote from my own chamber opera 'The Book Of Hours' (which was directed by Mel Smith in a production at the Young Vic theatre in 1978, but which will probably never see the light of day on record).
The clicky-clack sound is René playing the Reque, a heavy Tambourine from Egypt.
For non-UK listeners
The Tavistock Clinic is a famous hospital for the treatment of mental illness, in North London.
Track 2: Carpet Tiles
The redundancy scheme
Was linked to his salary;
A good few bob
A chance to set upon his own.
And they'd make a good team,
Raymond and Valerie.
He'd do the job,
She'd do the books and man the phone.
They made wonderful plans.
Took a lock-up garage,
Filled it to the doors
With bankrupt stock they bought at auction.
They had a nice Luton van.
On each side written quite large,
It said 'RayVal Floors.
You've seen the rest, but we're the best…
For Carpet Tiles.
Estimates free for our Carpet Tiles,
Hard-wearing Wiltons in several styles.
No VAT on our Carpet Tiles.
Ten pounds a metre.'
He's a nice little chap
And he's doing his best,
Working late each night
But orders just aren't coming through.
Val sits on his lap
She says 'Don't get depressed,
It will be all right,
'Cos I believe in you…
And in those Carpet Tiles;
People will always need Carpet Tiles.'
Now look at him go; he's all teeth and smiles.
He's going to sell you some Carpet Tiles,
Eight pounds a metre.
He jokes about sales staying on the floor
But the house is security
On the loan;
The 'Caring Bank' took care of that..
And when he asks them for more
They demand a fresh guarantee.
What else do you own?
Then they wonder what he's laughing at.
He says 'Carpet Tiles
All I've got left is the Carpet Tiles.
Take some of them, I've got miles and miles;
Carpet the whole bleeding British Isles
At five pounds a metre.'
He thinks of Val's face
And he gets out the file,
The one on insurance.
He reads through the Policy,
Three o'clock in the morning,
He gets in the van.
He drives to the lock-up,
He takes out the matches…
Messrs Jobson and Lock
Licensed Valuers and Auctioneers,
Suggest our sale
For business opportunities.
We have fire damaged stock
Just perfect for new careers.
You couldn't fail
With Lot 13 for instance which is…
Carpet Tiles,
Two metric tons of new Carpet Tiles
Early inspection would be worthwhile;
Executive quality Carpet Tiles
Worth twelve pounds a metre.
Simple to lay and so versatile
Featuring guaranteed flame-proof pile.
What am I bid for these Carpet Tiles?
Two pounds a metre?
This song was first recorded on my CD 'Dome Of Discovery' in 1993, and seems to have become such a favourite with people that I make no apologies for giving it another outing, this time in a totally different arrangement led by the wonderful, Balkan-style accordion of Michael Ward-Bergeman.
This song was written in response to the collapse of so many small businesses in the inevitable economic dive that followed the Thatcherite boom years of the '80s, but Ray and Val's story seems equally familiar today. Not much seems to have changed over the last fifteen years. But then, not much ever does.
Carpet tiles are a form of flooring almost unknown in certain, more civilized, parts of Europe. They are half-metre squares of carpeting with rubber backing, often used in offices and kitchens when there is little money to spend. The effect is not very pleasing.
A 'Luton Van' is the type of truck where the storage space projects over the top of the driver's cab.
A 'Wilton' is a type of carpet with a close velvet pile of cut loops (it says here).
'VAT' is the UK purchase tax.
Track 3: I Want Some Of It
Some people have the gift, I swear
Of making money from thin air.
It's not as if they need it,
They just like to breed it,
They like having it there.
I suppose it wasn't tactful
I asked for one small sack-full
But they don't like to share.
(And I said)
I want some of it. I want some of it.
If it's all the same to you.
I want some of it. I want some of it
They called their private club 'G8'
They had the whole world on a plate,
And when they lost their tempers
The poor non-members
Just had to wait.
And when they had their meetings,
They ignored the bleatings
From outside the gate.
(And they said…)
We want some of it. We want some of it.
We want some of it. We want some of it
Ten thousand fields of standing wheat
That people would be glad to eat,
Just an over-production blunder
So they ploughed it all back under
Their feet.
But as the wind was shifting,
Angry sounds came drifting
Up from the street.
('Cause…)
They want some of it. They want some of it.
They want some of it. They want some of it
Too. (They want some of it too.)
We want some of it too.
Judge Says:
A rabble-rouser about economics and anti-globalisation demonstrations, which eventually involves eighteen Judges in the sing-along chorus and subsequent disturbances.
Whatever they tell you, there's no world shortage of food; there's no world shortage of power. There's no world shortage of anything, except Money. And Money isn't real. A very little of it exists in the form of grubby scraps of paper, but most of the Money in the world only exists as figures on a VDU screen. It is brought into existence, or destroyed, by the tap of a finger. Come on, people, tap that finger. We want some of it!
Track 4: Chris Does It Better
I went to see the Sphinx
By her pyramid,
And did I wonder what see thinks?
Well of course I did.
Enigmas turn me on
I like to be nonplussed.
But when I got up close, I said 'Come on…
This girl is just so obvious.'
And Chris does it better…
You haven't seen Christine.
Yes Chris does it better…
Reticence is a noble art,
That's what I believe,
And I don't care to wear my heart
On my record sleeve.
But when it comes to keeping shtum,
Being silent and serene,
She'd make a Trappist nun
Sound like a PR Consultant on benzedrine…
I went to see the show
With that superstar.
Black fishnets torn just so,
And a leather bra.
She did her sexy stuff
Rolling round the floor.
I'd soon had quite enough,
But as I left, they asked what for.
A song written, but never previously recorded, when I was going out with a lady called Chris. My parents named me 'Christopher John Judge Smith', and before this relationship, about half my friends still used my first 'given' name, and called me 'Chris'. I had never liked the name (for myself), and since, in the mid '70s, people had spontaneously taken to calling me 'Judge' instead, I was gradually trying to drop it.
Among the many nice things about this relationship was the fact that two 'Chris's' together were too much to deal with for most people.
The high point of this track for me is the fabulously eclectic guitar solo from John Ellis; visiting several different musical worlds within sixteen bars.
To 'keep shtum' is Cockney slang (from Yiddish), meaning to keep quiet, or to say nothing.
Track 5: Not Drowning But Waving
She says she can't sleep on her own.
She means that she can't leave men alone.
So Des and Den and Nige and Bri
All spend her money and make her cry.
Her lovers come and go too fast,
Each more unsuitable than the last.
Her friends think she is all at sea.
They speak of rescue and tragedy.
Don't they understand
She don't need saving.
She's not far from land
Not drowning but waving.
George couldn't cope with being adult
And so he joined a religious cult.
He knows the guru's always right
And he only sleeps for four hours a night.
He sells the pamphlets, eats the rice,
A happy certainty in his eyes.
His mother's hired a special man
And they'll deprogram him if they can.
Hey, Ma…Though your boy's jumped ship
He don't need saving.
Just taking a dip,
They don't need saving…
Scotch whiskey was the thing for Jim.
He said it thoroughly suited him.
He found it kept the world away
So he drank a pint-and-a-half each day.
We all grew worried for his health.
We said "You must not destroy yourself."
But when he hears that kind of thing
He jumps on the table, raises his glass,
And then he starts to sing.
Please don't man the boat,
I don't need saving.
I keep well afloat,
Don't they understand,
I say we don't need saving.
We're not far from land,
We're not drowning but waving.
This is a song about the way we all would like other people to behave in a way that we find normal and sensible. We are forever interfering in people's lives 'for their own good', but usually we do harm instead. As a very wise man once wrote "Till you are aware of yourself, you have no right to interfere with anyone else or with the world." (Anthony De Mello: 'Awareness' 1990). So leave us weirdos alone.
Originally, this track had no Bass Guitar, because I was worried about making it sound too much like a Reggae number. (Elderly white Englishmen are ill-advised to attempt to mek rockas inna ragga stylee.) However, once we had mixed the track it became clear that this diffidence had been an error on my part, and, at the last minute, my old friend Ian Fordham, who first played Bass on my stuff in 1975 with The Imperial Storm Band, came in to help me out.
I do not know how well-known the writer Stevie Smith is outside the UK, but the phrase 'not drowning but waving' is a reversal of a line from a famous poem by this most English of poets: 'I was much further out than you thought/ And not waving but drowning'.
Track 6: Seemed Such A Nice Boy
She had some good O levels
And she was seventeen
And he sold double-glazing
Always looked neat and clean.
Each night he'd come around to take her out
And in his mother's spare-room showed her
Just what life was all about.
No one was too surprised
To learn a child was on its way.
They chose a ring together
Named an early wedding-day.
The church was full when there arrived the telegram that read
'I've gone abroad. Stop. The wedding's off. Stop'
That's when her mother said…
Seemed such a nice boy
Seemed like a real nice kind of boy
Seemed such a nice boy at the time
George made a pile in textiles
His hair was silver-grey
Collected Meissen china
And was discretely gay.
He met a young man who'd been sleeping rough
Said he didn't want his money
Said his friendship was enough.
The boy moved in and made
The great big house a happy home.
George went to work each morning
Left the lad there on his own.
Came back one night to find the front door open
And all the lights turned on
And the boy, twelve hundred pounds
And all his precious porcelain gone (and he said…)
Oh the heartache when we realise
Charming people have told charming lies.
We're sadder now but does that make us wise?
He spoke to us on TV
In words we'd understand.
Made other politicians
Look cheap and underhand.
He looked so young and yet so unafraid.
The country voted in a landslide
Now we'd see some changes made.
We didn't understand his reasons
For the foreign war
And when the kids protested
He brought in martial law.
Though six black years have passed we still ask why
And from behind the wire and searchlights
Comes the terrible reply…
There's not too much more I can tell you about this song, except to say that it was written before the Prime Minister decided that it might be a nice idea to invade Iraq.
'O levels' were, or still are for all I know (I have no children), the basic level of the UK General Certificate of Education.
Sadly, telegrams seem now to have fallen out of use, in this country at any rate, but one endearing oddity of the system was that the 'message format' did not support punctuation, so that any stops or commas had to be spelt out.
Track 7: Advance The Spark
Advance the spark
Put pedal to the metal
The gale blows, but let's hoist all the sails.
Tie down the governor
This rocket-sled has left the rails.
Burn rubber on the speedway
The aircraft shakes, full-throttle in the shallow dive.
And no one's coming out alive.
I should have known, once I was moving
I should have known I'd get the taste
I should have known I'd soon be living
For the wind in my face.
I should have known I'd fall in love
I should have known I'd do it fast
I should have known there'd be a problem
You're built for speed, I'm built to last.
But I can't hold her, Captain
Warp 9.5, the core is going to blow.
Let's see how fast this thing will go.
The Cresta run is waiting
And Houston's Go for main stage engine start.
And throw the stopwatch away
There's nothing faster than the heart.
For that look on your face.
Your spark comes back to meet me
The petrol washes all around the floor.
The kiss, the conflagration
And nothing matters any more.
A song about speed and sex (that's 'speed' as in velocity, by the way, not amphetamine) that was inspired, in part, by the bizarre, and distinctly rude, movie 'Crash'. The lyrics feature a couple of rather archaic expressions which younger people might not have come across before: 'Advance the spark' dates from a time when petrol engines, particularly on motorbikes, had a control for adjusting the timing of the ignition. The rider could 'advance' or 'retard' the spark to get the maximum power out of the engine.
'Tie down the governor' is even more ancient, dating back to the age of steam. Steam engines were fitted with a safety-valve in the form of a revolving pair of weights driven by the engine. The spinning weights would be thrown outwards by centrifugal force, and at a certain speed would start progressively opening a valve to release the steam, thus keeping the pressure at a safe maximum. This device was called 'the governor', and it acted like a 'cruise-control'. However, if the operator wanted to get extra speed or power from the machine at the expense of safety, he could literally tie 'the governor' down, so that it wouldn't open, however high the pressure rose.
The first verse has a reference to the 1950s, American experiments with rocket-powered sleds running on rails. At the time, they were the fastest vehicles on earth.
The third verse is full of references to 'Star Trek' (how sad is that?), but I mention this because I understand that the 'Star Trek' mythos is by no means universally known outside the English speaking world.
The Cresta run, in verse four, is a toboggan (a type of bobsleigh) course in St Moritz, Switzerland, well-known in Britain as a rite of passage for a certain type of wealthy, privileged young Englishmen. They slide down it at high speed, and bash their silly heads in with pleasing regularity.
Track 8: Like A Rock
I can't believe that I could have been so foolish
So very wrong about important things
When somebody upstairs sent me an Angel
All I could do was pull the feathers from her wings.
I can't believe that I might have been unfaithful
I need someone else the way I need a comb.
Why should I want a swig of Coca-Cola
When I've got Bollinger champagne on ice at home?
And so I try to love you like a rock
And so I try to love you like a stone
'Cause rocks and stones don't take positions
And don't impose conditions of their own.
All I can do is love you like a rock
Or something made of glass and stainless-steel
Something transparent and unending
That's not always depending
On what you do, or how I feel.
I can't explain why we should be still together
The omens weren't too good, you must agree.
You're not my type, you're just a bit too clever,
And heaven only knows what you can see in me.
I don't exude an attractive air of mystery
Don't have the beauty and the power that go with youth.
The days when those were mine are ancient history,
And I never was that beautiful to tell the truth.
But I can always love you like a rock
But I can always love you like a stone
I don't write many love songs, but I sing this Tango for my girlfriend, Fiona, who once told me, after a row, that I had pulled the feathers from her wings. (They soon grew back.) Michael has a real understanding of Tango, and has made something quite wonderful out of my simple song. He plays an old, café-style Accordion on this track.
Track 9: Tell Me You Love Me
And though
Exactly what we want to say.
When they emerge
Don't quite come out that way.
The language circuit doesn't work too good,
No wonder we all think that we're misunderstood.
So tell me you love me
But tell me again in French,
Now in a Welsh accent.
Say it in Maggie Smith's voice
Then say it like Judi Dench,
Tell me you love me.
Just when
Our message should have hit the mark,
I fear
It's all too clear
We've left them in the dark
The thing that's said is not the thing that's heard,
That's the trouble with the spoken word.
But tell me again in Dutch,
Shout it in Swedish,
Whisper it in Norwegian,
I like that one very much,
Plug in your Modem,
Select your transmit mode,
Give us a handshake.
Tell me in Fortran, tell me in Basic,
Tell me in Binary Code,
And on
The words have gone
All meaning long since lost.
Yes Squire,
We've got our wires
Spectacularly crossed.
It read 'Send reinforcements, we're going to advance'.
You said 'Send three-and-fourpence, we're going to a dance'.
A song about communication, its joys and its extreme difficulty. This is the second rather Eastern European flavoured song from 'Dome Of Discovery' which gets another outing on this album, so that Michael can turn his wild accordion loose on it.
A few references may be worth elucidating: Demotiki is modern spoken Greek, while Katharevousa is the literary form of the language. Xhosa is a South African language which is famous for the clicking sounds it uses. Heliograph was a (mainly military) method of signalling using flashes of sunlight from mirrors. 'Flagging' a signal refers to the system of naval signalling which uses (guess what) flags.
Maggie Smith and Judi Dench are famous, and rather wonderful, British actresses, both noted for having very distinctive voices. In the last verse, 'three-and-fourpence' is a sum (three shillings and four pennies) in British 'old money', as used before decimalization in 1971. (This is a very old joke, by the way.)
Track 10: We'll Always Have Paris
Are you packed? Have you got everything?
I don't want to find little bits of you
Hidden all around the place.
No little bottle in the bathroom with the Active Lipizomes
And finding one of your ratty sports-bra's
Under the sofa in six months time
Would be too much for me to deal with.
Don't go. I know, I know we've been all through this
But when push comes to shove it's bloody hard letting go of you.
This isn't light and controlled, like we said it would be,
I'm holding on to you so tight that when the taxi comes
We're gonna have to cut my hands off at the wrist.
Who knows, you husband may have fallen under a bus…
Ok, I'm sorry. I'm sure he must be a good chap.
But it seems to me that living your life
Entirely for other people
Is as bad and wrong as living your life
Entirely for yourself…
Yes, you're right, no letters
No cards, no phone calls either
This thing must end here…
But suppose he runs off with his blonde twenty-two-year-old secretary
You know what to do, just jump on the plane and come back to me.
Bring the kids, bring that cats, bring the whole damn shooting-match
Your dear old, silver-haired, Lithuanian granny as well.
You'll know where I'll be.
What's he say in the film?
'We'll always have Paris'.
Don't cry. You never cry, you told me.
Now is that the same one where she says
'Don't reach for the moon, we have the stars'?
You're right, that was Bette Davis…
Oh Christ, the taxi's here…
This is a significant song for me. I wrote it just before starting work on 'Curly's Airships' to test a new writing technique which I wanted to use on the big piece. Basically, this is a straightforward song, with a repeating sequence of chords, but each verse has a different tune. I wrote the lyrics first, without using any rhymes, and the extended melody was written to fit the words. I'm sure this is not an original technique, but it was new for me. I think it worked very well on 'Curly's Airships', and it makes it a lot easier for me to tell stories with words and music. That is the art of 'songstory', and 'songstory' is what I do best of all.
The words 'We'll always have Paris', are said by Humphrey Bogart in 'Casablanca' (1942), while the Bette Davis line, 'Don't reach for the moon, we have the stars', comes from the movie 'Now Voyager' (also 1942, a great year for weepies). Or rather it doesn't. The correct quote is apparently, 'Don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars', but I don't think I'll be losing any sleep over it.
On British TV, 'Active Lipizomes' were a special ingredient in one of those commercials for cosmetics that feature scientists in white coats.
Track 11: It's The Silence That Kills You
We were Service, d'you see?
Follow orders; don't make waves
Keep your eyes on your duty
We survived the War
And now we're hopelessly, helplessly, hideously brave.
Anything else would be letting the side down
Anything else was never discussed
Anything else was the unspeakable thing
The final taboo…
It's the silence that kills you
Don't break the silence.
We were Service, don't y'know?
Stick together; don't tell tails.
But we were haunted by heroes.
Why are we still here?
And so we're fearlessly, foolishly, effortlessly bold.
Don't break…
This song started life as a tiny part of 'Curly's Airships'. An airman, killed in the 1930, R101 airship crash, tries to explain the obsession with taking suicidal risks, while keeping a 'stiff upper lip', that afflicted the survivors of the Great War; a state of mind that made the R101 disaster almost inevitable. For this version I wrote an additional verse of lyrics.
I improvised the falsetto Oo-ee-oo's once at a live gig, and my girlfriend insisted I keep them in thereafter.
The first line to each verse, 'We were Service', is a very old-fashioned phrase. To be Service meant being in the Army, Navy or Air force, the Diplomatic Corps or the Colonial Service; (as opposed to being 'in service', which meant working as someone's servant). What a bizarre language we have!
Track 12: But Is It Art?
Sampled drum loops like this are referred to as 'beats'
And you can use them straight out of the box.
This fake stuff often sounds lifeless and dull,
But just occasionally it rocks
And originally, someone must have hit those drums
Maybe ten, maybe twenty years back,
Some anonymous, hard-working session player
In a cheap Los Angeles twenty-four track.
Perhaps the technology brings things together,
Or perhaps the technology splits them apart,
But I swear I can hear that drummer laughing. He says
'It's clever, but is it art?'
It's clever, but is it art?
But the rest of the drumming on this record
Comes from a human pair of hands,
René Van Commenée, who recorded his tracks
In Utrecht, in the Netherlands.
And Michael keeps his organs and accordions and so forth
More than fifty miles away,
So he's recorded all his stuff over there.
It's how a lot of music's done today.
I don't have some post-modern structural agenda.
I'm not having a bit of conceptual fun,
It's just that given the time, and given the budget
This is just how things came to be done. (But it made me think…)
So did this technology bring us together,
Or did this technology keep us apart?
The devil sat on my shoulder and whispered
Only Fury's here in the studio with me,
Two grumpy old men rocking-out.
But look! He's still playing the bass, but now he's got his guitar.
I mean… Jesus! What's that all about?
All music's done with smoke and mirrors,
It's truths always come with a dash of deceit.
Mozart's got more tricks than a barrel of monkeys
Even Bach and Beethoven cheat.
But do the smoke and mirrors bring the music together,
Or do the monkey tricks blow the music apart?
And the music critics in their powdered wigs said
Is it effortless trash, or honest endeavour?
Is it one off the wrist, or one from the heart?
These are serious, pertinent questions,
But you just know some fool's gonna start with
My studio computer was built in Korea,
The OS comes from the USA
While my software is splendidly German
In a 'Vorsprung durch Technic' kind of way.
And whether we can bring the whole world together,
Or we finally manage to crack it apart,
In a thousand years, they'll define us
By the fragments of what we call art,
The clever stuff that we call art.
The CD was more than half recorded when I woke in the middle of the night with some odd lyrics going through my head, and had to get-up to write them down. I had been thinking about the way the album was being recorded, with musicians recording their parts at different locations, and how the illusion of an ensemble was created, and the lyrics seem to be part of that train of thought.
Since this is the most recent composition, it's my favourite track on the album. This is the first time I've ever worked with sampled break-beats, as I have the feeling that rapping, like singing Reggae, is something that's probably best avoided by old, white geezers. It was fun though.
All the musicians get a chance to strut their funky stuff: René plays a Bendir, a sort of giant Tambourine with rattling strings from Morocco (as well as thumping an enormous Tam-tam gong at the end), Michael has a blistering Hammond Organ solo, and John (who has been known as 'Fury' for many years), gets to play his beloved electric Guitar for the only time on this album, and gives us a solo to remember.
The slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technic', made famous by a series of TV commercials, means 'progress through technology'.
The 'Voice of the Drummer' in the first verse is that of Steven Defoe, from avant-garde music-terrorists, the Larry Mondello Band. Steve lives in America and sent me his contribution by post. He's been a close friend for more than a decade, but we've only actually met twice. In our case, the technology does bring things together.
'One off the wrist' is a very rude expression, and really has no place in a piece of quality family entertainment!


Certification in any of the countries in the Congo Basin was always going to stretch the credibility of the FSC system to the limit – as the miserable experiences in Cameroon of companies such as SEFAC and Wijma have shown (the former of which remains 'suspended' for forest management but, illogically, still certified for Chain of Custody). Sadly, because the FSC is unable to control its certifiers, these lessons seem not to have been learned; allowing its certifiers to issue certificates in DR Congo was always bound to end in disaster.
So far, only two companies have been certified in DRC – SODEFOR and SIFORCO. The first of these, SODEFOR, is owned by Portuguese, Liechstenstein-registered, Nordsüdtimber (NST) Group, with a minority shareholding of the Congolese state. It was issued a Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certificate by Rainforest Alliance Smartwood in December 2010. The company has 16 'concessions' spread across three provinces and covering more than 2.1 million hectares of forest. Because it is so large and reportedly very well connected with as yet undisclosed senior politicians and officials in DRC, it would represent an important 'catch' for any of FSC's certifiers, with potentially much revenue to be gained from certifying it in the future.
'SODEFOR not wanted'. Photo: Greenpeace.
Greenpeace duly submitted a complaint to both Smartwood and the FSC in April 2011. It transpired that SmartWood had already suspended the certificate two days before, but it is not clear whether FSC has properly probed how the certificate could have been issued in the first place.
The second FSC company in DRC remains certified to this day. SIFORCO has around 2.1 million hectares of 'concessions' in DRC, and is part of the Danzer Group, based in Switzerland. Also part of the Danzer Group is the IFO logging company, which has 1.1 million hectares of concession in neighbouring Republic of Congo, which was FSC certified for forest management in 2009. The company notes on its website that "Danzer Group and the WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature) have been teaming up since 2006 to promote responsible forest management and trade practices in Africa. The partnership includes Danzer Group's memberships in WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN)".
SIFORCO was issued with Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood certificates by SGS in September and October 2010. But the company's operations have also been the focus of long-running conflicts with local communities and workers. In 2006, a petition from a local community was filed with the government claiming that the company had not fulfilled its social obligations. In April 2011 the grievances erupted into outright protest over what villagers from Yalisika in the Bumba area said was a failure by SIFORCO to respect earlier promises to build a school and clinic. SIFORCO called in the police to break up the blockading of its operations; a contingent of reportedly 60 members of the naval forces and national police attacked the protestors, as a result of which several villagers are reported to have been beaten and arrested, six women including three minors raped, and property damaged and burned. One villager is reported to have died as a result of injuries sustained during the police action – perhaps partly because the community nurse had also been beaten and arrested.
According to new reports on Digitalcongo.net and Le Potentiel, SIFORCO was allegedly directly implicated in the atrocities, including that; the security forces were transported in a SIFORCO truck; prisoners were transported to the gaol at Bumba in a SIFORCO truck, en route to which the truck stopped at the SIFORCO site at Engengele and a report was made to the company Site Manager; some of the security force were given money by SIFORCO employees.
On their own, Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certificates are of little value to SIFORCO. However, combined with the forest management-certified wood from Danzer's other major African subsidiary, IFO, this means that Danzer could potentially process and batch all the timber together and sell it as FSC 'MixedSources'. As has repeatedly been pointed out by FSC-Watch, FSC's risible and euphemistically named Controlled Wood policy provides the perfect vehicle for 'laundering' timber from deeply problematic sources with those from genuinely (if questionably) FSC certified sources.
Together with the certification of CIB in the Republic of Congo – which we explored in the previous posting – Greenpeace has described the certification of SIFORCO and SODEFOR as representing a 'global credibility crisis' for FSC. FSC-Watch very much agrees with this. If FSC wishes to retain any credibility, it must conduct rigorous exploration of how these certificates have been issued – and ensure that those responsible are prohibited from operating in the region ever again.
Moreover, we once again conclude that FSC's Controlled Wood process simply doesn't work, and the Risk Assessment process associated with it is next to worthless.
@Bill – In 2002, Rainforest Foundation UK published a report titled "Trading in Credibility: The Myth and Reality of the Forest Stewardship Council" (available for download here: http://bit.ly/nT9y0C). That report and this website document what is going wrong with FSC. The report includes a series of recommendations for FSC. This post includes some suggestions for improving FSC. FSC has consistently ignored these recommendations and suggestions. While these are not "solutions" to the destruction caused by the logging industry globally, if implemented they would at least help FSC regain some credibility.
Our beloved country the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been invaded,plundered,looted, weakened, destroyed by foreign lobbies for centuries. Brothers and sisters let rise up and take our destinity into our own hand. No one else will do this for us, only ourselves, so let's rise up and take the future of our country. Believe me all these predators will never live our country nor resources alone. They never did so in the past, and they are not prepared to do so in the future. So let's rise and build on our future and of our children. The Democratic Republic of will become a truly free country in Jehova God Congolese people will be liberated by all kind of oppression.


The paper presents the process of placing a multi-sensorial network comprised of a large number of heterogeneous sensors, able to provide accurate information about energy consumption, occupancy, comfort conditions and environmental quality. The proper selection of the sensors' type and location is very important for the accurate representation of the building information in order that the building's real conditions are represented properly. The multi-sensorial network consists of multiple heterogeneous sensors, such as depth sensors, PIR motion, door counters, acoustic sensors, RFID, luminance, temperature, CO2, humidity sensors, actuators, etc. and is able to provide in real-time an all-inclusive perspective of the real-life conditions of the building under interest. The selected building information is combined and analysed in order to evaluate and assess its performance related to energy consumption as well as occupants' comfort and satisfaction. To this end, visual analytics techniques are utilized, which are able to visualize the building information in a comprehensive way, closer to human perception. The building information is visualized in the spatio-temporal domain assisting the analyst to detect patterns that are difficult to be detected otherwise. All this information can be used for the analysis of building's current performance, and decision making about an operational scenario which can be applied by utilizing the actuators of the multi-sensorial network. Finally, the overall system has been installed and evaluated in real-life conditions at a building comprised of offices, multi-purposed spaces (e.g. kitchen, conference room, etc.) and corridors.