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Filminspector
Welcome to Film Inspector!
Eliza Dushku, Tru Dollhouse Echo
Vampish Vampire Vixen Eliza Dushku
Eliza Dushku.
Eliza Dushku was born in Watertown, Massachusetts on 30 December 1980, the daughter of Philip R. Dushku, an administrator and teacher in the Boston Public Schools, and Judith "Judy" (née Rasmussen), a political science professor.
Eliza shopping in Beverly Hills in January 2017.
She developed an interest in becoming an actress at a young age. She had a few high-profile bit parts as a teenager, such as playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter in "True Lies," and after graduation from high school joined the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" cast.
Eliza has starred in several tv series since "Buffy," such as "Dollhouse," "Tru Calling," and "Torchwood: Web of Lies."
She is an associate of the inimitable Josh Whedon and has worked with him on a couple of her series.
No matter what role she plays, it seems that Eliza somehow winds up wearing black leather at some point.
Reports in the media state that Eliza gave up the business (at least for a while) and returned to Boston to pick up the college education that she was about to pursue when "Buffy" came along all those years ago.
An education is a wonderful thing, and my sources tell me that many actresses who were sensations in their teens think longingly for many years of returning to the Ivied Halls and grabbing the sheepskin. Of course, thinking about it is a lot different than actually doing it.
It appears that it was just a momentary phase, because Eliza later resumed her career, primarily as a voice actress.
Pays a lot better than working at the Student Union!
Whether or not Eliza does matriculate and remains in school for the duration, we wish her well and hope she does come back in the future to display her charms on screen. Whatever is best for Eliza, she's a lovely lady.
Eliza Dushku in "Dollhouse"
Eliza got some publicity in 2015 due to a hotel incident involving British boy band One Direction. She was in Pittsburgh filming an appearance on cable show "Banshee."
Basically, Eliza was camping out at her Pittsburgh hotel for months on end while filming a cable series (which seems kind of odd, because she is only listed as appearing in one episode, but that may be erroneous). Finally, One Direction came to town, and they wanted the entire floor for security reasons. That is what they always do, they pay the hotels for the privilege, they make their arrangements well in advance, and Eliza had to go. Eliza clearly was annoyed at first, though she quickly made light of it.
It wasn't One Direction's fault, they always book entire hotel floors. Else, they get pestered by fans throughout the night. It appears that Eliza worked through her issues and made peace with the boys, who probably didn't even know who she was. Though, they might now, come to think of it. And Eliza should be glad, she got more publicity than she's gotten in the past five or ten years.
Eliza most recently has had a recurring role on Cinemax series "Banshee" (2016), and has appeared in TV Movie "The Saint" (2017) as Patricia Holm, television series "Bull" as J.P. Nunnelly, and in "Eloise" (2017) as Pia Carter.
Eliza was "She-Hulk" in the Disney XD series "Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H." from 2013 to 2015.
Eliza was cast as Patricia holm in a revival of Roger Moore's "The Saint," but the pilot was not picked up.
In 2012, Eliza appeared in "The Scribbler." It was a reunion of sorts because also in the film was Michelle Trachtenberg from "Buffy."
Eliza Dushku appeared in "The Big Bang Theory" in 2010.
Eliza is a Mormon, or at least that is how she was raised.
Eliza says that she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Eliza dated LA Lakers player Rick Fox for a few years, from 2009 to about 2014.
Eliza was a vegan for a while, but eventually gave it up.
Eliza was nominated for a Teen Choice Award as Choice Breakout Star - Female for "Tru Calling." She also was nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Actress in a Television Series."
Eliza's father is Albanian, and in 2006 she visited Albania and got an Albanian Eagle tattooed on the back of her neck.
Eliza is an honorary citizen of Tirana, Albania.
Eliza is good friends with Joss Whedon, who she calls:
my favorite genius ... favorite friend ... big brother ... and the only person out here I've ever wholeheartedly trusted, because he's never let me down.
Of course, Joss Whedon cast Eliza in two successful television series, so he's probably a big fan of hers, too.
Eliza worked with Macaulay Culkin in comedy "Sex and Breakfast" in 2006.
Eliza knows how to make an entrance, as shown in the below clips.
Posted by James Bjorkman at 3:29:00 PM No comments:
Labels: Bring It On, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse, Echo, Eliza Dushku, Faith, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Joss Whedon, Slayer, Torchwood, Tru, Tru Calling, True Lies
Taylor Swift, Pop Sweetheart
Sexy Country Songbird Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is about as controversial as a sweet, unassuming American singer-songwriter can get. She's also about as successful as an American singer-songwriter can get. Sometimes, or at least in Taylor's case, the one comes with the other.
Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Taylor famously, at least in retrospect, grew up on a farm that grew Christmas trees. How homespun can you get? That's pretty Ma and Pa Kettle stuff right there. It's not like everyone has a Christmas Tree farm down the road.
Swift began performing at the Berks Youth Theatre Academy at age nine. Her parents took her to New York City for singing lessons, which is quite a schlep on a regular basis. Obviously, her parents were completely behind her, it's not like she just hopped on her bike and hit the scene on 6th Avenue.
The songwriting bug bit Taylor at age 12 when a local guy introduced her to the guitar (no, she didn't write a song about him - I think. Did she?). Taylor moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue her career in country music. Since then, she has released a string of hits that address the vagaries of love.
It's easy to talk dismissively about anyone's achievements, so let's not do the obvious. Taylor Swift has become a virtual "hit machine," where everything she touches turns into gold. Words cannot describe the success of the little girl from Pennsylvania. Taylor Swift bestrides the world of music like a modern Colossus.
Swift is notorious for writing about, how should we put it, "issues" she has had with her own relationships. The rap against Taylor is that she loves 'em, contrives to get dumped by 'em, then makes a fortune writing about how put-upon she is. That all makes Taylor sound quite Machiavellian, when in fact it is probably her natural way of, um, songwriting. This tendency makes dating Taylor a risky proposition if you don't want everything you do with her at risk of becoming part of one of Taylor's songs, with you, of course, not getting to put in your own two cents on the matter. Of course, if you're really farsighted, you would get her to agree to cut you in on the profits later. Then, well, it would be kind of delicious.
Taylor once insured her legs for $40 million dollars. That sounds like a lot, but compare it to the fact that Mariah Carey has insured her legs for $1 billion. Taylor Swift's legs are absolutely stunning and they deserve to be insured, but not just because she likes them. All medical issues that affect the appearance of her legs such as bruises, permanent skin damage, torn tendons, fractured bones and anything else that would leave scars would be covered. Naturally, Taylor relies upon showcasing her legs at her shows, so it is not a vanity thing. Well, probably not a vanity. Okay, maybe it's a little bit of a vanity thing, and a publicity thing. But not only that.
Taylor Swift in the "Blank Space" video (Photo: Vevo).
Taylor Swift likes to wears classic outfits such as leather jackets and pants. She likes to add very small flourishes to high-quality ensembles, relying on her personality and beauty to "sell" her rather straightforward garb.
Taylor rather famously has a mansion on the Gold Coast in Newport, Rhode Island. This is part of a shift by Taylor from the Nashville scene to the more pop-oriented New York vibe. She's never going to be mistaken for a hip-hop artist, though.
Taylor Swift's 2014 album "1989" has been the peak of her career - so far. Well, it would be the peak of just about anyone's career. It has sold about 10 million copies, give or take a million or two - when you reach those kinds of sales heights, what's a million between friends? Taylor Swift has released five studio albums, and they each have sold at least 5 million copies. Five million copies! They are:
Taylor Swift (2006)
Fearless (2008)
Speak Now (2010)
Looks like Taylor is due to drop another one. Oh, and another thing about Taylor - her album sales have trended higher over her career, not lower. Her most recent album to date, "1989," has sold more than any of her earlier albums that already had established her as a household name. That's very unusual.
"1989" apparently was named after the year of Taylor's birth. I lived through 1989, and it wasn't all that special, to tell you the truth. However, I didn't know at the time that Taylor had come along.
Billboard Magazine named Taylor Swift its "Woman of the Year" for 2014. She also won all sorts of other awards, such as three Grammy Awards, for "1989." Really, after the first handful of Grammy Awards, they've all got to start blending together. They should just retire the Grammy Awards, or rename them the Taylor Swift Awards.
Taylor Swift has dated, among others:
Scottish DF and record producer Calvin Harris,
Conor Kennedy
Adam Young
Toby Hemingway
Oh wait, scratch that last one, that's a whole other topic.
Some people want to claim that even discussing Taylor's growing menagerie of former song topics is sexist. However, Taylor doesn't just dally with Joe from down the street - unless your street is in Hyannisport and Joe is Robert Kennedy's grandson. Then, yes, Taylor dates any old Joe from down the road.
Taylor Swift is not a Victoria's Secret model. Taylor is 5'10", which roughly approximates the "magic height" for Victoria's Secret models. She also hangs out with Victoria's Secret models such as Karlie Kloss (who, according to Taylor and Karlie, had her own room at Taylor's pad in New York - you know, for convenience. "Whatever"). Taylor also sang at a couple of Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows. She likes to visit the models backstage - with her own personal professional photographer - at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show every November. But, she's not actually a Victoria's Secret Angel.
The whole Victoria's Secret thing became controversial because an actual Victoria's Secret model, Jessica Hart, noticed Taylor hanging around "the scene" an awful lot.
Jessica Hart, around the time of the incident under discussion.
Naturally, guys would kill to have the kind of backstage, uninhibited access to the Victoria's Secret scene like Taylor Swift - but then, they have their reasons.
Anyway, Jessica Hart was backstage, about to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show one year, when some nosey reporter or gossip-monger decided to ask her about Taylor. Then, quite innocently, Jessica answered the question about whether Taylor Swift could pass as an actual Victoria's Secret model. Without much hesitation, Jessica gave a firm "No."
That was bad enough - bad in a way we're about to get to. However, Jessica piled up the offense - and offense we're about to get to - by elaborating or elucidating or elongating or however you want to put it:
I think, you know what, god bless her heart. I think she's great," she said. "But, I don't know, to me, she didn't fit. I don't know if I should say that. I think what you find is that for a lot of us, we've been working for 14, 15 years; what it takes to make it here comes from experience and confidence and knowing how to be confident with yourself. I think it comes with age. It's definitely the benchmark of all jobs.
Jessica's off-handed commented wasn't even the point of the whole article. It was just a throwaway, like, Do you like to wear those Angel wings? Would you like to wear the "Fantasy Bra"? What's your professional opinion about how Taylor Swift would look in it?
Well, "so what," right? Everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Well, yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion. At least, they're entitled to their opinion, and to express it, if they live in the good ol' US of A where girls who grow up on Christmas tree farms can grow up to dominate modern culture.
However, having an opinion and expressing it and also walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show can be, well, let us say, incompatible if your opinion is a slightly shaded one about someone who happens to dominate modern culture.
Well, there is no confirmation about anything in this field. Someone sees something in the trades, mentions it to a certain highly placed person who dominates modern culture, certain evil looks are given, various ways are made to communicate these looks to various highly placed individuals at a certain lingerie company, and things happen - that's how it works under the bright lights of Broadway, folks.
Jessica Hart never again walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Well, you know, maybe she just didn't want to. Whatever.
But, really, what's the point of dominating modern culture if you can't get someone banned from the peak of their profession because they threw a little thoughtless shade at you.
Anyway, when you combine that incident with the tales about Taylor loving 'em and leaving 'em and then using the "leaving 'em" part to write hit songs - you get a more rounded picture of someone who dominates modern culture.
Like all modern celebrities, Taylor Swift is all about philanthropy. She has contributed lots of money to Worthy Causes.
Taylor's donations include large sums given to various local Nashville outfits, such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Nashville Public Library, and the Tennessee Disaster Services.
Taylor also donated to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.
Everybody wants to figure out Taylor Swift's political leanings. Taylor did date the aforesaid Kennedy, which probably wasn't wasn't because he was just Joe from down the block. She said some complimentary things about Barack Obama when he was first elected. However, since then, Taylor has kept very quiet about her political preferences. Given how polarized politics has become, Taylor is very wise to do that.
Taylor Swift has lent her stature to various political causes that are at least arguably non-political. For instance, the music video for her song "Mean" addresses homophobia in schools.
Anyway, Taylor Swift is a cultural icon, and we're sure to see a lot more form her in the future.
Labels: 1989, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Jessica Hart, John Mayer, Karlie Kloss, St. Jude's, Taylor Swift, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
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2000 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
2000 Sydney Olympics
20000 Leagues Under the Sea
2002 Los Angeles Model Look Contest
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2004 Look Models Model Search
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2011 Christmas commercial
2011 Miss Universe Pageant
2012 Valentine's Day Commercial
2013 Super Bowl
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2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover
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THE CURIOGRAPH
A COMPENDIUM OF WORLDLY FACTS
The Curiograph - Art, Politics, Craft Beer - A Compendium of Worldly Facts
Art, Film, Literature. Politics and History. And most Importantly: Beer. Paul Deines informs and opines on Marvel and Pasolini, Obama and Edmund Burke, Coors Light and Westvleteren 12. A top to bottom exploration of all that is necessary in life. A Compendium of Worldly Facts
SHUTTERSPEED - Dialogue: The Last Temptation of Christ, 25 Years On
Part 2: Passion and Revulsion
This is Part 2 of a three-part dialogue between Paul Deines and Christian writer Evan Hernandez about Martin Scorsese's biblical epic, The Last Temptation of Christ. You can read Part 1 – dealing with the film's differences with the Gospels – here.
Paul Deines: A quarter century after its release, The Last Temptation of Christ is sort of a touchstone for controversial filmmaking[1]. Let's do a lightning round about all the things people found offensive.
Evan Hernandez: Harvey Keitel's hair?
PD: I'll rattle them off and you give me your reaction. Because I'm a Catholic that vacillates between cafeteria and lapsed, but you are a genuine church-goer. I want to hear an Evangelical Christian's take on this.
EH: Okay.
[1] PD: In addition to multiple protests from church groups at the time of its release, there was a fire-bomb attack on a Paris theater showing the film. Fourteen people were injured.
PD: So: Jesus makes crosses for the Romans. What do you think about that one?
EH: This is the first moment when I have to say: this isn't the Jesus I believe in. Not because of the crosses, really. What offends people is him being a tortured soul, and that's really what the film is exploring. I think Christians are more offended – less by the crosses – than by the idea that he doesn't understand his divinity at all.
PD: Next: Jesus asks Judas to betray him ...
EH: It's an interesting idea, and I'm not surprised people were offended by it. Scripture is pretty clear that God does not give us temptation beyond our capability to handle it. So, this would absolve Judas. I wasn't bothered by that; this scene isn't in the Bible, but in the Gospels it is clear Jesus knows what Judas is up to. Judas also has a few different descriptions in the Bible. He wasn't a zealot, like in the movie.
PD: Isn't he a tax collector?
EH: Nope, that's Matthew. There was a zealot in the apostles, but that was Simon.
PD: Which we all remember from Jesus Christ Superstar.
EH: There you go. In scripture, Judas is described as possibly being a thief.
PD: In this script, He's a zealot, and the zealots have a bit of a subplot. I think we should discuss how Rome is portrayed in the film. The omnipresent force in the narrative that and comes to the forefront only when Jesus is arrested but always seems to exist on the periphery, specifically in opposition to the Zealots. They are led – again, in the movie – by Saul –
EH: Saul who will be Paul.
PD: What's missing is the Jewish authority. They exist as a sort as a puppet state. The only power they have is given to them by Rome, and let's be clear: that's historically correct.
EH: Historically, this is a very brief period during which Israel was ruled by Herod. It was like a personal gift to him from the Romans. Jerusalem is part of real Jewish state.
PD: Yes, but Herod was a puppet dictator.
EH: He had slightly more autonomy than, say, a Roman governor.
PD: Well, that's what makes the Gospel's story of Jesus' arrest so interesting to me: it's basically a power struggle between two puppet rulers. Pilate and Herod keep sending Jesus back and forth, claiming it's not in their authority to sentence him, mostly because they don't want to be held responsible for a revolt.
EH: I'd love to see a story or a short play about the law scholars dealing with that struggle, trying to figure out what they were charging Jesus with or whether their bosses even have the right to crucify him. I mean, he's charged with sedition, but he's never actually raised an insurgency.
PD: And that's the root, from what I understand, of the new book Zealot by Reza Aslan, that the one thing a historian knows for certain about Jesus of Nazareth is that he was crucified. Crucifixion was only for those who started an uprising against Rome. So, if nothing else, we know the Romans wanted him dead for sedition.
PD: But as I said, Pharisees are missing from The Last Temptation of Christ. It's an interesting counterpoint to The Passion of the Christ. Both movies were really hated, before they premiered, by the particular ideological groups. Conservatives hated Last Temptation; liberals hated Passion [2]. The early negative press for Last Temptation had a lot of misinformation in it, saying it portrayed Jesus as gay.
EH: That's what I always heard about it. I think to this day, some people think that's what the movie is about. I eventually figured out – without seeing The Last Temptation – that it wasn't about a gay Jesus because I became familiar with Scorsese.
PD: Who is very Catholic, and all of his protagonists are always seeking some sort of Catholic-specific absolution. Which is really one thing I could agree could be blasphemous about this movie: the idea that Jesus needs absolution. Paul Schrader the screenwriter – who also wrote Taxi Driver and Raging Bull for Scorsese, and great personal projects like Hardcore, Affliction and Autofocus [3] – is a Calvinist, and he says that this film is arguably irreligious because it uses Jesus as an allegorical figure, and you don't use your messiah as an allegorical figure.
EH: It says something to me that he doesn't include the resurrection at all. The resurrection's the whole point. If you don't have the resurrection, you don't have Christianity. I have a pastor friend who says consistently if scientists were ever able to identify human remains as belonging to Jesus of Nazareth, that would be the end of Christianity. It relies upon the resurrection from the dead, and this movie ignores that completely.
PD: I don't think the movie implies he wasn't resurrected. It doesn't show the stone moving away, but the final moment implies a divine triumph. The story of that last shot is that a crack in the camera exposed the film right as Dafoe says "It is accomplished." [4]And that makes the shot go all insane and sort of hallucinatory.
[2] PD: For those who don't recall, the backlash against Gibson's film was primarily focused on his portrayal of the Jewish authorities as solely responsible for Jesus' death. There was particular indignation over his inclusion of the line, "Let His blood be upon us," spoken by a Sanhedrin.
[3] PD: …and the most epic train-wreck of 2013: The Canyons, written by Bret Easton Ellis and starring Lindsay Lohan and porn actor James Deen.
[4] PD: The story goes on to say that as they watched the dailies, and Scorsese saw that exposed take and said, "There's our resurrection."
PD: No offense, but I think that final moment is a billion times more effective than the idiotic final shot of The Passion of the Christ. Remember: where he walks out of the tomb like the Terminator.
EH: I don't even remember that. The last image I remember from Passion of the Christ is a raindrop falling, which I thought was great.
PD: The one moment of artistry in that film.
EH: Well, what David Mamet says is the last moment anyone actually remembers should be the last moment.
PD: Check out the actual last moment when you have a chance. It's pretty ridiculous. And the reason I like Last Temptation is it's the Jesus film that's trying the hardest to cope with the reality of a living Messiah. The only other contender is Pier Paolo Pasolini's Gospel According to Saint Matthew. Pasolini was the gay atheist Communist who made such classics as Salo and Teorema, and while in Assisi to meet with Pope John XXIII[5], he got bored in his hotel room and ended up reading Matthew's gospel in the room's Bible. He was so struck by it he decided it would be his next film, which he shot in the poorest, oldest regions in the south of Italy with nonprofessional actors and no script except the Gospel. Jesus sounds almost like a union organizer.
[5] PD: Pope John, in 1962, wanted to meet with non-Catholic that he considered great humanist artists, the idea being to open an interfaith dialogue.
But to get back to Last Temptation: despite its legion flaws, I love that it works incredibly hard to reckon with Jesus the man, Jesus the prophet, and Jesus the sacrifice, and how those coexist. In a way Passion of the Christ didn't.
EH: I think the value of The Passion is this: we live in a culture where we never see death and bloodshed. A hundred years ago, if I went to a butcher shop, I'd see a pig slaughtered. I could watch the blood and see a creature die. Odds are I'd know someone who died young. 150 years ago, odds are I'd attended a public execution. This is the first century where public violence is nonexistent and death is muted by technology. We keep people alive as long as we can, and there are only a handful of people who have seen a violent death. Passion of the Christ did a good job of showing us that Jesus did not just have a lethal injection for my sins. He did not die by hanging, even, for my sins. Jesus was butchered and made to march through town with a heavy beam on this shredded back. This type of pain and suffering is something my generation has not seen in person, and the only place we may see it is in a movie. Portrayed in a way that is designed to turn your stomach. Now, whether that has eternal artistic value is hard to say, but I do know that a lot of people saw The Passion of the Christ and said, "I never thought to it that way."
PD: I went to Catholic school for 12 years, and every Good Friday we'd have a half day and do the Stations of the Cross and learn all about the crucifixion. We learned all about the historical physical details of crucifixion, and the scourging. We were taught all this in a very portentous way, and so I was driven crazy by Gibson's film. Because I think your argument is a legitimate argument, except The Passion was not historically accurate. Jesus would not have carried a full cross (only the crossbeam). He would not have had nails driven through his hands (they would have gone through his wrists). His legs would have been on either side of the cross. Also, he would not have been a white man. Finally, I really don't think Mel Gibson is a very good director. I love Braveheart[5] as much as the next guy, but The Passion has scenes that are next-level stupid. Like the weird B-movie moment like when a crow plucks out the eye of the thief who mocks at Jesus.
[5] PD: Another emotionally engaging but historically ridiculous picture. Nonetheless, if it comes on TNT on a Saturday afternoon, I am not budging from the couch.
EH: Except –
PD: That's not in the Bible, is it?
EH: No, but it is in Last Temptation. One of the apostles talks about how crows eat out the eyes of crucified people[6]. It's interesting that that bothered you only in The Passion.
PD: It is something that happened historically, and I don't mind it being discussed. But the fact that Gibson created a messenger-from-God crow sent down to punish the thief from mocking his son indicates to me that he's not a serious director.
[6] This moment is discussed in greater detail in Part 1 of Evan and Paul's discussion.
PD: Well, I also remember how much Gibson went out of his way to absolve Pilate, illustrating again and again how powerless this humble Roman official was against one bile-filled group who wanted Jesus dead. And I feel like if Gibson wanted to make a historically accurate Jesus picture, he might have made an effort to honestly explore the real political relationship between Judea and Rome, just for a moment to provide real context. Or alternately he could have made it a totally Jesus-focused story and ignore the whole Pilate political issue. But instead he chose to create a sort of patently false side narrative about a sad-sack closet-Christian Pilate who cannot stand up to the motivelessly malevolent Jewish hierarchy. I don't know – many thoughtful, virtuous and intelligent people like Passion of the Christ, and I won't go so far as to say it's an anti-Semitic movie.
EH: Well, Pilate is really one of the best-portrayed characters in the Gospels, and there are these really interesting conversations where Pilate clearly does not know how to deal with this situation. He's basically a middle manager stuck in this fantastic circumstance, trying to decide what best to do.
PD: Going back, though: The Last Temptation of Christ is comprised of lots of interesting sections that often don't work well together at all, and it ends with a strange stand-alone short film.
(SPOILER WARNING, READERS: WE'LL BE DISCUSSING THE FILM'S BIG TWIST IN THE PARAGRAPHS BELOW.)
EH: The twist at the end does something far more interesting than anything that came before it. People find it horribly offensive, because he's on the cross and a little girl comes out of crowd and informs him that he doesn't have to die. She's his guardian angel, and God doesn't want him to die. So, he comes off the cross, and he's magically transported to a cabin in the woods with Mary Magdalene.
EH: He impregnates her, and she suddenly dies midway through the pregnancy. Then, he ends up with Mary and Martha in – this is a little weird – a strange polygamous marriage. At one point he meets Saul who is now Paul who is preaching about the risen Christ, and Jesus tells him, "I wasn't crucified and I never rose from the dead."
EH: So, Jerusalem burns, and the apostles, who along with Jesus are now very old, come to Jesus' home. And Judas reveals that the little girl who came to Jesus was Satan, and he does need to go back to the cross and sacrifice himself in order to unite man and God.
EH: That's really interesting as a last temptation, and there are two ways of looking at it. There's the more Catholic way, coping with the human side of Jesus. He's on the cross and he is tempted with the idea that he could have lived a normal life with a family. He could escape the pain and sacrifice of his calling and have a real life. A family life, and a sex life.
PD: A full life with old age. Not die at the age of 33 in the worst way anyone could die.
EH: So he can do that or he can be the sacrifice. I think that's really interesting, and I'm not offended by it because that could totally be something that happened to Jesus Christ.
PD: The idea is what comes between "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and "It is accomplished."
EH: But there's an alternate scenario which I connect to more. That is the idea that Jesus is all-powerful, and at any given moment he could snap his fingers and send angels to flatten Rome and all who oppose him.
PD: But that's a Christ who knows he's all-powerful. I don't think this Jesus does. He's worried that he may not be the Son of God and all of this is for nothing.
EH: I don't think that works, though, from my faith. He had to walk to Golgotha willingly, knowing he had the power to end it.
PD: Ah, but I find it more meaningful if he could harbor the doubt and surrendered himself as a massive leap of faith.
EH: Maybe, but I think he has to know this is the purpose. His death will work to redeem mankind. It can't be blind. His entire life has built to this and he understands it. But it's an interesting question, and I'm glad that the film deals with it. I just think it's funny that the only part of the film I found intriguing from a theological or emotional perspective is the last twenty minutes.
PD: Well, how about we move on to the most important question: Is this a good movie?
In Part 3, Evan and Paul discuss all things artistic about The Last Temptation of Christ, including Schrader's script, Scorsese's directing, and the wisdom of casting Harvey Keitel as Judas.
Evan Hernandez is a writer and producer based in New York City. His play, A Great Light embarked on its first tour this past holiday season and his debut novel, Breaking the Skies, is set to be published in this year. For more information, find him on Twitter, @totallyberserk.
In Dialogue, Shutterspeed Tags last temptation of christ, martin scorsese, paul schrader, willem dafoe, harry dean stanton, harvey keitel, pasolini, gospel, st. matthew, passion of the christ, mel gibson, jesus, 1980s, 1988, controversy, pilate, soapbox, paul deines, evan hernandez
← IMBIBLIOGRAPHY - Two Bad BeersSHUTTERSPEED - Review: The Wolf of Wall Street →

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There is a season for everyone on Corsica - read on to discover the perfect time of year to discover this beautiful island. As far as the weather is..
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As little as five years ago, Mauritius seemed in danger of losing its crown as the luxury destination of choice. Other resort locations - most notably..
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Current: When is a Part 36 offer not a Part 36 offer?When is a Part 36 offer not a Part 36 offer?
A briefing on the implications of Part 36 decisions.
In PHI Group Limited v Robert West Consulting Limited, the Court of Appeal has once more allowed an appeal concerning Part 36. We consider the implications of the decision for other defective Part 36 offers and review the costs consequences of all offers which fall outside the Part 36 costs regime.


Textile House: A Farmer's Wife?
I tried to stay away. I really did.
My daughter convinced me that resistance was futile.
Over the Thanksgiving break, Nyshma and her newly minted husband, came for their first Thanksgiving as a married couple.
I taught her how to use templates. Nyshma will be using freezer paper as her templates to cut her pieces while I have decided to go with Marti Michell's templates for my pieces. We also set a deadline for making our blocks and posting about our progress. And then we were off!
I did alot of pre-washing so I could have an excuse to fondle my stash... and I procrastinated alot.
I finally decided to go with a mix of Lynette Anderson's new line (Secret Garden), an older line of hers (Summertime Friends) and a mix of Whimsical fabrics by Terri Degenkolb.
Block #1 - Nyshma and I did our template tutorial using this block so I thought it was appropriate that I get it done during the first round.
Block #9 - This one was straight forward HST. We are trying to do a mix of simple and complex blocks to keep us from falling off the wagon due to frustration.
Block #13 - This one was actually the most difficult block of the bunch. I had to trim because it was slightly larger than needed. I also had to re-build it a couple of times. I marked it as DIFFICULT.
Block #21 - Then we have this one that was super easy. I am really not that happy with it though. I feel the light is a bit too light when put against the others. I'll hold on to it and see if it will blend in with the other blocks. I told my sister that with 100+ blocks, it just might fit in.
Block #23 - I think this is my favorite right now but I think it's more because it was the only Star block of the bunch... I'm bias, I love stars!
Although, I sort of, kind of, like block #1 too. I think the fussy cut center is so darn cute! My sister hates it though. LOL!
Okay. In recap, 5 blocks down.. Gazillion to go!
Go check out Nyshma's efforts at Starchild Quilts! She could use a bit of encouragement!
3 comments on "A Farmer's Wife?"
Lovely blocks, I can't wait to see more!
They're gorgeous! I gave in a started too. I think I have 10 blocks made and with the holidays have the project on hold. It's a gorgeous quilt and I love seeing how different they look depending on the fabric chosen.
Actually it's not as hard as I thought. Have 9 blocks finished already!
A Farmin' we will go!


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text:
Canada's Most Fashionable Biker Gang
by Cate Lorimer | Posted January 9, 2012
Topics: BBC, Bicycle Film Festival, BIXI, bulletin, Cat Essiambre, Drake Hotel Toronto, Fabric Bike, Irene Stickney, Kirsten White, Laura Mensinga, Meg Orlinski, Niamh McManus, Patricia Youn, Pedaler Clothing, The Deadly Nightshades, The Style Spin, Toronto, Toronto vintage clothing, Trinity Kerr
The Deadly Nightshades (Photograph courtesy of The Deadly Nightshades).
Late last year, the BBC aired a segment about Toronto's plentiful and competitive vintage fashion scene, which the BBC noted "is attracting shoppers from all across the world." Among the profiled was a group of young Canadian designers collectively known as The Deadly Nightshades (The DNS) which runs The Style Spin, a unique bike tour that takes the public on a behind-the-scenes spin around Toronto's fashion landscape.
The Nightshades biking manifesto (Image
courtesy of The Deadly Nightshades).
The women of The DNS (Kirsten White, Laura Mensinga, Irene Stickney, Cat Essiambre, Niamh McManus, Meg Orlinski, and Patricia Youn) first met at Ryerson University's School of Fashion, quickly bonded over similar interests, and eventually began working together on projects. They shared the belief that the fashion industry sometimes lacked soul and were compelled to give it one through their vision for ethical and sustainable design. Biking, their other shared passion, is how the ladies choose to travel from work to play and back, even in the dead of winter. Whatever the event, they roll together as a gang, in matching jackets and head-turning duds. Each member of the collective works in the apparel or bike industry, and their passion for sustainable design has carried through into their daily life practices.
Having received media attention and encouraging feedback from clients, one might think the group is tempted to expand its offerings; perhaps turning the tour into a must-see for any Toronto-bound, fashion-loving traveler. However, DNS feels that the tour is already special, "We'd prefer to have six amazing tours that leave people wanting more, rather than 26 disorganized ones. We don't want stops just for the sake of it. We want to have great, exciting designers with inspiring studios and strong work." This summer, however, The DNS does plan on changing up its offerings by adding themed studio tours.
We don't want stops just for the sake of it. We want to have great, exciting designers with inspiring studios and strong work.
The DNS' raison d'être is more than just bike tours. Last winter, the group created a short film, Fabric Bike, which documents the three-month process of making a bike out of recycled and reclaimed materials (and finished off with touches of sea foam green and gold - its' trademark colours). The bicycle, itself, was the inspiration for the project, which the group describes as "reliable, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing" - everything The DNS stands for. The film was a heartfelt collaboration that showcased each member's contributions and skills towards the creation of the Fabric Bike. Fabric Bike is now touring with the Bicycle Film Festival, a platform that celebrates the bicycle through music, art and film.
Biking culture is making a comeback in Toronto. In May 2011, BIXI was launched on the streets of Toronto, a bike sharing system that allows members unlimited access to BIXI bikes stationed around the city. In a city with (sometimes) unreliable public transportation but regular traffic jams, biking is a reliable way to get around. The DNS adds that, "it's the best way to party hop in Toronto, hands down." Designers such as Trinity Kerr have become passionate about the growing urban bike movement. Being an avid biker, Kerr knew that ordinary clothes weren't suitable for the task, so she created Pedaler Clothing, designing and producing cycling clothing that looks like everyday street-wear.
As for DNS' goals in 2012, the girls are raising funds in order to buy a professional digital camera so they can shoot more videos which would document their future creations. The group continues to do whatever it can to bring awareness to sustainable and responsible design. Individually, the members have taken on their own solo projects. Stickney teaches people how to make, remake and mend their clothes at her studio, The Make Den. She also works with a charity called PACT, where she teaches at-risk youth children how to sew. As we speak, Stickney's students are making prom dresses for girls in their communities. Mesinga and Youn are both working for companies that produce locally-made messenger bags from recycled materials. White makes web- and video-based look books with the goal of promoting sustainable portfolios, and premiered her first look book at the Toronto Alternative Fashion Week.
If you ask the members about their biggest accomplishment since forming the collective, don't be surprised if they say, "Sticking together! One love!" It's the perfect way to summarize DNS, a community built by a group of friends with shared beliefs, that has injected the fashion world with its own brand of biker soul.
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by Cate Lorimer
History Captured in Two Miles: A Day Spent on Portobello Road
Something Old and Something New at Pretty Freedom


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This site contains tips and advice on repairing and servicing many types of Briggs and stratton small engines.
It is not a comprehensive servicing guide. It is recommended that before carrying out detailed work on your engine, that you purchase the relevant Briggs and Stratton Repair Manual for your engine. It covers all aspects of engine repair in depth.
The tips and advice published on this site are meant soley as an aid. The repairer carries out all work entirely at his or her own risk. No responsibility for damage to property or injury is held by those involved with the site.


Plant the C4 in 'Cliffhanger' without alerting or injuring anyone in the blizzard.
Complete 'Just Like Old Times' and 'Endgame' on Veteran Difficulty.
Complete 'Loose Ends' and 'The Enemy of My Enemy' on Veteran Difficulty.
Complete 'Of Their Own Accord', 'Second Sun', and 'Whiskey Hotel' on Veteran Difficulty.
Complete 'Contingency' on Veteran Difficulty.
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text:
What's Zero Waste Food? (HLW #3)
Let's kick off this week's edition of Hidden Lemur Weekly with a terrific Atlantic mini-doc about a "zero-waste restaurant" in England.
The team at Silo, first opened by British chef Douglas McMaster in 2014, uses package-free trading, composts all unfinished food and brings that compost back to the farms where they source their ingredients, and have even gone so far as using coconut husks to scrub dishes.
If you've got a favorite sustainable eatery that you'd like us to signal boost, shoot us a recommendation.
One of my favorites, for example: Betty's Bowls in Medellin, Colombia, which serves up some of the most decadent acai bowls you'll ever see, using compostable containers and locally-sourced fruits.
(Editor's note: This article is part of our new sustainable travel newsletter. If you think you'd like to receive a regular dose of sustainable travel news and inspiration, sign up here.)
Plans in Place
More 2020 travel guides? Yeah. More 2020 travel guides.
Follow your taste buds from Kosovo to Nigeria with the help of Eater's Places to Eat in 2020.
Here's the New York Times' always excellent 52 Places Guide for 2020.
And finally, some eye candy: Architectural Digest's Design Lover's Guide to Sustainable Travel in 2020.
This Week's 2030 Goal
If you've been following Hidden Lemur's Instagram, you might've noticed we've been delving into the UN's 2030 Goals for Sustainable Development along with some tips for how you can easily support the pursuit of these goals as a traveler.
#2 on the UN's list: Zero Hunger. As of 2017, 821 million people were undernourished. That's 1 out of every 9 people globally.
Among the most impactful measures that organizations and governments can take to address hunger in a sustainable way is by better supporting small-scale and family farmers. As a sustainable traveler, you can do your part by eating locally-grown produce and providing a valuable economic boost to local agriculture sectors. That money can help provide better food security for at-risk locals in the area.
You can also support or partner with both global and local organizations — like the World Food Programme — that are devoted to addressing hunger.
Is travel worth the carbon footprint? This Outside Online editorial argues yes.
(And for what it's worth, here's our guide to flying sustainably.)
Money talks. And this week, money's saying that travelers are increasingly seeking out locally-run tourism experiences, as ToursByLocals looks to be set for expansion after a recent funding round.
One locally-run walking tour we'd recommend? The Worst Tours, in Porto, Portugal.
Got another locally-run tour to recommend? You know the deal. Let us know about it.
Until next week, friends.
By Conor Armor
Conor Armor
Conor is the founder of Hidden Lemur. He's deathly afraid of bees.
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text:
Levon Maxwell Simon Kendall (* 4. Juli 1984 in Vancouver, British Columbia) ist ein ehemaliger kanadischer Basketballspieler. Nach dem Studium in den Vereinigten Staaten spielte der kanadische Nationalspieler als Profi in Europa.

Mit Kanadas Nationalmannschaft nahm er unter anderem an der Weltmeisterschaft 2010 teil. Er gewann mit Alba Berlin 2014 den deutschen Pokal.

Kendall, der sich zugleich semiprofessionell als Musiker und Songwriter betätigt und seit Dezember 2013 verheiratet ist, ist der Sohn des aus Irland stammenden Musikers Simon Kendall, der als Mitglied von Doug and the Slugs in den 1980er Jahren erfolgreich Popmusik in den kanadischen Hitparaden platzierte.

Karriere
Kendall spielte als Jugendlicher an der Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver.

Er ging zum Studium an die University of Pittsburgh in die Vereinigten Staaten, wo er von 2003 an für die Hochschulmannschaft Panthers in der damaligen Big East Conference der ersten NCAA-Division spielte. Trotz der besten Bilanz aller Mannschaften der Big East verlor man als Titelverteidiger das Endspiel des Meisterschaftsturniers 2004 gegen die Huskies der University of Connecticut. In der anschließenden landesweiten NCAA-Endrunde verlor man im Achtelfinale "Sweet Sixteen" gegen die Cowboys der Oklahoma State University. In den Folgejahren erreichte man noch zweimal das Meisterschaftsfinale der Big East, welche gegen die Orangemen der Syracuse University 2006 und die Hoyas der Georgetown University 2007 verloren gingen, sowie immer die NCAA-Endrunde, in der man aber spätestens wie 2007 im Achtelfinale ausschied. Bei der letztmals in der Altersklasse U21 ausgetragenen Weltmeisterschaft 2005 in Argentinien konnte die kanadische Juniorenauswahl, der neben Kendall mit Aaron Doornekamp, Andy Rautins und Tristan Blackwood drei weitere spätere Basketball-Bundesliga-Profis angehörten, im Viertelfinale der hoch favorisierten US-amerikanischen Auswahl ihre einzige Turnierniederlage zufügen. In deren Kader standen unter anderen die späteren NBA-Profis Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, J.J. Redick, Marcus Williams und Allan Ray. Kendall war Topscorer der Partie mit 40 Punkten sowie zwölf Rebounds in 42 Minuten beim 93:90-Verlängerungssieg. Nach der Halbfinalniederlage gegen die griechische Auswahl gewann Kanada gegen die australischen Junioren die Bronzemedaille bei diesem Turnier. Kendall, der ins "All-Tournament Team" der U21-WM berufen wurde, debütierte anschließend in der kanadischen Herrenauswahl bei der Amerikameisterschaft 2005, bei der man jedoch die Qualifikation für die WM-Endrunde 2006 verpasste.

Nachdem Kendall in der NBA-Draft 2007 nicht ausgewählt worden war, unterschrieb er schließlich seinen ersten professionellen Vertrag bei Panionios aus Athen in der griechischen A1 Ethniki. In der Saison 2007/08 konnte die Mannschaft auf dem vierten Platz nach der Hauptrunde die Vorjahresplatzierung bestätigen und schied im Play-off-Halbfinale gegen Serienmeister Panathinaikos Athen aus. In der Play-off-Serie gegen GS Marousi um den dritten Platz sicherte man sich zudem die Teilnahme am höchsten europäischen Vereinswettbewerb EuroLeague 2008/09. Nach dem fünften Platz bei der Amerikameisterschaft 2007 hatte die kanadische Nationalmannschaft beim vorolympischen Qualifikationsturnier in Athen 2008 eine weitere Qualifikationsmöglichkeit für das olympische Basketballturnier. Hier scheiterte man im Viertelfinale gegen Kroatien letztendlich deutlich bei der 62:83-Niederlage. In der Euroleague 2008/09 schied Panionios nach nur drei Siegen in zehn Spielen bereits nach der Vorrunde aus und konnte trotz verbesserter Saisonbilanz nur den sechsten Platz nach der Hauptrunde in der griechischen Meisterschaft erreichen. In den Play-offs blieb man ohne Sieg und schied in der ersten Runde gegen Aris Saloniki aus. Kendall wechselte anschließend zum Ligakonkurrenten GS Marousi, der diesmal die Play-off-Serie um den dritten Platz gegen Aris gewonnen und die Qualifikationsrunde für die EuroLeague 2009/10 erreicht hatte. Dort gewann die Mannschaft mit Kendall gegen den nationalen Konkurrenten Aris Saloniki sowie den deutschen Pokalsieger Alba Berlin und erreichte die Hauptrunde, in der die Mannschaft sich für die Zwischenrunde der 16 besten europäischen Mannschaften qualifizieren konnte. Nach vier Einsätzen zu Beginn war Kendall nach einer Knöchelverletzung jedoch an den weiteren internationalen Spielen von Marousi nicht beteiligt. In der Meisterschaft erreichte man den dritten Hauptrundenplatz und sicherte sich nach der Halbfinalniederlage gegen Olympiakos Piräus in der zusätzlichen Play-off-Serie erneut den dritten Platz.

Bei der Amerikameisterschaft 2009 hatte sich die kanadische Nationalmannschaft mit einem vierten Platz für die WM-Endrunde 2010 in der Türkei qualifiziert. Hier blieb man jedoch ohne Sieg in fünf Spielen und wurde am Ende auf dem 22. und drittletzten Platz aller Teilnehmer eingestuft. Zur Spielzeit 2010/11 wechselte Kendall in die spanische LEB Oro zum Erstliga-Absteiger Obradoiro CAB aus Santiago de Compostela, der unter dem Sponsorennamen Blu:sens Monbus antrat. Als Hauptrundenzweiter konnte man sich den verbleibenden Aufstiegsplatz in den Play-offs sichern und die sofortige Rückkehr in die höchste Spielklasse Liga ACB erreichen, in der Kendall wegen seiner irischen Abstammung mit einer europäischen Spielerlizenz antrat. Als Rückkehrer konnte die Mannschaft dort in der Saison 2011/12 auf dem 13. Hauptrundenplatz erstmals den Klassenerhalt in der Vereinsgeschichte erreichen. In der Saison 2012/13 reichte es gar mit positiver Saisonbilanz auf dem achten Tabellenplatz zum erstmaligen Play-off-Einzug in der Vereinsgeschichte. Hier schied man in der ersten Runde gegen den Ersten und späteren Meister Real Madrid aus. Für die Saison 2013/14 wechselte Kendall zum deutschen Pokalsieger Alba Berlin, mit dem er auch wieder in europäischen Vereinswettbewerben antrat und mit der Mannschaft im Viertelfinale des Eurocup 2013/14 am spanischen Vertreter Valencia Basket Club scheiterte. Im Pokalwettbewerb 2014 konnte die Mannschaft den Titel verteidigen und in einer Neuauflage des Vorjahresendspiels den Gastgeber Ratiopharm Ulm bezwingen. Damit gewann Kendall seinen ersten Vereinstitel. Im Bundesliga-Spieljahr 2013/14 wurde er von den Berlinern in 45 Spielen eingesetzt, in denen er es durchschnittlich auf 8,4 Punkte sowie 5,1 Rebounds brachte.

Nach einem Jahr verließ Kendall Alba Berlin wieder und kehrte nach Spanien zurück. Dort unterschrieb er für die Spielzeit 2014/2015 einen Vertrag bei Erstligist CB Gran Canaria. Mit der Mannschaft zog er in die Endspiele (Hin- und Rückspiel) des europäischen Vereinswettbewerbs EuroCup ein, beide Begegnungen wurden aber gegen BK Chimki aus Russland deutlich verloren.

Kendall entschloss sich, aus familiären Gründen vorerst aus dem Profigeschäft zurückzuziehen, spielte erst im Jahr 2016 wieder, als er die Mannschaft Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rico verstärkte. Im Jahr 2019 schloss sich Kendall, der mehr als 120 Länderspiele für Kanada bestritten hat, in seinem Heimatland den Fraser Valley Bandits in der Liga Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) an.

Weblinks

 ACB.COM: Levon Kendall – Profil auf den Webseiten der Liga ACB ()
 Canada Basketball: Levon Kendall – Kurzprofil auf den Webseiten des kanadischen Verbandes (englisch)
 archive.fiba.com: Players – Levon Maxwell S. KENDALL (CAN) – Übersicht über Teilnahmen an FIBA-Turnieren (englisch)

Einzelnachweise

Basketballnationalspieler (Kanada)
Basketballspieler (Irland)
Basketballspieler (Obradoiro CAB)
Basketballspieler (Puerto Rico)
Basketballspieler (Panionios Athen)
Basketballspieler (Alba Berlin)
Kanadier
Ire
Geboren 1984
Mann
Basketballspieler (CB Gran Canaria)
Basketballspieler (CB Estudiantes)
Basketballspieler (GS Marousi)
Fraser Valley Bandits

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Globalization refers to the enhanced links in cultural, social, political and economic ways all around the world. In the recent past, the world saw itself producing a number of billionaires. Some of them include Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Li- Ka-Shang. These people are among the well- known richest individuals in the world over the past thirty years. The main question one may ask is how these individuals managed to reach such great socioeconomic heights while other people remained extremely poor. At this point, the efforts of globalization in bringing global equality get depicted. These individuals managed to attain their wealth in a number of ways. In their efforts to accumulate so much wealth for themselves, they tended to personify this wealth. For instance, Bill Gates managed to attain his enormous wealth through thorough entrepreneurship in Microsoft Corporation. He is as a sole investor in this business. This made him the world's richest individual with up to US$62 Billion. The Microsoft products cover a larger portion of the worldwide demand. Through Gates' vast investment in Microsoft business, he stood out as the richest man in the world. Other individuals who followed Gates in the level of wealth include Richard Branson, the owner of the Virgin Group. However, none of Bill Gate's wealthy counterparts entirely managed to outdo him.
At the start of the twentieth century, most African nations encountered immense poverty. This occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The 1990s for most African countries proved harsh since their economies were facing a severe depreciation. At the same time, the Latin America encountered economic doldrums. The American economy encountered prosperity since the early 1980s. To that effect, no damage occurred in its economy after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This situation brings forth another reason for the unequal global economy. This is according to Chapter 5.


John C. Coonley is a Chicago Public School with a Level 1+ rating located in the NorthCenter community. We serve approximately 1,000 students in grades K-8.
Coonley is a neighborhood school with regional gifted and special education magnet cluster programs.
If you live in our attendance area and are interested in registering for our neighborhood program please click here.
If you are interested in our Regional Gifted Center you must apply through the Office of Access and Enrollment.
Please visit our CPS profile page to learn more.


Browning, William Garritson. "Keeping Well" [chapter 13]. Beyond Fourscore. Poughkeepsie: A. V. Haight, 1907: pp. 379-99.
From title page: Beyond Fourscore: Being Some of the Later Experiences, Observations and Opinions of William Garritson Browning.
They [doctors] are most useful and important servants of their fellows. They often get no proper compensation. Sometimes, they are very extravagant in their demands; and need a little reproof as well as others.
The physicians attendant on President McKinley upon his assassination made an effort to get $100,000 from Congress after his death. The Poughkeepsie Eagle of October 17th, 1901, justly rebuked this.
Will you permit one of your constant readers to publicly thank you for your just and sensible editorial of this Thursday, October 17th, based upon the report that bills to the amount of $100,000 are to be rendered to Congress for the services of physicians and surgeons attendant upon our stricken President during his sufferings in the days follow-  ing the cruel assault upon him that resulted in his tragic death.
Surely, none of us desire to reflect upon these men of science, or to intimate that they did not do all they could to save the life of their distinguished patient. Indeed, perhaps many will always believe that excessive desire led to a multiplication of efforts that were too much for the strength of the sufferer. But, with no disposition to assume the role of critic, I want to confirm your statement: that the outcome proved beyond question, the utter uselessness of all that was done; and, just when many were preparing to glorify modern surgery in almost a forgetfulness of the God who rules and reigns over us all, the entire futility of human wisdom, and the vanity of human boastfulness, was made to so appear that the doctors themselves have remained quite silent since, and been compelled to subside, because unable to justify their own confident predictions. We should all have rejoiced, if the means employed could have been successful in rescuing the President from the jaws of death. But God ordered otherwise, and let us all manifest our submission. And let none bring upon themselves the reputation of seeking to profit, financially, out of the great sorrow that has called forth so much lamentation.


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Home → Life → Culture
We're No.1! Pittsburgh Ranked the Top City for Jobs
On November 3, 2018 / Culture, Economy, Life
Oh, how the times have changed! If you lived in Pittsburgh during the collapse of the steel industry, you know that the area lost jobs back in the 1980's as rapidly as a kindergartner loses their lunch money. Recently, Glassdoor, the online job and recruiting site, named Pittsburgh the number one city on its 25 Best Cities for Jobs in 2018. According to Glassdoor, there
The Grand Concourse: Pittsburgh's Grand Dining Experience
On November 3, 2018 / Attractions, Culture, Food & Drink
There are a plethora of restaurants in Pittsburgh that serve excellent food. There are restaurants in Pittsburgh that have beautiful settings. But there is only one restaurant in Pittsburgh that is situated in a history-steeped building that combines excellent food and a beautiful setting for an unparalleled, upscale dining experience. And that restaurant is the Grand Concourse. Eating establishments come and go, but since 1978,
Review: The Pittsburgh Savoyards Inc.'s Gilbert and Sullivan's The Yeoman of the Guard
On October 14, 2018 / Culture, Entertainment & Reviews, Recreation
One hundred and thirty years after it opened at the Savoy Theater in London, The Pittsburgh Savoyards presented The Yeomen of the Guard at the Andrew Carnegie Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, PA. This production runs October 12-14 and 18-21. If you haven't seen this work before, you may hear terms and phrases that are not heard in everyday English but that won't prevent
Another Opera Singer Makes Pittsburgh Her Home
On September 28, 2018 / Culture, People
When you think of cities where opera singers may reside, places like Paris, Milan, or New York may come to mind, but another alumna of the Pittsburgh Opera's Resident Artist Program has decided to call Pittsburgh home. "The weather in Pittsburgh, and I are still trying to get along, but I love it here," said Laurel Semerdjian, a mezzo-soprano, who will be playing the part
Exploring the History of Pittsburgh's Market Square
On September 28, 2018 / Culture, History
Market Square truly is the many faceted jewel in the heart of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was founded at The Point, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers merged to form the Ohio Rivers, but it was at Market Square where Pittsburghers gathered. As the budding community at Fort Pitt grew beyond the settlement there, it became apparent that the developing city needed some direction. In 1784, Philadelphia
Pittsburgh's Puppet Maker Cheryl Capezzuti
On August 2, 2018 / Culture, Life, People
Puppetry and puppet making is one of the oldest art forms; it is believed to have originated 4,000 years ago. Pittsburgh has had a love affair with puppets. The Lovelace Marionette Theater, founded by Puppeteer Margo Lovelace, opened in 1964 and became the longest-running professional puppet theater in the country. The theater closed in 1985. Mr. Rogers and his cast of puppets from the Neighborhood
The History Behind the Holiday: Cinco de Mayo
On May 5, 2018 / Culture, History, Holidays
The mention of Cinco de Mayo brings to mind bright colors, refreshing alcoholic drinks, and of course a celebration of the Mexican people. However, while America loves any reason to celebrate, the true meaning and purpose of celebrating the "Fifth of May" is often lost beneath fluttering pinatas and the glitters of alcohol-fueled parties. But fear not, because of Popular Pittsburgh's never-ending thirst for knowledge,
Opera Soprano Danielle Pastin Sings Pittsburgh's Praises
On May 1, 2018 / Culture, People
"Pittsburgh just felt like home," said Danielle Pastin, opera soprano. Ms. Pastin has lived a nomadic life and performed all across the country including at the famed Metropolitan Opera, but she developed an affinity for Pittsburgh. "My father was a Navy band leader, and we moved around probably every two years. But my parents were born here, and my grandparents lived in McKees Rocks. We
Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art at The Frick
On May 1, 2018 / Attractions, Culture, Entertainment & Reviews, Life
Buying art is the same thing as falling in love. ~Nohra Haime Thank goodness, Pittsburgh-born philanthropist Paul Mellon (1907-1999) and his wife, Rachel (Bunny) (1910-2014), fell in love with art many times, or we wouldn't be enjoying the masterpieces now on display at The Frick Art Museum. From March 17 through July 8 2018, The Frick is exhibiting Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection
Pittsburgh's Amusement Park History
Pittsburgh is an ever-changing city. Many places of historical interest have been replaced with something more modern and arguably better. This was the fate for many of the amusement parks that were once scattered around the Greater Pittsburgh area. Modern day amusement parks got much of their start from trolley parks dating back to the late 1800's. Trolley parks were created to give streetcar riders


Love this. Wish I purchased more. It is light weight which it perfect year round. Love cotton which is hard to find but I tend to have allergies to synthetic fabrics. This is perfect for me hopefully the stock will be refilled.
A multi-pattern, multicolored design lends eye-catching style to this beautiful patchwork quilt. Accented with matching shams, this cozy cotton quilt is backed with cotton voile and is fully machine washable.
I love the colors in this quilt. True to what you see. It is not a thick quilt but okay with me. Soft to touch. Looks like it is made as well as anything else these days... I always fold back my quilts and just use the sheets and blanket anyway. Live in Texas! This will work for me.
Had to re-sew the quilt and the pillow shams!
Love the colours, and the material is good, but the quality is really poor. Had to sew some of the seams. VERY disappointed.
This set is very attractive and of ample size. I love the vibrant colors.


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Original Buff
Great Traits Book
Dog Bandana
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Over the past 10 years, as an organisation WWTW has supported 8,664 ex-servicemen, women and their families through our programmes, focusing on employment, mental health and reaching those on the periphery of the criminal justice system. The number of veterans that they help has increased over the past decade. In fact, last year they supported 1,875 individuals, a 28 per cent increase compared to 2018. These figures show that there is a clear demand for the services WWTW offers to the veteran community.
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On your line of duty as a technician in electronics sometimes you may come across a resistor burnt or has changed its original value and being one of the cheapest component in the market you visit your nearest electronics shop but alas, they can't get the exact resistor value you are looking for.
I have in mind the example of the current sense resistor which is found in almost all switch mode power supply. Current sense resistors are usually low ohm and very precise and therefore a small change in its original value (usually upwards) can cause the whole power supply to appear dead.
In this lesson I am going to talk a bit on how you can make up any value of resistor you need for replacement in case you can't get the exact value. In order to accomplish this mission we are going to use some characteristic of resistors when connected in series and in parallel.
If resistors are connected in series then their individual resistance are added together to get the total resistance. See picture below.
If resistors are connected in parallel their total resistance is always less than the smallest resistor value in the association. In the example below we have two one(1 Ohm) resistors in parallel. If the resistance value is the same in parallel association then the formula is simple. Just divide the value of one resistor by the number of resistors.
From the above picture we have the value of the resistor is One(1 Ohm), to get the total value of resistance in parallel just divide the 1 ohm by the number of resistors two(2) and the value is ½ or 0.5 ohms.
As you can see the total resistance value is less than the smallest value resistor (in our case one (1 ohm). Therefore if you wanted to get half ohm resistor there you are.
So next time you encounter problem of getting a certain resistor value now you know how to go round this problem.
sure Beh, but i haven't seen this resistor rated 1/2 watt. its always 2 watts so it usually big in size.
pls how do i know accurately the value of a burnt resistor plssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss?


Wolfbeat Studios is a professional recording studio consisting of two studio rooms (57m² and 10m²), a monitoring room (30m²), a sauna and a bathroom, which are all suitable for recording. All the insides are built of thermowood for great acoustics. There are two sections of different heights in the main room that gives you the alternative for different size sounds in one room.


可算名詞 [集合的に] (全)会員 《★【用法】 集合体と考える時には単数,構成要素を考える時には複数扱い》.
The entire membership oppose(s) the plan. 全会員がその案に反対している.
have a membership of 100 100名の会員を有する.
have a large membership 多数の会員を有する.
How large is the membership?
¶Membership fell from a high of 12.2 million in 1967 to 10.7 million in 1991.
In ASP.NET, an application feature that manages a store of user credentials for a Web site. Membership can be integrated with login controls or other ASP.NET authentication features to provide login security for your site.


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Hello, everyone - I hope you've been having an enjoyable, and ideally, musical holiday season. 2016 has not been the easiest of rides, but this blog entry is at least somewhere you can hopefully relax and enjoy some of the finest treats the year had to offer. I've repeated my approach from last time, which is to split my survey into two posts. This one covers music released on disc - then, I'll turn my attention to the live/onstage experiences I've loved during 2016 and assemble a second round-up when I get the chance!
The selections below cover both classical and rock/folk/electronica, in the hope that many of you will want to browse the lot. However - here's a brief digest for purists, with my album(s) of the year in bold type:
Classical: Hans Abrahamsen / Barbara Hannigan, Mahan Esfahani, Jamie Barton & Brian Zeger, Florian Boesch & Malcolm Martineau, Ian Bostridge & Xuefei Yang, Copland / John Wilson, Ruby Hughes & Joseph Middleton, Pavel Kolesnikov, Carolyn Sampson & Joseph Middleton, Roderick Williams & Iain Burnside.
(I had to pick joint 'winners' for the classical recordings as the Sampson/Middleton recording is so recent. I think, however, that I've already played it as much as all of the others.)
Rock/folk/electronica: Baltic Fleet, Brian Eno, The Handsome Family, The Olympians, Jo Quail, Raf and O, Sieben, Silver Apples, Trembling Bells, Wolf People.
(One last thing - I appreciate that some people prefer not to use Spotify, and I can be ambivalent towards it myself: for me, it's strictly a 'try before you buy' tool. I have only used Spotify links below where I reached the 'tearing my hair out' point trying to find suitable audio on YouTube, Bandcamp or similar.)
Hans Abrahamsen, Paul Griffiths: 'let me tell you' - Barbara Hannigan with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andris Nelsons
Although BH is without doubt a fearless and at times showstopping performer, it was interesting that two lower-key recordings emerged this year that were just as powerful as her more flamboyant enterprises. I love her Satie disc with Reinbert de Leeuw, 'Socrate', but this new Abrahamsen song cycle just had me spellbound. (And given its success in end-of-year lists and awards, many other listeners, too.) The text, adapted by Griffiths from his own novella, paints an alternative portrait of Ophelia using only her words from 'Hamlet'. But it's Hannigan, waving rather than drowning amid the orchestra, who gives her three dimensions.
Bach: 'Goldberg Variations' - Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
ME is a champion of the harpsichord in all senses of the word. He must be one of the greatest players in action today - however, he also speaks eruditely and engagingly about the music during his recitals, which often have a touch of the 'evil genius' about their programming. Refusing to limit the harpsichord to past glories, he airs recent and contemporary material, sometimes using double tracking or electronics to realise his ambitions. So, after a wide-ranging debut disc for DG, it was fascinating to hear him tackle one of the great works from start to finish on the follow-up. I have a few Goldberg recordings and this is rapidly becoming my favourite: so consistent is the sound that it feels as if musician and machine are one entity. Once I put it on, I can't stop it until it's finished.
Baltic Fleet: 'The Dear One'
Paul Fleming (the one-man band behind Baltic Fleet) returned with a third album of soaring instrumentals which seem to combine several of my favourite things: excellent deployment of synthesiser buzz and squelch, skyscraping melodies and tight, relentless beats. As much as I love 'high-end' electronica (Jean Michel Jarre, say, or Vangelis), the Baltic Fleet sound - somehow dense and wide-screen simultaneously - allows you to hear the painstaking assembly of the thing, and is all the better for it. 'Lights of Rock Savage':
Jamie Barton, Brian Zeger: 'All Who Wander'
This CD is almost self-recommending. Anyone lucky enough (like me) to be at JB's debut recital at Wigmore Hall this year will recall its real 'event' atmosphere - and that exhilarating feeling of a glorious voice barely contained by the venue is brilliantly captured on this disc. A great choice of repertoire: JB proves majestic in Mahler, dramatic yet agile in Dvořák and - in perhaps the highlight sequence - radiating a stately beauty in Sibelius. BZ is a robust and reactive partner. Sibelius's 'Flickan kom ifran sin alsklings mote (The girl returned from meeting her lover)':
Florian Boesch, Malcolm Martineau: 'Schubert'
After recording the three great song cycles, these regular recital partners produced a magical disc of 'stand-alone' Schubert lieder. Boesch gives a carefully calibrated performance, not quite the caressing tone of, say, Christian Gerhaher's 'Nachtviolen' disc, but brilliantly controlled: sometimes the ever-versatile Martineau takes the 'dramatic' lead over FB's conspiratorial tone. Then, when the voice is fully unleashed - for example, in 'Der Zwerg' - it's phenomenal. A spirited 'Fischerweise' aside, the mood is largely measured, the cumulative effect formidable. 'Am Tag Aller Seelen':
Ian Bostridge, Xuefei Yang: 'Songs From Our Ancestors'
A strong year for IB, with the 'Shakespeare Songs' collaboration with Antonio Pappano (and others, including lute genius Elizabeth Kenny) also something of a winner. But this recording has the edge - and it's certainly one of my discs of the year. It's the first release on a label run by Shakespeare's Globe, confusingly enough, to showcase music performed in its Sam Wanamaker Playhouse indoor space. In such an intimate arena, IB seems to find almost a new voice - not exactly relaxed, but miles away from his 'I'll get through this if it kills me' setting - and it's XY who punctuates his notes with a lively, kinetic accompaniment. In fact, at times it's The Xuefei Yang Show, as her solo guitar pieces astonish (especially the marvellous 'Sword Dance'). The programme, ranging from early music to newly-commissioned works, really satisfies. It's as if the duo, wondering if they'd ever get to do this again, threw as many elements in as they could to represent their two worlds. But this isn't their first recording together (see the excellent 'Britten Songs' CD) and I hope it's far from the last. Dowland's 'Come again, sweet love doth now invite':
Copland: 'Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 - Ballets' - BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Wilson
I realise that I'm such a song/opera person that it's quite rare for an orchestral disc to barge a few contenders out of the way and lodge itself in my end-of-year rave... but this recording is irresistible. While JW is surely now best known for his Orchestra's revivals of great US songbook/musical material, his affinity clearly extends to American classical and he brings the same 'brio' to this selection of some of Copland's best-loved works. I couldn't find a studio extract, but here's a concert with the same personnel, marrying much of the disc content with some Barber and Bernstein:
Brian Eno: 'The Ship'
I don't know if Brian Eno actually woke up one morning and thought, 'I know - what if I made an album of songs, but recorded it as if it was one of my ambient ones?' (Or vice versa.) But that appears to be exactly what he's done with 'The Ship'. Restful, enveloping, but somehow sinister, the title track stretches out to the length of a side - in old money. Appropriately enough, it manages to be both beautiful and eerie in the way the shipping forecast itself can be (as befits a lyric inspired by the Titanic). The multi-part track taking up the second half of the album, 'Fickle Sun', features a computer-generated poem read by Peter Serafinowicz, then morphs into a gorgeous cover of the Velvet Underground's 'I'm Set Free'. Eno hasn't sung on an album in some time, but here he marries his rich, elder-statesman vocal with the tracked harmony approach reminiscent from some of his production work (particularly with the band James). An album to lose yourself in:
The Handsome Family: 'Unseen'
It's hard to know what to say about husband-and-wife duo Brett & Rennie Sparks that I haven't already. They have been such a constant, consistent presence in my listening life for so long. I can't imagine a situation where every couple of years, another ten or twelve perfectly-wrought, haunted short stories set to stealthily catchy Americana doesn't arrive - but luckily, as yet I haven't had to. Two decades or so into their career, they suddenly came to wider public consciousness when their song 'Far From Any Road' was chosen as the theme to series 1 of 'True Detective'. (And the album that track hails from, 'Singing Bones', is an absolute belter.) But this latest record is right up their with their best - the deceptively gentle country-ish sway is actually swinging you over the edge of the abyss. Here's the lead track, 'Gold':
Ruby Hughes, Joseph Middleton: 'Nocturnal Variations'
JM - of whom more later - seems to have a habit of collaborating with singers to produce superbly-programmed recital discs. These 'songs of the night' sit together superbly - starting with Schubert's melodicism but progressing through Mahler, Berg and Britten to take us into a rather more disturbed, agitated dreamscape. Astonishingly, this is RH's debut song CD as solo singer: I love the regulated drama of her tone and her mastery of dynamics - as well as a real sense of control which unifies the selections, however stormy or serene. If anything, the Britten songs carry the day, where JM is clearly in his element - it's no wonder that the partnership also shine (along with other fine singers) on JM's album of Britten's Purcell Songs (also 2016). Schubert's 'Abendstern' features in the promotional clip for 'Nocturnal Variations':
Chopin: 'Mazurkas' - Pavel Kolesnikov, piano
I don't yet know as much about PK as I would like - I've yet to hear him live (hopefully fixing that in 2017), so my experience is limited to his two CDs for Hyperion: Tchaikovsky's 'Seasons' and now this. I feel there's so much to like about this collection - it's certainly confidently and winningly played. However, I can identify two aspects of the disc that explain why it appeals to my tastes so much. First, in the performance, I feel that PK never forgets that the pieces are rooted in dance, and even the more measured numbers reflect that rhythmic lilt. Second, the recording is just glorious. Thanks to whatever sonic alchemy occurs between the recording technicians and PK's left hand, there's a terrific 'bottom end' in the sound that really keeps the motor running. 'Mazurka in A minor', Op 68 no. 2:
The Olympians: 'The Olympians'
If I have a prejudice or bias in choosing this album, it's perhaps that I have a planet-sized soft spot for house bands. Stax had Booker T and the MGs, Studio One had Sound Dimension... and the great modern soul label Daptone Records seemingly has a whole host of musicians that have come together in various combinations - including the Budos Band and the Menahan Street Band, who have made superb instrumental albums in their own right. The Olympians project - the name seems to belong to the band, the album and the concept - brings together a large collective of these folk for more vocal-free goodness. I particularly like the way (and this might appeal to fans of, say, early Lambchop) that such a sizeable gathering plays with such discipline and restraint to make an undeniably funky, but laidback, sound. A modest triumph. 'Mercury's Odyssey':
Jo Quail: 'Five Incantations'
JQ may not need an introduction to many Specs readers, but for those unfamiliar: she is a cellist and composer who uses looping technology to perform her incantatory creations live. That's a massive over-simplification of her accomplishments, though - equally adept on both acoustic and electric cello, her body of work ranges from her solo recordings and performances to longer-form classical arrangements and compositions for multiple musicians: a recent highlight being the 20-minute 'This Path With Grace', for strings and choir. Always open to keeping pieces alive with onstage collaboration and improvisation with guest musicians, by contrast JQ finally achieved another contrasting ambition on disc: a solo suite of linked sections, playable note for note from start to finish by her alone. It's an enthralling work: taking the elements as inspiration, for every soaring rush ('White Salt Stag', and especially the unstoppable, yet unpredictable rhythms of 'Salamander'), there's calmer contemplation ('The Breathing Hand', 'Between Two Waves'), all building to the unforgettable climax of 'Gold', which brings all the moods of the album together magnificently. Here's an edit of 'Gold', but really you need the full version, so I'd buy the album without hesitation if I were you:
Raf and O: 'Portal'
Sometimes, it feels to easy to type: 'Here's a band that doesn't sound like anybody else.' But here's a band that doesn't sound like anybody else. Duo Raf and O are the closest I've heard a group come to embodying the phrase 'ghost in the machine'. Raf's vocals might be otherworldy but her voice can convey worlds of frailty or fortitude. Supporting her electric guitar caresses, 'O' drums on a kit that is, in turn, fed through electronics that turn him into a futuristic percussion ensemble - as if a drum machine wanted to play in the style of a real human. As a result, their music - especially on the perfectly-named 'Portal' - sits on some kind of border between pop as we know it, and pop as we don't. Magical, enigmatic. 'Sonnet 62':
Carolyn Sampson, Joseph Middleton: 'A Verlaine Songbook'
CS made her entry into the world of art song - aided and abetted by the redoubtable JM - early last year with 'Fleurs', my favourite classical disc of 2015. Clearly toying with me, they've unleashed the follow-up just before the end of this year, so I haven't had that long to live with it. No matter. Arguably, it's even better than its predecessor: this time, there's a more completely realised overall mood - as all the texts are by Verlaine, we're more or less wholly in the sensual, seductive world of the 'mélodie'. What better guides than that beautiful, endlessly flexible and nimble voice, supported by such versatile, responsive accompaniment? I've already played this more times than I care to count - it seems to afford limitless listening pleasure. Sadly, I can't find any evidence at all of a CS/JM Verlaine performance online - the closest I can get is this live rendition of a Fauré song from 'Fleurs',
'Les roses d'Isaphan', which will at least give you some idea of their approach:
Sieben: 'The Old Magic'
Sieben is the songwriting/performing alias of Matt Howden, another artist who I already feel hugely evangelical about - and who then routinely justifies that faith by releasing ever more brilliant records. One reason MH is so good is his restlessness and innovation: using a violin and loop station (and yes, he is a kindred spirit and collaborator with Jo Quail, mentioned above), he adds precision lyrics to persuasive grooves: rejecting, revisiting, revitalising themes and concepts - and sometimes entire songs - moving them on, refining them as he wrests more and more sonic possibilities from his set-up. Embarking on a series of EPs that, in the words, resurrected both past societies, and at the same time, past themes that he had purposefully buried, MH excavated on, honing the EP tracks themselves into an emerging, coherent whole. As a result, 'The Old Magic' album is a work crafted with extraordinary commitment and care, bolstered by its companion CD 'The Other Side of the River', which features original EP versions and what, in old money, would be 'B-sides', covers of older Sieben tracks in 'Old Magic' style. Still a one-man band, he is now the master of an electronic string orchestra thanks to his pedals, singing with great range and greater confidence, creating a sound that's memorably heavy, knotty, organic and immersive. Unmissable. Here's the title track:
The Old Magic (2016) by Sieben
Silver Apples: 'Clinging To A Dream'
I don't know too many details about the history of Silver Apples, except that they go back some 50 years, and the founder - and now sole - member is a chap called Simeon. The band - or at least the band name - has survived record company collapse, years of inactivity, serious injury and even death. Woozily psychedelic with a backbone of motorik oomph, this new record was his/their first in nearly two decades, and arrived not a moment too soon. The lovely opening track, 'The Edge of Wonder':
Trembling Bells: 'Wide Majestic Aire'
One of the UK's finest bands continued their full-on, at-the-top-of-their-game and hopefully infinite imperial phase by releasing this more folk-orientated companion CD (some say mini-album, but there are enough ideas on this for a box set) to 'The Sovereign Self', their rockier, genre-defying epic album of 2015. The title track (video below) feels like a standard of tomorrow, while songs like 'England was Aghast' demonstrate TB's perfect-storm combination of complex, winding melody and exquisite turns of phrase. There's always a joyous friction between Lavinia Blackwall's vocals - by turns angelic and earth(l)y - and the band's combustion engine of twin guitar, keyboards, bass - plus drummer and songwriter-in-chief Alex Nielson's jazz-inflected insistence on playing his kit like the lead instrument.
Roderick Williams, Iain Burnside: 'Schubert Lieder: Der Wanderer'
The second in pianist IB's series of Schubert discs on Delphian (following the wonderful 'Nacht und Träume' with Ailish Tynan) places the excellent RW centre-stage. As the name suggests, the track selection reflects the recurring 'wanderer' theme in a number of Schubert songs, perfect for the singer's rich, but never overpowering, baritone. There are moments of righteous gusto (the CD begins at a great clip with 'Wilkommen und Abschied' - see the extract below, filmed by Katherine Cooper of Presto Classical) - but perhaps the disc scales its greatest heights at its most tender and contemplative: a delicately hymnal 'Wandrers Nachtlied II' and a beautiful version of one of my personal favourites, 'Auf dem Wasser zu singen'.
Wolf People: 'Ruins'
Wolf People are one of the best live bands I've seen in recent years. Sometimes, it's hard to believe they're actually current: they appear to have beamed in from a far longer-haired, wider-trousered time when an entire record could be sustained by a riff and a sense of wonder. Catchy and tuneful, but also a mite spooked - and devoutly respecting the occasional need for a 'wig-out' - it's a pleasure to report that new album 'Ruins' more than matches past glories. Here's 'Ninth Night':
As a post-script, I wanted to quickly mention a few 2016 reissues - so, not part of the main list, but worth a look:
Dead Can Dance: 'Garden of the Arcane Delights / Peel Sessions'
4AD are reissuing their DCD catalogue on vinyl. To bolster the re-release of the 4-song EP 'Garden of the Arcane Delights', they have added the band's Peel Sessions. In a fan-friendly move that does them great credit, they have also put this title out on CD, so that non-vinyl buyers can also have access to the Peel recordings. They are well worth acquiring for that 'live in the studio' feel that adds a bit of extra energy to some of the album versions - this thunderous version of 'Threshold', for instance:
Herbie Nichols: Four Great Albums
A woefully-underrated jazz pianist, Herbie Nichols seemed to slip under the radar and - unless I'm wrong - his Blue Note recordings simply went out of print for well over a decade. Reissue label Avid to the rescue, with four lovely albums on a 2CD package. Looks a bit primitive, but the musical contents are anything but. Here's 'Step Tempest':
Pentangle: 'Finale'
I consider myself very fortunate to have seen the reformed Pentangle at what might have been one of their very final gigs before the death of the great Bert Jansch. (Now, of course, his sparring partner John Renbourn has gone, too.) I had no idea any of those late concerts were taped, or that some years later, we would now have the permanent record - a great memory, and fine performances. This is 'Hunting Song':
House calls: the greatness of 'Together Alone'
Northern songs: Britten and Puccini in Edinburgh
Exquisite hour (and 20 minutes): Carolyn Sampson &...