Shijuku Kabukicho – Is one of the largest full red-light district in Tokyo, this street is named Kabukicho, also known as "the street that never sleeps," coming and going late into the night is still lit.
Toyko Disneyland – There are seven themed areas in the park, each complementing each other yet unique in their style. Made up of the World Bazaar, the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and two mini lands, Critter Country and Mickey's Toontown, the park is noted for its huge open spaces to accommodate the massive crowds the park receives on even moderate attendance days.
Japan Universal Studios – One of the Universal Studios theme parks in the world, its design close to the design in Orland. Theme Park game including "Jurassic Park" rivers adventure, "Terminator 2:3-D'', "Spider-Man'', "Jaws adventure'' etc.
Odaiba – is a large-scale comprehensive shopping mall, adjacent to the waterfront park, and the Statue of Liberty, Rainbow Bridge apart, facing central Tokyo, a great location. Collection including fashion stores, Disney stores, Daiso hundred shops, children's city about 80 stores and other shopping areas and Japanese, Western, Chinese, Italian and other various types of food area.
After arrival Kansai/Narita, meet with guide and transfer to【Osaka Castle Park】take photo ~ Osaka most prosperous commercial area【Shinsaibashi-suji】The major shopping paradise in downtown Osaka ~【Dotonbori】This food paradise has two rows of eateries packed wall-to-wall with Japanese nosh of every imaginable kinds and prices. After that, proceed to visit【Kuromon Seafood Market】.
Today transfer to【Osaka Universal Studio】enjoy the fun of theme Park with Hollywood Box Office Movie: THE SHARK, BACK TO THE FUTURE, TERMINATOR, JURRASIC PARK ....etc. Bringing you into the movie with a lot of stimulate.
Today proceed to【Nara Park】view the Nara Buddha Statue and lovely deer in the park. Transfer to 【Todaiji】 It's built by Buddhist Holy Wu Tianhuang at AD 728, because it located at east of the capital Heijo, so called Todaiji (Tomeans East in Japan). Next visit【Nishijin】and 【Kiyomizu Temple】Founded in 788 predates Kyoto and is dedicated to the 11-faced kannon. The temple's main hall (hondo) sits perched our over the mountain side on massive wooden pilings. You can enjoy souvenir and craft shopping here. Then transfer to Kyoto.
【Toyohashi】is Japan Southeastern city (Shinkansen) proceed【Owakudani】 boiling volcano valley, where sulfurous fumes rise from crevices in the rocks and it's legendary (Note: Due to increased seismic activity that could lead to a minor volcanic eruption, and will replace with going Peace Park). Next proceed to【Fuji Gogoume】boarded the symbol of Japan's largest dormant volcano tour (depending on weather conditions). Then proceed to【Lake Fuji】 the name Fuji Five Lakes comes from the fact that there are five lakes formed by previous eruptions of Mount Fuji. The Fuji Five Lakes was selected by the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun and Osaka Mainichi Shimbun.
【Asakusa Kannon Temple】the oldest temple, it is the Edo era where people live and work. Then visit 【Nakamise】two neatly lined sell specialty pieces, there are many hundred years old paved, colorful embellishment of goods is very lively. After experience【Waterbus】, 【Odaiba】is Tokto the largest artificial island. In Tokyo Bay, Rainbow Bridge, Fuji TV Odaiba background of a large shopping facilities, restaurants, playgrounds, spa in one, is the city of the benefits of relaxation. Family, friends, lovers similar to Odaiba step on the beach; playing with water, spend a happy day. Next to【Akihabara】 is a full of "otaku culture" place 【Shinjuku】visit (Kabukicho) is a Japanese famous entertainment street.
Today take your own transportation to【Tokyo Disneyland】Today let us enjoy the fun with Mickey and Mini… There are 6 Theme in the park, the procession of your favourite cartoon character. Let your dreams of your childhood days come true. Let FUN!!!!


Everglades Holiday Park Review by Sherryl Wilson | Everglades Airboat Tours and The Gator Boys!
Can I just say I understand how the Everglades Holiday Park was just recently voted the #1 theme park in South Florida in the 2014 WPLG-Miami "Top Ten" competition.
Talk about exciting and something the entire family can do together!
Also make sure to register for Birthday Deals! Can you imagine having your birthday party there? How awesome!


text:
Publish Date November 4, 2014
Iniparib May Be Effective as Salvage Therapy for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Jason Hoffman, PharmD, RPh
Iniparib plus gemcitabine and carboplatin did not meet criteria for the primary endpoints of survival.
According to a new study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers have found that iniparib plus gemcitabine and carboplatin did not meet prespecified criteria for the primary endpoints of progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
For this phase 3, multicenter, open-label study, researchers randomly assigned 519 women with stage 4 or locally recurrent triple-negative breast cancer to receive gemcitabine plus carboplatin or the same chemotherapy regimen in addition to iniparib.
Of the patients that received the three-drug combination, 65% were 50 years of age or older, 98% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, 89% had received prior chemotherapy, and 57% were receiving this treatment as first-line therapy.
Patients received gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 and carboplatin area under the curve 2 on days 1 and 8, and patients in the three-drug group also received iniparib 5.6 mg/kg on days 1, 4, 8, and 11. Cycles were repeated every 3 weeks.1
Results showed no statistically significant difference for overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]=0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69, 1.12; P =0.28) or progression-free survival (HR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.65,0.98; P=0.98) between both groups.
RELATED: Breast Cancer (Recurrent or Metastatic) Treatment Regimens
The researchers performed an exploratory analysis and found that patients receiving iniparib plus gemcitabine and carboplatin had improved overall survival (HR=0.65; 95% CI, 0.46,0.91) or progression-free survival (HR=0.68; 95% CI, 0.50,0.92) compared with those who received gemcitabine and carboplatin only.
The most common adverse effects in both groups were fatigue, nausea, constipation, vomiting, headache, and dyspnea. Incidence rates were similar among both groups.
Breast Cancer In The Clinic
Breast Cancer (Recurrent or Metastatic) Treatment Regimens
Emerging Therapeutic Approaches in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Emerging Therapies for Ovarian Cancer
Temozolomide Not Effective for Brain Metastases from Breast Cancer
Close more info about Iniparib May Be Effective as Salvage Therapy for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


June 17, 2004 (Beachwood, Ohio) - Tremco Inc. announces TremPrime LV, a product line extension of its popular solvent-based asphalt primer that meets strict VOC (volatile organic compound) compliance limits for asphalt primers in specific geographic regions of the United States. This product line extension is a direct result that meets the needs of specific customers who require a low VOC, asphaltic primer in locations where air quality regulations are strict and the use of asphalt primers has been limited.
Customers in New York City; Jefferson County, Kentucky; Maricopa County, AZ; California; Massachusetts; and New Jersey, and who need roofing repairs and maintenance, now have the option to use TremPrime LV for their roofing needs. This multi-purpose primer can be used on a variety of surfaces including concrete, metal, and asphalt surfaces. TremPrime LV has high penetration qualities that allow maximum absorbance into substrates to improve bond strength. The product is asbestos free and does not exceed volatile organic compound limits in the previously listed locations. "As air quality regulations become tighter and tighter, we want to offer our customers alternative solutions to meet ASTM, State, and Federal VOC requirements," according to Kurt Sosinski, Product Manager for Tremco Inc.
For more information about Tremco's TremPrime LV, contact Tremco at 800-562-2728 or on the web at www.tremcoroofing.com. Headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, Tremco Incorporated and Weatherproofing Technologies, Inc., Tremco's service division, are ISO 9001:2000 certified companies that provide Roofing and Weatherproofing Peace of Mind to educational, healthcare, government and industrial customers. In business since 1928, Tremco joined the RPM International, Inc. family of companies in 1997.


Researchers at the University of Maryland found that the average computer with internet access faces an attempted cyber attack every 39 seconds. One in three Americans is affected every year.
Approximately 65 percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses, according to a report by the Kelser Corporation, a technology consulting firm.


The year opened with a self-assigned open source DCP quest for The Incident at Tower 37. Now it is summer, and with Caldera deep in the animation phase with an amazing team both local and remote, we've got a new set of problems.
The particular one I'm looking to solve is related to animation reviews. Our ideal tool would allow the director to load up HD QuickTime movies on his machine, point at the screen, talk freely, hear what others have to say no matter where they are, pause and restart the video, scrub to a particular point in the playlist, and make annotations. And so on. Remote participants would be watching the same movie at the same quality and hearing the comments/seeing the director as he spoke.
This problem has been solved a hundred times by lots of different people. I know Animation Mentor has some solution for running reviews with bunch of participants, for example. With all the World Cup soccer I've been watching lately on ESPN3, it appears that live streaming of HQ (if not HD) content works even on my paltry DSL line at home. I've also read about cineSync which seems to be designed for this kind of situation. However, I have yet to find an easy and free solution.
There are a few paths worth exploring. If I could set up a situation that streams the director's screen and audio input in a bandwidth-sensitive way (like ESPN3) to anyone interested in watching/listening, that would be great. A test with simple iChat-based screen sharing between two macs didn't do so well, however - the network couldn't maintain a bandwidth that led to satisfactory results on the viewing end. Too choppy and blocky.
Another idea is for every interested party to pre-cache the movies being reviewed, and then have the director launch a master movie player. All participants would launch slave players, and the control commands (play, pause, seek to X, and so on) would be all that would have to be sent over the network from the master to the slaves. Pluses: this is almost possible already with VLC using its TCP interface, and it ensures that everyone is seeing the highest quality video independent of bandwidth. Minuses: it doesn't allow for annotation, nor audio communication. This would handle just the video part.
Part of working on a problem like this is knowing what the heck to search for while doing my research, and I confess that I'm rather ignorant in that regard. What I might call "remote animation review" someone else might call "live streaming screencast" or something. I will post my results as I go, but honestly part of posting this before having any results to share is to ask people for their help finding the sub-components of this solution online. Thanks in advance.


Jonny Mowlem has a wealth of racing experience dating back to his Formula Ford debut in 1990. He moved to Sportscars six years later where he won the Porsche Cup UK championship two years on the trot. With multiple Le Mans starts under his belt, the British driver claimed European Le Mans Series title honours in the GTE class in 2013 and continues to race in differing categories and championship including the Gulf 12H where he was runner-up in 2017.


As an authorised Merlo dealer in South East Queensland, we stock a range that includes Merlo heavy duty telehandlers, construction telehandlers, agricultural telehandlers and the Merlo Multifarmer, which combines the functions of a telehandler with those of a tractor.
With more than half a century's expertise in design and safety, Merlo continues to refine the technology to improve the way we workand thanks to their innovative approach to product development, they are now the world market leader in hydrostatic transmission telehandlers.
Built-in display for highlighting load related bar graph, wheels stabiliser work, weight lifted, maximum rated capacity, graphic location of load and attachment installed.
Give your business a competitive edge with unparalleled deals on Merlo telehandler rental or sales at Lencrow, with over 40 years of experience in the supply of quality materials handling equipment.
Lencrow Forklifts is one of Australia's biggest independent forklift suppliers and we have consultants in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Newcastle who can help you select the right equipment for your business.
An Australian family business, our goal as a company has always been to ensure that Australian industry has the support it needs with a one-stop solution for its materials handling equipment. And with over 60 staff and five national branches, we're confident we have what's needed to continue delivering that service.
From a pallet truck to a telehandler, we have the biggest and best selection of new, used and rental equipment in Australia. We can offer a solution to every logistical problem thanks to after sales service and support that always goes above and beyond.
All of our workshops are equipped with the latest technology and our technicians are trained to provide a complete range of services. Our Planned Preventative Maintenance System (PPMS) allows us to schedule a tailored service program for your equipment that will minimise its lifetime running costs.
We also have around the clock emergency forklift breakdown service, with average response times of around 2 hours in metro areas and 4 hours in regional areas.
Have an enquiry about Merlo forklifts?
For further information on our range of Merlo telehandlers or any of our other quality materials handling products, browse our website or call us on 1300 536 276. You can also contact us any time via our online enquiry form or by dropping into one of our five Australia-wide branches.


First performance: 21st December 2007, Opera North, Leeds.
This adaptation, based on Carlo Collodi's original well-loved Pinocchio story, is a unique and magical full-scale work for a family audience, a spectacular introduction to the world of opera that combines fairytale dreaminess and humour with some surprisingly dark undertones, and ultimately asks the question' what does it mean to be really human?
The whole range of operatic voices is engaged in the retelling – nine principals, including coloratura soprano, basso profundo and countertenor, play 16 roles, and there are also small solo parts for members of the chorus.
From the moment Geppetto makes Pinocchio out of a log, the puppet gets into scrapes. He is nearly thrown on the fire by a Puppetmaster, who gives him five gold coins. A wily Cat and Fox try to get the coins, first by hanging Pinocchio outside the Blue Fairy's house, and later by tricking him. Pinocchio goes in search of justice but is imprisoned, and when he eventually returns to the Blue Fairy, all he finds is her tomb. Later, he escapes being eaten by the Big Green Fisherman, only to be turned into a donkey in Funland, and thrown into the sea, where he is swallowed by a Big Fish. In the fish's belly he finds his father, and rescues him. Back on dry land, Pinocchio works hard to restore his father's health, and is rewarded by becoming a real boy.
Opera North, UK, December 2007, January to March 2008 (including performances at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London).
Theater Chemnitz, Germany, Co-production with Opera North. June to July, October to December 2008, October to December 2009.
Minnesota Opera, USA, February to March 2009.
Muse Opera, South Korea, June 2010.
Oper Stuttgart, Germany, November 2010 to March 2011, November to December 2011.
Opera North, UK, September to December 2010.
Teatr Sats, Russia, January, March to June and October 2012.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, UK, March 2014.
Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Germany, April 2015.


The actors who dub the voices of Homer and Marge in the French version of The Simpsons, Phillipe Peythieu and Veronique Augereau, are married in real life. They met during while auditioning for the show in 1989 and got married in 2001.
Peythieu also dubs Danny DeVito and Augereau is the usual voice of Courtney Cox in French movies.


text:
BESA Pipefitting and Welding Competition held at Edinburgh College
Some of Scotland's top young engineering and construction workers took part in the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) Pipefitting and Welding Competition at Edinburgh College today
Apprentices studying towards their SVQ 3 Heating and Ventilation Award at the college's Midlothian Campus competed against their counterparts from Glasgow Kelvin College in two challenges.
The challenges, based on both pipefitting and gas-welding disciplines, put the students through their paces, testing the skills and knowledge they have learned through their apprenticeship and college training to date.
The welding element of the competition was based on the industry-recognised TR/5 code of practice and students had the choice of completing one difficult weld or two slightly easier ones.
The pipefitting challenge saw students work to a brief to create a frame to specific dimensions using skills and techniques learned at various stages of their training including threading, bending, soldering and connecting steel and copper pipework.
Ewan Finlay, one of Edinburgh College's representatives who completed the welding challenge said, said: "I've really enjoyed being a part of this competition. It was fantastic to be selected to take part and hopefully I've done a good job.
"I competed last year in the pipefitting challenge so I wanted to come back this year and do the welding element. The standard of competition both years has been really high. It's definitely something I'd encourage future students to get involved in."
Ross Milligan, curriculum manager for Engineering at Edinburgh College, said: "It was brilliant to host the BESA Pipefitting and Welding Competition at our Midlothian Campus today. All of the students involved did an excellent job and should be proud of their efforts – clearly all their hard work to date has paid dividends.
"These sort of events are crucial as they offer students a different type of platform to excel and demonstrate the skills they have learned during their college education, which can only be of benefit to them in the future. We'd like to thank BESA for using our campus for this event, allowing us to showcase the top facilities we have here at Edinburgh College."
The winners of this year's Pipefitting and Welding Competition will be announced at the BESA annual dinner held in Glasgow on Thursday 7 June and will go on to compete in a UK-wide competition held later this year.
24/04/2018 in Engineering, News.
Bright Sparks join Electric Vehicle Revolution
Virtual Open Days
Live Q and As – Virtual Open Days
← Green Student of the Year Award nominations open
Edinburgh College Development Trust seeks nominations for Student of the Year →


(1/23/09 – UK Guardian) Germany's environment agency has recommended to German citizens that they should lower meat consumption, if they want to lower their carbon footprint and stop global warming.
Troge explained that agriculture was responsible for 15% of Germany's greenhouse gas emissions and that meat production was the most energy-intensive form of farming. I have to admit it is surprising to hear, considering that Germany is a world leader in terms of meat consumption (39% of Germany's total calorie intake derives from meat and meat products, compared with 25% in Italy). It'll be interesting to see how citizens react.
Edmund Geisen, agricultural adviser to the liberal Free Democrats, was not pleased with Troge's message.
Enlightened consumers deciding for themselves? It is an argument we hear often. But how many consumers are aware that the price of meat does not reflect it's environmental costs? I bet not many. Troge's message will help consumers make more educated and enlightened decisions about their carbon footprint, rather than dwell in ignorance.


text:
TV May Be Getting Stale, But Commercials Amuse Me Greatly
I had been avoiding watching this commercial for a while - I read a lot of feminist blogs/magazines and there has been a shitstorm of controversy over this particular ad. And I'd been avoiding it because I think it's strange that pubic grooming is seen as a political statement for a lot of people...and maybe I am naive to think it's personal preference.
It does puzzle me as to why a mass-produced ad like this panders to stereotypes -- the Asian woman giggling about having 'tiny gardens'? Please. Having been to more than a few onsens (communal bathing houses in Japan, it's no big deal to be naked with strangers in Japan), I have seen more than my fair share of Japanese 'bush', and to brand all Asian women as 'neat & tidy' (like through this ad) is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.
Even the way it starts out "sometimes a GIRL can't help..." THESE ARE WOMEN! Not GIRLS!
This rant is not directed towards you, Wilma, I see the humour in the ad, I just hate that it's perpetuating overdone, unhelpful stereotypes. (big bushy afro pubes, teeny tiny Asian pubes -- ha ha ha ha).
Don't even get me started on the vulva/flower metaphor. But basically, it's not the pube trimming that annoys me, it's the racial stereotyping.
Your comments are really intriguing to me & now I have to think about things.
I consider myself a feminist, but I am most certainly not a hard-core feminist. I am not offended by lots of things that other feminists who are more political than I find offensive. I don't look for deeper meaning in most things. I don't think I'm shallow, just ignorant of most of those things. Plus, despite my insistance that I am a first-class bitch, my first reaction to 99% of life is to laugh. {Thanx Grandma!}
I also am, by my own admission, mostly oblivious to racism & racial stereotypes. I don't know what a lot of racial stereotypes even are!
I never would have interpretated this commercial as racist or stereotypical. I just assumed the Asian woman had a "tiny garden" because she is petite.
I'm curious to see the male equivalent of this type of ad. There seems to be so many articles in women's mags about waxing vs. shaving vs. lasering vs. whatever, and I just don't know why male pubic hair isn't fussed over as much. Female hygiene vs. male hygiene seems a little bit off-balance.
I recently read an advice column where a guy was writing for advice on how to convince his Italian girlfriend to do a bit of a bikini area trim before going on vacation in her skimpy new bikini with him and his parents. (He didn't care but he 'knew' his parents would be offended.) I can't remember the advice given. But if she's okay with her wild pubes pouring out of her bikini area, why should she have to trim to satisfy someone else's idea of beauty?
And at the same time, I also think that every male and female should be harshly, strongly educated about the number of sweat glands in the male and female genital areas and how bacteria clings to hairs and encourages bad smells.
Knowing is half the battle.
And now, I have officially spent way too much thinking power over a freaking tv commercial. I'm going to go outside now and get a life. (I hope they're on sale....)
Tom Weston said...
I just found it funny.
Having my pubic hair critiqued by a bunch of homophobic firefighters, it sometimes does go both ways. I didn't actually feel shame for the 70s look I had going. It merely didn't occur to me that anyone would care... especially those guys.
when I pointed out that fact that they had clearly been checking me out, I think I sort of embarrassed more than a couple of them.
Wilma - I love the quote from Horace Mann you have here in the comment box. Sometimes I cringe when I remember the self-righteous opinions I held even 5 years ago.......
Fairy Mae said...
Hahaha...this commericial is fab! I think it's really funny.


So, next year, Abaddon Books will have existed as an entity for ten years (the first book came out around a year later, in 2006, but we started being book people in 2005).
Ten years! Ten years. TEN YEARS! A lot can happen in ten years. Like me: I freaked out at the senior prom, joined the Army, went into business for myself and became a professional killer.
Wait, no; that's the plot of the John Cusack vehicle Grosse Point Blank. I get confused sometimes.
Okay, so: I've been with Rebellion Publishing for a hair over five years, and it's the best game in town. Big enough to swim at the deep end, small enough to do we want. Abaddon Books is a home for risk-taking, innovation and irreverence, and we're immeasurably proud to have brought some of the best, brightest and most challenging new names onto the market.
And here we are doing it again! Our last subs month was a blast; the talent, passion and dedication shining through every page blew me away. The only drawback, in fact, was having to say 'no' to so many people who frankly deserved a shot, because so damned many of you were so good. And I'm pretty sure this is going to be even bigger. So go ahead and do it! Bleed and sweat on your keyboard and make my job twice as hard as last time. It's all I want.
Man, that was a great movie.
Oh, wait, you're still here.
So we're looking for two things! Firstly, I would love to see a submission for a new 30,000-word novella set in one of our existing worlds, particularly The Afterblight Chronicles, Tomes of the Dead, Weird Space or Gods & Monsters. Pick up some our existing characters – I would love to see a "what happened next" for The Culled's nameless hero and Kill or Cure's Jasmine! – or bring a new character into the mix of any of our worlds.
Secondly, and more importantly, I'm looking for a new world! Find something we haven't done. Hard SF, maybe, or a monster we haven't done (werewolves? faeries?). Maybe something I haven't thought of at all and therefore can't give an example of! Again, I want a 30,000-word novella, which will kick start a new series in 2015.
You've got until mid-February. The doors open (metaphorically) at midnight on January 14th, 2015, and close at midnight on February 15th, 2015. Send us a 150-word "elevator pitch," a 1000-word chapter-by-chapter breakdown, and a 2000-word sample, to submissions@rebellion.co.uk, by the deadline, and expect to hear from me... some point. When I get around to it. It can take a while (okay: you can start chasing me on the 1st March).
What are you still doing here? Do it.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ADDENDUM! Abaddon is a Work For Hire imprint. That means that we buy your work off you outright, rather than the licensing-with-royalties deal you're probably more aware of. The money's a bit better up front, but you lose control once we buy it. This may not be for all people. If you want to understand more about the Work For Hire model, feel free to get in touch and ask some questions.


text:
Home Music Holy Hell Holy Hell! System of a Down Turns 20
Holy Hell Music Music Features
Holy Hell! System of a Down Turns 20
By Darryl G. Wright
It's hard to imagine how System of a Down became such a popular hit metal machine. It would be inaccurate to say that their debut record came out of nowhere. But you don't get signed to American / Columbia records on a whim and in 1998, record companies were already increasingly engaging in risk-reduction. How then, does a band of mostly American Armenians with an erratic and unapologetically bizarre sound break into mainstream music and start topping charts without ever changing their formula? Larger bands have begun on platforms that bordered on the experimental and, much to their original fans chagrin, slowly modified their sound to appeal to larger and larger audiences (I'm looking at you, Korn). When you realize that they came to the attention of legendary producer Rick Rubin after releasing a demo tape and playing some of the most legendary LA clubs, you begin to realize how such a distinct sound could have come to be. Rubin is known for his philosophy of bringing a band into the studio and encouraging them to double-down on the things that make them most special. From The Red Hot Chilli Peppers to The Beastie Boys, Rubin has encouraged those who dared to be different to be powerfully different and to dial it up to 10. He can take a unique approach or characteristic sound and make it the pillar of your identity. This seems to be what he brought out in System of a Down. Some crunchy distorted guitar lines never hurts either. System of a Down begins fast, hard, and intense and that's before the vocals even start. Once Serj Tankian begins climbing up and down the scale, sliding in and out of a high-pitched wails and low, guttural roars almost as fast as the bars change the listener is either going to dive in and hope for more or run screaming from the room in search of something far less stressful. It's exactly this sort of polarity that the band encountered on the release of this album that ultimately resulted in its success. Fans of metal are already fans of extremes. If there is something that polarizes, or is denounced, there's a good chance it'll be embraced by the black leather clad masses. Bring them your tired, bring them your poor, bring them your incredibly hardcore.
Just as abruptly as "Suite Pee", the albums opener ends, "Know" kicks in with a rapidly cascading drum pattern. Eventually Tankian begins to roar and the spotless, tight guitar riffs snarls to life right underneath him. The band uses pattern changes to emphasize the drama of a sound which is something that's also common to certain forms of traditional Armenian music. It might be a bit of an overstatement to suggest that traditional music has that great an influence on their sound but at the very least there are some structural similarities. The melodic progression of "Spiders" falls in line with much of the music which was being made in the late 90s. The slow drum and bass plod interrupted by loud guitar strumming and riffs has more in common with Radiohead's "Creep" or Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" than anything in a traditional Armenian music catalog. Too much has been made of this idea. Better to say that the band had a knack for intensity. That intensity is on display in every track on this album regardless of their relative tempo or melodic content. On the other hand, "Soil", in its last few moments has guitar lines which absolutely sound like something atypical for American rock-n-roll. This occurs for a matter of seconds before the music drops out entirely and Tankian rises to a pterodactyl shriek for "Why the fuck did you take him away from us, you motherfucker?!/ Fucker!/ Fucker!".
What is perhaps most remarkable about this album is that end-to-end the band follows the same sort of patchwork approach of bringing together disparate riffs, melodies, vocals, and even keyboards and yet at no point does anything ever sound the same. Each song is distinct, original and completely unrelenting in its aural beat-down. In "War?", they screech "We will fight the heathens/ We will fight the heathens!". Moments later, "DDevil", has Tankian engaging in some self-mockery as he squeal and giggles his way through lines like "The devil is so lonely" and "Stupid people do stupid things/ Smart people outsmart each other/ Then themselves/ Then themselves.". At one point during the middle of the song he can be heard snorting as if barely being able to keep it together in light of his own antics. There is no suggestion at all of this same type of humour when "Darts" engages in the same sort of all-over-the-map vocal dynamics.
Their later albums would eventually go on to out-sell their debut and most people would remember them now for the follow-up Toxicity. But the attributes that made Toxicity such an amazing album in itself were first introduced and forged on their self-titled debut. Purists would likely argue for its superiority but one thing is for certain, the band was one of the most consistent and uncompromising in their approach to music over the course of their career. System of a Down sounds as fresh today both in terms of production and and timelessness as it did on the day it was released. That's the test of a classic album and System of a Down will go down in metal history as one of the most unique, exciting and innovative records to rise up and stomp all over the memory of the sloppy slacker drawl known as grunge. Metal and hardcore were born again.
TagsSystem of a Down
Previous article Welcome to Mercy
Next article Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: Live from the Ryman
Darryl G. Wright
Darryl Wright has been writing fiction and critiquing pop culture and music since the 80's. He was the two time winner of the Step Up! Slam Poetry event in Ottawa, Canada. He's promoted shows, directed music festivals and even DJ'ed a Fringe Festival. Today he's a father, software developer and writer who makes his home in Halifax, Canada.
More By Darryl G. Wright
More In Holy Hell
The 1975: A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships
So what do you expect from The 1975? …
The Prodigy: No Tourists
A fun romp through the past. …
Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local
Unlike most of the hip-hop you'll hear this year. …
With their sophomore album, the Aislers Set branched out instrumentally, into wider sonic …
The legacy of NYC Ghosts & Flowers is more remembered today than the actual album's c…
Brock is remarkably adept at capturing how manic depression feels and moves. …
Top Tags brian de palma scott walker spike lee monthly mixtape criminally Vincente Minnelli David Bowie david lynch Bob Dylan Portland Werner Herzog Sub Pop jonathan demme Steven Soderbergh nicolas cage


A STAS multirail system is a picture hanging system and artwork lighting rolled into one.
Inside the rail, 12 V wiring (low voltage) has been integrated. Various matching light fixtures can then be clicked into the rail at any position you choose, accentuating your wall decorations with LED or halogen lamps. In combination with LED lighting, the STAS multirail is very energy efficient.
The STAS multirail system is a worldwide patented painting suspension system equipped with 12 volt wiring. This revolutionary system gives you a suspension system with an unprecedented number of possibilities. You can hang paintings, postcards and posters in the blink of an eye. Easily moveable light fittings can be clicked anywhere you like on to the rail, for example to spotlight your wall decorations with LED or halogen lamps. But the STAS multirail goes further. Using the STAS powerline, digital panels and 12V LED televisions are also easy to connect to the STAS multirail. With the STAS multirail you can create the longest power socket in your house, office or elsewhere.
If you want a safe, multifunctional hanging system with integral 12V lighting, the STAS multirail system is your best choice. The STAS mulitrail attaches to the wall.


text:
Kiwa helps The Ocean Cleanup to improve plastic cleanup system
The Ocean Cleanup is a Dutch initiative to clean up the plastic trash in the oceans. For this the organization uses a long half-circle plastic floater. This encloses the plastic, after which it is collected by a ship and removed for recycling. The first version of this cleanup system was damaged earlier this year when part of the catch arm broke off. After material fatigue turned out to be the cause, The Ocean Cleanup turned to Kiwa for material analysis and advice.
For The Ocean Cleanup, Kiwa conducts research into the properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the material of which the cleanup system's floater is made. 'That floater is constantly exposed to movement and loads caused by seawater, waves, weather and wind', says Kiwa's consultant materials Ernst van der Stok. 'Currently there is insufficient knowledge about how the used HDPE behaves in the special circumstances in which the cleanup system has to do its work, especially when it comes to the mechanical and dynamic loads in the ocean. With our test program we want to supplement that missing knowledge to enable The Ocean Cleanup to develop an improved version of the system.'
Image: Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup called in Kiwa for an extensive test program consisting of various mechanical and dynamic tests. 'Kiwa is one of the few material research centers that can perform these kinds of tests and provide The Ocean Cleanup with data they can use for further processing and models', continues Van der Stok. 'For example, we perform tensile tests at different speeds, with constant stress and strain, with varying loads and at different temperatures and compression tests.'
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 by the Dutch inventor and environmentalist Boyan Slat. Slat developed the first version of the technology in 2012. Through crowdfunding, he subsequently obtained the money for a prototype, which was placed in 2016 off the coast in the North Sea. After a five year test period, The Ocean Cleanup officially started early September last year in the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a 'plastic soup' area three times the size of France in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and San Francisco
For more information about The Ocean Cleanup, please visit www.theoceancleanup.com.
Kiwa's services
Would you like more information about Kiwa's services in the field of material research? Please have a look at this page.