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Schools & Education, Tokyo Life
by Brian Christian
Breathe a sigh of relief: the hottest Japanese summer on record is behind us and now we can enjoy the clear blue skies and gently refreshing breezes of the autumn months. If the latest booming tourist statistics are anything to go by, travellers all around the world will soon be heading this way to marvel at the reds and golds of the koyo season, while countless others will be poring over travel brochures to plan their sakura spring holiday. Last year a record-breaking 29 million foreign tourists visited Japan, a staggering figure certain to be surpassed in 2018 and well on the way towards the 40 million target set for 2020.
Naturally, the majority of these visitors will at some point make their way towards Tokyo – and it is fair to assume that many of them will take the time to step aside from the bustling crowds of Harajuku to enjoy the soothing respite of a stroll around the Meiji Jingu Shrine. Completed and dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and the Empress Shoken in 1920, the shrine and its surrounding gardens have since become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. How fitting it is that it will celebrate its centenary in a year when the eyes of the world will turn towards Tokyo as the city hosts the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.
I suspect, though, that only a very few of those visitors will be aware of one of the most compelling features of this sacred space. It stands at the heart of an eternal forest.
The Shrine Forest Project, launched in 1915 when much of the world was engulfed in the horrors of WWI, was the brainchild of Dr Seiroku Honda and Dr Takanori Hongo. They envisaged a living tribute, a gift to future generations that would reach maturity long after their own time. Such was the extent of their vision – and patience – that they planned for the forest to mature naturally, without significant human intervention, in four 50-year stages.
The path leading to Meiji Jingu Shrine
Strict conditions were laid down from the outset. The dominant trees should all be fully adapted to the climate and the soil type; they should be able to thrive amid the smoke and pollution of a rapidly developing city; and they had to look natural and appropriate for the divine shrine. In the end they selected 80 varieties of trees and a host of shrubs, resisting any temptation to include colourful ornamentals or exotic foreign imports that might demand careful nurture. The call for donations went out in 1916. Eventually almost 100,000 trees, including 365 different species, were brought to Tokyo and an army of volunteers began planting according to a very carefully constructed plan.
Initially, taller native specimens such as red and black pines were designated as the primary trees. Then, cypress, cedar and fir, and evergreen broad-leaf trees such as oak and camphor were planted to form an under-story. The pine trees were expected to wither away gradually over the next 50 years, allowing sunlight to reach the evergreen broadleaf trees that would take over in the second-stage forest.
"It is difficult to imagine a more marked contrast to the short-sighted selfishness of a throw-away society"
Today, one hundred years after the initial planting began, the eternal forest is into its third stage and spread across 700,000 square metres surrounded by all the concrete, steel and glass of a modern mega-city. The trees expected to flourish by this point were the evergreen broadleaves: the oak, chinquapin and camphor. And it seems that all is as it should be. The original number of species donated was 365 but – exactly as planned – this has decreased to about 270 by a process of natural selection. The cedars and pines that were the dominant trees during the first stage have done their job and have made way for a new generation.
In the hectic whirlwind of modern living, when patience is at a premium to the extent that even the world's most powerful statesman chooses to dictate policy in a tweet, the generous long-term vision of men like Honda and Hongo and the slowly unfolding evolution of their green gift to the future are salutary. It is difficult to imagine a more marked contrast to the short-sighted selfishness of a throw-away society that seems intent on devouring the world's natural resources at a rate that shows scant regard for the needs and well-being of all those who will follow in our destructive footsteps. Next time you tread the winding paths that surround Meiji Jingu Shrine, please pause for a moment to appreciate the selfless work of two visionary men who so clearly understood their obligation to tomorrow's world.
Brian Christian is the Principal of the British School in Tokyo.
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The Ultimate Guide to Autumn Foliage In and Around Tokyo


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FILM OF THE MONTH ~ MAY 2013
Posted on May 31, 2013 by nEoPOL
May has been a very good month for films, with no less that 13 contenders for the coveted Film Of The Month slot. Marvel movies, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and The Amazing Spider-man (2012) both scored 8/10 but Film Of The Month is about impact and what I feel stands out as the most interesting or noteworthy feature of the month. The Duchess (2010) was a well made historical piece, Top Gun (1986) celebrated its 17th birthday and one of the highest scores so far with 9/10 and early 90's comedy was represented with So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993).
Steven Soderberg's Magic Mike (2012) was a surprisingly gritty portrait of male stripping and Looper (2012) was a very good example of sci-fi, though not "This Decades The Matrix" as it had been suggested. But this was a month dominated by Star Trek, with a total of SEVEN posts, including three reviews, four articles as well as the Top 20 Sci Fi Films Of All Time, which was published to coincide with the build up to the release of Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) on the 9th May, here in the U.K..
The final selection were Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) which is a very underrated Trek movie, as was the tenth, Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), with both scoring 9/10. But the none Star Trek movie in contention is David O. Russell's The Fighter (2010), a biopic of boxing champion Mickey Wade. This took the 2011 awards season by storm and after watching it I can see how.
Also The Social Network (2010) which is the highest rated film of the month and the legendary The Dam Busters (1955). The life Dam Buster raid took place in May 1943, 70 years ago. The Dam Busters is a cracking historical movie, beautifully telling an interesting story of the war and The Social Network, which I have re-appraised this month and upped the rating from 8/10 to 10/10, is not really applicable for film of the month.
It has already had its day when it was first reviewed over two years ago and the majority of the review is the same. I basically said in the original review that it was brilliant so why I only gave it 8/10 is beyond me.
But on the other end of the scale we have Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1998). Controversial and believed to have been banned in the U.K. even though it was not, this is a film which you either love or hate. I am the latter. I like Stone, with JFK (1991), Nixon (1995) and Platoon (1986) ranking very high but Natural Born Killers is bold work but one which does not gel with me.
But the film which I believe has had the most impact this month, a month inundated with genius film making is Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).
It may be the obvious choice and it is certainly not the best compared to some of the competition but it's great fun, a fan favourate and that of casual viewers alike. It leaves you hungry for more and in the end, it wouldn't have won out over these films any other month so let's give it a chance. When I think of May 2013 I will think back to Star Trek Into Darkness.
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The use of technology in a business environment is critical, but it can also be expensive. Because of how critical technology is to businesses today, you simply cannot afford to fall behind. However, if you have a limited amount of funds available to spend on technology, there are some ways you can stay a step ahead. The good news is, there are many great products, programs, and technologies your business can use while still saving money in the process. Consider employing these tips to save money on all your IT needs.
If you are not currently signed up to receive online newsletters and special offers from top tech firms, you may be missing out on a great opportunity to save money. While you may not want your inbox flooded with marketing material, some of the junk that hits your inbox is actually beneficial.
Many tech firms offer discount codes and promotions to their subscribed customers that are not available to the general public. This is also a great way to stay apprised of the latest technology before it becomes mainstream. You can also learn about IT tips, strategies for businesses and more by signing up for newsletters.
There may also be a technology forum or two you can participate in to help you save money on your business technology needs. This is a great way to stay apprised of the latest technology and to learn how useful it is from your professional peers.
After all, you cannot afford to implement every new thing released into the marketplace and the information you receive here can help to avoid spending money on technology that is not useful. More than that, you can learn about cost-saving options available on some of the hottest technology when you read forums regularly.
The use of the software is critical in today's business environment, but some are more beneficial and affordable to use than others. Many programs must be integrated with others as well.
Before you start using a program and implement it throughout your business, ensure it is compatible and can be integrated with many other software programs you are currently using or that you are thinking about using in the future. Otherwise, you may find yourself making additional software purchases and upgrades that you had not planned to make or budgeted for.
When it comes to software programs and apps, the adage about getting what you pay for does not always hold true. There are some incredible apps and software programs available that you can download for free right now.
These can help you and your team to benefit from their many features and benefits without paying a dime. Take time to review the free versions and their features before you open your wallet to pay for related products. You may be surprised how much money you can save through this simple practice.
When it comes to business Internet and phone service, you may not be able to realistically barter with top telecommunications companies for your monthly service. However, when you are using the services of an independent contractor IT consultant or other smaller firms for technology needs, some aspect of bartering may be conducted to help you save money.
The other company may be receptive to saving money on the products or services that you offer as well. Make sure you get a plan that will support your business size as you grow as well (business.frontier.com).
IT costs during an expansion can be expensive, and there are often times when this process calls for a more extensive upgrade of technology throughout the entire company. This can result in extra and unnecessary expenses. It is best to plan ahead for things like adding new employees to your firm, opening new branch locations, adding new products and services to your lineup, and more.
By doing so, you can more easily save money by purchasing the right technology solutions from the start. If you have old power inverters or old, outdated connectors and programs, make sure you upgrade as you grow as well.
As you can see, there are various steps you can take to save money on technology in your firm. Regardless of how large or small your business is, you will find that each of these valuable tips benefits you in incredible ways.
If you are tired of paying a high cost for your IT services and products, you can easily implement these helpful tips today to start enjoying the savings available to you.


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Home National President for research bodies' linkages to produce quality research work
President for research bodies' linkages to produce quality research work
APP68-18 ISLAMABAD: June 18 - President Dr. Arif Alvi chairing the 15th meeting of the Board of Governors of National School of Public Policy at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. APP
ISLAMABAD, Jun 18 (APP):President Dr. Arif Alvi Tuesday underlined the importance of linkages amongst research institutions to produce quality research work in the country from which the civil servant could benefit for better public service delivery.
The President was chairing 15th meeting of the Board of Governors of National School of Public Policy (NSPP) at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, a press release said.
The President said that civil bureaucracy of any country has an important role to play in improving the governance and implementation structure that led to socio-economic development of the country.
Therefore, he emphasized the importance of in-service training courses for the better public service delivery, which, he added was the primary duty of a civil servant.
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ACC Tournament: Virginia's unflappable defense on to the title game
Same story that looks impossible to overcome. Virginia holds Clemson to 3 points over last 9:33 of first half, rides 19-3 run. On to title game.
Bobby Manning
"Anybody who has to watch this for 40 games a year needs a f---ing raise," said a media member crossing out of halftime. He had just witnessed what teams across the ACC have crashed into all season when they meet Virginia, the pack-line defense. The sight of it symbolizes near-certain loss and inevi
"Anybody who has to watch this for 40 games a year needs a f—ing raise," said a media member crossing out of halftime.
He had just witnessed what teams across the ACC have crashed into all season when they meet Virginia, the pack-line defense. The sight of it symbolizes near-certain loss and inevitable control over the pace of the game.
It even took them two timeouts in succession with 26 seconds left to get their final in-bounds across. Everything, as it has been all year, happened slowly and methodically on their way to victory.
Once again, a team saw early success and a late run against it. Momentary success never overtook the whole body of work. Virginia's bent plenty, but broken only once (and they still almost won that loss) as they roll on to the ACC title game with a 64-58 win over Clemson.
"They're extremely big, long and athletic," Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. "I don't think people realize — like they're bigger than we are at almost every position. Every position you look at their guys and look at our guys, a couple inches difference, five to ten pounds, strength. And that's true of a lot of teams that they play against."
It's no fun to many watching, but it's brutally effective. On a night where Duke and North Carolina, long kings of the conference, dueled in the nightcap, Virginia's built a throne atop college basketball by throwing flashy basketball in the trash.
Clemson dug into them early, setting the edges with three-pointing shooting to allow Gabe DeVoe to enter the post on dribble-drives and finish inside. The Tigers built a seven-point lead in the first ten minutes and hit two early threes, but in a sign of unavoidable carnage to come, Virginia held a six shot advantage in FGA.
Over the final 9:33 of the first half, the Cavaliers cut off any chance of Clemson making a shot. All the Tigers mustered were three free throws on a corner three-point heave, a call that elicited a shout from Isaiah Wilkins, their defensive centerpiece. "F—," an explicit sentiment that underlined the perfectionism of that unit in the midst of a 19-3 run to close the half up 32-23.
"They do a good job on ball screens," Devoe, who shot 3-of-9, said. "They're always in good positions. Just make you make tough shots. I had a couple good looks, and they weren't able to go in today."
Stagnancy is rare on the pack line during its best runs of stops, Mamadi Diakite kept his feet shuffling as he manned the right wing on defense, steps from the free-throw line. Ty Jerome sprinted around him to pick up Aamir Simms as the ball swung to him up top. Simms tried to break into the paint, where they'd been successful before, but Diakite rotated in and cut off Clemson's offensive life.
Jerome picked up the miss, pushed across half-court, and eventually Kyle Guy buried a three on the left wing.
"You can throw it inside and he's so quick off the floor and he can manufacture some interior scoring," Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said of Diakite.
"Then it loosens it up for our perimeter guys. He's quick defensively, so he's coming in the right direction. He's still kind of new to the game, and every experience he gets is valuable. But for sure interior scoring, inside out balancing it is big."
That full-court involvement, while emphasizing the heart of the defense on the interior is at the heart of Virginia's defense, that happens to grind out full shot clocks and cut down on possessions per game. Over the final 9:33 of the half, Clemson ran just 14 sets on offense.
The Tigers regained a semblance of stability behind Thomas, planted in the post. He jammed into the middle for two layups, hauled in a missed three off the boards, turning and hitting a reverse layup and the foul.
But as far as outright entry, Virginia continued to build a wall around the post. While the offense transitioned its stops into a smooth hooking floater from Diakite and a one-handed slam on the run.
With 13 minutes remaining, Jerome cut off a pass into the paint and ran to the opposing paint, hitting a crossover and swinging to Guy for a three above the arc. UVA led 12. A player outside of Thomas in the middle wouldn't make a shot for Clemson until the nine-minute mark, when Devoe swung a pass out to Shelton Mitchell on the right wing for three.
Virginia, picking up a pair of turnovers on their own attempts at feeds into the low post, entered the bonus with over eight minutes remaining, breaking up Clemson possessions with fouls on the floor.
The Tiger would pull within five points, Thomas with two free throws and another bucket sitting around the rim. He scored 15 after a two-point first half, but Jack Salt ripped the game back toward Virginia dominance, cutting off two or three bodies on hard screens and following up his jump shot with a one-handed floater inside on the roll.
After fans chanted his name coming off the floor, Salt said "they were probably surprised I was scoring so much."
Hall, rotating under the basket, set the play up by stripping Reed on the baseline and tossing the ball back in-bounds to a teammate as he fell out.
Salt shut it down again, after Reed and Hall traded threes he tipped in a miss around the rim to solidify the lead at seven. He flipped a cross-court pass out of the press, surely heading for Virginia's bench, back in-bounds to Guy, and Virginia eventually worked the ball left to Jerome where he drilled a long two off a crossover with the shot clock ticking away.
"We're here because of guys like (Salt) who are servants," Bennett said. "Who screen, run the floor, rebound, and do whatever you ask. And he's unbelievable … that's the way he was raised. And that's how it is probably in New Zealand, right, you just fight and you don't back down."
The Cavaliers led 61-53, never looking back and once again bending within several possessions in the second half but never surrendering the lead and once again, not losing. Ugly or not, they've only dropped one as they cruise into the ACC title game Saturday.
marvin bagley
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Bobby Manning serves as the hosts of Host of CLNS Media's Banners Broadcast, The Bobcast and the Boston Celtics Post-Game Show.
How has Tristan Thompson Played?


Red Bank City Manager Tim Thornbury said Tuesday night that the work at the intersection of Ashland Terrace and Dayton Boulevard is finished and the road is now open again. However, the inconvenience of roadwork is not over for drivers, he said. Sewer lines are being put under the road along Ashland Terrace between Knollwood Drive and Dayton Pike. While that work is being done, delays should be expected because the road will stay open, but will be narrowed to one lane.
An amendment was made to the city's Design Review ordinance. The change will not alter any of the requirements in the ordinance, but it will expedite requests by allowing the city staff to make approvals versus taking them to the planning commission. If a parcel has 175 or more feet of road frontage, the case will still be required to get approval from the planning commission.
The city will take out a loan for the acquisition of four new police vehicles and fire apparatus for the fire department. This budgeted item will have a three-year payoff, said Finance Director John Alexander.
With a second and final vote, a large undeveloped property at 4701 Delashmitt Road was rezoned from R1-A Residential to R-T/Z Townhouse zero lot line zone. This will give developer Ethan Collier the ability to build 34 single family homes. It will also allow the construction company to cut down most of the trees in order to make the lot sizes more regular. A 10-foot, undisturbed area will be left in addition to the required 10-foot buffer all around the development. The homes were described by Mr. Collier as "starter houses" between 1,700 and 2,200 square feet and are expected to be priced from $275,000 to $325,000. Construction should begin at the end of 2019.
Commissioner Ruth Jeno said that 2019 marks 40 years that Red Bank has been a city and activities to celebrate the anniversary will take place during the year. She asked for the council or residents to submit any ideas or to help.
Kim Lefew, representing ADK, an altruistic sorority made up of teachers and retired teachers, is giving back to the communities where many of them have taught. Bags filled with hand-made fleece blankets and books have been made by the teachers, specifically for teenagers, youth and for infants. The bags have been given to the police and fire departments. If a child had to be removed from a situation without any belongings, they can be given the bags so wherever they land, they will have something of their own, said Ms. Lefew.


GRILLED PARMESAN ASPARAGUS — Fresh asparagus spears are cooked on the grill with a dash of garlic salt, then finished off with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. Easy, healthy and delicious!
I'm so excited that market season is finally here again! I love sharing weekly farmers market recipes and I'm already looking forward to what this season has in store. This week I picked up some fresh asparagus at my local market for this Grilled Parmesan Asparagus.
If you've never tried grilling asparagus, you really should. It's super simple and has a wonderful flavor. You can place a pan right on the grill or use a grilling basket.
Or you can do what I do and just construct a make-shift grilling tray out of some aluminum foil, which makes clean-up a breeze!
We like to grill our asparagus with some olive oil, garlic salt and pepper, then finish it off with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Even my picky eaters enjoy it cooked this way!
Feel free to substitute butter for olive oil or mix up the seasonings to suit your tastes.
Asparagus is one of my favorite Spring vegetables, and even my kids like it. I especially love that it cooks up so quickly and tastes delicious with nothing more than a bit of olive oil or butter and a dash of salt and pepper.
When choosing asparagus look for firm stems with bright green or violet-tinged spears. Size doesn't really tell you much about quality or flavor. Thicker asparagus is just more mature.
Be sure to save this Grilled Parmesan Asparagus recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Fresh asparagus spears are cooked on the grill with a dash of garlic salt, then finished off with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. Easy, healthy and delicious!
Using a double thickness of aluminum foil, make a tray with raised sides to hold the asparagus. You can also use a small baking pan with sides, just make sure you don't mind putting it on the grill. Drizzle the aluminum tray or baking pan with a bit of olive oil.
Place the asparagus on the pan in a single layer. Drizzle with another tablespoon or so of olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.
Grill for 7-10 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.


Ripa Exchange is a hybrid-decentralized exchange, with a strong focus on lowering the entry level of opening new exchanges and giving crypto traders safe and secure trading partners to operate with, on a daily basis.
It is crucial acting right now in order to fix some problems, related to the market: users are frustrated by unreliable exchanges that run away with their funds, got hacked or do not sustain the load of a growing industry. Despite the effort of exchanges managers to offer efficient, reliable, and easy to use platforms to Trade, the entry prices for building such platforms is in the rage of 250-300 thousand euro (and that does not include personnel cost to give platinum customer support, platform infrastructure and daily expenses for the business).
It is the aim of this project to give you an Open Source, efficient, reliable exchange platform and to give the needed liquidity to your newly created exchange from day one, so that you can focus on finding new customers, give platinum support and comply with all the heterogeneous laws in the industry.
We want that the customer experience will be the sleekest possible, while making it safer to trade.


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Facade Watch: Lowering The Iron Curtain
Metal facade stripped from New Albany building
Metal facade stripped from New Albany building. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
Back in the 20th century, folks didn't appreciate historic architecture like we do today. There was something about intricately carved stone details that must have been off-putting to them. Many a building not demolished was covered from head to toe in a metal or tile anti-facade. Upper-story windows were made useless, but that was okay because cities weren't for people… suburbs were for people. Today, we're timidly peeling away these mistakes and crossing our fingers something of the historic facade still remains underneath. New Albany got lucky this time. A near-perfectly preserved three-story brick and stone building has emerged from under the iron curtain and is preparing for a facelift.
New Albany's old Fashion Shop before reclamation. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
This building on Pearl Street was once the home of a Fashion Shop who put up the metal facade. You can faintly make out the faded outlines of old neon letters running up the metal facade (pictured below). The only damage we spotted to the original building were on two skinny stone rows that had been chipped away. We had a chance to go inside this structure a while back before any restoration plans were announced. The ground level retail space is simply a large open shell, but climbing up to the upper levels was like stepping into a time machine. Fortunately for the building, it was sealed up and forgotten and every last detail from intricately carved wooden molding to the original 19th century wallpaper were still intact. There's quite a bit of potential for this one.
A similar reveal on Fourth Street in Louisville at the site of the old Tiff's Records and now home to the Bycks Lofts wasn't so lucky. The original limestone face underneath a nondescript beige anti-facade was completely destroyed. A once intricate commercial building had its details chiseled away for mid-century banality. A new metal and terracotta tile facade was eventually installed for the loft project.
There is, however, some hope for another anti-facade on Louisville's Fourth Street. There's another old Fashion Shop just south of Bycks Lofts, now home to the Fashion Club store, that's suffering from a sort of pink tile facade problem. We believe the building still has its brick and stone facade in place under the ugliness, and from what we hear there's a beautiful four-story building under there. Unfortunately, the current owner of the property has no intentions to remove the facade or restore the building.
Bycks Lofts On Fourth Street Ready To Go (Broken Sidewalk)
Old Fashion Shop in Louisville still a blank facade
Details of New Albanys reclaimed historic building
New Albanys old Fashion Shop before reclamation
Bycks Lofts
False Facades
Porter Stevens Apr 21, 2010 at 12:23 am
If you look at the photograph in this link (which sadly is of the old Post Office and Customs House being demolished) you can see the original facade of the covered up building on fourth street. It looks quite lovely, and would add a lot to the street scape if someone could take the time to restore it. If its still there, of course; fingers crossed!
http://oldlouisville.com/Ruins/PO/POruins.htm
David Barhorst Apr 21, 2010 at 9:23 am
It is still there. It is a beautiful sandstone facade.
Porter Stevens Oct 1, 2010 at 3:33 pm
I was poking around on google maps when I spotted another anti-facade near the corner of Shelby and Jefferson Street. Looks like a historic commercial building and a townhouse (judging from the small setback) covered with cheap corrugated metal siding. One of the panels is missing in the photo, and what seems to be a largely intact (but in need of some serious TLC) brick facade is peeking out. The buildings are right across the street from Liberty Green, and I was hoping that something had happened since the Google Street Map photo was taken. Any word?
Branden Klayko Oct 1, 2010 at 4:21 pm
I believe this is the building you're referring to:
http://brokensidewalk.com/2008/08/29/east-village-building-kills-birds/
The metal cover was replaced a couple years ago and you can see there's a fine old facade underneath.
Yeah those are the very ones. But the townhouse doesn't look to good; the upper right corner of the facade appears to be cracking and pulling away from the rest of the building.
Porter Stevens Jun 19, 2012 at 10:34 am
Apparently the "anti-facade" on 4th Street is hiding a very much intact historic face. There is in fact a 3-4 foot gap between the original building and the mid-century covering, and you can actually stick your head out the upper story windows into the space and admire the perfectly preserved brick and stone facade hidden from the street.


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TWoP 10
TWoP 10: Wealthy TV Characters Revenge's Emily Thorne Should Target Next
by Angel Cohn October 21, 2011 6:00 am
We've been hooked on Revenge since the pilot episode, loving the amazing different ways that Emily/Amanda (with a little help from Nolan) takes down rich, corrupt Hamptonites each week. But eventually, she's going to run out of people who have personally wronged her and is going to have nothing to do with her time and money. When that day comes, we'd like to see her continue enacting vigilante justice against these other wealthy TV characters.
10. The Bernards (The Office)
How can you be mean to Andy? It's like kicking a puppy. These uppity people burn through hoity-toity garden parties and movie tickets for one of their sons, while belittling the other. Maybe Emily doesn't need to have them killed... just ostracizing them from their socialite friends will do.
9. Michael (A Gifted Man)
He's begrudgingly helping underprivileged people, but only when he's badgered into it by his dead ex-wife. The clinic is also in constant need of money and he's got plenty, but doesn't seem eager to shell out any of it. Now that he's aware of how the uninsured live, he could be doing much more. If he doesn't, we'd like to see Emily take him out and move into his amazing apartment.
8. Nucky (Boardwalk Empire)
He's responsible for the death of many, many people and happily extorts money from everyone possible for his own benefit. Em's going to have to go back in time to take him down, but once she gets there, she shouldn't have too much trouble as he's easily won over by a pretty woman with a sob story.
7. Siobhan (Ringer)
We don't know the full extent of her wrongdoings yet, but we're pretty sure her drug-addicted ex-stripper sister comes out smelling like a rose by comparison. Shiv's faked her own death, stolen money and has been a total raging bitch to her stepdaughter and pretty much anyone else she ever crossed paths with... and that's just for starters.
6. Gaby Solis (Desperate Housewives)
Her crime (aside from a grating personality) is covering up the fact that her husband is a murderer by making all of her friends accessories to the crime. She also has plenty of lying and adultery under her belt. And we're sure there's at least one person on Wisteria Lane who would pay to see her dead.
5. Peter Florrick (The Good Wife)
Guilty of adultery, he's also a political figure, so there are likely a lot of skeletons in those closets that Eli has helped to hide. And he's just a smarmy jerk. Someone needs to wipe that smug look off his face... and since Kalinda won't do it, Emily will have to show her how it's really done.
4. Stefan (Vampire Diaries)
You can't get more Old Money than this murderous demon who didn't earn his Ripper nickname simply by breaking hearts. And unlike some other young women we can think of, Emily won't be fooled by his romantic side.
3. Derek Shepherd (Grey's Anatomy)
He's rich enough to afford a contractor to construct a giant house in Seattle, but thinks he's so perfect that he decides to build the deck himself... and then does it wrong? Yeah, that's the kind of person we're dealing with here. He's rude to his wife (who has a number of her own faults) and his dismissive behavior sent the spouse of a patient on a shooting rampage, killing several innocent people.
2. Lily (Gossip Girl)
She had a man sent to jail and ruined a great deal of his young life and her only punishment was being confined to an expansive posh pad for a few months. Plus, she's guilty of at least 100 counts of child endangerment.
1. Walden Schmidt (Two and a Half Men)
He's far too old and far too rich to behave like a child. And he's the reason we're stuck with more of this show. May Emily seduce him and then send him to the watery grave that he wanted in the first place.
Think you're a TV or movie expert? Prove it! Play Trivia Without Pity, our new online trivia game with over 2,000 questions about the shows and films you love -- and love to hate.
TAGS: Wealthy People Emily Thorne Should Get Revenge On, two and a half men, boardwalk empire, gossip girl, good wife, vampire diaries, desperate housewives


Minute to small (1.3-4.5 mm), slender flies, yellow to black sometimes with dark spots or stripes; wing usually long and narrow. Arista pubescent or with longer rays; ocelli present; Ocellar bristles present; Postvertical bristles small, converging, rarely absent; 2-3 pairs of frontal bristles, curving backward, usually preceded by 1 or more weaker bristles; interfrontal bristles absent or present; vibrissae present. Wing usually clear, sometimes marked; vein C with subcostal break; vein Sc incomplete; crossvein BM-Cu present but sometimes not complete; cell cup closed, rarely open. Some genera, including the more common Anthomyza and Paranthomyza, with femur of fore leg with a short spine on the ventral side, beyond the middle; tibiae without dorsal preapical bristle.
The larvae of most species develop in the stems and leaf sheaths of grasses and plants in marsh habitats such as species of Typha, Juncus, Carex and Scirpus without causing much damage; several species are known to mine in dicotyledons whereas others live in dead plants or as inquilines in existing galls. Adults of most species are usually found in moist habitats, both shaded and in the open such as damp meadows, marshes, bogs and damp deciduous or mixed forests with rich undergrowth; a preference for more dryer habitats such as dry grasslands is shown by some species of Anthomyza and the brachypterous Stiphrosoma sabulosum (Haliday).


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Kames Investment Grade Bond - change on the horizon?
Jonathon Curtis | Wed 15 August 2018
Stephen Snowden thinks bonds could struggle to make significant gains from here
He thinks corporate bond yields could start to rise again from near-historic lows. Prices fall when yields rise
The fund has risen 0.4% over the past year, compared to 0.0% for the average corporate bond fund
Stephen Snowden sometimes invests more adventurously than other bond fund managers. His performance can therefore be different. Sometimes it works in his favour – other times it doesn't. Over the long term he's shown he can add value and generate good returns for investors.
It's been difficult to make a strong case for investing in corporate bonds in recent years. Yields are hovering around the lowest they've ever been. Interest rates and inflation have also remained low though, so the modest income on offer has continued to appeal to some investors. While this continues corporate bonds could remain popular. If investors begin to think interest rates and inflation will rise faster than expected, corporate bond yields will look less attractive. Prices could fall and yields rise to reflect this.
The fund doesn't feature on the Wealth 150 list of our favourite funds across the major sectors. We think Snowden's a good bond fund manager, but we believe there are managers who are just as good or better, running funds with lower charges.
How's the fund performed?
Since Snowden took over the fund in September 2011 he's managed to do better than the IA Sterling Corporate Bond sector. He's delivered a 63.6%* gain, compared with 44.8% for the sector.
The fund has the ability to use derivatives and invest in higher risk high yield bonds which adds risk. Please note charges can be taken from capital which can increase the yield but reduces the potential for capital growth.
Most of the positive performance took place in the early years of his tenure. Recent years have been more subdued. Snowden delivered a small gain of 0.4% over the past 12 months. This was more than the 0.0% figure for the IA Sterling Corporate Bond sector though. How the fund's done in the past should not be seen as a guide to future performance.
July 2013 -
July 2014 July 2014 -
Kames Investment Grade Bond 7.37% 6.06% 8.45% 4.21% 0.42%
IA £ Corporate Bond 4.70% 5.16% 9.81% 3.58% -0.01%
Past performance is not a guide to the future. Source: Lipper IM* to 31/07/2018.
Kames Investment Grade Bond - performance under Stephen Snowden's tenure
Past performance is not a guide to the future. Source: Lipper IM to 31/07/2018.
Manager's outlook
Despite the pain banks caused in the financial crisis, Snowden's investing in their bonds again. He thinks they've repaired themselves since the crisis and their bonds are still cheap. On the other hand, he's reduced investments in 'collateralised' bonds. This is debt secured against company assets such as property, so it's normally considered less risky than ordinary bonds. He previously considered it an excellent investment, but now thinks it's become too expensive.
After the financial crisis most of the world's major central banks started pumping money into the market. They hoped this would stop economies sliding further into recession. This process is known as quantitative easing, or QE. Snowden believes QE artificially inflated bond and share prices, and has done so ever since.
But now QE is being cut back.
Snowden thinks this will make it difficult for bonds and shares to perform as well in future as they have over the past decade. Reduced QE will affect riskier investments the most, in his view. Bonds are generally considered less risky than shares, so he believes they'll be less affected.
On the other hand, Snowden points out two-year US Treasury yields have risen to 2.5% from 1.4% a year ago. Government bond yields in other developed countries haven't moved as much, but Snowden thinks the gap could close. When government bond yields rise, corporate bond yields have usually followed, as it's considered riskier lending money to companies than governments.
The bond market is a complex one as so many things can affect it. That makes it difficult to predict what the market will do. Snowden thinks there's change on the horizon for bonds. He's keeping a sharp eye out for what happens and will carry on looking for attractive opportunities.
Please read the Key Features/ Key Investor Information in addition to the information above.
Find out more about this fund (inc. charges)


AIRBUS HELICOPTERS announced yesterday, December 6, that the Mexican Navy has received its final two AS565MBe Panther helicopters during a delivery ceremony at the factory in Marignane, France. Â With its order for ten of these helicopters in 2014, the Mexican Navy became the launch customer for this new version. The first four were delivered in 2016 and the remaining six during the course of 2017.


Investor relations has changed a lot in 30 years. Today's financial markets are much more complex: alternative finance and many new investment instruments have made it harder to identify shareholders, while new classes of investors have emerged with different – sometimes opposing – expectations.
Shareholder communication has evolved and now includes new goals and topics of discussion. Regulatory developments have escalated over the past decade in response to an evolving market and new concerns, such as ESG. These added dimensions allow companies to explain how they create value in greater detail. But when communicating about them, IR professionals must strike a fine balance between providing the standardized metrics market participants need to compare companies and the personalized information that allows them to truly understand an individual firm's DNA. In addition, digital technology is transforming the speed and scope of information sharing, and new revolutions are on the horizon.
IR is increasingly multidimensional and cross-functional: it stands at the crossroads of finance, communications, legal affairs, corporate strategy, governance and CSR, and calls for insight into an increasingly unsettled global landscape. Investor relations officers are responsible for regulatory compliance and must ensure all corporate communications are compliant and consistent. Information must be accurate, precise and sincere; it must also treat investors equally and be uniform and consistent over time, while clearly explaining the company's performance, business model and strategy.
These are the far-from-easy ongoing challenges of financial communications, made even more daunting by the rise of stringent regulations and new technologies that are changing how IR professionals work. The tools we use are becoming more and more powerful. The core of the job, however, is still the soft skills needed to form and foster a relationship of trust between the company and its investors.
This human aspect has always been part of our DNA at Cliff: sharing experiences and expertise, day in and day out, is our raison d'être. Working together, we are constantly looking for better ways to learn, collaborate and succeed. We put our hearts into this work, and we do it with a smile. Our values – professionalism, ethics, sharing, trust and conviviality – are informed by our profession. They have been our foundation for 30 years – and will serve us for decades to come.
There must have been something in the water in 1988 because Cliff, along with IR Magazine, also sees its 30th anniversary this year. The association celebrated the milestone earlier this year by hosting a full-day seminar with high-profile speakers, including Legrand CEO Gilles Schnepp, Orange CEO Stéphane Richard, French regulator AMF's chairman Robert Ophèle and former Publicis chairman Maurice Lévy, followed by cocktails and a gala dinner at Hôtel Potocki, home to the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The highlight of the day was the presentation of the French IR awards, now in their 10th year. Gilles Arditti of Atos (best investor relations overall), SEB's Thierry de la Tour d'Artaise (best IR by a CEO), Khaled Draz, CFO of CS Communications & Systems (best IR for a small or mid-cap), LVMH's Jean-Jacques Guiony (best IR by a CFO), BNP Paribas' Stéphane de Marnhac (best ESG communications) and Sopra Steria's Olivier Psaume (best investor presentation) were all applauded as they were awarded a prestigious trophée des meilleures relations investisseurs.


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Scott Apel on Robert Anton Wilson
This is one of the longer interviews I have published on this website, and probably one of the most interesting. D. Scott Apel was a longtime friend of Robert Anton Wilson, and collaborated on Wilson's newsletter, "Trajectories," and published Wilson's book, Chaos and Beyond.
Apel is a writer and film critic. He is worried about his privacy, as you can see from the first question and answer, so I'm not going to publish where he lives or run a photograph of him. But although he may be reticent in talking about himself, as you can see, he opened up when I tracked him down and asked about Robert Anton Wilson. I hope you enjoy the interview. — The Management
RAWILLUMINATION.NET: Can you tell my readers a little bit about yourself?
SCOTT APEL: I could, but I won't. I value my privacy and am perhaps the only Buddhist you'll ever meet who simply hates people. (Some alarmists are predicting the imminent extinction of Humanity; my response is that might not be the worst thing that could happen.) Following in the footsteps of J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon, my goal in retirement is to read, write, and be left alone. If only I could convince my wife that that's a viable lifestyle!
RAWILLUMINATION.NET: How did you meet Robert Anton Wilson, and how did he become your friend?
SCOTT APEL: I read the Illuminatus! trilogy in 1975, and urged my friend Kevin C. Briggs to do the same. We determined that we simply had to meet this Wilson guy, and get the inside scoop on the mysterious and mythical "missing chapters." We thought that given the amount of esoteric data included in the novel, the excised material must be even more revelatory. Through a series of coincidences or synchronicities, I came across RAW's phone number in January 1976. I called him and asked if we could come up and discuss the missing material. He invited us to his Monday night "salon," where he hosted a loose group of Berkeley scholars, students, hippies and avant garde for wide-ranging conversation and the sharing of information, opinions, insights and, of course, the chronic. When I commented one evening that we were going to miss "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" because it took an hour to drive home to Silicon Valley, he and Arlen invited us to stay and watch with them. That was the beginning of our personal relationship, which quickly expanded into dinners out, dinners in, movies, and even a memorable May Day picnic with the Wiccans in Stern Grove.
Bob was always hesitant about personal relationships — not paranoia, just a certain standoffishness to protect himself psychologically. He was often approached by weirdoes, and wanted to make sure he and his family were safe. So even though we spent a lot of time together, it took a long, long time before I could claim him as a "friend." Even though I spent an evening with him, or him and Arlen, or him and Arlen and others, literally once a week, on and off, for decades, it wasn't until the '90s that I began to consider him a "friend." We spent about a decade in a master/intern relationship, then about a decade in a business partner relationship, then about a decade as friends. But we never once had a cross word. And considering that he had a tendency to just cut people off who disagreed with him, I was, I believe, his longest-term friend, a claim of which I am very proud.
RAWILLUMINATION.NET: How did Trajectories begin, and how did you and Wilson divide up the work for the publication?
SCOTT APEL: I knew Bob was always hurting for money, so I determined to find some way to make him some money. Sometime in 1987, I drove Bob and Arlen down to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, where Bob was doing a weekend workshop. We sat around in the natural splendor of Big Sur and I pitched him the idea of a newsletter. I knew he'd had one over a decade earlier, and pointed out that desktop publishing could make reviving it a profitable endeavor. We estimated his hardcore worldwide fan base at about 5,000 people, and decided that if even 10 percent subscribed to a quarterly newsletter for $20 a year, we could turn a profit and supplement his income by nearly as much as the pitiful advances he was getting for his books. He was interested, and Arlen was enthusiastic. We cobbled out the details, which boiled down to the three of us being the "board of directors," and splitting profits 3 ways. That way, the Wilsons would get two-thirds of the profit, which was fine with me. The division of labor was very simple: Bob would supply the content, and I'd do everything else — editing, formatting, printing, mailing, banking, etc. Bob would hand over a floppy disk with the contents, I'd lay out the newsletter and run a sample by him and Arlen, then we'd print it and ship it. One of Bob's other job functions was to take flyers to every lecture to spread the word about the newsletter. He named it Trajectories, after his previous newsletter, and later added the subtitle "The Journal of Futurism and Heresy."
The first issue of Trajectories, which was only 12 pages, is dated "Summer, 1988," altho we worked on the details for months before its release. After refining the concept with Bob, in my editorial I stated that the newsletter was dedicated to "sane futurism," and was "for people more interested in creating the future than in worrying about it." The issue featured an interview with Dr. Linus Pauling. Bob was not able to perform the interview and asked me to do it in his place. He had three questions he wanted Dr. Pauling to address, and I had a few myself. It was my pleasure — and honor — to perform the interview. Dr. Pauling, in his '80s at the time, proved to be a genial and gracious host, as well as a wealth of intelligence.
(Material you might not want to use, because you're writing about Bob and not me, include that Dr. Pauling suggested I take 5,000 mg of Vitamin C a day, which I've done now for nearly 30 years. When my own doctor asked during one checkup why I was taking so much Vitamin C, I said, "Because Linus Pauling told me to." He couldn't argue with a reference like that. I also got Dr. Pauling to autograph a bottle of Vitamin C, which I still have. "No one's ever asked me to autograph a bottle of Vitamin C," he said, eyeing me suspiciously. I just smiled and said something like, "Well, you're never too old to experience something new.")
This first issue also included Bob's take on some science news items, a poem by Arlen, and a few ads from RAW-oriented vendors, including the Church of the Subgenius and audio and videotapes from Sound Photosynthesis. All of these items would become staples of the newsletter.
Issue #2 is dated "Autumn 1988" and ran 16 pages — and was stapled! It featured an original piece by Dr. Timothy Leary, an interview with science fiction author Norman Spinrad, and a letters column including feedback from physicist Nick Herbert, author Tom Robbins, and psychiatrist Robert Newport.
Issue #3 ("Back to the Future – Special Futurism Issue") featured a RAW article, "The Future of the Future," and a piece by me about Walt Disney as a forgotten futurist – along with the usual features, like a poem by Arlen. Issue #6 was the first to include Bob's subtitle: "The Journal of Futurism and Heresy."
And so on. Over the next few years, thanks to Bob's celebrity friends, Trajectories would publish original pieces by Dr. Leary, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Peter Russell, and other counter-culture celebs. Bob wrote extensively about the history of Gaia, about experiencing virtual reality (in 1990!), about jury nullification, and about a plethora of other subjects (like book reviews, and — at my insistence — his Top Ten Movies list). The best of the first ten issues of Trajectories was collected in a book we published through my Permanent Press, Chaos and Beyond: The Best of Trajectories.
Our typical production process was that Bob would collect news items he felt worthy of commenting on, and would write one or two major articles for each issue. When I (gently) reminded him of our production schedule, he'd hand me a floppy disk (we both used Macs) a week or two later containing his contributions. I'd format them, lay out the next issue, and fill the gaps with my own material (an editorial, or an occasional humor piece) and ads from our friends and supporters, like Magical Blend magazine. The rest of my involvement is totally boring — production and business details. I'd deal with a printer,for instance, schlep boxes of finished product back to my house, and spend a day or two printing out mailing labels, stuffing issues into envelopes, and organizing the bulk mailing according to the Post Office's bizarre, labyrinthine and arcane requirements. (I guess I was absent on Career Day when they informed kids that being a publisher often involved an enormous amount of heavy lifting.)
Regarding Bob's contributions: One of the highest compliments I've ever received was from my editor at the San Jose Mercury News, where I was the video columnist and wrote monthly feature articles for over a decade. He once told me that my writing rarely needed editing, since "your stuff comes in clean." As a writer, Bob was a total professional, and his "stuff" always came in clean. I rarely had to edit his material, except to fix a typo or correct the occasional misspelled word. I never cut his material and never altered it. Not only was there no need, but Trajectories was his forum, and I wanted to make sure he knew that he had the freedom to say whatever he wanted, in whatever way he wanted, and that I would publish it exactly as he intended. It was his one forum without censorship, and I'm proud that I was able to provide him with that platform.
Sometime in 1992, for reasons lost to memory, we were having trouble pulling together the next issue. I suggested to Bob that since his fans — the most hardcore of which were Trajectories subscribers — were clearly flexible and open to new experiences, there was no need to restrict ourselves to a print edition. I'd done my "due diligence," and discovered that it was no more expense to duplicate and mail an audiotape than it was to publish a print edition. (Keep in mind this is 1992, when the Sony Walkman was widely in use, and audio cassettes were king — CDs were only just beginning to gain popularity, and this was nearly a decade before the digital notion of "podcasts" was invented.) Bob readily agreed, and we recorded Trajectories #11 (later offered as "An Hour With Robert Anton Wilson"). I further suggested we produce every other issue as an audio issue, and Bob was enthusiastic — it meant far less work for him (but, unfortunately, not for me). On one occasion, I brought him a CD of sound effects that I thought we might integrate into the audio editions. This resulted in one of the most unusual and controversial audio issues of Trajectories, as Bob decided to fill the first 15 minutes of the tape with nothing more than the sound of people laughing. I was a bit confused at this, until I realized he was illustrating his own philosophy by subverting people's expectations that the audiotape would be an hour of him talking — instead, he virtually rubbed their noses in "laughter yoga" (which came to public attention in the early '90s, so RAW can legitimately claim to be an originator of this practice, or at least an early proponent). To this day, I can't listen to that recording without at some point laughing along—not only at the sound of laughter on the recording, but at Bob's chutzpah, and the absurdity of his decision.
Trajectories ran something like 23 issues. (I'll maintain that it ran 23 issues, just to fulfill the ubiquitous Wilsonian "23" mythology.) We produced it on an irregular basis until RAW was just too busy with more important issues, like being the primary caregiver to Arlen. He simply had no time for Trajectories anymore. But during its run, we published some great stuff by Bob, much of it included in the book Chaos and Beyond: The Best of Trajectories, which we published through my small press, The Permanent Press, in 1994.
Issue #14, dated Spring 1995, included an excerpt from RAW's then-upcoming book Cosmic Trigger 3: My Life After Death, as well as something that is a real collector's item: the first four chapters of a sequel to Illuminatus!, tentatively titled Bride of Illuminatus. Even though his original Illuminatus! co-writer, Robert Shea, was not involved in the project, Bob lost interest in this work after Shea died in March of '94 (Chaos and Beyond is dedicated to him), and to the best of my knowledge, these few chapters are the only portion of this novel to survive.
One of the final issues of Trajectories was a videotaped interview of RAW that we produced as an episode of a public access cable TV program a friend of mine had been running for 16 years. With Bob's blessing, I took the original video, had a new intro and new credits added, and shipped it out as an issue of Trajectories, assuming that few Wilson fans had seen the local Silicon Valley broadcast, but that it would be of interest to them. That taping is memorable in my mind. I wanted to provide Bob with a great experience, and rented a luxury car, picked him and Arlen up in Capitola and drove them to the studio, then took them to dinner at Red Lobster afterwards. (Bob and Arlen loved Red Lobster. When they lived on Brommer St. in Capitola in the early '90s, they lived within walking distance of a Red Lobster in the Capitola Mall, and dined there at least once a week. In the final years of his life, when Cathy and I spent every Saturday night with Bob, the SOP was to stop at a Red Lobster in San Jose and order up several carry-out meals for him on our way to Capitola. We became close with the manager who took our order, and when she found out the food was for Robert Anton Wilson, we discovered she was a fan and started adding extra food to our take-out order, free of charge. Bob inspired that kind of love and generosity.) In the years since then, Cathy and I have always referred to the chain as "Red Bobster." Clips from this interview were included in Lance Bauscher's documentary, Maybe Logic.
Something that might be of interest to you (or not; your call) are the projects RAW and I discussed but never got around to accomplishing. I wanted to stage the existing chapters of Bride of the Illuminati as a kind of "radio play," for instance, getting some of my actor friends to perform the dialog and narration, and releasing the result as an audio recording — one step beyond the standard "audio book." But once Bob lost interest in the novel, he wasn't interested in doing anything with it, and gave the project a "thumbs down." Another project hinged on the idea that the Wilsons lived only a couple miles from the famous Santa Cruz Beach & Boardwalk (where we would ultimately hold his "Meme-orial" in early 2007). I suggested that Bob write a lecture in which his ideas could be illustrated by the amusement park rides on the Boardwalk (the "reality tunnel" as a hall of mirrors, for instance), and then we'd videotape him delivering the lecture "on location." Arlen nixed this idea, telling me in no uncertain terms that she would never allow me to put Bob on the roller coaster!
One additional project did come to fruition, although not in the manner I'd imagined. Sometime around 1989 or 1990 I discovered a list of movies and TV show episodes available on video in which the copyright had expired, and so fell into the public domain. Essentially, this meant that anyone was free to do anything they wanted with these videos. There were enough of these public domain titles that several video companies (Kino Video, for one) were established solely to duplicate and sell them. Although most of these films were unknown old grade Z movies, there were a handful that were surprisingly recognizable. Frank Capra's Christmas classic, It's A Wonderful Life is perhaps the best-known title, but there were also a couple Orson Welles films and a couple Mickey Mouse cartoons, among many other treasures. I suggested to Bob that he write a script based on his ideas and philosophy, then we would comb through the list and chose scenes that illustrated these ideas, under his voiceover narration. Although we never moved forward on this project, he did write and in 1992 published Reality Is What You Can Get Away With: An Illustrated Screenplay, based on this idea. (As a text work, he could refer to scenes from copyrighted films for which we could never have legally obtained the rights to use clips, including King Kong, Betty Boop, Chinatown, The Maltese Falcon, and the Zapruder film. I was only mildly disappointed that he did not credit our original project with the inspiration for his book.)
Again, something you might be interested in, or not: We continued accepting subscriptions for Trajectories up until the final issue — which neither of us knew would be the final issue. So there might still be some irate subscribers out there who feel ripped off because they only got one or two issues for their $20 "4 issue" subscriptions. I'd like to assure them that every penny of their subscription money went to helping the Wilsons in their time of need — mostly providing for them during Arlen's final months, at a time when Bob couldn't work because he was caring for her full time. I never got a chance to explain to our subscriber base where their hard-earned dollars were going, but literally all money generated through my joint ventures with RAW went directly to him and Arlen. It was precious little, but I like to think it made some contribution to assisting a great artist in his hour of need — even if that's not what our subscribers signed up for.
While on the topic of ideas that never came to fruition, I approached Bob one time about collecting the best of the numerous articles he'd written over the years for various men's magazines that had long since gone out of business — magazines with titles like Jaguar, Cheetah,and Cavalier. (My actual first encounter with RAW was in 1974, when Briggs was so impressed by a story entitled "A Finger in My I" in one of these mags that he handed it to me to read. This was at least a year before Illuminatus! was published. We had no way then of knowing how close an association we'd soon have with the author of this mind-bending story.) I suggested to Bob that we could publish an anthology of this early work since the copyrights no doubt had expired with the magazines. But I was shocked when he told me he never kept copies of anything he'd written over the years. I was expecting he'd lead me to a file cabinet that we could turn into a treasure chest, but there was no filing cabinet — and no copies. Plan B was to "debrief" Bob about what he remembered publishing—when and where—and conscripting Trajectories subscribers to participate in a treasure hunt (not a scavenger hunt, you understand) for these old magazines and the lost Wilson writing — something that would be much easier to accomplish if the Internet had existed. Alas, this project, too, fell into the black hole of unfulfilled ideas.
At one point I suggested to Bob that we branch out to create a separate publishing company specifically for his work. We debated several imprint names and eventually settled on "Ho House," with a picture of a fat laughing Buddha as the logo. I filed the paperwork so we could do business under this name, but it was soon after that that things sadly started to unravel (Arlen's illness, our move from the Bay Area, and so on), and we were never able to launch his own small press publishing company.
When I think back on the Trajectories experience, I have nothing but fond memories. RAW was a perfect partner, and it always delighted me to write him a check every quarter for his share of the profits from the newsletter and the audio and videotapes we produced through The Permanent Press.
RAWILLUMINATION.NET: I think "Chaos and Beyond" is an underrated book in the RAW canon. Were you happy with the book? Are you disappointed it was allowed to go out of print?
SCOTT APEL: Collecting the best content from the first ten issues of Trajectories into a book was my idea, I'm proud to say, although RAW coined the title Chaos and Beyond. (Chaos theory was a hot topic in those days, and fit right into his reality tunnel.) Bob personally selected the material for this anthology and wrote 1994 updates to his articles when appropriate. As with the newsletter, I did all the design and production work on a Mac Quadra, arranged the printing, and so on, through my small press, The Permanent Press. We promoted the book through Trajectories and in several publications sympathetic to RAW's work, such as Magical Blend magazine, and placed it in a number of specialty bookstores around the country. We split the copyright attribution, and Bob dedicated the book to Robert Shea, who'd passed away a year earlier.
From the start we never considered this a "big" RAW work of the caliber of Illuminatus! or Cosmic Trigger, but it was a way to leverage existing material into a bit of extra cash for the Wilsons without extensive effort on their part. Chaos and Beyond was always aimed at hardcore Wilson fans rather than newbies, so we expected minor sales. The book was reprinted twice, however, with 1,000 copies in each printing, so it did better than either of us ever expected.
I'm not sure Chaos and Beyond has much relevance anymore except perhaps to RAW "completists"; much of the material is contemporary to its time —1988-1994 —which is fine for a newsletter but feels dated by now. It's not likely that anyone wants to read about California's medfly problem, for example or reviews of "brain machines" now long obsolete. Bob even ended his Introduction by saying, "Needless to say, most of what you shall read here almost certainly will appear ridiculously old-fashioned in about five years" (i.e., 1999), so you can perhaps get some sense of how "ridiculously old-fashioned" the material might seem in 2017. The book served its purpose at the time, however, and does, I believe, contain some timeless material (Arlen's poems, a couple pieces by Dr. Leary, Bob's extensive "Future of the Future" essay and his Introduction, "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Chaos"). Christina Pearson has expressed an interest in republishing Chaos and Beyond as an ebook, and I'll be turning over all the copyrights to her whenever she's ready for that.
RAWILLUMINATION.NET: If you don't want to tell me anything about yourself, do you want to tell me something about the late Kevin Briggs, your collaborator in the book of interviews with SF writers, including Robert Anton Wilson?
SCOTT APEL: Kevin C. Briggs (1952-2007) was a friend, collaborator and ex-roommate from our college days and a couple years after. Here's a description of him I wrote in my mystery novel, The Uncertainty Principle?, in which he (and Bob and Arlen, and Phil Dick, among other people) appear as characters:
"You!" a deep voice growled nearby. A barrel-chested guy in his late 20's was striding toward me, glaring. His full beard was unkempt and his black hair tousled carelessly. In his rumpled tan corduroy suit and tiny cowboy boots, he looked like a satyr trying to pass as a salesman.
"You must be the reporter," he said, eyeing my pad and pen.
Like tumblers opening a safe, that voice forced an impression into focus: Gypsy. The curly raven locks, the round face accentuated by round rosy cheeks, the dark eyes filled with larceny and suspicion... Yeah, you could put a gold earring on this guy and wander unchallenged through any Rom camp in the world. Right now, though, he looked worried. And more than a touch pissed off.
Throughout my life I've been accused of being "polarizing," but Briggs was the original polarizing character among our college crowd: people either loved him or hated him, and no one from either camp wanted to have anything to do with anyone from the other camp. If you weren't a friend of Kevin's, you simply weren't worth any attention. He was brilliant, sarcastic, supremely confident, and intimidating to people who couldn't stand being one-upped by someone who'd read everything and had an opinion about everything (and everyone). He was also a published poet and an excellent writer, mostly in a Hemingway style of simple, powerful prose. His one failing is that he never followed through with anything, including a couple novels he'd begun and which I read and encouraged him to continue.
We hung out with RAW for years, often with weekly visits. Highlights include a period when we read portions of Finnegans Wake out loud and discussed/analyzed them (which went on weekly for months, in about '77 or '78), and accompanying Bob to Seattle for a 1978 New Year's Eve day performance of the 12-hour production of Illuminatus! But over the years, as our situations and locations changed, and I lost touch with Briggs except through friends.
RAWILLUMINATION.NET: In your interview with RAW in Science Fiction: An Oral History, you state that The Illuminati Papers contains material cut from Illuminatus! Can you tell me your source for that statement? I've never seen that anywhere else.
SCOTT APEL: The answer is simple: RAW himself mentioned that The Illuminati Papers contains material cut from Illuminatus! He states in the interview that Dell wanted to cut the book down and he and Shea decided they'd rather have a truncated novel published than the full novel unpublished. It's pretty clear that "Papers" includes more than just this cut material (like some interviews with RAW, and articles he wrote for magazines like Oui), but he did rework some of the cut material and added it to Papers. (Several of the articles are attributed to Hagbard Celine or Simon Moon, for instance.) I can't give you a more specific reference, but he did verify this to me verbally on a couple occasions.
FYI, in November 1980 he autographed my copy of The Illuminati Papers thus: "To Scott — Avoid the poor house — Don't become a writer."
RAWILLUMINATION.NET: I liked the Red Lobster story. Can you tell me a little more about what Robert Anton Wilson liked to eat? I know he liked Chinese restaurants, but did he like "American Chinese" food, or the sort of Chinese restaurants that mostly attract Chinese diners? Did he particularly like lasagna?
SCOTT APEL: Well, I have to admit, this question made me LOL, and for several reasons. First, in all the years I've done interviews and been interviewed, no one has ever asked about food, and I must admit I never thought about asking a question like that. But you can tell so much about people by what they eat and like to eat! It's a natural question to ask, but no one ever has asked it before in my interviewing experience. Kudos to you for being original!
When it came to food, Bob was never particularly picky. Early in our association, he seemed pleased when we showed up with KFC, for instance. Briggs and I used to say that the old joke about an Irish 7-course meal (a potato and a six-pack) applied to Bob. But this is not to imply that he was without taste — he knew a great meal from junk food, and preferred the former. But I can't recall ever hearing him complain about food.
I know he loved Guinness and Jameson's Irish whiskey, although I rarely saw him drink to excess (a couple examples below). And man, did he love coffee! Giant cans of Trader Joe's French Roast were a constant fixture in his homes.
Bob loved going to restaurants (as do I), and over the years he had several favorites. I mentioned Red Lobster; when he and Arlen were living in Capitola, they were within walking distance of a RL in the Capitola Mall, and he told me they went at least once a week.
There was a time in the early '90s when their daughter Alex was spending a lot of time with them, and the four of us went to dinner regularly. I was always very fond of Alex, who had Bob's brain and Arlen's boldness (as well as her red hair). Bob once took us to a pricey dinner buffet at Chaminade, a resort and restaurant in the Santa Cruz area. When they started bringing out baking sheets of crushed ice and dozens of oysters on the half shell, I was convinced I'd died and gone to heaven. Bob got quite a kick out of the fact that with all the buffet had to offer, all I went for was one plate of oysters after another — but eventually decided he was going to do exactly that next time they came.
Another place Bob loved was Aragona's, an employee-owned restaurant in nearby Soquel. (One of the owners was the illegitimate grandson of W.C. Fields, which made the place that more attractive to us both.) We went there frequently in the late '90s. There was a bartender named Bear who Bob claimed made the best martini in the world. He'd usually have two and would stagger out to my car ... and when he had three, Cathy and I would nearly have to carry him out to the car, which we all thought was hilarious. We went to Aragona's so often that one time when we were seated I said, offhand, "Well, I'm gonna have the Chicken Piccata, and Bob, you're no doubt gonna have a couple martinis and the spaghetti and meatballs." He just stared at me, wide-eyed, and exclaimed, "My Gawd! Am I that predictable?" (Only at Aragona's, I assured him.)
In 1999, when Arlen was bedridden and Bob was her main caregiver, Cathy and I would drive from San Jose to Capitola every Friday night (after I got off work) and spend anywhere from 24 to 48 hours with them. Cathy tended to Arlen, giving Bob a much-needed "day off." On Saturday afternoon I'd take Bob to The Crow's Nest, a pier-side restaurant in Santa Cruz, for sandwiches and several pints of beer or Guinness. After Arlen passed in May of 1999, Cathy and I continued to visit Bob every Saturday. We'd cook, or bring take out, or go out to dinner. He had a couple favorite restaurants, including the Golden Buddha in Soquel. We all loved their Chinese food, and often ordered takeout to eat at Bob's place. (It must run in the family—we ran into Christina and Rex there one night, also picking up takeout.)
I brought my homemade spaghetti sauce to his house one time and we got into a (joking) pissing contest about who made the best sauce. The next week, he cooked his spaghetti sauce, and I had to admit, it was quite good. The secret ingredient, he confided, was tiny shrimp. I never knew Bob to cook anything — he could barely make coffee — but he was proud of his spaghetti sauce. (But I can't recall ever seeing him eat lasagna ... )
One thing I know for sure is that Bob loved seafood. I mentioned Red Lobster, for instance. When we were in Seattle, we went to the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle and I watched him consume several buckets of shrimp. And when Cathy and I moved to Santa Cruz from L.A. in 2003— specifically to be near Bob, whose legs and health were failing — we re-instituted our weekly Saturday night dinners, and often went to a place on the pier near the Santa Cruz Boardwalk —Stagnaro Bros. Seafood, I believe. We'd load his collapsible wheelchair in the trunk of my vintage (i.e., old) Jaguar and take him there, where he usually got some sort of fish, or lobster. When he got too frail to take out, we'd bring him oysters from a nearby Mexican restaurant in Capitola, El Toro Bravo. He told me he'd had oysters all around the world, and El Toro Bravo made the best he'd ever tasted. (I believed him, because I knew they made the best enchiladas I'd ever had.)
Sometime around 2002 or '03, RAW had a lot of dental work, and had all his teeth pulled. He had dentures, but rarely wore them (he said they were uncomfortable). This severely impacted his ability to eat solid foods. He was stoically resigned to a life of soups and puddings when we discovered the miracle of pureeing food. He got a high-powered food processor and we tested most of his favorite foods in it, including steak and, of course, lobster. He was extremely pleased with the result, and even told us that he now preferred his food pureed — he felt it was more flavorful, since there was more surface area exposed to the taste buds.
From that time on, we spent virtually every Saturday night with Bob. Our SOP was to drive from San Mateo to a Red Lobster in San Jose, where we'd pick up dinner for ourselves and 3 or 4 dinners (mostly lobster) for Bob, then head on to Capitola and have our feast and our evening of conversation and laughs. Cathy prep'd several days worth of meals in the food processor, so all Bob had to do was toss 'em in the microwave and eat.
Finally, the recent passing of Carrie Fisher reminded me of this RAW restaurant anecdote: Bob was fond of telling a story (that must have taken place in the early '80s when he lived in L.A.) about when Dr. Leary took him out to dinner with Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. He said they were all tripping, and at one point he looked across the table and realized, "My Gawd, I'm having dinner with Princess Leia and Han Solo!"
Labels: D. Scott Apel
Oz Fritz said...
Great interview! I enjoyed hearing of RAW's dining habits. Used to love receiving Trajectories. I saved the cancelled check for the subscription that had RAW's autograph.
Thanks for the great interview. I loved Trajectoies and Scott's Phil Dick book.
This is a really wonderful contribution for Wilson scholars, Tom.
How you found D. Scott Apel I have no idea.
The part about Scott being surprised that RAW hadn't kept files of old articles he'd sold further confirms our sadness/frustration about this. CoincidAntally, I just wrote the Intro to the Hilaritas Press ed of Email To The Universe, and I cover my memories of how half of the book was resurrected by old denizens of alt.ran.rawilson. The amount of money Gathers and I spent on eBay copies of men's magazines from the 1960s-70s!
Terrific interview! Thanks!
Sam Konkin once told me that when the Wilsons lived in L.A., he used to go out with them to a Cajun place that featured live music. Apparently Arlen really liked the music and Sam was really into the food. Alas, I didn't ask him which was more interesting to Bob.
P.S. Have any of those audio or video issues of Trajectories been posted online?
Neil_in_Chicago said...
Thank you especially for your service to Arlen. My litmus test for someone who says they knew Bob is whether they mention Arlen. She seemed to me at least his equal. I'm not sure whose conversation I miss more.
Living in Chicago, I only got to visit the Wilsons in their various Bay area homes rarely. In '76 or '77 They were in a gigantic house up in the Berkeley hills north of campus with a total of something like eleven people. That was where Bob told me about Bell's Theorem, which I'd never heard of. (He loved Irishmen who blew apart British orderliness.) There's a book which came out just a couple of years ago called How the Hippies Saved Physics, about the Fundamental Fysiks Group et al. Just before the book came out, the author gave a one hour summary talk (at MIT?) which I saw on youtube. Somewhere in the middle he did the now conventional thing of measuring the influence of Bell by counting paper citations. The graph over time is the expected hockey stick curve. But he mentioned one odd outlier. There was an article about Bell's Theorem in (if memory serves) the March 1973 issue of Gallery. That jolted me, and it was searchable, so I did: it was by Bob. There's a fun bit for your bibliography.
And if you were involved with the last-minute web appeal of the last days, thank you again. I suggested something like that, but I was two time zones away.
Monocolour said...
Absolutely brilliant interview, thank you.
@Jesse
Trajectories #15
Everything Is Under Control: Robert Anton Wilson in Interview
Too bad the Impermanent Press closed its doors back in 2010 and the other stuff on this list is LOST FOREVER
The Trajectories Catalog
Thank you for the great interview, Tom
Bob Campbell said...
Such an awesome interview! Great to hear from D. Scott Apel!
Thanks, Martin.
Rarebit Fiend said...
Wow. I can't say how enjoyable and exciting I found this interview.
I've always enjoyed Chaos and Beyond for Arlen's poetry,"Our Lady of Outer Space" is my favorite, and as something to pick up off the shelf and dip into every so often. I actually have been taking vitamin C, though not 5000mg, everyday since reading Dr. Pauling's interview, and just this past month read RAW's "High Weirdness: UFO Update" to a friend over the phone. which Does anyone have those four chapters from Bride? I didn't know that those existed, or if I did it completely slipped my mind. I don't know when I'm going to stop this feeling of being robbed after hearing about the magnificently titled "Finger in My I." Goddamnit. First William Blake porn paintings and now this all lost to history.
And I don't know if this means anything but I rather like the "dated" nature of Chaos and Beyond. The late eighties/nineties seemed like a really interesting time in RAW's life. Atmospherics like the Nardwuar interview or his appearance on the Bill Maher show where he talks about Leary and LSD make me nostalgic for a time that I wasn't really around. But it's nice. Hearing the detail about Mary Hartman Mary Hartman and feeling that tug towards the late seventies was neat. I guess everything gets stuck in its time.
"He looked like a satyr trying to pass as a salesman"- I'll have to find The Uncertainty Principle.
This is secondhand story concerning drinking from my former psychosynthesis instructor who had known RAW in the seventies. He told me about meeting him once when RAW drank a bottle of whiskey in an hour with no ill affects. I don't know if Apel's testimony puts that in a dubious light or if it was just an odd night out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thank you! I have so much to think about now.
Scott Apel said...
Thank you all for your very complimentary comments. I should have known there are no trolls in the RAW-verse! I'm humbled by the response to these essentially random recollections of my 30+ year association with Bob and Arlen. To give a very general answer to a couple questions, not all the Permanent Press RAW stuff is lost forever... Christina is planning to republish "Chaos and Beyond" through Hilaritas Press at some point, for example, and I'm still considering what to do with the audio and video material. And just to prove what an insensitive, narcissistic self-promoter I am (I was once dubbed "The Total Media Whore" by a Bay Area film critic, and I'm proud of it), allow me to remind FOB (Fans of Bob) that he and Arlen (and Phil Dick, and others) appear as characters in my mystery novel, "The Uncertainty Principle?" which is available on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, etc. Again, my sincerest thanks for your comments.
Alice Taylor said...
I would like to thank you for your nicely written post
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Ibu.Joyce
Progressives and Libertarians Team Up to Deregulate Airports
#legit
More Email to the Universe news: New RAW intervie...
The new Email to the Universe ebook
Email to the Universe ebook released
New R.U. Sirius music video!
Val's 'Butterfly Language'
New Eris of the Month
New book with RAW material [UPDATED]
RAW on creating your reality tunnel
Part Three of Oz' Crowley/Deleuze series
A thought to ponder
Out of time?
'There is no president anywhere'
Alan Moore vs. Grant Morrison, a 'wizard's' perspe...
Robert Anton Wilson on freedom of speech
News roundup at Libertarian Institute
Email to the Universe has new introduction
New John Higgs book out soon
More on the new KLF book
How the Johnson-Weld ticket affected Trump
More UBI debate
Excellent Jesse Walker interview
PQ on Finnegans Wake, Brigid and Joyce's language
Tuesday links [UPDATED]
A RAW bibliography
Secret Transmissions on anti-authoritarianism
Robert Anton Wilson on choosing the novel we live ...
Adam Gorightly on Kerry Thornley and Kerista


text:
National Strike Called for Thursday in Nicaragua
They demand that Ortega respond to the agenda proposed by the bishops for the democratization of the country
Public employees are called upon to stay home [on Thursday] in response to the "repressive government" that has "trampled on their dignity."
By Carlos Salinas Maldonado (Confidencial)
Press conference where the Civic Alliance announced a national strike for Thursday, June 14th. Photo: Carlos Herrera, Confidencial
HAVANA TIMES – The main business chambers of the country called Tuesday for a 24-hour national strike on Thursday, June 14th, as an "extreme measure" to force President Daniel Ortega to respond to the proposal for the democratization of the country presented by the bishops of the Episcopal Conference. They also demand he stop the wave of repression and violence from paramilitary groups throughout the country, under the protection of the National Police.
The announcement of the national strike was made by the President of the Higher Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep), Jose Adan Aguerri, with the support of representatives of the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, who negotiate a solution to the crisis in the framework of the National Dialogue.
"This is a civic, national and peaceful work stoppage that covers the entire country and all economic activities, except those related to the preservation of life and basic services for the population," said the statement read Tuesday afternoon at the Cosep headquarters.
The members of the Alliance urged employers to respect their workers' decision to join the national strike and, in addition, called on state employees to "massively not show up for their jobs," given that "their dignity has been trampled by a repressive government." If most public sector workers stay home, "they will not be able to retaliate against you," the members of the Alliance urged.
The work stoppage will start Thursday at zero hours and end that same day at 23:59 hours. Juan Sebastian Chamorro, executive director of Funides, said that the strike is an extreme option to respond to "extreme conditions," in reference to the violence unleashed by Ortega against hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans who are peacefully demonstrating throughout the country.
"Given the lack of initiative to continue the dialogue, we have decided to call a strike," said Chamorro. "We send an unequivocal message so that there is a change and the democratization of the country," he added.
The call for the national strike comes a day after it was announced that President Daniel Ortega offered directly to the Government of the United States an advance of the elections as a measure to stop the crisis, which has left 146 dead, according to the verified count of the Nicaraguan Center of Human Rights (CENIDH).
That proposal was presented to the bishops and the Civic Alliance that participates in the National Dialogue by US Ambassador Laura Dogu and Caleb McCarry, a delegate of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who visited Nicaragua over the weekend, revealed Medardo Mairena, Coordinator of the National Council for the Defense of Land, Lake and Sovereignty.
McCarry was sent by Republican Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, after talks with the State Department, "in order to accompany and support the National Dialogue led by the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference," the embassy said in a statement.
McCarry and Dogu met over the weekend with the bishops – mediators of the dialogue – and with the members of the Civic Alliance – which brings together students, business people, peasants, academics and representatives of civil society – to inform them that they supported the proposal of the Catholic Church "to end the violence and be able to advance the negotiations" in search of a way out of the crisis.
Asked about Ortega's offer to Washington, the president of Cosep said that "we are not going to discuss actions if we do not have a response from the government. We have to wait for that answer. If there is no such proposal (from Ortega to the United States) it is ruled out," said the business leader.
After the announcement of the national strike, many supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants and other businesses closed at six o'clock in the afternoon of Tuesday in Managua, while at gas stations there were long lines of cars to buy fuel. The call for a national strike was one of the main demands of hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans who participated in huge marches called at the national level.
Here is a video of the press conference (In Spanish only):
Nicaragua va a paro nacional este jueves. La Alianza Cívica por la Justicia y Democracia hace el anuncio oficial. #GritoPorNicaragua
Gepostet von La Prensa am Dienstag, 12. Juni 2018
← Cuba: What it Means to Take a Stand
More Control over Cuba's economy / Converting Symptoms into Causes →
Carlos Ramos – Song of the Day
I Love Sun, Panama City – Photo of the Day
Mother of a Nicaraguan Political Prisoner also Arrested
Ukrainian's Documentary "20 Days in Mariupol"
Nicaraguan Musician Josue Monroy on his Banishment


Today's youth is being shaped during a Postmodern time — a counter response to the overall rationalism of the previous Modernist movement, where they coexist in a diverse, openminded world where they are tolerant to virtually everything and constantly in search of their own, individual truths.
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PROPÓSITO GLOBAL is an organization located in Ecuador and Germany that seeks to help people explore God's plan for their lives. We aspire to serve as instruments of the Lord that motivate and guide those willing to find their calling, building a healthy space for them to reach this goal by providing tools and training.
Furthermore, we seek to be a place of interaction and inclusion for strategic collaboration between different Christian agents and evangelical communities who share our values.


Before I'll finish a new post about 5G I decided to take a break and create a presentation which would complement VoLTE Basic Flows.
Btw. I can't find the option on slideshare which would allow to update the material .. does anyone know??
VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE. LTE is a new standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones.
Sometimes we can see also ViLTE, which means Video over LTE.
In telco tracing has always been very important. It helps us to understand the flows, the content and – sure – to find bugs. SS7 used to be much more strict and we didn't need to go in the detail traces that often. The flow and a few fields was usually enough. With SIP and SDP it is a different story. SIP is a very flexible protocol. That means powerful but also complex and sometimes quite confusing.
The registration flow is very important – in practice if something goes wrong, it is most probably registration. Once is a subscriber correctly registered, the other flows (call, sms, fileshare) usually works fine.
There are many documents describing the message flow and important values. For VoLTE I'd recommend to go through VoLTE Service Description and Implementation Guide or A Definitive Guide to Successful Deployments. Would you have any doubts about a particular header please refer to http://www.iana.org/assignments/sip-parameters/sip-parameters.xhtml. Now let's go through the particular messages.


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text:
Episode 209 – Wherein a Group of Struggling Writers Goes for a Walk, and a Narrator Gets Surly
January 21, 2011 By Fred
Happy fourth Anniversary Radio Drama Revival!
To celebrate, we feature a new colleague Captain Radio, who tells us all about a new sister audio effort dedicated to reviving audio arts: http://captainradio5.com
We also wrap the feature of the 1980 serial Our Life Together Among the Works of Art, a sexy and side-splitting serial that aired on WBAI, telling the woeful tales, struggles, romances, and substance abuses of a group of struggling young writers in New York City.
From Producer Jessica Raimi's website:
A story of the years of struggle artists go through before they make it big or give up. Phoebe's unfocused ambitions land her in a crowded apartment on New York's Upper Left Side with five roommates and their friends. George is a film critic paralyzed by deadlines, and his wife, Marceline, is tired of telling his editors he's not home
Julian writes poetry inspired by unattainable men, while Red toils over the definitive science fiction novel. Jay spends his days in dark theaters, claiming that movies are as real as real life. Cecily, an actress on the soaps, must choose between Butch, a novelist whose radical sentiments are being eroded by his job at a mailing house, and the Narrator, whose voice of authority conceals a soul all too human.
We hear 3 more of the 28 episodes today – along with an exclusive interview with writer/producer Jessica Raimi.
[audio:rdr-podcast209.mp3]
Radio Drama Revival – Episode 209
https://media.blubrry.com/radiodramarevival/p/radiodramarevival.com/podcasts/rdr-podcast209.mp3
Filed Under: RDR - Vault, Uncategorized
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