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5 Best Online Zombie Survival Games
Updated: 27 Jun 2015 3:43 am
The fight for humanity is here
BY: Kathryn Haro
Ready to band together with the rest of humanity to fight the legion of the undead? Not sure where to start your noble zombie slaughter? Check out these great online zombie survival games and get your supplies ready—the fight for humanity is raging on.
5. DayZ
If you're the top dog amongst your friends in gritty zombie survivors take on DayZ and give yourself a real challenge. Keep in mind that this game is currently in early access alpha and with their purchase of the game players will be actively supporting DayZ's development.
An unknown infection has wiped out most of the world's population, but luckily for you, you're one of the survivors. Players wander around a wasteland, fighting against crazed survivors and the infected. Each person's experience with the game will be radically different. Players can work solo or team up with others and take on the game how they wish: saving humanity or wreaking havoc of everything in your path.
Carefully, carefully
Survivors got it rough, the game will provide no help to players. There are no tips, tutorials, or any help at all for the living. In a game that lacks second chances, every choice matters. There are no extra lives or game saves, a bad mistake will be your last. If you die you will lose everything and need to start from scratch.
Players have a great deal of customization options in the game. All items and equipment can be improved or made into something else. Weapons and clothing are fully customizable and such objects can be scavenged throughout the environment, providing various amounts of protection against other survivors, the infected, and environment.
DayZ has a bunch of planned features such as vehicles, user mods, updated graphics, and wild life. If you feel up to the challenge, take a stab at DayZ and see where this hellscape will leave you.
zombie |
horror |
MMO |
dayz |
dead island: epidemic |
7 days to die |
dead frontier |
Kathryn Haro
Seasoned writer, gamer, and napper
Currently Playing: Don't Starve
Top 3 Favorite Games:, ,
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Investigative journalist Eliza Griswold '95 has spent the last seven years roaming through Africa and Asia along the line of latitude 700 miles north of the equator, exploring the faith-based conflicts there that date back centuries. More than half of the world's Muslims and some 60 percent of its Christians live along this aptly called fault line, known as the 10th parallel. To tell their story, Griswold undertook a kind of grim religious tourism throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Somalia, and Sudan, and her reportage is synthesized in The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
In these countries, she met with bishops, imams, academics, chieftains, soldiers, doctors, civilians, and many others on both sides of the divide about the entanglements of religion — with politics, ethnicity, and geography — that shape their lives. In examining the relationship between faith and conflict in the places she visited, she found that clashes between Christians and Muslims often were impossible to parse from such secular triggers as oil, land, honor, and political power.
The widespread Christian reawakening in 1960s Indonesia, for example, is linked to the outlawing of Confucianism and to a government pogrom against "godless" Communists. In the Philippines, serfs have become jihadists because their overlord needed soldiers in a land dispute.
Griswold also found pockets of peaceable change. In the Nigerian city of Kaduna, which is bisected by the 10th parallel, she visited with an imam and pastor who once were mortal enemies but have since joined forces to foster accord between their followers. During the 1980s and '90s, each man cultivated his flock to hate the other's, employing scripture to "plant the seed of genocide." Thousands of people were killed and many houses of worship were burned down. Today the two men are working to "reprogram" former fighters and keep peace, and each takes to citing holy passages as part of that effort.
Griswold, a poet whose first collection of poems, Wideawake Field, was published in 2007, calls her background in poetry instrumental to her ability to listen to people and capture the details of their lives. Her perspective is deepened, too, by having been born into a family in which religion was central: Her father was a prominent clergyman.
Rachel Lieff Axelbank '06 is an M.F.A. candidate in nonfiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College.


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Home of the Samaritans (part one)
On January 4, 2018 January 4, 2018 By Manny LaureanoIn Uncategorized
On the way in to San Lorenzo, PR one thing was evident: Boricuas use their music to uplift themselves when times are tough. It seems a somewhat obvious point but it was never so clear until this trip as I listened to stations on the rental car radio. Song after song exhorted the importance of raising yourself from misfortune… and singing about about hope. "Levántate, Puerto Rico!" is heard on a daily basis from some source. During this past Christmas season the idea of raising yourself was a constant theme in radio jingles and full-length songs. Don't just sit there. Do something for yourself during this crisis and sing and dance while doing it.
The most popular dance forms in Puerto Rico have to be the meréngue and the pléna, the latter of which was born in San Lorenzo, the home of the Samaritans. The pléna is a moderately fast dance with a strong beat. If you can stay still during the playing of the linked example, I would suggest a trip to the doctor. Despite the influence of various other American styles of music that have been incorporated over the decades, young Boricuas know that if they go to a wedding or some such other festive occasion that they will need to know how to dance a pléna or meréngue.
San Lorentians enjoy the reputation for being doers of good deeds on a historical basis, hence the nickname of the Samaritans. The pueblo of San Lorenzo is surrounded by 10 sections, one of which is called El Barrio Los Quemados. It is here that my parents have lived for the last almost 40 years in their little fortaleza which has withstood the force of several hurricanes by now.
There are two musical artists that have come out of San Lorenzo, the most recent one being a singer named Chayanne. He is so popular that the suspension bridge which leads into San Lorenzo has been named after him and all who travel into that town and even those who don't know it as El Puente Chayanne. The other artist holds a source of pride as she was known throughout all of Puerto Rico and currently has a theater in the town named after her. She is Priscilla Flores, a cousin, who was famous for singing songs of the jibaros or peasants. She is regarded as the Loretta Lynn of Puerto Rico with a strong, clear voice that sang about the joys and woes of the hard working Samaritanos.
Today she would be singing to allay the woes of a town of 40,000 people, many of who are without electricity or landline phone service. For the moment they wait, pray, and hope and carry on as best they can.
The Two Sisters Visit Puerto Rico (part three)
Home of the Samaritans (part two)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Julius Lee ponders just how much his house has appreciated in the 12 years since he bought it.
The 37-year-old electrical engineer bought his two-bedroom apartment in his home town of Dandong, bordering North Korea, for RMB320,000 (USD46,400). It is now worth about RMB600,000.
"The price has doubled so far," said Julius.
But that is nothing compared to the sort of gains other homeowners have made since Dandong was swept up in China's housing boom.
"My property would be considered growing slower than average [in Dandong]. For some other properties the price has increased a lot," he said.
The unit price of his property is currently RMB5,000 per square meter. The others to which he is referring lie further west on the route to North Korea where properties fetch around RMB8,000 yuan per square meter.
Dandong, a city less travelled among foreigners, has been boosted by a thaw in diplomatic relations between North Korea and the rest of the world, and follows tireless efforts by Beijing to rev-up its economy with big real estate projects – with mixed results.
However, although Dandong's blossoming should be a vindication of Beijing's advances to breathe life into stagnant cities, its booming housing market reflects the headache second-tier cities have posed amid efforts to cool the industry.
Since 2016, Beijing has made a concerted effort to rein in its real estate industry amid worryingly high property prices.
On average, house prices in China have been growing nearly twice as fast as national income over the past decade, buoyed by a rising population and economic growth.
In 2016, the government decided enough was enough. Average home prices in 100 major cities in China rose 16.6 percent in September that year, compared with the year before.
The government rolled out a raft of cooling measures. One of these was to require some first-time buyers to put down a 40 percent down payment, as opposed to 35 percent. Certain second-time buyers were made to pay a minimum 70 percent, compared with 50 percent before.
Wang Menghui, minister of housing and urban-rural development, told reporters towards the end of 2017 that authorities will keep anti-speculative, city-specific measures consistent and will not loosen controls against speculation.
"The real estate market must stick to the idea that 'homes are for people to live in, not for speculation'," he said.
While some major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have shown signs of a slowdown, second-tier cities have been going strong.
The dwindling hostility on the Korean peninsula prompted investors to snap up properties in Liaoning, Hunchun and Jilin provinces.
The result of this was seen in May, when China's home prices recorded their fastest growth in nearly a year. The figures highlighted that smaller cities still rely on real estate for growth.
Posting a statement through its official WeChat account, Dandong Municipal Government said in May that property buyers without local household registration would not be able to resell newly-built property in the city's New District until two years after purchase.
Yet while it may take some time before Dandong is brought under control, the measures are taking effect in other second-tier cities.
Hainan is China's southernmost province and is popular for its subtropical climate and clean air – a treasured commodity in smoggy China. It is known as 'China's Hawaii'.
In March, new home prices in Haikou, the capital city of the island, rose 2.1 percent from the previous month – an increase surpassing any other Chinese city, Beijing and Shanghai included.
"The surge in Hainan's property prices has been fuelled by market speculators. The province probably has more property investors than elsewhere," said Yan Yuejin, director of the E-house China R&D Institute, a market intelligence firm based in Shanghai.
But following measures introduced in April, Hainan has been made to fall in line.
Chen Gaige, a real estate analyst specializing in Hainan, told Chinese media that the crackdown is having a noticeable cooling effect.
"Prior to the regulations, developers could obtain their pre-sale permit as building tops were being sealed, but now some of them have had to wait three months after construction was completed, yet still haven't got one," Chen said.
"Both the purchase and supply ends have been effectively controlled," Chen said, noting many developers are also taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the local market.
In the eastern coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian Province, transactions dipped by 28.63 percent during the first half of 2018 compared to the year before. Further dips are expected in other cities where further regulation comes into effect.
At the start of August, Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning Province expanded restrictions on land related to commercial property purchases.
Dandong resident Julius said he has detected trepidation among investor friends who were bullish some years ago. One university friend has amassed more than 10 properties in Shenyang since he began investing in real estate in 2009.
In many of the big cities measures to taper demand appear to be working but buyers are scrambling to get a bargain.
Real estate services company Jones Lang LaSalle said in a second quarter update that price caps remained in place for new launches in Shanghai and buyers continued to be actively trying to acquire units at below market prices.
In Beijing developers have been offering more competitive prices in a bid to increase sales.
"The tight policy stance is unlikely to be relaxed in the short term in China as governments aim to curb speculation and stabilize the housing market. Tight financing conditions and ongoing deleveraging exercises by some developers may see more new projects launched in a bid to ease cash flow pressures," the report said.
Experts predict that Hong Kong's prices are unlikely to rise by much in the second half of 2018.
Carol Wu, head of China and Hong Kong research at DBS Bank (Hong Kong), said slower annual growth rates are likely to be the norm for the coming decade.
"Our prediction of about 5 to 10 percent price gain [in 2018] has already been reached," said Wu.
The disparity between the patterns in property prices between big and smaller cities reflects China's mountainous challenge in putting the brakes on an industry that has been growing wildly for so long.
A cat and mouse game is in play as authorities look to keep markets cool in one cluster of cities only to find people funnelling their money elsewhere where regulations have yet to be tightened.
This spread of money has brought prosperity to towns and cities largely forgotten and ignored, with new sources of labour. More than 20 second-tier cities hope to attract some of the growing number of educated workers leaving big cities due to the high cost of living.
For the likes of Julius, however, all this money sloshing around in property is dizzying and unpredictable. Though he has considered buying a home for investment in the past, he feels he's better off sticking to what he knows – electrical engineering.
As cooling measures take hold across the Middle Kingdom it is likely he won't be the only investor experiencing a certain degree of chill.


The video clip posted on the police department's Facebook page shows the suspect riding down the sidewalk and dropping cash before he stops, gets off the bike, and returns to scoop up the loot.
Originally Published: April 13, 2017 6:02 a.m.
YORK, Pa. (AP) — Police have released video of a man suspected of robbing a Pennsylvania credit union that shows him dropping some of the money while bicycling away from the crime scene.
Springettsbury Township police say the man robbed the Members First Credit Union April 6. The video is from a security camera on a business on a nearby street, about 10 minutes after the robbery.
Police have not yet charged anyone in the heist.


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Final Voyage: the Freemasons aboard the Titanic
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the RMS Titanic's ill-fated maiden journey, the Director of the Library and Museum of Freemasonry, Diane Clements, investigates the stories of the Freemasons on board
With 2012 marking the centenary of its first and only voyage, the RMS Titanic has become one of the most famous ships in history. After setting sail from Southampton for New York City on 10 April 1912 with 2,223 people on board, the ship hit an iceberg four days into the crossing, at 11.40pm on 14 April 1912, and sank at 2.20am the following morning.
More than 1,500 people died – the high casualty rate due in part to the fact that, although complying with regulations of the era, the ship carried lifeboats for only 1,178 people. The Titanic was the largest passenger ship in the world at the time and the loss of this 'unsinkable' ship was a major news story around the globe and covered by masonic newspapers.
The Freemason's Chronicle wondered whether Grand Lodge itself would 'vote a considerable sum… to one of the funds now being raised in different parts of the country'. This didn't happen but the Chronicle recorded lodge donations, at the suggested rate of one guinea, to a Freemasons Titanic Fund, which the paper established, and which were then sent on to a larger fund set up by the Daily Telegraph.
Among the English Freemasons who died on the Titanic was Howard Brown Case, aged 49. Case was the managing director of the Vacuum Oil Company (part of the Standard Oil Company), based in Rochester, New York, and was establishing the company's operations in the UK. He lived at Ascot with his wife, two sons and two daughters and was described as 'an exceptionally hard worker' with a 'magnetic personality'. Case had been travelling in a first-class cabin and some survivors recalled that he helped women and children into the lifeboats and finally stepped back to meet his fate. He had been initiated in America Lodge, No. 3368, in June 1909.
Percy Cornelius Taylor, aged 32, was a Past Master of Musgrave Lodge, No. 1597, at Hampton Court, and a cellist in the ship's orchestra. The band famously kept playing as the Titanic went down, with all eight members sadly perishing.
Two Liverpool-based stewards, Robert Arthur Wareham, aged 36, from Toxteth Lodge, No. 1356, and Arthur Lawrence, aged 35, a member of Neptune Lodge, No. 1264, also died.
Henry Price Hodges was a 50-year-old salesman of musical instruments from Southampton who was travelling as a second-class passenger en route to Boston. He had been initiated in Caulsentum Lodge, No. 1461, Woolston (Southampton), before joining Royal Gloucester Lodge, No. 130. Pierre Giuseppe Bochet, meanwhile, had moved to London from Aosta in Italy where he worked in the catering trade. He joined the Titanic at Southampton as a waiter, aged 43. He was a member of Loggia Italia, No. 2687 and also Columbia Chapter, No. 2397.
Officer and gentleman
One Freemason was known to be among the survivors. Herbert John Pitman, aged 34, was third officer on the Titanic. He helped to load and lower one of the lifeboats and row it towards the nearby ship Carpathia. Pitman went back to sea with other liners and served in the Merchant Navy in the Second World War. He had joined Abbey Lodge, No. 3341, in Hatfield in 1909 and remained a member until his death in 1961. A letter from the lodge congratulating him on his rescue was sold at auction in October 2011.
As the Titanic was bound for New York there were many American passengers. The condolences of several grand lodges, including Hungary and Cuba, to the Grand Lodge of New York are recorded in the proceedings of that Grand Lodge in May 1912. Three New York casualties were also recorded. Henry Harris was a New York theatre manager and a member of Munn Lodge, No. 100. Frank Millet was vice chairman of the Fine Arts Committee, based in Washington DC, and member of Kane Lodge, No. 454. Alexander Holverson was a member of Transportation Lodge, No. 842. Another Freemason casualty was Oscar Scott Woody, a clerk in the on-board post office. He was a member of Acacia Lodge, No. 16, in Virginia.
The passengers on the Titanic were drawn from all walks of life so it is no surprise that the Freemasons, casualties and survivors, were too.
Letters to the Editor - Freemasonry Today No. 18 - SUMMER 2012
Your article, 'Final Voyage' in Freemasonry Today, Spring 2012, highlights some known Freemasons who were on board the Titanic. One officer's actions, on that fateful night, have also become legendary. Harold Godfrey Lowe brought 118 passengers to safety and he was the last to leave the lifeboats on being rescued by the Carpathia. Fifth Officer Lowe was subsequently hailed a hero by some of the survivors for his actions that night, which he simply put down to doing his duty. What may not be known, but of interest to brethren, is that Lowe was initiated into St. Trillo Lodge, No. 2569, in the Province of North Wales, on the 6 May 1921. Unfortunately, he didn't occupy our master chair, but seemingly remained a member of this lodge for the rest of his life.
Tony Young, St. Trillo Lodge, No. 2569, Colwyn Bay, North Wales
I read with great interest your article on Freemasons and the Titanic. Unfortunately, you made no reference to a young brother of the Cambrian Lodge, No. 364, lost on that fateful voyage. He was Robert William Norman Leyson, a mechanical engineer aged 24.
Norman Leyson came from a respected Neath family. His father was a Freemason and he was proposed by Henry Pendrill Charles, who later became Deputy Provincial Grand Master. He was initiated on 16 January 1912. On 28 March 1912, the Minute Book records that a Lodge of Emergency was called. This was to permit Norman Leyson to be raised to the sublime degree of a master mason before he set sail for New York on the Royal Mail Ship Titanic, to go into business in America. His father is listed among the visitors.
The Titanic berthed at Ocean Dock in Southampton on 4 April 1912 and some time around this date Norman Leyson travelled there to board the ship for departure on 10 April. At 11.40pm on 14 April the ship travelling at 22 knots grazed an iceberg. There was lifeboat capacity for 1,200 passengers but 2,201 passengers and crew were on board. Even so, nearly 500 lifeboat places were not filled and at 2.20am on 15 April, the Titanic sank.
We do not know what happened to Norman Leyson during those dark hours, only that he did not get into a lifeboat. There were many documented and undocumented acts of bravery and also some of abject cowardice. We can only hope he acted as a true son and his actions may be numbered among the former. The body of Norman Leyson was one of those found. He was buried at sea on 24 April.
Roger B Evans, Cambrian Lodge, No. 364, Neath, South Wales
Pro Grand Master's address - June 2006
QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION
An address by the MW The Pro Grand Master the Most Hon the Marquess of Northampton, DL
I have received many favourable comments following the MW Grand Master's remarks at the April Investiture meeting on the question of charity, and how important it is to make our charity multi-faceted by giving practical help as well as financial aid.
We have many small Masonic charities which do just that and next week the Grand Master is coming to my home in Northamptonshire for an event which is being run by the Masonic Trout and Salmon Fishing Club of which I am a Patron. This charity, whose motto is 'Smiling in the face of adversity', organises a day's fishing with professional casters for handicapped and disadvantaged children at venues all over the country.
It is important that we build on the foundations we laid with our Freemasonry in the Community week by arranging events which benefit our local communities. There is no better way of ensuring the public and potential candidates have a good impression of what Freemasonry is all about than by seeing us helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
Since our last Quarterly Communication in March I have made two trips overseas. On 1 May I attended the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of New York following which they installed their new Grand Master. They kindly honoured me with their Distinguished Achievement Award [see page 30].
On the last weekend of May I flew to Bermuda to inaugurate the new District Grand Lodge of Bermuda and install RW Bro Robert Rego as the first District Grand Master.
It was a most enjoyable occasion with many Scottish and Irish brethren attending the ceremony and supporting our brethren.
Tomorrow I fly to Dublin for the annual Tripartite meeting between the three Home Grand Lodges.
Bro George Francis, Senior Grand Warden, visited our District Grand Lodge and District Grand Chapter of Cyprus for their annual communication and convocation on 27 May. He attended also the Grand Lodge of Ireland for their annual meeting on 1 June.
Brethren, we are coming to the end of another Masonic season which is a good time to reflect on what has been achieved during the past 12 months and make plans for next year.
I wish you and your families a happy and peaceful time over the summer and look forward to seeing you all again in September.
Published in Speeches
Distinguished Achievement Award from the Grand Lodge of New York
A speech by the MW The Pro Grand Master the Most Hon the Marquess of Northampton, DL
MW Grand Master, ladies and brethren. Firstly, may I, on behalf of my wife Pamela and myself, thank you for your kind invitation to be with you today and offer my congratulations on your 225th anniversary – you make your mother Grand Lodge very proud.
Secondly, may I thank you and your brethren for the great honour you have conferred on me. It is something I shall always treasure and which I regard as a tangible proof of the very cordial relations which have always existed between our two Grand Lodges.
It will also remind me of the advice, love and support I receive from Pamela, who shares with me a passion for the Craft as well as some of the highs and all of the lows associated with my role as Pro Grand Master of English Freemasonry!
Your Grand Lodge had its origins in a group of Lodges under the Antients Grand Lodge of England and, I am reliably informed, your ritual still contains many elements of the working of that Grand Lodge, possibly more than our current workings in England do!
This evening is not an occasion to dwell on our respective histories, but we have recently discovered a fascinating link between your City and our headquarters.
The present Freemasons' Hall in London was built as a memorial to our brethren who died in the First World War. A problem for the architects was that they had to erect a very heavy building, covering over two acres, on London clay which, even in the 1920s, was beginning to dry out.
The architects spent two months in New York in 1926 studying how your architects were able to build such magnificent structures. As a result, Freemasons' Hall became the first building in England to be raised on a massive steel frame. The New York lessons learned by our architects certainly paid off, as the building has hardly moved in the ensuing 80 years, whilst many of the neighbouring buildings have had severe problems!
History is important, but we live in the present and must plan for the future, which in recent years in many Grand Lodges has looked somewhat bleak. English-speaking Freemasonry, whilst it is widely spread over the globe, has common roots and also common problems.
We all went through a very large expansion in the period after the Second World War, an expansion it would have been impossible to sustain indefinitely. Since the 1970s we have all suffered from a decrease in our members.


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CCS Faculty & Staff
Middle School Principal
13 Years of Service
BA Bible, Bryan College
MSS Sport Management, United States Sports Academy
Jim Arnold is in his fifth year as the Middle School Principal after serving CCS for eight years as High School Assistant Principal. Jim also served as Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach for seven years, Head JV Boys Basketball Coach for two years, and Assistant Varsity Girls Basketball Coach for two years. Jim graduated with a BA in Bible from Bryan College and later graduated with an MSS in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy. Jim has served as a Christian school teacher and administrator for the past twenty years at Orangewood Christian School (Maitland, FL), Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy (Stephens City, VA), and CCS. Jim is married to Nikki Arnold, Upper School Registrar, and their son, Brandon, graduated from CCS in the Class of 2012. Jim and Nikki's daughter, Brooke, is a graduate of Ridgeland High School. The Arnolds attend Calvary Chapel in Chattanooga.
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Tina Jansen
Features Arts Film
North by old west
The Pinkertons & the state of Manitoba film & television production
Tony Hinds Follow @thetonyhinds
October 22, 2014 Comments
Kansas City, Missouri, 1865. A train engine belches white smoke across a blue sky as Allan Pinkerton reprimands his adult son, William, beneath the shadow of the Dubois Hotel. Nearby people stand silently and watch, iPhones and Starbucks cups gripped tightly in their hands. With a call of the word cut, we are whisked back to Grosse Isle, Manitoba, 2014 and to the set of the new syndicated hour long drama, The Pinkertons.
The show is a fictionalized account of the real life adventures of Allan Pinkerton (Angus MacFadyen, Braveheart), founder of the Pinkertons Detective Agency. The plot follows the sleuth and his eponymous agency, which included his son William (Jacob Blair, The Grey) and America's first female detective, Kate Warne (Martha MacIssac, Superbad) as they solve all manner of crimes and mysteries in the post-Civil War old west.
Spirits are high on the set, made up largely of Manitoban crew members. The state of film production in the province appears very strong at the moment, as Réjean Lebrie, production designer on The Pinkertons, will affirm.
"The government is right behind us with the tax credit," Labrie, who gained experience in the western genre as a set dresser on The Assassination of Jesse James, says. "There are like five different projects being filmed at once in Manitoba (including the new comedy series Sunnyside, thriller/ horror flick Wait Till Helen Comes, local Sean Garrity's latest Borealis and the Paul Gross war film, Hyena Road). It's actually difficult to find crew. The industry is healthy and slowly growing."
Alberta born actor Jacob Blair agrees with Lebrie, citing a drastic improvement in programming.
"The quality of the content coming out of Canada right now is really good," Blair says. "Some of it's making the crossover into the states. Like (Canadian shot drama) Flashpoint (which aired on CTV in Canada CBS in the states), people were just loving the show. I think we're making a comeback to be on par with the United States."
" It's kind of funny. The creators of the show are in Los Angeles, and the writers are in Toronto. Here they are, coming up with these wonderful outdoor scenes, but I think we're gonna have to send them a note and ask them to start writing more indoor scenes. 'Okay guys, we don't want people to get frostbite up here.'
Jacob Blair, actor, The Pinkertons
Blair also stresses that the Canadian film industry can be an excellent path to bigger Hollywood productions, having had the the opportunity to work with director Joe Carnahan his Vancouver-lensed films The Grey, Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball and The A-Team.
"There were a couple of roles up for The A-Team that (Carnahan) was willing to give to local actors," Blair says. "I was very fortunate, incredibly blessed and lucky. He just liked my audition tape and on set, he liked what I did with the character he gave me. It was a good combination of working hard and luck. Joe and I still keep in touch to this day. He's a great guy."
Pinkertons' prop master Jason Gibbs believes the economics of local film production are more complicated.
Photo by Aaron Rosenblatt
"The margins are getting a little thinner," Gibbs, a veteran of such local productions as Goon and Fear X, says. "I don't want to get too political but these days, it's a little more expectations for a little less money. Budgets are getting smaller. Things are tough. But that's across every industry. It's like how the world economy is going."
The show's firearms safety coordinator, Dave Brown, (New in Town, You Kill Me, The Lookout) insists the local community is sensitive to the needs of working film and TV productions.
"The cooperation we get from the city of Winnipeg is just unprecedented," Brown says. "The Toronto police charge a lot to have an officer on set whenever you're firing a gun. In Winnipeg, as long as they have a permit and as long as I'm there, the police are fine with it. Their only concern is keeping people safe and making sure everyone's following the rules. It's not a money making venture like in Toronto."
Todd Berger is a packaging agent who represents production companies, distributors and financiers, and helps assemble projects like The Walking Dead and The Pinkertons. Berger saw an opportunity to put a show together that would appeal to a family friendly demographic.
"One of the original distribution platforms is first run syndication, which is made up of station groups from around the country that aren't big enough to be networks," Berger says. "So we looked at this landscape, where there used to be a lot of activity with shows like Baywatch and Hercules but the business went quiet. We wanted to bring original, scripted drama back to that market."
Berger employed an atypical approach to land financing for The Pinkertons.
"When you normally pitch a TV series, you work with a writer to develop and then, you go pitch to a studio or network," Berger says of collaborating with show creators Kevin Abrams and Adam Moore. "You go through the development process and maybe get a pilot made and maybe get a series on air. We bypassed that whole development part of the process and put a financing plan together to put the show straight to series. It's a very non-traditional way to put a television show together. We don't know if anyone has done this before."
Costume designer Heather Neale (Goon, Keyhole) works closely with the United American Costume Company, wardrobe supplier for such films as True Grit, Django Unchained and Lincoln. These resources help to eliminate many of Neale's struggles to acquire vintage
1800s clothing.
"If you need 70 Civil War uniforms right away, it can be a bit tricky," Neale says with a laugh. "If you need multiples of the same clothing item, there is no 1865 store where we can just go buy them."
Instead, the items need to be rejuvenated to remove nearly two centuries of wear and tear, which also applies to the prop department.
"We're recreating items, based on the technology that was around in 1865 or taking things, revamping them and making them look new again," Gibbs says. "The items obviously can't look old. We bring them back to their original state."
Despite all the work required for such an elaborate undertaking, Brown believes it's all worthwhile.
"We tend to be perfectionists," the firearms safety specialist says. "I wouldn't use a gun that was 1867 vintage if it was 1865. It's great working with a cast and crew that are as perfectionist as I am. We want to get everything exactly right."
The show, which premiered on New York affiliate WPIX (available on MTS and Shaw cable) earlier this month, depicts the infamous detective agency in an honest, but flattering light. This could be due to the fact that Pinkerton agent Charles Siringo, who accused the agency of corruption in his 1915 memoir, was only 10 years old when the show takes place.
"We portray the agency warts and all," Berger says. "But during this period of the Pinkertons existence because the company was so new, they were really held in high regard. They were helping a lot of people and businesses with many cases of murder, bribery or extortion. They were really very heroic."
But the most common worry among The Pinkertons crew could be the impending Winnipeg winter.
"Every location has its challenges," Berger says. "Talk to me again in January when it's -32 and we'll see how it's going."
Brown is quick to point out the benefits of the icy weather.
"The series takes place in Kansas City, which is a lot like Manitoba as far as weather is concerned. They have winter and snow, so that's how we're filming it. On The Pinkertons, the story will evolve across the seasons, from the summer right through to the winter."
Gibbs knows the troubles of working in Manitoba winters all too well.
"I've shot in places where propane won't work anymore because it has gone back to a liquid and that only happens at a certain temperature," Gibbs says, laughing. "Uh oh! No propane camp fire. It comes down to things like figuring out how to keep paint warm or how to keep your tools from freezing. But I have seen some innovative stuff from Manitoba crews. You just gotta keep working. You can't let the weather stop you. We just switch from carts to sleds."
Blair agrees, but admits he's already bracing himself for the drop in temperature.
"I'm stubborn when it comes to stuff getting in my way," Blair says. "It's gonna suck! Don't get me wrong. But I've worked so hard to get here, I'm not gonna let the cold get in my way.
"It's kind of funny. The creators of the show are in Los Angeles, and the writers are in Toronto," Blair says. "Here they are, coming up with these wonderful outdoor scenes, but I think we're gonna have to send them a note and ask them to start writing more indoor scenes.
"'Okay guys, we don't want the people to get frostbite up here.'"
Visit pinkertonstheseries.com for more information.
Published in Volume 69, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 22, 2014)
Glassically beautiful
Arts briefs
CRITIPEG: What did Jack do?


EconomicPolicyJournal.com: Is Trump Running a Crony Tariff Scheme?
Is Trump Running a Crony Tariff Scheme?
An observation from Paul Krugman, who in the Age of Trump gets to use sound economics to make his point.
For the political elite the truth is another political tactic like lying. Does the truth benefit my agenda?


metronidazole OTC buy now The Burlington resale home market recorded double digit price growth in May for the fourth consecutive month versus last year. On a year-to-date basis (January thru May), the average price of Burlington resale home now stands at $557,661 which is up by a frothy 12.9% versus the comparable average price in 2014. That means that the average Burlington homeowner has seen their home equity increase by about $64,000 thus far in 2015. To put this price growth into a more full perspective, the most recent inflation growth figure from Stats Canada (April 2015) stands at a paltry 0.8%. Prices are being bolstered by a combination of low inventory (active listings at the end of May were down by 4.5% versus last year) and a continuation of ultra-low borrowing costs.
From a volume standpoint, a total of 391 sales were recorded in May – up by just 0.8% versus the 388 homes sold in May 2014. However, on a year-to-date basis (January thru May), volume continues to be up by a solid 5.7% versus last year despite a very weak month of January (which was actually down by 16.1%). The lack of adequate inventory for sale has been the most noteworthy factor that has mitigated against volume growth this year. Despite the weak inventory situation, sales are still occurring at a reasonable pace due to exceptional borrowing costs and to the growing popularity of the Burlington market as a whole. From an affordability standpoint, the price increases experienced thus far in 2015 are being largely offset by the aforementioned ultra-low borrowing cost.


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Humaid Albuqaish Net Worth
November 25, 2022 Kelly Z.
Besides the fact that the yearly salary of Humaid Abdulla Albuqaish is reportedly at $1.5 million, he also owns a large amount of real estate in different parts of the world. In addition, he is the chairman of the Olayan Group, the company that owns the majority of the Emirates Airline. Therefore, it is no surprise that he is among the richest people in the world. In fact, his net worth is estimated to be around $600 million.
Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud
Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Ghurair
Humaid Abdulla Albuqaish
Olayan Group
Sunil Vaswani
Among the richest people in the world, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is an investor, philanthropist and a member of the Saudi royal family. He is estimated to be worth $20 billion. In addition, he owns a majority stake in the Kingdom Holding Company, a Forbes Global 2000 company that invests in real estate, hotels, media, and other businesses.
The prince is a major philanthropist, giving away billions of dollars to charity and other causes. His donations include $20 million to Georgetown University and 16 million British pounds to Edinburgh University. He also donated $10 million to the Palestinian Investment and Development Company in 1997. Several of his philanthropic causes include empowering women in the Arab world and supporting the education of young people.
Al-Waleed, born on March 7, 1955, is a Saudi Arabian billionaire and philanthropist. He owns three palaces in Saudi Arabia, a 420-room hotel in Riyadh, and a large number of luxury cars and aircraft. In addition to his philanthropic and business interests, he is also an avid supporter of the Palestinian cause. He has donated $18.5 million to the families of Palestinians affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He also owns a stake in the news conglomerate News Corp., and a 10% share in Saks Fifth Avenue. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is also an investor in the Fox News Channel and the Walt Disney Company. He is also the founder of the Alwaleed Philanthropies, a charitable organization that helps to empower women in the Arab world.
Alwaleed bin Talal was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 7, 1955. He attended Menlo College and earned a master's degree in social science from Syracuse University.
Listed as the second richest person in the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Ghurair is the founder of Mashreqbank. He also has an interest in construction and real estate. His total net worth is $8 billion. He is 92 years old and is a member of the Al Ghurair family.
The Al Ghurair Group controls many business interests including food, real estate, retail, and banking. The holding company is led by the sons of Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Ghurair. One third of the group's assets are devoted to a charitable organization.
Abdullah Bin Hamad would like to describe himself as a self-made man. He earned his money through his expertise in banking. He holds property in all of the Emirates of the United Arab Emirates.
Abdullah Bin Hamad's father was a merchant. He sold goods imported from China. He also owned a Parker pen company. In 2002, he split from his brother, Bassam, in a bitter divorce. The two men fought over the inheritance.
The Al Ghurair Group is also one of the largest real estate companies in the United Arab Emirates. It was divided into two separate industrial groups in the 1990s. The holding company's property is valued at $3 billion. Its retail division has franchise rights to many stores including Starbucks, H&M, and Lululemon Athletica. It operates 120 stores across the UAE.
Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Ghurair has been the head of Mashreq Bank for over fifty years. He has helped to establish the bank's reputation as one of the largest and most profitable in the Middle East. It has also been the first bank in the region to receive recognition through the Swift system. The bank has also reported a 28% increase in net profits for the first nine months of 2012.
Among Dubai's richest men is Humaid Abdulla Albuqaish. The Persian millionaire has a lot of money to burn. His Instagram feed is a fascinating display of wealth.
Sheikh Humaid Abdullah Albukais is a big fan of supercars. His personal collection includes several exotic automobiles. A few of these include the Rolls Royce Wraith, the Lamborghini Urus, and the Ferrari F12 TDF. He also owns an eye catching private zoo. He is not alone in his animal obsession as former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik HARIRI owns a collection of exotic animals.
HumaidAlbuqaish is also a well known TikTok user. The Emirati is credited with a video that has received over a million views. His TikTok profile boasts more than 750, 000 followers. In addition to being a TikTok user, Albuqaish has a number of other social media accounts.
Humaid Albuqaish has a very large Instagram following. He has a number of Instagram posts featuring animals and exotic automobiles. He has also done a number of TikTok videos highlighting some of his more kooky pet habits. In one video, he is seen feeding a bear an apple. Another is him feeding his cats. He even posts selfies with his animals. The smallest of his animals, a bear cub, has been seen in a few of his videos.
Humaid Abdulla Abbas is an Emirati footballer who plays for Al-Fujairah. He is also CEO of the Emirates National Oil Company. He also owns a number of other companies in Dubai, including the UAE's largest mall, the Dubai Festival City. His most popular Twitter account has over a million followers. He has also done several interviews.
Founded by Suliman Olayan in Saudi Arabia, the Olayan Group is one of the largest family-owned business empires in the Middle East. The group's industrial portfolio includes partnerships with Coca-Cola and General Foods. It owns minority stakes in blue chip companies and invests in the stock market.
The Olayan Group owns a number of companies, including Hotel Ritz in Madrid, Occidental Hotels and Resorts, Burger King restaurants and the 550 Madison Avenue skyscraper in New York. It also owns the Knightsbridge Estate in London. It has stakes in various multinational companies, including Credit Suisse, Occidental, National Grid, Chase, and Burger King. It is the largest family-owned holding in the Middle East and one of the top 15 richest families in the world.
The Olayan Group has made a name for itself in Saudi Arabia as one of the country's top investors. The conglomerate has been a major player in setting up a $1bn emerging markets fund with Credit Suisse. The company also owns a number of commercial properties, including a hotel in Madrid and a castle in London. The company's main industrial holdings include manufacturing cans, bottlers of Coca-Cola, and Burger King restaurants. It has more than 50 companies and a diverse commercial portfolio. In addition, the Olayan Group has a number of partnerships with multinationals, including partnerships with General Foods and Coca-Cola. In Saudi Arabia, the Olayan Group bottles Coca-Cola and owns a number of Burger King restaurants.
The family has made a fortune through its licensing rights to some of the most famous brands in the United States. The Olayan family is one of nine families in the Middle East to own such rights, including Burger King, Coca-Cola, First Boston, American International Group, and Starbucks.
Besides being the name of a Nigerian based multinational conglomerate, Sunil Vaswani is a top-flight businessman in his own right. He is the chairman and owner of the multi-billion dollar Stallion Group, one of the richest companies in Africa. The company, which started in West Africa, operates in 18 countries, and is the largest preferred partner for global multinationals.
Although Vaswani is a multi-millionaire in his own right, his company has a modest net worth of $7.2 billion. This is a fraction of the $19 billion of its biggest shareholder, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote. The company, which operates in 18 countries, is in the business of agriculture, mining, and technology. Its largest venture is in commodities trading.
As you can probably deduce, the Stallion Group is a jack of all trades, and Sunil Vaswani is the master of them all. He lives in Dubai with his wife Rita and youngest daughter Simran. The mansion he lives in is a bit of a showpiece. It boasts a number of features including an automatic car wash and an indoor aviary. Vaswani, who was born in Nigeria and has a British passport, is a well-rounded businessman. The company, which has a portfolio of businesses ranging from frozen foods to dealerships, is expanding its African footprint with a $9 billion investment.
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HomeNorth AmericaGrand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
By mcat-test-centers December 2, 2022 North America 0 Comments
According to a2zdirectory.org, the Grand Canyon National Park is one of the oldest and most famous parks in the United States and is located in the state of Arizona. The gorge is about 443 km long and the width can vary from 16 to 29 km and the depth is no less than 1829 meters. It is impossible to walk down to the foot in 1 day and up again the same day. This takes about 2 days. The park consists of 2 parts, the northern rim (North Rim) and the southern rim (South Rim). Most people visit the South Rim and that is where most hotels are located. You can find these hotels in the town of Tusayan. Williams and Flagstaff are cheap places to stay but are much further from the South Rim. You can also combine Grand Canyon National Park with a car tour or a camper tour. How about the Western Experience car tour, Arizona – New Mexico Camper tour ,Western Impressions car tour of the Vegas Lights & National Parks car tour.
10 Grand Canyon Attractions
Try to stay at the Grand Canyon for at least 2 days, there is a lot to see. You can of course go hiking, if you plan to walk all the way down it will take you at least 1 day there (and you have to camp somewhere) and 1 day back. From Grand Canyon Village you have easy access to the many vistas, through these points you can take beautiful pictures. Spectacular is a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. This is not cheap but it is a 'one in a lifetime experience'
1. Bright Angel Trail
You must have done a minimum of hiking in the Grand Canyon. Many people take the Bright Angel Trail. This trail takes you about 15 km into the Canyon and takes you about 7 to 9 hours. The difference in altitude is 1000m and the gradients are approximately 10%. This hike is quite difficult and in the summer it can get very hot.
2. South Kaibab Trail
The South Kaibab Trail is an advanced hike. If you walk all the way down, this hike is about 10 km. You can walk all the way to the Phantom ranch, then the total distance is 15.9 km. From this trail the viewpoints are phenomenal! This trail is also used to descend with donkeys, so be careful when passing!
The Grand Canyon is visited by millions of people every year, but what most people don't know is that at night there are more than 8,000 stars visible in the dark clear sky.
The Grand Canyon has been declared an International Dark Sky Park.
4. Grand Canyon Village
Located on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Northern Arizona, Grand Canyon Village has some of the most beautiful views in the park, including Yavapai Point. Begin your Grand Canyon tour at the Visitor Center. Here you can pick up a copy of the self-guided hiking tour brochure for extensive information about the canyon and its history. Tour highlights include Bright Angel Lodge, El Tovar Hotel Buckey O'Neill Cabin, Hopi House, Lookout Studio, and Kolb Studio. You'll also learn how Grand Canyon Village grew up around the Santa Fe Railroad from 1901. Stop at the rustic Grand Canyon Railway Depot, which welcomes Grand Canyon Railway passengers to the Village.
5. View Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon can be viewed from various points on both the South Rim and the North Rim. Especially when the sun rises or sets, it is very worthwhile, you can see the beautiful colors in the ravine walls, which are caused by the presence of minerals.
6. West Rim Drive
If you have less time to visit the Grand Canyon, consider visiting the West Rim. It's much closer to Las Vegas, which means you have more time to explore the Rim and experience the scenery. You should also choose to visit the West Rim if you are interested in the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
7. East Rim Drive
The Little Colorado River Gorge, the historic Cameron Trading Post, Marble Canyon, Navajo Bridge, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Rainbow Bridge, Tower Butte, part of Lake Powell, and the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry are all within the East Rim Drive and are great to visit.
8. Hermits Rest Route
Hermit's Rest, also known as Hermits Rest, is a 1914 building and viewpoint located at the western end of Hermit Road near Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Hermit's Rest bus loop is a great option to see much of the canyon without hiking. The route is 11.8 kilometers long with a shuttle bus that stops at 9 different viewpoints along the route.
9. Desert View Drive
The Desert View Drive starts at the Visitor Center and ends at Desert View.
To drive the scenic Desert View Drive, it takes about four hours when you stop to take in the sights along the way. It's 25 miles of scenic opportunities along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
10. Innercanyon
The lower parts of the Grand Canyon are called the Inner canyon. You can descend all the way to the bottom of the Canyon, where the Colorado River flows.
Where is the Grand Canyon located?
In northern Arizona.
How was the Grand Canyon created?
Over millions of years, the waters of the Colorado have created this canyon in the landscape. … The Colorado erodes about 6 inches every 1,000 years.
How deep is the Grand Canyon?
1829 meters deep
Wat is de Grand Canyon?
This gap was created because millions of years ago the earth's crust was pushed up. This created the Colorado Plateau of which the Grand Canyon is a part. Over the last few million years, the Colorado River has carved its way through the rock strata of the Plateau.
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And What Was the Republican Plan for Iraq, Exactly?
Moe Lane over at RedState thinks that Reuters and Barack Obama somehow are to blame for the retaliation looting and killings in Tikrit after the routing of ISIS. And that murder and looting shouldn't really be newsworthy because heck, that's what happens in war:
Of course the groups sacking the city publicly executed anybody who was, or looked to be, Islamic State. Of course the city got looted. Of course bodies were dragged through the streets. Anybody who knows anything about warfare knows that such things are the default when it comes to a city being captured, or recaptured. It shouldn't happen. It's not moral or ethical to let it happen, either. And it will still happen, anyway, unless you are prepared to stamp on it from the start.
Unfortunately for everyone concerned, the military forces that could have prevented Tikrit from being sacked – heck, kept it from being captured by Islamic State death cultists in the first place – were stood down from Iraq by Barack Obama in 2011. With, might I add, the tacit corporate approval and support of Reuters.
It's one thing to question military strategy and the relative merits of intervention and self-determinacy of nations. But it's more than a little precious to see the same people who spent the whole Bush Administration cheerleading the illegal and ill-advised invasion of Iraq and calling out as cowards and traitors anyone who opposed it, now blame the press and the Obama Administration for the violence there.
Moe Lane and all his compatriots aided and abetted an invasion conducted for corporate gain under false pretenses that sent the entire region spiraling into conflict, strengthening Iran and precipitating a series of crises that ultimately led to the formation of ISIS due to the oppression of Iraqi Sunnis and the post-Saddam power vaccuum. These same Republicans wanted a more aggressive military operation against Assad in Syria–even though it would have strengthened ISIS. And these same Republicans have been itching like crazy to drop bombs on Iran, undermining our ultimately successful diplomatic efforts, further destabilizing the region and weakening one of our most effective regional allies against ISIS.
So now the folks at RedState, having been wrong not only in absolute moral terms but also from the perspective of sheer realpolitik and national self-interest, see fit to blame the Administration for some the ugliness in Tikrit after ISIS was forced out? Because there weren't more American troops present?
As if more American troops would have prevented the violence. Is Moe Lane unaware of the number of Iraqis killed by American troops in the initial invasion? Has he not seen pictures of Abu Ghraib? Does he not know that not only did American forces not prevent widespread looting in Baghdad, we couldn't even be bothered to stop Iraq's most priceless treasures from being looted from its top museums?
But let's assume for the moment that a stronger American presence in Iraq would have prevented some of the retributive violence in Tikrit. What exactly did Moe Lane believe that a hypothetical President McCain or Romney would have done in Iraq? Keep more troops there? For how long, exactly? Did Republicans plan to simply occupy Iraq for decades? At what point would the nation be considered stable and safe enough to finally withdraw?
Republican foreign policy is a disaster. The existence of ISIS is directly on the heads of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and everyone who supported the invasion of Iraq. And yet those same people have the gall to blame the President (and the press!) for the ugly aftermath of ISIS' removal from one of its strongholds, apparently because Democrats didn't put enough American troops in harm's way for long enough.
It's a remarkable display of ignorance, poor judgment and shamelessness.
David Atkins
David Atkins is a writer, activist and research professional living in Santa Barbara. He is a contributor to the Washington Monthly's Political Animal and president of The Pollux Group, a qualitative research firm.


Here's your Neighbourhood Plan. Documents and appendices below.
Please comment on this before: 21 November.
The statutory 6 week period to comment on this plan ended February 17th 2016.(Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012) Printed copies were available at STCA, the GP surgery, Origin, Training Link, Regent High). Changes have been made to the wording in Housing Policies H1 and H2 and Plan 6 on pages 28 & 29 to avoid SEAS.
Please comment here OR alternatively, email to: DTurnbull@vac.or.uk Or write to 293 -299 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ.


When This Group of Dads Took The Stage, The Audience Did Not Know WHAT To Expect!
The performers at this dance recital thought they had seen it all, but that was until this next group took the stage!
It was time for the dance dads to show off what they got and boy, did they work it! They perfectly perform their synchronized dance moves to a fun mix of popular songs. I couldn't stop watching! This impressive performance had me smiling the entire time!
Watch this amusing performance below and make sure you SHARE with all your friends on Facebook!


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Goodbye, Neil Peart
Posted on January 16, 2020 by Suleman Khawaja under Uncategorized
[A guest post by my younger brother, Suleman Khawaja.]
I can still remember being six years old, sitting on the asphalt basketball court behind St. Joseph's church, tagging along with my older brother and the other neighborhood 12-year olds, trying hard not to be so conspicuously small. A hushed anticipation fell over the churchyard. I can still hear the ephemeral bumps and clicks as the tape unspooled in the little boom box, the sonic artifacts of fingers pressing Record and Play on someone's Dad's hi-fi, the click of the needle touching down on vinyl. "This is it, man!" The LP-to-cassette knock-off of Moving Pictures cued to launch the opening burst of "Tom Sawyer" into the air of North Jersey suburbia.
1981. West Orange, New Jersey. That's the first time I heard Rush. The first time I ever heard of Neil Peart. One story among so many others. But mine.
Over the next few years, I worked both forwards and backwards (with my brother buying the records) through the ambitious oddball virtuosity of the entire Rush catalog, all the way back to the 1974 debut album, and forward through the album (and the VHS tape) of the Exit…Stage Left concert, up through 1983's synth-laden, genre-bending Signals.
And from then forward, I can remember, for every single Rush album that came out, where I was, what time of year it was, what was going on in my life as I wore out that LP, cassette, CD, or MP3. Grace Under Pressure, summer after 3rd grade, nervous about a new school. Power Windows, winter 5th grade, the big family trip to Pakistan. Hold Your Fire, released first week of 7th grade, listened to the entire album twice every day on my Sony Walkman, last seat, back of the bus, volume dialed all the way up to drown out the awkwardness of middle school.
Presto, winter, freshman year high school, same bus, same awkwardness, first Rush concert that April. Roll the Bones, released the day before first day of junior year high school, now I could drown out the awkwardness behind the wheel of my first car. Counterparts, 2nd month of freshman year of college, I was only person in line at Millennium Records not buying Pearl Jam's Vs., also released that day. Test for Echo, fall of senior year of college, soundtrack of my med school interview trail. Vapor Trails, end of intern year, watching my future wife dance in the aisles at the comeback show. Snakes and Arrows, first summer living in my own house, last year before fatherhood. Clockwork Angels, the sweet summer of 2012.
Along the way there was always a lot of other music in my life. I immersed myself at various turns into metal, classic rock, progressive rock, new wave, hip-hop, jazz, punk, grunge, trip-hop, industrial, shoegazer, indie rock, art rock, and every revival and reboot of all of the above that has rolled out in the creative depression of the last 10 years of rock music. For every time and place in my life, there's been a soundtrack, and a lasting spiritual connection to the music that I wrapped myself in. But there's only one artist whose every record has that lasting spiritual connection. Only Rush. Often music is meaningful in a way nothing else can be. But Rush has become more than that to me. Rush is personal.
Flash forward to Friday, January 10th, 2020. My teeth are still grinding, head still buzzing from my shift at the hospital. I've got a couple of errands before heading home. My car is playing my music library on shuffle play and "Vital Signs" comes on. I'm sliding my card into the slot at the drive-through ATM when suddenly my phone blows up: texts from friends, my wife, my mother-in-law, my nephew – have I heard? Heard what? How the hell can this be happening? Neil Peart has died? The next few minutes are a blur. I grab a wad of 20-dollar bills out of the ATM and clumsily drop it on the passenger seat. I'm driving, really can this be true? I end up in a parking spot at Peter's Fish Market. I'm standing in line to pay. I'm wondering if the guy ringing me up can tell I'm completely losing my shit, hyperventilating, tears rolling hot down my face. He's gone. How can he be gone?
Never before in my life have I gone into full bereavement over the passing of a person whom I did not know personally. How do I unpack all of this? How can I make it understandable what this all means?
In the time I've been a fan, much has been written about the cult of Rush fandom, and particularly on the Neil-Peart-as-hero phenomenon. Neil Peart leaves a legacy as perhaps the greatest virtuoso drummer in rock music. And yet, it is demonstrably true that there have been drummers of greater technical skill, probably even within rock, and certainly if you include jazz. What made Neil special was not just how great he was at hitting things with sticks. There was an expressiveness in his playing, a dynamism, that made Rush's signature sound unique even among its own tight progressive-rock subgenre. In Rush songs, the percussion contributes a musicality beyond rhythm. It has tone and melody, and the guitars and bass bend in and around it, building that wall of sound for which the band is famous ("that's just three guys?"). The beats define the texture and mood of the song, the drum fills actually work as pop hooks unto themselves. And the solos work as stand-alone musical compositions. I'm not a musician, so don't ask me how this works. I just know what it sounds like, what it makes me feel.
What made Neil a hero and an idol, both to drummers and to people who'd never touched a drumstick that didn't involve fried chicken, was the dedication to the craft, the intensity, and the peculiarly un-rock-star-like way in which he went about being a rock star. This is a guy who spent three decades making a reputation as a legend, and then after achieving legend status, decided to spend years in professional drum lessons to improve his technique. Twice.
One of the great ironies of Peart's career is that he came up as a drummer idolizing Keith Moon of The Who – a guy who was legendary as a drummer, but even more legendary as a flamboyant bon vivant whose lifestyle ultimately ended the party and broke up the band. Peart, by contrast, went on tour with KISS as a 24-year old man in the mid-1970s, and spent his evenings reading books in his hotel room while debauchery of historic proportions occurred outside those four walls. As different as they might have been on the introvert-extrovert issue, Peart and Moon definitely were kindred outliers in how they saw the role of the drummer in a rock band as putting on a show rather than sitting behind the show keeping time.
That said, you could roll every minute of tape in existence of Neil drumming and never see a moment in which the drummer's face conveys "showman." I've long been told by those around me that I have the ultimate game face and, let me tell you: there were few game faces in the history of game faces like Neil Peart's game face. He looked steely, businesslike, even angry behind that vast armory of drums, cymbals, and pedals. Combine that with his reputation for reclusiveness and his unwillingness to do press and fan appearances (a disposition he famously lyricized in "Limelight"), and the easy conclusion was that Neil was a scowling grouch, a difficult person who didn't give love to his own adoring fans.
It's a superficial critique, and one about which I'm especially sensitive, having dealt with versions of it myself as a sometimes hyper-focused natural introvert. What made Neil Peart a public figure and a cult hero was his craft. He did nothing but work and work to get better and better at it, and literally toured until his body fell apart. If your critique is, where was the love, then the problem is not that Neil Peart was difficult or aloof. The problem is that everything the guy did was an act of love, and you totally missed it.
To be sure, Neil was a cult hero for more than his drumming acumen. Peart's lyrics, more than those of any other pop artist I can think of, reflect a specific and consistent credo: revere individuality; reject conformity and repression in all its forms; champion the misfit, encourage the dreamer; real heroism lies in advancing the cause of humanity through intellect, honesty, moral courage, and compassion. That's not to say that that as a songwriter he's the artistic equal of a Bob Dylan, or that every lyric he ever wrote is unerringly great. The early work can be stilted and grandiose.
The later work is uneven and often tilts toward blandness. But in that middle prime of his songwriting career, particularly 1980-1985, Peart's lyrics are hyper-literate, rife with meaning, dense with ideas, and possess a directness and clarity that's both rare and uncommon in rock music. Typically, the lyrics to "artistically serious" rock songs are coyly oblique, if not completely cryptic. Peart comes out and earnestly says exactly the thing he means to say. No talking in riddles. No speaking in tongues. It's polarizing. Some people love it. Lots of people hate it. Critics have tended to fall in the latter category over the years.
But the lyrics aren't for the critics and Peart's aim is not to mystify. The lyrics are for the individualists, the nonconformists, the misfits, the dreamers. The people who self-select into the Rush fan base. And the aim is to inspire. Ask Rush fans why they're so passionate about Rush, and one answer you're likely to hear over and over again is: "Rush songs helped me through some rough times in my life." There are plenty of rock songs about teen suicide. "The Pass" is the only one about which I've heard multiple people say, "If I'd never heard that song, I don't know if I'd be here today." You wonder why Rush fans are so loyal. Why the connection to Peart feels so personal, even knowing it would never be in his nature to reciprocate if your fantasy came through and you ran into him on a city street, or in an airport.
Neil Peart joined Rush in 1975, the year I was born. He and the band recorded and toured tirelessly, and almost constantly, from that year until 1997, the year I graduated college. Their rate of musical growth and evolution, and their sheer productivity, especially during the decade 1976-1985, is close to unmatched in the history of pop music. In that year, 1997, Peart lost his daughter Selena, his only child, a college student roughly my age, to a single-occupant car accident, and then months later his common-law wife, Jackie Taylor, to breast cancer. He was 45, roughly the same age I am now. He proceeded to leave society, aimlessly ride a perimeter of North America on a motorbike, somehow sort things out, fall in love, get remarried, reunite the band, resume tirelessly recording and touring, and restart a family, becoming a father again in the late 2000s, around the same time I became a father for the first time.
As he aged, he became increasingly vocal about his desire to stop touring, about the physical toll on his arms and legs of pounding day after day on that minor metropolitan center of percussion gear. And particularly about the emotional toll of leaving a young daughter to go on tour. As he once said, "I can handle missing her. I can't handle her missing me." Yeah. Wrap your head around that.
It was all but officially announced from the outset that the R40 tour of 2015 was the band's swan song. Peart's arms and legs weren't going to hold up very much longer, and Alex and Geddy weren't getting any younger either, but the band was cognizant of the fans' desire for closure. One more tour, then Neil gets to ride his motorbike off into the sunset and be a dad, Geddy gets to go home and collect baseball memorabilia and basses, and Alex gets to paint, golf, and do whatever else it is that Alex does.
If ever a guy deserved a long, indulgent retirement after giving all he had, it was Neil Peart. I remember walking out of the Prudential Center thinking exactly that on that night in late June 2015, emotionally drained, still exhilarated, and a little bit deaf, after my 12th and last Rush concert.
We now know that the victory lap couldn't have lasted more than a year from that last tour before Neil learned he had glioblastoma multiforme, beginning a 3 ½ year battle with the same disease that in 2017 would take the life of his fellow Canadian rock icon Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip. Not to mention John McCain, Ted Kennedy, and Beau Biden. Every year, I care for patient after patient with this disease. Every time, the same outcome.
There is no way to close this but to acknowledge that the end of the story is simply terrible. No silver lining. No suggestion that everything happens for a reason. No circle of life platitudes. Neil Ellwood Peart, drummer, dreamer, lyricist, human, has died of a horrible disease at the age of 67, leaving a wife, a 10-year old daughter, and us.
I think I've made it through most of the Rush catalog in the past three days. It's a binge I wish I'd partaken of a few days sooner. It's a ritual I've relived many times in my life. A lot of us out there know the drill. Air drumming through the tears.
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3 thoughts on "Goodbye, Neil Peart"
Irfan Khawaja
Here's another appreciation, from Steve Horwitz at Bleeding Heart Libertarians:
https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2020/01/everybody-got-to-elevate-from-the-norm-the-enduring-appeal-of-neil-peart-and-rush/
Here is the New York Times's rather bare-bones obituary:
Of the mainstream takes, I liked NPR's the best:
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/11/795555335/remembering-neil-peart-a-monster-drummer-with-a-poets-heart
It hadn't occurred to me that you got introduced to Rush that early. My very first introduction to Rush was hearing "Closer to the Heart" on the radio in the late 1970s, and being utterly freaked out by the cover of A Farewell to Kings when it first showed up in department stores. But as for really listening to them, my first introduction was through that very cassette of "Tom Sawyer" (made by Abe). I first listened all the way through Moving Pictures in the summer of 1981 with Ray Trumbo (who naturally, cannot be found), and was blown away by it. The rest is history.
I feel the way just about every other Rush fan feels right now, but for some reason, despite having grown up with them, and seen them twenty times in concert, a completely random and idiosyncratic memory comes to mind. In the summer of 2013, one of the most momentous times of my life, I went to a conference in Victoria, Canada to give a paper. When the conference was over, I got on a ferry from there to Vancouver to see our cousins Talat and Noreen. I stood out in the open at the front end of the ferry, and decided to listen to "Snakes and Arrows" at top volume as the ferry made its way through the bay. Here's a video, but turn off the sound:
It's hard to put this into words, but the atmospherics of the ferry ride drew something out of the music that I'd never quite heard before–its sheer Canadian-ness. The abstraction "Canadian music" suddenly acquired some distinctive meaning in that moment that it hadn't had before. The closest I can come to expressing it is to say that the music somehow seemed utterly and completely inspired by, and suited to, that setting. (I had a similar but less intense experience when Alison and I started visiting Toronto for Christmas.)
The Swartz Bay ferry ride was so exhilirating an experience that I came to think (however neurotically) that any lesser experience would be anti-climactic. Clockwork Angels was something of a disappointment to me, so in some ways, my Rush experience more or less ended on that ferry ride between Victoria and Vancouver in 2013. I couldn't allow it to end on a less grand note. After having seen them exactly 20 times at that point, I lost the desire to see them again; nothing was going to top the experience that I'd had, so I didn't bother. It was a culmination.
And yet, paradoxically, I'd like to repeat the experience some day. Not sure it'll be the same experience, but am curious to try.
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