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Vaping during Pregnancy: Not Just a Bunch of Smoke
By Patricia Markland Cole, MPH, MotherToBaby Massachusetts
If you have listened to the news lately, you have probably heard of the outbreak of lung injuries and related deaths associated with e-cigarettes and vaping products. Breaking news by health experts have reported that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was present in most of the samples of the products and lung tissue collected from the injured individuals, but Vitamin E acetate was present in all of the samples that have been tested to date. While this is a major breakthrough, the experts are not ready to draw any conclusion as of yet, for it is possible that there are other ingredients involved. Here at MotherToBaby we strive to prepare for the questions that may arise from hot topics such as this for the women and providers we serve. Therefore, this seems as good a time as any to ask, "What do we know about vaping and pregnancy?" For the purpose of this blog, I'm going to focus on nicotine vaping.
What are ENDS?
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) describe a variety of products that includes vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens, tank systems, mods and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). Although ENDS were originally developed as an alternative way to inhale tobacco products (like nicotine), the devices are now also used to vape other substances, like cannabis. Each of these devices work by heating a liquid to produce an aerosol that a person inhales into their lungs producing a mist (vape). The liquid in ENDS can contain: nicotine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) oils, propylene glycol and glycerol.
Are ENDS a safer alternative than cigarette smoking in pregnancy?
ENDS products came on the market in the U.S. in 2007, and their popularity quickly grew. One of the reasons they grew in popularity was due to the belief that they were a safer alternative to cigarettes, and could help smokers quit or reduce the amount of cigarettes they smoke. Cigarettes contain nicotine and many other agents as well as carbon monoxide. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy has been associated with an increased chance of miscarriage, cleft lip or palate, premature birth (before 37 weeks) and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Smoking has also been associated with an increase chance of infertility, ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that occurs outside of the uterus) and complications with the placenta (i.e., placental abruption and placenta previa). The issues with cigarette smoking are not only limited to pregnancy but continue after the birth of the child as well. Smoking has been associated with a higher chance for asthma, childhood obesity and behavioral problems.
While pregnancy is a big motivation for women to quit smoking, many struggle and look for a solution during pregnancy. Complicating the issue is the fact that many nicotine replacement therapies have not been well studied, and their effectiveness in helping smokers to quit has been questioned. Therefore, there is a hesitancy to use them. Also, medications to help stop smoking, like bupropion (Wellbutrin) and varenicline (Chantix), while not considered to pose a significant chance of birth defects, have limited data regarding their use in pregnancy. Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added warnings to the label regarding an increased chance of psychiatric effects including suicidal thoughts. This does not mean these medications should not be used by pregnant women who medically need them, but it shows how complex the issue of choosing an appropriate medication can be when you need to weigh the risks versus benefits. This leads pregnant women to find an alternative that might solve their problem and for some, ENDS seemed like the solution when they came on the market.
The effects of inhaling the substances contained in ENDS are not known, especially when it comes to pregnancy. One study has shown that users of e-cigarettes can obtain a substantial amount of nicotine from e-cigarettes that is comparable to regular cigarettes, and we do know that nicotine can cross the placenta. Animal data shows that exposure to the chemicals found in e-cigarettes can cause various effects on offspring that include impact to the immune system, lung and heart function, and neuro-development (related to the function of brains and nerves); unfortunately, so far there is no data to suggest what the impact in human pregnancy might be. In addition, while ENDS products may reduce exposure to many of the toxins in cigarettes, there is still exposure to nicotine and other toxic chemicals, which can pose an increased chance of harm to pregnancies. Also, some ENDS products that have stated they were free of nicotine have been tested and were actually found to contain nicotine.
There is no evidence to support ENDS as an effective way to stop smoking.
A recent review of the use of ENDS products among non-pregnant patients found no strong evidence that they help in the effort to quit smoking. Regardless of the lung injuries that are currently in the news, health experts recommend that pregnant women avoid all ENDS use. Instead, any pregnant woman who is struggling to quit smoking should talk with their health care provider to discuss a plan that is suitable to them and contact resources such as the National Quitline Network (1-800-QUIT NOW). Quitting is best for you and your child so go ahead and clear the air. Trust me; your baby will thank you.
Patricia Markland Cole, MPH, is the Program Coordinator for MotherToBaby Massachusetts. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Biology from Simmons College in Boston and her MPH in Maternal and Child Health from Boston University School of Public Health. She has been the serving the families of New England as a teratogen counselor since 2001 and provides oversight for the day-to-day functions and outreach of the program. She has also provides education to graduate students and other professionals.
About MotherToBaby
MotherToBaby is a service of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), suggested resources by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you have questions about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding, please call MotherToBaby toll-FREE at 866-626-6847 or try out MotherToBaby's new text information service by texting questions to (855) 999-3525. You can also visit MotherToBaby.org to browse a library of fact sheets about dozens of viruses, medications, vaccines, alcohol, diseases, or other exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding or connect with all of our resources by downloading the new MotherToBaby free app, available on Android and iOS markets. Also, make sure to subscribe to The MotherToBaby Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify and podcatchers everywhere.
Whittington J. et al. 2018. The Use of Electronic Cigarettes in Pregnancy: A Review of the Literature. Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey. 73(9): 544-549
Committee on Underserved Women et al. 2017. Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy. 130(4): e200-e204.
Kuehn B. 2019. Vaping and Pregnancy. JAMA. 321(14)
Steenhuysen J. "UPDATE 1-U.S. CDC reports 'breakthrough' in vaping lung injury probe as cases top 2,000." Reuters: Yahoo finance. 8 November 2019. Web 11 November 2019.
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New Star Wars Online Game Confirmed
By Peter Sciretta/Oct. 21, 2008 3:48 pm EST
/Gamer reports that Bioware and LucasArts will be releasing a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic epicly-sized Massively Multiplayer Online Game called Star Wars: The Old Republic.
" The game will take place thousands of years prior to when Darth Vader ruled the empire and about 300 years after the original Knights of the Old Republic — which was released back in 2003. If you were to compare the second installment of Knights of the Old Republic to the new MMO — don't! The next game in series has "dwarfed" the previous entries. Muzyka called it, 'A mammoth undertaking.' "
Head on over to /Gamer for full details.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Gallstone, a common health disorder reported in today's busy lifestyle can be well controlled by following a healthy lifestyle with medication. Gallstones are generally defined as painful stones composed with fats and cholesterol in gallbladder or biliary ducts. Can I use herbal remedies to treat gallstones? This is a common question asked by many people. Today, there are lots of remedies available online to treat gallstone complaints. Which one is the best remedy to treat gallstones? Do you know the answer? Let's see here some of the best recommended remedies to treat gallstones naturally without surgery. Lack of side effect is one of the main advantages of following herbal remedies for gallstone treatment.
Have you ever used milk thistle root extract? As per studies, milk thistle root extract is found to be very beneficial to cure gallstone complaints. Apart from flushing out gallstone complaints, this herbal remedy is also good for improving the functioning of liver and pancreas. For user assistance, today you can easily get milk thistle herbal products from market in the form of extracts, capsules and pills. It lowers bad cholesterol level in body and prevents the formation of gallstones naturally with no side effect. Similar to milk thistle extract, artichoke is another common herbal remedy to treat gallstone complaints. It increases the production of bile salts and reduces the chance of formation of gallstones naturally.
Couchgrass, enriched with volatile oil is found to be very effective to treat gallstone complaints. As per studies, volatile oil present in coughgrass is a number one cure enriched with antiseptic and diuretic properties. For best result, people are advised to follow a healthy lifestyle in conjunction with proper medication. Also, make sure that you follow a healthy lifestyle devoid of fried food items and alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol consumption is reported to be as a common cause of kidney and liver diseases. Abnormal functioning of kidney and liver can lead way to the risk of gallstone complaints. Hence people addicted to alcohol are advised to limit or avoid it for better health.
As per studies, drinking lemon juice is found to be as a natural way of treatment to prevent gallstones. To get satisfactory result, make sure that you drink at least three cups of lemon juice per day. It flushes out toxins from body and reduces the chance of gallstone formation naturally. Usually, lemon juice is combined with additional toxin removing substances like olive oil and garlic. It promotes better functioning of body organs and prevents the formation of gallstones naturally.
Kid Clear capsule is one of the best recommended herbal remedy to treat gallstones. Do you know the health benefits of using this herbal product? Let's see here different health advantages of using Kid Clear for treating health disorders. As per studies, Kid Clear capsule is found to be very useful to break down gallstones in body. Other health benefits of including Kid Clear in daily diet are curing nausea, jaundice and low fever. Today, Kid Clear capsule is a common remedy recommended for the treatment of UTI infections due to E coli bacteria.
Read about Gallbladder Stone Herbal Treatment. Also know Herbal Treatment for Gallstone.


GAZA — The American State Department has withdrawn all Fulbright grants to Palestinian students in Gaza hoping to pursue advanced degrees at American institutions this fall because Israel has not granted them permission to leave.
Israel has isolated this coastal strip, which is run by the militant group Hamas. Given that policy, the United States Consulate in Jerusalem said the grant money had been "redirected" to students elsewhere out of concern that it would go to waste if the Palestinian students were forced to remain in Gaza.
A letter was sent by e-mail to the students on Thursday telling them of the cancellation. Abdulrahman Abdullah, 30, who had been hoping to study for an M.B.A. at one of several American universities on his Fulbright, was in shock when he read it.
Some Israeli lawmakers, who held a hearing on the issue of student movement out of Gaza on Wednesday, expressed anger that their government was failing to promote educational and civil development in a future Palestine given the hundreds of students who had been offered grants by the United States and other Western governments.
"This could be interpreted as collective punishment," complained Rabbi Michael Melchior, chairman of the Parliament's education committee, during the hearing. "This policy is not in keeping with international standards or with the moral standards of Jews, who have been subjected to the deprivation of higher education in the past. Even in war, there are rules." Rabbi Melchior is from the Meimad Party, allied with Labor.
The committee asked the government and military to reconsider the policy and get back to it within two weeks. But even if the policy is changed, the seven Fulbright grantees in Gaza are out of luck for this year. Their letters urged them to reapply next year.
Israel's policy appears to be in flux. At the parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, a Defense Ministry official recalled that the cabinet had declared Gaza "hostile territory" and decided that the safety of Israeli soldiers and civilians at or near the border should be risked only to facilitate the movement out of Gaza for humanitarian concerns, like medical treatment. Higher education, he said, was not a humanitarian concern.
But when a query about the canceled Fulbrights was made to the prime minister's office on Thursday, senior officials expressed surprise. They said they did, in fact, consider study abroad to be a humanitarian necessity and that when cases were appealed to them, they would facilitate them.
They suggested that American officials never brought the Fulbright cases to their attention. The State Department and American officials in Israel refused to discuss the matter. But the failure to persuade the Israelis may have stemmed from longstanding tensions between the consulate in Jerusalem, which handles Palestinian affairs, and the embassy in Tel Aviv, which manages relations with the Israeli government.
The study grants notwithstanding, the Israeli officials argued that the policy of isolating Gaza was working, that Palestinians here were starting to lose faith in Hamas's ability to rule because of the hardships of life.
Since Hamas, a radical Islamist group that opposes Israel's existence, carried out what amounted to a coup d'état in Gaza against the more secular Fatah party a year ago, hundreds of rockets and mortar shells have been launched from here at Israeli civilians, truck and car bombs have gone off and numerous attempts to kidnap Israeli soldiers have taken place.
While Hamas says the attacks are in response to Israeli military incursions into Gaza, it also says it will never recognize Israel.
The Israeli closing of Gaza has added markedly to the difficulty of daily life here, with long lines for cooking gas and a sense across the population of being under siege. Israel does send in about 70 truckloads per day of wheat, dairy products and medical equipment as well as some fuel, and it permits some medical cases out.
But Israel's stated goal is to support moderates among the Palestinians so that Hamas will lose power, and even some security-conscious Israeli hard-liners say that the policy of barring students with grants abroad is counterproductive.
Sari Bashi, who directs Gisha, an Israeli organization devoted to monitoring and increasing the free movement of Palestinians, said, "The fact that the U.S. cannot even get taxpayer-funded Fulbright students out of Gaza demonstrates the injustice and short-sightedness of a closure policy that arbitrarily traps 1.5 million people, including hundreds of Palestinian students accepted to universities abroad." She said that their education was good not just for Palestinian society, but for Israel as well.
Hadeel Abukwaik, a 23-year-old engineering software instructor in Gaza, had hoped to do graduate work in the United States this fall on the Fulbright that she thought was hers. She had stayed in Gaza this past winter when its metal border fence was destroyed and tens of thousands of Gazans poured into Egypt, including her sister, because the agency administering the Fulbright told her she would get the grant only if she stayed put. She lives alone in Gaza where she was sent to study because the cost is low; her parents, Palestinian refugees, live in Dubai.


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Home / غير مصنف / Weather forecast: 13C blizzards expected THIS WEEKEND as MORE warnings for cold issued
Weather forecast: 13C blizzards expected THIS WEEKEND as MORE warnings for cold issued
Fri, 01 Feb 2019 09:01:00 +0000
Icy gusts will make it feel close to -16C (3.2F) across Scotland while even southern England shivers in 'feel-like' lows of between -6C (21.2F) and -10C (14F). Government forecasters have warned severe weather today threatens yet more chaos on the roads, railways and at airports as the nation braves the most severe winter blast since last year's Beast from the East.
Motoring groups are warning drivers to take extra care as sub-zero temperatures will turn roads into lethal ice rinks.
Met Office warnings for snow and ice remain in force across Scotland, the east coast of Britain and southern England this morning.
People heading out and about are advised to prepare for delays and widespread disruption with power supplies and mobile phone signals also likely to be affected.
A more serious amber warning or snow is in place across Reading; Windsor and Maidenhead; Buckinghamshire; Slough; Wokingham; Hampshire; Surrey; Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.
Another two inches of snow is expected to coat these regions by the end of the morning putting rural communities at risk of being cut off.
Met Office chief forecaster Dan Suri said: "Some delays and cancellations to rail are likely, and perhaps air travel.
"There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off.
"Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected."
Lashing rain and snow unleashed havoc last night burying parts of Britain under a carpet of white amid warnings of more heavy snow today.
AccuWeather forecaster Eric Leister said: "While some areas are still cleaning up snow, another storm already started to impact the UK, bringing the risk of more widespread snowfall through Friday.
"Widespread travel impacts are expected into Friday morning.
"Residents should prepare now for longer travel times and the potential for school and business closings.
"Precipitation will lighten and become more isolated on Friday as the storm dives southward and slams France and Spain."
UK weather charts show the mercury plunging to -13C (8.6F) in Scotland tomorrow with minimum temperatures of between freezing and -7C (19.4F) across the rest of Britain.
The mercury plunged to -15.4C (4.28F) last night making it the coldest night for at least two years and just 0.4C off the coldest since 2010's -20C (-4F), according to the Met Office.
Meteorologist Craig Snell said a bitterly cold weekend awaits with an ongoing risk of snowfall and icy surfaces.
He said: "There will be a risk of wintry showers inland over the weekend but these will be more confined to eastern and northern regions.
"It will be very cold over the next two days and with snow melt or snow on the ground the main issue is going to be from ice.
"Saturday night is going to be another very cold one, we expect temperatures to drop to minus double figures in the north and widely below freezing.
"There will be an ongoing risk of snow although it is likely to be confined to higher ground over the next couple of days."
Health experts have urged people to continue to take care as severe winter weather grips the country.
Dr Emer O'Connell, a public health consultant with Public Health England (PHE), said: "When weather like this arrives we can all use our common sense and take steps to protect our health, but older people, those with diseases such as heart and lung conditions and young children are at greater risk from ill health. So if you know someone who may be at-risk, and you're able to do so, check up on them and make sure they have what they need to stay well during the bad weather."
Sub-zero temperatures could render road grit useless meaning drivers face hazardous conditions on the roads this weekend.
RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: "Drivers should remember that salt stops working when road temperatures really plummet.
"Below about zero, salt can lose its effectiveness and below -10C it can't prevent roads from freezing in the first place.
"As well as snow and sleet that drivers will have to contend with, there's also the threat of ice - making travelling on untreated roads and pavements a potentially challenging affair."


Well, I've lived a number of funny things especially with my creatively humorist friend. So I don't have a funniest one.
Not managing time properly. Yeah… then in the end you realize that you have a huge number of coursework that have to be completed in few days.
The people that have succeeded in what I love doing.
Well, good question… working on my own clothing line is what I see myself doing in the future and so far I'm really glad of what I've accomplished.
Be creative or die trying.


How can I insert a photo or image into a Mail Merge template?
OnMerge Images add-in for Microsoft Word links image files into Word documents. The add-in does not disturb normal Word operation. Linked image files can be on your computer's hard disk or local network, and are linked into the document by name. Each file's name can contain one or more mail merge fields from a data source, meaning that each merged page or record can be linked to a... Word's Mail Merge Manger has excellent documentation here in the Office for Mac reference book, and here in Word Help, You can use Word's built-in Macro recorder to get VBA code samples, also explained in the Office 2011 reference book and in Word Help. Therefore, Mail Merge is not discussed here.
Mail Merge Graphics Add-In. Mail merging graphics is complicated. If you want to see a more in depth discussion of the process then see my companion page on the subject where the process is explained. how to add keywords on wordpress Mail Merge Graphics Add-In. Mail merging graphics is complicated. If you want to see a more in depth discussion of the process then see my companion page on the subject where the process is explained.
Word's Mail Merge Manger has excellent documentation here in the Office for Mac reference book, and here in Word Help, You can use Word's built-in Macro recorder to get VBA code samples, also explained in the Office 2011 reference book and in Word Help. Therefore, Mail Merge is not discussed here.
18/05/2016 · Thanks for this very helpful post, which I've used to set up some mail merge letters with digital signatures. I've run into a problem, though, in that the images vanish when sent as attachments - presumably because the d-switch means they aren't saved.


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StudyDaddy Engineering
Describe the process of data transfer, explain the role of DMA and device controllers Describe the role of software in performing I/O What is the
Describe the process of data transfer, explain the role of DMA and device controllers
Describe the role of software in performing I/O
What is the difference between polling and use of interrupt
Why is kernel's I/O subsystem important?
Q: Read this passage from "The Black Cat": "By the bye, gentlemen, this this is a very well constructed house." [In the rabid desire to say something easily, I scarcely knew what I uttered at all.] "I ma
Q: Jains are also strict vegetarians, and some reject the use of any animal products such as leather and jewelry. Do you think this kind of ethic is
Q: In what way did geography affect early African kingdoms?A. Faulting prevented foreign attack.B. Mineral resources brought wealth and power.C.The Great Rift divided them from the rest of the continent.
Q: 1. (TCO 1, 2, 3, 11) Victor sold his personal residence to Colleen and paid real estate taxes of $9,450 for the year, $3,250 of which was apportioned...
Q: The manager for a growing firm is considering the launch of a new product. If the product goes directly to market, there is a 50 percent chance of...
Q: Evaluate the performance of this company relative to its peers (cross-sectional analysis) and over time (time series analysis). Poor (P),...
Q: 2 Question 2 Marks:


A Premier Mexican Restaurant and Cantina.
El Vallarta in Boardman, Oh and Hermitage, PA. takes pride serving great tasting authentic Mexican dishes. We have gathered all of your favorites and added a few of ours to bring you a diverse menu of burritos, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas and more. We offer steak, chicken and seafood choices.
El Vallarta takes pride serving great tasting authentic Mexican dishes. We have gathered all of your favorites and added a few of our own to bring you a diverse menu of burritos, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas and more. We offer steak, chicken and seafood choices.


Editor's Note: The above is a Bing.com translation of an earlier article published by SvD 2 May 2014 at 6:45 PM, and later taken out from the Net. The figures of "30 people are reported to have died" correspond to the earlier official reports by the Ukraine government – a source invariably used by Swedish media. The wording "Pro-Russian gangsters" is Bing.com's machine-translation of the Swedish article. Bildt used in his tweeter "pro-Russian thugs". Also according to my word processor (Microsoft Word, Mac version), Thugs is a synonym for Gangsters. Other references on Carl Bildt's preposterous blaming on the victims – for the tragic outcome of the Nazi arson-attack on the Union building where over 100 anti-Kiev activists perished –to be found in Aftonbladet and Gotiskaklubben (blog).
Click on image below to view the video. Warning for strongly sad document-images.


To promote health and wellness within the local business community while creating some "healthy" competition, Commit to Fit! is pleased to present the 2018 Fall 4 Fitness Challenge. Now in its eighth year, the community-wide, business-to-business wellness challenge will take place from October 1st to October 31st. Pre-registration for businesses, organizations, and community groups is now open via Commit to Fit.
The challenge is available free-of-charge to any Flint & Genesee County business, organization, or community group interested in bringing wellness to the workplace. Last year, over 130 local businesses and organizations participated.
Throughout the month of October, Fall 4 Fitness participants will track and earn points for their physical activity, with a daily goal of being active or exercising for 35 minutes per day. As challenge participants, individuals will earn Commit to Fit! Wellness Points for their Business, Organization, or Community Group for all physical activity tracked on commit2fit.com.
Individuals who reach the challenge goal of 35 minutes of physical activity daily throughout the month will also be entered into a raffle drawing to win cash prizes, fitness club memberships, and more! All registration and activity tracking is done online via Commit to Fit's website, commit2fit.com, a free interactive wellness website made available to all who either live or work in Genesee County as a free resource to track and improve health behaviors while also providing health tips, tools, and additional resources. The Fall 4 Fitness Challenge is generously sponsored by Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (Platinum Level), HAP (Silver Level), and ELGA Credit Union (Silver Level).
• Local residents and/or employees from registered businesses can join the challenge by visiting www.commit2fit.com and logging in anytime!
The 2018 Fall 4 Fitness Challenge kickoff event will take place Friday, September 28, 2018 at 12:00 noon at the Flint Farmers' Market Outdoor Pavilion.
Commit to Fit! is a program of the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) focused on improving the health and health behaviors of Genesee County's residents. It is one component of the Greater Flint Health Coalition's County Health Rankings Action Plan, an eight point action plan developed collaboratively by the GFHC and its multi-sector community and institutional partners that outlines a series of short and long-term strategies to improve Genesee County's health. For more information on Commit to Fit! and the County Health Rankings Action Plan visit www.commit2fit.com.
Established in 1996, the Greater Flint Health Coalition is a Flint, Michigan-based non-profit organization and partnership between Genesee County hospitals, physicians, business, insurers, public health professionals, policymakers, government leaders, educators, organized labor, community organizations, residents, and all those concerned about the well-being of our community and its residents. The two-fold mission of the Greater Flint Health Coalition is to improve the health status of Genesee County residents and the quality and cost-effectiveness of the health care system in the community. For more information on the Greater Flint Health Coalition visit www.gfhc.org.
The Michigan Health Endowment Fund has awarded the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) a two-year $499,950 grant to implement a Community-Wide Strategy to Address the Opioid Epidemic. This project, led by the GFHC Mental Health & Substance Use Task Force will engage children, seniors, and community residents most impacted by the opioid crisis through a multi-sector effort to build and strengthen workforce capacity, use upstream prevention strategies, and coordinate care, services, and community resources to improve the treatment for and prevention of opioid misuse. Key project partners include: Genesee Health System, Genesee County Medical Society, New Paths, Families Against Narcotics (FAN), Genesee Intermediate School District, Hurley Medical Center, McLaren Flint, and Genesys Health System.
"With the diversity of factors influencing the opioid epidemic in the community as well as nationwide, the support of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund will allow the Greater Flint Health Coalition to implement a multi-sector strategy to both treat opioid addiction and prevent future misuse in Genesee County," states Kirk Smith, President & CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition.
Within the State of Michigan, Genesee County has the 18th highest rate of opioid deaths and has seen a steady increase 2013. In 2015, there were 54 deaths from opioid/heroin overdose. Genesee County residents had 14,820 prescriptions per 10,000 residents, an average of 1.5 opioid prescriptions for every county resident in 2015, a 46% increase compared to 2009. To learn more about the Greater Flint Health Coalition visit www.gfhc.org.


Tanks need to be cleaned. This applies particularly to the transport of food. Ultimately, safety, cleanliness and hygiene are a priority here. However, this results in significant maintenance costs in this area – for one thing due to high personnel costs for tank cleaning but also due to the downtime and associated loss of use in the vehicle fleet.
The transport of foodstuffs is subject to the strictest conditions. The regulations range from the materials approved for the construction of such tanks to the types and designs, through to maintenance and care. Last but not least, even the cleaning agents must comply with the standards of the NFS. Thus, the selection of highly effective cleaning agents is severely limited for approval reasons. Since the cleaning of food tanks must be carried out with due care, the costs depend heavily on the effectiveness of the cleaning agents used.
Occasionally, there were complaints about the cleaning result at the company MTR-Food in Mannheim. This affected in particular the rubber hoses, which are used for filling and draining the tanks. Black spots were increasingly found on the inner surface of the hose jacket. The replacement costs were up to €1,500 per complaint depending on the length and design of the foodstuff hoses.
The discolouration was caused by a strongly alkaline cleaning agent. This was replaced by Caramba TG 22. The weakly alkaline specialised cleaner proved to be effective especially with regard to the sensitive hoses and seals and was, at the same time, a gentle alternative for the material.
After switching to the slightly alkaline specialised cleaner Caramba TG 22, the complaint rate for tank interior cleaning dropped to almost zero. The related provisions for customer compensation were reduced by the same amount. In addition, the downtime for cleaning was reduced. Plus, an important contribution to greater occupational safety was made by not using strongly alkaline agents.
Can be used in industrial companies of all kinds, especially in the automotive and aircraft industry, transportation, refineries, hospitals, commercial kitchens, for cleaning buildings and fire damage.
The product can be used on all smooth, water-resistant surfaces, such as those for exterior and interior cleaning of aircraft and cars. The NSF certification (category C1) makes it ideal for use in food-processing companies.


See here the differences between the Filament Types.
If your printer is equipped with a heated bed we recommend that you use a temperature setting of 40-60°C.
Our state of the art factory is equipped with the latest in laser measuring technology to ensure that you will receive a spool of filament with a very tight diameter and roundness tolerance.


Evince Development a is a full-stack technology services company with the team of passionate hand-picked professionals. We are helping organizations in developing innovation, achieving sustainable business growth and reliable IT Solution through our domain expertise in next-generation cloud, software, e-commerce and Mobile solutions. Our core offering is IT consultancy & development, Enterprise IT solution and UI/UX design.


The Art in the Arboretum program promotes the arts and enriches connections between the Arboretum, UCSC, and the Santa Cruz community. The Opening Reception for Art in the Arboretum: Environmental Installations is Saturday, May 20, 3-6 pm. For this third exhibition, eleven unique sculptures have been installed to highlight and complement the South African and New Zealand gardens.
Jamie Abbott, Barbara Downs, and Roy Holmberg's collaboration on 3+7 represents eucalyptus leaves and pods made from steel, burlap, concrete, and vermiculite.
Lucia Bruer's And Sow it Begins, created out of forged steel and wood, references the hard truth of steel and the sprouts of hope in the harvest cycle.
Wendy Domster's Sequoia Semprotea impersonates the Protea plant in mythological form, using redwood limbs and recycled materials.
Ethan Estess uses steel and recycled gas tanks in Gas Field to reflect the cycles of plant growth and decay.
Jayson Fann's giant woven architectural sculpture, Spirit Nest, is made from eucalyptus branches.
In Ubiquitous Seed, Diana Hobson reflects concern for losing the essential diversity and quality of our life-giving seeds.
John Hylton's Sunwatchers is comprised of three symbolic carved wood figures framed by large wood beams.
For The Raven and the Wolf, Sharon Loper was inspired by the portrayal of two creatures in mythology—the raven as protector and the wolf as guardian.
Jenni Ward's Umbel Series was inspired by the tale of California explorers using mustard flower seeds to mark trails from mission to mission. Ward's Tree Pools, cone-shaped sculptures nestled into the earth around the base of trees, echo the ripples of a stone thrown into water.
Larry Worley created a six-foot organic shell titled Where the Sea and Land Meet from hand dyed rattan reed and driftwood.
Executive Director Martin Quigley emphasizes the symbiotic connection of art and horticulture: "Artistic installations can be the refraction of human experience through a lens focused on our planted environment. The Arboretum's unique plant collections provide both the materials and the inspiration for artists' creativity and wonder."
Several of the participating artists will soon be featured in "Get to Know the Artists" profiles posted on the Arboretum news webpage: arboretum.ucsc.edu/news-events/news/index.html.


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Baker comprises eight elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites with en suite bathrooms, each with its own bath and separate shower. Seven of the bedrooms have a private balcony and there is one exceptionally stylish Presidential Suite which includes a private lounge with a bar and dining area.
There are seven individually appointed luxury bedrooms with private balconies and breathtaking views. The rooms are beautifully furnished in an understated elegance. Each room has large, comfortable beds (extra length king-size with twin options available) complimentary wi-fi, fine linen, telephone, wi-fi, television, air-conditioning, hairdryer, mini bar and digital safe. Luxurious gowns, matching slippers and Crabtree & Evelyn amenities complete a stay that surpasses a five star experience.
The restaurant is an exquisite feature of the hotel and offers dining both indoors, out on the pool terrace, as well as on the front lawn, which overlooks Groenkloof with beautiful views of Pretoria. Grissini, which means "breadstick" in Italian, offers a distinctive menu of European and continental cuisine. A lavish breakfast is included in the rate. Delicious lunches and dinners are also prepared by the hotel's gourmet kitchen.
Grissini welcomes non-resident hotel guests by prior appointment. In addition, guests can meet or relax in the stunning hotel bar and lounge, which is an ideal location for wine tasting.


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Steve Irwin's Son: 8-Year Old Croc Handler
Steve Irwin's son Robert shows no fear when it comes to handling dangerous animals. In fact, he's a natural at it.
If the 8-year old seems right at home with crocodiles and snakes, it's because he and his family literally live in the middle of a zoo: the Australia Zoo, to be exact. His older sister Bindi has also had a knack for handling wildlife and says they couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
"It's fantastic. Every day's a new adventure," she said.
Both children were very close with their father and were involved in just about every aspect of taking care of the animals they were always surrounded by, even though Robert was just a toddler when Irwin was fatally stung in the chest by a stingray. Irwin was filming a documentary at the time with Bindi in the Great Barrier Reef; his death impacted the little girl profoundly, but she has followed in her father's footsteps with her own kids' television show featuring exotic animals, and has her own line of books called the "Wildlife Adventure Series".
Now it looks like Robert will do the same; after hanging out with Oprah during one of her specials, he handled toothy baby crocs with ease and rattled off the latin name of a snake he was holding like it was second nature.
(image)
Image: FlyNetPictures.com
Lead Image: MatrixPictueres.Co.UK
Tags Oprah steve irwin steve irwin's son
Teacher Accused of Posting Suggestive Photos of Minors on Reddit's "Creepshots" Subreddit
Google Maps Out of iOS 6 Over Voice Navigation Dispute, Sources Say


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Gal Gadot Reportedly Won't Return for 'Wonder Woman 2' If Brett Ratner Is Involved
Emma Stefansky Published: November 13, 2017
A sequel to this year's breakout hit Wonder Woman has been in the works since July, but in light of sexual assault allegations against producer Brett Ratner, Gal Gadot has reportedly said that she won't return to the franchise if he'll make any money from it.
An unnamed "Hollywood Source" tells Page Six that Gadot is refusing to star as the Amazon warrior unless Warner Bros. cuts all ties with Ratner's production company, RatPac-Dune. The studio has had a partnership with the company since 2013, which Warner recently chose not to renew after 2018. A "Warner Bros. insider" told the publication, "Brett made a lot of money from the success of Wonder Woman, thanks to his company having helped finance the first movie. Now Gadot is saying she won't sign for the sequel unless Warner Bros. buys Brett out [of his financing deal] and gets rid of him."
Given that Wonder Woman's primary message is one of female empowerment, it stands to reason Gadot feels it would be inappropriate for someone who has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and assault to profit from it. Olivia Munn was one of six women who spoke to the Los Angeles Times with stories about Ratner's behavior, and Ellen Page posted a lengthy Facebook post detailing how the producer had outed her to her X-Men: The Last Stand co-stars when she was 18.
Last month, Gadot backed out of a dinner honoring Ratner, citing scheduling issues with her Chinese Justice League publicity tour, according to Variety. She was supposed to present Ratner with the Tree of Life Award at a dinner for the Jewish National Foundation.
Wonder Woman 2 has been set for December 2019.
LOUIS C.K. RESPONDS TO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS
Source: Gal Gadot Reportedly Won't Return for 'Wonder Woman 2' If Brett Ratner Is Involved


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Small Beast, New York's Edgiest Rock Night, Lives On
Monday night at the Delancey is still the most happening night of the week for rock music in New York. Small Beast founder and Botanica frontman Paul Wallfisch may have taken his act on the road to Dortmund, Germany for the next year, but the weekly series lives on. This must have been close to Beast #100 and it was characteristically fascinating. Black Fortress of Opium frontwoman Ajda the Turkish Queen opened. That band's 2008 Martin Bisi-produced album is a highwater mark in recent dark rock, but hearing their singer play solo was a real revelation. Switching between mandolin and piano, she showed off a versatile, nuanced and even playful vocal style that with the band sometimes gets subsumed in the din of the guitars. On album, her song Ari is a slowly crescendoing, ferociously guitar-fueled epic; live, it was hypnotic and plaintive. As it turns out, it imagines the life of the son Nico had with 70s French actor Alain Delon. A new, ornate ballad featuring some unexpectedly nimble mandolin work followed an upward trajectory; another new one, Fata Morgana was lyrically charged, "shot down by a man with disillusion in his eyes," she sang with a wounded understatement. A fragmentary piano sketch with a long, intense a-cappella passage was claustrophobic and intense, followed by a percussive, insistent requiem. Her band is back in the studio working with Bisi again, a collaboration that promises even better results a second time around.
Pete Galub followed with a clinic in great guitar solos. He's reached the point where he ranks with Gilmour, Frisell, B.B., whoever you care to put in your guitar pantheon. Galub matches wit to intensity, surprise to adrenaline and does it over incredibly catchy changes. He's a powerpop guy at heart, so there's always a memorable tune playing underneath his rhythmically tricky, dynamically shifting solo excursions. Watching him with just his Telecaster running through a few off-the-shelf pedals, it was a chance to see those solos completely unadorned: you could imagine any backing you wanted and they'd still work, whether that might be the Undertones, Big Star or even ELO. He's a maven of melodic rock, opening with a relatively obscure but typically tuneful Only Ones anthem, Woke Up Sticky, eventually running through a thoughtfully paced version of his 6/8 ballad Boy Gone Wrong (title track to his surprisingly quiet singer-songwriter album from a couple of years back), and two fiery, noirish, minor-key anthems, the second a bitter, metaphorically loaded kiss-off song. He wrapped up his set with a clever, somewhat tongue-in-cheek reworking of Steely Dan's Every Major Dude Will Tell You.
Atmospheric, edgy guitar noir soundtrack guy Thomas Simon – whose new album Moncao is one of the year's best – had booked the night and was next on the bill, but the trains were messed up so it was time to go. And he's gotten plenty of ink here before.
August 18, 2010 Posted by delarue | concert, Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews, rock music, small beast | ajda the turkish queen, art-rock, atmospheric music, atmospheric rock, best guitarist new york, best guitarist nyc, Black Fortress of Opium, botanica band, dark rock, dark rock music, film music, goth band, goth music, goth rock, gothic band, gothic music, gothic rock, great guitarist, indie rock, instrumental rock, martin bisi, noir music, noir rock, paul wallfisch, Pete Galub, power pop, powerpop, psychedelic rock, rock music, small beast, soundtrack music, Thomas Simon | 2 Comments
Top Ten Songs of the Week 7/19/10
This is just another way we try to spread the word about all the good music out there. As you'll notice, every song that reaches the #1 spot on this list will also appear on our 100 Best Songs of 2010 list at the end of December. We try to mix it up, offer a little something for everyone: sad songs, funny songs, upbeat songs, quieter stuff, you name it. If you don't like one of these, you can always go on to the next one. The only one here that doesn't have a link to the track is #1 and that's because it's so new.
1. Erica Smith & the 99 Cent Dreams – River King
Apprehensive, hauntingly and richly lyrical Nashville gothic. Nobody does it better than she does. She'll be playing the Dave Campbell memorial concert at the Parkside on the 22nd.
2. Adam H. Stevens – The Cities That You've Burned
Cynical retro-70s pop, a snide portrait of a dissolute trendoid. From his forthcoming cd We Live on Cliffs – free download.
3. Mighty Fine – Ride
Absolutely kick ass garage rock with a funk/soul edge and an original style if you can believe it. They're at Public Assembly on August 19.
4. The Anabolics – You Can't Let People Walk All Over You
More kick-ass garage rock. They're at Bruar Falls on August 1.
5. Jeremy Messersmith – Organ Donor
Creepy chamber pop, sort of on the Elliott Smith tip. He's at Joe's Pub on August 17.
6. Pete Galub – 300 Days in July
Pensive psychedelic pop song given the Martin Bisi treatment which means raw and authentic. Grab a free download.
7. Ernie Vega – I'll Follow You Home (Sweet Isabelle)
Like early Dylan but better – both the guitar and the vocals.
8. The JPT Scare Band – Slow Sick Shuttle
Just stumbled across this twisted stumbling seven-minute 1973 slice of acid-warped bluesmetal while trolling for a completely unrelated video. Isn't the internet wonderful.
9. The Audiobodies – Free
Upbeat acoustic soul shuffle with Barrington Levy-esque vox.
10. Under Byen – Kapitel
Dark dreamy art-rock – a sensation in Denmark.
July 19, 2010 Posted by delarue | blues music, lists, Music, music, concert, rock music | 300 days in july, adam h. stevens, anabolics band, art-rock, audiobodies, audiobodies free, best rock songs, best songs, best songs of the week, blues, blues music, cities that you've burned, country rock, erica smith, erica smith 99 cent dreams, erica smith river king, Erica Smith singer, ernie vega, garage band, garage music, garage rock, goth music, goth rock, gothic music, gothic rock, heavy metal, i'll follow you home, jangle rock, janglerock, jeremy messersmith, jeremy messersmith organ donor, jpt scare band, metal music, mighty fine band, mighty fine ride, nashville gothic, Pete Galub, power pop, powerpop, psychedelia, psychedelic music, psychedelic rock, roots music, roots rock, slow sick shuttle, soul music, top ten songs, top ten songs of the week, UNDER BYEN, under byen kapitel, you can't let people walk all over you | Leave a comment
Concert Review: The Universal Thump at Barbes, Brooklyn NY 7/16/10
Keyboardist/singer Greta Gertler's new band the Universal Thump were something beyond amazing Friday night. The orchestrated rock bands of the 70s may have gone the way of the dinosaurs (except for the Moody Blues) but this was like being in the front row at an ELO or Procol Harum show at the Royal Albert Hall. Except with better vocals. Gertler's sometimes stratospheric high soprano fits this band well: she went up so far that there was no competing sonically with the lush, rich atmospherics of the Thumpettes, a.k.a. the Osso String Quartet, whose presence made all the difference. With Adam D. Gold terse yet sometimes surprising behind the drum kit, equally terse bass from Groove Collective's Jonathan Maron, fiery powerpop guitar god Pete Galub on lead and Gertler at the piano, they segued seamlessly from one richly melodic, Romantically-tinged, counterintuitively structured song to the next.
Gertler's been writing songs like that since she was in her teens: one Aimee Mann-inflected number in stately 6/8 time dated from 1993. Otherwise, the set was mostly all new material from the Universal Thump's ongoing album (now an ep, with a kickstarter campaign in case you have money to burn). The opening number worked a wistful post-baroque melody down to a piano cascade where Gertler rumbled around in the low registers for awhile, then the strings took it up again. The wistful vibe kept going, an uneasy, brooding lyric soaring over an austere minor-key melody, with a terse viola solo out. Damien, from Gertler's now-classic 2004 album The Baby That Brought Bad Weather was all understated longing, cached in the mighty swells of the strings.
Galub used the next song's Penny Lane bounce as the launching pad for an unabashedly vicious, percussively crescendoing guitar solo, something he'd repeat a couple more times – even by his standards, he was especially energized. The best song of the evening, possible titled Closing Night began with a matter-of-factly dramatic series of piano chords, worked its way into a lush backbeat anthem with another one of those Galub slasher solos, and gracefully faded out. Gertler explained that her closing number had been appropriated (and turned into a sizeable hit) by an unnamed Australian band, who'd transformed it into a song about playing the lottery. As it rose to a ridiculously catchy chorus out of just vocals and strings, its hitworthiness struck home, hard. The audience wouldn't let them go: the band encored with a majestically fluid version of Everybody Wants to Adore You, another smash of a pop song from The Baby That Brought Bad Weather. We do our own individual list of the best New York concerts of the year in December, and you can bet that this one will be on it. This was it for the Universal Thump's shows this summer – adding yet another reason to look forward to fall, which at this point couldn't come too soon.
July 19, 2010 Posted by delarue | concert, Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews, rock music | adam d. gold, aimee mann, art-pop, art-rock, best band brooklyn, best band new york, best band nyc, best songwriter brooklyn, best songwriter new york, classical rock, electric light orchestra, elo, greta gertler, greta gertler barbes, groove collective, jonathan maron, moody blues, orchestrated rock, osso string quartet, Pete Galub, piano music, piano pop, pop-rock, procol harum, psychedelic pop, universal thump, universal thump barbes | 1 Comment
Make Music NY 2010
Nice to see the organizers of New York's version of La Fete de la Musique get their own site going this year. We went through it and cherrypicked the best shows we could find, just for you, if you're feeling up for a little wandering around town during lunch, or after work – or if you're one of the legions of the unemployed here, why not make a day out of it? As far as we can tell (last year's master calendar only listed a fraction of the day's actual performances), these are your best bets for all the free shows happening Monday, June 21. Note that many ambitious acts offer you more than one chance to see them. As far as locations are concerned, Monday's best lineup is at the cube at Astor Place starting at a quarter to one with the Xylopholks, Electric Junkyard Gamelan at 1:45, Balthrop Alabama at 3:30, Black Sea Hotel at 4:30 and then Pearl and the Beard at 5:15. Also worth checking out later: the country/blues night at 68 Jay St. Bar, the all-day funk extravaganza at Rose Bar and the reggae night at SOB's. Fortuitously, you can also go to the Punk Island show and not miss a thing because that's on Sunday starting at 10 AM (early arrival advised) and going til five with DOA, Blanks 77, Hub City Stompers and all kinds of other excellent bands.
At noon fun and innovative latin soul/bugalu revivalists Spanglish Fly plays outside Rose Bar; at 6 they're at the park at 2nd Ave. and E 10th St.
At noon French reggae/dub crew Dub. Inc. play City Winery; at 8 they're at SOB's
At noon powerpop guitar god Pete Galub plays Society Coffee, 2104 Frederick Douglass Blvd in Harlem.
At noon jazz chanteuse Carolyn Leonhart and her bass player dad Jay Leonhart play the eco-houseware store at 432 Myrtle Ave. in Ft. Greene; at 1:30 they move to 350 Myrtle.
At half past noon five-string Celtic fiddler Cady Finlayson and guitarist Vita Tanga play Irish music at 40 Wall St.; they move to the NYPL branch at 112 E 96th St. at 3 PM
Starting at 1 PM avant garde composer Iannis Xenakis' trancey, intense percussion piece Oresteia will be performed at the Swedish Marionette Cottage Theatre in Central Park, enter on the west side at 79th St and follow the signs (or the noise). His Persephassa will be performed at the lake in Central Park (enter on the west side, 72nd St.) at 3:30 and 5:30
12:45 PM furry-suited vibraphone ragtime swing outfit the Xylopholks play the cube at Astor Place.
1 PM the Famous Accordion Orchestra play Brooklyn Bridge Park, Plymouth and Main St. in Dumbo – note that this is a state park so be careful if you're drinking alcohol.
1:45 PM Electric Junkyard Gamelan – who played one of the most amazing shows we've seen all year – at the cube at Astor Place.
2 PM popular synth-pop dance duo Hank and Cupcakes play at the Loving Cup Cafe, 93 N 6th St. in Williamsburg; they seem to be doublebooked with funk mob Turkuaz, who are also playing outside Rose Bar on Grand St. at 6.
2 PM Mission on Mars plays psychedelic acoustic raga/rock/jazz hybrid stuff at the great hill in Central Park, enter on the west side at 103rd St.
2 PM Sukari play reggae and ska at Hunts Point Park, Lafayette Ave. and Edgewater Road in the Bronx
3 PM torchy, no-nonsense jazz/pop pianist Jeanne Marie Boes plays at Cafe Bar, 32-90 36th St. in Astoria; at 6 PM she's at Brick Cafe at 30-95 33rd St. in Astoria.
3 PM literate, Springsteen-ish blue collar songwriter Al Lee Wyer plays Battery Park
3:30 PM Balthrop, Alabama plays at the cube at Astor Place followed by the wonderful, otherworldly Balkan vocal quartet Black Sea Hotel at 4:30 and then bracingly smart cello rockers Pearl & the Beard at 5:15
4 PM klezmer jazz crew Talat at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
4 PM Benny and the Ben-Ja-Min Band play reggae and ska at Beach 21st St. and the boardwalk in Far Rockaway; at 7 PM, they move to the Bushwick Project for the Arts, 304 Meserole St.
4 PM Chink Floyd at Tompkins Square Park – gotta love that name
4 PM violinist Karen Lee Larson and jam-oriented friends are at Society Coffee, 2104 Frederick Douglass Blvd in Harlem.
4:30 PM Gamelan Son of Lion plays Pier One at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Columbia Heights and Cranberry St. in Dumbo
5 PM the Hsu-Nami play ferocious, Asian-tinged metal/art-rock instrumentals with guitars and a Chinese erhu fiddle at the Peach Frog Companies (?), 136 N 10th St. in Williamsburg
6 PM tuneful, smart avant garde cellist/songwriter Jody Redhage & Fire in July at the Dumbo Arts Center, 30 Washington St. in Dumbo
7 PM the Voxare String Quartet at Bargemusic in Dumbo, program TBA
7 PM blazing, dark Balkan dance music from across the centuries with Raya Brass Band at Bubby's at 1 Main St. in Dumbo
7 PM the satirical, playful, ageless Remy de Laroque plays Roosevelt Park in Chinatown, Houston and Christie.
7 PM artsy, clever accordion pop with Cassis & the Sympathies at Battery Park, moving to the Fulton Ferry Landing in Dumbo at 9
7 PM oldschool Brooklyn rock vet John Hovorka and his band at McGoldrick Park, Driggs Ave and Russell St. in Greenpoint
7 PM Num & Nu Afrika Project play roots reggae at Drastadub Studio, 58 W. 127th St.
7 PM the Old Rugged Sauce play deviously virtuosic guitar jazz standards at Mousey Brown Salon, 732 Lorimer St. in Williamsburg
7 PM punkish rockers Diabolique play Barretto Point Park, Tiffany St. and Viele Ave. in the Bronx – we saw them a couple of years ago and thought that by now they'd be even more interesting.
7:30 PM scathingly literate noir rocker LJ Murphy (completely mischaracterized on the MMNY site as "folk") at 136 Milton St. in Greenpoint
7:30 PM Jan Bell's soaring, haunting Americana band the Maybelles at 68 Jay St. Bar followed at 8:15 PM by hypnotic Mississippi hill country blues guitar genius Will Scott
7:30 PM Hungry March Band play Balkan brass music at Jackson Square, Horatio St. and 8th Ave. in the west village
8 PM lyrically dazzling, fiery art-rock band Changing Modes play Cafe Bar, 32-90 36th St. in Astoria
8 PM the phantasmagorical Carol Lipnik & Spookarama play the community garden at 346 E Houston between B and C
June 15, 2010 Posted by delarue | blues music, classical music, concert, funk music, irish music, jazz, latin music, Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, reggae music, rock music, world music | Al Lee Wyer, balthrop alabama, benny and the ben-ja-min band, Black Sea Hotel band, cady finlayson, carol lipnik, carolyn leonhart, changing modes, chink floyd, diabolique band, dub inc, Electric Junkyard Gamelan, Famous Accordion Orchestra, free concert 6/21 ny, free concert 6/21 nyc, free concert june 21 ny, free concert june 21 nyc, free concert monday nyc, free concert nyc, free outdoor concert nyc, gamelan son of lion, hank and cupcakes, Hsu-nami, Hungry March Band, iannis xenakis, Jan Bell, jay leonhart, Jeanne Marie Boes, jody redhage, john hoborka, karen lee larson, la fete de la musique ny 2010, lj murphy, make music new york, make music new york 2010, make music ny 2010, maybelles, mission on mars, nu afrika project, num & nu afrika project, old rugged sauce band, outdoor concert nyc, pearl and the beard, Pete Galub, punk island, punk island 2010, Raya Brass Band, remy delaroque, spanglish fly, sukari reggae, talat jazz, turkuaz, voxare string quartet, will scott blues, xylopholks | Leave a comment
A Typical Beastly Monday
So good to be back at Small Beast after a few weeks' absence. Nothing has changed – New York's most unpredictably fun weekly musical event was as edgy as always. This time around, Pete Galub opened the night while Botanica keyboardist and Small Beast impresario Paul Wallfisch furiously wrote out charts for his show later in the evening with Sally Norvell. Most solo shows are boring to the extreme, but Galub had brought along a gorgeous hollowbody electric guitar and gave a clinic in powerpop songwriting – and when the time came, guitar solos, playing along methodically as if he had his usual band behind him. Galub gets props for his playing, and deservedly so, but his songs are every bit as clever as his work as a lead guitarist for a cavalcade of A-list writers: Amy Allison, Serena Jost and others. He opened with a sardonic, Big Star inflected number possibly titled Exclusive Guest, following that with a gorgeously poignant, minor-key, somewhat Neil Finn-esque tune, Crying Time. A cover of the late former LA Trash frontman Alan Andrews' big 6/8 ballad Undiscovered Life maintained the poignant tone while adding a tongue-in-cheek vibe, segueing into a nasty, noisy riff-rocker that wouldn't have been out of place in the Kevin Salem catalog – complete with an offhandedly savage solo. And then a real surprise, a pensive and heartfelt version of Any Major Dude by Steely Dan. When Galub opened his set, he'd hinted that he might take a detour into the Dan catalog, and this was a typically counterintuitive choice. Most solo shows are a clinic in how to bore an audience: Galub reaffirmed that if you have the chops, the material and a sense of humor, you don't necessarily need a band.
Guitarist Thomas Simon and his drummer cohort were next on the bill, with a long set of swirling, atmospheric, effects-laden numbers that took the shape of a suite as they segued into one another. "A Spacemen 3 kind of thing," one of the cognoscenti in the crowd murmured – this set had remarkably more aggression than Simon's previous appearance at the Beast in July (very favorably reviewed here).
For one reason or another the women who play Small Beast turn out to be the night's biggest stars, and an Austin punk legend, former Gator Family and Norvells frontwoman Sally Norvell maintained the tradition, backed by Wallfisch and erstwhile Big Lazy bassist Paul Dugan on a few numbers. Norvell is best known as a menacing noir cabaret femme fatale, but this set was a showcase in stylistic diversity, masterful subtlety matched by wrenching, raw intensity. Norvell can belt with anyone, but it's how she holds back, how she works whatever emotion the lyrics call for that makes her such a captivating presence – and one sorely missed, at least around these parts. A few years back, right around the time that her duo with Kid Congo Powers, Congo Norvell was pretty much finished, she put out an amazing, sparsely beautiful album, Choking Victim, backed just by Wallfisch and occasional minimalist percussion or guitar. They opened with one of the songs from that one, One Gentle Thing, replete with longing and regret, Wallfisch obviously in his element and relishing the moment from its first few stately chords. A creepy, swaying Congo Norvell song pulsed along with a steady, ominous eight-note pulse from the bass. And then noir cabaret personality Little Annie joined them for an understatedly anguished version of her big audience hit Because You're Gone – the contrast of Annie's bitter contralto and Norvell's breathy soprano, and the counterpoint between the two, was absolutely transcendent and the two women made it seem effortless. And unaffectly intense – it brought Norvell to tears. The rest of the set could have been anticlimactic but it wasn't – a brief, menacing Paul Bowles song (Wallfisch worked with him for a time), a sad minor ballad in 6/8, a gorgeously dark lament, and then Norvell finally cut loose with a soaring version of the old spiritual Trouble in the World, imbuing it with a nihilistic fury. "You can't have an apocalypse without Jesus," she grinned gleefully.
Keyboardist and Americana soul stylist Matt Kanelos and then another keyb guy, frequent Thalia Zedek collaborator M.G. Lederman were scheduled to follow, but there were places to go and things to do. Next week's Beast is a beauty, with Julia Kent, Carol Lipnik and Rebecca Cherry in addition to Wallfisch doing his usual set solo at the piano – if you're in New York this coming Monday you'd be crazy to miss it.
October 7, 2009 Posted by delarue | Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews, small beast | alan andrews, ambient music, amy allison, atmospheric rock, botanica band, cabaret music, concert, concert review, congo norvell, dark rock, delancey bar, Delancey bar nyc, gator family, la trash band, little annie, little annie bandez, m.g. lederman, matt kanelos, noir cabaret, noir music, noir rock, norvells, paul dugan, paul wallfisch, Pete Galub, piano music, power pop, powerpop, rock music, Sally Norvell, serena jost, singer-songwriter, small beast, songwriter, soundtrack music, spacemen 3, thalia zedek, thomas simon guitar | Leave a comment
Concert Review: Paul Wallfisch, James Ross and Joe Benzola, Vera Beren's Gothic Chamber Blues Ensemble and Elisa Flynn at the Delancey, NYC 6/29/09
Small Beast has taken to Mondays like a vulture on a carcass. The beef carcasses, i.e. hamburgers and hotdogs at the upstairs barbecue now carry a $5 pricetag, although it's a fill-your-plate type deal (and the totally El Lay crowd up there looks like they can afford it). Botanica pianist Paul Wallfisch, opened the night in the cool, darkened ground-level space as he always does, solo on piano. Since Small Beast is his event, he's gotten a ton of ink here. Suffice it to say that if dark, virtuosic, unaffectedly intense piano with a gypsy tinge is something you might like, run don't walk to this Monday night extravaganza. Although last night it wasn't, it's usually over before Rev. Vince Anderson gets going across the river, so if you're really adventurous you can hit both shows. This time out Wallfisch ran through a rather touching Paul Bowles song about a fugitive, in French; a lickety-split version of a noir cabaret tune by his longtime collaborator, chanteuse/personality Little Annie; a Crystal Gayle cover done very noir, and Shira and Sofia, a Botanica tune about the original Joy Division, a couple of WWII era whores. Make love, not war is what the two are encouraging in their own completely over-the-top way, and a few in the audience did a doubletake when Wallfisch got to the chorus.
Multi-instrumentalist James Ross and percussionist Joe Benzola were next, playing hypnotic instrumentals that sounded something akin to the Dead jamming Space with Electric Junkyard Gamelan, with Benzola using a multitude of instruments including wooden flute, recorder, kazoo, and a small series of gongs in addition to his drum kit and then layering one loop on top of another for a Silk Road feel. They took awhile to get going, Ross playing a zhongruan, a Chinese lute with a biting tone like a higher-pitched oud. This was an improvisation, and when they hit their stride the crowd was very into it – avante garde though it was, there was a repetitive catchiness to it too. Ross eventually switched to electric guitar, winding up their brief set with a trancelike, drony number where he built a small wall of feedback as if to hold off the relentless procession of beats.
Vera Beren's Gothic Chamber Blues Ensemble then grabbed the crowd by the back of the neck and spun them in the opposite direction with a ferocity that was even more striking in contrast to the previous act's quiet psychedelica. To find a worthy comparison to Beren, the former Die Hausfrauen frontwoman, you have to go into the icon section: Iggy Pop, Aretha, Umm Kalthum or Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello are a few who can match the raven-haired contralto siren's unleashed, menacing intensity. Backed by two lead guitarists, a trombonist who doubled on keys and a pummeling rhythm section, Beren opened the set with anguished vocalese, part scream and part very reluctant acquiescence. There was no turning back after that. The band name is apt in that their grand guignol attack can be bluesily hypnotic, tinged with classical motifs (Beren played macabre piano on a couple of numbers) and if you take it to its extreme (this is very extreme music), there's nobody more goth than this crew. But these goths don't put on batwings and hug the wall, they come to pillage and avenge. A couple of their heavier, stomping numbers bore a little resemblance to Blue Oyster Cult, but Beren's writing is more complex and cerebral, expertly switching between tempos, building inexorably to a roar of horror. Their last song grew ominously with a whoosh of cymbals and some beautifully boomy chord work on the intro by bassist Greg Garing into a careening, crashing gallop that ended with a noise jam, Garing throwing off a nasty blast of feedback.
That Elisa Flynn wasn't anticlimactic playing in the wake of Hurricane Vera speaks for itself. In her own moody, pensive and equally dark way, she proved a match for Beren, in subtlety if not sheer volume. Flynn's new cd Songs About Birds and Ghosts is one of the year's best, and that comprised most of what she sang, playing solo on guitar, expertly working the corners of a compelling, wounded delivery that she'd occasionally turn up to a fullscale wail when she needed to drive a point home. Her guitar playing proved as smartly matched to the songs' emotion as her vocals, alternating between hammering chords and stark fingerpicking, sometimes building an eerie undercurrent of overtones using her open strings. Her songs have considerable bitterness but also a wry wit, as well as a frequently majestic, anthemic feel that comes to the forefront when she uses 6/8 time (which is a lot). I'm Afraid of the Way I Go Off Sometimes, she said, took its title from an email she'd received from a friend a week before he went into rehab. She warned that a cover of The Pyramid Song by Radiohead might be awkward, but it was anything but, in fact even more haunting than the original with something of a Syd Barrett feel. A brand-new one called Shiver was potently angry, building to a tastily macabre chorus. She followed that with an understated version of the opening cut on the new album, Timber, a towering anthem (with a cool Blair Witch video up on youtube). She closed with No Diamond, something of a lullaby "to send you off to sleep," she said, another pensive number in 6/8. By now, it was approaching one in the morning; had she kept playing, no doubt the crowd would have kept listening.
Small Beast continues next Monday, July 6 with Wallfisch, Spottiswoode and Pete Galub; Beren plays goth night at the Slipper Room on September 20; Flynn is at Sidewalk on July 14 at 8.
June 30, 2009 Posted by delarue | Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews, small beast | art-rock, botanica band, classical rock, concert, concert review, damned band, dark rock, delancey bar, Electric Junkyard Gamelan, elisa flynn, goth music, grateful dead, gypsy music, james ross guitar, joe benzola, Music, new york bands, noir music, paul bowles, paul wallfisch, Pete Galub, piano music, radiohead cover, review, rock music, small beast, Spottiswoode, vera beren, vera beren's gothic chamber blues ensemble | Leave a comment
Concert Review: Serena Jost and Matt Kanelos at le Poisson Rouge, NYC 4/29/09
A particularly well-conceived art-rock doublebill. Both performers are people whose music lives between the lines, thriving on subtlety, understatement and ellipses rather than grand gestures. Serena Jost, when she's not dabbling in modeling or getting work as a sidewoman (she's a classically trained cellist who did time in Rasputina), leads a semi-rotating cast of characters through a vast landscape that spans the world of classical balladry, artsy pop, surf music, no-wave funk and straight-up rock. Wednesday night at le Poisson Rouge she had the benefit of keeping things fairly austere and low-key since she had a great sound system at her disposal. This time out she had the melodic Rob Jost on electric bass, multi-instrumentalist Rob DiPietro playfully and artfully handling the drums and in place of her regular axeman Julian Maile she had Pete Galub (just reviewed here leading his own band) handling lead guitar duties while she alternated between cello, piano and acoustic guitar.
Galub transformed the group, bringing the melodies front and center while adding an artsy, early 70s tinged bluesy feel that ran the gamut from plaintive to towering and majestic. The most dramatic moment came on the bridge during the long partita I Wait where Galub took Maile's Dick Dale-ish lines deep into the Middle East, tossing the baton to Jost with a flourish where she grabbed it, held on for dear life and kept the revelry going. Then he took the usually stark Almost Nothing and added a vivid solo, part fiery blues and part big ornate ballad, that wouldn't have been out of place in the Ian Bairnson playbook. Jost had been singing with her usual full, round and inscrutable clarity – she's so direct that it would be impossible for there to be no subtext – but picked an insistent new ballad to cut loose and wail, as she did on another new one which she played on cello. Cellists don't usually let their hair down to this extent, but Jost did.
By the time frequent Jenifer Jackson collaborator Matt Kanelos and his band the Smooth Maria hit the stage, the tables had all filled up, depression or no depression, a heartwarming sight. Nice to hear him cut loose on vocals, too, unadorned, casual and unaffected, much like the opening act. Backed by an excellent lead guitarist with a noisy edge as well as a subtle, swinging rhythm section, he alternated between acoustic guitar and piano, playing mostly new songs from the band's brand-new cd Silent Show. While Americana is his fallback space, many of his songs have an undercurrent alternating between tastefully jazzy complexity and an almost minimalist, purist classical sensibility. The influences combine to create a dreamy yet focused, frequently poignant late summer atmosphere, replete with longing for something that doesn't always overtly make itself known. Like Jost, Kanelos can be hard to read, all the more reason to listen closely.
The big 6/8 piano ballad Rain evoked early 70s Pink Floyd (circa Obscured by Clouds), hypnotic and eerily edgy, Kanelos going completely rubato as it built to a big crescendo and then subsided to the point where he could step back in without any altercations. The night's opening number, Abandoned Town reminded of middle-period Wilco with its "we won't go back, we won't go" insistence and noisily ringing crescendo of guitar chords. Another number felt like Chet Baker doing southwestern gothic, Kanelos and his lead player taking turns playing off and then on the beat as it wound down at the end. The crowd, quietly attentive to the end, went crazy for an encore and after a wait that didn't bode well, were rewarded with a nostalgic ballad that Kanelos played solo on piano.
May 4, 2009 Posted by delarue | Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews | americana music, art-rock, classical rock, concert, country music, ian bairnson, jazz, jenifer jackson, matt kanelos, orchestrated rock, Pete Galub, power pop, powerpop, prog rock, progressive rock, rasputina, review, rob jost, robert dipietro, rock music, serena jost, smooth maria, surf music, wilco | 1 Comment
Concert Review – Pete Galub at Lakeside Lounge, NYC 4/22/09
If you want to play great guitar, watch this guy. This is somebody who once placed Comfortably Numb all the way through, solo onstage on electric guitar, as a funk instrumental. And it actually worked. Brilliantly, in fact. As a sideman, Pete Galub has a resume that would make a lot of guys blush, as Amy Allison's once-and-future lead guitarist and as one of the original Extroverts in Greta Gertler's band. That he'd pick up gigs with those two songwriters makes even more sense when you hear his own material: Galub can't resist a clever pun or a playful musical jape and neither can those two. But he saves his most ferocious playing for his own stuff. Thursday night at Lakeside he put on a clinic in understatedly melodic powerpop and noise-rock guitar, two styles that you wouldn't think would go well together, maybe, unless you were a Steve Wynn fan. In fact, it sounded a lot like Galub had been holed up with a bunch of Steve Wynn bootleg tracks, which as it turned out, he hadn't. Then again, maybe the wheel was invented simultaneously by two different guys who barely knew each other.
Fast and furious as he can be, Galub didn't waste any notes, choosing his spots judiciously before hitting his distortion pedal or shading the textures with a deft twist or two on the bass, the treble or the volume (subtlety is everything in this guy's book). Backed by a subtle, in-the-pocket rhythm section, he'd start out with a low growl and then make his way methodically to the upper registers, adding a snarling, wailing, dirty ferocity, then backing off, then turning the demons loose again. Bending and twisting a series of richly sustained chords, sinuous pop and country licks, he'd go on for a couple of minutes and would still leave the crowd wanting more when he wrapped up the solo. The midtempo Big Star-inflected number that he played next-to-last turned into a launching pad for some pyrotechnics that sounded straight out of the Karl Precoda songbook. Perhaps somewhat fortuituosly, Galub closed the set with the slow, tongue-in-cheek 6/8 ballad Boy Gone Wrong ( the title track from his most recent solo cd), inviting up Steve Wynn lead player Jason Victor to join him. Victor took his time tuning up. "Is there something you'd like to promote?" Galub asked him, giving him a chance to plug a gig or two.
"Sleep," Victor mumbled. Yet when the time came, Galub looked stage right and started pouncing on a quick series of chords, and Victor was right there to join him in a noisy duel just as he does in Wynn's band. Galub held down the lows, wildly tremolo-picking until he'd built a roaring, whirring cauldron of sound, Victor chopping at his strings like the chainsaw killer in Last House on the Left. It wasn't pretty but it was a blast to hear. The crowd roared for an encore and Galub reverted to quick, tersely effective powerpop mode. Suddenly choosing this gig over Devi (whose lead player is also a serious monster), who were playing at Shrine, seemed like the right choice this time around. Galub's next gig is with Serena Jost's band at 7:30 PM on Apr 29 at le Poisson Rouge; watch this space for his next as a bandleader.
April 24, 2009 Posted by delarue | Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews | amy allison, Big star band, boy gone wrong, concert review, devi band, greta gertler, guitarist, jangle rock, janglerock, jason victor, karl precoda, lakeside lounge, lead guitar, Music, Pete Galub, power pop, powerpop, review, rock music, serena jost, singer-songwriter, steve wynn, telecaster | Leave a comment
CD Review: Lee Feldman – I've Forgotten Everything
Lee Feldman is a keyboard player who excels at seemingly all styles of pop music, from ragtime to slightly Steely Dan-inflected jazz-rock. He's perhaps best known for his musical Starboy, the rare adult entertainment which is actually suitable for children of all ages. It's a marvelously lo-fi, heart-tugging yet completely schlock-free production about an alien who lives in the ocean and has all sorts of adventures, set to astonishingly imaginative piano-pop. As a vocalist, Feldman often takes on the character of a naïf, a plainspoken persona which on this cd allows him to be disarming, yet also gives him a truly sinister edge. If Jonathan Richman took his shtick to the logical extreme, he'd be Lee Feldman. This somewhat fragmentary concept album about the life of a man teetering on the edge of sanity, told in the first person, is very disquieting. At first listen, it's awfully pretty, but the vocals and particularly the lyrics reveal something else entirely. It's packed with allusions, defined more by what isn't here than what is, ultimately revealing itself as a very subtle but extremely potent satire of American conformist culture.
The title track has the optimism of an amnesiac, piano and rhythm section until a nice organ flourish and strings on the outro: "We've got a lot of dreaming to do." The following cut, My Sad Life pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the album, a not-so-fond look back at the protagonist's early years, set to a deceptively bouncy melody punctuated by ba-ba-ba backup vocals and horn flourishes:
I've got a car and I've got a wife
She likes to be alone
So after dark I go for a drive
He's stuck out in suburbia with just his wife, so he ends up smoking a lot of weed. We later learn on the upbeat, bracing blues Morning Train that the ride makes him feel optimistic, or so he says, "But I'm no magic when the evening comes." Joel Frahm's tenor sax takes a breezy solo, then Feldman comes in with some slightly eerie upper register piano at the end. The next song, titled Lee Feldman, takes an unexpectedly dark detour, the narrator reciting two Social Security numbers – both of which he claims are his – over piano that comes just thisclose to macabre but doesn't completely go there.
On the next cut, Mrs. Green, it turns out he's her limo driver. As we discover in the final verse, he has a very specific destination in mind and it's clearly not somewhere she's planning on going. Pete Galub supplies appropriately buoyant, supple, incisive lead guitar. After that, on the slow, pretty ballad Of All the Things, the guy applauds a woman who for some reason didn't see the sign that everyone else saw up above. As usual, Feldman doesn't say what it was. After the troubling piano/bass/drums instrumental Bowling Accident in Lane 3, there's a slow 6/8 number, Give Me My Money with nice textures from Brock Mumford accordionist Will Holshouser and backing vocals from Greta Gertler. "You don't need to worry, the baby is sleeping," Feldman sings in his completely affect-free voice: suddenly the guy is old and misses his footsteps. "It's not just athletes who hate to come last."
On Big Woman on the Shelves, Holshouser and Feldman play together on a sweet Gallic run down the scale that punctuates the chorus. The proprietor of a store with big women on the shelf is trying to kick the guy out. In Paris. He ends up taking one of the women with him. Feldman finally gets to take a piano solo and really makes this one count. He follows with the self-explanatory instrumental Waltz for a Sad Girl and then the slinky, jazz-inflected organ-driven Diagonal S's at the Motel 6. It turns out that the protagonist's daughter is waiting there for some guy to pump her for information. And then it really gets disturbing:
Magic Shop is open
But everything inside is broken
How did we get so clumsy?
Clumsy with our fingers
I took a little piece of my own action
And let myself evaporate
In your swimming pool
Then the scene jumps to Little While, a sad solo piano number that seems to be when his Sara leaves him:
I would be walking into the snow
Watching the penguins play
Next we're told that something bad happened in the basement of the Hippy Store and that's why the guy's afraid of it. Of course, the song doesn't say what, maybe because he could spend his life with the people who did whatever they did there. At the end of the song, Feldman and band mimic the sound of a vinyl record slowing down. Then the lights go down, and then out completely on Cave, where he lights fires with his glasses and drinks from the falls:
Now that you're living in a corporate nightmare
You look so sad
But you don't have to feel bad
Feldman reminds, having reverted to mankind's original, natural state. The horns go crazy for a long time at the end, falling away one by one until only Steven Bernstein's slide trumpet is left. The next track, Mr. Feldman, has the protagonist talking to himself in a nuthouse. The cd comes to a close with See You Again, "in the shadows of time. Again." Impeccably and tersely produced, this album has cult classic written all over it. Shame on us for taking so long to review it. Five bagels. With whitefish. Because it's full of mercury and makes you forget everything.
January 24, 2008 Posted by delarue | Music, music, concert, review, Reviews, rock music | art-rock, classical rock, greta gertler, i've forgotten everything, indie pop, jazz rock, joel frahm, jonathan richman, lee feldman, lee feldman composer, lee feldman i've forgotten everything, lee feldman starboy, Pete Galub, piano music, piano pop, pop music, pop-rock, rock music, rock piano, starboy, starboy composer, starboy musical, steely dan, steven bernstein trumpet, Will Holshouser | 1 Comment
CD Review: Greta Gertler & the Extroverts – Edible Restaurant
David Byrne got it right: we need more songs about buildings and food. This album doesn't have much of the former, but there's a lot of the latter. How delicious. This is Australian expat singer/keyboardist Greta Gertler's third consecutive brilliant album. Her first one, The Baby That Brought Bad Weather (recorded after her second one), was a meticulously arranged pop masterpiece. Her second one, Nervous Breakthroughs, was a richly melodic orchestral rock record and even better than the first. This comes as quite a change: it's a gorgeously stark, retro, mostly acoustic album, tastefully produced with grand piano, electric guitar, tuba, drums and occasional strings. Unsurprisingly, the whole cd has a somewhat old-timey, ragtimish feel to it.
The album opens with Wrist Slasher, a blithely eerie number that's mostly just voice and solo piano: the narrator sometimes dreams of "floating away on the back of a stingray in a glass of champagne." Gertler sings in a high, cheery soprano, which occasionally seems at odds with her frequently pensive songwriting. It gives the listener pause: she may want music, and happiness, that's "good and simple," as she explains on another track here, but there's always a lot going on in her songs. Most usually it's absolutely fascinating.
The album's title track vividly evokes the chaos of a busy eatery at peak hour, an endless series of unexpected shifts: staccato piano, tuba and guitar, then horror-movie chromatics on the chorus, then back to bouncy, then the eerie piano again. It winds up with a slow, swinging passage straight out of 70s art-rockers Supertramp. The first time around, there's a dirty, skronky guitar solo by head Extrovert Pete Galub, then a bluesy one by dangerous retro virtuoso Michael Gomez (who also plays lead in Hazmat Modine). The lyrics are a hoot, but they're poignant as well:
This piano is out of tune
The neighbourhood is filled with gloom
I'm bumping into chairs
I'm spilling drinks on tables
Some may say I'm a nervous wreck
No therapist can cure my debt
I want to find a place
Where I know how to relax
Here I came from a lucky land
Sometimes I miss the grass and sand
An immigrant without a plan
Just a shitload of luggage
Now I've circled the city seven times
Like a conservative Jewish bride
And for the reception
I'd like to invite you all to
The Edible Restaurant
Where you can even take a bite out of the waitress
The next track, Bessie is a mostly slow piano ballad, an inscrutably wistful number, seemingly about a friend who's gone AWOL. Gomez contributes a beautiful, deceptively dark David Gilmour-esque solo on lapsteel. After that, on the hustling, bustling Bergen Street, the narrator finds herself "caught in the middle of a passive aggressive storm," yet intent on pursuing the object of her desires. The following track If Bob Was God is an intense, heartfelt ballad, electric with longing and desire:
I don't want to be
One of the boys again
It's happened to me
Ever since the age of ten…
I have to let you know tonight
This album is littered with New York references and this is one of the most evocative.
The next song, Aching Melody is a slinky, sexy tune, Wurlitzer and drum machine, which Gertler will employ occasionally to entertaining effect at solo shows. She follows that with a powerful antiwar anthem, Uniform, which could be for the zeros what Supertramp's Crime of the Century was for the 70s. Told from the point of view of a nameless, nationless draftee who did everything to avoid joining in the killing, it's the most powerful song on the album. The cd's next track, Veselka, brings some substantial, stick-to-your-ribs comic relief: it's a tribute to the legendary Ukrainian pierogi joint on Second Avenue. Apparently Gertler had been away from the place for awhile and the waitstaff missed her. "See the years passing by, Veselka still serves the oldest recipes!" Gertler blissfully exclaims. There's a very witty Balkan interlude toward the end of the song, with some juicy guitar from Gomez (Gertler knows her gypsy music: see Nervous Breakthroughs for her sizzling instrumental The Hot Bulgar). The cd concludes with a brief instrumental reprise of the opening track. What a great album, definitely one of the two or three best of the year so far. Five pierogies. With applesauce and sour cream and several beers. CD's are available at shows, in Australia and online. Incidentally, if you read the small print at the bottom of the cd case, you'll see that the album was produced with the assistance of the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. Now just imagine the NEA giving, say, Randi Russo a grant. Makes you want to…well, shouldn't say here, not since everyone's eating.
June 13, 2007 Posted by delarue | Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews, rock music | art-pop, art-rock, chamber pop, edible restaurant, greta gertler, greta gertler edible restaurant, gypsy music, hazmat modine, indie pop, michael gomez, Michael Gomez guitar, oldtime music, oldtimey music, orchestrated rock, Pete Galub, piano music, piano pop, pop music, ragtime, ragtime music, retro music, steampunk, steampunk music, Supertramp, veselka restaurant, veselka restaurant second ave. | 2 Comments


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text:
In a quiet corner of the church yard, the people of Church of the Epiphany have created a garden.
This oasis in a world of hurry is to be used for the interment of ashes of our loved ones, and as a place of reflection and peace. It may be used, also, for occasional services.
Who may be buried here? Parishioners, members of their families, former parishioners, and friends of the parish family who request burial in the garden, will be accepted by the Memorial Garden Committee. No one shall be denied burial based on race, creed, or color.
A burial fee of $250 has been established, which includes perpetual care of the garden, and engraving of the name, date of birth, and date of death on a Memorial Plaque in the church.
Parishioners are encouraged to spend a few moments in the garden now and then, remembering those who have gone before us.
A Certificate of Ownership of a plot in the Memorial Garden is provided at the time of pre-payment of the burial fee, and guarantees the holder's place in the Memorial Garden. The certificate may be transferred to other members of one's family or redeemed at face value upon six month's written notice to the Memorial Garden Committee.
Ashes must be contained in a heavy, cardboard container, or other such biodegradable material. A record of burial will be kept as part of the permanent parish records.
Financial contributions in addition to the burial fee will be gratefully accepted at any time. Monies designated for the purchase of trees, shrubs, and other plant material will be accepted and used as the need arises. Contributions will also be used for the general upkeep of the garden.
The Church of the Epiphany pledges to maintain the Memorial Garden and to care for the Memorial Plaque for as long as the parish exists.
© 2020 Epiphany Trumansburg


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Age Placement Guide
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KHDA School Fees Framework
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The Westminster School follows the National Curriculum for England and prepares students to take the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and A Level Examinations of the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford (UK).
The Westminster School offers students a number of benefits which include:
Child-centric programmes
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The aim of the school is to foster and emphasize an appreciation of knowledge and to prepare students for a socially changing and technologically advanced society. The Westminster School lays the foundation from which students can pursue university levels of education or professional career paths suited to their talents and interests.
The spacious, purpose built premises provide separate facilities for boys and girls from Year 7 onwards. The Westminster School provides a secure, supportive environment, which nurtures learning and understanding, with a continued commitment to excellence.
The focus of our school is child-centred based on our guiding principles which encourage us to:
Develop in students, the quest for knowledge and proficiency in written and oral communication skills.
Develop the capability for sustained hard work, commitment and analytical thinking in students, preparing them for Higher Education and Challenging Careers.
Prepare all students to become responsible, thinking, contributing and above all, caring members of a global society.
With students from over 70 nationalities, The Westminster School is proud of its international character, and the culturally rich environment we offer our students. Students have the opportunity to study and work together with others from different cultures and backgrounds; as a result the school provides widely diversified academic and extra-curricular activities suitable to the school community members, in the process enhancing their knowledge of the world.
The Westminster School, Dubai, is a Private school founded in 1995 and is located in the Al Qusais Area.
At The Westminster School we believe in supporting every individual to achieve his or her dreams, no matter how big they may be.
To inspire a diverse and multicultural community of learners to achieve academic excellence and develop the skills and attributes to become successful global leaders.
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Over the course of six decades, more than 250,000 students have graduated from GEMS Schools across the world and gone on to greatness.
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Scriptwriting in the UK: New site!
If you subscribe to the blog (thank you!) then you might have noticed that the latest blog updates have been coming to you via my shiny new website. This has been me testing the waters, slowly building the site prior to launch. Well, I think it's about ready, so you can head on over and check it out now!
This means that the blog is retiring from Blogspot and relocating to the new website. A few email subscribers were lost in the transfer (flagged up for spam and so on) so if you are a subscriber and haven't received any update in a while, then you may need to resubscribe over on the new site.
Anyways, service will continue as normal, not a major change of blog procedure, just a different site. This blog is going nowhere but will remain static, although the download/blog archive section on the new site is easier to navigate than here.
So, come on over, have a nose around and let me know what you think. Hope to see you over there, and thanks for all the support over the years on Blogger.