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On January 28, 2023 January 28, 2023 By EclecticMusicLoverIn ReviewsLeave a comment
It's been over two and a half months since my last Fresh New Tracks post, as I haven't felt much enthusiasm for writing about music, but I thought it was time to try and get back into the groove. Accordingly, today I'm featuring three new singles by three very different artists I've previously featured on this blog. They are, in alphabetical order, German collective 5ON5, Texas singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, and British indie pop-rock band Wild Horse.
5ON5 – "Balloon"
Based in beautiful, cosmopolitan Berlin, Germany, 5ON5 is a collaborative music project comprised of four distinctly unique artists spanning two generations and coming from completely different music backgrounds. The brainchild of Max Koffler, a singer-songwriter, musician and producer with over 20 years experience in the music industry and two solo albums to his credit, 5ON5 also includes singer-songwriter and producer $INAN (aka Sinan Pakar), rapper and visual artist Maxx B, and singer Yumin. Their unusual name 5ON5 was inspired by Max's music label sonsounds, and reflects the group's eclectic blend of music genres and styles, including EDM, synth pop, hip hop and alternative rock. I've previously featured Koffler's music on this blog twice in 2018, as well as two of 5ON5's singles, "Runaway" in 2021, and most recently last January, "Don't Dance" (which was one of my most-read reviews of 2022). They followed with four more singles in 2022, and now kick off 2023 with their latest single "Balloon", accompanied by an animated video, which dropped January 12th.
The song, which was produced by Koffler along with Steve van Velvet, and mixed and mastered by Jeson Huang, seems to be about going on a journey without any particular agenda "I don't know where we're meant to fly so purposeless, so purposeless…" One of the things I like most about 5ON5's music is how well their individual vocals harmonize, and I love the song's airy dance groove, spacey synths and delicate mix of chiming and twangy guitar notes.
The colorful video, created by Max Klumker, shows animated versions of the four band members singing and dancing against a glorious ever-changing backdrop of figures, ranging from Mary Poppins and Easter Island statues to astronauts and lovable aliens, floating through the skies in hot air balloons, spaceships or by their own accord.
Connect with 5ON5: Facebook / Instagram
Stream their music: Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube
BRIAN LAMBERT – It's Good
Brian Lambert is an engaging, thoughtful and extremely prolific singer-songwriter and musician based in Denton, Texas. He's been writing and recording music for many years, and says he's "reinvented himself more times than he can count." He even tried his hand at country music for a while, but came to the realization that it just wasn't for him. More recently, he's been making indie rock music inspired by some of his favorite acts like Spoon, Gang of Youths, Soul Asylum and the Replacements. He used to play gigs all over the DFW metroplex, but with Covid putting a halt to that, in 2021 he challenged himself to writing, recording and producing a new song every week for a year, an ambitious feat he went on to accomplish! He's continued to write and record songs both as a solo artist and in collaboration with a host of other musicians he's met on Twitter. One he's worked with the most is Marc Schuster, a singer-songwriter and musician from the Philadelphia area who's also an educator, author, literary critic, blogger and visual artist. Together they've collaborated to create a separate music act The Star Crumbles, and last September, they released their fantastic debut album The Ghost of Dancing Slow (which I reviewed). Now Brian returns with his latest single "It's Good", which dropped yesterday, January 27th.
The song is a collaboration with Schuster as well as fellow musician Mike Mosely, who performs under his own musical moniker Jr Moz Collective. Brian elaborates: "I had Covid over Christmas, and had some pretty wild dreams. In this particular dream, I got the chords to a song, and whenever that happens, it seems to make sense to get up as soon as you can, and grab your guitar and write it down. Lyrically, I wasn't exactly sure where to go with it, so I decided to write a letter to my 11-year-old self. I cut a demo, and sent it to my friend Mike Mosely, who said 'cut the song today'". Even though Brian's voice was still gravelly due to the effects of Covid, he went ahead and recorded the song anyway. He also played acoustic guitar and keyboards, with electric guitars and bass played by Mike and drums by Marc.
The result is a really compelling tune with a bit of a roots rock vibe, highlighted by some fine guitar work. The heartfelt lyrics, which Brian's ravaged vocals make all the more poignant, offer encouragement to a young boy in that awkward transitional period between his childhood and teen years: "And you are, whatever you think you are. As bright as a shining star. Yeah, it's good." The video shows Brian driving around town and visiting vintage and resale shops in what I'm guessing are in and around his hometown of Denton.
Connect with Brian: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music: Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube
WILD HORSE – "Cougar"
Hailing from East Sussex, England is the talented and very charismatic young pop-rock band Wild Horse, consisting of brothers Henry and Jack Baldwin and long-time friend Ed Barnes. Now in their early 20s, the guys are seasoned musicians who've been writing and recording songs since forming in 2013, when they were barely teenagers. Both Henry and Jack are multi-instrumentalists who play guitar, bass and keyboards, as well as sing vocals, while Ed plays drums and percussion, sings backing vocals and plays guitar on a few tracks. The Baldwin brothers are also prolific songwriters who've penned hundreds of songs over the years, with five albums, three EPs and numerous singles to their credit. I've been following them for over five years, and love their music. I have reviewed two of their albums, DANCE!! Like An Animal in 2019, and When the Pool Is Occupied in late 2021, as well as one of their singles "Bitter" last September (which you can read here) The song spent two months on my weekly top 30 last fall. They've been releasing new singles every few months, and their latest is "Cougar" which also dropped yesterday, January 27th.
Despite their young ages, Wild Horse are not afraid to tackle mature subjects, and "Cougar" is perhaps their most 'adult' song yet. The band explains: "'Cougar' is a tale of a lonely housewife who starts using psychedelics and visiting younger men to escape the pain of real life and her failing marriage. Told from the point of view of one of her conquests, the funky indie pop track expresses secret desires, bitter regrets and sweet oblivion. The song's ending refrain of "how sweet the sound" features the soulful gospel vocals of Jalissa Livermore and reminds everyone that even if you know it won't end well, you can't turn back. It simply feels too good."
It's a terrific song, and I love the sensuous groove, lush synths, sparkling keyboards, snappy drums, and funky guitars. Jack's plaintive vocals nicely convey the conflicting emotions expressed in the lyrics "Cougar, You tell me that you're married. You say it's not a problem. He's always working out of town. You tell me that you want me. You're getting yourself ready. And like a deer under the headlights I find myself drawn into your life. This isn't gonna end well. That man has left you broken. Confined inside these four gold walls."
Connect with Wild Horse: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music: Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music / Reverbnation
Purchase: Bandcamp / Amazon
On January 27, 2023 January 27, 2023 By EclecticMusicLoverIn Commentary12 Comments
I don't usually write political posts, but perilous times call for extraordinary measures. I loathe the American GOP – a party that's now gone full MAGA and Fascist – with a burning passion. It needs to be destroyed, so that it may one day be reborn again as a rational party. If I offend any of my readers' sensibilities, so be it.
Comedian Randy Rainbow is a national treasure, frequently skewering the blatant hypocrisy of politicians and others in hilarious videos. His latest target is the obsequious Kevin McCarthy, who endured 14 humiliating losses before finally winning the Speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives on the 15th vote.
In this video, Rainbow calls out McCarthy and a number of other crazy Republican House members like Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.) and George Santos (N.Y), in "Speaker of the House" a brilliant spoof of the show stopper "Master of the House" from the legendary musical Les Misérables. A great example of his altered lyrics: "Speaker of the House/cunning little chap/covetous, conservative and full of crap. Thirsty as a fish/Quick to compromise/Only took the motherfucker 15 tries." I love it!
On January 22, 2023 January 22, 2023 By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments
Paramore's defiant "This Is Why" remains at the top spot for a second week on my latest Top 30 chart, while The Star Crumbles' darkwave beauty "Shadows in the Dark" slides into second position. Entering the top 10 are "Trouble With This Bed" by Beach Weather, jumping five spots to #7, and "Night Bus" by Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna, moving up one spot to #10. Two songs make their debut: the beautiful "Just Before the Morning" by L.A.- based indie alt-rock band Local Natives, entering at #29, and "Sleepwalking" by American pop/punk rock band All Time Low, at #30.
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (3)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (2)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (5)
I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (4)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (12)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (9)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (6)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (11)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (15)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (13)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (8)
LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (10)
DISORDER – Columbia (16)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (18)
THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (20)
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (21)
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (22)
PAGES – White Reaper (23)
KILL BILL – SZA (25)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (14)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (17)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (19) 21st week on chart
STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (26)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (24)
LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (29)
EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (30)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (N)
SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (N)
On January 20, 2023 January 20, 2023 By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews4 Comments
In the space of only six months, alternative pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my favorite bands. I first learned about them last summer when I heard their song "Sex, Drugs, Etc.", which I loved at first listen. Though the song was originally recorded in 2016, and included on their debut EP Chit Chat, it wasn't released as a single back then, and largely went unnoticed. After releasing a second EP What a Drag, the band went on hiatus as the three members, Nick Santino, Reeve Powers, and Sean Silverman, relocated to different cities and began working on their own solo projects.
As luck would have it, they decided to reunite in late 2021, and began work on their forthcoming debut album Pineapple Sunrise, due for release on March 3rd. In the meantime, "Sex, Drugs, Etc." went viral on TikTok in the summer of 2022, and started getting airplay on AltNation and many alternative radio stations. The song eventually went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. It's also spent 20 weeks and counting on my own Weekly Top 30, three of them at #1, and ended up ranking at #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.
They released "Unlovable" last August, their first new release in five years. They followed in November with the melancholy but beautiful "Trouble With This Bed", which just entered the top 10 on my Weekly Top 30. Today they're back with their latest single "Homebody", and I love it aleady! It's more upbeat than their two previous singles, with a sunny vibe and infectious toe-tapping groove. Like all their songs, though, the instrumentation, musicianship and production values are top-notch, particularly the breezy synths and lively percussion. And lead singer Nick Santino's vocals have an earnest, yet casual quality that's incredibly appealing. All four singles will be included on Pineapple Sunrise.
About the song, Santino told Substream Magazine: "Homebody is a song about being a homebody. That's about it. Who wants to go out and see people you don't really like when you could just have your own party for one, roll a joint, order some tacos and watch YouTube all night. We think people are really going to relate to this one. It's one of our new favorites."
Been a downer for a minute
Sunshine in my eyes
Got me blurry all the time
Primadonna in my feelings
Just a kick back kid in the low lights
Just a homebody
Let me slide for a while
It's my own party
Slide for a while
I can take it I can leave it
Cause I'm already bored
And it's seven in the morning
Burning messages I
Can't remember if I
Forgot or I'm ignoring
I been fading away
And I wanted to stay
Don't keep calling me, calling me nah ah
I can dream out the day
In a lavender haze
Beach Weather have also released a delightful video to accompany "Homebody", directed by L.A.-based photographer and content creator Guadalupe Bustos. With a nod to the 60s, the video shows the guys cavorting around the house in vintage robes as they go about their day as homebodies.
Follow Beach Weather: Twitter / Instagram / Facebook
Stream their music: Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Amazon Music / YouTube
I love dream pop with an alternative bent, and the music of singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Darksoft fits the bill quite nicely (and his first name also happens to be Bill!). Originally from Seattle, where he was active in the local music scene both as a solo artist and a collaborator with other musicians, he relocated in late 2021 clear across the country to Portland, Maine. Deftly blending elements of dream pop, shoegaze and alternative rock, he creates music that's both sumptuous and pleasing. His compelling lyrics, addressing timely and relevant issues related to technology, social media and disillusionment, are delivered with his enchanting and soothing ethereal vocals. The imaginative, talented and creative artist has released four concept albums thus far, the latest of which is Beigeification.
I previously featured him and his music three times on this blog in 2019, first when I reviewed his brilliant debut album Brain, a concept work named for the very first computer virus to attack the internet back in 1986, with each track titled after infamous viruses that followed. I later reviewed two singles, "WannaCry", which addressed the deep cultural and political divide in America, fed by our tendency to stay stuck in our own echo chambers, and "Cybersecurity", which questioned whether all our data floating around out there in cyberspace was somehow being kept safe. (You can read those reviews by clicking on the 'Related' links at the end of this post.) He followed with Meltdown (which includes the two aforementioned singles) in 2020, then Cryo in early 2022. They're all excellent albums, but Beigeification is my favorite of them all.
Released on January 13th via Darksoft's own label Look Up Records, Beigeification was produced and recorded entirely by him, mixed by Brian Fisher (Hibou, Éclo, Eastern Souvenirs), and mastered by Stefan Mac (Cold War Kids, No Vacation, Sea Lemon). He describes the album as "a postmodern dose of beigey moods and pastel phrases to match the disillusionment of our age." For the album cover, he decided to use only a single beige color. He further elaborated in an Instagram post on his thoughts and inspiration for creating the album:
"When producing an album, I find that having a consistent theme is really helpful to inform the overall sound, lyrics, progressions, melodies, and instrumentation. For lyrics, I'm using a lot of 'thought-terminating cliches'. These annoying, overused phrases and idioms have the effect of ending a conversation, because they are vague, universal truths. What's also interesting is that grammatically they say absolutely nothing but they carry a lot of weight in context. Examples are 'it is what it is', 'you gotta do what you gotta do', 'win some lose some', 'only time will tell' and 'to each their own'.
This theme has been fun to play with, and I think fits the general attitude after watching the world over the past few years. I don't want to encourage inaction, but when so much negativity piles up, it's like 'whaddya gonna do?' To stay sane and functional as a digital being, you sort of have to accept that an endless barrage of bad news will always be at your fingertips, and then focus on what matters to you. Also, remember when everything got beigeified? Perhaps your parents painted the walls beige to increase the 'resell value' of their home (even if they weren't selling it). Or think of Carmela Soprano's Etruscan-themed living room, or how beige was used for conformity reasons on workplace PCs for most of the 20th century. I want these songs on Beigeification to carry nothing too heavy, say something without saying anything, and sit in the background of everyday life, like how sand fits around your toes at the beach, passive like the color beige, and worn-out like these idioms.
Every song on Beigeification uses only one chord progression over and over! I was trying to simplify with less is more. I realized I could just add or remove layers to change the vibe. Or change the playing/strumming slightly or use different chord inversions. This approach keeps things cohesive and was totally different from how I used to write, which was different chord progressions from section to section. It's more carefree. It is what it is."
The album contains nine wonderful tracks, starting with "It Is What It Is", which was also released as the first single. The song has a fun, bouncy vibe, highlighted by Darksoft's beautiful jangly guitar notes and breathy vocals singing the cliche lyrics he alluded to above: "Say what you will. When you know you just know. All's well that ends well. What goes around comes around." The charming video for the song, showing him barefoot and dressed all in white, doing a simple dance move in front of empty, nondescript office parks around Portland, Maine, was filmed on VHS recording equipment, giving it a vintage lo-fi quality.
"Only Time Will Tell" has an 80s new wave sound that calls to mind some of the music of Joy Division, New Order and The Cure, but with a modern twist. I love the lush jangly and chiming guitars and snappy percussion, and Darksoft's silky vocals are both comforting and sensuous. The lyrics speak of being patient and taking things slowly and deliberately, aware that 'good things come to those who wait': "You got to learn to walk before you learn to run. Everything will come to the one that waits. Rome wasn't built in a day. Only time will tell."
Next up is the languid "You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do", a song so beautiful and soothing that I'm now besotted with this album. Once again, Darksoft's guitar work is gorgeous, as are the sparkling synths and gentle percussion, and his layered breathy vocals are sublime. The way he strings together so many trite cliche sayings into something beautiful and compelling is quite clever: "You gotta do what you gotta do. You gotta be who you gotta be. Do or don't, live or die. You never know until you try." The beautiful video, directed by Brett Davis Jr. and filmed by Gerald Davis, shows Darksoft singing the song at Two Lights State Park and Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
The great songs keep coming. "Win Some Lose Some" is a return to the breezy new wave vibe we heard on "Only Time Will Tell", which nicely serves to reinforce the 'c'est la vie' sense of resignation over life's hiccups that Darksoft is getting at on the album – "Reap what you sow. Take what ya get. Better luck next time. Win some lose some. Win some lose others. If it's not one thing then it's another." "Whatever It Takes" has a lively, toe-tapping beat, neat fuzzy guitars and colorful synths, and, as always, beautifully-layered sensuous vocals.
I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but my gosh, "Stones Unturned" is so gorgeous I can barely contain myself. Darksoft's delicate jangly guitar work is stunning, accompanied by ambient sounds of a distant thundershower and beautiful swirling synths. His comforting ethereal vocals have been electronically altered in spots, giving them a fuzzy, otherworldly feel. The lyrics seem to be about – to use yet another cliche expression – 'letting sleeping dogs lie': "Some stones are best left, left unturned. Some words are better left unheard. Somethings you don't need to see. Some views look better from dreams. Sometimes the road less traveled is leading nowhere."
A fantastic dominant bassline takes center stage on "There's Always Something Going On", a song about how there will always be some unpleasant issue or problem to deal with in life: "There's only so much I can do. There's always something left undone. Even after we're all dead and gone. There will be something going wrong." And on the peppy "Fast Lane", Darksoft sings of the perils of living recklessly: "It's a short way down, but a long way back. Take a shortcut in the fast lane and you just might crash." The album closes with "Such Is Life", a pleasing song of resignation that sometimes shit happens in life, and we just have to accept it and do the best we can as we move on: "Such is life. Guess that's the way it's gonna be. C'est la vie."
I don't know what more I can write about Beigeification that I haven't already gushed about, other than to say that I think it's one of the best albums of 2023 so far. I love it so much I bought my own copy on Bandcamp, and so should you!
Connect with Darksoft on Facebook / Twitter/ Instagram
Stream his music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
Well, never would I have ever imagined that Paramore would have a #1 song on my weekly top 30 chart, but their single "This Is Why" has made its way to the top this week. Though the Nashville trio, consisting of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, have been around since 2004, I've never much cared for their music. But "This Is Why" really resonates with me, both musically and lyrically, and is now my current favorite song. Their first new single in four years, the defiantly honest song is the lead single from their forthcoming sixth album, also to be titled This Is Why.
About the single, Williams told NME "'This Is Why" was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea. What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the roller-coaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years. You'd think after a global pandemic of fucking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something."
Moving into the top 10 this week are "Out of My System" by British singer-songwriter and One Direction alumnus Louis Tomlinson and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Australian band Crystal Cities. There are no new debuts this week.
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (11)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (9)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (20) 20th week on chart
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (18)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (19)
Catch The Sparrow is the music project of Dutch-born and now England-based composer, singer-songwriter and arranger Suze Terwisscha van Scheltinga. I learned about her when her mother reached out to me after reading my review of the song "Mayfly" by British singer-songwriter Callum Pitt, whom Suze has performed with. Her mother alerted me to Catch The Sparrow's new EP Winter Flowers that was released on December 2nd of last year, which I'm finally getting around to writing about.
According to her bio, as a child Suze loved writing stories and making music, and upon realizing it was possible to combine both passions, she began writing songs. By the time she was 16, she started performing her own original songs while accompanying herself on piano. She studied at the Utrecht Conservatoire, majoring in Jazz & Pop vocals, and during her time there, she started playing with a band as a way to fully explore new sounds and rhythms. After graduating in 2019, she made the bold decision to relocate to the UK, to study Folk and Traditional music at Newcastle University under the guidance of Emily Portman and Imogen Gunner. Influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Lisa Knapp, Joanna Newsom and Fiona Apple, her compositions transcend boundaries of style and genre in a compelling blend of folk, jazz and pop.
She's already making a name for herself in the British music scene. Under her artistic moniker Catch The Sparrow (which was inspired by a lyric in the Crosby, Stills & Nash classic "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"), she released her debut single "Painting the Roses Red" in December 2020. She followed in February 2021 with the similarly-titled album Painting the Roses Red, a collection of eight beautiful jazz-infused tracks. Shortly after earning her Master's degree at Newcastle University in 2021, she saw her song 'Winnowing' chosen as one of the highly recommended entries of 2021's Tune Into Nature Music Prize, and in April 2022 she was selected as one of ten emerging female composers to write for Issie Barratt's jazz ensemble INTERCHANGE.
As she immersed herself in the culture of Northeast England, Catch The Sparrow discovered the charms of Northumbrian small-pipes (bellows-blown bagpipes from North East England that have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 250 years). Inspired by them, along with the traditional folk music she'd studied at Newcastle University, she wrote five songs for Winter Flowers that, in her own words, "reflect the ever present gloom and uncertainty without losing its glimmer of hope." The EP was produced by David de la Haye, and features contributions of local musicians Ceitidh Mac on cello, Andy May on Northumbrian small-pipes and harmonium, and Mera Royle on harp.
Catch The Sparrow has the voice of an angel, and she layers her enchanting vocals to great effect, especially on the opening track "Farewell/Here's The Tender Coming", where she addresses a rather dark subject with beauty and grace. Like several tracks on Winter Flowers, this is actually a combination of two tunes that are are deeply rooted in the Northumbrian folk tradition. She explains: "The first tune 'Farewell' was lifted from the The Northumbrian Pipers' Third Tune Book. The lyrics I wrote for this plaintive little melody, simply described as 'a slow highland air', depict the moment of parting and its aftermath. 'Here's The Tender Coming' is a traditional Northumbrian song that recalls the practices of the notorious pressgangs that used to frequent the port of Newcastle during the Napoleonic wars." (Press gangs were groups of soldiers or sailors used by the British Royal Navy as a harsh means of recruiting able bodied men into naval service, often against their will and by violent coercion. The practice of impressment – also known as Shanghai-ing or crimping – was common in all the world's ports until about 1820, and was widely used, as recruiting sailors voluntarily was difficult due to the poor conditions on board ships, not to mention the dangers of serving in the navy, especially in times of war.)
"Farewell", a wistful tune featuring layered a capella vocals accompanied by ambient sounds of gently crashing waves, is sung from the perspective of a newly-impressed sailor bidding goodbye to his loved one "Fare thee well, my sweet lassie. Fare thee well, I must depart." "Here's The Tender Coming" is sung from the perspective of the woman being left behind, lamenting the taking of her man, and warning other men to hide from the impressors: "See the tender lying, off at Shield's Bar. With her colours flying, anchor at the bow. They took my bonny laddie, best of all the crew. Hide, canny laddie, hide theeself away. Hide till the frigate makes for Druridge Bay. If they take ye hinny, who's to win our bread? Me and little Jackie better off be dead."
The video for the song shows Catch The Sparrow singing the song in St Andrew's Church in Newcastle, accompanied by Ceitidh MacLeod on cello and Mera Royle on harp. Instead of sounds of crashing waves, we hear Catch the Sparrow playing the gently droning shruti box (an instrument similar to the harmonium that originated in India).
"Game of Chance" is a melancholy but lovely song, with delicate harp, harmonium and shruti box accompanying Catch The Sparrow's bewitching vocals. She explains her inspiration for writing this song: "While working on this project, I stumbled by chance on Tish Murtha's photo series Youth Unemployment, in which she portrays Newcastle's youth during the Thatcher years. I was struck by the desolation and raw beauty of the pictures. The photo of 'Cuddles playing cards' became the inspiration for this particular song. The traditional Northumbrian tune 'Small Coals an' Little Money' serves as a base layer for the song."
Using card game metaphors, the lyrics seem to speak to the contrasting notions of privilege and luck, and dealing with the hands we're dealt in life: "I have a lump of coal. It's the only treasure I own. Daddy says I cannot go, but someday I'll join him below. Down below, down below. Go ask the devil, 'cause the devil might know. Deal a hand, deal a hand. We all play a game of chance. I have a deck of cards. Queen of flowers, one-eyed jack. Lucky, he who deals the hands. Took the red ace, left the black."
Halfway into the EP, we're treated to "Interlude", a one-minute long tune consisting of Catch The Sparrow's layered a capella blend of humming and scat vocals, accompanied by jaunty hand claps. This is followed by "Border Spirit/Before the Flood", another traditional folk couplet. "Border Spirit" is an instrumental-only tune, comprised of Northumbrian small-pipes and what sounds like shruti box and lasting just under two minutes, which then segues into "Before the Flood", a beautiful piano-driven song highlighted by melancholy Northumbrian small-pipes and Catch The Sparrow's soothing layered vocals. I'm struck by how much she sounds British or possibly Scottish, rather than Dutch.
The final track is the third couplet on the EP, featuring the title song "Winter Flowers", a delicate piano ballad extolling the resilience of flowers able to survive the harsh conditions of winter: "See these flowers grow undeterred by the frost and snow. Hardy little souls, the cold does not faze. Beautiful and bright how they bask in the bleak winter's light, unafraid of life's changes." The second part of the track is "Liberty For The Sailors", a traditional song celebrating the return of the sailors. Catch The Sparrow's lilting a capella vocals are accompanied by crashing waves, bringing this charming little EP full circle.
Connect with Catch the Sparrow: Facebook / Instagram
Stream her music: Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
On January 8, 2023 January 9, 2023 By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments
The ebullient earworm "Tonight" by French pop-rock band Phoenix featuring Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, holds at #1 for a second week. Sliding into the #2 spot is "I'm In Love With You" by The 1975, becoming their highest-charting song ever on my Weekly Top 30. "This Is Why" by Paramore moves up to #3, also making it their best-performing song ever on my chart. The haunting new wave gem "Shadows in the Dark" by The Star Crumbles moves up three spots to #4. Three songs make their debut this week: "Stick Season" by Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, "Lux Æterna" by metal rock veterans Metallica, and "Everything I Own" by Welsh singer-songwriter Dom Thomas, which I reviewed this past November.
Fun fact: Once again this week, there are three songs on this list by guys named 'Sam'.
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (10)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (6)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (13)
STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (N)
LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (N)
EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (N)
Happy New Year! A new #1 song to start off the new year, as "Tonight" by French pop-rock band Phoenix, featuring added vocals by Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, takes over the top spot. For those unaware, Phoenix formed back in 1995 in Versailles, while its members were all in their teens, and still consists of the original lineup of Thomas Mars (lead vocals), Deck d'Arcy (bass/keyboards/backing vocals), Christian Mazzalai (guitar/backing vocals) and Laurent Brancowitz (guitar/keyboards/backing vocals), with Thomas Hedlund serving as their session and live drummer since 2005.
"Tonight" is from their seventh album Alpha Zulu, which was recorded at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a studio located within the Louvre Palace in Paris. About the collaboration with Koenig, band frontman Thomas Mars told NME "There's always been a synchronicity with us and Vampire Weekend." Guitarist Laurent Brancowitz added that he was initially hesitant of the format: "I was saying 'show me one classic song that's a duet'. I was resisting, and then Thomas came back with a list of duets that were classics and I had to admit I was wrong." I think it's a terrific duet, as Mars' and Koenig's voices harmonize together beautifully. I also love the bass and energetic drumming on the track.
Here's a performance of the song by just Phoenix on the British TV show Later with Jools Holland, which nicely showcases Thomas Hedlund's impressive drumming:
In other chart developments, three songs enter the top 10 this week: "Shadows in the Dark" by The Star Crumbles, "Anti-Hero" by Taylor Swift, and "Sail Away" by lovelytheband. Two songs make their debut: "Pages" by American rock band White Reaper, at #29, and "Kill Bill" by American R&B singer-songwriter SZA, at #30.
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (10)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (12)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (4)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (5)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (7)
PARTY4ONE – dwi (14)
EDGING – Blink-182 (20)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (17)
PAGES – White Reaper (N)
KILL BILL – SZA (N)


Check out the details on the Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand & Digital release for Piercing. You can check out our review HERE.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group brings you PIERCING. Written and directed by Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of My Mother), the horror mystery suspense film stars Christopher Abbott (It Comes At Night), Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak) and Laia Costa (Victoria).
PIERCING will be available on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States and Canada on March 12, 2019. In the U.S., PIERCING will be available on Blu-ray for an SRP of $22.98 USD and on DVD for an SRP of $19.98 USD. In Canada, PIERCING will be available on Blu-ray for an SRP of $26.99 CAD and on DVD for an SRP of $22.99 CAD.


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Home / Local News
Bullying Addressed at Suicide Victim's School
Three months after a 13-year old boy shot himself inside his family's South Covington home, the growing issue of bullying, cited as the culprit in young Sam Denham's suicide, was addressed Monday evening at Woodland Middle School where he was an 8th grader. Sergeant Scott Harvey of the Nicholasville Police Department and a popular speaker on the school forum circuit spent an hour in the Taylor Mill school's cafeteria before a crowd of twenty-five people, mostly parents concerned about the bullying epidemic plaguing young people at school and online. "This school is no different than any other," Harvey said. "Bullying is an issue all across the state."
Sam Denham's parents, Darryl and Carol, as well as his older brother Dan, were in attendance. Their son and brother was brutalized by bullies in the growing market for such behavior: the internet. The Denhams were surrounded by other parents and students fully aware of this new bullying frontier. "They are never out of touch with each other," Harvey continued. "When I ask students where bullying takes place, they always say the internet first. There is no distinction between their life and their online life." Harvey's presentation included multimedia elements of video featuring young suicide victims whose deaths were blamed on torment suffered at the hands of bullies.
Harvey identified the main characteristics of a bully as someone that is popular and may also possess a physical or psychological advantage over their victims. The presentation suggests that though the topic of bullying permeates teachers lounges and even state legislatures, the issue is one that must be addressed seriously by students. "I know there are 750 students in this school who can be the solution instead of the problem," Harvey told the parents. "Empower your kids to be part of the solution. If kids laugh when it happens or ignore it, then they are part of the problem."
Too often, bullying victims and to some degree, bullying witnesses have trouble finding the courage to discuss what they are going through. "Parents need a lot of education to fix this problem, they have no clue about it," said Lisa Hughes, founder of Coexist In Peace, an online anti-bullying site. Hughes's own daughter has suffered at the hands of bullies at school because of her battle with epilepsy and a learning disability. "Kids online spill their guts to me and never talk to their parents," Hughes said.
"We spend too much time focusing on the bully and not enough on the victims," Harvey said. "If we don't treat them, they have a much shorter shelf life." In attendance at the presentation were Covington City Commissioners Sherry Carran and Shawn Masters who voted to pass a resolution urging the Kentucky General Assembly to pass anti-bullying legislation. Kentucky Fairness Alliance Executive Director Chris Hartman was also there and expects some form of legislation to emerge this session. The Denham family appears committed to join the fight to prevent more families from suffering the way they have. "We live in fear every day that something else is going to happen," Darryl Denham said. "I don't even know what day it is anymore."
Written by Michael Monks, editor & publisher of The River City News
Photo: Sgt. Scott Harvey speaks at Woodland Middle School/RCN

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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You are here: Home / Books / Excerpt from Breakfast with Rav Zusha: And Other Stories to Wake Up Your Soul by Libi Astaire
Excerpt from Breakfast with Rav Zusha: And Other Stories to Wake Up Your Soul by Libi Astaire
November 4, 2018 by Libi Astaire Leave a Comment
"This is a wonderful collection of Chassidic tales retold by Libi Astaire. In her incredibly capable hands, the stories and characters come to life. … The stories are perfect for sharing around Sabbath tables or sharing between children and parents curled up together on a couch." – Jewish Book Council
How to Get Everything for Nothing
(Rav Zusha's Way to Win Friends and Influence People)
In the town of Hanipoli there were two rabbis. One, of course, was Rav Zusha, the legendary chassidic master. The other was the rav of the town, who happened to be an opponent of the chassidic movement.
Rav Zusha was beloved by all for his sweet disposition and cheerful outlook, which he maintained despite the harsh poverty he lived in. The rav, however, was not so popular with the townspeople.
Although he was a man of great learning, inside this rav was an angry and bitter man. None of the honors bestowed upon him or the marks of respect he received was ever enough. He always, in his heart, found some reason for complaint. And since misery loves company, once the rav found one complaint, he soon found another one, and then another, until he was boiling with rage because of some perceived insult to his honor and ready to explode.
The rav of course was no boor. He knew with his intellect that the Torah condemns angry behavior in no uncertain terms. However, as soon as his heart began to ponder his unhappy state—where a man of such erudition and refined sensibilities was so unappreciated in the world—strong feelings of anger overpowered him once more.
On one cold, winter night, as he sat by the warm fire in his comfortably furnished study, the rav was again drifting into those dangerous, bitter waters. His thoughts returned to a wedding he had attended the week before.
The father of the bride, Reb Moshe, was a wealthy philanthropist. The entire town had been invited to join in the family's simcha, and no expense had been spared to celebrate the occasion. As the rav of the town, he of course expected that he would receive treatment befitting his position. Yet during that miserable evening, he had received nothing but insults.
No place at the table had been reserved for him. No food was served to him—unless you call a few picked over scraps of chicken and vegetables that no one else wanted food. But to top it all, when it came time to say the Grace after Meals, no one invited him to recite one of the special sheva brachos said at a wedding.
Instead, who was given the place of honor at the wedding? Rav Zusha, that's who!
Was it any wonder that he had left the celebration in a total state of rage? How much humiliation was one man expected to endure?
His thoughts returned to the "scene of the crime" again and again, and his mind's eye became fixed on the beaming face of Rav Zusha, who had sat through the entire event in a state of rapturous bliss.
The rav saw once more Rav Zusha, attired in his tattered clothes, sitting at the head table. There was Rav Zusha, who barely had a tooth in his mouth, enjoying a plate piled high with delicious foods. And when the meal was over, who was given the honor of leading the Grace after Meals? Again, Rav Zusha!
Suddenly, a log on the fire crackled and sent a burst of sparks shooting into the air. One of the sparks fell on to the rav's hand, and the sharp twinge of pain roused him from his thoughts.
"Even the fire is angry tonight," he muttered to himself.
He gazed at the fire, and then he looked at the small red mark on his hand.
"My flames of fire burn," he said with sadness. "Rav Zusha also has a fire within him, yet his fire doesn't burn. It warms. What's his secret?"
What's his secret? The rav's thoughts became fixated on this question. Why is Rav Zusha always so happy? Why does his face always glow with goodwill? What's his secret?!
As the rav pondered this mystery, a strange thing happened. His anger began to disappear and an intense curiosity took its place. Even though the hour was late and the night was bitterly cold, the rav had to have an answer to his question.
Normally, as rav of the town and a vocal opponent of the chassidim, he would never dream of visiting one of the "sect" at his home, let alone asking one of them for advice. But tonight he was willing to put his honor—and his opposition—aside. True, he did bundle himself up in his coat and hat and scarf so that it was practically impossible to recognize him. But even this fear of being detected wasn't strong enough to stop him from determinedly trudging his way through the snow-covered streets.
Finally, the rav arrived at the broken-down hovel that Rav Zusha called home, and Rav Zusha invited him to come inside. Despite Rav Zusha's warm welcome, the rav shivered even more when he stepped inside and saw the dreary, damp-stained walls, the broken furniture, and the empty fireplace. He therefore lost no time in coming straight to the point.
"How is it that you are always so happy and content," the rav asked, "while I am always bitter and depressed?"
"It's no great secret," Rav Zusha replied. "But the reason is easier to explain by example, so let me tell you a story."
Now the truth is that the rav would have preferred a simple answer to his question, and feelings of anger were already beginning to well up inside him. However, since he had come so far, he wasn't about to get up and leave so quickly.
"Do you remember the wedding of Reb Moshe's daughter?" asked Rav Zusha.
"Of course I do," the rav replied in a huff.
"Do you remember what happened when the special messenger arrived at your door with your personally delivered invitation?"
The rav looked at Rav Zusha with disbelief. How could Rav Zusha possibly know what had happened?
"You demanded to see the guest list," Rav Zusha said, "because you wanted to see where your name appeared on the list. When you saw that you were only fourteenth on the list—that there were thirteen other people before you—you became so angry you almost crumpled up the piece of paper in your hands. Is this correct?"
"But I am the rav of Hanipoli," the rav protested. "Because of my position, I deserve to be shown honor."
"True, but did you happen to notice that the people ahead of you were Reb Moshe's relatives and close friends? Your name actually headed the list of those people outside of the family circle. But because you didn't see this, you became so angry at Reb Moshe that you began to plot your revenge. Do you remember what you decided to do?"
The rav remembered it well. He had decided the family didn't deserve the honor of having him attend the chuppah. He would show his displeasure with them by only arriving in the middle of the meal.
"By the time you arrived, of course, the hall was packed," said Rav Zusha. "The whole town was at this wedding and there wasn't an empty seat to be found. You wandered from table to table, getting jostled left and right, until Reb Moshe finally spotted you. Can you tell me what happened next?"
The rav didn't want to answer, but he knew he had no choice. If he didn't tell Rav Zusha, then Rav Zusha would tell him.
"Reb Moshe escorted me to the head table, but…"
"Nu? What's the 'but' this time?"
"There wasn't any room for me at the head table," the rav complained. "They had to squeeze me in between the people who were already sitting there. It was insulting. Don't they know who I am?"
"So who are you, Eliyahu HaNavi, that people should always leave an empty place for you at the table?"
"But what about the waiters?" countered the rav. "Explain their rude behavior, if you can."
"It was a wedding. There were so many people and so much noise—everyone calling for more this, more that. True, the waiters didn't see you, but someone else did. Isn't that right?"
The rav slowly nodded his head in agreement. He now remembered a detail about the wedding that he had forgotten. As soon as his host, Reb Moshe, had noticed that he was sitting with an empty plate, the wealthy philanthropist immediately went to the kitchen himself to get the rav some food.
When Reb Moshe returned, he apologized profusely to the rav. All that was left in the kitchen was a small piece of chicken and a few vegetables. The rav angrily refused the plate his host offered him, and he told Reb Moshe exactly what he thought of the abominable treatment he had received at this wedding. Reb Moshe apologized once more, and then he went back to his own seat at the table.
"For the rest of the evening, you sat in an angry sulk," said Rav Zusha. "Your whole being radiated such strong feelings of displeasure that no one dared to approach you—not even to say mazel tov. So is it any wonder that you were not asked to lead the Grace After Meals at this simcha?"
The rav now saw the whole evening in a totally different light. He was no longer angry about what had happened, but he was still far from happy. The mystery of how to be joyful still had not been solved.
"Now let's see what happened to Zusha at this wedding," continued Rav Zusha, who always referred to himself in the third person.
"When Zusha opened his door and saw there was a special delivery messenger standing before him, he couldn't believe his eyes. To think that Reb Moshe, one of the wealthiest men in the town, should invite Zusha to share in his simcha—and send a messenger to personally deliver the invitation. Such honor! Such kindness! Unbelievable!
"Zusha was so overcome with joy for the family that when the happy day arrived he rushed to the hall two hours before the chuppah to see if he could help with the preparations. Zusha thought he might be asked to chop up some potatoes or season the chicken, but what happened? Reb Moshe asked him to officiate at the chuppah!
"After the ceremony, Zusha hoped he would be able to find a seat at a table. But if not, he would be happy to stand in a corner and eat his meal there. He was just about to go look for a seat anywhere, when Reb Moshe took him by the arm and personally escorted him to a fine seat at the head table.
"Waiters suddenly came from this way and that, heaping chicken and potatoes and kugel on Zusha's plate. Zusha was so overcome by all this kindness that he just had to get up and thank his host. He blessed the bride and the groom with all his heart and was about to go back to his seat when Reb Moshe stopped him."
Rav Zusha stopped for a moment in the telling of his tale to brush a tear from his eye. He then shook his head, as if to say that he too couldn't belief what happened next.
"Reb Moshe then said such kind words to Zusha," Rav Zusha said, as he wiped yet another tear from his eye. "'Rav Zusha, you're so filled with simcha for my family,' Reb Moshe said, 'will you please honor me by leading us in Grace After Meals?'
"Zusha went home so happy that night. But you, honored rav, went home angry and in despair—and the reason why is simple. You expected everything, and so you got nothing. I didn't ask for anything, but I got it all."
Breakfast with Rav Zusha: And Other Stories to Wake Up Your Soul is available as an ebook or a paperback at Amazon.com.
Filed Under: Books
About Libi Astaire
Libi Astaire is the author of the Jewish Regency Mystery Series ("Tempest in the Tea Room," "The Moon Taker," and "The Doppelganger's Dance"); the novels "Terra Incognita" and "The Banished Heart"; and the ebooks "36 Candles: Chassidic Tales for Chanukah," "Choose Life: Eight Chassidic Tales for the Jewish New Year," and other volumes of Chassidic tales for the Jewish holiday.
You can learn more about her latest books at: www.libiastaire.weebly.com


Hostile acquisitions may be largely a thing of the past, as they've been replaced with gentler—and more effective—M&A strategies.
Bottom Line: The nature of large-scale acquisitions has changed in recent decades, from the hostile power plays of the 1970s and '80s to the gentler mergers of the 2000s. Many deals are now initiated by firms positioning themselves as attractive targets for larger companies.
Rumors continue to swirl about a megamerger that could see Sprint fork out as much as US$50 billion to acquire T-Mobile and fuse the third- and fourth-largest telecommunications carriers, respectively, in the United States. The speculation has investors salivating over the potential gains in market share and consumers contemplating what it might mean for their service plans. But some analysts have also raised concerns: Are deals like these a bad move for the companies' innovation efforts, their shareholders, and the telecom industry as a whole?
If recent history is any indication, no. A new study debunks many of the beliefs surrounding takeovers that have become entrenched in the wake of the much-publicized "hostile" corporate raids of the 1970s and '80s.
Since then, the deregulation of major industries—including airlines, financial services, telecommunications, railroads, and utilities—has led to several waves of high-profile mergers, including those of multinationals seeking to take advantage of the increasingly global marketplace. To study the effects of this perpetual corporate reshuffling, the author of this new study analyzed and compared more than 100 recently published studies on takeovers—both successful and failed—as well as examining the most comprehensive database on nearly 19,000 deals involving publicly traded companies from 1980 through 2012.
The study also dispels another lingering concern from the Wall Street era—namely, that the specter of unwanted takeovers acts as a drag on creativity, preventing managers at targeted firms from implementing long-term corporate investments. In reality, most researchers have asserted that the synergies generated from melding two companies' innovation capabilities provide the most value in acquisitions. As a result, looming takeovers appeared to stimulate R&D spending at up-and-coming companies , presumably because these smaller firms sought to showcase their ambitions and become targets themselves. Under a larger corporate umbrella following a restructuring, they can take advantage of more sophisticated development, distribution, and marketing capabilities.
Looming takeovers appeared to stimulate R&D spending at up-and-coming companies.
Overall, firms benefit most from mergers and acquisitions when they target companies up and down their supply chain, within their own industry, and in sectors that will enable them to differentiate their product offerings, the author found. Bidding firms also typically have an efficient management team in place to quickly turn around underperforming plants or other types of subsidiary businesses, and in general, proprietary information remains protected throughout the negotiations. This gradual enhancement of firms' competitive advantage has withstood periodic regulatory obstacles, the author also notes, and has tended to speed up as those barriers have fallen. During waves of merger activity, excessively diversified firms are those most likely to be swallowed up, followed by companies under financial duress.
This Darwinian scenario benefits both rivals and shareholders. In contrast to the widely held argument—which has been cited frequently in opposition to the rumored Sprint–T-Mobile deal—that mergers have collusive, anti-competitive effects on an industry, most of the evidence suggests that competing firms "learn from the productive efficiency driving the merger, possibly putting some rivals in play for a later date," the author writes.
The proven benefits to acquiring firms' upstream suppliers and downstream customers further imply that takeovers typically promote efficiency throughout the wider economy. Instead of a nefarious, monopolistic accumulation of power, the type frowned upon by regulatory agencies, megadeals appear to spawn more innovation and competition among similar firms.
Finally, the study found, mergers pay off. Acquirers' gains have historically been downplayed, sometimes characterized as nonexistent once all the dust of corporate negotiating and restructuring has settled. But there is consistent evidence that many estimates of these gains failed to take into account what the value of the firm would have been had it not taken over a competitor. The failure to see a merger through to completion, once it has been proposed, often has deleterious effects on a company's stock price and overall value. But when a bidding company can pull off such a bold move, especially in the face of public scrutiny, it reaps rewards that far outweigh the risk of falling short.


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St. Stephanus ist die römisch-katholische Pfarrkirche von Lank-Latum, einem Ortsteil der Stadt Meerbusch im Rhein-Kreis Neuss.

Geschichte
Die erste schriftliche Erwähnung eines Pfarrers in Lank stammt aus dem Jahr 1176, eine Kirche wurde 1202 zum ersten Mal genannt, sie wurde auf dem Boden des Lanker Fronhofs des Stifts Kaiserswerth errichtet. 1408 kam es mit der Lanker Pfarrei und dem Kaiserswerther Kapitel wegen der Herstellung der Kirche zum Streit.

Die Kirche wurde mehrfach um- und ausgebaut. Bei Bränden durch Überfälle der hessischen Truppen in der Folge der Schlacht auf der Kempener Heide 1642 und 1645 wurde das steinerne Gebäude vollständig zerstört und konnte erst ab 1662 in bescheidenerem Umfang wieder aufgebaut werden. 1770 erfolgten Veränderungen an Fenstern und Dach. Die 1647 gegossene Glocke musste 1780 ausgetauscht werden, da sie gesprungen war. Die heutige dreischiffige Basilika mit Rosettendecke entstand mit den Umbauten des Krefelder Stadtbaumeisters Johann Heinrich Freyse 1841 bis 1844. Dabei wurde auch die Ausrichtung der Kirche verändert. Während sie ursprünglich in Ost-West-Richtung gebaut war, steht sie seit den Umbauten in Nord-Süd-Richtung.

Von dem romanischen Bau der Kirche besteht heute nur noch der Turm. Der Kunsthistoriker Paul Clemen nennt ihn "einen der stattlichsten seiner Art". Der Turm ist sechsstöckig und leicht verjüngt. Das zweite und dritte Geschoss zeigen auf jeder Seite drei durchgehende rundbogige Blenden, das vierte drei mit je zwei Rundbogen abgeschlossene, das fünfte und sechste zwei mit Rundbogenfries abgeschlossene Blenden. Das zweite Glockengeschoss und die gotisierende Schieferpyramide wurden nachträglich aufgesetzt.

Seit dem 1. Januar 2010 ist die St.-Stephanus-Kirche Pfarrkirche der neu errichteten Pfarrei Hildegundis von Meer. Die Pfarrei vereinigt die Gemeinden des ehemaligen Dekanats Meerbusch im Bistum Aachen.

Ausstattung

Orgel
Die Kirche verfügt über eine Orgel mit 30 Registern verteilt auf zwei Manuale und Pedal. Die Trakturen der Kegelladen sind elektropneumatisch ausgeführt.

Die Orgel wurde in ihrer heutigen Form 1883 von der Firma Edmund Fabritius aus Kaiserswerth gebaut; die Prospektgestaltung erfolgte durch einen Krefelder Bildhauer. Knapp 20 % der Pfeifen wurden aus der Barockorgel aus dem 18. Jahrhundert übernommen, die in der Vorgängerkirche gestanden hatte. 1938 wurde die Orgel von Fabritius erweitert und die Disposition teilweise verändert. Restaurierungen erfolgten 1983, 2004 und 2012 durch die Firma Weimbs aus Hellenthal. Die Disposition der Orgel ist wie folgt:

 Koppeln: I/I (Suboktavkoppel), II/I (auch als Superoktavkoppel), I/P, II/P
 Spielhilfen: Crescendowalze

Literatur
 Paul Clemen (Hrsg.): Die Kunstdenkmäler der Städte und Kreise Gladbach und Krefeld (= Die Kunstdenkmäler der Rheinprovinz. Bd. 3, 4). Schwann, Düsseldorf 1896, S. 132.
 Georg Dehio: Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. Nordrhein-Westfalen. I Rheinland. Deutscher Kunst-Verlag, München u. a. 2005, ISBN 3-422-03093-X.
 Peter Dohms (Hrsg.): Meerbusch. Die Geschichte der Stadt und der Altgemeinden. Von den Ursprüngen bis zur Gegenwart. Stadt Meerbusch, Meerbusch 1991.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Lank-Latum, Stephanus
Lank-Latum
Lank-Latum, Stephanus
Lank-Latum, Stephanus
Meerbusch, Stephanus Lanklatum
Baudenkmal in Meerbusch
Meerbusch, Stephanus
Bistum Aachen – Region Krefeld

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Web sites run by some newspapers are beginning to turn significant profits. Editor & Publisher's MediaInfo.com magazine reported some newspaper companies have found business models that are generating significant margins: Thomson Newspapers will rack up $2 million in online profits this year, while Morris Communications of Augusta, Ga., will clear $1 million from its interactive enterprises.
Thomson's approach is interesting because, despite being a newspaper company, its profitable Web sites have no news. "They're leading with a focus on their advertisers," explained Jonathan R. Sheer, vice president for electronic products. "Commerce comes first. We believe we should be more concerned in the near term about advertiser migration (online) than reader migration." Focusing on using the newspapers' Web sites to extend marketing for advertisers, Sheer's focus is self-evident when he said, "Our strategy has been commerce, community and content. If you start with content, you go right into cash flow deficit."
For many newspapers, even thinking about profitability is unusual, said consultant Peter Zollman, the author of the story in MediaInfo.com. Some are like the Chicago Tribune (TRB) TRB, -16.67% , whose online operations chief, Owen Youngman, said, "We're spending a lot of money trying to make sure we're well-positioned now and in the future." Youngman faulted some of his print brethren for not doing the same.
Preview Travel reported 35 percent growth in sequential online revenue, citing the distribution agreements with USA Today Online and CNET's Snap! Surpassing analysts' expectations, the Web-based travel service (PTVL) PTVL, +0.00% posted a second-quarter net loss of $5.0 million, or 39 cents a share, on overall revenue of $4.8 million. That compared with a net loss of $1.5 million, or 90 cents a share in the same period a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research had projected a loss of 40 cents. Online revenue rose to $3.1 million, an increase of 35 percent, vs. $2.3 million in the first quarter of 1998. Preview said it handled 160,000 transactions during the quarter, an increase of 43 percent from the first quarter's level. See full story.
PSINet Limited announced plans to expand their Canadian presence with the acquisition of Interlog Internet Services Inc. This acquisition will make PSINet Inc. (PSIX) PSIX, +0.00% , which claims to already be the largest Internet service provider serving businesses in Canada, the largest consumer ISP in Canada serving over 100,000 individual subscribers. Financial terms of the acquisition, which is expected to close in early August, were not disclosed.
Online gardening products retailer Garden Escape Inc. announced completion of a private placement equity financing for $20 million. Hambrecht & Quist served as the placement agent. Garden Escape CEO Cliff Sharples said his firm offers 12,000 gardening supplies online through his "virtual retail" business model in which manufacturers and distributors drop-ship goods to retail customers. The gardening industry is estimated to be a $43 billion dollar industry. The gardening catalog industry is a $4.5 billion dollar industry, and has been growing at an average 10% annual rate. Garden Escape Inc. is headquartered in Austin, Texas and went into business in September, 1995.
Impulse! Buy Network Inc. (www.impulsebuy.net) announced it has closed an initial round of financing from investors Yahoo! Inc. and Softbank Technology Ventures. The investment is more than $3 million, bringing the total amount of money raised to date by Impulse! Buy Network to slightly more than $5 million. "We will offer this innovative way for consumers and merchants to interact in a real-time environment," said Jeff Mallett, chief operating officer of Yahoo! (YHOO) yhoo . "For our merchant partners, Impulse offers a terrific new way to sell products online; for our users, it offers a service that we believe will keep people coming back often to see what new offers are available." Impulse! Buy Network allows merchants to promote a real-time feed of limited-quantity, time-sensitive offers on products to consumers. retailers which have used Impulse! services include Crutchfield, Egghead (EGGS) eggs , and Packard Bell.
The average online grocery shopper is much more likely to be female than male, according to research released Wednesday. Online shopping service Peapod Inc. sponsored the the research, conducted by M/A/R/C Online. According to the research, online grocery shoppers lead exceptionally busy, demanding lives, so they value time and convenience more than the typical consumer. More data: online grocery consumers buy an annual average of $1,750 worth of groceries on Peapod (PPOD) ppod ; fruits and vegetables are the most popular items purchased, meat and seafood are bought less frequently.
The software flaw that could open the way for e-mail senders to crash computer systems isn't as threatening as first thought, analysts said. "This is certainly not a call for panic," said Ross Rubin, analyst at Jupiter Communications, a New York research firm. "Exposure (of the flaw) is valid and important, but the actual threat" tends to be overstated. Certainly, the flaw has the potential to wreak havoc on computers as it affects both Microsoft's Outlook product line and Netscape's Web browser, Navigator. Millions of people use these products to swap bits of information around the globe. But Rubin and other analysts pointed out most businesses have anti-virus products on their network to defuse booby-trapped e-mails. See full story.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has set up a special unit to police the Internet for fraud, schemes and cons. The SEC said it already receives 120 complaints a day about possible Net-related fraud, and that it has investigated 30 cases. The new office of Internet Enforcement (www.sec.gov) will be headed by John Reed Stark, previously detailed to Internet projects in the Commission's Enforcement division. "While the Internet has many benefits, a small group of thieves is trying to hijack unsuspecting investors on the information superhighway," said Richard Walker, head of the Enforcement Division.
Online sales of travel related products and books will be the largest contributors to an estimated $1.8 billion worth of e-commerce business in Germany by the year 2002, according to research Jupiter Communications released today to clients of its Strategic Planning Services. Leading in all categories (including music and software sales), Germany is well ahead of France and the UK, and offers the greatest potential for online sales growth. The new media research firm said in 1997, only nine percent of online users in France, 11 percent in Germany, and 14 percent in the UK shopped online, but Jupiter predicts those numbers will grow to 35 percent, 40 percent, and 40 percent by 2002.
While there's been no official announcement, the make over of the New York Daily News' Web presence is online now. Besides a less "tabloidy" graphical approach, speeding up the site's load time, the new News site includes a partnership with Citysearch to offer a guide to local arts, entertainment and events. Other partners on the site include the Internet Travel Network, and Banxquote, which provides financial data. The Web address is 152.52.15.131:80/today/-/-/ default.asp.
iCat Corp., a Seattle-based e-commerce software company, has organized a network of developers to offer store-building services and consulting to small and medium sized businesses who want to set up shop on the Internet. Companies participating in the Developer Network create stores for their clients using iCat tools. "While thousands of small businesses have proven that anyone with a browser can create a great store themselves using iCat Commerce Online, we've also been hearing from many businesses who would like some assistance setting their store up, scanning graphic images, or entering product information," said Craig Danuloff, president and CEO of iCat Corp.
iCat also announced a partnership with USA Today Online, offering Web users the opportunity to create their own Internet store using online. "Small and medium-sized businesses will have a low-cost option for building their own online stores," said Lorraine Cichowski, vice president and general manager of the USA TODAY Information Network, which produces USA TODAY Online. Using iCat Commerce Online, the company said any business can easily create a Web store complete with secure electronic ordering.
Financial information provider Market Guide Inc. announced that its data is now a component of The Motley Fool's financial web site (www.fool.com). These new reports, including financial ratios, historical revenues and earnings and growth rates, are available to users directly from any stock quote page.
The Online Career Center (www.occ.com), which provides online career information in more than 200 industry categories, will be a provider of job and career-related information linked directly from the AT&T WorldNet Service Careers Page (www.att.net). OCC will provide WorldPages with a private label version of its career center.
A report yesterday about Computer Shopper NetBuyer's e-commerce survey should have said 100 vendors are included.


Last week was such a gentle and relaxing week full of taking time for myself, filling up my well, and taking it easy. Right now inspiration and beauty (and tons of love) is just spilling out of me.
Last week as I looked back through blog posts, some of them over a year old, I realized something that I never really acknowledged back then.
All-in-all, believe it or not, I'm a pretty boring person in the day to day. I don't travel, I don't go out on retreats, I don't go out often, and I live alone without the entertainment of children. I live in my own little self contained, homebody, world that consists of working from 10pm to 7am at Walmart, doing my spirit work when I get home in the morning, playing computer games with my bestie for an hour or two, and then sleeping. My routine doesn't change very much. Even though I'm incredibly boring my words still matter and my voice still needs to be heard, and I am still wise and full of wisdom.
Despite how "boring" you think you are don't ever let that stop you from being a guide, from sharing the wisdom you've gleaned from the mundane. You have a story to tell, so tell it.
Today's card comes from the Wild Wisdom of the Faery. The Storykeeper faery sits on her throne recording my story, recording yours, knowing that each journey holds an immense amount of power. She encourages you to be the main character in your own journey as you are meant to be. Step up, be strong, brave, and magical and know that you are the writer, the author, of your tale. You get to decide what you do and where you go next. You get to write your own happy ending… and the epilogue… and then the next book… and the one after that… You hold the quill, the pen, the keyboard at your finger tips. It's all up to you.
How do you feel about telling your own story? If someone was writing a book with you in it do you think you'd be a main character or a supporting one? Why?


Heading back to the basics, fashion label Salvatore Ferragamo brings forth its Spring/Summer 2018 Campaign.
Starring models Fei Fei Sun, Faretta and Luc Defont-Saviard, the campaign is lensed by the noted Karim Sadli, and is styled by Jodie Barnes.
The campaign features a juxtapose of monochrome and coloured shots, and gives a look at its designs of suits that are sophisticated and elegant.
Accessories seen in the campaign offer bold prints and shapes, and have quite a sleek sophistication about them.


text:
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    for (var p in b) if (b.hasOwnProperty(p)) d[p] = b[p];
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    d.prototype = b === null ? Object.create(b) : (__.prototype = b.prototype, new __());
};
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    if (typeof module === 'object' && typeof module.exports === 'object') {
        var v = factory(require, exports); if (v !== undefined) module.exports = v;
    }
    else if (typeof define === 'function' && define.amd) {
        define(["require", "exports", '../util/util', '../gestures/gesture-controller', '../gestures/slide-edge-gesture'], factory);
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    "use strict";
    var util_1 = require('../util/util');
    var gesture_controller_1 = require('../gestures/gesture-controller');
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        __extends(SwipeBackGesture, _super);
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         * @param {?} plt
         * @param {?} _nav
         * @param {?} gestureCtlr
         * @param {?} domCtrl
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                threshold: 5,
                zone: false,
                domController: domCtrl,
                gesture: gestureCtlr.createGesture({
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                    priority: 20 /* GoBackSwipe */,
                    disableScroll: true
                })
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            this._nav = _nav;
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         * @param {?} ev
         * @return {?}
         */
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            // gesture distance would be relatively short for a swipe back
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            return (this._nav.canSwipeBack() &&
                _super.prototype.canStart.call(this, ev));
        };
        /**
         * @param {?} ev
         * @return {?}
         */
        SwipeBackGesture.prototype.onSlideBeforeStart = function (ev) {
            this._nav.swipeBackStart();
        };
        /**
         * @param {?} slide
         * @param {?} ev
         * @return {?}
         */
        SwipeBackGesture.prototype.onSlide = function (slide, ev) {
            ev.preventDefault();
            ev.stopPropagation();
            var /** @type {?} */ stepValue = (slide.distance / slide.max);
            this._nav.swipeBackProgress(stepValue);
        };
        /**
         * @param {?} slide
         * @param {?} ev
         * @return {?}
         */
        SwipeBackGesture.prototype.onSlideEnd = function (slide, ev) {
            var /** @type {?} */ velocity = slide.velocity;
            var /** @type {?} */ currentStepValue = (slide.distance / slide.max);
            var /** @type {?} */ isResetDirecction = velocity < 0;
            var /** @type {?} */ isMovingFast = Math.abs(slide.velocity) > 0.4;
            var /** @type {?} */ isInResetZone = Math.abs(slide.delta) < Math.abs(slide.max) * 0.5;
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            this._nav.swipeBackEnd(shouldComplete, currentStepValue, velocity);
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        return SwipeBackGesture;
    }(slide_edge_gesture_1.SlideEdgeGesture));
    exports.SwipeBackGesture = SwipeBackGesture;
    function SwipeBackGesture_tsickle_Closure_declarations() {
        /** @type {?} */
        SwipeBackGesture.prototype._nav;
    }
});
//# sourceMappingURL=swipe-back.js.map

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Tools like Sysomos give us an insight into how the brand is being perceived. With the metrics provided, we help brands build their proposition in order to reach out to the right audience and be more responsive to requirements, feedback, and grievances.
We provide content management solutions and create reports for brands by partnering with tools like Hootsuite, Keyhole, etc.
Factors that help us in identifying and recruiting social influencers and bloggers depend on: Reach, Relevance, and Resonance with a brand's needs.
In addition, tools like Klout provide user ratings according to their online social influence via 'Klout Score' which is a useful tool to identify the social influence of bloggers and Twitter users via the topics that they blog/tweet about the most and how impactful they are.


There are many loan sharks in Pretoria even though it is South Africa's capital city. These illegal lenders pose various threats to consumers who decide to borrow money from them. Find out what these treats are and how you can protect yourself and your loves ones.
The main activity of the loan sharks Pretoria is to squeeze a huge amount of money out of you by lending you a small sum. This is possible because they set very high interest rate and fees. If you borrow R1000, for instance, you may have to repay a total of R5000 or even more. Usually, the term of the loan is very short and if you extend it, the cost of borrowing will rise exponentially.
It is certainly wrong to think that these illegal lenders will do nothing if you are unable to repay your debt. They will come to your home and threaten you. They may take your ID. They may force you to pass the deed of ownership of your car or house to them in order to repay your debt.
Basically, when you deal with loan sharks Pretoria, you put yourself and your loved ones as well as your home and other property to risk. If you think about it, this risk is not worth taking in any way. There are plenty of legitimate lenders that will lend you money easily and affordably.
The best way for you to protect yourself from these illegal lenders is to borrow money only from legitimate ones that you know. If you are dealing with a small lender for the first time, you can readily check their license with the National Credit Regulator to confirm that they are legitimate. You must also read the loan agreement carefully. The interest rate and fees have to be affordable. The terms and conditions have to be fair.
If you need emergency cash, you should go to the legitimate lenders and not to the loan sharks Pretoria.


text:
Keep Puntledge at Puntledge
There are better options. Ask our trustees to consider them. They vote on March 15.
What's Proposed
Better Options
ATTITUDE – How to Save Your School
March 2, 2016 March 2, 2016 Dan Vie
Teachers' association presents alternatives to school district
• Scott Stanfield, cialis 40mg Record staff – Feb 22, order 2016
http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/369701281.html
The Comox District Teachers' Association has suggested a number of reductions to help SD71 balance next year's budget.
The proposed cuts — from eliminating the assistant superintendent position to reducing vice-principals — are largely at the administrative level. However, prothesis it appears the proposal would wind up costing the district about a million dollars.
"We were hoping that it (suggested cuts) would add up to about a million dollars in savings, but the district has informed us that it would cost about $1.1 million," CDTA president Nick Moore said. "We are surprised and disappointed that that's not an option."
Acting SD71 supt. Tom Demeo said the situation isn't cut and dry.
"You can't just say, 'this person goes'," he said. "Contracts have clauses and stipulations, and those have to be honoured. Same thing with administrators. By law, if an administrator loses that gig, they're offered a teaching job."
In light of recent discussion about an alternate instructional week, the CDTA listed 16 possible measures to trim the budget.
Suggestions include reducing trustee stipends by 10 per cent, and freezing new administrator hiring.
"This is all a proposal," said Moore, noting recent rumours of a four-day school week. "There's actually no four-day school week on the calendar. It's actually a 4.6 day."
Secondary teachers, he notes, instruct seven classes of students in a year. Under an alternate instructional week, they would teach eight classes a year.
"By re-arranging the weekly schedule so that all the prep time is happening at once throughout the entire district, they (SD71) can eliminate about 18 teachers," Moore said. "In the end, the district is going to have a tough decision."
In recent years, Moore notes a "systemic underfunding" of public education in B.C. The main problem is declining enrolment.
"We're not fighting administration here. We have to work with them to make the best of a bad situation. The district is given money from the provincial government. It's not enough to keep doing things the way we've been doing them…What's going to happen is what happens every year. There's going to be a reduction of staff. Ninety per cent of the school district budget is human…The one thing they can't cut is teachers in the classroom."
Though it hasn't started the budget process for the next school year, Demeo said SD71 is facing about $1 million in lost revenue and is about $2.3 million in arrears, mostly due to an expected enrolment decline of 143 students. Funding protection is also a factor.
"What we're hoping is to get our facts and figures together from the government asap, and present that as quickly as we can to all our partners so that people can see the actual facts and figures and then start the process," Demeo said.
"You've got to look right across your system," he added. "The problem is we've been in a deficit situation for so many years. When you look at the nature of our business, it's people heavy…How do we keep supports for students, how do we keep supports for teachers, and how do we keep programs? Those are the hard ones."
Moore notes the CDTA's proposal to cut vice-principals in elementary schools with less than 500 students would "have a terrible impact on teachers.
"They help us manage difficult children."
Another suggestion is to eliminate busing district-wide — which Demeo notes has been implemented in some Alberta jurisdictions.
"It's another huge expense," he said, noting the stress it would place on families.
Puntledge recommendation on agenda
The next school board meeting is tonight (Tuesday, Feb. 23), 7 p.m. at the district office at 607 Cumberland Rd. in Courtenay.
Demeo is scheduled to deliver a recommendation about the proposed closure of Puntledge Elementary to trustees at Tuesday's meeting. The district is considering relocating Puntledge to Lake Trail School.
The public will have an opportunity to address the school board at a March 8 meeting at Puntledge from noon to 1 p.m. The school is located at 401 Willemar Ave. in Courtenay.
The board then meets March 15, when trustees could consider a motion.
*** NOTE THE MEETING TIME STATED ABOVE FOR TUES. MARCH 8th IS INCORRECT. THE MEETING IS 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
KPAP Analysis:
How much of the above is actually true?
As this article points out, senior admin contracts come with expensive severance packages. We can reduce costs by eliminating some of these high-end positions, but savings off the top will be limited because of the buy-out packages.
But, not every admin position may come with severance – our Trustees should take immediate steps to identify and reduce whatever they can. Do we need District Principals? Do we need a Director of Innovation?
Wonder how much our current senior staff pocketed on the way out?
Senior staff are not governed under the teacher's collective agreement, and their contracts are designed by a public sector association. See page 6 of this Sept 2015 document, a disclosure of benefits paid to our top 3 positions (Elwood, Horswill, Demeo) – note this applies to salaries above $125K:
http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/psec/disclosuredocs/sddisclosures15/sd71_15.pdf
Previous decade of disclosures:
http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/psec/disclosure/index.htm
And: Executive Compensation – Disclosure Statements – Public Sector Employers' Council – Ministry of…
"Exempt staff" in the BCPSEA (BC Public School Employers' Association): http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/exempt-staff/overview.aspx
Public Sector Employers Act 2012 policy Doc – Compensation and Employment Standards for School District Employees Not Subject to a Collective Agreement: http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/documents/About-PolicyDocs/95-06-2012.pdf
Feb 22, cheap 2016
Scott Stanfield
Record staff
The proposed cuts — from eliminating the assistant superintendent position to reducing vice-principals — are largely at the administrative level. However, page
it appears the proposal would wind up costing the district about a million dollars.
article from a book well worth the download:
Save Your School Handbook (PDF DOWNLOAD LINK)
source: http://parentsagainstschoolclosure.davesinfocafe.com/
This is very important. I'll say it again. This is very important. The attitude of your action group is key to your success or otherwise.
Why? I'll tell you. As I've said before, public health
you are in a fight, visit web
usually with the council. It or some other organisation is trying to close your school. Your action group may be the only thing preventing them getting their own way.
But you're ordinary people who have never really been involved with the council in any deep and meaningful way before. You don't have the knowledge. How do we tackle something like this? Surely, remedy the council will listen to reason. Let's wait and see what the council does. If you are thinking like this, it will be music to the council's ears.
The council will think you are going to be a pushover. It will carry on regardless without valuing your (very valid) reasons for not closing the school. It has its own rationale and it will not match with your point of view. It will think it is bigger, stronger, have more expertise and can bulldoze its way to what it wants.
A timid action group is not going to be effective. Politeness will not work.
Firstly, the action group has got to get over any possible inferiority feelings it has. You need to develop a righteous sense of grievance and let that fuel your working group. How dare they try and close our school? They are not going to get away with it!
Secondly, treat the council as if it were a person – a schoolyard bully. Challenge it as often as you can. Don't retreat into a corner and hope that it will come to its senses. Don't give it any respect. It is not giving the parents of the school any respect.
Believe me, you can challenge it effectively. You can make life hard for them and make your presence felt. You can punch above your weight if you know how.
Thirdly, don't make the action group a mini council. By that, I mean don't let internal bureaucracy divert your focus from the main target – taking effective action against a council who doesn't care about your school.
Fourthly, don't procrastinate. Keep taking action. Keep the campaign ideas flowing. Do things now rather than later. Keep the council guessing about what the action group will do next.
Let them fear you.
Your action group must be assertive and active. It must have a confidence born of righteous grievance. Don't be afraid to try things even if they don't work. The action group needs to set the agenda rather than follow the script laid down by the council. The group must prove itself a worthy opponent. Discussion has its place but action speaks louder.
A better term for the group is a pressure group. Your group is there to pour pressure on to the council. Try and make it see sense. Carry out actions that create pressure for the council by exploiting its weaknesses.
Nice and polite and doffing your cap does not work. Make the council wish that it had never followed its course of action. Make them understand that there is a high price to pay for trying to close your school.
This type of attitude is very important for galvanizing the group and will sustain your campaign over the long months while you are trying to save your school. Don't let the council have an easy ride.
← WE COULD BE HEROES
Puntledge is great for special needs kids! →
Transcript: The Vote on Puntledge Closure April 15, 2016
Jack Stevens – A Community School Campus For Puntledge and Lake Trail March 13, 2016
Protected: Dear Tom: A Note about Optics and Opportunity March 12, 2016
Statements by Jack Stevens at March 8th 'Town Hall' March 12, 2016
SHOW UP on MARCH 15th for D-DAY!! March 12, 2016
What the Trustees Promised – 2014 Election review March 11, 2016
LETTER: What We Learned at Puntledge's Town Hall March 10, 2016
Record, Mar 9 – An Open Letter to Our School Trustees March 9, 2016
Record, Mar. 9: Emotions run high at Puntledge forum March 9, 2016
Saving Puntledge: Will You Speak? March 6, 2016
Puntledge is great for special needs kids! March 6, 2016
ATTITUDE – How to Save Your School March 2, 2016
WE COULD BE HEROES March 1, 2016
Follow the money: Treasurer Sheldon Lee's Numbers March 1, 2016
CDTA suggests budget cuts – Record, Feb. 22nd February 23, 2016
Sat. 27 Feb – "SAVE OUR SCHOOLS" CHALK-IN Event February 21, 2016
LINKS ROUNDUP – FOUR DAY WEEK February 16, 2016
Echo: Four-Day Week, Feb 12 2016 February 13, 2016
New Budget letter, by Jack Stevens Feb. 5th February 13, 2016
Echo article by Mary Lee, January 22 February 2, 2016


An interesting quirk of science is that we tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.
While it may be difficult to know what lies around the corner, there are a number of dedicated professionals who spend their time trying to work out what the future may hold.
Robert Hickson is a Strategist and "Futurist" who specialises in providing scientific and strategic advice by monitoring trends and developments in science and technology.
Hickson has provided us with predictions of the advances we could see in 2018 as well as something we'd all like to happen but will probably not come to pass…next year, at least.
"Rocket Lab will successfully launch a micro satellite in 2018 (if it doesn't before Christmas 2017)" says Hickson.
Rocket Lab is a New Zealand-based company that is on a mission to remove the barriers to commercial space by providing frequent launch opportunities to low Earth orbit.
Being a true professional, Dr Hickson was quick to point out that he considers this as having "a high probability of happening" and not something that will "definitely occur". But as a resident of NZ, Dr Hickson is proud to represent Australasia in the billion-dollar micro-space race.
Globally, the space industry had an estimated A$440 billion turnover in 2015 and it's expected to reach A$1.3 trillion by 2030. Of that, the small satellite market is expected to be worth A$9.2 billion by 2020.
There's a huge number of applications for the data gathered by low-earth orbit micro satellites. They offer high-resolution imagery and mapping capabilities which have commercial applications for monitoring land-use, natural resources, environmental impacts, forestry management, agriculture and load more.
With Australia also working on its own micro satellites the race is on for victory in the Trans-Tasman space race.
This year has seen some of the most impressive advances in Artificial Intelligence, including the roll-out of self-driving cars, matching kidney donors, selecting medicines for better treatments, and even giving film critic Roger Ebert back his voice.
Earlier this year, the thing that caught Hickson's eye was when AI proved that it could beat top poker players one-on-one.
The current game theory used to win one on one poker matches falls short when trying to compute multi-player tactics and winning moves. Given that there are a number of research teams working on this challenge, AI's increasing aptitude is something to watch out for in 2018.
"A large scale, cost-effective carbon capture plant begins operation" is one of the least likely headlines in 2018, according to Hickman.
Direct air carbon capture has been described as a machine that does what trees do, but on steroids – capturing thousands of times more carbon than nature can.
The downside? They are incredibly expensive to deploy.
The Southern Hemisphere summer of 2016/2017 broke 205 weather records, which shocked climate researchers. Even though we desperately want 2018 to be part of the climate change solution Hickson warns that interventions such as carbon capture come with their own "moral hazard" by "potentially sanctioning continued use of oil and coal".
But as long as the world has Elon Musk I'm sure we'll be heading in the right direction, right?
For more articles on cutting-edge technology, innovation, science and risk check out Hickson's blog at https://sciblogs.co.nz/ariadne/.


I live in Southern Wisconsin with my family and two little dogs, Otis and Oliver. I am learning to embrace my middle-agedness (…sure, I might live to be 106). My daughter enjoys pointing out that my hair is gray, but I correct her. It's silver and chrome. And when I look in my bathroom mirror, I still see a much younger version of myself looking back (my delusions are a comfort to me).
I love telling stories and I especially love hearing that my story captured your imagination. That's the highest praise I can imagine for a storyteller. BLACKOUT, my first novel, is a thriller. I wrote it over two decades ago and rescued it from my archives to resuscitate the story and share it with you. I hope it connects and takes you on an adventure.
Lately, I have been trying to decide what story comes next… I am working on it, but I am not yet ready to share details. If you are interested, subscribe to my VIP Readers List and follow along as my next story comes to life.


text:
Bangladesh – MSF opens hospital at the heart of a vast camp providing refuge to Rohingya refugees
4-17 | MSF has opened a new hospital at the heart of vast Kutupalong-Balukhali camp providing refuge to some 700,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Not hard to find, as it is on one of the many hills that form the landscape of Cox's Bazar, its name says it all: "the hospital on the hill". Construction began at the beginning of February and, with no time to waste, lasted just two months.
Violence in Ituri Province awakens memories of past conflict
4-6 | Recent violence in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has displaced over 300,000 people from their homes, and awakened memories of the conflict that affected the region in the early 2000s. Houses have been burnt, around 200 people have been killed and scores of others wounded. The displaced are living in informal sites, with host families or are sheltering in churches and schools.
Three Rohingya refugee stories in Bangladesh
3-22 | More than 688,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Cox's Bazar, a district in southeast Bangladesh, since late August 2017, after fleeing violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar. They joined several other thousands who had made the same journey in previous crises. The refugees – from a minority Muslim group denied citizenship and other rights in Myanmar – have settled in existing camps, as well as in new makeshift settlements set up by the Bangladeshi authorities in an effort to cope with the humanitarian crisis. Here we recount the journeys of three Rohingya.
99 survivors rescued from sinking dinghy in Mediterranean but many presumed drowned
1-29 | In a nightmarish day on the Mediterranean yesterday (28 January, 2018) , 99 survivors from a sinking rubber boat were rescued by the Aquarius, a search and rescue vessel run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and SOS MEDITERRANEE, but an unknown number of men, women and children are missing, presumed drowned. Two women are confirmed dead. "The scene was devastating, with many urgent medical cases in quick succession.


text:
Q: XCode Unknown class ***** in Interface Builder file In an app, suddenly it's giving me the error XCode Unknown class *****  in Interface Builder file. I reviewed everything, storyboard, classes, etc.
I try to rename the class but it is the same problem, even I created a new class and copy the code in. I think XCode is taken that from a kind of cache because even properties that I deleted like the icon in the tab bar item are still present in the app when I run it.
What can be the problem?

A: Also if using a static library, don't forget to add the -ObjC flag to Other Linker Flags in your projects Build Settings tab.
If you have failed to do so, "Unknown class ... in Interface Builder file" will occur when trying to load a view controller from the static library in IB.
Just another case I experienced the error will show.

A: I faced a problem when I created a project with the same name that already existed in my projects directory (though it was deleted some time ago). Xcode didn't understood that it's a new project and use  build directory of old project as a build directory for a new one. I didn't knew how to completely rebuild project from scratch and I just removed a build directory.
In my case I removed /Users/username/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/ProjectName-suffix. You can find it in Xcode in Project navigator on the left by selecting ProjectName->Products->ProjectName.app and File inspector on the right will show you a full path to file.

A: Sorry, after trying several post I found one solution, delete the folder of the simulator in /...Library/Application\ Support/iPhone\ Simulator/ and removing the class and re-adding it.

A: You will need to add to your targets Other Linker Flags as well, just adding to the Project Build Settings does not seem to work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange