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NAMA Wine Lake
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PHILIPPINES: 8,000 killings proof of policy to kill
international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Sunday September 10, 2017 13:43 by AKBAYAN (Citizens Action Party)
Akbayan Partylist condemns President Rodrigo Duterte's denial of his policy to kill under the War on Drugs.
Duterte, in a press conference on September 5, attacked Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros after her call-out against PNP's policy to kill under his War on Drugs. Duterte said: "Does the killing of two people make a policy? Ang bobo naman niyan".
"President Duterte, the killings have reached 8,000 under your regime. This proves your policy to kill is real," Akbayan President Machris Cabreros said.
"President Duterte's orders to kill are undeniable as he has made this public in many occasions even in front of the Chief PNP. The attempt of denying is futile. He's basically lying through his teeth," Akbayan President Machris Cabreros said.
Cabreros said that Duterte's policy to kill has already corrupted the police force, using his War on Drugs to kill, threaten or extort people.
"President Duterte even admitted this when he called the police force 'corrupt to the core' after the death of foreigner Jee Ick Joo under Bato's watch. The list of victims pile up and it all points to Duterte's policy to kill."
Cabreros said that even before the Senate can close the probe of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos' slay, PNP has taken another victim with UP freshman Carl Angelo Arnaiz who was reportedly tortured and accused of possessing illegal drugs on August 18.
"PNP's policy to kill is now targeting the young and the poor," Cabreros added. "Instead of fighting criminals, it seems that our police have joined their ranks and are out murdering our children."
Akbayan dares President Duterte to heed the call of human rights groups to cease all statements encouraging the policy to kill in police operations. Oplan Double Barrel and all operations using excessive force should be suspended until human rights abuses are answered to. PNP should open up for independent investigations on reports of paid killings.
https://akbayan.org.ph/news
Among those in attendance were Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, Martin Schulz, SPD Germany candidate for Chancellorship, Prime Minister Antonio Costa of Portugal, Christian Kern, Chancellor of Austria, Maria Joao Rodrigues, Vice Chair of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, among others.
140 political parties and heads of government call out Duterte administration for deaths and violence in the Philippines
An international grouping of progressive and left-wing political parties, with some Prime Ministers and Presidents expressed alarm over what it called the rising tide of violence and death in the Philippines.
The Progressive Alliance, an association of social democratic, socialist and labour parties, in a statement approved during its Convention in Berlin, Germany, "reiterates its concern over the escalating situation in the Philippines," which it said "threatens to erode its decades-long struggle for democracy and human rights."
Among those in attendance were Swedish Prime Minster Stefan Lofven, Martin Schulz, SPD Germany candidate for Chancellorship, Prime Minster Antonio Costa of Portugal, Christian Kern, Chancellor of Austria, the Maria Joao Rodrigues, Vice Chair of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, among others.
The statement, approved by a gathering of 140 representatives of major leftist political parties, including some heads of governments and members of parliament in attendance, said that "the government's current anti-drugs campaign manifests as a violent witch hunt that primarily victimizes poor people unable to afford legal defense," and that the Philippines under President Duterte seems "intent on going down a path of death and violence" because of the priority legislation reimposing the death penalty and lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 9 from the current 15.
The PA called on the Duterte administration to abandon these measures as it called out President Duterte's "inflammatory language and pronouncements that explicitly condone the killing of suspected drug users, and branding those who oppose his campaign as protectors of drug trade lords and coddlers."
The PA also dared President Duterte to "desist from baiting the public with dictatorship and Martial Law as solutions to the country's problems," according to its statement.
The group, which includes social democratic parties from Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway, as well as Denmark and Germany, the Workers' Party in Brazil and Akbayan party-list in the Philippines called on the global community "to pay closer attention to the developments in the fragile and contested democracy that is the Philippines."
They said that "the United Nations, in the absence of tangible, decisive action on the part of (Philippine) authorities to desist from these anti-democratic practices, should investigate the situation and forward recommendations how the international community can help (Filipino) citizens."
FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
Progressive Alliance condemns continuing massive violence and deaths in Philippines
The Progressive Alliance, an association of social democratic, socialist and labour parties, political organisations and networks all over the world, reiterates its concern over the escalating situation in the Philippines which threatens to erode its decades-long struggle for democracy and human rights.
First, the extra judicial killings resulting from a government campaign targeting people for their supposed links to drugs, is shredding the country's adherence to the presumption of innocence and equal protection of the law. The government's current anti-drugs campaign manifests as a violent witch hunt that primarily victimizes poor people unable to afford legal defense. More than 8,000 bodies, often wrapped in packaging tape, have littered Manila's streets in vigilante-style killings which remain unresolved to this day.
We also view with concern the Duterte administration's latest response to opposition against these killings such as incarcerating Senator Leila de Lima and announcing its openness to restore Martial Law. Women leaders of the opposition like Leila de Lima, Leni Robredo and Risa Hontiveros have been subjected to well-orchestrated online campaigns of harassment, bullying, and misogynistic attacks.
The Philippine government has been intent on going down a path of death and violence with its priority legislative measures. The House of Representatives recently passed the bill to reinstate the death penalty. It also seeks to pass the proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from the current 15 to a scandalous 9 years old. Both measures are backward, barbaric, cruel and violent -- they should not be accepted in societies today.
The Progressive Alliance therefore once again calls on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration, to:
1) Abandon the legislative measures reinstating the death penalty and lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility, in the spirit of its commitments to various human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention against Torture and Others Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Punishment, Convention on the Rights of the Child, among others; and join the rest of civilized society in advancing humane reforms that strengthen the criminal justice system, nurture and protect mothers and children, and do not equate vengeance with justice.
2) Desist from inflammatory language and pronouncements that explicitly condone the killing of suspected drug users and pushers and other perpetrators of petty crimes, and branding those who oppose his campaign as protectors of drug trade lords and coddlers; as well as desist from baiting the public with dictatorship and Martial Law as solutions to the country's political, economic and societal problems;
3) Craft and implement humane and preventive public health and harm reduction policies based on actual evidence, and work with various stakeholders as a strategic solution as a means to combat the problem of drugs in the Philippines;
4) Act swiftly and conduct a thorough, fair and transparent investigation into the cases of extra judicial killings and bring the perpetrators of these killings to justice; including reparations and indemnification to the victims of these extra judicial killings towards justice for a campaign that has only claimed the lives of the poor, and not necessarily the guilty.
The Progressive Alliance, which counts among its members Labor and Social Democratic parties from Germany (SPD), Sweden (SAP), Italy, Denmark, Spain, United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, among others will exert all efforts to support the Filipinos in their struggle for a just, humane society that is free from injustice and inequality.
The Progressive Alliance also calls on the global community to pay closer attention to the developments in the fragile and contested democracy that is the Philippines. We believe the United Nations, in the absence of tangible, decisive action on the part of its national authorities to desist from these anti-democratic practices, should investigate the situation in the Philippines and forward recommendations how the international community can help its citizens.
The Progressive Alliance, in solidarity with the Filipino people, remains steadfast that the dark days of fear, intimidation, violence and death will be defeated by the vigilance and commitment of active citizens.
Progressive Alliance members concurring (84 parties from 72 countries and 10 international organizations):
Socialist Party (Argentina) Gen Party (Argentina) Labour Party (Australia) SPO (Austria) Waad (Bahrain) Socialist Party - PS (Belgium) Socialist Party – S.PA (Belgium) Socialist Democratic Party (Bosnia-Herzegovina) Workers' Party – PT (Brazil) Socialist Party (Bulgaria) MPP (Burkina Faso) Social Democratic Front (Cameroon) New Democratic Party (Canada) MLPC (Central African Republic) Socialist Party (Chile) Party for Democracy (Chile) Citizens' Action Party (Costa Rica) Social Democratic Party (Croatia) CSSD (Czech Republic) Social Democratic Party (Denmark) Modern Revolutionary Party (Dominican Republic) UDPS (Congo) ESDP (Egypt) CPDS (Equatorial Guinea) EPDP (Eritrea) Finnish Social Democratic Party – SDP (Finland) Socialist Party (France) Dream Party (Georgia) NDC (Ghana) Social Democratic Party of Germany –SPD (Germany) Labour Party (Great Britain) PASOK (Greece) MSzP (Hungary) Indian National Congress (India) PDI-Perjuangan (Indonesia) Nasdem (Indonesia) PDKI (Iran) KPIK (Iran) PUK (Iraq) Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party – KSDP (Iraq) Labour Party (Ireland) Labour Party (Israel) Meretz Party (Israel) Democratic Party (Italy) CUDD (Ivory Coast) JSDP (Jordan) SDPS (Latvia) PSP (Lebanon) Democratic Action Party – DAP (Malaysia) Mauritius Militant Movement (Mauritius) PRD (Mexico) MC (Mexico) DPM (Moldova) SDP (Montenegro) DPS (Montenegro) USFP (Morocco) NCP (Nepal) Labour Party PVdA (Netherlands) MRS (Nicaragua) Labour Party (Norway) Fatah (Palestine) PNI (Palestine) PPS (Paraguay) AKBAYAN (Philippines) Democratic Left Alliance (Poland) Socialist Party (Portugal) Citizens' Convergence (Rep. of Congo) Socialist Party (Senegal) Democratic Party (Serbia) SDS (Serbia) Social Democrats (Slovenia) SSUP (Somalia) Socialist Workers' Party PSOE (Spain) Social Democratic Party – SAP (Sweden) Social Democratic Party (Switzerland) Democratic People's Party (Syria) CCM (Tanzania) Ettakatol (Tunisia) CHP (Turkey) HDP (Turkey) PSU (Uruguay) Democratic Party (USA) Frente Polisario (Western Sahara) Yemeni Socialist Party (Yemen) International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) Network of Social Democracy in Asia (SOCDEM Asia) Arab Social Democratic Forum (ASDF) Central African Progressive Alliance (APAC) Party of European Socialists (PES) Solidar Global Progressive Forum (GPF) Foundation for Progressive European Studies (FPES) Association for Democratic Socialism (ADS)
https://www.facebook.com/AkbayanParty/
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Very ugly businesses these wars on drugs, real or fake
by Phillip Wed Sep 13, 2017 00:28
Dueterte's war on drugs is a real war with many deaths on both sides.
Unlike the CIAs war on drugs which has seen Afghanistan's
share of the world heroin market go from 0% to 95% of the world supply
all controlled by the US backed corrupt government of Afghanistan
and all happening under the US occupation of Afghanistan
Lots of innocent deaths in that fake war on drugs too.
Not enough left of most of those innocents to take pictures of though..
Those US drones don't tend to leave enough behind of their unfortunate innocent victims.
to take decent bloody pictures of to post on the interweb.
Of course all these negative articles appearing about Dueterte
in the world media, the same media ignoring the huge increase in heroin coming from Afghanistan
under US occupation, have absolutely nothing to do with Duterte's rejection of US imperialist control of his country
and his shift towards china and russia and away from the US..
I'm beginning to wonder are socialist movements these days all nothing more than the co opted useful idiots of imperialism? Have they all been bought out, infiltrated and pwned?


You've probably noticed that our resident beer guru, Donavan Hall, hasn't been contributing to LENNDEVOURS much lately. Well, he had a good reason for that. He was putting the finishing touches on The Beer Hall Guide to Long Island, one book that every beer lover on Long Island needs in his or her library.
Donavan knows more about beer on Long Island than anyone I know. Plus, he's one heck of a writer, so no one is more qualified to write such a book.
I haven't picked up my copy yet, but I will this weekend at the North Fork Craft Beer, BBQ and Wine Festival, where he'll be selling them.
"This guide brings together the best that the Long Island craft beer scene has to offer. Anything listed in this guide is a top rated craft beer destination. All of Long Island's breweries and brewpubs are listed, as well as the top taprooms and beer stores. Each listing is accompanied by an informative (and entertaining) article.
By writing this beer guide, Donavan hopes that craft beer enthusiasts will learn more about the incredible and growing beer culture here on Long Island, and that you might find out about a place or two that you haven't visited yet. In addition to covering all of the best breweries, taprooms, and beer stores, you'll find information about amateur craftbrewing and about how to become more involved in local craft beer culture.
Donavan Hall regularly writes about beer, brewing, and pub culture on The Beer Hall. He is also the voice of Radio Beer Hall a twice monthly podcast about brewing and slow living."
Congratulations on finishing the book, Donavan. I look forward to raising a pint or five with you the next time we meet up.
You can buy the book over at Lulu if you can't make the beer festival this weekend.
Thanks, Lenn! See you on Saturday.
Sweet! I can start buying Christmas presents for people in August!
Looks great! Love to get one for Big Daddy, who likes to brew a batch once in a while.


What do you think of Fluttabyes? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions about the game in this thread. We value your reviews, as do many of the other fishies in our pond! To help other players get the most out of your review, you could add a note stating if you played the trial or full version and how far you have gotten in the game!
Didn't much care for this one. No story and the instruction are rather sketchy. Still don't know what the ladybug is for. Can't understand the words being said when a match is made. Don't believe I will be getting this one.
This is an average match 3 game. For me the game is much too easy and not really special. I would buy this game maybe as a Daily Deal, but not for the full price.
Not much to it, but I think if there were more, the unique gameplay and charm might have made this a buy.
I didn't care for this game. I didn't care too much for the game play. As another person said, maybe as a DD, but not full price.
played the first level with no clue as to what the object of the game was then entered my name as requested which resulted in the game staying on the same page with no menu to escape , resorted to having to switch off my computer only to have the same page come up again and again and again . definate no buy for me not even as a DD .
I played for about 2 minutes and found the game totally pointless. There was no indication any goal was being achieved.
Its pretty, but you don't get enough information. What IS the ladybug for? I also got stuck on the high score page with no way out. Music is stultifying.
Fix it!! I think its so pretty.
Hi BearKat, to get out of the high score page you have to press th "ENTER" key! I don't know what the lady bug is for either.
I agree that the game is pretty, but pointless.
There are a few match 3 games I enjoy, but this one totally eludes me. I have no idea what I am supposed to be clicking on. If I had 3 purple butterflies and a 4th one next to either end, I attempted to change the butterflies position like I would in any other match 3. In this game, when I would do that, the purple butterfly that I wanted to switch positions with, all that happened was the purple butterfly simply became another color.
I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing.
I agree with the other posts...what is the point of the game, the goal? Left me feeling "how to feel stupid in one easy lesson".
Hopefully someone else will be able to figure out the point of all of this.
Uninstalling after only a few minutes of play.
Gripping game play? I think not! Totally pointless and boring. Deleted after five minutes.
Not a game I would buy.. It's too boring.. some match 3 games have more levels than this one.
about as much fun as watching paint dry. Anything more complicated for the over 40 crowd? Ugh!!
i absolutely luv butterflys...well just the way it is....so did the demo...ARE U'ALL KIDDING?... maybe for a 'young'in' who is learning or a 'fast as speed of lite' player or ....?
It's a cute little game. I don't hate it but it probably would have been a lot more enjoyable without the little girl voices announcing every time you made a "multi match" or a "combo chain". Their constant narration got really annoying, really fast.
twlaughs wrote: Its pretty, but you don't get enough information. What IS the ladybug for? I also got stuck on the high score page with no way out. Music is stultifying.
Agree! It's pretty, something to kill time with and enjoy the pretty graphics but otherwise completely pointless. Definitely a DD if at all.
What a waste of beautiful graphics. I stuck with it for all of 18 minutes. I went in and out over a period of 3 days thinking I had to be missing something. Nope...it's pure frosting and no cake.
Better luck next time dev.
For those who wonder how this is supposed to work: As the tutorial clearly shows, you place the butterfly you're handed on your pointer in order to make a match, rather than switching tokens between squares or tracing a path or clicking a group--the 3 standard means of "match 3" play.
It's unusual in that respect, but not a problem for me.
But what strikes me as strange and unpleasant is that when you match 3 or more in two directions at once, instead of the butterflies fluttering off, they clump and stay in place. I don't like that, and won't buy this one.


I recently purchased it, thank you!
In this book, doctors are encouraged to be smart business entrepreneurs. Medical journals discuss adding courses to the medical school curriculum on how to run a business. The Internet is replete with business coaches – some of them former doctors – who will offer advice and on-going support designed to increase profits.
On Amazon one can purchase The Business of Medical Practice: [Advanced Profit Maximization Techniques for Savvy Doctors]. On medical blogs, doctors share their advice on things such as how to sell pharmaceuticals directly to patients.
Doctors are often highly trained in the field of medicine, but are not taught about the daily aspects of operating a client-centered, yet profitable practice.
This comprehensive multi-authored text contains over 450 pages of highly specific and well-documented information that will be interest to physicians in private practice, academics, and in medical management.
The book is organized into three sections: Qualitative Aspects of Medical Practice, Quantitative Aspects of Medical Practice, and Contemporary Aspects of Medical Practice. Appendices include sample management service agreements, and information on medical unions and public perception of physician salaries.
A particularly useful feature is a brief biosketch of each contributor, complete with contact information.
This is the practice "Bible" for all physician owners and physician financial advisors. With thirty seven chapters and over 700 pages this is mandatory reading on the topics related to all major topics covering the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the business side of today's medical practice written by experts in the field.
The evolution in health care has created even a greater need for business savvy physicians and has also created a entire niche of financial advisors that focus on advising these business owners physicians. And, this text fills the gap left by Medical Schools and MBA programs that do not cover this subject matter with any degree of competency.
As a physician financial advisor I found the information about various aspects of medical practice management very useful in understanding and advising my physician clients concerning their practices.


When you construct any wood material you must apply a protective coating to ensure the wood does not rot after many years of exposure. Without the proper coating, the lifespan of the wood material will only last about 10 years before rot, and warping will occur. Building any structure is an expensive endeavor, and you must protect your investment by applying a polyurethane coating. This protective coating is stronger than most coatings on the market today, but how exactly does is hold up compared to the leading products on the market? Polyurethane coatings are much more effective than simply using paint to protect a wood surface, but it's not appropriate for every situation. What most people don't know is that you can use polyurethane coatings in addition to paint to make the strongest surface possible. Before you use polyurethane coating you must understand what it is, when to use it, and when to use a different product.
Polyurethane coatings are basically a liquid form of plastic that dries hard and lasts for many years. The best thing about a polyurethane coating is that it does not have any color even when it dries, except for water-based mixtures. Oil based polyurethane mixtures are stronger than water-based coatings, and hold up better under hot environments. The additional benefits of this product are that has almost no odor and is not nearly as toxic as other products on the market. This is important if you have children or pets that are sensitive to toxins in the air. Its low odor makes it so you won't have to air out your home for several hours after applying the coating.
This product can be used directly over a paint surface without altering the pigment, and will provide a scratch resistant barrier to keep your paint looking fresh. It's important to let the paint completely dry before applying the polyurethane coating to create a strong bond to the wall. Polyurethane mixtures are commonly used indoors for providing a coating to your walls and certain other wood surfaces. When it's time to apply the finish, you must first prepare the surface by wiping it down with a damp rag to create a clean surface to apply the finish. You must then apply 2 coats of polyurethane, and then wait for it to dry. Once the finish dries you must closely inspect the area to ensure there aren't drips running down the walls. Once you've cleaned off the drip marks you will apply a thin third coating to enhance the natural beauty of the wood grain.
Not all protective coatings can be interchangeably used for every project. Polyurethane coatings are primarily used indoors because they do not protect against ultraviolet light. For this reason, if you need to apply a finish coating to any outdoor material you should use a varnish. You should also avoid using this product one furniture because there are other products designed for this purpose. If you need to apply a finish to furniture, you must use a shellac, or varnish for best results.
This entry was posted in Painting.


Located towards the head of Loch Craignish at the Northern end of the Sound of Jura Ardfern Yacht Centre sits within an idyllic natural harbour. Whether on a pontoon berth or swinging mooring you will find the area sheltered from the worst of the weather no matter what the wind direction.
We have fully-serviced pontoon berths with water, electricity, lighting and free Wi-Fi access for vessels up to 70' and a maximum draught of 3.5m. Ardfern Yacht Centre has around 80 pontoon berths with visitors pontoon berthing being provided on both sides of the pontoon systems outer walkways.
The swinging moorings are well organised to the east of the marina, tucked into the the shores of the top of Loch Craignish. Swinging moorings offer distinct advantages over pontoon berths for timber vessel in particular however, also for those steel, alloy and GRP vessels with expensively painted topsides. Swinging moorings allow a vessel to always lie head to weather. Avoiding the topsides being hard pressed onto the fenders; abrading through the paint coatings in the process. Lying head to weather also allows the vessels ventilation system to operate correctly, drying the boat internally and preventing mildew growth.
With our bring alongside service the swinging mooring provides all owners with the benefits of a pontoon berth while enjoy a cheaper mooring rate when not aboard; mooring holders are entitled to use pontoons for loading and unloading of gear and occasional overnight berthing although not on consecutive nights.


I finished the first of the mitts that my friend Natalie commissioned from me yesterday. this pair was knit with Flat Feet and Knitpicks Bare Merino on 3.0mm circular needles using the magic loop. they took just under a week. i really had fun with this pattern. it reminded me of a leopard print in rainbow colors. the only issue i have with them is that when i went to wash the mitts, the hand painted yarn bleed as soon as it hit the water and the Bare sucked the dye right in so the finished result was a pink mitt. it's very pretty but not what i intended. i think that i expected the dye to have been set in the Flat Feet yarn and it wasn't. i also didn't really enjoy knitting straight from the flat because the stitches were crimped and it gave a really uneven tension to my knitting that soaking almost couldn't fix. IF i use this yarn again, i'll rip it back, wind the yarn into a hank and soak it, and then hang it so that it'll straighten out.
I am headed to Zion to visit family and just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you.
My SIL is leaving for Iraq right after the holidays, so we wanted to spend as much normal time with them as possible. Normal time--cooking, sitting around playing Monopoly and cheating at cards. Sliding down the hills on cookie sheets. High tech stuff.
Once again, just wanted to let you know I admire your commitment to your family. You have lovely boys and are doing a grand job with them. They don't call them "Children-the challenge" for nothing!


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Unmarked military convoy carrying nuclear weapons spotted passing through Glasgow
Anti-nuclear weapons campaigners say that if a serious accident were happen involving the convoy in Glasgow, it would mean that large parts of the city would need to be evacuated
Craig Williams
The convoy carrying nuclear warheads was spotted by a member of the public passing by Hamilton services on Friday on its way to RNAD Coulport on Loch Long by Helensburgh (Image: NukeWatch UK)
Concerns have been raised by anti-nuclear weapons campaigners of what could happen if a serious accident was to take place after an unmarked military convoy believed to be carrying nuclear weapons passed through Glasgow on Friday afternoon.
The convoy of at least six vehicles and 'numerous police' was spotted by a member of the public passing by Hamilton services on the M74 motorway on its way to RNAD Coulport on Loch Long by Helensburgh - the storage and loading facility for the nuclear warheads of the United Kingdom's Trident programme.
The convoy was monitored by Nukewatch UK - which tracks and monitors the convoys that transport the UK's Trident nuclear warheads by road from Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield near Reading to Coulport.
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They told Glasgow Live back in September that the military convoy makes the journey around six times per year when they "take the warheads down to refurbish them and then transport them back up again".
The convoy normally includes huge lead-lined lorries carrying the nuclear warheads, along with a fire engine in case a blaze breaks out, a moving workshop, a decontamination unit, tow truck and scores of MOD police vehicles.
Nukewatch UK Campaigner Jane Tallents said that that Friday's convoy passed through Glasgow - and either took the M73 cut off at Baillieston and travelled onto the M80 towards Stirling or continued on the M74 through the south side of the city and onto the M8 before crossing the Erskine Bridge.
She told Glasgow Live: ""The convoy was the second one for this year. It came across the A66 and came up the M74. It's possible it could have then went one of two ways from the M74, it could have headed up the M80 and M9 through Stirling and cut across country to Balloch or it could have come along the M8 over the Erskine Bridge - which it doesn't usually do in daylight.
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"The times it has usually used that route have been when its come after 10 o'clock at night. It was at Abingdon about half past 1 and it was around half past 3 when it got to Coulport. In two hours it could have done either of those routes.
"I think it tries to avoid coming through Glasgow but it has done it late at night when the roads are quiet - although roads are generally quiet at the moment".
An eyewitness has subsequently informed Glasgow Live that they spotted convoy on the A898 near to the Erskine Bridge - confirming that the convoy did indeed travel through the south side of Glasgow on the M74 before joining the M8 south of the Kingston Bridge.
Campaigner Jane has aired her concerns about the fact that if a serious accident were happen involving the convoy in Glasgow, it would not only mean that populated areas of the city would need to be evacuated, but also that an accident would put severe pressure on local hospitals in the city at a time when staff are already treating a large number of covid patients.
She added: ""It has concerned us that it has continued to come during covid lockdown. There have in the past been quite long periods where there haven't been any - for operational reasons they haven't moved any.
"To do with their facilities at AWE Burghfield being closed down due to security or safety issues. So they have very long periods without travelling but they've chosen to continue running during a pandemic.
"Our concerns is that the emergency plans for if there is a serious accident with a convoy mean that any casualties would have to be taken to hospital and obviously at that point they could be contaminated with material from the weapon and so they would all have to be put into isolation wards.
"And with all our hospitals jammed with covid patients I don't know what hospital would be available to set up a whole isolation ward of people with plutonium and dust all over them. How would they sort that out?
The convoy normally includes huge lead-lined lorries carrying the nuclear warheads, along with a fire engine in case a blaze breaks out, a moving workshop, a decontamination unit, tow truck and scores of MOD police vehicles. (Image: Nukewatch UK)
"We get all these messages about protecting the NHS by all curtailing a lot of what we do in our lives but yet the Government doesn't think to protect the NHS and not risk an accident with a convoy.
"The chances of an accident are quite small but the consequences of one are not. All the other emergency plans for it...it's not just the casualties, it's about anybody that is within 600 metres of the accident would have to be evacuated.
"We are very doubtful about what evacuation centres they have already in place but obviously at the moment people wouldn't want to be evacuated somewhere together.
"Also in terms of people going knocking doors and telling everybody to take shelter and close all their windows and not go outside. When everything's kind of struggling we would question whether it's possible to deal with in any meaningful way a serious accident.
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"We think it's never essential to bring these things but certainly during a pandemic it's taking an extra risk."
Back in September, Glasgow Live reported how a 26-vehicle military convoy was spotted passing through Balloch and by Loch Lomond on its way from RNAD Coulport to AWE Burghfield - carrying what was believed to have been six Trident nuclear warheads.
Nukewatch UK claimed the unmarked convoy took a route which saw it travel on the A82 near Cameron House, before passing through Balloch on the A811 to Stirling - passing by houses in small villages such as Buchlyvie around 18 miles to the north of Glasgow.
And campaigner Jane believes that more people show know of the convoys that travel from Scotland to England via motorways and on small country roads.
She told Glasgow Live back in September: ""We campaign for an end of nuclear weapons. The fact there is such a risk taken with these convoys is reason enough to get rid of them."
PropertyGlasgow average house price revealed after near 10 per cent increase in one yearPrices continue to rise in Glasgow with a £14,455 increase in the most recently recorded 12-month period. Meanwhile, research has found the average price of a first time home in our city to be £138,294.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Catalog » Children's » Bloody Jack [6CD]
Bloody Jack [6CD]
Author: Meyer, L.A.
Narrator: Katherine Kellgren
Library CD Package ($39.95)Retail CD Package ($29.95)
Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.
There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life--if only she doesn't get caught...
The Bloody Jack Adventure books are available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults List
Booklist's 'Starred' Review
Publishers Weekly's 'Starred' Review
Booklist's Editors' Choice
Foreword Magazine Audiobook of the Year
L.A. Meyer received a master of fine arts from Boston University, and was the curator and exhibitor at the Clair de Loon Gallery in Bar Harbor, Maine.
ALSO FROM LA MEYER
Bloody Jack
Curse of the Blue Tattoo
Under The Jolly Roger
In The Belly of the Bloodhound
Mississippi Jack
My Bonny Light Horseman
Rapture of the Deep
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee
The Mark of the Golden Dragon
Viva Jacquelina
Boston Jacky
Wild Rover No More
Katherine Kellgren has recorded over sixty audiobooks including Bloody Jack, which was the winner of an Audie Award, a Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, and ForeWord Magazine's Audiobook of the Year. Both Bloody Jack and its sequel Curse of the Blue Tattoo were named Odyssey Honor Titles by the American Library Association in 2008 and 2009 respectively. She has appeared onstage in London, New York, and Frankfurt. Her recent work includes everything from the role of Laura in a regional production of The Glass Menagerie to appearances on Comedy Central. She is a graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Booklist (Starred Review)
"Kellgren's flexible British accent easily captures the seafaring atmosphere and Jacky's emotions as she tries to hide her true identity from her mates and superiors. She consistently maintains Jacky's Cockney accent, Irish sailor Liam's brogue, and a Jamaican seaman's Caribbean lilt, excellently reflecting the varied nationalities and personalities onboard. Jacky's appearance attracts the attention of a slimy pedophile, portrayed by Kellgren in sinister, suggestive tones. Jacky eventually falls in love with a boy on the ship who learns of Jacky's true gender, and in a memorable scene onshore, Kellgren's high-pitched tones easily mimic Jacky's successful attempt to imitate the voice of an island girl to deceive her shipmates. Nautical music introducing and concluding the work adds to the mood, as does Kellgren's impressive singing of a ballad. Populated with wicked sailors, midshipmen, and a close-knit group of ship's boys, this rousing historical tale is an appealing choice for fans of adventures, sea stories, and gutsy girls."
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"And with award-winning narrator Kellgren at the helm, the result is pure magic. She creates authentic character voices, switching effortlessly among Mary's Cockney, the melodic Irish lilt of sailor Liam, the educated American voice of schoolmaster Tilden, the chillingly sinister, leering tone of Jacob Sloat and many other voices without missing a beat. Her acting is also first-rate: her tone of pride as Mary boasts of her achievements, her tenderness as she speaks of Jaimy, the boy she secretly falls in love with, and the sheer terror in her voice during scenes of violence and danger will have listeners on the edge of their seats. For tweens and teens caught up in this summer's Pirate Fever, Bloody Jack is the perfect audiobook to make those long family car trips fly by."
Rapture Of The Deep [10CD]
A Rather Lovely Inheritance [8CD]
Viva Jacquelina! [8CD]
Boston Jacky [8CD]
A Rather Charming Invitation [10CD]
Wild Rover No More [9CD]
Relaxation Through Mind Power: The 10-minute Mindpower Nap [DD]


Review: The Solus Project (PS4) | "DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!"
Survival/Crafting games are a dime a dozen these days (or cheaper if you poke around at PC game bundle sites, heh), but a game like Teotl Studios and Grip Games' The Solus Project manages to rise above the digital ton of games that are less "survival" oriented and more about scampering around shooting at assorted organic life with food and water meters acting like gas and oil tanks in an arcade racing game.
What's here is a also a fine sci-fi adventure game where the environment on planet Gliese-6143-C is possibly your worst enemy, but other things can also do you in if you're careless in your roaming. Interestingly enough, the game later dips a toe (okay, its entire being) into horror elements and the unsettling sense of dread the early exploration brings turns into moments where you might be too freaked out to take another step. That the game slides through a few genres along the way ends up being a nice touch because it's completely unexpected.
Desperately you look for a way of phoning home, but as you explore the seemingly desolate planet, you uncover the dark secrets buried within the depths. In this otherworldly odyssey you uncover mystery upon mystery as you try to survive the harsh climate.
In a nutshell, you find yourself the last hope of humanity after your spaceship is destroyed as it's passing by that alien planet and your escape pod is jettisoned. With your crew dead and you the only survivor, the game puts you behind the 8-ball right from the start. Fortunately, you've got a working PDA (named Wilson!) to track your vital statistics and the scattered wreckage of your spaceship to loot for some much-needed supplies. Initially, you're tasked with finding a light source, food, and water, all of which are easily located a short distance away. You'll also discover notes and journal pages scattered around that tell a few stories about come of the now-dead crew.
The first portion is very much a survival game with crafting elements, but you'll find that unless you're really careless and do something like fall off a cliff while trying to jump onto a rock formation (oops) or step on some poisonous ankle-biting plant life (oops), food and water is plentiful and that torch you've crafted works exceptionally well. Additionally, despite the deadly weather you'll want to admire from afar, "surviving " seems a bit easy at times and it almost feels as if you're being guided somewhere around a very deadly theme park. On the flip side, straying from where you need to go (there's something interesting, strange or impressive everywhere you look) can lead to the occasional death from being overly curious if you forget to pay close attention to your surroundings.
Wilson warns you about needing to sleep, eat and hydrate as well as keeping you posted on any status effects you'll need to handle. Finding a place to sleep where you won't suffer from the heat or cold is important as it's one of the only two means of saving your progress. The game also has some light puzzle elements that require a bit of careful observation and poking around the surrounding area for hints. Inventory management is initially an issue because you can only carry a dozen items until you locate a backpack or two during your travels. The great thing is so much of the game revolves around exploration and discovery that despite the danger it feels right to literally go that extra mile.
When the game slides into the scary stuff, it's a shock in that there's a good chance more casual players will have settled into a few comfortable grooves before the developer yanks the rug out. The scares work well and yes, you'll need to move a bit quickly in spots. It may seem as if the game has a schizophrenic side thanks to the shifts in tone and somewhat simplistic start. But it's also a great ruse that works because the bait and switch is brilliant. At one point, I was so nervous about venturing into an area that I started laughing to no one in particular because I kept thinking of movies that use some of the same ideas found here that fail because they substitute actual suspense for action and gore effects. Here, you get rattled and it sticks.
As you can see here and in that trailer, the game looks amazing with some stunning Unreal 4-powered visuals from start to finish. There are a few times where you'll be floored by what you're seeing, but it's also a case where you'll want to be rushing to a safe spot if a massive tornado gets too close for comfort or when way too many meteorites come blazing into the vicinity. The initially rocky shore gives way to assorted islands, temples of a sort and other places where you'll see influences from natural and unnatural sources. Audio is also great- slap on a set of headphones for best results, but be prepared to yank them off once your stress level rises.
While PlayStation VR support is also on board as an option, I'm one of those folks who can't take the gimmick without getting a headache and a bit of queasy wheezy feeling with a side of eyestrain. The game was developed without VR in mind and works wonderfully as a "flat" experience, something I wish all VR games did (but that's a rant for another time). In any event, this one's a winner through and through, even with that ending that's going to maybe disappoint some players not expecting it. Me, I thought it was well done and intend to dive back in for a second play once the backlog is a lot smaller. That the game rolls one way at the start and evolves into another thing by its closure while it has you guessing all the way makes it smarter than the average "survival" game (and that's fine by me).
This entry was posted in 2017, Commentary, DAF, Features, Humor, Updates and tagged BUY This Game, Digital Games, Downloads, Gallery, Grip Digital, Holiday Gift Guide 2017, Hourences, Imports, Indie Games, PlayStation 4, Playstation Network, PS4, PSN, Reviews, SCEA, Screenshots, Sony, Teotl Studios, The Solus Project, VGA 101, Videogame Appreciation 101, Videogame Reviews, Videogame Trailers, YouTube by geelw. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Spamalot (also known as Monty Python's Spamalot) is a musical with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and a book by Idle. It is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Like the motion picture, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend, but it differs from the film in many ways. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, received 14 Tony Awards nominations, winning in three categories, including Best Musical. During its initial run of 1,575 performances, it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million. Tim Curry starred as King Arthur in the original Broadway and West End productions. It was one of eight UK musicals commemorated on Royal Mail stamps, issued in February 2011.

A Paramount Pictures film adaptation, directed by Casey Nicholaw in his directorial debut from a script by Idle, was in pre-production as of 2021.

Synopsis

Before the show
A recording encourages members of the audience to "let your cellphones and pagers ring willy-nilly," and comments that they should "be aware there are heavily armed knights on stage that may drag you on stage and impale you." This was recorded by Eric Idle.

Act I
A historian narrates a brief overview of medieval England. In a miscommunication between the actors and the narrator, the actors sing an introductory song about Finland ("Fisch Schlapping Song"). The Historian returns, irritated, and tells the frolicking Finns that he was talking about England, not Finland.  The scene immediately changes to a dreary, dark village with penitent monks in hooded robes chanting Latin and hitting themselves with books. King Arthur travels the land with his servant Patsy, who follows him around banging two coconut shells together to make the sound of a horse's hooves as Arthur "rides" before him, trying to recruit Knights of the Round Table to join him in Camelot. He encounters a pair of sentries who are more interested in debating whether two swallows could successfully carry a coconut than in listening to the king.

Sir Robin, a collector of plague victims, and Lancelot, a large, handsome and incredibly violent man, meet as Lancelot attempts to dispose of the sickly Not Dead Fred. Although a plague victim, the man insists that he is not dead yet and he can dance and sing. He completes a dance number, but is soon hit over the head with a shovel and killed by an impatient Lancelot ("He Is Not Dead Yet"). They agree to become Knights of the Round Table together, Lancelot for the fighting, and Robin for the singing and the dancing.

Arthur attempts to convince a peasant named Dennis Galahad that he, Arthur, is King of England because the Lady of the Lake gave him Excalibur, the sword given only to the man fit to rule England. However, Dennis and his mother, Mrs Galahad, are political radicals and deny that any king who has not been elected by the people has any legitimate right to rule over them. To settle the issue, Arthur has the Lady of the Lake and her Laker Girls appear to turn Dennis into a knight ("Come with Me"). Cheered on by the girls ("Laker Girls Cheer"), the Lady of the Lake turns Dennis into Sir Galahad and together, they sing a generic Broadway love song ("The Song That Goes Like This"), complete with chandelier. They are joined by Sir Robin and Sir Lancelot, and together with Sir Bedevere and the "aptly named" Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show (a knight resembling Don Quixote, who promptly apologises and leaves), they make up the Knights of the Round Table ("All for One").

The five knights gather in Camelot, a deliberately anachronistic place resembling Las Vegas's Camelot-inspired Excalibur resort, complete with showgirls, oversized dice and the Lady of the Lake headlining the castle in full Liza Minnelli get-up ("Knights of the Round Table" / "The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)"). In the midst of their revelry, they are contacted by God (a recording voiced by John Cleese of the original Monty Python troupe and Eric Idle in the version that toured the UK) who tells them to locate the Holy Grail. Urged on by the Lady of the Lake ("Find Your Grail"), the Knights set off. They travel throughout the land until they reach a castle, only to be viciously taunted by lewd French soldiers. They attempt to retaliate by sending them a large wooden rabbit in the style of the Trojan horse; however, they realise after the fact that it was not as simple as leaving the rabbit and walking away – they should have hidden inside it.  Defeated, they leave in a hurry when the French begin taunting them again, sending cancan dancers after them and throwing barnyard animals including cows at them ("Run Away!"). Arthur and his followers manage to run into the safety of the wings before the French catapult the Trojan rabbit at them.

Act II
Sir Robin and his minstrels follow King Arthur and Patsy into a "dark and very expensive forest" (Arthur later says they're in a "dark and extremely expensive forest"), where they are separated. King Arthur meets the terrifying but silly Knights Who Say Ni, who demand a shrubbery. King Arthur despairs of finding one, but Patsy cheers him up ("Always Look on the Bright Side of Life") and they find a shrubbery shortly after.

Sir Robin, after wandering the forest for some time with his minstrels ("Brave Sir Robin"), encounters the Black Knight, who scares him off, but King Arthur, who happens on the scene, more or less defeats him by cutting off both his arms and legs, impaling his still-alive torso on a door, and leaving to give the Knights their shrubbery. The Knights accept it, but next demand that King Arthur put on a musical and bring it to Broadway (in the United Kingdom, this became a West End musical; on the tour, they must put on a "Broadway musical"), implying that it need only be Broadway-style, "but not an Andrew Lloyd Webber". The mere mention of his name causes everyone to cover their ears and scream in pain. Sir Robin, who has found Arthur by this point, insists that it would be impossible for them to accomplish this next task, since you need Jews for a successful Broadway (or West End) musical ("You Won't Succeed on Broadway"), and proves his point in a wild production number filled with  Fiddler on the Roof parodies, including a bottle dance with Grails instead of bottles. King Arthur and Patsy promptly set off in search of Jews.

(In countries that don't have a tradition of Jews in the theatre, the lyrics of "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" are sometimes changed to instead describe the high production standards and acting talent needed to stage a successful musical in that country.  For example, in the South Korean version, Sir Robin sings about recent successful musicals that were staged in Seoul during the previous decade.  Meanwhile, members of the ensemble appear onstage dressed as various characters from those musicals.  Among these characters are a cat from Cats, Kenickie from Grease, Kim from Miss Saigon, the Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera, and Velma Kelly from Chicago.  As with the original version of the song, Sir Robin and the entire ensemble end the number with a song and dance routine.)

While the Lady of the Lake laments her lack of stage time ("Whatever Happened to My Part?"), Sir Lancelot receives a letter from what he assumes is a young damsel in distress. He is very surprised to find that the "damsel" is actually an effeminate young man named Prince Herbert ("Where Are You?" / "Here Are You") whose overbearing, music-hating father, the King of Swamp Castle, is forcing him into an arranged marriage. As Herbert is asking Lancelot to help him escape, the King of Swamp Castle cuts the rope that he is using to climb out of the window, and Herbert falls to his apparent death. Lancelot is a bit puzzled at the king's actions, but it is revealed that Herbert was saved at the last minute by Lancelot's sidekick, Concorde. The King asks his son how he was saved, exactly, to which Herbert replies happily with a song. But the king charges at his son with a spear, preparing to kill him. Lancelot steps in to save him, then gives a tearful, heartfelt speech to the king about sensitivity on Herbert's behalf, and Lancelot is outed as homosexual in the process, an announcement celebrated in a wild disco number ("His Name Is Lancelot").

King Arthur begins to give up hope of ever putting on the Broadway musical and laments that he is alone, even though Patsy has been with him the entire time ("I'm All Alone"). The Lady of the Lake appears and tells Arthur that he and the Knights have been in a Broadway musical all along (in some productions she also points out Patsy's presence, to which Arthur claims that he sees Patsy as "family" and thus doesn't always consider him a separate person). Patsy also reveals he is half Jewish, but didn't want to say anything to Arthur because "that's not really the sort of thing you say to a heavily armed Christian." All that's left is for King Arthur to find the Grail and marry someone. After picking up on some not-too-subtle hints, Arthur decides to marry the Lady of the Lake after he finds the Grail ("Twice in Every Show").

Reunited with his Knights, Arthur meets Tim the Enchanter who warns them of the danger of a killer rabbit. When the rabbit bites a knight's head off, Arthur uses the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch against it, knocking down a nearby hill and revealing that the "evil rabbit" was actually a puppet controlled by a surprised puppeteer. A large stone block showing a combination of letters and numbers is also revealed. (The letters are based on the seat numbering system used by each theatre. They are changed from performance to performance to discourage audience members from intentionally booking any of the possible seats.  The seat is typically on the aisle in one of the first few rows nearest the orchestra. In the Broadway production and on the tour it is either A101, B101, C101 or D101; i.e., Seat 101 – which is house right of the center aisle – of Rows A, B, C, or D. In the West End production a word is revealed – DONE, CONE or BONE, referring to D1, C1 and B1 respectively.) After pondering the final clue, Arthur admits that they're "a bit stumped with the clue thing" and asks God to "give them a hand". A large hand points to the audience and Arthur realises that the letters and numbers refer to a seat number in the audience. The grail is "found" (with some sleight of hand) under the seat and the person sitting in the seat is rewarded with a small trophy and a polaroid photo ("The Holy Grail"). Arthur marries the Lady of the Lake, who reveals that her name is Guinevere; Lancelot marries Herbert (who finally has a chance to sing); and Sir Robin decides to pursue a career in musical theatre. Herbert's father attempts to interrupt the finale and stop all of the "bloody singing", but is hit over the head with a shovel by Lancelot, a nod to "He Is Not Yet Dead" ("Act 2 Finale / Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Company Bow)").

The overall duration of the show is about two hours plus interval time.

Musical numbers
Eric Idle wrote the musical's book and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music, except for "Finland", which was written by Michael Palin for Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album; "Knights of the Round Table" and "Brave Sir Robin", which were composed by Neil Innes for Monty Python and the Holy Grail; and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", which was originally written by Idle for the film Monty Python's Life of Brian.

 Act I
 Overture – Orchestra
 "Fisch Schlapping Song" – Mayor, Ensemble
 "Monk's Chant" – Monks
 "King Arthur's Song" – King Arthur, Patsy**
 "He Is Not Dead Yet" – Not Dead Fred, Lancelot, Robin, Men
 "Come with Me" – Lady of the Lake
 "Laker Girls" – King Arthur, Patsy, Laker Girls
 "The Song That Goes Like This" – Galahad, Lady of the Lake, Women
 "All for One" – King Arthur, Patsy, Robin, Lancelot, Galahad, Bedevere
 "Knights of the Round Table/The Song That Goes like this (Reprise)" – King Arthur, Patsy, Lancelot, Robin, Galahad, Bedevere, Lady of the Lake, Company
 "Find Your Grail" – Lady of the Lake, King Arthur, Company
 "Run Away" – The French Taunter, French Guards, King Arthur, Patsy, Robin, Lancelot, Galahad, Bedevere, Company

 Act II
 "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" – Patsy, King Arthur, Men
 "Brave Sir Robin" – Minstrels
 "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" – Robin, Ensemble‡
 "Whatever Happened to My Part?" – Lady of the Lake
 "Where Are You?" – Prince Herbert
 "His Name Is Lancelot" – Lancelot, Prince Herbert, Men
 "I'm All Alone" – King Arthur, Patsy, Men
 "Twice in Every Show" - King Arthur, Lady of The Lake
 "The Grail" – King Arthur, Patsy, Lancelot, Robin, Galahad, Bedevere,**
 "Finale" – Herbert, Lancelot, Robin, King Arthur, Lady of the Lake, Company
 "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Company Bow)" – Company

**Does not appear on the original cast album.

Notes
The song "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" was changed to "You Won't Succeed in Showbiz" for the London production and later replaced with the "Star Song" on the UK tour.

Characters

Court of Camelot

 King Arthur of Britain
 Sir Lancelot the Homicidally Brave
 Sir Robin, the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot
 Sir Dennis Galahad, the Dashingly Handsome
 Sir Bedevere, the Strangely Flatulent

 Patsy, King Arthur's trusty servant/steed and constant companion
 Concorde, Lancelot's trusty servant/steed
 Brother Maynard, Camelot's clergyman
 Sir Bors
 Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show, dressed as Don Quixote

Other characters

 The Lady of the Lake
 Not Dead Fred
 Robin's Lead Minstrel
 The King of Swamp Castle (a.k.a. Herbert's Father)
 Prince Herbert
 French Taunter
 The Black Knight
 The Head Knight Who Says "Ni!"
 Tim the Enchanter
 Mrs Galahad

 The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog
 Swamp Castle Guards
 Two Sentries
 Historian: the Narrator
 The Laker Girls
 Knights of the Round Table
 Robin's Minstrels
 God
 Holder of the Holy Grail

Doubling of parts
In tribute to the film, where six actors played the majority of the male parts (and a few female ones), several actors play multiple roles; the only major characters not doubling are Arthur and the Lady of the Lake. In the Broadway production, the following doubling is used:

 Lancelot/2nd Sentry/The French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim the Enchanter
 Robin/1st Sentry/Brother Maynard/2nd Guard
 Galahad/King of Swamp Castle/Black Knight
 Patsy/Mayor of Finland/1st Guard
 Bedevere/Mrs Galahad/Concorde
 The Historian/Prince Herbert/Not Dead Fred/Lead Minstrel/The French Taunter's Best Friend

Sara Ramirez doubled as a witch and a cow in the Chicago previews, but both parts were cut during the pre-Broadway run. Several pairs of characters originally played by the same Monty Python member were reduced to one: the Dead Collector and Sir Robin (Idle), the Large Man with a Dead Body and Sir Lancelot (Cleese), and Dennis the Active Peasant and Sir Galahad (Michael Palin).

Casts

Notable Broadway cast replacements
Sir Lancelot: Steve Kazee, Alan Tudyk, Rick Holmes
Lady of the Lake: Lauren Kennedy, Marin Mazzie, Hannah Waddingham, Merle Dandridge
King Arthur: Simon Russell Beale, Harry Groener, Jonathan Hadary, Richard McCourt, Stephen Collins, Michael Siberry, John O'Hurley
Sir Galahad: Lewis Cleale, Bradley Dean
Prince Herbert: Tom Deckman
Sir Robin: Martin Moran, Clay Aiken, Robert Petkoff
Patsy: Dominic Wood, David Hibbard, Drew Lachey
Sir Bedevere: Brad Oscar

Notable West End cast replacements
Notable West End cast replacements have included Peter Davison and Bill Ward in 2007 and Marin Mazzie, in early 2008. Sanjeev Bhaskar (King Arthur), Michael Xavier (Sir Galahad) and Nina Söderquist (Lady of the Lake) were part of the closing cast.

Production history

Chicago

Previews of the show began in Chicago's Shubert Theatre (now the CIBC Theatre) on 21 December 2004; the show officially opened there on 9 January 2005.

Two musical numbers were dropped from Act One while the production was still in Chicago. During the scene set in the "Witch Village", the torch song "Burn Her!" was originally performed by Sir Bedevere, The Witch, Sir Robin, Lancelot and Villagers. At the French Castle, "The Cow Song", in a parody of a stereotypical film noir/cabaret style, was performed by The Cow and French Citizens. Before the two songs were cut in Chicago, the lead vocals in both songs were sung by Sara Ramirez. This gave the Lady of the Lake six songs in Act One, but no further appearances until scene five in Act Two, for "The Diva's Lament".

Broadway

The musical previewed on Broadway, at New York's Shubert Theatre, beginning 14 February 2005, ahead of an official opening on 17 March.  Mike Nichols directed, and Casey Nicholaw choreographed.  The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical and was nominated for 14 Tony Awards. The show played its final performance on 11 January 2009 after 35 previews and 1,575 performances; it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million, recouping its initial production costs in under six months.

The original Broadway cast included Tim Curry as King Arthur, Michael McGrath as Patsy, David Hyde Pierce as Sir Robin, Hank Azaria as Sir Lancelot and other roles (e.g., the French Taunter, Knight of Ni, and Tim the Enchanter), Christopher Sieber as Sir Galahad and other roles (e.g., the Black Knight and Prince Herbert's Father), and Sara Ramirez as the Lady of the Lake. It also included Christian Borle as Prince Herbert and other roles (e.g., the Historian and Not Dead Fred), Steve Rosen as Sir Bedevere and other roles (e.g., Concorde and Dennis's Mother) and John Cleese as the (recorded) Voice of God.

US touring productions
First national tour (2006–2009)
[[File:Natl Theatre Washington.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Spamalot'''s North American tour took it to Washington, D.C.'s National Theatre in May 2006.]]
A North American tour commenced in spring 2006, and the cast included Michael Siberry as King Arthur, Jeff Dumas as Patsy, Richard Holmes as Lancelot, Bradley Dean as Galahad and Tom Deckman as The Historian. The tour won three 2007 Touring Broadway Awards, including Best New Musical. Richard Chamberlain later joined the tour as King Arthur.tour information  montypythonsspamalot.com. Retrieved 26 February 2009 The tour continued through the summer 2009, and played its final performances at the Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa where it closed on 18 October 2009.
Second/Third national tour (2010–2013)
A second North American tour launched on 24 September 2010 from Waterbury, Connecticut, and ended 26 June 2011 in Dallas, Texas. This tour featured a non-Equity cast that included Caroline Bowman as the Lady of the Lake. Another non-Equity North American tour was undertaken in 2013.

Hollywood Bowl (2015)
A three evening performance at the Hollywood Bowl was undertaken in 2015, with Eric Idle appearing in the role of The Historian, and other cast members including Christian Slater, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Craig Robinson, Merle Dandridge, Warwick Davis, Kevin Chamberlin and Rick Holmes.  The script was updated and included many Los Angeles specific jokes.

West End

A London production opened at the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End, commencing 30 September 2006 (London premiere 17 October). Tim Curry and Christopher Sieber reprised their roles from the Broadway production. They were joined by Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake, Tom Goodman-Hill as Sir Lancelot, Robert Hands as Sir Robin, David Birell as Patsy, Tony Timberlake as Sir Bedevere and Darren Southworth as Prince Herbert. The London production closed on 3 January 2009.

 UK touring production/West End revival
A UK tour scheduled for later in 2009 was initially postponed, the producers commenting "Due to unforeseen circumstances the UK Tour of Spamalot will not be taking place as scheduled in 2009", but eventually started at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 29 May – 5 June 2010. Phill Jupitus played King Arthur in the UK tour.
Todd Carty played Patsy, assistant to King Arthur for the duration of the tour. Marcus Brigstocke made his musical theatre debut as King Arthur following Jupitus' departure. Jodie Prenger, Hayley Tamaddon, Amy Nuttall and Jessica Martin shared the role of The Lady of the Lake.

The UK tour also featured for the first time a re-working of the song "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" which has been renamed "You Won't Succeed in Showbiz". The theme of the song has been changed from poking fun at the need for Jewish input into Broadway productions and instead mocks the cross over of celebrities in musicals and reality television competitions such as The X Factor. It notably pokes fun at reality TV celebrities including Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Susan Boyle (who is shot by Sir Robin when she begins to sing).

The touring production played a limited seven-week run in the West End during the summer of 2012 at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Marcus Brigstocke shared the role of King Arthur with Jon Culshaw for those seven weeks, with Bonnie Langford playing Lady of the Lake. The production moved to the Playhouse Theatre on 14 November 2012, and ran until 12 April 2014. During 2013 a number of celebrities each played the part of God for a week in aid of charity, including Professor Brian Cox, Gary Lineker, Barbara Windsor, Brian May and Michael Palin.

Other notable cast members during the run of the West End revival included Stephen Tompkinson, Joe Pasquale, Les Dennis and Richard McCourt as King Arthur, Anna-Jane Casey and Carley Stenson as Lady of the Lake, Warwick Davis and Dominic Wood as Patsy, Daniel Boys as Sir Lancelot and Jon Robyns as Sir Galahad.

A production in April 2015 at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley starred Joe Pasquale, Todd Carty and Sarah Earnshaw.

Las Vegas
A production of the musical began Las Vegas, Nevada, previewed on 8 March 2007 and opened on 31 March 2007 at the Wynn Las Vegas in the newly renamed Grail Theater. As with other Las Vegas transfers of Broadway musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, Spamalot was condensed to run in ninety minutes without an intermission. Among the cuts were the song "All For One", most of the song "Run Away", the Knights of Ni receiving their shrubbery, and the "Make sure he doesn't leave" scene with Prince Herbert's guards.

Actor John O'Hurley starred as King Arthur, with J Anthony Crane playing Lancelot. Due to the Las Vegas production, the North American touring company would not perform in California, Arizona, or Nevada. Although initially contracted to run for up to ten years its final performance was on 18 July 2008.

International productions
A new Australian production started in Melbourne in November 2007 at Her Majesty's Theatre, with the official premiere on 1 December. The cast featured Bille Brown as King Arthur, Ben Lewis as Sir Galahad, Stephen Hall as Sir Lancelot and Mark Conaghan as Prince Herbert The Australian production closed on 5 April 2008, due to lack of ticket sales and no tour followed. In October 2014, Harvest Rain Theatre Company under the direction of producer Tim O'Connor staged a production of Spamalot with a cast list including Jon English as King Arthur, Simon Gallaher as Patsy, Julie Anthony as the Lady of the Lake, Frank Woodley as Sir Robin, Chris Kellett as Sir Lancelot, and Stephen Hirst as Galahad. The production was presented in The Concert Hall at QPAC in Brisbane.

The first translated production, in Spanish, ran at Teatre Victoria, Barcelona from 9 September 2008 to 10 May 2009. Directed by Catalan Comedy Group Tricicle and choreographed by Francesc Abós, the cast included Jordi Bosch as King Arthur and Marta Ribera as the Lady of the Lake. The production moved to Madrid in September 2009 A German production premiered in January 2009 at the Musical Dome in Cologne. The Hungarian production in Madach Theatre, Budapest premiered on 29 September 2009 with three casts, each actor taking up multiple roles. The Swedish production opened on the Malmö Nöjesteater in Malmö on 24 September 2010, with a cast including Johan Wester as King Arthur and Johan Glans as Sir Robin. The production moved to Oscarsteatern in Stockholm on 15 September 2011 where it played through 29 April 2012. Nina Söderquist, who starred as Lady of the Lake in the West End production was thought to reprise her role, but became pregnant. She joined the show when it moved to Stockholm, along with Henrik Hjelt as Sir Belvedere. In May 2011, the original UK touring production played at Politeama Rossetti in Trieste. Eric Idle attended the opening night on 24 May.

The Mexican premiere of the show was in July 2011 in Mexico City. The show ran for over 500 performances across the country. The Japanese production ran from 9 to 22 January 2012 at the Akasaka Blitz theater in Tokyo before playing Morinomiya Piloti Hall in Osaka from 2 February to February to 6 February. The production featured Yūsuke Santamaria as King Arthus, Aya Hirano as Lady of the Lake, Magy as Patsy, Yuya Matsushita as Sir Galahad and Tsuyoshi Muro as Prince Herbert. The South Korean production was presented by OD Musical Company, and CJ Entertainment's Performing Arts division (now a part of CJ E&M); incidentally, CJ CheilJedang, the sister company of CJ Group's entertainment business, manufactures Spam products under license since 1987. It played from 1 October to 28 December 2010, with Yesung of Super Junior and Park In-bae rotating as Sir Galahad. A Norwegian production ran from September to December 2012, with a cast featuring Atle Antonsen as King Arthur, Trond Espen Seim as Sir Lancelot, Anders Baasmo Christiansen as Sir Robin, Espen Beranek Holm as Sir Belvedere and Trond Fausa Aurvåg as Prince Herbert. A Serbian production at Sava Centar in Belgrade had a cast including Nikola Kojo as King Arthur, Nikola Đuričko as Sir Lancelot and Gordan Kičić as Sir Robin.

 Title
Book-writer and lyricist Eric Idle explained the title in a February 2004 press release:

Reactions by Monty Python members

The show has had mixed reactions from Idle's former colleagues in Monty Python.

Terry Gilliam, in an audio interview, describes it as "Python-lite". He later told the BBC News, "It helps with the pension fund, and it helps keep Python alive. As much as we'd like to pull the plug on the whole thing it carries on – it's got a life of its own."

Terry Jones – who co-directed the original film with Gilliam – expressed his opinions forthrightly in May 2005:  "Spamalot is utterly pointless. It's full of air … Regurgitating Python is not high on my list of priorities." However, when asked whether he liked Spamalot during an interview with Dennis Daniel on 98.5 WBON-FM The Bone shortly after the musical's opening on Broadway, Jones said, "Well, I thought it was terrific good fun.  It's great to see the audience loving it. I suppose I had reservations as far as … well … the idea of doing scenes from a film on stage. I just don't get the point of it. They do them terribly well … I mean, they really are good … but I just quite don't understand what that's about.  It isn't really 'Python.' It is very much Eric." Jones went on to say, "I think the best parts of the musical are the new things. For instance, when they do the Andrew Lloyd Webber take-off and this girl comes in and sings 'Whatever Happened to My Part' since she hasn't appeared since the opening number and she's really furious! That is one of the great moments where the show really comes alive for me."

In an October 2006 interview, Michael Palin said, "We're all hugely delighted that Spamalot is doing so well. Because we're all beneficiaries! It's a great show. It's not 'Python' as we would have written it. But then, none of us would get together and write a 'Python' stage show. Eric eventually ran out of patience and said, 'Well, I'll do it myself then.' He sent us bits and songs and all that and we said, 'Yeah, that's all right, have a go.' But its success is so enormous that it took us all by surprise, including Eric, and now we're just proud to be associated with it, rather pathetically."

When asked by a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter in 2008 if he had to be persuaded to provide the recorded voice of God in the musical, John Cleese said, "Yeah, that's right. And in the end I think Spamalot turned out splendidly. It's had a tremendous run. I defy anyone to go and not have a really fun evening. It's the silliest thing I've ever seen and I think Eric did a great job."

The last verse of the "Finland"/"Fisch Slapping Dance" was incorporated into Spam sketch for the 2014 reunion show Monty Python Live (Mostly).

Critical reception and box-office
The original production has been both a financial and critical success. Variety reported advance ticket sales of $18 million, with ticket prices ranging from $36 to $179. The advance made Broadway box office history.

The show proved to be an early success when moving to London's West End. After high advance ticket sales the show's run was extended by four weeks, four months before the run commenced.
The play makes many references to the film and other material in the Python canon, including a line from "The Lumberjack Song", nods to "Ministry of Silly Walks", the "Election Night Special" and "Dead Parrot sketch" routines, a bar from "Spam" worked into "Knights of the Round Table", a rendition of the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), and the "Fisch Schlapping Song" which is a reference to both "The Fish-Slapping Dance" and the song "Finland".  Another reference is actually part of the Playbill of the show; there are several gag pages about a musical entitled "Dik Od Triaanenen Fol (Finns Ain't What They Used To Be)". This gag programme was written by Palin, and echoes the faux-Swedish subtitles in the credits of the original Grail Python film.

Broadway musical fans appreciate its references to other musicals and musical theatre in general, such as: "The Song That Goes Like This" (a spoof of Andrew Lloyd Webber productions and many other Broadway power ballads); "Whatever Happened To My Part" reminiscent of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls, the knights doing a dance reminiscent of Fiddler on the Roof, and another reminiscent of West Side Story (including the music); Sir Lancelot's mimicking of Peter Allen in "His Name Is Lancelot"; the character of Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show being Man of La Manchas Don Quixote; a member of the French "army" dressed as Eponine from Les Misérables; and a line pulled from "Another Hundred People" from Stephen Sondheim's Company by the "damsel" Herbert. The song "You Won't Succeed (On Broadway)" also parodies The Producers and Yentl.

The show has not escaped criticism. In Slate, Sam Anderson wrote,
"Python was formed in reaction to exactly the kind of lazy comedy represented by Spamalot — what Michael Palin once described as the 'easy, catch-phrase reaction' the members had all been forced to pander in their previous writing jobs... Spamalot is the gaudy climax of a long, unfunny tradition of post-Python exploitation – books, actions figures, video games – that treats the old material as a series of slogans to be referenced without doing any of the work that made the lines so original in the first place."

The West End version opened to rave reviews. "It's a wonderful night, and I fart in the general direction of anyone who says otherwise", wrote Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph (echoing a joke from the show). According to Paul Taylor in the Independent, "it leaves you that high and weak with laughter, thanks not just to the Python provenance of the basic material but to the phenomenal speed, wit, cheek and showbiz knowingness of the direction, which is by the great veteran, Mike Nichols". Michael Billington in the Guardian was less enthusiastic, though, stating "while I'm happy to see musicals spoofed, the show's New York origins are clearly exposed in a would-be outre number which announces "we won't succeed in show business if we don't have any Jews": a Broadway in-joke that has little purchase this side of the Atlantic." Billington adds, "With hand on heart, I'd much rather watch Lerner and Loewe's Camelot than Eric Idle's smart-arsed Spamalot."

The Las Vegas production was awarded the Number 1 show of 2007 by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Coconut orchestra world record
On 22 March 2006, to mark the first anniversary of the official Broadway opening, the "World's Largest Coconut Orchestra", 1,789 people clapping together half coconut shells, performed in Shubert Alley, outside the theatre. The claim was officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records.  This record was broken by 5,877 people in Trafalgar Square at 7 pm on 23 April 2007, led by the cast from the London production, along with Jones and Gilliam, with the coconuts used in place of the whistles in "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".  This formed part of London's St George's Day celebrations that year and was followed by a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Other

In 2006, the London cast of Spamalot performed excerpts at the Royal Variety Performance.

On 10 March 2007, Spamalot partnered with HP Sauce (the classic British brown sauce, now made in the Netherlands following a contentious decision to close its factory in Birmingham, England) to produce 1,075 limited edition bottles featuring a unique Spamalot take on the classic HP design.  The bottles were available exclusively via Selfridges, London and came in a presentation box with a numbered certificate.  1,075 was chosen to celebrate, absurdly, "1,075 years of the show running in London".

In July 2007 it was announced that the London production would solve the problem of replacing Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake through a TV talent show in Sweden. The programme, called West End Star, which began airing on TV3 on 8 December 2007, announced Nina Söderquist as the winner on 2 February 2008. Söderquist took up the role of the Lady of the Lake, with a standing ovation, on 11 February 2008.

DVD
Portions of the Spamalot original cast recording were featured (with accompanying Flash animation) as a special feature in the 2006 "Extraordinarily Deluxe Two-Disc Edition" DVD re-release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Awards and nominations
In the original Broadway production, Sara Ramirez sang the line, "I've no Grammy, no reward/I've no Tony Award." Ironically, the show's original cast album won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2006 and Ramirez won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in 2005. The two awards led to a minor change to the song "The Diva's Lament".  Initially, the line became "My Tony Award/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's". When Lauren Kennedy took over for Sara Ramirez, it became "My predecessor won awards/and now she's in Betty Ford's" but was later changed to, "All our' Tony Awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." In the touring production, Pia Glenn sings "All our goddamn awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." For a change, Hannah Waddingham in the London production sings "I'm as depressed as I can be/ I've got constant PMT".

The touring production has garnered Boston's Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Visiting Production.

Original Broadway production

Original London production

Television
A special edition of The South Bank Show was a television documentary on the history of Spamalot. It features numerous segments with Eric Idle and John Du Prez explaining the process of writing the songs, plus interviews with UK and US cast members. It included scenes from the rehearsal of the West End show, and was first broadcast on 15 October 2006.

Film adaptation
In May 2018, 20th Century Fox announced a film adaptation was in the works with Idle writing the script and Casey Nicholaw attached to direct. The film was reportedly fast tracked with casting announced soon with shooting to begin in early 2019. The next month it was reported that the studio was looking to cast Benedict Cumberbatch as King Arthur, Peter Dinklage as his servant Patsy and Tiffany Haddish as the Lady of the Lake. Cumberbatch was taken out of consideration due to his involvement in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where he plays the title character.

At the time of the release of his memoir Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography in December 2019, Idle said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that "(the movie is) all ready to go" and that it "is not very expensive". He cited the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney as a factor to the film's delay, saying it caused "everything (to come) to a grinding halt". He also stated in an interview around the same time with WBUR-FM that Haddish is still being offered the role of the Lady of the Lake, and that the script has "mostly been solved".

On 6 January 2021, it was announced that the project will move to Paramount Pictures and that it is set to begin pre-production, with Nicholaw officially confirmed to direct from Idle's script and Dan Jinks joining as a producer.

Lawsuit
In 2013, the Pythons lost a legal case to Mark Forstater, the producer of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, over royalties for Spamalot. He was paid 1/14 of the portion of the profits paid to the Pythons. The court ruled that he was a full Python partner and was to be paid 1/7 of the portion paid to the Pythons. They owed a combined £800,000 in legal fees and back royalties to Forstater, prompting them to produce Monty Python Live (Mostly).

References

Notes

Bibliography

A Quest Beyond The Grail, a review of Spamalot from the New York Times'' (registration required)
Photos, Videos, Cast Interviews and Information on the West End Production on Theatre.com
MSNBC/Newsweek interview with Idle and Nichols explaining elimination of some pre-Broadway scenes
Tim Curry interview from May 2005 from American Theatre Wing Downstage Center, recorded in MP3 format
Daily Telegraph review of West End version
Tribute to Richard Chamberlain website Spamalot
Spot Light Theatre Australia – Spamalot starting 24 July 2009

External links

 German production official website
 Dutch production official website
 Swedish production official website

2005 musicals
Arthurian musical theatre
Broadway musicals
West End musicals
Fantasy theatre
Musical comedy plays
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Musicals based on films
Musicals by Eric Idle
Musicals by John Du Prez
Metafictional plays
Self-reflexive plays
Tony Award for Best Musical
Plays set in the Middle Ages
Tony Award-winning musicals

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: TPL .Net Concurrenty Issue with Azure EventHub Producer I am working with Azure Event Hub producer client and reading messages off of a kafka stream then pass it along to deserialize/map, then pass to Event Hub.  I have the consume loop which is creating a task for each consume and then two methods to do processing(this seems to have greatly improved the speed from the kafka lag perspective.  However, Event hub makes you create an event batch which I don't necessarily want to use.  I just want to send the data one message at a time for now.  In order to create a new batch I have to call Dispose().  I am running into an issue where there's another call to the function by the the time I call Dispose() and I get an error saying the object is being used by event hub.
I've also tried using the overload for eventHubProducerClient.SendAsync that allows you to pass in a IEnumerable but i'm running into the same issue with that.
So I believe this to be a synchronization issue, or maybe I need to do a lock somewhere?
Any help would be appreciated.
       public void Execute()
                {
                    using (_consumer)
                    {
                        try
                        {
                            _consumer.Subscribe(_streamConsumerSettings.Topic);
                            while (true)
                            {
                                var result = _consumer.Consume(1000);

                                if (result == null)
                                {
                                    continue;
                                }
                                var process = Task.Factory.StartNew(() => ProcessMessage(result?.Message?.Value));
                                var send = process.ContinueWith(t => SendMessage(process.Result));
                            }

                        }
                        catch (ConsumeException e)
                        {
                            _logger.LogError(e, e.StackTrace ?? e.Message);
                            _cancelConsume = true;
                            _consumer.Close();
                            RestartConsumer();
                        }
                    }
                }

         public static EquipmentJson ProcessMessage(byte[] result)
         {
                    var json = _messageProcessor.DeserializeAndMap(result);
                    return json;
         }

         public static void SendMessage(EquipmentJson message)
         {
                    try
                    {

                        _eventHubClient.AddToBatch(message);

                    }
                    catch (Exception e)
                    {
                        _logger.LogError(e, e.StackTrace ?? e.Message);
                    }
          }

        public async Task AddToBatch(EquipmentJson message)
                {
                    if
      (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(message.EquipmentLocation))
                    {
                        try
                        {
                            var batch = await _equipmentLocClient.CreateBatchAsync();
                            batch.TryAdd(new EventData(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(message.EquipmentLocation)));
                            await _eventHubProducerClient.SendAsync(batch);
                            batch.Dispose();
                            _logger.LogInformation($"Data sent {DateTimeOffset.UtcNow}");
                        }
                        catch (Exception e)
                        {
                            _logger.LogError(e, e.StackTrace ?? e.Message);
                        }
                    }
                }

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    {
        private readonly ILoggerAdapter<EventHubClient> _logger;
        private readonly EventHubClientSettings _eventHubClientSettings;
        private IMapper _mapper;

        private static EventHubProducerClient _equipmentLocClient;

        public EventHubClient(ILoggerAdapter<EventHubClient> logger, EventHubClientSettings eventHubClientSettings, IMapper mapper)
        {
            _logger = logger;
            _eventHubClientSettings = eventHubClientSettings;
            _mapper = mapper;
            _equipmentLocClient = new EventHubProducerClient(_eventHubClientSettings.ConnectionString, _eventHubClientSettings.EquipmentLocation);

        }
    }
}

A: Based on my speculation in comments, I'm curious if refactoring to use async/await rather than the explicit continuation in the main loop may help.  Perhaps something similar to the following LinqPad snippet:
async Task Main()
{
    while (true)
    {
        var message = await Task.Factory.StartNew(() => GetText());
        var events = new[] { new EventData(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(message)) };

        await Send(events).ConfigureAwait(false);
    }
}

public EventHubProducerClient client = new EventHubProducerClient("<< CONNECTION STRING >>");

public async Task Send(EventData[] events)
{
    try
    {
        await client.SendAsync(events).ConfigureAwait(false);
        "Sent".Dump();
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        ex.Dump();
    }
}

public string GetText()
{
    Thread.Sleep(250);
    return "Test";
}

If you're set on keeping the continuation, I wonder if a slight structural refactoring in the continuation may help, both to push up creation of the events and to honor the await statements.  Perhaps something similar to the following LinqPad snippet:
async Task Main()
{
    while(true)
    {
        var t = Task.Factory.StartNew(() => GetText());
        var _ = t.ContinueWith(async q =>
        {
            var events = new[] { new EventData(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(t.Result)) };
            await Send(events).ConfigureAwait(false);
        });

        await Task.Yield();
    }
}

public EventHubProducerClient client = new EventHubProducerClient("<< CONNECTION STRING >>");

public async Task Send(EventData[] events)
{
    try
    {
        await client.SendAsync(events).ConfigureAwait(false);
        "Sent".Dump();
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        ex.Dump();
    }
}

public string GetText()
{
    Thread.Sleep(250);
    return "Test";
}

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