text:
Fix the comments.
Posted by John McKay at 1:29 PM 2 comments:
Something for libertarians to love and hate at the same time
In South Dakota, a state senator, Jeff Monroe (R-Pierre), has introduced a bill making it easier for parents to refuse to get their children vaccinated thus guaranteeing an increase in deaths from preventable causes. Monroe says it's all about religious freedom. South Dakota is already one of the states that allows parents to opt out of vaccinations if that is part of the doctrine of their sect. That's not good enough for Monroe. He believes parents should be allowed to opt out if they have a "sincere, verifiable religious belief," even if it's at odds with the teaching of their sect. According to Monroe, the basis of his bill is, "Any time you give parents more freedom, that's a good thing." Ah. "Freedom." One of the most abused words in American politics.
First, the liberal position. Monroe could not have thought that last sentence through before it came out of his mouth. More freedom to parents is not always a good thing. The state has a legitimate role in stepping in very specific and limited cases. Does he really think it's better to give parents the "freedom" to abuse their children, to starve, rape, or severely beat them? I hope not. I think most liberals and conservatives agree that stopping abuse is a legitimate function of the government. The main difference we have is over the definition of abuse. Should physical discipline be allowed, and if so, where is the line to be drawn between spanking and beating? Where vaccinations are concerned, the liberal position is that exposing children to potentially fatal, preventable diseases is wrong and the state has a duty step in.
[Troll Prophylactic. Yes, I am aware that some liberal individuals like Jenny McCarthy are anti-vaccination. She does not speak for liberalism as a whole and she is a dangerous idiot.]
Now the libertarian conundrum. Less government, more freedom, that's got to be good. Besides, libertarians don't think the public school system should exist in the first place. Go back and look at Monroe's statement. Parents should be allowed to opt out if they have a "sincere, verifiable religious belief." How does the government go about verifying you religious beliefs? Doesn't that put the government in business of monitoring your religious beliefs? Doesn't this sound like he wants to exchange policing behavior for policing thought?
Maybe that's going to far, but look at the precedent. How many other laws will people be allowed to opt out of just by saying it's their personal religious belief not to obey? And why is religion privileged over other belief systems? Why can't everyone get "Get Out of Jail Free" cards just for saying "I don't believe in that"? This thing would be a legal nightmare and colossal waste of money for the state of South Dakota. They're not as rich as the other Dakota
Monroe's bill has zero chance of passing and probably won't even get out of committee. But before libertarians shout "freedom, wooo" or Republicans "he's one of us; we're for it" they need to question this guy and think about the consequences of his idiocy.
Posted by John McKay at 1:01 PM No comments:
Labels: bad ideas
Boston Charlie
It wouldn't be Christmas without a rendition of the greatest carol of all time.
Deck us all with Boston Charlie
Lyrics by Walt Kelly, Music by Traditional (whoever he was)
Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!
Nora's freezin' on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!
Don't we know archaic barrel,
Lullaby Lilla boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don't love Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker n' too-da-loo!
Hunky Dory's pop is lolly gaggin' on the wagon,
Willy, folly go through!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!
Chollie's collie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarum bung-a-loo!
Duck us all in bowls of barley,
Hinky dinky dink an' Polly Voo!
Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!
Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, Woof, Woof!
Tizzy seas on melon collie!
Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, Goof, Goof!
Tickle salty boss anchovie
Wash a wash a wall Anna Kangaroo
Ducky allus bows to Polly,
Prolly Wally would but har'ly do!
Dock us all a bowsprit, Solly --
Golly, Solly's cold and so's ol' Lou!
Posted by John McKay at 12:13 PM No comments:
Labels: holidays, music
A holiday warning
This is a rerun of a post I wrote around this time a few years ago. I think it's still relevant.
The men in black (MIB) entered UFO lore in 1956 in a book entitled They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers. The author was one Gray Barker who had been a member of one of the first American UFO groups, the rather ambitiously named International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB). Though Barker's book dealt with a number of paranormal topics, the largest part of it dealt with his former boss, IFSB founder Albert Bender.
In 1953 the IFSB was about two years old with a few hundred dues paying members (called "investigators") who all received the Bureau's newsletter Space Review. The group was doing well enough when, in October 1953, Bender suddenly stopped publication of Space Review, and dissolved the IFSB. The last issue of the news letter gave only this explanation.
STATEMENT OF IMPORTANCE: The mystery of the flying saucers is no longer a mystery. The source is already known, but any information about this is being withheld by order from a higher source. We would like to print the full story in Space Review, but because of the nature of the information we are very sorry that we have been advised in the negative.
According to Barker, the reason Bender had so abruptly ended the group was that three mysterious men in black had visited Bender and warned him off. But before they did, the MIBs were good enough to explain at least part of the true secret of the flying saucers. UFOs, they said, actually come from Antarctica. They have bases in both polar regions and regularly fly between them. Bender told a different story in his own book in 1963.
Enough UFO stories end with the craft departing due north or south that Barker's version of Bender's visitors has been adopted by conspiracy theorists who believe in a decidedly terrestrial origin for saucers. My personal favorite version is that saucers and MIBs are Atlanteans from within the hollow earth, but the theory that they are Nazi refugees from super-scientific bases beneath the ice cap has its devotees, too.
The MIBs are the key to the mystery. The most mundane explanation that has been offered is that they work for the American government and that they are trying to hide the truth about the extraterrestrial origin of UFOs. But that could itself be disinformation. No government has the ability to do what the MIBs do. Think for a moment about the men in black. They have appeared all over the world. They have a special interest in unidentified flying objects and in protecting the polar regions. They seem to actually know what is in the minds of the people they visit. Who has the ability to manage an intelligence network like that? Ask yourself: Who has the ability to travel everywhere, at any time, and even seemingly to appear in two places at once? Who has a special interest in protecting the polar regions? Who knows when you are sleeping? Who knows when you are awake? Who knows if you've been good or bad?
I think you know the answer.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and be good for goodness sake.
Labels: conspiracies, holidays
Atlantis and the Mayan apocalypse
It has been estimated, by those anonymous people who make passive voice estimates, that Friday will be the most annoying day ever on Facebook and Twitter. Friday, of course, is 12/21/12 (21/12/12 to our European friends), the Mayan apocalypse. Except it's not really, but we'll get to that in a moment. Friday is the end of the longest cycle of the very complex Mayan calendar. I'm sure you've heard about it. You're going to hear about it today and you'll hear a lot about over the next couple days. Gun control, fiscal cliffs, and Mayans will dominate the news until Saturday morning when the news cycle will switch over to last minute holiday shopping, dieting, party tips, and something some Kardashian was seen wearing. The news cycle is much shorter than even the shortest cycle on the Mayan calendar. Anyway, here's my contribution to the annoyingness.
Everyone is talking about the end of the Mayan calendar (which it's not), but not many are talking about the beginning. The Mayan calendar is made up of cycles within cycles overlapping other cycles. The equivalent in our Gregorian calendar is the cycle called months. This cycle has an irregular size of 28, 29, 30, or 31 days. Twelve months make up a year. Ten years make a decade, ten decades a century, ten centuries a millennium, and so on. While the days reset to one at the end of every month and the months reset to January at the end of each year, the years never reset to one; we simply add a new digit to the left-hand side of the year figure (e.g. year 99 became year 100, not year 0). Overlapping this set of cycles is the cycle of weeks. Seven days make a week, but neither months nor years sync up with an even number of weeks. The week cycle only matches up with the month/year cycle after fourteen years. That's how the Mayan calendar works with two exceptions. First, the Mayan system is much more complex than the Gregorian. Second, the Mayan has a largest cycle after which the whole thing resets. Anthropologists call that cycle "the Long Count" and it is 5125.366 years long. On Friday, the current Long Count will end. Friday night, the Mayans will have quiet celebrations of thanksgiving for the departure of the annoying American tourists.
The start date of the Mayan calendar was 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk'u. On the Gregorian calender, that day was Sunday, August 11, 3114 BCE. That was the day of the creation of the current world. To the Mayans and their successors, the Aztecs, the Long Counts were distinct creations. The Western equivalents were the Greco-Roman ages of mankind. According Hesiod, the Classical Greek, the ages were the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Heroic Age, and the present Iron Age. Ovid, the Roman, eliminated the heroic age. To Ovid, things had been going straight downhill since the beginning of time. If we wise moderns were to continue the pattern, the most recent periods would be the Industrial Age, Steampunk, Space Opera, Cyberpunk, and Reality Television. Or something like that. The Mayans, like Ovid, believed we are living in the fourth creation. The Aztecs, like Hesiod, believed we are in the fifth. We don't know a lot about how the Mayans perceived the previous creations. One interesting clue is that we have found inscriptions referring to dates before August 11, 3114 BCE. This would seem to imply that there is continuity between the creations, not complete destruction followed by a completely new creation. We'll find out if that interpretation is correct on Saturday.
The end date of the Mayan calendar is not the only date that has attracted the attention of Western fringe thinkers.
Otto Muck (1892-1956) was a German engineer. During World War II, he invented the schnorkel, which allowed U-boats to stay underwater for long periods of time, and worked on the V-2 rocket, which allowed them to bomb London and Amsterdam. Whatever we might think of the immediate uses to which those two inventions were put, we have to admit that they were the products of solid engineering; they worked. If that was all we knew about Muck, it would be easy to form an image of him as a sober, practical thinker not inclined to wild flights of fancy. In speaking of Hitler, Hermann Rauschning wrote, "In the depths of his subconscious every German has one foot in Atlantis." Muck was that kind of German.
The general stereotype of fringe writers is that they are bitter outsiders and sloppy thinkers. Quite often, that's true. However, there is another type of fringe writer. These people are usually well educated and successful in some field that requires strict intellectual discipline. Because of that success, they feel confident challenging the experts in fields unrelated to their own. For some reason, engineers are particularly vulnerable to this kind of hubris. Engineers figure prominently among the ranks of evolution and climate deniers.
Back to Muck's Atlantean foot. After the war, Muck wrote his own Atlantis book, Atlantis: Die Welt vor der Sintflut (Atlantis: The world before the Flood), which was published just before his death in 1956. Muck was that rare Atlantis writer, someone who added something new to the same old recycled stuff. Usually, the only novelty in each year's batch of new Atlantis books is if someone has found a new location for the island. Frankly, we're running out of places. Muck took his tips from the father of Atlanteology, Ignatius Donnelly (1831-1901). He took Plato literally. In Muck's book, Atlantis was a big island directly opposite Gibraltar, it housed a bronze age empire, and it sank in one day and one night. Donnelly believed that a near collision between the Earth and a planet-sized comet (an idea Immanuel Velikovsky later borrowed with barely a nod to Donnelly). Muck modified the comet into a direct hit by and asteroid. Muck's asteroid broke up over the Southeastern United States, peppering the Carolinas with thousands of small meteors that created tiny lake formations called the Carolina Bays. The main core of the asteroid plowed into the sea west of Atlantis puncturing the oceanic crust, deflating it like a leaky waterbed, causing Atlantis to sink beneath the waves. The usual catastrophes followed. Volcanoes erupted. Dark clouds blotted out the sun. Mammoths froze. Mile-high tidal waves and earthquakes destroyed civilization. Puzzled Sargasso eels wandered around, wondering what happened to their favorite rivers. Fire fell from the sky. Some guy in Iraq loaded his family and farm animals into a big boat and survived it all.
In a new touch, Muck explained that the sinking of Atlantis freed the Gulf Stream to warm Northwestern Europe, ending the Ice Age. This, he explained, was a vital piece in his reconstruction. Another original piece in his version was that most of the dust from the volcanic eruptions gathered over Northern Europe, lingering for 2000 years, cooling things so the Fennoscanian ice sheet didn't melt too fast (he isn't clear why the much larger North American ice sheets didn't melt too fast). Even though nothing except some hardy moss could grow under the dust cloud, tens of thousands of former Atlanteans followed the retreating, gradually growing paler in their gloomy, new homes.
Muck's method will be familiar to students of catastrophism and fringe history. He combs through geology and mythology, cherry-picking mysteries that need solving and evidence that might be interpreted to support his grand unified theory of the past. He ignores any suggestion that the mysteries or the evidence might not relate to the same time. He leans on hyperdiffusionism to explain similarities between human cultures. Just as you can't have catastophism without frozen mammoths, you can't have Atlantis without pyramids. Muck has both. This is where the Mayans enter the story.
Naturally, Muck has pictures comparing Mesopotamian and Mesoamerican step-pyramids. Naturally, he tries to relate the Mayan language to Basque. Naturally, he cherry picks Mayan mythology for any mention of a catastrophe in the distant past. However, this is another place where he manages to introduce something new into the Altlantean canon. Muck uses the Mayan calendar to date the sinking of Atlantis. First, Muck slices a thousand years off Plato's plain statement that Atlantis sank 9000 years before Solon heard the story in Egypt, to come up with a date of 8560 BCE. Next he crunches some numbers from the Mayan calendar to come up with a real starting date of June 8, 8498 BCE, which is close enough to Plato. Muck came up with his starting date for the Mayan calendar by rationalizing that, since the current age actually began on the last day of the previous Long Count, we must actually say their world began on the first day of that Long Count. According to the current best reading of the calendar, that would have been in 8239 BCE, not 8498. We should cut him some slack on this; we've made great strides in reading Mayan since he wrote. Channeling his best Bishop Ussher, he puts the catastrophe at 8:00 PM, Mayan time. As far as we know, the Mayans did not use Daylight Savings Time. This alone proves the superiority of their ancient wisdom.
Muck's book wasn't translated into English until the 1970s. By then, his geology was painfully out of date due to the plate tectonics revolution of the sixties. Since then his science has fallen even further out of date. According to his calculations, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere quadrupled in the catastrophe, (making things comfy after the ice age) and the ozone was almost completely eliminated (which let in just enough radiation to mutate the northern Atlanteans into white folk). According to computer simulations of the Chicxulub meteor (the dinosaur killer), Muck's impact wouldn't merely have ended a Bronze Age civilization, it would have exterminated most life on Earth. The geology of most Atlantis theories is just as ridiculous, but for some reason his book never really caught hold in the Atlantis community. After first editions of the English edition appeared in the major English speaking countries, it wasn't reprinted.
Even though his theory was nonsense, Muck deserves credit for one thing: he treated the Mayans with far more dignity and respect than earlier Atlantis writers. Most of his predecessors dismissed the modern Mayans as dumb savages who had nothing to do with Atlantis or the builders of the great Mayan ruins. If they had any part at all in the Atlantis story, it was as brutal invaders who destroyed the beautiful civilization bequeathed to America by the Atlanteans. Muck wrote nothing of the sort. To him, the American Indians were one and the same as the Atlanteans. It was they who brought civilization to Europe, displacing the inferior types who had been there before, and not the reverse. There is an echo of the "noble savage" romanticism of Karl May, whose adventure stories were popular in Muck's youth, rather than the vicious racism of the Third Reich of his mature years.
Here's to Mayans! They survived the sinking of Atlantis; they'll survive Friday.
Labels: alternative thought, Atlantis, Mayans
There's still time to order
To all you who bought Howling Pig soaps and lotions last year and liked them, I want to point out that the business is there, only now it's called Tessa Essentials. It turns out pretty sells better than whimsical where scented things are concerned. Who knew? Only the look and name have changed. The unique scents and quality are the same. Order today, then order again tomorrow. You can never support small businesses too much.
Remember, Tessa was artisan before artisan was cool.
Labels: small businesses, soap, Tessa
Lost islands and Pygmies of the Far North
NOTE: This post is a digression from another post I'm working on that got out of hand. I've cross posted this at Mammoth Tales where the comments work.
In 1569, Gerhard Mercator published the great world map that introduced his innovative map projection. Although he intended his projection as an aid to navigation, this particular map was not practical for that purpose. It was too large (1.24 x 2 meters), many parts of the oceans were covered by text boxes in Latin, and the instructions for using his method made up only small part of the text. The map, with its beautiful cartouche, colorful illustrations, interesting stories, and careful attention to the latest land discoveries, was better suited to be wall decoration or reference for educated patrons that as an aid for mariners.
Mercator's projection was wasn't the only innovation on the map. Mercator recognized the main limitation on his map. It was useless at the very highest latitudes. To reach the North Pole, the map would have had to be infinite in height. To also reach the South Pole, it had to be two infinities in height! Because making a sheet of paper that size was beyond the technology of his time, he came up with an elegant work-around. In the lower, left-hand corner of the map, he placed an inset with a polar view of the North down to 70°. This provided enough overlap with the main map that viewers could easily picture how the two maps fit together. Previous map projections of the world, such as the double cordiform projection that he and Oronce Fine had experimented with in the 1530's, had provided polar views, but this had not been their primary purpose. In dealing with a flaw in his new projection, Mercator unintentionally produced the first map devoted specifically to portraying one of the polar regions.
Detail of Mercator's 1569 world map showing the north polar regions. Source.
Mercator's 1538 double cordiform world map showing both polar regions. Source.
Mercator died in 1594 leaving his last great project, a six volume atlas and history of the world, unfinished. His only surviving son, Rumhold and the men of his workshop, which included three of his grandsons, gathered up his completed materials and published them as a third volume to accompany the two already published. These materials included twenty-eight maps and the first chapter of his history. One of those maps was an enlargement and update of his north polar projection. As with the 1569 map, the most distinctive feature of the map is four large islands where the Arctic Ocean should be. In the text on the map, Mercator explains that the waters of the oceans rush inward, between the islands, to the pole, where they plunge deep into the Earth. At the pole is a black island thirty-three leagues in circumference. A magnetic island lies just north of the Streto de Anian (Bering Straits). On one of the large islands is the legend: "Pygmae hic habitant 4 ad summum pedes longi, quaemadmodum illi quos in Gronlandia Screlingers vocant (Here live Pygmies, at most 4 feet tall, who are like those called Scraelings in Greenland)."
Mercator's 1595 map of the Arctic. Source. High-res version.
As strange as these islands look, they were not products of Mercator's imagination. He had a source. It's pretty remarkable that we know anything about the source. Mercator read the story in a now lost Fourteenth Century book, the Itinerarium of Jacobus Cnoyen. Cnoyen had two sources. He learned the main part of the story from an unnamed traveler who heard it from another unnamed traveler. The earlier unnamed traveler is supposed to have written the story in another now lost book, Inventio Fortunatae. Cnoyden's other source was--you guessed it-- another now lost book, the Gestae Arthuri. Mercator gave a brief explanation of these sources in a text box on the 1569 world map.
Meanwhile, in England, Dr. John Dee was looking for ways to expand the British Empire (a phrase he coined) over the entire Arctic. It was a bit of a hard sell. In 1553, a chartered company, the delightfully named Mystery, Company, and Fellowship of Merchant Adventurers for the Discovery of Regions, Dominions, Islands, and Places Unknown, had sent three ships to open up a Northeast Passage around Russia and Siberia to the Indies. The captains and crews of two of the ships died in the cold and dark, while the third made to a Russian port and brought back a trade agreement from the court of Ivan the Terrible. The Russian trade was profitable enough that very few in places of influence were willing to finance additional expeditions to die in the cold and the dark on mere speculation. This wasn't enough to stop Dee who argued that British merchants should turn their attention to the Northwest. Dee argued that, not only was there a Northwest Passage waiting to be discovered, but that the British were entitled to own the passage and the lands around it through the right of prior discovery and occupation by expeditions in the time of King Arthur.
In 1577, Dee wrote to Mercator asking for more information about Cnoyen's account. Mercator copied an extensive part of Cnoyen's book and sent it to Dee. Unfortunately, that letter has since been lost. Fortunately, Dee copied the letter into one of his secret notebooks. Unfortunately, the notebook was damaged when an angry mob, believing Dee to be an evil enchanter, set fire to his house. I'm not making this up. Most of what we know about Cnoyen's Itinerarium and the anonymous Inventio Fortunatae come from Dee's damaged notebook. Mercator explained that, while he no longer had access to Cnoyen's book, he had copied the relevant parts and had translated them from "Belgic" into Dutch. He assured Dee that Cnoyen was a trustworthy source.
John Dee. Probably not a wizard. Source.
Cnoyen explained that in the far North there is a mountain range that completely surrounds the North Pole at about 78°. The mountains are penetrated by nineteen ocean channels with currents so strong that any ship entering the channels will be dragged north with no hope of escape. The nineteen channels combine to form four Indrawing Seas. One of the lands between the seas is fairly nice, two are completely uninhabited, and one has Pygmies. The province of Dusky Norway (Greenland) is attached to one of the Arctic islands by a narrow isthmus. West of Dusky Norway is the easternmost extension of Asia, the charmingly named Province of Darkness. Above these two provinces is a large island called Grocland which shields them from the Indrawing Seas. Some giants live on Grocland. The weather is misty and dull in the Far North, there are no trees, and the wind is too weak to turn a corn mill, let alone prevent ships from being pulled to their doom. Naturally, King Arthur thought this gloomy, barren land where the rivers sucked was just what he needed to add to his realm. In 530, he sent out armies and colonists and conquered the whole thing. This much comes from the lost Gestae Arthuri.
In 1364, eight people came to the court of the king of Norway from the islands. They were decendents of some settlers who had been sucked into the Indrawing Seas. Or maybe their fathers were from Belgium. Cnoyen was unclear on this point, to Dee's frustration. One of the eight was a priest carrying an astrolabe that he said he had received from an English Minorite (Franciscan) monk whom he met in the islands. This monk, he said, had spent years traveling the islands and making geographic observations with his astrolabe. The monk's description of the North confirmed that in the Gestae Arthuri and added details about the arrangement of the channels and islands. He had journeyed as close to the pole as possible. At the top of the world, the four Indrawing Seas come together and circle round before disappearing into the Earth beneath a black, magnetic island. The only people the monk met in his travels were a band of Pygmies, mostly women. The monk later wrote up his observations as a report for King Edward III of England. This is the Inventio Fortunatae.
The priest from who Cnoyen presumably heard the monk's story never laid eyes on the Inventio Fortunatae. Mercator doesn't make clear whether he heard the story from the priest or from additional middlemen. However, Cnoyen must have had independent knowledge of the report. If the priest met the English monk on his way back from the North, he wouldn't have written the report yet. And, Cnoyen mentions that the monk made five more voyages for Edward after writing the Inventio Fortunatae. We, too, have independent confirmation that the report existed. Both Martin Beheim's 1492 globe and Johannes Ruysch's 1507 world map mention using information from it and we three separate references to Columbus trying to locate a copy (he failed).
Detail from Johannes Ruysch's 1507 world map. Ruysch interpreted the nineteen channels and four lands differently than Mercator. He also ignored the Pygmies and populated two of the islands with legendary tribes out of Herodotus.Source. High-res version.
The popular impression that mapmakers of the time simply made things up to fill empty space on their maps is not true. The best mapmakers combed through all the sources at their disposal hunting for nuggets of information. Even the sea monsters were based on mariners' reports. The worst mapmakers copied the best. On Mercator's 1595 map, he based the Far North on Cnoyen's book. The north coast of European Russia he based on reports from the English merchants allowed in under the agreement with Ivan the Terrible. For Asia, he used Marco Polo and Pliny the Elder. Around Greenland he included information from Martin Frobisher's three voyages, one of the projects that Dee had been lobbying for when he wrote to Mercator. The large , nonexistent island of Frisland below Iceland and in the upper left-hand inset was based on a widely believed book about the voyages of a Venician family in the 1380s. The real crime of Renaissance mapmakers was, that they were so eager for information they ended up being credulous and uncritical. In the next century, additional information allowed cartographers the luxury of choosing between competing sources.
POSTSCRIPT: And what of the Arctic Pygmies? Pygmies, in Ancient and Medieval lore, were not merely small people; they were one of the monstrous races said to inhabit the far parts of the world. In the case of the Pygmies, "monstrous" was not a moral judgment. Pygmies were said to be brave and organized in their age old war with the cranes (the birds, not the construction equipment or the guy on "Hogan's Heroes").
On his map, Mercator said that the Pygmies of the Far North were like the Scraelings of Greenland. "Scraeling" is the word the Norse used for the various natives of the New World--mainland Indians, the Dorset people of the islands and the Eskimos who replaced the Dorsets in the early Second Millennium. Kristin Seaver writes that, although its exact etymology is obscure, the word Scraeling was almost certainly intended as a translation of Pygmy. The Norse believed that Greenland and the lands to the west were either part of Asia or islands near Asia. The geography of the time had pushed the Pygmies far into Asia. When they Norse met small people in, what they believed to be Asia, it made sense for them to believe they had discovered the homeland of the legendary Pygmies.
Olaus Magnus described the Pygmies of Greenland as small in stature but big of heart and able to kick butt many times their size. Source.
John Dee and Richard Hakluyt were certain that the traveling monk was one Nicholas of Lynne. There are records of a Nicholas of Lynn who was a mathematician active in the second half of the Fourteenth Century. At first glance, a mathematician would be a good match for a man who traveled the world making measurements with an astrolabe. What little is known of the biography of this Nicholas excludes him. He was probably too young, he was a Carmelite brother, not a Minorite, and there is no mention of him ever traveling, let alone spending years away on various missions for the king.
But there is another possibility. In Lynn at that time, there was also a Minorite house. Is it possible that there were two Nicholas' of Lynn? If there was a Minorite Nicholas of Lynn, what became of him? Cnoyen write that the monk went on five more missions for King Edward III, though he doesn't say what or where those missions. Perhaps Nicholas engaged in regular mission work among the little people he found near the pole. Perhaps he eventually stayed with them and taught them reindeer herding and toymaking...
Posted by John McKay at 10:51 PM 1 comment:
Labels: Arctic, maps
Global, you know, warming
Governor Jan Brewer offers up a Palinesque explanation of her stand on climate change:
Everybody has an opinion on it, you know, and I, you know, I probably don't believe that it's man made. I believe that, you know, that weather elements are controlled maybe by different things.
Or, you know, I might believe that it's maybe, you know, cause by all those decapitated heads and things that all the, you know, illegals leave out in our deserts. Also.
Labels: environment
Who writes this stuff?
John J. McKay is an underemployed, grumpy, and aging liberal who lives in the Great Northwest. His book about early discoveries of woolly mammoths, Discovering the Mammoth, came out in August 2017. He's now researching a book on permafrost, tundra, and climate change.
Frozen Earth progress
Who is archy?
I introduced the patron cockroach, his creator, and his definitive artist in these two early posts.
One. Two.
Other sources of archy information
John Batteiger's DonMarquis.com
Jim Ennes's DonMarquis.org
Who I might be reading
Bad Tux the Snarky Penguin
Bartholomew's notes on religion
Dum Luks
The Early Days of a Better Nation
The Greenbelt
Hulabaloo
John Hawk's Weblog
John Ptak
Progressive Alaska
Rightwing Watch
That Would Be Me
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Copyright 2003-2015 John J. McKay. Use what you want, but give credit where credit is due.


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Celebrating 30 years of Empire
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1320242/action/topic#1320242
RUKUSBUILD3 said:
In 2006, LucasFilm released the 30th anniversary "limited Edition" DVD collectors tin set including both the special edition and the original theatrical version of, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi in a widescreen format.
It was a limited edition but it was not for the 30th anniversary and I don't remember anywhere it being marketed that way. SW was only 29 at the time anyways.
Small details that took you FOREVER to notice in the Star Wars films
ray_afraid said:
LexX said:
So anyway, yeah, never noticed that Luke claims Vader is on the moon before he arrives.
Wrong. "Turn your brain off & don't think about it" is always terrible advice.
So pic one.
It's just something I never noticed. I haven't caught every detail.
You also shouldn't think about it at all.
So please stop posting when you're just trying to cause arguments on every thread as it seems.
Changes to the Disney+ 2019 SE of the Original Trilogy
In TESB the new Emperor hologram now has colors while before it was just blue.
15-Jan-2020 10:50 AM
I guess this is a random enough thread to ask… Has anyone here seen Rian Johnson's new movie Knives Out? It's gotten solid reviews, what do you think? Not really a fan of modern murder mysteries and I haven't seen it, so just wondering is it a must-see film? The cast seems impressive at least.
R2-KT and other Star Wars charity links
12-Jan-2020 3:09 AM
Not really charity per se, but I remember a guy who was a huge SW fan and had cancer or something with only a few weeks to live before TFA and he wanted to see it before he died. JJ saw this and showed him the movie before it was released and the guy got to see it. I think he died soon after.
The Phantom Menace HDTV Broadcast
11-Jan-2020 2:30 AM — Edited 11-Jan-2020 2:33 AM
freetheworld said:
Theatrical TPM was also aired in Finland. Too bad it was at the beginning of the digital TV age when recording set-top boxes were very expensive. I recorded it to VHS via a regular set-top box and I still have it.
So very sad isn't it?
It is, owning TPM. 😄 I don't like the movie and haven't seen it in over 10 years but it would be great to have it preserved. I do have nostalgia for it and great memories from the anticipation, though.
Edit: and just to make it clear, it was aired digitally, of course it was aired analogically in many countries. I recorded it to VHS through the digital box so the quality is better than from an analogical source.
10-Jan-2020 1:02 PM — Edited 10-Jan-2020 1:02 PM
Well, he might have been on the other side of the moon for all we know.
Maybe? But it doesn't make visual sense. You shouldn't have to rationalize it.
There must be more Imperial garrisons than that one platform.
Why? They're just protecting the shield generator.
Why would they need platforms on the other side of the planet? Why would Vader arrive there & then have to travel all the way around the entire planet to get where he was trying to go? He knew what the Rebels were up to & about where they'd be.
Because the Emperor said there was an entire legion waiting for the rebels and that was the entire plan. There were walkers, speeder bikes and even the scout trooper said there was a base. It wouldn't be that far fetched that Vader was giving latest info on the rebels or something before meeting Luke if you have to wonder where he came from in the first place.
The Random Star Wars Pics & GIFs Thread
22-Dec-2019 5:56 AM
Monochromatic homogeneity. Apt.
As it reads, it's only for creative purposes and not final. All the previous releases have used the logo art as a place holder and none of them were actually used.
I was looking for a hi-res image for the upcoming 4K release on Google. I LOL'ed.
What's the acronym for Mandalorian?
It's clearly TM™.
Shadows of the Empire OST Enhanced CD features?
What does the exe actually do? Is it a video of some sort? If it has any value it would be cool if someone could record a video of it or something.
Huh, I have the CD but never looked into it.
LEGO 'Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' Game thread
20-Dec-2019 4:10 PM
It looks good. But I preferred when they didn't talk. And now they have updated the new helmets, meh.
Which trailers accompanied the movies?
IMAX here in addition to what's already mentioned:
Harrison Ford's CGI dog movie
Daniel Craig's other movie
The Mandalorian - Season One Discussion - * SPOILER THREAD *
20-Dec-2019 1:03 PM — Edited 20-Dec-2019 1:04 PM
Great episode, really enjoyable chemistry between the characters. It was also incredible to see just a classic TIE Fighter and regular scout troopers on speeder bikes for the first time since ROTJ in live action, nothing can beat the original designs. (Although the wing thing was a little weird…) Gina is a great addition to SW, love her! Can't wait for the finale. 8 episodes is just too little.
The Rise of Skywalker box office results: predictions and expectations - NO SPOILERS
Worldwide: 1.31 billion
Star Wars Prequel Trilogy CGI Free
16-Dec-2019 10:05 AM
Reese said:
There's no way anyone would do lightsabers or blaster fire manually anymore.
I beg to differ 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPexOHsNuw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7fMlaozxUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNFiKZxX_cE
Doing it by hand is still the best way, not the fastest mind you 😛
Umm, I'm pretty sure those were done on a PC…
MAC actually, but still manually.
Then it's CGI.
Yes? And?
What, you think because it's "CGI", a person just pushes a button and it's done? LOL
It's basically the same as doing it with opticals. Just different tools. So yes, people still do it "manually".
LOL. Manually means by hand (manus), CGI means it's done on a computer (C=computer).
I don't think anyone here has said CGI just magically appears to movies. Not sure why your posts are in this thread.
The latest episode was probably my favorite, at last something we haven't seen a million times before. New ships, new droids, new weapons, new bounty hunters. I really liked the Twi'leks since I've played pretty much every SW game and they have many times been a little crazy. Only thing bothered me a little was the editing back and forth for almost no reason during the end battle, and then the X-Wings coming like a minute after Mando dropped them off. How could they track through hyperspace when they don't know where the tracker will be arriving? And the pilots just shoot the whole station when their own SOS signal is there, what? Also the cameo was completely pointless, meh. Other than that, very good action episode and finally some space action!
Well, he might have been on the other side of the moon for all we know. There must be more Imperial garrisons than that one platform. Even the legion of troops had to come somewhere. Vader could have just travelled from another spot to meet Luke.
timdiggerm said:
I would like to point out that he is actually a toddler.
I like to call it a yoddler.
Sifo Dyas said:
It is still a child. I don't think it translates
1:1 with human aging, but this species has a particularly long infancy-early childhood stage.
There might be something unique to the Yoda species regarding Force sensitivity, but it's already been established in canon that Force-sensitive babies in general have a predisposition to using the Force, regardless of species. The idea being, I'm assuming, that babies and young children lack some of the qualities that adults have that can hold back their ability to use the Force (like doubt or disbelief). And it is possible that the time he spends in this young childhood stage plays a part in why he can lift a mudhorn vs a toy ball.
You say that Luke could not stop and levitate the Rancor because he did not believe he can do it? Despite that Yoda taught him the opposite?
And what about Anakin and Obi-wan? They could not stop the charging monsters either.
And if this babyYoda is so much stronger, then how come that no Jedi ever sensed it's presence in the Force, nor did Palpatine who sensed a seemingly much weaker Luke.
I mean, Yoda tells Luke that "size matters not", and the difference between lifting a rock and a ship was "only different in your mind". So what is the difference between a ship and a rancor?
This is all just guessing, but it could be that it's harder to do with moving things than stationary objects. It's easier to concentrate on an immobile object than something that's running straight at you or at high speed, if the concentration goes to cellular lever or something. And the yoddler is just better at it, somehow at this point.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I have just upgraded from 1.16 and whilst up grading i put the forum in maintenance mode and now when i got to the site i just get the maintenance message and cant login.
How about editing your OP and changing the icon to "Solved" okay? That will save others the time to look at your thread and discover it's a done deal. Thanks.
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Targeted Individuals Association - Targeted Individual, TI, Gangstalking, Gang Stalking, Mason Gangstalking, Mason gang stalking, freemason stalking, Targeted Individuals Association Founded By Gary Owens.
Find Out More & Join Us Now!
Together We Will Break Them!
The TIA is a Pressure Group Against Covert Harassment, Gang Stalking, Voice to Skull, V2K, Direct Energy Weapons, DEW & RFID Implants. We are lobbying and suing every government in the world to ban Covert Harassment, Gang Stalking, Voice to Skull, V2K, Direct Energy Weapons, DEW & RFID Implants without consent. If your being followed, harassed, victimised, gang stalked, your phone is bugged, emails are going missing, you could be hearing a constant high pitched tone in your ear, or voices talking in your head only you hear!? Your not crazy!
Your one of the destroyed people at the hands of the Freemasons called a Targeted Individual. Destroyed by the power and greed of the criminal organisation known as the Free Masons. They run the drug trafficking around the world, controlling the drugs Mafia through their Masons Lodges. Manipulating the justice system and the security services such as MI5, MI6 the National Crime Agency and all local police. Stealing talented peoples businesses and IPR (Intellectual Property Rights).
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The Masons are the only true organised crime family on Earth!
Its time for them to GO! Its time to take back our lives & Get Paid For It!
Taking the fight to the doorstep of government, the relentless pursuit of justice by Paolo Fiora can only be admired, all UK members back him at the Parliament Vigils!
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A team of regular Targeted Individuals trying to bring awareness and exposure to the plight of Gang Stalked and tortured Targeted Individuals.
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Any Race Creed or Colour!
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Raise Awarness, Wake People Up!
What We Can Do About It!
The establishment continues to ignore the clear facts that this is going on, institutions are in the way of our Freedom, its time to come together and break this cruel system of oppression!
Unfortunatley These Words Are True!
Ring Fencing was started by the Masons, then taken up by drugs gangs and organised crime that now operate this electronic torture system on the civilian population, now called Gang Stalking!
Help our work group break down the science used against Targeted Individuals, for court presentation.
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We are building a team of volunteer scientists and experts, working on the technology behind Targeted Individuals and Gang Stalking. They are destroying the lives of thousands, we are looking into Voice to Skull, Brain Entrainment, Mind Control, Voice of God, Synthetic Telepathy and Brain Entrainment, if you have information about the technology or want to help, please get in touch.
We need investigators to help with Gangstalking.
Help Our Legal Team with Cases For Targeted Individuals.
We are investigatign many Targeted Individuals cases. Suing every Government and Security Service in the World. The aim is to bring more and more legal cases against them to the point where they can no longer justify or afford to defend the cases. We are building a team of international investigators to counter surveillance the gangstalking, build up a Black List of those involved worldwide. We are seeking compensation for all members of the Targeted Individuals Association. Get involved and stop this Nazi plague that is sweeping our world.
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text:
« Timtik sisters in Turkey share 2020 Ludovic Trarieux Prize
Kenneth Roth speaks plainly on international human rights: China a violator and US "unprincipled" »
Nasrin Sotoudeh ends her hunger strike as UN experts write joint letter
Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh
On 26 September 2020 RFE/RL reported that jailed Iranian human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh has ended her hunger strike due to her deteriorating health, her husband Reza Khandan said on social media on 26 September.
Sotoudeh had been on a hunger strike in Tehran's Evin prison since August 11 to protest the risk that political prisoners in Iran face amid the coronavirus pandemic. [see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/09/06/german-judges-give-their-human-rights-award-to-iranian-human-rights-lawyer-nasrin-sotoudeh/%5D
On September 19, she was taken to hospital for a serious heart condition. But four days later, she was taken back to Evin prison, triggering disbelief from UN independent experts among others.
"It is unfathomable that the Iranian authorities would return Ms. Sotoudeh to prison where she is at heightened risk to COVID-19, as well as with her serious heart condition," the experts said.
"We urge the authorities to immediately reverse this decision, accept her requests to recuperate at home before undergoing a heart procedure, and allow her to freely choose her own medical treatment," they added in a statement.
The experts echoed Sotoudeh's call for the Iranian authorities to grant temporary release to human rights defenders, lawyers, dual and foreign nationals, prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, and all other individuals detained without sufficient legal basis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
47 countries called on Iran to "protect the human rights of all its citizens and release all political prisoners and arbitrarily detained" in a Friday session of the UN Human Rights Council, according to a German diplomat, Susanne Baumann:
Susanne Baumann
@GERMANYonUN
· Sep 25
Joint Statement on the dire human rights situation in Iran today in the Human Rights Council #HRC45, presented by Germany on behalf of 47 countries. We call on Iran to protect the human rights of all its citizens and release all political prisoners & arbitrarily detained.
See also: https://www.martinennalsaward.org/an-open-letter-from-nasrin-sotoudehs-husband/
https://www.rferl.org/a/jailed-iranian-human-rights-defender-ends-hunger-strike-as-health-deteriorates/30859117.html
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/26092020
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2009/S00203/iran-human-rights-lawyer-nasrin-sotoudeh-must-be-freed-for-treatment-say-un-experts.htm
This entry was posted on	September 27, 2020 at 08:31	and is filed under human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, UN.
Tags: Covid-19, detention, hungerstrike, Iran, joint letter, medical care, Nasrine Sotoudeh, Susanne Baumann, UN Special Rapporteurs


As a parent, it can be upsetting to watch your child struggle to breathe or to stop participating in normal activities from shortness of breath. A child whose breathing is irregular may be referred to a pulmonologist or an asthma specialist for lung function testing to determine how well the lungs are working. Dr. Noga Askenazi and Dr. Eugenia Hahn of Advanced Allergy and Asthma Associates and Food Allergy Center of Illinois have offices located in Elgin, Crystal Lake, and Lake Barrington.
Also called pulmonary function tests or PFTs, lung function tests are a non-invasive way to assess the lungs and to diagnose respiratory diseases. Lung function tests may be used to check for diseases such as asthma and bronchitis. These tests simply require your child to perform various breathing tests. The child may be asked to pretend to blow out birthday candles or to blow up a balloon to make the test into a game.
For children, spirometry is the most common test. The patient breathes into mouthpiece while wearing a clip on his or her nose. The mouthpiece is connected to a computer which measures how much and how fast the air comes out of your child's lungs.
Schedule the test around your child's routine to avoid stress brought on by hunger or exhaustion.
Prior to any doctor's appointment, it is best to prepare your child to lessen any fears of the physician's office.
Be patient with your child throughout the appointment.
Check with the office as some medications should not be given prior to testing.


text:
ToyNews Toy industry news: business, marketing, retail, wholesale and distribution
Product Sector Guide
Home/Marketing/LEGO is scratching the itch of armchair explorers with the LEGO Art World Map, it's biggest to date
LEGO is scratching the itch of armchair explorers with the LEGO Art World Map, it's biggest to date
Robert Hutchins 25th May 2021	Marketing 1,056 Views
The LEGO Group has launched a new build designed to scratch the itch of the world's wanderlusters keen for adventure this year, heralding the arrival of the LEGO Art World Map.
The latest addition to the LEGO Art collection, the map contains the most pieces ever included in a set in the history of the company, totalling a whopping 11,695 elements and allowing builders to immerse themselves completely ion creating a LEGO representation of the earth from 2D LEGO tiles.
The new LEGO Art World Map can be reimagined in a number of different ways to express the personality and travel memories or wishes of different builders. Customisable brick-built pins can be placed to mark out destinations already visited or highlight those still on the builder's bucket list to give this masterpiece a personal twist before it's proudly displayed.
The set's building instructions show how the 40 interconnecting base plates are divided into three sections for the build that can be arranged in one of three different ways, allowing you to place your favourite part of the world in the centre of your map.
The oceans on this 25.5 in. (65cm) high and 40.5 in. (104 cm) wide masterpiece can also be tailored to be a true expression of each builder's style: the tiles can be arranged in a manner inspired by bathymetric (that's depth of water in common parlance) mapping of the ocean floor by following the building instructions, or builders can express themselves more freely and creatively by arranging the tiles as they wish and exploring different patterns and motifs instead.
An accompanying soundtrack featuring stories from travel experts has been curated to immerse listeners in their passion for exploration as they build. The soundtrack features travellers' tales from bloggers and adventurers including Torbjørn C. Pedersen, the first person to visit every country in the world in one unbroken journey without flying, and blogger Syazwani Baumgartner who has experienced some of the most remote places on the planet.
The new set comes with a coffee-table style instruction booklet, a white brick-built frame and two hanging elements to make the map easy to display, take down and rebuild whenever the mood strikes.
Fiorella Groves, creative lead for LEGO Art, commented: "We know that our adult fans love to travel, but many haven't been able to do so for over a year now. We thought that there was no better way of helping explore the world while relaxing in the comfort of their home than by allowing them to build, rebuild, plan and reminisce through building.
"We hope the LEGO Art World Map will inspire new adventures in some, and help others relive and celebrate wonderful travel memories from the past."
The LEGO Art World Map will be available from LEGO.com and LEGO Stores globally from June 1st 2021 priced from £249.99 and will become available from other retailers globally from August 1st 2021.
More information can be found by visiting http://www.lego.com/world-map.
Tags adult AFOL Kidult Lego LEGO Art World Map news The LEGO Group travel
About Robert Hutchins
Robert Hutchins is the editor of Licensing.biz and ToyNews. Hutchins has worked his way up from Staff Writer to the position of Editor across the two titles, having spent almost eight years with both ToyNews and Licensing.biz, and what now seems like a lifetime surrounded by toys. You can contact him by emailing robert.hutchins@biz-media.co.uk or calling him on 0203 143 8780 You can even follow him on Twitter @RobGHutchins if ranting is your thing...
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1. Bookings can be made via email, telephone or using the relevant Facebook Page messaging system on Michaels page.
2. Unless very last minute, an initial meeting is to be held by both parties to discuss the shoot. This could be anything from discussing personal needs for you the client and any needs Michael may have too. It may also include him advising and helping with ideas. The direction of this initial meeting will depend on the type of photo shoot you book. This initial meeting is highly recommended.
1.Upon deciding to book a photo shoot with Michael, a 50% deposit is required. This can be paid in person via cash or cheque. Michaels bank details can be provided if you wish to do online transfer payments. All payments are recorded by a valid invoicing system provided Michael Kruger Photography.
2. A further 25% payment by cash or cheque only needs to be made on the day of the photo shoot. This 25% can be paid before the day too, if you want to make a bank transfer, making sure it will clear by the day of the booked photo shoot.
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5. All deposits are non refundable [expect in the case of medical emergencies and where proof can be produced] but are transferable to another date within 2 months of the planned photo shoot date; otherwise all deposits will be forfeited. Michael should be informed within at least 48 hours of any postponements in order not to forfeit any deposits paid. Full cancellation, at any time before the booked photo shoot will mean a forfeit on deposits in full.
6. No shows also include the absence of you, the client upon Michael arriving at a your chosen photo shoot location. If the shoot get's cancelled or postponed due to a no-show or a late arrival placing the photo shoot at risk, all deposits will be forfeited and you the client will need to reschedule a new booking with a new deposit. If for any reason a deposit is not made and the above occurs, Michael will bill you the client from the time he was present on location till the time he has had to leave. An invoice will be sent and will need to be paid within 7 days of receipt.
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1. What ever type of shoot you book with Michael, there will always be a restriction on the amount of images you're permitted to choose for editing purposes. For example if we are shooting a wedding shoot, the Gold Package allows for 150 edited images. For the Half Day Portfolio Package the permitted editing amount is 25 images. You the client will be given these edited images on USB or via online web transfer using Wetransfer.com. How you receive the final edited images will be discussed upon booking your photo shoot.
2. Please take note, that you the client will only be receiving the agreed amount of edited images. You will NOT be given ALL the photos taken on the day of the shoot. [In either Jpeg or RAW format] If you wish to purchase extra edits from your photo shoot, you are by all means able to do so. Images will be available for viewing on a password-protected album on Michael's site where further editing choices can be made.
3. Extra editing is charged at AED60/image and again will not be handed over to you the client without full payment.
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5. Anyone being photographed by Michael MUST sign a Model Release Form. This is a special form giving Michael permission to take photos of you the client. This may also include your children, in the case of family portraits. The model release form also give's Michael permission to use the images for his own personal use to promote his business. This would include using the images for social media and his websites. It may also include printed material like flyers or posters to be used for his business. As mentioned above, special permission is required to sell images onto third parties, and this is also included in the model release form. Any minors doing a photo shoot with Michael will need to have their model release forms signed and dated by a parent or legal guardian.
6. Clients are permitted to bring along a chaperone with them on any shoot booked with Michael. It is important that this person acts only as a chaperone only. Although some limited behind the scenes photos with a mobile phone only will be permitted, under no circumstances can the chaperone bring an SLR camera with them and take photos of the shoot, unless asked to do so by Michael. Failure to adhere to this rule will put and end to the photo shoot and all photos taken and fees paid up until that time will be forfeited.
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8. Photo shoot times will be scheduled prior to the shoot. Time starts when Michael arrives and includes set up time, hair and make up time and of course shooting coverage time. The shoot will end when the scheduled coverage time runs out. Additional time may be added onto the photo shoot, but an extra hourly fee is chargeable at AED450 per hour regardless of the type of shoot Michael is doing. Also if extra time is needed it cannot always be guaranteed due to Michael's availability. Please check with him prior to starting the shoot whether he has other jobs to go to and what he's general availability is beyond your booked photo shoot time.
1. Michael Kruger and Michael Kruger Photography will not be held responsible for any loss or damage of your, the clients property before, during and after the booked photo shoot. Please make sure to keep all possessions close to you at all times.
2. Michael Kruger and Michael Kruger Photography will not be held responsible for any accidental damage, injury or death of a client during the time leading up to, during and after the planned photo shoot. Michael will always take into account health and safety practises, as well as act with caution and care whilst working on a photo shoot. This includes anyone accompanying him as a passenger in his car leading up to the photo shoot and returning after said photo shoot.
1. Do I need to provide my own clothes for the photo shoot?
If you're booking a portfolio shoot, then generally yes, you provide your own clothes. I am happy to consult with you at your home where I can go through your collection of clothes. Based on what you have we can come up with concepts and ideas for the shoot. Also if you're open to having a stylist, this can be arranged at an extra cost. [Please ask Michael for stylist fees as they tend to differ depending on who's available] The stylist will help you get clothes for the shoot. It's completely optional and not forced upon you at all! If your budget doesn't allow, Michael can join you to do a bit of shopping, at your cost. This consultation will cost AED300 per hour to help you find the correct clothes for the look we're after.
2. Is hair and make up included in my photo shoot fee?
Hair and make up is only included in the shoot fee if you're doing a portfolio shoot with Michael. In any other circumstances my make up artist fees will apply. [See below] Michael's make up artist is experienced and can accommodate any style we're after. She provides all make up and products required. You won't need to bring anything. If however you want extensions for your hair, these are not included. We usually suggest this is done by a hair professional before the shoot takes place. If however, they're just clip in extensions, that you provide them and bring them along to the shoot.
*Please take note that if Lilly is not available for your shoot Michael has a good team of alternative make up artists. Rates may vary, so please check at time of booking.
4. Will our photo shoot take place on a location or in a studio?
Whether you're doing a portfolio package with Michael or are fashion client needing a shoot, there is an extra charge for studio use. Michael has use of many studios in Dubai, and the size of studio is based on the type of shoot is needed. For small portfolio shoots, studios range from AED500 to AED1000 for a half day and around AED2200 for full day bookings. Please request further info on studio use when making initial contact with Michael.
5. How long will I have to wait for my photos?
It all depends on the type of shoot Michael is doing for you? Small 1 hour photo shoots take around 4 days to turn around, half day shoots around 7 days and a full day shoot 10 days. If however you need images especially urgently, please inform Michael so that we can make arrangements for this.
6. Do your fees include travel costs?
If our photo shoot is taking place in Dubai and surrounding areas there is no extra charge for travel and fuel costs. However if the photo shoot takes place in an area minimum of 50km's outside of Dubai a travel fee will occur. For example if the shoot takes place in neighboring Emirates like Abu Dhabi, Al Ain or Ras Al Khaima there is an extra AED250 travel charge.
Thanks for taking the time to read through all of this. Please note that before doing a shoot with Michael you'll be required to sign this T&C's and disclaimer document to protect both parties, yourself and Michael from any misconceptions or issues that may arise before, during or after your photo shoot.


Upcoming Open House! Short and long term improvements have been developed. Come provide your input on these improvements.
Stop by any time between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Were you unable to attend the Open House held on February 13th? Project information presented at the open house held on February 13th is available below.
Segment 2: SOUTH PATRICK DRIVE (SR 513) to PALM SPRINGS BLVD.
Project Status: Scope approved in May 2018. Existing conditions data has been compiled. Short and long term alternatives that improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities along the corridor are being developed.
Study Purpose: To evaluate alternatives that will enhance and improve comfort and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.
How to get involved: Check this website frequently for updates and to monitor the progress of the study. Study documentation will be posted when available. You may also contact one of the project managers listed above by phone or email or mail a letter to the Space Coast TPO offices.
There are two public meetings/open houses scheduled to be held during the course of this study. The first open house was held on February 13th. The second public meeting will be held on May 22, 2019. Presentations will be given to the TPO Board, its committees and the City Council of Indian Harbour Beach in August/September, 2019.
Existing Conditions Report – Documents existing conditions including current and future land uses, community features, bicycle, pedestrian and vehicular volumes and crash history and traffic operations.
Public Open House #1 Summary Report (February 13, 2019) – Documents the outreach tools used, meeting statistics, materials available for review and comment on, survey results and compilation of feedback received.
Open House #1: Community Features Map – Identifies limits of corridor with local parks, churches, schools and community features highlighted.
Open House #1: Current Traffic Conditions Map – Shows current traffic volumes, average speeds and how well intersections are operating (A being good, F being bad).
Open House #1: Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts Map – Shows number of pedestrians and bicyclist using the corridor at various locations and what direction they are headed in.
Open House #1: Issues and Opportunities Map – Identifies existing sidewalk and bicycle facilities and where there are opportunities for improvements.
Open House #1: Segment 2 Alternatives – South Patrick Drive (SR 513) to Palm Springs Blvd.
Tentative Project Schedule – Project is anticipated to take just over one year to complete with results being presented in August/September, 2019.
Banana River/Pine Tree Drive Demographic Profile: Community Characteristics and Demographics of the area surrounding project limits.


text:
In 2004 I left a relationship that was no longer serving me. I was overweight, depressed, and turned to substances to try and distract me from my emotional pain. I branched out and started making new friends since I had lost the majority of my former friends in the divorce.
During the formation of one of those friendships in 2005 or 2006, I discovered poi. The simple act of twirling fuzzy balls at the end of chain leashes got me out of my head and to stop my negative loops that I was stuck in. I started taking classes at a local event space and so began my love affair with flow arts.
Through practice I was able to move away from the substances that were ruining my life. I have been in recovery since 2007 and strongly believe that it is because of flow arts that I was able to stay away from them.
Around that same time, I became really seriously involved with spinning fire and I desperately wanted to share that with the public. The fire codes in Phoenix made it really difficult to do any fire dancing publicly during art walks and so my friends and I came up with the name of the troupe because we were mourning the loss of the display of fire. Every time we tried to spin, we got shut down.
Eventually, through many meetings at city hall and conversations with the fire department, we came to an agreement. Any time we wanted to spin fire downtown, we would need to apply for a permit with no less than 10 days in advance. Every spinner would need to show they are insured (which costs hundreds of dollars a year) and I would have to fill out a roughly 10 page application that showed MSDS for all fuels, a site map, a contingency plan, and a listing of every performer and every prop they planned on using. It still felt like I was mourning the loss of the right to display fire which was my art.
Over the years, we played the game, and applied for the permits every time we wanted to spin downtown. Eventually, downtown got developed to the point that there were no empty lots along the art walk for us to perform in. But by this point we had started performing for private events and so our need to display our art was being met.
Almost a decade later, we've moved away from doing street performances in our home town and focus on participating in large not-for-profit events that bring culture to our great state. Over the years we've also expanded to include so much more than fire, but the name still sticks because of the heavy restrictions that so many municipalities put on fire dancers.


text:
Isle of flowers
PUBLISHED: 09:00 20 February 2014
Daffodil pickers at Tremelethen Farm
Photograph by Emily Whitfield-Wicks St.meva 9 Beacon road Bodmin Cornwall PL31 1AR Mob.07841 293030
In this stunning sub-tropical climate, the Scilly Isles boasts the perfect weather for a heavenly host of flora which turns these islands into a patchwork of vibrant colours and provides work for islanders. Lesley Double joined the 2013 harvest
PhotographY: Emily Whitfield-Wicks
"It's a repetitive job, a bit like being on a conveyor belt, so we have become good at gossiping while we work!"
The Isles of Scilly are patchworked with tiny fields surrounded by high protective hedges that, during the winter, are filled with flowers. Over a dozen different varieties of narcissi are grown on the Islands which bloom much earlier than in other parts of the UK, thanks to the temperate climate. The first flowers are cut in October, depending on the weather of course, and the last in March, giving a good winter crop and making flowers the main agricultural product on the Islands.
Quite often the only sign that there flower pickers working nearby are the vehicles that look abandoned, but which are used by farmers to transport workers to outlying fields. Bent double, a cloud of pickers swarm over a field, picking armfuls of flowers as they straddle the neatly laid rows. The flowers are picked whilst still in bud, so that by the time they reach the shops on the mainland, they are still at their best and will last the longest. The winter work serves a good purpose in that those who work for the summer tourist industry can often find employment out of season. There are also those who come especially to the Islands for this back-breaking winter work; locals who like working outdoors and couldn't imagine being in a shop or office; students who wish to pick up some money to fund their studying; nomads who work hard during the winter so they can go travelling in the summer; and those who are happy to be alone, content to bow their heads and ignore all others as they pick, pick, pick all day long.
"We are out in all weathers," explains Paddy Davey, who lives on St Mary's, "Though we had one day off last winter when it snowed, as the flowers were frozen. Sometimes the day starts wet and miserable, and we dress up in thick jumpers and oilskins, and then it dries up and the sun comes out and we are roasting! People say that there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!"
Joined by Chris, who has been picking on Scilly for 35 years, and Karolina, who has returned to Scilly to pick narcissi for the last six years, as well as several others, Paddy and his team move smoothly and effortlessly across the field, gathering armful after armful of flowers along the way.
The flowers are then transported to a grading shed. At Tremelethen Farm, Sarah Hale, Debbie Crane and Kylie Carter are kept busy, grading and tying the flowers into different varieties and lengths. Tremelethen Farm, run by husband and wife Keith and Sarah Hale, is one of the largest on St Mary's with 20 acres of flowers, so the three girls in the grading shed are kept busy.
"It's a repetitive job, a bit like being on a conveyor belt, so we have become good at gossiping while we work!" says Kylie.
"It's good to be in a small room with a small group of people, and there's a lot of laughter to keep us going," adds Sarah.
From the grading sheds, the flowers are taken to Mainland Marketing, a packing and distribution company situated close to St Mary's Airport.
"We work with nine farms that produce possibly 80% of the flowers grown on Scilly," explains Mainland Marketing's production manager David Page. "We deal with all the different varieties of narcissi which, after bunching and packing into boxes, are sent to various markets, supermarkets and wholesalers on the mainland. We send the flowers to large wholesalers, such as Covent Garden, right down to individual buyers who just want a bunch or two."
There are between six and 10 people on the production line, many of whom are regulars who come to work at Mainland Marketing over the winter. After bunching and boxing the flowers, they are put into a cold room, set at a chilly 2°C, to keep them as fresh as possible until they are taken to the docks, loaded onto the Scillonian III, and carried across to Penzance.
A different kind of flower business takes place at Churchtown Farm on St Martin's, where the Julian family have been sending boxes of flowers across the UK for the past 20 years.
"We used to sell the odd bunch of flowers at the farm gate," says Zoe Julian. "Someone asked if we could post a bunch to their family on the mainland, which of course we did, and realised that a business opportunity had suddenly presented itself. Now we sell bunches of narcissi from October to April, and scented pinks from May to September. They are sent to St Mary's and onwards to the mainland by first class post, and we have some wonderful letters of thanks from all over the country."
"Bulbs are planted in late summer," continues Ben Julian. "Thanks to the mild winter climate, they start growing when the first autumn rains arrive and flower between November and March. The first season's crop is thin and poor quality, so we wait to pick until they are in their second season. The pinks are planted into grow bags and produce flowers throughout the summer."
Whereas many areas of the UK are grey and barren over the winter months, this certainly cannot be said of the Isles of Scilly. Travelling around the islands, one can hardly ignore the huge swathes of yellow and white, a peep of colour through a gateway, or an escaped flower by the roadside. It is a sight to behold that will surely brighten the darkest day.
More pictures of the Isle of flowers
Chris who has been picking flowers for 35 years on Scilly, picking daffodils.
Picking daffodils - 28 yr old Paddy Davey.
Daffodils stretch out across the fields of St.Mary's.
Daffodils pilled up at Mainland Marketing.
Tremelethen Farm: Sorting daffodils for packing at Mainland Marketing.
Sorting the daffodils ready for packing.
Tremelethen Farm, Isles of Scilly.
Rosie, 10, and Piran Julian, 8 run through a field of daffodils at their farm on St.Martin's, Isles of Scilly where their Parents Ben and Zoe Julian run Scillyflowers.


The Supreme Court Collegium on Friday agreed to restate Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph's name for elevation to the top court.Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, all the members of the collegium were present.
The Supreme Court Collegium on Friday agreed to restate Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph's name for elevation to the top court.
"The Chief Justice and other members of the Collegium have, on principle, unanimously agreed that the recommendation for appointment of Mr. Justice K.M. Joseph, Chief Justice, Uttarakhand High Court [PHC: Kerala] as a Judge of the Supreme Court should be reiterated," the collegium stated.
The reiteration should also be accompanied by the suggestion of the names of Chief Justices of High Courts for elevation, for which discussion is needed, it said.
The Collegium meeting is further scheduled for May 16 to discuss the matter.
An important meeting of the Supreme Court collegium was held on Friday to discuss the issue the reiteration of Justice Joseph for elevation to the apex court following the rejection from the Centre.
Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, all the members of the collegium were present.
Earlier on April 26, the government had rejected the Collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Joseph. It also questioned his seniority for elevation as a judge of the Supreme Court.
The meeting of the Collegium was expected to take place on May 9 but Justice Chelameswar was on leave.


text:
Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay, Wyndham
Gellibrand's millions gone with Labor loss
15-05-19 Pic of Federal Gellibrand MP Tim Watts at the Altona pre-polling station. Photo by Damjan Janevski.
By Goya Dmytryshchak and Benjamin Millar
Millions of dollars of pre-election promises that were contingent on Labor winning federal government have been scuttled in Gellibrand, including $2 million for Stony Creek.
Gellibrand Labor MP Tim Watts was returned with 65.3 per cent (52,647) of the two-candidate preferred vote, but his party remains in opposition after pre-poll predictions of a Shorten government failed.
Stony Creek, running through Cruickshank Park at Yarraville, was devastated by chemical run-off from a Tottenham warehouse fire last year.
Other Labor pledges that have been torpedoed include a $4.8 million bike path on Buckley and Napier streets connecting Footscray to the CBD, $500,000 for a music hub at Footscray Community Arts Centre and $50,000 for a boat wash down station at Altona Boat Ramp.
The Liberals' Anthony Mitchell received 27,934 votes after preferences with 75.25 per cent of votes counted.
Of 111,217 eligible voters, 75.25 per cent turned out to vote and 3.72 per cent voted informally.
On primary votes, Mr Watts polled 49.51 per cent (39,892), representing a 3.28 per cent swing to Labor.
Mr Mitchell received 28.99 per cent (23,358) of primary votes, followed by The Greens' Bernadette Thomas on 16.09 per cent (12,962) and United Australia Party's Lisa Bentley on 5.42 per cent (4369).
Gellibrand covers Hobsons Bay, Footscray, Seddon, Kingsville, Yarraville, Williams Landing and part of Point Cook.
Labor's Daniel Mulino made history by becoming the first member of the newly established seat of Fraser, which covers mainly Brimbank but takes in Braybrook and Tottenham.
Mr Mulino had 64 per cent of first preferences votes with 75 per cent of votes counted.
Mr Watts was contacted for comment.
School needs a name
Esther Lauaki
Goat shot by arrow at You Yangs
Alesha Capone
Party shutdown, youth robbed
Murderer sentenced to 20 years
75 Watton Street, Werribee. Phone: 03 9249 5327


Application letter plays a vital role in making use of for a job in each company. Applications are often discarded at the first or second mistake on the quilt page. The colleges that I'm considering for application might talk with me by mail, electronic mail, telephone or text message previous to submission of my application (you may change this response later within your account settings).
With my expertise I will present your company with the required management and convey a vision for development and development. Plastics, in numerous stiff and strong kinds, are being used in various applications, and even as you look around, one can find that you are surrounded by several such substances.
It may take 6-8 weeks to process your application. Read on to learn extra about Cydia applications. Data on resume cover letters and tips about how you can write a good cover letter. Application letter has an enormous issue for an applicant to be hired in a particular job.
If you have charges outstanding with the College, we is not going to course of your application till these fees are cleared. The word "application", once used as an adjective, isn't restricted to the "of or pertaining to application software program" that means.
Application isn't an extraordinary letter. 5. System Integration Test – Verifies the mixing of all applications, together with interfaces internal and external to the organization, with their hardware, software program and infrastructure elements in a production-like atmosphere.


It's hard to believe but we are a little under two months from the first taste of Georgia Bulldogs football. So what are the expectations for the 2019 season?
The Midday Show with Rick and John discuss the storylines for the Dawgs upcoming season as they team prepares for their annual spring game, G Day, on April 20th at Sanford Stadium in Athens.
The storylines have changed quit a bit since Kirby Smart took over the program three years ago, at least in an ESPN article previewing the 2019 Bulldogs season.
You may remember a few years ago, it was 90,000 plus in Sanford for Smart's first spring game that was the topic of conversation. Last year, it was the battle between quarterbacks: Jake Fromm vs Justin Fields. So, after back-to-back seasons in the College Football playoffs, what should Bulldogs nation be excited about?
"Wide receiver is going to be a question, obviously. Replacing some defensive studs like D'Andre Walker who we had in studio, that's a question," John Michaels said on the storylines heading into this season. "It's not as intriguing unless you're a die-hard football fan like we are."
Rick Kamla said the backup running back position is what he's looking forward to most this season because it's stacked with guys that are ready to show what they can do when given the opportunity.
Click below to hear this plus more with Rick and John.
Does G Day have the same cache as previous years?


You have a little over 24 hours to enter! I will be doing the drawing in the evening as my birthday plans with the family are in the afternoon tomorrow.
Thank you for all the wonderful wishes and Good Luck!!
For more details on the giveaway please read the blog.


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Contributed - Crescent Real Estate rendering
Uptown's landmark Crescent is getting an almost $65M makeover
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A rendering shows how the court between the Crescent office buildings and hotel will be rebuilt with landscaping and pedestrian areas.
(Contributed - Crescent Real Estate)
A rendering shows the retail atrium in the center of the Crescent shopping center that will be rebuilt with a large, open event space.
(Contributed - Crescent Real Estate )
A rendering shows the new park that will be constructed on the south side of the Crescent at McKinney Avenue and Pearl Street.
When the landmark Crescent complex opened in 1986, it was one of the most expensive real estate developments ever built in Dallas.
Now the owners of the Uptown buildings are about to begin one of the most costly renovations of a local commercial property.
Starting early next year, the 11-acre office, hotel and retail development will get almost $65 million in upgrades designed to bring the Crescent into the 21st century.
Most of the money will be spent on the outside of the French Renaissance-style limestone-clad buildings.
Lush landscaping, new lighting and a more inviting park at the corner of McKinney Avenue and Pearl Street are designed to integrate the Crescent into the surrounding neighborhood, the project's managers say.
"In 1985, the Crescent was built as an inward-looking project," said John Zogg, managing director of Crescent Real Estate Equities. "At that time, this neighborhood was not that great.
"Times have changed," Zogg said. "This redevelopment is about making this project relevant today and embracing the neighborhood."
Uptown has evolved in the last 30 years from a dodgy commercial district on the edge of downtown to a popular, pedestrian-friendly urban neighborhood.
The Crescent's owners plan to open the complex up to the area by tearing down fences, installing eye-catching display windows and replacing yards of hot concrete with landscaping and pedestrian areas around the buildings.
1-acre park
One of the most visible changes will be the construction of a 1-acre park at McKinney and Pearl.
"The back door was Pearl and McKinney when this project was built," Zogg said. "Today, it is the front door."
Award-winning landscape architect James Burnett, who designed Dallas' Klyde Warren Park, is overseeing the park and other outdoor spaces surrounding the Crescent.
"We want you to be walking down the street and feel like you are invited to walk in," Zogg said.
To do that, the developers will remove yards of filigree fencing, gates and stonework that enclose the wide court between the three office towers and the hotel.
"Those big gates and fences keep people out," said Andre Staffelbach of the Dallas-based design firm Staffelbach. "Inside, it's just concrete and a sea of cars.
"The new landscaping will be wonderful, and people will be able to enjoy it."
Paved areas in the central courtyard will be reduced and replaced by trees, planting areas and outdoor seating. Retail on the lower floors of the three office buildings will be opened up to provide access to the outside.
Enhanced spaces
Enhanced shopping and restaurant space is a big part of the makeover.
"The Crescent has an opportunity to be a great retail experience," Zogg said.
The Palomino restaurant on Cedar Springs will be enlarged, with a new outdoor seating area that dominates the north side of the building.
And bright glass storefronts will be added to the exterior of the Stanley Korshak store and adjoining buildings that line the street.
Inside the shopping atrium, a sunken fountain area will be replaced with an open seating and entertainment area.
"That retail court is one of the better event spaces in Dallas that is underutilized now," Zogg said.
New signs will be added surrounding the Crescent, and the buildings will get a wash of lighting at night.
"Driving down Cedar Springs at night now, the Crescent looks almost totally dark," Zogg said. "The entire exterior is going to be lit."
Team effort
The team that's worked on the redo includes architect Gromatzky Dupree & Associates, contractor Beck Group, Staffelbach and Office of James Burnett.
Since 2011, the Crescent has been owned by an investment partnership controlled by New York-based J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Crescent Real Estate Holdings, through its unit Crescent Property Services LLC, leases and operates the buildings.
The architects and designers admit they were light-handed in their approach to altering what is recognized as a landmark Dallas building.
The Crescent was designed by renowned architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee with Dallas architect Phil Shepherd.
"We want to be very respectful of this property," said Jo Staffelbach Heinz of Staffelbach. "But we wanted to open the property up and think about it differently.
"We've been working on this for almost 31/2 years."
The owners will spend $30 million to remodel the office and retail portion of the Crescent.
Hotel plans
The Rosewood Crescent Hotel is expected to announce plans soon for a $35 million upgrade of the hotel, spa and club.
The changes come on top of $15 million just spent to upgrade mechanical systems at the Crescent.
"This is the most ambitious enhancement project I've ever seen," Zogg said. "All 11 acres of this project will be impacted.
"The owners wanted this project to remain the most prestigious asset in Dallas for the next 25 years."
Crescent Real Estate also intends to link the streetside restyling at the Crescent complex with changes coming to its other major properties along McKinney Avenue.
The Fort Worth-based commercial real estate firm owns the Ritz-Carlton Hotel next door to the Crescent and is building the McKinney & Olive office and retail project two blocks away.
The McKinney & Olive tower will front on a new 1-acre landscaped plaza along Olive Street.
"We are going to redo some of the Ritz exterior too, so you have 20 acres that relate to each other," Zogg said. "It will all be seamless."
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It's hard to believe that Take That have been a band for almost 30 years. An omnipresent force to be reckoned with, they were serving us bona-fide disco bops whilst the angsty Seattle grunge scene penetrated the mainstream in the 90s. Whilst bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam set to destabilise the manufactured pop industry, Take That prospered amidst it to serve pre-teen glitter pop, and cut shapes on the MTV dance floor. Fast-forward a couple of decades and they are a national treasure, split-ups and reunions aside. Next Year marks their 30th Anniversary, as they embark upon a colossal European stadium tour following the release of 'Odyssey', which is their greatest hits album with a twist, reworking lots of their classics and adding some new tunes to the mix.
Upon first listen, it's natural to gravitate immediately towards their new songs, which take Clash pleasantly by surprise. A personal highlight is 'Out of Our Heads', as Barlow and co pay homage to the jumpin-jazz era of the 50's. Here, they give us a fun-loving track that channels the spirit of Paolo Nutini's 'Pencil Full Of Lead', and thrusts upon us the shoulder-shimmies of Ray Charles' 'Hit The Road Jack'. The vocal offerings are impressive here, oozing soul and exemplifying their talent as a band whose legacy is decades in the making. Their other new tracks don't quite pack as impactful a punch, however pose as easy on the ears, as 'Spin' and 'Everlasting' provide us with wholesome pop goodness, albeit forgettable in the long run.
In terms of their remixes, there are some tracks that could have been left alone and untampered with. In relation to 'Everything Changes', Barlow stated in an interview that 'all we kept on was Robbie's original vocals' , exchanging the disco pop sensibilities of the original track with a tightly orchestrated brass ensemble. I'm unsure about this move, as although it adds a touch of class to an otherwise stereotypical 90's pop song, the essence of it's cheesy groove was what embodied the success of the track, leaving me questioning how this will transcribe for old-school fans.
The remixed versions of tracks like 'Rule The World' however, feel more polished, and in this instance add a more whimsical depth to the song. It's haunting orchestral flourishes enable a more suspenseful build to the chorus, encapsulating the track's nostalgic magic. On tour, this will no doubt be the ambient climax of each night - just picture thousands of iPhone torches setting stadiums ablaze. The authentic remix of 'Relight My Fire' also professes a more authentic sound, it's bassline granting a 70's funk explosion that captivates the eardrums and lulls you into a boogie, even more so than the original.
On a whole, Take That still reign supreme in the pop pantheon, acting as that lavish flow of prosecco at your work Christmas party, as that coveted purple sweet in the Quality Street box. They have far surpassed their sell-by date of typical manufactured pop groups, and 'Odyssey' only only confirms their longevity as a music act. Although not something that a younger audience would seek to pursue, they stand to entertain their older fans as intended, and rejuvenate classics which add a pleasing new layer to their sound.