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Posts Tagged 'ballad'
Rihanna – Unapologetic. (album review)
Unapologetic might be Rihanna's best album yet. In truth, I've been struggling to work out how to start a review of this album without referring to her previous masterpiece Rated R, which was a tour de force that exposed an angry, vulnerable girl trying to figure out the aftermath of love gone wrong. This album came out when I was in the midst of trying to untangle and deal with my own feelings of unrequited love, and resonated with me on such a level. On the other hand, Unapologetic comes out when I am happily in love and settled in my own life. This time, Rihanna's narrative is quite different to my own – and yet Unapologetic, to its credit, still connects with the listener, drawing them into her fury that this time is more simmering than explosive (on Rated R, all-out rage only begins to subside into a quieter, more vulnerable, bubbling – yet nevertheless powerful – anger at around "Photographs", two thirds of the way through the record).
Of course, Rihanna's life has changed considerably since then. An even bigger star now than she was 3 years ago with the ability to only release number 1 singles, now she has a number 1 album to match. Meanwhile, her atomic breakup with Chris Brown (precipitated by his fists) has metamorphosed into media-baiting behaviour, ill-advised collaborations with Brown and the rumoured (likely true, if the photographs and ineloquent tweets and confessions of her ex are to be believed) rekindling of their romance. Unapologetic: why shouldn't Rihanna forgive her abuser, her first love? Why shouldn't she work with a hot male R&B star? Why can't she misbehave, smoke, drink, party night after night like anyone in their early twenties? Despite what naysayers like to purvey, her career certainly hasn't suffered for it. But the material on the album – none of which was written by Rihanna but all of which has a stamp immediately more personal than the scattergun Loud that hit dizzying heights all too infrequently, and than the ultimately unsatisfying Talk That Talk that petered out halfway after such a promising start – displays a thoughtfulness that suggests that while Rihanna may be "unapologetic", she's not unaware of what is going on around her, what is happening to her and certainly of what is being said or claimed about her. Unapologetic continues where Rated R left off: there are certainly hits, but nearly every song carries a depth of meaning that exudes confidence, confusion, sex and honesty.
Opener "Phresh Out The Runway" is swag personified, and is effectively Rihanna making an entrance. While it's great to start the album, and an excellent song to listen to for an immediate energy boost when you're half-asleep leaving the house on the way to work, it's not the meaningful content I've discussed above. Neither is the other David Guetta collaboration, "Right Now", a club diversion that rehashes previous album highlight "Where Have You Been" to pleasant but unremarkable effect. But on lead single "Diamonds", we get a childlike chant, a sparkling midtempo strut and a powerful vocal that lyrically echoes previous megahit "We Found Love": where there were "yellow diamonds in the sky", now we are "shining bright like a diamond in the sky". Rihanna's vocals have grown more impressive over the years (whatever she's smoking, I would like some) and where she may have simply been a vehicle for delivering hit songs even on the consistent Good Girl Gone Bad, now it's she who transforms a song into a smash. The chorus is powerful yet sincere, and lyrics such as the telling "I choose to be happy" betray a sense of desperation in trying to convince herself that a romantic relationship is truly infallible rather than fleeting (as are the moments portrayed in the accompanying video). It's a fantastic performance, and a refreshingly downbeat choice for a lead single that nonetheless packs punch.
The next trio of songs could all be described as downbeat yet potent, but each has its own place on the album. "Numb" works atop a sensual Egyptian-sounding ostinato and pounding drums, while Rihanna drawls monotonously that nobody "can't tell her nothing… I'm impaired / I'm going numb, I'm going numb". Interestingly, the vulnerability continues as the lyrics imply that for all her power and "double-dares", Rihanna sees herself as the defective one. "Pour It Up" in contrast is celebratory of women who are in charge (like Rihanna, of course)… and yet the vocals and beats are submerged in aural tar, as if Rihanna is high off the champagne, weed and money referenced in the songs. None of these songs are instant, and yet on repeated listens they reveal themselves as worthwhile and interesting – "balling out" may not be as fun as it's cracked up to be. "Loveeeeeee Song" is also very chill, working from a traditional R&B template that's chopped and screwed into something less recognisable. It's a romantic ballad dressed up as a nonchalant come-on. So far, the theme of Unapologetic is that appearances can be deceiving – Rihanna is flawless, cocky, confident, nonchalant, vulnerable, determined to be happy, numb, impaired, intoxicated, worried about "sounding too desperate", in need of love and affection… It's a spiralling morass of emotion dressed up as a percolating limousine ride.
Things become much more straightforward with "Jump" – i.e. SMASH. Dubstep breakdowns done right and made fresh and dynamic; a sample of "Pony" by Ginuwine that could have easily been problematic (as is so often the case when interpolating excellent material) but instead elevates the music; Rihanna is cocksure and forthright. But within a couple of songs, we have an explosive ballad that I saw described by a user on Popjustice as "fire and ice blasting out of the ground". "What Now" is flawless and one of Rihanna's best works – a mid-tempo ballad that quickly becomes bombastic, overwrought and emboldened by one of her best vocal performances to date. As drums explode and guitars roar to a climax, lyrics profess that "I spent every hour just going through the motions / I can't even get the emotions to come out / Dry as a bone, but I just wanna shout". The emotions certainly do come out, so palpably that the cut is utterly absorbing and one of Rihanna's best. "Stay" directly follows this and is the quietest track on the album, serving as more evidence of Rihanna's improvements as a vocalist and interpretative singer – she is capable of taking a song and breathe life into it, whatever the subject matter or emotional standpoint. It's just been confirmed as Unapologetic's second single and appears to be a fan favourite, though I wouldn't go any further than saying the song is fine – I would certainly champion other tracks over this one. But its contrast with the other songs on the album and with Rihanna's usual output gives it its own place on the album.
"Nobody's Business", the duet with Chris Brown, is the perceived "event" of the album, sampling Michael Jackson to boot. But musically it's a little bit flat – the existence of the duet says more than its sonic attributes. "You'll always be mine, sing it to the world… ain't nobody's business." Yet another contradiction in an album full of them, both lyrically and musically. Is Rihanna purposefully spiting all of those who supported her during the fallout of her abuse suffered at Brown's hands? Is it offensive? Or are they just teasing? It seems very pointed when Rihanna sings "Let's make out in this Lexus" – as opposed to what happened in a car last time! It's a trying sentiment that seems difficult to understand – but once again, let's remember that Rihanna is "unapologetic" so what does it matter? She is going to do what she wants, she's young and in love, and hopefully she won't get hurt again in such a way. "Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary" is the album's centrepiece that, like "The Last Song" from Rated R, captivates the listener with exceptionally personal exposure. Where the previous track aims to provoke without any substance to back it up, here the confessional actually reveals a lot. "I was his Marilyn Monroe / Brown eyes, tuxedo, fast cars / A James Dean on the low." We are clearly taken back to that fateful night of Rihanna's being attacked (and interestingly, she hints at Chris Brown's alleged bisexuality to boot, which may or may not have something to do with the night in question). The bravado of "Nobody's Business" is completely gone here, and as the song transitions into "Mother Mary", Rihanna sounds less sure of her swagger: "I swear I wanna change". The lyrics touch on the nature of fame, as does worthwhile bonus track "Half Of Me", and implies that whatever we think we know about Rihanna, us outsiders never get to see the whole picture and so we shouldn't judge… but Rihanna understands that we inevitably will. As much as "Nobody's Business" claimed to be happy-go-lucky and ready to dive into love-as-sex, "Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary" shows much more depth of thought (as in "What Now") and heart that encourages repeat listens. This is another highlight of Unapologetic.
The closing songs of the album feel like a plane coming into land. "Get It Over With" is sublime, like a song-length interlude that urges the climax to "come on and fucking rain"; anger gives way to fatigue and surrender to whatever will be, good or bad. "No Love Allowed" is, contrastingly, a deceptively sunny reggae song that once again confounds expectations set up by the previous song. But the lyrics are spooky and uncomfortable, as was its precursor in spirit, Loud's "Man Down". In direct opposition to that song's subject matter, here it's Rihanna yelling "911 it's a critical emergency / Better run run run and charge him with the 143." It's a neat (perhaps too neat?) inversion of "Man Down" and seems to shed more light on the Chris Brown saga… but as highlighted in "Half Of Me", how much do we ever know about Rihanna? We're not privy to the whole story – according to "Mother Mary", she's going to "make the best scene they've ever seen." "Lost In Paradise", last but not least, is a bass-heavy closer that implies the story is not over, because now Rihanna has to find meaning to the paradise she claims to be stranded in if she ever hopes to find her way out.
For an album where Rihanna does not carry a single songwriting credit (though she is an executive producer), Unapologetic sure feels personal. And honest: an album filled with contradictions that are often calculated but nevertheless sound/feel like they have genuine meaning. The journey of the album is consistently riveting and reveals its complexities on repeated listens. There may be few answers to fans' questions (however many sordid details it provides), but this rings less as Rihanna being deliberately elusive and more as she herself not quite knowing how to proceed. After all, she's naked on the damn album cover – how much more vulnerable can one be, clothed only in a flimsy gauze of words, slogans and hashtags? In a world where her lover became her abuser and now may become her lover again, and where soundscapes and lyrics distort and contort around and through her voice, the one thing – no, two things – Rihanna clearly knows is how to release hit singles, and how to craft a powerful album.
Posted in Music, Review | Tagged abuse, album, anger, ballad, bisexuality, bold, bombastic, bravado, breakup, calculated, Chris Brown, complexity, confusion, contradiction, David Guetta, depth, desperation, Diamonds, drinking, drums, dubstep, Egypt, elusive, emotion, executive producer, fatigue, feminism, forgiveness, fury, Get It Over With, Ginuwine, Good Girl Gone Bad, guitar, Half Of Me, happiness, hashtag, hits, honest, In Love, intoxication, James Dean, judgement, Jump, Lexus, life, limousine, Lost In Paradise, Loud, Love, Love Without Tragedy, Loveeeeeee Song, Man Down, Marilyn Monroe, media, Michael Jackson, Mother Mary, naked, No Love Allowed, Nobody's Business, nonchalance, Numb, offensive, partying, personal, Photographs, Phresh Out The Runway, Pony, Popjustice, Pour It Up, R&B, rain, Rated R, reggae, Review, Right Now, Rihanna, romance, sex, smoking, Stay, surrender, swag, Talk That Talk, The Last Song, tour de force, Unapologetic, uncomfortable, unrequited love, vulnerability, We Found Love, What Now, Where Have You Been | 3 Comments »
Demi Lovato – Unbroken (album review)
My limited knowledge of Demi Lovato extended to: Disney, Camp Rock, annoying, an album cover that ripped off No Doubt's Rock Steady, some sort of meltdown. After hearing her song "Skyscraper" on the almighty Popjustice and falling in love with that song's vulnerability, raw vocal performance and defiant lyrics, I decided to investigate further. Beyond finding out that Demi had a really bad year last year, I found her new album Unbroken. And it would appear that Demi is becoming a grown woman.
Although the initial four tracks feature guest appearances that made me tremble with fear (Timbaland – I am sadly no longer filled with anticipation when I see his name in liner notes; Dev; Iyaz; Jason Derülo), the tracks were upbeat, fun and seemed determined to showcase Demi as a young woman (she's still only 19!) who wants to party, have fun and flirt with guys. It seems a bit much to front-load what is essentially a coming-of-age album with such lightweight tracks, but they are frothy and hooky and will draw young listeners in. But from track 5, the waltz-time ballad "Lightweight", Demi really gets down to business and things get really good. She gets to do more with her voice and showcase why she is almost certainly the best singer to emerge from the Disney teen bratpack. The title track is a defiant call-to-arms ("I'm gonna love you like I've never been broken / Tonight I'm letting go") over a thumping dance-pop beat, while lead single "Skyscraper" still remains the standout, a tear-jerking ballad that has rightly been the biggest hit of Demi's career to date. "In Real Life" is a sassy, soulful cut that skews R&B, with a vocal performance that sees Demi's romantic fantasies ultimately realised. Closing track "For The Love Of A Daughter" is a plea to Demi's alcoholic father to "put the bottle down", and while it's lyrically a little maudlin, Demi puts in a vocal that rivals Kelly Clarkson at her peak and shows that Demi hasn't just been through a year where her most private problems came to light, but that she's always dealt with tough issues that humanise her in the face of her teen counterparts. In a year filled with lacklustre releases, Unbroken is a pleasantly strong album that comes as a breath of fresh air and demonstrates the potential star quality that Demi is on the cusp of realising.
Posted in Music, Review | Tagged ballad, Camp Rock, Demi Lovato, Dev, Disney, Don't Forget, For The Love Of A Daughter, fun, growth, In Real Life, Iyaz, Jason Derülo, Kelly Clarkson, Lightweight, meltdown, No Doubt, Popjustice, raw, Rock Steady, skyscraper, star quality, Timbaland, Unbroken, vocals | 2 Comments »
Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite. (album review)
Aphrodite marks Kylie Minogue's 11th studio album, and the general attitude is that this is the Australian star's comeback album following her battle with breast cancer, after the scattershot effort of previous project X. Not only did X not allude to her personal life and struggles (to many fans' dismay), it seemed determined to overlook them; however, the genre-hopping and quality rollercoaster displeased many listeners. This is not to take away from the album's strongpoints; for the gigantic misses of glam-rock lead single "2 Hearts" and the tepid, forgettable "No More Rain", there were hits such as the excellently addictive "In My Arms" and the sensuous "Sensitized", not to mention the beautiful closing lightweight ballad "Cosmic". X was a frustrating listen not because it ignored Kylie's personal foibles but because it didn't know where its head was at, and fired off moments of sheer brilliance and then of complete twaddle seemingly at will. It's true that in contrast to that album, Aphrodite is cohesive, focused and honed to target the fibrillating emotional dance-pop that so pleases the radio and Kylie's gay fanbase.
Aphrodite bears much in common with that other Kylie comeback record, Fever. Both are love letters to the dance floor, where the tempo and beats are relentless, while Kylie purrs over the top at once calculated and lascivious. Both are pure pop, and neither of them take enough risks to stand with Kylie's best albums: the daring, creative zenith of Impossible Princess or the seductive Body Language that was comprised of songs that were so off-kilter and curious that it was a pleasant surprise just how well the songs worked both individually and as a whole. Nevertheless, Aphrodite aims to please, and on lead single "All The Lovers", Kylie does just that with a lyric that pleads simultaneously for love and for the dancefloor. Primed for the radio and for the gays with its pop-dance leanings, Kylie seems to have struck a home run. However, this song epitomises much of one of my criticisms of Aphrodite as a whole: the sentiments of the lyrics (which are well-written) and the beauty in the melodies (which are often evocative and well-structured) get swallowed up by the uniform pop production of the album. It at once unifies the record and smooths out most of its interesting quirks: if X was too schizophrenic, Kylie has gone too far the other way with Aphrodite to create a record that is too homogenous. Like Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor, Stuart Price oversees production duties here to melt the songs together into one continuous blur, making the decent songs fight to announce themselves as individuals to the listener's ear.
With songs such as "All The Lovers", "Closer" and "Everything Is Beautiful", this is a problem: for example, "Closer" is structurally and melodically a ballad, fighting against production that wants to make it a bitter dance song. "Everything Is Beautiful" should be a gentle, sweet ode to the joys of love, but the insistent drum beat transforms the song into an anthemic but ill-fitting upbeat pop song. These identity crises give much of Aphrodite the sense that it is trying too hard to be something it's not, or that the tracks are not allowed to be themselves. There are a couple of plain weak tracks: "Better Than Today" sounds entirely like a Scissor Sisters track and Kylie Minogue (who is not credited enough for her vocal and interpretative abilities) sings it in just that way; "Looking For An Angel" is listless filler which once again seems to have earned its spot on the record because it fits in with the overarching feel of the album as a whole. It's a shame that unlike on the quirky Body Language where the album's moments of strangeness worked, a large part of Aphrodite feels like it is a square peg forced into a round hole.
This is especially highlighted when one listens to the songs that do work. "Get Outta My Way" is a focused, upstanding anthem that takes its 4-to-the-floor beat and runs, creating an exhilarating standout; "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" bears the essence of Fever's infectious "Love At First Sight" and is similarly lovely; the title track "Aphrodite" is a statement of self-worth and determination to triumph that totally suits its marching-band beat and lyrics that declare "Did you think I wasn't real?… I'm fierce and I'm feeling mighty / I'm a golden girl, I'm an Aphrodite / Alright?" Its confidence and zest spearhead Aphrodite's most successful moments. However, "Cupid Boy" is the antithesis of this and still shines; a moody guitar-driven mid-tempo that proves that (unlike the aforementioned "Closer") it certainly is possible to successfully deliver an emotionally-charged ballad-esque track while still keeping the overarching dance feel of the album intact. Closer "Can't Beat The Feeling" is one of the album's poppiest moments, but its embrace of its own cheesiness is almost delightful, with Kylie's vocal delivery transforming throwaway candy-floss lyrics such as "Feel the force of the reaction / Let it take you on a ride /… I can't beat the feeling that I get when I'm with you" into a delirious proclamation of love.
Overall, Aphrodite caters to its target group, but a little too efficiently. Some songs feel like they've been forced to be what they're not, a couple seem to be present only by dint of the fact that they musically sound like Kylie Minogue tracks – facsimiles of songs rather than songs in their own right. But at least half of the album works, and when the individual elements of Aphrodite react successfully and the songs stand up with the help of the production rather than being strapped down by it, the results are impressive. I enjoyed this album more than I expected to, and it marks one step closer to a return to form for Minogue… even if she's not quite at her peak.
Posted in Music, Review | Tagged 2 Hearts, addictive, album, All The Lovers, anthem, Aphrodite, ballad, beautiful, Better Than Today, bitterness, Blur, Body Language, breast cancer, brilliance, calculated, Can't Beat The Feeling, candy-floss, closer, cohesive, comeback, Confessions On A Dance Floor, confidence, continuous, contrast, Cosmic, Curious, dance, dancefloor, determination, dismay, efficient, emotional, essence, Everything Is Beautiful, exhilaration, fans, Fever, filler, Focused, forgettable, frustration, gay, Get Outta My Way, guitar, homogenous, identity crisis, Impossible Princess, In My Arms, Kylie Minogue, lascivious, Looking For An Angel, Love, Love At First Sight, love letter, lyrics, Madonna, melody, No More Rain, personal life, pop, production, pure, Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love), radio, relentless, scattershot, schizophrenic, Scissor Sisters, seduction, self-worth, Sensitized, sensuous, struggles, Stuart Price, success, surprise, triumph, twaddle, unity, weak, writing, X, zest | 2 Comments »
Toni Braxton – Pulse. (album review)
The first album from Toni Braxton in 5 years comes following an abbreviated residency at Las Vegas, yet more record label disputes, health scares, a neat run on Dancing With The Stars and a separation from long-term partner Keri Lewis. So one would assume that she has a lot of life material to draw on, material that might be evident in the singer's new album. Well, yes and no: Toni Braxton has stuck to her strengths, which are soulful R&B ballads expertly sung. The lyrical content of these tracks betrays barely a whisker of what the singer has been through in the past 5 years, and to look at the singer she stands stately, sophisticated and stunningly beautiful for a woman of 40 years old. Indeed, she still has that same sexy body she had 15 years ago, although now it is dressed with a more chic, age-appropriate veneer that effortlessly walks that tightrope between sexy and classy. Nevertheless, Braxton's creamy, rich alto has a slight bit more depth to it now; to paraphrase from her interview in Metro this week, she has the ability to channel her experiences (be they joyful or sad) into the texture of her voice, and this is what makes Braxton one of the most enduring and valuable singers to emerge in the last 20 years: you feel her when she sings. On Pulse this is evident throughout, particularly when her voice is reduced to a low, husky whisper such as at the beginning of "Woman", a cover of Delta Goodrem's track from 2007's Delta that improves on the original because Toni Braxton's voice brings more depth to the lyrics (although Delta Goodrem's own version was solid in itself, perhaps making this achievement all the more impressive), and the production ranges from subtle to soaring while never overtaking Braxton's performance.
After more leaks than Ciara's Fantasy Ride, it would be unacceptable for Pulse to be anything less than solid, considering the 25+ tracks we've heard from Toni Braxton's recording sessions for the project. For the most part, Braxton has chosen the strongest songs for the project, although bonus tracks "Rewind" and "Stay" add little value to the album and could have been replaced with successful "Ice Box" soundalike "Clockwork" and particularly "It's You". These are just little personal gripes however, and don't affect the fact that Braxton sings each of the 11 tracks on her album with impeccable aplomb; her voice cannot be faltered, whether she's emitting attitude on the sassy "Make My Heart" (which again improves upon Blaque's / Mis-Teeq's "Can't Get It Back", being based on the same sample) or evoking vulnerability on standout closing track "Why Won't You Love Me". It is surprising that this is the only track on Pulse that gives Toni a significant songwriting credit ("Yesterday" does credit her, but only along with 4 other contributors) considering her credits on The Heat and More Than A Woman; those two albums, while not perfect, were both cohesive and consistent – they felt like albums, not just a collection of songs.
And this is where my only main gripe with Pulse comes in. Indeed, the album contains some beautiful songs – my personal favourites are first single "Yesterday" (although it sounds like Beyoncé's "Halo", it is strong and sincere enough to stand on its own two feet – unlike the version with Trey Songz, which suffers from a change in production that is at once overdone and bland), the aforementioned "Make My Heart" and "Why Won't You Love Me", "Wardrobe" with its clever man-as-outfit metaphor that somehow avoids sounding cheesy or forced. "Lookin' At Me" is a welcome uptempo that bumps convincingly and brings the sass out of Toni, and perhaps in the closing stretch of the album which is ballad-heavy, another uptempo of this nature might have livened things up. Finally, "Hands Tied" is an utterly beautiful song in lyrics, production and vocals, and has an outstanding video to match – Toni Braxton dances in front of a troupe of attractive men, stands in an eye-catching black dress in front of an ornately carved table that I would quite like in my house, and locks eyes with the camera, singing and dancing and yet conveying the determination for love inherent in the song's lyrics.
As I said before, there are no weak tracks, and perhaps my opinion is swayed by the sheer amount of material I've heard from the project – unlike classic albums Secrets, The Heat and More Than A Woman, the album feels merely like a collection of lovely songs than like an album. Previous album Libra suffered from this same problem, although Pulse has more of an identity, hewing close to soulful ballads and eschewing popular production tricks; unlike a couple of Libra's tracks, this album won't sound dated, to its credit. But something intangible makes some albums more than the sum of their parts, and Pulse just doesn't have that je ne sais quoi. In comparison with Monica's recent Still Standing (check my review here!), both albums are a welcome embodiment of "real" R&B, both are classy efforts that dispense with unnecessary featured artists and emphasise the singers' strengths. Neither album possesses any repellent tracks, and all the material is beautifully sung. But if I had to choose between them, Monica's would win out because something about it feels more sincere, more cohesive; something connects with the listener more. I feel bad that I can't quite put my finger on what that "something" is, but it means that while Pulse is certainly solid and worth purchasing, as a whole it isn't exceptional. Nevertheless, some of its songs are exceptional, and it is wonderful to hear a singer relying on her vocal ability and strong songwriting rather than gimmicks or collaborations with flavour-of-the-month artists.
Posted in Music, Review | Tagged achievement, album, alto, aplomb, attitude, ballad, beautiful, Beyoncé, bland, Blaque, camera, Can't Get It Back, chic, Ciara, class, Clockwork, cohesive, collaboration, connection, consistent, dancing, Dancing With The Stars, dated, Delta, Delta Goodrem, depth, determination, dispute, exceptional, Fantasy Ride, gimmicks, gripes, Halo, Hands Tied, health, Ice Box, identity, impeccable, intangible, interview, It's You, je ne sais quoi, Keri Lewis, Las Vegas, leaks, Libra, life, Lookin' At Me, Love, Make My Heart, Metro, Mis-Teeq, Monica, More Than A Woman, Omarion, overdone, performance, personal, production, Pulse, R&B, record label, repellent, residency, Rewind, sass, secrets, separation, sexy, sincerity, singer, solid, songwriting, sophistication, stately, Stay, Still Standing, table, texture, The Heat, tightrope, Toni Braxton, Trey Songz, uptempo, video, vocals, voice, vulnerability, wardrobe, Why Won't You Love Me, Woman, Yesterday | 3 Comments »
Sugababes – Sweet 7. (album review)
Sweet 7 marks the 7th album from the Sugababes, and the first album from the newest incarnation of the group, consisting now of Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. Furore of no original members remaining aside, Sweet 7 evidences a complete glossy polishing of the group's sound that started upon Mutya's departure after Taller In More Ways, one of the group's best albums. Sweet 7 is full of pounding clubby pop uptempos, with a couple of ballads at the end to slow down the pace. For the most part (the piece-of-trash "Thank You For The Heartbreak" aside), these are well-written, catchy pop songs with a couple of pleasant surprises along the way. "Wear My Kiss" and "About A Girl" are smashes-in-waiting that don't deserve to fare badly on the charts just because of bad feeling towards the group's revolving-door lineup. "No More You" sounds like a Stargate production in the vein of Beyoncé's smash "Irreplaceable", and standout "She's A Mess" has some hilarious lyrics ("drinking bottle after bottle after bottle…" / "Everybody go mad, everybody go psycho!") and multiple hooks, plus an irresistible instrumental coda that keeps you dancing and pressing repeat. This track sounds as if it could be addressed to Ke$ha, dissing trashtastic, classless girls everywhere (perhaps Amelle has reformed her drunken antics and girl-bashing self?) who just live to party and get drunk.
The ballads that close the album feel a bit tacked-on, and could have been better incorporated into the sequence of the album as a whole, but "Crash & Burn" and particularly "Little Miss Perfect" are well-sung efforts that offer a nice change of pace from the mostly relentless 4/4 beats of the disc. Sunny acoustic-led track "Sweet & Amazing" offers a lyrical insight on optimism and getting what you want out of life; the message is nice and appreciated, but the lyrics themselves come across as trite and banal. Still, the overall vibe of the song is endearing. Perhaps "Sweet & Amazing" and "Little Miss Perfect" are also answers to those who have criticised the group for ousting last founding member Keisha Buchanan, stating in not so many words that the group had to do what it had to do to survive and to maintain a healthy inter-member relationship. Who knows – but these songs at least give a little bit of meat for fans and listeners to bite into.
However, Keisha's absence is gaping for two major reasons. One: anyone who has heard the original Sweet 7 sampler with Keisha's vocals knows just how much better "Get Sexy" and "Miss Everything" sounded before. This is largely a production error: the intro on "Get Sexy" no longer grabs the listener with any vocals; Jade Ewen's voice on "Miss Everything" is unnecessarily auto-tuned within an inch of its life, and the modulations on her voice are at least double that of Heidi's and Amelle's, which seems illogical considering that Jade Ewen is far and away the best vocalist in the new incarnation of the group. Indeed, the new rendition of "Wait For You" places Jade front and centre, and her vocals particularly in the second verse are nothing short of thrilling. Technically, she might be the best vocalist the Sugababes have ever had, and it is almost a shame that she sacrificed her solo career to be part of the group; especially when the re-produced songs make little effort to blend her vocals with Heidi and Amelle's. Through no fault of Jade's own, at times her vocals stick out like a sore thumb, not just because she outclasses her fellow members at nearly every turn, but because the vocal mixing appears to have been carried out by an orang-utan. This seems to be a running theme with the Sugababes, as Amelle's vocals on tracks such as "Red Dress" sounded nothing short of harsh, but with newer songs came a more subtle, blended approach to the production. Hopefully future albums will exhibit the same approach.
Two: as hinted at in the introduction to this review, the Sugababes' new music is extremely polished, but it has lost nearly all semblance of any originality the group had. Songs such as "Overload", "New Year", "Round Round" and "Situations Heavy" sounded unique to the group, as if they could be sung by nobody else. The shout-out of "RedOne!" at the start of "About A Girl" might as well be changed to "We've used Lady GaGa's producer, please love our single too!"; "Thank You For The Heartbreak" could be sung just as easily (and probably better) by the Sugababes' biggest rivals Girls Aloud; "Miss Everything", while a ridiculously catchy song, features Sean Kingston in an unnecessary attempt to pander to the American market. "Crash & Burn" sounds like something Chris Brown could sing and in fact did sing on his mediocre Graffiti track "Crawl". Only towards the end of the album on quirky tracks such as "Give It To Me Now" does a shade of the Sugababes' original spunky personality creep in. I'm a believer that when the group lost Mutya Buena, they lost what made the Sugababes that irresistible combination of street, edge and class. Even looking at the album and single covers from Sweet 7 (not to mention the horrendous video for "About A Girl"), the Sugababes are posing in skimpy outfits and pouting like their lives depend on it. In the old days, their individuality stood out; perhaps in a loss of confidence, the group now looks and sounds desperate to fit in, which is a shame as they used to lead the pack, and with a strong set of well-written tracks on Sweet 7, they don't need to resort to such pedestrian tactics. In trying to be edgy and stand out, the Sugababes have lost their sense of individuality and ironically end up blending in with your average girl group or classless female singer.
So, what to make of Sweet 7? It's balanced heavily towards the uptempo, but most of its songs do succeed and the album is a fun listen with a few standout cuts. Jade Ewen is a thrilling addition to the group, and were the vocal production a little better, her voice would elevate the material to stellar status. The ballads are serviceable for the most part, and in my opinion there is only one unlistenable song on the disc (putting the album ahead of Change and Catfights And Spotlights). However, it's a shame that the Sugababes have lost that spark and class that set them apart from the rest of the pack. In trying to compete with the rest of the shallow, faceless current pop music scene – regardless of who now comprises the group – the Sugababes have automatically lowered themselves to the level of their peers, and that is sad because they could have made a great album instead of a solid but unexceptional one.
Posted in Music, Review | Tagged About A Girl, absence, alcohol, Amelle Berrabah, America, auto-tune, ballad, Beyoncé, blending, catchy, Catfights And Spotlights, change, Chris Brown, class, classless, club, competition, confidence, conformity, Crawl, desperation, edge, Get Sexy, Girls Aloud, gloss, Graffiti, health, Heidi Range, hooks, individuality, Irreplaceable, Jade Ewen, Ke$ha, Keisha Buchanan, Lady GaGa, lyrics, messages, mixing, Mutya Buena, New Year, orang-utan, originality, Overload, party, personality, polish, production, Red Dress, RedOne, relationship, Round Round, Sean Kingston, Situations Heavy, Smash Hits, solo, spark, Stargate, street, subtlety, success, Sugababes, survival, Sweet 7, Taller In More Ways, Thank You For The Heartbreak, trash, trite, unique, uptempo, vocals, Wait For You, Wear My Kiss | Leave a Comment »
Rihanna – Rated R. (album review)
Here is the album review I promised on my twitter yesterday! Before I start, once again I want to thank you all for supporting my blog, both my music reviews and my personal entries. I really appreciate all the views and I hope that you'll keep it locked here because I ain't stoppin'! 🙂 Thankyou.
You already know what I think of Russian Roulette, and the other 3 songs we've heard already from Rated R. Generally, they portray a darker, edgier side to Rihanna, both in the production (deeper, more menacing beats) and lyrical content that includes a bit of cursing, a lot of swagger and references to pain, trials and tribulations. "Russian Roulette", "Wait Your Turn" and "Hard" are more or less indicative of the album as a whole. In contrast to her previous smash Good Girl Gone Bad, it's a lot less uptempo. The songs are mainly midtempos and ballads, which may alienate a lot of fans who want her faster, danceable material (though "Hard" and "Rude Boy" cater to these needs, and do so well with swagger lyrics – the latter seeing Rihanna come on to a 'rude boy' as if she were the guy who is gonna "put it on you"). However, the slower material allows for two major things: one, to prove that Rihanna can actually sing. Okay, she's no Beyoncé, but she holds her own a lot better than many people might expect. "Russian Roulette" and closing standout "The Last Song" don't employ lots of vocal runs, but they emphasise strong, clear vocals that prove Rihanna's got a voice as well as a body – btw. the artwork for this era is immense! – and also go well with the more emotionally searching and vulnerable material. Two, it allows for Rihanna to delve into her pain, and although it's never made explicit that she's referencing her love, abuse and love lost with Chris Brown, songs such as "Stupid In Love" and the epic "Cold Case Love" immediately bring that whole affair to mind.
Not every song is concerned with love lost. "Te Amo" is about a girl who's infatuated with Rihanna, and its undulating beats have been beefed up slightly on the album version to make it more hypnotic and possibly (along with "Rude Boy") the song that would have slotted in nicely on Good Girl Gone Bad. "Rockstar 101" is backed up by Slash's guitar work and like "Hard" and "Wait Your Turn", it demonstrates Rihanna's confidence in herself – something she perhaps wants to emphasise. She is fierce! However, compared to some of the other tracks, "Rockstar 101" falls somewhat flat, as it doesn't have as much depth as the emotionally-charged midtempos, nor does it ring as true as the harder-knocking songs. It does demonstrate that Rihanna is not an urban artist – she's a pop singer who encompasses a range of music. On this album, she combines elements of rock, pop, R&B and melds them together to create a dark album that works for the most part. And credit goes to her for trying to improve on each album – like Good Girl Gone Bad, the amount of filler on the disc is fairly minimal (in contrast to her first two records) and she's tried to do something different that has evolved as she has as a person. So I must applaud that.
A couple of the ballads such as "Stupid In Love" and "Photographs" (which benefits from will.i.am's synthed beats that kick in midway) are perfectly solid, but pale in comparison to the best tracks. These are, in a nutshell, first single "Russian Roulette", "Fire Bomb", "G4L", "Cold Case Love" and "The Last Song". These all work because Rihanna is putting herself out there vocally and emotionally. The producers do a fantastic job (praise must go in particular to Justin Timberlake and The Ys' work on "Cold Case Love", which shows a gradual building of beatboxing, standard beats, guitars and strings to an epic climax that fades out by itself and underline Rihanna's pain at a love misfired – "Release me now 'cause I did my time") more or less throughout, but Rihanna herself carries the songs. "Fire Bomb" has been compared to something by Kelly Clarkson, but in my opinion it knocks much harder and is a compelling contrast to expectations – most people would expect a club banger from the title, when in fact it's a slow pop/rock ballad which essentially says "if I'm going down in flames, you're coming with me". "G4L" is one of the darkest songs which shows Rihanna pledging to be "down 4 life", ride or die until the end. The off-key tweaks at the beginning signal something mysterious, and the lyric "I lick the gun when I'm done 'cause I know that revenge is sweet" is one of the best opening salvos I can remember. The track brings to mind the tiny gun tattoos on the sides of Rihanna's breasts, demonstrating that even if she may be a sweet person on the surface, she's also a strong and determined one – her attitude is reflected in her music as much as her body art.
"The Last Song" was the track that stood out to me most from listening to the 30-second snippets, and it doesn't disappoint – it's a perfect closer to the album, not only in name but in texture also. It employs a soaring guitar and heartwrenching lyrics, chronicling the realisation of a breakup. "The sad song ends up being the last song you'll ever hear." Rihanna's spare vocals almost seem to cry the lyrics throughout the track, and the buildup throughout the song until near the end where all the instruments fade out is done perfectly. Rihanna said that she wanted Lil' Wayne and Kings Of Leon to like her album, demonstrating her desired blend of urban and rock. The album is definitely a mélange of styles, but apart from "Hard", I don't see enough hip-hop for Weezy to connect with, and the rock elements are nowhere near as indie-pop as Kings Of Leon. However, the soaring guitars provide something edgier and deeper within the context of a pop album, and the hard-hitting beats and synths knock plenty – the combination of which provide something quite extraordinary and special within itself. Rihanna should be proud of this record.
Rated R has a focused aggression to it that rings truer than it did on Good Girl Gone Bad. Despite the lack of uptempo smashes, it's a fantastic record that hopefully will have as much repeat-play value as her previous record. Whether it's because of her personal struggles, maturity as a young woman or desire to experiment musically (probably a combination of all three), Rated R shows growth. I pray that her label doesn't re-release the album, since it's perfect as it is and comes across as something sincere, rather than designed to make money as a light pop confection. Why I'm impressed with Rated R, beyond the simple fact that most of the songs are solid or better, is because it's cohesive. All the songs work together to make the album more than the sum of its parts. It has a big emotional impact, and it sets a musical mood (dark, edgy and yet heartfelt) that doesn't let up throughout – in her own words, from "Hard", "that Rihanna rain/reign". I didn't know if she had it in her to best Good Girl Gone Bad, but even if it doesn't have as many number 1 smashes and addictive beats, Rated R is a musical step forward that I personally value that little bit more.
Posted in Music, Review | Tagged abuse, aggression, album, alienation, artwork, attitude, ballad, beatbox, beats, Beyoncé, body, body art, breasts, building, Chris Brown, climax, closer, cohesive, Cold Case Love, confidence, dance, dark, darkness, depth, determination, emotional impact, epic, evolution, fierce, fire, Fire Bomb, flames, focus, G4L, Good Girl Gone Bad, guitars, guns, Hard, hypnotic, improvement, Jeezy, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Kings Of Leon, Lil' Wayne, Love, love lost, lyrics, mélange, menace, midtempo, mood, Music, pain, Photographs, pop, R&B, Rated R, re-release, relationships, repeat, Review, ride or die, Rihanna, rock, Rockstar 101, Rude Boy, Russian Roulette, singing, Slash, snippets, specialness, strength, strings, Stupid In Love, style, swagger, swearing, tattoos, Te Amo, texture, thankyou, The Last Song, The Ys, trials, tribulations, twitter, uptempo, urban, vocals, voice, Wait Your Turn, will.i.am | 12 Comments »
quiet storm track walkthrough (part iii).
(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)
Here's part 3 of the track walkthrough for my new album Quiet Storm. Enjoy, download the album if you haven't heard it (at the link above or the one at the foot of the page) and find parts 1 & 2 of the track walkthrough too, if you haven't read those. 🙂
12. Rain (Interlude)
This was nothing more than a simple segue between "Quiet Storm", and the literal idea of a storm, and the next track, "Jump Off (Part II)" which has a very dark, sad feel. I thought that the rain was effective, atmospheric, and also reminds me of the interludes on Janet Jackson's janet. album where there would be short, simple interludes of rain and wind which would keep the mood flowing.
13. Jump Off (Part II)
This song is another of my favourite songs on the album, and is one of the more personal tracks also. Lyrically, it discusses feeling like even when you fall for people, they can tell you the nicest things but by next week, you're old news and they're onto the next. It's about feeling used, even if you were down for it at the time, but realising that just because someone tells you that you're beautiful or that they love you, doesn't mean they mean it. So in the song, I'm wondering whether even in all my dalliances over the past couple of years, I've let my heart get hurt all the time when it was just about sex and I should have just focused on the fun. Musically, I like the combination of the deep beats and the music box / piano over the top, which gives it a combination of darkness and fragility. Originally, the song was going to be a straightforward R&B ballad (and you can hear a snippet of the original version on my High Fashion mixtape), but having heard The-Dream's original version of Mariah Carey's "H.A.T.E.U." (as well as the snippet of her version, on the fantastic Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel) I was inspired to totally revamp the track, restructuring the lyrics somewhat as well as making the music much more R&B and much more emotional and sensitive. I think it worked, and I was so pleased with the way that this track turned out.
14. Devastate Me
This song is based on a track that is allegedly an instrumental from Britney Spears' Blackout sessions (IMO, her best album along with In The Zone), since I found it on a mixtape with lots of other songs. If you listen closely in the background, then you can hear what sounds like tiny snatches of Britney's voice once or twice. Anyway, I liked the dark, intense feel of the track, along with its pulsing beats and menacing strings, so I just decided to write some lyrics over the top of it. The idea of feeling devastated seemed to go with the dramatic nature of the music, and lyrically the song speaks about somebody having you wrapped around their finger, and even though you might be in love with them or have formed some attachment to that person, you still know that they're not necessarily good for you, and at any moment they could let you down or leave you in the dust, and you've put so much effort into loving them that you're left with nothing – devastated. The idea of knowing this is where the line "you done tricked me twice so the shame is not on you" comes in – you know exactly what you're letting yourself in for, you just can't make yourself resist, however hard you try. It's a tricky and intense situation!
15. Kissing You
This song was a really happy accident! Some of the tracks on here took months of planning and development to come to fruition production-wise, whereas this took maybe a day or so. I remember waking up in the morning and just having the refrain "Kissing you…. all I can think of is" going round and round in my brain. One of the songs that inspired the whole nocturnal, R&B/dark concept of the album (when I was deciding what kind of feel I wanted to explore for my next project) was the track "When We Kiss (Missing You)" by an old girl group, Solid Harmonie, which I used to listen to when I was about 13 or 14! So I doubt many people will recognise the sample of that song, which is what this track is based upon. The deep, sparse bass and Japanese martial-arts type yell are from that song, as well as the bridge (which sneakily uses the girls' vocals as backing, while I sing over the top). I accentuated the oriental aspect of the production by adding some piano and shamisen to the mix, as well as extra beats towards the end. I wanted the song to be mysterious, as its about an obsession that you can't explain or logically untangle, but something that you can't resist and just have to follow. It's where your heart rules your head, be it through lust or love. The song is focused on the physical (a kiss) but also the emotional, of a love arriving when you least expect it and taking over your world. The negative (as explored in "Jump Off (Part II)" and "Devastate Me") ceding to the positive (this song and the next). Love triumphing. This song is one of the sexier songs on the record, even though it's not really about sex. It's one of my favourites too, as it really has that mysterious, nocturnal feel that I wanted to be the overarching theme of the album. It's subtle, yet intense.
16. In Love
Like the last track, this song is largely built upon a girl-group sample. In this case, it's Mis-Teeq's "It's Beginning To Feel Like Love", which was an album track from Eye Candy. I liked the spacey feel of the song (a track that didn't make it into the album or the mixtape was actually called "Space"), and I wanted to write a ballad that was very chilled, that you could relax to. I said that I thought "Secret" was possibly the most romantic track on Quiet Storm, but perhaps this gives it a run for its money. It's just about how happy love can make you feel, and how unexpected the intensity of that happiness can be. It's about feeling untouchable in the midst of love, and about all your pain being healed by your feelings for that other person, and their reciprocation of those feelings towards you. It's a very optimistic, healing track lyrically, and the calmness of the production adds to that. I added in some piano (again!) in the bridge to give it a little extra kick towards the end.
17. Come Home To Me
For me, this track is definitely going to be a single from Quiet Storm. It's very short and sweet, very immediate, and the beat is quite reggae-inspired, despite the overall feel of the production being straightforward R&B/pop. The thunder rumbling at the very start of the song fits in with the overarching idea of a "Quiet Storm", but it also represents the lyrical motif of the song, saying that although we had storms in the past, it's time to get over it. It's about a lover who may have been unfaithful or made mistakes, so you had a bust-up, but now you're ready to forgive them and give things another try. It's about recognising that sometimes, even though we may try to be strong and independent, ultimately we have to forgive someone's transgressions and not cut our nose off to spite our face. That's not always the right message, and sometimes someone may do something too serious to be able to let them back in. But when it's the little things that cause a breakup, with time you can see whether it's really worth being alone or whether it's better to forgive and make up. The song steals from Rihanna's "Umbrella" towards the end, with the "forever ever ever eh eh eh" at the end – that was just a little bit of fun! The backing vocals in the second verse are also inspired from a nu-classic Janet Jackson track, "Take Care", from her 20 Y.O. album, which IMO is one of her best works and seriously underrated – another track which infused the concept and production within my album.
The final part, iv, coming soon! Keep it locked, and thankyou all for the support once again. 🙂
Posted in Music | Tagged 20YO, Alan, attachment, ballad, beats, Beauty, Blackout, breakup, Britney Spears, calm, Come Home To Me, darkness, Devastate Me, devastated, download, emotions, Eye Candy, falling in love, flow, focus, forgiveness, fragility, fun, H.A.T.E.U., happiness, healing, High Fashion, immediacy, In Love, In The Zone, instrumental, intense, interludes, irresistible, It's Beginning To Feel Like Love, Janet Jackson, janet., Japan, Jump Off (Part II), jump-off, kiss, Kissing You, logic, Love, make up, Mariah Carey, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, menace, Mis-Teeq, mixtape, mood, moving on, Music, music box, mystery, obsession, optimism, orient, pain, physical, piano, Quiet Storm, R&B, rain, reggae, Rihanna, romance, sadness, sample, Secret, segue, sensitivity, sex, shamisen, sincerity, single, Solid Harmonie, songs, space, storm, strings, subtlety, Take Care, The-Dream, thunder, transgressions, trick, Umbrella, unexpected, used, walkthrough, When We Kiss (Missing You), wind | 1 Comment »


My buddy and illustrator extraordinaire Thom Glick has invited me to partake in his daunting Sketch-A-Day Challenge. So in 2009 I'll be doing my best to post daily with oven fresh sketches, technique studies, brainfarts, and random tidbits that might have never seen the light of day. I'm really hoping to sharpen my skills and learn through this process, and also to have a venue for all the half-ideas and progress shots I'd never normally post on Joyengine. This is solely a device for my experimentation and growth as an artist, so please don't be shy and give some feedback! Thanks!


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Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at Wang Theatre
Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Tickets
This spring, the Wang Theatre will be hosting a four-night modern dance extravaganza as the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater delivers its groundbreaking repertoire! On Sunday, 7th May 2023, the dance company will perform its fourth night at the Wang Theatre! Guests can expect a spectacular finale from the New York-based dance troupe that has taken America by storm since the '50s! If you want to experience this remarkable presentation of African American modern dance, then you should hurry and grab your tickets now to see the fantastic Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at the Wang Theatre!
Texas-born dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey was one the most prominent figures in the modern African American dance industry. His masterpieces were not only works of art but also held significance in the black civil rights movement. Ailey grew up in the rural south, in an area that prevented him from interacting with society due to a racist community. In 1942, Alvin Ailey moved to Los Angeles. He joined the Lester Horton Dance Theatre after becoming inspired by dance productions. Lester Horton became Alvin Ailey's mentor and took over as the main choreographer of the company after Horton's passing.
In 1958, Alvin Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Ailey American Dance Theater. The dance company became a haven for talented African American dancers. His choreography often represented the African American experience and contained themes of hope. In celebration of the opening of his dance company, Ailey, along with young black dancers, delivered an electrifying performance at New York's 92nd street. The same year, Ailey choreographed and performed several masterpieces, including Cinco Latinos, Ode, and Homage. His most groundbreaking masterpiece, "Revelations," was divided into three parts – the sufferings of slavery, baptismal joy, and a choral church celebration. In 1969, Alvin Ailey American DanceTheater opened its dance academy, The Ailey School.
Ailey's exemplary works and contributions to civil rights movements earned him a Kennedy Center Honor in 1988 and a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom award in 2014.
Today, Alvin Ailey's impact on African American dance culture still remains. His legacy lives on as his predecessors in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues his mission to express the life, culture, and stories of African American through the art of dance.
Experience their groundbreaking performance at the Wang Theatre on Sunday, 7th May 2023. Tickets are now available!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Battle Royale to run away from really fast!
A visual novel by the company Light (no not that light) that has had a colorful release history.
Ren is a high school student. He had a violent fight against Shirou, and was hospitalized for two months. One day, he leaves the hospital, and tries to start a new life. But, it never comes to him. A dream of guillotine..., a murderer who chops off someone's head..., and the knights who chase him.... Ren crosses over the boundary between ordinary life and extraordinary life. "I just wanna go back..., to a boring but peaceful life...." A voice of Shirou suddenly echoes..., "If you live in this town, you'll go mad sooner or later...." A war.... What will happen to Ren in the end...?
Originally intended to be a visual novel with only a single route; Dies Irae underwent some quick rewrites due to Executive Meddling after artwork posted during development lead to interest in characters who were not the main heroine.
Dies Irae: Also Sprach Zarathustra: Had routes for two heroines: Empathic Weapon Maria and Ren's Childhood Friend Kasumi. Due to the hasty rewrite certain key scenes were shortened and back story was left out.
Dies irae Also sprach Zarathustra -die Wiederkunft: Fixed that, adding some new music and plot to make the whole story more enjoyable and also make a bit more sense.
Dies Irae Acta est Fabula: Added two additional routes one with Ensemble Darkhorse Tusndere character Rei Sakurai. The other a route focusing on Emotionless Girl Rea Himuro and adding a somewhat vague ending that was filled out in a drama CD.
On the surface it is a regular supernatural story with lots of Gratuitous German and Latin but its focus was truly on the Rule of Cool and its unapologetic admission that although the story is cliche, it was the characters that would drive the story and their interactions received most of the effort.
A PSP version was released in June 2012 with the appropriate changes called Dies Irae Amantes Amentes.
Tropes used in Dies Irae include:
This page needs more trope entries. You can help this wiki by adding more entries or expanding current ones.
Actor Allusion: Reinhard's voice actor chose 'Tom Cruise' (in katakana) as his pseudonym while working on Dies Irae.
All There in the Manual: Two online back stories have been published as well as five Drama CD's all documenting additional back-story that really explains quite a bit about a lot of the L.D.O. Such as how they all first met and Beatrice's and Kai's rebellion.
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Karl Kraft does this in the introduction. Makes him all but untouchable except in one route.
Anthropomorphic Personification: Marle, who is the anthropomorphic personification of the guillotine used in the French revolution.
Badass Normal: Shirou, who in a few routes never gains any magical ability but still fights with the magically empowered L.D.O. and be taken as a serious threat.
Specifically, Wilhelm pulls out his Briah 'Der Rosenkavalier Schwarzwald' and only succeeds in taking Shirou down with him.
Badass Abnormal: Shirou in the routes where he does acquire his Yetzirah. In Marie's route he acquires it while punching his way out of a monster that had supposedly killed and eaten him! Easily his Crowning Moment of Awesome.
Black and Grey Morality: Despite being a group that the Schutzstaffel found too intense the L.D.O. members are given significant characterization. It is revealed that the few that are not out and out evil and are mostly forced into their roles. Plenty even rebel in all the routes to do their own thing. Not for good reasons each time though. Beatrice and Valeria do everything for their loved ones while Wilhelm just wants a go at fighting Wolfgang/Ren/Shirou/anyone.
Blue and Orange Morality: Reinhard who cannot be happy unless he is fighting to stay alive, which is hard given that he is so powerful he needs to engineer the apocalypse to do so. As Ren eventually fights with him on even footing due to a Heroic Second Wind his response is to laugh with joy as he cannot see any other way to live. Hell for him 'taking it easy' and 'barely working' is being head of the SS!
Karl Kraft can see into the future and as so goads Reinhard into his whole plan of re-creating the world so that he may see something he could not immediately predict the outcome of. His general actions when a member of the L.D.O. freak out all the other members except Reinhard, remember that the L.D.O. is composed mostly of Complete Monsters or Blood Kights and they feel Karl is too weird.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Tubal Cain. He only gets worse from there.
For the Evulz: Wolfgang just Wolfgang. He sings nursery rhymes while he stabs people to death. Although killing people and drinking their souls gives your relic more power Wolfgang was a serial killer before he was drafted into the L.D.O.
Ghostapo: The Longinus Dreizehn Orden or L.D.O. is this played dead strait. A unit made up of people who Took a Level In Badass at the very least.
Historical Domain Character: Half the cast
Light Is Not Good: Big Bad Reinhard is the only character with a white uniform, uses a golden holy lance and seems almost to give of golden light. He also starts the apocalypse for fun.
Took a Level In Badass: Getting a relic seems to do this. Turning genuinely scary murderers and soldiers into super-powered Ghostapo members.
Talking to Himself: Karl and Ren have the same voice actor.
Villainous Breakdown: Inverted emotionally with Reinhard who only gets happier as it looks like he might lose. He had never had a problem fighting anyone before that due to his Story-Breaker Power status.
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Manhattan To Welcome Its Own Beach in the Gansevoort Peninsula Park by 2023
New Yorkers will soon have a beach that is a little closer to Manhattan than the Hamptons. The Gansevoort Peninsula Park will soon begin construction, giving visitors a public, 5.5 acre park with a beach at Pier 52, between Gansevoort, and Little West 12th Streets in Manhattan.
Gansevoort Peninsula Park will not only give Manhattan locals a beach, there will be access to kayaks, a sports field, salt marsh, dog park, and a picnic area. A public art project by David Hammons will be added by the Whitney Museum of American Art that is set to be the largest installation of its kind in the country.
The $70M project is sponsored by the Hudson River Park Trust and designed by James Corner Field Operations, and guests will get their first steps in the beach sand there in 2023. Take a look and learn more from Hudson River Park.
Gansevoort Peninsula Park
hudson river park
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Uncle Budd NYC: Get the Latest Cannabis Strains Delivered Straight to Your Door
Lazzarini Design Studio Reveals Futuristic Plectrum Foil Superyacht
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Toronto FC signed defender Auro Alvaro da Cruz Junior on loan Tuesday.
The deal will take the 22-year-old Brazilian player, who's known simply as "Auro," from the Brazilian club Sao Paulo FC with an option to buy.
Auro has represented Brazil at both the U-17 and U-20 championships.
He's also made a combined 34 appearances in Brazil's Serie A and Campeonato Paulista leagues over three seasons with Sao Paulo FC.


text:
//
//  NSString+Code.m
//  TianyaQing
//
//  Created by gzty1 on 12-3-6.
//  Copyright 2012 __MyCompanyName__. All rights reserved.
//

#import "NSString+Code.h"
#import <CommonCrypto/CommonDigest.h>
#import <zlib.h>

@implementation NSString (Code)

- (NSString*)md5
{
    const char *cStr = [self UTF8String];
    unsigned char result[16];
    CC_MD5(cStr,strlen(cStr),result);
    NSString* md5str=[[NSString stringWithFormat:
			 @"%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X%02X",
			 result[0], result[1], result[2], result[3],
			 result[4], result[5], result[6], result[7],
			 result[8], result[9], result[10], result[11],
			 result[12], result[13], result[14], result[15]] lowercaseString];

	return md5str;
}

- (NSString*)tripleDESWithKey:(NSString*)key
{
	return [self tripleDESWithKey:key compress:NO];
}

/**
 *  first,  3des(password,key)
 *  second, turn encryted memory data to Hex data
 */
- (NSString*)tripleDESWithKey:(NSString*)key compress:(BOOL)compress
{
	NSData *origData = [self dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];

	NSData *encryptData;
	if (compress)
	{
		encryptData = [self gzip];
	}
	else
	{
		encryptData = origData;
	}

	char keyBuffer[kCCKeySize3DES+1];      // room for terminator (unused)
	bzero( keyBuffer, sizeof(keyBuffer) ); // fill with zeroes (for padding)

	[key getCString: keyBuffer maxLength: sizeof(keyBuffer) encoding: NSUTF8StringEncoding];

	// encrypts in-place, since this is a mutable data object
	size_t numBytesEncrypted = 0;

	size_t returnLength = ([encryptData length] + kCCBlockSize3DES) & ~(kCCBlockSize3DES - 1);

	char* returnBuffer = malloc(returnLength * sizeof(uint8_t) );

	CCCryptorStatus ccStatus = CCCrypt(kCCEncrypt, kCCAlgorithm3DES , kCCOptionPKCS7Padding | kCCOptionECBMode,
									   keyBuffer, kCCKeySize3DES, nil,
									   [encryptData bytes], [encryptData length],
									   returnBuffer, returnLength,
									   &numBytesEncrypted);

	if (ccStatus == kCCParamError) {NSLog(@"PARAM ERROR");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCBufferTooSmall) {NSLog(@"BUFFER TOO SMALL");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCMemoryFailure) {NSLog(@"MEMORY FAILURE");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCAlignmentError) {NSLog(@"ALIGNMENT");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCDecodeError) {NSLog(@"DECODE ERROR");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCUnimplemented) {NSLog(@"UNIMPLEMENTED");}

	NSMutableString *hexResult=nil;

	if(ccStatus == kCCSuccess)
    {
        hexResult = [[NSMutableString alloc] init];

		char *tmp = (char*)returnBuffer;
		for (int i=0; i<numBytesEncrypted; i++) {
			NSString *aString = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:@"%X",(*tmp)&(0xFF)];
			if ([aString length] == 1) {
				[hexResult appendFormat:@"0%@",aString];
			} else {
				[hexResult appendString:aString];
			}
			tmp++;
		}
	}

    free(returnBuffer);

    return hexResult;
}

- (NSString*)decodeTripleDESWithKey:(NSString*)key
{
	NSData *origData = [self dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];

    NSData* decryptData = [self HexStr2CharStr:[origData bytes] length:[origData length]];

	char keyBuffer[kCCKeySize3DES+1];      // room for terminator (unused)
	bzero( keyBuffer, sizeof(keyBuffer) ); // fill with zeroes (for padding)

	[key getCString: keyBuffer maxLength: sizeof(keyBuffer) encoding: NSUTF8StringEncoding];

	// encrypts in-place, since this is a mutable data object
	size_t numBytesEncrypted = 0;

	size_t returnLength = ([decryptData length] + kCCBlockSize3DES) & ~(kCCBlockSize3DES - 1);

	char* returnBuffer = malloc(returnLength * sizeof(uint8_t) );
	memset((void *)returnBuffer, 0x0, returnLength);

	CCCryptorStatus ccStatus = CCCrypt(kCCDecrypt, kCCAlgorithm3DES , kCCOptionPKCS7Padding | kCCOptionECBMode,
									   keyBuffer, kCCKeySize3DES, nil,
									   [decryptData bytes], [decryptData length],
									   returnBuffer, returnLength,
									   &numBytesEncrypted);

	if (ccStatus == kCCParamError) {NSLog(@"PARAM ERROR");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCBufferTooSmall) {NSLog(@"BUFFER TOO SMALL");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCMemoryFailure) {NSLog(@"MEMORY FAILURE");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCAlignmentError) {NSLog(@"ALIGNMENT");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCDecodeError) {NSLog(@"DECODE ERROR");}
	else if (ccStatus == kCCUnimplemented) {NSLog(@"UNIMPLEMENTED");}

    if(ccStatus == kCCSuccess)
    {
       return [NSString stringWithUTF8String:returnBuffer];
    }
    return nil;
}

- (unsigned char)Hex2Char:(char const*)szHex
{
    unsigned char rch = 0;
    for(int i=0; i<2; i++)
    {
        if(*(szHex + i) >='0' && *(szHex + i) <= '9')
            rch = (rch << 4) + (*(szHex + i) - '0');
        else if(*(szHex + i) >='A' && *(szHex + i) <= 'F')
            rch = (rch << 4) + (*(szHex + i) - 'A' + 10);
        else
            break;
    }
    return rch;
}

- (NSData*)HexStr2CharStr:(char const*)pszHexStr length:(int)len
{
    int i;
    int retLen=len/2;
    char retCharStr[retLen];      // room for terminator (unused)
	bzero( retCharStr, sizeof(retCharStr) ); // fill with zeroes (for padding)
    for(i=0; i<retLen; i++)
    {
        retCharStr[i] = [self Hex2Char:pszHexStr+2*i];
    }
    return [NSData dataWithBytes:retCharStr length:retLen];
}

- (NSString*) stringWithHexBytes:(const char*)charBuffer length:(int)len {
    static const char hexdigits[] = "0123456789ABCDEF";
    const size_t numBytes = len;
    const char* bytes = charBuffer;
    char *strbuf = (char *)malloc(numBytes * 2 + 1);
    char *hex = strbuf;
    NSString *hexBytes = nil;

    for (int i = 0; i<numBytes; ++i) {
        const unsigned char c = *bytes++;
        *hex++ = hexdigits[(c >> 4) & 0xF];
        *hex++ = hexdigits[(c ) & 0xF];
        }
    *hex = 0;
    hexBytes = [NSString stringWithUTF8String:strbuf];
    free(strbuf);
    return hexBytes;
}

- (NSData*)gzip
{
	NSData *pUncompressedData = [self dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
	//NSData *pUncompressedData = [str dataUsingEncoding:NSASCIIStringEncoding];

    if (!pUncompressedData || [pUncompressedData length] == 0)  {
        NSLog(@"%s: Error: Can't compress an empty or null NSData object.", __func__);
        return nil;
    }

    z_stream zlibStreamStruct;
    zlibStreamStruct.zalloc    = Z_NULL;
    zlibStreamStruct.zfree     = Z_NULL;
    zlibStreamStruct.opaque    = Z_NULL;
    zlibStreamStruct.total_out = 0;
    zlibStreamStruct.next_in   = (Bytef*)[pUncompressedData bytes];
    zlibStreamStruct.avail_in  = [pUncompressedData length];

    int initError = deflateInit2(&zlibStreamStruct, Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION, Z_DEFLATED, (15+16), 8, Z_DEFAULT_STRATEGY);
    if (initError != Z_OK)  {
        NSString *errorMsg = nil;
        switch (initError)  {
            case Z_STREAM_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"Invalid parameter passed in to function.";
                break;
            case Z_MEM_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"Insufficient memory.";
                break;
            case Z_VERSION_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"The version of zlib.h and the version of the library linked do not match.";
                break;
            default:
                errorMsg = @"Unknown error code.";
                break;
        }
        NSLog(@"%s: deflateInit2() Error: \"%@\" Message: \"%s\"", __func__, errorMsg, zlibStreamStruct.msg);
        return nil;
    }

    NSMutableData *compressedData = [NSMutableData dataWithLength:[pUncompressedData length] * 1.01 + 12 + 300];

    int deflateStatus;
    do  {

        zlibStreamStruct.next_out = [compressedData mutableBytes] + zlibStreamStruct.total_out;
        zlibStreamStruct.avail_out = [compressedData length] - zlibStreamStruct.total_out;

        deflateStatus = deflate(&zlibStreamStruct, Z_FINISH);

    } while ( deflateStatus == Z_OK );

    // Check for zlib error and convert code to usable error message if appropriate
    if (deflateStatus != Z_STREAM_END)  {
        NSString *errorMsg = nil;
        switch (deflateStatus)  {
            case Z_ERRNO:
                errorMsg = @"Error occured while reading file.";
                break;
            case Z_STREAM_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"The stream state was inconsistent (e.g., next_in or next_out was NULL).";
                break;
            case Z_DATA_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"The deflate data was invalid or incomplete.";
                break;
            case Z_MEM_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"Memory could not be allocated for processing.";
                break;
            case Z_BUF_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"Ran out of output buffer for writing compressed bytes.";
                break;
            case Z_VERSION_ERROR:
                errorMsg = @"The version of zlib.h and the version of the library linked do not match.";
                break;
            default:
                errorMsg = @"Unknown error code.";
                break;
        }
        NSLog(@"%s: zlib error while attempting compression: \"%@\" Message: \"%s\"", __func__, errorMsg, zlibStreamStruct.msg);

        // Free data structures that were dynamically created for the stream.
        deflateEnd(&zlibStreamStruct);

        return nil;
    }
    // Free data structures that were dynamically created for the stream.
    deflateEnd(&zlibStreamStruct);
    [compressedData setLength: zlibStreamStruct.total_out];
    //NSLog(@"%s: Compressed data from %d Bytes to %d Bytes", __func__, [pUncompressedData length], [compressedData length]);

    return compressedData;
}

- (NSString *)urlEncode
{
	NSString *result = (NSString *) CFBridgingRelease(CFURLCreateStringByAddingPercentEscapes(kCFAllocatorDefault, (CFStringRef)self, NULL, CFSTR(":/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;="), kCFStringEncodingUTF8));
	return result;
}

- (NSString *)urlDecode
{
    NSString *decodeString = [self stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
    return decodeString;
}

-(int)characterCount
{
    int strlength = 0;
    char* p = (char*)[self cStringUsingEncoding:NSUnicodeStringEncoding];
    for (int i=0 ; i<[self lengthOfBytesUsingEncoding:NSUnicodeStringEncoding] ;i++)
	{
        if (*p)
		{
            p++;
            strlength++;
        }
        else
		{
            p++;
        }
    }
    return strlength;
}

-(BOOL)isEqualToStringCaseInsensitive:(NSString *)aString
{
    int result = [self compare:aString options:NSCaseInsensitiveSearch];  //可以多个值|运算
    return result==0;
}

- (NSDictionary *)parametersWithSeparator:(NSString *)separator delimiter:(NSString *)delimiter
{
    NSArray *parameterPairs = [self componentsSeparatedByString:delimiter];
    NSMutableDictionary *parameters = [NSMutableDictionary dictionaryWithCapacity:[parameterPairs count]];
    for (NSString *currentPair in parameterPairs)
	{
        NSRange range = [currentPair rangeOfString:separator];
        if(range.location == NSNotFound)
            continue;
        NSString *key = [currentPair substringToIndex:range.location];
        NSString *value =[currentPair substringFromIndex:range.location + 1];
        [parameters setObject:value forKey:key];
    }
    return parameters;
}

/*!

 * @brief 把格式化的JSON格式的字符串转换成字典

 * @param jsonString JSON格式的字符串

 * @return 返回字典

 */

+ (NSDictionary *)dictionaryWithJsonString:(NSString *)jsonString {

    if (jsonString == nil) {
        return nil;
     }
    NSData *jsonData = [jsonString dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
    NSError *err;
    NSDictionary *dic = [NSJSONSerialization JSONObjectWithData:jsonData
                                                        options:NSJSONReadingMutableContainers
                                                           error:&err];
    if(err) {
        NSLog(@"json解析失败:%@",err);
        return nil;
    }
    return dic;

}

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Mouats Farm Shop offers you farm fresh produce such as cherries, apples and other fruits in season, plus fresh free range eggs, home made jams and more. Located four kilometres north of Batlow, Mouat's Farm 'Wyola' was originally planted as an orchard in the early 1920s. Apples comprise 90 per cent of their plantings, and there are 1,200 cherry trees, and a small amount of stone fruit and berries. In season produce is available at the farm shop. Current produce and pricing can be found on the website.
Sugarpine Walk is one of Batlow's best kept secrets. Take the short stroll amongst a dense stand of enormous sugar pines planted in 1928. This species is the largest and tallest of all pines. The walk is located on the edge of Kopsens Road, around half a kilometre from the Batlow-Tumbarumba Road at Laurel Hill.
Wilgro Orchards is conveniently situated on the main Tumut to Batlow Road just four kilometres north of Batlow. There is a wide range of both new and old varieties of apples that have been tree ripened to taste the way an apple should taste. Cherries are also grown at the orchard and have built a fine reputation for large, sweet, tree ripened fruit. Our roadside stall sells our fruit direct from the orchard to you during the picking season. At Wilgro Orchards the fruit is grown as naturally as possible with very low chemical and fertiliser usage. At times when there is only limited passing trade or the orchard is particularly busy we have to depend on the "honesty system" and the stall is not always manned all day. We can usually have someone in attendance if we are notified in advance.
The Snowy Valleys Way, running from Gundagai, New South Wales to Beechworth Victoria, is a touring route encompassing over 300 kilometres of breathtaking scenery and landscapes, and a whole swag of things to see and do 'along the way'. The route starts in the hills of Gundagai, home of the famous 'Dog on the Tuckerbox', and winds its way south through Tumut, Batlow, and Tumbarumba, crossing the Murray River at Towong, and continuing south through Corryong, and Yackandandah, ending in Beechworth, Victoria. A picturesque slice of Australia, the Snowy Valleys Way offers its travellers spectacular outdoor activities, colourful festivals, towns to explore, and a laid-back rural charm that distinguishes it from other popular tourist drives. Travellers can choose their own adventure - bushwalks or four-wheel driving, horse riding or mountain bikes. Paddle, fish or water-ski the numerous lakes, rivers and streams or simply relax by their foreshores.
Explore eclectic collections significant to the history of the Batlow region at the Batlow Historical Society. Experience the hardships of early pioneers and the drive of visionary Herbert Velvin Smith (OBE) who made Batlow 'Famous for Apples!'. Discover fascinating tales of pioneers, and read about the development of the Batlow Fruit Co-operative and its early coolstores, the Mountain Maid Cannery, the Australian Women's Land Army and Batlow's early Hydro Electric Power Supply. Collection highlights include a restored 1932 Dennis Fire Engine.


text:
Philly Soccer Show: MLS Playoff Time!
By Greg Orlandini October 27, 2011 at 9:28 am
Filed Under:Danny Califf, Eli Pearlman-Storch, Faryd Mondragón, Freddy Adu, Greg Orlandini, Houston Dynamo, James Clark, Kerith Gabriel, KYW Newsradio 1060, KYW Philly Soccer Show, Philadelphia Union, Philly Soccer Show
(Faryd Mondragon of the Philadelphia Union makes a save against the New York Red Bulls on October 20th. Credit: Mike Stobe/ Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The playoffs are upon us! The KYW Philly Soccer Show gets you ready as the Philadelphia Union gets set to take on the Houston Dynamo this Sunday at PPL Park, for the team's first-ever playoff game.
KYW's Greg Orlandini and cohost Eli Pearlman-Storch are joined this week by Press of Atlantic City writer James Clark and Kerith Gabriel of the Philadelphia Daily News.
In part one, the roundtable looks at how the Union will line up against Houston this coming Sunday. In this playoff round, the teams play a home-and-home series, and the team with the highest goal total after two games advances to the next round.
Will the team go after the goals early or try to play a tight defensive game?
Listen to Part 1…
Download Part 1
In part two, we look at the center of midfield and some of the struggles that Freddy Adu has gone through since coming to the Union. Adu was a high-profile signing coming in the summer, but has struggled to find his place on the team.
And with the Union needing more scoring punch, he will need to shine in the playoffs.
In part three, the Union has strong leadership on the defensive side with goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon and defender Danny Califf. But what about on offense? We debate who needs to step up in the playoffs.
Reported by Greg Orlandini, KYW Newsradio 1060
"Philly Soccer Show" main page
More CBS Philly Sports News


text:
Home > Companies > EEF
Broadway House
Tothill Street
SW1H 9NQ
Web: www.eef.org.uk
EEF articles
Automation and digital advances to create jobs in UK manufacturing
A third of UK manufacturers expect some low skilled jobs to be lost over the next five years as a result of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies. But over half of companies (54%) say they will up-skill these lower skilled workers to take the jobs that this innovation creates. More than two thirds of manufacturers plan to spend some of their training budget over the next 12 months on technical engineering skills.
New programme helps industry leaders achieve more
Make UK, the manufacturers' organisation is on a mission to help industry leaders achieve even greater success by launching a new programme that takes a fresh approach to developing leadership talent. Their Building your brand of leadership programme combines the worlds of branding and image consulting with the fields of leadership coaching and the latest in neuroscience. It helps leaders build upon their own personal style of leadership, so that they can quickly achieve their leadership goals.
Electronics sector booms and provides growth in manufacturing
The UK electronics sector experienced the fastest growth of any manufacturing sector in 2018, according to a new report by Santander and Make UK, the manufacturers' organisation. Despite representing less than 5% of UK manufacturing output, the sector generated £19.4bn in turnover and £8.4bn in gross value added (GVA) in 2017. After a period of decline that started in the early 2000s, the sector experienced a major rebound in growth in 2017 and 2018: up 4.4% and 12.4% respectively.
Employers must shout out to promote the benefits of apprenticeships
As National Apprenticeship Week kicks off, Make UK (formerly EEF) is calling on the manufacturing industry to promote apprenticeships as the perfect pathway to a fulfilling career. As the Government launches its new Fire it Up campaign, now is the perfect time for manufacturing employers to sell their apprenticeships to the next generation.
Nearly half of government procured steel is from the UK
New published data on UK Government procurement of steel shows that £158m was procured by UK Government during 2017/18, of which it is confirmed that 43% (£68m) was produced in the UK. Commenting on the publication, UK Steel Director General, Gareth Stace, said: "UK Government is the single biggest purchaser of steel, buying over three million tonnes of steel between now and the mid 2020's. This tremendous purchasing power equips the Government with a hugely influential policy tool to deliver against a number of its objectives, including support of UK manufacturing sitting at the heart of the Industrial Strategy."
EEF is now MAKE UK as annual conference proves future is no clearer
What another year for the EEF, manufacturers organisation conference, or should I say MAKE UK as one of the many things that came out of a busy and interesting day was the rebranding of the organisation. Stephen Phipson, CEO and Chair of MAKE UK started the day off by reminding the UK manufacturing industry that we have been at the heart of manufacturing through the good and the bad times.
Made Smarter should be UK's brand for fourth industrial revolution
Following the launch of a £20m North West pilot before Christmas, the manufacturers' organisation Make UK (formerly EEF) called on the Chancellor Philip Hammond MP to increase investment in the Made Smarter business support programme and roll it out nationally as early as this year. In a speech Dame Judith Hackitt CBE, Chair of Make UK, also warned that such initiatives were at risk from being clouded out by Brexit, and that in order to compete globally the government needs to put 'rocket boosters' on to the Made Smarter scheme.
Stars celebrated at manufacturing national award ceremony
Leading manufacturers and talented apprentices from across the UK were recognised as national manufacturing champions at the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards held in London last week. The biggest winner on the night was Paxman, winning the Manufacturer of the Year award, a title awarded to the most outstanding company amongst all the category winners.
Industry urges unis to work harder for vocational learners
Britain's manufacturers are urging Universities to cast their net much wider to include vocational learners rather than prioritising academic pupils, on the back of new survey evidence showing companies are giving greater priority to investing in Apprenticeship programmes than recruiting Graduates. The survey, published today by EEF, the manufacturers' organisation shows a clear shift in this direction by employers looking to ensure they have the specialist skills they will need in the future.
EEF's Region Director wins National award at Forward Ladies event
Charlotte Horobin, EEF's Region Director for the Midlands and East won the prestigious Emerging Leader award at the Forward Ladies National Awards and Summit 2018, sponsored by HSBC UK in Leeds on the 7th December. The National Awards were introduced nine years ago to acknowledge and promote the fact that women are increasingly an integral and invaluable part of every business across the UK. This year, Forward Ladies continues to recognise and honour the most respected businesswomen, across a wide range of business categories.
Manufacturers' make school engagement top priority
In partnership with the Careers Enterprise Company, EEF has launched a new guide showing Britain's manufacturers how to engage with schools effectively to boost the number of talented young people entering the sector as a career. Some of the UK's largest companies are also helping schools improve their careers advice provision, working with teachers to show young people all that is on offer in the world of work.
One in six manufacturers: no-deal Brexit will leave business untenable
New research published today by EEF,The Manufacturers' Organisation, shows that one is six manufacturers business decision makers say business would become untenable for them if the UK reverted to WTO tariffs, increased border checks on people and increased checks on goods at the border.
EEF launches game-based learning tool to promote health & safety
EEF, the manufacturers' organisation will launch a new, innovative game-based learning tool at the forthcoming IOSH conference which will provide employers and employees with an interactive tool to promote health and safety in the workplace.
EEF launches new training in Robotics and Automation
A new training course to re-train and up-skill employees covering the knowledge and practical skills involved with robotic and automation engineering has been launched by EEF, the manufacturers' organisation. This will make EEF one of the very few providers able to offer the training which will lead to the EAL Level 3 Certificate in Robotics and Automation.
Publication of 'no-deal' technical notices
In this article, UK Steel's Head of Policy, Richard Warren, releases his response to the publication of the 'no-deal' Brexit technical notes, explaining how a no-deal Brexit may effect the UK steel industry. Commenting on the publication of the first series of 'no-deal' technical notice, Warren said:
Manufacturing pay myth smashed in new analysis
UK manufacturing makes a contribution to the UK economy which goes way beyond just the sum of its sub-sector parts, according to an annual snapshot of the sector published by EEF, the manufacturers' organisation and Santander.
Navigating Brexit: The migration minefield
The manufacturers' organisation, EEF, has warned that nearly half of the UK's manufacturers remain concerned about their ability to access skills post-Brexit, according to a report launched in May.
Clicking British manufacturing into the frame
Do you reckon you could capture the dynamism of modern British industry? Well photographers of all experience levels are being asked to try as the 9th annual EEF Manufacturing Photography Competition opens for entries. This year the competition - in partnership with the GREAT Campaign - is asking photographers to capture the bright future of British Manufacturing and champion the next generation of talent and technology in the sector. Photographs can portray any stage of manufacturing - from design, process and technology in action through to the finished product – and feature individuals at work.
EEF strengthens trade ties with US counterpart
EEF, the manufacturers' organisation has strengthened the partnership agreement with its American counterpart as part of its focus on boosting cross-Atlantic trade. The talks with the National Association for Manufacturers (NAM) were part of a wider visit to Washington DC by EEF CEO, Stephen Phipson, who held talks on trade with a number of senior figures in the US Capitol including Trade Adviser to Paul Ryan, Speaker to the US Congress.
On the anniversary of Article 50 we focus on the future
It has officially been a year since Article 50 has been triggered, and to fit in EEF, The Manufacturers' Organisation hosted the Making Brexit Work – Preparing Manufacturers for Brexit conference in Newcastle on 28th March. The event brought together around 60 North East business and manufacturing leaders to identify key concerns and opportunities presented by Brexit.
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text:
Home Biography Thuy Trang
Thuy Trang Biography
Updated On 29 Mar, 2018 Published On 29 Mar, 2018
Facts of Thuy Trang
Birth Sign :
Relationship short Statistics of Thuy Trang
What is Thuy Trang marital status ? ( married,single, in relation or divorce):
How many children does Thuy Trang have ? (name):
Is Thuy Trang having any relationship affair ?:
Is Thuy Trang Lesbian ?
A Vietnamese-born American actress Thuy Trang was well known for her role as "Trini Kwan" a fictional character in the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". She performed as a Yellow Ranger in the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"television series.
The late actress had performed as a lead villain in the feature film "The Crow: City of Angeles" for which she was critically acclaimed as well.
The actress, unfortunately, died in a car accident at the young age of 28.
Early Life and Education of Thuy Trang
Thuy Trang was born on 14th December 1973, in Saigon Vietnam. Her father was South Vietnamese Army soldier. Due to the encouragement of her father she began to study kung fu when she was just 9 years old. When she was in late teen, her father died of cancer.
Trang attended Banning High School and received a scholarship to study civil engineering at the University of California, Irvine. She was planned on following a family career in engineering but in 1992 a chance run-in with a Hollywood agent so that she provokes an interest in acting and change her plans.
Thuy Trang made an entrance into the major role as Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series. Trang was on the show for about one and a half season. She left the show in the middle of part 2 episodes. The Power Power Transfer due to payment disputes and was replaced by Karan Ashley.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Special Interview with Trini
In 1996 feature film The Crow: City of Angeles, she performed as a lead villain. Also, she performed a manicurist (nail technician) in the movie Spy Hard. She planned to perform an aerobics video but she didn't get chance to perform. Alongside St. John and Jones, she was set to appear in 3D combat online game Cyberstrike but the project never entered production.
Thuy Trang had estimated her net worth of $1.2 million. According to the sources, the salary of the characters of Power Rangers is $70 per hour and $1,000 per day. So we can assume that her earning from Power Rangers was $30k per month.
She had performed in two movies which had a significant collection in the box office. The movies are:
1.The Spy
Budget= $18 million
Box Office collection= $26.9 million
IMDB Rating= 5.3
Starring= Leslie Nielsen, Nicollette Sheridan, Andy Griffith, Charles Durning.
2. The crow: city of Angeles
Budget= $13million
Box office Collection= $50million
Starring= Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks, Iggy Pop.
Thuy Trang was not found any past relationship and rumors. At the age of 28, she died in car accident.
Thuy Trang died on September 3, 2001. She died in a car accident near San Francisco while returning late at night from Rockwood-Nguyen's maid of honor when the driver lost control. The driver survived by accident but Trang died before reaching the hospital due to internal injuries.
Her power rangers co-star Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Walter Emanuel Jones and Austin St. John attended the funeral to pay respect to their fallen co-star. The episode of Circuit Unsure of Power Rangers Time Force was dedicated to Trang's memory.


Big Tyre specialises in rebuilding and repairing pneumatic and solid tyres for mining, industrial and farming applications. An integral part of this process is using an autoclave to vulcanise (cure) the rubber after it has been applied to a tyre carcass. Tyres are supported on rollers mounted to a centre boom, which rotate the tyres while steam provides the heat to the interior of the autoclave.
Big Tyre engaged Solidtech Engineering to design a boom for use with their new 4200mm diameter autoclave. They required a system that was easy to use and readily fitted or removed, which could handle a pair of the world's largest pneumatic tyres each measuring 4000mm in diameter and weighing 6000kg.
In conjunction with the requirements specified by Big Tyre, Solidtech Engineering designed a very strong but versatile removable centre boom system that requires only one person to operate without difficulty. It easily locates accurately into the strong back plate that supports the boom. To complete the design, the boom and back plate was extensively checked and its strength verified using finite element analysis.
In addition to the boom, Solidtech Engineering also developed a removable roller and gear layout for rotating the tyres at the required speed. The autoclave has been recently commissioned and we look forward too seeing Australia's largest rubber Tyres being produced from it.


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Unprecedented proposal to make Manmohan Prez candidate, says CPI(M)
New Delhi, Jun 14: CPI(M) today termed as"unprecedented" the proposal to make Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a candidate for Presidential poll, saying it shows lack of principle that ties the UPA coalition. Reacting to Mamata
PTI Updated on: June 21, 2012 19:00 IST
unprecedented proposal to make manmohan prez candidate says cpi m
New Delhi, Jun 14: CPI(M) today termed as"unprecedented" the proposal to make Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a candidate for Presidential poll, saying it shows lack of principle that ties the UPA coalition.
Reacting to Mamata Banerjee-Mulayam Singh Yadav proposal to have either Singh or A P J Abdul Kalam or Somnath Chatterjee as candidate for the post, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat said it was something "unprecedented" that the name of the incumbent Prime Minister was being discussed for Presidential post.
"It is really for the UPA leadership to answer this question. It is unprecedented that the name of a sitting MP should be suggested by the government's own allies," Karat said.
"It really shows the utter lack of any principles which ties this coalition. It is for the UPA leadership to respond to this," she said.
She said today there are six names, tomorrow may be three more names will come. "This is not a game of names," she said.
Read all the Breaking News Live on indiatvnews.com and Get Latest English News & Updates from Politics and National Section
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Bastion Books is a book publishing ministry started by Norman L. Geisler. The original focus was to republish Dr. Geisler's writings from the 1970s and early 1980s and to publish some of his newer books from 2013 and onward. But Bastion Books is slowly growing to include books by a few of Norm's co-authors and associates.
Bastion Books is going through a transition. Some of the booklets here are available for free as .pdf files. We're slowly getting all the books to be available as soft cover printed books and as e-books at Amazon.
Should Believers Make Ashes of Themselves?
The Shack: Helpful or Heretical?
What in Cremation is Going On?