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December 02, 2021 - Field Level Media
Resurgent Dolphins draw improving Giants' defense
When the Miami Dolphins play host to the New York Giants on Sunday, it will feature two teams desperately trying to get into the playoff race.
The Dolphins (5-7), who opened as 2.5-point favorites, have won four straight games.
It's an impressive comeback for a team that started the season 1-7.
"We finally look like the team we wanted to be at the beginning of the year," Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said.
Even so, the Dolphins trail the New England Patriots by three games in the AFC East. Miami is just 3-3 at home.
Meanwhile, the Giants (4-7) are 1-4 on the road, and they trail the first-place Dallas Cowboys by three games in the NFC East.
However, the Giants are coming off a home win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants forced four turnovers and held the Eagles to a season-low 7 points.
The Giants and Dolphins have several similarities — suddenly hot defenses, Pro Bowl cornerbacks, rookie pass-rushers, young quarterbacks and rookie wide receivers from the SEC.
The Giants terrorized Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, intercepting him three times and sacking him once. The Giants also stopped Philly on both of its fourth-down tries.
"We're going to fight on every down," Giants safety Xavier McKinney said. "That's how we play. We want to go out and dominate."
The Giants are allowing 23.0 points per game and Miami is allowing 23.3 points. That puts both teams right in the middle of the league average.
In the past five weeks, however, the Giants have put up some impressive defensive performances, allowing an average of just 15.2 points. That includes holding Carolina to three points and the potent Kansas City Chiefs to 20 points.
The Dolphins have been even better during their four-game streak, allowing just 11.5 points.
Giants defensive stars include defensive lineman Leonard Williams and rookie outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, who are tied for the team lead in sacks with 5 1/2.
Linebacker Tae Crowder leads the Giants with 79 tackles, and McKinney (five picks) and Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry (three picks) have combined for eight interceptions.
Miami's defensive stars include linebacker Jerome Baker, who leads the team with 63 tackles; Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard, who tops the team with three interceptions; and rookie outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, who is No. 1 on the Dolphins with 6 1/2 sacks. Defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah has six sacks.
Offensively for Miami, Tagovailoa is completing 70.5 percent of his passes and has 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. The second-year passer, 23, is 3-4 as a starter this season.
Dolphins rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle leads Miami in receptions (77) and yardage (759).
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 10 TDs and seven interceptions. The third-year quarterback, 24, is 4-7 as a starter.
Giants rookie receiver Kadarius Toney has started just four games but has made 35 catches for 392 yards. He has caught 72.9 percent of his targets.
Waddle, taken 14 spots higher than Toney in the 2021 draft, has caught 74.8 percent of his targets.
Jan 22nd, 4:30 PM
Cincinnati +3 -109
Tennessee -3 -109
Game Preview & Stats
San Francisco +5 -110
Green Bay -5 -110
Jan 23rd, 3:00 PM
LA Rams +3 +100
Tampa Bay -3 +100
Buffalo +2 -110
Kansas City -2 -110


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Duran Duran () — дебютный эпонимический студийный альбом британской группы Duran Duran, выпущенный 15 июня 1981 года на лейбле EMI.

Пластинка стала одной из ключевых записей движения «нового романтизма» (незадолго до его исчезновения), и наряду с творчеством Visage, A Flock of Seagulls и Culture Club ознаменовала это культурное направление. Альбом стал воплощением идей, вдохновлённых глэм-роком и пост-панком. Пластинка и последующий тур бирмингемской группы явил участников коллектива яркими представителями «нео-романтиков», а именно эксцентричными и андрогинными исполнителями, обладающих выделяющимся внешним видом (макияж, унисекс-одежда и так далее). Релиз альбома став одним из первых этапов зарождающегося движения, прозванного «дюраномания».

Дебютная работа стала успешна на родине, заняла третью позицию в UK Albums Chart и оставалась в UK Top 100 на протяжении 118 недель. Помимо этого, альбом оказался и большим коммерческим успехом. В декабре 1982-го года пластинка обрела платиновый статус. Тем не менее, первоначальный американский релиз оказался неудачным, и лишь после выпуска сверхуспешного второго альбома Rio последовало переиздание в Америке. Вторая попытка оказалась удачной и LP занял десятую позицию в Billboard 200, проведя в нём 87 недель. В июне 1985-го года Американская ассоциация звукозаписывающих компаний (RIAA) присвоила альбому статус «платиновый» (более миллиона продаж). Профессиональное сообщество также восприняло дебютный альбом благосклонно, выпустив преимущественно положительные рецензии.

Альбом получил множество переизданий. Помимо различных региональных релизов, дебют получил переиздание на CD в 1995-м, 2003-м и 2010-м соответственно. Cпециальное издание 2010-го года включает в большое количество бонусных материалов (демо-версии, миксы и видео-приложение).

Предыстория

Формирование группы
Движение «нового романтизма» зародилось в Великобритании в конце 70-х в различных ночных клубах. Именно это направление привлекло нескольких молодых людей из Бирмингема, фанатов Roxy Music, Дэвида Боуи и других ярких представителей музыкальной индустрии того времени. В 1978 году их мечта стала явью — Найджел (Джон) Тейлор, Николас Бейтс (Роудс) и Стивен Дюфе (Даффи) создают коллектив, позднее взявший название «Duran Duran». Тейлор стал гитаристом, Роудс играл на клавишах, а Даффи стал основным вокалистом ансамбля (а также играл на бас-гитаре). Первой площадкой новоиспечённой группы стала аудитория колледжа Даффи и Тейлора. Следующий концерт они отыграли уже квартетом, к коллективу присоединился Саймон Колли, игравший на кларнете и бас-гитаре (как и Колли). Тем не менее, уже после нескольких выступлений Колли и Даффи (основной автор) покидают группу, и создают свою собственную. К команде присоединяется Энди Уикет, экс-солист группы TV Eye. Позднее, к коллективу присоединяется Роджер Тейлор, барабанщик местных групп Scent Organs и Crucified Toad.

Первые демозаписи
Первую полноценную запись собственного материала Duran Duran (Уикет, Роудс, Джон Тейлор, Роджер Тейлор) записали на студии известного продюсера Боба Лэмба, работавшего с коллективом UB40 над их дебютным альбомом, ставшего хитом. Результатом той сессии стали четыре композиции: «Dreaming Of Your Cars», «Working The Steel», «Reincarnation» и прообраз главного хита будущего альбома — «Girls on Film» (согласно биографии Энди Тейлора, Уикет является соавтором композиции). Энди Уикет так описывает процесс написания песен: «В то время я работал в ночную смену на фабрике Cadbury's Bournville и писал там песни. Я помню, как взял этот рифф и напевал его повсюду, придумал несколько слов и записал это на пленку». Первоначально припев звучал так:  «Girls in film, they look better, girls in film always smile». Джон посоветовал сменить на «Girls On Film» <…> «Часто песни появлялись потому, что Джон брал что-то и экспериментировал с этим. Иногда мы крали целую аранжировку и переделывали её. Я помню, как мы брали структуры аккордов из песен Roxy Music, а затем строили на их основе песню. <…> Как бы то ни было, я сказал Нику: "Попробуйте этот рифф на струнной машине", и это были "Girls on Film". Думаю, звук был немного более альтернативным, чем то, чем он стал в итоге»..

Группа пробует презентовать свои наработки лейблам, но получают отказ. Спустя некоторое время в группу приходит второй гитарист, лондонец Алан Кёртис. Несколько позже группа сочиняет «See Me, Repeat Me» — прообраз будущего сингла «Rio», ставшим частью второго альбома группы. Примерно в то же время группа записывает ещё несколько композиций, одной из которых стала ранняя версия «To the Shore». Несколько позднее из-за творческих разногласий коллектив покидает Уикет. Его заменяет Джефф Томас — экс-вокалист команды Scent Organs, игравший там с Роджером Тейлором. По словам Джона Тейлора новый солист был «кем-то вроде Боно» и любил эзотерический стиль написания. Это отразилось в названиях, сочинённых им композиций, вроде «Enigmatic Swimmers». В руках Томаса «See Me, Repeat Me» стала «Ami à Go Go». Выступая в таком составе на различных площадках университетов и колледжей, Duran Duran обратили внимание на клубную сцену. Одной из таких сцен являлся бирмингемский клуб Rum Runner. Группа стала резидентом клуба, параллельно получив работу в клубе в качестве персонала, а также заручившись поддержкой владельцев, братьев Берроу, ставшими менеджерами группы. Вскоре после этого вокалист Томас и Пол Берроу вступают в конфликт, в котором остальные участники коллектива принимают сторону Берроу. Томас покидает группу. Несколько позднее коллектив покинул и Кёртис, отказавшийся работать с братьями. В мае 1980 года в коллектив приходит гитарист из Ньюкасла — Энди Тейлор. Чуть позднее, просмотрев несколько кандидатур на роль вокалиста (безуспешно), группа останавливает свой выбор на Саймоне Ле Боне, в прошлом, участника нескольких андеграундных групп. Именно в клубе Rum Runner коллектив Duran Duran — один из ярчайших представителей «нового романизма» и обрёл свой окончательный состав, заручившись поддержкой владельцев, братьев Берроу. В мае 1980-го года во время прослушивания Ле Бона, музыканты сочиняют будущую композицию дебютного альбома — «Late Bar». Ле Бон существенно переписывает текст композиции «Girls On Film», в то время как остальные участники группы перерабатывают её звучание.

Примечательно, что слова композиции «Planet Earth» были написаны Ле Боном ещё до прихода в группу. Также как и лирика «Sound of Thunder». Помимо этого, группа сочиняет несколько песен, которые так и не будут записаны. Среди них: «On A Dead Child», «Underneath The Clocktower» and «Beverly Hills».16-го июля коллектив впервые играет в «классическом» составе: Ле Бон, Роудс, Энди, Джон и Роджер Тейлоры.

Подготовка будущего альбома
Тем же летом группа отправляется на AIR Studios, дабы записать в новом составе демоматериал. Именно здесь записывалась Japan — одна из групп, вдохновивших Duran Duran в начале их пути. Во время той сессии были записаны:

«Girls on Film» — демоверсия стала значительно медленнее, к тому моменту уже появился семпл звука фотокамеры, с которого начинается композиция, также начала вырисовываться басовая партия Джона Тейлора, которая без значительных изменений перешла на финальную, «диско-фанковую» альбомную версию, а пропущенная через дисторшн гитара стала по большей части фоновым инструментом.

«Tel Aviv» изначально представляла собой балладу с размером такта 6/8 в духе Дэвида Боуи и Roxy Music, имеющую размеренный темп (около 80 ударов в минуту). Во время гитарного соло темп и размер такта менялся на 4/4. Также композиция имела собственный текст и в ней практически отсутствовали электронные эффекты. Финальный вариант трека, выпущенный в составе альбома, существенно отличается от демоварианта, по сути, являясь абсолютно другой композицией, но с тем же названием.

Ближе к концу 1980 года, на Manchester Square Stidio группа записала демоверсии остальных песен для будущего альбома. Среди этих записей были «Planet Earth», «Anyone Out There», «Friends of Mine» и «Late Bar» (позже они вместе с ранними версиями «Girls on Film» и «Tel Aviv» были включены в двухдисковое переиздание 2010 года).

Демоверсия «Planet Earth», записанная в Манчестере, несколько отличалась от финального студийного варианта. По структуре она походила больше на «ночную» версию (разновидность танцевального микса). Вступающие на фоне эффектов инструменты, начинали звучать нарастанием, а партия баса на припеве была более ровной. После инструментального бриджа звучал не припев (как в студийной версии), а третий куплет, от которого вследствие переработки песни, группа отказалась. Летом группа практически не выступает и берёт перерыв для работы над текущими и будущими композициями. Лишь в начале августа они дают концерт в своём клубе-резиденции Rum Runner. К концу лета группа подготовила материал из двадцати четырёх треков. Братья Берроу решают подписать группу на их собственную продюсерскую компанию — Tritec Music. Будучи независимым лейблом Tritec и Duran Duran решают самостоятельно выпустить сингл «Planet Earth», би-сайдом стал трек «Anyone Out There». Помимо этого, группа снимает клип в клубе Cedar в Бирмингеме. Тем не менее, группа сворачивает данные планы, поскольку решают сосредоточиться на поиске крупного лейбла. В это время диджей Питер Пауэлл с BBC Radio 1 ставит в эфир раннее демо композиции «Planet Earth», а журналистка Бетти Пейдж из издания Sounds пишет заметку о треке группы.

В ноябре того же года (при финансовой поддержке братьев Берроу) Duran Duran отправились в тур (в качестве группы на разогреве) певицы Хейзел О'Коннор. Незадолго до этого, Пол Берроу приглашают Дэйва Эмброуза — менеджера лейбла EMI, взглянуть на своих подопечных. Позже Дэйв так описал впечатления от увиденного:  «На самом деле они были немного грубоваты — тогда они ещё не стали единым целым, но у них была "идея", и я подумал, что "идея" была фантастической.»

Во время тура группа получила два предложения от крупных лейблов — Phonogramm и EMI. Duran Duran выбирает последнего, отчасти из-за работы EMI с легендарными The Beatles. По возвращении из тура группа приступила к записи полноценного дебютного альбома. На этом этапе к работе над альбомом подключается Колин Тёрстон, работавший с коллективами Magazine и The Human League. Альбом был записан на нескольких студиях в Лондоне с декабря 1980 года по январь 1981 года. Став более проработанным, готовый материал не сильно отличался от демозаписей группы. Тем не менее, на протяжении записи главной сложностью оставался вокал Ле Бона. Продюсер Тёрстон и братья Берроу испытывали сомнения насчёт способностей Ле Бона как профессионального студийного вокалиста. По причине этого, по мнению Эмброзуа, на определённом этапе Тёрстон даже решил устроить прослушивание вокалистов для материала квартета, однако, Пол Берроу отрицает данную точку зрения, поскольку Ле Бон был подписан EMI как часть группы и его исключение представлялось маловероятным. Несмотря на это, Пол Берроу сообщил Саймону, что в случае неудовлетворения результатами сессионной работы, он может потерять место в группе. Позднее Ле Бону удалось преодолеть кризис и внести весомый вклад в звучание дебютного альбома.

Подготовка к релизу и продвижение синглов
К началу 1981 года группа завершила работу над пластинкой и записала сессию на BBC Radio 1. После этого диджей Ричард Скиннер выпускает в эфир четыре композиции с будущего альбома: «Sound of Thunder», «Anyone Out There», «Friends of Mine» and «Careless Memories», а уже 2 февраля 1981 года группа выпускает свой дебютный сингл — «Planet Earth». 7-дюймовая грампластинка содержала оригинальный сингл, в то время как 12-дюймовая версия включала в себя расширенный микс композиции. Би-сайдом стала композиция «Late Bar». Дизайн обложки сингла доверили известному художнику Майклу Гаррету. Именно он станет ключевым арт-деятелем Duran Duran на следующие пять лет. Несмотря на то, что композиции не удалось попасть в заветную «десятку», этого оказалось достаточно для попадания на шоу Top of the Pops. В феврале 1981 года их модное, вычурно одетое выступление успешно зафиксировало группу в умах юной аудитории как часть разрекламированного движения «новая романтика». Некоторые костюмы группы для того выступления создала журналистка издания The Guardian и бывшая студентка факультета моды Святого Мартина Джуди Рамбольд. Примерно в то же время группа снимает видео в родном клубе Rum Runner, с участием публики и знакомых.

Следующим шагом стала запись полноценного коммерческого видеоклипа для группы. Режиссёром стал начинающий австралийский постановщик Рассел Малкэхи, тем не менее уже зарекомендовавший работой с группой Ultravox и их видео для сингла Vienna. Довольно примитивный по более поздним стандартам Duran Duran, видеоклип показывает группу (одетую в стиле «нового романтизма»), играющую песню на белой сцене, украшенной специальными эффектами, имитирующими платформу изо льда или хрусталя. Представление перемежается кадрами участников коллектива с четырьмя элементами. Видео было сфокусировано на лицах участников группы. В инструментальной средней части ролика появляются два друга группы из ночного клуба Rum Runner по прозвищу Гей Джон и Лавиния, танцующие в своих ново-романтических костюмах. В стиле апокалиптической научной фантастики в нижней части экрана пересекаются слайды различных мировых фактов, в том числе: «площадь поверхности Земли составляет 196 937 600 миль»; «247 860 человек рождаются каждый день»; «самая старая известная песня — Shadoof Chant»; а затем данный сегмент заканчивается предупреждением «Судный день». В конце видео солист Саймон Ле Бон прыгает со сцены, попав в стоп-кадр, снятый над явно бездонной пропастью. Клип получился бюджетным, реализация идей также получилась весьма своеобразной, однако, несмотря на все очевидные недостатки, видео помогло синглу «Planet Earth» возглавить чарты Австралии и Португалии. Песня также имела большой успех в Швеции.

После релиза «Planet Earth» группа стала частым гостем на обложках множества молодёжных журналов, участвуя в различных фотосессиях и интервью. Джон Тейлор охарактеризовал этот период своей жизни как «погоня за славой» Подобный интерес медиа породил сильнейший ажиотаж среди молодых фанатов группы, позднее, тем не менее став их своеобразным «проклятием», как позднее суммировал Moby. Ник Роудс в свою очередь назвал тесное сотрудничество Duran Duran и журналов поп-артом, однако, позднее выразил сожаление о подобной связи группы и СМИ.

Следующим синглом группы выступила композиция «Careless Memories». Датой релиза стало 20 апреля 1981 года. Воодушевленных успехом дебюта, участников ждало разочарование, поскольку сингл занял лишь 37-ю позицию в британском чарте. Дэйв Эмброуз считает, что причиной выбора данного сингла было продиктовано желанием маркетологов уйти от коммерческого образа группы, несмотря на протест самих участников Duran Duran, не желавших видеть трек синглом. По словам Эмброуза, сингл не получил ротации на радио. Помимо этого, он отличался от предыдущего и по звучанию. Мрачный, жёсткий, наполненный бурным вокалом и ультрадраматической лирикой Ле Бона, и напоминающий композиции групп The Cure («Primary») и Blondie («Atomic»). Частью промо сингла стало дебютное появление группы на обложке Smash Hits.

Рецензент журнала Марк Эллен не был очарован отполированным постпанковским звучанием сингла: «Разумно уклоняясь от перепаханного «чувствительного» диско-поля (Spandau и т. д.) убедительная сила десятитонного барабанного звука на этом участке не утеряна. Под слоями шелковой отделки скрыто сооружение настолько ошеломляюще простое, что вы задаетесь вопросом, не восходят ли их панк-корни к периоду сухого льда». Сопровождающий релиз видеоклип также не снискал успеха и несколько разнился с визионерским статусом Duran Duran, обретённым в предыдущем видео. Режиссеры Перри Хейнс и Терри Джонс (основатель модного журнала i-D), по мнению автора биографической книги группы Стива Малинса, изобразили Ле Бона в «самом неудачном виде из возможных». Более того, недовольными остались и участники группы. Вот как охарактеризовал видеоклип Ник Роудс вскоре после выхода: «Я считаю, что это худшее видео, которое мы когда-либо делали. <...> Я никогда не забуду картину на стене — это была самая отвратительная вещь, которую я когда-либо видел.» Тем не менее Хейнс неким образом искупил вину, познакомив участников группы с дизайнером Энтони Прайсом, посетив с ними магазин дизайнера Plaza в Лондоне. По словам Джона Тейлора, «в тот день начался наш роман с костюмами Прайса».

Релиз альбома, первый полноценный тур и «Girls On Film»

И всё же, несмотря на сомнительный успех второго сингла, 15 июня 1981 года группа выпускает эпонимический альбом в свет. Четыре трека с альбома получают эфир на BBC Radio 1, благодаря диджею Питеру Пауэллу. Издание Record Mirror осталось настолько довольно альбомом, что поместило его на третье место в списке лучших альбомов года. Также одобрительные рецензии группа получила и в американской прессе. Спустя две недели Duran Duran отправились в свой первый тур Faster Than Light, который продлится одиннадцать дней. Дебютной площадкой стал театр Брайтон-Доум (около двух тысяч мест). Группа была воодушевлена обилием женской публики и атмосферой, чарящей на сцене. По словам Джона Тейлора, уже с первых аккордов трека «Sound of Thunder» и открывающегося занавеса их приветствовали «визжащие и кричащие дети... это была не публика, это было столпотворение». И тем не менее на первых концертах чрезмерный уровень шума создавал проблемы для музыкантов, поскольку из-за криков, участники группы попросту не могли услышать друг друга.

Несмотря на это Саймон Ле Бон впоследствии признал, что растущая популярность альбома и его композиций именно у молодой аудитории, стала для него комплиментом. Вопреки разочарованию агента группы Роб Халлета, поскольку не все места были распроданы, концерты сумели привлечь к себе достаточно внимания, чтобы начать недолговечную, но всё же «национальную моду». Первым предметом этой моды стали повязки на голову. Начало этому явлению положил Роджер Тейлор; во время одного из выступлений он обмотал кухонное полотенце вокруг головы на подобии Джимми Хендрикса. И, по словам Ле Бона, барабанщику удалось «поймать настроение».

13 июля, через пару дней после окончания тура, Duran Duran выпускают свой третий сингл. Им стала композиция «Girls on Film». Последная и третья попытка выпуска сингла стала чрезвычайно успешной, композиция получила сильную ротацию на BBC Radio 1, группе покорилась «первая пятёрка» UK Singles Chart. Коллектив вновь пригласили выступить на Top of the Pops, где «бирмингемцы» встретили Хейзел О'Коннор (с которой отправились в свой первый тур в качестве разогрева певицы). «Girls on Film» поддержала успех альбома Duran Duran и благодаря этому, пластинка заняла третье место и продержалось в британском чарте 118 недель, разойдясь тиражом в 1,6 миллиона копий по всему миру.

Для сингла был снят видеоклип, который, однако, представил композицию об эксплуатации женщин в рекламе в ином свете. С подачи продюсеров «Girls on Film» обрела нарочито эротическое видео для демонстрации маскулинности группы, поскольку, по словам Пола Бэрроу, в США группу воспринимали как гей-коллектив. Помимо этого, данное видео подходило под новомодное клубное явление — видеоэкраны, на которых показывали от кино прошлых лет до контента телеканала Playboy. Режиссёрский дуэт Годли энд Крэм изобразил группу в одном клипе с полураздетыми моделями эротических журналов, которые попадали в различные курьёзные ситуации — боролись в грязи, бились подушками и т.д. Данное содержание неверно толковало смысл песни (режиссёрам попросту не объяснили концепцию сингла). Тем не менее длинное полупорнографическое видео стало скандальным и чрезвычайно популярным, помогло закрепить за Duran Duran образ «мужчин с высоким уровнем тестостерона». Видео стало началом отношений американской публики и Duran Duran, поскольку релиз альбома прошёл в США, по большей части, незамеченным. Однако, несмотря на пикантное содержание, участникам коллектива, по словам Джона Тэйлора, было некомфортно находиться на съёмках.

В это время на сцене появляется новый кабельный канал MTV, и пусть в то время это не оказало большого влияния, новый канал также начал показывать «Girls On Film». Станция была запущена 1 августа 1981 года и первые несколько месяцев транслировалась только в Нью-Джерси, Техасе и Флориде. Ввиду своей андеграундности, канал мог позволить себе транслировать весьма откровенный контент. «"Girls On Film" дали нам прекрасную возможность привлечь внимание прессы», — говорит один из основателей MTV Джон Сайкс. «Видео было чем-то, что никогда нельзя было показать в вещательных сетях, а мы могли. Таким образом, многие люди перешли на кабельное телевидение, чтобы не только открыть для себя новые группы, но и эту форму искусства, которая еще не была готова для телевидения в прайм-тайм».

Вскоре после съемок видео для «Girls on Film» Duran Duran отправилась в Европу, cыграв в Брюсселе, Париже, Харелбеке и Амстердаме. Джон Тейлор вспоминает неуверенность группы в своих музыкальных способностях во время того турне: «всегда был страх, что мы недостаточно «музыкальны», и мы ужасно боялись играть и выступать». Примером подобной неуверенности стало падение Саймона Ле Бона со сцены во время концерта на глазах у французских СМИ. Затем последовал первый тур в США, дебютом стало выступление 16 сентября 1981 года в клубе Spit на Лонг-Айленде, Нью-Йорк.

Отзывы и критика
В целом пластинку приняли благосклонно. Основатель клуба Blitz и диджей Расти Иган утверждал, что «Duran Duran появились как раз в поворотный момент — они дали людям то, что те искали (во всех сферах)». Обозреватель Smash Hits Дэвид Хепуорт остался равнодушным к дебюту: «Если все эти "новые романтики" действительно имеют в виду, что музыка — лишь часть их образа, то почему бы им не отправить синтезаторы обратно в магазин… Тогда у них будет свободное время на важные вещи — например, искать новые рейтузы и разглядывать карты Германии в поисках ярких названий песен». В свою очередь колумнист Sounds Валак Ван дер Вин был более воодушевлен: «Научно-фантастические космические тексты, трелированные привлекательным голосом, бодрыми линиями баса и ритмами барабанщика Роджера Тейлора, представляют соблазнительное звучание их альбома». В том же Sounds альбом охарактеризовали как «невероятный, зрелый дебют, ощетинивший перспективные хит-синглы». В это же время как Америке рок-н-ролльный журнал Trouser Press восторгался «необычным альбомом, наполненным классическими песнями».

Тем не менее была и обратная реакция на дебют группы. Duran Duran были пренебрежительно оценены некоторыми музыкантами-современниками «бирмингемцев». Лидер коллектива Ultravox, шотландец Мидж Юр, был откровенным критиком коллектива, а Мартин Уэр, основатель The Human League and Heaven 17, признавался: «Мы видели в них гламурную группу и относились к ним несколько высокомерно. Мы думали, что в них нет чувства оригинальности или искусства, и считали их скорее блестящей паб-группой».

В отличие от вышеупомянутых музыкантов, Гэри Ньюман был одним из первых сторонников бирмингемского квартета. Он охарактеризовал дебютный релиз следующими словами: «Мне очень понравилась «Planet Earth», когда она вышла, как и альбом в целом. Мне показалось, что голос Саймона Ле Бона был очень характерным, в хорошем смысле этого слова. Он мгновенно узнаваем, и это как золото для любой поп-группы. Это намного важнее, чем быть великим певцом с технической точки зрения.»

Лестно о композициях альбома высказались и последующие поколения музыкантов. Двадцать с лишним лет спустя Алекс Капранос — солист группы Franz Ferdinand заявил, что «Girls On Film» — это одна из песен, которую группа слушает перед выступлением, потому что «она заставляет вас чувствовать себя гламурно».

Стиль и звучание альбома
Стилистически альбом весьма разнообразен и представляет собой комбинацию из таких жанров, как арт-рок, глэм-рок, панк-рок, пост-панк, диско и синти-поп. Подобный подход являлся типичным для представителей «новой волны», вобравшей в себя разнообразие жанров. Группа вдохновлялась творчеством Дэвида Боуи, Roxy Music, Japan, Chic, и Джорджио Мородера. Также прослеживается существенное влияние Гэри Ньюмана. Имитация творчества своих кумиров стала одной из основ звучания альбома, в чём участники группы неоднократно признавались. Лишь в следующем альбоме группа позволила себе вырабатывать своё, более зрелое звучание. В то же время дебютный альбом полон танцевальной синтезаторной поп-музыки в сочетании с самобытным артистическим уклоном. Порой прослеживается сходство с диско-роком, ярко выраженный в композиции Blondie — «Call Me» (написанной Дебби Харри вместе с Джорджио Мородером).

Однако Ник Роудс, клавишник группы, в 1982 году не согласился с утверждением, что альбом лишён оригинальности и креатива. «На мой взгляд, это один из самых честных альбомов за всю историю. Я знаю это, поскольку был пятой частью того, кто его создавал. На этом альбоме не было ничего придуманного. Мы так усердно работали, желали, молились и вкладывали все, что у нас было, в эту пластинку… Все наши музыкальные идеи с тех пор, как нам было пятнадцать или шестнадцать лет».

Роудс также отмечает способность солиста (Ле Бона) как автора песен: «Я был очень очарован тем, как работает ум Саймона, потому что он, казалось, писал о самых нелепых вещах». В то же время  Роудс признал, что «люди не слушают текст песен, пока танцуют». И все жё творчество группы с самого начала существования породило множественные интерпретации текстов, обсуждаемые фанатами коллектива. Вклад Саймона Ле Бона в альбом был охарактеризован как «способность вдохнуть живительную энергию поп-мелодии в искусственные звуки». В свою очередь вокальные партии Ле Бона в «Night Boat» напоминают по звучанию Siouxsie Sioux. Ориентиром видится и «Quiet Life» группы Japan, пусть и несколько иным вокальным исполнением. «В отличие от осторожного самоанализа Дэвида Силвиана, Ле Бон с головой уходит в песни — словно бык в довольно деликатном мире электроники под влиянием Roxy и Боуи»..

Аналоговые синтезаторы Роудса дистинктивно звучат в композициях «Nightboat», «Tel Aviv» и «To the Shore». Звучание этих композиций напоминает ранний Ultravox!, в особенности соборное вступление к песне «To the Shore», драм-машина и струнные, схожая с «Hiroshima Mon Amour» в композиции «Night Boat», и электроника на «Tel Aviv». Пластинка изобилует использованием электронных эффектов и секвенций, создающих атмосферное (порой мрачное) звучание, сопровождаемый минималистичным битом драм-машины. Однако несмотря на наличие рок-ориентированных участников группы (Джон и Энди Тейлоры) альбому не характерно обилие гитарных сольных партий. И тем не менее звучание гитары Энди Тейлора мелодично и в меру напористо. Он добавляет объёмности куплетам во «Friends of Mine», а резкие риффы (в чём-то схожие с игрой Найла Роджерса) на «Girls on Film» придают этому треку должную энергетику. Саймон Прайс из газеты Independent охарактеризовал «Girls On Film» как «половина Chic, половина Sex Pistols». Гитарная партия Джона Тейлора в «Anyone Out There» является референсом к «Ashes To Ashes» Боуи. В свою очередь ритм-секция группы сочетает в себе стили Мородера, Мика Карна (Japan) и всё тех же Chic. И всё же, несмотря на заимствование идей современников и предшествующих групп, исполнители того направления не отказывали себе в экспериментировании. Объединив множество элементов, Duran Duran (наряду с некоторыми другими коллективами) превратил рок-фанк в популистское, но в то же время художественное явление, что идеально соответствовало музыкальному и культурному настроению 1980-х годов, а «Girls on Film» стал самым успешным сплавом Duran Duran из Chic, Roxy Music и панковской поп-музыки «новой волны».

Список композиций
Все композиции написаны и аранжированы Duran Duran.

Список композиций

Участники записи
 Саймон Ле Бон — тексты, вокал, бэк-вокал и губная гармошка («Is There Something I Should Know?»)
 Ник Роудс — клавишные и программирование
 Энди Тейлор — гитара
 Джон Тейлор — бас-гитара
 Роджер Тэйлор — ударные

Примечания
Комментарии

Прочие источники

Ссылки
 Duran Duran

Дебютные альбомы 1981 года
Альбомы Duran Duran
Альбомы EMI Records
Альбомы Capitol Records
Альбомы, сертифицированные как платиновые Британской ассоциацией производителей фонограмм
Альбомы, сертифицированные как платиновые Американской ассоциацией звукозаписывающих компаний

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sorry I haven't been doing my consistent twice a week posts but Phil's been taking a lot of time off and that usually means we're off having lots of fun and adventures so that doesn't leave me with much time to blog.
won't they look cute when they start wearing glasses?
Lots of cute pictures are piling up, I have several 'oh crap!' moments to write about and need to write about our first real attempt at potty training. Much to come, so stay tuned!
More from our fun week. The boys are missing their uncle Chance and aunt Janet, they were lavished with love and attention!
TEC, in their super cute sweaters from aunt Janet and uncle Chance : ) Thomas is the tiger because it starts with the letter T, Eli is the monkey because he's so silly, and Caleb is the monster because Caleb is always monsters. It just fits.
Caleb looking so big to me!
Loving their shiny new Tonka dump trucks, thank you J&C!
It snowed a few days ago and it wasn't sticking at our house but when we got to the children's museum (a couple hundred feet up) it was!
The boys having no idea the deliciousness about to come their way!
Captain crunch on a glazed or crushed oreo topped with peanut butter and chocolate anyone? Sounds crazy but so dang good!
I got the boys my childhood favorite, cake donut with colorful sprinkles!
This is how they all ate their donuts, frosting first!
The boys watching an ambulance go by, they love their emergency response vehicles!
Lately my house looks like a grave yard for baby socks but especially the boys room. They never wake up from a nap with socks on! And as I mentioned it before it's not because socks bother their feet but because they like putting socks on their hands, silly boys! The last time I cleaned I recovered about 20 socks from all sorts of nooks and crannies in the boys room.
These are some books where the boys only look at ONE page, can you guess why? I can't tell you how many times they come up to me with these books open to those pages so I can list off all the stuff on them.
They looked at this page so often they ended up wearing it out!
I think the boys had a growth spurt because they are all looking a little taller and the 18 mo pants I switched them to don't fit quite as big as they used to (see pic above). We are officially done with 12 mo clothes! It only took us 2 years and 2 months (insert sarcasm)! Even our 18 mo footie pajamas are fitting a little snug (those are always the first thing we grow out of).
Some new words: roll (glad to see they are attempting 'r' words, I imagine it will be a while before they can roll a Spanish 'r' haha! no pun intended), stuck, stop, and knock-knock. Ah! only English words! I've heard of a lot of kids refusing to speak the language their parents speak when in an English speaking country even though they can or they had been. For a while the boys understood way more Spanish than English but I think it's really starting to even out even though I still only speak to them in Spanish. The English influence is undeniable and everywhere. Not sure if we are heading down that track but if we do I'll definitely make sure they go to Spanish immersion Kindergarten.
We are definitely going into the developmental stage called 'normal negativism' because the boys say no a lot more now and will even say it when they mean yes, oh boy!
the boys love doing puzzles and they are really good at it!
The boys kept 'talking' to each other while they did puzzles this day, they would exchange verbalization's and point at stuff. Who knows what they were saying but they seemed to understand each other. I have yet to crack any triplet talk code.
1) Put them down for nap time at 2 pm so they are asleep by 3 pm and don't let them sleep past 5 pm so I only push up bed time to 8 pm.
cons: It's very hard to watch the boys for that long of a stretch before they start to drive you crazy, I would have to make sure we leave the house each day to avoid going crazy.
2) Skip nap all together and keep bed time at 7:30 or push it down to 7pm (not sure that will go over well).
pros: No more worrying about a nap schedule and we can move on to toddler beds.
cons: They will most surely drive me crazy unless I up their 30 min a day T.V. quota to 2 hrs.
3) Put them down at 2 pm and let them sleep as long as they want, which would be till 6 pm. And push up bed time to 9 pm.
cons: I get less time in the evenings for cooking and hanging out with husband. We'd have dinner along with the boys (unfortunately this is still a con, I do not like getting up 10 times during a meal).
So now that I dragged my boys names through the mud let me clarify and say that they are VERY good boys but nothing changes the fact that they are two years old and that there are THREE of them!


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Tag Archive for train collision
Update: Man killed in Carlsbad train collision in what may be first San Diego County bike death this year
September 27, 2019 / bikinginla / One comment
The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that a 24-year old man was killed when he was struck by an Amtrak train while crossing the tracks in Carlsbad Thursday night.
According to the paper, the victim, who has not been publicly named, was riding east on the sidewalk near Grand Ave and Washington Street when he rode onto the tracks, and somehow struck the side of the train around 7:30 pm.
He was taken to an Oceanside medical center, where he died.
Sadly, he was on his way to meet friends in Carlsbad Village, the Times of San Diego reports.
A street view shows the railroad crossing is controlled by warning lights and crossing arms. However, the arms don't extend to the sidewalk where the victim was riding. No explanation is given for why he apparently either didn't notice the train, or was unable to stop in time to avoid it.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to call the San Diego County Sheriff's Department at 858/565-5200.
This is at least the 53rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year; remarkably, it appears to be the first in San Diego County.
As we've noted many times before, a train crash is the easiest kind of collision to prevent because you know exactly where it will go, and get a clear warning of when it's coming; it's also the most difficult to survive.
So never ride through or around crossing arms or warning signals, and never stop on the tracks.
Update: The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the victim has been identified as 37-year old San Diego County resident Jason Lynn Holsinger, despite initial reports that the victim was 24.
The San Diego medical examiner confirms that Holsinger rode around the crossing gates and into the side of the train.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jason Lynn Holsinger and all his loved ones.
Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: Amtrak, bicycling fatality, Carlsbad, Jason Lynn Holsinger, San Diego County, train collision
Update: Anaheim bike rider killed in train collision Monday afternoon
May 30, 2016 / bikinginla / 2 comments
This is not the news we wanted to end the holiday weekend with.
According to the Orange County Register, a man in his 40s was struck and killed by a train in Anaheim Monday afternoon.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, rode up to the railroad crossing on Sycamore Street just west of Vine Street around 2:40 pm after the crossing arms had been lowered. For some reason, he went around the barricades, and was struck by a southbound train.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
This is a tragic reminder to never, ever go around crossing barriers on a railroad track, even if there doesn't appear to be a train coming, or cross unprotected tracks after the light turns red.
This is the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth in Orange County.
Update: The victim has been identified as 42-year old Jorge Leyva of Anaheim.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jorge Leyva and his loved ones.
Thanks to Mike Wilkinson and Bill Sellin for the heads-up.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities, Update / Tags: Anaheim, bicycling fatality, bike vs train, Jorge Leyva, Orange County, train collision
Update: San Diego cyclist killed in pre-dawn trolley collision
March 9, 2016 / bikinginla / 7 comments
More bad news today.
Multiple sources are reporting that a San Diego bike rider was killed by a trolley in the city's Barrio Logan neighborhood.
The victim, identified only as a 27-year old man, reportedly stopped at the trolley crossing alongside Harbor Drive near Sampson Street around 5:45 this morning.
After a southbound trolley passed, he rode around the crossing bars, and was immediately struck by a second trolley headed in the opposite direction. Emergency personnel tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses said that he was wearing earbuds, and may not have heard the second trolley approaching.
San Diego's KUSI TV reports employees of both Naval Base San Diego and cyber-defense company BAE Systems, located nearby, rushed to the scene, concerned the victim may have been one of their co-workers.
This is a tragic reminder to always wait until the crossing arms are raised before walking or riding across any railroad tracks.
This is the 25th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth in San Diego County; it's also the third bike-related death in San Diego since the first of the year.
Update: The victim has been identified as 27-year old Robert Jamil-Hanna Warren, possibly of National City.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities, Update / Tags: Barrio Logan, bicycling fatality, Robert Jamil-Hanna Warren, San Diego, San Diego County, train collision
Breaking news: Covina bike rider killed in collision with Metrolink train
February 23, 2016 / bikinginla / One comment
A Covina cyclist has been killed in train collision.
According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was struck by a Metrolink train at 1:38 this afternoon on Azusa Avenue near Northview High School.
Baldwin Park Patch places the collision Azusa and Front Street. Tracks are visible on a satellite view just north of Front, while crossing arms can be seen on the street.
No word on why the victim was on the tracks at the time of the collision.
Train collisions are the easiest type of wreck to avoid, since their route is predictable and both audible and visual warnings are given before they pass.
This is the 20th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth in LA County; this is also the second time a SoCal cyclist has been killed in a collision with a train this year.
My deepest sympathy for the victim and his or her loved ones.
Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, bike vs train, County of Los Angeles, Covina, train collision
Man walking bike killed by train in Placentia Monday night
Somehow, this one went under the radar earlier this week.
According to the Orange County Register, 51-year old Rafael Romo was walking his bike north on Richfield Road when he ducked under the railroad crossing barrier on Orangethorpe Ave around 8:15 pm Monday.
He was standing on the south tracks waiting for an eastbound train to pass on the other tracks when he was hit by a train headed west at 48 mph. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The paper notes that it's unsure if his death was an accident or may have been suicide. However, the latter seems unlikely if he brought the bike with him, rather than leaving it behind when he stepped under the barrier.
This serves as yet another warning to never go under or around railroad crossing guards, even if it seems safe at the time.
This is the 49th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th in Orange County. Romo is also the 19th SoCal bike rider to be killed by a train since 2011, which is the easiest type of collision to avoid.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Rafael Romo and all his loved ones.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, Orange County, Placentia, Rafael Romo, train collision
Update: 31-year old bike rider killed by train in Riverside
Always wait for the barriers to lift at a railroad crossing.
A Riverside bike rider didn't, and sadly, paid the price.
According to the Press-Enterprise, the woman was riding her bike east on Mission Inn Ave in downtown Riverside when she stopped to wait for a southbound train around 11:10 this morning.
As soon as the train passed, she continued across the tracks while the crossing arms were reportedly still down and the warning lights flashing. She was then hit and killed by a train traveling north on the tracks, whose approach would have been hidden from sight by the other train.
The victim is identified only as an apparent transient in her 30s.
This is the 20th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in Riverside County. That compares to 41 in SoCal this time last year, and six in the county.
She is also the first bike rider to be killed in a collision with a train anywhere in Southern California since August of last year.
Update: The Press-Enterprise has identified the victim as 31-year old Virginia Gadberry of Riverside.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Virginia Gadberry and her loved ones.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, Riverside, Riverside County, train collision, Virginia Gadberry
Bike rider killed in Vista train collision; popular randonneur killed Saturday in Santa Maria
August 12, 2014 / bikinginla / 8 comments
Sometimes, all it takes is a single tragic error in judgement.
That was the case last night, as a bike rider lost his life apparently trying to beat a train in North San Diego County.
According to multiple sources, a 48-year old man, who has not been publicly identified, was hit by a Sprinter light-rail train in an unincorporated area of Vista. The collision occurred at a railroad crossing at the intersection of Woodland Drive and South Santa Fe Avenue at 8:07 pm Monday.
According to witnesses, the warning gates had been down for more than 40 seconds, with the lights and bells activated, when the victim rode around the gates and onto the track. He was struck by oncoming the train, which had been sounding its horn as it approached the intersection.
The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No explanation was given for why he attempted to cross the tracks despite multiple visual and audible warnings.
He was the third person killed by a train in the county in the last five days.
This is the 58th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in San Diego County. He is also the third bike rider to be killed by a train in the seven-county SoCal region since the first of the year.
Thanks to Rick Risemberg for the heads-up.
I don't normally report on bicycling fatalities that occur outside the SoCal region.
However, I've gotten multiple reports of a cyclist killed on Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Maria area over the weekend.
According to the Santa Maria Times, the victim was a 33-year old Chula Vista resident, who was hit by a 16-year old driver in a truck pulling a horse trailer.
Now word is coming in that victim was Matthew O'Neil, a popular randonneur well known in SoCal riding circles. I'm told that a group of riders participating in the ultra-distance event came upon the scene shortly after the collision, and recognized the victim by his unique Bacchetta recumbent bike.
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that the driver is the son of a woman involved in another fatal wreck on the same road in 2012.
Hopefully, we'll have more information later.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Matthew O'Neil and all his family and friends.
Thanks to Mike T for the link.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, Matthew O'Neil, randonneuring, San Diego County, Santa Maria, train collision, Vista
Downey bike rider killed in collision with Metro Blue Line
June 29, 2014 / bikinginla / One comment
Word broke late Saturday night that a cyclist may have killed in a collision with a Metro Blue Line train in the Florence neighborhood of Los Angeles.
KABC-7 tweeted that a bike rider had been killed crossing the tracks at East Gage and Holmes Avenues, citing a report from the CHP. However, while the Highway Patrol dispatch confirmed a fatality, it did not identify the victim as a bike rider.
Any question was resolved Sunday evening when KCBS-2 confirmed that a 51-year old Downey resident was killed when he rode his bike in front of the train, which was traveling at 50 mph at the time. At that speed, such a collision is unlikely to be survivable; he was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:01 pm.
The victim was not publicly identified pending notification of next of kin.
No word on why he did not see or hear the train approaching, or whether the crossing arms were working properly.
This is the 47th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 20th in Los Angeles County. It's also the sixth cycling death in the City of Los Angeles since the first of the year.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, bike vs train, Blue Line, County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, train collision
Update: Santa Fe Springs rider killed in collision with Metrolink train
January 9, 2014 / bikinginla / 11 comments
Word is just coming in that a bike rider was killed in a collision with a Metrolink train this morning.
According to the Press-Telegram, the victim, described only as male, was hit by the train at 7:15 this morning on tracks near Lakeland Road and Bloomfield Ave in Santa Fe Springs.
The LA Times puts the time as around 7:10 am, and identifies the train as Metrolink 682 bound for Orange County from Downtown Los Angeles. The paper reports the victim rode around the crossing gate; he died at the scene.
Train collisions are the easiest type of collision to avoid, yet there have been at least 14 other riders killed by trains in Southern California since January, 2011, including eight last year.
There is simply no excuse, ever, for riding around a railroad crossing barrier. However, the high number of fatal train collisions — cyclists, drivers and pedestrians — would suggest that more needs to be done to keep people off the tracks when trains are approaching.
This is the second bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first in Los Angeles County.
My sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his loved ones.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said the train was headed to Downtown Los Angeles, based on information in the Times' story.
Update: According to the Whittier Daily News, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding the wrong way on eastbound Lakeland. That would have placed him on the opposite side of the road from the crossing barrier. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:24 am.
Update 2: According to LAist, the LA County Coroner's office has identified the victim as 23-year old Dale Hummels of Whittier. Oddly, the coroner's felt a need to clarify that Hummels' death was not a suicide.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, Los Angeles County, Metrolink, Santa Fe Springs, train collision
Update: Bike rider killed in Pacoima train collision; eighth SoCal train victim this year
December 9, 2013 / bikinginla / 11 comments
Eighty-one. And eight.
That's how many bike riders have lost their lives in what has turned out to be a horrible year for SoCal cyclists. And how many of those riders have died as a result of train collisions.
According to the LA Times, a male bike rider was hit and hilled by a Metrolink train in Pacoima this afternoon. The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding on Van Nuys Blvd when he attempted to cross the railroad tracks just north of San Fernando Road around 3:50 pm.
The paper reports he apparently tried to beat the train, despite the fact that the warning gates had already been lowered. He was struck by the 218 train on its way to Union Station in Downtown LA, and pronounced dead at the scene.
With this death, nearly 10% of the fatalities involving Southern California bike riders have been the result of train collisions — the easiest type of collision to avoid. All you have to do is stay off the tracks when there's a train coming.
Unlike motor vehicles. trains are restricted to a specific pathway, and can't vary their route in any way. And they have warning systems to let you know when they're coming; all you have to do is squeeze on the brakes.
At least three of those eight deaths resulted from riders attempting to beat the train or ride around the warning gates. Which makes me wonder if they were truly attempting to beat the gates, or if at least some might have been fixie riders forced to ride through because they lacked the skill to stop in time.
Unfortunately, we may never know, since none of the reports identify the type of bike the victim was riding.
But it's a question worth asking as we struggle to understand why so many riders have died in a type of collision that's so easy to avoid.
This is the 81st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 33rd in LA County. This is also the 14th rider to lose his life in the City of Los Angeles since the first of the year, three time the average for the city.
Update: According to KCBS-2, the victim, identified only as a 30-year old Hispanic man, was riding west on Van Nuys at the time of the collision.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his family.
Update 2: Over two weeks later, there's still no ID on the victim. He is described as a Hispanic man over 21 years old, about 5'2" and 144 pounds, with brown eyes and a black Mohawk, and a red stud earring in one ear. Anyone with information is urged to call coroner's investigator Daniel Machian at 323-343-0754 or the coroner investigations division at 323-343-0714.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling, Los Angeles, Metrolink, Pacoima, train collision


Earlier this year, we introduced several changes to Custom Audiences. This introduction includes the removal of reach estimates to prevent potential misuse of the functionality and the addition of new requirements for Custom Audiences built from a customer file, focused on additional accountability and transparency. While necessary, we recognize that these updates may have been challenging for our advertisers and partners. We're now sharing additional updates that are designed to help reduce friction while creating and using Custom Audience on our platform.
Restoring visibility of audience sizes for Custom Audiences. We understand how important having an idea of audience sizes is to the campaign planning process. After removing access to Custom Audiences sizes earlier this year, we have since found new ways to preserve the integrity of our platform and the privacy of our users, while also restoring access to this functionality. As a result, certain advertisers can now see audience size estimates for Custom Audiences in the Audiences tab and Marketing API, as well as access the Custom Audience Overlap tool. Note: You still can't see size estimates for Saved Audiences containing Custom Audiences.
Applying terms acceptance across ad accounts. Earlier this year, we shared that everyone on an ad account uploading Custom Audiences must accept our Custom Audiences Terms. For those who manage multiple ad accounts, we realize this might involve accepting the terms many times. To prevent this, moving forward, we will automatically apply an individual's acceptance of our Custom Audience Terms across all other ad accounts owned by that Business Manager. Once a Business Manager user accepts the Custom Audience Terms for an ad account owned by the business, this user can manage Custom Audiences from a customer file on other accounts that belong to the business without having to accept account-level Terms. Note: This does not apply to ad accounts that are used to act on behalf of (OBO) other business. See below for more details.
Our Custom Audiences Terms remain unchanged. We hope these updates will make it easier for businesses to advertise efficiently and effectively, while still ensuring more accountability and transparency from advertisers.
As of November 7, 2018, we require all advertisers to have a Business Manager to create or use Custom Audiences from a customer file.
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Peoples Party is a registered political party in Papua New Guinea, registered with the Registry of Pollical Parties and Candidates Commission of Papua New Guinea.
Peoples Party eleven years old since formal registration in November 2006. Peoples Party plays a pivotal role in politics, governance and contributed immensely to the development of this country.
Peoples Party contested three National Elections in 2007, 2012 and 2017 endorsed over 100 candidates won twelve (12) electoral seats four (4) in the eight (8th), sixth (6th) in the ninth (9th) and two (2) in the tenth (10) National Parliament.
PP championed the free/subsidized education policy in the country and produced a large numbers of human resources to support the development of Papua New Guinea.
The Party continues to promotes zero tolerance to corruption all sectors of the society especially the government systems to make sure that the basic services reach the majority of the rural population.
Peoples Party provide leaders that have heart for the people especially the 80 percent of the rural Papua New Guinea to see that they share the wealth of this country.
The party was put together by the like-minded Papua New Guineans that provide the political will to serve the majority of the rural people to access basic goods and services.
These leaders most of them senior person (s) in various disciples in the public and private sector after seeing that the corrupt practices in all walks of life was eating into the fabrics of systems in public administration, government and private areas of the society. They form this political group to fight such practices.
Some of the founding executives of Peoples Party are now members of Papua New Guineas National Parliament.
Founders of the party include lawyers, Lehono Henao, Davis Stevens, late Utula Samana, Philimon Embel, geologist Wera Mori, businessmen, Mark Yakka, late Yose Kome, Peter Iggy, journalist, Frank Senge Kolma, TV personality John Iggins and David Ericho.
The first foundation National Executives of Peoples Party were: Wera Mori, National President, Frank Senge Kolma (General Secretary), Mark Yakka (Treasurer), ….(Public Officer) , Davis Stevens (Member).
These leaders invited Governor for Enga Hon. Peter Ipatas, MP, to become the first Parliamentary Leaders of the party.
Laiagap- Pogera and Hon. Gordon Wesley, Samarai Muruwa.
PP went into the 2007 National Election for the first time with four (4) sitting members of National Parliament under the Parliamentary leadership of Sir Peter Ipatas, (Enga), Gordon Wesley, (Samarai Muruwa), Kapa Yakka (Laiagap-Pogera) and Dickson Maki, (Kompiam Ambum).
The party endorsed over 60 candidates in the 2007 National Election and won four (4) electoral seats; Ipatas (Enga), Wesley (Samarai Muruwa), Samson Kuli (Usino Bundi), late Sailon Besseco (Kainantu). John Pundari (Kompiam Ambum) and leader for PNG Advance Party joined later with Dr. Moses Munuwa (Wewak) after declared winner in the court of Disputed Returns.
The National Alliance led government saw PPs loyalty to award Minister for Mining in the later part of 2010.
However, an impasse occurred with rebel MPs on the floor of National Parliament in 2011 and that also affected PP Parliamentary Wing, where three (3) of our MPs joined the opposing group while Pundari remained in the Somare-Abel Camp. Sir Ipatas was in the United States when the impasse occurred to oust National Alliance led Government while Sir Micheal was attending medical treatment in Singapore.
Peoples Party went into the 2012 National Elections with three sitting MPs (Ipatas, Pundari, Kuli), while late Besseco Manuwe and Wesley joined THE and PNC respectively to contest the elections. The party endorsed a total of 56 candidates in the 2012 National Elections. It won six (6) seats; Ipatas (Enga) Pundari (Kompiam), new comers Robert Ganim (Wabag), Wesley Nukundz (Dei)Mogerema Sigo Wei (Karamui Nomane) and Davis Steven (Esa' ala), with nine first runner ups and 13 in the top five in the polls.
PP joined the current PNC led Government and was given two Ministries; Pundari-Environment & Conservation & Climate Change, Steven-Civil Aviation, two vice ministers Sigo Wei-Agriculture, Nukundz-Climate Change and a Parliamentary Referrals Committee Chairman Ganim – Education.
Peoples Party contested the 2017 National Election under the leadership of Dr. William Tongamp, the Governor for Jiwaka, Sir Peter Ipatas in a sudden political move joined the Peoples National Congress Party with another founding member Hon. Davis Steven the member for Esa'ala on the eve of the elections.
The young leader from Jiwaka took the party into the election with 35 endorsed candidates and won two electoral seats include Hon, James Donald, North Fly and himself. To date the party has two members in the 10th National Parliament.


Japan has a tradtion of eating raw food. Raw fish is a staple of Japanese cuisine or Washoku. There is of course sushi and sashimi but there is also a custom of eating raw eggs.
The most popular way to do this is with rice. With the popular dish Sukiyaki being an example. Yet this blog for Japanese language learners introduces an even simpler speciality.
The blog is written by a Japanese language teacher at JOI online Japanese school, Yukiko Takane Read the blog and study Japanese vocabulary then listen to the fluent Japanese in the video to practice your Japanese pronunciation.
Open up a hole in the middle of a large bowl of white rice, break an egg and pour it inside the hole, pour some soy sauce over it and mix it, being careful not to spill, and then, slurp it up! This is raw egg mixed with white rice which my deceased grandfather often ate.
Now this recipe is known as TKG or Tamago Kake Gohan and is well-loved regardless of age. In the supermarkets, there is soy sauce especially for Tamago Kake Gohan on sale. And on cooking sites, they introduce variation menus like whipping the egg white to make it fluffy and then adding yolk, ot marinading the yolk in soy sauce. And adding a touch of butter or Bonito flakes makes Tamago Kake Gohan delicious.
There has been an increase in specialist Tamago Kake Gohan restaurants too. "The rice is a bit small", I imagined my grandfather say, staring at it from the seat across and I chuckled to myself in the restaurant alone.
There is a custom of eating raw eggs in Japan. When you hear the word raw, I guess you feel a little uncomfortable right? But they use disinfected eggs, so it is alright.


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Host Compliance work closely with our local government partners to understand their needs and regulatory objectives and craft enforceable short-term rental ordinances and practical policies and procedures. Once the legislation is approved, we help identify, educate, register and permit rental property owners and collect hotel/transient accommodation taxes. Finally we assist our partners with tax audits and data analysis to uncover specific as well as systematic problems that needs to be addressed.
Host Compliance was founded on the premise that effective and efficient enforcement of short-term rentals regulation requires 'Big City' and "Big Data" technology. Unlike any other vendors we have therefore invested significant resources into building state-of-the art monitoring solutions and workflows that enable us to deliver fair, continuous and consistent compliance monitoring and enforcement of any regulatory regime. As a result no other external service provider or internal compliance department can rival us when it comes to performance and cost.


After having hit rock bottom, both personally and financially, Silva Mirzoian has reinvented herself, and has become the leading expert in helping others to jumpstart their personal and professional lives. She is an author, entrepreneur, lifestyle developer, transformational trainer, and creator.
I have a business called Jump-start Your Life, and another called Silva the Genie. I also started a foundation called Gang of Hope.
Jumpstart Your Life helps clients transform their lives by connecting their talents, gifts and abilities so they can create a new business or increase profits for their existing business.
With Silva the Genie, I've created inspirational and educational talking dolls for young girls. These dolls are dedicated to encouraging little girls around the world to build their self-esteem.
After success in real estate, I felt I wanted something more in life. I started by launching my foundation, which led to the businesses I now have. Initially I didn't have the intention of starting a business. My intention was to give back to the community – the more you give, the more you get.
When I started empowering women from shelters to become financially independent, they began asking me for my book, but at that point, I hadn't written one, though I eventually did write a book. From this experience, I saw there was a void, a niche that needed filling.
My biggest challenge was that I had never published a book, and had never been a speaker. I wasn't sure how to get started; I had to figure out how to do all this. I learned so much along the way, so now I can teach others, and I work with them to cultivate their inner talents. Once you focus on what you want to achieve, the universe brings you opportunities. Then it's up to you to make it all happen.
To see someone go from a helpless, hopeless position, and then after going through my training, see them transformed and full of life. It is so rewarding to be able to help them put it all together.
I am fine with my businesses; and I was able to learn from any mistakes I've made. But I feel so strongly that life skills should be taught at schools, and that is what I'd like to change. This is a critical skill that is lacking in so many children today, and should be part of every school curriculum.
Trust your instincts and think bigger than you're thinking right now.
Yes, to a point. Just don't get addicted to it.
In order of what I find to be most effective, I market my products using these 3 strategies: Word of mouth, Networking, Social Media.
Both. My one-on-one and online training is a service. My books, ebooks and Genie Dolls are products.
My books are published locally. For my dolls, I am the designer, and I have them manufactured both locally and overseas.
My Genie Dolls are one of a kind. There is nothing like this anywhere in the world. Its about planting the seeds for success.
With my Training, I speak from the heart. My training is inspirational rather than motivational – I want people to learn, and to be motivated to take action from the inside, rather than from the outside.
Genie Dolls: If you had a choice to give your daughter a doll who just sits there, or one who inspires her and encourages her to build her self-esteem, which would you choose?
Training: If you had to invest a small amount in a course, that in less than 90 days can show you how you can transform your life and increase your income by at least 35% by releasing hidden talents within you, would you do it?


PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State University men's basketball team will team up with Basketball Travelers, Inc. for a 10-day international tour of Italy, August 4-14, head coach Ernie Kent announced.
The Cougars will depart Pullman the morning of Thursday, Aug. 4 and arrive in Rome the morning of Friday, Aug. 5. The tour will take Washington State to several different cities, including Florence, Vatican City, Pisa, Tuscany, Venice, Vicenza and Como. The Cougars will fly back out of Milan, arriving in Pullman the night of Sunday, Aug. 14.
Washington State will play five games in Italy. The first game will take place against Dream Team Italy Select, Saturday, Aug. 6 at Rome. In the second game, the Cougars will face Tuscany Select, Aug. 9 at Tuscany. The third game is against Vicenza Select, Aug. 11 at Vicenza. That game is the first of three-straight days with a game, as the Cougars face Italian Select, Aug. 12 at Como and BC Silute of Lithuania, Aug. 13 also at Como.
Along with the five games, the team will get a full culture experience along the way. Although tentative, Washington State is scheduled for activities such as a trip to Vatican City, a sightseeing tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, a tour of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a trip to the U.S. Military Base at Vicenza and a sightseeing tour of Lake Como, which includes a stop at Bellagio.
The game scheduling and tour coordination is being handled by Basketball Travelers, Inc., a company established in 1985 by rising-senior Josh Hawkinson's parents, Nels and Nancy Hawkinson. The organization arranges domestic and international basketball competition. Over 200 collegiate and high school teams participate annually in tours and tournaments organized by Basketball Travelers, Inc. In addition, it organizes NCAA foreign exhibition games as well as international Olympic-qualifying tournaments for national teams. This November the Cougars are playing in a tournament run by Basketball Travelers, the Paradise Jam.
The NCAA allows teams to travel overseas for a summer tour once every four years. Washington State most recently toured Australia in August of 2012 and before that Australia and New Zealand in the June of 2007, the summer between NCAA Tournament appearances under then-head coach Tony Bennett.
Be sure to check back with www.wsucougars.com for game and tour updates, including photos, blogs and more; and follow along on Twitter and Instagram with username @WSUMensHoops.


This guide shows you how to enter opening unpaid Sales and Purchases ready for future payments. This help item is relevant to companies migrating where they have unpaid sales or purchases relating to their previous tax periods (that had been entered into their previous accounting system or software).
In this example we will add a Purchase that we hadn't paid prior to migration.
From the main menu, click the add icon for a Purchase.
Enter the date and number you used for the Purchase in your old accounting system or if you are using a new numbering system you might want to refer to the old Purchase number in the summary.
Enter the remainder of the Purchase as you would normally.
For the Account select Equity: Historical Balancing.
Select the appropriate tax code for each line item.
Enter the amount inclusive of any tax and save the transaction.
Go to the opening balances.
Choose Main Menu > Accounts > Opening Balances.
Reduce the Liability: Accounts Payable amount by the total amount of the invoice(s) just entered.
Reduce the Tax Paid on Purchases entry by the total amount of any tax in the invoice(s) just entered.
If you enter in opening balances at a later date, you will need to subtract all invoices entered prior to the opening balance date (as described above) from the appropriate entries on the Opening Balance screen.
We have created a Purchase which you will be able to record payment for once paid. Check the Who I Owe report to ensure the Purchase is listed. The Purchase is stored as unpaid until you apply a payment.
If you have adjusted your opening balances, you may choose to view the Balance Sheet report as at the opening balance date of your file to ensure the Liability: Accounts Payable and Asset: Tax Paid on Purchases Accounts have the correct balances according to the closing balances of your previous accounting system.
Why do I need to change my opening balances?
Your opening balance for the Liability: Accounts Payable Account is the sum total of all the outstanding Purchases that you owe people money for. When you enter an Invoice, the web finance engine creates hidden line item entries behind the scenes that allocate the correct amount to the Account. Subsequently, once you have entered all your unpaid Purchases then you may not need to enter an opening balance for the Liability: Accounts Payable Account.


When looking for a nickel plated steel string selection for your electric guitar, D�Addario has such a wide variety you are sure to find what you are looking for. Almost three dozen sets with the distinctive bright sound of nickel plated steel wound strings and D�Addario�s well known quality and reliability are available. All EXL Nickel Wound strings are precisely round wound on an hexagonal, high carbon steel core with high quality nickel plated steel wire. They have long life, superior intonation and will work for many different guitars and playing styles.
D�Addario�s EXL nickel round wound sets will carry you through numerous, musical options with great sound and durability. They can be found in gauges from super extra light to heavy. You also have the options of hybrid gauges (medium or light top with heavy or regular bottom), a rock jazz set, seven and eight string sets, drop tuning sets, a Nashville high tuning set and wound third sets.
Many of the most popular of these sets are available in bulk - three, ten and 25 set packs. The three and ten packs contain individually sealed sets. The 25 bulk pack has six compartments with 25 of each string in the set for easy removal.
The newest additions to D�Addario�s EXL nickel wound collection are the Balanced Tension sets. String gauges for these sets are precisely chosen to give more tension consistency from string to string greatly increasing your control and ease while playing. Guitar players will find that this better balance will work well for most any type of playing.
If you use a tremolo, D�Addario offers two EKXL sets with reinforced plain steel strings with soldered twists at every ball end making them especially durable for vibrato technique.


Dog Training Online provides puppy / dog house training videos covering 50 topics such as obedience, puppy potty training, and more.
Professional Advice on training a puppy, dog or cat. Proven techniques from a dog / cat behaviorist.


Imagine the convenience of never waiting for the kettle to boil or having to buy bottled water. The Instant Hot and Cold water filter is perfect for coffee, tea, soups, noodles, blanching vegetables, food preparation and countless other uses.
Find out more on our hot and cold water filter here.
Enjoy instant filtered boiling hot and cool drinking water from the same stylish tap.
Up to 60 cups an hour of boiling hot water, adjustable to 98°C.
High-clearance swivelling spout enables convenient filling of taller vessels.
LED light indicates your hot water temperature status.
Cool-touch spout is safe to touch.
Two separate levers for hot and cold—no risk of accidentally turning a single-lever system the wrong way.
A child-safety button on the hot lever must be depressed before your Schwan SC60 will deliver boiling water, preventing accidental burns and making it safe when children are around.


text:
require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe "posts/new", :type => :view do
  before(:each) do
    assign(:post, Post.new(
      :title => "MyString"
    ))
  end

  it "renders new post form" do
    render

    assert_select "form[action=?][method=?]", posts_path, "post" do

      assert_select "input[name=?]", "post[title]"
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Whatever your feelings about American politics, it's hard to argue that Barack Obama doesn't shine on the big stage with the lone spotlight. The man knows how to deliver a message, and it's liable to be heard as clearly halfway around the world as by those closest to him.
The picture is above. @风青杨V's post lived a short and glorious life before getting the censor's knife.
Of the 100 or so Chinese nationals present, many took turns in a mock voting booth. They walked behind a curtain, filled out a facsimiles of U.S. ballots – the one I saw was from California—and deposited them in voting box. The embassy staff offered helpful advice, such as folding the paper ballot so no one could see the voters' choice.
Afterwards, the new Chinese voters invariably stopped, smiled and posed for photos in front of the voting area.
And the USG will use drones on some of them.
Anyone who would risk their lives for US style elections or political system [which are quite unrepresentative and in many respects e.g. the Senate, the Electoral College, Supreme Court, and gerrymandering, quite undemocratic even anti-democratic] might reconsider. The Americans' political discourse is unhinged in many respects.


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text:
Opinion | Process | PPR | Process | Process | Sep 11, 2014
Rebuilding Accountability in the Administrative State
Ann R. Klee
When it comes to rulemaking, "It should no longer be sufficient for agency decision makers to assume that the only hurdle they have to meet is simply not being 'clearly wrong.'"
If a faceless staff permit writer is not held accountable to the courts, then she probably is not accountable to anybody. Sure, she's got a boss, who's got a boss, whose boss is a political appointee who owes her job to a president who is accountable to the electorate. Even in theory, that is a very attenuated kind of accountability.
And if you have worked at an agency, you know that in practice the political appointees routinely defer to the career staff on the technical matters that are often the subject of litigation and the object of Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council deference. So, in many or even most cases, the agency leadership itself is not likely to provide meaningful oversight. This leaves the courts as an essential, and often the only meaningful, check and balance on bureaucratic power.
If you, like me, are uncomfortable with the rise of what I will call "the administrative state," then the concept of largely unfettered deference, whether under Chevron or the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), has to make you squirm.
Chevron deference operates on the theory that the rule of law will be enhanced if the judicial branch defers to the technical expertise of the career staff in the agencies. But all too often the reality is that, as Professor Epstein has put it, the "bureaucrats will be more intent on expanding their power than behaving like disinterested experts whose first allegiance is to the rule of law."
Just consider what a senior U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official recently said at a public meeting when asked about a decision that he was about to issue. When asked if he was worried that the decision would be challenged, he replied "no, because we will win as long as our decision is not clearly wrong." The Chevron doctrine emboldens bad decision-making.
Career agency staff members are people with real power, in large part because of their technical expertise. But if that same expertise exempts them from accountability to the courts, then they are effectively not accountable to anybody. Power without accountability is never a good thing in a democracy.
The irony is that this deference is completely unnecessary. For nearly thirty years, the courts have deferred to the experts in the agencies under Chevron because of a perceived helplessness: it's all so "confusing" for a judge; and when you're confused, you "go with the agency." But for at least the last twenty of those years, the same courts have been showing they are actually quite capable of evaluating the judgments of "experts."
The context is different, of course, but the courts have demonstrated their ability to wade into highly technical areas following Daubert v. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals and its progeny. In those cases, the federal courts have taken on the role of "gatekeepers" by assessing expert evidence for reliability before allowing it to be admitted.
Daubert has required the courts to weigh in on matters of real scientific and technical controversy and to do so with complex and consequential litigation hanging in the balance. Even if Daubert has not been an unqualified success, it has enabled the federal courts, however imperfectly, to fulfill an essential judicial function.
Daubert empowers the courts to ensure that the "experts," simply by virtue of their proclaimed expertise, do not hold unchecked sway over the outcome of processes that the Constitution delegated to our courts. Chevron, in contrast, has caused the federal judiciary to abdicate a parallel, and equally essential, function.
So what we should do?
Again, I am not so naive as to think that Chevron will be going away any time soon. I am also realistic enough to know that there is no single solution. Certainly, some of the responsibility must fall on Congress to be clearer when it delegates responsibility to an agency about what it can, and cannot, do.
Tailored amendments to the APA could be another response: to better define the degree of review that courts should bring to bear when reviewing agencies' technical decisions, especially today when technical expertise is no longer uniquely, or even primarily, housed in regulatory agencies.
And, finally, I would argue that the courts should do more themselves, as they do under Daubert. In so doing, they should demand more rigor as well from the agencies that are defending their actions. It should no longer be sufficient for agency decision makers to assume that the only hurdle they have to meet is simply not being "clearly wrong."
Ann R. Klee is Vice President, Environment, Health & Safety, at GE. Previously a partner and co-chair of the Environmental and Natural Resources Group at Crowell & Moring LLP, she served as General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2004-2006 and as Counselor and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior from 2001-2004. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, she has also served as Chief Counsel to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
This is the final essay of a four-part series that draws on Ms. Klee's remarks as the keynote speaker at the Penn Program on Regulation's annual regulation dinner, held earlier this year at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Tagged: Chevron, Congress, Executive Agencies, Executive Branch, Statutory Interpretation
Opinion | Process | Process | Process Oct 15, 2020
The Nondelegation Doctrine Is Alive and Well in the States
The U.S. Supreme Court could take a cue from Michigan and other states on reviving the nondelegation doctrine.
Opinion | Rights | Rights | Rights Jul 27, 2020
Why the Equality Act Remains Important to LGBTQ Equality
A Supreme Court victory is the beginning, not the end, of the fight against anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
Another Explanation of Justice Gorsuch's Bostock Vote
Charlton C. Copeland
A recent case protecting LGBTQ rights may help the Supreme Court circumscribe the administrative state.


This 3-year 72-unit Master's of Divinity degree program equips men and women with a firm grounding in Islamic thought and cultivates practical skills in spiritual care, cultural sensitivity, religious leadership, and chaplaincy.
The program features courses in Islamic studies, including Sirah (Prophetic biography), themes of the Qur'an, Islamic history, theology, jurisprudence, philosophy and mysticism. Additionally, students benefit from courses in ethics, leadership, and Interreligious studies. Additional courses provide training in spiritual care, religious leadership, interfaith and intercultural understanding, and chaplaincy.
Proficiency at the intermediate level of university Arabic is required for graduation. This may be achieved by passing Arabic 2A/B at Bayan or alternative qualified institution, or by passing a Bayan administered exam.
To complete the degree, students must enroll in a Capstone course pertaining to vocational praxis, towards the end of their coursework.
If you already have a Master's degree, you can take eight specified courses in chaplaincy/spiritual care for credit to earn a 24-unit Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy. This combination could be recognized as sufficient educational preparation by prospective employers, as many chaplaincy positions expect at least 72 units of course work (typical for the M.Div.).
If you don't yet have a Master's degree, you can count these courses towards Bayan's 72-unit Islamic Chaplaincy M.Div. if accepted into the degree program; an alternative would be to combine Bayan's 48-unit M.A. in Islamic Studies & Leadership with the 24-unit Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy.
You can join in our graduate courses and study with our faculty as a form of Continuing Education. Auditors pay a reduced course fee to enroll, and do not receive transcript credit.


Anxiety when facing exams is a common thing among students at every level of education. But when it seems like the students are undergoing a lot of stress, especially in the area of Maths, then something needs to be done about it. This is the case with the General Certificate for Secondary Education (GCSE) and the primary reason why Maths tuition should be encouraged.
The GCSE was first introduced about thirty years ago under Margaret Thatcher to replace CSEs and O-levels. This new exam was created in such a way that it covers an extensive spectrum of ability instead of the old way of distinguishing between high-fliers who went for O-levels and the ones with low ability who sat CSEs.
But lately, students have been struggling with stress brought on by GCSE exams and this write-up on ways to alleviate the stress. A sixteen-year-old stated how she suffered panic attacks and increased anxiety spells as students wrote GCSE Maths exams. Most of these students never had the chance to work with a private Maths tutor who would simplify every aspect of the subject for them.
Most of these adolescents are angry, and they are not at fault in any way. The anxiety, stress, and pressure that they experience when preparing for GCSE exams is infuriating and could explode into a mess if something is not done about it.
Take Cautionary Action – It is best for schools to start making plans for revision and not wait until students begin to battle stress. Stress brings a lot with, including lack of concentration and inability to cope in classes.
This is why more time should be devoted to mindfulness techniques as it will show how crucial wellbeing is to the students.
Encourage Extracurricular Activities – The exam period is fraught with revisions and most students will not be in a jovial mood. This is not a good development as no one can study or revise academic work 24/7. Therefore, it is essential to promote or encourage students to pursue whatever hobbies they enjoy. This will help to put their anxious minds at ease.
Other areas of interest such as arts and culture should be introduced to students and encourage light debates or discussions about the importance of creative designs to the society.
Maths Tuition – This is perhaps the most critical point to take note of in this write-up. Private Maths tutors are becoming more in demand to help students pass GCSE Maths. By rubbing minds with a private Maths tutor, students will be able to grasp or comprehend Maths more efficiently and will put them in a better frame of mind when the time comes to write GCSE Maths.
Maths tuition is not a costly endeavor and should be encouraged as much as possible since the world is becoming more advanced technologically every day. This is why every measure must be put in place to ensure that students write GCSE Maths in the right frame of mind.


text:
New leadership, return to principles are a good start
How Republicans Can Get Back on Track
jjoyner
Washington Examiner editorial board chief Mark Tapscott sums things up pretty nicely: "When Republicans worry more about staying in government than about limiting government, they get thrown out of government."
I disagree, however, with his long range forecast: "Frankly, I doubt that the GOP can change enough to avoid a long slide into a political oblivion not unlike that suffered by the Whigs for their inability to confront the issue of slavery."
The most fervent ideologues, those of us who cared about the election during the spring and summer and actually care who the minority leader might be next session, always overreact to elections. When our side wins, it's a sweeping mandate for every dot and tittle of our platform. When we lose, it's because we failed to hew to our core principles and, because politicians are politicians, we are on a slippery slope to Hell in a handcart.
Neither reaction is reasonable. The voters threw the bums out Tuesday for a variety of reasons, some rational, some otherwise. The bottom line, though, is in Tapscott's summation. The Republican congressional leadership cared more about holding on to power than leading the country in the direction they promised two years earlier.
All the major scandals stemmed from that. Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, and the K-Street Project were all about maximizing the levers of power to maintain it. Ditto the shameful cover-up of the Mark Foley scandal. What's more important, protecting underage congressional employees from a sleazy predator or keeping an incumbent in a safe seat? Apparently, Hastert and Friends thought the latter. Even the debate on the war in Iraq and the conduct of the fight against Islamist terrorists, while legitimately a point of ideological contention with the Democrats, seemed to hinge more on looking ahead to November 7 than avoiding another September 11. Rightfully, it cost them.
A change in the leadership is already underway. Speaker Denny Hastert is gone. So is Deborah Pryce, the chair of the House Republican Conference. My guess is that John Boehner, Roy Blunt, and others will feel the ax soon.
Hugh Hewitt and N.Z. Bear think they should slow down and consult the grassroots. Really, though, hardly anyone outside the House knows John Shadegg or Mike Pence or any of the other candidates. So, while I hope the congressional Republicans heed the blogosphere on the kind of leader we want, it's up to them to pick the man they will work with on a daily basis for the next two years.
President Bush, too, is taking his defeat like a man, owning up to his own responsibility in Tuesday's rebuke. He's acceded to the bipartisan demand to let Don Rumsfeld go, simultaneously removing a lightning rod and signaling his willingness to listen. That's good.
The cost to the party will be steep. With the right candidates, they can retain the White House and regain the Senate in 2008. They're unlikely to be able to recoup their losses in the House that soon. In the meantime, conservative appointments to the Supreme Court and other key posts are unlikely.
The good news is that it's easier to be principled in opposition than in power. Come January, the Republican leadership will suddenly remember that they are in favor of smaller government and fiscal discipline. And ethics.
Further, we always write off losing parties. They invariably come back. Not all that long ago, the GOP had a "lock" on the Electoral College that all but precluded the election of a Democratic president. That was before Bill Clinton picked the lock, with the help of demographic shifts in places like California. In recent years, it looked like the Republicans had a stranglehold on the House of Representatives, too, with their ingenious gerrymandering. Not so much, it turns out.
As President Bush noted yesterday, the Democrats now share responsibility for governance. If they exercise that power well, they'll hold onto it for a while. If they don't, the Republicans will be poised to take it from them. That's how it's always been.
Transforming Appreciation Into Action
Congressional Republican Leadership Elections
Written By jjoyner
Dr. Joyner writes about public policy issues at Outside the Beltway.