text:
George Sluppick
The Set Break Podcast
East Coast & Back
November 12, 2010 November 14, 2010 sluppick
The City Champs sophomore album, The Set-Up was released to the world on November 2nd and our label wanted us on the road. Unfortunately, with the timing being as tight as it was, the booking agent wasn't able to totally put together what we'd originally planned on, so what was supposed to be a two-week long tour, ended up being only 5 days, but we made the best of it and motored ahead. Gassed-up the van, we headed North.
First stop, Newark, Delaware at a quaint little club called Mojo Main and although everyone was pretty friendly to us (once they let their guard down), we probably should have been playing a different venue. In short, it was a Ska bar. Yes, that's what I said, so enough about that. But we played well and even sold one record and I was overjoyed at that.
Champs ready to rock Delaware on one of the smallest stages we've ever been on.
After the set, we loaded out and had to wait for a couple of hours to get paid, which was a drag, but we met some nice folks and had a few drinks and all was right with the world. Once we had our dough, we headed back to the hotel and noticed on the way that the streets were full of people partying their asses off and we passed by several clubs that seemed way more like the types of places we needed to be playing up there. So, there you have it. Lesson learned.
Philly and the North Star Bar. Great venue, but a bit of a strange night. We were thrown onto the bill at the very last minute and it didn't seem like anyone was happy about it, especially the Headhunters, who were headlining alongside another group from NYC called, The Mumbles. One of my drumming heroes and drummer with the Headhunters for many years, Mike Clark is a really sweet man and someone I've had the pleasure of knowing for quite some time. It was amazing to see him play again. What a killin feel he has.
We only played a 30-min set cause that's all the time that they had for us, but we did our thing, rocked our butts off and made it back to our wonderful Howard Johnson hotel in record time. Oh yeah, almost forgot…the highlight of the day, big fat cheese steak sandwich from Jim's on South Street. It was so worth the hour-long wait that I forgot to take pics of my food, but there's a million of them already on the web, so check 'em out. Freakin d'lish.
In line outside Jim's on South Street in Philly. We waited nearly an hour.
My old buddy from San Diego, Devon E. Levins, who now lives in New York hosts an internet radio show called Morricone Youth on East Village Radio and had previously worked it out to have us on his show. We were very excited because the show is geared toward film music and The Set-Up has such a strong thematic nature to it. Perfect! It's a good thing we got on the road early because we'd totally forgotten that the New York Marathon was happening that day, so the traffic coming into the city was a bitch and we had to be on the radio by 2pm. Timing was everything and there wasn't much of a window for dawdling.
Fortunately, we made it and everything worked out great and even had time to sit at a fantastic coffee shop called, The Bean and enjoy a hot beverage. I chose the Dirty Chai, which was Chai tea and a shot of espresso. Damn Good. EVR is located in a tiny glass storefront, right on a busy 1st Ave, with gorgeous models walking up and down the street, which was driving me crazy all day. I must have fallen in love three or four times that afternoon. It was nuts and we had a blast. Thanks to Devon for having us on the show, for playing so much of our music, and to our esteemed guitarist, Joe Restivo for putting together such an awesome playlist of soundtrack tunes. You can stream the entire Nov 7th segment here.
East Village Radio show...L to R, myself, Devon E. Levins, Joe Restivo & Al Gamble
That evening we did our show at the Rose in Brooklyn, which is a great little venue and everyone there was really cool… And speaking of, many thanks go out to Devon, John Castro, Brian Seeger and Scott Bourgeois for making the trek out to see the show and to our good friend Carter Mclean for being so kind as to put us up in your home for the evening. You're a gentleman and a scholar. The next morning was colder'n hell and it actually started to hail, so after bagels & coffee from Murray's, we shagged ass outta town, headed to Williamsport, PA and to the fabulous Bullfrog Brewery. This is a great little town and the venue is pretty much the centerpiece of their live music scene. There's no stage, but the warm friendly environment made us feel quite at home. The food is great and the beer they brew is fantastic. We were sitting enjoying our lunch when Joe announces that he'd just received an email from our publicist telling us that the album had been reviewed in the Commercial Appeal, our local Memphis newspaper. It was the first really good review and we were elated. What a day we were having. That is, until I looked up from my sandwich at lunch and saw our van getting towed down the street. Yikes! I guess we'd been parked in a private lot, which was owned by some douche-y high-powered lawyer who doesn't take kindly to people parking in the spots that he pays for. We sprinted out the door, the three of us, chasing our Sherrod down the street for fifteen blocks, only to find a $125.00 tow charge at the end of our journey, but the fine folks at the Bullfrog (Steve & Jody) were on our side and had dealt with this before. They took care of the bill and we were thrilled. Later, we had a stellar show and sold a few copies of the album to some very nice folks. Thanks, y'all.
Next day, we had a two-hr trip down to Harrisburg and played a venue called the Abbey Pub. Nothing to speak of really cause there were four people that showed up to see us and that was probably an accident, but we had one of the best musical nights as a band and it was a fantastic top-off to the trip. All in all, good times were had, lots of great food, numerous stops at Dunkin Donuts (they rule the Northeast) and only one traffic ticket (thank you hard-to-understand parking sign in Philly…curse you!) 1000 miles and 15 hrs later, home sweet home. I highly recommend anyone reading to take a couple of days off, get in your car and drive somewhere in this country because it's absolutely beautiful.
I love my job.
Kentucky Sky
Posted in Gigs
Previous postIs it too much to ask…
Next postScotch


A friend posted a tweet the other day, "Using distractions to distract the other distractions" which is a bit of a knotted mess if you try to unpack it, however, I completely understood her meaning. I often find myself distracting myself from the distractions that I need to do but don't want to (right now I should be going to the store, which in and of itself is a distraction from getting actual work done…). It is a vicious cycle.
All of last week I distracted myself, with 'legitimate distractions' you know, the things that do actually need to be done (such as cleaning my makeup brushes)… just not necessarily when I was doing them. To be completely honest I was avoiding a lot of writing that I want (need) to do. There are a lot of stories I have been meaning to tell, life events you need to be filled in on, but every time I sit at my computer I end up distracting myself by compiling look books for a styling job, or updating my tumblr and pintrest (you know… building my 'brand' as Drew would say). Then again, by that logic, I am indeed distracting myself right this moment by writing this post instead of writing the words that seem to be trapped behind the great wall of distraction.
So then, I will leave this here. Open a new window, and get to work. See you on the other side (I hope).


Dedicated to General Aviation in Belgium in general and information on N123AX in particular. All registered users are invited to contribute to the content. All others, please feel free to use the information and comment as required.


text:
New LG Q7+ Smartphone Headed To T-Mobile
1:39 pm July 31, 2018 By Roland Hutchinson
It looks like T-Mobile has listed a new LG smartphone on its website, the LG Q7+. The handset has appeared on T-Mobile's support website, the listing has revealed some of the specifications on the device.
The new LG Q7+ will come with a 5.5 inch display with a FHD+ resolution and the handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor.
Other specifications on the device include 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built in storage, there is also a microSD card slot for expansion.
The new LG Q7+ comes with a 2890 mAh batter and it features WiFi, NFC and Bluetooth 4.2, the device comes with front and rear cameras. On the front of the handset there is an 8 megapixel camera for Selfies and on the back there is a 16 megapixel camera for photos and videos. As yet there are no details on how much the handset will retail for.
Source T-Mobile, TMO News
Filed Under: Android News, Mobile Phone News, Top News

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Rio Ferdinand insists he knew Cristiano Ronaldo would be a superstar from the moment he saw him
Rio Ferdinand has revealed how he knew Cristiano Ronaldo would be a superstar of the modern game from the very first day he saw him at Manchester United.
The Portuguese arrived at Old Trafford in 2003 and claimed eight major honours under Sir Alex Ferguson before departing for Real Madrid in 2009.
And he has since cemented himself as one of the all time greats, claiming a ridiculous 437 goals in 427 appearances for Los Blancos.
Speaking on BT Sport after yet another goalscoring display from Ronaldo, this time to knock Paris Saint Germain out of the Champions League, made it clear that he was always going to be a superstar.
"It's incredible, really. When I first ever saw him, I thought, 'Yeah, this is a superstar in the making. He's just going to hone his skills and then he can become the best player in the world," he said.
"But to do what he has done in terms of the numbers, the goals, the consistency, year in, year out, maintaining a level them levels."
You could easily write a university dissertation consisting entirely of outrageous Ronaldo statistics. His goalscoring record alone since joining Madrid just boggles the mind.
Even at the age of 33, with Madrid far from what they used to be, he still has the capacity to turn it on when it matters, scoring in every Champions League game this season. Every one.
And he has done this for years. Out of the 135 teams to ever participate in the Champions League, Ronaldo has personally outscored 116 of them.
We have never before seen a footballer as gifted as Lionel Messi; but we have never, ever seen a better monument to relentless self improvement and the art of winning games than Ronaldo.
Tags:Cristiano RonaldoRio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand and Robin van Persie tear into Manchester United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer placing unnecessary pressure on Marcus Rashford
Rio Ferdinand explains the beginning of the end for Jose Mourinho
Rio Ferdinand insists sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be wrong decision


text:
No, not that one. The other dangerous bit we could inherit from the US election campaign
Recent elections and votes in America, Britain and Australia have been brutal and brittle affairs with plenty of rancour, and some fear the same here this year. But I wonder if they're looking in the wrong direction
The mumblings and frettings about how Donald Trump's victory in the US may twist and define our own elections this year have been many and full of dread. And not unreasonably. You only have to look at recent votes and polls in our cultural neighbours – the US, UK and Australia – to see the rise of some ugly politics. But I fear the worriers may be wailing at the wrong wall.
Most of the concerns I've heard and seen are that race-baiting may loom large over Election 2017. Take the dog whistling – and downright barking – by Trump, the Brexiteers and some politicians closer to home in Australia, toss in the developed world-leading speed of (and economic dependence on) our immigration and our diminished media, and it's understandable why some fear a campaign dominated by a bit of old-fashioned demonising of 'the other' and question whether our fourth estate is robust enough to report it properly.
Of course, there's also the fact that Labour has clearly identified immigration as a vote-changing issue and it will have to display more nuance that is has in recent times to negotiate that without stumbling (or indeed charging) onto shakey ground. And then there's Winston Peters. With New Zealand First primed to be competing for the balance of power – and perhaps more – it'll be telling to see what exactly that old dog has learnt from past indiscretions.
So while the risk for a racist campaign is ripe, I have a perhaps Pollyanna-ish hope it won't come to that. Whatever else they are, I think the leaders of the two main parties will be loathe to open that can of worms and are smart enough to focus the immigration debate on population numbers, jobs and infrastructure, where it belongs.
As for Peters, I'd like to think Ron Mark, Shane Jones and Tracey Martin will be moderating elements on that front and our changing demographics (and the fact he has plenty of other ammunition) might mean the sins of 1996 go unrepeated. And, while quick to condemn migration numbers, he's been less eager (his obsession with Chinese grandparents aside) to focus on Asia and has even argued to increase the refugee quota.
No, if we're going to adopt or mimic the politics of those neighbours, I fear the greater temptation will be for politicians to demonise, not immigrants and refugees, but the media and to seek to bait voter's distrust of traditional news sources.
Reading The New Yorker this weekend, I was struck by these lines, about the major news organisations struggle on how to report on President Trump and their forthright reporting of his lies:
"Such fact-checking is essential, but it is also a task of the President's making, one full of traps. Trump and his aides provoke conflict with the media to fire up supporters and renew the narrative of a people's champion at war with the bicoastal establishment."
The sense of grievance, I believe, does not run as deep in New Zealand as in America. But if any vibe can translate from the US to here, it's probably the one that provokes media conflict to fire up supporters. Politicians can demonise the press with much less downside risk than they would endure demonising immigrants.
Just look at Britain in recent hours, where the government is proposing to make journalists liable to face espionage charges just for gathering state secrets as part of their job holding the state to account. These are challenging times indeed to be speaking truth to power.
This will be a challenging campaign to cover for mainstream media. On one hand, resources are stretched tighter than any other time in living memory. On the other, the competition will be intense, what with several new media actors on the scene keen to make their mark and editors at traditional media scrapping to win an audience for their expensive political coverage at a time when many are more invested in MasterChef than in members of parliament.
It also comes in the wake of the 2014 'peak cray' Dirty Politics election, when journalists, rightly in my view, persisted with coverage of serious claims of unethical behaviour by the Prime Minister's staff and senior ministers. But it's hard to avoid the conclusion that the stories didn't generate too many hoots being given by voters, who felt let down in the lack of coverage of their hip pocket issues.
Add to that the fact that media have been frustrated in recent years by a government that has become increasingly risk averse and negligent in its duty to be available for public scrutiny by journalists. While John Key was Prime Minister and popping up frequently on air, online and in print (although often in the soft media), his ministers could hide behind his coattails. And they often did.
Senior ministers could go for much of a year refusing to appear on the weekend television shows; most notably Paula Bennett, who in her most difficult year in politics, all but vanished from rigorous interviews.
Time and again, producers in TV and radio would ring ministers offices for interviews, only to be told to send an email and await a reply. In many cases there would be a refusal to appear, as "we don't have anything new to say" or "we'll only come on when we have something to announce". When pushed, press secretaries might prevaricate, claim previous commitments (the sort that seem to disappear when good news is about), or simply offer lectures about not owing any particular programme or network anything.
But come campaigns, even ministers finally have to come out of their dens blinking into the media lights. And given their hostility to a good, ding dong defence of their position, the temptation this year to reach for the Trump ploy of not only attacking, but actively vilifying, the messenger, will be great.
New Zealanders, much to my constant dismay, are determinedly polite creatures. They would often rather have politicians spin and waffle and dissemble than see them interrupted and held in check by a well-prepared and skeptical interviewer. So they are, in many ways, there for the taking.
Again, the one to watch will be Peters. The local champion at pouring scorn on journalists, may find himself a pig in muck given the current swirling debate about the state of the media, fake news and the lack of agreed facts.
And again, I place some hope in the integrity and track record of our main party leaders. Despite some frankly appalling interviews this year, Bill English has a good reputation of being able and willing to front media and engage in robust debate; Andrew Little, while still needing to find a voice a bit more at ease with his own personality, is a former boss of the union that represented most of this country's journalists and so is well versed in media culture, its characters and the importance of that robust debate.
Here's hoping they remember their better angels when they're being grilled on behalf of voters under the intense pressure of the campaign. And indeed, here's hoping journalists remember the fine line between being the public's iron clad champion and indulging in the Bad Sir Brian Botany-esque pleasure of simply bopping people on the head.
Then, maybe, the debate and demand for accountability through our election year may be 'the shining light on the hill' that was so brutishly (if hopefully only temporarily) extinguished in last year's US campaign.
by Charlie on February 14, 2017
Those hits during the 2014 election didn't stick for multiple reasons:
1. There was really not much in them.
2. Voters were smart enough to see that the left wing NZ media were trying to skew the scrum in favour of Labour and so voted the opposite way (Were we a harbinger of what was to come in the UK and US?)
3. Nicky Hager cried wolf once too often. He has no credibility.
4. Cuddling up to KDC made the left of centre politicians guilty by association.
5. Labour was clearly not capable of running a corner shop let alone a country. This aspect has not changed. They still think they lost that election because of John Key's personality. They're living in denial: It was because they had no viable policies.
What can we expect this year?
More of the same!
1. Expect another silly book from Nicky
2. Expect KDC to raise his ugly head again and use the election to try and avoid extradition
3. Expect media to double down on their pevious attempt to remove National from government. (This may be their last chance - most will be out of business by 2020)
4. Global politics has moved right since 2014. Expect the next coalition to reflect that.
by Lee Churchman on February 14, 2017
Apathy will walk away with the election. The usual diehards will make noise and the media's job depends on talking it up, but expect the yawn party to run away with it.
by Viv Kerr on February 15, 2017
Thanks for your post Tim. As a politically interested member of the public, it is interesting to read your comments from the media insider position. I also hope that New Zealanders (politicians, voters and the media) can rise above the race-baiting, name calling and lies seen in the 2016 campaigns overseas.
Voices like Charlie's seem to be louder, they certainly appear to be dominating the comments here these days. I'd like to think he only represents a very small group. Surely most people reading Pundit don't agree with the things he writes. It worries me that when the conversation is dominated by such views people turn off and then Lee's cynicism and apathy takes over.
by Tim Watkin on February 15, 2017
Thanks Viv, appreciate you takng the time to write. Yeah, it does seem we have more declamatory and LOUD comments at the moment. I hope that's not the tone of things to come.
declamatory:
vehement or impassioned in expression.
So we have Lee saying there is too much apathy and Tim saying there's too much passion in my words.
How's about playing the ball, not the man?
..then Lee's cynicism and apathy takes over.
Umm... that wasn't my point. The terminal weakness of democracy is a topic for another time, and probably too long for an internet discussion.
What I was trying to say (desipte typing on a tablet) was that, despite the media's need to talk it up, this election is pretty much a forgone conclusion. National will form the next government, and the Labour Party will continue on as a zombie party (Labour parties everywhere seem to these days – I don't know if they'll ever really come back).
There aren't enough Labour and/or Green voters any more, and does anyone sane actually believe that a Labour, Green, NZF coalition is workable?
Adding disaffected Labour voters to the ever increasing number of no shows, and apathy will win the day. It's not really a contest when one side will win by default.
by Peggy Klimenko on February 17, 2017
Charlie: "There was really not much in them."
The dirty politics stuff wasn't criminal, but it revealed a distinctly grubby side to the National party machine. I was among the many people shocked at those revelations, which confirmed that the comment about laws - often attributed to Bismarck - also applied to how the Nats were doing things. The then-PM successfully convinced the public that "the other side does this too". Absent any evidence of this, of course, but there it is.
" Voters were smart enough to see that the left wing NZ media were trying to skew the scrum in favour of Labour and so voted the opposite way (Were we a harbinger of what was to come in the UK and US?)"
I'm not so sure about that. It certainly didn't look that way at the time. Voter turnout was lower than it had been, but none of us can say for sure why people voted the way they did. Or didn't vote.
With regard to both the UK and the US, the results in each case took the msm at least by surprise, though there were dissenting voices, even if they didn't get much publicity. In both countries, it's clear that people did not tell the pollsters of their true voting intentions. And relatively few commentators and journalists looked beyond the polls.
I looked at voting patterns in the UK: as I recall, baby boomers disproportionately voted "leave". And of course it was just that constituency who voted the UK into the EU all those years ago. No doubt it speaks to voters' assessment of how successful UK membership of the EU had been for them.
As for the US, I don't know that the media was or is as influential with voters - at least with the Trump voters - as some think to be the case. He was disproportionately elected by older white working class men and women, though Blacks and Latinos also voted for him, predictions to the contrary notwithstanding. Had they been influenced by media coverage, especially of the polls, chances are they'd have voted Clinton.
In any event, I'm relieved that Clinton lost.
"What can we expect this year? More of the same!"
You may well be right.
Lee Churchman: "does anyone sane actually believe that a Labour, Green, NZF coalition is workable?"
"Adding disaffected Labour voters to the ever increasing number of no shows, and apathy will win the day."
It seems to me that "disaffected" isn't synonymous with "apathy": active vs passive, so to speak. It's low turnout that'll win the day, though, if the disaffected decide not to vote. And wouldn't large numbers of disaffecteds change the post-election political landscape in some way? Or am I being too optimistic...
Andrew Little, Bill English, Donald Trump, Election 2017, media conflict, US election 16, Winston Peters
Nati0nal News Brief Thursday, September 4
Schrodinger's cat is Malawi's flag
2008 redux: Farewell Awards
Bill makes history before heading into the Winston maze


Payment for health care is moving from more traditional fee-for-service models toward value-based purchasing models. Changes in payment are also generally placing more risk and financial burden upon providers and patients. Generally, the changes are aimed to promote better health care outcomes and reduce health care costs. Advances in connected health technology may help facilitate greater capabilities for patients and their providers to detect early warning signs of ailments or health conditions, which may, in turn help ward off progression to levels that requires more acute and costly care. Several technologies now exist or are in development that are designed to help diagnose illness, alert providers and/or patients to certain early warning signs of illness or complications and continuously monitor certain vital signs. Moreover, connected health capabilities allow providers to monitor and interact with patients remotely. Increasing the instances in which patients are able to receive treatment and recover in less costly venues than hospitals and closer to their home, which not only reduces costs but increases patient satisfaction.


Who wouldn't like the idea of sitting in the vineyards in Tuscany drinking the local wines while feasting on gourmet Italian fare. We have prepared this selection for that Italian food and wine lover. There are 1 or more wines (red and/or white) per basket complemented by an assortment of gourmet foods.
Any special requests please submit with or send via EMAIL.


text:
Modern, Romantic, Alternative, Cruise, Estate, Mountain, Vineyard, City Hall Wedding Photos
Minimal Décor Ensured The Houdini Estate Dazzled at This Los Angeles, California, Wedding
Dre Smith and Dan Jones believe in magic. Not only did they meet by the magic of "booze and serendipity," as Dre calls it, but five years late...
An Elegant Wedding at The Crane Estate in Massachusetts with a Purple-and-Green Palette
As an editor at America's Test Kitchen, Carolyn Grillo knows a thing or two about good food. So when it came time to plan her wedding to Erin ...
Harry Potter Inspired This Couple's Wedding at The Ryland Inn in New Jersey
Not only did Yasmin and Zachary's wedding honor Egyptian Islamic traditions, the celebration also paid homage to the couple's shared love of H...
Cookie Escort Cards Welcomed Guests to This Purple-and-Blue Wedding at a California Winery
In college, Jenny and Sylvester were placed in the same dorms, but on different floors. During that time, Jenny would wander to the guys floor...
Pink, White and Gold Brought the Romance to This Wedding at Carneros Inn in Napa, California
While Nicole and Rich tied the knot in California, the elegant and ethereal aesthetic of the day instantly transported guests to the beauty of...
A Regal Black-and-White Palette Dazzled at This Bradford Estate Wedding in New Jersey
Inspired by their estate venue's white-and-gold reception space, college sweethearts Tiana Wilson and Naeem Johnson, "wanted a classic wedding...
Animals and Wigs Set Apart This Funky, DIY Wedding at Paramour Estate in Los Angeles
Tyler and Michael, "met at a whiskey bar while living in New York, migrated to the City of Angels, reconnected at a farmers market in West Hol...
Copper, Black and Red Made This Beaulieu Garden Wedding in Napa Valley, California, Shine
Nine years into their relationship and four years after they got engaged, Stephanie and Corey celebrated their union with an intimate, al fres...
A Modern-Meets-Vintage Backyard Wedding in Detroit, Michigan
Eva Blankinship and Jon Randall hosted their wedding at a historical mansion in Detroit, Michigan. "We love to host and entertain our own hous...
A Rustic, Culture-Centric Wedding at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, Virginia
Susannah Eig and Gustavo Gonzalez come from contrasting backgrounds: She was raised Jewish near Washington, DC, and he grew up in Venezuela. T...


text:
Our Commitment to Social Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion
Who is H.P. Lovecraft?
As the organizers of the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Portland Horror Film Festival, we fully support the Black Lives Matter movement, viewing it not as a political issue but a human rights issue.
We acknowledge that H. P. Lovecraft is a problematic literary figure. We embrace his contributions to the genre, the bleakness of his horror, the coolness of his monsters, but we firmly reject his racist ideologies. We showcase his literary legacy through film, particularly the genres of Cosmic Horror and the Weird Tale that he helped create. However, we do not condone or espouse his racist beliefs. We also believe it is important to study his vast body of correspondence to better understand the kind of racism prevalent in America in the 1920s and 30s which allowed Jim Crow laws to continue for several more decades, as well as the ingrained and systemic racism that is still part of the US today. As much as his fiction, that window into the real beliefs of an American in the 20s and 30s is also an important, if ugly, contribution that sheds a light on the real attitudes of what we think of as an enlightened country during a time that it had believed it conquered these problems - much like today. Along with many notable figures in American history, like Thomas Jefferson or Woodrow Wilson, Lovecraft made worthwhile contributions during his life, but also held beliefs about black people, Jewish people, homosexuals, women, and even European migrants, that were decidedly repugnant.
The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival frequently features guests and speakers who are men, women, queer, transgender, non-binary, and people of color to discuss both the fandom in general and the complexities of being a fan of the works of a man with reprehensible views. People of all skin colors, faiths, genders, and beliefs are welcome at the HPLFF and encouraged to be part of the ongoing discussion.
Our primary mission is to encourage new voices that expand on the cosmic horror genre in new and interesting ways, such as Matt Ruff's novel Lovecraft Country and Victor LaValle's Ballad of Black Tom, and an integral part of our programming is highlighting the works of cosmic horror by modern BIPOC creators. At the festival, we regularly discuss Lovecraft's racism and xenophobia, the times he lived in that embraced the pseudo-science of eugenics, and even the geography of his life, including the state of Rhode Island, which hosted the largest KKK rally on the East Coast in the '20s, as a way to understand both why he held these views and the difficulties in separating art we love from the artist who created it. We also hope to reckon his views, and the views of a generation of Americans, with the ongoing racial injustice and economic disparity in our country.
Now more than ever it's important for us to examine our fandom with eyes wide open, and we intend to keep this dialogue open.
If you'd like to know more, or get another point of view, these are articles are worth taking the time to consider. We'll add to this list as we see fit.
Nnedi Okorafor's thoughtful piece on her internal conflict of being a black author who is both a Lovecraft fan and the recipient of a World Fantasy Award, which at the time was a bust of Lovecraft's face, is required reading to understand how it's not okay to dismiss his racism because he's long-gone. Read it here: http://nnedi.blogspot.com/2011/12/lovecrafts-racism-world-fantasy-award.html
You could also read the latest LA Times article by Meredith Blake, who references several authors and takes the time for a detailed discussion of both Lovecraft's importance and his failings: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-08-13/lovecraft-country-hbo-hp-lovecraft-racism-explained
Knowing about the systemic and overt racism prevalent in Rhode Island during the age of Lovecraft helps to highlight why he may have harbored some of his beliefs: https://upriseri.com/2020-06-24-phil-eil/
SUGGESTED ACTION
We believe it is okay to be a fan of Lovecraft's works and his literary legacy while rejecting his personal beliefs, but if you'd like to help fight the kind of systemic racism that is still an integral part of the US today, as the result of generations of Americans who held views similar to his, consider donating to one of the following organizations:
https://www.dontshootpdx.org/


Stephen McCaskell (author) and Rommel Ruiz (illustrator) provide a brief introduction an overview of the life of Martin Luther. Luther: The Life And Legacy is succinct, informative, interesting, and willing to address the "good" and the "bad" of the man many consider the father of the Protestant Reformation. This is a great book to give anyone who is unfamiliar with Luther. It can be read in a matter of minutes, but really provides a good overview of the vistas of Luther's life.


text:
Category: Music Miscellanea
Carolyn Hillyer & Nigel Shaw
I first saw Nigel Shaw playing live in 1994. My then wife had been told by a colleague that he was playing a gig in Bedfordshire, quite close to where we lived and worked, so we went to see him. He played solo: synthesizer and Native American flute. I was captivated by that flute, which must have been one of the earliest ones that he played. After the gig I chatted to him about it. He was friendly and approachable – a lovely chap.
I liked the music on CD, but it was only after we moved to Devon a few years later that I really got into his music, and that of his equally extraordinary partner Carolyn Hillyer. We used to see them at local gigs in Devon and Cornwall, and soon his influence affected my own music – I bought a Native American flute from him, not one of his own, but one made by Guillermo Martinez, a Californian he worked with. It's a gorgeous instrument, that I still play. I got to speak with them quite a few times, which was always a happy, positive experience. Nigel is open and friendly, with a charming manner; he has the same obsession with and love of musical instruments that I have. Carolyn is I think more serious, perhaps more intense, and she has a distinct 'mystical' quality about her. I remember watching her preparing for at a gig by the River Wye a few years back; she seemed to be staring into some other world.
Over the years I realised just what special talents these two were. Nigel had begun in New Age circles, but he was by far and away the best musician in that genre, and really not part of it at all, except perhaps in the early days. Dartmoor, the land, and tribal societies were strong influences on them both, which gave their music a deep foundation.
Over the last twenty-five years their music has diversified, progressed and deepened. Some of the music is like Nigel's early stuff – haunting flutes, synth washes and other light instrumentation. Meanwhile, Carolyn has produced an amazing series of tribal and song-based albums, a really extraordinary part-improvised album using just her voice, and there is a strand too of what they call ancient folk, which are my favourite works.
Their music I find deeply soothing, not just because of the quiet, ambient quality of much of it, but because of that foundation in land, seasons, weather, nature. It anchors me. Nigel's Dartmoor trilogy is particularly strong here, but so are other favourites – the icy/upbeat Ancestors, and the beautiful Nocturnes. Each album has its joys and delights. When, a decade or so ago, my personal life was a wreck I listened to their music for weeks – it helped get me through. I bought all the CDs I didn't have from Shrewsbury's alternative shop.
Nigel and Carolyn both make their own instruments, for themselves and their music, and for others; they run instrument-making courses too. They have played with many musicians from across the globe. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to receive one of Carolyn's shamanic drums, made with her own fair hands from sustainably sourced deer hide. It's a lovely thing, and records beautifully. Hopefully I'll have one of Nigel's flutes in due course.
Even though they make a living from their music and all their other activities, and are well known, I'm still amazed at the lack of public recognition. Why isn't some production company making a documentary about them and their lives? They're well known in Devon of course, and in alternative/underground circles, but I'd love to see some sort of national recognition – a film would be perfect.
Where to begin if you don't know their music? Songs Of The Forgotten People will always be a favourite of mine – truly an inspirational album – but also Ancestors, Weaving The Land and Riven. Carolyn's Ice is a favourite, as are Nigel's Nocturnes and Dartmoor Journey.
You can find them at Seventh Wave Music. Happy listening!
Fear Of Melody
About fifteen years ago I began thinking about melody. I'm not sure what the motivation was for this; perhaps a personal need to go back in pop history when songs seemed more tuneful. At the time, my band was going, so it seemed natural for me to understand melody by trying to write it. And, of course, that wasn't easy. In the end I found that what worked for me was what I called the Neil Young Method. Young basically goes with what comes to him first thing in the morning, when his subconscious dreaming mind is close to his conscious mind. In such a way he wrote gorgeous songs with amazing melodies like After The Gold Rush, Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Heart Of Gold.
Whether I found myself able to write a unique melody is a question best left to those who remember the band and bought the albums. What I can say is that using Young's method I found many melodies that seemed fresh and original to me, and after a while I had more than I needed.
One of the themes of The Autist is the loss of melody from music being symptomatic of some deeper malaise. It has struck me during the last couple of decades that more popular music now than that of, say, the 1960s or 1970s, is lacking those wonderful, sometimes extraordinary melodies: I'm thinking of Paul McCartney's classics, many Motown classics, The Byrds, the Beach Boys, John Phillips' songs, Paul Simon, Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, and so on. Did something happen around the turn of the millennium that sucked some of the melody out of popular music in the West?
It seems to me that such a thing might have happened. As a practicing musician I used to wonder if it was something to do with the increasing use of computers in the recording studio. Using software rather than analogue tape can channel musicians in a certain direction: loop-based music using samples for instance. Some groups – FSOL stand out here – can use loops and samples in an original way, but for me something is lost around this particular time. But perhaps there is more to it than computer software.
What, then, is melody? Melody for me is a direct connection to the emotional heart of human existence. With melody, feelings can be evoked without the need for words – you only have to think of instrumental themes like Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1, or many themes from famous films, like Francis Lai's unforgettable theme from Love Story. Melody is our path into feeling, emotion and mood – think of the theme from The Snowman…
So I can't help wondering if the loss of melody from popular music is diagnostic of a deeper problem. We live in a world where computers are the environment, not just some handy thing in the environment. Our world has become one of calculation, algorithm, statistics. The analogue age is over: this is the digital age. Could it be that the loss of melody in popular music is a symptom of emotion, and therefore of human values, receding from our world? Could the reported increase in ennui, in numbness, in the Western world also be symptomatic of such a lack?
This was the thesis I had Mary Vine put forward in The Autist. Mary has been working on a case involving Tarrington Smith, a brilliant melodist – "… a Mozart, a McCartney…" – murdered in mysterious circumstances. The case leads her thinking in a certain direction. I wonder if she was on to something when she spoke about the loss of melody from the world? Because, if so, that's scary.
Kate Bush On Creativity
I spotted a few interesting quotes over the weekend while reading an interview given by Kate Bush for Mojo music magazine. I've been a fan of hers since hearing 'Wuthering Heights,' and have followed her fascinating and wonderful career since then.
In the interview she gave some insight into her take on creativity.
"I don't like working in commercial studios… I don't like the dissipation of the focus. 'Cos you might be in the middle of doing a vocal and you look through to the control room and you'll see somebody walking in looking for a pair of headphones or something. I think it's very important to get the creative focus and it's very easily distracted. The creative process is, I think, very much about trying to keep this focus throughout all these things that are trying to destroy it.
"It [her personal studio] is a quiet space that you create from. I think of it quite often as being similar to people who write books and stuff. It's disciplined, and quite often they do it in the shed in the garden, because they need that quiet space."
It's fascinating to read about her stress on focus and discipline. Being an author – for all the wonderful perks – is extremely hard work. But you have to be focused and disciplined the whole time, not just to write a novel but to be an author over a period of years. I talk a lot about how I write a new novel intensively during a comparatively short period of time (see Tony Ballantyne interview), but it's not just that, it's the whole long-term slog that new writers so often struggle with.
Focus, imagination, discipline, extremely hard work – the stuff authors are made from.
James Everington's Music For Writers
This week quality genre author James Everington has chosen my music for his "Music For Writers" section on his blog.
I began this week's musical wander by saying: I rarely talk in author or SF circles about the music which I write and record, because generally speaking I've had a bit of a negative response to this aspect of my creative life, in those places anyway. Some people are interested and supportive, but at least as many are the opposite.
I'm sorry to say that some people in the creative world suffer from envy. When I was a newbie writer I suffered from envy a bit myself, until I realised it was a waste of time to compare myself with others on the basis of what in the end is more luck than anything else. I'm quite tempted now to try again with mentioning, and even promoting my music: maybe link to a few pieces and try and sell some CDs to literary friends – Facebook and real world. Envy is about feeling you have nothing within yourself and not wanting to see it in (successful) others. Envy is difficult to admit to, and most people use the inaccurate word jealousy when they describe it. But there's a lot of it about.
Anyway, I'm no proper musician. I'm completely self-taught and do everything by intuition. I'm not a natural live performer either. An ex-girlfriend gave the best description of what I do when she called me a music builder. Although the instruments I play are about letting what's inside of me out, my real home is the music studio. There, the balance of musical building and expression is just about perfect.
Here then is my final choice of favourite pieces: Culture 2 from the Blue Lily Commission album of the same name. This track was a bit of a renaissance for me, as BLC had been dormant for a few years when I recorded it. All the keyboards and synthesizers are played live on this one, not programmed, so the piece has a lovely relaxed vibe to it.
More about my non-literary creativity…
The other thing about living in and with nature is feeling the turning of the seasons. As with most people sensitive to the natural world, that cycle of change means a lot. The neo-pagan movement has done much to promote the stations of the sun, and there's a lot to be said for using it as our annual calendar rather than the imposed, Christian, historical one, which only means anything if you believe that stuff. The eightfold wheel of the year is one way of connecting – or reconnecting – with the land, something we desperately need in the Western world.
I particularly like this wheel metaphor. The two solstices, the two equinoxes, and the four Celtic cross-festivals add up to a constant, ever-changing, ever-renewed calendar for people who love the land. Yule, Imbolc, the vernal equinox, Beltane, the summer solstice, Lughnasadh, the autumnal equinox and Samhain… all deeply evocative.
I have done a lot of music based around this neo-pagan calendar. With my band Mooch we did The Pagan Year, and a couple of years ago The Pagan Year Rewilded, between which I worked with Beck Sian and Shelagh Teahan on Stations Of The Sun. In my solo work I've done A Seasonal Round and other pieces.
This piece was one I did a few years ago to celebrate the winter solstice. I don't own the guitar I used to play this (for the slide sound and the backing chords) but I could definitely see myself making more such pieces…
Continuing the non-literary ramble…
Much of my music has land, weather or seasonal themes. A while back I wanted to record an album using a digital string orchestra (a real string orchestra being well beyond my budget!). The theme was to be primal, elemental: ocean, forest, mountain, water. I wanted to make some films to go with the pieces, so I spent many happy days filming the sea, rivers, mountains and anything else that looked suitable in various parts of Wales.
My idea was to have one strong melodic theme anchoring the four ten-minutes pieces, with each piece having a second theme, which would counterpoint the first, and develop alongside it. Lacking any formal compositional training I just did was seemed natural and right, and, by and large, it worked, or so I was told. And Landscape is one of very few of my own albums that I'll go back to listen to.
Here is the first movement: Sea.
Here is the third movement: Water. This section was often remarked upon as a favourite by those who heard the whole thing.
Without doubt the best singer I've worked with so far is the gifted Beck Sian, aka Rebecca Sian Robson. Beck and I met through a local mutual acquaintance, Chris Gill, who I mentioned in part 2 of this music trek. In fact Chris himself met Beck through sheer coincidence at a petrol station in Wales, so this whole strand of my musical life depends on nothing more than random chance – often the way.
Beck and Chris had previously recorded her second album, but Beck wanted something different for her third, Ye Olde Silent Inn. I don't sing, but I did write songs for my band Mooch, so we struck a deal. I would record her album at my studio, the Studio-by-the-Stream, and she would sing most of the songs on the Mooch album Stations Of The Sun. This was back in 2012 – 2013, and it was a wonderful experience. We had much fun, learned a lot, and made some great music.
Ye Olde Silent Inn encapsulates Beck very well, I think. She wanted to immerse herself into the land and the culture around her, for although a native of Australia she was sensitive to the British landscape. She played gigs locally and looked for other local support or lead opportunities – she would have enjoyed the marvellous and Beck-like Rheingans Sisters, playing locally. So Beck was both an enabler and a massive talent, enjoying what her region had to offer – local gigs, local venues where she herself might play, and the land itself – but adding to it in her unique way. Yet although she did love the Welsh Marches, for this album her heart was set on the Yorkshire moors, an area to which she relocated a few years later.
Working with Beck remains a standout time in my musical life.
To continue the walk down musical lane…
When I started my solo project Blue Lily Commission in 2000 the inspiration wasn't just a love of world-music, it was the acquisition of my first synthesizer. So it's rather ironic that almost all the recent albums have been weighted much more towards real instruments than electronic ones.
Collecting world-music instruments has become a bit of an addiction for me, but the beauty is that I have a far wider range of instruments to use for Blue Lily Commission than would otherwise be the case. About 10 years ago I was challenged by a fan to make an entirely acoustic album, an idea which intrigued me at the time, but which I didn't follow up until 2015. The album was called Undrugged, in a play on the word 'unplugged' used to describe acoustic concerts. Soon, after recording a few tracks, I had the idea to use every instrument I owned. I wasn't sure that would be possible, but eventually I realised it was – all 119 of them. And the album was immense fun to record, which I wasn't expecting!
Some instruments that I buy I can't play or don't gel with, but 90% of them I do like and can play, or at least make sounds from. Some of the instruments I use to create strange or otherworldly textures – for instance reed instruments, many of which aren't made in Western keys – but others, like my guitars, are for 'proper' playing. Other instruments I've used to make my own samples, as I generally prefer not to use commercially available ones. But the main attraction is the joy of trying new instruments from across the world.
Having had such enjoyment from making Undrugged I wanted to try it again, but, not wanting to repeat the format, I went for an orchestrally supported theme, resulting in the album The Undrugged Orchestra. A few fans have told me this is their favourite Blue Lily Commission work, with this a favourite track.


text:
Swindon est un district non-métropolitain, un borough et une autorité unitaire situé dans le comté de Wiltshire, en Angleterre. Son chef-lieu est Swindon.

District dans le Wiltshire
Autorité unitaire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Has someone ever done a nice gesture for you or given you a gift—and you really appreciate it, but you would rather not receive their kindness? For example, a friend bakes you a batch of cookies, but you would really rather not eat them because you dislike nuts or are on a strict diet?
My automatic reaction in these situations is to accept the cookies and eat them in my friend's presence because it probably brings her satisfaction to see her cookies being enjoyed. Also, it would just be rude of me to have behaved otherwise.
My default behavior is to put myself in the other person's shoes. My actions will be favorable for that person because I'm catering to him or her. However, I will personally suffer in some cases. For this particular cookie example, I need to be wary of high processed sugar intake, as I am more sensitive to it than the average person. It's definitely not in my body's favor to consume them.
This is about analyzing the problem by not putting yourself in the other person's shoes.
This cookie situation surfaced in my mind a few days after it happened. I was clearly not satisfied with myself in regards to the outcome. I then began thinking, what if I had been inconsiderate instead and thought only of myself? That kicked off another thought. What if I were a hotheaded person and got offended that my friend would even think to bake me cookies?
This hotheadedness reminded me of a character from Avatar, the Last Airbender.* (The people in this world could bend one of the four natural elements: water, earth, fire, and air.) The rest of the characters quickly followed in thought. Many exhibited the characteristics of the element and nation from which they hailed. So I thought, what would each of these characters have done?
With some liberty in interpretation, here is the summary of the stereotypical characteristics of the four elements.
In Avatar, the Last Airbender, the Avatar kept peace over the nations by being able to bend all four elements. He was the strongest of all.
So why stick to one element when you can use all four in your arsenal?
* I love this show and am an unabashed fan. Though categorized for children, Avatar, The Last Airbender has every element of a well-written story. There was a lot of character growth, complex and intricate build-up of events and relationships to arrive at the climax, a lot of humor, and epic-ness. I love the layers. As a child, you only skim the first layer. But there is much to enjoy for the accompanying teenage siblings and adult parents, too.
We live in the same world but we all experience it differently from our own perspectives. A CNN news junkie will believe he lives in a world much harsher and dangerous than I do. I can be rich on paper but feel poor.
Breakthroughs in life are due to perspective and paradigm shifts, not actual external environment changes. In that way, we each have a lot of power to change our world.
Sometimes it's how we perceive it, not what actually is.


text:
Raxxon
This game has had its ups and downs. The publishers, Plaid Hat Games, generated quite a lot of hype by denying it was a game at all (they claimed it was a survival kit) and only selling it through what gave every appearance as being a pyramid scheme. You could only buy Raxxon if someone gave you an invitation. The game was highly sought because it was hard to get. For many, the hype seemed unjustified and the game's rating plummeted in the polls. Raxxon has finally appeared at retail but its publicity stunt launch hasn't given it the most auspicious start.
The game suffered from the fact that many of those who initially bought it had only a vague notion of what it was and how it played. They knew that it was set in the Dead of Winter universe so there was an expectation that Raxxon would be similar to Dead of Winter. It isn't.
Whereas Dead of Winter is a semi-co-operative game where players have secret personal objectives that can conflict with the collective aim, Raxxon is a fully co-operative game. In Raxxon, players each represent a specialist in the leadership team in a city suffering a zombie infection. The players' task is to work collectively to evacuate those in the city population who are healthy before the city is overrun by the infected and before the Raxxon Company seizes control of the city.
In Raxxon, a 'crowd' is formed by laying population cards face down in a grid. Players use their actions to identify and move the healthy and infected citizens. They will try to line up in the same rows or columns, as healthy citizens that are adjacent in this way can be evacuated together to safety. Similarly, a row or column of infected citizens (and any unrevealed cards) can be killed in an airstrike action. Infected citizens may also be quarantined, taking them temporarily out of the game.
Players have a wide choice of actions available to them but every action they take has a potentially negative consequence in the next round. This means that play in Raxxon is about working out and managing the right balance and knowing when to pass. There is a strong push-your-luck element, and the pressure is on because the number of infected is likely to increase with every round. Meanwhile, certain actions will cause players to draw Raxxon cards. This is where the game comes closest to Dead of Winter. The Raxxon cards are similar to the Crossroads event cards in the Dead of Winter games. Most only apply when certain conditions are met but, when they apply, most Raxxon cards have a negative impact. Among these is the chance that they will advance the Raxxon Company along its power track – hastening a loss for the players.
Whilst Dead of Winter is a board game that plays like a role-playing game, Raxxon is much more of a puzzle-solving exercise. Raxxon is nonetheless engaging. There is enough flavour on all the cards to carry the theme through so that this never feels like an abstract game. On the downside, the fact that Raxxon is a full co-op with no hidden information means there's nothing to stop a bossy player turning a multi-player game into a solitaire where they direct all the moves.
Even though this puzzle-solver might otherwise be a let down for die-hard Dead of Winter fans, many of them will want to buy it if only for its 'bonus content'. The publishers have included in the box two new standees for use in the original Dead of Winter game and/or its Long Night sequel/expansion. They have even included two new Crossroads cards representing the two new characters. It's another marketing gimmick from Plaid Hat Games but one that is likely to pay off.
#Raxxon #PlaidHat #DeadofWinter #cooperative #puzzlesolving #solitaire


 Printing Service,Why Dealing With A Printing Service Can Be So Frustrating?
We at Advance Printing & Signs Pty Ltd are dedicated to making our clients' business dealings with us as stress-free and enjoyable as possible. We know that what may seem like a small stationery printing job to us may actually be a very important, big part of your business life. We give each project the same priority and treat it with the same importance as does the client.
Please call us on 02 9749 1966 to discuss how we handle each of the above situations. You'll be impressed and I hope a little excited about the guarantees and commitments we'll make to you regarding your printing!
Plus, we are a quality commercial printing house that has the experience and ability to bring costs down while improving the quality of your printing. Want to learn How To Benefit From A Commercial Printing Service NOW ?