Figuring out if you need a visa invitation letter is a little tricky. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. The rules regarding the application for visas of the People's Republic of China are not always clear but at the time of writing, people applying for tourist visas (L class) or commercial visas (M class) need certain documents or an invitation letter.
So do you need one? It's probably better to have all the documents mentioned by the visa application procedures so as to increase your chances of success.
Documents required by the People's Republic of China when applying for a visa vary by nationality. The following is what Americans holding US passports are required to present as part of their visa application. All visa applicants should confirm the requirements per the Visa section of the People's Republic of China in the country in which they reside.
Per the PRC's Visa Application section on their Washington DC Embassy website, here are the details on what is required relative to the invitation letter.
Here is a sample invitation letter that you can use to format your own.
The requirements for a commercial visa are slightly different than that of a tourist visa for obvious reasons. If you are coming to China to do some business or attend some trade fair, then you should have a contact in China with a Chinese company who can help you get the required letter.
There is no set format for the letter. Basically, the information needs to be quite clear with the information stated by the requirements above. The letter does not need to be on any fancy stationary (though for M class visas, company letterhead might be a good idea).
The letter goes into your application packet as part of the documents you will submit to obtain your visa (along with your passport, visa application, etc.) You should make copies of everything so that if something gets lost or the Chinese embassy requires more information from you, you have a backup and record of what you've already submitted.


Ashley Rose Photography: Dean... Again!
You may remember this stinkin A.DOR.ABLE family from my blog back in March!
Well Dean's lovely parents DB & John decided they wanted to get some pics of him a bit older and even cuter, complete with tons of squishy baby rolls.
who doesn't love the rolls?!
DB & John you guys are just my dream.
You have completely trusted me since day 1 & never second guessed a pose, or idea.
You guys just brought the awesomeness!!!
Turquoise DRUMSET… Check! Vintage Skateboard… Check! Black Balloons… Chiggity Check!
I hope you enjoy the pics of your lil man! And your family is truly stunning!
So cute Ash! I love the way you captured them. Oh and those rolls...adorable!
OMG Ashley these are my favorite yet! The backlighting is amazing! Such a cute family, and Dean is adorable!
you rock. so does this baby.
i just want to pinch his cheeks and squeeze those rolls! adorableness overload!
Wowwweeee! What a beautiful session..babies, boys named Dean and balloons...and you of course! I agree with Jen...the 2nd balloon shot owns and I also love the 4th balloon shot. This is all too amazing! You rock!


The TGG web development team is made up of designers, CSS experts, and programmers who have extensive knowledge in and experience working on Adobe Business Catalyst, Joomla technologies, Magento Commerce, and other content management systems. The TGG developers also do custom development work for clients whose websites have special and unique requirements that cannot be accommodated by Adobe Business Catalyst, Joomla CMS, and Magento Commerce, which are the usual CMS platforms we are utilizing.
The TGG developers can also help you fix glitches in your CSS-based designs and eliminate problems like cross-browser issues, alignment issues, and various CSS bugs. We can help you transform your designs into accessible, standards-compliant, cross-browser-compatible web pages.
The Adobe Business Catalyst system is perfect for small to medium online businesses.
TGG and Adobe Business Catalyst have teamed up such that TGG's web design and development team can assist in the creation and enhancement of any Business Catalyst-based websites. Our Business Catalyst designers can provide intelligently designed creative concepts and layouts that are easily converted into Business Catalyst-ready, XHTML sites. They can also create graphics that are easily integrated in your business e-mail templates. TGG's Business Catalyst developers can help Adobe Business Catalyst users in plugging pages into the system or in content migration. There isn't any task that our innovative and enthusiastic Web development team is not willing to take on.
As a CMS, Business Catalyst allows users to build and manage their own Web sites, write a blog and build a forum, run an online shop and accept payments, create e-mail marketing campaigns, build a customer base, and even monitor Web site traffic and other statistics—all these tasks managed in one central control panel.
We maximize the utilization of Business Catalyst's integrated tools. Whether you require straight forward implement of modules or some tweaks requiring custom scripting, you can trust our developers to do it right.
We can also integrate Business Catalyst with third party systems, or do payment gateway integration.
Contact us now and let us be your implementation partner.


After the success of last years event. Garage48 returned to Tartu bigger and better than before! Such was the enthusiasm for the event coaches brought participants from both Riga and Tallinn. In total 140 participants from 7 countries took part, forming 18 teams.
Before today's teams hit the stage to make their final presentations we were very honoured to welcome Taavi Roivas, the Estonian Prime Minister. Who made an encouraging speech to all participants. He stated that "previous Garage48 competitors have joined him on business delegations all around the world". What better encouragement do you need!?
What makes Garage 48 Hardware and Arts special? Event mentors Rachel Rayns and Ben Nuttal from Raspberry Pi said "The mixture of people from multiple disciplines such as design and marketing help teams to complete their project in a different way to other hackathons. This provides an ambitious, professional environment that encourages teams to continue after the event." That must be why 6 teams from last year are in business today.
After 48 hours of hard work, all the teams had just 3 minutes to present their ideas to the crowd. If the audience of more than 250 wasn't nerve-racking enough, knowing more than 2500 were watching online sure was.
Hitafly is an electronic handgun coach. It's a training device and mobile app that displays shooting errors in real-time. They say practice makes perfect. Using this device you could even hit a fly!! Additionally, Hitafly keeps a shooting diary, so you know how much you've practiced and when to service your handgun.
Lose count while doing reps at the gym? Forgot what weight you were lifting. DYEL is the solution. It is a small device that attaches to gym equipment that relays the number of reps and weight completed back to your mobile device.
Never lose a bee swarm again!! Beehunter is a smart sensor bee trap with an alert system for beekeepers to help catch an escaping swarms. Life just got that bit sweeter.
Are you bored of regular drinking?? Liquid light is a new way to serve drinks. It is an interactive tray for shots with programmable lights. As well as a robotic element that pours the drinks.
Puca is an educational robot for children. That introduces the basics of robotics,electronics and programming to kids in a fun and engaging way. The robot is controlled via a mobile application.
Want to sleep a little longer in the morning? Well who wouldn't. Finally you can sleep in and have your breakfast too! Auto Porridge 3000 is machine that makes your morning porridge that can be controlled by an app.
Exhausted from playing with your dog? Sit back relax and let Wild Rat do the job. Wild Rat is an interactive toy for both the dog and the owner that can be controlled from your mobile phone.
Do you have an annoying sibling or noisy room- mate. Now you can kill their power anywhere, anytime via your smartphone. The device also has the potential to be used in the security, fire-safety and military fields.
Team members: Rihards Skrubis, Kristaps Grinbergs, Siim Raud, Kaspars Purmalietis, Krisjanis Ozols.
THE MICROSOFT SPECIAL PRIZE WAS SPLIT BETWEEN PUCA AND DO YOU EVEN LIFT!
HUGE thanks also to our incredible sponsors, thanks to whom we can create such incredible events.
THIS YEAR'S WINNERS WERE CHOSEN BY THE FOLLOWING EXPERT JURY: PRIIT SALUMAA(GARAGE48, MOONCASCADE), PROF. ALVO AABLOO (UNIVERSITY OF TARTU), PROF. TOOMAS TAMMIS (ESTONIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS), COLONEL MARTIN HEREM (ESTONIAN NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE), RAIN RANNU (GARAGE48, FORTUMO), ELISE SASS (MICROSOFT), INDREK REBANE (HEDGEHOG) AND TAAVI ROIVAS (PRIME MINISTER).
"The winner as well as the runner-ups presented prototypes where excellent execution meets great potential - all three ideas could definitely be continued and turned into real products ," characterised Priit Salumaa, chief organiser of the event from Garage48.
"What struck me this time were the military ideas - how well they were prepared and how much the military appreciated what engineers and developers were doing for them. I´m really excited that we´ve been able to bring together these completely different sectors", said jury member Elise Sass from Microsoft.
Want to know about the other incredible teams, read our previous post about them here.
Interested in joining us for the next event in Tallinn the 8-10th May? Well we caught up with mentor Martin Melioranski. Who had the following advice for someone thinking of attending the next event "don't chicken out, come along! You will be amazed just how much you learn in just 48 hours"!!
But how do you survive 48 hours with little sleep and complete a project. Well we caught up with Oscars Circis from the 1 VILN.IS ONE team. Who despite having just one hours sleep all weekend. Said "when you see you have made progress, it gives you the inspiration and energy you need to continue".
So mark the 8-10th of May in your diary and get yourself to Tallinn. Don't be shy, sign up!


text:
Hippo Press Articles
This Week's Hippo
Local Rhythms / Michael Witthaus
Tag: Americana
"…hardscrabble poetry, with a finger on the pulse of profound realities contained in ordinary struggles."
July 10, 2019 Michael WitthausLeave a comment
On the road with Shovels & Rope
Shovels & Rope at Pickathon 2018
There's a moment in the 2014 documentary The Ballad of Shovels and Rope when Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst sit at a kitchen table and muse upon what success might bring. "I'd like to see the world… and have it be paid for by a song," Hearst says. "The ultimate goal is to keep on being able to do it, keep on liking to do it, so we don't have to do something else to be happy."
Trent agrees. "It'd be nice to make a living at it," he adds, "maybe have some rug rats; curtain climbers." Hearst smiles beatifically in response, her back to a wall decorated with hand drawn band logos and photos from the road.
With tenacity, it all came true.
The scene was from 2010; two years later, the duo's debut album O' Be Joyful was released, and the autobiographical "Birmingham" helped bring their dream to life. The tune won Song of The Year at the 2013 Americana Music Awards; it depicts the desire required to break through in a grave new world of streams and social media. "Making something out of nothing with a scratcher and our hope," they sing, "with two old guitars like a shovel and a rope."
It was hardscrabble poetry, with a finger on the pulse of profound realities contained in ordinary struggles.
Shovels & Rope have since made three studio albums. The last two, 2016's Little Seeds and the newly released By Blood, reflect their lives as parents to a three-old daughter and newborn son. One song on the new LP tells the story of a magical horse reuniting torn apart families; "C'mon Utah" will become a children's book later this year.
With prescience typical for a duo that filmed its rise while one of them still had a day job, the tune came before news of border camps and cages caught the public eye. "Michael brought that song to the pile really early in the writing process," Hearst said during a recent joint interview. "At the time there wasn't an epidemic of families being separated from their children."
In the futuristic tale, a wall has been built and fallen; in its wake, the lost wander the rubble looking for loved ones. "Our vision was that it would be a story that folks would be telling their kids around a campfire," Hearst continued. "To ease their anxiety in the night, like, 'don't worry, there's this magic horse… he knows how to find who you're looking for.'"
Puerto Rican artist Julio Cotto Rivera is illustrating the book. "His drawings are awesome, unique – extreme symbolism," Hearst said. "It's suitable to read to children but more like an art book or graphic novelette… in theory it will be out before the end of the summer."
Currently, the duo are opening for Tedeschi Trucks Band as part of their annual Wheels of Soul tour. Michael and Cary Ann's kids are with them on the bus, with a nanny. "The first one broke us in the saddle pretty well, so two hasn't been a huge change on the road," Hearst said when asked how it was going. "It's more interesting at home because we don't have any help."
That last point was felt during recording of By Blood. To better focus, the two built a separate studio outside their house.
"It was our responsibility to ourselves," Trent said. "The last record was a big time learning experience. With Little Seeds, we had a little person for the first time in our house, and the scheduling was a little bit jarring… We thought, 'oh, yeah, we'll just have a neighbor come over and they'll hold the baby for two hours while we go up and cut the vocals.' Just because the neighbor is holding the baby doesn't mean that the baby isn't screaming in the next room."
"The first one was a crier," Hearst interjected. "We should predicate."
"Anyway," Trent continued, "we've gotten a little bit savvy over the past few years and figured out how to balance regular lives with making music. It's tricky, but totally doable."
When: Saturday, July 13, 7 p.m.
Wheels of Soul 2019
Where: Bank of NH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford
More: $39.75 – $135.75 at banknhpavilion.com
Posted in UncategorizedTagged Americana, Live Music, Shovels & Rope, Wheels of Soul
Michael is the primary music and comedy writer for the Hippo, New Hampshire's largest alt-weekly; Michael contributes reviews of current CDs and DVDs, covers concerts large and small, and writes stories about the area music scene. He's a prescient observer of the trends making every word, note and image "local" entertainment. Michael wrote the weekly "Local Rhythms" column for three New Hampshire/Vermont papers: the Eagle Times (Claremont), Connecticut Valley Spectator (Lebanon) and the online Message for the Week (Chester, Vermont) before their abrupt closing on 9 July 2009. He later wrote Local Rhythms for the Compass in Claremont. Email:mwitthaus@gmail.com
Crazed by the Music
Jaded Insider
RAIN: Radio & Internet

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Review + Excerpt: Good Girl by Lauren Layne
Enter to Win a Kindle Fire Tablet 7″
By: Lauren Layne
Releasing May 17, 2016
Loveswept
In this steamy novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Blurred Lines, country music's favorite good girl hides away from the world—and finds herself bunking with a guy who makes her want to be a little bad.
Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny's suddenly one of the town's biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she's barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.
Noah really should tell Jenny that he's Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay. But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny's almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other's lives, they'll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.
Amazon | B
& N | Google
Play | iTunes | Kobo
Any Lauren Layne book, for me is a guaranteed success. I've yet to read any of her books that I haven't loved. The cover for one made me think that this book could be set in the same world as Blurred Lines, but Good Girl is a definite stand-alone with a new set of characters, and what an amazing set, I must say. I absolutely loved the main as well as the secondary characters in this book. It makes me wish, Lauren would write about the secondary characters as well.
Good Girl is written in a dual POV, first person, and this gives the book and the characters a lot of depth. Here you won't have the complaint that who were unable to get into the head of the character, because the characters make sure that they reel you in.
Jenny Dawson,an award-winning country music sensation, recently moved to the city of angels, L.A, because she was having trouble the good ole writers block. Unable to write any music, she figured a change of scenery would do wonders. But unfortunately the city of Hollywood is also the city of paparazzi and gossip-mongers. Soon she is plastered on the front page of magazines and on prime time TV for sleeping with a fellow musician, a married one at that, irrespective of the fact that she has absolutely no relationship with the man. In order to get away from all the drama, Jenny goes to a remote mansion is Louisiana to write her next album. Except there is a little problem of the hot but rude Noah Maxwell.
Noah Maxwell is a man with a dual life. He is from the wrong side of the tracks, but he is also from the high end society. But all he wants is a little peace and anonymity. And some alone time, which is disrupted when Jenny Dawson walks in on perfect 10 legs, and a Pomeranian that would fit into her bag. He knows who Jenny is and that's exactly the reason why he wants to stay away. But what's a man to do when you have a beautiful, hot girl, you are attracted to in front of you?
I loved Jenny. She was so… good. Like a genuinely good person. So forgiving, but not a doormat. She was feisty and full of energy. You could actually feel how much she enjoyed her music and how easy it was to get lost in it. Noah on the other hand was rough around the edges. The man should have been named Mr. Grumpy. But there were sweet moments with him too. He knows how to apologize for his mistakes and make up for them. The worst part about Noah though was how much he deliberately did things that hurt Jenny. And like she says, he can't always make mistakes and then expect to be forgiven.
The chemistry between Noah and Jenny was so palpable and sizzling. You could actually feel it through the pages. This is one gift that Lauren Layne has in spades. She knows how to make her characters realistic. Overall, this book was absolutely amazing and one that I'd love to read over and over again.
P.S I've already read it twice.
"What time did you say this chick was arriving?" Finn asks around his cigarette.
"Tomorrow morning," I say, rapping my toe against a funny-looking floorboard and wincing when it buckles.
"Huh." Finn exhales and looks out the window.
I know that tone. "What?"
"Seems she might have gotten here early," he says, a second before the quiet afternoon erupts with the sound of my dog losing his mind, mingled with the shrill piercing yap of a much smaller dog.
Finn shrugs and nods. "There's a girl outside."
"Shit," I mutter as I head toward the stairs, dodging the two broken ones.
Ranger's about as good a dog as they come, wouldn't hurt a fly. But he's a big dog with a big bark, and one serious weakness: gleefully humping smaller dogs. He's a rescue, and though he was fixed after they brought him in, he'd already gone through canine puberty, or whatever. He's still got the fierce urge to hump, although it's more habit than hormones.
I exit out the front door just in time to see my big brown Lab leap forward, his clumsy paws finding the shoulders of a blond girl who lets out a shriek, holding a cat above her head like that scene from The Lion King.
"Ranger, no! Down."
I run forward, my hand finding the collar of my dog and yanking him backward as I search the ground to find the source of the small-dog barks still piercing the air.
Then I register that the sound is coming from above, and realize . . .
The cotton ball isn't a cat.
That orange piece of fluff is a dog, and Ranger is apparently in love.
"What the heck is wrong with your dog?" the girl says as she slowly lowers the puffball from over her head, cradling the hideous little monster against her chest as it continues its high-pitched bloody-murder yips.
"At least my dog is actually a dog," I say, staring in horror at the pointy face of a canine that could fit in one of my hands. "I've seen dust bunnies bigger than that thing."
"Dolly's a Pomeranian," she says, setting a hand on top of the monster's head. "She's supposed to be this tiny."
"Well, Ranger's a Lab. He's supposed to be this normal."
"He attacked me," she says, giving Ranger a wary look as his tongue hangs out the side of his mouth, his eyes locked lovingly on Dolly.
"He didn't want you, he wanted the . . . dog," I say, forcing myself to acknowledge that the creature in her hands might be part of the canine family.
"For what, dinner?"
I don't respond, because now that the crisis is averted, I've managed to shift my attention from the dogs to the girl, and . . .
Holy shit.
I'm not sure I've ever been sucker-punched by equal waves of lust and disdain before.
Jenny Dawson is hot as hell.
I knew that going in, but up close she's even more mouthwatering. Her white skirt is short and tight, her legs long and toned.
She's wearing some billowing pink top, so I can't get a good look at what's happening there, but it doesn't really matter. I've always been a legs man, and I can't stop looking.
The legs are a 10.
The face is a 10.
And the long blond hair spilling over one shoulder definitely begs to be spread over a man's pillow. My pillow.
And yet even as my cock says yes, my brain is saying hell no.
Gorgeous as she is, she screams diva from the pink toenails to the sky-high stiletto sandals and all the way up to the carefully made-up face.
I just turned my entire life upside down trying to get away from a woman exactly like this one, so this is definitely a look, don't touch situation.
But I'm looking. I'm definitely looking.
Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels.Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals.
Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
← Meet Mitch Mariani in Rebecca Rohman's Uncorked
Cover Reveal: Unravel by Rebecca Rohman →
2 thoughts on "Review + Excerpt: Good Girl by Lauren Layne"
Lisa Filipe (@TastyBookTours) on May 28, 2016 at 10:09 am said:
Thank you so much for being a dedicated fan!! Great review!
Aarati on June 7, 2016 at 10:55 am said:


text:
Share this Story: Successful candidate returns to southwestern Ontario
Successful candidate returns to southwestern Ontario
Trevor Terfloth
Jul 02, 2013 • July 2, 2013 • 2 minute read
There will soon be a new man at the helm of the Chatham-Kent Fire Department.
Ken Stuebing, deputy chief in Winnipeg, will start on Sept. 3. Originally from Kitchener, he has served in many roles in the emergency services field, including stints in EMS and as a flight paramedic.
"I'm ecstatic. I'm looking forward to it," he said on Tuesday. "This is a great opportunity for me to take the next step in my career, while also kind of getting closer to home."
Stuebing, 48, spent nearly two decades with the Kitchener Fire Department before moving to Winnipeg.
He served as a paramedic in Western Canada and Ontario, and as a critical care flight paramedic on the Bandage 1 helicopter air ambulance service in Toronto. He was also a flight paramedic instructor.
Stuebing recently completed a masters of municipal leadership at York University and also graduated with a bachelor of health sciences from Charles Sturt University.
Upon arriving in Chatham-Kent, he said his initial priority is to learn more about the issues and challenges, noting there is no one-size-fits-all approach to finding efficiencies.
"Our model here (in Winnipeg) is about getting the right resource to the right call at the right time," he said.
"(But) I'm not coming with preconceived notions about what needs to be done. First thing I need to do is get a lay of the land and understand the system."
General manager of community development Bob Crawford, the former chief in Chatham-Kent, said the municipality will be welcoming a solid, multifaceted professional.
"I'm thrilled and very excited about what it means to the community," he said.
Crawford stepped down earlier this year to focus on his general manager duties, which he was performing simultaneously.
He said an agreement was reached with Stuebing this past weekend.
There were 16 candidates for the position, of which one, which Crawford said he couldn't divulge, was internal.
He said the goal is to find the best person possible for the job, regardless of location.
"It's that cross-pollination of (Stuebing's) skills, knowledge and ability that he brings to the table," he said. "It really sets him apart from virtually all the other candidates."
Crawford also said the municipality has hired assistant chiefs from within Chatham-Kent in recent times.
He said an upside to having a new face is that it means the successful candidate's family will relocate to the municipality as well.
"It's good to bring people here and attract people to the right community," he said.
In his personal time, Stuebing has coached such sports as hockey and lacrosse and has been involved with other organizations.
Although he admits his new position will be demanding on his schedule, he still hopes to contribute whenever he can.
"I just believe in giving back to the community," he said.
trevor.terfloth@sunmedia.ca
Twitter.com/DailyNewsTT
Successful candidate returns to southwestern Ontario Back to video


Looking for ideal N40 Round Magnet Manufacturer & supplier ? We have a wide selection at great prices to help you get creative. All the Neodymium N40 Round Magnet are quality guaranteed. We are China Origin Factory of Sintered Neodymium N40 Round Magnet. If you have any question, please feel free to contact us.


text:
Hourly Visibility for December 11, 2021
Current Station Operator: ECCC - MSC
Almanac Averages & Extremes (December 11) Daily Data (December 2021)
Nearby Stations with Data Historical Data Search for December 11,2021
Hourly Data (December 2021)
Time LST UTC Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31


Central South Morang shopping centre is located at 338-342 McDonalds Road, approximately 20kms north / north east of Melbourne's central business district on the northern outskirts of metropolitan Melbourne.
This prime retail site is in a superb location within a major activity centre and is 300 metres from the South Morang Railway Station.
Central South Morang shopping centre is home to specialty and major retailers including Woolworths, Tasman Fresh Meats and Red Rooster.
Shoppers can enjoy convenient and ample car parking in a relaxed landscaped setting. Plus, visit the al fresco dining in the special food precinct coming soon.
By Car: We have approximatly 250 car park spaces that are free to guests of the shopping centre. We also cater for Parents with Prams and Disabled Shoppers with convenient car parking right out the front of Woolworths with extra wide car park spaces.
By Train: Get off at South Morang train station and walk arpproximatly 300 meters down McDonald Road to the shopping centre.


DONATIONS \(>o<)/ m(_ _)m !?
A few meters in front of the Alsace's main gate, on the shores of the river, currently the fiercest battle was taking place.
An Orc warrior easily swung around a heavy Great Sword as he slashed around.
The facing heavy knight blocked the attack with his shield and pushed out to repel the attack.
Although it was Orc who possess superhuman strength, if a trained heavy knight pushed along with a martial art, even an Orc would end up stumbling.
Seeing the stumbling arc, he released the martial skill that increased the thrusting power of the halberd, [Charge] and pursued him.
But the enemy wasn't weak either. Even while in a collapsing posture, he swung his great sword with one hand and endured the charging spearhead.
The Orc who blocked the attack took back a few steps and once again increased the distance between the two.
The commander of the 3rd heavy knight squad involuntarily muttered so.
When he saw around just 20 demons jump out from the main gate, he thought of it as a great chance.
They were the best warriors among the demons that were protecting the village of Alsace. If he could take them down the rest of the attack would be easy, above all he had the confidence to do that as well.
But still, after they actually crossed swords with them, this was the result.
Due to the overwhelming strength of the demons, their line formation was soon disrupted and it turned into a chaotic melee battle.
Even though the heavy knights had the superiority in numbers, the heavy knights with the so-called invulnerable defence were falling one by one.
Due to the unexpected strength of the demons, his commands and orders were also not taking much effect. And the demons only gained more and more vigour as they kept on attacking while raising bone chilling roars.
Even those demons had fallen victim to their halberds as well, and their numbers had fallen to 2/3rds of what they were.
And even among those less than 20 demons remaining there was barely anyone that was still unhurt and were drenched in their own blood as well the blood of their opponents and had become completely clad in crimson.
But even then, without losing their fighting spirit the fact that those demons kept on fighting without any fear was a scene that made even these veteran heavy knights feel fear.
It could be, that they might be pushed back in the end as well.
Warding off the attack of the Orc brilliantly once again, he sliced with the axe part of the halberd as a counter.
The martial art [Break] that had the effect of increasing the slashing power this time caught the body of the Orc and tore through the leather armour and steel like skin together and delivered a fatal blow.
Fresh blood spewed out from the wound and finally the Orc's giant body fell down as foam and blood appeared in his mouth.
This was the second demon he had killed.
Even though he was the commander, he had still been able to kill only 2 of them.
In his sights, he saw a werewolf of more than 2m in height crushing and smashing one of his subordinates along with the armour with his giant sword.
As a voice came with incredible bloodlust, the only reason he was able to react this fast was thanks to his high level of skill.
The black blade flashed. Unable to block the power of the blade infused with the martial art skill, he ended up stepping backwards involuntarily.
But his posture didn't crumble, if he showed an opening here, he would definitely die in the next attack. That's the kind of opponent the 'Devil' attacking him was. He had finally understood that fact.
As a reflex he swung his halberd——-he met with a resistance.
He was able to somehow deflect the 2 long swords that came flying towards him.
As he took a stance with his shield to prepare for the next attack, the opponent also stepped back a little.
He focused on the black clothed man standing in front of me who was called the 'Devil'.
Defeating the Kievan's squad at Irz village, defending Alsace in the previous battle with black magic, and the man who had created numerous corpses at the river shore right now was truly a man befitting of the title of the 'Devil' for the Crusaders.
He once again realized that now that he was directly facing him.
The man with black hair and black eyes and an extremely fearsome look; his black robe was now completely drenched in red blood of his enemies and his own blood as well.
But his fighting spirit was the same as the other demons, no, he had the most fighting spirit right now and as if he was also using the same to lead the demons as well.
He realized that the dark night-like pair of eyes that were glaring were clearly filled with hatred.
Suppressing his fear with the his will of steel, he rushed forward to kill that man.
Each and every attack of this Devil were fearsome but he could definitely block them with his shield, he judged that after exchanging blows with him till now.
Even that ominous looking hatchet's martial art was unable to cut apart his tower shield and had stopped at just scratching the surface.
While abiding by the basics of the fighting styles used by the heavy knights, he began his attack.
He clearly had enough defensive ability to stop the enemy's attack, and furthermore he also possessed attacking power to kill him in a single blow as well which is why he didn't need to use any tricks.
It was a basic tactic but it had no openings and was a perfectly completed tactic.
The 'Devil' fired the black bullets, that had become a fear for the soldiers, towards the his shield.
A quite strong recoil ran through his arm but it was not enough to stop his attack.
Without getting deterred at all, he kept on rushing forward.
Both used the same skills again but this time it was the other martial art user who stumbled.
The Devil lost his balance.
A clear opening was created, and the knight was not naïve enough to let it pass, otherwise he would have never become the commander of a squad.
He swung the Halberd, and released the martial art that could cut away even rocks, [Break].
As the Devil laughed while saying that, he simply needed to swing his halberd over him and end it.
But, his hand didn't move, no, he felt his whole body losing strength.
Someone's voice came to his ears.
Someone was sitting on his shoulder, and that someone was stabbing a blade inside his neck.
He didn't know what had happened but the 'Devil' in front of him could clearly see it.
A single woman had approached while using her Divine Protection's ability to its utmost to hide her presence. That woman had climbed on the knights shoulder and had deeply thrust in a Dagger Knife from the gaps in his armour into his neck.
But in the knight's eyes, he could only see a fatal amount of blood spewing from his neck and the Devil in front of him laughing.
He was unable to see the figure of the person who had killed him till the very end.
mid laners trade blows. Enemy mid got too greedy and a stealthed jungle swooped in for a gank and secure the kill.
Why doesn't he use his space magic?
Open a hole and let the opponent fall in and then bake or boil at his own discretion.
he can't put living things inside it.
Psst, I know who you are…hail Sithis.
It's designed to accept very small donations (usually only $1 but you can give more for some cool rewards and stuff) every month to people you want to support. It encourages people like me to keep on on doing what both me and you enjoy.
So if you're able to support me by flinging me a dollar every now and again, it would be massively appreciated.
You can support me by donating through Paypal.
These donations help me in maintaining my regular fast pace releases of KENS and are very much appreciated.
0 Chapter(s) in queue currently.


You would be expected to prepare drawings of varying complexity on large scale projects including institutional, aviation, healthcare or justice infrastructure. You should be able to perform 3D electrical design / drafting of basic systems, prepare design calculations and mark up drawings.
If you are interested to join our global team, please email your resume at jobs@bluentcad.ca or call us: +1 647 478 5230.
BluEnt is a global CAD drafting company and serves AEC fortune clients including architects, contractors, builders, disaster management, restoration, reprographics & manufacturing companies. We require a CAD drafter with Revit and electrical drafting experience. Would you like to work for a drafting firm in Mississauga & Toronto as an independent contractor?
To apply job, You can fill the form below OR Send an email with all the information and We will fill the form for you.


Casper mattress has been purchased by nearly half a million individuals. The bed mattress is particularly understood for its engineering feat, for causing a sensation of weightlessness, for assisting in breathability despite being a memory foam bed mattress and hence being a little more comfortable than some similar bed mattress that tend to get rather hot and uncomfortable through the night, specifically during summer and humid seasons. Casper mattress features a hundred night trial complimentary returns. You can buy the mattress online or at a store and you would get same day white glove shipment in a couple of areas.
The flagship product of the company has a layer of memory foam and a layer of poly foam atop it. The top layer is springy to make sure a sense of balance and comfort. It likewise contributes to the sensation of weightlessness once you set. The foams are breathable owing to the open cells in the leading layer so you would not feel too hot or unpleasant. Sweating is not a problem with Casper bed mattress. It features a zip-off knit cover that is quite easy to clean and keep, for this reason guaranteeing resilience. The bounce is not the very best among memory foam bed mattress as Casper is a little bit more resistant however sleepers will feel some sensible bounce, which is quite preferable and provides remedy for pressure. The density of the memory foam is high enough to provide adequate assistance to the numerous pressure points in the body. There is a shift layer that disperses your bodyweight evenly. The base layer in addition to the 3 other layers is strong enough to provide stable support and they contribute to the resilience of the whole Casper bed mattress.
Casper mattress price starts from $550, which is the cost of the Twin size. Twin XL would cost $600, Full is $800, Queen is $950, King is $1,150 and CAL King is also $1,150. You can look for a Casper mattress coupon. Usually, there are offers that can help you save around $50 on the $950 worth Queen Casper mattress. You can find similar discounts or Casper bed mattress coupon for all sizes. There are affiliates and partners of the company that offer regular discount rates. Casper too hosts sales from time to time so you can have the Casper bed mattress price lowered to a level.


text:
ATLRetro
Your Guide to 20th Century Atlanta in the 21st Century
About ATLRetro
Retro Archives
Classic Couture & Flashback Fashion
Kool Kat of the Week
Really Retro
Retro Home
This Week in ATLRetro
Tis the Season To Be…
Vintage Vacation
Wednesday Happy Hour & Supper Club
Kool Kat of the Week: Welcome to the Dirty, Dirty! Dave Weil and The Blacktop Rockets Deliver a New Album and a Night of Revved Up Tunes and Low Down Shenanigans at The Star Bar
Posted on: Apr 5th, 2016 By: Anya99
by Melanie Crew
Top to Bottom: Dave Watkins, Johnny McGowan, Dave Weil, Steve Stone. Photo by Sloan Carroll Rainwater.
Atlanta's own Dave Weil, head honcho and lead vocals/guitar, along with his partners in crime, The Blacktop Rockets [Johnny McGowan (guitar/vocals); Dave Watkins (drums); and Steve Stone (Bass)] will be raisin' a ruckus, Sun Records-style, at The Star Bar this Friday, April 8 at 9 p.m.! They'll be peddlin' their new full-length CD, "GO!" with fellow rockin' revivalists, Rodeo Twister in tow! It'll be a hootenanny you won't want to miss!
Dave, raised on jazz and crooners like "Ol' Blue Eyes" Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, got rebellious 'n' hell-bent falling head over heels for some good old rock 'n' roll. So in 1993, he began dishin' out tunes and slingin' guitar with The Blacktop Rockets, and they've been revvin' it up ever since! They've stormed the stage with The Blasters, the late Ronnie Dawson, Southern Culture on the Skids, Reverend Horton Heat, Wanda Jackson and so many more influential hell raisers and foot stompers! BTR's first full-length album, MAKE MINE A DOUBLE," was released in 1999, preceded by the single "What Ya'll Have," in 1996. In other words, it's high time for a new BTR release.
ATLRetro caught up with Dave Weil for a quick interview about BTR, his take on "American music," and reviving that old-school R&B and hillbilly twang! While you're takin' a gander at our little Q&A with Dave, get an earful of The Blacktop Rockets live at The Star Bar (Nov. 7, 2015) with "Please Don't Touch" (Nov. 7, 2015).
ATLRetro: The Blacktop Rockets swooped in on Atlanta's rock revival scene like a bat out of hell during the '90s rockabilly resurgence; a rockin' renaissance of sorts. Can you tell our readers what it is about that genre of music that keeps you coming back for more?
Dec Fest. L-R: Dave Watkins, Johnny McGowan, Dave Weil, Steve Stone. Photo by John Phillips.
Dave Weil: It's the free-wheeling spirit of it all. The magical blending of black R&B with white hillbilly music that occurred beginning in the late '40s-early '50s, which led to what came to be called rockabilly and rock and roll. To me, it's irresistible. When I hear it, I get a smile on my face and I just gotta move!
Any twisted tales on how you and The Blacktop Rockets get together and what's kept you goin' for so long?
Not really twisted, but it was a bit of a fluke. In 1993, I was doing this duo thing a la Flat Duo Jets called Sweatin' Bullets and had a gig that the drummer couldn't do. I had recently met David Watkins (drummer) at Frijoleros (old schoolers know) where we were both working, so I asked him to fill in and the rest is history as they say. Upright bass was added about a year later and then lead guitar. What's kept us going is, well, all I can think is, we have to! Like Carl Perkins said, "The cat bug bit me and I'll never be the same."
Your sound has been described as being the "epitome of American music." What does that mean to you? What exactly is "American music?"
"American music" is a lot of things and goes back much farther, but in terms of what I'm most familiar with and where BTR fits in, it goes back to what I said about the blending of black R&B with white hillbilly music. Twelve bar blues-based song structures with lyrics that include the tried and true themes of love and loss, regular folks telling stories, and just silly stuff like "Rock Around The Clock." There were so many things changing in post-war America – culturally, economically, socially – and lots of those changes were reflected in the music being created then.
Even though the bulk of the retro rock 'n' roots revival pretty much died off in the late '90s, The Blacktop Rockets seem to have made a niche for themselves in Atlanta's thriving sleaze-nitty-gritty redneck underground music scene. What draws you to the mischievous underbelly of Atlanta's music scene?
That it's the underbelly and we love underbelly. So juicy and sweet, mmm, can't git enough of it.
Any interesting stories to tell our readers about your musical upbringing, or when you became interested in playing music?
My Dad was a musician – a damn good sax and clarinet player, but could find his way around any instrument. There was always music in the house. He was mostly a jazzer who listened to and played a lot of swing. He was also a big fan of crooners like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. We didn't exactly see eye to eye back when I got into rock and roll, but he rolled his eyes and tried to tolerate it. I got into guitar like lots of my peers, from listening to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and other Brit bands. Through buying those bands' records and reading the writing credits, I learned about the great American bluesmen like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James. Later on in the late '70s I did a similar thing when I heard the Robert Gordon/Link Wray records. I started digging deep into Rockabilly music and found Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and, of course, the legendary Sun Records material.
L-R: Johnny McGowan, Dave Watkins, Dave Weil, Steve Stone. Photo by Jeff Shipman.
We see that you've shared the stage with The Blasters, the late Ronnie Dawson; opened for Southern Culture on the Skids and Reverend Horton Heat; and backed the "First Lady of Rockabilly" Wanda Jackson and so many more! Can you tell our readers what it's like getting to fire it up with all those movers and shakers?
Those opening spots have been some really fun shows. I feel like BTR truly deserves to be on those stages and we can bring it as well as anyone. As far as being the backing band for the legends, it's a tremendous honor and kind of like living a dream! It's definitely a set where you really, really want to be on your "A" game and not make any clams! Sure don't want to get a dirty look from Wanda, ha!
You released your first album (full-length) MAKE MINE A DOUBLE in 1999, making that one long 17-year itch! Why did it take so long to get to GO, and how can our readers get their grubby little hands on a copy?!
We actually put out "What'll Ya'll Have" in 1996, so this is our third album. We also did a Christmas 45rpm and recorded songs here and there for compilations, but 17 years between actual full length releases is a bit ridiculous, isn't it? I'm not sure what took so long other than I suppose the time was finally right. You can buy one at the show on Friday, of course, plus it's on CD Baby, iTunes and perhaps other online places. The commerce section of our website <here> is under construction now, although it might be running by show time.
If you had to choose your top three musical influences, who would they be and why?
The Star Bar: Photo Credit by Sloan Carroll Rainwater (L-R: Johnny McGowan, Dave Watkins, Dave Weil, Steve Stone)
I think it's really hard to pinpoint influences per se, but I can tell you who I am always happy to hear on my stereo or anyone else's. No particular order and I'm leaving plenty of others off – Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Howlin' Wolf, Ronnie Dawson, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry…you get the picture.
What can ATLRetro readers expect to experience at your honkytonkin' hootenanny and CD Release Party, April 8, at The Star Bar?
The Blacktop Rockets still pack a punch in our live show like very few acts you will see. We have a great time doing what we do and it shows. The current BTR line up is sounding better than ever. Drummer David Watkins and I are into our third decade playing together so it's a pretty special connection there. Anyone who has heard him play knows he's one of the top drummers in Atlanta and beyond. He can bash 'em or lay back, but he always knows exactly the right part to play for our songs.
Many of your readers know lead guitarist Johnny McGowan from not just this band, but several other cool projects he's involved with. Johnny plays with so much fire and creativity, plus amazing technical ability that he's constantly blowing minds and making jaws drop, including mine! Johnny joined BTR around 1996, then left for a bit around 2000, but has been the guy now since around 2009. On stage, there is no one I've had this much fun with. It's just a hoot because we have little musical inside jokes and he'll play something goofy or weird and then shoot me a quick look like, "Did ya hear that one?" and then crack up laughing.
The new guy is Steve Stone on bass. He's another very accomplished multi-instrument player who has been a lot of fun getting to know and assimilated into the band. I love playing music with these guys and I consider myself fortunate to share the stage with such outstanding players! Plus our pals, the excellent band Rodeo Twister are opening the show!
What's next for The Blacktop Rockets?
A lot more gigs this year than we've done the past several and probably another album or at least EP in the fall.
Anything else you'd like to tell ATLRetro readers about you or the band?
I think you will really dig the new record! We're still doing some straight-up rockabilly, but there's more to it in terms of the songwriting. This was the first time Johnny and I collaborated and we figured out we can write really well together. We simply let the songs be what they were going to be and didn't try to put them in a specific box like rockabilly or swing or country. If I had to say what that sounds like, I guess I'd have to nod towards The Blasters or Rockpile. We've added electric bass on stuff where we used to use upright only, and that gives it a feel that I think reflects well on the newer songs especially. In addition to playing guitars all over the recording, Johnny produced the album and did a knock-out job. One of the things he did that I'm most happy with was to bring in friends to play some different instruments on a few songs. There's piano, sax, trumpet and steel guitar that are added here and there that are really nice touches.
And last, but not least, what question do you wish somebody would ask you and what's the answer?
For here or to go? The answer is always GO!
Photos provided by Dave Weil/The Blacktop Rockets and used with permission.
Category: Kool Kat of the Week | Tags: Blacktop Rockets, Carl Perkins, dave weil, Eddie Cochran, elmore james, flat duo jets, Frank Sinatra, Gene Vincent, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny McGowan, Link Wrey, Muddy Waters, Reverend Horton Heat, robert gordon, rockpile, rodeo twister, Ronnie Dawson, Southern Culture on the Skids, Sun Records, the blasters, the star bar, Tony Bennett, Wanda Jackson
Shop Around: Silver Disks: CD Warehouse Delivers the Ghosts of Multimedia Past for a Season to Remember
Posted on: Dec 19th, 2015 By: Anya99
By Geoff Slade
For those of you with Christmas shopping left to do, CD Warehouse in Duluth has something for all but the Scroogiest Retro media fan on anyone's list. And Scrooge himself didn't even get any gifts until he lightened up. Besides, who doesn't like either music, movies or video games? No one reading this, I'm sure. They also have tons of TV series box sets, new and old.
David Kirk and business partner Dennis Harrington opened the flagship store on April 24, 1994 (a location in Roswell and one in Kennesaw came later), when MP3s were still science fiction and vinyl records were relics.
And consider the state of popular music in April of 1994. THE DIVISION BELL by Pink Floyd was the bestselling album in the country the week CD Warehouse first opened. It was also the same month Kurt Cobain died and Frank Sinatra performed for the last time publicly. Jerry Garcia, Tupac Shakur and Selena were still alive. And future used-bin staples Hootie & the Blowfish, Korn and Bush had yet to release their debuts.
Dave took a few minutes recently to chat with AtlRetro about the store and how CD Warehouse has survived an unpredictable era in the music industry.
ATLRetro: Do you remember the first CD sold from the store?
Dave Kirk: Our first customers were three guys from Ohio. They were driving to Atlanta for Freak-Nik and were in need of the Biz Markie CD.
How did you get into the retail music business in the first place? Is it something you always wanted to do?
Dennis and I were both working for large corporations and couldn't see ourselves doing the same thing for another 30 years. So, we cashed in our 401ks and opened the first store. We both had a love of music and would spend our lunches hanging out in record stores.
Why Duluth?
The CD business was replacing the album and cassette as the main sales force. There were some used CD stores inside the perimeter but not many outside, so that is where we concentrated our efforts.
How close to reality is HIGH FIDELITY?
It's probably the movie that gets closest to the actual happenings in a record store. The constant conversations of which album is the best. What group was the more influential? Top 10 lists. "Have you heard the song from this new group from England?" Those are the kind of things we hear all day. And then of course we head out to the local venues to check out the shows.
Most ATLRetro readers are no doubt familiar with secondhand music stores, but could you describe the process of buying and selling items at CD Warehouse? How has the business evolved in 20 years?
We started out as a used CD store that also sold posters. As the technology has changed, we have adapted to buying and selling DVDs, Blu-Rays, games and vinyl. Our selection of new releases is limited to the top sellers, but we will gladly make a special order if you cannot find what you need in the store.
While album sales in every other medium, including digital downloads, have fallen significantly over the past 15 years (seriously, check this out), vinyl sales continue to rise, with fans of all ages and tastes. Why is it so popular?
We are an independent store and have the privilege to participate in Record Store Day. The bands produce some very unique and collectable merchandise that creates a lot of buzz among our customers. The excitement for this event continues to grow every year.
Category: Shop Around | Tags: Biz Markie, cassette, cd, CD Warehouse, David Kirk. Dennis Harrington, Duluth., DVD, Frank Sinatra, Freaknik, Geoff Slade, Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain, LP, Pink Floyd, record store day, records, secondhand, Selena, tape, The Division Bell, Tupac Shakur, used, video, Vinyl
Kool Kat of the Week: Scott Walker Making Love to Joy Division: Jack Shaw of Atlanta's The Head Talks About What It's Like to Come Home to MILLIPEDES
Posted on: Nov 24th, 2015 By: Anya99
Atlanta trio The Head are wrapping up their 20-date tour and return from the road just in time for Thanksgiving. Come out and join them to celebrate the release of their new five-song EP MILLIPEDES at the Drunken Unicorn this Saturday, Nov. 28. Sydney Eloise & The Palms and Chelsea Shag are also on the bill.
Jack Shaw (drums), Mike Shaw (lead vocals/bass) and Jacob Morrell (guitar) have been playing together since they were teenagers at Holy Spirit Preparatory School, and list among their influences The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen and R.E.M. This knowledge and appreciation of pop music's past led Blurt magazine to call them "Atlanta's youngest rock 'n' roll veterans."
The youngsters have already worked with legendary R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter, Jody Stephens of Big Star and John Vanderslice, but decided to produce their latest batch of songs themselves, a first for the band. "I feel like we're still learning, now more than ever," said Mike Shaw. "And we're enjoying every bit of what we're learning."
AtlRetro caught up with Kool Kat of the Week Jack Shaw to find out more about the new EP, the tour and what's ahead for The Head.
ATLRetro: First of all, I'm sure you guys are sick to death of this question, so let's get it out of the way: Why "The Head?"
Jack Shaw: We wanted something short, sweet and weird sounding. We thought "The Head" captured all of that. It's simple enough and makes people scratch their chins.
According to your bio, the three of you are still in your early 20s. How did you come together?
Mike and I are twins, so we've been playing music together our whole lives. We met Jacob during our freshman year of high school. We decided to form a band with him once we found out he played guitar and listened to the same bands as us.
The Head [L-R]: Jack Shaw, Mike Shaw, Jacob Morrell Photo by Valheria Rocha.
What music were you listening to when you decided to form a band? Do you think this was/is different than what others your age listen to?
We were listening to a whole bunch of stuff ranging from The Stone Roses and Pavement to Frank Sinatra and the Velvet Underground. Most of our classmates at the time were listening to P. Diddy and The Fray, so, yes, there was definitely a big difference. We find a lot more common ground with people our age now, though.
How would you describe your music to the curious?
Scott Walker making love with Joy Division.
Is this your first major tour? How's life on the road? Is it what you expected?
We've done a few seasonal legs of touring before, but this is our first time being out on the road for months at a time. We're having a blast and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
Since the end of October, you've played Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Boston. How are you being received? Are the crowds different than in Atlanta?
We've been met with great reception. The crowds all over really dig what we're doing and dance a lot, especially to our newer songs. Some of the crowds are a little different from Atlanta in their own ways. All of them, regardless of the city, are on the younger side. We've enjoyed every city, but New Orleans and Boston are definitely among our favorites.
The Head could very well be the next Atlanta band to enjoy serious national attention for years to come. Do you have any favorite local acts?
Yeah, we really love what Tedo Stone and Sydney Eloise & The Palms are doing. We also really dig Chelsea Shag. All of those guys put on great live shows. There are, of course, several other local bands we respect. The list can go on.
The Head play the Drunken Unicorn on Sat. Nov. 28. Check out three tracks from MILLIPEDE here.
Category: Kool Kat of the Week | Tags: Atlanta, Chelsea Shag, Drunken Unicorn, Echo and the Bunnymen, EP, Frank Sinatra, Geoff Slade, Jack Shaw, Jacob Morrell, Jody Stephens, John Vanderslice, joy division, Kool Kat of the Week, Mike Shaw, Millipedes, Mitch Easter, Pavement, REM, Scott Walker, Sydney Eloise & the Palms, Tedo Stone, The Head, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Tour, Velvet Underground
Kool Kat of the Week: Happy Days, Unhappy Days, Gathering Wild's Jerylann Warner Has a Burning Question About the 1950s and She Is Answering It with Dance
Posted on: Jan 22nd, 2014 By: Anya99
Jerylann Warner goes back to CIRCA 50. Photo credit: Bubba Carr.
The Gathering Wild Dance Company is transporting audiences back to CIRCA 50 this weekend Jan 24 and 25 at the 14th Street Playhouse, but their interpretation of the era of HAPPY DAYS isn't just sock-hops, poodle skirts and perfectly trimmed lawns. Under the cheoreographic guidance of Art Director Jerylann Warner, the 14-member ensemble will "shine a light on oppressed emotions seething below the surface," including race, censorship, the role of women in a patriarchal world and living the American Dream consumed by consumerism.
If those themes sounds heavy, Jerylann promises they are tackled with plenty of empathy, as well as a joyous soundtrack which includes classics from the decade that gave birth to rock n roll. ATLRetro decided to make Jerylann Kool Kat of the Week to find out more about one of Atlanta's most innovative dance companies and their unique take on the 1950s.
ATLRetro: What inspired you to explore the 1950s through dance? Is there a personal connection, a personal fascination?
Jerylann Warner: I was inspired to create something that came from a memory. I was born in the '50s, all be it later in the decade, but I recall with reverence how people gathered in the streets at sunset in the summer, how radios and fireflies and Catholic widows exchanged laughter and food. But that is not in and of itself compelling enough, it has been a burning question for me: who would I have been in the midst of civil rights? Would I have stood up for what was in my heart? What would have been in my heart? What if I lived in the south, or if I was a young mother or if I was like so many women, dependent on a spouse??? I want to know if what I feel with such stinging clarity now would have surfaced for me then? I am intrigued by the sacrifices that protest entails, and I am so deeply in love with being human.
This isn't just about 50s pop culture and the birth of rock n roll, though. You're going underneath the outer veneer of the '50s as an idyllic American time. Can you talk about that why you decided an American housewife should be the narrator?
The housewife wears a beautiful red dress, and her role has been created by actress Amber Bradshaw, who joined me as a creator several months into the process. My first thought was "Ah she is the circulatory system." Amber later helped clarify the housewife as a narrator, serving as a lens for the audience to see into the aspects of the decade that we have embraced. I can relate to her archetype. She was a natural for me to adapt into the dynamics of conformity and sexism.
The '50s was a key time in the history of jazz, an American art form enjoyed by whites but for which many of the most innovative composers and performers were black. Can you tell us a little bit about the segment, "Peace Piece," which is inspired by music with the same name by jazz legend Bill Evans and his trio.
I was entirely blessed to have studied vernacular jazz dance and rhythm tap with Brenda Bufalino. This makes me no stranger to the force of jazz, the complexity and brilliance of improvisation. I choose "Pierce Piece," a seminal improvised piano solo because it is beautiful and because I adore it and because jazz is a diffusing racial alchemy.It is a universal collective of voices and responses.
Amber Bradshaw narrates Circa 50 by Gathering Wild dance company. Photo credit: Bubba Carr.
What are some of the 50s classic songs you decided to include and why?
It is fair to give you this synopsis. Chuck Berry was urged to do better and invented the alter ego Johnny B. Goode; he lived on Goode Street. Johnny Cash was a poet for the striving. Pasty Cline aroused everyone, and that was okay. Elvis was a very complex man and truly an original. I will refer to him often. Anytime I sense reluctance of expression in my students. Do not edit yourself, not yet. That's what I say.
Circa 50 features some original musical pieces, too. I'm particularly intrigued by the innovative kitchen soundtrack in the Print Ads scene.
The original score is played live by the amazing Colin Agnew. He will play domestic appliances and kitchen utensils. I am sure I do not have to tell you why.
How about the segment around Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight?"
Thanks to my dad Joe, Frank Sinatra is my wheel house. I made this duet for two women. We have so much more work to do in our ongoing civil rights movement. Frank's romantic overtures belong to every couple.
Gathering Wild dancers in CIRCA 50. Photo credit: Bubba Carr.
Do you use any '50s movie imagery or icons, i.e. Marilyn Monroe or James Dean? If no, why not?
I have not floated imagery in of James Dean or of Marilyn. Instead I have gravitated toward the iconic musicians in my interpretation of their impact, the way the music makes me feel, and in research I conducted.
Is there anything else you'd like to tell ATLRetro readers about CIRCA 50 or Gathering Wild dance company?
Gathering Wild is known for its way of motioning audiences to look at things, like a gentle tap tap, hey, look at this, look at this marvelous, beautiful aspect of life [or] look at this bravado, this influence, this delightful presence that is real and powerful and of our creation. And particular to Circa 50, look at this suffering and triumph.
What's next for you and Gathering Wild?
Next for Gathering Wild is a theme-free show. They are so very compelling, but I am ready to work with my beautiful, talented dancers in a very "other" kind of way. Just us, just us in the studio sourcing movement and building an arch, a passage, a tunnel to the deeper feelings of why we love to dance.
Tickets on sale through the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office.
Category: Kool Kat of the Week | Tags: 14th street playhouse, 1950s, amber bradshaw, bill evans, brenda bufalino, Chuck Berry, Circa 50, Civil Rights Movement, colin agnew, dance, Elvis, Fifties, Frank Sinatra, Gathering Wild, goode street, jerylann warner, johnny b goode, Johnny Cash, Kool Kat, Kool Kat of the Week, Patsy Cline
A Feast Fit for a King: Chef Val Domingo Cooks Up an Elvis Beer Dinner at Meehan's Public House Thurs. Jan. 26!
Posted on: Jan 23rd, 2012 By: Anya99
Elvis Presley's birthday was Jan.8, but Meehan's Public Housein Sandy Springs isn't done celebrating. In fact, Chef Val Domingo is preparing a feast fit for a king this Thurs. Jan. 26. His Elvis Beer Dinner features a delicious four-course menu for just $47 (beer included) themed around the rock star's music, movies and favorite foods, paired with a selection of Belgian-style brews by Ommegang Beer, a Cooperstown, NY microbrewery, and nationally known tribute band, Young Elvis and the Blue Suedes. ATLRetro caught up with Chef Val to find out what's cooking, why Ommegang, how he got the ideas for rock star/music-themed dinners which have become a regular feature at Meehans, and what's next on the music menu…
ATLRetro: How did you get the idea for rock star/music-themed dinners?
Chef Val Domingo: I first got the idea when I was the chef at Coastal Kitchen in St. Simons Island. During the off-season, we were trying to think of ideas outside the box to generate income. In my career, I've always thought of music and the culinary arts as being very similar. In music, there are different notes, tones and instruments that when they complement each other, produce a harmonious sound. Similarly, in food, we have different ingredients that have different flavors and textures that when cooked in a certain way produces a unique and pleasing complement to your taste buds.
What's on the menu for the Elvis Beer Dinner?
First course – Louisiana crab cakes infused with andouille sausage, and served with crawfish gumbo. Second course – sesame-crusted Ahi tuna with rocquet greens, candied macadamia nuts, red curry pineapple vinaigrette, avocado and mandarin oranges. Third – hickory-smoked Memphis ribs, dark chocolate bbq, smoked bacon and potato gallete, grilled asparagus. Fourth course – banana bread French toast with house-made honey-roasted peanut butter ice cream
How did you decide what to serve to honor the King of Rock n Roll? Did you look to his music for inspiration or more to the foods he enjoyed?
I used his music, his background of where he grew up and lived, his acting career, and reviewed some of his favorite foods. For example, the first course is from the song and movie, KING CREOLE, second course is from his album, BLUE HAWAII, third course is from his album, FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS, plus the fact that he lived in Memphis, [and the] fourth course is a version of one of his favorite sandwiches, peanut butter and banana.
Executive Chef Val Domingo. Photo courtesy of Meehan's Public House.
What one dish do you think he'd especially enjoy and why?
The dessert course, "21st century peanut butter and bananas" because just like a creative musician, I think he'd appreciate my creativity in bringing a different twist with the banana bread French toast and homemade honey-roasted peanut butter ice cream.
Can you tell us a little bit about Ommegang Beer, and how it compliments the food pairings?
Ommegang brewery is the first farmstead brewery built in the USA in over a century. It is located in Cooperstown, NY. I chose this high-gravity brewery because of its uniqueness, just like how Elvis was a unique artist during that time. For example, the Three Philosophers that I am pairing with my dessert course is quadruple ale blended with Kriek, a fermented cherry beer in Belgium, that complements the dessert with some bittersweet chocolate tones and the hint of cherries. Another beer that I'm using is Ommegang Hennepin that pairs extremely well with shellfish. It is one of the few beers that is aged in a cave 45 minutes from Cooperstown, 40 meters below the ground in at a temperature of 52 degrees. I am pairing my Louisiana crab cakes with that beer. I believe beer is the best palate cleanser due to the carbonation in the beer cleansing your palate from what you just ate.
What else will be going on in addition to dining and drinks?
We have an Elvis tribute band, Young Elvis and the Blue Suedes, which is a national act that is endorsed by Elvis' stepbrothers. They are different from other Elvis tribute bands because they actually use the vintage instruments in their performances.
How often do you schedule music dinners, and what other rock/music stars have you developed menus around?
We do these music themed dinners on Thursdays, for the most part. I chose Thursdays because [it's] a preview to the weekend. Other dinners I have done in the past include The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Dave Matthews, Ray Charles, Pink Floyd.
Which was your favorite, and who was the most challenging? Why?
Most challenging – Pink Floyd because at the time, we had the biggest attendance, and for my entree course I had to make as part of my entree, Yorkshire pudding, for 55 guests. Yorkshire pudding, if you haven't made it before, can be tricky, and you can't really prep that too far ahead of time. My favorite is a tie between Ray Charles and Johnny Cash. I'm a huge fan of both. With Ray Charles, I prepared the menu with his ties towards Georgia, using all local produce and ingredients native to the state. Johnny Cash was my first music dinner at Meehans Public House, Sandy Springs. All the food was perfectly executed, and we had a great turn-out at 47 guests. It was so successful that we are now partnering up with the Atlanta Ballet in March to do the dinner once again, during their THE MAN IN BLACK performance.
What's and when is your next music dinner? And can you give us a taste of what'll be on that menu yet?
Our next music dinner will be a New Orleans Mardi Gras dinner that will be held in late February. The music will be jazz tunes. My entree for that dinner will be a cast iron blackened catfish, andouille sausage red beans and rice, shrimp etoufee. My dessert will be sweet potato beignets with house-made butter pecan ice cream.
For more information and reservations, call 404-843-8058 or visit www.meehanssandysprings.com. Meehan's Public House is located at 227 Sandy Springs Place Atlanta, Ga. 30328.
Category: Tis the Season To Be..., Wednesday Happy Hour & Supper Club | Tags: Atlanta Ballet, banana, Beatles, Blue Hawaii, Chef Val Domingo, Coastal Kitchen, Dave Matthews, Elvis Beer Dinner, Elvis in Memphis, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Hennepin, Irish pubs, jazz dinner, Johnny Cash, King Creole, Kriek, Man in Black, Mardi Gras, Meehans Public House, New Orleans, Ommegang beer, peanut butter, Pink Floyd, Ray Charles, rock star dinner, sandy springs, Three Philosophers, Yorkshire pudding, Young Elvis and the Blue Suedes
Kool Kat of the Week: A Jazz Interlude With Kayla Taylor: Why She Loves '30s/'40s Classics, the Unsurprising Success of Her New CD and the Pleasures of Playing the Vintage Artmore Hotel This Friday
Atlantans who love classic jazz won't be surprised to hear that Kayla Taylor's new and sixth CD YOU"D BE SURPRISED hit #23 on the CMJ Jazz charts this week and is receiving airplay across the nation and throughout Europe. Instead, we're liable to say it's delovely and just one of those things that had to happen. But then local audiences have had the treat of listening to this Atlanta native and chanteuse extraordinaire resurrect top tunes from the '30s, '40s and '50s live for a decade or more with musical partner/guitarist Steve Moore. And because this Friday night, Kayla will be performing at one of Atlanta's coolest vintage venues, the courtyard of the Artmore Hotel in Midtown whose building dates back to 1924, we thought the timing couldn't be more perfect to make her Kool Kat of the Week.
One of those rare actual Atlanta natives, Kayla literally grew up singing, in her school chorus, church choir and in the shower, but winning two awards in a 7th grade talent show cemented her ambition to make music a career. Along the way, she has performed country music, gospel, R&B and classic and original rock 'n' roll until she finally found her heart resided in the golden era of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin—all of whom are represented on YOU'D BE SURPRISED's playlist. ATLRetro caught up with Kayla to find out more about why she decided to embrace one of our favorite musical eras, what she has planned for this Friday night at the Artmore, her new CD, what's next and where you might catch her singing while shopping…
ATLRetro: According to your bio, you always sang even as a little girl, and through the years, in addition to jazz, you've performed country, gospel, R&B and rock n roll, too. How did you come to embrace vintage jazz?
Kayla Taylor: I have always loved vintage jazz. The charm and romance of the '30s and '40s was something that always attracted me. I love how clever the lyrics are. When I was a kid, I watched a lot of old movies that were filmed and set during that time period and found all of it to be a natural embrace. Then in the mid-'80s, Linda Ronstadt—one of my rock heroes—came out with her Big Band albums with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra and the romance started all over again.
Photo credit: John Lee Matney.
I understand that your earliest award was for singing Irene Cara's "Out Here on My Own" from FAME? What's the story and how big an early influence on you was the movie, FAME?
I wouldn't say that FAME had a big influence on me, but the music and Irene Cara's voice definitely did. I loved the pure emotion that was in her voice when she sang "Out Here On My Own." The school talent show was coming up, and so I decided that I'd sing that song. I practiced for weeks in my room with the door closed. I must have played that record hundreds of times. My parents had no idea. I wasn't trying to win—I just wanted to sing in front of all those people. I was also in a girls' trio that performed "Sincerely"— a tune from the '50s. Well, the trio took 1st place, and I took 2nd place. I was so thrilled and excited. My parents had always been supportive of whatever I wanted to try, but at that point, they jumped completely onboard with my singing adventures.
Who are some of your favorite classic jazz composers and performers, and why do you think their music remains so timeless and relevant today?
Cole Porter, The Gershwins, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer . . . there are so many amazing composers from that era that I adore, but these are just a few of my top picks. As far as performers, Julie London, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Etta James, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. I think the music is so well-crafted that it can't help but remain timeless and relevant. Most of the songs are about love or the loss of love—that will always be timeless and relevant.
How did you meet Steve Moore and end up working together?
Great Story! Steve Moore was in a rock band called A Fine Line—an original rock project. They ran an ad in the Creative Loafing looking for a female vocalist. (That's what you did 19 years ago—you ran an ad in a printed publication if you were looking for a musician.) I called about the position. They sent me a demo of some of their tunes, and I thought they were really cool, so I learned them and showed up at the audition. Later that night, Steve Moore was the one who called me to tell me I had gotten the job. That was the beginning of an amazing relationship as friends, co-writers and business partners. We went through several original rock projects together (A Fine Line, OneWithout) and even an acoustic duo (The Adventures of Kayla & Steve). One day we were talking about all these great jazz standards that we both loved and how much we would both love to play that music one day and to have our own jazz combo. Five minutes later we had made a decision to start working towards that direction. That was over 10 years ago, and we've been at it ever since.
Kayla Taylor and Steve Moore. Photo credit: John Lee Matney.
Can you tell us a bit about YOU'D BE SURPRISED came together, and what it means to you that it's doing so well?
To say we are excited is an understatement. OVER THE MOON with excitement might scratch the surface. All of this came about because we hired an expert to handle it for us. We're indy artists—SmartyKat Records—that's our own label. We don't have the connections personally to make this kind of airplay and exposure happen, so we hired Kari Gaffney and Jeff Williams of Kari-On Productions to handle all of it for us. Kari has over 21 years experience promoting and marketing CDs to radio and print media. I have never seen anyone work as hard as she has been working. I don't know when she even has time to sleep. She's done a fabulous job for us.
What's your favorite song on the CD to perform and why?
WOW. To pick one tune—that's tough because I love every song that's on the CD. It's like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. If I have to pick one, though, I'd have to say the title track—"You'd Be Suprised." What I love about that song are the great lyrics. They are so clever!!! I love the Marilyn Monroe version.
The Jazz in the Courtyard series at the Artmore, where the building dates back to 1924, promises an urban escape with "sultry music, sexy vibes and sinful drinks." And the signature cocktail is "The Prohibition." Can we surmise that the goal is to create a speakeasy atmosphere, and will you be tossing some Roaring '20s tunes into the mix?
Artmore is a great hotel, and the courtyard is a beautiful venue. We have a great time playing there and love that they have embraced our music. We'll still be hanging out in the '30s and '40s era but love that they have created a speakeasy feel—with a modern twist. All concerts take place in the courtyard, and there is a fabulous firepit and heaters to keep everything warm. If it should rain or turn freezing cold—we'll move the show into their basement speakeasy lounge. I think we might be good to have this final concert of the season out in the courtyard, though.
Anything else you'd like to share about Friday's gig at the Artmore?
Reservations are not required, but if you want to reserve a seat, you can email them at sales@artmorehotel.com. Come prepared to have a great time. I have a retro-styled microphone that is wireless so I can move all over the courtyard, and I love to come by and sing to anyone who seems like they might be receptive. Trust me, though—if it's clear you're there with a date and you just want to make eyes at each other—I'll stay out of your way.
Where else will you be playing in Atlanta soon, and any plans for a tour to promote YOU'D BE SURPRISED?
Our next big show will be at Feast in Decatur on Saturday, December 3. This will be a great show because it's the beginning of the holiday & Christmas season, and we'll have some of the great jazzy Christmas tunes from the era to throw into the mix. This show generally sells out, so it's a really good idea to call them to make a reservation. We play from 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. with the five-piece combo. The food at Feast is fantastic and we always have a great time. [Call] 404.370.2000 – for reservations. As far as a tour to promote YOU'D BE SURPRISED—definitely something we are thinking long and hard about we just have to make the numbers work out.
Do you really burst into song at the grocery store? If yes, where do you shop?
Not every time I'm in the grocery store, but yes, I have been known to burst into song in the middle of a shopping excursion. My sweet husband, Scott, has been so good about dealing with those moments and I know they have been embarrassing—but sometimes a song just wells up inside and I have to blurt it out. For the record, my favorite place to shop locally is Publix—the stores are smaller and easier to navigate and everyone is super-friendly. If I'm going to travel away from my neighborhood to shop, you'll find me at Whole Foods.
Finally, we've got to ask. What would we be most surprised to know about you?
Two things: first, I am an avid gardener. I love digging holes and putting plants in them and then nurturing them and watching them grow. It fascinates me! The next thing . . . I actually suffer from stage fright on occasion. It's true.
Category: Kool Kat of the Week | Tags: '20s, '30s, '40s, A Fine Line, Adventures of Kayla & Steve, Artmore Hotel, Big Band, Christmas, classic jazz, cocktails, Cole Porter, Creative Loafing, Dean Martin, Decatur, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Fame, Feast, Frank Sinatra, gardening, George Gershwin, Irene Cara, Irving Berlin, jazz, jazz combo, Jazz in the Courtyard, Jeff Williams, Johnny Mercer, Julie London, Kari Gaffney, Kari-On Productions, Kayla Taylor, Kool Kat of the Week, Linda Ronstadt, Marilyn Monroe, Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Nina Simone, OneWithout, Out Here On My Own, Peggy Lee, Prohibition, Publix, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sincerely, SmartyKat Records, speakeasy, Steve Moore, swing, vintage jazz, Whole Foods, You'd be Surprised
Subscribe to ATLRetro
Atlanta Film Guide Daily
ATLBoy.com
Coffee Shop of Horrors
Etsy Coupon Codes
Plaza Theatre
Southern Fried Burlesque Fest
Wrestling With Pop Culture
© 2020 ATLRetro. All Rights Reserved. This blog is powered by Wordpress


text:
Focus on cataloguing: an interesting artefact
Part of a Collections Assistant's work in the Museum's History Department is to fully catalogue artefacts which have been acquired for the permanent collections.
This involves assigning a unique museum number to the object, writing a description, explaining how it was used and by whom, and researching how it relates to Manitoba's history. When researching artefacts, the Museum has an excellent Reference Library, where staff can check out books related to many historical topics; the internet is also a valuable resource. The information gathered is entered into an in-house collections management database, and the artefact is also photographed before being placed in a storage room or on exhibit.
One interesting and unusual object in the collection is a 1950s Hedgehog Doll, named Mecki, manufactured by the Steiff company. The doll has a pressed rubber head in the image of a hedgehog, painted eyes and nose, and mohair fabric hair and chest. The jointed body is stuffed with straw, which makes it quite different from other dolls and toys in the collection.
Purchased by the donor in Germany in 1952, this is the father doll in a family of four, the others being Micki (mother), Macki (girl) and Mucki (boy). As Mecki was the only doll from this family to be donated, the Museum is on the lookout to find the remaining family members to complete the set.
In 1936, Ferdinand Dichl made a full-length animated film entitled, "The Race between the Hare and the Hedgehog", using bendable figures. In 1951, Dichl Films sold the copyright to the West German magazine Horzu for the immensely popular characters to be made into a comic strip.
At the same time, the Steiff company bought the rights to make the hedgehog characters into toys. The Steiff company was established by Margarete Steiff and her brother, Fritz, in the late 1800s. They produced a line of toys, including felt or plush animals, teddy bears, gnomes, and Kewpie dolls. The company is now the largest manufacturer of soft toys in Germany, and one of the most recognized brands of toys in the world. Each of their animal toys has a trademark metal button inside the ear, which is used to distinguish Steiff toys from fakes. The Museum has one other Steiff toy in the history collection, which is a pull-along teddy bear on wheels dating to the early 1900s.
There are many interesting objects in the collection which have not yet been exhibited, but Collections Assistants attempt to provide as much information as possible for Curators and researchers, so that the history of the objects is documented for future use in exhibits, publications, etc. Sometimes the research process can be frustrating when there's a lack of information on the objects, but that's one of the challenges of cataloguing museum artefacts, which makes the job all the more interesting. –Ann Hindley, Collections Assistant
Mecki, the father hedgehog doll
« Capturing a Celestial Dance
John Halkett, William Kempt, & the Red River Settlement »


Find the perfect brown pintail stock photo. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. No need to register, buy now! Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images.... Habitat. Northern Pintails breed in seasonal wetlands, open areas with short vegetation, wet meadows, grasslands, and crop fields. During the nonbreeding season they use flooded and dry agricultural fields, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, saltmarshes, freshwater and brackish wetlands, and bays.
A classic study in symmetry, this pintail duck trivet is perfect as a trivet. It is cast in solid brass to protect your tables and... sideboards from stains and heat.... Duck Taxidermy Classes on Video Duck Taxidermy Video: 2-Hour Duck Taxidermy Class teaches how to mount a flying mallard duck from start to finish. The same techniques can be used on other ducks like pintail or woodducks.
Appearance: - The White-cheeked Pintail has a brown crown and nape with white cheeks, and throat, blue-grey beak with red at its base, dark brown upper-parts, whitish pointed tail, under-parts are lighter brown with black spots on the breast and belly. Eyes are brown and legs are dark grey. The female is very similar but has duller beak and... One of the many roast duck recipes that we eat every season. Roast Duck Recipe. This recipe works great for all ducks but mallard, pintail, wood ducks and teal are preferred.
Duck Taxidermy Classes on Video Duck Taxidermy Video: 2-Hour Duck Taxidermy Class teaches how to mount a flying mallard duck from start to finish. The same techniques can be used on other ducks like pintail or woodducks.
This 24 ounce glass decanter is embellished with a fine pewter casting. Be sure to match it with some of our Double Old Fashioned glasses.Heritage Pewter has been hand-crafting fine pewter gifts since 1988.
Progress is also being made in conserving crucial pintail habitats through the work of Ducks Unlimited's affiliates in the United States, Canada, and Mexico as well as a host of state, provincial, federal, and private conservation partners under the banner of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
Habitat. Northern Pintails breed in seasonal wetlands, open areas with short vegetation, wet meadows, grasslands, and crop fields. During the nonbreeding season they use flooded and dry agricultural fields, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, saltmarshes, freshwater and brackish wetlands, and bays.
Find the perfect brown pintail stock photo. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. No need to register, buy now! Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images.


text:
Горобе́ць польови́й (Passer montanus) — широко розповсюджений вид птахів родини горобцевих. Близький родич мешканця міст хатнього горобця, але в меншій мірі залежний від людини. Зустрічається на околицях населених пунктів, в покинутих селищах і поблизу від посівів зернових культур, садів і виноградників. У дикій природі поширений у світлих лісах, чагарниках і степу. Дещо менший за хатнього горобця, відрізняється від нього в першу чергу коричневим капелюшком на голові, виразними чорними плямами на білих щоках, значно меншим за розміром чорним «нагрудником» на горлі і комірцем білого пір'я з боків шиї.

На природоохоронний територіях поширений у національному парку «Кременецькі гори».

Зграйний птах, веде осілий або мандрівний спосіб життя. Ніколи не зустрічається на одному клаптику землі з більш забіякуватим хатнім горобцем, з яким конкурує. У місцях, де популяції обох видів перетинаються, польовий і хатній горобці тримаються порізно, хоч і по сусідству. Початково євразійський вид; був інтродукований в Північну Америку, Австралію і деякі острови Тихого океану. Гніздиться в дуплах дерев, старих норах птахів і ссавців, у населених пунктах під дахами будинків. Охоче займає дуплянки. Харчується рослинною і тваринною їжею. Звичайний, місцями численний вид.

Опис

Дрібний, витончений горобець. Довжина тіла 12,5 — 14 см. Має зовнішню схожість з самцем хатнього горобця, з яким його поєднують буро-руда спина з широкими чорними смужками, білувате черево, чорні горло і вуздечка, а також біла смуга на крилі. Верх голови і потилиця каштанового кольору, щоки білі з виразною чорною плямою на криючих вухах. Передня частина шиї («нагрудник») теж чорний, проте на відміну від хатнього горобця пляма не така велика і не захоплює груди. Поперек і надхвістя вохристо-бурі. Крила темно-бурі з двома тонкими білими смужками на криючих (у будинкового горобця смуга одна). Черево сірувато-біле. Дзьоб влітку грифельно-сірий, взимку темніє і стає майже чорним. Райдужна оболонка кара.

Збоку зграйку польових горобців можна визначити по монотонності забарвлення, на відміну від добре вираженого статевого диморфізму у хатнього горобця самці і самки польового один від одного не відрізняються. Дуже схожі на дорослих і молоді птахи, виділяючись декілька блідішим оперенням і менш вираженим малюнком на голові. Вокалізація — характерне цвірінькання, у порівнянні з домовим горобцем швидше двоскладове, різке і більше гугняве. По землі пересувається стрибками.

Примітки

Джерела
 Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze

Горобцеві
Птахи Африки
Птахи Північної Америки
Птахи Австралії
Птахи України
Птахи, описані 1758
Птахи Німеччини

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Paying particular attention to developing the culture of sales and customer care in the telecommunication sphere in Armenia, VivaCell-MTS has been implementing VivaStart educational program for the third consecutive year. Today just another group of VivaStart graduates received certificates of completion. Four of the participants, who had shown the highest results, Haykuhi Martikyan, Ani Karapetyan, Mariam Hakobyan and Arsen Hayryan got Huawei Honor 7A smartphones along with the certificates.


One of the best ways to stretch your bankroll at an online casino is to take advantage of the many different promotions run by the site. The very best gambling sites out there make sure that you are always presented it the opportunity to make more money, whether through cash back offers, loyalty points and more. In order to enjoy these bonuses, you will generally be required to make a deposit and the casino will see to it that you get all the benefits.
Nobody can deny, however, that the very best type of online casino bonus is one which doesn't require that you make a deposit at the site. These no deposit casino bonuses are becoming more and more common in the world of online gambling as sites look for ways to attract players and reward them well.
If you come across an online casino which offers a no deposit bonus, it's certainly worth a second look. Look out for no deposit casino coupon codes to begin playing at the casino without any risk to own bankroll. All you need to do is register an account at the site (without having to actually make a deposit) and then enter the no deposit casino coupon code when prompted to do so. You'll then be credited with free cash or credits, depending on the type of no deposit bonus.
Some online casinos will deposit free cash into your account and let you know that you have X amount of time to play the games before cashing in your winnings. Some casinos will offer you free spins on a certain slot game or other free perks which are considered valuable. The shared factor between these bonuses is that they don't have a prerequisite that you make a deposit into your account at the casino beforehand.
So what's in it for you when you search out and then subsequently redeem no deposit casino coupon codes? For one, you'll be able to take the site on a type of test-drive to discover all its pros and cons and make a decision regarding whether you are willing to make a real money deposit and start playing (and winning) for cash. The other advantage is that you are under no pressure to spend your hard earned cash, and you can simply cruise the site, picking and choosing the games and enjoying everything that the site has to offer.
Casino La Vida – Microgaming's Casino La Vida makes no pretence over offering players a super, straight forward no deposit bonus and will reward all new players with a $10 no deposit required special when they first register. Calling on players to 'live the good life', Casino La Vida is packed with superb games – over 500 in total – and offers 24/7 multi language support, seamless deposit methods, plenty of other promotions and an excellent gaming experience all-round.
888 Casino – With the backing of one of the biggest names in the online gambling industry, 888 Casino brings players an impeccable gaming environment and new players shouldn't hesitate to search out no deposit casino coupon codes for this site to enjoy the fantastic range of games for free. The casino welcome bonus is also worth mentioning, which doubles the player's first deposit. This fully regulated and licensed site is a firm favorite among players who enjoy a diverse range of games by a very popular name in the business.
All Star Slots – Realtime Gaming online casinos always manage to pack a powerful punch, and All Star Slots is no exception. The online casino offers plenty of incentives to new players, including a no deposit bonus, plus nearly $2K in weekly bonuses and promotions. Over 120 exceptional casino games are offered, from slots to video poker, blackjack and roulette. All Star Slots casino offers 24/7 customer support and easy payment methods with strong emphasis on security and safety.