text:
<?php

namespace Enlighten\Routing;

use Enlighten\Context;
use Enlighten\Http\Request;

/**
 * Represents a route that maps an incoming request to an application code point.
 */
class Route
{
    /**
     * The variable operator used for dependency injection.
     */
    const VARIABLE_SEP = '$';

    /**
     * A subdirectory for this route, effectively a prefix for all patterns we match against.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $subdirectory;

    /**
     * The pattern that the request URI will be matched against.
     * Can contain dynamic variables (indicated by $) that will be injected as dependencies.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $pattern;

    /**
     * The pattern that the request URI will be matched against, converted to Regex string.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $regexPattern;

    /**
     * The target of this route.
     * Can be a string, referring to a function, optionally within a controller, which will be invoked.
     * Can be a callable function, which will be invoked.
     *
     * Target string format: "path\to\class@functionName"
     *
     * @var string|callable
     */
    protected $target;

    /**
     * A collection of constraints this route is subject to.
     * Each constraint is a callable function that should return true or false.
     *
     * @var callable[]
     */
    protected $constraints;

    /**
     * Filter actions for this route.
     *
     * @var Filters
     */
    protected $filters;

    /**
     * Constructs a new Route configuration.
     *
     * @param string $pattern
     * @param mixed $target
     */
    public function __construct($pattern, $target)
    {
        $this->pattern = $pattern;
        $this->regexPattern = $this->formatRegex($this->pattern);
        $this->target = $target;
        $this->constraints = [];
        $this->filters = new Filters();
    }

    /**
     * Gets the subdirectory prefix for this route.
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getSubdirectory()
    {
        return $this->subdirectory;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the subdirectory prefix for this route.
     *
     * @param string $subdirectory
     * @return $this
     */
    public function setSubdirectory($subdirectory)
    {
        $this->subdirectory = $subdirectory;
        $this->regexPattern = $this->formatRegex($subdirectory . $this->pattern);
        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * Returns the target for this route.
     *
     * @return callable|string
     */
    public function getTarget()
    {
        return $this->target;
    }

    /**
     * Registers a new constraint to this route.
     * A constraint should be a callable function, which will be invoked with the Request as parameter.
     *
     * @param callable $constraint
     */
    public function addConstraint(callable $constraint)
    {
        $this->constraints[] = $constraint;
    }

    /**
     * Sets a list of acceptable HTTP method for this route to match.
     *
     * @param array $acceptableMethods
     */
    public function setAcceptableMethods(array $acceptableMethods)
    {
        $this->addConstraint(function (Request $request) use ($acceptableMethods) {
            return in_array($request->getMethod(), $acceptableMethods);
        });
    }

    /**
     * Takes user pattern input and converts it to a properly formatted Regex pattern for matching against.
     *
     * @param string $pattern
     * @return string
     */
    private function formatRegex($pattern)
    {
        $parts = explode('/', $pattern);
        $formattedRegex = '';

        for ($i = 0; $i < count($parts); $i++) {
            if ($i > 0) {
                $formattedRegex .= "\/";
            }

            $part = $parts[$i];

            if (!empty($part) && $part[0] === self::VARIABLE_SEP) {
                $formattedRegex .= "[^\/]{1,}";
            } else {
                $formattedRegex .= $part;
            }
        }

        return '/^' . $formattedRegex . '$/';
    }

    /**
     * Maps the dynamic path variables in the path mask to the user input provided by a http request.
     * This function should only be launched if matches() returns true, otherwise results are unpredictable.
     *
     * @param Request $request
     * @return array
     */
    public function mapPathVariables(Request $request)
    {
        $inputParts = explode('/', $request->getRequestUri());
        $variableKeys = preg_grep('/^\$.+/', explode('/', $this->pattern));

        $params = array();

        foreach ($variableKeys as $key => $value) {
            $params[substr($value, 1)] = $inputParts[$key];
        }

        return $params;
    }

    /**
     * Returns whether the Route target is callable or not.
     *
     * @return bool
     */
    public function isCallable()
    {
        return is_callable($this->target);
    }

    /**
     * Matches a route against a request, and returns whether it is a good match or not.
     * This function result only implies a match and does not consider the importance / weight of a given route.
     *
     * @param Request $request
     * @return bool
     */
    public function matches(Request $request)
    {
        if (preg_match($this->regexPattern, $request->getRequestUri()) <= 0) {
            return false;
        }

        foreach ($this->constraints as $constraint) {
            if (!$constraint($request)) {
                return false;
            }
        }

        return true;
    }

    /**
     * Adds a filter action that should be executed after this route's action completes.
     *
     * @param callable $filter
     * @return $this
     */
    public function after(callable $filter)
    {
        $this->filters->register(Filters::AFTER_ROUTE, $filter);
        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * Adds a filter action that should be executed before this route's action starts.
     *
     * @param callable $filter
     * @return $this
     */
    public function before(callable $filter)
    {
        $this->filters->register(Filters::BEFORE_ROUTE, $filter);
        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * Adds a filter action that should be executed when an exception occurs in this route's action.
     *
     * @param callable $filter
     * @return $this
     */
    public function onException(callable $filter)
    {
        $this->filters->register(Filters::ON_EXCEPTION, $filter);
        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * Executes this route's action.
     *
     * @param Context $context
     * @throws RoutingException For unsupported or invalid action configurations.
     * @throws \Exception If an Exception is raised during the route's action, and no onException filter is registered, the Exception will be rethrown here.
     * @return mixed
     */
    public function action(Context $context = null)
    {
        $targetFunc = null;

        // Determine target function
        if ($this->isCallable()) {
            $targetFunc = $this->getTarget();
        } else {
            $targetFunc = $this->loadController();
        }

        // Perform dependency injection for the target function based on the Context
        $params = [];

        if (!empty($context)) {
            $params = $context->determineParamValues($targetFunc);
        }

        // Invoke the specified controller function or the specified callable with the appropriate params
        $this->filters->trigger(Filters::BEFORE_ROUTE, $context);

        $retVal = null;

        try {
            $retVal = call_user_func_array($targetFunc, $params);
        } catch (\Exception $ex) {
            $context->registerInstance($ex);

            if (!$this->filters->trigger(Filters::ON_EXCEPTION, $context)) {
                // If this exception was unhandled, rethrow it so it can be handled in the global scope
                throw $ex;
            }
        }

        $this->filters->trigger(Filters::AFTER_ROUTE, $context);
        return $retVal;
    }

    /**
     * Attempts to translate this route's target to a function within a controller class.
     *
     * @return array
     * @throws RoutingException
     */
    private function loadController()
    {
        $targetParts = explode('@', strval($this->getTarget()), 2);
        $targetClass = $targetParts[0];
        $targetFuncName = count($targetParts) > 1 ? $targetParts[1] : 'action';

        if (!class_exists($targetClass, true)) {
            throw new RoutingException('Could not locate class: ' . $targetClass);
        }

        $classObj = null;

        try {
            $classObj = new $targetClass();
        } catch (\Exception $ex) {
            throw new RoutingException('Exception thrown when calling default constructor on ' . $targetClass, 0, $ex);
        }

        $targetFunc = [$classObj, $targetFuncName];

        if (!is_callable($targetFunc)) {
            throw new RoutingException('Route target function is not callable: ' . $this->getTarget());
        }

        return $targetFunc;
    }
}


Monument Valley Tour From The Grand Canyon 1 $495.00 The only flight from the Grand Canyon all the way to Monument Valley! Off road tour at Monument Valley led by Navajo Indian.
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text:
DIU, U.S. Army Partner on Software Prototypes for Ground Autonomy
December 7, 2022 • By Government Fleet Staff • Bookmark +
The Ground Vehicle Autonomous Pathways (GVAP) project will prototype software for the navigation of uncrewed vehicles.
Photo: Defense Innovation Unit
The U.S. Army has partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype a software as well as a process to adapt uncrewed vehicle technology for military operations.
The Ground Vehicle Autonomous Pathways project will prototype software for the navigation of uncrewed vehicles by combining data from multiple sensors and allow for teleoperations of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV). The project will also provide a technical pipeline to continue development and deployment of autonomous features as they become commercially-available.
"There has been a revolution in the techniques and capabilities of uncrewed ground vehicles occuring in the private sector over the past two decades," said Dr. Kevin O'Brien, Technical Director for DIU's Autonomy Portfolio. "We're eager to bring these matured technologies back into the Department of Defense, where initial work was inspired by the DARPA Grand Challenges."
DIU received 33 responses to the Ground Vehicle Autonomous Pathways solicitation. A panel of DoD subject matter experts facilitated a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) down-select process, resulting in the selection of two vendors for this effort: Applied Intuition Inc. and Kodiak Robotics.
"The DIU CSO process brought new vendors, with significant development and testing experience, to raise the floor on autonomy in the DoD," said Lieutenant Colonel Chris Orlowski, the Product Manager for the U.S. Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program. "The commercial sector has invested heavily in this technology, and we are excited to see this in action by leveraging the self-driving technology that is working on American highways today.."
The integration of a software suite will enable a technical pipeline to continue development and deployment of autonomous features as they become available by industry.
Want to read more on autonomous technology? Click here.
Read more about U.S. Army Autonomous Technology partnerships

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
CR7 'offered' to LaLiga club before Utd
Sep 21, 2021 - 04:16 pm By Lukhanyo Mtuta
Before his sensational return to Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly "offered" to one of the biggest clubs in LaLiga by his agent Jorge Mendes.
According to Carrusel Deportivo, Real Madrid's record goalscorer Roanldo was offered to Spanish top-flight champions Atletico Madrid by his agent during the last month of the latest transfer window.
It is claimed the Atleti was informed by Mendes that they needed to begin talks for the player before 15 August if they were interested in securing his signature.
Scroll through the gallery below to see 12 stars who returned to their former teams
However, it is said that, at that point, the transfer would have been complex for various reasons, and the Spanish side would perhaps have struggled to afford Ronaldo's steep salary.
It is also believed that Juventus were still hopeful of holding on to the player at this point in time.
In the final week leading up to deadline day, though, the Portugal captain informed returning Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri that he had "no intention" of continuing his stay in Turin, and he was subsequently dropped for the Bianconeri's game against Empoli, per Sky Sports.
Read: Ronaldo scammed R5m by travel agent
At this point, it became clear that Ronaldo was really on the move, and it is understood that he was then offered to Manchester City before being snapped up by the Red Devils.
While Diego Simeone's side could not reach an agreement to sign the then-Juve striker, they managed to bring in Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona on deadline day, with Saul Niguez departing Los Rojiblancos for Chelsea on loan in the final minutes of the window.
Do you know who the 10 highest-paid players in the Premier League are? Have a look:
Real 'line up' five defensive options
Ex-Real star in Qatar after being frozen out?
EPL refs 'admit' Ronaldo penalty error


It seems that what they say is true...the best things in life really are free. They're also at TweakTown Deals, where we're giving away an Apple gadget to one lucky winner.
If you win, you can take your pick of any Apple gadget retailing for up to $700. That means awesome toys like the Apple Watch, iPad Air, iPhone 6, and Apple TV are all up for grabs. The choice is all yours. Upgrade your phone and use the iPhone 6's iSight camera to snap your victory selfie. Choose the Apple Watch and then use it to track how many calories your happy dance burns. Or invite your friends over to watch the YouTube video of you unboxing your free Apple TV on your free Apple TV. You get the idea.
Entering is easy-just go to TweakTown Deals, enter your email address, and you're done. Want to boost your odds of winning? Share the giveaway on Twitter and get extra entries whenever a followers enters using your code. You've got until June 17th to get as many entries as you can.
Start practicing your happy dance and enter to win now at TweakTown Deals.


In 2019, it is expected to be the year that most smartphone makers will showcase the first folding devices, and everyone is wondering how to design this particular smartphone, with Lenovo's suggestion being revealed in a short video.
The video reveals a device, possibly in the form of a prototype, which appears to be quite tall, something that sounds normal as it will fold and its size will be reduced to half, with the folding mechanism reminiscent of the one we find in Microsoft Surface Book 2.
The device looks quite original and is something we are not used to, hoping that its design has been improved until it's official release, provided of course it can be mass-produced. We should mention that in 2017 Lenovo showed a demo of Cplus, which was a folding device in the form of an AMOLED bracelet at 4.35 inches.
Lenovo did not rule out the possibility of launching the original Moto RAZR device at the expense of Cplus, bringing memories from the Motorola device, which, according to many consumers, had a revolutionary design when it was released in 2004.


RICHLAND, Wash. – Sandra Haynes, a senior administrator at Metropolitan State University of Denver, is the new chancellor of Washington State University Tri-Cities.
WSU President Kirk Schulz announced Haynes' hiring Monday, Dec. 18. She will begin her duties on March 1.
As chancellor, Haynes will function as the chief executive officer, representing the campus in the community, guiding campus growth and advocating for WSU Tri-Cities within the WSU statewide system of campuses.
Haynes currently is deputy provost and vice president of academic affairs and a professor in the Department of Human Services at MSU Denver. She oversees all academic affairs units. Previously she was dean of the university's College of Professional Studies for 13 years.
Expanding WSU's partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as continuing to ensure access to higher education for residents of eastern Washington, are among the priorities the president has identified for the new chancellor.
Haynes' achievements at Metropolitan State University Denver include identifying alternative sources of funding for the university by creating public-private partnerships and interdisciplinary programs to meet community and workforce needs. She also established best practices for the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty.
Haynes is a licensed psychologist and has authored several articles and book chapters. Her research interests range from topics in neuropsychology to philosophical issues regarding punishment to applied topics in human services and psychology and in higher education. She earned her doctorate and master's degrees in experimental neuropsychology at Colorado State University, where she also competed a bachelor's degree in psychology.
Haynes was one of four finalists for the chancellorship following a nationwide search. The finalists recently visited the WSU Tri-Cities and Pullman campuses, where they met students, faculty, staff and members of the community. Haynes replaces H. Keith Moo-Young, who served as chancellor for more than four years.
WSU Tri-Cities enrolls 1,937 students, more than 70 percent of whom study STEM-related academic disciplines. The campus offers 20 undergraduate and 33 graduate degrees.
WSU Tri-Cities student body is the most diverse among the university's six campuses, with 38.9 percent of students identifying as minorities. WSU Tri-Cities hosts six university colleges, including Nursing, Medicine, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Agricultural, Human and Natural Sciences, as well as the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The campus is home to the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, a WSU-PNNL managed research and teaching laboratory.
In 2015, the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center, one of the most technologically advanced wine science centers in the world, opened at WSU Tri-Cities.
Construction of on-campus housing recently began and is expected to open next August.
The campus is also home to the region's largest alternative teaching certification program and the Hanford History Project.
Jeffrey Dennison, director of marketing and communication, WSU Tri-Cities, 509-372-7319, jeffrey.dennison@wsu.edu.


text:
Government of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Customer Care Centre
Divisions > Priority Bus Route Unit > Services > Renewal of PBR Private Vehicle Permits
Renewal of PBR Private Vehicle Permits
The Ministry of Works and Transport wishes to advise all holders of Light Motor Vehicle permits that all PBR permits expire at the end of the calendar year. Extensions of PBR permits are occasionally granted based on the approval of the Minister of Works and Transport. All holders of Permits are invited to Stay Connected with the Ministry of Works and Transport's Website and Social Media Platforms for updates, notices and renewal dates.
Address:Ministry of Works and Transport Head OfficeCorner Richmond and London StreetsPort-of-SpainTel: (868) 625-1225Email: [email protected]
Arrive Alive
Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago
International Road Federation
Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government
Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management
The University of Trinidad and Tobago
Connecting People | Connecting Communities | Connecting a Nation | www.mowt.gov.tt
Copyright © 2020 Ministry of Works and Transport, Corner Richmond and London Streets, Port-of-Spain | Republic of Trinidad and Tobago


My Top 5 picks of Where to Eat this Newcastle Restaurant Week!
If there's one thing I shouldn't even be thinking about doing much of this month, it's eating. I'm sure I won't be alone there.
But, alas, the wonderful folk at NE1 make it so damn difficult to maintain a diet in January, with their best and biggest ever Restaurant Week just days away. So what else is a girl supposed to do but plan her attack to ensure a week of culinary nirvana?
Not one to keep things to myself, I was asked by NE1 themselves to share my top 5 picks for the upcoming Newcastle Restaurant Week and because I'm nice like that, I obliged enthusiastically. Any excuse to talk about food, quite frankly.
You what? You've not heard of it?! Well, it's time to get acquainted with Newcastle's first Sichuan concept restaurant. If you're into authentic Chinese food that's so addictive you just need to tell everyone within a 20-metre radius about it, this is your spot.
We visited there recently and enjoyed a range of delicious Sichuan cuisine, ranging from delicious pickled starters, spicy oysters and a boat load of delicious seafood, to Shuei Ju beef with it's addictive Sichuan pepper numbing spice and crunchy Gung Bao Chicken, bursting with fresh veg and nuts.
Everything was spectacularly fresh and tasty, and we can't wait to go back. You can discover more about about my recent visit right here.
La Yuan are offering two courses for £10 or three courses for £15 and with flavours like that – it's a steal!
This place is pretty as a picture inside and is boasting some seriously good Neapolitan pizza to make it the perfect City Centre venue. I visited a couple of weeks after it opened for a team lunch at work, and everything was bloody delicious. They've also just received a glowing 5* review in The Chronicle, adding further to the Central hype around the web right now!
Central Oven and Shaker is part of the Ladhar Leisure Group, the people who've brought our fine city the likes of Lady Grey's, Pleased to Meet You, Hop and Cleaver and the Red House. They seem to be on some sort of unstoppable mission to create hit after hit, and this place is no exception.
Try the Dip 'n' Dough Board (pictured, featuring the best tapenade ever!), the Heat n Meat pizza (also pictured) that's full to the brim with fennel sausage, chicken and bacon, and the obscenely good Central Fries that are piled high with parmesan and truffle shavings.
My advice would be to get your own portion of these, so you're not obligated to share.
In the drinks department, I'm all about the delicious Rosemary and Blood Orange Negroni or the tangy 'Gin & Jam for Breakfast', which is basically like drinking marmalade.
Central Oven and Shaker are offering two hot-n-fresh-out-the-kitchen courses, with a cocktail, for £15.
One place we always endeavour to visit during Newcastle Restaurant Week, is 21. I think one of the greatest things about Restaurant Week is that not only does it allow more people to try new places, but it also allows people to head to those swankier places normally saved for special occasions.
This much-hyped restaurant is somewhat of a Newcastle institution, with 21 Queen Street (the original 21) being opened way back in 1988.
It then moved to Trinity Gardens, where it stands today, and this classic restaurant has a place in many people's hearts, thanks to it being pretty much a go-to for any special occasion.
I love it, and I wholly recommend you give it a go – if you can get booked in.
To start, I recommend the Potted Salmon or the Celeriac Soup with Black Truffle Cream. For main, the Beef Medallions (pictured above) are a stand-out dish, and the 21 take on potato dauphinoise is some of the best I've tasted – like ever.
Whilst not included in the offer, I'd also recommend a dessert, because quite frankly, they're some of the best in the city.
21 is offering 2 courses for £15, served Monday to Friday and on Saturday lunchtime. Offer not valid on Saturday evening or Sunday.
Taking residence in the old Rumpoli's site on the Quayside, Shilling is the brain-child of Tim Ward and Neil Donachie, who wanted to go it alone and create a unique "nose-to-tail" concept venue that is sustainable and celebrates the best of our local produce. They've also got a pretty damn fine drinks selection.
Shilling has just opened, to high acclaim so far, and their Newcastle Restaurant Week menu is one of the best I've seen across the board.
Three courses for £15 for food of this standard, is frankly verging on daylight robbery, so if you can get booked in, you really ought to.
Heading up the kitchen is Matty Stephenson, who you may be aware of thanks to his stellar reputation and transformation of venues such as Branches, Lola Jeans and The Bottleshop Bar and Kitchen.
If he was ever right at home in a kitchen, however, Shilling would be it.
The nose-to-tail concept allows him to be at his creative best, and everything I've seen and heard so far suggests that he's killing it so far.
Quite the well-established Indian restaurant, Dabbawal's High Bridge spot has gone from strength to strength since they opened back in 2012. In the same way that La Yuan offers something different for Chinese food lovers, Dabbawal offers a unique take on Indian cuisine, with a menu centred around traditional street food.
In 2015, they won the UK's Best Casual Dining Restaurant award at the British Curry Awards and they now have a Jesmond restaurant, too, however, only the High Bridge restaurant will be offering the Newcastle Restaurant Week discounts.
Some of my Dabbawal favourites include the Punjabi Chilli Chicken Tikka and the Hara Chicken Parchey, however, if you're not bothered about going off the offer menu, I wholeheartedly recommend the Vegetable Samosa Chaat. It's basically a deconstructed onion bhaji crossed with a samosa and it's bloody delicious!
For main course, you can't go wrong with the Railway Lamb Curry, and vegetarians can enjoy the delicious Kofta Curry, which is bursting with texture and flavour. Fans of naan bread should also give the mozzarella and coriander naan a go, for a unique twist on a much-loved classic.
Dabbawal are offering 2 courses for £15 and you can read more about a previous Scran on the Tyne visit to Dabbawal right here.
So there you have it! An offer to suit every taste and fancy.
I'd love to hear your picks for the impending Restaurant Week, so share your hit list with me via Facebook or Twitter, or in the comments section below, and we can compare notes!
Oh and if you're on Instagram, share your best Scran pics using the hashtag #NEScran and we'll feature the best over the course of the week!
I guess the last thing to say is ENJOY! We're blessed with Newcastle Restaurant Week only twice a year, so make sure you make the most of it and err, sod the diet eh?
This post was originally published on the Get Into Newcastle website, here.


text:
Brady Music
Doug Brady | Multi ARIA award winning sound engineer
Doug Brady
Mentoring with Doug
Furstock Studios
Multi ARIA award winning Sound engineer, Doug Brady has over 35 years of industry experience. His credits make him one of Australia's most prolific and successful music engineers with an impressive list of clients and artists which include some of the worlds most successful names in the entertainment industry.
His talent has enabled him to work on projects as diverse as Music Albums, TV/Cinema commercials and film soundtrack recordings such as: Crocodile Dundee, Romper Stomper, Romeo and Juliet, and many more.
Honing his studio skills in Melbourne's major recording studios, Doug moved into freelance in the early 90s. He continued to work on many high profile projects including: mixing the Sydney Olympic games as well as 6 seasons of Dancing with the Stars
Doug is currently Chief Mixing Engineer for The Voice and Voice Kids Australia as well as chief engineer at Furstock Studios.
Mentoring with Doug Brady
What's been happening in studio…
Imagine having exclusive first hand access to 35 years of experience in the music industry, plus expertise in sound and production.
Dougie, as he is affectionately known, is passionate about passing on all that he knows so he created this initiative to share his immense knowledge.
Mentoring young people on the realities of actively participating or working in the music industry while nurturing their unique creativity. He is all about boosting esteem, nurturing innate talent and strengthening abilities.
Creating opportunities to express inspiration, and how to put it all together into something useable and marketable.
Click the Mentoring link to discover if you are eligible to apply.
meanwhile on Facebook…
View https://www.facebook.com/furstockstudios/?fref=ts's profile on Facebook
View https://twitter.com/furstockstudios's profile on Twitter
View https://www.instagram.com/furstockstudios/'s profile on Instagram
FUR STOCK STUDIOS
10 Elizabeth Street
Kensington Victoria 3031
Mobile : +61 (0) 413 992 833
Email: doug@furstockstudios.com
David Drew
Email: david@furstockstudios.com


text:
AU politics
Despacito drives Bertelsmann to record €500m profits
Song of the summer and TV shows American Gods and 13 Reasons Why boost German media group
Mark Sweney
@marksweney
Thu 31 Aug 2017 09.31 EDT Last modified on Thu 22 Feb 2018 09.46 EST
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee perform Despacito, now the most-streamed song of all time. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/AP
The global success of 2017's song of the summer, Despacito, together with sales of the TV series American Gods and the popularity of controversial book-turned-Netflix series 13 Reasons Why has helped drive record first-half profits at German media group Bertelsmann.
Why Despacito is the perfect summer song in Trump's America | John Paul Brammer
The privately owned Bertelsmann said profits exceeded €500m (£460m) for the first time, from revenues up slightly to €8.1bn. Profits at Penguin Random House – the world's largest book publisher, owned in conjunction with Pearson – surged from €185m to €206m from revenues of just over €1.5bn in the first half.
The biggest seller in the first half was 13 Reasons Why. Other hits included Into the Water, the second thriller from The Girl on the Train author, Paula Hawkins, which sold 600,000 copies in just two months.
Bertelsmann is increasing its stake in Penguin from 47% to 75% in a $1bn (£780m) deal with Pearson announced in July. Bertlesmann's music business, BMG, also enjoyed a strong first half, with profits rising from €32m to €40m year-on-year and revenues surging 28% to €233m.
Ricky Whittle and Ian McShane in American Gods Photograph: Jan Thijs/2017 Starz Entertainment, LLC
BMG said there had been strong performances in the UK, where it signed Kylie Minogue, and the US, which included deals with Avril Lavigne and Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie. The business benefited from the chart success of clients including Nickelback, DJ Khaled and the runaway global hit Despacito.
Revenues at Bertelsmann's TV arm, RTL, Europe's biggest ad-funded broadcaster and owner of X Factor co-producer Fremantle Media, grew from €2.87bn to €2.97bn. The company credited the rise in part to the success of American Gods, the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel, which aired on Starz in the US and Amazon's Prime Video service internationally.
However, RTL profits fell from €676m to €624m in what it said was a challenging environment for the TV industry. The company said it would benefit from the revival of American Idol. The talent show is to return to US screens after being cancelled two years ago after a 15-season run.
Thomas Rabe, chairman and chief executive of Bertelsmann, said the increased stake in Penguin Random House was especially worth noting because Bertelsmann would now own "a strategic three-quarters majority in the world's largest trade publishing group – the best possible conditions for successfully further developing this core business".


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Home / Featured Content / Men and Emotions: On Grief, Friendship, and Community
Men and Emotions: On Grief, Friendship, and Community
The co-authors of Never Stop Dancing share their feelings on connection and men's emotions.
October 13, 2020 by John Robinette Leave a Comment
Editor's note: The following post was written as a sermon-like presentation for a Unitarian Universalist church.
https://goodmenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/uu2019-11-17.mp3
Robert Jacoby:
It started with a connection, two men in conversation. I should say: for me and John, in deep and wide-ranging conversation. A verse from Proverbs speaks to our interactions: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
And John and I really do sharpen each other in our conversations. This might be because of the great differences in our worldviews. John is a progressive Democrat, active with environmental causes; I've been a registered Independent all my life. John is a Unitarian Universalist (I had to look that up when he told me that); I'm a Christian. You could go down an itemized list checking off the boxes of our differences; the labels of our differences are varied and many; but I think we both realized early on in our friendship that our differences were just that: labels. And I like to think that it was these great differences that attracted us to each other, to test our worldviews, and to test ourselves and what we believed to be true. Over the years of my friendship with John, I've learned that nothing is off limits in our conversations. As a matter of fact, we welcome our differences.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
The inspiration for Never Stop Dancing came to me in a swimming pool. The imagery of water and rebirth is obvious, now. Then, I was floating on my back in the water, buoyed by my wife's Gina's hands under my shoulders, letting my mind wander. My thoughts drifted to John and his recent loss of Amy, and I wondered what his life was like now, him a widowed father with two young boys, what he was doing, how he was coping. I knew people were helping him as they could, with food and laundry and child care. These were all physical needs. And I wondered what anyone could do—if anything could be really done—to help him in his grief. What can I do about it? I thought. How could I possibly help, John? I'm a writer and editor, with experience in journalism, interviewing people, asking them questions, listening, asking more questions, capturing their stories.
Something clicked in my head.
Immediately my thought was to interview John about Amy's death not in one interview session but over time, over many days, spanning the first full year after her death. I thought back to that terrible day when Gina and I visited John in the raw first week after Amy's death and what he had shared in the midst of his grief. Dread mixed with excitement from the first time this idea occurred to me. My hunch was that this would be an important project. I didn't think anyone had ever done such a thing, let alone thought of doing it. Who would? On the surface, the idea felt wrong. Intrusive and disturbing. But I wanted to hear more of his language of grief, and how he might possibly describe it. I wanted to know how someone could experience such a loss, put words to it, and come back from it. I wanted to know his experience of losing someone so close, so beloved. At the heart of it, I wanted to know the breadth and depth of love, and love lost. But I also wanted to know what it would be like for him living through it, as it seems that the older I get the more I realize that much of life is about survival. In a way, too, I thought John's grief might inform others' grief—how they manage it, how they talk about it, and how they process it—and, ultimately, how they move on.
As I got out of the pool I knew I had to call John right away to tell him I needed to see him as soon as possible. I wanted to make the proposal before I changed my own mind about it. I drove to his house the next day. It was Friday evening, July 30, 2010. We were in his living room, alone. Too nervous and excited and hopeful, I stood to explain; I can still see John leaning forward on his living room couch, listening intently. Listening as I laid it out. How I wanted him to sit with him for a series of interviews over the next year, to talk about what he was going through, and how he was living. When I stopped talking John sat for just a moment, and I could see him thinking, and then he looked up at me, wiped his eyes, and said, "Yes, let's do it."
There's a verse from the New Testament that speaks to the time John and I spent together during that first year after Amy was killed, and during the nine years to make our book a reality. And the verse is this: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
And I put the question to you this morning: What is your life, but your time? And how do you spend it—your time, your life?
John is my friend, and I wanted to help him, to be with him, to talk, as friends do. That's how our book came to be. It's as simple and as complex as that.
Someone sees someone in need and steps forward, and reaches out, to meet the need, in time.
That's the connection, from friendship to community. Spending time; spending life.
John Robinette:
Amy and I first visited this church in either August or September of 2000. I can't remember, exactly. It's one of an uncountable number of memories I had only partially stored and now is partially lost. I had asked Amy to marry me that spring, she said yes, and it was time to find someone to marry us. I had attended the Arlington UU church, then the Universalist National Memorial Church and for reasons that aren't relevant for this story, we then visited here. Amy felt comfortable immediately. In short order, we met with Rev Liz Lerner, our prior Sr Minister, we became members and were married the following June. By that September 2001 Amy was pregnant with our first child. And before long we had a second child. We'd bring them to the daycare when we'd come to service, then eventually RE. We got to know more people, met other parents with young children, and got involved in various ways. We made friends. Close friends that we'd get together with for dinners or camping trips. I served on the board. We were part of a community. It was important to us. We couldn't know, of course, how profoundly important.
Jump ahead to the summer of 2010 when Robert approached me in the wake of Amy's death and we started the project that became Never Stop Dancing we knew we wanted to record something, capture something, but what that something was exactly, we couldn't predict. Several stories emerged. There is my story: a story of grief and what it is like to experience it. There is a story of my relationship to God, if there is a God, and how could a loving God allow this. There is a story of our modern culture and how we've perhaps abandoned the rituals of death and grief, once so close and present, and now removed and distant. There is also Robert's story and what he experienced and learned through all this, and also the story of our friendship, a friendship that from the outside, perhaps, seems unusual – two men sharing emotions of grief – but to Robert and me was as natural as breathing.
Robert is also less expensive than my psychotherapist and he does house calls.
So, there are several stories running in parallel in the book. In addition to the stories I've just mentioned, there is a story of a community: my friends and neighbors and of course, this church, also beset with grief and confusion and I think I can say, desperate to do something to help.
I'd like to read something from the book (page 42):
In short order I had freezers full of bread and oven roast chickens and baked casseroles. I had plenty of food. Food overflowing. Then I mentioned to someone something about how Amy did all the laundry. Before I knew it five families had volunteered to take turns with our laundry. And the compulsions to help me those weeks extended beyond the obvious ways of helping, too. During one of those first days when my house was full with visitors, a friend said to me, "I know you don't know what you need right now, but there are a lot of people who just want to help in any way they can." I was sitting on the floor and I looked up at the windows, which were dirty with dust and pollen, water spots and cobwebs. I half-joked, "I've been meaning to clean the windows for months." My friend walked away and about thirty minutes later he came back and said, "I know you were kind of joking about the windows, but next Saturday three people will be here to clean your windows." I was dumbfounded
Another friend and her family came over a couple weeks after Amy died and brought us dinner. I was describing how so many people had extended themselves, offered help, even the most mundane things like planting flowers in our front yard. She said, "John, you have to understand how hard this is on us. Because the one thing we want to do, we can't do. We can't bring back Amy."
I can't overstate the response. It was humbling and remarkable. And it also became clear how difficult simple things can become. Like saying "hello" at the grocery store. Because we don't actually say hello. If you bump into a friend, someone you know, good chance they'll say, "Hey, How's it goin'". And we'll usually say, "fine, how are you?" And they'll say "good" and on we go. Now sometimes we might mean it. We might really want to know how's it goin' with the other person. But mostly we are actually just saying, "hello." So in the early days, and weeks, after Amy died, this would happen: I'd bump into a friend and they'd start with "how's it g.." and they'd get about half way through and stop then try to start over then they'd look down and apologize and I'd have to console them. Or sometimes they'd just say, "how's it goin'" because that IS what we say but I couldn't reply with "fine" because I was not fine. So I'd have to say something like, "I'm managing" or "I'm a little wobbly today" and I could see their face scrunch up and wonder what they had done wrong to make this conversation turn bad so fast.
A simple greeting suddenly laden with heaviness. We shouldn't set ourselves up like that. Now, most of the time, I say, "good to see you." And when I do, the response I almost always get is "good to see you too!" and that feels really nice. Good to see you. But it took a long time to get to that.
A simple greeting.
And grief requires of us far more than simple greetings. It calls us to be with each other in a way we may have little, if any experience. What to say to someone? I have to say something, right? Back to the book.
From page 51:
Some people would pat me on the back and say, "Yeah, that's it," or "You're doing well," or "You're going to be fine." They meant well, I know, and they were doing what they could do to help, but the things they were saying didn't sound right to me. After all, I was not doing well, and I was not thinking at all about being fine. I wanted to grieve. I hated the pain, but I needed the pain. I wanted it to end, but I didn't want it to end. I was aware of a direct connection between my love for Amy and my pain, and how the pain reflected the love we'd shared. If my pain were to end, would that signal the end of our love?
One particular time members of my church came over. I was kneeling on the floor, and the balls of grief were expanding in my chest. I leaned forward, put my arms forward, and rested my head on the floor. I couldn't see what was happening around me, but I was aware of hands on me, just resting on me, holding me. No one said anything; no one needed to say anything. There were maybe ten people, all around me, laying their hands on me. That was the right thing to do for me then. I moaned and cried, and they all were on the floor with me, laying hands on me.
As sorrowful a moment as that was, there was something beautiful about it. I could feel my sorrow and my pain and my grief vibrating out of me and through them. There was a connected energy I could feel through their touch. I began crying even harder—loud wailing and moaning with my forehead down on the floor and my arms in front of me. And they just continued to hold me; their hands held my back, my arms, my legs. I could feel the bone-ache of my grief pulsate from deep inside and radiate out to their hands. And then I felt their love and compassion passing back through their hands and into my body. It lasted for a minute, maybe two. The sobbing subsided. I lifted my head slowly, and as I pushed myself back to a kneeling position those around me let go, one by one. I was exhausted. I was in pain. My diaphragm and ribs hurt. My chest and throat burned. My head throbbed. But I felt a calmness, for the first time. It was that laying on of hands. Healers, they were. We sat in silence for another minute or so. No one spoke. We just sat there. Then when it was time I thanked them. It was a very powerful experience.
I started to understand, through my grief, my suffering, the universality of it. It wasn't just me. There was of course a community grieving Amy's death. And also, for whatever reason, people started to share with me their own tragedies. People who I thought I knew started to share their sad stories. A brother who drowned years ago. Stillborn children. Infidelities, drug and alcohol addictions, and so on. It was at once comforting to learn of others' suffering. And also taxing. I'd like to read something else.
This is from the Afterword which I wrote about a 9 months after we finished the interviews.
From page 231:
I had lunch recently with a colleague from work, someone I had come to know after Amy died. When we first met at work for a new project, we talked about work and what we had to do. As we came to know each other, we shared the normal office chitchat—the weather, sports, that sort of thing. There had never really been an opportunity for me to share that I was a widower, that my late wife had been run over by a truck. It just doesn't come up in small talk. Nor was there any real opportunity for him to share that he had lost a child. That his eighteen-year-old daughter, a college student, had been run over by a car. It came to light only after a third person, a mutual work friend who knew us both, mentioned my situation to him in passing. He reached out to me, and we met for lunch. And such is the world of personal tragedy and grief. You realize that you are not alone. And try as you may not to compare, there is always someone else with a story more gut-wrenching than your own. The spectrum of human tragedy seems catastrophically unbounded, though there must be that one most pitiful, lonesome soul, the outlier at the far end of the curve, who has suffered the most.
We talked about our tragedies over lunch. The complete ripping away of a loved one, and the shredding of a life's fabric. The ripple effects to those left to live. The depression and withdrawal and the coping mechanisms of alcohol or drugs. Other family relations pulled hard to the point where the connective fibers begin to snap. The erratic attempts to reconstruct a life. The thoughts of suicide. The "what if" scenarios. I shared with him my own personal "thank-God-for-my-two-boys" feeling. I told him that I like to think I would have chosen life and chosen some path to honor Amy after her death, had we not had children, but that I can also imagine in that case the complete sense of loss and the lack of any substantial motive to go on. I shared my fantasy of joining her in whatever other place she was in, if any. And I told him that now I could see with a new clarity one reason why suicide is prevalent among the elderly. You grow old with someone, your love, and they die. The kids are all grown by then. Were it me I can see asking myself, "Well, why go on?" I've lived my life, my children are on their own, and my life partner is gone.
We've experienced a lot as a community. This congregation. Births and deaths, marriages and divorces, budget woes, disagreements over policy and direction, the palace intrigue and departure of two beloved ministers. And I mark time in this community only since 2000. There was plenty of that and more that proceeded me, Amy and me. And surely it will continue.
Perhaps the greatest mystery is that which comes attached to our mortality and our unfortunate awareness of it. Philosophies and Religions from the beginning of philosophies and religions answer this, or try to. "None of us was meant to know," as Robert says in the book. Behind me are these quilts, sacred relics if there is such a thing for UUs. They are sacred to me. Amy's name is embroidered on that one, Spring. We must continue with that tradition. And also the tradition of community. I wrestled with how to close this out, find some clever or wise saying or pronouncement. Something to comfort us or perhaps an appeal to a higher calling or purpose. I wish I had that to share. Yes, believe it or not, I am at a loss for words.
Gratitude then, is where I will land. Deep gratitude for this community. Gratitude for my neighbors. Gratitude for Robert. I wish it were true that something other than death, or loss of any sort, and the process of grief, could crack us open.
I'd like to finish with one last reading from page 141:
I was reading a "National Geographic" not too long ago that was just lying around the house; it was the May 2010 issue, which probably would have arrived the week before Amy was killed. There was an article on Mount St. Helens, and the area around it. It has been about thirty years since the eruption of the volcano there. What had been pristine streams and lakes was utterly laid to waste—acres and acres, square miles of trees destroyed, toxic metals spewed into the air. And what is it now? Now there are meadows, and the streams are running clear with trout, and new life has sprung forth.
None of this is surprising. We know this story of death and regeneration, especially with the fertile soils at the foot of the volcano, because all these minerals and nutrients have just been disgorged from the center of the earth. Destroying the area around it has set the preconditions for new life.
That is an image I'm holding in my mind now, at this moment, this sense that we've just lived through a forest fire, or complete destruction from a volcano. And so I wonder, what new life is created out of Amy's death? It's important for me to hold on to this, because if I don't, it means that death wins. And death can't win. Life has to win.
I think that is how Amy would have wanted it. Amen.
This post was previously published on uucss.org.
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Filed Under: Featured Content, Good For The Soul Tagged With: Community, dancing, death of a loved one, death of a spouse, grief, identity labels, John Robinette, men and friendship, men's emotions, Robert Jacoby, Unitarian Universalist
About John Robinette
John Robinette is a father and husband, re-married after the sudden death of his wife in 2010. After a 20-plus year successful IT consulting and leadership career, John now spends part of his time as an organizational development and leadership consultant, and the rest of his time as a writer, blogger, photographer, and videographer capturing the grief and beauty of life. In John's book, Never Stop Dancing: A Memoir, with close friend and co-author Robert Jacoby, such issues as male friendship in our modern era, how we look at life differently in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, and how we understand the concepts of love, God, and religion in our lives are explored. The book is based on John and Robert's conversations during the year after John's wife Amy died.
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnRobinetteAuthor
Yes, This is Your AmericaWhiteness has always followed a very predictable playbook.
Lessons From MLK for Millennials and Gen Z
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The power and influence that the Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola Companies exert around the world is amazing and a little scary. There can be no question that most people don't even consider just how much of an impact they can have on communities small and large. That is not to suggest they don't have competition, though. In fact, there are hundreds (thousands?) of alcoholic beverage producers in the United States alone trying to "tap" into this market as well. The current micro-brew craze has inspired a love of beer in people looking for variety in flavors and brands.
When Prohibition officially ended on December 5, 1933, the flood gates opened for brewers hoping to reach thirsty audiences around the country. Hundreds of shops opened, hundreds closed. Barbey's, Inc. was one of these post-Prohibition breweries that was established in Reading, Pennsylvania right around this time. (There were Barbey's breweries located in Reading prior to the 20th century as well, dating as early as Peter Barbey's brewery which opened in 1859, that were likely related to this.) One of Barbey's more popular brands was their Sunshine beer. In 1951, the company changed their name to Sunshine to identify more closely with their brand. There was some pretty stiff competition in these days, though. There were twenty different breweries competing for customers in Reading at that time. Sunshine remained in business until 1970. Sunshine Beer is honored here at the American Treasure Tour by a delightful clock on display in our Toy Box.
QUESTION: Who, along with Richard and Thomas Penn, is considered the founder of Reading, Pennsylvania?
HARDING, HARDING!!!! The first Tuesday of November is traditionally election day in the United States. Today was the day Warren Harding was elected our 29th president. Prior to him, the population found out who would be in charge for the next four years the slow way - by newspaper or telegraph. Well, Pittsburgh's own KDKA radio station began broadcasting this day in 1920, the first commercial radio station in the country, and their first broadcast was dedicated to the presidential election. Likely the development of the radio station proved more of a good thing than the election results, but how do you know?
HARDING, HARDING, HARDING!!!!!! And speaking of Mr. Harding, today also happens to be his birthday! Quite a present he got on this, his 55th birthday (he was born in 1865, if you weren't interested in doing the math). He could not have possible known he only had two more years to live, as he died while in office amidst numerous scandals and controversies, the least of which were accusations of extra-marital affairs that were quite justified.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home • News • COVID-19 deemed 'reasonable excuse' for late filing
COVID-19 deemed 'reasonable excuse' for late filing
Self-employed taxpayers may be able to avoid being fined if they miss the deadline for tax returns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, HMRC has said.
The news comes as the deadline to submit returns approaches on 31 January 2021.
According to HMRC, pandemic-related personal or business disruption might constitute a "reasonable excuse" for taxpayers who appeal late filing penalties. However, it is not a "blanket waiving" of penalties.
If taxpayers are unable to file their tax returns by the deadline, HMRC has recommended providing provisional figures, and later providing the actual figures as soon as possible.
In this case, taxpayers must tick the appropriate box to show provisional figures are being provided.
Usually, taxpayers would be issued with a £100 fine for the first day after the deadline and £10 for each additional day, capped at 90 days.
For payments late by six months, HMRC would usually fine taxpayers 5% of their tax owed or £300, whichever is the higher amount.
An HMRC spokesperson said:
"We want to encourage as many people as possible to file on time even if they can't pay their tax straight away, but where a customer is unable to do so because of the impact of COVID-19 we will accept they have a reasonable excuse and cancel penalties, provided they manage to file as soon as possible after that.
"Support is in place for those who may struggle to pay with customers able to spread their payment liabilities of up to £30,000 over 12 months."
Speak to us about your tax returns.
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HMRC issues 2019/20 tax returns reminder
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Firms raise concerns over lockdown support
ATT calls for seasonal party guidance
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What kind of cuisine do you serve at Ultraviolet?
Do you accommodate dietary restriction?
What is the price of Ultraviolet experience?
What time does the dinner start and how long does it last ?
We would like our children to experience Ultraviolet, is it possible?
May I bring my own bottle of wine at Ultraviolet?
Is it possible to take picture of Ultraviolet experience?
Do you allow using cellphone?
Do you have any dress code at Ultraviolet?
Do you make Birthday Cake at Ultraviolet?
Is there anything else we should know about and prepare for Ultraviolet experience?
Is it possible to reserve the table for more than 10 guests?
We are only 6 people and we would like to book the full table, is it possible?
I would like to offer a dinner at Ultraviolet to my friend but I will not attend the dinner, how can I make the reservation and settle the bill in advance for them?
I would like to cancel my reservation, is it possible to get the refund of the payment deposit?
I have some difficulty to make online reservation or to consult my online account what should I do?
Somewhere in Shanghai. A meeting point will be disclosed for confirmed guests. They will be led to Ultraviolet all together.
2. Is Ultraviolet open everyday?
Ultraviolet is open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday with annual closures during Chinese public Holidays. Please visit the booking calendar for details.
3. What kind of cuisine do you serve at Ultraviolet?
Chef Paul Pairet's author's cuisine.
Pairet's style has been tagged as "Avant-Garde Figurative".
Translate: globally stamped, bold and assertive, essentialist with a total lack of prejudice, modern with flesh and bone.
The 20-course menu in Ultraviolet lend to experimentation and comfort - sophistication and sheer simplicity.
4. Do you accommodate dietary restriction?
Ultraviolet's team will do the utmost to accommodate special dietary restriction, yet, due to the nature of the experience consisting in sharing the same menu within a set atmosphere attached to each dish, we might not be able to accommodate some intolerance.
5. What is the price of Ultraviolet experience?
The set menu including beverage pairing starts from RMB 4.000 per person.
Due to the limited number of seats the guests are required to confirm the booking by deposit payment.
Any extra order out of the menu will be added to final bill at the end of the dinner.
There is no service charge at Ultraviolet.
6. What time does the dinner start and how long does it last?
Guests gather at the meeting point at 6.30pm, and leave for Ultraviolet at 7pm. Dinner starts at 7.30pm and should end around 11pm.
7. We would like our children to experience Ultraviolet, is it possible?
Ultraviolet experience is recommended to the guests above 12 years old.
We are not able to serve children's menu among the other guests.
8. May I bring my own bottle of wine at Ultraviolet?
The set menu includes beverage pairing. However if you wish to bring your own bottle of wine, you would be required to share the bottle with the entire table.
This privilege does not in any case entitle guests to a rebate on the set-pairing menu.
9. Is it possible to take picture of Ultraviolet experience?
But we would appreciate if the photographing does not disturb other guests or the service during the dinner.
We would require that you do not use flash photography nor film (video).
We also suggest you to minimize the time of photographing, as most of the dishes require your immediate attention.
10. Do you allow using cellphone?
There is no cellphone signal inside of Ultraviolet's dining room. You can resume the signal outside of the dining room, if needed, during the break or at the end of the dinner.
To ensure a most complete experience, we encourage you to temporarily refrain from using smartphones and social media posting, such as SMS and WeChat, during the evening. We encourage our guests to enjoy the experience and if needed, they will be able to do so during the break or at the end of the dinner.
We advise our guests to make all necessary arrangements should you expect any telecommunications during the dinner hours.
11. Is Ultraviolet smoker friendly?
12. Do you have any dress code at Ultraviolet?
13. Do you make Birthday Cake at Ultraviolet?
Should you have any request for special occasion please specify in the guest quiz once your reservation is confirmed.
14. Is there anything else we should know about and prepare for Ultraviolet experience?
Please arrive at the meeting point on time.
15. Do we need to have 10 people to make a reservation at Ultraviolet?
Ultraviolet is a restaurant with 10 seats, not a private dining room. You can make reservation for 1 to 10 guests.
16. Is it possible to reserve the table for more than 10 guests?
Ultraviolet can only accomodate maximum of 10 guests at its table.
17. We are only 6 people and we would like to book the full table, is it possible?
Yes, it is possible; you can privatize the whole table.
18. I would like to offer a dinner at Ultraviolet to my friends but I will not attend the dinner, how can I make the reservation and settle the bill in advance for them?
Please kindly contact thehost@uvbypp.cc, our team will help you to make this booking and make sure your friend enjoy their Ultraviolet experience.
19. I would like to cancel or modify my reservation, is it possible to get the refund of the payment deposit?
20.I have some difficulties to make online booking or to consult my online account, what should I do?


Using a blanket to shield your baby's pram from the heat could prove deadly, children's safety advocates warn.
"It can actually heat up quite quickly — much like a car," Ms Denholm said.
"A lot of people aren't aware that with the pram — by covering the pram, by putting a cloth over the pram — you can actually cause it to retain heat.
"Air can't circulate inside the pram, so it heats up."
"Some of the experts from Queensland are saying it can even heat up 15 degrees [Celsius] hotter than the outside temperature," she said.
"There is no such product that we would recommend," she said.
"If you can, during the heat, use more open strollers or open up the back panel of your pram to allow more air flow through — that's certainly going to help.
"The best thing you can do is just check on your baby in the pram. Regardless if it's hot or cold, it is important that we do keep checking on baby in the pram."
How a pram handled the heat was not at the top of parent Eloise Tinkler's list of desired features when she picked out her pusher.
"To be honest I didn't think about the weather when picking my pram out," she said.
"It [the pram] does have an option to buy a hood with breathable airholes in it for hot days"
"The only time I have used a cloth over the pram is if the sun has been directly in my baby's eyes and it was a muslin wrap, and only for a very, very short amount of time," she said.
"But it would only be in cooler weather — nothing like the weather at the moment."
"The ACCC strongly advises parents to not place blankets or adapt other items as covers over a pram to try to shield babies from the sun," an ACCC spokesperson said.
"Doing so has the potential to increase the heat inside the pram and also poses a suffocation hazard.
"While many products can look similar, they often have different features and should always be used in accordance with instructions.
"Where a pram is supplied with a canopy parents should ensure they read and follow the instructions provided.
"If purchasing a separate sun shade, parents should ask the supplier if it is compatible with their particular pram and read the user instructions to ensure they are familiar with its use."


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The Marcellus Shale
News. Events. Marketing.
Currently at 3,093 Articles and Counting!!
Pa. Supreme Court Affirms Ruling that Fracking Did Not Contaminate 'Junkyard Plaintiff's' Water
It has been a rough year for activists who have made the Marcellus Shale the focal point of their efforts to perpetuate the myth that fracking is causing widespread water contamination. First a federal judge threw out last year's multi-million dollar verdict for plaintiffs in a high-profile Dimock case, and now the Pennsylvania Supreme Court…
Blocking Pipelines Destroys Jobs and Raises Energy Prices
Institute for Energy Research …. …. A Chamber of Commerce study confirms the northeast states fighting against pipelines are losing good-paying jobs and paying extremely high energy prices. In a new report, the Chamber of Commerce quantified the economic and job losses arising from limiting natural gas infrastructure development in the U.S. Northeast where…
Union Leader: Pipelines Are "Asset to Region"
Private investment in U.S. energy infrastructure can create more than 1 million new American jobs by 2035, according to an ICF report released this week. The study, conducted for the American Petroleum Institute, finds that natural gas development will continue to drive significant energy infrastructure investments – and related jobs – for a "prolonged period…
Birmingham company makes huge Marcellus Shale acquisition
A Birmingham-based energy company recently acquired a large portfolio of Marcellus oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. According to our sister publication in Pittsburgh, Titan Energy – which entered the Marcellus Shale with the acquisition of Atlas Resource Partners LP' assets last year- sold roughly 8,400 conventional and Marcellus oil and gas…
Great Scott! Eclipse Drills New Longest Lateral in World – in Utica
Eclipse Resources, a Marcellus/Utica pure play driller headquartered in State College, PA that drills mostly in Ohio, has done it again. Yesterday as part of Eclipse's first quarter 2017 update, the company announced it has broken its own record for drilling the longest land-based lateral well in the world by drilling a Utica well with…
2nd NEPA County Attracting Business with Locally Produced Gas
MDN has spotted what we believe is a rather ingenious trend in Northeastern Pennsylvania. One of the ongoing "problems" with drilling in gas-rich, rural counties like Susquehanna and Wyoming counties is that the gas gets extracted–and promptly exported out of the region via pipelines. Locals don't have the option of tapping in to the cheap,…
PA Protesters Protest Outside Mtg to Discuss Handling Protesters
This one has us spitting nails. We have reported, for months, about the activities of so-called protesters against Williams' $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project. In particular, there is a group in Lancaster County, PA opposing the pipeline creatively called Lancaster Against Pipelines (LAP). Some of their members previously attended and participated in protests against…
Is New PA AG Shapiro Targeting Marcellus Industry like Kane Did?
We have some chilling and disturbing news to share with our fiends in the Marcellus industry in Pennsylvania. When Kathleen Kane, the now removed-from-office, former Attorney General of PA, took office in 2013, we speculated (based on her previous statements) whether or not she would target the drilling industry (see Will New PA AG Go…
Chesapeake 1Q17 – Swings to Profit, Interest in Selling Marcellus?
Chesapeake Energy released its first quarter 2017 update yesterday. Chesapeake, the second largest natural gas producer in the United States, has its fingers in a lot of shale pies. But two of the key pies is the Marcellus and Utica. What does yesterday's update tell us about Chessy's involvement in the northeast? Utica production was…
Rice Energy 1Q17 – $35M Loss, Production Soars 86%, Laser Focus
On Wednesday Rice Energy released its first quarter 2017 update, and yesterday the company held an earnings call to discuss it. On the down side, Rice continued to lose money during the quarter. Rice lost $21 million in 1Q16, and the loss widened to $35 million in 1Q17. But it seems to us the rest…
Dominion 1Q17 – Updates on Cove Point, Atlantic Coast Pipe & More
Yesterday midstream and utility giant Dominion issued its first quarter 2017 update. Along with the update Dominion held an earnings call. On that call we learned new information about both the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project, Dominion's Cove Point LNG export project, and a plethora of other projects, including natgas-fired power plants and more pipelines…
Congress Considers Expanding FERC Authority to Fix Pipe Approvals
The U.S. The House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on Wednesday to hear testimony on a proposed plan to grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) more authority to speed up the pipeline approval process. Up for discuss is an amendment to the Natural Gas Act to grant FERC more…
Getting More Gas & Oil from Shale – Important New Research
Did you know that even with our super-productive fracking methods, we still only pull out an estimated 5% of oil found in shale, and an estimated 20% of natural gas? That's abysmal! Can't we do better? Indeed, perhaps we can. Shale oil and gas is locked up in teeny tiny pores in shale rock–very small…
Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, May 5, 2017
The "best of the rest" – stories that caught MDN's eye that you may be interested in reading. In today's lineup: Shell nears completion of tree planting around cracker site; WV gas tax revenue on the increase; federal oil and gas leases can boost government revenue; nuclear and petroleum battle over subsidies; the future for Phillips 66 is…
Titan Energy to sell off Pennsylvania, West Virginia assets
Titan Energy, which entered the Marcellus Shale with the acquisition of Atlas Resource Partners LP' assets last year, is selling its wells in Pennsylvania and West Virginia for $84.2 million. The buyer is Diversified Gas & Oil PLC (AIM: DGOC), an existing natural gas and oil production company in the Appalachian basin that is based…
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OHotMU issue focusing on magic and mystical characters. Released to coincide with the Mystic Arcana series of one-shots examining the current state of magic in the Marvel Universe.
In addition to individual and team profiles, this volume features articles on Swords of Sorcerous Might, Talismans of Mystic Power, Tomes of Eldritch Knowledge and the War of the Seven Spheres as well as an appendix of swords, talismans and tomes.


The y-axis is atmospheric height and the x-axis is latitude – left is North and right South.
The big red circles show, once again, we expect the tropical upper air to warm faster from solar heating too: Monckton said that this was a human-only jig but his graphs say that it isn't.
This 'hot spot' happens because any warming means more evaporation, which cools the surface. The vapour then travels up the atmosphere and condenses higher up, releasing latent heat and boosting warming there (Soden & Held, 2006). The 'hot spot' is the signal that the surface is cooling by sweating like we expect it to.
Temperatures high up are rising and changing wind patterns suggest that the tropical upper air is warming much faster than the surface (Allen & Sherwood, 2008), but temperature sensors have only found a similar rate of warming to the surface. Scientists know there are problems with measurements at this height (e.g. Randel and Wu, 2006), so can't be sure that the temperature measurements are good enough here to rule out the 'hot spot'.
"the models predict that every Celsius degree of warming should increase evaporation from the Earth's surface by 1-3%, but the observed increase is more like 6%. From this it is simple to calculate that the IPCC has overestimated fourfold the amount of warming we can expect from adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere."
Which dodges an important point: if this is causing surface cooling by evaporation it must cause warming higher up when it condenses. Either there is more evaporative cooling and a hot spot higher up or there isn't and the hot spot doesn't exist.
Monckton implies that the hot spot is a human only response (it isn't) and claims it isn't there (it might be) before saying that in fact we should have a much bigger one than most models predict. Confused?
If anyone picks out mistakes, let me know so I can correct them.
1) the 'hot spot' also encourages positive water vapour feedback because of Clausius-Clapeyron... but it is a signature of the lapse rate feedback and net modelled water feedback isn't too strongly dependent on that. Plus direct measurements suggest the WV longwave feedback is significant.
2) there could be more evaporation lower down and subsidence leading to it condensing lower down. In that case the lapse rate feedback (negative/cooling) is still weaker.
The final sentence is an excellent summary of the whole article. It is a great example of how to summarize the point of an entire article in one simple, memorable, powerful antithesis. Cicero would be proud!
I'm not sure how Monckton relates evaporation to climate sensitivity in your last quote. Can someone fill me in on what train of thought he was using? Probably regarding the "fourfold" part too, but I think that might just be him taking a figure form the lower end of that range of 1-3%.
I also wonder if anyone will try to write off the hot spot in the second graphic as being too small to be definite or outside of error (i.e. a glitch in the model matrix).
Props for the title too, very funny!
Alex: I think I know how you can massage out that 'fourfold' figure.
Assume that the IPCC climate sensitivity is 4.5 C.
Therefore the climate feedback parameter (definition here) = 3.7/3 = 0.8.
If you look at the Soden and Held values can be seen in a graph here then pick the highest estimated lapse rate feedback (~-1.2) and treble it then you get a feedback factor of 3.2. This makes your climate sensitivity = 3.7/3.2 = 1.1-1.2 K and yes, you've almost cut the value to a quarter.
That's one way of doing it, but it's so far wrong I refuse to believe that's how Lindzen did it... so I'm going to try and find out how he did.
It's the sort of thing that would turn up on WUWT.
Alex C: The model 'guess' is a reasonable one if you're not at all familiar with the models. Thankfully RC put up the effect of a 2% solar increase and it shows it very clearly: h/t to thingsbreak's post here.
I've emailed Lindzen to ask how he calculated the fourfold response, I'm stumped. Perhaps he used a more complicated model, but there's not much point me running through more complex models until I know there's an answer there. I've wasted enough time doing detailed checks of 'facts' quoted as evidence against AGW that I think the onus is definitely on the accuser to support their point now.
Thanks for the reply Mark and for trying to follow through. I read Things Break's post (well, the copy here) too and noted the striking similarities (and striking hot spots) in those circumstances. I think that it does clearly show the expected response due to increased forcing, though perhaps the figure above does not so much, as the model output is based not on an assumed 2% increase in solar output but the increase measured over the past century.
I'm curious though, this fourfold figure came from Lindzen? I had assumed it was one of Monckton's conjurings as he was the one quoted saying it above, and it doesn't seem as though Lindzen is mentioned in the article.
I wish I seen these posts prior to submission but I guess I can use the comments to clarify some matters. I'd do my own post here but I think the hotspot issues are starting to exhaust themselves on the blogs.
A rather robust response in global warming simulations is that toward the surface, the pole-to-equator temperature gradient is decreased, and at higher altitudes, the gradient is increased. From the perspective of a vertical-cross section, the temperature tends to be enhanced near the surface in the polar regions and in the upper atmosphere in the tropics (as Fig.1 shows in this post). This behavior as a wide range of dynamic implications, and while it may not be the best behavior to look at for linking GHG's to climate change, much of the literature on responses to climate change (for example, precipitation impacts or hurricane activity) relies closely on the moist stability of the tropics.
In the tropics, the coriolis effect is weak and the result is that waves and mixing maintain (roughly) a horizontally uniform temperature profile over the entire tropics (gravity waves spread heat pretty efficiently over an extremely large Rossby radius). In the deep convecting regions, the atmosphere adjusts to stay rather close to the moist adiabat (which is determined by the moisture content in the boundary layer). In non-convecting regions, the free-tropospheric temperatures must also be close to the same moist adiabat.
The dashed lines are the slopes of interest, which become roughly dry adiabatic at very cold temperatures and shallow out at warmer temperatures.
The amount of latent heat released by condensation by a saturated parcel that moves up the atmospheric column depends on the temperature, which is increased slightly for warmer starting conditions, so the effect is to have enhanced atmospheric warming relative to the surface. Thus the temperature signal discussed in the post doesn't necessarily imply increased "convective activity" or evaporation, but a reduction in lapse rates.
The reason the lapse rate feedback is negative is because a warmer parcel of air can radiate more efficiently than a colder one, so the planet can radiate away more from middle atmospheric layers than from the surface (compared to a case with no amplification aloft), which implies a cooler surface temperature. The lapse rate itself is intimately tied to the way the greenhouse effect works. The infrared absorption is only half the story, you need the right vertical profile to get a strong greenhouse effect, and inversions (for example in Antarctica or during the winter in a snowball Earth where there is little convection) can inhibit the ability for GHG's to do much.
Regarding Monckton's claim about evaporation, it's usually tough to make sense of anything he says. There's absolutely no clear cut indication the models are doing anything systematically worng with respect to evaporation anyway. There's some studies which suggest global precipitation might be increasing faster than models (starting from Wentz et al 2007 I think), but like the tropical hotspot issue, is an issue that is data problematic...I've also not seen any work that connects this to climate sensitivity at all.
In any case, over moist surfaces, what evaporation does is make the surface energy budget "stiff" so that the surface temperature does not deviate substantially from the overlying air temperature. It comes out that the top of the atmosphere energy balance rules the roost in determining the maximum allowed temperature.
It should also be noted that theoretical exercises that respect the surface energy budget (or sometimes the tropospheric energy budget), as well as GCMs, indicate that evaporation (and precipitation) increase much less rapidly than the the water vapor actually in the atmosphere (which scales with the Clausius-Clapeyron equation). It's the water vapor content that stays in the atmosphere that determines the water vapor feedback, which itself has little to do with the increase in evaporative flux from the surface. In fact, evaporation could easily decrease in a warmer climate if the wind speeds were to reduce, or if you somehow turned down the solar radiation but kept the temperature increasing (say, by increasing GHG's).
Finally, the water vapor feedback is not independent of the strength of the lapse rate feedback. The two feedbacks are connected, so feedback specialists usually talk about a water vapor+lapse rate combined feedback, and the uncertainty in the combined term is less than the individual uncertainties in the individual feedbacks.
Thanks for the added details Chris; a lot of that is more complicated than I wanted to put here.
Ultimately I think 'cooling by sweating' is a perfectly good analogy. If you construct the energy balance at the surface then it's the latent heat transfer that ultimately leads to the 'hot spot'.
I looked at some papers discussing the difference in water vapour content vs precip, and there are some long term series suggesting the walker circulation has weakened which is one of the predictions of how to decouple precip from the C-C response... but again, I thought this was too complex and off topic to cover here.
The WV+LR interdependence was why I said my above calculation of how to cut warming by a factor of 4 is 'so far wrong I refuse to believe that's how Lindzen did it'.
Hi and first of kudos to all in putting this website together. I've learned a great deal reading it.
Who put the circles in the first figure indicating "Even faster warming"? It seems to be pointing to the wrong part of the scale bar. Shouldn't it be closer to the .8 to 1.2 values?
Thanks for the pointer explorer, it's a mistake and I'll fix it when I have time!


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Q&A with Memphis-based Matt Isbell (Ghost Town Blues Band) - intimate knowledge of blues, rock and improvisational jams
Posted by Michael Limnios Blues Network on March 27, 2018 at 10:30pm
"The blues is life. Good or bad, anyway you cut it. It's what you've been served."
Ghost Town Blues Band:
Backstage Pack... At The Crossroads...
Beale Street's latest success story and 2014 International Blues Challenge 2nd Place Winner wass Ghost Town Blues Band. Not your grandpa's blues band, their live show has been captivating audiences in the U.S. and Canada with a second-line horn entrance, cigar box guitars and electric push brooms to Allman Brothers style jams and their rapping trombone player. Ghost Town Blues Band is a modern blues band with an intimate knowledge of both blues, rock and improvisational jams. At the same time, the band's raw energy and intensity is reminiscent of some of the best blues that rock n' roll has ever offered. The band can turn on a dime from North Mississippi hill country grooves to classic electric urban blues and funk and Allman Brothers style jams. This Memphis-based, gritty, seven-piece has been touring the US and Canada since its inception in 2009, gaining a strong following within the Blues and Jam Band circuit. Hard Road To Hoe was the third release from Memphis, TN's very own Ghost Town Blues Band.
The band is led by Matt Isbell, guitars, harmonica and vocals. The horn section of Kevin Houston, sax and vocals; and Suavo Jones, trombone and vocals gives them their New Orleans vibe. The seven piece band is rounded out by Taylor Orr, guitar and vocals; Tim Stanek, keyboards; Matt Karner, bass; and Preston McEwen, drums. Isbell is their primary songwriter. The band is famous for their exciting live performances. They capitalize on their New Orleans connection by including covers, and segueing in and out of them, like they do down in The Big Easy. New album "Backstage Pass" (2018) was recorded live at Lafayette's Music Room in Memphis on July 29th, 2017. The album is produced by McEwen and co-produced by the band.
Interview by Michael Limnios
What does the blues mean to you?
The blues is life. Good or bad, anyway you cut it. It's what you've been served.
What do you learn about yourself from the Blues people? What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
I had the honor of meeting Jessie Mae Hemphill before she passed away. We sat and talked for almost an hour and one of the smartest things that anyone ever told me came from her mouth. She said "Boy, you better be careful what you say" this was in reference to doing publicity for a rock 'n' roll record that I released in 2007. I don't take those words lightly.
I also was honored with an introduction to the lake great B.B. King at the blues trail marker ceremony in front of the FedEx forum in Memphis. I asked Mr. King if he had any advice for young musician and he told me "never make your move too soon. "At the time, I had no idea that it was the title of one of his songs that I was later asked to perform a few years later by the Blues Foundation at his funeral and musical celebration on Beale Street.
It's kind of funny for me to assume that these musicians and iconic Legends only advice for me was what not to do or what not to say. It comes from experience that maybe these folks didn't want me to make some of the same mistakes they had made. It is with careful planning and certain level of maturity that I make all my decisions when it comes to the business of music. Knee-jerk reactions or what have not worked for me in the past. Trust me, I'm still learning.
How do you describe ghost town blues band's sound and songbook?
We definitely have a Memphis sound because… We are from Memphis. It's a very eclectic mix of cigarbox slide guitar, rock 'n roll drums, a horn section with pounding keys. Somebody once said we were like "electric cat fishing." That's when you take two leads and attach them to a battery then drop the wires in the water… It might not be the most traditional way of doing it but it definitely gets the job done and it's a lot more fun than the same old method. We do play cover songs here and there but we always change them up or "dip them in gravy and deep-fried them."
"Hopefully the younger audience will catch on and keep the blues thriving. We hope that new blues bands will carry the torch in an interesting way while still preserving the traditional aspects that make it 'blues'." (Photo: Ghost Town Blues Band)
How do you describe "Backstage Pass" songbook and sound? What has made you laugh from your live on July 29, 2017?
Backstage Pass is a great example of our live show. Our studio records have been a little more tame and methodical. The cool thing about the live record is that it is off-the-cuff and very energetic! During the song "Big Shirley" I make a joke about our trombone player "Suavo Jones" Breaking up with his girlfriend. I hold up a giant pair of women's underwear and say that she didn't break up with him and he didn't break up with her but rather, "she ate him out of house and home."
There are some other double entendre's and we generally have a great time on stage! It shows in the music and the song writing.
Are there any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you'd like to share with us?
We were fortunate off to receive an invite to play the Montreal Jazz Festival last summer! It was one of the largest audience is that I have ever played in front of and the icing on the cake was that we played two sets!
2014 we earned Second place at the international blues challenge. In the finals, I jumped off the stage at the Orpheum Theatre to play the guitar in the audience and on my way back up to the stage I had to leap over the orchestra pit. The jump was a little bit higher than I expected and I had leather shoes I'm so they didn't have the grip that I needed. Luckily, one of the photographers gave me a push on my backside that was just enough to land me on the stage. The audience made a gasp that I will never forget!
How has the Blues influenced your views of the world and the journeys you've taken?
Although I love spending time with my smoking hot wife and my cute little three-year-old girl, I definitely have the bug for traveling. I see the world a lot smaller than I used to. The Blues has given me the privilege of traveling across the U.S and to different countries to share my music and I have made some amazing relationships with people that live thousands of miles away.
"We definitely have a Memphis sound because… We are from Memphis. It's a very eclectic mix of cigarbox slide guitar, rock 'n roll drums, a horn section with pounding keys. Somebody once said we were like "electric cat fishing." That's when you take two leads and attach them to a battery then drop the wires in the water… "
Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you?
When we met the devil at the crossroads...
What do you miss nowadays from the blues of the past?
All of the true bluesman have passed on to the next world.
"We definitely have a Memphis sound because… We are from Memphis. It's a very eclectic mix of cigarbox slide guitar, rock 'n roll drums, a horn section with pounding keys." (Photo: Ghost Town Blues Band)
What are your hopes and fears for the future of blues?
Hopefully the younger audience will catch on and keep the blues thriving. We hope that new blues bands will carry the torch in an interesting way while still preserving the traditional aspects that make it "blues."
If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?
We would like to see genuine musicianship and creativity be embraced by the mainstream media and audiences.
What has made you laugh lately and what has touched you emotionally from the music circuits?
I play in a band with 6 clowns... I laugh everyday!
What are the lines that connect the legacy of the blues with soul/funk and continue to rock 'n roll and jam rock?
It all comes from the same front porch in Mississippi…
How did you start the idea of your cigar box guitar company, Memphis Cigar Box?
I made one cigarbox guitar and a friend liked it so much that he took it home. I made a second guitar and the same thing happened with another friend. Then, I made one from my grandmother's silverware chest that I still play today... The word spread and now I have made over 275 cigarbox guitars. I'm blessed to have made cigarbox guitars, bottleneck slides and other Delta instruments for a bunch musicians such as Joe Bonamassa, Cyndi Lauper, Eric Schenkman from "The Spin Doctors."
What touched (emotionally) you from the sound of cigar-box and slide guitar? What are the secrets of?
One of the coolest things about the cigarbox guitar, at least mine, since they are fretless and you have to use a Bottleneck slide, The notes are never exactly the same and there never exactly perfect. I find this to be a metaphor for life. If I walk to the market and take the same route every week, I don't take the same stops and my path is slightly varied. Just like when I play song, the notes are not exactly the same every time even though I'm playing the same song or the same guitar lick.
"All of the true bluesman have passed on to the next world."
What is your most vivid memory fabricating a custom guitar?
Another cigar box guitar builder from Texas asked me to smash a guitar that he provided and I used the parts to make him a really funky Texas themed guitar that I had an automotive clutch ring, sink drain, sheriffs badge, and I even made one with a bullet shell for a bridge.
Do you know why the sound of slide and cigarbox guitar is connected to the blues?
In the 1800s when tobacco was just beginning to be taxed by the United States, the government forced companies to package there cigars in smaller boxes rather than big crates. These boxes made good acoustic resonators for simple stringed instruments such as victuals and what we call Diddley Bows today...
What is the impact of Blues music and culture to the racial, political, and socio-cultural implications?
Look, I was born in Memphis and Memphis has always been known as a melting pot. I was lucky to learn music from Black, White and Latino Musicians. Skip Pitts from STAX personally taught me the wah-wah lick from "Shaft." He also told me that it's not what color your skin is or what type of car you drive, it's what comes out of your heart and soul that matters.
Dr. Martin Luther King breathed his last breath unfortunately in our great city. Not a day goes by where I don't think about what he said and I try to lead by example through my actions, words and music. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Dr. Martin Luther King
Let's take a trip with a Time Machine, so where would you really want to go for a full day and why?
I'd like to visit the day of my death. I'd like to see who surrounds with me at the very end. That way I can always make sure to treat them right... I know it sounds dark but it would help me to see what's important to build the best future possible.
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