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Has coronavirus put the igaming market on 'lockdown' too?
7th April 2020 | By Louella Hughes
iGB Affiliate Events conference manager Curtis Roach examines the impact of coronavirus on the igaming industry
In such uncertain times, it can be difficult to see any positives. Markets around the world have been tumbling as economies brace themselves for the inevitable downturn. According to figures on Bloomberg.com it's estimated that the Covid-19 pandemic could cost the global economy at least $2.7tn. Among all the bad news, though, there are opportunities – if you know where to look for them.
No more games
So, what impact has the crisis had on the igaming industry? The most obvious effects can be seen in the sportsbook sector. Most sporting events due to take place over the next few months have been either cancelled or postponed, among them the Premier League and the Open Championship. The Grand National became a virtual steeplechase. Euro 2020 is now Euro 2021.
GVC, which last year made 45% of its £3.7bn revenue from sports, said the lack of fixtures would cause income to drop by up to £150m this year – and earnings would be affected to the tune of £50m a month once betting shop closures were taken into account. Flutter, Paddy Power Betfair's parent company, announced that it expects a £110m reduction in full-year earnings as a result of the cancellations.
Operators all over the world have all been hit hard, with leading Nigerian outfit Bet9ja already reporting more than $20m in lost earnings, a number expected to grow fast.
Although events like the Premier League will most likely return to our screens later this year, others such as the Grand National and Euro 2020 will not, leaving a gap in yearly revenue that will be difficult to claw back.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. There is still an opportunity for growth through other products in the igaming portfolio. Online casino, poker, virtual sports and esports have all seen a massive upturn in wagering activity, giving cause for hope.
In a recent article, gaming giant 888 Holdings reported a rise in customer activity across its casino and poker services with average daily revenue up 18% year-on-year.
The casino and sport verticals both experienced an average daily revenue increase of 24% compared to last year. New customer acquisition across the group's B2C business was 20% higher year-on-year, while B2C average daily deposits climbed 32%.
This is a trend we've observed worldwide. In the US, Rush Street's COO Mattias Stetz announced that that there has been an "increase in casino play online as all land-based casinos in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have closed". The numbers were significant. "We are seeing about 4-5 times as many new casino customers signing up compared to what we would expect considering seasonality right now," he said.
Eddie Motl, a spokesman for PokerStars, said new poker sign-ups have been "growing strongly in recent weeks". PokerStars Casino has seen a particular spike in the volume of play on its blackjack, roulette and Divine Fortune slot options. PokerStars recently boasted a $18,603,200 prize pool for its Sunday Million tournament, the biggest for any tournament in the company's history. Pennbets.com reported that nearly 61,000 players combined to create a record 93,016 entries in the $215 buy-in tournament.
There are still some great revenue generating opportunities for igaming operators, then; it's just a case of being agile and refocusing marketing efforts towards 'stay at home' games. Kenny Alexander, chief executive of GVC, said moving customers to casino games was "working reasonably well". Gambling groups have stepped up television advertising of their online casino games. Some are using social media to bring them to a wider audience.
This isn't the first time the market has had to shift to adapt for unexpected national disasters. Virtual racing, as a product, was created when the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK caused horseracing fixtures to be cancelled. Considering how popular it is in today's market, perhaps there are further exciting innovations to look forward to as a result of this coronavirus outbreak.
With power comes responsibility
Although there are some positives the market can take from the recent lockdown, with them come big risks and added responsibilities. Many of the people spending more time at home will face increased stress from economic uncertainty. There is pressure on operators to be extra vigilant when it comes to safe gambling. Similarly, preventing gambling-related harm becomes more important.
Clearly, being stuck indoors all day creates extra risks for problem gamblers. Some argue evidence of this can be seen in the rising trend for betting on obscure sporting events such as Japanese baseball, the Belarusian Premier League and even Sumo wrestling. For Matt Gaskell, clinical lead for the NHS northern gambling clinics, this is proof that people with gambling problems are betting on anything they can, even on sports they have little knowledge of. "In our clinics some of the most harmful gambling is that which diversifies to betting on things our patients know nothing about," he says.
Elsewhere, Parliament is increasingly having its say. MPs have implored online gambling firms to impose a temporary betting cap of £50 a day during the Covid-19 crisis, as continued evidence emerges that some in the industry are pushing punters towards riskier wagers in the absence of mainstream sport.
In one case, a Spanish gamer who set up an international tournament for players of the FIFA computer game berated bookmakers for offering odds on the games, urging them to stop. The actions of an irresponsible few often tar the industry with the same brush and lead to bodies such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Related Harm getting involved. "We are deeply concerned that as we go deeper into this crisis, more and more people will turn to online gambling as a distraction," its chair, Labour MP Carolyn Harris, recently said.
Savvy operators could actually look at this added responsibility as another great opportunity to engage positively with the market, something that may even play well with the likes of Harris, who was one of the MPs pushing for that £50 daily cap. "If the industry were to self-impose a daily limit of £50 […] it would be a clear demonstration that the industry is willing to act responsibly and do what they can to protect society and peoples' finances, at this dreadful time," she said.
Although this may not necessarily be the perfect blanket solution for problem gamblers, it definitely highlights the demand for a public show of willingness by the industry.
In this respect, the early signs are good. Last month, Betting and Gaming Council Chief Executive Michael Dugher reminded the industry of its responsibilities, saying, "In this time of national crisis, with so many people self-isolating and social distancing at home, it is vital that we do everything possible to ensure safer gambling and to protect potentially vulnerable or at-risk people."
Leading operators such as GVC have already put additional safeguards in place aimed at increasing customer protection during these challenging times. It has introduced measures to its safer gambling algorithm, including two new 'markers of harm' indicators, which will facilitate the identification of potentially problematic gambling behaviour at an earlier stage. The company has also bolstered the responsible gambling messaging on its homepage and site portfolio, and has added a new page that provides dedicated advice on keeping betting sensible and enjoyable during the current crisis.
This is a great example of the industry being proactive and responsible. GVC has set a trend that will hopefully continue well into the future.
Embrace the change
In conclusion, I believe the igaming market, in common with many others, will suffer its share of damage as a direct result of the current lockdown. Millions in projected annual revenue will be lost, but opportunities abound to mitigate these losses. By exploiting already diverse portfolios and adjusting marketing strategy, companies can begin to claw back funds.
History shows us that now could also be a perfect time for innovation as consumers' needs begin to change. Not only must we understand the changing needs of our customers but we also have to remain responsible as an industry. Do this and we can boost trust levels and maybe change the face of igaming for the better, for ever.


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One journey ends, another begins
An evaluation of the first session of the Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia
By John Warhurst | Australia
Ten days after the Catholic Church in Australia concluded the first Assembly of its Plenary Council, each member was sent an Evaluation Form to complete.
As well as reflecting on our experience we were asked to consider how we would complete the phrase 'It would have been good if…'. The authorities told us that our responses would help to plan the second Assembly.
In my own response I noted that the working of the first Assembly itself could not be separated from the preparations for it. These preparations got us to the Assembly starting point and that point shaped where we halted.
The preparation for the second Assembly is very much a case of 'Here we go again'. We are replicating a previous journey and we must learn the lessons in a way which improves the whole experience. The quality of the second Assembly will depend upon it.
The nine-month journey from the Working Document to the first Assembly Agenda Questions looks to me very much like the similar length journey which faces us from now to next July.
The ingredients are very similar. There are inputs, internal mechanisms such as committees to process the inputs, and finally outputs.
Prior to the first Assembly there were the 17,500 submissions from the faithful of Australia.
These were then summarised in national and diocesan reports from the National Centre for Pastoral Research of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC).
The first subsequent dilution came with the work of the six Writing and Discernment groups organised around themes chosen by the Plenary Council authorities.
Following this stage a four-person drafting committee produced the Working Document (Instrumentum Laboris).
The final step was again taken by the PC authorities themselves, producing the 16 Agenda Questions, which shaped the Assembly itself.
These questions were then distributed for discernment across ten small groups of about thirty members each.
The governance of the Plenary Council must be more synodal than it has been so far
The regular calls for greater transparency in this process by reform groups were not a theoretical synodal exercise, but a practical attempt to improve the outcomes of the process by opening it up to wider scrutiny.
Those in responsible positions, such as the Bishops Commission, the Executive Committee and the Facilitation Team, failed to seek the assistance of the wider Catholic community. Good process was ignored, and it showed in the limits in the final outcomes.
The process is now starting again with same people in charge.
The major exception is that the Steering Committee, largely a group of bishops (five out of six ex-officio members, plus 2-3 chairpersons and two facilitators), which governed the First Assembly, has now been joined by a Drafting Committee, whose responsibility is to produce draft motions to be voted on at the second assembly.
This committee, which will perform a crucial role, comprises five people selected by the authorities: Bishops Paul Bird (Ballarat) and Shane Mackinlay (Sandhurst, Deputy President of the PC), Professor Renee Kohler-Ryan, Head of the School of Philosophy and Theology, Notre Dame University, Rev Dr Stephen Mellor, Dean of St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane, and Dr Sandie Cornish, Leader of the Justice, Peace and Ecology Office for ACBC.
The relationship of this key drafting committee, which is yet to meet, to the steering committee remains unclear.
What is also unclear is what materials are regarded as the inputs. Are the ten final reports of the small groups from the first assembly the starting point?
If so, then these hastily assembled reports constitute little further advance on the pre-Assembly stages of the process. Even when compared to the six reports of the earlier writing groups (2020) the flawed first assembly process meant that they suffered from excessive haste.
There was just not enough time allowed within the assembly, not to mention the handicap of the poorly constructed and allocated questions, for anything more considered to emerge.
The other exception on this occasion is that the 277 Plenary Council members have now effectively taken 'office'. Stronger networks exist between them and some confidence in their own ability has been built.
A sense of empowerment, fuelled by an element of frustration, has emerged. This is potentially a powerful new and positive addition to the dynamics of the Plenary Council.
The Plenary Council authorities have issued a timeline for the key developments expected by 4-9 July 2022. These are said to include: 'Prayerful discernment on the outcomes of the first Assembly. Preparation of papers and proposals for the second Assembly'.
Exactly what that means remains remarkably vague. Let us hope that lessons have been learned. Like all church matters, the governance of the Plenary Council must be more synodal than it has been so far. For this to happen it must be more transparent, inclusive and accountable.
John Warhurst is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University, chair of Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn, and a Plenary Council member.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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5 October 2016 | A Game of Thrones: The Card Game
What Trait Will Triumph?
Developers Campaign for the Traits of the Battle of the Trident
#AGoTLCG
"When the battle's done I mean to call a council. Changes will be made."
–Rhaegar Targaryen, A Feast for Crows
For Robert Baratheon, his triumph at the Battle of the Trident began his ascent to the Iron Throne, and had a massive impact on the future of Westeros itself. For A Game of Thrones: The Card Game players, this November's Battle of the Trident special voting event has similar implications: the Agenda card created will impact not only those characters bearing the winning trait, but the entire direction of the metagame for years to come.
Will you heed the summons, and fight for the trait you believe most worthy?
Will you stand with Knights, Armies, or Maesters?
At all game stores that pre-ordered their A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Store Championship Kit for the upcoming season (November – February), a Battle of the Trident tournament will be held on either November 12th or 13th (international locations may host this event later, through December 11th). Players are invited to compete for the exclusive Summons (Core Set, 22) alternate art card, and the tournament winner will receive an exclusive playmat featuring the Red Keep overlooking King's Landing!
Even more important than those rewards, each of these competitors will exert their influence on the future of the game by voting for one of three forks of the Trident River. Each fork leads to a different character trait: Blue leads to Knight, Red leads to Army, and Green leads to Maester. The winning trait will become the focus of a new Agenda card to be printed in a future expansion, opening up new and exciting deck-building options for including out-of-faction characters with that trait.
In addition to the vote each tournament attendee will cast, the winner of each store's tournament adds ten additional votes for their preferred fork. From home, you can retweet both of the November 10th tweets from @FFGames and @FFGOP about your favorite fork. Every five retweets will add a vote for that fork. Plus, fifty additional votes will be added to the most-retweeted fork, and twenty-five additional votes for the runner-up.
Yet the questions remains: which fork will you choose? As the forks cannot campaign for themselves, we asked some experts to speak on their behalf. Please consider these impassioned calls for your support from the opinionated developers of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game.
Blue Fork - Knights
by Matt Newman and Brad Andres
Greetings! Matt and Brad here. You should totally vote Blue Fork in the upcoming Battle of the Trident. Why? Because knights are awesome. Seriously—besides dragons, what's cooler than knights? Do you want to be a maester? No. Do you want to be part of an army in Westeros of all places? No. You want to be a knight, because you get to wear awesome armor, you probably have Renown, and people look up to you (unless you're Jaime).
There are almost as many Knight characters in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game as Maesters and Armies combined. That means a Knight-focused agenda will be more impactful and flexible than a Maester or Army agenda. That means more interesting and fun decks and more flowers being given to Sansa. Vote Blue Fork if you like getting fifteen power faster than anyone else. We certainly do!
Red Fork - Armies
by Danny Schaefer
Hi folks! Danny Schaefer here, telling you why you should support the Red Fork in the Battle of the Trident. You've been given the option of knights, armies or maesters, and I think the choice is pretty clear. First of all: knights? Really? Come on. There's already a Knight agenda. It's called Banner of the Rose. Maesters might seem a bit more interesting at first blush, but who really wants to run a deck full of weak, vulnerable characters? An Army agenda, on the other hand, would bring something truly unique to the game.
Sure, we've seen big character decks, but those decks are usually a mix of expensive centerpiece characters and cheap chaff. This agenda would promote a totally different deck type, one focused almost entirely on 4+ cost characters, and bring military challenges and underplayed characters to the forefront. Vote Red Fork for an agenda like nothing you've seen before.
Green Fork - Maesters
by Nate French
Hey everyone! Nate French here, to convince you to vote Green Fork in the Battle of the Trident. This is really a decision between knights, armies, and maesters: what type of deck do you want us to support? Which is a pretty easy decision if you ask me.
First—knights? Really? Who do you think you are—Don Quixote? Any knight can make a knight. Knight decks are already possible. An agenda might help them a little, but would it really take the meta to all that different a place? An Army deck might seem novel on the surface, but "big characters" is also already a thing, and do we really want another flavor of that deck? Maesters, though—now that would be exciting. Such an agenda would allow us to take the game in a new direction, one in which nuance, subtlety, and the concept of mind over matter… matters. So vote Green Fork—and you can thank me later.
With such an important decision weighing heavily on your mind, we want to leave you with a summary of the important dates of this campaign:
November 2-6: Store Championship locations will be holding their World Championship Celebrations, and possibly showing the Worlds live stream. Two copies of the World Championship extended art card will be given away, and you can use this opportunity to ask about the two important dates coming up: their Battle of the Trident tournament, and their actual Store Championship tournament.
November 10: Three fork tweets will appear on @FFGames and @FFGOP. You can retweet from each of our Twitter accounts to show your support for that fork, and help to add votes for it until Wednesday the 16th.
November 12-13: The Battle of the Trident will take place at most Store Championship locations. Competitors will cast their votes and win exclusive prizes.
(Note: Due to international kit availability, some retailers outside of the United States may host these events later, through December 11.)
November 16: We will be counting retweets at 12:00 PM Central Standard Time (UTC -6) to calculate votes to be added to the tournament totals.
December 13: All Battle of the Trident organizers need to submit their players' voting results at the website included in the Event Outline by Tuesday the 13th.
December 20: The winning trait will be revealed, and developers will begin work on this new agenda!
November - February: A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Store Championships will take place at locations around the world, beginning two weeks after Worlds!
Make your voice heard this November! Be sure to follow @FFGames and @FFGOP in anticipation of the chance to retweet, and bookmark the Organized Play page for updates and information!
A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Edition is the second edition of a beloved Living Card Game®, challenging players to take command of the Houses of Westeros and battle to claim the Iron Throne! By succeeding in military challenges, cunning intrigues, and political encounters, you may have the chance to rule the Seven Kingdoms, but those who fail will fade into ignominy.
12 Oct 2020 Play-and-Share
We're "Board" in Quarantine
Introducing the Fantasy Flight Games Play-and-Share Campaign
4 Sep 2020 Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition
Announcing an Open Alpha for Star Wars: X-Wing Solo Rules
24 Aug 2020 Organized Play
August Update: COVID-19 and FFG OP
An Update for All Events Regarding COVID-19
15 Apr 2020 Organized Play
Update: COVID-19 & FFG OP


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Home News Death toll rises as California wildfire spreads
Death toll rises as California wildfire spreads
Three firefighters, a 70-year-old woman and her two great-grandchildren are among seven people killed by wildfires in northern California.
Underbrush burns on the south edge of the Carr Fire near Igo, California, US, July 29, 2018. (Reuters)
The death toll in California wildfires rose to seven as shaken survivors recounted the horror of watching fast-moving flames whip through neighbourhoods and devour their homes.
An army of firefighters from across the country struggled in California on Monday to control 17 large-scale blazes that have reduced expensive homes to smouldering piles of rubble and turned tens of thousands of acres into ashen wastelands.
"I've been a lifelong resident of this community, and I've never seen a fire with such destruction here in this area ever before," said Shasta County Supervisor Leonard Moty commenting on the Carr fire, one of the largest.
Alyce Macken said she had only minutes to flee her home in the town of Redding with her husband Ted as the flames swept closer.
"At six o'clock in the morning there was a knock on the door, a pounding, and it was the sheriff telling us that we had 15 minutes to get out," Macken told AFP.
"We were out in 10 minutes. I was shaking, it just went by really fast."
Macken, who is retired, told AFP that she met other panic-stricken neighbours at a nearby shopping centre – and watched from afar as her home went up in flames.
"It was almost like a tornado with fire in it and it came over the hill and it wiped out our house, it wiped out our next door neighbour's home," she said.
Some 38,000 people have been evacuated in Shasta County due to the Carr fire, officials said.
A thick smoke haze covered a large segment of northern California, severely limiting visibility and contributing to breathing problems.
According to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), 12,000 firefighters from as far away as Florida and New Jersey have deployed across the state.
Jay Gray has the latest from Redding, California.
Firefighter dies near Yosemite
A firefighter identified as Brian Hughes died on Sunday while battling the Ferguson Fire, which is near Yosemite National Park.
Hughes "was struck and killed by a tree" while fighting the blaze, the Sequoia and Kings National Parks Service said. "We grieve his loss," they wrote on Twitter.
The remains of a person who ignored Carr fire evacuation orders was found in a burned out residence on Sunday, said Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko.
Two firefighters were killed earlier battling the Carr blaze and three people – a 70-year-old woman and her two great-grandchildren aged four and five – perished when their Redding home was swallowed up by flames.
Firefighters and police are searching for seven people reported missing, Bosenko said.
He also said that 600 National Guard soldiers had been deployed to help in support duties such as roadblocks.
'Just unbelievable'
Donna and Billy Gill were forced to flee their Redding home and did not know when they would be allowed to return.
"Just the not knowing is probably the hardest part," Donna Gill told the Redding Searchlight newspaper. "This is just unbelievable. I don't know. You don't know what to say. We're all in it together, that's for sure."
Redding police chief Roger Moore warned that looting had become a problem since evacuations began.
"Everyone we come into contact in those neighbourhoods – if they don't have a legitimate reason to be there, if we don't arrest them for looting they'll be arrested for something else," he said.
Two people, a man and a woman, were later arrested on suspicion of looting evacuated homes in Redding.
The alleged burglars were tracked down and found with electronic items stacked by their front door, the sheriff's department said.
One evacuee who had been forced to move four times warned that a 14-foot long albino python that she owned was lost at her latest stop in south Redding.
"Eres is a beautiful, friendly snake," said Sandra Dodge-Streich, the owner of Redding Reptiles, on Facebook.
"She is part of our store family and Reptile Exhibit. Please don't be afraid of her– she is lost and scared!"
Feeling 'optimistic'
The Carr fire covers around 39,000 hectares (95,000 acres) and was just 17 percent contained, the state authority Cal Fire said late on Sunday.
Nevertheless authorities "are very encouraged with the fire status" in Redding, said Cal Fire incident manager Bret Gouvea.
"We're feeling a lot more optimistic … as we're starting to make up some ground instead of being on the defensive," he told reporters.
Gouvea, however, said he was wary of unpredictable weather.
The National Weather Service issued a "Red Flag" warning for the Shasta County area through Monday morning, warning of low humidity and possible strong gusts of wind.
It described the Carr blaze as "a large and dangerous" fire "in which spreading is not driven by the wind, but rather the fire itself."
Dangerous and irregular fire-generated wind "and fire-induced whirlwinds are possible … threatening life and property," it said.
California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Shasta County, as well as in the counties of Lake, Napa and Mendocino.
US President Donald Trump earlier signed an emergency declaration to make federal aid available to county authorities.
Source: AFP
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Twin Three-Story, Two-Family Houses Coming to 20 Adams Avenue, Grant City, Staten Island
4:00 pm on May 4, 2016 By Reid Wilson
Property owner Joseph Molino, doing business as KDC of Staten Island, has filed applications for twin three-story, two-family houses at 18-20 Adams Avenue, in Grant City, located three blocks from the Jefferson Avenue station on the Staten Island Railway. Each will measure 3,970 square feet, with one residential unit on the ground floor and the second located across the second and third floors. Across both houses, the units should average a family-sized 1,546 square feet apiece. Staten Island-based Michael Deruvo & Associates Architects is the architect of record. Demolition permits were filed late last year to remove the site's existing single-story home.
Five-Story, 10-Unit Residential Building Planned at 131 Devoe Street, Williamsburg
Steven Ferguson, doing business as an anonymous Brooklyn-based LLC, has filed applications for a five-story, 10-unit residential building at 131 Devoe Street, in northern Williamsburg, located around the block from the Graham Avenue stop on the L train. The structure will encompass 20,008 square feet, and its residential units should average 996 square feet apiece, which means condominiums are probably in the works. Amenities listed in the Schedule A include a fitness center, a bike storage room, a parking garage on the ground floor, and a roof terrace. Midtown East-based Eisner Design is the architect of record. The 50-foot-wide assemblage – spanning 131-133 Devoe Street – is currently occupied by two two-story houses.
1.42-Million Square Feet Of Warehouses Filed at 566-586 Gulf Avenue, Bloomfield, Staten Island
Back in 2013, Texas-based Staten Island Marine Development began remediating the 676-acre vacant swath of land located west of the West Shore Expressway and north of Bloomfield Avenue, in Boomfield, Staten Island. Roughly 252 acres of the property will be permanently preserved as wetlands, while 330 acres is expected to be developed into an industrial complex with warehouses, a logistics center, and a marine terminal. Now, applications have been filed for a 46-foot-tall, 450,000- and 970,000-square-foot heavy manufacturing warehouses at 566 Gulf Avenue 586 Gulf Avenue. Matthew Hoelzli's Garment District-based Marguelies Hoelzli Architecture is the architect of record. In addition to the remediation, the development area is also being raised to at least 10 feet above sea level, as part of the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is involved in the preservation of the wetlands.
Developer Moves Forward with Mixed-Use Development Assemblage at 41-43 West 47th Street, Midtown
Developer Boris Aronov has received the green light to demolish the five-story, seven-unit mixed-use building at 41 West 47th Street and the seven-story commercial building at 43 West 47th Street, in Midtown. No new building applications have been filed with the Department of Buildings, nor has the developer disclosed their plans for the site, DNAinfo reports. As is, the two-property development assemblage could accommodate up to 60,240 square feet of mixed-use development. A future development could include up to 50,200 square feet of residential space with a commercial component, or could take the form of a hotel or office building. Before the structures can be demolished, multiple commercial-retail tenants, in addition to possibly multiple residential tenants, must vacant the properties.
Five-Story, 16-Unit Residential Building Filed at 364 Harman Street, Bushwick
11:00 am on May 4, 2016 By Reid Wilson
Brooklyn-based Zephyr Construction Management has filed applications for a five-story, 16-unit residential building at 364 Harman Street, in Bushwick, located three blocks from the Knickerbocker Avenue stop on the M train. The structure will encompass 15,845 square feet, and its residential units should average 686 square feet apiece, indicative of rental apartments. Amenities listed in the Schedule A include an eight-car parking lot behind the building, a bicycle storage room, a lobby with a recreation room, and a rooftop terrace. Greenwich Village-based De-Jan Lu is the architect of record. The 48-foot-wide site is currently occupied by a two-story townhouse. Demolition permits were filed for it in November.
Three-Story, Two-Unit Mixed-Use Building Coming to 2160 Powell Avenue, Unionport
Nissan Cohen, doing business as an anonymous Bronx-based LLC, has filed applications for a three-story, two-unit mixed-use building at 2160 Powell Avenue, in Unionport, located five blocks south of the Castle Hill Avenue stop on the 6 train. The structure, to rise on a triangular plot bound by Powell Avenue and the Cross Bronx Expressway, will measure 4,985 square feet. The first two floors will host 3,197 square feet of commercial-retail space, and the top floor will contain two apartments, averaging 894 square feet apiece. Queens-based Gerald J. Caliendo is the architect of record. The 3,271-square-foot lot is currently vacant.
Reveal for 187 Cook Street, East Williamsburg Office Space
8:00 am on May 4, 2016 By Rebecca Baird-Remba
Last month, YIMBY reported on new office space in the works for 187 Cook Street in East Williamsburg. Now, we have the first rendering of the development, which will rise between Bushwick Avenue and White Street.
Landmarks Holds Hearing on New Free Wi-Fi Kiosks, Called LinkNYC
7:30 am on May 4, 2016 By Evan Bindelglass
Perhaps you've noticed or heard about the new public Wi-Fi kiosks being installed around the city, often replacing payphones? Well, they're called Links (the operation is LinkNYC) and the plan is for many many more. Before they are installed in historic districts, the Landmarks Preservation Commission must rule, and a public hearing on the issue was held Tuesday.
Permits Filed: 77 Chrystie Street, Lower East Side Office Building
Filings for new residential buildings have slowed to a crawl as the real estate lobby and the construction unions fight over the future of the 421-a tax abatement, but commercial development is alive and well across the city. Yesterday, we spotted plans for a six-story office building at 77 Chrystie Street in the Lower East Side.
Retail Renovation Planned at Four-Story, 21,800-Square-Foot Commercial Building, 220 West 57th Street, Midtown
6:30 am on May 4, 2016 By Reid Wilson
Back in 2014, Thor Equities and General Growth Properties were in contract to acquire the four-story, 21,837-square-foot commercial-retail building at 220 West 57th Street, in Midtown. Now, the developers are expecting to close on the property – an individual landmark dubbed the Society House of the American Society of Civil Engineers – for $85 million in June, according to The Real Deal. Its existing tenant, Lee's Art Shop, is in the process of moving out, probably in time for the sale, DNAinfo reports. The new owners plan to renovate the building into luxury retail space. Any exterior alterations to the building will have to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The property comes with 104,160 square feet of air rights.


I have not been in eastern Germany for a long time, because I have never really had time to travel. What do you do for living and in your leisure time, like the weekends and evenings.
I speak a little English. I would be happy to teach you German as well. May I can introduce myself? My name is Jürgen and I live in Dusseldorf. 25 years ago I was born in Mannheim, Germany.


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The Falcons' Defense Is Basically Fucked
Dom Cosentino
Filed to:atlanta falcons
Photo credit: AP/Elise Amendola
Patriots-Falcons in Super Bowl 51 is being billed as a showcase of the NFL's two most prolific offenses, at the height of their powers. The Patriots, of course, are the known entity: Tom Brady and [insert name here] on offense, along with a defense that frequently schemes its way into being greater than the sum of its parts. The Falcons' offense, new to the scene but with season-long stats to back it up, proved their mettle during the postseason by steamrolling the Seahawks and Packers. But how might Atlanta's defense, with its four rookie starters, stack up against New England's variety pack? Can the Falcons do to Brady what they just finished doing to Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers?
Upon initial inspection, what the Falcons' defense has to offer isn't encouraging. They were 27th in DVOA during the regular season, and 29th against the pass. They averaged a league-high 132.9 yards after catch allowed—a worrisome total considering New England's ranked third in the NFL in yards after catch. The Falcons won the NFC South and tore through the playoffs largely because their offense is a scythe: Atlanta averaged 33.8 points per game during the regular season while also churning out 6.69 yards per play—totals that ranked eighth- and fourth-best in the NFL since the 1970 merger. And in their playoff wins against Seattle and Green Bay, they maintained that breakneck pace by averaging 40 points and 6.68 yards per play. (In fairness, DVOA takes situations including score gap into consideration, but opponents did frequently have to air it out to play catch up, so some of the Falcons' defensive numbers may not be as awful as they appear.)
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The formula for beating Brady—dating to the Giants' two Super Bowl wins against him—typically involves getting pressure without blitzing. And while edge rusher Vic Beasley led the NFL with 15½ sacks, Atlanta hasn't consistently gotten in quarterbacks' faces: It ranked just 24th in adjusted sack rate overall, and Beasley converted pressure into sacks at a rate of 28.6 percent, which Pro Football Focus described as "unsustainably high." Beasley will also be lining up opposite Patriots right tackle Marcus Cannon, who PFF says hasn't yielded a sack since Week 1.
Atlanta is especially vulnerable (26th in DVOA) against running backs who can catch passes—a wrinkle the Patriots put to good use during their divisional-round win against the Texans, when Dion Lewis and James White combined for a timely 42 receiving yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns. And even though the Falcons held Russell Wilson to 225 passing yards and a 75.0 rating in the divisional round, they had difficulty in coverage on the outside: Per PFF, CBs Robert Alford, Jalen Collins, and Brian Poole combined to give up 10 catches on 13 targets for 178 yards, and a touchdown. This could be a problem against a team like the Patriots and their wide array of pass catchers. Depending on whether the Falcons play man or zone (more on that in a bit), the Patriots can hit them with Chris Hogan or Malcolm Mitchell toward the sideline, Martellus Bennett up the seam, Julian Edelman on a crossing route, and Lewis and White in space. And I haven't yet mentioned Danny Amendola. But which receiver does what is largely irrelevant; the Pats can frequently mix and match most of them while running a specific combination of routes designed to either create space or to exploit what the defense gives it. And Brady, more often than not, will find a way to get the open guy the ball.
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In these playoffs, the Falcons' offense has been its best defense. In 10 first-half possessions against the Seahawks and Packers, Atlanta piled up six touchdowns and two field goals. And there were huge swings in each game that benefited the Falcons' defense:
Against Seattle, Seahawks backup rookie right guard Rees Odhiambo, playing for the injured Germain Ifedi, made a pair of critical mistakes: Once for failing to pick up Falcons outside linebacker Brooks Reed, leading to a third-down sack, and once for stepping on Wilson's foot, leading to a safety. Before the Seahawks even knew what hit them, their 10-7 lead was a 19-10 deficit, and the rout was on.
The Packers marched 52 and 64 yards, respectively, on their first two possessions. But they wound up with a missed field goal and a fumble in the red zone that was caused by Jalen Collins stripping fullback Aaron Ripkowski. By the time the Packers got the ball for just the third time in the game, they were already down 17-0.
This type of bend-but-don't-break approach will be much more difficult to win with against the Patriots. The Pats had the fewest turnovers per drive (.046) during the regular season, and they also had a league-best lead per drive of 7.41 points, nearly three points better than Atlanta's second-best 4.92. The Pats don't often fall behind, and they rarely beat themselves.
So what do the Falcons offer to counter the Pats? For one thing, they're fast as hell. "I'd say the stamp on the team, the thing that I would notice the most is just the speed, the team speed that the Falcons have," Bill Belichick said. "They have a lot of fast guys. Defensively they close up space very quickly."
Like the Steelers, the Falcons play a lot of Cover 3, which leaves one safety deep and spreads the zone coverage across the width of the field. The Falcons will need safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen to help bail out their corners. But the Pats are still likely to find ways to create mismatches and to attack whatever part of the field Atlanta might leave vulnerable. Brady, of course, abused the Steelers in the AFC championship game because he and his pass catchers were capable of finding spots in that zone by 1) having Brady look off one receiver for another; and 2) making quick reads based on how linebackers turned as pass catchers broke into their routes.
Something else to consider, based on something else Belichick said about the Falcons: "[T]hey have a lot of athletic players on defense and they play a lot of guys, too. It's a lot different than Pittsburgh who basically played the same players the whole game." Don't be surprised if we see some hurry-up from the Patriots, just to keep the Falcons from rotating their personnel.
Now, as Andy Benoit explained over at The MMQB, the Falcons have deployed some man-to-man concepts, and their speed and physicality might allow them to play man by playing press coverage to screw up the timing and rhythm of the Pats' offense. This, too, has its risks because of how frequently the Patriots use motion and how much they bunch their receivers while also using pick routes and crossing patterns. Brady is also difficult to blitz; the Falcons sent blitzers at Rodgers on 32.7 percent of his dropbacks in the NFC title game, per PFF, but Brady would exploit that by throwing the ball quickly, as he so often does. Benoit, in turn, suggested a man scheme with just a three-man rush, which he suggested could accomplish two things:
One: It virtually ensures that the middle of the field is always clogged, forcing Brady to throw outside, where he's a little less comfortable. And if the throw goes outside, the sideline leaves less space for New England's lethal run-after-catch.
Two: It presents the element of disguise out of man-to-man, which is rare. Usually with man-to-man, the quarterback sees things clearly: Defender A has Receiver A; Defender B has Receiver B; and so on. But with two unattached defenders roaming around, it's possible for Defender A to switch to Receiver B after the snap, or for Defenders A and B to unexpectedly both take Receiver B. There can be a lot for the QB to process. This means a greater likelihood of the QB holding the ball, which diminishes the drawback of rushing only three. True, Brady has been great when forced to hold the ball this season, but you're still picking the less lethal poison here. If Brady is holding the ball, the game is being played on your terms, not his.
Maybe the Falcons can force Brady into holding the ball and checking down. Maybe they'll be able to prevent big gains by making tackles in space. Maybe they can even hit Brady a few times and rattle him. But for how long can they sustain it? Because all of that is a lot easier said than done. New England can always counter by pounding LeGarrette Blount, and even by controlling the clock—the Pats ranked fifth during the regular season in time of possession (31:13), while the Falcons (30:12) ranked 18th. Atlanta's offense is every bit as diverse and as dangerous as New England's. The Falcons' best hope may be to just try to keep up.
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Drs. Lang & Millward are committed to developing a long-term caring relationship with each of their patients. Unfortunately, there are many patients who have visited numerous dentists over the years and experienced less than satisfactory service. Time with the dentist was possibly hurried and impersonal, with no time devoted to their unique situation. Drs. Lang & Millward will listen and communicate with you. They will spend time working to uncover individual problems and concerns and discuss treatment options to help you achieve the optimal results you desire.
Drs. Lang & Millward will take the time to get to know you as a unique individual, understanding that your concerns and opinions are essential to providing the level of service you expect. They will perform a comprehensive clinical examination probably much different than the "check-up" you might have received in the past. Additional information may be needed in order for Drs. Lang & Millward to study your particular circumstances and conditions. They will then be able to discuss the findings and possibilities, and with your input, determine how best to proceed.
The goal of this experience is to understand your unique circumstances and to learn how to best work with and for you.
Drs. Lang & Millward constantly pursue excellence in all facets of dental practice. If you are discriminating about your healthcare, this comprehensive relationship-based approach is both reassuring and satisfying.
Drs. Lang & Millward's goal, with your input, is to custom create a biologically acceptable, functionally enduring and aesthetically pleasing long-term result.


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Billy Reeves - Player Statistics
Debut: Chorley September 22, 2018
1 Chorley A FA Cup Second Round Qualifying 18/19 22/09/2018 0-3
2 Widnes H Evo Stik West 18/19 25/09/2018 4-1
3 Market Drayton Town A Evo Stik West 18/19 02/10/2018 1-1
4 Prescot Cables H Evo Stik West 18/19 06/10/2018 4-0
5 Loughborough Dynamo H FA Trophy Premliminary Round 18/19 13/10/2018 0-0
6 Loughborough Dynamo A FA Trophy Premliminary Round Replay 18/19 16/10/2018 5-2
7 Stamford A FA Trophy First Round Qualifying 18/19 27/10/2018 0-0
8 Stamford H FA Trophy First Round Qualifying Replay 18/19 30/10/2018 0-1
9 Runcorn Linnets A Evo Stik West 18/19 03/11/2018 0-1
10 Atherton Collieries H Evo Stik West 18/19 10/11/2018 0-1
11 Glossop North End H Evo Stik West 18/19 13/11/2018 3-1
12 Colne A Evo Stik West 18/19 17/11/2018 2-3
13 Runcorn Linnets H Integro Cup Second Round 18/19 20/11/2018 1-4
14 Mossley A Evo Stik West 18/19 24/11/2018 2-0
15 Kendal Town H Evo Stik West 18/19 01/12/2018 3-0
16 Stoke City H Staffs Senior Cup Second Round 18/19 11/12/2018 1-2
17 Droylsden A Evo Stik West 18/19 15/12/2018 3-2
18 Skelmersdale United H Evo Stik West 18/19 22/12/2018 6-0
19 Chasetown A Evo Stik West 18/19 26/12/2018 1-1
20 Newcastle Town H Evo Stik West 18/19 01/01/2019 4-1
21 Ramsbottom United A Evo Stik West 18/19 05/01/2019 1-1
22 Radcliffe A Evo Stik West 18/19 12/01/2019 2-1
23 Kidsgrove Athletic A Evo Stik West 18/19 19/01/2019 1-2
24 Runcorn Linnets H Evo Stik West 18/19 26/01/2019 1-1
25 Trafford A Evo Stik West 18/19 09/02/2019 3-0
27 Colne H Evo Stik West 18/19 16/02/2019 0-0
28 Widnes A Evo Stik West 18/19 23/02/2019 2-0
29 Trafford H Evo Stik West 18/19 02/03/2019 1-3
30 Kidsgrove Athletic H Evo Stik West 18/19 05/03/2019 1-2
31 Atherton Collieries A Evo Stik West 18/19 11/03/2019 1-2
32 Market Drayton Town H Evo Stik West 18/19 23/03/2019 4-0
33 Kendal Town A Evo Stik West 18/19 30/03/2019 3-2
34 Colwyn Bay H Evo Stik West 18/19 02/04/2019 2-2
35 Prescot Cables A Evo Stik West 18/19 06/04/2019 1-0
36 Mossley H Evo Stik West 18/19 06/04/2019 3-1
37 Glossop North End A Evo Stik West 18/19 13/04/2019 2-0
38 Clitheroe A Evo Stik West 18/19 20/04/2019 1-0
39 Chasetown H Evo Stik West 18/19 22/04/2019 1-1
40 Colwyn Bay A Evo Stik West 18/19 27/04/2019 1-0
41 Colne H Evo Stik West playoff semi 18/19 01/05/2019 2-1
42 Radcliffe A Evo Stik West playoff final 18/19 04/05/2019 1-2
43 Wisbech Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 17/08/2019 2-0
44 Kidsgrove Athletic H Evo Stik South East 19/20 20/08/2019 2-1
45 AFC Wulfrunians A FA Cup Preliminary Qualifying Round 19/20 24/08/2019 1-0
46 Sheffield FC A Evo Stik South East 19/20 26/08/2019 3-2
47 Sutton Coldfield Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 31/08/2019 2-0
48 Market Drayton Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 03/09/2019 2-1
49 Whitchurch Alport A FA Cup First Qualifying Round 19/20 07/09/2019 2-0
50 Ilkeston Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 10/09/2019 2-1
51 Cleethorpes Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 14/09/2019 1-2
52 Boston Town A FA Cup Second Qualifying Round 19/20 21/09/2019 4-0
53 Stocksbridge Park Steels A Evo Stik South East 19/20 24/09/2019 1-1
54 Worksop Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 28/09/2019 4-0
55 King's Lynn Town H FA Cup Third Qualifying Round 19/20 05/10/2019 0-2
56 Chasetown A Staffs Senior Cup First Round 19/20 08/10/2019 0-1
57 Newcastle Town A FA Trophy Preliminary Qualifying Round 19/20 12/10/2019 5-2
58 Newcastle Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 19/10/2019 2-2
59 Chasetown H FA Trophy First Qualifying Round 19/20 29/10/2019 2-0
60 Workington AFC H FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round 19/20 09/11/2019 1-3
61 Loughborough Dynamo H Evo Stik South East 19/20 16/11/2019 1-0
62 Stamford H Evo Stik South East 19/20 23/11/2019 2-2
63 Belper Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 30/11/2019 2-0
64 Runcorn Linnets A Integro Cup First Round 19/20 03/12/2019 1-0
65 Carlton Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 07/12/2019 4-0
66 Frickley Athletic H Evo Stik South East 19/20 14/12/2019 2-0
67 Wisbech Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 21/12/2019 4-0
68 Glossop North End A Evo Stik South East 19/20 26/12/2019 3-0
69 Sheffield FC H Evo Stik South East 19/20 01/01/2020 4-0
70 Kidsgrove Athletic A Evo Stik South East 19/20 04/01/2020 3-2
71 Market Drayton Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 11/01/2020 4-1
72 Spalding United A Evo Stik South East 19/20 18/01/2020 2-0
73 Worksop Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 25/01/2020 3-0
74 Frickley Athletic A Evo Stik South East 19/20 01/02/2020 1-0
75 Lincoln United H Evo Stik South East 19/20 08/02/2020 2-0
76 Chasetown A Evo Stik South East 19/20 18/02/2020 1-0
77 Ilkeston Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 22/02/2020 0-2
78 Carlton Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 07/03/2020 3-2
79 Lincoln United A Evo Stik South East 19/20 14/03/2020 2-0
80 Sporting Khalsa H FA Cup Preliminary Qualifying Round 20/21 13/09/2020 2-1
81 Wisbech Town H League 20/21 19/09/2020 5-0
82 Mickleover H FA Cup First Qualifying Round 20/21 22/09/2020 1-2
83 Kidsgrove Athletic A League 20/21 29/09/2020 0-1
84 Sutton Coldfield Town A League 20/21 03/10/2020 1-1
85 Cleethorpes Town H League 20/21 10/10/2020 3-2
86 Histon A FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round 20/21 17/10/2020 2-1
87 Stocksbridge Park Steels H League 20/21 20/10/2020 6-2
88 Carlton Town A League 20/21 24/10/2020 2-1
89 Evesham United A FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round 20/21 31/10/2020 2-3
90 Ilkeston Town A League 20/21 03/11/2020 3-2
91 Warrington Rylands A League 21/22 14/08/2021 0-2
92 Trafford H League 21/22 17/08/2021 2-2
93 Gresley Rovers A FA Cup Preliminary Qualifying Round 21/22 21/08/2021 2-0
94 Runcorn Linnets H League 21/22 27/08/2021 0-1
96 1874 Northwich A League 21/22 07/09/2021 3-0
98 Glossop North End A League 21/22 14/09/2021 2-1
99 Newcastle Town A League 21/22 18/09/2021 3-2
100 Clitheroe A League 21/22 25/09/2021 2-0
102 Ramsbottom United A League 21/22 02/10/2021 2-0
103 Market Drayton Town A FA Trophy Second Round Qualifying 21/22 09/10/2021 7-0
104 Widnes A League 21/22 16/10/2021 2-1
105 Kendal Town H League 21/22 23/10/2021 3-0
106 Prescot Cables H League 21/22 26/10/2021 1-1
107 Basford United A FA Trophy Third Round Qualifying 21/22 30/10/2021 1-2
108 City of Liverpool A League 21/22 06/11/2021 0-2
109 Newcastle Town H League 21/22 13/11/2021 1-1
110 Bootle A League 21/22 20/11/2021 3-0
111 Sporting Khalsa A Staffs Senior Cup Second Round 21/22 30/11/2021 2-2
113 Trafford A League 21/22 11/12/2021 1-2
114 Warrington Rylands H League 21/22 18/12/2021 3-0
115 Kidsgrove Athletic A League 21/22 27/12/2021 3-2
116 Market Drayton Town H League 21/22 01/01/2022 5-1
117 Clitheroe H League 21/22 15/01/2022 5-0
1 Chorley A FA Cup 18/19 22/09/2018 0-3
5 Loughborough Dynamo H FA Trophy 18/19 13/10/2018 0-0
6 Loughborough Dynamo A FA Trophy 18/19 16/10/2018 5-2
7 Stamford A FA Trophy 18/19 27/10/2018 0-0
8 Stamford H FA Trophy 18/19 30/10/2018 0-1
13 Runcorn Linnets H Integro Cup 18/19 20/11/2018 1-4
1 Wisbech Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 17/08/2019 2-0
2 Kidsgrove Athletic H Evo Stik South East 19/20 20/08/2019 2-1
3 AFC Wulfrunians A FA Cup 19/20 24/08/2019 1-0
4 Sheffield FC A Evo Stik South East 19/20 26/08/2019 3-2
5 Sutton Coldfield Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 31/08/2019 2-0
6 Market Drayton Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 03/09/2019 2-1
7 Whitchurch Alport A FA Cup 19/20 07/09/2019 2-0
8 Ilkeston Town H Evo Stik South East 19/20 10/09/2019 2-1
9 Cleethorpes Town A Evo Stik South East 19/20 14/09/2019 1-2
10 Boston Town A FA Cup 19/20 21/09/2019 4-0
13 King's Lynn Town H FA Cup 19/20 05/10/2019 0-2
14 Chasetown A Staffs Senior Cup 19/20 08/10/2019 0-1
15 Newcastle Town A FA Trophy 19/20 12/10/2019 5-2
17 Chasetown H FA Trophy 19/20 29/10/2019 2-0
18 Workington AFC H FA Trophy 19/20 09/11/2019 1-3
22 Runcorn Linnets A Integro Cup 19/20 03/12/2019 1-0
1 Sporting Khalsa H FA Cup 20/21 13/09/2020 2-1
2 Wisbech Town H League 20/21 19/09/2020 5-0
3 Mickleover H FA Cup 20/21 22/09/2020 1-2
4 Kidsgrove Athletic A League 20/21 29/09/2020 0-1
5 Sutton Coldfield Town A League 20/21 03/10/2020 1-1
6 Cleethorpes Town H League 20/21 10/10/2020 3-2
7 Histon A FA Trophy 20/21 17/10/2020 2-1
8 Stocksbridge Park Steels H League 20/21 20/10/2020 6-2
9 Carlton Town A League 20/21 24/10/2020 2-1
10 Evesham United A FA Trophy 20/21 31/10/2020 2-3
1 Warrington Rylands A League 21/22 14/08/2021 0-2
2 Trafford H League 21/22 17/08/2021 2-2
3 Gresley Rovers A FA Cup 21/22 21/08/2021 2-0
4 Runcorn Linnets H League 21/22 27/08/2021 0-1
6 1874 Northwich A League 21/22 07/09/2021 3-0
7 Workington AFC A League 21/22 11/09/2021 1-1
8 Glossop North End A League 21/22 14/09/2021 2-1
9 Newcastle Town A League 21/22 18/09/2021 3-2
10 Clitheroe A League 21/22 25/09/2021 2-0
12 Ramsbottom United A League 21/22 02/10/2021 2-0
13 Market Drayton Town A FA Trophy 21/22 09/10/2021 7-0
14 Widnes A League 21/22 16/10/2021 2-1
16 Prescot Cables H League 21/22 26/10/2021 1-1
17 Basford United A FA Trophy 21/22 30/10/2021 1-2
18 City of Liverpool A League 21/22 06/11/2021 0-2
19 Newcastle Town H League 21/22 13/11/2021 1-1
21 Sporting Khalsa A Staffs Senior Cup 21/22 30/11/2021 2-2
22 Marine H League 21/22 04/12/2021 3-2
23 Trafford A League 21/22 11/12/2021 1-2
24 Warrington Rylands H League 21/22 18/12/2021 3-0
26 Market Drayton Town H League 21/22 01/01/2022 5-1
27 Clitheroe H League 21/22 15/01/2022 5-0


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In preparation for playing Pikmin 3 I played the first Pikmin a month ago and I fell in love with it, subsequently playing it for a day straight. I've always loved RTS games, Warcraft 3 being one of my favourite games of all time, the genre just resonates very well with me. With these two things in mind it should come as no surprise that I was super hyped for Pikmin 3 - not only because it is the type of game I love, it is also the only game until October that looked like it may justify my purchase of a Wii U.
Pikmin 3 is the best looking Nintendo game on the Wii U yet - I just had to mention that first. The vibrant visuals relay Pikmin 3's beautiful world perfectly and this alone makes it worth the way, extended by the hefty delays it encountered. Pikmin have never looked cuter, fruit has never looked tastier and the bosses have never looked so peculiar. Nintendo has outdone themselves and if future games for the Wii U look this good, or even better, it makes me truly believe that the U can compete with the next generation of consoles (in terms of visual fidelity at least).
As you would expect the game functions very similarly to the previous two. You command your Pikmin from a third-person perspective as you collect fruit, battle creatures and navigate your way through obstacles under the daily time limit. Similar to Pikmin 2, there is no overall time limit to completing the game itself, this allows discovery in the game to be more relaxing and laid back, without having to worry about the big picture. However at the same time this is one of Pikmin 3's biggest issues, the game simply lacks any overall difficulty. Although you do have a food supply which is used up daily and if depleted you lose, this is never really a problem due to the abundance of food you can find. By the end I had 30 fruit with me and had finished 27 days, meaning I could play for almost twice as long without worrying about losing. Bosses, however, are difficult and you'll have to figure out a way to beat them fast to minimize the number of Pikmin that fall in battle and taking down some bosses truly brings that feeling of accomplishment. Pikmin 3 allows a player to prosper if they are good enough, its true difficulty comes from completing the game and collecting all the fruit in as few days as possible, which is complimented by the new online leader-board. It is great to see Nintendo finally embracing the leader-board feature, however it still lacks some features, such as comparing your own score with your actual friends.
The biggest gameplay changes in Pikmin 3 are the addition of a third playable character and two new Pikmin types. This means that Pikmin 3 gets even more management elements as you try to juggle three characters at once, trying to be as efficient as possible. In reality I didn't use this a lot, although those racing to be the fastest at the game should be able to put it to good use. The new Pikmin types allow for new ways to play, blue Pikmin can traverse water and your rock Pikmin are durable enough to smash your opponent to pieces. These new types add a freshness to Pikmin 3 that makes this entry the best one yet. For new players to the franchise the game does well in teaching people all the gameplay mechanics over again, meaning if you didn't play the previous instalments 9 years ago you can still jump in and enjoy.
The Pikmin 3 also makes great use of the Gamepad, as you'd expect a real time strategy game would and should, by making the map easily accessible on the screen and providing quick access to other features. Tapping it will pause the game and bring the camera into an overhead view, drag the map around using your finger and get the full display of the area on your TV, all features that become incredibly useful later in the game when you're planning out where you will be going in that day. Quick links are also added at the bottom of the Gamepads display so you can check out in-game notes or, for example, how many rock Pikmin are currently in the field - an excellent feature that can ease some of the more stressful moments. Off-screen play is also possible (I spent some good hours lying in bed using the screen). While it is not as visually appealing and a little harder to perform well using it, it's still a nice feature for Nintendo to throw in there. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck provide a secondary way of playing and although they work just fine (albeit a bit inaccurately), it simply doesn't make sense to use them outside of multiplayer. Simply put, the Gamepad is the best way to play.
The story in Pikmin 3 feels a lot more streamlined, with a few very linear moments that feel out of place. Thankfully the game breaks away from these quickly and allows you to go off and return to previous areas with your new Pikmin types to discover new parts that you couldn't access before, a concept veterans of the franchise will remember. While the final boss design was genius and epic, the whole experience felt like it ended a bit abruptly, leaving more main story objectives to be desired. Nintendo also missed an opportunity to set you a goal to collect all the fruit with game progress left intact. Instead if you wish to continue collecting fruit you have to go back to a previous day, losing any progress previously made, an inconvenience that could have been avoided.
Fortunately Pikmin 3 has you covered when you desire more: a cleverly implemented "missions mode" adds greater value and competitiveness by offering three different modes. These consist of treasure collecting, battling enemies and defeating bosses, all of which are based around time and gaining points, offering tiered medals that will keep you replaying for hours on end. I'm not a big fan of DLC, but the chance that these modes could be expanded upon makes me very interested and would keep me coming back to the game. These modes and another mode, named Bingo Battle, offer a lot of local multiplayer options that will have you and a friend both working together as tightly as you can, and competing against each other like it's the most important thing in the world. Due to the Gamepad being the definitive controller for Pikmin 3, the person using it does hold an advantage over the Wii Remote player as it's essentially easier to use. These multiplayer features, along with story mode speed-runs, adds a lot of replay value to a game that already delivers a great package.
While it may not be worth purchasing a Wii U solely for Pikmin 3, it is one of the best, if not the best, titles out for Wii U and a definite must have. It's stunning, nostalgic and clever all at the same time with excellent Gamepad implementation. The game does leave much to be desired difficulty wise, and the story mode it slightly short, but it offers a lot of content that makes it well worth your money. Pikmin 3 will keep you exploring for hours on end to your delight.


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The Week In Destroyer Of Harmony History – December 26 to January 8
The Record Vault: Deep Purple – In Concert With The London Symphony Orchestra
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destroyerofharmony
Tag Archives: lies
A to Z of Making It, Copyright, Music, My Stories, Stupidity
More File Sharing Equals More Music…
March 13, 2019 destroyerofharmonyCreativity, file sharing, lies, Record Labels Leave a comment
One of the main points of organisations or people who support stronger copyright laws and enforcement is the lies that stronger copyright laws act as an incentive for people to be creative or to make art. About 10 years ago, these lies appeared everywhere. What the public didn't know, was that these organisations had a seat in the Government Policy room, to negotiate a range of bills in secret.
SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) got introduced in 2011 in the US Senate for discussion. In January, 2012, people held protests in the streets and online about these bills which would put too much control of the internet into the hands of corporations and governments. Eventually, these bills didn't pass. TPP was written in secret with the corporations, and it got passed without discussion, only for Trump to squash it and come out with another act, even better for the Corporations.
One thing throughout it all that hasn't dropped off, is the creative output of people. There is so much more content being produced and created right now than ever before. And the consumers have choice, and a lot of it.
Multiple studies have shown that even though there was a massive increase in infringement once upon a time, at the same time there was also a large increase in creative output as well.
And of course, people will associate output versus money made. Like the way Gene Simmons did when he said "Rock is dead". Some people create art purely for money. Others create art because they want to create or have a need to create. Money will come, merely as a by-product of creating art.
When the record labels acted as gatekeepers, they could put money behind artists and develop them. It used to happen and some labels did it better than others. But that boom in the 80's, is not because the labels developed artists, it's because those artists developed themselves outside the sphere of the record labels.
No one can say that a record label developed Twisted Sister, Motley Crue or even Quiet Riot. Even Metallica did their first album independently and had a cult live following before Elektra came in to sign them for "Ride The Lightning".
For artists that had break out success in 1986, like Bon Jovi and Europe, I would say, yes, they got developed by the label and got the green light for a make or break third album.
Economist Joel Waldfogelm, did some research a while back.
He wanted to see if the rise in sharing had any drop off on the new music being produced. And the research said, no, as new music was being created continuously. However, the record labels claimed otherwise, a claim not based on evidence.
in my opinion, the study also debunked what Gene Simmons said, about "rock being dead". Gene's comments circled around how file sharing and streaming meant that no new acts are being developed and able to grow and release quality albums. In fact, the study finds no support for that claim.
The study looked at the best of lists on popular websites for each decade from the 80's and found on average, about half of the best-of albums since Napster are from artists whose recording debut occurred since Napster.
The study even went further to check how many albums in the 80's are from artists from the 70's and how many are from artists who had their debut in the 80's. And guess, what, the numbers match the post Napster numbers.
How can that be if no artist is being developed?
Basically, there is no evidence that new artists are no longer being developed or are not creating high quality, successful music. Then again, the great artists didn't need an A&R rep to develop them. They had their own drive and their own motivations.
But the labels have great PR writers and they sure know how to spin a story, along with the publishers and the movie studios. But their theories are not backed by independent research evidence.
The big difference between pre and post Napster is that most of the new musicians are coming from independent DIY artists, rather than the majors. And the labels don't like this. And they are taking money away from the legacy artists when it comes to recorded music but the legacy artists still make coin on the live circuit.
Copyright, Music, My Stories, Piracy, Stupidity, Treating Fans Like Shit
Copyright Rants
October 26, 2017 destroyerofharmonyCopyright, lies 1 Comment
Copyright is all over the news again.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is speaking out against the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), accusing it of "misstating copyright law" in a submission it made to the US Government around stream ripping sites.
The RIAA states the popularity of stream ripping sites is high and the traffic volumes the sites get inflicts enormous damage to the US record industry.
It doesn't look like the balance sheets of the record labels show any damage whatsoever.
The EFF states stream ripping has legal uses and stream ripping of music audio might be covered by fair use. The EFF also states the RIAA is asking the US government to apply copyright law the way RIAA wishes it to be applied and the US government needs to apply Copyright law as it's written.
Then you have the music publishers seeking a new licence for mechanical (songwriter) royalties.
It's no secret streaming companies are having issues paying royalties on songs. The reasons are many. Some obvious ones are because the data of who wrote the song is not available or if it's available, it's not entirely correct. Blame the record labels/publishers for having no duty of care to hold the correct information and when they provided this information to the streaming services, it's been lacking. So they are happy to take the money from streaming services and then fail the artists they are meant to represent when it comes time to compensate them. Add to the mix how Copyright pre-1972 is driven by state laws and what you have is a litigation mess.
Streaming services are meant to pay both mechanical rights and the performing rights of a song. For the performing rights, there is a blanket licence paid to BMI, ASCAP, SESAC and GMR. For the mechanical rights, rates are set by laws and the streaming service has to get in touch with each individual copyright owner, to tell them a song they are involved with is being exploited and how they will pay the royalty rate to them. So suddenly, a technology that wants to bring music to the masses is tasked with FINDING all of the Copyright owners.
Makes me wonder what the record labels and publishers have been doing for the last 70 years.
Of course, a blanket licence would simplify things. This also means another government granted monopoly needs to be created. And from past experiences, the songwriters will still get pennies while this new entity will make billions.
In Canada, the record labels are asking the government to change the copyright laws, so they can "offset internet-driven losses".
"Our goal was to point at two changes that will put millions of dollars into the pockets of music creators and people who invest in them."
Graham Henderson – Music Canada's President
If the music creators got paid on a 70 (to the artist) / 30 (to the label) split, it would put millions of dollars into the pockets of the music creators. However, the splits are more like 80 to 90% to the record label which means the music creators would get hundreds to the thousands, while the label gets millions.
Because if Copyright is there to reward creators then why are the Spinal Tap creators taking Vivendi/ Universal Music to the courts.
"Further compounding this fraud, improper expense deductions were made in Vivendi's accounting to the creators, allegedly representing print, advertising and publicity expenses (undocumented) totalling over $3.3 million and a further $1 million in freight and other direct costs, more than half of which extraordinarily appears to fall some 20 years after the film's release. Vivendi has also recently charged over $460k in 'interest' on production advances for a film released in 1984 and $165k in 'litigation expenses' to the creators' account. Vivendi clearly has no intention of honouring its obligations to account honestly or to fairly compensate the Spinal Tap creators for their work".
So let me get this straight.
Vivendi owns the film rights via some past acquisitions and Universal owns the soundtrack (music) rights. Both of them are making up accounting transactions so the creators of the Spinal Tap movie and the soundtrack are shown as being in debt to the studio/label.
35 years later.
They are still in debt to the studio/label.
All they guys want to do is take back their copyrights. Copyright law was written to allow the creator to take back their copyrights after 35 years. But the corporate entity which currently holds the copyright is not letting go.
Don't you just love how Copyright is there to benefit the corporate entity?
The corporation is well compensated while the creator is alive and even more so once the creator is dead.
Yep copyright is so far gone it's not even funny anymore.
Copyright, Music, My Stories, Piracy, Stupidity
Recording Industry Marketed As The Music Industry.. More Recording Industry Fakery…
April 1, 2017 destroyerofharmonylies, recording industry, story telling 2 Comments
There is a big difference between the music industry and the recording industry, but the way the record labels and the RIAA tell the story, they are the same. But the truth is; the music industry is very different to the recording industry.
The Music Industry is everything, like recording (vinyl, CD's and mp3's fall under this), streaming, licensing, touring, merchandise, publishing, musical instruments (sellers, manufacturers and buyers), music hardware, music software, video production and many more.
People might have come across the RIAA name, a lobby/bribery association whose sole purpose is to fight for the major record labels in Washington. RIAA stands for the Recording Industry Association of America. Notice how there is no music term in their name.
But the RIAA have a lot of creative writers who write fake news. Like these headlines;
The U.S. Music Industry Just Had its Best Year Since 1998
This is a brilliant piece of fakery, but god damn, the RIAA has done a brilliant job over the last 30 years selling the recording industry as the music industry and people now lap it up as true. The true headline should read, the U.S Recording Industry Just Had It's Best Year Since 1998.
State of The Music Business: What The Numbers Tell Us
A story about revenue earned from recorded music, which portrays the recording business as the music business.
RIAA Reports Strongest Music Industry Revenue Growth Since 90's
A nice story about the release of the RIAA's (Recording Industry Association of America) 2016 mid-year revenue report. Of course, a website not affiliated with the RIAA has been hooked line and sinker to their faker.
Music Industry Majors Sue Hip Hop Streaming Site Spinrilla
It's a nice story about the RIAA filing suit against a website on behalf of the major record labels but due to the creative writers and the fakery involved, its pitched as the music business instead of the recording business. The fact that the Hollywood reporter has bought in to the fake news of the record labels being the music industry is proof of how effective their fakery is.
The Music Industry Is Finally Making Money on Streaming
Another nice story of how the record labels (portrayed as the music industry) are finally making some serious money from streaming.
It's important to note a few important things here;
The Recording Industry is a section of the "music industry."
The Recording Industry is in the business of making money from music recordings.
The Recording Industry is not the Music Industry.
The Recording Industry likes to sell and market itself as the Music Industry.
So next time you read a story about the music industry, make sure it's not a piece of fakery about the recording business.
A to Z of Making It, Music, My Stories, Piracy, Stupidity
All Things Music And Metal
April 7, 2016 destroyerofharmonylies, revenues, RIAA, Spotify, streaming Leave a comment
The RIAA record label industry body a few weeks made an announcement about how are losing billions of dollars because of streaming and that Vinyl sales generate more revenue. The announcement then led to headlines across all of the news outlets.
The New York Post had the headline "Artists make more off vinyl sales than streaming services".
Billboard had the headline "Vinyl Sales Made More Than YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud Ads Combined".
The Australian Financial Review had the headline "Some artists blame music streamers for shrinking the business".
Fortune magazine had the headline "Record Industry Continues its War on Free Music".
Mashable had the headline "Music streaming is getting bigger and bigger, but artist revenue isn't keeping up".
It's safe to say that the RIAA got what they wanted with their report.
"This is why we, and so many of our music community brethren, feel that some technology giants have been enriching themselves at the expense of the people who actually create the music."
Cary Sherman, Chairman & CEO of the RIAA.
"Last year, 17 million vinyl albums, a legacy format enjoying a bit of a resurgence, generated more revenues than billions and billions of on-demand free streams: $416 million compared to $385 million for on-demand free streams."
This is the RIAA being as dishonest as you can get.
They are basically comparing gross retail vinyl sales against the net streaming revenue amount earned. In truth the net vinyl revenue is a lot lower than the gross $416 million quoted. And the $385 streaming revenue was $0 before 2011 due to copyright infringement/piracy.
As an article at Fortune.com states;
"Sherman is saying that because ad-supported services—or in fact, any alternative music-distribution method—don't pay as much as some other music services, they must be flawed and/or stealing from musicians and record labels. In other words, the music industry's largest negotiating body assumes that any new distribution method or infrastructure for delivering music to consumers must by default generate as much revenue as the industry used to get from records or CDs. And if it doesn't, that means there is a structural error in the business that the RIAA needs to fix."
And streaming companies like Spotify have a battle being profitable.
Remember that the streaming services pay the record labels a licence fee to have the music the record labels hold copyrights too on the service. These monies are never passed onto the artist. Hell, Spotify doesn't even have long-term license contracts with Universal and Warner Music. These labels are cashing in on licensing deals on a month to month basis.
Then based on listens, the streaming services pay 70% of their streaming revenue to the record labels and publishers and based on the contracts the artists and songwriters have with their labels/publisher, these monies are paid back to the creators in cents. Meanwhile, the record labels are rolling in billions of dollars from streaming.
Maybe that's why Spotify needed to get a billion dollars from investors.
The money will be needed for further expansions, acquisitions of tech companies and other investments. In my opinion, for Spotify to survive long-term they need to get into the record label business themselves sort of like how Netflix is creating its own content and using that content to sell their service. That is why HBO went from licensing movies from the studios (which wasn't profitable) to creating their own content. And now look at the company.
There is no way around it for Spotify. They are under increasing pressure to remove their free tier and the latest research from the RIAA (mentioned above) is being used as evidence to build a case against ad-supported free music.
And poor old Google is always the punching bag when it comes to the RIAA.
If Google isn't taking flak for not censoring the internet based on what the RIAA or the MPAA see as wrong, then their YouTube service is attacked for not paying enough.
So what we have is a coalition of artists and music groups asking for the lawmakers to write new laws to support their business models. Just think of it as another Lars Ulrich/RIAA vs Napster battle. And how did that turn out.
As the article at Techtimes states every law is open to abuse and while the DMCA was never intended for censorship, it is being used exactly as that:
"Over the past few years, however, the DMCA has been a cause of controversy. On one end, holders of rights to content are saying that the law does not do enough to protect content creators, while on the other end, there are warnings of abuse and censorship if the law is further tightened."
And speaking of Lars Ulrich, in case you have lived under a rock, "Master of Puppets" from Metallica has been added to the National Recording Registry in the US as a cultural, artistic or historical significant recording.
Basically anyone can nominate a recording to be considered via sending an email to recregistry@loc.gov.
Once the nomination is sent, the lobbying starts.
Don't get me wrong, "Master of Puppets" is a great album (although I do prefer "Ride The Lightning"), but is it really a defining cultural, artistic or historical significant recording. Although Metallica is seen as leaders of the thrash metal movement, the truth of the matter is that the movement is much bigger than one band.
I would even say that the "Metal Massacre" compilation that featured Metallica (spelt incorrectly as Mettallica mind you) is more culturally significant than "Master of Puppets". But hey, Brian Slagel, founder of Metal Blade Records, is nowhere near as important as the biggest band. Because all history is written by the winners, the ones that have the most money.
And for Metallica albums, you cannot escape the "Black" album.
That one album killed off glam rock/metal, introduced a new heaviness to the mainstream that opened the door for bands like Korn, NIN, Disturbed, Godsmack and many others to exploit in the Nineties to great success.
A to Z of Making It, Alternate Reality, Copyright, Music, My Stories, Piracy, Stupidity, Treating Fans Like Shit
Chaos + Disruption = The Music Business
January 17, 2014 destroyerofharmonyAdam Duce, Aerosmith, Alter Bridge, and, artists, Avenged Sevenfold, Black Veil Brides, Bullet For My Valentine, Business, cant copyright the blues, chaos, Coheed and Cambria, Copyright, copyright infringement, Copyright law, Corporations, Creed, culture, Digital Summer, disruption, DIY, Dream Theater, fans, Five Finger Death Punch, game, gatekeepers, Google, Guns N Roses, hijacked, independent, infringement, Internet, ISP, Keith Richards, Killswitch Engage, law, Led Zeppelin, licensing, lies, Lifer, litigated, machine head, Marc Tremonti, Metallica, monopolies, Motley Crue, music, Music Business, next Led Zeppelin, notices, Pink Floyd, Protest The Hero, Public Domain, Record Labels, RIAA, Robb Flynn, service, services, Shinedown, Stone Sour, takedown, technology, TesserAct, The Afterman, The Beatles, The public domain, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Trivium, Twisted Sister, Volbeat Leave a comment
It's a chaotic and disruptive time in the music business and with chaos comes opportunity.
On one side you have COPYRIGHT. And that can be broken down into a lot of other little chaotic categories like infringement, the length of copyright terms, copyright monopolies, the lack of works entering the public domain and so on.
The public domain is culture. Keith Richards once said, 'you can't copyright the blues.'
Culture is built and expanded by sharing stories and building on the works of others. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and all of the sixties greats like Hendrix, Clapton and Beck used this concept. They built off the blues.
However copyright law and its real purpose got hijacked by corporations and everything changed. Instead of culture being built up in the works that the public creates and shares, the public is now faced with copyright corporations locking away works that should be in the public domain by now. These works that should be in the public domain do not benefit the original creators in any way, however they are beneficial for the few copyright monopoly gatekeepers.
For culture to thrive once again, it is important to respect the public domain.
Then on another side of the music business you have the RIAA who continually push lies out into the world, so that technology companies can do something to protect crap business models. Did you know that the global music industry sent it's 100 million takedown notice to Google, to remove search links to certain sites. It looks like the RIAA doesn't get it.
So if a person types in "free mp3" in Google Search what should Google return?
Sites that have free mp3's or sites that the RIAA want Google to point to when that term is typed in. Maybe when that person types in free mp3, they want a free mp3 and have no interest in paying.
Then you have the ISP's on another side that are caught up in the middle of all this as they offer the service that provides internet access to users. According to the RIAA and the record labels, the ISP's allow "copyright infringement" to happen, therefore, they need to do something about it to help out the music industry. In Australia, this is heavily disputed, however in other parts of the world gradual response schemes are in place.
Then you have the technology companies trying to offer low cost services to fans of music. However, low cost to a fan means high costs to the RIAA and the record labels in licensing fees. This is before the new service is even allowed to trade. If the new service starts to trade without licensing in place, expect them to be litigated into submission.
Have you noticed that artists have not been mentioned anywhere as yet. That is how far the music business has come, where the actual music is only a small part of it, however it should be the major part of it. For the business to thrive, you need great music.
I was looking back to some of the releases in 2013 that I liked. Two of my favourites are "Protest The Hero" and "Coheed and Cambria".
"Protest The Hero" and "Coheed and Cambria" are working to the "Keep your fan base close" mantra. Both of the bands moved from major labels into a DIY independent mindset, realising that their fans are king.
Exceptional fan service is the key driving force behind a bands success. I expect "Coheed and Cambria" will get a lot more fans purchasing the next super deluxe package for the new album because they did such a great job with "The Afterman" releases.
"Protest The Hero" on the other hand have fallen into the fan funded conundrum where the perks always arrive later than expected for international fans. I live in Australia and I am still waiting for the perks to arrive. The band have been clear with their information, advising that it will take 6 to 8 weeks.
It's good old business 101, "treat your customers right and they'll stay with you forever".
Then you have bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold, Dream Theater, Stone Sour, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Volbeat, Alter Bridge and TesserAct that have label deals.
Should those bands go independent like Protest The Hero or Coheed and Cambria. It all depends on a person's definition of success and hard work. Going independent means that you need to build a team around you like any business start-up.
What are the benefits of going independent?
The lesson is simple. Selling your artistic freedom and independence as a "success" strategy can bring lucrative rewards. But it's not always the best move for your career, as you are also selling off important data to the record label. The record label doesn't want to know your fans or connect with them. They want you to do it, so that the label can make money of that relationship and then pay you a percentage of it.
Coheed and Cambria moved over 100,000 units of their deluxe "Afterman" editions. At $60 (I think it was $68, however I will use $60 for the example) an edition, that comes to $6 million in revenue. If the band was on the label model, what percentage would the band see from that $6 million.
The music market/business is filled with acts trying to make it. It is going to take a huge effort to stand out amongst the rest. Music is a lifer game. It is a slow and steady approach that builds careers.
Artists should be looking at development. With each song release, artists should never be afraid to try things out. Even try out new technologies that make it very easy for their fans to interact with them and their music. In a company, this is called research and development. Investing in your career is never a mistake.
The artists have the power to make the record labels redundant, purely to be used as a distribution arm if needed, however with the rise of streaming technologies, even this arm can be in danger of disappearing. Bands like Coheed and Cambria, Protest The Hero and Digital Summer have seen the recorded business side of things and have decided, hey we can do it better. That's what great businesses are made of.
So in all of this chaos, who will rise and who will fall? Time will tell, however if you compare music to technology, you will see only a select few rise to the top. Smartphones and tablets is all Apple and Samsung. Amazon has online shopping cornered. Google is the king of search. Spotify will win the streaming war. Facebook rules social media. iTunes rules the mp3 and app market. Will the same fate happen in the music business?
2019 Crystal ball predictions;
Coheed and Cambria – will get bigger and bigger. Their style is unique, so expect them to keep to that style, sort of like how AC/DC releases music in the same style or Iron Maiden.
Protest The Hero – proved to themselves that they still matter. Will get bigger and more crazier. The future of progressive metal.
Machine Head – will still be bigger then what they are. Robb Flynn understands the internet and understands the change that is coming. He will make sure that Machine Head rides the wave all the way to the shoreline, while Adam Duce circles in the undercurrent, ready to litigate the band into submission.
TesseracT – will become the next Pink Floyd.
Digital Summer – are one of the hardest working rock bands around like Twisted Sister and Dream Theater. They will get bigger as they are lifers.
Avenged Sevenfold – will become the new Metallica.
Five Finger Death Punch – I have a feeling that they will break up after one more album.
Shinedown – will be bigger than what Aerosmith ever was.
Volbeat – will remain relevant in their niche genre.
Metallica – will still be relevant in the same way the Seventies act remained relevant.
Dream Theater – will still tour and do a lot of side projects, however they will be replaced by TesseracT and Protest The Hero.
Black Veil Brides – will take over the void left by Motley Crue and Guns N Roses.
Trivium – will deliver an astounding progressive technical metal album.
Killswitch Engage – will remain relevant in their niche genre.
Alter Bridge – The world needs Led Zeppelin to continue. Expect Alter Bridge to fill this void. They have one of the best vocalists of the modern era in Myles Kennedy. Marc Tremonti is a prolific writer. Call his Creed project, "The Yardbirds" and Alter Bridge as "Led Zeppelin."
Bullet For My Valentine – will deliver their own version of "Master Of Puppets" and "The Blackening".
Lets see how it pans out.
Alternate Reality, Influenced, Music, My Stories, Stupidity
Is Nikki Sixx A Revisionist?
September 16, 2013 destroyerofharmonyarts, celebrities, Dee Snider, entertainment, fabrications, fraud, John Corabi, lies, Motley Crue, nikki sixx, Phil Lewis, pop culture, revisionist, rewriting history, Sebastian Bach, the heroin diaries, Tom Werman, truth, whig history 1 Comment
When I was studying a subject called Science and Technology at Uni, one of the topics dealt with a term called "Whig history." For the uninitiated, this term in pop culture means, looking back at the past, with the mindset and views that you have now, and rewriting the history to suit your view points at this point in time. Of course the meaning of Whig history is more detailed, however unpacking the full history behind it, in this blog, is for another day.
Anyway here is an example of a Whig history (especially made up by me for this blog post);
"Motley Crue changed the way bands would record music videos with the release of Smokin In the Boys Room in 1985. Their fearless leader, Nikki Sixx turned the clichéd video clip into a mini movie format. The rest of the music world needed to follow suit or they would be left behind. Video clips by Twisted Sister, Van Halen, Michael Jackson would all follow the new mini movie format made popular by Nikki Sixx."
The above is factually incorrect. In addition, the time line of events are incorrect. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" came first, in December 1983. Then in April 1984, Twisted Sister unleashed "We're Not Gonna Take It" and not soon after "I Wanna Rock." Also in the same year came "Hot For Teacher" from Van Halen. "Smokin In The Boys Room" didn't come until 1985.
The above example is to illustrate a revisionist view on history, that takes the view point of a "super hero" and how that super hero changed the course of the music industry.
First, let me say that I am a fan of Motley Crue. Growing up in the Eighties, Motley Crue and the attitude they exhibited was something that I could relate too. I have read "The Heroin Diaries", "This Is Gonna Hurt" and "The Dirt". I have also read "Tommyland" and "Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen."
Since Motley Crue was the top band in the Eighties for me, I devoured as much information as I could on the band. This included taping interviews from all the various music shows, buying the expensive U.S magazines and trading with other hard rock fans in my local area. For example, I would give them a Poison poster and they would give me stuff on Motley Crue that I didn't have.
So after reading the books above, especially the solo books, I was confused with some of the information that was put out there. Vince Neil's is the worst one and his book was a very painful one to read. For the casual fan they wouldn't notice these changes to the mythology of Motley Crue, however for the hard core, some things just didn't sit right.
Doing the rounds at the moment are comments by Sebastian Bach. To recap, Bach claims that he was asked to join Motley Crue, before they fired Vince Neil. Nikki Sixx said that was not true. Bach took offence to that, you know that whole "don't call me a liar" argument. In his rebuttal, Bach makes a reference to Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries" book as being inaccurate and he also mentions that a jam session took placed between Nikki, Tommy, Mick and Sebastian. Nikki Sixx has yet to respond to this. This isn't the first time that Nikki Sixx's version of events has been questioned.
John Corabi, the vocalist that ended up replacing Vince Neil has also disputed certain sections of "The Dirt." In addition, Phil Lewis from L.A Guns has called "The Heroin Diaries" a fraud. The most famous of all rebuttals is Tom Werman's which calls Nikki Sixx a "revisionist." Even Dee Snider, in his opening forewarning of "Shut Up And Give Me The Mic" alludes to a book written by a junkie as not being factually correct.
So how much of the truth did Nikki Sixx tweak and re-envision for the sake of a story line?
At least the soundtrack to "The Heroin Diaries" was mind blowing.


Here at bear IT we have been using Managed Services to pro-actively support our customers for quite some time.
It is still however, a service that many businesses are not aware of and companies across the land are still managing with the "fix it when it breaks" method, which inevitably causes more downtime and more unexpected expense.
In a nutshell bear Managed Services is pro-active monitoring software which helps us to track the health of IT systems and spot many issues before they become serious problems.


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Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo insists Juventus should have no complaints about the dramatic late penalty he scored to send Real Madrid into the Champions League semi-finals.
Ronaldo held his nerve at the Santiago Bernabeu to score and seal a 4-3 aggregate triumph for Real after Juve had staged a sensational comeback to lead 3-0 on Wednesday and draw the tie level.
Mario Mandzukic headed home twice in the first half before Blaise Matuidi capitalised on an error from Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas to keep the Italians' dream alive.
But English referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot in the 93rd minute after Mehdi Benatia prevented Lucas Vazquez from executing a close-range finish with a clumsy challenge from behind.
Gianluigi Buffon, on perhaps his final Champions League appearance before retirement, was sent off for his protests but Ronaldo stayed calm and slammed the spot-kick past substitute goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny into the top corner.
"I do not understand why they protest against the penalty," Ronaldo told beIN Sports after the match.
"If he did not commit the foul, Lucas would have scored. During the game, Benatia and the rest of them had already been kicking us from behind.
Ronaldo's winner, which meant a 3-1 defeat on the night but a 4-3 aggregate victory, means Real edge one step closer to claiming a third consecutive European triumph, and fourth in five years.
They join Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Roma, the conquerors of Barcelona, in the last four.
"It was a very long game and it serves as a lesson that in football nothing is guaranteed and that we have to fight until the end," Ronaldo said.