text:
The Official Site for Alt. Country - Your source for TWANG
Alt. Country Chart
Radio Panel
Artist Spotlight Archive
Exclusive Alt. Country Specialty Chart Interview with Gretchen Peters
Gretchen Peters' The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury swaggers ("Leavin' Kentucky") and sways (the title track) with compelling immediacy ("Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)"). The album spotlights her primary songwriting influence.
"I think of Mickey as the country version of Leonard Cohen," the longtime Nashville resident says. "He has very Cohenesque verses in his songs. Those are the ones that really drew me to them for this record that I made. I think Mickey's in the top three pure genius songwriters in country music history."
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Explain how you found Mickey Newbury.
Gretchen Peters: I discovered Mickey Newbury in my late teens in the late Seventies when I was living in Boulder, Colorado. The country hippie thing was happening in the Colorado music scene with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Flying Burrito Brothers, and everything that grew up from that branch of the tree. I hadn't been exposed to that when I was a kid, but I found a guy who owned a little record shop. He figured out I was interested in learning about this. I'd go in there once a week, we'd go in the back room and he'd throw records into my hand. Newbury's records came into my possession in that process.
Describe your first impressions.
Mickey was a link between the folk music I'd grown up with and the country music I had completely fallen head over heels for. This may sound like a cliché, but the first thing that drew me into his songs was his deep well of sadness. There was something deeply moving and sad about his songs, and I've always been very attracted to those qualities. I identified with him on a very cellular level. I'm sure I couldn't put it into words then, but I've spent time thinking about it the past couple years as I've been doing this record. I think he had this vision of himself as an artist.
You obviously agree with the many who feel Newbury was underappreciated.
Yeah. People who know about Mickey know how great he was, but I do feel sad that he's not really given his due in Nashville outside a small coiterie of songwriters and musicians. Honestly, they're from an older generation now. I'm sure a lot is that Mickey left Nashville (and moved to Oregon at the height of his success). Also, Mickey rejected what Nashville was about and I don't think that sat well with a lot of people. However, everybody who knows anything about country music will acknowledge what a brilliant songwriter he was. He's in the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
Describe how this record finally took shape.
I had been thinking about doing an album of Mickey's songs for about fifteen years. I just said, "It's now or never." I realized concurrently that Cinderella Sound Studio, which is the studio where Mickey recorded all those great records from the late sixties and early seventies, is still a working, operating studio run by the owner Wayne Moss. Wayne played on those Mickey records and has all the Mickey Newbury stories that you want. Also, he's a renowned guitar player who played the famous guitar riff on Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman." I've taken people into Cinderella who I know would appreciate what went on in there, which is like a living, working museum.
Describe how the recording experience went.
We went in blind and it was magic. The place basically hasn't changed since 1969. The studio itself is in a converted garage in Madison, Tennessee. Linda Ronstadt recorded her first album there. Steve Miller recorded there. The list of people will blow your mind. There's gear and memoribilia from all those eras. In fact, Linda Rondstadt used the bathroom as a vocal booth, which I did on this album. It was the best room to get isolation on the vocals. I'm a big believer that places – especially studios – hold magic in their walls. Once I figured out that we could do that and we cut three tracks there and that we got something really great, I thought, We gotta do this.
Explain how you approached interpreting his songs.
I had to feel my way around interpreting Mickey's songs. I wanted permission to play around with the song structures a little bit when I needed to, and I talked with several people who know Mickey. I knew that he fooled around with his songs all the time because I listened to all kinds of bootleg recordings. He would take lines from one song and put it into another. He would change titles. Sometimes his songs structually were strange once you got down in there and looked, partly because he would produce a song on his own records more like a pastiche.
Must have been a challenge taking on songs by such an amazing singer.
He was such an operatic singer with an incredible voice. I had to get away from his records and sit down with my guitar and go, "Okay. If I had written this song, how would I have recorded it? How would I sing it?" I didn't lay down any parameters as far as which songs to do. They didn't have to be hits. I cut some of the later, folkier ones that he wrote. I found the songs that I identified deeply with and went with those. I have to admit that some of the more straight ahead country songs definitely were a challenge but turned out the best. My god, his singing was every bit as genius as his writing.
– Brian T. Atkinson
Exclusive Alt. Country Specialty Chart Interview with Whitney Rose
Whitney Rose's We Still Go to Rodeos sails ("Just Circumstance") and soars (the title track) with effortless elegance. We caught up with the South Austin resident to talk about the new collection, her all-star producer and watching her biggest touring year evaporate during the COVID-19 crisis.
"It's been a little heartbreaking sitting at home and seeing all the show cancellations that come in pretty much daily," Rose says. "Everything was normal just a few months ago. This was supposed to be my busiest year, so seeing all that go away has been a little disheartening."
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Describe how the new record took shape.
Whitney Rose: I keep a list of my songs that haven't been recorded and also went through this insane writing spurt. The team for Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, Lou Reed, Uncle Tupelo), who produced the record, serendipitously reached out around that time. He's based in upstate New York and I happened to be traveling through New York right after that. I looked into him and we agreed to do lunch. I had a bunch of very, very fresh tunes, so why not? We met and I adored him and gave him some demos that I'd made at home. He said he'd be happy to make a record with the tunes. "Okay," I said. "Let's do it."
Paul has an impressive resume.
Yeah, he has a very, very impressive resume and some really great stories, but unfortunately those aren't mine to tell. You know, there are so many horror stories about being in the studio, but I must have a horseshoe stuck up my ass. Obviously, I've had some stressful moments, but I've never had a negative studio experience. Paul was always pleasant and always had good ideas as well as being respectful of my imput. That means a lot to any artist recording the songs you've written.
Explain how these songs fit together.
Making records is so funny because they're so dependant on some days in the studio. Maybe you're supposed to be recording a really upbeat song, but you're not feeling it. So, you offer a different track. "Yes," you say, "this is the one we ought to tackle." It wasn't, "Oh, this is better than that song." It's more that everybody in the band is feeling this one today. We record all the beds live on the floor and add other things later. Everyone's mood is so important – at least to me. I feel like that comes across.
Recording live is the way to go.
Oh god, yes. I can't imagine doing it any other way. I'm interested in learning other ways to do it, but I've never done any other way.
Tell the story behind writing 'Just Circumstance.'
I've spoken to my songwriter friends who travel a lot. We all watch crime television. You don't always get the food you want or see the people you want, but I'm convinced that by being on the road a lot you have one constant: HLN is always there with Forensic Files. The narrator (Peter Thomas) has become like a lullabye for me. HLN is always on a different channel, which can be a pain in the ass if you're a little tired or really tired or maybe a little stoned or really stoned. You have to flip through to find his voice and fall asleep at a reasonable hour. True crime got my into watching Orange Is the New Black. I started watching that around the time I wrote this tune. I became really interested in the criminal justice system and the experiences for imprisoned women. Some stories out there are crazy.
Interesting that true crime lulls you to sleep.
Yeah, I'm fully aware that it's very weird, but his voice is so lulling and soothing. I'll watch a couple episodes if I'm not totally tired. Sometimes I'll just watch an episode if I'm really tired. I'll go to sleep within thirty seconds.
So, that opens the album. Explain why you closed with the title track.
It wasn't overly intentional. The name of the title track originally was "Things We Ain't Got." I was listening to my final masers and I heard the line "we still go to rodeos," which punched me in the face because it could mean so many different things. Now it's weird because none of us can go to actual rodeos right now, but it stuck me as being symbolic that there's always something good.
Also, I never like to be too precious about naming songs. I just thought it was a cool song and record title because there's a lot of heartbreak on the record. I wanted the title to show that I'm not a huge curmudgeon. Things can drag on for way too long if you get precious. It's not the last record I'll make by a long shot and I wanted to get it done so why not?
Yeah. Hopefully, you'll get to tour the record at some point.
Yeah (laughs). I hope so, too, but I just keep reminding myself that everyone I love is healthy and not everyone is having that experience. I would never complain about it because that would be really shitty. I lost a few gigs? It's a lot less than some people are losing.
- Brian T. Atkinson
Exclusive Alt. Country Specialty Chart Interview with Mando Saenz
Mando Saenz crafts narratives with equal measures heart ("Cautionary Tale") and home ("All My Shame"). The top Nashville songwriter – whose songs have been recorded by Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack, Stoney LaRue and many more will showcase each on his as-yet-untitled forthcoming album tentatively due by year's end.
We caught up with Saenz last week to talk about how the new collection took shape. "My management at the time with the backing of my publisher Frank Liddell booked some time with producer Ken Coomer to make a five-song EP," the longtime Nashville resident says. "Basically we were just wanting to get some new content out there since it had been awhile since my last record."
So, you've extended your EP into a full length.
Yeah. After tracking those songs I was pleased with the direction and the treatment. We were taking creative risks, which seemed to work well with the songs I had been writing. I thought it would be good to go ahead and track another batch and make it a full-length project while we were in a good place
Were these all new songs or ones you have been working on?
A bit of both. They were new in the sense that they were written after my last record, but some had been around for awhile. I had to go through everything I'd written since my Studebaker record, most of which were work tapes in my voice memos. There had to be at least 60 songs, so yeah some of them went back awhile.
Tell the story behind writing 'Cautionary Tale.'
I wrote "Cautionary Tale" with Zach Dubios. We started fresh with this one, playing a progression that led itself to some cool melodic vocals and random lyrics. The title "Cautionary Tale" was spat out. Apparently that title has been used before, but I don't care. We kept writing lines supporting the title in circles. We changed the cadence in chorus while not leaving the circle. The lyrics are abstract but simple and right there in front of you. "Fool me once, shame on you. Do it again, what's a fool to do?"
Describe the albums common lyrical theme.
This record has a lot more co-writes than any of my others. Mainly because I had been co-writing so much for my publisher. I think we picked these songs, however, because they had a lot of my point of view in them lyrically. As far a common theme, I would say your typical glimpse into the inner landscape dealing with love, fear, weakness & strengths. Which I guess I've always kind of written about. But at the end of the day it's all over the place. Which I honestly don't mind. Too much of the same thing might lose interest.
Tell the story behind writing 'All My Shame.'
I wrote this with Chris Coleman. He showed up with a kick drum, so that helped set the groove. I'd known Chris for a bit but had never played music with him. We just started jamming and let the kick lead the way, which makes sense now when I hear it. I started mumbling unwritten lyrics, which I like to do. "All My Shame" must've came out in what we thought might be the chorus. Then we started talking about how the title related to us in the sense of writing and performing and putting yourself out there naked in a sense. It's empowering as much as it is frightening at times. This song celebrates the empowering side of it. I always think of strippers when I play it for some reason.
Explain how these songs show your evolution as a songwriter.
I think lyrically these songs may be a bit cleaner than my older stuff. They're less vague. However, it could be argued that there's a certain charm to not being too literal. I think co-writing lends itself to cleaner lyrics because it has to make sense to everyone in the room. These songs are still pretty open to interpretation though. I'll always cling to that quality I think. I did take some musical liberties with some of these tunes. They're ideas a bit left of what I've done before.
Explain how the pandemic situation has affected your songwriting.
I've been writing a lot more on my own, which has been nice. Along with the occasional writing session on Zoom and a weekly live stream, I've kept fairly busy. I've been getting back to writing mostly on my own has been the biggest change though. It really hasn't been much different for me. Writing has always been a form of escape. I tend not to think about everything going on when writing lately. In fact, it takes me away from it all.
Talk about your tour plans when you can get back out on the road.
I plan on touring heavy in the states as soon as possible. Pre-release and beyond. I've gotten a lot of interesting from the UK as well to play there when it's safe, so that is definitely on the horizon a few months after my release.
Kinky Friedman on Ray Wylie Hubbard
Kinky Friedman's appropriately titled Resurrection marks his eighth release since millennium's turn. The legendary raconteur's late-career resurgence – including the studio albums The Loneliest Man I Ever Met (2015) and Circus of Life (2018) follows a relative dry spell as a songwriter from the eighties through the nineties. Following is an excerpt from Friedman's chapter in Brian T. Atkinson's recent book The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard (Texas A&M University Press).
Kinky Friedman: Ray Wylie Hubbard and I are about the only two musicians from Texas with an inherent sense of humor. I remember finding Ray very funny onstage and off. That was a rarity. Others have a sense of humor but don't reveal it. You don't know that Willie is a really funny guy if you just watch the show, but he could do a pretty good standup act. Ray Wylie and I are so funny that it's really a curse. I think it would have been a more financial pleasure for both of us if we had been serious, pompous-ass motherfuckers to start with. Although now, I'm passing into what could be a real hot air for the Kinkster. Happens every ten years. I get hot. Ray and I did a lot of shit together, but the problem is that I've forgotten the first half of my life. I'm seventy-three now. People get confused. I never recorded "Redneck Mother." They see me doing "They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore," and they think they saw Kinky doing "Redneck Mother." That's always been true of the public. You do The Tonight Show, and they think they saw you on something else. The public and the media never quite get it right. They think the wrong person did that song. The only ones who ever get it right are Ray and Kinky, and sometimes I'm not so sure about Ray. That was pretty good. The last thing I said right there is the first thing that's made sense.
"Redneck Mother" was a watershed song, one that pushed the spiritual envelope a little and really rung true. It's also fun and funny. "Redneck Mother" was calculated just enough to not succeed as much as "Muskrat [Candlelight]" by Willis Alan Ramsey. It's not gonna be a mainstream commercial success, but it does avoid nostalgia. It's been a long time and the song still holds up. I don't wish I would have written it, though. I think there's only one song I wish I'd written, and I can't remember the title of it. If you find it, let me know. It wouldn't probably be a Ray song. You can tell Ray has a mixed audience of people, a mixed race audience. He appeals to Jewish homosexuals as well as African-Americans. He appeals to a lot of young people, which is good to see.
Ray and I weren't competitive. He was funny a lot of the time, and I think that'll always cost you. If you're gonna come on as Weird Al Yankovich, that's the way to go. Everything you do should be weird and funny. You should understand that you're never gonna be accepted as a serious writer. As Billy Joe Shaver would say, Ray Wylie and I are both serious souls who nobody takes seriously. There are some who do take us seriously, but they're probably living at the Shalom Retirement Village right now or the Bandera Home for the Bewildered. Are you getting all this? It's pure genius. What I'm saying is incredible. I didn't realize I was this spiritual. Like all good songwriters, you've gotta be miserable to write a good satirical song like "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother." If you're happy, you can forget about it. I suggest that anyone who wants to write, whether it's satirical or not, should first make sure they're miserable. It isn't hard. I think Flaubert's recipe for happiness is that you have to have three things: You have to be stupid, selfish and have good health. If stupidity is lacking, all is lost. You need those three elements. I think Lauren Bacall stated it differently. She said the key to happiness is good health and a bad memory. That's pretty wise. Writing satirical stuff is really pointless.
Ray going from country to blues is a real strange thing to do. That's akin to Bob Dylan [going electric] at Newport [in 1965]. I'd forgotten how much Bob Dylan was booed the first time he went on tour with The Band [then known as The Hawks in 1966]. They were booed at every show and Levon [Helm] was complaining, "What is the point of this shit if they end up booing us at every single show?" Then he did another tour with The Band years later [in 1974] and it was an amazing success. People were holding up their cigarette lighters. Fuck 'em and feed 'em Fruit Loops. You can't worry about that. Ray's definitely a serious soul and it looks like he's transitioned smoothly to blues. I find the blues stultifyingly dull myself. There are people who are not fucking bored by it like Bob Dylan. He loves the blues, but I wouldn't go to a blues show. Well, I might go, but I might blow my fucking head off.
Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band's Just like Moby Dick delivers trademark wit ("Houdini Didn't Like the Spiritualists") and wisdom ("Abandonitis") fueled by vibrant narratives ("Sailin' on Through"). We recently spoke legendary songwriter about his first new collection in seven years.
"I've never felt an obligation to put out a record every two years," says Allen, an accomplished visual artist whose sculpture containng late songwriter Guy Clark's ashes soon will be housed at Texas State University's Wittliff Collections. "I've always thought that was some record label promo bullshit."
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Explain how the album took shape.
Terry Allen: The songs (are about) a desperation and the different stories that people go through from just being alive. I got stuck trying to figure out the record's sequence until we recorded "Sailin' On Through" and I say, "Just like Moby Dick" at the end. That phrase clicked and clarified how the record ought to feel. I try to make a record be one work because I've always had a hard time thinking of a record as just a bunch of songs.
Sequencing is a lost art.
Yeah. I think it's a digital thing. That's what I loved about (Allen's record label) Paradise of Bachelors. They were all about putting this out on vinyl when they first approached me. I miss the idea of being able to plot a record with Side A and Side B and making the work progress. I think that got lost when CDs came along even though you still had a sequence to work with. Digital blew that all to hell. I think that's why there's been a resurgence in vinyl. People miss the density of a group of songs.
Tell the story behind writing 'Abandonitis.'
Well, you get sick of songs that are just about self-pity. "Abandonitis" is about the fact that everybody goes through bullshit. Might as well get used to it. Deal and move on.
Describe working with Shannon McNally.
This might be the most collaborative record I've ever done. Shannon was great. A bunch of musicians and writers had the opportunity to sit down and write as a group. We pitched each other ideas. Some songs like "All These Blues Go Walkin'" came out of that. I've never really collaborated like that before except maybe in some theater pieces. Shannon is a great singer, very smart, a great writer.
Will you collaborate again?
Well, we just had another session with (the album's producer and longtime Bob Dylan guitarist) Charlie (Sexton) in Marfa and wrote a bunch of songs. Shannon, (Allen's son) Bukka and I wrote a song about Dr. John. She was really close with Dr. John. So, that's something we have on the backburner. I know she wants to go down to New Orleans to record it. Collaborating been a real special surprise to me.
You've known Charlie some time.
Yeah, I've known Charlie since he was a little kid. I've done things with his brother Will, but I've always wanted to do something with him, too. We did a show at the Paramount Theater in Austin and played all these new songs in 2019. I really needed to do something new. I've been wallowing in the past doing so many reissues and exhibitions of older art work lately. Texas Tech took all our archives. It just fell in line for us all to work together on the record.
Speaking of archives, your Guy Clark sculpture will be going to the Wittliff.
Yeah, it is. We're planning something around South by Southwest when we'll be playing (Willie Nelson's) Luck Festival. There will be some kind of commemoration. I wanted to get the sculpture to Texas and that was the best way. I had talked to (archive founder) Bill Wittliff extensively about the piece, but I didn't know if it would be in limbo after he passed. Bill had already prepped them for it, though. They're excited about getting it and I'm excited they'll be getting it.
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers' Years fortifies equal measures country ("Good As Gold") and rock ("New Ways to Fail") with razor sharp songwriting (the title track). We recently talked with Shook about the new collection, her creative process and growing as a songwriter.
"I've never really written a song with the intention of having it fit a record," the North Carolina native says. "The song we as a band think are the most cohesive are the ones that go on the record. Some songs on Years were a few years older but a handful are newer."
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Tell the story behind writing the title track.
Sarah Shook: I wrote "Years" about two weeks before we went into the studio. I was uneasy and felt like the album was missing something. "Years" was a culmination of the themes and ideas presented earlier in the record and the song tied up things nicely at the end. I think "Years" is the most self-aware track on the record.
Describe the album's common lyrical theme.
There's drinking, murky introspection and relationship conflicts. Writing songs from your own perspective is easy, but I tried to tell the story from the both points of view in the song "Good As Gold." I put myself in the other person's shoes and had empathy for their perspective. I was trying to understand where things are in this relationship and how and why they got to where they were.
Writing from another perspective probably develops more empathy for people in general.
Absolutely. Writing from another perspective shouldn't be confined to only romantic relationships. (We) should have the ability to see things from someone else's perspective even if you don't agree with them. Then you can empathize and understand why people do what they do, but it's still important to hae boundaries. You shouldn't allow things just because you understand them more. The healthy thing is remove yourself from the situation if the other person isn't respecting those boundaries.
Describe your songwriting process.
Lyrics, melody and chord progressions usually come at the same time. I'll write a loose arrangement and bring the song to the band. Then we collaborate with the arrangement we feel fits the song best. Our bassist Aaron (Oliva) might have an idea for an intro part. (Lap steel guitarist) Phil (Sullivan) and (lead guitarist) Eric (Peterson) might come up with where they want the solos. Everyone contributes to the final arrangement, which is a special finishing touch we have as a band.
Describe how 'New Ways to Fail' took shape.
I was in a failing relationship and was literally so depressed I couldn't get out of bed. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, as my dad used to say, when I wrote that song. I was aware I was coming to the end of my tether, but I also felt pretty trapped. There's always that fear of the unknown and anxiety with anyone ending a relationship.
You must be working on a new record.
Yeah. Definitely. We've had a few rehearsals, but then we're back on the road. It's been a rollercoster. There really hasn't been time to sit down and rehearse. So, we decided to take this December, January and February off. We just have a couple shows each month. We'll spend the next three months at home and have a pretty rigorous schedule to get songs ready for the next record. I'm really excited about that.
Chris Knight's new Almost Daylight delivers trademark grit ("I'm William Callahan") and groove (the title track). Knight's soaring melodies have skyrocketed him up the Alt-Country Specialty Chart into November. "That's great," Knight says. "People hear songs (on the radio) and go, 'I like that song. Who's this guy?' Then they look me up and maybe come to a show or download some music."
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Describe how the album came together.
Chris Knight: Some songs had been around. Some were fairly new within the last couple years. Others were songs I forgot about and then found again and rewrote. They were songs I liked but something kept me from recording them. So, I fixed them.
Explain how you know when they're ready.
I know when I don't doubt myself because I don't like a few lines or a melody. You know when they're good enough. Some songs take hours, some take months, others take years. These songs were already in my catalog with my publishers. I listened to a CD that was with a publisher and found the songs.
Tell the story behind writing 'I'm William Callahan.'
I wrote that a long time ago with my friend Tim Krekel. I liked the song and lyrics, but the melody and a few lines weren't right. I thought I could do something with it and completely changed the melody. I changed it to where I really wanted to record it, which is why it ended up the first track on the record.
Explain how essential personal experience is to your writing.
Well, nothing is spot-on biographical, but there are chards of truth about my family, me, people that I've known. You could hear a story that happened two thousand miles away and find something to write about. Take "Down the River" (from Knight's 2001 album A Pretty Good Day). We fish the Green River. My brother and another guy down there are always at odds with each other. You just turn it into a song. I'm not gonna write a song like "Seminole Bingo" by Warren Zevon. I don't know shit about stock markets and drugs other than drugs are bad.
Tell the story behind writing 'Send It on Down.'
I've sat in the bleachers on a football field on a Sunday morning and probably had a quart of Stroh's beer. It's not that uncommon if you grew up where I did. The girls I like are rich, but there's no way they're gonna have anything to do with me. Everybody's experienced stuff like that. I grew up in the woods but went to town on a Saturday night. My daddy didn't own a hardware store and didn't drink, but that's something we thought up to write about.
Describe working with Lee Ann Womack on that song.
Great. She came in ready to go. She came in to sing with me and had a great part ready. It was surprising. I thought she was gonna put a little harmony on but she did almost a duet. I love it.
You've known her a while.
Yeah, I've known her for more than twenty years. We were both on Decca Records and she married Frank Liddell, who got me signed to my first publishing and record deals. I really appreciated her coming down to sing that. We cut that at Ray Kennedy's studio Room and Board. Lee Ann came over one day when Ray and I were doing overdubs. I'm glad I was able to be there when she came in.
John Prine also appears on the record ('Mexican Home').
I've always been a huge John Prine fan. I did a couple shows with him in the northeast years ago. Ray and John are real good friends. I wasn't planning to cut "Mexican Home," but I thought I'd put one more song on there right at the end. I started playing it and the band fell in. We cut it pretty much in one take. John's a great guy. Listen to his records. He's just like you think he is.
John Schneider
John Schneider effortlessly balances sacred (Recycling Grace) and secular (Redneck Rebel) with a sideways grin. We spoke with the Dukes of Hazard star about the new collection (both released last fall), his new Dukes-themed new movie and singing at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
"I love leaning up against the same brick wall where Bob Willis, Johnny Cash, Little Jimmy Dickens and Willie Nelson – with short hair – leaned at the Ryman," Schneider says. "Lives have been changed in that room for decades and still are being changed. That place is truly hallowed ground."
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Describe how Redneck Rebel took shape.
Kid Rock came to my birthday party. I got up onstage with him and got in touch with my inner wild child. The first song we did was "Duck Blind." Then we did "Long Way from Lonely" and "Nothing to Do with Love." It got infectious. (Schneider's wife) Alicia (Allain) and I looked at each other and said, "The crowd is having so much fun. We need to do these." I also had heard the song "Stoned on the One" by Andrew Pope, which is a hell of a hard song to sing. I didn't know whether I could do it, but we decided to go for it and did the vocal in one pass. That's my favorite thing I've ever done.
Describe the album's common thread.
Fearlessness. I'm enjoying it. People really seem to love "Stoned on the One," which is such an old school Waylon Jennings-type song. My band Stars 'N' Bars are all over forty and grew up on Southern rock with twin guitar harmonies. They tear it up onstage and inspire me to really go for it especially on songs like "Southern Rock Survivor" and "Backwoods Soul." I get stronger but also raspier the more shows we do. I'm more proud of how the album sounds, but I honestly believe we're better live.
Explain exactly how you live fearlessly.
Whiskey (laughs). Actually, I do gargle with bourbon and (drink) it when I sing. I put a little lemon and honey in the whiskey and it seems I get less and less fearful the more I gargle. The magic for your voice is eating the lemon rind, which is pretty darn good after sitting in the whiskey and honey.
Describe how Johnny Cash guided you toward the new gospel album.
Johnny and I did (the made-for-television Western) Stagecoach together in 1986. Then I lived at their house for a year and change while I was touring in 1987. I said, "John, people are asking me to do a gospel record." "Well," he said, "you should. You will." "When?" "Don't worry," he said. "You'll know when it's time to do it. You won't be able to not to." Alicia and I were at a friend's funeral three decades later and one of the Blind Boys of Alabama sang what's been a favorite rendition of "Amazing Grace" for both of us, which is that song done to "House of the Rising Sun."
B.J. Thomas was also at the funeral. "By the way," he said as we were walking out, "you really need to do a gospel album." That was the straw that broke the camel's back – in a good way. Johnny was right. I looked up in the sky and said, "You were right. We gotta do this now." People started sending us great material like "Recycling Grace" as soon as they found out we were doing a gospel record. It took thirty years, but it was easy once we started. I'm singing higher and stronger than ever with absolutely no fear on songs like "House of Amazing Grace." You just go for it when you sing a song to god and it's praise and hope it's a joyful noise (laughs).
You close the album with a real standard "I'll Fly Away").
Oh, isn't that great? We all went for it and had such a great time. The band was all in the room at the same time when we did "House of Amazing Grace" and "I'll Fly Away.," which was like having church while we recorded at Sound Kitchen in Cool Springs, Tennessee. Everybody came to worship. We're getting wonderful responses that it's people's new favorite worship album. We had somebody say that it reminded them of (the gospel choir) God's Property because it has that big vibe in songs like "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down."
Meanwhile, you have the new Christmas movie inspired by Dukes of Hazard.
Yeah, I was writing a book called My Life, My Way. Alecia said, "You know, it's the fortieth anniversary of Dukes of Hazard. Why don't you incorporate all this stuff into a Dukes-themed script for Christmas?" I stopped writing the book when the title Christmas Cars for the movie came to me. There couldn't possibly be a better title for Dukes fans. I play Uncle Denver in honor of Denver Pyle, who was Uncle Jesse on Dukes, and we put songs like "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and "House of Amazing Grace" in it The great thing about a movie: You can put in any music you want. Why not put your own in there?
The Mavericks' vibrant Play the Hits interprets classics from country (John Andserson's "Swingin'") to rock (Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart") and back again (Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?"). We spoke to guitarist Eddie Perez about the record and what's next for the band.
"We've been working hard on a documentary film that tells the history of the band for the last year and a half," Perez says. "We also might release an all-Spanish record this year, which would be the first Mavericks record in Spanish. Plus, we're getting ready to go on XM radio's Outlaw Country cruise."
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Explain how the new album came together.
Eddie Perez: These songs have been influential in different degrees. They had to have a resonance with our front man Raul (Malo). We've been playing them on the road and fans have said, "Hey, we'd love to hear a recorded version of that song." We started going into the studio last year when we were off the road and experimenting with some covers then that snowballed into this record once we got the energy going. We were thinking about the songs that pertain to the energy and spirit of the Mavericks.
Describe the song selection process.
We have many other covers that find their way onto a Mavericks set list from time to time, but these are the ones we felt most connected to and related most to Raul. The singer is putting that energy across, so the lyric and melody have to have a resonance with him. Raul guided this process. We figured a covers record would be a good thing.
Explain what drew you to 'Swingin'.".
That was such a massive song for John Anderson back in the day and it resonated with the band. Country music still had a certain sound and connection when the band was formed in 1989. "Swingin'" was always around back then. We'd performed it a time or two and had put our Maverick sound on it before we knew it. What a fun song to do. People dig it live. It was a big influence on us.
Describe how you approach the arrangements.
Well, the songs are all great in their own rights. People will say, "Why cover that song?" Raul stepped back a little – much to his credit – and allowed a band that plays a hundred-plus shows a year the time to get in the studio and experiment. He had great arrangement ideas, but it really is a collective effort. He allows the energy for individuality and we benefit from playing together so much.
Did you find it challenging or freeing to interpret covers?
It can be all kinds of things. I think our close proximity and comaraderie helps. There's not a lot of spoken dialogue about what we're doing. It's just the energy we have like we all speak the same language and we're all drawing on the same musical ideas and principles. There's a certain taste factor for what we do. There's a reason for all of it. It comes down to the sum of the parts for me.
That certainly applies to your cover of 'Hungry Heart.'
Thanks. Yeah, we're all big Springsteen fans, which goes back to the mid-seventies when I was first turned on to music. My father was a big music fan and he was into Bruce. We all have the same reverence for The Boss. We've recorded Springsteen songs in the past, but Raul just felt a connection with this one. He felt like he had a great twist on the melody and style. I feel like we did something in our unique Mavericks way.
David Olney - Special Exclusive Interview
I met Steve Earle at Guy Clark's house in Nashville. He was about eighteen years old and talking a mile a minute all the time. Steve clearly was a natural songwriter. His heroes were Guy and Townes, so he had a good basis for storytelling and the Texas songwriter tradition. I'd run into him in bars and talk about this and that. I think Steve liked the danger of Townes and clearly revered Guy. Everything revolved around Bishop's Pub for me. Guy lived near there and would come by now and again.
Guy might come in if Townes was around, but I don't remember Steve actually playing there. It seemed Steve was bouncing back and forth between Texas and Nashville. The Exit/Inn was going on and you'd run into those guys there. I remember talking with Steve at this place called Jock's and he was just going ninety miles an hour about something. I was worn out from doing whatever I was doing and I just said, "Steve, stop. Take a breath. Count to ten." He was young and full of life.
I hadn't seen him in a couple years. I said, "Hey, Steve, how you doing?" I was thinking he'd do the time honored response: "Fine and you?" Except "How you doing?" to Steve is like the first line in a Russian novel. Two hours later, I'm still standing there listening to how he's doing. That's just how he is. At any point, you can say, "Hey, Give it a drink, Steve." I saw him the other night on TV in the movie Leaves of Grass. I was thinking, He's really good. It took me a while and I think it took other people a while to realize Steve wasn't just blowing smoke when he was talking. There's a whole lot going on there. I think once he did Guitar Town that became clear to a lot of people. I remember hearing him do "Tom Ames' Prayer," a very tight narrative story. I guess you would call it a dramatic monologue. It's very well done. I think he was nineteen when he wrote it.
It's a huge honor that he would perform my song "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning." I think in that time period – from the late seventies to early eighties – there were people writing song who were really struggling to get the right lyric. It doesn't mean that they were really stilted, they just worked really hard at things and the way you felt they ought to be said. It seems like songwriting today is just a lot of things blurted out. Sometimes that can work but back then Guy and Townes and John Hiatt, the goal is to write a song with natural sounding poignancy. I think people worked on that aspect. I think that's what Steve was talking about with "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning." I appreciate that another writer like Steve appreciates my lyrics.
Interviews copyright Brian T. Atkinson. All rights reserved
Copyright © 2019 The Official Site for Alt. Country


text:
November 14, 2017 – Vancouver, BC, Canada. – Great Bear Resources (the "Company" or "Great Bear", TSX-V: GBR) today announced results of a high resolution airborne magnetic survey completed by the Company in October, and gold exploration results from its West Madsen properties. Gold samples collected at West Madsen occur within prominent geophysically-defined extensions of the gold-hosting geology at Pure Gold Mining Inc.'s (TSX-V: PGM) Madsen property that also continue on to Great Bear's claims.
Figure 1: Map of high resolution airborne magnetic survey over Great Bear's West Madsen properties, slowing locations of gold samples along on-strike extensions of geology at Pure Gold's Madsen project.
Three sub-parallel magnetic trends cross Great Bear's West Madsen Block A, which is contiguous with the Madsen mine property. These have seen historical sampling, or have been sampled by Great Bear as shown on Figure 1. Though work is early-stage, each trend is confirmed to host gold mineralization, with samples returning between 0.90 g/t gold and 2.0 g/t gold. Great Bear recently sampled 0.9 g/t gold within silicified, pyritic rocks containing up to 15% sulphides recovered from a large trench two kilometres west of Pure Gold's claims. The trench is not included in any available assessment reports or other publicly available data, but is clear evidence of additional exploration activity on Great Bear's property.
Figure 2: Large unreported exploration trench at West Madsen Block A, where Great Bear recovered 0.90 g/t gold in a grab sample and observed extensive silicification and up to 15% sulphides by rock volume. Road shown for scale and accessibility on left of image.
Chris Taylor, CEO of Great Bear said, "We are very encouraged by early work on our West Madsen claims. In the Red Lake district, samples are generally considered highly anomalous at the 50 ppb (0.05 g/t) gold level. Early-stage work at West Madsen has confirmed much higher levels of approximately 1 – 2 g/t gold in three through-going extensions of the adjacent Madsen geology. The confirmation of multiple mineralized trends at our project strongly supports follow-up prospecting and mapping to define future drill targets. The West Madsen properties offer a low-cost, highly prospective and easily accessible addition to our primary focus at Dixie Lake, where we are planning to begin Phase 2 drilling after Christmas."
Survey results at West Madsen Block B, which is located 5 kilometres to the west of Block A, show two primary Gold targets: 1) a prominent northeast to southwest magnetic linear, and 2) strong evidence of large-scale folding. The magnetic linear has been described in regional reports as the on-strike extension of the Red Lake greenstone belt, which is mapped as continuing to the west where it ultimately becomes the Rice Lake gold district of westernmost Ontario and southern Manitoba.
Folding is critical to grade enrichment at the Great Bear's Dixie Lake property, and within many other Red Lake district gold deposits including the Red Lake mine of Goldcorp (TSX: G). Great Bear has not yet prospected West Madsen Block B, but results of the geophysical survey have provided two target areas for follow-up exploration, focused on the fold hinge area, and along the main magnetic linear.
Both Madsen blocks will be further explored in spring 2018, after conclusion of a winter drill campaign at the Dixie Lake project that is slated to being after Christmas.
Great Bear is earning a 100% royalty-free interest in the Dixie Lake property which consists of 7106 hectares. In addition, Great Bear is also earning a 100% royalty-free interest in its West Madsen properties which total 2725 hectares and are contiguous with Pure Gold Mining Inc.'s (TSX-V: PGM) Madsen property. All of Great Bear's Red Lake projects are accessible year-round through existing roads.
All samples were sent to Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Ancaster Ontario, an accredited mineral analysis laboratory, for analysis analysed for gold using standard Fire Assay-AA techniques. Certified gold reference standards, blanks and field duplicates were routinely inserted into the sample stream, as part of Great Bear's quality control/quality assurance program.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


[S1] GRO Index, Q2 1877 Wycombe 3a 547.
[S1039] Census 1881 Great Kimble, Bucks RG11 / 1469 / 84 / 2, (RG11 / 1469 / 84 / 2).
[S1568] Census 1891 Great Kimble, Bucks RG12 / 1142 / 79 / 2, (RG12 / 1142 / 79 / 2).
[S1] GRO Index, Q3 1895 St. Geo. H. Sq. 1a 299.
[S1] GRO Index, Q2 1874 Wycombe 3a 659.


text:
Andrew Kinnear
Jean Charest is cool.
I don't live in Quebec, and I have no interest in the Quebec election, however I do listen to CBC, and I like Jean Charest.
I met Mr. Charest in Montreal in April of 2008 at a training session hosted by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Mr. Gore was doing a session on the proper delivery of his "Inconvenient Truth" slideshow, and I was one of a handful of people who got to participate.
It's no wonder that this man has been the premier of Quebec for the last 6 years; he is a confident and charismatic leader, is impeccably bilingual (frequently going between english and french during our session and in conversations at the breaks), and I finished my conversation with him thinking "Why did the country elect Kim Campbell instead of Jean?" (Note: Kim Campbell was the Prime Minister of Canada for about 7 minutes in the 90s).
Why is this relevant? The Liberal Party of Canada is heating up for a battle in the coming months for the leadership of an absolutely decimated political infrastructure. Bob Rae still reminds me of NDP/Ontario frustrations and his roommate from University Mike Ignatieff hasn't demonstrated any aspirational, hopeful, emotional leadership since coming on the scene the last time. Dumb and Dumber. Wouldn't it be great if Jean Charest was our own 'Obama' ?
How Apple will reach $1 Trillion.
Valued at around $500 Billion today, Apple certainly is doing well for itself. Lot's of iPads, iPods and iPhones continue to roll out of Foxconn in China and into the hands of the masses worldwide. Including China. That's where it started. Where it'll end up is somewhere amazing. I predict as soon as NFC is added to iDevices rolling off the line, the Apple ecosystem for payments, loyalty and other channels will be firmly in the clutches of Tim Cook and co. Think about this: Banks want to own mobile payments, but can't because they hate risk, are laggards in technology and can't innovate.
7 Management Qualities to try at work
I've had a hand written sheet on my desk for a few years, and I've always tried to keep it top of mind. Ever since I became a people manager back in 1999, though not in a professional environment, I've always tried to build high-performing teams, and lead by example. I saw a comic recently that said you're not a real leader until you've made a leader who is leading others . I think I've done that, but there's always room to improve. Here are some thoughts in no particular order: Give real-time feedback as much as you can, with the intention of providing an improvement over the past. This can be for behaviour, work skills, output, presentations, etc. Even things like You've got mustard on your cheek I've always felt the need to let that person know immediately. I would want them do do the same! Support diversity and demonstrate inclusive behaviours. I think (as a white male) it's my job to look for the best in all cultures, gender
On Lottery and Technology
OLG Logo Source: Wikipedia I'll be joining many of my colleagues at OLG and our partner agencies in sharing insights and opinions as a speaker at the La Fleur's Lottery Forum in June . Here is the summary of the event: La Fleur's 2015 Global Lottery Forum is our first educational conference to be held in Canada. TLF Publications, based in Rockville, Maryland and publisher of La Fleur's Magazine, has been organizing lottery conferences since 1995—there have been a total of 39 lottery symposiums and lottery conclaves held. OLG is the host jurisdiction of La Fleur's 2015 Global Lottery Forum, which will be held in Toronto, from June 14-17, 2015 at Ryerson University's Ted Rogers School of Management. A university setting is a new venue style for a La Fleur's conference which we believe will accentuate the opportunity for white paper presentations, academic discussion, networking and roundtable discussion. The Forum will also include the La Fleur's Sustain- ability


Chain disc conveyors by Chain-Vey offer numerous options in components in order to accommodate thousands of possible applications.
For discs, Chain-Vey offers three designs: the all-around performing Quiet Pucks, High-Efficiency Pucks, and Molded-On. For chains, stainless steel and carbon steel are both available.
"The clean in place Chain-Vey really saves me a lot of time compared to my other conveyors."
—John Smyth, World Spice Co.
316 stainless steel provides optimal protection against corrosion. Stainless steel is ideal for moisture rich applications.
Carbon steel chain provides tremendous strength and value that is ideal for most low moisture applications.
The Standard Quiet Split Discs provide low friction, enhanced geometry for quiet gliding throughout the system. They are split disc design, meaning two halves are tightly joined together by compression rivets.
Extra Thick Split Discs provide low friction and reduced motor amperage, ideal for certain applications which your sales engineer can explain more about. They are split disc design, meaning two halves are tightly joined together by compression rivets.
Molded-On Discs provide low friction and high efficiency. The are a seamless design without at crevice for ultra-high purity applications. The contain no rivets.
Twisting in a chain only happens when the chain is not installed properly, which takes at most a few extra minutes of care when installing. Once the chain is installed correctly, it will never twist.


A modern look unlike any other, the Globe outdoor hanging light features a gloss black aluminum stem matched up with a handsome gloss white acrylic orb shade.
A stylish vintage look that's on trend for 2018, the Globe outdoor hanging light from Troy RLM features an old school small opal glass orb diffuser that creates ambiance and emphasizes the Mid-Century appeal of your decor. Paired with a simple stem cap in gloss black, its stately design harkens back to the finest of classic looks updated for your modern home. This ceiling fixture offers the perfect soft light for illuminating patios, porches, and beyond.


William H. McNeill, born in 1917, is described by Wikipedia as "among the world's most respected historians" and as having been Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Chicago.
This is a one-volume, 552-page work published by Oxford University Press, which describes the book as emphasizing "the four Old World civilizations of the Middle East, India, China, and Europe, paying particular attention to their interaction across time as well as the impact on historical scholarship in light of the most recent archaeological discoveries. The engaging and informative narrative touches on all aspects of civilization, including geography, communication, and technological and artistic developments, and provides extensive coverage of the modern era."
The book touches on that important aspect of civilization, religion. I found nothing on Christianity's Bishop Irenaeus, or the anti-Confucianist Mozi. He did mention points on cultural diffusion's impact in the creation of Islam, but cultural diffusions and religious belief is generally ignored. I found no suggestion of any Zoroastrian influence on Judaism. His view of the origins of World War I is very brief, describing it as an accident in that "no European government wanted a general war." Missing here is something required for an adequate description of what happened in one of history's biggest events.
An important understanding of the origins of World War I requires mention of the context of empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The war began with Franz Joseph trying to defend his rotten empire from Serb nationalism and the stupid Wilhelm II (the Kaiser) of Germany supporting Franz Joseph because he thought regicide (the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand) had to be punished and believed that his cousin the tsar understood that necessity. The Russians were willing to go to war in support of Serbia, and Germans believed they had to go to war not only to help Franz Joseph against Serbia but mainly to defend themselves from the Russians. McNeill describes the events leading to World War I on one page (page 492) with some relevant observations, but essential ingredients are missing.


The three-year study is in its first year of testing the effectiveness of two group-based therapy programs. Professor of Psychology Melinda Green is leading the study. In August the National Institutes of Mental Health announced $400,000 worth of funding support for the project after a preliminary trial showed eating disorder symptoms and cardiac markers improved overall among a sample of 50 women.
The students are participating in every piece of the study, and they're learning what it takes to conduct professional research.
They also have to perfect their knowledge of research design, research methodology, cardiac functioning, identifying cardiac markers of eating disorders, recruiting participants, analyzing data, and communicating research findings to a broader audience. Their research goal is to discover which group-based treatment program is most effective in reducing eating disorder risk factors and disorder-associated cardiac risk markers.
Along with the team of nine undergraduates, the funding also supports a research team of four graduate research assistants from the University of Iowa. Additionally, a physician and a clinical psychologist from Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids and a statistician from the University of Iowa help monitor the data safety and analysis of results. Everyone is organized with the help of a laboratory coordinator, which is a position held by Linden Miles '17.
Green regularly meets with her student research team for project updates.
The nine Cornell students say they enjoy being part of this research team because they have their eyes set on the future. Many are looking at Ph.D. programs in psychology.
Helping people is the piece of the research that really motivates these students, especially when some days are spent sending out thousands of emails or posting fliers in bathroom stalls to increase awareness. When they get to work with participants and notice improvements, they see the change they are helping to create in the lives of these women.
For more information on the study or to find out how to become a participant, email Melinda Green at mgreen@cornellcollege.edu.


text:
Study Finds Payday Lenders Charge 300% Interest (And Yes, It's Legal)
By Etta Jackson Last updated Sep 20, 2021
What is the correct amount of interest to charge for a short term loan? Someone is unlikely to say 300%. Still, it's a likely outcome if the move towards installment loans among payday loans continues unchecked, according to a review of the payday loan market by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Photographer: Gary Tramontina / Bloomberg
In a report released yesterday, Pew found that 13 of the 29 states where payday lenders and auto title lenders operate only issue single payment loans typically due in two to four weeks, but the remaining 26 have started to grant installment loans over longer periods with high annual percentage rates between 200% and 600%.
Without any additional limits or restrictions, this should continue, says Nick Bourke, director of the Pew Small Dollar Lending Project. Some states have attempted to reform payday lenders, such as Ohio, which regulated the cost of payday loans to a maximum interest rate of 28% in 2008. where they could make a higher profit.
"Now we see that the prices have gone up," Bourke said, pointing to interest rates of 275% to 360%. "Loans are not pretty.
Frankly, none of these loans look very nice. And that's the problem. The payday loan market is often the loan of last resort for Americans who do not have better access to credit. After all, no one would choose to borrow $ 500 and pay off a total of $ 1,200 if they had more reasonable interest rate options. Yet, as I wrote in June, banks and credit unions that could provide short-term loans at a fraction of the cost are reluctant to go into the business without clear direction from the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.
The CFPB draft rules released in June do not clarify the affairs of banks and credit unions, as Bourke told me at the time. It would seem like a logical and natural solution for banks and credit unions to offer some type of short term loan given that by definition payday borrowers must already have a bank account (payday lenders need direct access to an account for immediate payment). The borrower earns around $ 30,000 per year, or $ 15 an hour, but may struggle to pay bills month to month.
Pew's research in this area shows that in theory, installment loans would help borrowers by spreading the payment over more time, rather than demanding the balance owed over the typical two-week payday loan term. But without any guidelines or regulatory limits, installment loans from payday lenders often require too much monthly payment of $ 200 or more, double what Pew's research shows borrowers say they can afford. Payday lenders also offer refinances, which usually incur additional fees and will extend the term of the loan.
What is a reasonable solution? Bourke would like to see guarantees that require affordable payments of 5% of the borrower's salary, limiting charges to interest charges, rather than also allowing origination fees which can encourage loan reversals, limiting the duration. excessive loan terms – two weeks is too short, but one year is too long and the uncompetitive rate cap – 300% is far too high.
Without such limits, "they can charge any fee, they can set any monthly payment," Bourke says. "The lender gets virtually unlimited access to the borrower's account or to the title of the vehicle."
Outrageous Facts About Payday Loans
Urgent warning from Martin Lewis to anyone who has ever taken out a payday loan
Wonga's Amazing Big Cats Homes Triple Profits With 4,000 Pc Payday Loans
Payday lender The Cash Store hit with record penalty – Bank
Etta Jackson
Fixed price dinner to celebrate a photography show at the Grill


text:
Sierra Club: Build Back Better Must Include Our Parks
Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán and Jackie Ostfeld
What's Next for the Great American Outdoors? Pt. 4
One year after the Great American Outdoors Act became law, we're looking at what the law has achieved and the work we still have to do to secure a thriving planet that belongs to all of us.
Summer and the outdoors go hand-in-hand, and nowhere is that felt more than in our parks. From hikes through ancient forests to weekend cookouts with friends to soccer or Little League games, our parks are where so many summer activities turn into treasured memories.
Our parks have been an especially important outlet this summer, as we continue to take on the COVID-19 pandemic. Months of staying at home to slow the spread of the virus made it clear just how essential spending time outdoors is for our mental and physical health. In fact, studies show that spending as little as 20 minutes a day outdoors can have significant positive effects on health and wellbeing, improve mood and attention, lower stress levels, and even reduce the risk of psychiatric disorders.
Unfortunately, about 100 million Americans, including about 28 million children, do not live within a 10-minute walk of a quality neighborhood park.
The disparity in access to the outdoors is particularly felt by lower-income communities and communities of color. White neighborhoods are three times more likely to have access to nearby nature than communities of color, and the parks and green spaces in wealthier neighborhoods are likely to be larger than the parks and green spaces in less-affluent communities.
With demand for parks and open spaces at an all-time high, it is long past time to address these historic inequities and make the benefits of the outdoors available to all.
For example, a survey done by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation found the average amount of parkland in the county is 3.3 acres per 1,000 residents. But there are great discrepancies in access to these green spaces based on where people live.
L.A. County's city of Compton has only 0.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. In contrast, the city of Malibu, also in L.A. County but with three times the median household income of Compton, has 55.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents.
With demand for parks and open spaces at an all-time high, it is long past time to address these historic inequities and make the benefits of the outdoors available to all. One way we can do that is passing the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act as part of President Biden's Build Back Better Agenda. It would provide $500 million in funding for local parks in the neighborhoods and communities that have been denied access to green spaces.
Passing the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act would have immediate and wide-ranging benefits. By funding the creation of new parks and the expansion of existing green spaces in urban neighborhoods, the legislation would make it easier for low-income communities and communities of color to experience the mental and physical health benefits of access to nearby nature. Finding an outdoor space could become as easy as walking down the block.
The funding invested in local parks through the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act would also help local economies that have been negatively affected by the pandemic. Local parks support 1.1 million jobs in the United States and generate more than $166 billion in economic activity. The Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act would protect 100,000 seasonal jobs currently threatened by pandemic-related budget cuts, while also creating more than 8,000 new positions. Using those resources to renovate more than 500 outdoor sites would also generate $1.37 billion in economic activity.
Finally, supercharging funding to local parks can build up the critical green infrastructure we need to take on the climate crisis. Green spaces parks absorb carbon and help clean up the air. They also mitigate the impacts of climate change such as flooding, and they're critical to protecting vulnerable populations from the "urban heat island effect." This is important because neighborhoods without sufficient tree coverage can be 10 to15 degrees hotter than greener neighborhoods just minutes away.
The pandemic has made it clear how much we need the outdoors. We have a critical opportunity to jumpstart our economy while increasing access to nature and fighting climate change. The Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act can help us do it.


Replacing a derelict house, a new single family home and garage proudly establish themselves in the curve of two intersecting streets a mere block from the Rideau Canal. The shifting grids of lots on either side meet each other across this property, the gentle sweep of the front yard landscaping echoing the curve.
An elegant two storey stone volume eroded at the corner provides a sense of protection and permits a glazed prism fabricated in steel and wood to release uninterrupted views to the canal and western light.
The assembly of stepped back and materially distinct volumes towards the rear dissolves mass creating an interesting animation and accommodating high voltage lines running along the southern property line.
There are really two "interiors": the indoor spaces flowing into one another defined by the ceiling changes of lowered planes and bulk heads which shift like sliding tectonic plates expressing more intimate areas, or releasing higher volumes for different uses and functions; and its outdoor spaces, including a rear yard terrace enclosed by a fountain and wood feature partially covered for meals and lounging, second storey front balcony viewing down the street, and even a third storey rooftop deck and hot tub surrounded by a realm of trees, skyscapes and meditative calm.


I was given €20,000 by my grandfather about 10 years ago. It was put into my mother's post office account for safe-keeping. I now have said €20,000 in cash and I wish to lodge it into my bank account. My issue is though, since I will be applying for a mortgage soon – which is what the money was given to me for – I am sure I will be asked where it came from.
I obviously do not want to have to pay CAT on the €20,000. Is there a way that I can lodge the money and have a valid answer when asked where it came from? Could I say I sold my car, I found an extremely rare vase that I sold?! I have €20,000 in cash and need to lodge it ASAP for obvious reasons!
When it comes to the Revenue, the only valid answer is the truth. Anything else leaves you open to a world of trouble should the Revenue decide to get nosey about it.
Do you have a car? Do you have evidence it was sold and to whom? If you found a valuable vase, you'd likely sell it for that money only through an auction house which, again, is traceable.
I'm not saying Revenue would necessarily check but, if they did . . . It hardly seems worth the hassle.
But, of course, this money is important to you. Putting a deposit for a home together is tough enough, especially now that the Central Bank has tightened up the rules on how much can be lent and what size of deposit must be available.
So you want to put the money into your bank account. The bank may indeed ask about its origins. They're getting very careful given the pressure on them to address money laundering – and tax avoidance. I strongly suggest you tell them exactly what it is – an inheritance from your grandfather.
You are entitled to receive a certain amount free of capital acquisitions tax / inheritance tax from relatives (and even strangers). In your case, the relevant tax- free thresholds for an inheritance from a grandparent to a grandchild are covered under category B.
As it stands now, in 2016, you can receive up to €30,150 from a lineal relative (grandparent, uncle/aunt or sibling) free of tax. This figure covers the €20,000 given to you by your grandfather as long as you have not also received other gifts and/or inheritances from him, other grandparents, or anyone else in category B.
Under aggregation rules, you must add together all inheritances and gifts from people in the relevant category received since December 5th, 1991. So, if you previously received a gift of €10,000 from an aunt and a €10,000 inheritance from another grandparent, then, on the surface of it, this inheritance would put you over the threshold and you would be liable to CAT at 33 per cent on that portion of it that brings your total gifts above the €30,150 level. So (€20,000 + €10,0000 + €10,0000) – €30,150 = €9,850, which is the amount over the threshold and your tax bill would be €3,283.
But, of course, your inheritance was given to you in 2006, you say, even if it was taken care of for you by your mum since then. That means the applicable category B tax-free threshold is the one that was in force at that time. That's because the date for assessment for tax is the date the gift or inheritance is received – not when you move it subsequently between accounts.
As it happens, back then, the threshold was €47,815, a figure that gives you much more wiggle room in avoiding tax even if you have received other gifts or inheritances.
You clearly don't give me details of any other inheritances or gifts but, assuming there are none, you have no tax liability on this money.
The only question Revenue might raise is a request for you to show the money is indeed an inheritance from your grandfather, not a gift from your mother. The will should do that. In any case, even if it was a gift from your mother, you'd be a long way short of paying tax on that separate category A threshold, which governs gifts and bequests from parents to children and which is €280,000 at present.
Going forward, you will need to keep a note of the sum and which category it falls under. Subsequent gifts and inheritances from people in the same category will need to be aggregated with this €20,000.
Will my daughter be liable to tax on €50K gift for mortgage?
I am thinking of giving my daughter approx €50,000 towards her mortgage. Will she be liable for tax on this?
With the tightening of the rules on mortgage lending, the "Bank of Mum and Dad" is becoming an increasingly important player for young people in getting a foot on the housing ladder.
And, at least where financial circumstances allow, there's a lot of sense in it. What's the point of getting family to wait until you pass before they receive an inheritance when it is now that they have the most pressing need. Later on, while no doubt an inheritance would be welcome, it may well not be as urgently required.
Of course, not everyone has the wherewithal to consider gifts of this nature, and, even if they have, not everyone would want to. A family relationship should never be about money and every case is different.
In tax terms, this gift is considered under the Capital Acquisitions Tax regime. That states that you can give your daughter anything up to €280,000 without her facing a tax bill.
Now that threshold is a "lifetime" one. That means your daughter would need to add together any gifts or inheritances she receives from you or her father since December 5th, 1991 and into the future. Whenever those sums exceed the threshold, tax kicks in.
Tax is currently 33 per cent but that can change. The thresholds also can, and do, change up and down.
However, in relation to this gift – assuming she has not received more than €230,000 to date from either parent – she is fine and has no tax issue.
Finally, there is also a small gift exemption about which I have written many times in this column.
Essentially, your daughter can receive €3,000-a-year gift from you without it being considered for tax under any heading.
She can receive that same sum from as many other people as choose to gift her, again with no tax: the only issue is that it should come from their own resources not via you or anyone else.
In sum, it means that, of this gift from you, just €47,000 counts towards her inheritance/gift tax threshold.


text:
FROM debian:jessie

# persistent / runtime deps
ENV PHPIZE_DEPS \
		autoconf \
		file \
		g++ \
		gcc \
		libc-dev \
		make \
		pkg-config \
		re2c
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
		$PHPIZE_DEPS \
		ca-certificates \
		curl \
		libedit2 \
		libsqlite3-0 \
		libxml2 \
		xz-utils \
	--no-install-recommends && rm -r /var/lib/apt/lists/*

ENV PHP_INI_DIR /usr/local/etc/php
RUN mkdir -p $PHP_INI_DIR/conf.d

##<autogenerated>##
ENV PHP_EXTRA_CONFIGURE_ARGS --enable-fpm --with-fpm-user=www-data --with-fpm-group=www-data
##</autogenerated>##

ENV GPG_KEYS A917B1ECDA84AEC2B568FED6F50ABC807BD5DCD0

ENV PHP_VERSION 7.1.0RC2
ENV PHP_FILENAME php-7.1.0RC2.tar.xz

RUN set -xe \
	&& cd /usr/src \
	&& curl -fSL "https://downloads.php.net/~davey/$PHP_FILENAME" -o php.tar.xz \
	&& curl -fSL "https://downloads.php.net/~davey/$PHP_FILENAME.asc" -o php.tar.xz.asc \
	&& export GNUPGHOME="$(mktemp -d)" \
	&& for key in $GPG_KEYS; do \
		gpg --keyserver ha.pool.sks-keyservers.net --recv-keys "$key"; \
	done \
	&& gpg --batch --verify php.tar.xz.asc php.tar.xz \
	&& rm -r "$GNUPGHOME"

COPY docker-php-source /usr/local/bin/

RUN set -xe \
	&& buildDeps=" \
		$PHP_EXTRA_BUILD_DEPS \
		libcurl4-openssl-dev \
		libedit-dev \
		libsqlite3-dev \
		libssl-dev \
		libxml2-dev \
	" \
	&& apt-get update && apt-get install -y $buildDeps --no-install-recommends && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
	\
	&& docker-php-source extract \
	&& cd /usr/src/php \
	&& ./configure \
		--with-config-file-path="$PHP_INI_DIR" \
		--with-config-file-scan-dir="$PHP_INI_DIR/conf.d" \
		\
		--disable-cgi \
		--enable-bcmath \
		\
# --enable-ftp is included here because ftp_ssl_connect() needs ftp to be compiled statically (see https://github.com/docker-library/php/issues/236)
		--enable-ftp \
# --enable-mbstring is included here because otherwise there's no way to get pecl to use it properly (see https://github.com/docker-library/php/issues/195)
		--enable-mbstring \
# --enable-mysqlnd is included here because it's harder to compile after the fact than extensions are (since it's a plugin for several extensions, not an extension in itself)
		--enable-mysqlnd \
		\
		--with-curl \
		--with-mhash \
		--with-libedit \
		--with-openssl \
		--with-zlib \
		\
		$PHP_EXTRA_CONFIGURE_ARGS \
	&& make -j"$(nproc)" \
	&& make install \
	&& { find /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin -type f -executable -exec strip --strip-all '{}' + || true; } \
	&& make clean \
	&& docker-php-source delete \
	\
	&& apt-get purge -y --auto-remove -o APT::AutoRemove::RecommendsImportant=false $buildDeps

COPY docker-php-ext-* /usr/local/bin/

##<autogenerated>##
WORKDIR /var/www/html

RUN set -ex \
	&& cd /usr/local/etc \
	&& if [ -d php-fpm.d ]; then \
		# for some reason, upstream's php-fpm.conf.default has "include=NONE/etc/php-fpm.d/*.conf"
		sed 's!=NONE/!=!g' php-fpm.conf.default | tee php-fpm.conf > /dev/null; \
		cp php-fpm.d/www.conf.default php-fpm.d/www.conf; \
	else \
		# PHP 5.x don't use "include=" by default, so we'll create our own simple config that mimics PHP 7+ for consistency
		mkdir php-fpm.d; \
		cp php-fpm.conf.default php-fpm.d/www.conf; \
		{ \
			echo '[global]'; \
			echo 'include=etc/php-fpm.d/*.conf'; \
		} | tee php-fpm.conf; \
	fi \
	&& { \
		echo '[global]'; \
		echo 'error_log = /proc/self/fd/2'; \
		echo; \
		echo '[www]'; \
		echo '; if we send this to /proc/self/fd/1, it never appears'; \
		echo 'access.log = /proc/self/fd/2'; \
		echo; \
		echo 'clear_env = no'; \
		echo; \
		echo '; Ensure worker stdout and stderr are sent to the main error log.'; \
		echo 'catch_workers_output = yes'; \
	} | tee php-fpm.d/docker.conf \
	&& { \
		echo '[global]'; \
		echo 'daemonize = no'; \
		echo; \
		echo '[www]'; \
		echo 'listen = [::]:9000'; \
	} | tee php-fpm.d/zz-docker.conf

EXPOSE 9000
CMD ["php-fpm"]
##</autogenerated>##

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


When farmers use milk exclusively from their own cows to make cheese, it's called "farmhouse cheese." That's what we' ve been doing at Orb Weaver Farm since 1982. We milk our Jersey cows to make rich, raw milk cheese with a slightly tangy, full bodied flavor. More moist than cheddar, Vermont Farmhouse Cheese has a natural buttery color and smooth, creamy texture. It is delicious off the wheel with wine, melts beautifully to complement any recipe, brings grilled cheese sandwiches to new heights, and distinctively tops nachos and pizza. Our two-pound waxed and cave aged wheels also make elegant gifts that are easy to mail.
In 2001, we took a new step into an age-old tradition and began making cave-aged cheese. Using stones from neighboring Panton, VT, we built a cave in a small hillside on our farm to replicate as closely as possible the aging process used for centuries before refrigeration. Cave conditions are warmer and more humid than those for our standard farmhouse cheese, and the aging cycle is longer – up to a year for a 10-pound wheel. We don't wax cave-aged cheese, but instead turn and brush the wheels every other day for several months, creating a natural rind. The end result is heaven for cheese lovers: a robust, complex array of nutty, earthy flavors and a firm, slightly drier texture that makes our cave-aged cheese a true delicacy. Cave-aged cheese may require more time and TLC, but we think you'll agree the results are more than worth it.
In our experience, Jerseys give the highest quality milk for cheesemaking, with more butterfat, protein and vitamins than milk from other breeds. Because we care for our own Jerseys, we know we're always using the purest, most nutritious milk possible for fine-quality farmhouse and cave-aged cheeses.
We feed our cows sweet-tasting, sweet-smelling grain and organic hay to produce the most savory milk That's one of the reasons we won an award for the best-tasting milk in Vermont. For cheese, we milk a small family of seven Jerseys – Orbit, Lassie, Frolic, Guffo, Miso, Cocoa and Ozzie. Happy cows make the best milk, and so our Jerseys enjoy the sounds of classical music whenever they're not rotationally grazing 30 acres of clover pasture.
We make our cheeses simply, in the European tradition. We stir, form, and date-stamp each wheel by hand – we don't use mechanical stirrers or hydraulic presses. Our wheels age from 6 to 12 months and, since we do everything ourselves, quantities are limited. We make cheese from November through May. We give our cows, and ourselves, a break every summer while we tend our organic gardens.
We've been practicing sustainable farming since we began in 1982. We cultivate our organic gardens and sell the produce to local restaurants and markets. We compost all our culled vegetables, cow manure, and whey (a byproduct of making cheese) and eventually return their nutrients to the gardens and pastures.
We love our farm in Vermont's beautiful Champlain Valley. During an era when family farms are quickly disappearing, we feel blessed that our small farm is thriving.
A natural rind , a robust, complex array of nutty, earthy flavors, and a firm, slightly drier texture.
This versatile ( waxed ) cheese has a smooth, creamy taste, & melts beautifully to compliment any recipe.


A very quiet day on the river today, with almost no movements other than two departures being noted. Sailing from the Holy Loch this afternoon was RED BARONESS with another cargo of timber for Londonderry, while in the middle of the night, the ship shown above, also sailed. MOKSHEIM is taking a load of scrap metal from the Clyde to Seville in Spain, and sailed from Glasgow late last night. MOKSHEIM, pictured leaving the Clyde on a previous occasion, is Norwegian owned and, until earlier this year, sailed under the Norwegian flag although she is now registered in Bridgetown, Barbados. Her hull was built at the Severenaya Shipbuilding Yard at St Petersburg in Russia, and although laid down in 1991, MOKSHEIM was not completed until 2000, following fitting out at the Naval Shipyard in Gydnia, Poland. She is operated by Continental Ship Management A/S, and has a deadweight tonnage of 6,847 tonnes. Her overall length is 109.57 metres, and her gross tonnage is 5,659 tons.
'Almost no movements'. What about the Diamond Jubilee Girl ? OK she didn't quite come down your way, as she went up Loch Long, hopefully you'll get her today and the Seavoyager. If her AIS label is to be believed, then she is only 2 months old.


Handcrafted with the skill and methods employed by artisan woodturners for hundreds of years. Born from a single piece of wood and shaped into our sharp broad shouldered Heritage design - this urn is made with passion and care. The work to cut, turn, hollow and finish has all been done by hand and secured closed with a threaded top.
All Heritage Urns have unique wood grain and character with small variances in size and shape. The pictures shown here are a representation; the actual urn may be slightly different. The capacity of every Heritage Urn is at least 200 cubic inches.
In today's world of automation and mass production, this Heritage Urn stands out as a one-at-a-time, one-of-a-kind product.
This piece is made from American Black Walnut. The Walnut is prized for its nuts and attractive hardwood. Found throughout the world, it has long been recognized as a valued resource. The Ancient Greeks symbolized it with fertility and strewn walnuts at weddings. In contrast, Romans put one walnut with a bride's wedding dress for each year she wished to wait for children. The American Black Walnut grows throughout the Eastern and Central United States. The wood is light to dark chocolate brown and with a rich patina that grows more luxurious with age.


text:
Katuena, ook wel Katwena, is een inheems volk in Brazilië en Suriname.

Brazilië
Het woongebied van de Katuena's in Brazilië is het stroomgebied van de Trombetas, met in de nabijheid het inheemse volk Cikyana. In Brazilië wonen aan het begin van de 21e eeuw rond de vijfhonderd Katuena's. Hun taal, het Katuena-Tunayana, wordt door nog weinig mensen gesproken. Het is een dialect van het Waiwai, een subtaal uit de Caribische talen.

Suriname
In Suriname wonen de Katuena in het dorp Kwamalasamoetoe, tegen de Braziliaanse grens aan. Net als de Tunayana woonden zij net over de grens in Brazilië en hadden tot de jaren zestig van de 20e eeuw vrijwel geen contact met westerlingen. Tussen 1966 en 1967 kwam hier verandering in. Missionarissen hadden toen een missie onder Trio's in Alalapadoe, eveneens in Zuid-Suriname. Van hieruit zochten Trio's contact met de Katuena's om ze over te halen naar de missie van Alalapadoe te komen. Een groot deel van hen gaf hier gevolg aan en woonde sindsdien tussen de Trio's. Ook verhuisden ze in 1976-77 mee naar Kwamalasamoetoe, dat toen nieuw gesticht werd. Toen zij daar eenmaal woonden, kwamen ook andere familieleden uit Brazilië over naar Kwamalasamoetoe. Begin 21e eeuw wonen in het dorp 800 tot 900 Trio's en circa 150 Katuena's en Tunayana's. Rond 2002 vertrok een deel van de Katuena's en Tunayana's en vestigden zich in het verlaten dorp A'yarama in Brazilië.

Indiaans volk in Brazilië
Indiaans volk in Suriname

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Here is a new style of iPhone design elements! This time I created something very minimal and clean. The source file includes navigation bars, search form, switches, buttons and much more. This is a great start for your next mobile project.
As always, both standard and @2x retina ready versions are included.


text:
Q: How to specify the Ruby version for a Heroku worker (eg. sidekiq)? I am running sidekiq as a Heroku worker as shown in the following Procfile:
 worker: bundle exec sidekiq -c 5 -v

I would like for it run on Ruby 1.9.3 instead of 1.9.1 as shown when running heroku logs -t. I have specified ruby "1.9.3" in the Gemfileand it even shows this when I run git push heroku master:
-----> Using Ruby version: ruby-1.9.3

Both the web and worker dynos appear to be running 1.9.1 according to heroku logs. Any help would be appreciated.

A: Nothing to worry about. Bundler stores the gems in 1.9.1 for ruby 1.9.3. For more info, see here: Why are we installing Ruby 1.9.2/1.9.3 gems into a 1.9.1 folder?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home » News » Romance rumours bloom between Caroline Flack and James Arthur
Romance rumours bloom between Caroline Flack and James Arthur
Romance may be blooming again between X Factor winner James Arthur and Xtra Factor presenter Caroline Flack after they were spotted leaving a swanky London club at the same time.
The pair were said to have flirted relentlessly on the X Factor when James was a contestant, and although he was snapped having a good time with a number of other women, there always seemed to be a spark between him and Caroline.
The presenter has had flings with X Factor contestants in the past, most notably One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles, and it appears that she could be finding someone new on each new series of the X Factor.
The pair were both at poshSohoclub Groucho this week and left at the same time, although Caroline left by the front entrance and James by a side door, perhaps in a move to try and persuade the paps that they aren't dating.
If you are wondering how your romantic future will be shaping up, why not take a free tarot reading and get some positive guidance?
Image Credit: Scottish Beauty Blog (flickr.com)


Ella moved in yesterday to await the arrival of ther puppies. She saw the vet yesterday and they saw 7 maybe 8 babies. So now we play the waiting game. She seems to be in stage one of labor. Resting, cranky and not eating. Keep an eye here for updates.
Also I want to appoligize to anyone that has emailed that I have not responded to. I have been on the road all week picking up and dropping off dogs for breedings. This weekend is my daughters end of year Friends and Family for cheer. So I am out straight preparing for that. I will try and email everyone Monday.
Hoping Ella waits until Monday.


'I hate all that #selfcare nonsense, why do people have to be so selfish?'. A throw away comment from a friend got me thinking, since when has looking after oneself become self-indulgent? More to the point, when did self-indulgence become self care? Are you really succeeding in the 21st century if you're not practising yoga at dawn whilst tucking into your beautiful breakfast bowl, contouring for the gods, bullet journaling your day, and carefully selecting that filter for the inevitable Instagram post, all the time caring for others and keeping everyone happy? We all need a treat once in a while, but these superficial acts are in danger of taking over our concept of looking after oneself. It is particularly hard to stomach within the chronic and invisible illness community as, if you're struggling to coordinate your medication, a spa day is unlikely to happen.
Throughout February, with the help of guest writers within these communities, we are going to be stripping back the shiny paint on self care and look at what it really means to us and how we can incorporate a true sense of caring for oneself. We are also incredibly lucky to have teamed up with the artist and self care advocate, Hannah Daisy, whose 'Boring Self Care' series caught the eye of many Instagrammers and will feature heavily across our social media.
This month will be a chance to examine our own thoughts and attitudes towards self care and we encourage you to take part through a special collaborative piece that will be published at the end of February.
For more information please contact us at fndlifewithoutlimits@gmail.com or through any of our social media platforms.
Keep living your Life Without Limits.


text:
PERRIGO ANNOUNCES CFO RETIREMENT AND TRANSITION PLAN
DUBLIN, March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO), a leading provider of Consumer Self-Care Products, today announced the planned retirement of Ray Silcock, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, who will remain with the company in his current position until July 15, 2022. The Company has initiated a comprehensive search with the assistance of a leading executive search firm to identify a successor for this position.
Perrigo President and CEO, Murray S. Kessler commented, "On behalf of the Board of Directors and our executive leadership team, I would like to thank Ray for his dedication and contributions over the last three years in helping to transform Perrigo to a consumer self-care company. He has been a great friend, colleague and valued counselor to me personally over the past 30-plus years. We appreciate his leadership and partnership in executing our vision as a focused consumer self-care company and wish him all the best in retirement."
Mr. Silcock commented, "It has been a privilege to work with Perrigo's devoted and talented team. Having completed Perrigo's transformation to a pure-play consumer company, now is the right time for me to step aside. I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition and look forward to following the continued success of the Perrigo team."
Since his arrival in March 2019, Mr. Silcock has led the Finance organization through many significant initiatives, enabling Perrigo's transition to a consumer self-care company, including the acquisition and divestiture of nine businesses, strengthening the internal tax department and successfully implementing the first stage of a central finance system. Mr. Silcock joined Perrigo having been CFO of both public and private equity held companies for over 20 years. He was instrumental in transformations and/or mergers that collectively created billions of dollars in shareholder value at major companies including Diamond Foods Inc., Swift & Co, Cott Corporation (at the time - the world's largest private label soft drink company) and UST Inc.
Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO) is a leading provider of Quality, Affordable Self-Care Products and over-the-counter (OTC) health and wellness solutions that enhance individual well-being by empowering consumers to proactively prevent or treat conditions that can be self-managed. Led by its consumer self-care strategy, Perrigo is the largest store brand OTC player in the U.S. in the categories in which it competes through more than 9,000 SKUs under customer 'own brand' labels. Additionally, Perrigo is a Top 10 OTC company by revenue in Europe, where it markets more than 200 branded OTC products throughout 28 countries. Visit Perrigo online at www.perrigo.com.
Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements." These statements relate to future events or the Company's future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of the Company or its industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "forecast," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or the negative of those terms or other comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, including: the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its variants and the associated supply chain impacts on the Company's business; general economic, credit, and market conditions; future impairment charges; customer acceptance of new products; competition from other industry participants, some of whom have greater marketing resources or larger market shares in certain product categories than the Company does; pricing pressures from customers and consumers; resolution of uncertain tax positions, including the Company's appeal of the draft and final Notices of Proposed Assessment ("NOPAs") issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the impact that an adverse result in any such proceedings would have on operating results, cash flows, and liquidity; pending and potential third-party claims and litigation, including litigation relating to the Company's restatement of previously-filed financial information and litigation relating to uncertain tax positions, including the NOPAs; potential impacts of ongoing or future government investigations and regulatory initiatives; potential costs and reputational impact of product recalls or sales halts; the impact of tax reform legislation and healthcare policy; the timing, amount and cost of any share repurchases; fluctuations in currency exchange rates and interest rates; the Company's ability to achieve the benefits expected from the sale of its Rx business and the risk that potential costs or liabilities incurred or retained in connection with that transaction may exceed the Company's estimates or adversely affect the Company's business or operations; the consummation and success of the proposed acquisition of HRA Pharma and the ability to achieve the expected benefits thereof, including the risk that the parties fail to obtain the required regulatory approvals or to fulfill the other conditions to closing on the expected timeframe or at all, the occurrence of any other event, change or circumstance that could delay the transaction or result in the termination of the securities sale agreement or the risks that the Company's synergy estimates are inaccurate or that the Company faces higher than anticipated integration or other costs in connection with the proposed acquisition; the consummation and success of other announced and unannounced acquisitions or dispositions, and the Company's ability to realize the desired benefits thereof; and the Company's ability to execute and achieve the desired benefits of announced cost-reduction efforts and strategic and other initiatives. An adverse result with respect to the Company's appeal of any material outstanding tax assessments or pending litigation, including securities or drug pricing matters, could ultimately require the use of corporate assets to pay such assessments, damages from third-party claims, and related interest and/or penalties, and any such use of corporate assets would limit the assets available for other corporate purposes. These and other important factors, including those discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as well as the Company's subsequent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For further information: Bradley Joseph, Vice President, Global Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, (269) 686-3373, E-mail: bradley.joseph@perrigo.com; Nicholas Gallagher, Manager, Global Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, (269) 686-3238, E-mail: nicholas.gallagher@perrigo.com


Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the Middle East, has planned a new product for its private banking clients that will open an asset class market worth $3 trillion for the bank's High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs).
The bank announced its partnership with the Fine Art Fund Group to launch art advisory services. The international art market is worth more than $3 trillion and has an annual turnover of $50 billion.
The bank will offer this advisory services to its private banking clients across the UAE and also in other parts of the world where bank has its operations, Emirates NBD Acting General Manager and Chief Investment Officer, Private Banking Gary Dugan told Khaleej Times.This partnership will enable the bank to provide value-added advisory services to its clients, who wish to include art as a percentage of their investment portfolios, Dugan said, adding: "We look forward to working closely with the art professionals at FAFG, which is renowned for developing and managing investment vehicles that invest in fine art," Dugan added.
According to the partnership agreement, experts from the FAFG will work closely with Emirates NBD Private Banking to provide advisory services to the bank's HNWI clients who wish to invest in art as an asset class. Emirates NBD Private Banking clients will also gain privileged access to art events regionally and globally.
"Art as a tangible asset continues to attract international investor attention in the post-recession world and the market for art has remained strong in 2010," Dugan said.
Middle East investors are also expressing greater interest in art, and recent estimates show that last year, approximately 25 per cent by value of the 100,000 plus works of art sold went to buyers from Russia, Asia and the Middle East, according to Dugan.