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Technicolor Tinsel
On My Honour
Sounds Nice
Music: #10
Yuletide Yodels
Screen Sizzlers
Live and Direct
More Human than Human: Ex Machina
As the Chinese entertainment industry booms, actors have enjoyed unprecedented attention. However, the lesser-seen voice actors are the hidden forces that overdub and add flavour to their performances. In 2011, the TV drama Empresses in the Palace, which focused on the struggles of concubines during the Qing Dynasty, was a massive hit – and the amazing dubbing job for the leading actress drew more attention to the industry. 2018's reality TV show The Sound also focused on the dubbing industry and among the contestants, voice actor Bian Jiang gained a great deal of popularity. CDLP chats with the man behind the scenes
Culture > Entertainment
April 3, 2019 / by China Daily Lifestyle Premium
So how many series do you usually dub in a year and how long does it take for each?
It really depends on the market. In my case, I usually dub about ten series a year and I also dub animation, games and advertisements. The dubbing industry has been booming over the past few years. It usually takes a month to dub a TV drama of 30 to 40 episodes. As for animation, we basically need two days to dub three episodes.
Describe what the dubbing industry is like today.
Beijing is the centre of this industry. I joined in 2004, and there were only 200 or 300 people during the ten years from 2004 to 2014. More and more people want to become dubbing actors, and I think there are more than 1,000 now. As for job opportunities, some companies just reach out to me. After they are happy with the collaboration, they contact me again for more work.
Can you describe a typical work day and the overall environment for someone who works in the industry?
We used to start at noon and end at midnight – or even later. Many dubbing actors had health problems after staying up late for a long time. But it has changed now. We start so late because of the terrible traffic in the morning. Another reason is that the throat isn't in very good condition in the morning. As for our workplace, there's a recording room with a TV, an operation platform, a microphone and a chair. We can only enjoy cool air during break time, as the air conditioner must be turned off when recording. In the summer, it's pretty common that we sometimes can't breathe and have to rest for a while. We have our own studio, but we sometimes need to work in other studios. Actually, the job isn't very stable.
What training is necessary to become a qualified voice actor? Do you have to do anything special to protect your throat?
When I was in university, I took acting and dubbing lessons. About 80% of the time was about acting and lines. It was after graduation that I truly learned professional dubbing skills.
Actually, for those of us who took acting lessons, we could understand them faster than dubbing actors who had a different major. I always tell my younger workmates that they aren't dubbing; they are acting. I never do anything special to protect my throat, but some people in the industry indeed do this. I think my throat is pretty tough, as three days is all it takes for me to recover if I'm in bad condition.
The Sound brought a lot of attention to the industry in 2018. Has your life changed a lot since the show?
I wouldn't say my life has changed a lot – but it's true that more people know me now. Some people recognise me at airports and train stations. Also, more people like the industry and I have earned respect.
How do you get yourself into character, especially when you're trying to express complicated emotions?
We can't make any sudden moves when recording, as the microphone is very sensitive. When emotion is needed, sometimes I pinch myself or grab a table, trying to get immersed into the character. When I had just started my career, there was a time that I recorded one scene with a long monologue for four hours – I lost count how many times I tried to get it right!
It seems that one characteristic of a great voice actor is if the audience doesn't notice your existence…
All I can do is put myself into the characters with all my heart.
Some audience members notice that the same voices appear across a variety of different series, which makes them feel a bit weird.
In fact, there isn't a good solution to this problem. When I dub monsters and animation, I change my voice a little bit. However, when it comes to real people, I always use my real voice. I usually pay a lot of attention to the actors' emotions and styles to match. It's true that audience members who know me well will recognise my voice instantly. We don't have a superpower to show off our voice in various ways.
Foreign series and movies are dubbed in Putonghua for local audiences. What's your opinion about these shows?
I used to dub a lot of foreign shows, but now I don't do that as often. The process and the emotional expression, as I see it, are the same as dubbing Chinese shows.
The Japanese dubbing industry is very mature and professional. Is it the future of the Chinese industry?
The Japanese industry is pretty mature, but the Chinese one has just started. As the industry chain is different, I think we will have a different one with our own characteristics. But we can learn from our Japanese counterparts, for sure.
What moments make you feel most fulfilled and most upset as a dubbing actor?
When I am performing, the fans' cheers and their warm welcome make me feel the most fulfilled. At that moment, I feel all my effort is paying off and I also gain the motivation of working harder. On the flipside, for the past ten-plus years, I have been working in the same way, without any change – and it's pretty boring. When I'm in the studio, I can't feel the sunshine. I can only get excited by different characters.
You have a lot of fans today. What's your plan for the future?
I will try to find more excellent people for my office. I think my keeping up with trends is making progress already.
Image provided to China Daily
With Christmas just around the corner, film critic Howard Elias picks a selection of favourite holiday movies that he never tires of watching
December 19, 2018 / by Howard Elias
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
If your cable company offered the Fox network in 1987, you would have already been familiar with Johnny Depp from his TV show 21 Jump Street. But Edward Scissorhands is the film that made him a bona fide movie star. As the title suggests, Edward has a pair (a few pairs, really) of scissors for hands. He is left "unfinished" when his creator (played to perfection by the wonderful Vincent Price) dies before he can fit Edward with a pair of human hands. Many years later, Edward is found by a local townswoman (Dianne Wiest), who looks past his "disability" and only sees his abilities and good heart. The rest of the town takes Edward in, and his life starts to have purpose and meaning. His fortunes change, however, when he falls in love with Kim (Winona Ryder), who is already dating a very jealous guy. Through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, Edward becomes a pariah, running away, never to be seen again. But Kim, who is now an old woman, has never forgotten him. Edward Scissorhands is guaranteed to put a lump in your throat when you watch Kim become enraptured by the ice crystals floating down around her.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Remade several times across a variety of media, the original Miracle is still the best. When New York department store Macy's is forced to find a last-minute Santa Claus for its famous Thanksgiving Day Parade, they didn't expect they'd be hiring the real Saint Nick. But neither company supervisor Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) nor her daughter Susan (an eight-year-old Natalie Wood) is convinced he is who he says he is – they think he's crazy. Veteran actor Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his portrayal of the jolly old man from the North Pole. Watch this and you may just start believing in miracles!
Home Alone (1990)
Here's another one that launched a movie career. This time it's the then-10-year-old Macaulay Culkin, who stars as the cute and highly resourceful Kevin McCallister. After being accidentally left at home when his family takes off for a Christmas vacation overseas, Kevin relishes his new-found, unfettered freedom. But he gets more than he bargains for when a pair of half-wit thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) try to break into the house… or perhaps they get more than they bargained for. Critics may not have liked Home Alone as much as audiences did, but there's no disputing that Kevin's face slap has become one of Hollywood's most memorable and imitated images.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
James Stewart said that of all the films he made, It's a Wonderful Life was his favourite. It's one of my all-time favourites, too. Stewart plays George Bailey of the fictional town of Bedford Falls, set somewhere in upstate New York. George is the richest man in the town, though he barely has two nickels to rub together. Instead of having money, he has the undying devotion of his family, his friends and his town – the lines separating the three being very blurry. The only person who is working against him is the town's wealthiest man, the miserly Mr Potter (Lionel Barrymore), who is jealous of George. When a clerical error puts George's business on the verge of bankruptcy, he decides that his life isn't worth living. That's when Clarence shows up. Clarence is an angel who must save George's life in order to earn his wings. Clarence decides to turn back time to show George how life would be in Bedford Falls if he had never existed. With Clarence's help, George sees that he truly has a wonderful life. You'd have to be a heartless person not to break into tears during the final scene. I get misty just thinking about it… and I've seen it dozens of times. If there is one film that shows the true meaning of the holiday season, this is it.
Trading Places (1983)
Here's yet another movie that launched its star to new heights. Fans of the TV show Saturday Night Live already knew and loved Eddie Murphy, a comedian and actor who electrified every skit he was a part of. Murphy was still basking in the rave reviews for his debut film 48 Hours (with Nick Nolte) when Trading Places hit movie screens. In this one, he and fellow SNL alumnus Dan Aykroyd play two guys who are unwittingly caught up in a "nature versus nurture" experiment perpetrated by a pair of wealthy, immoral commodity brokers, played by veteran actors Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy. The two codgers make a $1 bet with each other to see if they can take a scammer off the street and turn him into a successful broker, while at the same time turn one of their star employees into a bum. Their plan succeeds until the younger men figure out the game, at which time they turn the tables on the old men. It's madcap zaniness, with fine performances throughout.
Many actors and actresses have tried to make the leap from TV to the big screen, and many have failed, but Die Hard is yet another film that launched the movie career of not one but two of its stars. Bruce Willis was already a household name in North America from his then-four-year stint co-starring alongside Cybill Shepherd on TV's Moonlighting, but his movie career was going nowhere fast until the character of New York City cop John McClane came along. In Die Hard, McClane decides to surprise his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), at her company's Christmas party in Los Angeles when German terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman in his feature film debut) takes everyone hostage. McClane manages to slip away unseen and proceeds to take on Gruber's group singlehandedly. While the weather outside might be frightful, it isn't much better inside. McClane's "yippee-ki-yay" phrase also entered mainstream culture and was used in each of the four sequels that were spawned from this movie.
Meet Me in St Louis (1944)
Although six-year-old Margaret O'Brien ("Tootie") steals every scene she's in, Judy Garland is the obvious star in this love letter to the city that is the home of the Gateway Arch, and was the host to both the World's Fair and the Summer Olympics in 1904 (though the latter is not mentioned in the film, probably because the Fair completely overshadowed the Games). The story is based on the real-life experiences of novelist Sally Benson, whose book was serialised in The New Yorker magazine in 1942. Like the fictional Smith family, Benson's family moved from St Louis to New York City. The Bensons, though, left before the World's Fair started and didn't return. Meet Me in St Louis features some now-classic tunes including "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", both sung by Garland in her inimitable style. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who met Garland on this film and married her right after.
Get some fresh air and groovy tunes at China's flourishing music festivals
November 21, 2018 / by China Daily Lifestyle Premium
As the traditional record industry has seemingly been in decline in recent times, many music companies have shifted their focus to the profitability of outdoor music festivals – and over the past few years, these gatherings have become a fashionable statement for the younger generation in China. Unlike some countries that have a long tradition of outdoor festivals, China is relatively new to the game, with a boom in the late 2000s coming in the form of a few standout events. Last year, the country hosted 269 such festivals.
Held in the spring, the Strawberry Music Festival has been staged since 2009 and hits multiple cities every year. For the 2018 incarnation, musicians from China and around the globe – with headliners including the UK's Alt-J, Taiwan's Tsai Chin and Japan's Wednesday Campanella – joined the party, representing more than 100 bands across several themed stages.
Founded by the Beijing Midi School of Music, the unofficial birthplace of China's underground rock movement, the Midi Music Festival has developed from humble roots as a student band showcase in 2000 into a powerful brand with dozens of famous acts performing every year. Midi enjoys a reputation as the Chinese version of Woodstock – this year's camping-based festival was held across four days in Suzhou, featuring a slew of top bands, DJs and electronic music artists. For a long time, Midi has also promoted a healthy, positive and sustainable lifestyle; in 2016, its theme was Away from Drugs, Close to Music, while 2018 was Say No to Plastic Meal Boxes.
With its beautiful scenery on the Zhongdu Grassland in late July for three days every year, the Zhangbei Grassland Music Festival (held since 2009) is another top campout festival that's great for enjoying a vast array of music and watching the stars from your tent. Beyond the tunes, there's a variety of entertainment options including outdoor movies, a kite zone and a space for circus performers. Once the weather warms up again, perhaps it's time to head outside…
Images: ©盐盐志; Weibo: @迷笛; Weibo: @2018兰州草莓音乐节
Among all the mobile games in China, there's one that's been crowned royalty: Honour of Kings
September 26, 2018 / by China Daily Lifestyle Premium
In China, Tencent has been one of the most dominant internet-based companies, particularly for its QQ and WeChat, the latter of which is the country's most popular communication application. Another superstar product created by Tencent Games is Honour of Kings. Launched in November 2015 for iOS and Android, this online game has been hugely successful, especially among young people. Users can play dozens of hero roles such as warriors, assassins and archers, fighting with or against each other in the game. One major reason for its massive success is that users can play it on their phones rather than on a computer or console, thus making it more readily accessible.
As the official professional league of Honour of Kings, King Pro League (KPL) is held biannually, including a spring season that starts around March and an autumn season around September. The spring season final was held on July 8 in Shanghai, with about 18,000 people packed into the Mercedes-Benz Arena as they cheered on their favourite contestants. The audience was divided into blue and red factions, each supporting one of the two competing teams, with the winner taking home a purse of RMB 5 million.
The 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta has officially announced that electronic gaming, or eSports, will be a demonstration sport this year, with games including Arena of Valor (the international version of Honour of Kings), Clash Royale, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Pro Evolution Soccer and StarCraft II. Discussions are also underway to make eSports an official competition event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. As the rapidly developing gaming industry booms, we'll have to keep watching to see if Honour of Kings remains at the top.
Images: Facebook: 王者荣耀
Vinyl's superior sonic qualities endear it to audiophiles, while younger people are beguiled by its aesthetics – not least of all the album covers
August 29, 2018 / by China Daily Lifestyle Premium
The march of progress often tramples viable older tech underfoot, only for it to make a comeback later. The boom in artificial fabrics such as nylon, polyester and neoprene last century was followed by a return to cotton, wool and silk, eliciting in many a sigh of relief and comfort. Could vinyl records be set to do the same?
The dramatic US cover of Whitesnake's Trouble (1978)
As streaming and digital downloads have become dominant in our "connected world", the compact disc has gone the way of the dodo. This is partly because new computers rarely come with CD players built in, but also because the tangible aspects of CDs, such as the flimsy plastic and paper packaging, hardly inspire devotion. For those who want to hold and feel their music, old-style records are rapidly replacing CDs.
Vinyl sales are at a 25-year high, with pressing plants currently unable to keep up. Stores such as HMV are well-stocked with the black gold. Bands are excited about it, too – for one, 1980s legends Eurythmics are reissuing all their albums on vinyl this year.
For most of the 20th century, the vinyl album was embedded in the world's imagination and on its record shelves. But in the mid-'80s, the rug was pulled out from under music consumers when the CD was foisted on an unsuspecting public. It was digital, we were told, and therefore its reproduction must be perfect.
In fact, however, it was a step backward for audio quality. To make a digital recording, analogue signals have to be "sampled". The CD introduced the 44.1 kHz audio sampling rate, which takes "snapshots" of the analogue signal 44,100 times per second. Each snapshot is then measured with 16-bit accuracy, giving only 65,536 possible sonic values.
Thus, CDs don't capture the complete sound wave. Complex tones, such as trumpets or drum transients, may be distorted because they occur too fast to be converted adequately. On the other hand, the groove cut into a quality vinyl record mirrors the original sound's waveform with a much greater frequency range. And while the analogue output of a record player can be fed directly to your amplifier, digital players need to convert the signal back to analogue.
Barring dust, static or scratches, a quality vinyl record played on good equipment should be more accurate and richer than any CD – and even so-called "lossless" digital formats with much higher sampling and bit rates. While subtle surface noise is a facet of vinyl records, most people grow to appreciate the "atmosphere" it gives. Records do get worn over time, but if looked after properly, they're still far more durable than CDs (and possibly even the internet). They're less likely to malfunction than CDs or digital files because, well, there's no such thing as a "vinyl virus".
Records also have a wow factor and were one of the most interesting cultural artefacts of the last century. A rite of passage for many music-addicted teens was to raid their parents' dusty record collections (and wardrobes) to discover older music and broaden their horizons. It could be argued that the widely bemoaned quality level of modern popular music (US musician Moby recently shamed it as "terrible – shallow and trite and unredeemable") is one consequence of this heirloom vacuum.
Vinyl's demise also killed the art of visual design. From the American jazz album covers of the '40s and '50s to those of rock and pop a few decades later, cover art became an indelible visual counterpoint to the music of these golden eras. Many bands were intimately involved in the creation of the covers – no surprise, given the art-school background of many.
After the CD format took over the market, vinyl clung to life as a minority interest and due to some DJs' preference for it. It only started to make a comeback in the late 2000s. From less than a million units sold in 2006, Deloitte projects global vinyl sales for this year at 40 million units, mostly in the US, UK and Japan, with a value of US$1 billion – about 6% of broader music industry revenues. Looks like it's time to start building (or rebuilding) that record collection!
A Brief History of Vinyl
1877: Thomas Edison invents the "tinfoil phonograph", an analogue sound-storage medium that allows immediate playback. It only achieves novelty status.
1887: Edison replaces the foil sheet with a hollow wax cylinder and a viable market for sound recordings develops.
1894: Edison rival Emile Berliner introduces the gramophone system. Instead of wax cylinders, it uses seven-inch discs made of hard rubber, with an inscribed spiral groove.
1910s: Following a format war, the gramophone dominates.
1919: Berliner's patents expire, leading to open season on the gramophone system. Standard "78s" are made of shellac, an insect resin.
1930s: Vinyl plastic discs become common in professional contexts. They are lighter, longer-playing and yield less surface noise than shellac. But they're still too expensive for the home market.
1940s and 1950s: Polyvinyl chloride becomes the dominant material for records. The 3 1⁄3 rpm "long-play" (LP) and 45 rpm formats begin to replace 78s.
A pair of customised high-end earbuds is the key to audio bliss. Step by step, let's find the tailor-made sound that's right for you – ready… play!
June 6, 2018 / by China Daily Lifestyle Premium
Grab your favourite digital audio player or your smartphone, filled with the music that you usually listen to. It's ideal if you can load it up with lossless files, eg. WAV or FLAC.
With your files and your player, head to your local audio shop and test a range of custom in-ear monitors from various brands. Each model tends to highlight unique sonic characteristics, so different ones are better for specific kinds of music. Choose the one that's right for your needs and start the order process.
Pick your favourite shell colours and artwork (the pattern on the top). Some brands can even do different designs for the left and right sides. And of course, this is when you pay the bill.
Visit a reliable hearing centre to get a custom silicon mould of your ear, and send that mould to the brand or the shop.
Now, you wait. Your earbuds should be done according to the time frame that the brand promises.
Choose a suitable cable that fits your earbuds once you receive them, as various conductors can have slightly different sonic effects. For example, silver can make the high range brighter and tends to be richer in detail, whereas copper delivers the audio in a mellow way and provides more profound mid- and low-range sounds.
Though the brand may provide a basic box, you can also select a nice carrying case for your new beauties; a hard-shell is ideal for protecting them.
Let the music take you away!
Images: © Wizard Audio Industries LLC/Noble Audio; Instagram: @ctmonitors; @visionears; Facebook: @LearHongKong; courtesy of MUM
Discover the hottest new releases that you've got to hear to believe
May 23, 2018 / by Shaun Kent
The multifaceted singer-composer from Kansas City has a little help from friends including Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder and Pharrell Williams on this funky pop, rap and R&B opus that comes with a companion short sci-fi film, Emotion Picture, that includes dazzling performances of her songs.
Sting & Shaggy
There was always a strong reggae influence in The Police's music, so Sting is in familiar territory for this good-natured collaboration with Jamaican singer Shaggy. The album title comes from the telephone dialling codes for their two countries.
Willie Nelson may have seen the passing of several of his fellow country music greats, but at age 85, he makes it clear he doesn't intend to join them any time soon. Far from a nostalgic trip down memory lane, the album's 11 self-penned songs are infused with an optimism and humour that are neatly summed up in the lines: "Heaven is closed / hell's overcrowded / I think I'll stay where I am."
April heralds the arrival of spring and it has inspired generations of composers who have tried to capture its spirit in song. Explore four very different tracks that share one thing in common – they take their inspiration from the fourth month of the year
April 6, 2018 / by Shaun Kent
Curses from Past Times EP
The charmingly quirky opener "April Showers" may sound at first like a vintage 1920s recording, but it's actually the creation of French indie producer Proleter (aka Benjamin Roca), who mixes old-style jazz with hip-hop beats.
Prince included the plaintive "Sometimes it Snows in April" on his 1986 album Parade; it enjoyed a poignant return to the charts in the wake of his death 30 years later on April 21, 2016.
Inspired by a nursery rhyme he learned from a girl during a fleeting relationship in England, Paul Simon's wistful "April Come She Will" from the duo's second album uses the seasons as a metaphor for a partner's changing moods. At not even two minutes long, it's a miniature masterpiece.
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Ella and Louis
Don't be misled by the homely cover photo – this 1956 album brought together two of the giants of jazz for a glorious selection of duets. Listening to their gorgeous "April in Paris", you can almost picture them singing it as they stroll along the banks of the Seine.
It's been 50 years since Jimi Hendrix took the music world by storm with his groundbreaking double-album Electric Ladyland. To mark the anniversary, this month's selection pays tribute to guitar heroes, past and present
March 2, 2018 / by Shaun Kent
Boarding House Reach
In the 20 years since he formed The White Stripes with Meg White, Jack White's uncompromising guitar technique has made him one of the standout players of his generation. His latest solo album is set for release on March 23.
The Search for Everything
Eric Clapton calls John Mayer a master of the guitar. On his most recent album, he showcases the introspective, more mellow side of his artistry in a collection of self-penned ballads that includes the infectiously catchy "Love on the Weekend".
Live in San Diego
"Clapton is God" read the graffiti on walls across London when the guitarist burst on the scene in the 1960s. This live album, recorded in 2007 (with Clapton mentor JJ Cale as special guest) showcases his blues-infused mastery of the guitar on several of his best known songs, including "Layla" and "Tell the Truth".
From his head-spinning use of the wah-wah pedal on "Voodoo Chile" to the psychedelia-laced "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" and his epic reworking of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", Electric Ladyland shows why Hendrix is still called the greatest rock guitarist of all time.
Music talent shows have been all the rage in China
March 2, 2018 / by China Daily Lifestyle Premium
The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, American Idol… the television-watching world clearly has a great passion for talent shows. Take Idols (including its American Idol adaptation) – the UK-originated reality show franchise debuted in 2001 and has now broadcast in 150 countries to 6.5 billion viewers, making it the world's most widely watched show. Before launching Idols, British television producer Simon Fuller was inspired by the New Zealand all-girl band singing contest Popstars in 1999.
Though the word "talent" refers to a variety of skills, the most popular one on these types of shows is music – specifically singing, though it's sometimes accompanied by dancing. Music talent shows entertain their audiences by televising the selection process, discovering budding stars from a vast pool of non-professionals or beginner musicians. An open audition is usually conducted as a transparent step to give all participants a chance to strive for that final performance on the stage – in Chinese, the arduous process is called "sea selection" (hai xuan).
As in the West, Chinese music talent shows rose to prominence in the early 2000s. But China's very first talent show on television was in 1984 – the National Young Singers Competition, hosted on China Central Television (CCTV). The show featured Peng Liyuan (now the country's first lady), who took third place in the first year and first prize in 1986 for professional folk singing.
In 2003, CCTV introduced a new family pastime weekend show called Six Days and One Day Plus, hosted by Li Yong, who's known for his humorous style – he's also been a regular host for CCTV's Chinese New Year's Gala since 2002. In each 90-minute show, Li acted as a scout who discovered three people and invited them to a six-day training course with a group of stage professionals; on the seventh day, the contestants had to perform on the show's grand stage in Beijing. It's long been remembered as a signature show of Li and a nostalgic TV programme for many millennials in China – top model Sui He recalled standing behind Li, assisting him with the show's popular "hitting golden egg" section, in which gifts were doled out to audience members around the country. Ten years later, the long-running show got a full revamp – and today, it's hosted by Zhu Xun.
Among all the provincial satellite channels, Hunan TV is best known for creating entertainment shows – its Happy Camp is one of the most popular and longest-running variety shows in China. However, perhaps no other production can compare with the noise the all-girl singing contest Super Girl made, which debuted in 2004 and ran for three years. A spin-off of the previous Super Boy, the female version turned out to be far more successful and influential. "Regardless of genre, age, appearance and region, as long as you love singing" was the show's open invitation for all in the nation to participate. With promises of lucrative bonuses and impressive rewards, plus an express pass to a star career, thousands of women were eager to join.
2005 was the most heated year for Super Girl. From May to September, 15 women made the final cut – from the initial 150,000 contestants. Four hundred million people tuned in, with the average rating beating out the wildly popular CCTV Chinese New Year's Gala. The audience participation was extraordinary; at the time, fans voted for their favourite singers via text messages that cost RMB 0.5 to RMB 1 each – this alone contributed approximately RMB 30 million to the show's revenue. More than 8 million votes were collected in the final-round competition. Mengniu Dairy was the title sponsor that year, paying about RMB 10 million to add "Mengniu Suan Suan Ru" (a yoghurt-based beverage targeting young people) to the show's name; the sales of this single product reached around RMB 2 billion that year, compared to RMB 700 million in the prior year.
The top three winners of the 2005 competition all went on to successful singing careers after the show. Champion Chris Lee is planning her third world tour concert this March; she's also a face of Givenchy and Gucci. Runner-up Bibi Zhou's first album in 2006 was the bestseller of the year; she soon tapped into songwriting and has acted in a few big-budget films. And second runner-up Jane Zhang (nicknamed the "dolphin princess" for being able to hit those really high notes) became the first Asian singer to perform songs at the acclaimed Victoria's Secret runway show in Shanghai last November; she sang "Work for It", "808" and "Dust My Shoulders Off".
Controversy arose, too – specifically about how the show gave young girls unrealistic dreams of achieving fame overnight. The period in which the show aired was also a critical time — the intense preparation period for 12th- graders in China getting ready for the national higher-education entrance exam (gaokao). Ultimately, in 2007, China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television imposed a series of highly tightened rules to regulate all talent shows – and Super Girl was its main target. These included not allowing any talent shows to broadcast during prime-time hours (7.30pm to 10.30pm), which immediately pressed pause on the overall development of entertainment shows in China.
In 2011, the number of entertainment shows allowed to broadcast in prime time was relaxed – to nine per day. The following summer, The Voice of China became an overnight sensation. Premiering on Zhejiang TV in July 2012, its first episode broke the national ratings record as the most-watched first episode of all time. And thanks to online video streaming, which had just begun to flourish at that time, the first episode released online hit 100 million views in 20 hours.
The Voice of China acquired the rights from the Dutch reality show The Voice of Holland, which debuted in 2010. The Chinese adaptation features a similarly distinctive blind audition, which is led by four celebrity coaches, recognised by their red chairs that turn around when they hear a good voice. Each coach selects seven singers for their team and sends the best four to the finals. The show delivered some memorable performances and young talent emerged – such as then-20-year-old music school student Momo Wu, who impressed Taiwanese music coach Harlem Yu with her debut song, a cover of Jessie J's "Price Tag". Summer Jike Junyi is remembered as the "girl from the mountain" in Western China, with her tanned skin and her reinterpretations of Chinese Yi ethnic folk songs.
Images: Facebook: @therapofchina (The Rap of China)
Throughout The Voice of China's four popular seasons, it topped the ratings every Friday. The title sponsor enjoyed its popularity, too: JDB Group, the herbal tea maker, reportedly contributed RMB 60 million to a total of RMB 300 million in revenue during season one; the latter number had more than doubled by season four in 2015. Though the show singled out high-quality voices and talented singers, it was also mocked for its sometimes over-the-top emotional scenes, which generally happened when a singer narrated his or her "chasing the dream" story; some quipped on social media that it should be named "The Tears of China".
However, the fifth season faced difficulties. The Chinese producer, Star China Media, has been in legal dispute with the Dutch copyright owner, Talpa; the latter signed with another Chinese company to continue the production after season four. Stuck in legal limbo, the fifth season wasn't released in 2016. Star China Media instead made a new show, Sing! China, which adopts a similar format but mixes up some of the details – the turning chair was changed to a sliding one that moves up and down a track, though it kept the iconic red colour. Gradually, as more music shows emerged in the market, such as Hunan TV's I Am a Singer, the fever pitch of The Voice cooled down.
iQiyi is a leading online video platform owned by China's most-used search engine, Baidu. In 2017, the streaming company invested RMB 200 million to produce a talent show specialising in a specific music genre: hip-hop. The Rap of China is the biggest project it has done, viewed exclusively on the iQiyi platform. Led by a panel of star judges – featuring former Korean-Chinese boy band EXO member Kris Wu and three Taiwanese artists – Wilber Pan, MC Hotdog and Chang Chen-yue – the first episode's "sea selection" hit more than 100 million views in four hours.
"You got freestyle?" is the Kris Wu catchphrase that soon became an unavoidable buzzword on social media, with countless GIFs and memes of the style icon. It was all the rage among the younger generations from the post-'90s to the post-'00s – the latter is referred to as the Z-lennials, associated with enormous spending power and their tendency to be self-oriented in the context of China.
A champion of the final live competition, Gai (Yan Zhou), was an underground rapper in Chongqing. On the show, he's recognised for rapping in the Sichuan dialect, including his most popular song, Hot Pot Soup. Wearing a golden mask and competing under the alias "HipHopMan", Chinese-American rapper MC Jin had actually cracked the Billboard Top 200 in 2004 with his debut album The Rest Is History. On the show, Jin rapped in Putonghua for the first time, after performing in English for the past 20 years. According to the show's director, Che Che, the top 70 rappers who appeared on The Rap of China increased their Weibo followers by a total of 20.85 million fans.
With 12 episodes in three months, The Rap of China hit 2.68 billion views, though criticism about the show arose due to its similarity to Korean rap reality show Show Me the Money, which debuted in 2012 – even the logo design was similar. So far, however, the Korean show's producer has not taken any action in filing a legal case.
The Rap of China ended its single season last September, while The Voice of China seems to be awaiting its new season indefinitely. So what will be the next talent show we've got to look forward to? Hopefully, that question will be answered soon.
The highs and lows of life, love and relationships are explored in these new releases from four very distinctive artists
January 26, 2018 / by Shaun Kent
There's a dreamy, spacey quality to this collection of contemplative ballads from American singer- songwriter Lana Del Rey, which features guest appearances by Stevie Nicks, Sean Ono Lennon and A$AP Rocky.
Kelela
Take Me Apart
This eagerly awaited debut album from the LA-based singer finds her sultry R&B vocals superbly showcased by the luxuriant, multi-textured production woven by Jam City and Ariel Rechtshaid.
Ununiform
Tricky draws on his Bristol trip-hop roots as well as Russian hip-hop and other influences in this powerful return to form that sees him reunited with Martina Topley-Bird, who sang on his 1995 debut album Maxinquaye.
Prince of Tears
The son of the late new-wave rocker Ian Dury takes a gritty look at life and relationships in this collection that borrows more than a little from the wry London-accented style of the old man.
The world-renowned Parisian cabaret Crazy Horse launches its brand-new show and opens its backdoor to CDLP
Let's Go Crazy
January 26, 2018 / by Marine Orlova
Established in the heart of the Golden Triangle of Paris, the Crazy Horse cabaret is undoubtedly one of the most glamorous attractions in town. When avant-garde artist Alain Bernardin founded it in 1951, he wanted to create a unique and contemporary temple of femininity. He cast the "most beautiful women in the world", created dazzling acts inspired by pop art and new-wave aesthetics, and designed what remains the Crazy Horse signature: dancers dressed in nothing but hypnotic lighting effects. Don't expect to see gaudy feathers, French cancan dance or bulky costumes at "le Crazy", as it's commonly referred to by fans.
Far from the clichés of the old Paris, the cabaret offers an iconic yet resolutely modern show. To enrich its repertoire over the past ten years, Crazy Horse has called on some of the trendiest artists and designers – among them Philippe Decouflé, Christian Louboutin, Chantal Thomass and Dita Von Teese – to co-create original tableaux. The new show, Totally Crazy, pays tribute to 65 years of creation and showcases the most glorious acts of the cabaret. And for the first time, Crazy Horse reveals its hidden world with the Crazy Experience, a private behind-the-scenes tour.
Mika Do is one of the dancers in charge of the Crazy Experience. Dressed in an elegant black-and-white suit, she retraces the cabaret's history in an epic tale sprinkled with some crunchy anecdotes and fun facts. Did you know that the dancers use 500 litres of make-up per year? As she discusses the recruitment standards, the audience is brimming with questions; they yearn to know what the Crazy attitude is – and how to get it. "It takes three months of intense training to transform a ballet dancer into a Crazy girl," Mika Do explains. "The way we walk, look or do our make-up – nothing is left to chance. Once you enter the Crazy Horse, you are changed forever!"
The dancers are "baptised" before their first performance. It's a way to preserve their anonymity, as well as to highlight their personality and their most special features. Rita Renoir, Psykko Tico, Zula Zazou and Hippy Bang Bang are among the fabulous stage names. Be they dramatic, seductive, funny or romantic, the Crazy girls must have a certain je ne sais quoi that makes their presence unique. "No less than 500 dancers from all around the world apply each year to be part of Crazy Horse," says Mika Do. "Beyond artistic and technical skills, personality is an absolute requirement. If we are to create a perfect unit for the chorus line, we need to be true actresses during our solo performances." Just before the show begins, she opens Bernardin's private office. Velvet, lacquered red wood, mirrors and vintage magazines provide a glimpse into the founder's fantasy.
As Mika Do disappears in her private dressing room to get ready, Brian Scott Bagley, the cabaret's MC, welcomes the audience. In the great tradition of American entertainers, he sings, dances and jokes with everyone; there's no doubt that Bernardin, who died in 1994 and was a fervent admirer of musicals, would have loved Bagley. When the show starts with the famed opening act, "God Save our Bareskin" – an irreverent wink to the changing of the guard in London – the curtain rises on the glamorous Crazy girl army. Perfect curves, arched bodies, deep gazes and kinky smiles make heads swivel. Dancing and twirling on their five-inch Louboutin stilettos, these elite dancers perfectly embody unchained femininity. After 95 minutes of sheer dream and fantasy, it's time to say goodbye to the Crazy. But fortunately, you can keep following the cabaret and its dancers on WeChat.
Images: Riccardo Tinelli; Antoine Poupel; Alberto Baracchini
Love them or hate them, Christmas records are as much a part of the festive season as Santa Claus and turkey with stuffing. For this end-of-year Editor's Choice, explore why they're so popular among recording artists – and check out four that are packed with festive fun
December 1, 2017 / by Shaun Kent
As the season of making merry bears down on us again, the radio airwaves – never mind the shopping malls and supermarkets – will be ringing to the sounds of "Jingle Bells", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman".
If there's one thing that has united pop bands, opera singers, rappers, country music stars and velvet-voiced crooners over the years, it has been the irresistible urge to produce a Christmas record. The results have so often been cringeworthy, so why have so many been willing to risk their hard-won credibility in search of a Christmas hit?
Nostalgia and a desire to create some Christmas cheer may be part of it, but the biggest incentives are commercial – a Yuletide hit can generate millions of sales and climb back up the charts every December. In fact, the biggest-selling single of all time is Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", which has sold more than 50 million copies since its release during the Second World War. Add this to multiple versions of the song – by Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson and Coldplay, among numerous other artists – and "White Christmas," written by American composer Irving Berlin, has racked up more than 150 million sales.
Over the years, Christmas recordings have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. Compare the majestic, soaring voices on the 2015 recording Carols with the St Paul's Cathedral Choir to Bob Dylan sounding like a drunken uncle who just gatecrashed lunch on 2009's Christmas in the Heart. And country outlaw Johnny Cash may have cultivated his tough guy image with "Folsom Prison Blues", but that didn't stop him from warbling through "The Little Drummer Boy" on his album The Christmas Spirit. The Beatles even used Christmas to send festive cheer to members of their fan club, recording songs and messages that were given away free on bendable, vinyl flexi-discs.
Bob Geldof raised millions of dollars for famine relief with the 1984 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" It was a worthy cause, but the title prompted critics to respond with a resounding no: starving children in Ethiopia probably didn't know it was Christmas.
More recently, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Destiny's Child and Kanye West have all succumbed to the lure of recording a Christmas song. And this year is proving no exception, with acts including veteran boy band 98 Degrees ("Let it Snow"), Gwen Stefani ("You Make it Feel Like Christmas") and the brother-trio Hanson ("Finally It's Christmas") all jumping on the Yuletide bandwagon.
So much for having a silent night on Christmas Eve…
Warmer in the Winter
New for 2017, the American violinist uses her first festive disc to showcase her musical virtuosity. Or, as she puts it: "Prepare yourself for a potpourri of different styles and sounds from all different sides of Christmas music."
Everyday is Christmas
Tired of listening to the old classics? The acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter has used her talent for turning out megahits to crafting 10 new songs with producer Greg Kurstin for her refreshingly original first festive album, including the lead single "Santa's Coming for Us".
A Christmas Gift for You
Producer Phil Spector's acclaimed Wall of Sound recording technique – matched with joyous vocal performances by The Ronettes, The Crystals and Bob B Soxx & the Blue Jeans – guaranteed that more than 50 years later, this is still one of the most popular Yuletide albums.
James Brown's Funky Christmas
The "Godfather of Soul" made three festive albums and this collection brings together the best of the tracks, including "Let's Unite the Whole World at Christmas" and "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto". The holidays never sounded so funky.
This Christmas, skip the generic, sappy stuff you've watched a million times before – pop in one of these lesser-seen holiday classics and under-the-radar favourites that you'll grow to love
December 1, 2017 / by Jon Braun
Forget It's a Wonderful Life and revisit this James Stewart holiday classic. Much-loved Hollywood director Ernst Lubitsch delivered this timeless gem – a comedy of errors about two sales clerks (Stewart and Margaret Sullavan) during the Christmas rush. As co-workers, their personalities clash, but we discover she's his anonymous penpal and the two have fallen for each other through their letters, although they don't yet know each other's identity. This was remade in 1998 as You've Got Mail.
We're No Angels (1955)
Humphrey Bogart leads an ensemble cast (also featuring Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray and Basil Rathbone) in this classic comedy about three hardened criminals who escape from the infamous Devil's Island prison around Christmastime. Hiding out in a small French Guiana town and planning to steal supplies before boarding a ship in the harbour, they hatch a larcenous scheme at a merchant's store – but begin to have a change of heart after preparing a Christmas dinner with the family.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
As noted for its Vince Guaraldi piano-jazz soundtrack as for its anti-commercialism message, this 25-minute made-for-TV animated special packs more emotion and reflection on the true meaning of the holiday than perhaps any other. Highly experimental in its approach, this wonderful showcase of Snoopy and the gang may become part of your annual Christmas viewing regimen – that is, if it hasn't already.
Images: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (The Shop Around the Corner); Paramount Pictures/Paramount British Pictures (We're No Angels); Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)/Lee Mendelson Film Productions/Bill Melendez Productions/United Feature Syndicate (UFS) (A Charlie Brown Christmas)
The poignant mood of autumn has brought out the best in songwriters over the years – this month, we look at four albums featuring memorable compositions inspired by the season
September 29, 2017 / by Shaun Kent
Singer-songwriters have always held a special place in the music world – this month's selections comprise recent releases from four masters of the craft
August 25, 2017 / by Shaun Kent
For those melting days of the season when it's simply too hot to peel yourself off the sofa, we've selected a variety of summer classics from the 1950s to the modern day
June 30, 2017 / by China Daily Lifestyle Premium
This month, we look at some hot summer sounds – and one of the year's best albums to date
June 30, 2017 / by Shaun Kent
This month's hot album picks take us back 50 years to one of rock's shining moments – and highlight the latest album from one of Asia's hottest guitarists
Rock and jazz legends make the cut alongside guitar and vocal virtuosos in this month's hot album picks
April 28, 2017 / by Shaun Kent
Hip-hop, jazz, funk, pop and a dash of world music – you'll find them all in this month's hot album picks
March 31, 2017 / by Shaun Kent
June 24, 2016 / by Howard Elias
Growing up in Ireland in the mid-1980s couldn't have been easy. The country was mired in recession and a steady stream of its youth was heading for the port of Holyhead to catch a one-way ferry ride to England. Whether or not the opportunities were any better in London at the time is debatable, but the common opinion in Dublin was that there was no bright future to be had at home.
Set against this backdrop is Sing Street, the third film about musicians by Irish writer and director John Carney, who previously delighted with Once and Begin Again. It gets its name from Synge Street CBS, the state school in Dublin where Conor Lalor (newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is forced to attend after his parents (Aiden Gillan, Game of Thrones, and Maria Doyle Kennedy, Downton Abbey) do a bit of fiscal belt-tightening due to their worsening economic situation.
For Conor, the news couldn't be worse – until he steps onto the school grounds. Synge Street is a rough-and-tumble school where fighting is commonplace, and where the Christian brothers who run the facility strictly enforce the rules – one of them being that all boys must wear black shoes. As Conor's stylish shoes are brown, he has to go around school only wearing socks until he conforms.
Conor's fortunes begin to turn around when he spots a mysterious girl across the road from the school. When Raphina (Lucy Boynton, Miss Potter) coolly tells Conor that she plans to go to London to pursue a modelling career, Conor quickly comes up with an idea to cast her in his next music video. The only problem is that Conor doesn't actually have a band (and he doesn't sing that well, either). With the help of his new friend, the dorky Darren (newcomer Ben Carolan), they find some other guys at school who can play various instruments and hastily put together a band.
Not knowing what kind of music they want to play, Conor's older brother, Brendan (Jack Reynor, What Richard Did), comes to their aid. Slacker Brendan serves as a musical Yoda, lending Conor albums by The Cure, Duran Duran, The Jam, Spandau Ballet and other hot bands of the day. Through the music, Conor and his friends create their own New Romantics-inspired tunes and produce homemade videos starring Raphina as their muse.
Sing Street is loosely based on the filmmaker's own experiences growing up in Dublin during that period. (He's also a graduate of Synge Street, though he points out that the school today is nothing like how it is depicted in the film.) Carney certainly knows how to make feel-good films – and this one might just be the best of the three he's done; about an hour in, I realised that I hadn't stopped smiling. As Conor studies
Brendan's LPs, the group's songs – and their fashions – unabashedly mimic each band to humorous effect. Meanwhile, Conor and Raphina grow closer as they learn about themselves and each other.
This is one thoroughly nostalgic film that anyone who listened to that music back in the day – or anyone who learned a musical instrument in order to impress a girl – will simply love. Sing Street is my favourite film so far this year; it's hard not to adore.
Sing Street is in cinemas now.
On the release of The Mystery of the Pink Dolphin, acclaimed French documentarian Eric Ellena discusses his roots, his inspirations and the importance of protecting ecosystems
May 27, 2016 / by Jon Braun
How did you get into filmmaking?
I came to filmmaking because I wanted to better understand our world and the parts we can play to make it a better place. I wrote a short film, Drugstore, set in a world where all drugs are sold freely in stores.
You're in high demand. When someone pitches an idea for a documentary, how do you decide whether to turn it down or move forward with it?
I choose subjects that fascinate me and that I usually know very little about when I start. A few years ago, I followed top jewellery makers including Bulgari, Buccellati and Damiani for the Masters of Dreams series. The next time around, I was in Bordeaux to cover the rehearsal for a hip-hop dance show, then in Las Vegas shooting an interview with comedian Jerry Lewis, then in the Amazon filming pink dolphins jumping out of the water. Life is never boring.
How did The Mystery of the Pink Dolphin come about?
I produced a three-part series about unusual wildlife called Peru: Extreme Planet. One of the odd animals was the pink dolphin of the Amazon, which piqued the interest of a commissioning editor at France 5, who asked us to research it. We met a lot of scientists and uncovered how the animal transformed from an ancient marine species to the river dolphin of today.
It's really a remarkable creature – for those who haven't seen the film yet, perhaps you could share what makes the pink river dolphin so unique.
They're usually older species who survived extinction because they adapted to freshwater. Their flexible skin is sensitive to abrasions from branches or scratches from friendly fights between adult males. When those wounds heal, the skin becomes pink – and the pinker a male, the more virile he is considered, so he attracts more females.
What can people do to support environmental conservation efforts?
Knowing about environmental threats is the first step. I think twice before buying furniture made with tropical woods, as I know my purchase can contribute to the destruction of vital rainforests. I will never buy ivory, because I know it usually comes from poachers – and there are other ways to show that you're successful than owning an object made of ivory. I'm also very concerned about the ancient Chinese and Vietnamese beliefs that rhino horn or shark fin have therapeutic value. It's never been proven scientifically and it's a tradition that is going to bring these majestic species to extinction if nothing is done to curb these beliefs.
Many filmmakers and artists inspire me, especially if they became artists against all odds. I like those who are committed to telling important stories or fighting for a cause. It's great when you can entertain and educate at the same time. I directed actress Olivia de Havilland at a sound studio in Paris when she was recording the narration for the documentary I Remember Better When I Paint; the film advocates the use of art, like drawing or going to museums, for people living with Alzheimer's disease. One of the contributors was Yasmin Khan, the daughter of Rita Hayworth, who explained how useful painting was for her mother when she was facing the disease. That's an important film that has helped thousands of people.
Tell us about the first movie you remember seeing.
The very first movie that my parents brought me to was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I remember how thrilled I was about the Wild West. It felt exotic, so magical; I wanted to go there and ride horses in the great outdoors. I wanted to explore the whole world – and I did. Never give up on your childhood dreams. When you want something, find a way to do it.
The Oscar-winning sci-fi tale grapples with the topic of artificial intelligence – and raises as many questions as it answers.
April 1, 2016 / by Howard Elias
Over the last couple of decades, our world has seen phenomenal advancements in technology. Sci-fi film Ex Machina grapples with the topic of artificial intelligence – and raises as many questions as it answers.
Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) works as a programmer at Bluebook, a thinly veiled Google-esque company that has a stranglehold on the internet search business. One day, he wins a company competition to spend a week at the secluded Alaskan estate of Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), who is the company's eccentric, reclusive founder and CEO. Needless to say, Caleb is more than a bit chuffed, a feeling that's only surpassed when he's sitting in the corporate helicopter as it flies him over a spectacular, sprawling landscape – one which he is told belongs entirely to the boss. Once settled in at his temporary digs, he meets Nathan, who first asks him to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Caleb soon learns that he's not been brought all that way just to enjoy the view. He's there to work. Nathan, we all discover, has created an android and Caleb's job during the week is to execute the Turing test on it. (If you missed The Imitation Game last year, the Turing test assesses whether a computer has the ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human.) Caleb is up for the
challenge and he's taken to a room, where he sees his test subject on the other side of a wall of glass.
In front of him is Ava (Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl), who is a sight to behold. Her torso and limbs are translucent, revealing all the circuitry inside. Only her face is flesh-like. Over the next seven days, as Caleb and Ava interact with each other, Caleb begins to realise that everything and everyone at Nathan's remote hideaway are not all they appear to be.
Ex Machina is thought-provoking and intense – a bit of a cross between Frankenstein and Spike Jonze's Her, with a dash of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. As Caleb, Nathan and Ava all try to get into each other's heads, we're left guessing everyone's motivations until everything becomes clear in the film's closing scenes – or does it?
The film is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, who also wrote the screenplay. He's no stranger to sci-fi – he also wrote the script for the post-apocalyptic thriller 28 Days Later, a film that has been widely credited with reviving the zombie genre.
All three actors shine here, but none more so than Vikander. Her training as a dancer is plainly evident as Ava walks and turns her body; she's both robotic and seductive at the same time. At the recent Academy Awards, the film took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, upsetting heavy favourites The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Sure to stick with you for some time, Ex Machina is guaranteed to make you think deeply about recent developments in robotic technology and artificial intelligence – and what it is to be human.
Ex Machina is available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD.


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Super Bowl Goes Green with Composting Initiative
By Sierra Britton | January 29, 2014
For the first time in the NFL Championship's history, Super Bowl XLVIII will give football fans the option to compost their half-eaten Bubba burgers and soggy Nathan's cheese fries on site.
Although the host stadium of this year's event has failed to receive recognition as one of the country's most vegan and vegetarian-friendly football fields, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. has maintained an active composting and recycling program since it opened its door in 2010. Last year, the stadium composted 195 tons of waste—up from 153 tons in 2012. MetLife concession employees even participate in post-event separation to ensure that fewer food materials are wasted.
Vice President of MetLife Facilities Dave Duernberger estimates that nearly eight tons of food will be composted during this year's Super Bowl. Once the food scraps have been processed, MetLife Stadium will use the remains to fertilize and nourish the facility's landscape.
Any leftover non-scrap prepared concession food will be donated to nearby charities, homeless shelters and soup kitchens via Rock & Wrap It Up, a New York-based nonprofit that partners with professional sport stadiums to collect and distribute food that would otherwise go to waste.
Do you think the NFL's composting initiative will change the way sports fans handle their food waste on game day? How will you dispose of your leftover scraps after the Lombardi Trophy is raised?
Super Bowl XLVIII will air Sunday, February 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
via MNN.com
Related on Ecorazzi: Vegan Options Arrive at Super Bowl XLVIII
Photo Credit: picturesofyou- via Flickr
The Compost Crew
Great story, Sierra! I'm definitely excited that the NFL has taken the initiative and become an early adopter of composting on the east coast. My company (compostcrew.com) is working to bring compost collection to the DC Metro area. I hope you and your readers will check us out. We're @The_compostcrew and on facebook.
Hey … noticing some striking similarities. At least credit me as the source article? http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/recycling/blogs/the-compost-bowl-food-scraps-to-be-collected-at-metlife-stadium
Hi there — my first comment didn't go through perhaps because I included a hyperlink, but this piece bares some uncanny similarities to another article on the topic published on MNN a couple days earlier. Would really appreciate a source credit at the very least.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Dearest friend, how are you doing? It has been long time since we talked. The last time we talked I was working as religion ambassador. However, I am writing to tell you I have also abandoned the old religion and I am a converted man. I believe in Allah. It was after a sacrifice to the gods, Anas, which I hurried home to prepare for the rest of the day, market day. The day that many people gather to sell, buy and talk over the happening from different regions. It meant so much to our community and me. I had to go there and enforce the religion among my people as per my duties. Additionally, it is only in that market I could meet my friends; uncle and his friends who we can drink wine together and later I can find a woman for one night. I had to take a hurried bath and be quick to the market before it flooded.
In the market, I came to learn of this prophet Mohammed who is converting people to Muslim and he even prayed for my uncle and me to his god so that we may be converted. It was my fellow ambassador who had been converted hinted me to it.
I asked him "what do you mean. That is our work".
He laughed and said," it`s better you worry about yourself and gods. You will be converted soon! Ponder over that pal." He then left immediately.
I was left standing alone. People milled around and others were shouting the quality of their goods. I was thinking on what was wrong with the new religion, I felt nothing wrong with it in my heart but its growth rte was astonishing. The thought of this new religion made me feel a new being developing in me. However, a shout from an open yard drew me back to my real world.
With that, I rose and started my journey to Mohammed place. A long the way, I could not notice even when people greeted me. All the same, it was on a path for one person I met a man from Banu Zuhrun who noticed my speed and gave way. However, he asked where I was hurried to and I angrily responded that I had to kill Mohammed. He reminded me killing is not the answer and it will only make me exposed to judgment. He replied that even my sister and her husband have already been converted. These were shocking news. How can it happen? When did it happen? Was this man trying to break my run to Mohammed or trying to cool me against the religion man? I have to proof it. I have to talk with them in person.
I demanded to read her script and she refused saying that I was not supposed to touch it unless I am purified or had an ablution. With much frustration and eager to read Mohammed's contagious document, I took a hurried ablution and read the script. It had words from Allah scribbled on it saying "Verily, I am Allah: there is no God but I: so serve though me (only) and establish regular prayers for establishing regular prayers for celebrating my praise." I paused for a while. Then, I said, "I may like to see Mohammed. I realize there is no any other God but Allah." This flushed Khabbabb out of his hiding place.
My sister, her husband, and Kabbabb rejoiced and took me to Mohammed, who was happy that I have joined them. After becoming part of Muslim, I have to acquire freedom for my religion and I began by proclaiming to the elites of our society like my uncle. After Muslims had gained freedom to even pray, I thought it was wise I left that region to go and settle at Ka`bah.
Currently, I am writing to tell you that Allah is God and he is real.


RiverScape MetroPark is located in Downtown Dayton at 111 E. Monument Avenue between Patterson Boulevard and N. Jefferson Street. Please note that Patterson Boulevard, Monument Avenue, and St. Clair Street will be closed during the United Irish of Dayton Celtic Festival.
The Greater Dayton RTA will be offering free shuttle service again this year. Attendees are encouraged to park at the Transportation Center Garage at 101 E. Fifth Street or the Riebold Garage at 117 S. Main Street (enter from W. Fifth St.) and look for the shuttle stop signs at street level. Each garage charges a fee to park, but the shuttle ride to the festival is free.
RTA buses will operate in a continuous loop north on Jefferson, west on Monument, south on Ludlow and east on 5th Street. The bus will take a small loop around Bainbridge, Hugo, Wayne Avenue, and travel back onto Fifth. Several temporary bus stops will be located all along the shuttle route; festival goers will only have to wait a few minutes at a stop to catch the next bus with the Celtic Fest window card and "shuttle' on the destination sign.
The hours of operation for the RTA shuttle are Friday, 5:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. All shuttle service will continue each night until the last customer is picked up.
The parking meters on the perimeter of the festival grounds will be designated as handicapped parking.


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Triplet offers longest PFS yet seen in relapsed/refractory myeloma
Jennifer Smith
REPORTING FROM ASCO 2019
CHICAGO – Adding isatuximab, an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, to pomalidomide and dexamethasone can prolong progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, a phase 3 trial suggests.
Dr. Paul G. Richardson
The median PFS was 11.53 months among patients who received isatuximab (isa) plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone (Pd), compared with 6.47 months in patients who received Pd alone (P = .001).
"[W]e now have the first randomized, phase 3 study demonstrating a significant prolonged PFS benefit of CD38 targeting combined with pomalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory myeloma," said Paul Richardson, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
"The PFS was the longest observed in this population to date ..., and ... this PFS benefit was consistent among subgroups."
Dr. Richardson presented these results from the ICARIA-MM trial at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Researchers enrolled 307 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. The patients had a median age of 67 years (range, 36-86 years) and a median time from diagnosis of 4.23 years (range, 0.5-20.5 years).
The patients had received a median of three prior therapies (range, 2-11 for the isa-Pd arm and 2-10 for the Pd arm). All patients had previously received a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent.
The patients received isatuximab at 10 mg/kg on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 in cycle 1, then on days 1 and 15 for subsequent cycles. Pomalidomide and dexamethasone were given at standard doses in both treatment arms.
At a median follow-up of 11.6 months, 42.2% of patients were still receiving isa-Pd, and 22.9% of patients were still on Pd alone. The most common reason for stopping either treatment was disease progression (42.9% in the isa-Pd arm and 57.5% in the Pd arm).
The overall response rate was 60.4% in the isa-Pd arm and 35.3% in the Pd arm (P less than .0001). The rates of complete response/stringent complete response were 4.5% and 2.0%, respectively. The rates of minimal residual disease negativity were 5.2% and 0%, respectively.
The median time to next treatment was 9.1 months in the Pd arm and was not reached in the isa-Pd arm (hazard ratio, 0.538).
The median PFS was 11.53 months in the isa-Pd arm and 6.47 months in the Pd arm (HR, 0.596; P = .001). There was a PFS benefit with isa-Pd across subgroups, including in patients with renal dysfunction, those with high-risk cytogenetics, and patients who were refractory to lenalidomide.
The median overall survival was not reached in either treatment arm. The overall survival rate was 72% in the isa-Pd arm and 63% in the Pd arm (HR, 0.687).
There were more grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) with isa-Pd. However, as Dr. Richardson noted, adding isa to Pd did not increase the rates of TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation or death.
The incidence of grade 3 or higher TEAEs was 86.8% in the isa-Pd arm and 70.5% in the Pd arm. The rate of serious TEAEs was 61.8% and 53.7%, respectively.
TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation occurred in 7.2% of patients in the isa-Pd arm and 12.8% in the Pd arm. TEAEs leading to death occurred in 7.9% and 9.4%, respectively.
Grade 3 TEAEs (in the isa-Pd and Pd arms, respectively) included upper respiratory tract infection (3.3% and 0.7%), diarrhea (2.0% and 0.7%), bronchitis (3.3% and 0.7%), pneumonia (15.1% and 13.4%), fatigue (3.9% and 0%), back pain (2.0% and 1.3%), asthenia (3.3% and 2.7%), and dyspnea (3.9% and 1.3%).
The only grade 4 TEAE was pneumonia (1.3% in both arms).
Based on the safety and efficacy results, Dr. Richardson concluded that isa-Pd "is an important new treatment option for our patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma."
This study was funded by Sanofi. Dr. Richardson reported financial relationships with Celgene, Janssen, and Takeda. His coinvestigators reported relationships with a range of companies.
jensmith@mdedge.com
SOURCE: Richardson P et al. ASCO 2019, Abstract 8004.
Four-drug combo bests triplet in newly diagnosed myeloma


Member of ARC College of Experts, 2004-2006.
Visiting Professorial Fellow UNSW 2012-2015.
Durai, C & Harding, P 2011, 'Targeting nucleic acids using dynamic combinatorial chemistry', Australian Journal of Chemistry, vol. 64, no. 6, pp. 671-680.
C. Sherman Durai and M. M. Harding, Targeting Nucleic Acids Using Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry, Aust. J. Chem. 2011, 64, 671-680.
Schilter, D, Clegg, J, Harding, P et al 2010, 'Platinum(II) and palladium(II) metallomacrocycles derived from cationic 4,4'-bipyridinium, 3-aminopyrazinium and 2-aminopyrimidinium ligands', Dalton Transactions, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 239-247.
Schilter, D, Urathamakul, T, Harding, P et al 2010, 'ESI-MS and thermal melting studies of nanoscale platinum(II) metallomacrocycles with DNA', Dalton Transactions, vol. 39, no. 46, pp. 11263-11271.
Hunter, L, Condie, G & Harding, P 2010, 'Reversible aqueous metathesis reactions for potential application in dynamic combinatorial chemistry', Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 51, no. 38, pp. 5064-5067.
Garner, J & Harding, P 2010, 'Design and Synthesis of Antifreeze Glycoproteins and Mimics', ChemBioChem, vol. 11, no. 18, pp. 2489-2498.
Manohari Abeysinghe, p, Han, Y & Harding, P 2009, 'Oxidation of threonine residues with IBX reagents', Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 50, no. 21, pp. 2601-2604.
Garner, J, Jolliffe, K, Harding, P et al 2009, 'Synthesis of homogeneous antifreeze glycopeptides via a ligation-desulfurization strategy', Chemical Communications, vol. 45, no. 45, pp. 6925-6927.
Garner, J, Inglis, S, Hook, J et al 2008, 'A solid-state NMR study of the interaction of fish antifreeze proteins with phospholipid membranes', European Biophysics Journal, vol. 37, no. 6, pp. 1031-1038.
Buck, D, Manohari Abeysinghe, p, Cullinane, C et al 2008, 'Inclusion complexes of the antitumor metallocenes Cp2MCl2 (M = Mo, Ti) with cucurbit[n]urils', Dalton Transactions, vol. 1, no. 17, pp. 2328-2334.
Harding, P & Manohari Abeysinghe, p 2007, 'Antitumor bis(cyclopentadienyl) metal complexes: titanocene and molybdocene dichloride and derivatives', Dalton Transactions, vol. 1, no. 32, pp. 3474-3482.
Garner, J & Harding, P 2007, 'Design and synthesis of a-helical peptides and mimetics', Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, vol. 5, no. 22, pp. 3557-3720.
Campbell, K, Dillon, C, Smith, S et al 2007, 'Radiotracer studies of the antitumor metallocene molybdocene dichloride with biomolecules', Polyhedron, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 456-459.
Stok, J, Abeysinghe, P, Han, Y et al 2007, 'Antifreeze glycoproteins: Design of mimics and interaction with membranes', The 234th ACS National Meeting, American Chemical Society, Boston USA, pp. COMP-370.
Inglis, S, Turner, J & Harding, P 2006, 'Applications of type I antifreeze proteins: Studies with model membranes & cryoprotectant properties', Current Protein and Peptide Science, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 509-522.
Inglis, S, McGann, M, Price, W et al 2006, 'Diffusion NMR studies on fish antifreeze proteins and synthetic analogues', FEBS Letters, vol. 580, no. 16, pp. 3911-3915.
Lee, C, Groneman, J, Turner, P et al 2006, 'Synthesis and X-ray crystallographic analysis of chiral pyridyl substituted carbocyclic molecular clefts', Tetrahedron, vol. 62, no. 20, pp. 4870-4878.
Waern, J, Turner, P & Harding, P 2006, 'Synthesis and Hydrolysis of Thiol Derivatives of Molybdocene Dichloride Incorporating Electron-Withdrawing Substituents', Organometallics, vol. 25, no. 14, pp. 3417-3421.
Campbell, K, Foster, A, Dillon, C et al 2006, 'Genotoxicity and transmission electron microscopy studies of molybdocene dichloride', Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, vol. 100, no. 7, pp. 1194-1198.
Harding, P & Turner, J 2005, 'Synthesis and properties of chiral molecular clefts related to Troeger's base', Supramolecular Chemistry, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 369-375.
Waern, J, Harris, H, Lai, B et al 2005, 'Intracellular mapping of the distribution of metals derived from the antitumor metallocenes', Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 443-452.
Kwan, A, Fairley, K, Anderberg, P et al 2005, 'Solution Structure of a Recombinant Type I Sculpin Antifreeze Protein', Biochemistry, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 1980-1988.
Waern, J, Dillon, C & Harding, P 2005, 'Organometallic Anticancer Agents: Cellular Uptake and Cytotoxicity Studies on Thiol Derivatives of the Antitumor Agent Molybdocene Dichloride', Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 2093-2099.
Anderberg, P, Harding, P & Lay, P 2004, 'The effect of metal ions on the electrochemistry of the antitumor antibiotic streptonigrin', Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, vol. 98, no. 5, pp. 720-726.
Harding, P & Waern, J 2004, 'Bioorganometallic chemistry of molybdocene dichloride', Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, vol. 689, no. 25, pp. 4655-4668.
Harding, P & Waern, J 2004, 'Coordination Chemistry of the Antitumor Metallocene Molybdocene Dichloride with Biological Ligands', Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 206-213.
Anderberg, P, Turner, J, Evans, K et al 2004, 'Ligand self-recognition in the stereoselective assembly of [2 + 2] metallomacrocycles from racemic chiral bisbipyridyl molecular clefts and zinc(II)', Dalton Transactions, vol. 1, no. 11, pp. 1708-1714.
Harding, P & Grummitt, A 2003, '9-hydroxyellipticine and derivatives as chemotherapy agents', Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 67-76.
Harding, P, Anderberg, P & Haymet, A 2003, '"Antifreeze" glycoproteins from polar fish', European Journal of Biochemistry, vol. 270, no. 7, pp. 1381-1392.
Grummitt, A, Harding, P, Anderberg, P et al 2003, 'Carbohydrate derivatives of the antitumor alkaloid 9-hydroxyellipticine', European Journal of Organic Chemistry, vol. 1, pp. 63-71.
Tomczak, M, Hincha, D, Crowe, J et al 2003, 'The effect of hydrophobic analogues of the type I winter flounder antifreeze protein on lipid bilayers', FEBS Letters, vol. 551, no. 1-3, pp. 13-19.
Waern, J, Dillon, C & Harding, P 2003, 'Towards the determination of the mechanism of antitumour activity of molybdocene dichloride', Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, vol. 96, p. 246.
Liepinsh, E, Otting, G, Harding, P et al 2002, 'Solution structure of a hydrophobic analogue of the winter flounder antifreeze protein', European Journal of Biochemistry, vol. 269, no. 4, pp. 1259-1266.
Bonfantini, E, Burrell, A, Campbell, W et al 2002, 'Efficient synthesis of free-base 2-formyl-5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrins, their reduction and conversion to [(porphyrin-2-yl)methyl]phosphonium salts', Journal of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, vol. 6, no. 11 & 12, pp. 708-719.
Harding, P, Anderberg, P & Luck, I 2002, 'Assignment of the 13C and 15N NMR spectra of the antitumour antibiotic streptonigrin', Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 313-315.
Fairley, K, Westman, B, Pham, L et al 2002, 'Type I shorthorn sculpin antifreeze protein. Recombinant synthesis, solution conformation, and ice growth inhibition studies', Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 277, no. 27, pp. 24073-24080.
Anderberg, P, Harding, P, Luck, I et al 2002, 'Ruthenium Complexes of Analogues of the Antitumor Antibiotic Streptonigrin', Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 1365-1371.
Field, J, Turner, P, Harding, P et al 2002, 'Carbocyclic molecular clefts incorporating hydrogen bonding features', New Journal of Chemistry, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 720-725.
Anderberg, P & Harding, P 2001, 'The role of ring D in the antitumor antibiotic streptonigrin: metal complexation, DNA binding and topoisomerase inhibition by ABC ring analogues of streptonigrin', Anti-Cancer Drug Design, vol. 16, no. 2/3, pp. 143-153.
Mokdsi, G & Harding, P 2001, 'Inhibition of human topoisomerase II by the antitumor metallocenes', Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, vol. 83, no. 2-3, pp. 205-209.
Mokdsi, G & Harding, P 2001, 'A 1H NMR study of the interaction of antitumor metallocenes with glutathione', Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, vol. 86, no. 2-3, pp. 611-616.
Haymet, A, Ward, L & Harding, P 2001, 'Hydrophobic analogues of the winter flounder 'antifreeze' protein', FEBS Letters, vol. 491, no. 3, pp. 285-288.
Long, G, Harding, P & Turner, P 2000, 'X-ray structure of the zinc complex of the central metal chelation site of the antitumour drug streptonigrin', Polyhedron, vol. 19, no. 9, pp. 1067-1071.
Kimber, M, Anderberg, P & Harding, P 2000, 'Synthesis of ABC Analogues of the Antitumour Antibiotic Streptonigrin', Tetrahedron, vol. 56, no. 22, pp. 3575-3581.
Wright Lucas, S & Harding, P 2000, 'Detection of DNA via an Ion Channel Switch Biosensor', Analytical Biochemistry, vol. 282, no. 1, pp. 70-79.
Kimber, M, Try, A, Painter, L et al 2000, 'Synthesis of Functionalized Chiral Carbocyclic Cleft Molecules Complementary to Troeger's Base Derivatives', Journal of Organic Chemistry, vol. 65, no. 10, pp. 3042-3046.
Harding, P & Mokdsi, G 2000, 'Antitumor metallocenes: structure-activity studies and interactions with biomolecules', Current Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 1289-1303.
Harding, P, Ward, L & Haymet, A 1999, 'Type I "antifreeze" proteins: structure-activity studies and mechanisms of ice growth inhibition', European Journal of Biochemistry, vol. 264, no. 3, pp. 653-665.
Harding, P, Ward, L & Haymet, A 1999, 'Why fish do not freeze in polar waters', Chemistry in Australia, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 31-33.
Haymet, A, Ward, L & Harding, P 1999, 'Winter Flounder "Antifreeze" Proteins: Synthesis and Ice Growth Inhibition of Analogs that Probe the Relative Importance of Hydrophobic and Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions', Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 121, no. 5, pp. 941-948.
Painter, L, Harding, P & Beeby, P 1998, 'Synthesis and interaction with human serum albumin of the first 3,18-disubstituted derivative of bilirubin', Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1, vol. 18, pp. 3041-3044.
Harding, P, Mokdsi, G, Mackay, J et al 1998, 'Interactions of the Antitumor Agent Molybdocene Dichloride with Oligonucleotides', Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 37, no. 10, pp. 2432-2437.
Haymet, A, Ward, L, Harding, P et al 1998, 'Valine substituted winter flounder 'antifreeze': preservation of ice growth hysteresis', FEBS Letters, vol. 430, no. 3, pp. 301-306.
Harding, P & Mokdsi, G 1998, 'Antitumor metallocenes: effect of DMSO on the stability of Cp2TiX2 and implications for anticancer activity', Metal-Based Drugs, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 207-215.
Baker, R, George, A & Harding, P 1998, 'Models and molecules - a workshop on stereoisomers', Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 75, no. 7, pp. 853-855.
Try, A, Harding, P, Hamilton, D et al 1998, 'Reversible five-component assembly of a catenane from a chiral metallomacrocycle and a dinaphtho-crown ether', Chemical Communications, vol. 6, pp. 723-724.
Try, A, Painter, L & Harding, P 1998, 'Rigid chiral carbocyclic clefts as building blocks for the construction of new supramolecular hosts', Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 39, no. 52, pp. 9809-9812.
Mokdsi, G & Harding, P 1998, 'Water soluble, hydrolytically stable derivatives of the antitumor drug titanocene dichloride and binding studies with nucleotides', Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, vol. 565, no. 1-2, pp. 29-35.
Harding, P & Long, G 1997, 'Interaction of the antitumor antibiotic streptonigrin with metal ions and DNA', Current Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 405-420.
Houghton, M, Bilyk, A, Harding, P et al 1997, 'Effect of guest molecules, metal ions and linker length on the assembly of chiral [2+2] metallomacrocycles: solutions studies and crystal structures', Dalton Transactions, vol. 15, pp. 2725-2733.
Long, G, Harding, P, Fan, J et al 1997, 'Interaction of the antitumor antibiotic streptonigrin with DNA and oligonucleotides', Anti-Cancer Drug Design, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 453-472.
Harding, P, Krippner, G, Shelton, C et al 1997, 'DNA-binding studies of XSPTSPSZ, derivatives of the intercalating heptad repeat of RNA polymerase II', Biopolymers, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 387-398.


THE SONGS OF MASONRY .
BY THE REV . 0 . OLIVER , D . D .
every , into one magnificent and stupendous system . The Gown of Glory by which the chart is surmounted , points out the paternal government of the Deity , whose All-seeing Eye penetrates to the centre , and brings " all hidden things to light ; " and this sublime idea suggested to my mind Brother Dunkerley ' s beautiful anthem , which was frequently sung by the Brethren of a Lodge over which I had the honour to preside for several successive years .
" Hail , universal Lord ! By heaven and earth adored ; All hail great God ! Before thy NAME we bend ; To us thy grace extend , And to our prayer attend ; All hail great God !"
"The Freemasons' Quarterly Review: 1837-06-30, Page 39" Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 23 April 2019, masonicperiodicals.org/periodicals/fqr/issues/fqr_30061837/page/39/.


Veterans of the Norwegian Black Metal scene, SARKOM are known for their crushingly dark sound, and with the brutally catchy "Anti-Cosmic Art" album, the band produce more of the same, but this time they also show that far from being afraid to step out of their comfort zone, they happily embrace the idea and take their listeners on a journey that ranges from Old School Black Metal through to more experimental tracks.
Even the choice of guest artists indicates how versatile the band's music can be, with appearances from the likes of SHINING's Peter Huss, Ronni Le Tekrø from TNT and ROQUEFIRE and TROLLFEST's Sagstad who all contribute to give "Anti-Cosmic Art" a guitar-driven sound, as well as ALFAHANNE frontman Pehr Skjoldhammer whose distinctive vocals add a completely different dimension to the track "Come, dear Cancer".
"Anti-Cosmic Art", is set for release on Dark Essence Records on the 2nd December, and it is now available to pre-order, together with related merchandise from https://www.darkessencerecords.no/artists/sarkom/ and the US website at https://darkessence.aisamerch.com in CD format , as well as at https://sarkom.bandcamp.com where the album is also available digitally.


text:
FULL CIRCLE ACADEMY PRESENTS MUSIC-MAKERS BOOTCAMP COURSE
Nashville, Tenn. (June 22, 2016) - Full Circle Academy presents the first Music-Makers Bootcamp, dedicated to producers, artists and songwriters in the Nashville area. Featuring special guest coaches Mia Fieldes (Chart-Topping Songwriter), Matt Hammitt (Hit Artist and Songwriter), Sean Moffitt (Multi-Platinum Mix Engineer), Mike X. O'Connor (GRAMMY® Winning Music Producer) and Manafest (International Artist and Music Business Coach), the music industry courses will be held August 26-28 in Franklin, TN. Led by GRAMMY® acclaimed producer Seth Mosley, a small group of students enrolled in the bootcamp will have the opportunity to receive exclusive, specialized training from music industry professionals.
Early-bird pricing for a Gold Ticket will remain at $300 until July 1 when prices increase to $397. Students admitted into the bootcamp will participate in topics of songwriting fundamentals, while receiving live training and critique from active industry professionals. For more information, and to join the Full Circle Academy Music Makers Bootcamp, visit fullcirclegoeslive.com.
Continuing to provide noteworthy content to avid listeners, The Full Circle Music Show features top industry influencers over the series of their 29 episode podcast. Notable guests include Mike Snyder (William Morris Entertainment), Casey Brown (Rascal Flatts), Matt Hammitt (former Sanctus Real frontman), Seth Morrison (Skillet lead guitar), Josh Bailey (Word Entertainment) and many more. For more information on The Full Circle Music Show, go here.
About Full Circle Music:
Under the leadership of GRAMMY®-winning producer and songwriter Seth Mosley (SESAC Writer of the Year 2014, Billboard No. 1 Producer 2013, GMA Dove Award Songwriter of the Year 2015, non-artist), Full Circle Music is comprised of a team of producers, engineers, songwriters, editors, studios and creators that work with both signed and independent artists. With 20 No. 1 singles and credits including Mat Kearney, MercyMe, TobyMac, Jon Foreman (Switchfoot), Sidewalk Prophets, Newsboys and country acts like High Valley, Ricky Skaggs and more, the Full Circle Music team offers a wealth of combined experience from multiple genres including pop, Christian and country.
Website // fullcirclemusic.org


Welcome to Nanaimo chat and dating site on 111 Dating. 111 Dating is a completely free online dating site. This is the best place to chat with other singles, men, and women in Nanaimo . Feel free to check out dating profiles of members who are in Nanaimo listed below. You may create your own dating account by clicking here. Join us and chat with our members now.


With so many things to do in Sirince, it's important to choose a good Hotel.
Sihirbazin Evi is located in Selcuk. The accommodation will provide you with a seating area. Featuring a shower, private bathroom also comes with a bath or shower and a hairdryer. Extras include a sofa, bed linen and ironing facilities.


text:
Here's Jenna Jameson's Messy, Slurred Good Day New York Segment
Rich Juzwiak
Filed to: Trainwrecks
Trainwrecks
Television Without Pretty
[There was a video here]
Retired porn star Jenna Jameson went full Anna Nicole earlier today during a segment on Good Day New York, which, according to TMZ, was cut short because she was such a fucking disaster. Her chat with Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly was no beauuuutiful dueeeeet. Far from it.
On writing her just-released erotic novel, Sugar, Jameson said, "I didn't want it to be exact of what I've always done, so I kinda made up a fantastic, yummy story. 'Cause, y'know, I read all the other stories and I was like [groan]." Her weave was as disheveled as her syntax. [Groan], indeed.
Other highlights (if ya know what I mean) include her recollections of being in a relationship during her porn career ("I was always good at being monogamous," to which Scotto said, "Hmmm"), her assertion that, "Everything's gonna go OK," with her ex, Tito Ortiz (nothing is going to be OK per this interview), and her take on Lovelace ("Whatever she had to say I seem to think that it was bull"). Actually, that's pretty lucid, or so I seem to think.
Hard to Swallow: Lovelace Tries to Beatify the First Porn Superstar
I saw Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's biopic Lovelace about a month ago, and I still…
At the end of the interview, her upcoming book signing was plugged. "We're gonna have so much fun!" said Jenna. And then she squawked. "All right, good luck, Jenna, thank you very much," said Kelly like a stern dad who knew he was too late to help, and that his work here was done, whether he wanted it to be or not.


text:
Del Norte County This Weeks News
Electronic Control Device = TASER
By Donna Westfall – December 16 2017 – What was once science fiction has now become reality.
In the 1960's, scientist/inventor, John Cover developed a non-lethal weapon. It was based on a novel from his childhood, "Tom Swift and the Electric Rifle, (acronym = TSER)" Cover worked as an aerospace scientist and had been involved with NASA's Apollo program. In the late 1960s, as images of protests and police violence saturated the nightly news, he thought a weapon that temporarily immobilized a person, at a distance, using electricity, might be the solution.
Initially, his non-lethal weapon used a small gunpowder charge to shoot wires with metal darts carrying 50,000 volts of electricity. This would cause a person's muscles to tense up involuntarily.
He patented his weapon and in 1974 approached law enforcement, the military and the airlines. None were interested until 1979 and an incident that changed the course of history.
January 3, 1979, two Los Angeles Police Department officers (LAPD) responded to the home of Eulia May Love, a 39 year old African-American woman, because of a dispute over a gas bill. She allegedly threatened them with a knife. They shot and killed her.
Former LAPD Police Chief, Daryl Gate, stated that he wanted one of those things that Buck Rogers used to "zap'em, freeze'em, and stop'em."
Cover was in the right place at the right time, and the rest is history. LAPD took the unit out into the streets to test it and found it to be very effective. They ordered several hundred.
Cover didn't think TSER flowed right so he added an "A" and that begot TASER. The word "Taser" is, in fact, an acronym for Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle. Also, instead of a gunpowder charge, they now use compressed gas.
Are there problems with Taser's?
Yes. Stories of children, vulnerable adults and the elderly being "shocked" by stun guns that shot 50,000 volts through their bodies began to give Taser a bad name. Deaths resulted.
But, when Cover died in 2009, his wife related that she believed his invention saved the lives of a hundred thousand people.
At the December 12, 2017 Board of Supervisor's meeting, Sheriff Apperson requested the purchase of Taser's over a 5 year period for a grand total of $14,274.56. The vote was 5-0 to approve.
One thought on "Electronic Control Device = TASER"
Connie Morrison says:
I thought DNC had tasers. Didn't an unarmed man, with mental health problems, die from being tasered by two officers after the adult male's mother asked for assistance from the sheriff's department to help with her hallucinating son. I think it is very important to understand how a mentally ill person seeking help in DNC ends up at the morgue instead of a psych facility. The obvious reason he did not show up at a psych facility in DNC is because there isn't any! The reason Alameda County's mentally ill do not end-up at the morgue is due to the fact they have facilities and trained, licensed staff, practicing under the guidance of an excellent, thorough SOP, (standard operating procedure). That means a person found inappropriate and hallucinating on the street would be evaluated by an officer for placement on a 50-1-50. The person would be escorted by officers to a psychiatric facility to establish that they were not a danger to their self, to others, and were capable of taking care of their self. If any of these three diagnosis were positive the person would be placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold for up to 72 hours and could only be released by a psychiatrist. That would be after the person was observed by a licensed, trained, professional staff, evaluated, found to be stable, no auditory or visual hallucinations, and a specific treatment plan for that pt. with follow-up appointments was in place.
This is expensive and has an outcome of a healthier, safer, better educated community.
Compared to DNC's untrained staff with inappropriate tools and methods, with nowhere but jail (or in some cases the morgue) to take the mentally ill.
Alameda County has the ability to customize each treatment for the specific patient's needs (Crisis care, out Pt. follow up, in-house care, long term care, support groups…)
DNC has one umbrella program incapable of treating the many different symptoms of a large population of mentally ill citizens.
To provide untrained, undisciplined sheriffs with elitist attitudes with tasers is irresponsible. The citizens are already exposed to officers who have tasered a mental health pt. to death, broke into a citizen's home, beat him, stole from him, lied about
his past saying he was a felon to get an illegal warrant (from a disbarred DA)from an out of town, appointed judge (not elected by the citizens) Please read the black hawk pistol story and know that not one damn thing has been done to resolve any of the terrifying acts committed on a law abiding citizen (with a crystal clear record) by "THE SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT", NO RETURN OF PROPERTY, MONEY, APOLOGIES, USE OF THE TAX PAYERS COURTS after 25 attempts to present this to a judge. Any judge want to explain this?
https://www.crescentcitytimes.com/s=+BlackHawk+Pistol+story+parts+1%2C+2+and+3++&x=0&y=0
A SHERIFF AND HIS/HER DEPARTMENT ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THEIR WORD. IF THE SHERIFF CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO EMPLOY LAW ABIDING DEPUTIES HOW CAN THE CITIZENS TRUST THE SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TO PROTECT THE LAWS AND THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTY.
I expect the sheriff to allow the department to be drug tested at random.
To get my vote all wrongs committed by the sheriff and deputies, especially to Mr. Egan, must be addressed and restitution of Mr. Egans losses restored. You cannot commit criminal acts and work for the sheriff's department.
Have deputies been drug tested? Have the deputies who refuse to take reports from citizens and steal evidence from the locker been replace? Is their a video aimed at the evidence locker, secured for 24 hour/7 days a week taping?
If any of the questions are answered with "NO", then "NO" to the tasers.


In this series of MWA Express Server blog, we will look at how we can increase warehouse user efficiency by hiding the WMS Equipment/Subinventory selection page using MWA Express Server. WMS Equipment/Subinventory selection page is a mobile page for letting user select the equipment and subinventory before entering task related mobile pages. The selected equipment and subinventory are saved in session and will be used by WMS task dispatch engine to filter tasks. This feature is desirable for some companies, but other companies may not use this feature at all and would like to skip this page to reduce keystrokes and streamline operation.
MWA Express Server is a tool that allows personalization of all mobile pages. It has many features, part of them are the ability to hide fields and automate enter key on fields. We will use these two features to skip the Equipment/Subinventory selection page. During personalization of the mobile page, we are going to hide the first three fields (Equipment, From Sub, and Device) and automate enter key on Done button.
Here are some screenshots of the personalization process. The first screenshot shows the personalization is done at Site level.
The second screenshot shows that we are hiding the Equipment field. The same personalization will be done for Subinventory and Device field.
This screenshot shows how we can automate an enter key on the Done button.
By doing this personalization, this essentially skips the page so user will go to the next screen without doing anything.
This personalization can be done at site level, responsibility level, organization level or user level. The multi-level personalization flexibility allows some companies who may want to skip the page globally or others who want to skip the page for certain responsibility, or organization or user, while keeping it active for the rest.


Haas, the new American F1 team for 2016, has reportedly acquired Marussia's factory in Banbury, UK.
Although the cars will be designed and manufactured at a bespoke facility alongside the Stewart-Haas Nascar team in North Carolina, owner Gene Haas has also been looking for a separate UK base for his F1 outfit.
"I guess it might be a possibility to take a look at the Marussia HQ," he told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt in the Guardian last week.
Racecar Engineering is now reporting that Haas has indeed acquired the Marussia facility, having also declared his interest in bidding for some of the ailing backmarker's assets.
The report added: "It is thought that Haas has also acquired the data and designs for the 2015 Marussia."
It is a different story for the similarly-troubled 2014 backmarker Caterham, whose administrators are still hopeful the team can race on next year.
Sky reports that a meeting with creditors on Monday was promising, with joint administrator Henry Shinners declaring afterwards: "Our dialogue with prospective interested parties continues.
"We remain hopeful that the Caterham formula one team can be saved and be on the grid in Melbourne for the first race of 2015."