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Screenshots of Blood and Wine is here. Take a look inside!
4 things that I would want in Mass Effect: Andromeda, take a look inside!
My review of Wasteland Workshop inside!
Is Red Dead: Redemption, the greatest Western? Of course it is. Find out why.
Why do I find Bully a masterpiece? Find out inside!
Why BioShock transcends gaming and transcends the medium. Find out inside.
Bethesda just unveiled their plans for E3 2016, let's discuss!
E3 2016 is two months away, as we're gearing up for the big day. Let's do some predications!

domain: hobby


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Sue Bird and Jay Ellis at Cinema Café at Filmmaker Lodge in Park City, Utah (Photo by Stephen Greathouse/ Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Stephanie Ornelas
“We’re in a moment. There’s a moment for women’s basketball right now, a moment for women’s sports. And my story falls in this unique place in that I’m wildly successful in my own field.”
WNBA legend Sue Bird stopped by the Filmmaker Lodge at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19 to talk about the current state of women’s basketball and Sarah Dowland’s inspiring documentary Sue Bird: In the Clutch, which is centered on Bird’s career. Joined by the film’s executive director and actor Jay Ellis (Freaky Tales), the two discussed how sports, basketball specifically, is typically viewed through a man’s perspective. But sharing stories through independent films like Sue Bird: In the Clutch can help change that.
As the year 2020 opened the door to more conversations surrounding civil rights, women’s rights, and gender equality, Bird began to notice a shift in visibility toward the WNBA.
“People ask me to sign their skin and they’ll go get a tattoo,” says Bird. “So, obviously people know me, but [when it comes to] women’s sports, it’s a little bit of an uphill climb. But 2020 really marked a pivotal moment, and I just felt like it was really important to tell a story. We’re always talking about how we need more stories and in that moment, particularly my story.”
An athlete himself, Ellis echoed Bird’s perspective, explaining, “We think we know basketball, but the reality of it is, we really kind of know it because of its proximity to men’s basketball. That’s really the lens in which we know it, so in my mind, having Sue tell her story was also an opportunity to tell this story of women’s basketball that we don’t get told from the women who actually play the game.”
He continues, “This is an opportunity for us to show that this is its own thing and it’s huge and it’s wildly successful.”
“A lot of times for women’s basketball specifically, it’s only been looked at through this male lens and that doesn’t fit,” Bird chimes in. “So of course, it’s not going to get the credit it deserves. But it takes people to see that and want to tell that story. Because we’ve been screaming through the rooftops, but it takes people to believe that.”
Being an athlete involves highs and lows, wins and losses. The documentary shows candid footage of Bird reflecting during some of the most challenging games, and viewers can clearly see her hurt from a loss. When moderator and Sundance Film Festival programmer Stephanie Owens asks her to talk a little bit about being vulnerable and share those tough moments, Bird gives an inspiring response.
“There’s so much to learn from those moments. When I think about the [loss] in college, I don’t know that the rest of my career plays out the way it does if that loss doesn’t happen. So even though you want to go back and you wish you could change something, the reality is, the rest of the story doesn’t play out that way if those losses don’t happen.”
Looking back to when she felt she hit a “plateau” during her career in her mid-thirties, Bird remembers when she had to bring on a WNBA player Susan Borchardt to train her.
“Had that not happened, I wouldn’t have hired Susan, I don’t think I would have played as long as I played, which means I don’t get two more WNBA championships, I don’t get two more gold medals. So, sometimes the bad has to happen in order for things to shift and change, and then it turns out good.”
Sue Bird: In the Clutch will have its world premiere Sunday, January 21, at the Festival, with second screenings happening January 22–27 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Secure your tickets to the documentary today!

domain: artistic


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Heath Ledger's Video For Modest Mouse's "King Rat" Premieres
Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears Score Most VMAs Nods
Chris Brown Returns To the Stage During Lil Wayne's Virginia Show
DJ Shadow Launches His Own Music Store On New Website
Lady Gaga, Drake Nominated For Best New Artist At MTV's VMAs
Fricke's Picks: High Holy Daze
Katherine Jackson Wins Custody, Withdraws Bid for Michael's Estate
Jill Sobule Slams Katy Perry Over Borrowing Title "I Kissed a Girl"
Jay-Z Celebrates Live Instruments on "Blueprint 3 " Album Cover
Kiss Keep Merchandising Mania Alive With Special Edition M&M's
Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob To Reunite For September Concert in Atlanta
Mariah Carey's "Memoirs" to Include Mini-Magazine and Advertisements
My Chemical Romance Team With O'Brien for "Best Record Yet"
Lil Wayne Delivers Thriller of a Set, Drake Skips Young Money's NY Gig
One Killed, 15 Injured After Storm Causes Stage Collapse at Country Music Festival

domain: celebrity


text:
ANNOUNCEMENT 08 Jun 2010
In June 2010, the government of Kazakhstan initiated a new safeguard investigation.
NUMBER OF INTERVENTIONS
Decree No. 535 of the Government of Kazakhstan dated 8 June 2010, О начале разбирательства в отношении импорта некоторых видов аккумуляторных батарей (About the start of proceedings regarding the import of certain types of batteries), http://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P100000535_
On 8 June 2010, with Government Decree No. 535, the Government of Kazakhstan initiated a safeguard investigation against imported lead-acid accumulators. These goods are classified under codes 8507 10 980 9 and 8507 10 920 9.

domain: news


text: Pelican For Back Medicated Soap is made of blended coal mud that helps to deeply cleanse your body and to treat back acnes. It is formulated with charcoal for acne care in a 3-step process: 1. Remove acnes 2. Kill the bacteria to avoid the formation of new acnes. 3. Deeply cleanse the pores on your face.

domain: medical


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AFTER THE savage attacks on the working class under the Tory government a certain relief was felt by workers with the election of a Labour government.
Nevertheless, there was also a determined mood to push for the implementation of radical policies. This was demonstrated at the LPYS conference and rally at Easter 1974. Tony Benn opened the conference and
praised the work of the LPYS in the election campaign, particularly the decisive intervention of 400 Young Socialists in the key Bristol South-East seat. He conveyed the gratitude of the local party… He said that the Tories were out to neutralise the Labour government and exert pressure for the formation of a national coalition. (1)
At this conference, Nick Bradley, the Militant candidate from the Deptford Labour Party Young Socialists, was elected as the LPYS representative on the NEC of the Labour Party by 143 votes with his nearest rival, Rose Digiorgio, receiving only 18 votes. All the meetings and the rallies were full to capacity indicating that the LPYS was the strongest youth organisation, not just in Britain but – certainly politically – in the whole of Western Europe.
In Britain, following the election of Labour, workers were pressing forward in an attempt to ensure the implementation of the reforms which had been promised. In the Health Service, for instance, at Charing Cross Hospital, the NUPE branch moved to ban ‘private practice’. This represented an attempt to force Health Minister Barbara Castle’s hand but reduced Tory spokesmen to apoplexy. Militant reported: “Already 110 hospitals in the North East and many others in Yorkshire and Manchester have been operating a ban on private patients.” The article pointed out:
What has really sent a shiver through their spines has been that these workers have taken seriously the programme of the Labour government. (2)
In retrospect and in view of the catastrophic position in the Health Service today, with the virtual dismantling of the NHS, these movements were extremely significant. It demonstrates that if Labour had then based itself upon the movement of workers from below, and linked this to a change in society, the present health nightmare which confronts workers could have been entirely avoided.
Ian Burge, a long-standing Militant supporter and a leading steward at the London Hospital (who tragically died in 1980), wrote in a characteristically incisive article:
Ancilliary workers in some hospitals have in fact been operating sanctions against private treatment since the strike campaign on wages in early 1973.
Take over the drug companies and use this money to pay the health workers a decent wage. Abolish private medicine, give all support to the healthworkers’ campaign. Let the health service be run by elected workers in the service, with trade unionist delegates from the district and government representatives. 3)
Scotland: Home Rule?
At the same time, in Scotland the future themes played out in full today were developing in outline. In August 1974 Militant carried an article headed: “Scottish Parliament: will it answer workers’ needs?” It pointed out that the executive committee of the Labour Party in Scotland had voted by six votes to five to recommend “opposition to any form of Assembly”! The Scottish Labour Party in effect said that an Assembly was irrelevant, stating:
The essential strategy of the Labour Party is to bring about a fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people and their families. In the light of this criteria… constitutional tinkering does not make a meaningful contribution towards achieving our socialist objectives.
Militant was only just beginning to formulate a clear analysis and a programme which took account of the growth of national feelings in Scotland. Nevertheless, Militant argued:
If the majority of Scottish people desire a Scottish Parliament, or if there is a majority for complete self-government, this is their right, and Labour would be bound to support it. There can be no question of maintaining the ‘United Kingdom’ against the will of the people of Scotland. (4)
The national question in Scotland was to come back onto the political agenda again and again. It compelled the Marxists to undertake a re-evaluation of the issue and to work out a programme capable of answering the legitimate national demands of the Scottish people. We did not always have complete agreement within our ranks, even losing some supporters when we argued for a programme for national rights. Subsequent events demonstrated that only Militant was capable of working out such a programme. This is one reason why in 1995, Scottish Militant Labour has had a bigger effect on this and other issues than any other organisation in Scotland.
October – Our Tenth Birthday and a General Election
October saw the tenth anniversary of the founding of Militant. A special celebration article in the paper referred to the statements in our first issue. The editors claimed: “Militant has lived up to those aims.”
The sunny optimism of the strategists of capital still lingered on in the early 1960s. They had relegated to the pages of history the terms ‘slump’ and ‘mass unemployment’, ‘poverty’ and ‘starvation’. They maintained that these denoted an age of barbarism which the ‘new capitalism’ had put an end to once and for all. (5)
The editorial compared the mood of the capitalists in the 1960s to that which existed in 1974, particularly following the Portuguese, Greek and US upheavals. Reflecting this pessimism, Willy Brandt (leader of the SPD) the West German ‘Labour Party’, had stated following the Portuguese events that “Communism (meaning in this case the taking of power by the working class) or fascism” was the choice Europe faced in the following 20 years. Militant believed:
the next stage in the struggle in Britain will be a further swing towards the left. However, victory over the Tories and the system which breeds them can only be achieved on the basis of the re-arming of the Labour movement with a socialist – a Marxist – programme. (6)
Militant’s support had received a big boost in 1973 and 1974. By July 1974 the number of organised supporters stood at 517.
And this was underlined by the general election, the second in 1974, which was called in October. Labour won a tiny majority. The Tories were massacred in Scotland and Wales; in both areas they were forced into third place behind Labour and the Nationalists. The Tory Party received its lowest ever share of the poll, a mere 35.7 per cent of the vote. An indication of the swing towards Labour was that between February and October 1974 the Tory vote dropped by over 1.5 million votes. At the same time the Liberal shadows of the Tory Party had suffered a crushing rebuff, dropping 700,000 votes while fielding an extra 100 candidates.
Labour Wins: Militant warns: Capital strikes
The result meant that workers extended more time to the Labour leaders to fulfil their promises. The majority would have been greater if an enthusiastic, radical, socialist campaign had been conducted as urged by Militant. Despite the victory, Labour leader Wilson announced on TV on the Tuesday following the election (8 October) that he would immediately open talks with the CBI. Militant commented:
Along this road lies disaster for the labour movement. It was not idle speculation when the editor of The Times commented two days before the election that the party that won the election would be the party most likely to be destroyed by events!
The top 20 companies are controlled by just 297 men. 85 per cent of production is in the hands of 250 giant monopolies. (7)
The government would either have to capitulate to the monopolies or rest on the labour movement and carry out socialist policies. The Labour leaders advanced the idea of a so-called ‘social contract’, which was “wage restraint by any other name.”
Within weeks, Militant’s predictions had been borne out, as sections of the ruling class threatened a ‘strike of capital’. Pilkington Glass, for instance, had declared that they would refuse to invest unless the government capitulated to the demands of the CBI. This was followed by similar declarations by the bosses of Hawker Siddeley and Metal Box. We pointed out “What else is this but the most blatant blackmail? They are sending the CBI leaders to 10 Downing Street, with a savage threat to the Labour government: ‘Capitulate to us or else’!”
In November, Labour held its rearranged party conference in Central Hall, Westminster, which lasted for only two days. The conference took place just six weeks after the election. Ray Apps, a delegate to the conference, warned of the dangers facing the Labour government if conference decisions were not implemented. He wrote in Militant:
It has to be said that the government has given in to this [the bosses’] blackmail… Handouts of £1,600 million have been made to big business. (8)
A few crumbs had been left over for the working people, ‘in the form of family allowances and pensions increases’ but these were to be delayed until the spring of the next year.
As an indication of what was to come, the financial editor of The Times praised Chancellor Healey’s “tough orthodoxy”. The conference reflected the outline of the future clashes in the party. Callaghan opened the conference with threats that inflation and unemployment would spiral unless the social contract was upheld. General secretary Ron Hayward, on the other hand, attacked those “who would treat the conference with contempt”. He said that ward secretaries were more important to the party than ministers!
The emergence of Militant during the election campaign, and our growing strength, clearly reflected at this conference, sent shivers down the spines of the right wing. It set the scene for the witch-hunt which was soon to begin and unfolded over more than a decade, first against Militant and then against the rest of the left.
In November, the horrific Birmingham Pub bombings took place, resulting in the death of 19 people and the injuring, scarring and maiming of nearly 200 predominantly young people. Militant declared unequivocally: “Bombings play into the hands of reaction.” Militant had consistently opposed the oppressive role of British imperialism in Ireland. But at the same time we had opposed the disastrous policies of terrorism of the Provisional IRA.
The extension of the campaign to Britain held out potentially disastrous consequences for the British working class. Militant pointed out that “whoever planted them, the fact stands out that the Birmingham bombs can only benefit the interests of the enemies of both British and Irish workers.” The immediate aftermath resulted in a backlash against Irish workers in Birmingham and other parts of the country. This was undoubtedly whipped up by the small fascist groups who reared their heads after the bombing.
This incident also provided the opportunity for the British ruling class, through the Labour Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins, to rush through repressive legislation. This was the ‘Prevention of Terrorism Act’ which has been used to harass and intimidate innocent Irish and other workers for over 20 years. Moreover, the bombings led to the arrest of the totally innocent Birmingham Six and their inhuman incarceration in British jails. It also created the hysterical atmosphere which was to later lead to the jailing of innocent people like Judith Ward, the Guildford Four, and others. Militant reported:
At the huge British Leyland Longbridge factory, fights have broken out between British and Irish men who have worked together for years. In 30 leading Birmingham factories workers have struck, demanding action against the IRA. (9)
But the effects were not confined to Britain, as Militant commented: “The worst reaction will probably be in Northern Ireland itself, and the brunt will be borne by precisely the people that the IRA claims to protect – the Catholic workers.” (10)
The intervention of the fascists, however, could not succeed in channelling the anger at the bombings in a sustained reactionary direction. Far more important in the consciousness of workers in Birmingham and elsewhere was the daily problem of struggling to live and their ability to face up to the offensive that was being conducted by the employers.
The Rising Tide of Industrial Struggle
An intensive struggle was unfolding on the factory floor as the employers sought to take revenge for the defeat of their party in the general election. Reflecting the increased growth of Marxists in the factories, the pages of Militant carried many detailed reports of what was taking place.
In September 1974 an article by Bill Mullins, who was a British Leyland senior shop steward representing 10,000 workers, wrote:
It is difficult for someone who has never worked in a car factory to visualise the destructive nature of the work, destructive to the body because of the pace of the work, destructive to the mind because of the mind-bending repetition of the work.
A ferocious offensive was being conducted by management who were
saying that the workers of BLMC must take a drop in their standards of living because they will not be able to afford the sort of minimum pay increases that are necessary to remain at the present standard of living.
The article concluded:
The answer must be that the workers are not prepared to pay for the mismanagement and incompetence of the company. The demands should be: a minimum increase of £15 a week; the books to be opened [for inspection] to the trade unions. The nationalisation under workers’ control of British Leyland. (11)
A Sword of Damocles, in the form of threatened closure, was held over the heads of Leyland workers. Even though it was the country’s largest private employer (about 160,000 workers at this time) reports circulated in the capitalist press showed that the company was in difficulties and was turning to the Labour government for financial handouts.
Detailed, explanatory articles by Militant supporters Bill Mullins and Bob Ashworth, who both worked at Rover Solihull, showed up the state of the company. Militant published a resolution from the Rover production workers in Solihull who, among other things, demanded that if BLMC was asking for ‘government cash handouts’, then the Labour and trade union movement must
demand that the Labour government nationalises BLMC under workers’ control with members of the board of management being elected on the following basis: one-third elected by workers within BLMC; one-third elected by the TUC; one-third appointed by the government. (12)
A meeting in Birmingham of all Leyland convenors nationally passed the resolution from the Rover Solihull plant which demanded workers’ control. Some amendments were carried to the resolution but, nevertheless, the fact that a significant group of workers had demanded workers’ control of their industry indicated the mood that was developing. Even Labour MPs were affected.
At a meeting organised in Preston by the Labour Party Young Socialists, with 80 in attendance, a Labour MP, George Rodgers, agreed with all the speakers that nationalisation was the only way out. This was in sharp contrast to the Labour government’s proposals, to be implemented through the recently formed National Enterprise Board (NEB). Militant pointed out that “over half of British manufacturing output is controlled by the top 100 companies”. Moreover, the Tories, through ‘state intervention’ had doled out between 1970 and 1974 £3 billion (£2 million a day) to their friends in big business.
Despite the clamour for the nationalisation of failing capitalist firms, the Labour government, through the NEB, continued the policy of bailing them out. Tony Benn, as Industry Minister, presided over this policy, which was increasingly criticised by both Labour and trade union members.
The Shrewsbury Two
At the same time, the building bosses and their legal hirelings were refusing to budge in the face of a wave of protests demanding the release of the jailed Shrewsbury pickets. In November the appeal of the pickets was turned down. This was followed by protest strike action by Glasgow shipyard workers, building workers and others who marched on Ucatt headquarters in Glasgow to demand action to free “their jailed brothers”. Similar action took place in Liverpool, Edinburgh and other parts of the country.
Demands were sent to the Labour Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins, calling for the pickets to be released. A telegram from over 100 Merseyside building shop stewards to Jenkins declared: “We supported you in your re-election to the government. We ask you now to support us.”
The example of the release of the Pentonville Dockers because of mass pressure was still fresh in the minds of both building workers and the ten-million-strong trade union movement. However, calls to the TUC and the Ucatt leadership unfortunately fell on deaf ears. The Shrewsbury pickets were to languish in jail. Against the general background of the industrial upsurge in militancy, in the 1970s, the lack of will of the TUC to mobilise the labour movement with all its power to force the release of the Shrewsbury pickets was perhaps the most shameful.
Temperature rises – fire at our office
In the midst of these events, in February 1975, Militant suffered a big blow. One of our buildings in Commercial Road, East London, was gutted by fire and some vital printing machinery and most of the upper floors of the building were destroyed. This did not cripple Militant because the main headquarters was in a separate building.
Nevertheless, the 14 February issue of Militant was produced under exceptionally difficult conditions. An urgent appeal was made to Militant supporters, who responded magnificently. For a time the paper had to be produced without colour. As soon as the means to go back to regular production was acquired a two-colour, 16-page paper was back in production.

domain: history


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On Friday, October 9, 2015, Philharmonie de Paris hosts a rare digital arts event that will immerse audiences in the “areas of turbulence” that the Ensemble Intercontemporain has been organising since 2013. A contemporary music ensemble of 31 soloists dedicated to the performance and promotion of music from the 20th and 21st centuries, Ensemble Intercontemporain comprises permanent highly professional musicians that for over 30 years have been performing a demanding repertoire of orchestral music in diverse and often unexplored forms. United by a shared passion for new music under the artistic direction of Matthias Pintscher, the ensemble accompanies composers in the exploration of new musical realms at the intersection of new performance and extended techniques, computer music, and daring encounters with other forms of artistic expression such as dance, theatre, video and visual arts. In residence at the Philharmonie de Paris, the ensemble performs in France and abroad as a regular guest at major international festivals, and organises a range of outreach activities (educational concerts, school music workshops, master classes, etc.) serving a diversified public (conservatory students, professional and amateur musicians, general audience, etc.). In collaboration with the IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique / Musique), the Ensemble Intercontemporain is also active in the field of synthetic sound generation.
Coproduced by Arcadi Île de France, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and Philharmonie de Paris, and part of Némo, Biennale internationale des arts numériques (Paris / Île-de-France), Maelström challenges musical creation and the plenary dimensions of digital arts. Cellist Éric-Maria Couturier, contrabassist Nicolas Crosse and percussionist Victor Hanna will open the evening with an improvised musical performance playfully titled Insecte à [pwal]. This serves as an introduction to George Crumb’s Black Angels (1970), a unique œuvre that Jérémie Szpirglas has rightfully called “OMNI (œuvre musicale non identifiée)” – an unidentified musical œuvre. Mystical and symbolical, Black Angels creates a powerful, discordant yet deeply harmonic dialogue between the voice of God as incarnated by the cello and the voice of the Devil as incarnated by the first violin. A reflection around the divine and balanced number 7 and the accursed number 13, Crumb’s score unravels the sound imagery of a “frantic and satiated fortississimo” as Szpirglas calls it. In The Night of the Electric Insects, an army of terrifying insects evoking the delirious flights of helicopters in Vietnam play with both political symbolism and the gravity of Crumb’s composition, in a moving and captivating musical and poetical expression.
Chicago-based Austrian artist Kurt Hentschläger and Edmund Campion, composer and researcher at the Berkeley University of California, present Cluster.X, a hybrid immersive performance where the moving image and the instrumental ensemble generate the indefinite choreography of an inform maelstrom. Hentschläger’s audiovisual installations have always defied our sensory experiences and represent a poetic and utterly Romantic artistic expression that the artist pursues amidst his meta-organic clusters of humans whose uncontrollable movements and collisions reference an inescapable void. Campion’s soundscape and harmonic rhythmology accompanies the virulent and recomposing matter of flesh and light that Hentschläger in a fluid and intangible environment that for all its virtuality captures our senses in a tropical, figurative and emotional manner. There is turbulence in Franck Vigroux and Antoine Schmitt’s Tempest as well, who invite the audience to immerse in an original and primordial vortex that returns to the inhuman and governing chaos of the universe only to reveal its power to inform and manifest life. Analogue instruments and visual algorithms recreate the purity of chaos and the internal force generated by millions of nanoparticles in their completely erratic diffusion, that the artists capture in unpredictable and eerie audiovisual forms. To attenuate these virtuous (de)compositions, flutist Sophie Cherrier interprets beyond (a system of passing), a piece Matthias Pintscher composed as inspired by Anselm Kiefer’s installation A.E.I.O.U., a miniature museum that evokes the nomadic character of contemporary existence.
George Crumb (b. 1929) is one of the most frequently performed composers in today’s musical world. Crumb is the winner of Grammy and Pulitzer Prizes, and continues to compose new scores that enrich the lives of all who come in contact with his profoundly humanistic art. Crumb’s music often juxtaposes contrasting musical styles, ranging from music of the western art-music tradition, to hymns and folk music, to non-Western musics. Many of Crumb’s works include programmatic, symbolic, mystical and theatrical elements, which are often reflected in his beautiful and meticulously notated scores. A shy, yet warmly eloquent personality, Crumb retired from his teaching position at the University of Pennsylvania after more than 30 years of service. Honored by numerous institutions with honorary Doctorates, and the recipient of dozens of awards and prizes, Crumb makes his home in Pennsylvania, in the same house where he and his wife of more than 60 years raised their three children. George Crumb’s music is published by C.F. Peters and an ongoing series of “Complete Crumb” recordings, supervised by the composer, is being issued on Bridge Records. (via George Crumb)
Chicago-based Austrian artist Kurt Hentschläger (b. 1960) creates audiovisual performances and installations. He began to exhibit his work in 1983, creating surreal machine-objects, and since has been working with time-based media, film, video, animation and sound. The immersive nature of his work reflects on the metaphor of the sublime and the human condition. His current work further researches human perception and the impact of new technologies on both individual and collective consciousness. Between 1992 and 2003 he worked collaboratively as one half of “Granular-Synthesis.” Employing large scale projected images and drone like sound-scapes, Granular-Synthesis performances and installations confronted the viewer on both a physical and emotional level, overwhelming the audience with sensory stimulation. Selected presentations include the Venice Biennial, the Venice Theater Biennial, National Art Museum of China Beijing, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, PS1 New York, Creative Time, Inc. New York, MAC – Musée d’Art Contemporain Montreal, MAK – Museum of Applied Arts Vienna, National Museum for Contemporary Art Seoul, ICC Tokyo, Fondation Beyeler Basel, Arte Alameda Mexico City. In 2010 he won a Quartz Electronic Music Award for his most recent work. (via Kurt Hentschläger)
Edmund Campion (b. 1957) creates music that explores relationships between sound and space—creations that often involve the careful mixing of acoustic instruments with emerging computer technologies. Born in Dallas, Texas in 1957, he studied composition at the University of Texas and Columbia University and went on to spend several years in France studying with composer Gérard Grisey. In 1993 he was selected to work at IRCAM where he composed the piece Losing Touch, a mainstay in the repertoire for percussion and electronics. He has been commissioned by major American and French cultural institutions including: IRCAM, Radio France, the French Ministry of Culture, the Fromm Foundation, and the Koussevitzky Music Foundation. His works are heard in concert halls worldwide and a monograph CD by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players is available on Albany records. Les Percussion des Strasbourg sextet will release a recording of Wavelike and Diverse on their upcoming CD. In 2012, he was awarded the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and appointed Composer in Residence with the Santa Rosa Symphony. A new work written for the Kronos Quartet and the SRS will be premiered in October of 2012. The French Zelig Ensemble premiered a commission from Radio France at the Festival Presence in 2009 and recently commissioned a new work from Soiciete Generale. The new piece, Auditory Fiction, was premeriered by Cal Performances in 2010 and features a new software tool for control of multiple tempos in live performance. Joshua Kosman wrote, “Campion keeps clarity and even beauty at the fore — the results were remarkable.” The Argento Chamber ensemble premiered Campion’s 25′ minute digital piano concerto with 17 instruments and computer as part of the Moving Sounds Festival in New York City in 2010. In 1996 he was commissioned by IRCAM to write a large-scale piece for interactive electronics and MIDI-grand piano. Natural Selection received its premiere with the composer at the piano. After his return from Paris, Campion joined the composition faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is also Co-Director at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT). Other prizes and honors include: the Rome Prize, the Nadia Boulanger Award, the Paul Fromm Award at Tanglewood, a Charles Ives Award given by the Americah Academy of Arts and Letters, and a Fulbright scholarship for study in France. (via Edmund Campion)
Matthias Pintscher (b. 1971) is the Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, entering his third season in 2015/16. Beginning in 2016/17 he also takes up post as Principal Conductor of the Lucerne Festival Academy. He continues his partnerships with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as its Artist-in-Association, and with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra as Artist-in-Residence. Equally accomplished as conductor and composer, Pintscher sees his two main spheres of activity as entirely complementary; he has created significant works for the world’s leading orchestras, and his intrinsic understanding of the score from the composer’s perspective informs his ability to communicate on the podium. In the 2015/16 season, Pintscher makes conducting debuts with the Berlin Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Prague Philharmonia. He embarks on a U.S. tour with the Ensemble Intercontemporain with concerts in Berkeley, Chapel Hill, and Washington, D.C. Further highlights of this season include the premiere of his new cello concerto with the Danish National Symphony and Alisa Weilerstein, and return guest conducting engagements with the Naples Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Utah Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Philharmonic. Last season, Pintscher gave debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC), and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Pintscher began his musical training in conducting, studying with Peter Eötvös, but composing took a more prominent role in his life while he was in his early twenties. Soon after, he divided his time equally between the two disciplines of conducting and composing. Naturally noted for his interpretations of contemporary music, he developed an affinity for repertoire of the late 19th and the 20th centuries – Bruckner, the French romantic masters, Beethoven, Berlioz, Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky and for the Second Viennese School – along with a rich variety of contemporary scores. “My thinking as a conductor is informed by the process of my own writing,” notes Pintscher, “and vice versa of course.” He may justly be called the most sought-after German composer of his generation, and his music is championed by some of today’s finest performing artists, orchestras and conductors. His works are frequently performed by orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, NDR Hamburg, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia London, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris. A prolific composer, Matthias Pintscher’s most recent orchestral composition idyll was given its world premiere in October 2014 by the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction ofFranz Welser-Möst, followed by performances by the Bayerische Rundfunk and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In summer 2015, his works Now I for solo piano and Now II for solo cello were respectively premiered at the Lucerne Festival and the Moritzburg Festival, and gemini calls – a fanfare for two trumpets – was commissioned by and premiered at the Grafenegg Festival. Pintscher was the 2012 recipient of the Roche Commission. His work, Chute d’Étoiles: Hommage à Anselm Kiefer for two trumpets and orchestra, premiered at the Luzern Festival in August 2012 by the Cleveland Orchestra, and was subsequently performed at Severance Hall in Cleveland and at Carnegie Hall in New York. Pintscher’s compositions are noted for the delicate sound world they inhabit, the intricacy of their construction and their precision of expression. Among his most celebrated achievements are his first opera, Thomas Chatterton, commissioned by Dresden Semperoper; Fünf Orchesterstücke for the Philharmonia Orchestra and Kent Nagano; Herodiade Fragmente for Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic; his first violin concerto en sourdine for Frank Peter Zimmermann and the Berlin Philharmonic; his second opera l’espace dernier which premiered at Paris National Opera (Bastille) in 2004; and his cello concerto for Truls Mørk, Reflections on Narcissus, which was premiered in Paris in 2006 with Christophe Eschenbach and the Orchestre de Paris. That year also included the premiere of a piece for Emmanuel Pahud (flute) and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, performed at the Lucerne Festival, where Pintscher was Composer-in-Residence in 2006. Osiris, a large-scale composition, was co-commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Carnegie Hall, and received its premiere conducted by Pierre Boulez in 2008. In spring 2010, his work towards Osiris received its U.S. premiere with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Eschenbach. Also that spring, the New York Philharmonic debuted a piece co-commissioned with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, songs from Solomon’s garden for baritone and chamber orchestra. In April 2013 the Vienna Philharmonic performed Hérodiade-Fragmente at the Musikverein. His first solo piano composition, debuted at London’s Wigmore Hall by Inon Barnatan in September 2013. Earlier in the same year, Uriel for cello and piano, was premiered by Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan at the Frankfurt Alte Oper. Pintscher has also written a violin concerto, mar’eh, premiered in autumn 2011 by Julia Fischer and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. And his three-part work, Sonic Eclipse: Celestial Object 1, 2 and 3, has been performed by ensembles around the world. Pintscher works regularly with leading contemporary music ensembles such as the Ensemble Modern, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble contrechamps, Avanti (Helsinki), remix (Porto) and the Scharoun Ensemble. Since 2011, he has curated the music segment of the Impuls Romantik Festival in Frankfurt. He has also served as the artistic director of the Heidleberg Atelier of the Heidelberg Spring Festival since 2007, which has now transformed into the Heidelberg Young Composer’s Academy. As of September 2014, Pintscher joined the composition faculty at the Juilliard School. Pintscher conducts throughout Europe, U.S. and Australia. Past conducting engagements have included the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Paris Opera Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de France, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Rome), Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI (Torino), Mariinsky Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, and Sydney Symphony, among others. Matthias Pintscher makes his home in New York and Paris. His works are published by Bärenreiter-Verlag. Recordings can be found on Kairos, EMI, ECM, Teldec, Wergo, and Winter & Winter. (via Matthias Pintscher)
A composer and improviser, Franck Vigroux (b. 1973) lives in a universe where noise, improvisation, electroacoustic, industrial, hörspiel, and contemporary music meet. On stage he can play many different roles: guitar player, turntablist, revox manipulator, electronic performer. He also directed numerous videos, such as Dust (30′) in 2007. Franck Vigroux performs solo or regularly collaborates for live acts with Mika Vainio, Transistor (with Ben Miller), Reinhold Friedl he also collaborated with Kasper Toeplitz, Elliott Sharp, Zeena Parkins, Joey Baron, Bruno Chevillon, Marc Ducret, Push the triangle, Kenji Siratori, Ars Nova ensemble instrumental, performs with video artists Antoine Schmitt (with Tempest), Kurt d’Haeseleer (with Aucun lieu), Philippe Fontes (with Police). Since 2000 he repeatedly performed in the United States, in Europe and in Japan either in festivals or in clubs. In 2003, he founded his own label D’Autres Cordes records, some albums are also published by others labels such as Signature Radio France and Hypermodern (Japan). In 2008 he founded the Compagny D’autres cordes dedicated to performing arts: 2009 “Septembres” by Philippe Malone directed by Michel Simonot; 2010 “Broken Circles” for ten musicians interpreted by Ars Nova ensemble instrumental, conducted by Philippe Nahon; 2011 Un Sang d’Encre with Marc Ducret texts by F. Kafka; 2010 Nous autres? – for 2 dancer and 1 electronic musician and interactive video installation; 2012 Camera piece for Timpani, Piano, electronics, doublebass, guitar, tape; 2013 Aucun Lieu piece for 1 dancer 1 musician, video installation. In 2011 he composed “D503” inspired from the novel Us by Eugene Zamiatine, a piece for Radio France ACR which runs for Prix Italia 2011. He has been comissioned for electroacoustic composition or live electronics acts by Radio France and GRM (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013). Some of his awards include Villa Médicis hors les murs 2009 (New York); Nominee Best album and best track Qwartz electronic music awards 2011; Nominee best video music Qwartz 2008; Nominee Prix Italia 2011 (2nd in music composition). (via Franck Vigroux)
Installation artist, Antoine Schmitt (b. 1961) creates artworks in the form of objects, installations and situations to address the processes of movement in all of their modalities, and question their intrinsic conceptual problematics, of plastic, philosophical or social nature. Heir of kinetic art and cybernetic art, nourished by metaphysical science-fiction, he endlessly interrogates the dynamic interactions between human nature and the nature of reality. Originally programming engineer in human computer relations and artificial intelligence, he places the program, a contemporary artistic material and unique by its active quality, at the core of most of his artworks, to reveal and literally manipulate the forces at stake. Antoine Schmitt, alone or through collaborations, has undertaken an articulation of this approach with more established artistic fields like music, dance, architecture, literature or cinema. As theoretician, speaker and editor of the gratin.org portal, Antoine Schmitt explores the field of programmed art. His work has received several awards in international festivals : transmediale (Berlin, second prize 2007, honorary 2001), Ars Electronica (Linz, second prize 2009), UNESCO International Festival of Video-Dance (Paris, first prize online 2002), Vida 5.0 (Madrid, honorary 2002), CYNETart (Dresden, honorary 2004), medi@terra (Athens, first prize 1999), Interférences (Belfort, first prize 2000), and has been exhibited among others at the Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), at Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris), at Sonar (Barcelona), at Ars Electronica (Linz), at the CAC of Sienna (Italy), at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon (France), in Nuits Blanches (Paris, Amiens, Metz, Bruxelles and Madrid). It is part of the collections of the Espace Gantner (Bourogne, FR), of the Cube (Issy-Mx, FR), of the Paris Municipal Contemporary Art Fund (FMAC), of the Foundation Artphilein (Lugano, IT), and of the Foundation Fraenkel (USA). Antoine Schmitt is represented by Galerie Charlot in Paris. He lives and works in Paris (FR). (via Antoine Schmitt)
Sophie Cherrier studied at the Conservatoire National de Région de Nancy and then at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she graduated with highest honors in flute (under the tutelage of Alain Marion) and chamber music (under the tutelage of Christian Lardé). She joined the Ensemble intercontemporain in 1979. She has performed in the premieres of numerous works, including Mémoriale by Pierre Boulez, Esprit rude/Esprit doux by Elliott Carter (Deutsche Grammophon recording), and Chu Ky V by Ton-Thât Tiêt. Sophie Cherrier has also recorded Sequenza I by Luciano Berio (Deutsche Grammophon), …explosante fixe and Sonatine pour flûte et piano by Pierre Boulez (Erato), Imaginary Sky-lines for flute and harp by Ivan Fedele (Adès), Jupiter and La Partition du ciel et de l’Enfer by Philippe Manoury (for the collection “Compositeurs d’aujourd’hui”). She has performed with the Hallé Orchestra of Manchester, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Sinfonietta. After being awarded the Certificat d’Aptitude, she was appointed Professor at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1998. Her penchant for teaching has led her to conduct various master classes, both in France and abroad. (via Ensemble intercontemporain)
Born in 1965, Jeanne-Marie Conquer won the First Prize for violin at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) at the age of 15 and continued with higher studies in the classes of Pierre Amoyal (violin) and Jean Hubeau (chamber music). She became a member of the Ensemble intercontemporain in 1985. Jeanne-Marie Conquer has developed close artistic relationships with contemporary composers and has in particular worked with György Kurtág, György Ligeti (on the Trio with Horn and Violin Concerto), Peter Eötvös (on his opera Le Balcon) and Ivan Fedele. She has recorded different works on Deutsche Grammophon: Luciano Berio’s Sequenza VIII for solo violin, and Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire and Ode to Napoleon, as well as Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes and Anthèmes II for a publication by Jean-Jacques Nattiez on the composer’s work. Jeanne-Marie Conquer was the soloist in Anthèmes II at the Lucerne Festival in 2002 and the first Latin American performance of the work in Buenos Aires in 2006, and in György Ligeti’s Violin Concerto at the Paris Cité de la Musique for his 80th birthday in 2003. Apart from her soloist career, Jeanne-Marie Conquer teaches at the Conservatoire Municipal W. A. Mozart (Paris 1st district) and the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP). (via Ensemble intercontemporain)
Born in 1972, Éric-Maria Couturier studied cello and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and graduated with the jury’s unanimous highest honors. He has distinguished himself as prizewinner at several international competitions (Trapani, Trieste, and Florence). He was a member of the Orchestre de Paris and solo cellist at the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, before joining the Ensemble intercontemporain in 2002. He is performing with the dancer Richard Siegal from the Forsythe company, they played in New York in January 2008 for the Danspace Project and in Paris in December 2009 for Glossopoeia, with a music by Alberto Posadas. He also worked with electronic performer Erikm and jazz singer David Linx. In 2009 Eric-Maria Couturier performed with Maurizio Pollini in Paris’ salle Pleyel and in Milan at the Scala. (via Ensemble intercontemporain)
Born in 1979, Nicolas Crosse studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jean-Paul Celea. His work in the field of contemporary music has given him a deep understanding of the 20th century repertoire. At the Paris Conservatory as well as at IRCAM, Nicolas has collaborated and premiered the works of living composers such as: ”Torrente” for contrabass and ensemble: Luis Fernando Rizo-Salom; ”Crònica del oprimido” for contrabass and electronics: Lucas Fagin; ”Metathesis” for contrabass and electronics: Tolga Tüzün; ”Maquina Mistica” for contrabass and electronics: Marco Antonio Suarez Cifuentes. In addition to his studies, Nicolas Crosse has played with some of the leading ensembles in France, including the Paris Orchestra, the Paris Opera, and Ensemble InterContemporain, directed by Pierre Boulez, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Valery Gergiev, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Christoph Eschenbach, and Jonathan Nott. Since 2006, he has played throughout Europe with the ensemble “Les Jeunes Solistes” (dir. Rachid Safir), premiering Miserere Homnibus, by Klaus Huber. This year Nicolas won first prize in the category of contemporary music at the competition “Haut les Basses”, organized by the Association of Bassists and Contrabassists of France. In October 2007, with the support of the Meyer Foundation and the Paris Conservatory, Nicolas has produced cross(E)road, a DVD of works consisting of: Sequenza 14b by Luciano Berio, Valentine by Jacob Druckman, Ala by Franco Donatoni (duo with the violoncellist Alexis Descharmes), Cronica del Oprimido by Lucas Fagin, as well as improvised music with clarinetist Christian Laborie. As soloist, he has performed in France, Switzerland, and Columbia, performing works of Luciano Berio, Sofia Gubaïdulina, Franco Donatoni, Jacob Druckman, Pascal Dusapin, Vinko Globokar, among others. (via Ensemble Linea)
Born in 1988, Victor Hanna studied percussion under Marc Bollen, Béatrice Faucomprez, Francis Brana and Nicolas Martynciow. At the same time, meetings with several other musicians gave him a chance to turn his hand to Afro-Cuban percussions, today’s music, generative improvisation, music theatre, choreographic accompaniment, and dramatic art. In 2008, he successfully enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) in the class of Michel Cerutti. He honed his orchestra percussion skills in academies such as the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra and the Verbier Festival Orchestra, and by working with leading French orchestras. Passionate about today’s music, he has worked with Ensemble Multilatérale, Ensemble 2e2m and Le Balcon. After graduation from the Paris Conservatoire with first-class honours granted by a unanimous Jury vote, he joined the Ensemble intercontemporain in 2012. (via Ensemble intercontemporain)
Hae-Sun Kang was born in South Korea, where she began to play violin at the age of three. Moving to Paris at fifteen to study at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) where she teaches today, she won such prestigious competitions as the Rodolfo Lipizer (Italy), ARD (Munich), Carl Flesch (London) and Yehudi Menuhin (Paris). In 1993, Hae-Sun Kang was named First Violin of the Orchestre de Paris. The following year, she became soloist of the Ensemble intercontemporain. She has given the first performances of many violin concerti (by Pascal Dusapin, Ivan Fedele, Michael Jarrell and Philippe Manoury) with the most distinguished orchestras. She also plays regularly in the violin concerti of Unsuk Chin, Matthias Pintscher and Beat Furrer. In 1997, Hae-Sun Kang gave the first performance of Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes 2 for solo violin and electronics in Donaueschingen. Since then, she has recorded the work for Deutsche Grammophon and has performed both Anthèmes 2 and other works in Salzburg and Helsinki, and at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Paris Cité de la musique and Carnegie Hall in New York. In her solo recitals, Hae-Sun Kang performs works written for her, such as Unsuk Chin’s Double Blind?; a new solo violin score by Beat Furrer; and Georges Aperghis’s The Only Line for solo violin. She has continued to work with composers such as Marco Stroppa (giving the first performance of Hist Whist for violin and electronics at the Monaco Printemps des Arts in 2009), Bruno Mantovani (first performance of All’ungarese for violin and piano in 2009) and Dai Fujikura (first performance of Samsara for solo violin in 2010). (via Ensemble intercontemporain)
Born in 1958, Pierre Strauch studied cello with Jean Deplace. He won first prize at the La Rochelle Rostropovitch competition in 1977 and joined the Ensemble intercontemporain the following year. He has performed, premiered and recorded many 20th century works by composers such as Iannis Xenakis, Luciano Berio, Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Olivier Messiaen. He gave the Parisian premiere of Time and Motion Study II by Brian Ferneyhough and Ritorno degli Snovidenia by Luciano Berio. Presenting, analyzing and transmitting are the pillars of his work as teacher and conductor. His intensive compositional activity has spawned works for soloists, chamber ensembles (la Folie de Jocelin, Preludio imaginario, Faute d’un royaume for solo violin and seven instruments, Deux Portraits for five violas, Trois Odes Funèbres for five instruments, Quatre miniatures for cello and piano 2003), as well as for voice (Impromptu acrostiche for mezzo and three instruments, la Beauté (Excès) for three female voices and eight instruments). The Ensemble intercontemporain commissioned him to write a work for fifteen instruments, La Escalera del dragón (In memoriam Julio Cortázar), which was premiered in 2004 par Jonathan Nott. He is the co-founder, together with composers Diogène Rivas and Antonio Pileggi, of the Festival A Tempo de Caracas. (via Ensemble intercontemporain)
Violist John Stulz is a passionate promoter of new music. He regularly gives performances by the leading composers of our time both as a soloist and as a member of What’s Next? Ensemble and various other new music groups in Los Angeles, Boston and abroad. Highlights include the west coast premiere of Elliott Carter’s Figment IV for solo viola, the american premiere of Kryzstof Meyer’s Twelfth String Quartet, and a performance of Steven Mackey’s Physical Property for string quartet and electric guitar with the composer. John has worked under Pierre Boulez and members of the Ensemble Intercontemporaine as a fellow of the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra in Switzerland as well as George Benjamin and members of the Ensemble Modern with the Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie in Schwaz, Austria. In 2011, John studied contemporary European music intensively under Garth Knox, former violist of the Arditti Quartet and Ensemble Intercontemporaine. John has served as principal violist of the USC Thornton Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, New England Conservatory Philharmonia and the Shleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in Germany. With the later he has toured across Germany and Europe under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach including performances in Krakow, Prague, Budapest, Istanbul, Grenada, Hamburg, and Weissbaden. In 2008 John made his solo debut playing the Walton Viola Concerto with the Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra. In 2010, John graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California where he studied viola with Donald McInnes and served as a member of the contemporary music ensemble for four years under the direction of Donald Crockett. Additionally, John played for two years in a string quartet with Professor Midori Goto and studied composition privately with Erica Muhl and Veronika Krausas. He is currently living in Boston where he is pursuing his masters degree at the New England Conservatory of music studying under Kim Kashkashian. Stulz rejoins the Ensemble intercontemporain in October 2015. (via What’s Next? Ensemble)
With mounting success in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Jayce Ogren is building a reputation as one of the finest young conductors to emerge from the United States in recent seasons. He began the 2015/2016 season leading Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the Music Academy of the West before heading to Paris to conduct the Ensemble Intercontemporain in a program that includes music of Stockhausen, Jodlowski, Nono, and Andrew Norman. He leads subscription weeks with the Colorado, Edmonton and Victoria Symphony orchestras, and Philadelphia’s Orchestra 2001; Bernstein’s West Side Story with film for the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Dallas Symphony; and the world premiere of Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Highlights of last season included acclaimed performances of the Strauss Burleske with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Emanuel Ax; Basil Twist’s Rite of Spring with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival; the New York Philharmonic in their CONTACT! Series of contemporary music; and the recording Rufus Wainright’s opera Prima Donna with the BBC Symphony for release on Deutsche Grammophon. During recent seasons Jayce Ogren has led new productions of Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw and Rossini’s Mosè in Egitto with the New York City Opera, where he was Music Director, as well as the American premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s opera Prima Donna, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Bernstein’s A Quiet Place, for which he won extensive critical acclaim. He also made his Canadian Opera debut in Stravinsky’s The Nightingale & Other Short Fables. Notable orchestral highlights include stepping in for James Levine to conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a challenging program that included the world premiere of Peter Lieberson’s song cycle Songs of Love and Sorrow with Gerald Finley; his debut with the New York Philharmonic on the CONTACT! Series and leading the Philharmonic in two concerts during the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL; staged performances of Turn of the Screw for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New World Symphony. He has also led all-Stravinsky programs with the New York City Ballet. Jayce Ogren’s extensive work in contemporary music has included collaborations with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in programs at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and at the Wien Modern Festival. He also conducted world premieres in Nico Muhly’s contemporary festival, “A Scream and an Outrage,” with the BBC Symphony at the Barbican. European guest engagements have included the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and Robert Carson’s production of My Fair Lady at the Chatelet in Paris. He led the European premiere of Bernstein’s West Side Story film with live orchestra with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, which he repeated with the Detroit Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He also traveled to South Africa to lead the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic, appeared with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Asturias Symphony, and led Le Nozze di Figaro at the Verbier Festival Academy. A native of Washington State, Ogren received his Bachelor’s Degree in Composition from St. Olaf College in 2001 and his Master’s Degree in Conducting from the New England Conservatory in 2003. With a Fulbright Grant, he completed a postgraduate diploma in orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm where he studied with the legendary Jorma Panula and spent two summers at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. He was appointed by Franz Welser-Möst as Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Youth Orchestra and has led the Cleveland Orchestra in regular season subscription concerts and at The Blossom Festival. As a composer, Ogren’s works have been performed at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, the Brevard Music Center, the American Choral Directors Association Conference and the World Saxophone Congress. His Symphonies of Gaia has been performed by ensembles on three continents and is the title track on a DVD featuring the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. Ogren is an award-winning triathlete, most recently completing the 2015 Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge running the Boston Marathon and the Big Sur Marathon back to back. He also completed the 2014 Ironman Lake Placid Triathlon and one week later finished fourth in his age group in the 2014 New York City Triathlon. He makes his home in Brooklyn, New York. (via Colbert Artists Management)


CAPE YORK WANDERINGS
An issue that’s all about mud. The cloying, bogging kind, and the free and slippery kind…
The theme takes us on a dream trip through Borneo, and on the editor’s recent nightmare trip with a northern mosquito illness… but these are only deviations, because when it comes to driving through mud, it’s all The Cape.
Across a series of features we take you right to the actions, a sideways trip across the deep north from the Barrier Reef to the Gulf, a gritty couples’ trip up the OTT, and a wild photo expose on the ultimate Cape York challenge.
There’s actually an end goal for each Cape trip too. All the chocolate mud, river dunkings, and kidney-twisting corrugations will eventually lead you to a Valhalla of golden sand, verdant palms and aquamarine water. Where, after a week or two in a hammock you’ll be ready to do it all again on the trip back home.
You can now download 4WD Touring Australia digitally on your iPad via the Apple App Store!
LOOK INSIDE THE MAG ISSUE 87 STRAYA Astray in ‘Straya… This issue begins with a hilarious tale about being an Aussie, then the printed page splits into four different directions...
LOOK INSIDE THE MAG ISSUE 86 TRAIL BLAZERS A magazine almost as inventive as the people who inspired it… The bush has long forced our hand as a creative nation....
LOOK INSIDE THE MAG ISSUE 85 NEW SOUTH WOW This issue is an around-the-grounds report on 4WDing in our most populace state, and it proves that you’re never too far...
LOOK INSIDE THE MAG ISSUE 84 RED HEART An issue that starts off explaining just how big our interior is… So spacious that a Japanese cult was able to set...


text:
-Villa immersed in the green hills of Umbria at 2 miles from Narni, a splendid medieval village.
-Ideal for relaxing moments with friends and family, is surrounded by woods to stroll or picnic.
-divided in two floors: the ground floor comprises entrance, kitchen with wood-burning fireplace, sitting area and closet.
on the first floor there are 2 bedrooms, 1 with double bed, 1 with 2 single beds and bathroom with bath.
-Private parking place, garden.
-The geographical location of the region Umbria and Lazio with short access paths (15-60 minutes): Rome, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Perugia, Lake Trasimeno, Spoleto, Marmore waterfalls.
Soluzione davvero ottimale per vivere Roma come si deve!
La casa è in zona centralissima e a pochi minuti (senza eufemismi) di cammino da ogni luogo di rilievo.
Punto di appoggio ottimale per la visita della città ma sicuramente anche comodo per prepararsi qualcosa da sè (ma non ho usato mai la cucina).
Giuliano è squisitamente disponibile e paziente (sono arrivato con parecchio ritardo in città, quindi lo ringrazio ulteriormente).
La casa è dotata di ogni comfort .
Unico appunto è la soluzione della doccia. il box coincide con il bagno e potrebbe creare qualche disagio, anche se a me non è pesato affatto
Fue muy agradable el tiempo que pasamos en el apartamento de Giuliano. Amplio, luminoso y al lado del centro histórico de Roma, sin necesidad de utilizar medios de transporte.
Giuliano ha sido muy flexible con nosotros en relación a los horarios de llegada y partida. Muy recomendable.
The best thing about this apartment was the location - it's in the historic area, a short walk away from the Piazza Navona and in a lovely little neighborhood with restaurants that didn't feel too touristy. The apartment itself is very small, and old, which I felt was part of its charm. Internet was intermittent and quite slow, but otherwise, comfortable accommodation. Giuliano was very friendly and helpful.
The apartment is a little old-fashioned and simple, but the location is ideal for a visit to Rome: all sights are in walking distance and it is a very friendly neighbourhood! The owner is a very fiendly and flexible man.
The apartment was located in a great area, Flaminio, just next to Piazza del Popolo and Villa Borghese. Giuliano's sister was there to let me in and show me the place. They were kind enough to welcome us with a bottle of prosecco. The place is very spacious and a full kitchen makes it great if you want to cook, although some of the kitchenware was a little old (pots and pans and coffee maker). My only complaint is that while it was clean, it was a little dusty in the bedroom under the bed and in the bathroom. Overall, a very nice place to stay. Great location, spacious, and kind owners. I would stay there again. Giuliano is also great at responding right away which is always nice in case you have any questions. Grazie Giuliano!
The location of the flat is perfect! Within walking distance of almost all the great sights of Rome (fx Campo de Fiori, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi, Wedding Cake, Ponte Sisto & Trastevere), and the neighbourhood is very nice. For this in itself I would highly recommend the flat.
The flat itself is basic but with all the essentials, and Giuliano was very friendly, though we only met him very briefly.
The location of the apartment was great! We can visit everything by foot. The apartment is perfect for a couple and well equiped. There are also several restaurants in the neighborhood and a supermarket at the end of the street. Giuliano was a friendly and helpful host. I will definitly come back!
We stayed for 3 nights and had a great time. Apartment was 2 minutes from a metro station and walkable to some great sites within the city. Place was clean and spacious and had no problems getting in touch with Giuliano for any questions we had.
El piso es muy bien ubicado, cerca de todo! Para nuestro finde, fue perfecto, y Giuliano muy amable! Os recomiendo!
We were there with my wife. It is nice flat in old building - as from Italian films of 1960-80th! Not big but good designed and cosy. The shower is without curtain/cabin, just with drain in the floor of the toilet - for us it was not a problem at all. There is small balcony from the back side of the building (view to the small yard); from the window in the sleeping room - view on the typical old Roma street. Location as absolutely perfect! It is between Navona and Campo de Fiori, in the middle of all Roma attractions, almost all of them are easily accessible by foot; during 7 days we use the bus only to get Termini Station. Good supermarket is in 100 m. Giuliano is very helpful! Really, the flat was much better than we expected. We would definitely stay there again.
This is the final rate, including any fees from the host and Airbnb.

domain: geography


text:
Escalona, María José., Cordeiro, José.Shishkov, Boris. (Eds.) () Software and data technologies :6th International Conference, ICSOFT 2011, Seville, Spain, July 18-21, 2011. Revised selected papersMLA Citation
Escalona, María José., Cordeiro, José.Shishkov, Boris., eds. Software And Data Technologies: 6th International Conference, ICSOFT 2011, Seville, Spain, July 18-21, 2011. Revised Selected Papers. : . Print.
Software and data technologies : 6th International Conference, ICSOFT 2011, Seville, Spain, July 18-21, 2011. Revised selected papers /
María José Escalona, José Cordeiro, Boris Shishkov (eds.).
|Names:||Escalona, María José. | Cordeiro, José. | Shishkov, Boris.|
|Published:||Heidelberg : Springer, |
Communications in computer and information science ; 303.
|Topics:||Software - Congresses. | Software engineering - Congresses. | Computer software - Development - Congresses.|
|Genres:||Electronic books. | Conference papers and proceedings.|
SpringerLink - Full text online (Opens in a new window)
|Meeting Name:||ICSOFT (Conference) (6th : 2011 : Seville, Spain)|
|Physical Description:||1 online resource (xii, 285 pages) : illustrations (black and white).
|ISBN:||3642361773 electronic bk.
9783642361777 electronic bk.
|Summary:||This book constitutes the proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Software and Data Technologies, ICSOFT 2011, held in Seville, Spain, in July 12011. The 13 revised full papers presented together with 4 invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 220 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on enterprise software technology; software engineering; distributed systems; data management; knowledge-based systems.
|Notes:||Includes author index.

domain: library


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domain: finance


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Young voters are an important demographic in determining the political process of any country. Historically, statistics indicate that very few young people in the US participate in the electoral process. The voice of the young people is important because key issues in the 2016 elections will be directly or indirectly on the concerns of young professionals and students. Young voters between the ages of 18-24 make 20% of the registered voting bloc. In the 2004 election, less than 49% of the young voter group between 18 to 29 years voted (Marcus 1). This is a dangerous trend and rate because it means that the older generation of electors decides on the issues that are important for young people. Issues such as college tuition and federal job program reforms are likely not to be voiced when young people do not vote. It is vital to clearly understand the reasons why young people do not vote, why they should vote and hot to get them to vote.
The main reason for low turnout in voting by young people is that young people feel they have less stake in the political establishment compared to the older generation. This is also made worse by the fact that young adults always are not motivated to vote because they do not see themselves as stakeholders in any city or community. Because they are likely to move from one city to another after they graduate, they do not consider themselves attached to any community. Millennials also have less interest in issues that are debated in national elections, such as foreign policy, social security, and many other issues that they feel are a priority of the older generation. Candidates seeking elective positions do not keenly address matters such as climate change, student debt and tuition, which are at the heart of young adults agenda. Lastly, ignorance of young people is another reason that makes them not to vote. Politicians who do not address youthful agenda form the biggest chunk of representatives in government and they do not discuss the agenda of youths because young people do not vote. The lack of trust in the political process and hopelessness in the political process are the key issues that translate into poor voter turnout by young people (Brennan and Cook 1).
Voting is important for young people because it is an important right that everyone has to exercise and the vote that is cast matters. Voting allows young adults to shape the social agenda as they would want and create a better living for themselves. The issues that young people invest in, such as climate change, student loans and tuition, capital punishment, separation of state and church and gay marriages are a contentious issue at the heart of the society. Through voting, young people make their voice be heard, and this will enable them to shape policy when it comes to these issues. Economic policies, foreign policy, and environmental issues that affect the future of young people can only be developed when young people participate fully in the elections through voting. Without young people voting, politicians will be unable to address these issues because it shows that the concerned group is not involved in the electoral process. Through voting, the president is elected, and he or she selects judicial officials who in term will have an influence on future generations through their legal powers. Hence, voting by young people shows that they have concern for the generations to come (Fehlen 1).
Several steps can be taken to ensure that there is an improved turnout by young people when it comes to voting. The first significant step that can improve voting by young people is by making voting easier. Practices such as early voting, online voting, Election Day registration, vote by mail or no registration can help increase the voter turnout by young people. Online voting is only allowed in 23 states, and this means that young people who are likely to register and vote online do not vote. The second significant action that can increase interest in voting by young people is through teaching schoolchildren the importance of voting and the process of balloting. Less educated youths always think their vote is not important while others show voter apathy. It is important for young people to understand the impact that their vote can bring in an election. The voting process may look complicated to those who do not fully understand the way the system works. Through educating them, voter turnout by young people will be improved, and this will have an important influence on the results of an election (Fabian 1).
Another factor that should be considered in encouraging young voters is to change the election year. Turnout is usually high in a presidential year, and if all federal officials are voted in at the same year after every four years, this will likely improve the participation of young people. Because some states hold elections for federal officials in different years, the turnout by the youths is usually very small compared to states that carry out the whole process at the same time. It is also important to encourage ballot measures such as the Florida Marijuana measures, which attach an election measure on the ballot. Through this manner, young people will feel that they are directly contributing to a policy that they can influence. The last important way in which young people can be encouraged to vote is through engagement with the candidates. Advocacy groups and campaigns by candidates have always approached young voters with less enthusiasm and policies that are not of great interest to them. To ensure that young people turn out in higher percentages in elections, it is important that these groups should have direct contact with young people and promote policies that will favor them (Sides 1).
In conclusion, young adults who are aged between 18-29 years should vote in huge numbers to influence their social, economic and political agenda. Through voting, key issues such as student loans, environmental issues, the cost of education, economic policy and other matters that are direct and indirect concerns can be shaped. Young people poor voting trends are attributed to lack of faith and hopelessness in the political system and the political establishment. Through easier voting methods, teaching schoolchildren the importance of balloting, changing the election year, introducing ballot measures in all elections and engaging young voters, the number of youthful voters is likely to increase. The 2016 election is important because of the many issues that are liable to be decided by the new government. Voting will enable young people to influence the future that they envision.
Brennan, Collin, and Kristi Cook. Why College Students Arent Voting (and Why It Matters). USA TODAY. N.p., 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Fabian, Jordan. How to Get More Young People to Vote. Fusion.net. N.p., 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Fehlen, Douglas. 10 Reasons Why College Students Should Vote. Study.Com. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Marcus, John. Seeking Political Support, Colleges Prod Students to Vote. US News. N.p., 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Sides, John. How to Get Young People to Vote? Register Them before They Turn 18. Washington Post. N.p., 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
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domain: sociology


There is increasing evidence for the blog’s belief that the auto industry is embarking on a fundamental shift in its approach. An interview in just-auto with Daimler’s R&D head, Thomas Weber, provides some important insights into the opportunities that may develop for chemical companies as a result.
Weber notes that “cost, knowledge and speed” are the “key to future success“. He adds that Mercedes now has 3 “key strategic directions“:
– More efficient engines. These will also become smaller.
– Hybrids. Infrastructure issues (eg battery top-up) need resolving.
– Reduced fuel consumption. Lighter materials will be crucial
This implies increased demand for polymers, and other lightweight products. In addition, greater fuel efficiency will free up more feedstock for the chemical industry, helping to keep raw material costs down.


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Carrot cake with cashew cream cheese frosting, pistachios & walnuts
- 2 cups cashews, preferably soaked for a couple hours
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- Water, as needed
- 2 large carrots, peeled
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour or buckwheat flour
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup dried pineapple (or more dates)
- 1/2 cup dried coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
To make the frosting:
Blend all ingredients in your high speed blender until smooth, adding as little water as possible. Taste it – mmm. Put in a bowl and set aside.
To make the cake:
Cut the carrots into small chunks. Then throw all the ingredients (including the carrots) in your food processor and pulse until it’s all in really small pieces and sticks together.
Press half the cake mix into the bottom of an adjustable spring-form pan, mine was about 6 inches. Then spread on about 1/3 of the frosting. Put it in the freezer until the layer of frosting is hard. Then press on the rest of the cake mix. I let it set in the fridge overnight, then frosted the whole thing, but you can do it right away if you want. Take it out of the pan and use the remaining frosting, cover with whatever garnishes you like.
Cashew Chai Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 4-6 hours (or overnight) then drained
- 1 cup light coconut milk (or sub another dairy-free milk, such as almond or rice)
- 3 packets chai tea (or ~4 tsp loose leaf, or sub black tea for a more subtle chai flavour)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or olive oil)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and ginger powder
Set your churning bowl in the freezer the night before to chill. Soak your cashews the night before as well, or for at least 4-6 hour before blending.
When ready to prepare ice cream, steep your chai tea in 3/4 cup boiling water for at least 10 minutes. It should be very strong. Remove tea bags, squeezing out excess tea, and let cool in the fridge.
In the meantime, drain cashews and measure out other ingredients.
Add tea and all remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth – about 3-4 minutes, using liquify if you have the option. Taste and adjust sweetness/flavours as needed.
Add mixture to your chilled ice cream maker bowl and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions until thoroughly chilled, about 45 minutes. It should resemble thick soft serve.
Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze until hard – at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Will keep in the freezer for up to a week.

domain: food


Warwick - There are few dull moments at the Warwick Valley Humane Society’s animal shelter but last Friday was a bit out of the ordinary. “On Friday, July 30, Warwick Police notified us that there was an alligator at 230 South Route 94 found by two workmen,” said Suzyn Barron, president of the Warwick Valley Humane Society. “The police were on their way to check it out and Animal Control was called to respond.” But local residents need not worry about nearby lakes, ponds and drainage ditches. The animal turned out not to be an alligator but a four-foot pet lizard. Animal Control Officer Dawn Woody figured as much and unsuccessfully tried calling a person who had recently reported missing a large lizard. Woody then responded to the location and as she was putting on animal handling gloves, one of the workers opened the cage a tad too early. A large hiss by the lizard caused the men to jump back, allowing it to escape. Woody, knowing this was just a lost pet, pursued the reptile through a paddock of donkey dung and caught up to the animal when it reached a fence and hesitated before plunging into a large pond. At that instant she instinctively grabbed the tail and holding the large, hissing and thrashing reptile away from her, made her way back to her truck. “When the owner was finally contacted,” said Barron. “We learned that it was a peach-throated 20-year-old monitor named 'Gweneviere.’” The monitor was happily reunited with the Aloia family, which includes two children, four dogs, two other lizards and three cats. Woody has been an animal control officer for nine years, so “this isn’t Dawn’s first foray into doing whatever it takes to save an animal but it is one she will well remember,” Barron said. “I commend her for a job well done.”
Rescues The Warwick Valley Humane Society rescues a variety of local birds and animals. All are given a fighting chance and most survive. The Society’s Wildlife Recovery Fund helps defray the costs of medical and special dietary needs of wildlife rescued by the Shelter’s animal control officers. According to Barron, the Wildlife Fund is low and any donation would be appreciated. Call 986-2473.


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Now enthusiasts a house with a tiny size seems increasingly crowded. Imagine, amid the financial crisis such as this, the presence of the small size seemed to give hope to those who have a desire to buy a home with a limited budget. The playhouse can also overcome the problem of limited land, because this type of house will not take land that is too broad.
There are some points that you should consider when determining the Awesome Small Home Idea For New Family you want to have. Before determining the design of a small house, you must determine what style you will apply on your small house.
Of the many home styles to choose from, it seems minimalist style is the most appropriate style. Why? minimalist house concept is very suitable for application at home who have limited land size. Application appropriately minimalist style house will give an impression of space in your small house. See also Simple Dream House For New Family.
Once you determine what style will be applied to the design of your small house, next you need to determine every aspect of support that will beautify your small house. First, you must determine the color of paint you will apply on your small house design.
You can choose the sweet colors like pastel colors for a sweet and beautiful effect on your small house. however, you also can choose the neutral colors like white, gray, black, or blue to provide a broader effect on your small house. Read also Ideal Dream House Idea For Family.
Next is the selection of furniture. With the size of a small house, you also have to choose furniture that is sized too small. This is in addition to aligning with the size and design of your small house, as well as to provide a broader effect with the available land more than if you choose furniture with a large size.

domain: design


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Meet five inspiring women who beat breast cancer
by SARAH OBANYE, Daily Mail
But while more than half will be over 65 when cancer strikes, survival rates are improving - of the 38,000 women diagnosed each year, 74 per cent are still alive five years later.
Here, we talk to five women who have beaten the disease and have managed, against the odds, to better their lives.
'Unbelievably, I was just 25 when I discovered a lump in my left breast. Until then, I'd never given my health a second thought. Like any other person in their mid 20s, I was more concerned about going out and having a good time - I worked hard and I played hard. Yes, I drank alcohol, but no more than any other young person, and I never smoked - I just enjoyed clubbing, which in hindsight kept me fit.
But that all came to an abrupt end when I felt a shooting pain in my chest one spring morning in 1995. When I rushed to the mirror I saw the source of the pain was a pea-sized lump which I had never noticed before. In a panic I made an appointment to see my doctor, but when she examined my breast, the lump had disappeared.
Taking into account my age and the fact there was no history of breast cancer in my family, she assured me I had nothing to worry about, but urged me to return if I felt the lump again.
Thinking that would be the end of it, I left the surgery with thoughts of my next night out clubbing and the skimpy top I was going to wear.
But just a few days later I felt the lump again. This time I was referred to St Bartholomew's Hospital in London.
Within five days I had a biopsy which confirmed I had a malignant tumour, but the cancer hadn't spread to my lymph nodes. I couldn't believe it when the consultant said I needed a mastectomy on my left breast.
My thoughts turned to losing my femininity and I was also petrified that my boyfriend wouldn't find me attractive any more. Losing a breast symbolised the end of the sexy, confident young woman I was proud to be.
In the summer of 1995, while most women my age were worrying about topping up their tans, I was trying to decide whether to keep my nipple or not.
Six weeks later I had the operation, a procedure that was combined with a silicone and saline breast implant - so in a way it felt as if nothing was going to change physically.
Although I got plenty of support from those close to me, I felt like the only young person in Britain facing this trauma.
The operation involved the surgeon cutting round the nipple and removing it, then cutting horizontally across the breast, peeling back the skin and tunnelling out the tissue as far as the underlying chest muscle, up to the dip in the chest (about 5cm down from the collarbone) and down to the crease where the breast meets the ribcage.
The implant was then embedded underneath the chest muscle and the skin stitched back together, leaving a four-inch scar.
For a time I felt angry because I couldn't understand why the cancer had chosen such a young victim, but I knew I had to snap out of it or the cancer would win. The one saving grace was that I didn't need any therapy or drugs, because all of the tumour had been removed.
Naturally, my recovery affected my relationship - I had enough energy only for me, not my boyfriend. I lost interest in sex because I was so tired, and that, on top of everything else, eventually was our undoing.
When I was given the all-clear last year, I felt proud I had beaten such a terrible disease and used the experience to build a better life for myself by starting my own company. I'm not in a relationship at the moment, but I feel more attractive and self assured than I have in my whole life.
I'll never forget the look of anguish on my children's faces when I told them I had breast cancer. I had taken them out for lunch as a special treat, thinking it would cushion the blow.
Adam's face froze. Katherine just wept uncontrollably. It was horrible. The hardest thing about having cancer was admitting it to myself. I didn't exercise but I had a healthy diet, didn't smoke, rarely drank, and checked my breasts regularly for lumps.
The news came at a bad time in my life. I had just come out of a longterm relationship and was vulnerable. That's probably why I was in denial and kept the cancer a secret for nearly three months.
But the worry and stress took its toll and I lost two stone. I eventually told the children I had a malignant tumour in my right breast, no more than 2cm wide, just two days before I went into hospital for a lumpectomy.
To make matters worse, I had the operation on October 18, 1996, the eve of their 16th birthdays. I felt so guilty - I should have been throwing them a party, not lying in a hospital bed.
A lumpectomy involves making an incision over the lump, peeling back the skin and cutting out the tumour and a little of the surrounding healthy tissue.
Afterwards, I had two months of radiotherapy to kill off any stray cancerous cells. Luckily, the cancer hadn't spread, but it took me a long time to come to terms with seeing the disfigured breast (half of it had been cut away).
Last July I had reconstructive surgery. I've developed a more positive attitude towards life and I'm closer to my children - I feel I've been given a second chance.
If I had the opportunity to live the last two-and-a-half years all over again, I wouldn't change a thing, because having breast cancer has given me a new zest for life.
It has given me the strength to end an unhappy 13-year relationship (we married in the last year), and the confidence to face the world on my own - which is something I never would have expected to happen when I was diagnosed.
When the consultant told me in March 2000 that I had 7cm of highgrade, fast-growing cancer in my left breast and a small cluster of cancerous cells in the other, I thought I was going to die. But the doctor assured me it had been caught just in time.
I felt as if I'd been punched in the stomach, and it was at that moment I realised my materialistic lifestyle meant nothing. The 70-hour weeks I had worked to buy my nice house full of expensive furniture and designer clothes had all been in vain.
When I found the lump in my left breast, I was a newly married 31-year-old high-flyer with my own IT recruitment business, following a successful career as a City trader.
I felt as if my life was just beginning and was excited about the future because my husband and I were trying to start a family.
Breast cancer was something I associated with older women - there wasn't even a history of it in my family. So I had no reason to assume the worst when I detected a hard growth the size of half a pea but I decided to get it checked out.
Because the lump was so tiny, my GP assured me it was nothing to worry about, but I had a gut feeling things weren't right and asked to use my private health insurance to be referred to a clinic in Kent.
However, I was told the same as before. A scan - which showed I had a lump - and examinations by five doctors confirmed I had healthy breasts.
But still I had a nagging feeling, so I went back to my doctor and asked for a biopsy. A week later I discovered I needed a full mastectomy on my left breast and a lumpectomy on my right.
I was terrified. If it wasn't for the fact the surgeon agreed to reconstruct my breasts with muscle from my back, I wouldn't have been able to come to terms with the operation.
Almost three years on, I feel fitter than ever. I was offered the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen, but I found out it can make you infertile, so I decided not to take it. I still have my breasts checked every six months and I check them myself at least once a week.
It's been a heart-wrenching experience, but it has changed my life for the better. I'm taking time out for myself and I have learned not to take anything for granted.
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This is another Donald Trump first — tweeting that the U.S. has to ‘expand its nuclear capability’ two days before Christmas, then announcing that he’s ready for an ‘arms race.’ So much for spreading good cheer for the new year..
Most Americans – like you, I bet – are consumed right now by the last minute frenzy of shopping for perfect gifts. And for many of you, this is a time also when you give to the less fortunate by donating gifts to children and by volunteering to serve a Christmas meal to the homeless.
In other words, it’s the time of year most of you are focused on love, giving and spreading good vibes. But not for our president elect, Donald Trump. While he hasn’t said or tweeted a word about bringing ALL Americans together to build a better world in 2017, he has tweeted and spoken out in the past 23 hours about kicking off a new nuclear arms race.
He’s still a month from taking the oath of office and he’s already itching to get his fingers onto those nuclear codes! Here’s what he’s said, and to be clear — this is out of the blue. In other words, no other nation or group has been bragging about their nukes lately.
“The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to it senses regarding nukes,” he tweeted.
So does this mean that he wants to build even more nuclear warheads than the 4,600 we already have — more than enough to destroy the entire world? Then when Trump was asked to clarify his comments by journalists, he told Morning Joe’s Mika Brzezinski on Dec 23, “Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.”
An arms race? Now?
Is this what we want for our country for the next four years — a nuclear arms race? Do we want to end up in a nuclear World War III? The death of billions? Is this what even Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters were yearning for?
Morning Joe host Mika and her co-host Joe Scarborough were in the midst of hosting a special pre-Christmas program in their plaid pajamas, when Trump dropped his nuclear race bombshell on them. They looked visibly rattled by his pre-Christmas crazy. Oh, and by the way readers, building more nuclear bombs isn’t just terrifying, it’s also super expensive, as in trillions of dollars. Do you want your tax dollars going to build more weapons of global destruction?
But the president elect didn’t just have nuclear bombing on his mind when he tweeted in the last few hours. He also took aim at A-list celebrities and worked in a new diss of Hillary Clinton while he was at it. Why not? Here it goes: “The so-called ‘A’ list celebrities are all wanting tixs to the Inauguration, but look what they did for Hillary, NOTHING. I want the PEOPLE,” he tweeted. Thin-skinned Trump is clearly miffed that not one celebrity has agreed to perform at his inauguration. Not one.
Celine Dion, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Andrea Bocelli, have all turned him down. Well Donald, maybe if you hadn’t slammed Mexicans, Muslims, women, gold star mothers, SNL, Alec Baldwin, the cast of Hamilton, an 18 year-old female college student and more, there might be at least one celebrity who would perform for you. And how about taking a page out of the A-list celebrity book and donating to help Americans in need, especially at Christmas .That would impress all Americans.
Follow these examples :Taylor Swift, who recently donated $1 million to the victims of flooding in Louisiana. She also donated $100,000 to Dolly Parton‘s telethon to raise money for the victims of the terrible Tennessee wildfires. Kenny Chesney joined in with his own $250,000 donation. Trump nemesis and impersonator Baldwin has given over $1 million to charities in the past year, including funds for breast cancer research and to help clean up the Hudson River.
Actress Meryl Streep has donated over $2 million, including to Oxfam America. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen gave $1.5 million to help Haiti after the devastating earthquake. And then there are celebrities who literally believe in spreading Christmas cheer to those who desperately need it. Katy Perry and boyfriend Orlando Bloom both got dressed up in Santa suits and surprised the sick children at LA’s Children’s Hospital, this past week, with gifts and holiday sing-alongs.
So Donald Trump, stop slamming celebrities who demonstrate true Christmas spirit, just because they don’t support you AND stop drumming up a nuclear arms race. This is a time for peace, NOT nuclear war.
Do you agree, HollywoodLifers? Should Donald Trump stop trying to instigate a nuclear arms race and instead focus on bringing all Americans together now? Let me know.